Hops, Skips, Jumps, etc.

Hops! I'm kind of doing this at the last minute, so forgive me if I seemed rushed.

You can get my button from my right sidebar (if you so choose), and my twitter and goodreads link from the left sidebar, if you're interested.

My name is Amanda, I'm 23, work in a library, and review books here as well as for Romance Reviews Today. I'm a lover of fiction in general - but I read mostly Young Adult (paranormal, romance), and Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance... with some delicious contemporary or historical romance tossed in for variety.

And with that, on with the hops!


List 3 books off the top of your head that you read this year and really enjoyed. The most recent Night Huntress book by Jeaniene Frost, "Rage" by Jackie Morse Kessler, and... "How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf" by Molly Harper! All excellent books. And I know there have been more, but well... it said just three off the top of my head.


Which Book Blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Ah! There are so many! Probably Tynga from Tynga's reviews, Chris from Stumbling over Chaos, KB from Babbling About Books, and More!, and... and.. well, so many more. Also TheJeepDiva - who I might actually get to meet in June at the Lori Foster signing!


What character in a book would you most like to be, what character would you most like to date? ARGH! I'd love to date Bones from the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, and I'd most like to be.. um... well, probably Cat from the same series. Cat's life is tough, but dang... that girl can make it work.

Have a great weekend! We're running the entire show at rehearsal tonight, so I'll be a late hopper as usual - forgive me! But I will return all follows... it just might not be until Saturday. :(

Whatcha Got Wednesday! #27

Welcome to another edition of Whatcha Got Wednesday - my own little weekly meme where I share what I received or bought within the last week. I don't do this to brag, but to showcase some reads that I might not get to in a while (due to my huge TBR pile), or I will be reviewing elsewhere - which is the case with my Romance Reviews Today books.

So Monday I was saying to myself "I guess I won't be able to do a Whatcha Got Wednesday post this week since I didn't get anything.." and then that very day I got THREE packages! Yay! So voila, a picture!

BOUGHT:
"Mind Games" by Carolyn Crane - I LOVED this when I read it, so of course I had to buy it. This copy is used, but still in good condition. And I have a brand spanking new copy of book two, can't wait to read it...

GIFT:
"Defiant" by Kris Kennedy (ARC) - Big big thanks to one of my critique group members, Robin! She got to review this for RRT, and offered it to me after she finished it.

FOR REVIEW:
"When You Dare" by Lori Foster (ARC) - Oh. My. Gosh. I wanted this soooo bad. And then I got an email from a publishing consultant, offering me book one AND two. Of course I jumped at the chance. I practically drooled when I opened this package.
"Trace of Fever" by Lori Foster (ARC) - Eeek, I'm still so excited about these.

By the way, there might be a giveaway of "When you Dare" by Lori Foster on the horizon, so keep an eye out!

[RAK] Random Acts of Kindness - MAY

It's May! Which means another month for Random Acts of Kindness - started by the awesome gals at Book Soulmates. RAK is an awesome concept - bloggers and readers post a wishlist, and they might just get someone fun in their mailbox a few weeks later. The May signup hasn't officially started yet (as of 5/3) but I'm going to go ahead and post my wishlist.

~ WISHLIST ~
- "Fourth Comings" by Megan McCafferty
- "A Hundred Words for Hate" by Thomas Sniegoski
- "The Demon Trapper's Daughter" by Jana Oliver
- "How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf" by Molly Harper
- "Ascension" by Sable Grace
- "Hounded" by Kevin Hearne
- "The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons" by Katie MacAlister
- "Awakened" by Ednah Walters
- "The Throne of Fire" by Rick Riordan
- "The Goddess Test" by Aimee Carter

Whew, plenty to choose from! This will be the third month I've participated in RAK, and I actually got one last month! Well, I haven't actually received it yet (I'll do a thank you post when I get it!) but yay! It's always a treat to have someone contact you about sending a gift. As soon as the May sign up goes live, I'll give it a couple days then search out someone to share the love (or, er, kindness) with!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Mm, Mm, Yum. REVIEW of "Hungry for You" by Lynsay Sands

Why this book?: I'm a huge fan of the Argeneau series and Lynsay Sands in general, and I've been sitting on this book for a while.

Type: Vampires, Immortals, Series, Mates, Humor, Paranormal Romance, Favorite Series, Favorite author

About the book: Alex has been running a successful restaurant for years, but now that she is trying to open a second, things are falling apart. Alex can’t believe her bad luck – there’s a small fire resulting in smoke damage, incorrect tile installed, paint delivered with the wrong label so her restaurant is neon green instead of the right color – all these mishaps are eating up way more of her savings and loans than she could have ever imagined. But when her head chef quits, Alex fears she might have to give up on the whole shebang.

Sam, Alex’s sister, offers Cale Valens to be the stand-in head chef. Only problem is, Cale is an ancient immortal that hasn’t eaten in centuries. But after Cale discovers Alex is his lifemate, he’ll do anything to stay by her side – even fool mortals into thinking his less-than-second rate cooking is a five star meal. But when Alex is attacked, Cale begins to think these “accidents” might not be so accidental.

My Review: “Hungry for You” is another cute addiction to the Argeneau Vampire series. Lynsay Sands is excellent at mixing romance and humor, and it is always a treat to watch the characters banter, as well as listen to their thoughts. I do so love a strong, goal-driven heroine – and Alex is just that. The restaurant, and cooking in general, is very important to Alex and she has no problem putting it before her love life. Cale is smart enough to understand, though certainly male (and human) enough to not like it – so he uses his superior business skills to help her.

Cale seemed a little more down-to-earth than some of the other Argeneau men, though still clueless when it comes to modern women. That’s an Argeneau trait I happen to really enjoy. And frankly, it’s part of the fun, to watch the wooing and dating struggle. Cale’s accident and the following revelation felt incredibly dead on, and therefore sticks out in my mind. Every so often you just read a scene and go “Yeah, that’s exactly what she/he would do in this situation,” and it’s a nice feeling. Refreshing, maybe.

And of course, I loved the side characters – Bricker in particular. I hope he gets his own book soon… he definitely deserves it!  Be sure to check out the next novel in the Argeneau series – “The Reluctant Vampire” coming May 31^st of this year.

Cover Loving: Works for me! Fits well with the rest of the series.

Recommendation: Fans of fun, humorous paranormal romance series will love Lynsay Sands Argeneau vampire stories.

Final Recommendation: FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). Good, fun, excellent new book in a great series.

Have you read "Hungry for You" or another book by Lynsay Sands? Share your thoughts in the comments. Want to pick up a copy? Get it from Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~