Review by Fire and Ice

Thanks so much to Heather at Fire and Ice for reading and reviewing The Gifted! (You can also see her review on Goodreads)

Hop over there and check out her thoughts on my book. Show her some blog love and follow (if you don't already). And while you're there, enter the giveaway to win a copy of The Gifted!

If you already have your copy in hand, GREAT! I thank you sincerely. In that case, just leave Heather a comment and thank her for being so nice to me. :) Pin It

I've joined your ranks.

For a million different reasons, my husband is amazing. In this post, I'm going to highlight one specific example.

He bought me a Kindle!!!

He had many reasons for doing this (celebrating my book release, concern for my health, bribing encouraging me) , but what it all boils down to is that he loves me. Aw. :)

So now, I am able read and review ebooks with ease. NetGalley is my new best friend. I'm able to enter giveaways for ebooks. When I go on a trip next week, I'll take my library with me! Seriously, this is the coolest thing ever. I spent hours getting to know my Kindle. My husband almost wished he hadn't given it to me. ;)

I feel so high tech and posh. I know ereaders are the future, but I still feel a little elite now that I have one.

In a twist of fated irony, The Gifted became available in Kindle version on the same day I received my Kindle.

I sold 4 Kindle version copies of The Gifted before it was fully live on Amazon. That made me feel pretty good. Anyway, you can now by The Gifted on Kindle here.

I'm currently working on putting The Gifted on B&N and Smashwords. So if you have a Nook or some other ereader device, hang tight. We're on our way. Pin It

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Luce has a tragic past. Her life was seemingly ideal, except for the dark shadows that haunt her. She could ignore those and pretend they weren't there, keeping up the facade of a happy life, until the night Trevor tried to kiss her...and died. Speculation swarmed, and Luce's future was suddenly nothing more than being booked into "reform" school, which really felt like a lax prison.

Who would have thought she'd find bright spots among the gloom? Her quirky companion Arianne. Her loyal friend Penn. But then there's Cam. Handsome, charismatic Cam who showers her with attention - even more than she's comfortable with. But at least he acknowledges her, and he's kind to her. Not like Daniel. Daniel is aloof, breathtakingly handsome, haunted, and makes it clear from day one that he wants nothing to do with her.

But when Daniel saves her life, brings her flowers, takes her to a romantic hidden spot by the lake and races her through the water...Luce isn't quite sure what to believe.

And the truth will turn out to be almost more than she can handle.


***

Love, passion, death, battles, secrets, intrigue, love-triangles, friendships, betrayals...all ingredients for a fantastic read, right?

Well, maybe.

I enjoyed this book. I loved the writing and the descriptions. I really enjoyed Luce. She's smart and caring. She's guilty, but she's not sure of what. She feels an inexorable pull toward Daniel, and can't stay away, even though he's a jerk. As the reader, we know that he's doing it to protect her. But Luce doesn't know that. And yet she continues to throw herself at him. OK, she doesn't necessarily throw herself at him, but she makes it clear she'd pick him over Cam if he wanted her to, regardless of Daniel's distasteful personality traits (like flipping her off or telling her that if she won't leave, he will).

Again, as the reader, we know that what he's doing is protecting her, and it's tragic and heartbreaking. But really Luce? She doesn't even attempt to hide her obsession with him. (In my opinion at least.)

In the end, I enjoyed the book, but I walked away confused. The entire novel (and it's a big one!) seems to lead up to the last 15 pages. But there's no resolution. Daniel is very vague on who/what he is and why he is the way he is. But Luce seems to be completely at ease with that fact and will follow him blindly because they're in love - though truth be told it feels more like lust than love to me.

I do recommend this book, but know that you'll probably end up with more questions than answers in the end. I know I did. I'll be looking forward to reading the 2nd novel in the series, and hopefully that will help.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 28, 2010) 
• Source: Local library

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My first reviews!

Ok, folks. The Gifted has been out in the wild for a little over a week now. A few of you have gotten your hands on its goodness, and already the reviews are starting to trickle in.

Allie Burke reviewed The Gifted on her blog, and you can read that here. I've also had a few reviews on Goodreads, and you can see those here. One reader is going to post a review on Amazon, so that will probably be up later today.

Thank you everyone for reading the book, enjoying it (so far), and taking the time to review it. As an author, I can't tell you how much I appreciate readers taking the time to share their thoughts and feelings on a book. It makes all the effort worth it when someone says they stayed up late, just to finish the book! And for the record, I've had 3 people say that so far. :)

Yeah, I'm on cloud nine at this point.

I have been interviewed for a few blogs, and I'll give you more details as they become available. For now, plan on catching me at From The Shadows on April 21st. Pin It

Getting your hands on books.

This week's IMM included the book Fallen by Kate Lauren. I was surprised at how many people said they couldn't read it because their library doesn't have it.

Like many of you, I don't have a bottomless bank account at the ready to satisfy my book needs. I rely heavily on my local library. So what do I do when they don't have a book I want? Usually I pout for a minute, and then move on, disappointed that I'll never get to read that book.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Did you know you can request your library buy a book? Sometimes, if they don't have the resources or demand to buy the book, they can just borrow it from another library in the area. Sometimes there is a cost to this, but not usually.

It's probably safe to say that all libraries have a website. There should be a "request materials" link somewhere on the website where you can go and suggest the library buy a certain book. It can be on the home page, but not necessarily. If you're having problems finding it, ask someone the next time you stop in.

I'm an author, and in my dream world, every person would have their own personal copy of my book. But I live in reality (no matter how often I vacation to my imagination), and most people don't buy every book they read. Do I mind? No. Not really. I would love to have my book in libraries! I would rather have people reading and enjoying it, and I really mean that.

So, if you're discouraged that your library lacks pizazz, help them out and recommend books for them to buy.

And while you're at it, I know a book you can recommend they buy... Pin It

Blog Hop Giveaway Winner!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who entered the Fool for Books Giveaway Hop! I know I stumbled across some amazing blogs, and I hope you did too.

On to the good stuff, right?!

I wish I had about 90 more books to giveaway. Don't worry, I have lots of ARCs to read, review, and send off to you.

The winner of my copy of The Gifted and the swag pack is...

#22 - KT!!!

KT, I'm sending you an email. If I don't get your mailing address in 48 hours, I'll have to pick another winner. Please don't do that to me.

Thanks again everyone, and I hope you win lots of goodies today! Pin It

In My Mailbox -4-

Thanks to the Story Siren for hosting this weekly meme.

Please check out other book blogs and find out what readers are...well, reading. :)

Want to participate? Post about books you've bought, checked out from the library, received for review or as a gift, etc. Books don't have to arrive via your mailbox.

Ok, here we go.

From my mailbox:

Violet Midnight by Allie Burke - a paranormal romance. Yesss!!

Silent Love by Susan Shuler DeLong - a deaf teenager tries to fit into a hearing high school. I teach my son Sign, so this is intriguing to me.

Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner - I won this on Goodreads, but I think it'll be great.

All About Daisy by O'Dell Hutchinson - an awkward teen who's bullied at school. Quite possibly the story of my life. Then again, maybe not. I'll let you know.

America Pacifica by Anna North - I don't know what it is about dystopian books that are just hook, line and sinker for me.

I'm seriously so excited about every single one of these books that I've started reading most of them. I don't know how I'm going to buckle down and focus on one book at a time. It will be hard, but I know I can do it.







From my email:



Across Eternity by Aris Whittier. The reviews look great. I always love a good romance. *Sigh.*











From the local library:

Fallen by Lauren Kate. I figured it was time I jumped on the bandwagon.

Pegasus by Robin McKinley. I've been on the waiting list forever for this one.







From NetGalley:

Ultraviolet (Carolrhoda Ya) This one is about a girl who wakes up in a mental institution after having confessed to murdering her classmate...if you count watching her disintegrate a murder. Oooh, intrigued? I am.



Thank You, God, for Daddy by Amy Parker. I think I'm gonna need some tissues...













Thank you, God, for Mommy by Amy Parker. Ditto on the tissues.













In Front of God and Everybody by KD McCrite. Who doesn't love teenagers who are funny and easily embarrassed?!













Tender Loving Care by Jennifer Greene. Romance - check. Adoption - check. Gotta love it.











I haven't counted, but I don't think it's as many as last week. Good thing, too. I'm WAY behind! I'll be going on vacation soon. Does that mean I'll have more or less time to read? I don't know, but I guess we'll find out.


So, your turn. What are YOU reading this week? Pin It

Fool for Books Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to my first giveaway hop!

This is a very short giveaway hop. It opens April 1st, 2011, and it closes at Midnight on April 2nd, 2011. So you'd better be quick in entering on all the blogs - there are over 200 of them!

I'm excited about this giveaway.

Up for grabs:  A swag pack from The Gifted.

Included is a signed copy of The Gifted, and a few of Pyper's favorite things: black nail polish, and lip balm. I guess you'll just have to read The Gifted to understand why those are her favorites. Also included is a black bag that's perfect as a book back. I have one that keeps my TBR books in one place.

How to Enter:

You must be a follower of my blog. This giveaway is open to US residents only. (Sorry, Canada! Next time, I promise.) Simply leave a comment below with your email address then hop on over to the other blogs. And hurry!

A winner will be announced here on April 3rd, but I'll also send an email.


Be sure to visit the other participating blogs!

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