In My Mailbox (39)

IN MY MAILBOX is a meme hosted by The Story Siren. Its about sharing what you got in the mail or borrowed from the library, friend, or bought. Its a great way to share what you will read in the near future.

Review:

Wilde’s Fire by Krystal Wade

Library:

Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea’s family, friends, and other victims

Black Heart by Holly Black

Purity by Jackson Pearce

Partials by Dan Wells

Bought:

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kissed by Richelle Mead

 

Winner of Glass Houses

My winner for the Glass Houses and Black Dawn bookmark is:

Suz @ A Soul Unsung 

Blog Tour Review: Taking Shots (Assassins #1) by Toni Aleo + Giveaway

Taking Shots (Assassins #1) by Toni Aleo

Kindle Edition

Published October 5th 2011 by Amazon

Source: Review copy provided by author

Elli Fisher has never thought she was good enough. Let it be her job, her weight, her love life, nothing, she was convinced she couldn’t do anything right. She had walked through life for the past six years in a daze, never thinking that life could be good again after the abuse she endured from her ex boyfriend. She is lonely, sad, and depressed, that is until she meets Shea Adler. After doing a promotional shoot for the NHL team, the Nashville Assassins, she meets the hunky hockey player who shoots a puck, shattering her world.
Shea Adler was tired of the life he was living outside of the rink. The girls, the money blowing, the drinking, everything had to stop and it all did when he met Eleanor Fisher. He had never met anyone like her. She is feisty, witty, shy, and simply gorgeous. When he laid eyes on her, it was as if he was taking the hardest hit of his life into the boards, and he had to have her.
Elli is a little skeptical of Shea, but he knows that they were meant to be together, and he needed her in his life. But Elli just doesn’t understand what Shea could see in her. She is overweight, loud, and not even that pretty, so why would someone so gorgeous and so amazing want to be with her? It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to shake Shea off, he wasn’t going anywhere, and for the first time Elli didn’t feel alone.
But could Elli throw her insecurities out the window and love Shea with everything inside of her? Or will she let a past relationship, and her family ruin any chance of her being happy?

Would Elli miss her shot at love? – Goodreads

My Opinion: I liked the story. It was realistic and the characters were interesting. Although, a little too fast paced than what I would have thought as healthy. The plot was interest. It made me want to go to a hockey game and I have never been interested in the sport.

I liked that Ellie was independent. It made her more realistic. I love photography so it was cool to see that incorporated into the story. The relationship that Shea has with his sister is very cool.  They have a very healthy relationship.

The plot was interesting as well. I love how Shea and Ellie meet. I also love the way that he kept courting her even though she didn’t really get it at first. My favorite character had to be her sister though. Even though she is the cause behind some of the problems (at least that is how it appears) and she acts like such a cruel person, I think that she is just jealous. But she was still, very cook at the end of the novel, even though she caused all the trouble.

Overall: 4 out of 5

For an interview with Toni Aleo CLICK HERE  – same giveaway as on this one.

Blog Tour: Author Interview: Toni Aleo + Giveaway!

1. How did you come up with the idea for Taking Shots?

I have always been around hockey. I met my husband when I was 14, and he got me into it. My love for hockey has grown over the years, and one day I decided that hockey and romance needed to be put together, so I sat down and wrote the first chapter of Elli’s story. I hated it…lol, so I shut it down and didn’t touch it for what seem like months. Then I met Shea Weber. Lord almighty, I came home and the story just poured from me. It was fantastic and now, we have Shea and Elli.

2.     Do you believe that opposites attract?

LMAO! Oh yes I do! If you were to meet me and my husband, you would believe it too. My husband is so quiet, so sweet, and even tempered, while I am angry, loud, and obnoxious about everything! We play off each other.  He is a everything will work out kind of guy, while I’m a oh my God what are we gonna do??? He is the perfect man for me, and I love him more than anything.

3.     What kind of research did you have to do for the books?

I do a lot of hockey research. With the first two books I was good, my husband and brother in law played those positions but now I have a goalie, and I have no clue what they do, so I have been harassing guys on my husband’s team and the goalies from the Nashville Predators. Also the heroine in the next book had some complications from an abortion, so I had to look that up too. I also look up new words, I love expanding my vocabulary and when I see a new word when I am reading a book, I highlight for later!

4.     How did you come up with the wine and hockey idea for Fallon and Lucas’s story?

I am a complete wino. I LOVE wine. My book club, with my favorite girls, consists of us drinking a lot of wine and talking about the book for about 5 minutes. I wanted something for Fallon to do that could tie in with the hockey league. A sponsorship, and were in Nashville, we have the Patron Club, so I figured that wine would do a good job instead of tequila, even though I love my tequila.

5.     What character from your book is most like you and why?

Lol, if you were to ask anyone that knows me, they would say Elli, which I do agree but I think that all my heroines will have a piece of me. Elli has insecurities and I do too, I never think I am good enough, not even when people are screaming it in my face, but then I have those moment when I am like “Yeah, I’m pretty freaking awesome.” Lol. Fallon can’t let go of the past, and boy can I hold a grudge like no ones business. You don’t cross me, I have angry issues, that’s why I watch hockey! lol

6.     What’s your all-time favorite book and why?

Eek! Um, well, goodness that’s hard. I guess its between Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.

7.     What is your next project?

I am currently working on the third in the Assassins Series, called Empty Net.

8.     Who is your book boyfriend?

Oh me, if I can’t have Shea Adler, then hand over Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series or Mr. Darcy…YUMMO! Dimtiri could call me Tonza any time of the day and if Mr. Darcy told me I have bewitch him body and soul, I would be a gonner. Lord, those men drive me insane!

9.     What author/authors/or person influenced you to become a writer?

My mom has always read books and has always told me I could do anything I put my mind too. I started writing in high school after reading Pride and Prejudice, so I guess I would have to say Jane Austin as my author. My husband was the one to push me to publish because he told me he believed in me. So I did. He is honestly the best thing that has ever happen to me, other than my two blessings.

10.  What book are you reading now?

Kiss me, I’m Irish, and it’s fantastic!

Check out the rest of the blogs on the blog tour for more chances to win!

waiting on Wednesday (21): The Lost Prince (Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine spotlighting upcoming releases.

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The Lost Prince (Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa

Teaser Tuesday (20) A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “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

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A Field Guide for Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy

Best friends Dessy and Veronica arrive in Europe with wildly different plans. Dessy hopes to heal her newly broken heart by diving into the creative writing workshop that brought the girls to Prague. Veronica’s plan, meanwhile, is to conquer as many hot-dudes as possible in one month—and help Dessy recycle her heart in the process. Her method:

· Dress like you are the party.

· Explore the terrain. (Moderate stalking is totally allowed.)

· Be adventurous. And that means being prepared to hide in your suitcase.

· Ask questions that make your hot-dude feel smart.

· Gloss early, gloss often, and bring gum. Because a kiss can happen when you least expect it!

At first, Veronica’s plan is working so well that Dessy thinks she might be a love genius. But soon it’s clear that Operation Maneater has a few holes. Like its failure to anticipate crazy mixed signals—and worse, its mysterious tendency to plague a friendship with secrets and lies.

Well, no one ever said breaking hearts was a simple craft…. – Goodreads

“But not big animals, ” He said. “I don’t want anything comedic like walruses or elephants humping each other.Page 208 in ARC

Review: Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls, #5) by Ally Carter

Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls, #5) by Ally Carter

Hardcover, 294 pages

Published March 13th 2012 by Hyperion Book CH

Source: Library

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan–an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer. – Goodreads

My Opinion: I loved the mystery in this one. The way that the amnesia worked to make a very cool plot. I love that the settings were all over the world, Italy, Austria, and the Gallagher Academy. I love the process that she goes through to figure out what happened over the summer.

I loved the way the characters worked together to protect Cammie and how they were when she came back at first. It them more realistic and lifelike. I would have liked for Cammie to be to regain the full memory and let us know how she knew how she was able to do all that stuff. I would have loved for it to be just her at the end telling them everything that had happened. Like it was a stand alone novel, without some of the character. It sounded like she had quite the adventure, especially with the gun, that would have been cool to find out more about.

I loved the twist at the end where they discover what she had known before the memory wipe and I loved the twist of who it was that wiped her mind.

Overall: 4 out of 5