Cover Reveal: Reaper by L.S. Murphy

Hello everyone!

I am very excited to share with you all the cover of Reaper by L.S. Murphy!

 Reaper:

Reaper by L.S. Murphy
Release Date: January 7, 2013
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Target Reader: Young Adult
Urban Fantasy

There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe ... just maybe ... that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Find Reaper Online:  Goodreads

 About The Author:

I write stories that make you want to hide under the covers and a few that will simply make you swoon. My debut novel, Reaper, will be released in January 2013 through J. Taylor Publishing. My stories most recently appeared in UnCONventional, an anthology from Spencer Hill Press, in Detritus Anthology from Omnium Gatherum Media, and in Dark Moon Digest Issue #6. My embarrassing essay “Good Tread” appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just for Teenagers. (Trust me, if you need a good laugh, read it.)

I also love to read anything and everything, although I lean more toward young adult literature. Some of my favorite authors are Libba Bray, Holly Black, Cole Gibsen, and John Green.

Baseball is my passion. I will talk baseball with anyone and everyone. Since birth, I’ve been a St. Louis Cardinals fan and will always be member of Cardinal Nation.

I’m also overly caffeinated, not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Psst…I need coffee RIGHT now so if you’re heading by a Starbucks, I’ll take a vanilla latte.)

Find L.S. Murphy on the Web: Goodreads

Happy Reading!

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Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3)

Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Format: Hardcover, 327 pages
Date Published: March 13, 2012

Overall: 4.5/5

Source: Bought

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

 Review:

**Warning: Spoilers for Demonglass (Hex Hall #2). However, this review is spoiler-free for Spell Bound.**

And so it comes to an end. *weeps*

In the beginning of Spell Bound, Sophie finds herself at the Brannicks, a group of women who hunt Prodigium, after taking herself through the Itineris. There, she discovers the Brannicks want to use Sophie and her powers as their secret weapon to take down the Casnoffs, who are raising their own demon army. Only, Sophie doesn’t have her powers anymore, ever since the Council took them away in Demonglass. Sophie, along with the help of her friends, must find out how to get her powers back and take down the Casnoffs before they destroy everyone with their demon army.

I read Hex Hall at a time when I was really sick of reading paranormal books. I don’t know why I did that. That seems like a really dumb idea. I think my inner thought process must have gone something like this:

Crimson: Crimson, there are no good paranormal books left in the world.

Also Crimson: Yes, you are completely right.

Crimson: Let’s read Hex Hall and prove ourselves right.

Also Crimson: That seems like a logical and rational idea.

Crimson: *reads Hex Hall*

Hex Hall: *smacks Crimson upside the head* You are WRONG.

Crimson: *grins sheepishly* *falls in love with Hex Hall* *and Demonglass* *and Spell Bound*

Ah, dear reader, let me tell you. There is only one time I LOVE to admit I’m wrong, and that’s when it comes to books. I was wrong to think I wouldn’t like the Hex Hall series. I was wrong to judge an entire genre by a few duds I read in the past.

I.  Love. The Hex Hall series.

Why? Because the writing is great, the premise is unique, the plot is intense, Sophie is hilarious and has a real personality, the secondary characters are just as great, and the boys are hot (ha!).

The Hex Hall series is fun. It makes me laugh, it makes me want to be there. And yet, in between all that, it also manages to make me cry.

Spell Bound does not disappoint. Even though Demonglass was probably my favourite book out of the trilogy, I still really enjoyed Spell Bound. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat, taking twists and turns and keeping me guessing. I liked how everything was wrapped up in the end, tying up enough loose ends, but leaving enough questions open for the spin off series (and yes, there is a spin off series).

I liked Sophie’s interactions with her friends and the others. This is probably what made me fall in love with the series in the first place--the characters are great. Each character is so distinct, and that’s what makes me care about them. As well, I like how Sophie is willing is rely on the help of others. She knows she can’t solve this on her own (even aside from the whole Sophie-doesn’t-have-her-powers-anymore thing).

I liked the introduction of the Brannicks. Kind of. I feel like there is a lot of questions left open here, but I have a feeling that’s being left open to address in the spin off. Oh, how I’m hoping for a Brannick to be at the lead of the spin off.

There were some things I was disappointed about. Like, I didn’t think the writing and the plot were as tight as the previous two books. I thought the end wrapped the book up too quickly. I would have liked to see a little more action throughout.

But overall? I loved it. I would read this series again and again just because I love Sophie and the others so much. Great characters make great books, and the author gets that spot on.

I would recommend this book to paranormal lovers, YA lovers, those who love great characters, unique paranormal premises, and fun!

Fabulous Read, Highly Recommended

**Please Note: This review is my honest opinion and I received no monetary compensation from it.**

Find Rachel Hawkins online:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Buy Spell Bound online:

Amazon | The Book Depository

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Stacking The Shelves (1)

Welcome to Stacking The Shelves hosted by my awesome friend Tynga at Tynga's Reviews. This is where we can showcase the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing our excitement for our newest titles, and discover new books in the process!

Here's what Crimson & I got this week:

 Lucy's Books:

Bought:

Bewere The Night by Various Authors [Amazon | Book Depository]

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell [Amazon | Book Depository]

 Crimson's Books:

Bought:

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins [Amazon | Book Depository]

  Another Alternative:

For those of you who would also like another alternative for IMM, my awesome friend Grace at Books of Love has a weekly meme that runs on Saturdays that I would also recommend you consider participating in!

That's all for now!

Happy reading until next time!

&

Read more >>

Author Guest Post With Boo Walker

Boo Walker has kindly agreed to guest post here to share his inspiration for becoming a writer in honor of his newest release, Lowcountry Punch.

 About The Author:

Boo Walker spent his College of Charleston years and a few after in Nashville as a banjoist and songwriter for the avant-garde punchgrass band, The Biscuit Boys. Some hand problems knocked him out of the game, and he stumbled into a position with Automated Trading Desk, a short term equity trading firm based out of Mt. Pleasant, SC. To feed his ravenous muse, he began writing his first novel, Lowcountry Punch. Around that time, what started as a passion in wine became a neurosis.

After six years of the Wall Street thing, Boo decided it was time to end his sedentary, computer-driven lifestyle. He grew out a handlebar mustache and moved clear across the country into a double-wide trailer situated on 5 acres of Malbec vines just down the road from Hedges Family Estate on Red Mountain in Washington State. The Hedges family took him in and taught him the art of farming and the old world philosophies of wine. He now travels North America peddling the family's juice, and chances are you can find him in an airport somewhere working on his next novel.

Find Boo Walter on the Web:
Official Page | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 Guest Post:

Once you learn how to tap into your muse, I think you get addicted.  I dropped out of college to move to Nashville to play banjo in a band called the Biscuit Boys, and I ended up writing most of the songs.  It was then that I  connected with my muse for the first time.  It's a great feeling, like it's not even you writing.  You're just the one holding the pen.  Something called Focal Dystonia, a hand disorder, brought my music career to an abrupt end.  As you can imagine, it was a pretty tough time in my life and for a while I suppressed the artist inside of me.  But I was too addicted to working with my muse to let it all go and I guess you could say I bounced back.  I discovered Nelson Demille around that time, reading his book Plum Island, and I knew half way through that I had to write a book.  His character, John Corey, has to be one of the greatest in modern fiction.  I couldn't get enough of his wit and cynical nature, and I felt a need to create a similarly captivating character, but all my own.  So the journey began.

Miami Vice and Don Johnson were a big part of my childhood, and that love never died.  I'm sure that crept out of my subconscious when Lowcountry Punch started to come alive in my mind.  Not to mention some big news around that time regarding some high society, high profile people in Charleston having their lives torn apart because of cocaine.  The DEA and the drug wars was a world I didn't know much about but I convinced the local DEA in Charleston to meet with me, and a couple of them really started enjoying the project, and we spent many hours together over the course of the next few months tossing around ideas etc.  As far as style, I wanted to write in first person like Demille does with John Corey or John D. McDonald with Travis McGee, because it makes you (though some would say it is more difficult) feel so much more connected with your character, and I think it's a heck of a lot of fun to read, too.  My character, T.A. Reddick, started dancing around in my head and it became clear early on that he was a really good guy deep down, but he had a nasty anger problem.  The most fun of it all was his difficult relationships with women and I explored that as much as I could, many times with a big grin on my face as I typed.  So I took a first person narrative, my love for Charleston, a really great character and all his women problems, the DEA, some cocaine, and some bad guys, and threw them all the in the mental blender and Lowcountry Punch happened.

 Lowcountry Punch:

Title: Lowcountry Punch

Author: Boo Walker

Publication Date: October 28, 2011

After the worst Christmas Eve of his life, DEA Agent T.A. Reddick leaves Miami for the magical city of Charleston, South Carolina, hoping a return to his roots will heal a broken heart and the guilt of killing a friend. The sleepy and sultry town of Charleston is filled with echoes of the Old South: genteel playboys, society debutantes, and quiet cobblestone streets. But as Reddick will soon discover, there's danger lurking under her charming veneer. When a movie star's death shines a national spotlight on Charleston's underground cocaine trade, he must go undercover to find the main supplier and shut him down. As a hurricane bears down on the port city and the DEA gets ready to spring its trap, Reddick must contend with more than he ever could have imagined.

Brash and bold, TA Reddick is a hero you won’t soon forget. Lowcountry Punch is an action-packed novel that will have you on your knees begging for more.

Find Lowcountry Punch  Online:  

Goodreads | Amazon

Happy Reading!

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Author Guest Post With Gavin Weston

Gavin Weston has kindly agreed to guest post here about his work, and share his inspiration for becoming a writer in honor of his newest release, Harmattan.

 About The Author:

Gavin Weston was born in Belfast in 1962. He is a multi-media artist, writer, lecturer and inventor and lives on the Ards Peninsula with his two children, a fostered child and various animals. He studied Fine Art at Saint Martin's School of Art and Design and Goldsmiths' College, London, and subsequently worked and taught in West Africa.

In 1995 he completed an MA at the University of Ulster, where he has also worked as a visiting lecturer. He was an Associate Lecturer at Belfast Metropolitan College for many years and a regular contributor to The Sunday Times from 1994 to 2002. He is a former prize-winner of the Claremorris Open and Iontas, a recipient of The Tyrone Guthrie Award and was nominated for The Becks Futures Award in 2002.

Find Gavin Weston on the Web:
Official Website | Twitter

 Guest Post:

For as long as I can remember I’ve been told that I can write – by my family, teachers, friends, lecturers – and although I was always passionate about books and literature, what I really wanted to be was a visual artist. So for the last twenty-five years that’s what I’ve worked as professionally, while also writing about art (for various newspapers and magazines) and occasionally publishing short stories and poetry.

When my children were young I wanted them to gain an understanding of how very different their life here in the UK was to many other places around the world. Following art college in London, I lived and worked in Niger as a volunteer with the American NGO Africare, so when the opportunity arose to ‘sponsor’ a child from Niger we did so enthusiastically. We developed a real relationship with this child – a little girl, who was sent to school through the program – and my children learned a great deal about her culture through the exchange of letters, photographs etc. We were, then, extremely shocked when, six years later, we were informed that the child had been married off (just before her twelfth birthday) and was no longer part of the program. (I knew about child marriage, but had assumed that children on such programs were somehow protected. They are not!)

Not long after this I was having a discussion with some other artists and writers and a woman made the sweeping statement, ‘Men can’t write as women!’ With the pain of our experience with the sponsorship program still very much in my mind, I began to experiment with a first person narrative and also researched the problem of child marriage extensively. (Most events in HARMATTAN are based on real occurrences.) Eventually the book kind of took on a life of its own: the story had to be told.

I was delighted when the NGO FORWARD UK recently endorsed HARMATTAN. I am now working closely with them, (as a goodwill ambassador), trying to raise awareness about the 10 MILLION girls who are forced to become child brides every year!

I am also working on a second novel, TIN TOWN, set in a parallel universe Northern Ireland during the 1970s.

 Harmattan:

Title: Harmattan

Author: Gavin Weston

Publication Date: May 22, 2012

Haoua is a young girl growing up in a remote village in the Republic of Niger. Spirited, independent and intelligent, she has benefited from a stable home life and a loving and attentive mother and enjoys working and playing with her siblings and friends.

Haoua worships her elder brother, Abdelkrim, a serving soldier who sends money home to support the family. But, on his last home visit, Abdelkrim quarrels with their father accusing him of gambling away the money he sends and being the cause of their mother's worsening health. It also emerges that their father plans to take a second wife.

Despite this Haoua finds contentment in her schoolwork, her dreams of becoming a teacher and in writing assiduously to the family in Ireland who act as her aid sponsors.

But for Haoua, there are new storm clouds on the horizon: as civil strife mounts in Niger, she begins to fear for Abdelkrim's safety; Her mother's illness is much more serious and further advanced than anyone had recognised, and her father's plans are turning out to be far more threatening than she could have ever imagined.

Approaching her twelfth birthday, Haoua feels alone and vulnerable for the very first time in her life.

Find Harmattan Online:  

Publisher | Amazon

 Blurbs:

'We haven't released anything as hauntingly beautiful and ultimately as heart wrenching since Tan Twan Eng's The Gift of Rain.'
'Harmattan is full of the colours, sounds and aromas of West Africa. There's an undercurrent of seething anger too, all the more potent for its masterful understatement.'
Publisher, Ed Handyside.

'Harmattan is a captivating and beautifully written debut novel. Gavin Weston's unique and distinctive style hails a new era in Northern Irish literature.' Kellie Chambers, Ulster Tatler

'Harmattan is just the novel that writing from Northern Ireland needs right now, opening a window on to the world. Correction, Harmattan is just the novel that all readers need right now.'
Glenn Patterson

Happy reading until next time!

Read more >>

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

Title: Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls #5)

Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

Format: Hardcover
Publication Date: March 13, 2012

Source: Bought

Overall: 5/5
  

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

  Review:

**Warning: Spoilers for Only the Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls #4). Sorry, it’s kind of unavoidable. However, this review is spoiler-free for Out of Sight, Out of Time.**

It is a truth universally acknowledged that you did not have a childhood if you did not:

1.  Play the floor is lava

2.  Want to be a spy

At least, I’m pretty sure that’s how that quote goes.

Cammie Morgan goes to Gallagher Academy, one of the top spy schools in the world. At the end of book four, Cammie has decided to leave her school, leave her friends, and leave her sorta-boyfriend Zach, in an attempt to finish the mission her father was on when he went missing five years ago. She only meant to be gone for the summer.

But when Cammie wakes up at the beginning of Out of Sight, Out of Time, nuns are calling her Gillian, her hair is dyed black, it’s the beginning of October, and she has absolutely no idea how she got there. In fact, she can’t remember her summer at all.

When Cammie finally returns to Gallagher Academy, she and her friends must figure out just what she did over the summer, and just why the Circle is trying their hardest to keep that from happening.

Ah, how my inner spy girl yearns to solve this mystery.

(And rest assured, just because I mentioned childhood just up there, this book/series is not just for kids!)

I stumbled on this series completely by accident when I found the first two books at a massive book sale. I thought, “Ehh, this looks fun. I guess.” Tossed it in my pile, and moved on.

Well! I did not know what I was getting myself in to. Ally Carter is an incredibly, incredibly gifted writer. I FEEL like I am right there with Cammie. I FEEL like a spy. And I’m constantly surprised and thrilled with each twist and turn in the series.

Gallagher Girls is FUN, and easy to read. The plots are compelling (because SPIES, seriously), and the characters are dynamic. Cammie and her friends are so well written. They feel like real teenagers. They just also happen to be spies. And despite Cammie’s claims to be the plain girl chameleon (which in her own words she notes is seriously underrated), Cammie is one of the most compelling characters I’ve ever had the honour and pleasure to read about.

Out of Sight, Out of Time is the fifth book of the series, and I have to say, I’m incredibly pleased with the direction of the series. Over each book, it’s easy to see the complexity of the plot grow, and with that, the growth of the characters. But I think that Out of Sight, Out of Time is the book that really shows and explores that character growth. They’re older. They’re more experienced. And even though they always knew the dangers of being a spy, now those dangers finally feel real.

I’ll admit it, I spent the first, oh, about a hundred pages of this book crying. Of course, there are still funny moments, still awesome action. But the emotions in this book are so real, so raw, and so perfect. I am so glad the author wasn’t afraid of showing this kind of growth in the series, to show this darker side of Cammie and her spy world.

My only minor qualm with this book: I would have liked to see first hand “in real time” just what Cammie did over the summer because I think it would have made for an excellent adventure. But! As I kept reading, I COMPLETELY understood why the author chose not to do that, and it totally makes sense. This book is exactly what it was supposed to be. I really don’t think otherwise we would have seen the same growth in the plot and the characters (how many times have I said the word “growth”? I am all about the growth apparently).

And don’t worry! Plenty of action! and mystery! and hot shirtless boys! in this book to keep you on the edge of your seat! Because, come on, this is a Gallagher Girls book after all. Would you expect any less?

*puts on spy goggles*

Now! I’m off to climb the tree in my front yard and see if any evil spies out there need taking down. If only I can get out of my house without touching the lava floor...

And you! You are off to read this book, yes? I promise, if this book doesn’t hook you, I will sacrifice myself to the lava. And yes, I am writing this with my feet pulled up onto my chair.

I recommend Out of Sight, Out of Time (and the entire Gallagher Girls series) to everyone who loves laughing hysterically, crying, adventures, compelling characters, and Young Adult books of course.

Must Read! Highly Recommended!

**Please Note: This review is my honest opinion and I received no monetary compensation from it.**

Find Ally Carter online:

Official Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

Buy Out of Sight, Out of Time online:

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Read more >>

Desperately Wanting Wednesday (1)

Hello everyone! I just discovered this awesome meme that's hosted by the awesome Rachel at Parajunkee's View. Desperately Wanting Wednesday is a weekly meme where you get to showcase upcoming releases we’re waiting on, as well as already released novels we want to buy or own and haven’t yet read.

This week's topic:
Upcoming releases we can't wait to buy that don't have covers yet!

 My Picks:

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

Expected Release: March 2013

"In Clockwork Princess, Tessa and her companions travel all over the world as they race to stop the clockwork army before it's too late. As Jem's health worsens alarmingly and his friends search desperately for a cure, can Tessa choose between the two boys she loves — even if it means never seeing the other one again?"

****

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare 

Expected Release: March 2014
"City of Heavenly Fire, Jace, Clary and their friends are drawn inexorably into a war that pits Heaven against Hell, angels against demons—a war that threatens to destroy our world entirely if the Shadowhunters can't end it first."

****

Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White 

Expected Release: 2013

In a world where psychics and mind-readers are the ultimate tools in corporate espionage, two teen girls try to save themselves and their future.

****

All the Rage by Courtney Summers 

Expected Release: 2013

A 17-year-old girl’s attempt to blackmail her rich classmates results in her waking up on a dirt road with no money, no memory of how she got there and a semi-erased message she left for herself the only clue as to why. When she tries to piece together the evening before and all the events leading up to it, a dark and sinister game is revealed. Likened to Brick and Veronica Mars.

Which books are you
Desperately Wanting to read? 

Read more >>

Author Guest Post With H.A. Goodman

H.A. Goodman has kindly agreed to guest post here about his work, and share his inspiration for becoming a writer in honor of his newest release, Breaking The Devil's Heart.

 About The Author:

H. A. Goodman is a former financial advisor for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab as well as a former LAUSD history teacher. He has a degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California and has also worked at the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. His debut novel, Logic of Demons, has received rave reviews from over 35 book blogs and review sites. In 2012, H. A. combined his love for fantasy and philosophy to create a whirlwind ride through the afterlife in Breaking the Devil’s Heart.

Find H.A. Goodman on the Web:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads

 Guest Post:

I never, ever thought of myself as an author until after my first novel. I used to play endless hours of Dungeons & Dragons, read a million comic books, and watch Star Wars on continual loop when I was young, but I never imagined I'd write a novel. At 34, I decided to write in order to vent certain pent up emotions and make a statement about life and my view of the world. So, Logic of Demons was my first foray into writing fiction since high school. After my first novel, I became more comfortable with the notion of viewing myself as an author and as a person who could write things at least a certain amount of people might enjoy and find interesting. The reviews I received for the first one, especially since I didn't even really know what I was doing, were quite encouraging. This second novel, Breaking the Devil's Heart, was another catharsis for me and since I was more confident and the story is a testament to how I feel about human nature, faith, tribalism, life in general, good vs. evil, and religion. So, my inspiration comes down to expressing the way I see the world through words, characters, a plot, and crazy, wacky scenes that are sparked from my bizarre imagination. It's great to create a world of your own inspired by your own imagination, memories, and desires. I encourage everyone to try their hand at writing if they have the opportunity. Write and create stories for yourself, and if people enjoy them, great! It's a very therapeutic form of art and expression, and the stories you write can help you deal with stress, negativity, and confusion in a positive manner. Also, you'd derive a great deal of happiness from creating your own world based on who you are as an individual.

  Breaking The Devil's Heart:

Breaking The Devil's Heart (Logic of Demon's #2)
Author: H.A. Goodman

E-Book: April 2012

Hardcover: May 2012

When Stewart and Layla recruit a demon to spy on the Devil, their decision takes them on whirlwind ride through the afterlife. Journey alongside this young couple in H. A. Goodman’s new novel, Breaking the Devil’s Heart, and join forces with a teenage Angel outcast to bankrupt Satan’s underground Company and save Heaven from civil war. H. A. Goodman’s Breaking the Devil’s Heart is a rollercoaster afterlife experience that tests a young couple’s love, their grasp on reality, and the essence of human nature. What happens when Stewart and Layla tour Hell’s Marketing Department and Stock Exchange? What happens when their relationship is tested by Satan? This book is unlike anything you’ve ever read, or ever thought the afterlife might be like. Breaking the Devil’s Heart is an enlightening look into an alternate world, a new afterlife, and a profound journey inside the human conscience.   

Find Breaking The Devil's Heart Online:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

 Giveaway:(CLOSED)

Thanks to the wonderful H.A. Goodman, I have 1 ebook & 1 signed hardcopy of this novel to giveaway here on my blog!

***Open To Everyone!***

Giveaway policies:

• To Enter: Please leave a comment indicating why you want to read this novel and leave your e-mail address.

• This giveaway ends on May 5, 2012
• This giveaway is open to those 13 years of age or older. 
• All giveaway winners will be announced on the blog.
• I can disqualify any entry as I see fit. 
• I will use Random.org to select the winners.
• Once the winners have been notified, they will have 24 hours to confirm their interest otherwise new winners will be selected.

Happy reading until next time!

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Cover Reveal: Breaking The Devil's Heart by H.A. Goodman

Hello everyone!

I am very excited to share with you all the cover of Breaking The Devil's Heart by H.A. Goodman!

 Breaking The Devil's Heart:

Breaking The Devil's Heart (Logic of Demon's #2)
Author: H.A. Goodman

E-Book: April 2012

Hardcover: May 2012

When Stewart and Layla recruit a demon to spy on the Devil, their decision takes them on whirlwind ride through the afterlife. Journey alongside this young couple in H. A. Goodman’s new novel, Breaking the Devil’s Heart, and join forces with a teenage Angel outcast to bankrupt Satan’s underground Company and save Heaven from civil war. H. A. Goodman’s Breaking the Devil’s Heart is a rollercoaster afterlife experience that tests a young couple’s love, their grasp on reality, and the essence of human nature. What happens when Stewart and Layla tour Hell’s Marketing Department and Stock Exchange? What happens when their relationship is tested by Satan? This book is unlike anything you’ve ever read, or ever thought the afterlife might be like. Breaking the Devil’s Heart is an enlightening look into an alternate world, a new afterlife, and a profound journey inside the human conscience.   

Find Breaking The Devil's Heart Online:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

***

Cover Art Done by Artist Mearone: MEAR ONE (Kalen Ockerman, b. 1971, Santa Cruz, CA) is a contemporary American artist based in Los Angeles.

MEAR ONE began his career in 1986 as a graffiti artist living in Los Angeles. MEAR ONE has been labeled as “The Michelangelo of Graffiti” and “The Salvador Dali of Hip-Hop.” He is considered by many to be Los Angeles’ most prolific graffiti artist because of the way he revolutionized graffiti with his fine-art realism, breaking out of traditional 2D letter forms, and using perspective to develop complex characters with dynamic backgrounds in epic scale. By the early 1990′s, he had established a large fan base through his notorious work on the streets, underground hip-hop album covers featuring his iconic imagery, and his involvement in pioneering early street wear clothing and graffiti culture. In 1993, MEAR was the first graffiti artists from Los Angeles to travel to Tokyo and paint graffiti in front of a live public audience. In the mid 90′s, hip hop imagery and cultural icons in his work were replaced with a deeper, more introspective conversation based around a politically disillusioned reality that he felt hip-hop had ceased to address. At this point he began his transition from street graffiti to canvas paintings, and began his first body of acrylic and airbrushed paintings.

Artist Website: http://www.mearone.com/

 About The Author:

H. A. Goodman is a former financial advisor for Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab as well as a former LAUSD history teacher. He has a degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California and has also worked at the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. His debut novel, Logic of Demons, has received rave reviews from over 35 book blogs and review sites. In 2012, H. A. combined his love for fantasy and philosophy to create a whirlwind ride through the afterlife in Breaking the Devil’s Heart.

Find H.A. Goodman on the Web:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads

Happy Reading!

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MINI-CHALLENGE #1: Women Of The Otherworld Series

Hello fellow Kelley Armstrong book lovers!!!

For those of you who haven't seen my little announcement in Month Two's Reading Challenge, here's a small introduction! Beginning this month, I will be introducing monthly mini-challenges for participants to gain more chances to win additional prizes! Each month's mini-challenge will be different and they will all have the Women of the Otherworld theme. Each challenge will require a little more effort than the one before (but will be challenging in a really fun way I promise!)

So without further ado,
here is your first mini-challenge!!!

 MINI-CHALLENGE:

Well, since this if the first mini-challenge, I'm going to make this one simple!
As your first mini-challenge you must:

Create a post that includes pictures of all the books you own written by Kelley Armstrong!

Books by Kelley Armstrong:

- Women of the Otherworld Series

- Darkest Powers & Darkest Rising Series
- Anthologies

- Novellas

- Nadia Stafford

- Any short story she's written that is published with other short stories

- E-books (Take a picture of your e-reader/computer/reading device with the books uploaded it)
- Audio (Take a picture of packaging or the cds!)

*NOTE: The pictures must be ones that you have taken, they cannot be a picture of just the cover itself taken from another website.*

*Don't forget to link your blog post below! For those of you who do not own a blog, you can post the picture on any other website that allows you to create a post (ex: tumblr) then link to it below.*

 PRIZE:

TWO participant will be selected to win a book of their choice on The Book Depository (already released or pre-order) with up to a $10 value. There are plenty of Kelley Armstrong books to choose from at that price *winks*. I will be selecting the winners through Random.org.

**To qualify for the prize, you must have created your post and link to it in the Linky Tools below, by the end of the month! (April 30, 2012 at Midnight EST).**

**Only Women of the Otherworld Challenge Participants can enter, so make sure to click the banner at the very end of the post to sign up!**

 Lucy's Kelley Armstrong Books:

As most of you know, Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author, so I just HAD to have an entire shelf dedicated to all of her books that I own! Doesn't it all look so pretty?

I attempted to make a pyramid with all the Women of the Otherworld books that I own, but after multiple attempts of trying to keep them standing up on top of each other, I failed miserably. This was as close as I could get to a pyramid, with the Anthologies lying down. I also included a picture of them lying down on the floor in it's reading order. Out of this series, I'm missing "Spell Bound" and Kelley's upcoming release "Thirteen" which I will be waiting for this specific paperback edition to release to make sure my collection remains in the same format :).

Here are all the books that I own from the Darkest Powers & Darkest Rising series so far. I haven't gotten around to buying "The Calling" yet, thanks to my university finals taking up all of my time. I always buy my Kelley Armstrong books in store so that I can make sure they are in excellent condition hehe :).

Here are all of the books I own that include short stories written by Kelley Armstrong! There are quite a few that I'm still missing, but I am building up my collection one book at a time *winks*.

Here is the grand photo with my ENTIRE Kelley Armstrong collection (so far)!

Kelley Armstrong will be coming to Montreal in the fall and I really hope she won't mind signing all of these *grins*! (Two of them are already signed thanks to some really wonderful friends that sent me surprises over the last year).

 Crimson's Kelley Armstrong Books:

The Women of the Otherworld Series:

Darkest Powers & Darkest Rising Series:

 Crimson's Entire Collection!

 Reading Challenge:

Don't forget to sign up to the Women of the Otherworld Series Challenge I'm hosting if you haven't already!

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