Solomon's Sieve

Solomon’s Sieve by Victoria Danann
Knights of Black Swan #7
Published: May 22, 2014
Source: Purchased

Summary from Goodreads: When Sovereign Solomon Nemamiah lay dying on a beach under an overturned vehicle with his fiancée helplessly sobbing next to him, he made a vow to himself that he would refuse to stay in some arbitrary afterlife. He silently promised to return and finish what he started with The Order of the Black Swan and the love of his life. When the new Sovereign of Jefferson Unit begins saying and doing things that remind people of Sol, it raises suspicion in the minds of people who were closest to him.

Dr. Mercy Renaux is a new hire archeologist seeking to change her life and find something to blot out the guy she can’t forget. Sir Rafael Nightsong, bad boy member of the infamous Z Team, is the guy she can’t forget. When his team is assigned to escort the recent recruit to Bulgaria on a mission to contain irrefutable evidence that vampire exist, they both wish they worked for somebody else.

If you love a grand mix of romance, fantasy, science fiction, tears, laughter, and complex stories, this serial is right for you. 17+

named BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL of 2013, REVIEWERS' CHOICE AWARDS, the Paranormal Romance Guild.

Rating: 5 Stars

Review: I could not put this book down.

My favorite part of this book was Z team! I loved that they got to be part of the spotlight of this book. And you know that with Z team comes some sort of adventure, which really made me happy because the adventure is what drew me in with book 1. Now, I thought that this series was filled to the brim with swoon-worthy men, however somehow Victoria was able to squeeze one more in! Yes Sir Nightsong seems like a complete jerk on the surface, but he is totally hot!

Victoria writes some pretty amazing romance. I have no idea how she is able to weave so many unique, yet somehow perfect in their own way couples. We learn about Sol and Farnsworth and really get a chance to see them as people. And the new romance that she brings into this book works beautifully. Did I mention that she also writes some amazing love stories and love scenes?

I love the addition of Mercy. She fits in with the characters of this series perfectly. I am really looking forward to seeing more of her.

And of course, I LOVE that all the old favorites are still there – we get to keep up with Elora, Ram and Storm, which makes me very happy. If only there was a bit more Baka in this book, I may have fainted.

Endless

Endless by Amanda Grey
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Month9Books
Source: Netgalley

Summary from Goodreads: Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them.
When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life.
Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has travelled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back.

While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock - and the Order - Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life - and beyond death.

Rating: 3 stars

Review: Overall this was a decent book. There are a lot of really cool elements in this book: oiji board, enchanting music box, the Romanov family, past lives, reincarnation, people "out of time" and time travel. But it felt like because there were so many, they weren't fully developed.
The pace of the plot really didn't work for me. The hook started out really slow; so slow that I had to force talked to keep reading. Eventually the book was interesting enough that I wasn't forcing myself to read anymore. The last chunk of the book moved really fast, which is mostly because everything crashes together.

All that being said, the book was definitely interesting. I enjoyed the fact that the story centered around Maria Romanov, who I've never read about. The unique take on time travel and reincarnation in this book is really interesting as well.

The book has a satisfying close, however I was left with a lot of unanswered questions. There were also a few loose ends that make me think there will be a second book in the works soon.

Evil Warlord Book Hoarding Bloggers

Did I catch your attention? I hope so!

Recently on Twitter (like today) #kloutthecrown has been trending with book bloggers along with this pretty sweet image created by Michele @ Reader Respite

So, of course I needed to look into it. Apparently Crown considers any blogger who does not review a book immediately an "evil warlord book hoarder". Yup, you read that correctly, for a break down of their program Blogging for Books and their fine print, head over to Reader's Respite Blog and read her extremely informative post.

My feelings on this are as follows:

• To say that a book blogger is a hoarder because it takes them time to read and write a review is pretty harsh. Personally, I have a full time job and I am a part time student, reading and book blogging is a hobby so sometimes it gets put on the back burner when I'm busy - that is just part of life. (*Please note that since starting this post, Michele has said that Crown has apologized and taken the phrase "Evil Warlord Book Hoarding Bloggers" down from their website and is making changes, but I still think the damage is done)
• Measuring a bloggers influence just seems weird to me and I agree with Michele from Reader's Respite that I feel bad for authors who are given to bloggers with low Klout scores. I also think that by doing this they could be potentially limiting themselves, but I guess that's more their problem then mine.
• To require book reviews to contain specific elements and be a certain length takes away creative freedom, which is part of what a blog is all about; I share my thoughts as they are formed in my head - I'm not preparing a book report and actually don't like book reviews that are too lengthy and sound like book reports.
• To require reviews to be posted to specific places also rubs me the wrong way. I post to my blog and goodreads because I enjoy both. I share on facebook and twitter when I feel I have something worth sharing with more than my regular followers. I post to Amazon when an author or publisher has asked me to, and asking is much different than requiring.

What does all this mean? I most definitely will not be joining Blogging for Books! 

Will I boycott Crown all together? No, but I won't go out of my way to purchase or review thier products either.

Let me know in the comments: What are your thoughts on being an "Evil Warlord Book Hoarding Blogger" or on the policies when someone enrolls in "Blogging for Books"?

Crane: Book Blitz, Giveaway

Crane by Stacey Rourke
Publication Date: May 26, 2014
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Synopsis:The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.
Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.
What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?
Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.
But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?

AUTHOR BIO
RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel
Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013

Stacey Rourke lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. Mark your calendars! Her latest literary adventure, Crane, will release May 26, 2014. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this thrilling Legends Saga, as well as other literary projects.

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Blood Oath: Book Blitz, Excerpt, Giveaway

Blood Oath (The Secret of the Halflings #1)

by Samantha Coville
Release Date: 04/29/14
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Summary from Goodreads:
Raya Sarian has always known she was different. The water calls to her in a way that isn't human. She has seen things that would scar anyone for life. And her father has been non existent in her childhood.
Because he is a Siren.
A blood drinker.
A monster.
And now she must live with him in a world populated with enemies and dangerous friends. Can she survive the year?

Excerpt:

Prologue
It had seemed like a great idea eleven years ago, but, now, with Elder Eden staring him down like he was a disobedient child, Christopher Sarian feared that maybe it wasn’t as brilliant as he had originally thought. Her aqua eyes bore into his and he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the situation he had put himself in.
Her voice was silky smooth and strong, even in her old age. It also had a slight hiss to it when she was angered. That hiss seeped through in her words to Christopher. “No one will accept her here; her kind is not welcome by others. You can try to win my approval all you want, but the others will make her miserable. Is that really the best for the child?”
“She will be seventeen, you know.” In comparison to the Elder’s, his voice was small and quiet.
“I do know, Christopher, and I know that her presence would bring unrest to our already shaky colony.” Her wrinkled and dainty hands rested softly on the large oak table that was usually occupied by the Elders of the area. Now it was just her and him and the uneasy air between them.
He cleared his throat a little. He was usually so sure of himself and his power over everyone, but now he was reminded that the Elders would always be the ones in charge no matter who had the crown. But that had its upsides; they were a great source of advice and information. They hadn’t failed him yet. “I haven’t seen her for eleven years, Eden. She’ll be an adult soon and she’ll leave me behind forever. I want to see her, and claim her as my daughter, for one last time before then.”
Eden sighed and took a seat in her usual high back chair. She rubbed her temples in slow circles and then lifted her eyes to the man she had watched grow over the years. When Christopher had been crowned, she had kept a business relationship between them, calling him by his title and expecting the same back. But they were far more than that, they were family though not by blood. “Fine. You are my Lord after all. But if anything goes awry during her time here,” she threatened.
“Everything will go perfectly, I promise.”
She pointed a firm finger at him accusingly, but a faint smile crossed her full lips. “We’ll see about that, young man!”

About the Author:Samantha Coville is an editor and literary critic at her website, Sammy the Bookworm. She’s been writing short stories for six years and has appeared in magazines, both in print and online. When she’s not doing something book related, she is singing in her church choir or enjoying one of the theme parks in her home state of Florida.

***GIVEAWAY***

$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

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Top Ten Tuesday #10 (5/27/2014)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish, and this weeks Top Ten is a freebie (pick your own topic): Top Ten Books I'm Glad Were Recommended to Me 


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling (recommended by a teacher in elementary school)


Ender's Shadow by Orsen Scott Card (recommended by my sister)


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (recommended by my students)


Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (recommended by Val @ Innocent Smiley Reviews)


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (recommended by a friend)


Cinder by Melissa Meyer (recommended by pretty much everyone who has a YA book blog)


Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (recommended by a friend)


The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (recommended by my cousin)


Living Backwards by Tracey Sweeney (recommended by a friend)

Don't Fall: Book Blitz, Excerpt, and Giveaway

Don't Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein

Release Date: 2014

Swoon Romance
Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:
In which a teenage girl endures the over-protective love of her adoptive mother until she falls for a boy who has her wanting to spread her wings, pitched as a contemporary retelling of RAPUNZEL.
Seventeen-year-old Anya leads a very secluded life in a house on the edge of town with her adopted mother. She doesn't go to school, but instead has a private tutor. Her over-protective mom keeps her so sheltered that she doesn't even have a best friend.
But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams, and would do anything to please her mom. Until one day at the library, the only place she's allowed to go, she takes a picture of a beautiful boy.
Before long she's lying to her mom, and sneaking out late at night to meet Zander. But Zander wants more than a secret romance. If Anya wants to be with the boy of her dreams, she will have to risk her relationship with the only other person she's ever cared about.

Guest Post- Retellings

First of all, thank you so much for having me on your blog! I’m going to talk a bit about fairy tales and why I wrote this retelling.

I have always loved fairy tales. I grew up on them, and I suppose I’m a bit of a romantic. I love magic, and true love, and happily ever afters. It makes me happy that retellings are gaining in popularity. All those old stories I loved are getting a new light shone on them, new twists, new characters, and new perspectives.

Rapunzel has been my favorite fairy tale from long before Disney made its version of it. (Although the Disney version is pretty cute.) To be honest, I think a big part of why it’s my favorite has to do with fond memories of visiting an elderly neighbor who used to read it to me.

It was a story I really wanted to work with, but making it contemporary had its challenges! So I will tell you now, no one climbs anyone’s hair. It’s the theme of the story I wanted to hold onto. The idea of this girl being locked away from the world, and how she has to set herself free to really find herself. 

I love Anya, my Rapunzel. She’s sweet and innocent, but also spunky and fun. I wanted to write her a modern fairy tale, with its own kind of magic, true love, and happily ever after. Hopefully I’ve succeeded, and readers will fall for her and Zander, too.

About the Author
Rachel grew up in a tiny town in Minnesota. She still lives there, with her husband and their four kids. She coaches high school speech and theater, rides Arabian horses, reads as much as she can, and writes stories.
Author Links:

***GIVEAWAY***

1 ebook of Don’t Fall + $10 Amazon Gift Card (INT) 

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