Saturday, September 28, 2013

Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney Challenge #2


The second challenge in the Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney is so cool *squees a little* Before I get to the task though, let me show you an amazing slideshow with the entries for last week's challenge. Last week we had to post a picture of the tropical location where Kai kidnapped Persephone.

And here's the video for this week's challenge.



Great, right? I thought so too! Here's my playlist.


Playlist Name: Love is a killer

  1. Gary Allan - Bones
  2. Roxette - It Must Have Been Love
  3. Letters To Cleo - Cruel To Be Kind
  4. Vixen - Edge Of A Broken Heart
  5. Lita Ford - Shot Of Poison
  6. Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire

That's my playlist. In case you're wondering about the name of my playlist, I know it's not terribly original, but it's one of my favorite songs from the band Vixen. Thought it was just right for Sophie and Kai :D See you next week in the tourney :D

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Book Review: Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Series: Eagle Elite #1
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: July 9th 2013
My Rating: 2.5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
When I won the annual Eagle Elite College Scholarship lottery, I was thrilled. After all, my grandma had just died and I wanted to take care of my aging grandpa -- he couldn't be a farmer in Wyoming forever. And graduating from Eagle Elite meant opportunity.

But I wasn't counting on meeting Nixon.

Nor was I counting on the rules of the Elect.

1. Do not touch The Elect.
2. Do not look at The Elect.
3. Do not speak to The Elect.

And worst of all? Don't discover the secret they hide, because in the end, you may just realize... it's about you.

*This is a New Adult Book, blood, violence, cursing, sexual references, and drug use. Not recommended for those under 17.*

You know how sometimes you get so excited about a book, you get these really high expectations? This was what happened to me with Elite. I read the blurb and I immediately wanted to read the book. I was sure it had mystery, angst, drama. And the warning got me even more curious.

The book started okay. I always enjoy the "small town girl gets to leave her small town and have a chance at a career she never would've had otherwise" stories. And this book had the potential of being very good. But then something happened.

The first thing that bothered me was the bullying. There's a lot of bullying in this book. Bullying that I didn't understand. Don't get me wrong, I think all bullying is pointless and stupid and it should disappear off the face of the Earth, but the amount of bullying in this particular book make no sense to me. Especially when you get to the end of the book and you get to have some answers to a few of your questions about the characters. What amazed me even more was the person doing the bullying at first, but most of all his reasoning. The "I'll treat you like crap so others won't" mentality never quite worked for me. I wanted to like Nixon. He seems like the kind of bad boy most girls fall for, but I felt he was a little bipolar at times.

The second thing that I didn't exactly understand was Tracey's attraction to Nixon. He might be sexy, he might be dangerous and something completely different than all the boys she's ever known before, but he treats her like crap. Why would you give a guy like that the time of day, I have no idea. She's also a little too weak for my taste. She didn't stand up for herself nearly as much as she should have. I would have at least told a few of the mean kids to eff off.

The only thing that really kept me going in this book was the mystery behind Tracey and Nixon's families. I kept wondering who they were and how they were related. And, I must confess, I kept hoping there was something supernatural about the book. It could have been anything, really, because there were a lot of things that pointed in a very subtle way in that direction.

I really wanted to be amazed by this book. It had a lot of potential and it had some elements I've never read about before. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me :(

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Cover Reveal: Red Dirt Road by Annie Rose Welch


Red Dirt Road by Annie Rose Welch
Adult romance
Expected Publication: September 24th, 2013

The Saving Angels Series continues…

A new cast is introduced, while journeys already taken start to merge with the present, leading you down the old Red Dirt Road.

Death has always seemed just one step behind Layla Hill, taking almost everyone she’s ever loved. After she loses the love of her life, Layla vows to never love again—how could she, when she’s a death magnet?

Trying to outrun fate traveling with her uncle Willie and his band, Layla meets Michael Roberts, a beautiful Irish boxer as gentle on the piano as he is brutal in the ring. He proves as relentless in life, fighting for a place in her world even as she pushes him away, trying to protect him from her killer tendencies.

But neither foresees the sinister presence waiting for Layla at the end of the Red Dirt Road.


GCRPromotions is currently organizing a tour for Red Dirt Road. If you're interested in being a stop on the tour, sign up HERE.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

#SassyGirlSwoonyGod Tourney: Challenge #1


Ruby = Mermaid

It's time for the first challenge in the Sassy Girl Swoony God tourney. You can watch the video or you can head out to Tellulah Darling's website and read all about it there.




Before we get to my answer to the challenge though, let me tell you more about My Ex From Hell, the first book in the The Blooming Goddess Trilogy.

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:
a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy teen yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.

Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology smackdown. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book one of this teen fantasy romance series. Compared to Kai and Sophie, Romeo and Juliet had it easy.

Now, in case you haven't yet read the book *narrows eyes* you should go ahead and do it. It's very, very good. And funny.

Now for the challenge.

Photo courtesy of  Wikipedia

I chose the Mahé Island from Seychelles. It looks like a great spot to go to, especially if a sexy, charming guy is with you *swoon*.

See you next week in the tourney, for the second challenge!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday #4: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List!






Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.
Each week, they will post a new Top Ten list that one of the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join, just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Four Books On My Fall TBR List! 

This is a pretty hard post, because I'm battling bookhangover. As you know I loved Sherrilyn Kenyon's Styxx and right now, there aren't so many books that call to me. I'm pretty sure that once it passes, I'll be able to recognize the books I'm very anxious about, but so far, almost two weeks after I've read that book, I'm still not over it *blushes*


  1. Reaver - Larissa Ione - It's Reaver. Seriously, I need to say more than that?
  2. The Edge of Always - J.A. Redmerski - I loved The Edge Of Never and I am so looking forward to more Andrew and very good song suggestions :D But mostly Andrew
  3. The Fiery Heart - Richelle Mead - Now, I know I didn't read The Indigo Spell, but there's a good reason for it: I know how hard it is to wait for the "next" book in this series, so I decided I'd better have two installments to read at once than just bite my nails in between the two. It's not a pretty sight!
  4. Tandem - Anna Jarzab - When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of something like this happening, only the good parts in those other me versions would come into my life. Naturally, I have to read this book :D
What about you? What books are you impatiently waiting for this fall?

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sunday Book Soundtrack #11: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

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Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 



This week's book soundtrack is for Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead.




Cinderella - Coming Home
Nickelback - Follow you home
Lita Ford & Ozzy Osborne- Close My eyes Forever
Three Days Grace-Take Me Under
Alter Bridge - Rise Today

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Reading Blogs & Eating Popcorn #4

Reading Blogs & Eating Popcorn is a weekly feature here at Ruby's Books, in which I share some of the posts written by other fellow book bloggers over the last week, posts that I loved so much I have to share. 


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  • The first post comes from Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Book Blog. She talks about Blogger Jealousy. I cannot explain to you how much this post resonated with me, but let's just say I understand completely what Michelle is talking about. (Emily @ Read Your Bookcase is her cohost and she has a great post on this topic as well)
  • The next post is from Renae @ Respiring Thoughts and it's called On Reader/Author Interaction. It's an interesting take on a pretty touchy subject, especially given the frictions we hear about in the book blogging comunity. 
  • Carol @ Carol's Notebook talks about Reading vs Listening. I can't say I'm a huge fan of audiobooks, though I do love the idea of being able to listen to a book while doing something else. Of course, I'm so clumsy I'd probably end up hurting myself if I tried it, but that's another topic :P
  • Amanda @ On A Book Bender shares 3 Uncomfortable Truths About Blogging. They might be uncomfortable, but they're real, so think of the post as some much-needed tough love.
I've read so many fantastic posts this week and I'm certain I missed some of them. I'd fill up an entire page with them, but then I'll look like a stalker :P. What about you? Did you read any blog posts this week that you feel anyone should? 

Friday, September 13, 2013

Bookish News That Made Me Happy Dance

You guys know how much I love Harry Potter, right? Well, to say I was heartbroken when the series ended is to put it mildly. Yesterday, while browsing the web I saw this awesome news. That's right! J.K Rowling is doing a movie series set in the world of Harry Potter. It's based on Newt Scamander and his textbooks, mainly Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.



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And to make my day even more amazing, I learned that authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are going to write a Beautiful Creatures spin-off series, based on Link and Ridley. You can read the official announcement at Publishers Weekly.



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I know I didn't finish reading the original series, but I loved what I've read so far and I will definitely read this new series.

So, do you have any book related news that made you do a happy dance lately?

Early Review: Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

Author: Larissa Ione
Series: MoonBound Clan Vampire #1
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: September 24th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source:NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The first installment in a sexy new paranormal romance series by Larissa Ione, author of the bestselling Demonica series!

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD
Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE
A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.


I love Larissa Ione's Demonica series and it's spin-off, Lords of Deliverance, so when I found out that she's going to write a series about vampires I was so very excited. I know a lot of people are thinking "Vampires? Again?" but I'm not. I love vampires and I love vampire books and if you ask me, there aren't enough vampire books out there and I don't think I'll even get to the point where I'll say "that's it, I'm done with them". More vampires, I say.

The first thing I noticed in this book was that not all vampires are good. There are some pretty cruel, really bad vampires. So there's a great balance between the good vamps and the bad vamps. Some, I might say, are actually insane. At the same time, not all humans are shown as being good people. There's also a good mix there. Which I think is good and makes the entire story feel much more realistic.

Riker was soooo sexy. What I liked about him was that he has many layers. I thought I had him figured out, but he surprised me more than once.  He can be very gentle when he wants to, but he can also be very brutal and fierce. Did I mention he's also terribly sexy? 

Nicole was... She was damaged. That's the first thing that pops into my head when I think about her. She's had a bad experience with vampires when she was a kid and, frankly, I kept asking myself how is she not insane? It really was amazing that she wasn't half crazy. But she's very brave and I liked that about her. And she has the ability to look past what has been done to her and realize that not everything is black and white. 

There are a number of other very sexy vampires in this book and I definitely want to learn more about them. Also, I hope we'll get more details about the history of vampires and how they came to be. I found that part of the story fascinating. I'll definitely read the next book in the series, though it pains me to wait another year for it. Oh well, at least Reaver comes out soon.



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Houston BookRave Epic Giveaway


Would you like to win some signed copies from some of the amazing authors who will be attending the Houston BookRave?

Well, here is your chance!

TrinDee Events is giving away 10 signed copies to three lucky winners. The first winner drawn will get to choose five books, the second winner will choose three, and the final winner gets their choice of two.

Best part? Winners choose off TrinDee Events featured author list.

Check out the attending authors here: http://houstonbookrave.blogspot.com/p/authors.html

All you have to do is help spread the word about the Houston BookRave!

Unfortunately, this giveaway is open to the US only. However, if you live outside the USA and are willing to cover the shipping cost, feel free to enter. If your name is drawn TrinDee Events will contact you with shipping details.

Good luck everyone!



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Thursday, September 12, 2013

TV Madness: Roswell



Over the summer I was in the mood to watch some new TV shows. And because I didn't want to get to a point where I had to wait for new episodes to come out, I decided to watch a show that had already ended. So I talked with my BFF Lucy and she said I needed to watch Roswell.

Now, to me aliens means Star Trek. I loved that show when I was a kid (the New Generation show) so growing up, Roswell didn't attract me that much. After watching it I have to say I was so wrong about not wanting to watch it. It's just perfect!

I loved the idea of the show, I loved the couples, the actors, the little subplots, the whole thing was just amazing. If I had to choose my favorite character, I'd say Maria wins. She can sing, she has great fashion sense and she's funny. And she has a great boyfriend *grins*

Then I saw that the show was based on a book series. From what I understood, the books are slightly different than the show. Still, I'll give them a try once I get some free time on my hands.

There's another show with aliens that's due this autumn, in case you didn't know. It's from the CW and it's called Star-Crossed. I watched the preview on Youtube, but I'm not sure about it. It looks a bit too similar to Roswell in certain aspects.

Anyway, did you watch Roswell? What did you think about it? Also, did you read the books? If yes, did you like them?

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney


Have I ever mentioned how much I love books about ancient gods? Well, I do. And one of the amazing authors who write amazing stories about them is Tellulah Darling. Her second book in the Blooming Goddess Trilogy,  My Date From Hell, will arrive on October 31st.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Tellulah wants to have some fun, so Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney was born. There will be a number of challenges in the next weeks. A lot of great bloggers are participating and there will be some fun prizes too. To check out Tellulah's post on the Tourney, go here. I can't wait for the fun to start. By the way, if you're wondering, I'm leading Team Mermaid. Hey, a girl has to have her dreams right? :D

HOUSTON BOOKRAVE: On-Line SIGNED book sales is LIVE!

 The On-Line SIGNED book sales is LIVE!

For those of you who can't make this event here is your chance to get sign books by HBR AUTHORS. You can see what books are available HERE

Here is our Updated Author list
Subject to change...


Young Adult 
Amalie Howard

New Adult


Adult
J. Kenner aka Julie Kenner aka J.K. Beck
Angela Corbett AKA Destiny Ford
Tabatha Vargo


Book Review: Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Dark-Hunter #23
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: September 3rd 2013
My Rating:5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Just when you thought doomsday was over...

Centuries ago Acheron saved the human race by imprisoning an ancient evil bent on absolute destruction. Now that evil has been unleashed and it is out for revenge.

As the twin to Acheron, Styxx hasn’t always been on his brother’s side. They’ve spent more centuries going at each other’s throats than protecting their backs. Now Styxx has a chance to prove his loyalty to his brother, but only if he’s willing to trade his life and future for Acheron’s.

The Atlantean goddess of Wrath and Misery, Bethany was born to right wrongs. But it was never a task she relished. Until now. She owes Acheron a debt that she vows to repay, no matter what it takes. He will join their fellow gods in hell and nothing is going to stop her.

But things are never what they seem, and Acheron is no longer the last of his line. Styxx and Acheron must put aside their past and learn to trust each other or more will suffer.

Yet it’s hard to risk your own life for someone who once tried to take yours, even when it's your own twin, and when loyalties are skewed and no one can be trusted, not even yourself, how do you find a way back from the darkness that wants to consume the entire world? One that wants to start by devouring your very soul?

Note: I had a different review planned for today, but I honestly can't wait to talk about this book, so I did some rescheduling.

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To say that I was surprised when I first heard that Styxx will be getting a book is to put it mildly. I was somewhat angry. Oh, I was delighted to get a book about one of the big guys in the Dark Hunter universe, don't get me wrong. But let's be honest, those of you who've read the entire series know that Styxx was never one of the good guys. He helped Ash once and then that was it. Then Sherri posted some snippets/teasers and I felt like I needed this book more and more. And then finally the day arrived and I've been an emotional wreck ever since I finished reading the book.

If you think you hate Ash's relatives, wait until you read Styxx! I cried so hard during this book. I laughed a little, but mostly I got my heart broken by this amazing character. 

Styxx surprised me a lot. I never thought I'd get to love another Dark Hunter character as much as I love Acheron. But I now do. Styxx is one of those silent heroes, the ones you really don't expect to act like heroes or to even become one. And he's hard to figure out. You think you know what he'll do in certain scenes, but what he does is so selfless I just wanted to hug the guy. There were scenes where I felt like he was still an innocent child, no matter the horrors he had to face. 

Here's the great part of reading this book and why I can safely say Sherrilyn is my favorite author. If you take away the horror, the pain, and the suffering, this book helps prove that there are two sides to everything. If you remember how certain characters acted in Acheron and compare to how they acted in Styxx you'll see how different they really are from another perspective. There were certain characters I wanted to slap so hard in Styxx. And if you have the heart to compare the twins' stories, you'll see why Styxx had it harder than Ash in so many ways. Not the past, I'd never compare their pasts, but in the present days.

As expected with a Sherrilyn Kenyon book, there will be a lot of surprises in Styxx. Some you'll see right away, for some you'll have to do some digging to discover. Let me just say that after this book I truly believe that Chronicles of Nick should be read if you're reading the Dark Hunter series. I feel like the universe is changing and I think both series are starting to become very connected. I know, one is in the past and one in the present, but to me they make sense together. Then again, you'll have more questions than answers if you do read both of them.

I loved the book. I will say that so far, it's my favorite in the entire series. If you're like me and you love having some musical background while reading and you're feeling extremely daring and brave, Sherrilyn has shared a book playlist on her website (and let's face it, if you ever checked the book playlists she has, you know her musical taste is amazing). Just go to Styxx book page and you'll find it there. I didn't check it out until after I read the book (I wasn't feeling terribly brave at the time I started reading the book) but I did after I finished it and let me tell you it fits the book completely.

If you're having doubts about reading this book, don't. Take a deep breath and read it. I promise you won't be disappointed. Just be sure to have a full box of tissues and maybe a comfy pillow that you can hug or maybe punch when you feel the need and you're all set.


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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Deadly Kisses by Kerri Cuevas Trailer Reveal Blitz





Deadly Kisses, book 1 in the Deadly Kisses Trilogy


Aiden Grant has a killer kiss. Literally. And it’s not every reaper who gets to work with the Sixteenth President. Sure, Honest Abe likes to throw out history lessons with reaping assignments, but when you’re favored by the ancients, grim reaper life is pretty sweet for a newly dead seventeen-year-old.

Then things get messy.

Aiden is assigned to reap the soul of Bee, the only girl he has ever loved. When Aiden’s kiss of death fails, intertwining their souls, she is still very much alive and they are both in trouble. The ancients want Bee, who has special powers of her own, and they’ll do anything to get her.

Some rules are meant to be broken, even if that means Aiden must bargain with his own soul to save Bee. Who knew the afterlife could get so complicated?







About the author:

Kerri Cuevas was born and raised in Rhode Island. She moved to New Hampshire in 2005. When she's not writing, she's chasing chickens on her small farm or searching for the ultimate mac-a-cheese recipe.

Kerri went to college for Early Childhood Education but now writes books for young adults full-time. Her storytelling stems from watching too many horror flicks as a teen, but she no longer needs to sleep with the lights on.

Author Links

Website
Blog
Facebook Fan Page
Amazon





Giveaway #1: Signed book of Deadly Kisses and one original picture signed by the artist (there are 8 to choose from)

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Giveaway #2: One Book Trailer (Good for one year)

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Honey, I'm hooome!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long absence. I've had a really full August, with relatives visiting and playing tourist, summer cleaning (and I feel my body protesting so bad even now, 4 days later *sighs). Also, I've been doing some research for my dissertation and I've had little time for anything else. I have some free time on my hands now and I'll be able to post and schedule posts in advance, so it's all good :D

Hope you had a great summer, full of fun and reading and good news *hugs everyone*.
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