I think I have Stockholm Syndrome REVIEW of "Stolen" by Lucy Christopher

 Why this book?: Work (library) just got it in, and I said "heck yes."

Disclaimer: Library book! Not mine, unfortunately. Did not receive this book or anything else in exchange for a review.

Type: Young Adult, Kidnapping, Australia, Stalking, Holy Crap I'm Torn, Snakes and Scorpians and Camels - Oh My!

About the book: Sixteen year old Gemma is at the airport with her parents, getting a coffee to drink in the waiting area before their last flight. An older, kind stranger offers to buy the drink - he's cute and it's free coffee, so she accepts. Little did Gemma know, that this man has been following her, planning for when she was alone so he could drug her and steal her away. When Gemma regains consciousness, she soon learns she's in another country, Australia, and not just another country - but smack dab in the middle of the desert, with no roads or buildings in sight. From the looks of the place, the man has been planning this for a while. And as much as she hates him for kidnapping her, she can't help but begin to trust him, maybe just a little.

My review: I'm not sure there are really words for this. What a good - nay - a GREAT book. Gemma tells the story of her capture, and her stay with Ty, her kidnapper. As the story unfolds, it turns out that Gemma was just not some random girl he picked out of a crowd, but someone he had been following for years. The story is so deep, and so incredibly moving. I could not put this book down, in fact, I was sucked in from page one. Gemma's reactions felt so genuine and true, and this is one of those books that makes you feel too. Indeed, at the end, I felt as torn and confused as Gemma did. I wish I could tell you why, but I will not deal in spoilers.

Obviously I knew the kidnapping was coming, as it was mentioned on the cover jacket. But from that moment on, author Lucy Christopher kept me guessing. And some tidbits about the book itself - there are no chapters in this book, just little snippets separated by wires. And frankly, it makes it that much quicker to read, because you never find the perfect place to pause, might as well keep going. And trust me, you'll be glad you did, those 300 pages fly by.

Cover Loving: Simple, Elegant. Perfect.

Recommendation: YES. Oh HECK YES. Read it! Fans of YA or just plan excellent fiction should read it right this second!

Final Rating: FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). Oh my gosh. This is definitely one of the keeper shelves. I cannot wait to buy this one and have it as my very own.

Want to read this book? Get it from Amazon.com via the link to the left. Already own it/have read it? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Have a great weekend!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

18+ Blogger Tag Along and Follow Friday!

Hello everyone! It's almost Friday so it's time for another 18+ Blogger Tag Along and Follow Friday! A great time to meet new bloggie friends and reconnect with old ones!

For any new followers - my name is Amanda, and I've been a book reviewer/book blogger for a few years now, though it doesn't feel that long. I review books here, as well as for Romance Reviews Today. I also work in a library, and I want to be a writer - so obviously, I'm trying to surround myself with books, figuratively and literally. =)

And since you're here, why don't you hop on over to THIS POST and enter my contest for a chance to win on of FIVE copies of "Spiral X" by JJ Westendarp? C'mon, you know you want to...

So.. um.. Welcome! I look forward to meeting everyone and I hope you all have a great weekend!

 This week's question... Do I prefer Erotic novellas or novels - Hmm, I think it really depends on the story. Sometimes they story only calls for something short.. but generally I prefer novels. Especially the Lorelei James Rough Riders series!!

Whatcha Got Wednesday!

Aha! Another edition of Whatcha Got Wednesday! This is where I post about all the cool books I've gotten in the past week to read for fun, or to review. And I invite you all to comment and tell me your thoughts. Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts? Are you on the fence about buying one of them? Or maybe you just like the pretty covers.. Me too. =) So let's get right into it...

BOUGHT!
"The Iron King" by Julie Kagawa - Everyone raves about these.. and I had a gift card, so I figured I'd try them out! Or at least the first..
"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins - LOVE this series. Bought this to make my Mom read it.
"Personal Demons" by Lisa Desrochers - There are wings on the cover. WINGS.
"Cowgirl Up and Ride" by Lorelei James - I've said it before, I LOVE this author. Now that I've read through most of her Rough Rides series, I'm working my way towards owning them all.
"The Countess" by Lynsay Sands - Another author I love. Whether it be her vampires or her historicals, she writes great, witty stories.
"The Fallen: Raziel" by Kristina Douglas - WINGS, I tell you!
"Ascension" by Caris Roane - If you don't know why by now...
"Bloodfever" by Karen Marie Moning - I already own book one, and everyone tells me I'm going to LOVE this series.. so I figured if it's that good, I better have the second book on hand.


TO REVIEW (For Romance Reviews Today)
"Halfway Hexed" by Kimberly Frost - Not an author I've read before, I'm a little excited
"Tainted by Temptation" by Katy Madison - Same. I do so love temptation. =)

That's it for me this week! But I think that's enough, right? Expect to see reviews of these books in the future, and please, please, please go enter my contest for FIVE copies of "Spiral X" - link in the upper righthand sidebar!

Did you get any cool goodies this week? Or is there anything coming out soon that you are totes excited about? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

GIVEAWAY!: FIVE copies of "Spiral X" by JJ Westendarp!

********************CONTEST CLOSED, THANK YOU!***************************
It's the beginning of a new month - feels like a great time for a giveaway, right?!


Author JJ Westendarp is kicking off his eBook Blog tour with a bang - by generously offering FIVE (5) copies of his book "Spiral X" for me to give away! And be sure to follow JJ throughout the blog tour more goodies - interviews, guest posts, reviews, etc!

Here's a little info about "Spiral X"...


Cheryl Erikson is a Vampire Hunter with a problem. A dangerous drug named Plast has found its way onto the streets of Dallas. She would prefer to let the DEA and local law enforcement handle everything, but since the dealers happen to be vampires, she has no choice but to step in and put a stop to it. But when she meets a mysterious Hunter named Rev, everything she thinks she knows, changes.

Sounds like a great one! Now how about information on the man behind the book, JJ himself.

J. J. Westendarp lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with his wife, two kids, and two basset hounds. He is an unapologetic Dallas Cowboys fan, loves to play games (video and board) when he gets a chance, and has an unhealthy obsession with Star Wars.

You can find JJ Westendarp and his books HERE.
And be sure to check out his Facebook Page!

Now for the RULES!

- I have FIVE copies to giveaway, so there will be FIVE winners
- Enter by leaving a comment, and LEAVE YOUR EMAIL (no email, no entry)
- Contest ENDS THURSDAY 2/10 at11:59PM
- Winners will be announced FRIDAY 2/11
- Once I determine the winners, I will send their email addresses to JJ Westendarp, and he will email the winner with a Smashwords coupon code so you can get your free book - this will allow each winner to pick their preferred format!

So enter away! And make sure to follow JJ on the rest of his tour! Next stop: A Chick Who Reads !!

~!~ Amanda ~!~

Then where is he? Review of "Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here" by Christine Warren

 Why this book?: THE TITLE. Ha, I love it. But seriously - Where does he live, then?

Disclaimer: Another library book. I did not receive this book or anything else in exchange for a review. I'm reviewing it for my own sick pleasure.

Type: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Series, the Others, Sexy hero names, and He's a P.I.? Excuse me while I undress

About the book: Danice Carter is a lawyer. A damn good lawyer, actually. And when the senior partner of her firm called her into his office for a special assignment, she thought that was it - she was getting the case that will make or break her career, and finally make her a partner in the firm. She never expected for her client to be her boss' granddaughter, or for said granddaughter to not show up to their meeting. Instead of finding her client, Danice found a private investigator, McIntyre Callahan - who also happens to be searching for Rosemary. This case is turning out to be a lot worse than Danice thought. Good thing she has the sexy PI on her side... especially when Rosemary's trail leads them right to a gate into Faerie, and a lot more trouble than either of them could have forseen...

My review: Faeries! Private Investigators! Sexy names! How could I not enjoy this book? There were definitely a lot of things I liked about it. Such as a hero that isn't TOO alpha male. Don't get me wrong, I love alpha males, but every so often, you want a guy that just feels.. real. Even if he does happen to be a faerie, which might make me a little weird but I'm okay with it. And Danice is a strong, confident woman. She's smart, she's driven, she has a lot of good qualities. But this book features something I'm getting a little tired of... When a woman is smart and strong, but yet apparently doesn't know that she's getting too far into something she doesn't understand, and therefore gets herself into trouble. Danice and Mac have to go into Faerie to try and find either Rosemary, or the man that hired Mac. And even though Mac explains how truly frightening Faerie can be, Danice - who is entirely human and knows she's about to step into a place unlike anything she's ever known, just figures she's strong enough to deal with it, and refuses to listen to Mac's warnings. Of course, this leads to trouble, but the trouble is slightly spoiler-y, so I won't get into it. I know the book would turn out entirely different if she had chosen to let Mac, who is definitely more capable, go in alone. But I wish she was strong and smart enough to realize she was in over her head. Or maybe for this sort of thing to not have come up at all.

All that said - really, I enjoyed the book. The end has some "Whoa, what?!" moments, but the novel certainly kept me entertained. And I love, love, love Mac. As I said before, he just felt so.. real. Like the kind of man I want by my side... in or out of bed. And there was a great cast of supporting characters as well. Quigley, for example. Oh man, I laughed in every scene he was in. And his version of crack/meth? Oh, perfect. This is definitely an author I'm going to look into, since this is the first book I've read by her.

Cover Loving?: I like it well enough. Definitely some good chest-age going on. I get that wolves play a part in the rest of her series, but I feel like the wolf at the bottom of the cover is a little misplaced. There's not much mention of wolves in "Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here."

Recommendation: I'd say yes. This is a good book, and I've heard good things about the series, so this is an author I would recommend trying out. As mentioned, I'm going to add the rest of this series to be "To Be Checked Out" list.

Final Rating: I'd give it a THREE POINT NINE out of FOUR (3.9/4). Weird score? Yes. But it didn't quite feel like a four, and it definitely felt better than a three or even three point five. So three point nine it was.

Have you read "Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here" or any other books in The Others series? Are you a fan of Christine Warren? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Want to get this book? Click the link on the left to purchase it from Amazon.com!


Until next time, Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~