Sign Up-- Get Your Shit Together Challenge!

Soooo I've come up with a new challenge for October after chatting with some people on Facebook. It's all about Getting Your Shit Together. Basically an adulting checklist for the month with all kinds of prompts (one a day). 

SIGN UP--2016 Blogger Shame Review Challenge

Hey guys! Another sign up! This is for the 2016 Blogger Shame challenge we're co-hosting. Hope you'll join in!

If you've been blogging for a while chances are you have a few (or more than a few lol) review books that have slipped through the cracks. Eeps! The Blogger Shame Review Challenge--cohosted by herding cats & burning soup and Addicted to Happily Ever After-- is all about dusting off all of those forgotten review books and making them happen!

Blog Ahead Mini is a Go!!! My goals!

Woots!! Aaaaannnd it's time for Blog Ahead! The mini version!

The goal is to get ahead and create a buffer of schedule posts.

Two weeks...14 extra scheduled posts.

Full Deets HERE

BLOGGER SIGN UP-- BLOG AHEAD (mini) May 1-14

Blog Ahead is back! This time for a mini 2 week version to help get everyone ready for Summer vacation! Getting ahead with blog posts is something I think is so important. It can really lighten the stress of blogging and is great for allowing down days if you just can't get by the blog but still want things to go live

To create a 2 week blogging buffer by increasing your total number of scheduled blog posts by 14. 

2015 Challenge Tally

I'm participating in 5 reading challenges in 2015. 

My goals and updates for each will be kept up on this page :)

2014 Challenges Tally

Just a maintenence post :) I'm doing 4 reading challenges. 2 hosted by herding cats and two by fellow bloggers. Yall feel free to click the links and find out more about each!

 This'll be the post I use to keep track through the year...

Yup. Historical Romance Challenge. Hosted by herding cats! Woot! Sign Up HERE.

the USA Reading Challenge Link Up!

I thought this would be a fun little challenge. There are no time limits. Take 6 months, take a year. 

You can start any time as of this post! Whatever works for you. Go for it!

This one is really simple.

The goal is to read a book that takes place, at least in part, in each of the 50 states. 

{Each book can only count for one state.}

2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge!

Woot so it's almost that time of the year again!  Last year was my first year blogging and I signed up, kinda randomly, for an event called Blogging from A to Z. Thought it would be fun and not all that hard. ::snort:: Whew it really was a challenge! Basically the month of April you and a couple thousand other bloggers blog the alphabet. Starting on the first Monday with the letter A and going every day but Sunday until the end of the month and the letter Z.  You can blog about...anything really. With a theme or without. I had a blast with it last year and decided to join in again this year. It really puts your blogging skills to the test! Not sure what I'll actually do but thought I'd share in case any of yall want to join in too!

To Sign Up go HERE

If you're interested here was my list from 2012. Some of them are kinda entertaining I think ;)

There's some man candy, some real candy, some cupcake cursing and embarrassing turtle penis stories....

My Familiar Stranger (Black Swan #1) by Victoria Danann

Minutes ahead of inevitable assassination, Elora Laiken is forcibly transported to an alternate dimension similar, but not identical, to her own. She is stranded. Alone. Far from home. A stranger in a "strangish" land. 

Of course a girl could suffer worse problems than having gorgeous suitors. Perhaps more importantly, in the midst of an epidemic of vampire related abductions, can she stay alive long enough to choose between an honor debt, true love, or the breathlessness of single-minded passion? 

Type: Paranormal Romance, Elves, Vampires, Berserkers, alternate universe
Heat: 2.5-3
Rating: 3

Alright so I was really digging this one until the heroine picked the wrong hero. That landed My Familiar Stranger firmly in the eh category for me and made for one pretty grumbly cat herder.

Game for Love (Bad Boys of Football #3) by Bella Andre

In a relationship built on lies...the only truth is their feelings for each other.

To fulfill his grandmother's dying wish, linebacker Cole Taylor must find and marry a good girl. First grade teacher Anna Davis fits the bill perfectly. Their deal is simple: If she'll be his temporary wife, he'll give her more pleasure than she ever imagined was possible. 

Only, love is the ultimate game-changer.


Type: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Heat: 4 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5


I'm really not sure how this one ended up on my Nook but I'm glad it did! Andre's writing has a great flow and is really so captivating. One of my favorite storylines is the "fake mates/couple" that end up falling for each other. For some reason I just love that one and, turned out, I really loved Cole and Anna as well. The innocent school teacher taking a stand and the playboy footballer fulfilling his gram's dying wish to see him happily married by doing something crazy...like getting married mere hours after meeting...

Now, talk about a hot steamy read! I don't think anyone has ever had quite so much sex in the history of sex as Anna and Cole. Holy cow. These two went at it like bunnies. Now, the sex scenes were very well written. They're hot and steamy, emotionally charged and down right sexy but geezaloo there's an abundance of them in this 180 page story. I'm surprised either of them could actually walk after we hit about the halfway mark.

TBR Pile Knockout (2) + Seduction of the Billionaire Playboy Actor by Marquita Valentine

TBR Pile Knockout is a weekly meme hosted by Ana of Beach Bum Reads and Anna of Herding Cats & Burning Soup. This meme was created to tackle our HUGE and STILL GROWING TBR piles.&nbsp

We'll be posting EVERY Monday for the rest of the year. Our goal is to make a rather nice dent in our TBR piles. So, aside from our other lovely reads, we will be making sure ONE book out of our TBR pile will be read :) 

Want to join in? Check out the rules:

Sports Romance Challenge Link Up

Woohoo!!! It's time for the Challenge! 

Ladies this is where you'll link up your January reads. 

For each challenge book you read and review this month come back here and link it up in the linky list below. If you have any trouble leave me a comment or email me. I can go in and edit the links submitted so no worries!

~~*~~*~~

Oooo and I've got a sports romance freebie for yall!! I'll try to post them as I find them on our Facebook page for yall. If you find any let me know and I'll share those as well.

This one is by VK Sykes (Vanessa Kelly with her husband)...

Amazon   B&N   Smashwords

Happy Reading Ladies! Can't wait to see what yall are reading for the challenge :) Feel free to leave comments and chat about what you're reading, ask others for suggestions, etc. We want yall to have fun and enjoy the challenge so have at it :)

Want to know more about the Challenge?? 

TBR Pile KnockOut (1)

Hi ladies and gents! We're doing something new in 2013 with one of our favorite bloggers! 

We hope yall will join in with us! Check it out below. And no worries, you don't have to be a blogger to participate!!

~~*~~*~~

TBR Pile Knockout is a weekly meme hosted by Ana of Beach Bum Reads and Anna of Herding Cats & Burning Soup. This meme was created to tackle our HUGE and STILL GROWING TBR piles. 

We will be posting EVERY Monday for the rest of the year. Our goal is to make a rather nice dent in our TBR piles. So, aside from our other lovely reads, we will be making sure ONE book out of our TBR pile will be read :) 

Want to join in? Check out the rules:

2013 "Sports" Romance Reading Challenge SIGN UP!!

Alright dearlings. I'm going to host my first Reading Challenge!! 

We're gonna keep this pretty simple... 

~Read books with a hero/heroine that's into sports

~Review the book (on a blog or Goodreads)

~Link those reviews into our linky list each month

~and WIN prizes!!

    

Broken (Women of the Otherworld #6) by Kelley Armstrong

Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough–only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers–unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs.

Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for–which, for some unknown reason, is Elena.

Type: Urban Fantasy, 1st person (Werewolves/Vampires/Zombies)
Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Okay, I'll admit this one sounded a little cheesy to me when I picked it up. I mean, Victorian era zombies rampaging Canadian streets? Elena knocked up and on the hunt for 'Jack the Ripper'? Really, now? But in the end I really liked Broken. It turned out to be a fun filled romp and a highly enjoyable read.

Haunted (Women of the Otherworld #5) by Kelley Armstrong

Eve Levine — half-demon, black witch and devoted mother — has been dead for three years. She has a great house, an interesting love life and can’t be killed again — which comes in handy when you’ve made as many enemies as Eve. Yes, the afterlife isn’t too bad — all she needs to do is find a way to communicate with her daughter, Savannah, and she’ll be happy.

But fate — or more exactly, the Fates — have other plans. Eve owes them a favor, and they’ve just called it in. An evil spirit called the Nix has escaped from hell. She feeds on chaos and death, and is very good at persuading people to kill for her. The Fates want Eve to hunt her down before she does any more damage, but the Nix is a dangerous enemy — previous hunters have been driven insane in the process. As if that’s not problem enough, the only way to stop her is with an angel’s sword. And Eve is no angel. . . .


Type: Urban Fantasy, Demons, Ghosts, 1st Person
Heat: 1 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

Whew. Now that was an amazing read. Haunted was by far my favorite book in the Women of the Otherworld series. Helluva shock since I really wasn't all that taken with Eve in previous books. But man did she turn out to be a huge surprise and an incredible heroine. I really enjoyed all of the different aspects of the book from the characters and their personal journeys to Eve's hunting down the Nix, an ancient evil that's escaped hell, which was just fascinating. Haunted wasn't the steamiest of reads but damn if it wasn't completely satisfying.

Industrial Magic (Women of the Otherworld #4) by Kelley Armstrong + giveaway

"In the aftermath of her mother's murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention.

Someone is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld's most influential Cabals—a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn't blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, it's a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance."

Type: Urban Fantasy, Witches
Heat: 1 out of 4
Rating: 3 out of 5

Industrial Magic had so many good things going for it. Armstrong created a richly intriguing world filed with action, danger, and an interesting mystery that will keep you guessing on the who and whys of it all. I loved that this time we got to delve into the oh-so-twisted family life of Lucas and were given a horrifying glimpse into the different Cabals (think sorcerer mob families) as Paige and Lucas help his semi-estranged father investigate attacks against Cabal teenagers. The Cabals were both fascinating and frustrating all at the same time. Filled with men who have terrifying powers, few morals and are more inclined to bicker like teenagers than work together to stop the senseless and brutal attack against their children. It really was an interesting storyline. 

Dime Store Magic (Women of the Otherworld #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Paige Winterbourne was always either too young or too rebellious to succeed her mother as leader of one of the world’s most powerful elite organizations—the American Coven of Witches. Now that she is twenty-three and her mother is dead, the Elders can no longer deny her. But even Paige’s wildest antics can’t hold a candle to those of her new charge—an orphan who is all too willing to use her budding powers for evil...and evil is all too willing to claim her. For this girl is being pursued by a dark faction of the supernatural underworld. They are a vicious group who will do anything to woo the young, malleable, and extremely powerful neophyte, including commit murder—and frame Paige for the crime. It’s an initiation into adulthood, womanhood, and the brutal side of magic that Paige will have to do everything within her power to make sure they both survive.

Type: Urban Fantasy, 1st Person, Witches
Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Dime Store Magic brings us into the world Paige Winterbourne and her coven of witches. So far this was my favorite book in the series and I think it's because Paige and Lucas really aren't your typical hero/heroine. They're not masters of their respective crafts, or all all that big and tough, and really Lucas leans more towards the geeky than being a sexy alpha male. But they're both just good people who are determined to do what they think is right no matter how hard things get. 

While the plot wasn't all that complicated I found myself really enjoying everything that was going on in Paige's life. After taking in Savannah, a teenage witch, who dear God may be one of the most annoying characters I've ever met, Paige finds herself in a custody battle from hell and on the verge of losing Savannah, who's a bit morally shaky when it comes to magic, to her darker counterparts. Not only that but they're playing dirty. Framing her for murder and exposing her as a witch to the public which causes all kinds of insanity from the humorous to the extremely hostile and causing her Coven to abandon her when she needs them most. The girl seriously cannot catch a damn break but I must say I loved how she handled herself and, with Lucas' help, managed to kick some ass. 

“Could you please put this--could you all put these--could you get dressed, please?"

The woman only bestowed a serene smile on me. "We are as the Goddess requires."

"The Goddess requires you to be naked on my lawn?” 

Now, Savannah. Oh. My. God! I did not like this kid one damn bit. Kelley did a fantastic job of creating an incredibly bratty teenager who would throw terrible fits until she got exactly what she wanted. She had such a volatile personality and more than once I really wanted Paige to just hand the little monster over to the bad guys who were after her and call it a day. And Lord help me the chit has 3 books with her as the heroine later on. Gah! Excellent writing but damn!

This was a very nicely done UF with lots of action, chaos and well written characters that kept me entertained for hours. Things were pretty light in the romance department between Lucas and Paige but the potential for something more down the road was there and the relationship was still very entertaining and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading more about the two and seeing what happens next.

Get Your Copy:   Amazon   Barnes&Noble   BookDepository

Do you like urban fantasy? Have a favorite set of UF characters? Do you like a bit of romance involved or like it romance free? 

My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4) by Rachel Vincent

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn't just an ordinary girl. She's a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people's fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn't above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

Type: Young Adult, Paranormal, Bean Sidhe
Heat: 1 out of 5
Rating: 5 out of 5

Oh I so do not like Sabine! Gah. Vincent is so very good at making unlikable characters. Loved this addition to the Soul Screamers series and I think it actually might be my favorite of the lot even with Nash's ex, the dratted "sleep terrorist" Sabine. My Soul to Steal was fast paced with crazy things happening at the high school, massive amounts of relationship drama, possessions and a huge dose of those blasted hellions that just will not go away. All makes for an excellent read and one I couldn't put down. 

Stolen (Women of the Otherworld #2) by Kelley Armstrong

It was in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong's debut novel, that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman and the only living female werewolf.

In Stolen, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the "other races" and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals - witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves - are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.


Type: Urban Fantasy, Wolves, Magic
Heat: 1 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Wow. That was....something else! Stolen sucked me in from the very start. Armstrong did an amazing job making a nearly 600 page book fly by like it was nothing. The writing was nicely done. The storyline of Elena being captured by a group of scientists, while a bit crazy, was fascinating and creepy at the same time.