In My Mailbox #60

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

For Review:
Dark Eyes by William Richter [Thanks to Penguin & LibraryThing!]

Gifted:
Ashfall (Ashfall, #1) by Mike Mullin [Thanks to Joy @ Joyous Reads!]
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire [Thanks to Jojo!]

Tour:
Angel Arias (Night Creatures, #2) by Marianne de Pierres [Thanks to Arlene!]
Fury by Shirley Marr [Thanks to Crystal @ Winterhaven Books!]

Won:
Silver Sparks by Starr Ambrose [Thanks to Dreamonus!]
Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1) ARC by Marissa Meyer [Thanks to The Lunar Chronicles on FB!]
Daimon (Covenant, #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout [Huge thanks to JLA!]
Half-Blood (Covenant, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Obsidian (Lux, #1) ARC by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Books from the past 2 weeks! Not surprising, Santa pretended like he didn't know I had a book addiction. ;p But I still received gifts from some fellow book lovers. Huge hugs and thanks goes out to Joy for Ashfall and Jojo for Beautiful Disaster! Happy to receive them & can't wait to read them. Thanks ladies! :')

Another huge thanks goes out to Jennifer L. Armentrout! I won a Thanksgiving giveaway on her blog, and she sent me signed copies of Daimon, Half-Blood, and an ARC of Obsidian AND a whole bunch of swag! Really exciting and awesome! Thank you thank you, JLA! :D Anyway, as you all can see from the pic below, it definitely is a lot of swag. I will most likely host a swag giveaway next year, so look out for that. :) (Btw, did you guys hear that Alex from Half-Blood won the round against Rose Hathaway in the YA Heroine Tournament? YEAH. Isn't that completely awesome?! I feel so proud!)

And...that's it! This is last IMM from me this year. ;) Hope you guys had a great year full of awesome books! :)

Vote for ALEX + Giveaway!

Alex from Half-Blood won against Nora from Hush, Hush in the previous round of the YA Heroine Tourney! YAY! Jennifer L. Armentrout gave us the Alex/Aiden scene she promised; it can be read HERE. So good! Loved it!

And today...Alex is up against Rose Hathaway. Yes, that Rose. I know she has a lot fans. And I mean, A LOT. Some of you following my blog might even be Rose fans. BUT! I'm going to give you a few reasons why you should vote for Alex instead of Rose. I won't be going on and on about how seriously awesome and kick-ass and loyal and funny Alex is (although she is all of that and more), but I will bring up other reasons and I hope you hear me out. :)

First reason: If Alex gets 500 votes, Jennifer L. Armentrout will share a juicy scene from Pure! (I've read Pure, so I totally know what scene she's talking about. And yes, it is juicy!)

Second reason: If Alex gets 750 votes, JLA will write CHAPTER 16 from Half-Blood in Aiden's POV! (OMG! Need it now!)

Third reason: If Alex gets 1000 votes, JLA will also write CHAPTER 26 from Obsidian (book 1 in her other series Lux) in Daemon's POV! (OMG!! Yes!))

Fourth reason: If Alex WINS, JLA will write basically a novella from Aiden's POV about Aiden and Leon going after a daimon at the end of Half-Blood! (More Aiden? Heck yeah!)

Before you say 'Pshh! I haven't even read Half-Blood or Obsidian! So why should I care?,' here are a few words that best describe all those scenes/chapters: HOT, STEAMY, SEXY, SPICY, KISSING. Both chapter 16 and 26 take place on either a bed or a couch... *ahem* Sound good, right? Basically, you're going to want to read those chapters if you haven't already! And Half-Blood is all from Alex's POV and Obsidian from Katy's POV. Can you imagine reading it from the guys' POV as well? *fans self*

Another reason you should vote for Alex instead of Rose is actually directed towards readers who have read both Half-Blood (and even Obsidian) and Vampire Academy. Here's something that you should ask yourself and really really think about:

What will Richelle Mead give us if Rose wins?

Yeah, think about it. Anything better than reading those chapters in Aiden & Daemon's POVs? No? Didn't think so. :) Don't worry, you won't be a traitor if you don't vote for Rose. This is just an online poll created by fans for fun! It'll be even more fun if we can read chapter 16 in Aiden's POV and chapter 26 in Daemon's POV, don't you agree? So, pretty please, VOTE FOR ALEX! :D Click here to access the post with the Alex vs Rose poll!

Giveaway

Momo from Books Over Boys is giving away a copy of the prequel Daimon, a copy of Half-Blood, AND a pre-order of Pure to one lucky person! Giveaway is international & ends January 6! To enter, visit the giveaway post on her blog HERE. Good luck! :D

VOTE FOR ALEX!!

Cover Reveal: Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

(book 1 of The Lost Souls series)

Current Release Month: April 2012

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

"What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?

Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?"

Whoa! Doesn't this book sound awesome? And the cover is gorgeous! I really LOVE the tagline used. "Love can't be engineered." I cannot wait to read this! Looks like it will possibly be released in April of next year by Entangled Publishing, which has been releasing some really great titles! In the meantime, you can add Chosen Ones to your GoodReads shelf or follow Tiffany Truitt's blog and Twitter! Really looking forward to reading this book. :)

Cover Reveal: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Here again with another cover reveal from the awesome Jennifer L. Armentrout! This time it's for Deity, the third novel in the kickass Covenant series.

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: November 6, 2012

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Check out the previous covers in the series:

What do you think? I love the red! And I love how they all have their own color! BUT someone actually being on the cover is something new (if you don't count HOT Aiden being on the back of Pure). I'm assuming it's Alex. And I'm already wondering what the final cover of the series, Apollyon, will look like. All the covers are so pretty!

By the way, I have a HUGE favor to ask you guys. Alex is up against Nora from the Hush, Hush series in the YA Heroine Tournament, and Alex needs your votes! If Alex wins this match, Jennifer L. Armentrout will post an Alex and Aiden scene that occurs during the time between Half-Blood and Pure! Guys, we need that AA scene! So, PLEASE, vote for Alex! :D Voting is only today, so if you want to help out and vote for Alex, please CLICK HERE and scroll down till you see the poll. Would really appreciate it; thank you!

In My Mailbox #59

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Bought:
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Madly (Madly, #1) by M. Leighton - Download FREE eBook at Smashwords.

Won:
Minder (Ganzfield, #1) by Kate Kaynak [Thanks to Kate Kaynak!]
Succubus Revealed (Georgina Kincaid, #6) by Richelle Mead [Thanks to GR & Kensington!]

For Review:
Friendship on Fire by Danielle Weiler [Thanks to Danielle Weiler!]
Pure (Covenant, #2) ARC by Jennifer L. Armentrout [Thanks to Spencer Hill Press!]
Switched (Trylle Trilogy, #1) by Amanda Hocking [Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin & Bookittyblog!]

So many great books this week! I won a copy of the new edition of Minder from Kate Kaynak through a giveaway hop on her blog. She also sent me swag, a Spencer Hill Press tote bag, and a candy cane! Also, won some The Pledge swag from Erika @ Rescue Reads! Thankies to you both!

I got my first review request from an author! Danielle Weiler, an Aussie author, wanted me to check out her novel Friendship on Fire. Of course I said YES. It's AUSSIE YA, how could I not accept? She kindly offered to send me a print copy all the way from Australia, and I thought that was awesome. Thank you!! I'm currently reading it now and can't wait to find out what happens to Daisy.

And last thing I want to mention is...PURE!! AHH! I sent a request to review an ARC of Pure months ago; it was the first time I sent a request to a publisher. It arrived just yesterday, and I had to stop myself from jumping up and down. lol There were some blurbs in the beginning and guess what I found?

Yes, that's me! I was grinning like an idiot. First time I've ever been blurbed. Never thought that would happen! And I'm so glad it happened with a series I love! :D I'm so excited and nervous for this book! So far I've managed to not sneak a peek at the ending, and hopefully I control myself. hehe Anyway, be prepared for a special cover reveal tomorrow... Hint: third book in the "Covenant" series. ;)

Okay okay, that's about it! Remember to come back tomorrow if you want to see the cover I'm revealing. So, what did you get this week? :)

Everneath Winner

The giveaway ended last night, and here is the winner of the Everneath ARC by Brodi Ashton:

Jessirae @ I live my life through the pages that I turn!

Congratulations! :D Winner has already responded through email. Thank you to everyone who entered, and also thanks to those who decided to follow my little blog! I've had other giveaways before, but this one definitely had the most entries. Hopefully there will be other giveaways in the future. :)

Mini-Reviews #4

The following mini-reviews are for books I read MONTHS ago. Even though I wish I had, I didn't write full reviews for these for different reasons, but I hope I managed to get my feelings across in each of these mini-reviews.

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar / Released: June 29, 2009
There were a lot of things I loved about this book. The writing and the characters, especially. I don't know anything about surfing, so I admit I wasn't always able to visualize what was happening during those parts. But, I just went with it and it didn't effect how I felt about everything else. I just wish the book didn't have to end. Carly was very easy to like. I've never been through, and I personally don't know anyone who's been through, what she has, but I could sympathize with her. I felt like I understood her anger and shame and fear, and I think the author did a wonderful job with Carly's character. I can't wait to read more from this author! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren / Released: Feb. 1, 2011
Although the historical genre doesn't interest me all that much, I ended up being pretty curious about Waterfall after reading some great reviews. I just had a feeling I would like it. And after seeing this post (now if that doesn't convince you to read this book...), I knew I needed to read it! This book was way better than I could have ever hoped for! I loved the relationship between Gabi and Marcello. Both were amazing and likable characters. And there was a lot of kick-butt action that made me an even bigger fan of the characters. The author did such a great job, and I seriously cannot wait to read the second book and the rest of the series! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Blood Destiny by Tessa Dawn / Released: December 1, 2010
I remember thinking that some characters were a bit too perfect and that I didn't feel like I knew the leading female character Jocelyn. Apparently she's a Homeland Security agent, but honestly, if I didn't know that before reading the book, it would have never crossed my mind. There was another female character, Joelle, and her story was extremely heartbreaking. I wish things had ended differently for her because she deserved so much better. I would also like to mention that this book has very graphic and disturbing, gory violence. I think some readers will probably be very put off by that. So, just giving a warning to those who don't like to read those types of books. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Cover Reveal: Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Time for another cover reveal! This time it's the cover for Onyx, the second novel in the YA alien series called LUX, by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Month: May 2012

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Sneak peek of official blurb: "No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…"

Ooo very mysterious and intriguing, right? I cannot wait to read it! I think the cover has a Roswell-feel to it because of the rock in the background. (Fans of the Roswell TV show should know what I'm talking about.) Loving it! I also love when covers have their own color. Obisidan, the first novel, was green and now Onyx is blue! I'm already starting to wonder what the featured color will be on the next cover.

Anyway, looks like Onyx will be released next May. (It will be a long 5 months...!!) In the meantime, if you haven't yet read the first book in the LUX series, Obsidian, good news! It offically releases December 6 and can be ordered it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, and FishpondWorld.

Review: Incendiary by Chris Redding

Title: Incendiary
Author: Chris Redding
Pages: 290
Publisher: Sinful Moments Press
Release Date: April 5, 2011

Chelsea James, captain of her local first aid squad, is trying to keep the organization afloat, but someone is sabotaging her. The squad is her father’s legacy and she feels responsible to keep it going. Jake Sweeney, back in town after a decade, is investigating the arsons he was accused of long ago. When they start again Chelsea and Jake must join forces to defeat their mutual enemy. Jake would like to rekindle what they had before he left town, but his departure left Chelsea hurt and bewildered. To begin again, she must learn to trust him. Her life could depend on it.

My Thoughts: Incendiary centered around Chelsea and the ordeals she faced in trying to keep the local first aid squad she is the captain of from being replaced, overcoming the tension between her and her older brother Brad, and having to deal with the feelings that arise when her ex-boyfriend Jake returns after 10 years.

There was a lot going on that I wouldn't have minded if the book were longer, if only to have more details and background. I think that there was so much more to learn about the history the characters shared, but all we got were glimpses. As a result I didn't feel like I really knew the characters or understood the emotional connections they had with each other. At the same time, I think there were too many events happening right after another that made the story seem unrealistic.

Also, there was an arsonist in the town 10 years ago who was never caught, and then suddenly fires start occurring around town when Chelsea's ex-boyfriend comes back. I think from the beginning it was pretty obvious who the arsonist was, and I believe the readers are suppose to know, but it made me wonder why it wasn't so obvious to the characters. Especially since there were other people investigating this person. To me, that aspect wasn't as mysterious or thrilling as it could have been.

All in all, I think readers who are interested in reading Incendiary should read it if they are looking for a quick, easy read where everything is pretty much resolved in the end.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to the author and Goodreads for the book!