Blog Tour Book Review: Mad World: Sanctuary by Samaire Provost

Author: Samaire Provost

Series: Mad World #2
Publisher: Creatspace
Release Date: August 30th 2012
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: copy received in exchange for my honest review
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The year is 2017, and the Black Plague infection has swept across most of the United States, leaving death and chaos in its wake. Martial law is the rule rather than the exception, with outbreaks cropping up when they're least expected. Alyssa and her friends must not only battle outbreaks of the disease, but also find themselves pursued by government agents – men and women determined to track them down at any cost.

Fleeing north to the fabled Sanctuary, Alyssa, Jacob, DeAndre, Caitlyn, Risa and Luke face disturbing ordeals and terrible tragedy as they encounter unbelievable situations in their struggle to reach safety. Using their skills and wits in their fight to survive against ever worsening odds, they weather hardship, betrayal, and the ever-present specter of death as they flee north, all the while vowing to protect one another – and most of all their precious 5-year-old Luke, from a world gone mad.

Sanctuary, the second installment in the Mad World series, is a heart-rending adventure of astonishing revelations, tragic discoveries, agonizing separations and devastating losses that test these friends to their limits. With heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat suspense at every turn, this is a story you will not be able to put down.

Find out what happens next.

You know, I never thought I'd get excited about a book with zombies. I really didn't. Then I read Epidemic and I was like "zombies! wheee!". I know, it was a little weird :P

Sanctuary picks up five years after the events in Epidemic, with the old gang hiding and running and trying to stay alive. I like that it didn't pick up immediately after that and that we get to see how they grew up and how the plague actually affected the country on a longer period of time.

Like with Epidemic, I loved the pacing and Alyssa's voice. It's so easy being in her head and, another thing I never thought I'd say, I couldn't imagine reading the events from multiple, 3rd person POVs. I know, I shocked you :P

I loved the fact that there's always a sense of danger and that zombies can appear anywhere and at any time. Yes, sometimes someone you don't expect dies or gets turned, but it gives the book an air of realism. It's not all rainbows and pink, fluffy clouds. It's sad, bad and tragic, which is a very nice change from what I'm used to in dystopian.

All in all, it is a very good continuation of the story and I want to know what happens next with everyone, especially after...well, when you read the book, you'll see :D

Author Bio:

 Born naked. Clothed and fed shortly thereafter by adoring parents who looked on in bemusement as their daughter became a reading, writing, free-spirited, feral, animal loving, bleeding-heart chocolate lover who laughs easily. Samaire Provost is a California writer of Young Adult novels. Her love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as well as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, E.A.Poe, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Stephen King has deeply influenced her writing.

Connect with Samaire!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/samairep

Twitter - https://twitter.com/samaireherself

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6453849.Samaire_Provost

Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/Samaire-Provost/e/B008PVTXMW

Amazon book page - http://www.amazon.com/Mad-World-Epidemic-1-ebook/dp/B008PO969O/

Blog - http://samaireprovost.tumblr.com/

Cover Reveal: Unbeautifully Loved by Emma Grayson

Hey guys! I have a fresh cover to share with you. It's for Unbeautifully Loved by Emma Grayson. It's the first book from the Unbeautiful Life series.

Here's the very pretty cover:

Unbeautifully Loved (Unbeautiful Life # 1) by Emma Grayson

Blurb:

On the run from her dark and painful past, Lexie Todd is finally forced by her best friend Mollie into settling into a new place for the first time in months. Having been hurt in more ways than one in the past, the last thing Lexie is expecting or wanting is to meet someone as persistent and annoying but incredibly gorgeous as Lukas Gunn.

When an incident leaves Lexie banged up and rattled, Lukas knows there’s more to her than meets the eye as something is haunting her to the core making him nothing but determined to make her his and protect her from whatever it is that casts the dark painful shadow behind her eyes.

But when her past shows up and pulls Lexie back into the nightmare she already once escaped while leaving her closest loved ones in danger it’s up to Lukas to save her from her darkest nightmare relived.

Will Lukas be able to save Lexie? Or will Lexie succumb only having known what it’s like to be Unbeautifully Loved?

The cover is beautiful and mysterious and dark. And I'm really curious to know more about this Lukas guy (yes, I have a thing for that name too *blushes*)

Movie Review: Silver Linings Playbook

*the poster picture links to the movie's official website


I just saw this movie and WOW! I've been a fan of Bradley Cooper ever since I saw him in the role of the smart, cute, "in-love-with-his-friend" reporter in the TV show Alias. And I've seen him in other roles since then, so I wasn't surprised by the fact that he does a fantastic job.

The surprise for me was Jennifer Lawrence. Now, before you throw things at me, let me tell you that no, I haven't seen The Hunger Games. I'm not going to see it until I read the book. I decided that's what I want to do and I'm sticking with it. I'm just waiting for the craziness of the new year to go away and for the free time to come and sweep me off my feet *snort* Anyway, back to Ms. Lawrence. She was amazing. Purely amazing. She was funny without trying to and she had those moments where her face was sort of icy cold, no feelings, but her eyes showed the emotion I was supposed to get from the scene. I do believe she's a great actress.

Robert De Niro has a small, but amazing role. There's a scene where he's with Bradley Cooper and he's sort of having a father-son moment and it's breathtaking. I was almost in tears when I saw that scene.

I loved the story too. Had no idea it was a book adaptation. I might be tempted to read the book, I'm not sure yet, to be honest. And there's this scene where Cooper's character says something so simple, and yet so deep: "Maybe we [meaning the people with mental problems] know something that you [a.k.a the sane people] don't." I liked that.

I now hope that Cooper and Lawrence and the movie win at the Oscars. I do believe the movie was fantastic.

Blog Tour Book Review & Guest Post: Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith

Author:Julie Smith
Series: Rebecca Schwartz Mysteries #1
Publisher: booksBnimble
Release Date: August 2nd 2012 (first published January 1st 1990)
My Rating: 5 cups
Source:copy received in exchange for my honest review
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Rebecca Schwartz, nice Jewish lawyer with a few too many fantasies, is happily playing the piano in a whorehouse when she suddenly finds herself assigned to make sure a near-naked state senator escapes a police raid. That dirty job done, a lovely evening turns even more delightful when she’s picked up by the cops and spends the next two hours at the Hall of Justice. Could this day get any worse? Of Course! Guess who arrives home to find a dead hooker on her living room floor?

Handsome Parker Phillips, Rebecca’s new beau and the most attractive man she’s met in ages, is arrested for the murder. (Worse, she suspects he might actually have done it.)

On the plus side, another very attractive man is following the case--reporter Rob Burns of the San Francisco Chronicle, a possible ally. And there are other possibilities.

Fans of Janet Evanovich, Joan Hess, and Elizabeth Peters will get a kick out of this one.>

Low-Down Bruisin’ Bad Girl Blues

DEATH TURNS A TRICK was my first book and it sure wasn't going to be autobiographical. Uh-uh, that was for amateurs. And show-offs. Here’s how I was going to work it—I was a tall, thin reporter, so Rebecca Schwartz, my protagonist, would be a short, slightly curvy lawyer; I was a redhead, she’d be a brunette; I was Scottish by heritage, so she could be Jewish; and she could have a lovely family that she completely got along with.

And, boy, was she not going to have my personality. I’m pretty much of an outlaw by nature, so she’d have to be as solid a citizen as they made.

Well, it was a nice idea! Or maybe just ill-conceived. Did I name this blog Song of the Good Girl Halo-Polishing Detective? I did not. Who’d read THAT? Nobody likes good girls. We think we do, but, really, we all want to tap into what the Jungians call our Shadow, the hidden part, the part we know might come out if we relaxed our guard for an instant. Like if we drank too many margaritas and went home with the bartender. Or stood up to our pushy mom and didn't bring the kids to dinner every Sunday. Ohhhhh. Scary. We know she’s there! And whatever we do, she mustn't get control or….help! Little bartender babies! A permanent fight with the rents!

That’s why writing a detective series is so restful to most people—they just base their character on themselves, so it’s nice and easy to identify, and then give her a smart mouth and a gun so she can rock out. Woo-hoo! Suddenly, they’re in daily communication with the fun, fearless person they know is lurking within themselves. At least that’s what I imagined, once deep in Rebecca’s psyche. Because no way I made it easy on myself (see above). I was now stuck with a Good Girl lawyer detective who didn't know a thing about the law, ‘cause I didn't—hardly a recipe for a walk on the wild side. Okay, the lawyer thing was solvable—I had plenty of lawyer friends. But what about Goody Two Shoes Schwartz over there?

Well, an interesting thing happened. I guess in the end we all write from our Shadow, because next thing you know, Rebecca sure developed one—she wanted to be a good girl, like I did once upon a time (say at about age seven), or thought she did, but somehow, no matter how she tried, she just couldn't manage it. She kept doing all the things she wasn't supposed to do—both in her lawyer—aka professional—persona, and in her detective—aka problem-solving one. And that gave her that thing they tell you your characters are supposed to have in writing class—inner conflict! Who knew?

All of which adds up to the realization that the writing process is endlessly fascinating, a thousand per cent unpredictable, and very much its own uncontrollable system—much like the Rum Tum Tugger, it “do do what it will do and there’s no doing anything about it”. It’s a journey leading who-knows-where. Always an adventure!

Oh, yes, and, for the aspiring writer, it also adds up to a bit of advice. By all means learn from my mistakes and base your character on yourself! Think how much easier my life would have been if Rebecca had been a journalist instead of a lawyer. Still, if she’d been a rough and tumble action hero instead of a frustrated people-pleaser, I don’t think the book would have been nearly so funny. So I guess it worked out--I just did it the hard way.

 

 Review

Oh, I loved this book. I had a blast reading it. I sat down with my reader and before I knew it, I was done in one night. I couldn't stop reading it. 

Rebecca was so funny. And cute. And inner conflict or not, she was one of those characters that just keep you wanting to go on reading without taking even the smallest break. What I liked about her was that not only was she able to make fun of herself and admit whenever she did something wrong, she also had really strong moments where you can see she's really smart. 

I loved the story too. It has mystery and I love that I didn't get to anticipate who did what and why. And I liked that even in the end there were some details that weren't revealed. 

I really can't think of anything that I didn't like about this book, so I'll just say that I loved, loved, loved it. So if you're a fan of chick lit, or if you're in the mood for some fun reading and funny, smart heroine, then read Death Turns A Trick. 

 

Author Bio:

New Orleans author Julie smith is a former journalist and the author of some 20 mysteries, including two series set in San Francisco and two in New Orleans. Her 1990 mystery, NEW ORLEANS MOURNING, won the Edgar Awaed for Best Novel. DEATH TURN A TRICK is the first book in the Rebecca Schwartz series.

Connect with Julie!

www.casamysterioso.com
www.booksbnimble.com

Buy the Book!

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Rebecca-Schwartz-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008S695AO/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356904885&sr=1-1&keywords=death+turns+a+trick

Book Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa (YA)

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: August 1st 2010
My Rating:3.5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

WARNING!! SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The second book of The Iron Fey series started well. Meghan is taken to the winter court by the boy she loves and then he leaves without even a parting word. As any other normal girl, she's angry and hurt. I think she needed to get to the winter fey's court, because I really believe she needs to toughen up. She spends some time at the court, without any true friends or allies, and then Ash comes back. At this point I'm expecting her to do something about that when she first sees him after being left all alone to protect herself from the bad fey people. Well, okay, maybe not the first time, because she wasn't exactly herself. But the second time. I felt that her reaction was too mild. And while I understand his reasons for leaving, I wanted her to show how angry and betrayed she felt. I don't know how, scream, hit something, curse, break things,  anything. But no. She cries.

Anyway, after they escape the winter court, they reunite with Puck and all is well for a while. Puck!! While I have to be honest and say that I am on Team Ash, I was glad to see Puck. He manages to make you laugh in the most weird, terrible moments, when all you want to do is sit in a small, dark cave and weep. He has his secrets, like any other person, but he's a good character.

Here's where things didn't work out for me anymore. Remember when I told you that the first book ended too fast, too soon, way too easy? The same thing happened with this book. I won't get into details, because I can't without giving some spoilers, but there was an incident with Ash that was dealt with in a matter of only a few chapters and because of that, I didn't feel as though it was as tragic or dramatic as it appeared to be.

I'm honestly waiting for the wow element to kick in, for me to be swept away by this series. Maybe next book?

Obsessed With Covers #3

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

*all links and covers go to the Goodreads page of each book.

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.






I can't tell you how much I adore this cover. It's just gorgeous! Her hair is amazing and the way her dress blends with the background is beautiful and, at the same time, a little creepy, because it makes you think she only has a head, with no body. It's just amazing.







The Fairest of Them All - Carolyn Turgeon











I loved the previous cover, I love this one too. Yes, it's for the pretty dress. The thing I like though is that it's a simple dress. Oh sure, it's puffy or whatever, but the colors are tame, or so I see them. I'm used to pretty dresses in flashy colors on the covers and these are really, really tame.







A Darkness Strange and Lovely - Susan Dennard

This is a very, very creepy cover. The colors are amazing, but scary. The clouds make me think not only of an impending storm, but of something dangerous and mysterious going on.  And the girl (with no hands, or I don't see them) dressed in leaves that are blown away by the wind...that is the most amazing thing on this cover. And it also sort of contradicts the title, because the cover doesn't make me think of something quiet. Not even a little bit.





Some Quiet Place - Kelsey Sutton


What pretty covers did you admire this week?