Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon Day 1

Hey everyone! Welcome to the Read-a-Thon!

This is my first read-a-thon and I am very, very excited. Like I said before, I am way behind with my reading, I really do need to get back on track. I have a "couple" of books I hope I finish during this RAT. Also, many reviews need to be written and posted. Thank God it's too hot outside for me to want to go take long walks in the sun or to have a distraction. Well, maybe on Sunday, when I give in and go to the beach, but until then I know I'll be happy to be in my chilly, cozy reader's cave :D

Here are some of the books I hope I finish during this RAT:

Dark Passage 

Differential Equations

The Stone Of Darkness

Alison Wonderland

Code Name Verity

Hourglass

Yeah, so I do hope I read these and get to review them and the other reviews that are sitting on my computer or on papers waiting to be typed and posted.

So if you want to join me in this RAT, just click on the challenge button on the beginning of the post and sign up! 

Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something

Besides Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings there has been one book that changed the way I saw things at a time. I remember I was about 12 when I first read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Now, for a girl who doesn't like classical books, it seems unlikely that this book is, to this day, one of my favorite books I've read over the years (and there have been a few since then).

The thing that this book changed for me was the actual reading experience. At the time I first read it my English wasn't what you'd call "good".It was terrible, actually. But I remember I wanted to read it in English, desperately so. I have no idea what made me want to read it in English, but there you have it. I also remember the cover. It looked something like this, only my copy was a shade darker, or so I remember it.

See how he's leaning over her, either to whisper a secret or to take a better look at her, now that she's sleeping? *sigh* I loved the cover! Anyway, I remember I struggled while reading it, but I made it to the end. I remember rereading the book in my mother language years later and feeling a little...cheated? The translation was perfect, flawless, but it still wasn't the same. So you could say that this book changed the way I look at the idea of reading translated books. Of course, if the original language is one that I don't know, I'll read the translation :P

But other than that, I can't say a book changed my opinion about a specific subject.

What about you? Did you ever read a book that changed your opinion about something?

Book Review: Evermine by Hailey Edwards (+18)

Author: Hailey Edwards
Series: Daughters of Askara #2
My Rating: 5 cups
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: February 21st 2012
Blurb (from Goodreads):

He can be a slave to his past…or allow her love to free him.

There’s such a thing as too much change. Emma’s sister is mated. Revolution is brewing in her home realm. The last straw: her would-be mate is back from the dead and back under her skin—yet when it comes to the last five years, he’s not talking.

Desperate for a chance to start her own life, she answers the queen’s call to ensure equality for all of Askara’s newly freed slaves. It’s the perfect opportunity to escape a heartbreak in the making named Harper.

Harper loses a piece of his fractured soul when Emma walks away. His lies were meant to protect her from torturous years that drove him to the point of madness. Instead, when he comes to her a year later to help avert a crisis in a freed-slave community, the wedge those lies drove between them is firmly in place.

As their new lives collide with old wounds, they race to stop a threat that could not only destroy the queen, but send Harper back to the hell he escaped. Emma must decide if the man she still loves deserves equal rights to her heart.

Warning: This title contains torn pants, ripped gowns, and sand in uncomfortable places. It also includes one overcompensating villain, one gnarly priest, and two battered hearts willing to give this thing called love one last chance.

When I finished reading this book I had an "awwww" moment. I mean, the whole story is just so sweet! I loved it. This just proves that I am in fact a sucker for second chances stories.

You get to see Emma from a very different perspective. If in Everlong she was the tough sister, you find out in this second book that she has a softer, vulnerable side. And I think it's a very unique thing, because I'm sure you won't get to see that side of Emma in the other stories. I have a feeling very few people know about this side of hers. It was great to see Emma face her past though and make some changes for herself. Also, I can so understand her coffee addiction. Seriously, the literary world needs more coffee addicts out there :D

I have to be honest about Harper. He surprised me. In a very good way. In the beginning of Everlong I was completely sure he was in love with Maddie. I didn't see it coming, the fact that he was actually in love with Emma. So I didn't know what to expect. But the way this world is built and the way the story is told, it totally makes sense the need to make everyone believe he was in love with the other sister.

I loved the fact that the guy I though as the bad guy turned out to be completely innocent. So it was unpredictable and I loved that. Oh, and let's not forget the sweet moments. There was one in particular (no spoilers, promise) that was sweet and hot at the same time, I just loved it.

Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most

Hmmm. I'm thinking part of me is suspiciously similar to Emma from Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep A Secret? I mean, I have secrets *gasps* And I have to be honest, with the way my life looks right at this moment, it feels like I'm having a new career choice every few months/years. (Though I do hope that mess ends soon)

What about you? Who do you relate to the most?

Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon

After looking over my goals for this year and at the stats for each of the reading challenges I entered, I think it was necessary for me to enter a few read-a-thons. The first one is Wicked Wildfire and it's hosted by Rebecca @ Kindle Fever, April @ My Shelf Confessions. I don't know yet what I'm going to read, I haven't made up my mind yet. There are so many books on my insanely huge TBR pile, I don't even know where to start. I will post my list on 20th, when the read-a-thon starts.

If you want info on the read-a-thon or see who's participating or to sign up yourself, go on this page. You'll find everything you want to know there.

Can't wait to start and to help my shelf "loose weight" so to speak ;)

Cover Love (19)

This feature is hosted by Carmel @ Rabid Reads. The rules are very simple. Choose a cover (or two, or three), preferably new-ish, and share what you like about it. Grab the graphic or don't just so long as you link back.


My pick this week:

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

I looooove that dress! It's amazing. And the fact that she keeps her hands hidden behind it makes me think she's planning something. Also, the tree branches are creepy.

What's your pick this week?