Wicked Wednesday 3.31 - 4.14

Wicked Wednesday Giveaway
3.31 - 4.14

This week's AWESOME giveaway:

By: Alexander Irvine

Synopsis:
"I am Iron Man." With those words, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark revealed his secret identity. Now a famous high-tech superhero, he uses his powers to protect mankind. Yet things are not going well for Tony Stark. The U.S. military demands control of the most powerful weapon on earth--the Iron Man suit. His beautiful new assistant has a strange, mysterious agenda while his best friend, Rhodey, has betrayed him. And Tony is hunted by a vengeful Russian criminal armed with a lethal technology that may be stronger than Tony's suit. But even as he fights his demons, the hero faces his greatest threat--one that no armor can defend against . . .

Courtesy of Hatchette Book Group

FILL OUT FORM TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY
{Important: Please leave a comment on this post stating you filled out the form. Thank you!}

{5 Copies Available}

Rules:
• To enter the giveaway you must complete the form (linked above) and leave a comment indicating that you've completed the form.
• Books will be delivered directly from the publishers so the giveaways are only available for U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.
Note: It may take several weeks to receive your prize so please be patient!
• Winners will be drawn soon after the contest ends and posted thereafter.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org!

Ways to earn extra entries:
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(Please reference which other posts you've commented on)
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(Please include a link to the post)

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any questions ♥

Good luck!



Blog Tour / Review: An Earl To Enchant (ARC) by Amelia Grey

Title: An Earl To Enchant
Author: Amelia Grey
Published: April 6, 2010 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN-10: 1402217617
Pages: 352 pgs, Mass Market Paperback

Reason for reading: Participating in Blog Tour/Review courtesy of Source Books.









Synopsis:


HE’S DETERMINED NOT TO BE A HERO

Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he’s determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, exhausted after a grueling journey, he cannot resist the lure of the fascinating beauty, her exotic wardrobe, or tempting green eyes . . .

SHE HAS A DEADLY SECRET

Arianna Sweet never imagined the significance of her father’s research until after his untimely death. Now she is in possession of his groundbreaking discovery, a discovery that someone would kill for. She can’t tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she knows she needs his help, desperately.

Read an excerpt on Amelia Grey's site.

Isalys's Review:
Lord Morgandale decided to escape the hustle & bustle of London and spend his time in the country. He'd grown weary of the parties and balls and of his cousins who insisted on parading eligible young ladies for him to 'choose' from. However, it seems country life has bored him as well and he finds himself in need of something, or someone, to occupy his time. Enter Arianna Sweet...

Arianna has lived in India most of her life while her father performed his scientific research. Now her father has been brutally murdered and she must return to England to seek the help of Lady Elder, an old friend of her fathers. Before her father was killed, he thought he had discovered the cure for consumption and now Arianna's mission is to make sure her father and his memory get the credit he deserves.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters of Morgan (aka Lord Morgandale) and Arianna. Morgan is an Earl and he lives up to this title. Although unmarried and in no hurry to marry, he's responsible, kind and an all-around good guy. Arianna is innocent and sweet yet impetuous and determined. She intended to return to England to seek the help Morgan's grandmother (Lady Elder) and instead got the help she needed and more from Morgan himself. Arianna was as prim and proper as any well-bred English miss, but having spent so much time in India, she picked up an Indian habit or two that intrigued Morgan (and made him a little hot under the cravat).

I was pleased with the novels pacing. Morgan and Arianna enjoyed each other's company and seemed to grow a genuine fondness for each other, although they didn't fall in love or at least didn't realize it right away. There were a few moments that were a bit of a stretch [damsel in distress and hero shows up out of nowhere], but I guess that's to be expected with romances. There were also some very sweet moments that were nice to read.

This was the 3rd book in the Rogues Dynasty Series. However, I was able to enjoy it without having read its predecessors. I plan to read the other two books next chance I get.

RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
HEAT LEVEL: 3 (Sensual)

Teaser Tuesday 3.30.10

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
Isalys's Teaser:
"He wanted to make this one kiss they would remember forever. He slid his arm around her waist and lifted her until most of her weight settled over him. She lowered her lips to his, but just as the soft warmth of her breath fluttered across his lips, her eyes opened in shock and she was yanked off him.

Kate cried out.

As Garrett surged up, he saw the blunt edge of a cudgel an instant before it slammed down over the scar on his forehead. Agony rocketed through his skull. And then there was nothing."

~ p. 78 from "A Touch of Scandal" by Jennifer Haymore

Note: Sorry guys, I just couldn't condense this scene down to two sentences. But if any of you read the prequel, "Hint of Wicked" then you know that the shit is about to hit the fan!!


Vanessa's Teaser:
"They were nose to nose, and mouth to mouth. Violet was intrigued by this side of him... the confident, no-nonsense side, refusing to take no for an answer. She leaned forward and sighed as her lips barely brushed against his."

~ p. 222 from "The Body Finder" by Kimberly Derting

New Releases 3.30.10

Well ladies, time to get those wallets ready - we have some shopping to do!

Fiction

Sneaky Peek: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Thanks to Teens Read and Write, we found a very cool new blog called Girls Without A Bookshelf and they are really on top of their literary game!

We are fans of Becca Fitzpatrick's HUSH HUSH and are eagerly awaiting her follow up novel, CRESCENDO. We still have to wait a few weeks for the big reveal of the cover, but Becca satiates our curiosity about the sequel by giving us the synopsis.


{I wonder what the cover will be like. Hush Hush's cover is up there among the faves so Crescendo's cover has to be good!!}

With no further ado, here is Crescendo's synopsis...

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.
The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

*gasp* Marcie Miller...what?! Oh hell naw!


Rant or Rave Monday 3.29.10

Every year, the Florida Renaissance Festival visits us for five weeks in February/March. We LOVE Ren Fairs so we dedicated a whole Saturday to enjoying the medieval festivities.

Here is a bit 'o info on the fair:

Suspended Between Myth and History

"Browse through our enchanted crafts Village where over one hundred merchants and artisans demonstrate and sell their wares. Behold glass blowing, hammered pewter, wooden toys, unique pottery, clothing and a wealth of other riches. Applaud Hundreds of Performers, not only on our twelve stages but literally all around you. Sword fighters, minstrels, magicians, wenches and more. For all the world's a stage. Cheer Battling Knights, as they mount their steeds, lower their visors, aim their lances and charge at full tilt, thrice daily. Feast on Hearty Food fit for a King! Visit the Pub and toast to the Royal Court with a tankard of ale or cider. Hip! Hip! Huzzah! Play Games of Chance and games of skill which challenge both young and old alike...archery, the test of strength, Jacob's Ladder and more." [Florida Renaissance Festival]

Pictures


{Yes, we were rocking the wings!}

{Left: Who doesn't love a good joust? Right: Listening to lovely music played on the harp.}


{On the left, the 'ooh la la' German knight Rodrick and on the right, with the King & Queen of the Ren Fair.}

{With our lovely friend Denisse!}
{Vanessa + Isa = Visa ♥ Everywhere you want to be!}


{Bye bye Ren Fair...until next time!}

Can't wait for next year! HUZZAH!!!

"Flog It" It's Friday's Vlog 3.26.10

T-G-I-F!!!

We're so sorry we weren't able to vlog last week. It was a really hectic week and we didn't get a chance to get together. You can just imagine how many books we had to talk about this week and how much fun we had catching up with our vlogging.

Before we get to our video though, there a few things we'd like to mention:
  1. We're nuts! But you've probably figured this out already!

  2. We didn't know what some of our received books were about so we just moved right along. Hope you don't mind that we didn't go into each book. Truth is there wouldn't have been time for that anyway with our 10-min [YouTube] limit.

  3. On occasion, Vanessa and I will crawl into each others heads and share thoughts, expressions, etc. We "jinx" a lot...and we did it again in this video. Can you catch it?

  4. We're nuts...but in the most fun & awesome way possible! Bottom line is we love to hang out and we love to blog/vlog and we love to show you guys the weirdos that we really are =)
NOW ENJOY!!

Vlog



Pictures



Books We Received In The Mail
The Swimming Pool by Holly Lecraw
The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry
Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer
Try to Remember by Iris Gomez
Apologize, Apologize! by Elizabeth Kelly
Laura Rider's Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton
3-Day Cleanse by Zoe Sakoutis & Erica Huss

Books We Purchased
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione
Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey
The Archers Tale by Bernard Cornwall
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
The Lost Enchantress by Patricia Coughlin

Wishing you all an OUTSTANDING weekend =)

Cover Art: Beautiful Darkness by Garcia & Stohl

**UPDATED: Expanded Synopsis**

Beautiful Darkenss

Book # 2 in the Caster Chronicles Series
by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Scheduled for release on October 26, 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Reader. [Goodreads]


Synopsis:
Some secrets are life-altering...

Others are life-ENDING.

Well hot damn! If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will!

I cannot wait for this book! C'mooooon October =)

Here's more about book of this series:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Sneaky Peek: Eclipse Movie Posters

This is the original poster released for the 3rd movie in the Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Not to shabby for a starter poster!


Now here is the new OFFICIAL poster for Eclipse featuring our beloved trio!


Much better =)
Kristen (aka Bella) actually looks really pretty here.
Rob and Taylor are looking studly as usual!

How do you guys like it?

Review: Raven by Allison Van Diepen

Title: Raven
Author: Allison van Diepen
Publish Date: February 2009 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 304, paperback
Reason for reading: For fun =)

Nic, who we'll come to know as "Raven" is a regular teenage girl who, with her parents permission, works as a underage waitress at a nightclub. She is also part of a breakdance crew known as the TopRocks who frequenly perform and battle other breakdancers at the club. With the exception of school and classes, she pretty much spends every other waking moment with Zin. He's her best friend, dance partner and fellow employee at the club. She's loved him from the moment she saw him dance, but won't dare say a word for fear of spoiling their friendship. When feelings are revealed, she's rejected by Zin. Not because he doesn't reciprocate them but because he harbors a secret that would make it nearly impossible for them to be together. A secret that he's not very happy about!

The dancing element of this story is quite prominent so the book is littered with breakdance terminology that is hard to follow (unless you happen to be a breakdancer). However, I personally didn't feel that this detracted from the story. On the contrary; it shows that the author went the extra mile to write as accurately as possible. It was actually fun to imagine these guys busting a move on the dance floor.

From the book's tag line, "Death is inevitable, passion is eternal" you just know that there was going to be a paranormal element to the story. I was glad to know that Zin, our paranormal secret keeper was not just another run-of-the-mill vampire, but a very real guy with an extra oomph in his step. (I won't reveal why or how he got that oomph.) Eventually the secret is revealed and Nic's progression from shock to anger & fear to acceptance was very realistic.

Interlaced with the story of Nic & Zin's relationship and Zin's secret, is a very real issue. Nic's brother is a meth addict who has distanced himself from his family and destroyed his own future. Nic has a lot of resentment towards him for the brother she's lost, the future he's thrown away and the pain he's caused her family. Her feelings of anger, yet unconditional love for her brother is very touching and what I imagine to be very real for someone in that position. Nic is 'damaged' because of this situation and [as a reader] it makes you appreciate the difficulty of dealing with drug addictions in the home/family.

Overall, I enjoyed the book! It had relatable characters, interesting dynamics, fun elements and some depth.

RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Teaser Tuesday 3.23.10

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
Isalys's Teaser:
"After he healed her, V walked over to the door, his big shoulders rolling with his gait. At the air lock, he looked back over his shoulder. "Don't think I was the only reason he [Butch] healed. You're his light, Marissa. Don't ever forget that." The Brother's eyes narrowed. "But here's something to keep in mind. You ever hurt him on purpose and I will consider you my enemy."

~ p. 90/91 from "Lover Revealed" by J.R. Ward
Fourth book in the Brotherhood of the Black Dagger Series.

Note: At nearly 500 pages, this book is more than a love story. However, the friendship between Butch & Vishous and the budding romance between Butch & Marissa are central to this installment of the BDB. I chose this particular teaser because I was impressed by how much about these relationships can be expressed in just a few words. Isalys

New Releases 3.23.10

We have some good books coming out this week, but get those wallets ready! Next week brings us a TON of new releases =D

 
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