Whatcha Got Wednesday #28 and more general updateyness!

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 busy!! And I'm currently in the middle of a book I need to have read (for work, btw) by tonight. Actually, "in the middle" is quite a bit of an overstatement.. So I'm afraid this post will be a little hurried.

First up:
FOR REVIEW:
"A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man" by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley. Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's, for this one!












BOUGHT:
"Hush" by Cherry Adair. I've heard this was a good one, and Walmart had it for a good price. It looks like a thrillride, which.. well, I don't need that at the moment because my life is a bit of a thrillride, but I might when all this excitement is over!











"The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons" by Katie MacAlister. Love this author, and I definitely love Baltic. I'm supposed to be joining a special author chat thingie this weekend - hence why I had to read this book NOW.. there will be spoilers in abudance in the chatroom.




So now for general updateyness: Next week is the show! Which means within the next couple days, I'll switch from rehearsals four times a week to rehearsal every night. We're doing good, we've already had a full run of the show, and man were we tired afterwards. So even more of my time will be gone. I'm trying to keep up, and posting at least once a day every Monday through Saturday, but I'm not sure how well that's going to go next week. I will try my best, however.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

Here be dragons! REVIEW: "The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons" by Katie MacAlister

 Why this book?: I had to move this up the reading queue due to an author event thingie this weekend, where there will be spoilers of this book.

Type: Here Be Dragons, Series, Favorite Authors, He-man Dragons, Wyverns, Mates, War

WARNING: There are NO spoilers of this book in the review, HOWEVER - this review is written with the mindset of you (the reader) having already read book one, "Love in the Time of Dragons."
From the back of the book: Ysolde de Bouchier is a woman beset with trials. The dragon part of her, which was buried deep for centuries, is still making itself known, but in ways that just don't make sense. She's continuing to have visions, but now they involve events she wasn't present to witness.

As if that isn't enough, she's caught up in a tangled web of plans that seems to grow more complex every day. Not only does she have to work out peace between her light dragon mate, Baltic, and the weyr; she also has to free his friend, convince an archimage to life the spell controlling her magic, figure out what it is that the First Dragon expects her to do, rescue a half-dragon damsel who's in over her head, and once and for all clear Baltic's name of murder charges that continue to plague him.

No one told Ysolde that dragon love would be so hard....

Review: Oh, I do so love Baltic. If you want a hero wounded by his past, accepting of the dirt and accusations people throw at him - Baltic is your man - er... Dragon. The relationship between him and Ysolde/Tully is a unique one, since they were mates in the past, then resurrected, and managed to find each other again. I love Baltic's sense of humor, and how, despite being such a tough guy and heralded as a murderous lunatic, he has no problem telling Ysolde exactly how he feels about her, or laughing at her antics. And I'll say it, my heart breaks a little every time he mentions how he fought to find a way to bring Ysolde back after he was resurrected, because he couldn't bear living without her.

This book isn't as quick and easy as some of Katie MacAlister's books usually are. Many of her previous novels can be picked up with no problem, but the Light Dragon books use so much of what has previously happened in the Dragon world that someone could easily get lost. And even more so, Ysolde is occasionally pulled into her visions/memories, not just as herself in them, but as a voyeur of whatever is going on. It can get confusing, with Ysolde talking to someone in the present, then suddenly in the past - I had to re-read some passages a couple times to really understand what was going on.

Recommendation: People who enjoy fun, humorous, and strangely epic series should definitely check out Katie MacAlister's dragon series. But be sure to read the full series to understand what's going on - this book can be a doozy without all the prior knowledge.

Cover Loving: Oh my, Katie MacAlister does have the best yummy man covers.

Final: FOUR out of FIVE. Good, as expected. Katie Mac writes some wonderful fiction.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

GIVEAWAY: Two copies of "Book of Lost Souls" by Michelle Muto!!!

*****************************GIVEAWAY CLOSED, thank you!*************************

Please welcome author Michelle Muto! Michelle is here as part of her Book Lovin' Bitches blog tour, and she's generously offered TWO copies of her novel "The Book of Lost Souls!"

 About the book: When teen witch Ivy MacTavish changes a lizard into her date for a Halloween dance, everything turns to chaos. And when no one is powerful enough to transform him back except Ivy, it sparks the rumor: Like father, like daughter. Ivy has heard it all before – that her father, who left when she was seven – was involved with the darkest of magic.



Making the rumors worse, someone uses an evil spell book to bring back two of history’s most nefarious killers. Ivy’s got a simple plan to set things right: find the real dark spell caster, steal the book, and reverse the spell. No problem! But she’ll have to deal with something more dangerous than murderous spirits that want her and her friends dead: the school’s resident bad boy and hotter-than-brimstone demon, Nick Marcelli. Nick’s offering Ivy more than his help with recovering the missing book – he’s offering her a way to ditch her scaly reputation as a lizard-lover. Demons are about as hard to handle as black magic, and as Ivy soon discovers, it’s going to take more than a lot of luck and a little charm if she wants to survive long enough to clear her status as a dark witch, get a warm-blooded boyfriend, and have her former date back to eating meal worms before the week’s end.
About the author: Writer of urban fantasy, the paranormal, and all things eerie and curious. Lover of scary books and funny movies, sports cars, chocolate, and changes of season. Owned by two incredible dogs and a MacBook. Author, wife, sister, and MS certified IT geek.


Michelle's website.
Twitter: @MichelleMuto
Contact Michelle.

Giveaway RULES and GUIDELINES:
~ Leave a comment to enter.
~ You MUST include your email in your comment ( example: youremail AT site DOT com )
~ Contest ENDS 5/19 at 11:59 PM EST. Winners announced Friday morning, 5/20.
~ Open internationally.
~ You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
~ Novel Addiction is not responsible for any winnings lost in the mail or authors failing to deliver the prizes.

Thank you so much for visiting, Michelle! Make sure to follow Michelle as she continues her blog tour - you can find the schedule and links here.




Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda ~!~

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 ~!~