TGIF - Literary Vacations

TGIF is a weekly meme that can be found over at greadsbooks.com. Every week you can find a question that is bound to get you thinking.

This weeks topic really had me slamming on the breaks with my initial thought.

So, this weeks question is :

If you could take a trip this summer to any place within a fictional book, where would you go?


Like I said  I ended up doing a complete 180 where this was concerned. My first thought was, well, I would want to go to the setting of one of my favourite books – Thronfield Hall from Jane Eyre. And then it was like ‘wait, it is only the place I am going to, not INSIDE the novel’ and then ‘heck I get forced to go on a family holiday every year to Yorkshire, I don’t need to head in that direction willingly’.


So I had to go back to the drawing board and rack my poor wee brain. And want to know what I came up with?


DISCWORLD!


Seriously how awesome would it be to visit Discworld? As long as I times my holiday between Zombie invasions and major holidays everything would go swimmingly And what better place to visit than a world that is flat and rides on the back of 4 elephants that stand on the back of a giant turtle. 


Coolness!


If anyone knows of any tours heading to Discworld let me know yeah, I’ll have my bags packed quicker than you could say Hogswatch


Tootles.

(TGIF Graphic is from GReads )

Review - Angel on Fire by Jacquie Johnson

 

All Angela wants is to understand why her father, security specialist Mac McKenzie, dropped dead on a sidewalk in Boston. Instead, she is thrust into the midst of an international conspiracy when she discovers that her father was working on a classified project at the time of his death. Now, the FBI, a terrorist and a killer have her in their sights.
Former Navy SEAL turned undercover operative, Chase Romero thinks his boss is overreacting when he orders Chase to small town America to protect Angela. But he changes his mind when her home is burglarized and “accidents” begin to happen. The real question becomes, how can he keep her safe if he keeps tripping over his own heart?
After shooting an intruder, Angela flees the scene, and the FBI issues a warrant for her arrest. On the run for her life and her freedom, she places her trust in Chase. As they travel from New England, to the nation’s capital, to the shores of Lake Michigan, the trail – and their attraction – grow hotter. Together, they team up to prevent a global financial market meltdown and face a killer who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the project Mac protected with his life.

This was a fun and quick read – as in I flew through it and was done before I knew where I was. It started off with the story and just kept going. Everything that was there was there for a reason with no moments were I wanted to just get passes it and back to the action.

There was a good mixture of action and romance with plenty of cute moments between our main characters – I don’t know about you guys but I always go all jelly legged when a hero kisses the top of a heroines head…there is something so cute about it… Ok, just me then. Moving on. And besides who doesn’t want a man who takes you shopping to buy a nice dress and then takes you for dinner?

Angela was just my kind of girl. Random, sometimes awkward and messing things up (but with good intentions). And that made her human and fun to read about – although I did want to grab her and shake her a few times when she acted like a silly kid…

Chase did confuse me a little bit and I couldn’t quite decide if I liked him or not. It was like he was being painted at as the Alpha male – dominating and all the jazz – but it wasn’t continuous so it seemed more like he was suffering from mood swings. But when he lost his temper there was a reason behind it!

Some moments gave me a slight feeling off a 007 movie. One minute he is getting shot at and beaten up and then the next he is wining and dining the choice of the week.... Not that that is EXACTLY what happens but I got that feel from it

I was a bit disappointed by how quickly they ended up in bed together, especially under the circumstances. I couldn’t help but think the time and place was a bit off.

Although I did have some teeny weeny issues with the characters it was not enough for me to not care what happened to them. They were all likeable and well-rounded. I hope *fingers crossed* that there will be future books based on some of the supporting characters as each of their stories would be great fun to read – especially Chase’s best friend Sean…

So as not to risk spoilers I shall leave it there guys.

All in all this was a fun read and I would recommend it if you are looking for something to get some laughs out of but at the same time would like some actions – and of course – romance.

 

(This book was provided to me in e-book form by Lightning Book Promotions as part of the Angel of Fire Blog Tour)

May–That’s What You Think!

 

Wow, I can’t believe we are in May already! It will be the summer holidays before we know it

So, you guys know the drill Link up to your reviews so we can come for a good old  snoop.

If you are interested in the challenge and would like to know what it is about check out the first post here

 

Tune in Tuesday

Tune in Tuesday is a weekly feature that you can find at GReads and it gives us a chance to show off some of our favourite music :)

So this month we are going RANDOM. Cool

And i-tunes shuffle has spoken

Why Have You Brought Me Here? from The Phantom of the Opera (movie)

By the Way BY Theory of a Deadman

Sister Act from Sister Act

Gotta Be Somebody BY Nickelback

I am not kidding you, that is the order they all came up in lol

See you next week with some more randoms

(ALL videos are from YouTube and the meme graphic is from GReads)

Review - Virals by Kathy Reichs

]
Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.
As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.
Fortunately, they are now more than friends they're a pack. They areVirals.
(DESCRIPTION FROM GOODREADS)
I enjoyed this – which in all honesty did actually surprise me. I have tried to read Kathy Reichs  in the past as I loved the Bones series on TV so much but I didn’t really get al that far in the books. I was right in the middles on my fantasy faze so maybe trying to get into crime wasn’t the best idea.
Moving on.
I did find it a bit of a slog for the first 150 or so pages as it is all building up at that point and nothing much seems to be happening, I was seriously considering giving up and calling it a day but my friend was all but super-gluing it to my hands so I persevered and thank you sweetie for making me as it has launched me into a crime fiction spree.
But onto the book.
Tory was a fun character to view the story through. She is head strong and independent – the complete opposite of what I was like at her age so it was pretty liberating reading through her. 
All of the kids didn’t act in the irritating, petty way that some teens do in books (the kind that make me want to launch the book across the room – or into orbit) They were all very mature when needed, while still holding onto their teeni-ness. And the camaraderie and and closeness between them was lovely. I liked how Tory was the only girl in the group – added a fun element to things. They genuinely care about each other and do their best to support each other.
Even though the kids were not teeth grindingly irritating it is obvious that this story only exists because of the sheer dimness and incompetency of the adults around. Like you wouldn’t notice your kid is sneaking out night after night. Seriously not one of the parents notices something was up? They are meant to me geniuses!
Anyhoo.
This was a fun read once I got into it. There was a few things that bugged me but on the whole, great.  I’ll be reading book 2 ASAP.

Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge

 

I was going to be good this year and sign up for NO reading challenges but where is the fun in that. And signing up for a mystery and suspense challenge was the last thing I would think I would be interested, but over the last few months I have really got into a few crime series

 

So here are all the details from Book Chic City :

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012

• Rules: There are TWO LEVELS you can choose from:
- Read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2012
- Read TWENTY FOUR (24) mystery & suspense novels in 2012 

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.
• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.
• This challenge can crossover to other challenges.
• You DO NOT have to write reviews of the books you read, but if you decide you would like to then Mr Linky will be available each month so you can link up your reviews.

• You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog but who use Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing etc, you can add the URL to where you track your books. If you don't have a URL at all then choose a name you would like to use and then copy and paste the following link: 

http://www.bookchickcity.com/2011/12/sign-up-mystery-suspense-reading.html

• You can choose from the numerous sub-genres of mystery and suspense, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I'm sure this challenge will have something for everyone! :)

Sounds fun doesn’t it

I am going for the 24 books to read – because, like I said, I am a sucker for punishment I love a challenge.

Most of the book that I will be doing will be Agatha Christie and some from the ‘In Death’ series by J.D. Robb

To sign up for the challenge go here

Feature and Follow Friday

 

Follow Friday is a weekly Blog Hop that can be found over at Parajunkee’s View.

This weeks Questions is -

Have you had a character that disappointed you? One that you fell in love with and then “broke up” with later on in either the series or a stand-alone book? Tell us about him or her.

Wow, I actually had a really hard time thinking of the answer to this. And you  now what? I honesty don’t think I have come across a character like this. If I got my backside in gear and got the Song of Ice and Fire series read I would not be surprised if I found a character in there that I could fall out with by the end…

Maaaan I can’t believe this. How can I not have ONE character that let me down…

Right, by summer I am going to find a character that let me down.

*stamps off*

Release Day Party - Shadow of the Witte Wieven by Debbie Paterson

Today is the release day of the awesome 'Shadow of the Witte Wieven' by Debbie Paterson. Here is some info in the book and don't forget to enter for a chance to win 1 of 5 e-book copies of the book. :)

Book Title:  Shadow of the Witte Wieven

Author: Debbie Peterson

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

Publication Date: April 21^st 2012

Format: eBook, Kindle, Paperback

Book Synopsis:

Despite a contract on her head, lone Drug Enforcement Agent, Aliyana Montijo must ferret out a mole and stop the assassination of top DEA officials, as so ordered by the Colombian drug lord she seeks to take down. The task is a daunting one, for there is no one she can trust. No one that is, until she encounters a most unlikely ally.

Former seventeenth century captain of the Dutch West Indies Company, Wolfaert Dircksen Van Ness, now from a parallel dimension, encounters the beautiful agent during an unearthly storm in the Bermuda triangle. Drawn to the Spanish beauty he rescues, he pledges his assistance, despite her reluctance to accept either his help or his heart.

Can Wolf bridge both space and time to claim the woman he loves?

Purchase the book:

From the Publisher: http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/4/post/2012/01/shadow-of-the-witte-wieven.html

From B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadow-of-the-witte-wieven-debbie-peterson/1037946827?ean=9780985011536

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Update :)

Hi everyone, so how are you all doing? I hope you all stayed out off a chocolate coma during the Easter hols .

Anyhoo, I thought I would do a quick post on what is happening and when things will be getting back to normal.

Sooo first of all I am A-LIVE. As you will know from the occasional post that has been going up over the last couple of weeks.

Second. Gee guys I have missed blogging like you wouldn’t believe But unfortunately taking a break from the blog was (and still is) the best decision.

I have still been reading. Admittedly not as much as I would have hoped as I have been doing a lot of sleeping but the reading pile continues to shrink…and then grow again (curse you internet shopping and your tempting pictures!).

Things are gradually getting better with the new treatment. Because what I am doing is basically an extreme detox I have been really sick as all of the toxins work their way out of me. Not nice at all. And over the past 4 1/2 weeks I have lost nearly a stone because of it. But like I said things are getting SO MUCH better with my over all health  (after 11 years of suffering from something the doctors were unable to diagnose you have no idea how amazing that is) and I am hoping that by the end of next month (at the latest) things will be up and running again with the blog.

There will also be some changes happening with the blog (but I will leave that as a surprise ) and last but not least, IF I can work up the nerve I am going to try and start doing videos of my ‘In my Mailbox’ posts. What do you think? It might not happen if I chicken out but I think it will liven things up a bit.

And that is us guys.

There will be a few posts going up in the next couple of weeks for blog tours etc that I am involved with and then hopefully in 4/5 weeks things will be up and running again.

Ta ta for now.

Aladdin’s Samovar by Lauren Sweet

 

A nice, normal, boring life—that’s all Amber Polaski ever wanted. One where she’s not unchaining her flaky New Age mom from endangered trees, bailing her out of jail, or getting dragged to naked pagan rituals. But when Amber finds a sexy genie in her antique brass samovar, any hope of normal goes up in smoke.
It’s just one tiny little wish—to find her long-lost father. What could go wrong?
Plenty. Dad shows up, all right—with a computer drive full of stolen data and angry mobsters hot on his trail. Now Amber has Fugitive Dad holed up in her Manville, NJ duplex, fending off the Mafia on one side and the FBI on the other. And she has Jasper the genie lounging in her blue plush recliner, conjuring chocolate chip cookies and passing himself off as her boyfriend. While Jasper is trying to tempt Amber with more disastrous wishes—and his seriously hot thousand-year-old body—Amber and her mom are forced to fight off Mafia assassins with nothing but chutzpah and household appliances.
It’s time for Amber to call in the B-team: Iggy the homeless dwarf, Tim the ecoterrorist, and Wanda the Fairy Dogmother with her pack of Happy Puppies. Together, they need to save Dad before the Mob makes him disappear again—permanently

This book was filled to the gills with laugh-out-loud moments. The dryness and sarcasm that some of the lines were delivered with was priceless.

Amber is a great heroine, especially when she totally lost it at one point and went completely psycho when she snapped. It was great having a heroine who reacted to what was going on in such a way and didn’t just float along with what was happening.

Jason. the genie, rotated between being a right pain that I wanted to scream at him and being cute. Although he is supposed to be stunningly gorgeous I couldn’t imagine being in a relationship with him so he stays in the puppy dog/best friend category.

The supporting characters were all larger than life and really gave a kick to the story that made it even more enjoyable.

The one thing that I didn’t like was that it seemed to meander a bit in places. Like following Amber at work. This did make sense though as Ambers place of work does come into things later so having the info helped but at the time I found it a little slow.

Fun read that had me laughing, cheering and cringing for poor Amber as she tried to sort out her life and get back to the ‘normal’ before the craziness started.

 

**I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review **

Shadow of Witte Wieven by Debbie Peterson

 Info

Book Title:  Shadow of the Witte Wieven

Author: Debbie Peterson

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

Publication Date: April 21^st 2012

Format: eBook, Kindle, Paperback

Despite a contract on her head, lone Drug Enforcement Agent, Aliyana Montijo must ferret out a mole and stop the assassination of top DEA officials, as so ordered by the Colombian drug lord she seeks to take down. The task is a daunting one, for there is no one she can trust. No one that is, until she encounters a most unlikely ally.
Former seventeenth century captain of the Dutch West Indies Company, Wolfaert Dircksen Van Ness, now from a parallel dimension, encounters the beautiful agent during an unearthly storm in the Bermuda triangle. Drawn to the Spanish beauty he rescues, he pledges his assistance, despite her reluctance to accept either his help or his heart.
Can Wolf bridge both space and time to claim the woman he loves?

Dimensions, portals and 'ghosts' Oh My! (Sorry couldn't resist ;))

This book was great fun!

There is action, suspense, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, pretty much just about anything.

At first I will admit to an eye-roll as Aliyana searched for the incriminating information against a drug lord - what, I couldn't help it, I had just burnt myself out on story lines like that. But then several pages later we have a plane crash and different dimensions and then things became just AWESOME!

Aliyana made for a brilliant heroine. She was strong and independent and was willing to do her job - even when there were others around her ready and willing to go into danger instead. She also didn't go all 'girly' when the 'hero' showed up. Her attitude and goals remained the same which was very refreshing.

And then we have Wolf our hero. His boyish, cheeky way of acting at times was very cute and endearing but also balanced with the desire to protect Aliyana and keep her from harm - there was a perfect mixture there I think.

This story doesn't mess around, it dumps you straight into the action but unlike the last book I read that did this, I did not feel cheated. Enough information was revealed as we went along to keep me interested and make me feel like I was in 'the know' and not on the outside trying to figure out just what the heck was going on.

Absolutely worth a read guys! A great page turner.

Oh and one more thing. The Bermuda Triangle. (That is all ;))

April - That's What You Think!

I can't believe it is April already. Is it just me or is this year flying in. 

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the challenge! :0)

Hollywood Ever After by Sasha Summers - Cover Reveal

Title: Hollywood Ever After

Author: Sasha Summers

Release Date: July 21^st, 2012

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

She wasn’t meant for movie stars, Hollywood, or happy endings. And then she met him.

Happy Endings are for fairy tales. Or the movies. Not for real life. At least, not in Claire’s life. Even though she’s starting over, she knows better than to want too much this time. But when she falls, literally, into the strong arms of Hollywood’s ‘it’ boy Josh Wiley, Claire’s in for some surprises. Her plans for rest and relaxation are forgotten as one incredible night with Josh becomes two… And her heart begins to want him as much as her body. Will two kids, one bastard ex-husband, and Josh’s juggernaut career mean the end of their affair? Or can Claire find her happy ending after all?

Author Website: http://sashasummers.com