Blogoversary / Birthday Celebration announcement!!!

Hello all! It has been TWO, count 'em, TWO years that Novel Addiction has been running. Sure that first year was difficult since I was in school and couldn't read too much, but STILL! So to celebrate, every day next week, there will be giveaways and/or guest posts so everyone can join in on the fun!

Here's the schedule of events!

Monday, July 11th:
Guestpost by Lisa Beth Darling, author of "The Heart of War." GIVEAWAY included.

Tuesday, July 12th:
Guestpost by Jessica McHugh, author of "Rabbits in the Garden." GIVEAWAY included.

Wednesday, July 13th:
Guestpost by Alison Holt, author of the Alex Wolfe mysteries. GIVEAWAY included.

Thursday, July 14th:
Guestpost by Sonnet O'Dell, author of the Cassandra Farbanks series.

Friday, July 15th:
Guestpost by Angela Steed, author of "1080 Kiss." GIVEAWAY included.

And there may be another surprise or two up my sleeve. =)

There are chances for extra entries on the giveaways - and these will be repeated on every post so you don't forget.
~ Leave a comment for the author +1
~ Follow Novel Addiction +1

If you'd like to be randomly kind to me, since it's my birthday on the 16th and all... here's my RAK wishlist!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Whatcha Got Wednesday #34

Welcome to another edition of Whatcha Got Wednesday! My own little weekly meme where I talk about what I received in the mail in the past week. This week was a good one!

BOUGHT:
"Lord Langley is Back in Town" by Elizabeth Boyle. A guilty pleasure buy.

GIFT:
"How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf" by Molly Harper. THANK YOU THERESA! This is a RAK/birthday gift.

FOR WORK/REVIEW-kinda:
"Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity" by Dave Roman
"Escape by Night, A Civil War Novel" by Laurie Myers
"The Girl of Fire and Thorns" by Rae Carson (ARC)
"Missing on Superstition Mountain" by Elise Broach
"The Missing Heir" by Tracy Barret
"Killer Pizza: The Slice" by Greg Taylor

Well, that's it for me this week! Your turn, tell me what you got in your mailbox in the past week.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

I so dare.. REVIEW: "When You Dare" by Lori Foster

Why this book?: I needed some hunky alpha males this weekend.

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

Type: Romantic Suspense, alpha males, Seriously excellent names, Hunky heroes, Mercenary for Hire, Author chick, Gay best friend, Doggies!

Pages: 448
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 978-0-373-77571-2

About the book: Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he'll take the mission he's offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who'd had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare's tempted to combine work with pleasure.

Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she's uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all…. [From the back cover]


My Review: I'm really getting into the whole romantic suspense genre. I would classify this book as suspense, though to be honest, there was far more romance than suspense going on, but considering the plot, I think the genre title is fair. I feel a little conflicted about the book, there were parts I really loved, and some things just fell flat. That said, I'm still very eager to check out the other two novels in this series, "Trace of Fever" and "Savor the Danger."

I'll start with the characters, since that was the most important thing for me. I really liked Dare, and not just for his name. Despite his violent lifestyle, he seems like a truly stand up guy, the type of person I really respect. He doesn't let the violence interfere into his regular life. He's a take charge character, and he is very knowledgeable about how to deal with difficult, and potentially dangerous situations. He knows he has to protect Molly, and he's willing to do anything and everything to make sure she's safe. I really do appreciate this sort of character, and the development that went into it - I didn't just read Dare's characteristics, I felt them. Also, he has an excellent name - Dare Macintosh - so it's hard to not like him.

Continuing on, I wasn't a huge fan of the heroine, Molly. I love tough chicks, heroines that take the hit and just keep going, that rise above the tough circumstances. However, it seemed like despite the fact that Molly never broke down from her ordeal, she wasn't really tough. Molly's character lacked the realness that Dare had. I will take a real feeling heroine over a tough one any day. She was in a terrible situation, and I wanted her to break down and show some real emotion. It seemed like she needed to process what she had been through, even just to take some time and cry it all out. But instead she was ready to just drop it and move on. I'm not saying that's a horrible way to deal with a situation, but for this character in this story, it didn't seem to fit.

Despite my issues with one of the main characters, I chose to stick with the book, mostly for Dare. But in the end, I'm glad I did - the ending sequence and reveal of the villain really did it for me. I actually skipped through some of the steamy scenes (practically unheard of for me) because I wanted to get to the action scenes, and to see Dare at work. So in the end, I would suggest this book to others, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the books.

Cover Loving: Excellent cover. Hard to pass this one up! I wish I had a nice poster featuring this cover...

Recommendation: Fans of romantic suspense will most likely want to pick this one up.

Final Rating: THREE POINT FIVE out of FIVE (3.5/5). Good, but not great. I enjoyed it well enough, but there were some things I just couldn't get over.

Have you read "When You Dare" by Lori Foster, or any of the sequels? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to pick up a copy? Get it from Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

[RAK] Random Acts of Kindness - JULY

It's JUNE! Which means another month for Random Acts of Kindness - started by the awesome bloggers at Book Soulmates. RAK is an awesome concept - bloggers and readers post a wishlist, and they just might get something special in their mailbox a few weeks later. And don't forget, it's not just about receiving, but giving as well! And don't forget our international friends - Book Depository has free shipping!

**** And just FYI - It's my birthday this month! July 16th ;) ****

MY 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 Thanks Theresa!!!
"Ascension" by Sable Grace
"Awakened" by Ednah Walters
"The Throne of Fire" by Rick Riordan
"A Rush of Wings" by Adrian Phoenix

I know, it's a lot.. but I can't help it! There's just so many great books in the world! And I'll admit it.. I'm a total book hoarder. ;)

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Following, and all that that implies...

Yay! Another Friday, which means another chance to meet new bloggers and reconnect with old friends.

For anyone new to my page, welcome! My name is Amanda, I'm 23 (soon to be 24!), and I work in a library. I got into book reviewing because of the idea of free books.. but I stay because I love being able to connect with authors and other readers. My favorite genres are romance (contemporary, historical, paranormal), science fiction/fantasy, urban fantasy, and.. well, that's mostly it, but I'll read anything that captures my interest.

Anyways, on to the hops! Including a new one this week!


What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf? Great question! Characters and the world they live in are really important to me. There are a few things that will guarantee that I will try my hardest to finish the book - Angels, Mythology, Time Travel, etc. If an author crafts an interesting world I'd like to live in - I'll keep reading. If he or she creates characters I fall in love with - I'll follow that author anywhere. As for what makes me put the book down - if I'm not in the mood for that particular type of book right now, busy elsewhere, that sort of thing. What makes me put it down permanently? Tougher to judge.



ACK! Your favorite book/movie character just walked into the room! Who is it, and what would be your first reaction? Okay... so Bones just walked into the room? Really?? I think if I haven't fainted at the sight of him, I'd be cleaning my drool off the table with a towel. Eventually I might get over the initial shock.. but if I finally get up the nerve to talk to him, the second he uses that sexy accent, I'm a goner. Hahaha.

                                         
TGIF at GReads
Mr. and Mrs, who are your favorite book couples?Cat & Bones from the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost
Leigh and Lucian from the Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands
Noah/Jackie/Zane in the Succubus series by Jill Myles
Trevor/Chassie/Edgard in the Rough Riders series by Lorelei James
Clara and Tucker in "Unearthly" by Cynthia Hand
And so many more...

Well, that's it this week. Begin the hoptastic fun!
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

WINNERS of "Wild" by Naomi Clark!

And now to announce the winners of Naomi Clark's "Wild"!! There will be THREE winners, and those lucky ducks are...


Congratulations to...

SIDNE

ANDREA K

and ELIZABETH

Thank you to everyone that entered! Didn't win? Purchase it at Amazon.com!

I'll be emailing the winners later today. I hope you enjoy your books!
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~