Winner of "Stolen Dreams" by Stacey Kennedy!

My giveaway for one copy of "Stolen Dreams" by Stacey Kennedy (as part of her BLB Virtual Tour) has ended, and it's time to announce the lucky winner!

And that person is...

**************************** STEPHANIE *****************************

Congratulations Stephanie! I'll be sending your contact information to Stacey, and she'll make sure you get your prize, you lucky duck.

Be sure to check my righthand sidebar for information about upcoming guests on the blog, and even contests.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Reading =)
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Hip. Hop. A hip to the hop and you don't stop. BLOG HOPS!

Welcome to all new and old visitors! I'm Amanda, and this is Novel Addiction - my own little corner of Bloglandia. Feel free to grab my "flag" (aka banner) on the right hand side if you feel so inclined. And keep an eye on my "Contests/Upcoming Excitements" section for..  well, contests and upcoming excitements. *Wink*

As for a little bit about myself.. I'm 23, work in a library, and review books for both my own blog and Romance Reviews Today. So as you can imagine, I am constantly around books - it's a good feeling. I'm also currently in a musical, which is why my reviews have been a little sporadic recently - but I'm still reading like no tomorrow! Follow me on Goodreads to see what I'm reading at any given moment, and you can even find me on Twitter.. where you will probably be bombared by book-y news and randomosity.

Now, on to the hippity hops!


What attracts you most to a book? Is it the cover, blurb, or something else? Well! If I'm just browsing the bookstore, it's usually the cover or title that catches my attention. But with all the blogs I follow nowadays, I'll see someone mention a book on with "Waiting on Wednesday" or just a random post, and I find my interest piqued.


If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author? Definitely! After reading "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie, I found all of her other novels, read them.. and they're still some of my favorites. Same with Sherrilyn Kenyon (her historicals, paranormal, etc), and Lynsay Sands (historical, paranormal).



What is on your current playlist right now? Ha! It's a mix of songs that I have downloaded from the library (for free! Thanks Freegal!). Said playlist includes Three Days Grace, plenty of Glee songs (despite the fact that I don't really watch the show),  and then I've added in the songs from the musical I'm in ("Urinetown") because we're getting down to the wire, and I need to make sure I have all my harmonies and such memorized.

I have no rehearsal tonight (it's amazing!) so I might actually be able to do the Friday hops ON FRIDAY! I look forward to meeting all my new follows and visiting your blogs!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and a Happy Easter (if you celebrate it)

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

REVIEW "Unsavory Delicacies" by Russell Brooks

Why this book?: Author requested a review, and I needed a change of "scenery" [in this case, genre] - so I chose some good old fashioned action!

Disclaimer: This book was given to me in exchange for a review.

Type: Action, Short Stories, Anthology, Suspense

About the book: Crème Brulé—Rogue operative, Monique Beauvais, cons a software genius into selling her a coveted technology that would allow its user to control CIA drones while they’re in flight. And she will go as far as killing him in public in order to have it.

To the Last Bite—A renowned food critic—whose scathing reviews have closed down restaurants—gets a savoury surprise.
Shashlyk and Morezhenoe—CIA operative, Ridley Fox, leads a team against one of Russia’s most powerful crime families. He discovers secrets, but not one that he was expecting to find.My Review: "Unsavory Delicacies" features three short stories by author Russell Brooks, each involving food in some way. Fans of Russell's earlier novel "Pandora's Succession," will delight at seeing Ridley Fox's return. And frankly, just reading the stories involving Fox really made me want to pick up "Pandora's Succession" and read more, he's an interesting and driven character - and that comes through even in such short fiction.

I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite out of the three stories, with "Creme Brule" and "To the Last Bite" being tied for first. "To the Last Bite" contains a rather delicious [ha, ha] surprise ending. Just when I was wondering how the author was going to wrap this story up, what the final conclusion was going to be - he throws the reader for a loop. And "Creme Brule" contained one of my favorite types of action scenes/stories - a professional versus a professional. The battle of wits and skills. "Shashlyk and Moreznenoe," while not my top favorite, was still really good, and seemed to be setting up the scene for a future Ridley Fox novel - fingers crossed!

Cover Loving: Excellent!

Recommendation: Fans of Russell Brooks will enjoy his newest release, as will fans of good fiction in general. Action fans should definitely check it out.

Final Rating: FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). Great, quick read - good to the last bite, so to speak.

Buy the book!
Amazon
AmazonUK
Smashwords
Barnes And Noble
XinXii

Be sure to check out "Unsavory Delicacies" for an action packed, suspenseful romp!
Happy reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Whatcha Got Wednesday #25

Another Wednesday, which means another Whatcha Got Wednesday. WGW is my own little weekly meme where I talk about what books I got that week, whether bought, gifted, or for review.

WON:
"Highland Master" by Amanda Scott - I need to get myself one of those, a Highland Master, I mean.
"Master and Apprentice" by Sonya Bateman - YAY! I loved book one, I cannot wait to read this!

BOUGHT:
RT Book Reviews magazine - I don't buy these very often, because not too many places around here sell it, but I made a rare visit to borders and couldn't pass up the article on "Cowboy heroes."
"Double Cross" by Carolyn Crane - I couldn't wait to read book two, had to buy it now now now.
"Touched By An Alien" by Gini Koch - I've heard so many good things.

That's it for me this week. I'm still working on my Young Adult Fiction challenge for work. I read "The Demon Trapper's Daughter" and "The Iron Witch." I really enjoyed "The Demon Trapper's Daughter," though I think I would recommend it to older Young Adults due to some of the subject matter. However, "The Iron Witch" just didn't do it for me. I couldn't connect to the characters, which kind of depressed me because so many people were so excited about it.

For the next couple I have to read, it seems like a huge chunk of them are dystopian.. which I used to love, but they're starting to make me depressed. I need a good sappy, funny Young Adult book. Maybe one of the books will surprise me.

Happy reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

GIVEAWAY: Two copies of "Beloved of the Fallen" by Savannah Kline! (BLB)

Welcome to part two of Savannah Kline's stop at Novel Addiction, as part of her Book Lovin' Bitches ebook tour. My review of "Beloved of the Fallen" was part one, why don't you go check it out?

For her second visit, Savannah has kindly offered up two ecopies of "Beloved of the Fallen" for a giveaway.

About the book: The heavenly angel Valentin has committed the unthinkable sin, defying the Almighty to brave the perils of human love. Now an unwilling minion of Lucifer, Valentin must masquerade as human man to seduce his newest victim, the beautiful Kira Castlemaine.


As the last survivor of an ages-old political dynasty, Kira Castlemaine holds the power to shape human events. With the "man" she knows as Valentin Ashford by her side, Kira unlocks the secrets of her destiny.


Soon, Kira finds herself caught between passion and duty, truth and deceit. But only love can help her decide whether she will use her power to save the world--or destroy it.
Find the author!
Twitter: @savannahkline
Facebook: Savannah Kline
And make sure to visit her website.

Rules and Guidelines:
~ Contest begins today and ENDS Thursday 4/28 at 11:59 PM EST.
~ Enter using the form below, comments are lovely but do not count as an entry.
~ Two winners will be chosen randomly and announced on the blog on Friday, 4/29.
~ One entry per person, all duplicates will be deleted.





Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Quick update/ announcement/ whatchamacallit

For the next few days, I am going to be hardcore working on a teen/young adult fiction challenge for work. The goal is to read a ton of YA fiction to better understand what our teen readers want, and to be able to recommend the right books to the right readers. And since we no longer have a teen librarian at the library due to budget cuts, a group of us have taken it upon ourselves to step up to the plate.

The challenge ends April 29th (ish), but I don't want to leave my To Be Reviewed books alone for that long - so I'll be taking just the next few days to read through some of the eight (or nine, can't remember) YA books that I have checked out for the challenge. Some I might review, or I might just post a couple updates with mini-reviews, talking about a specific thing I liked, whatever catches my fancy.

If you follow me on goodreads (find me here), you'll be able to track my progress - I plan to update it regularly with what I'm reading, where I am, etc, so I can keep good records for the challenge.

No worries, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled reviews in no time - and be sure to check back tomorrow, I have a giveaway for two copies of "Beloved of the Fallen" by Savannah Kline!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Alpha lovin'. REVIEW of "How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf" by Molly Harper

Why this book?: Well, the title caught my eye originally, then I heard so many good things I just HAD to read it.

Disclaimer: This is a library book (one with a looming due date, for that matter).

Type: Paranormal Romance, humor, werewolves, dates and mates, Alaska, series, small town awesomeness, alpha males

About the book: Even in Grundy, Alaska, it's unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham - who has been openly critical of Mo's ability to adapt to life in Alaska - has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it's love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he's worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he's not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated.

My review: I really enjoyed this book. I went in thinking it was going to be a quick, funny read - something like what people consider "beach reads," but this ended up being so much better. Yes, there is plenty of funny lines, parts that made me chuckle or grin like a goofball. But there were emotional moments too, and I really connected with all of the characters. I absolutely loved Mo and loved being a part of her life, and I really enjoyed Cooper, perhaps a little too much. All the characters felt incredibly real, each with their own little quirks and human failings, the little touches that make them human.

Mo moved to Alaska to be away from her parents and live her own life without parental influence. After hearing about her parents, well.. I certainly couldn't blame her. The small town of Grundy quickly became the type of place I would want to visit, maybe even live. I always see that as a sign of a good book - if the author can make me want to go there, no matter how cold it can get. This is the first book I've read by Molly Harper, but I eagerly anticipate reading more - especially in this series. I am looking forward to the next book, "The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf," which I have on hold at work but have yet to get (darn). And I hope we get to see more of Mo and Cooper in the next one.

Cover Loving: So cute! I really like it, and I think it fits the book.

Recommendation: I'm going to make everyone read this book. Be prepared. I really enjoyed it. Paranormal Romance fans that enjoy a little snarky/quippy humor will definitely enjoy "How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf."

Final Rating: FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5). Definitely purchasing! Unless someone ones to get it for me as part of April RAK... Hint?

Have you read "How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf" or another book by author Molly Harper? Share your thoughts in the comments! Would you like to pick up a copy for yourself (and you know you do) - Get your copy from Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

BLB Tour: REVIEW of "Beloved of the Fallen" by Savannah Kline!

Welcome to part one of Savannah Kline's virtual tour! Today we have a review of "Beloved of the Fallen." Come back Tuesday for the giveaway!
You can find the author on Twitter: @savannahkline
Also on Facebook!: Savannah Kline
And check out her website.

 Why this book?: Reason number one - ANGELS! Reason number two - this review is part of Savannah Kline's BLB ebook tour!

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for a review, as part of her virtual tour.

Type: Paranormal Romance, ANGELS (fallen or otherwise), Some historical scenes, Politics, Awesome hero names, Urban Fantasy

About the book: The heavenly angel Valentin has committed the unthinkable sin, defying the Almighty to brave the perils of human love. Now an unwilling minion of Lucifer, Valentin must masquerade as human man to seduce his newest victim, the beautiful Kira Castlemaine.



As the last survivor of an ages-old political dynasty, Kira Castlemaine holds the power to shape human events. With the "man" she knows as Valentin Ashford by her side, Kira unlocks the secrets of her destiny.


Soon, Kira finds herself caught between passion and duty, truth and deceit. But only love can help her decide whether she will use her power to save the world--or destroy it.
My Review: Whew, what a thrillride. This book wasn't what I was expecting - this is definitely a different take on fallen angels. Valentin fell, later than most of his brethren, and yet still joined with Lucifer's group. And it feels odd to say, but Lucifer really was an intriguing character, with his plots and schemes, and the way he dealt with the human race. And the ending threw me for a bit of a loop, it really didn't end like I thought it would. I read so many books where you know the outcome right from the beginning - not the how and why, maybe, but you know the basics. It's refreshing to not know for sure where and how things will go.

On the author's website, it mentions that Savannah Kline has been a freelance writer for years, but this is her first novel - well, what a great debut, for sure. "Beloved of the Fallen" was a wonderful read, definitely unique - something new and different for when books start to feel like more and more of the same old, same old. And I just want to say I'd like my own Valentin... with or without a broken wing.

Cover Loving: Yes. Definitely yes. I think this is an excellent, beautiful cover. Beautiful art and definitely a good choice for the story.

Recommendation: Fans of suspense, political intrigue, and the paranormal will want to check out "Beloved of the Fallen."

Final Rating: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5).

Have you read "Beloved of the Fallen" by Savannah Kline? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to pick up a copy? Get it from Amazon.com - or wait until Tuesday and enter my contest for a chance to win one of two copies!



Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~