100 Follower Giveaway

So since I am approaching the 100 follower mark I thought I would mark this with a giveaway. It is only open to people in the US (sorry!). When I reach the 100 follower mark, I will be giving away a copy of:

To enter: You must be a follower of my blog and you must comment on the thread below. The winner will be chosen randomly from the comments using a random number generator. The comment associated with that number will receive a slightly used copy of the above book. The winner will be posted on the blog so check back to see if you won!

Here's the amazon description via Amazon: Mississippi teen AJ works hard to ignore her vampire side, focusing on fitting in at school by getting good grades and staying out of trouble. Even so, the 17-year-old's problems are beginning to pile up. Her boyfriend has just become her stepbrother, and though she and Ryan are still strongly attracted to one another, their parents have broken them up. Worse, she may have created a truly evil vampire during an ill-advised night of drinking. In order to protect herself and her family, she must explore her vampire heritage while discerning who among her friends and acquaintances she can trust.


100 Followers Here We Come!

Friday Five (2)

1. I am currently on the road to Dallas. Sadly my grandpa passed away this week and we are headed to Dallas to spend some time with the family and go to his memorial service. Thus there may be some blog silence for the next few days depending on the schedule of things. Although I sadly did not get a chance to find some new books to upload to my phone to read so I may have to content myself with reading old stuff. Sadly brining a book is a clear indicator that I do not plan to drive so I must bring books on my phone so that it is not obvious to the husband that I plan to ignore him during the drive :)

2.    2.  I am very excited that my blog is going to be under construction in the next few weeks. I have the lovely Tammy with visions expressed graphics working on a new background, banner and button for my blog. I am very excited about the changes that are coming. I will also be changing some things with ratings and features on the blog. Check back as the changes get implemented!

3.   3.  Mardi Gras break is the best thing in the world as a teacher. The week off was sorely needed as the kids all have spring fever and senioritis. I was able to relax and get a lot accomplished during my week off. My house is somewhat more picked up, errands have been run that were on the back burner, etc. I have also just about caught up on my DVR shows that my husband doesn’t let me watch with him around (Greek, Vampire Diaries, etc) Now you see why I teach high school :)

4.  I was very disappointed with GLEE this week. Not only did I feel that the show did some bashing on the abstinence issue but the song choices were terrible. After talking to my husband we have decided that they are experiencing a bit of a sophomore slump as they are trying to find topics. There have been several episodes that I really liked this season but I think the stance on abstinence early on was a complete turn off as far as the dialogue went and the song choices were really obscure. I also want to take a moment before people bash me with the sex ed idea. I believe that kids need to make an informed choice. However, I think that choosing abstinence is not in fact “lame” or unrealistic as the show claims. On a personal note I chose abstinence and it worked for me. Thus, I don’t think it is completely unrealistic or lame.

      5. The ipad 2 intrigues me. However, I can’t seem to find one viable reason to get the darn thing. I am the kind of person that will spend money on a big purchase but I need some sort of justification even if it is flimsy. I already have a MacBook Pro so I already have the processor blah blah blah. I also have an iphone. So I can’t figure out why I would need an ipad other than it looks cool…? My husband on the other hand has a pc and has been wanting a mac and is now saying that it could be his mac computer. I find this interesting since all he does is yell at my computer because it doesn’t work like his. Maybe I will get him one and see if I can find any other use that a HUGE kindle… Any ideas??

Blog Hop & Follow Friday (4)

It's time for the weekend Hop again!

"If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?"


Oh Geez. Let me visit my amazon wishlist....

Luckily I have an educator discount so I am able to pick up a bit more. Several of these are pre-orders I am waiting on that I should be able to get through after my TBR pile is reduced...

Just like Ashley said (love it) "Ashley the girl..." who are 

You the Boy/Girl, instead of You the Blogger?

I am a mother of two beautiful children, a teacher, a wife, a photographer enthusiast and a New Orleans resident. Whew that's a lot to be!

Die For Me by Amy Plum

All I have to say is WOW! My friend over at Embrace Your Oddities did a review on this book and it really got me interested in the book. It wasn’t at all what I first thought it was going to be. I had originally thought that based on the back cover it was going to be a tragic story where the boy died to save the girl. However, it was definitely not tragic and it was fully amazing. I requested a galley after reading the review Mandy posted. Here’s the description from NetGalley:

Kate Mercier’s wonderfully normal teenage life comes crashing down when her parents are killed in a car accident. Suddenly, she and her sister, Georgia, are forced to leave everything they’ve ever known in America and move to Paris to live with their grandparents. For Kate, the only way to survive is by sealing off her heart and escaping into the comforting world of books and beautiful art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. He also happens to be one of an elite race of paranormal beings known as revenants—undead creatures who exist to sacrifice themselves over and over again in place of other humans whose time to die has not yet come.

As Kate’s attraction to Vincent grows, she must choose between the shattered life she was trying to rebuild, and the risks of loving again. But when she learns that her sister has become involved with a group of evil revenants who exist solely to murder and betray those around them, Kate is thrown into the midst of a centuries-old battle which threatens the lives of everyone she loves.

Die for Me is an exceptionally good book. The setting in Paris brings such a wonderful aspect to the love story and brings so much culture to the story. After reading about many of the places it makes me want to take a trip over there.

I really liked Kate’s character. Instead of falling into the traditional head over heels roll she is very cautious as she decides whether it is a good idea to start a romance with the dangerous and mysterious Vincent. She also has a great relationship with her sister and grandparents. She does not isolate herself with her love interest and that is definitely a plus in my opinion.

Vincent is a great character in the sense that he realizes the complications and comes to a compromise so that Kate might accept to be with him. He doesn’t expect her to change everything for their potential relationship in the story. I know writers don’t usually like being compared to twilight but for those that enjoyed the relationship between Bella and Edward ,but were looking for a little more maturity in the relationship, you will love the story between Kate and Vincent.

I am desperately hoping that Die for Me is a series as I can’t wait to see more of what Amy Plum has come up with. The idea of renevants is a new one for this genre and I find it to be really interesting and different. They are ordinary and yet they aren’t. I give this book a 5/5 and highly recommend it to lovers of this genre. You will not regret this purchase!

**Also on a side note I love what publishers are doing with come of the covers lately. The cover for Die For Me is absolutely gorgeous!**

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Olivier

The demon trappers daughter is an incredibly detailed YA urban fantasy. I came across this book in a goodreads group that I joined and it piqued by curiosity so I picked up a copy on Amazon. Here’s the description from Amazon.com:

The year is 2018, and Riley is no ordinary Atlanta teen. She is training to be a demon trapper like her father. The economy has gone to hell, and so it makes perfect sense that hell would send forth demons to wreak havoc on Earth. The opening scene has Riley trapping a lower level Biblio-fiend that lives in a university library and storing him in a sippy cup until turning him in. This sounds like it is a tongue-in-cheek novel, but it is not. Riley's father is killed by demons, and there is some mysterious link to Riley, placing her life in danger. Her father's hot bad-boy former apprentice, Beck, has a crush on Riley, as does the kinder, wholesome, and religious trapper Simon, creating the romantic angle. There is a mystery involving the potency of the Holy Water used to fight demons and treat the wounds they inflict, and the fact that demons seem to know Riley's name.

The Demon Trappers series is my new favorite urban fantasy series. For those that loved the Immortal Instruments series and world this book will be a part of your favorites. 

Riley is a strong lead character. Some people have cited her to be immature in reviews but I found her to be perfect for a 17 year old girl that has lost those she was closest to. She is loyal, caring and stubborn. A lot of the interesting interactions between Riley and Beck come from both of them being so stubborn.

I love the alternating points of view in this book. Beck puts up a very tough front but is vulnerable on the inside. I think that Olivier does a great job alternating between the leading characters. I really enjoy that style of writing so you can get a glimpse into the more intimate aspects of each leading character.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the love triangle with Simon and Beck. I suspect that Beck would be better suited to Riley since Simon brings up wanting a family several times. In addition, there is another male character that I am unsure what is going to happen. I am hoping his mysterious appearances and comments are explained in the next book. I may even reread this book soon to get some more clues into what is going on.

On a side note: The cover is absolutely AMAZING! It is the first thing that drew me into the book.

I am eagerly awaiting the next installment which is supposed to be released August 30. I give this book a 5/5 and have really high hopes that it is longer than three books because the world Olivier has created is so unique and interesting.

Betrayal (Haunting Emma #2) by Lee Nichols

So Betrayal is the first of the four reviews that will hopefully be coming soon since they were all released this week and I am really excited for all of them! Here’s amazon’s description:

Emma Vaile is the most powerful ghostkeeper in centuries. Which is great when she's battling the wraith-master Neos, but terrible when she's flirting with fellow ghostkeeper (and soul mate) Bennett. When ghostkeepers fall in love, the weaker one loses all power, and that's not something Bennett can handle.

Heartbroken and alone, Emma tries to lose herself in school with fellow ghostkeeper, Natalie. When a new team of ghostkeepers arrive-one a snarky teenboy, the other a British scholar-Emma finds solace in training for the battle against Neos. But as the team grows stronger, they are threatened by an unknown force. One they thought was good.

As chilling and page-turning as Deception, this sequel will grab readers and hold them to the last page. No one is safe from suspicion as Emma closes in on the traitor.

I was really excited for the continuation of Emma’s story. The plot was still amazing in this book as Nichols has brought a whole new concept to the paranormal genre. I love the world that she has created with the different types of ghostkeepers. The reason Emma is so impressive is that she has all the powers that everyone else has independently and then some. In the second book her powers continue to grow exponentially and she proves what a loyal and protective person she is.

There are several really interesting twists that the plot takes in this story where the “impossible” happens and it leaves the reader shocked. I really enjoy that in a story. No I won’t disclose more but you can read for yourself. The slight unpredicatability of the story is an attractive part of the book.

I do think that the ending strings need to be tied up sooner rather than later. I don’t want this to turn into another drawn out series with the same conflicts spanning 12 or more books. I enjoy seeing different conflicts and resolutions in the series over time. I have no idea what Nichols has planned for the future I am just stating that I hope she has new conflicts in mind for later books.

**Spoiler** I really don’t like Emma and Bennett’s relationship in this book. It’s nothing against the author but I think other readers might have trouble with it as well. The whole idea of staying together no matter what even in a potentially destructive relationship doesn’t sit well with me. Their relationship takes some unhealthy turns and it was hard for me to stomach that with the book.

Overall I give it a 4/5. It didn’t completely wow me but it kept me interested and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series. The storyline is great and the fictional world has the attention to detail that is difficult to achieve.

Friday Five (1)

The Friday Five is a new meme that I am taking from Sarah Dessen's blog. I like how she summarizes her thoughts and activities for the week and find it adds a personal touch. So without further ado here are my five for the week!

1. GLEE was a rerun this week and I FORGOT. After planing my entire Tues night around GLEE my husband reminded me that it wasn't new. I am not sure if it is a testimony to the show that I religiously watch or if it is evidence of my extreme nerdiness. Take your pick.

2. I finished my Ch. 3 and revisions of Ch. 1 of my dissertation. For those of you that don't know a dissertation is a massive undertaking and basically I finished everything but some edits before I actually do a experiment (aka study). Now I get to undertake the fun task of being grilled by a committee to determine if this is a good idea. A nervous breakdown is likely on the way.

3. My daughter's first birthday party is this weekend. This is turning my life upside down. I am having to make her cake because it is Mardi Gras weekend and thus impossible to get a bakery to do anything but a king cake or a wedding cake. In case you don't know I am so right brained I can't even draw stick people. So I'm sticking with making an Ace of hearts cake. Its hearts and they are geometric so I should be able to handle it.. If not she will just be permanently scarred because her mom forgot what weekend was Mardi Gras weekend and made an ugly cake.. not.. at least its a tea party and tea is hard to mess up.

4. There were four releases this week that I am dying to read. I think my husband is likely to have a heart attack if I buy four books in one week. Thus I am having to wait for the library, friends, etc to get them. I did buy one but will have to wait on the others. 40 dollars in a week is understandable to freak out over :)

5. I am OFF work all next week. This is such a beautiful thing. One of the high points of being a teacher other than actually teaching is the fact that right as the kids are getting so restless there is a break where we can all take a breather and come back refreshed. This is also great for me because it has been an insanely busy year and I have a ball to go to this weekend. Which means no sleep Sat. night and then the bday party on Sunday. So I will have all week to catch up on my procrastination and my sleep.