International Contest Sunday (15)

* Amina Black will give away Personal Demons & The Iron Daughter to 2 winners when she gets 100 followers.
Ends when she gets 100 followers.
Enter here.

* About Happy Books is giving away a book up to 10€ from the Book Depository to 2 different winners.
Ends on September 5th.
Enter here.

* Carol's Prints is having a huge ARC contest. You could win one of the 13 ARC's on the list.
Ends on September 6th.
Enter here.

* Vicarious Reader is having an ARC therapy giveaway. You could win one of the 4 ARCs up for grabs.
Ends on September 6th.
Enter here.

* Lu's Bloody Big Book Blog is having a 100 followers giveaway. You could win Radiance by Alyson Noel and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
Ends on September 7th.
Enter here.

* Babbling Flow is having a great giveaway. You could win one of the 8 ARC's that are on her list.
Ends on September 8th.
Enter here.

* Punk Writer Kid is celebrating her fist blogoversary by giving away books, a partial critique, etc to a lucky winner.
Ends on September 9th.
Enter here.

* In Which a Girl Reads is having a huge blogiversary contest. 3 winners will get to choose books from her list.
Ends on September 19th.
Enter here.

* End of Story, Next Book is having a 100+ followers giveaway. You could win a book up to $15 from the Book Depository.
Ends on September 22nd.
Enter here.

* Writing From the Tub is giving away 5 copies of Trash by Andy Mulligan.
Ends on September 24th.
Enter here.

* Reading Teen is having a back to school giveaway bash. You could win one of the ARC's on the list.
Ends on September 24th.
Enter here.

* I Should Be Writing is having a mega giveaway. 2 winners will get 2 books from her TBR pile.
Ends on September 30th.
Enter here.

* Reading With Tequila is having a 1000 follower contest. The winners will get the books they want from her list.
Ends on September 30th.
Enter here.


- Old contest
* New contest

Do you want me to put your international contest on my post? Contact me with the details.

Review: Forbidden Pleasures by Jo Rees

Title: Forbidden Pleasures
Author: Jo Rees
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: August 5, 2010
Publisher: Corgi
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
From Las Vegas to Dubai, from Shanghai to London, the fatal pull of the gambling world stretches...Savannah, pleasure-loving It Girl, wants to prove herself to her powerful, ruthless father Michael Hudson - until a terrible tragedy forces her to re-think her life. Lois, an ex-cop from the wrong side of the tracks, is now running the gambling business of Michael's greatest rival, Roberto Enzo - and torn between the glamour and wealth of the casinos and the needs of her vulnerable young daughter. Both women have to confront their pasts, discover new loves, and find out the really important things in life before the greed and corruption of their worlds consume them.


This book tells the story of two very different women: Savannah, the rich heiress who is always trying to find ways to prove herself to her father and Lois, an ex-cop who was blamed for a crime she didn't commit and that ruined the life she worked so hard to obtain. At the end, they both end up as rivals in the casino business, Lois working for Roberto and Savannah trying to keep her father's assets going.

I liked Lois since the beginning. It was interesting seeing her relationship with her mother and also seeing her to try to get to know her daughter. She has some tought decisions to make through the novel, and you really see how she evolves as a character when she finally makes her choices. One of the things I liked the most about Lois was how she always tried to make the best of her situation without complaining.

Then there's Savannah. At first I wasn't much interested in her part of the story and I didn't really like her attitude either, but as her story unfolds we see some changes in her and it was intriguing seeing her become a full fletched businesswoman as well as a mature adult.

This was the first book I read by this author and the truth is that I was pleasently surprised. It was a very engaging read with a clever plot, interesting characters and the necesary amount of mystery and action. This was a perfect summer that will get you hooked since the first page.


Rating:

* I received this book from the publisher for review.

Review: The Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay

Title: The Darkest Edge of Dawn
Author: Kelly Gay
Series: Charlie Madigan #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Publisher: Pocket Books
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
It takes a strong woman to keep the peace in a city of endless night. . . .

Deep beneath Underground, a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun—one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between good and evil. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night. And under the cover of darkness, a serial killer targets the most powerful Elysians in the city, the angelic Adonai. For Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner Hank, tracking deadly predators is all in a day’s work . . . but this case will test the limits of their strength and friendship as it draws them into a deadly world of power plays, ancient myths, explosive secrets, and a race against time that risks all that Charlie holds dear.

I had really high expectations after reading the amazing previous book of this series, The Better Part of Darkness, and in some ways The Darkest Edge of Dawn didn't disappoint.
If there's something this book is not lacking is action. We are thrust from the first page into a full-blown investigation regarding a serial killer and how it may or may not connect with previous events that happened in the last book.Sometimes I felt like there was too much action. I wished Charlie could have had more down time (she couldn’t even take a shower without something happening around her) and that we could have seen more interaction with the rest of her family.

That’s not to say that we didn’t see them at all. We did get some amazing scenes with Emma, Charlie’s daughter, and it was really interesting seeing how the relationship between mother and daughter developed, especially when we find out some things about her.

As for Rex, the Revenant that’s possessing Charlie’s ex-husband, we do get some intense scenes with him and it was really funny seeing Charlie figuring out that she cares about Rex, at the same time that she’s trying to find a way to get her ex back, and then also some way for Rex to get a new body. Most of the time I felt sorry for him, and I really wish that the author finds some way to make him stay (at this point I like him better than Charlie’s ex).

There also is Bryn, Charlie’s sister, and while she does become an important character in this story, I wished we could have seen more of her, especially the parts that deal with her being addicted to ash.
Then there’s Hank. Since I finished reading the last book I was rooting for both of them to get together, and while we don’t get any resolution in this one, there are some very interesting developments in their relationship. Apart from that, he keeps being my favourite character and it was very interesting learning a little about his past.

The best parts of this book? Brim, the hellhound; Pendaran, the Druid King, the development of Charlie’s powers & the relationship dynamics between Hank and Charlie.

All in all, this was a great novel, with non-stop action, incredible character development and at the end it only makes you wish for the next one.


Memorable Lines:
"You have one week," Pendaran announced. "One week to find Daya's killer."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Seven days or we seek retribution from the jinn."
A disbelieving half snort, half laugh sprang from my mouth.. "Seriously? Because I didn't peg you for an idiot."
The nymphs fled the courtyard in a blur of gossamer and bare feet, disappearing into the darkness and mist, and leaving me with the sudden realization I'd said that though out loud.
Shit.

Previous Book:
1. The Better Part of Darkness - Review

Next Book:
3. Untitled (Summer 2011)

Rating:

1/2


* I received this book from the publisher for review.

Giveaway: Another $50 CSN Stores GC

So, after the previous success of the gift certificate giveaway, I was offered the oportunity of doing another one, and of course I accepted.
As you know, CSN has more than 200 stores in which you can buy many different things like bookcases, desks, kitchen tables, lamps, etc.

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is fill out the form.


US/Canada Only
Followers get an extra entry.
Ends on September 15th.




You can also fill it out here.

* Winner will be chosen through random.org

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Title: The Replacement
Series: Replacement #1
Genre: YA
Release Date: September 21st 2010
Publisher: Razorbill
Edition: Hardback
Blurb:
Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world?



Author: Michelle Rowen
Title: Something Wicked
Series: Living in Eden #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: October 5th 2010
Publisher: Berkley
Edition: Paperback
Blurb:
Being a little wicked isn’t all bad…

Every woman has a sexy demon inside her just waiting to get out, but for Eden Riley it’s a little different. Her inner demon is named Darrak, and he’s been inhabiting bodies for the past 300 years. In the daytime, thanks to her special psychic energy, he’s able to take physical shape—a shape she wouldn’t mind getting her hands on, if it wasn’t a threat to her immortal soul…

Because of her possession, Eden now has uncontrollable black magic at her fingertips, and she and Darrak are trying to end the curse that binds them before the situation gets any worse. To do it, they’ll have to get tangled up with some unsavory characters from the underworld. When sparks and spells fly, they could get the distance they need…or each have their own private hell to pay.