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Monthly contest from Jackson Pearce!

So author of As You Wish and the upcoming Sisters Red, Jackson Pearce, has been hosting monthly contests until the release of Sisters Red. Each month they have been getting bigger and better and since Sisters Red is due out in 2 months, the prize package this month is pretty stellar.

If you blog about her contest anywhere on the web, be it on blogger, livejournal, facebook (no twitter) you get entered to win an arc of Sisters Red, A mystery arc, A signed copy of As You Wish and mega Sisters Red swag/prizes.

Now I was lucky enough to read Sisters Red through an arc tour and I absolutely loved it. I can't wait to get my hands on my own copy so I can read it again and then make everyone I know read it, because it is THAT good.

For more details, check out Jackson Pearce's blog where Jackson along with the help of Spacedog give out all the details on how you can win.

I obviously was late to the party because today is the last day to enter, so make sure you post soon!! :)



Sherry <3

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey


Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
By Beth Fantaskey
Published Feburary 2009
Published By Harcourt
Paperback, 372 Pages

Purchased by me(Borders)

Summary from Goodreads:

"The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war — and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction."

My Review: ***** = 5 Stars

I've always wanted to read this book. I'm a sucker for anything vampire. It took me a while longer than I thought it would, but I finally read it! I LOVED it! Sometimes I can't stand how vampire books are sooo alike. Obviously they will have their similarities, but authors don't always make it their own. Well Beth Fantaskey didn't have a problem there. I didn't think of any other vampire book while reading it and it felt great to read a book all the way through and not unintentionally compare it to another book. The characters rocked. Jessica/Antanasia the female lead was the perfect mc. She was an average girl who grew throughout the book, not just into royalty but as a person. Lucius was luscious. The chemistry between them was hot and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen between them. The secondary characters were great and the tension throughout the novel was superb. I read the book in two sittings and I would have read it in one if I had started it on a day off.

If there was one thing that I would change it would be the end. Not that I didn't like it, I loved it. I just wanted more. But if you liked it as much as I did, you'll find 22 chapters of a future event that sums everything up nicely right on the authors webpage. I read that last night after I finished the book and I was very pleased with it. :D

I recommend this to any vampire fans. It was amazing!!!

Have you read it yet, what are your thoughts?


Sherry <3

In My Mailbox(13)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. It showcases our week in books! :)


(haha see my dog sniffing the books at the top of the pic <3)

It was a slow week for me but I still got some awesome books!


Purchased from Borders:

Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside

From the awesome Eleni @ LaFemmeReaders:

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Won from Lili @ ChicaReader:

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott


Thanks Eleni and Lili(and mom for buying me the other books)!! :)


Now I have to finish Shiver so I can read Linger. I made myself stop so I wouldn't obsess with waiting to get Linger, but I now haz it in my possession so I can just finish Shiver and continue right on!

What did you guys get this week??


Sherry <3

Review: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott


The Unwritten Rule
By: Elizabeth Scott
Publication Date March 16th 2010
Published By Simon Pulse
224 Pages, Hardcover
(won from ChicaReader)

Summary from goodreads:

"Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more..."


My Review: *** = 3 Stars
(spoilers included)

I really, really wanted to love this, and parts of it I did love, but overall it was just blehh. I read it in one sitting because it was written well enough for me to want to know what happened next, but I didn't like the characters all too much. Brianna is a terrible friend. She may have a crappy home life, but that doesn't mean you have to put your friend down, which she actually does a lot throughout the book. Sarah is somewhat stupid. I'm sorry but if a guy is willing to cheat on a girl to be with you, then you have to at least think that one day he might be willing to cheat on you to be with another girl. Ryan is just, well he's just a guy. He should have grown a set and simply dumped Brianna if he wanted to be with Sarah, but he didn't. What I did like about the book: Scott does an EXCELLENT job at writing the emotions in this book. When Sarah longed to be with Ryan, so did I. The confusion, the hurt, all of it was so well written. If it wasn't for the great writing I would have hated this book. I also liked that in the end, everything wasn't perfect. I actually expected for things to get bad before they got better for the two BFF's but I was happy that it didn't end well for them. I honestly don't think they should have been best friends anyways, so I'm glad that Ryan and Brianna hit splitsville and Ryan and Sarah ended up the happy couple. 

This is the first book by Elizabeth Scott that I've read, and while it wasn't my favorite book, it won't be the last one I read by her. I might not have liked the story itself but I liked the writing and I look forward to reading some other work by her.


Have you read The Unwritten Rule? What's your opinion on the best friends/boyfriends subject??


Sherry <3

Book Trailer: The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

For those of you that missed it, check out the trailer for The Absolulte Value of -1, Steve Brezenoff's young adult debut.





Summary from goodreads:

"Noah, Lily, and Simon have been a trio forever. But as they enter high school, their relationships shift and their world starts to fall apart. Privately, each is dealing with a family crisis—divorce, abuse, and a parent's illness. Yet as they try to escape the pain and reach out for the connections they once counted on, they slip—like soap in a shower. Noah’s got it bad for Lily, but he knows too well Lily sees only Simon. Simon is indifferent, suddenly inscrutable to his friends. All stand alone in their heartache and grief.

In his luminous YA novel, Steve Brezenoff explores the changing value of relationships as the characters realize that the distances between them are far greater than they knew."

To learn more about the book, which is to be released in September, check out Steve's blog for all things about the book!


Sherry <3

Author Interview: Stacey Kade(The Ghost & The Goth)

Hey everyone! I was lucky enough to receive an arc a while back of The Ghost & The Goth. If you missed by review you can check it out here. Now I'm even luckier because I got to interview the wonderful author of TG&TG Stacey Kade! Not only is there an interview, but today I also get to share with you an excerpt from the prologue of TG&TG!



Me: Hello Stacey, so glad to have you today!
Stacey: Thanks, Sherry, for having me here!
Me: Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Stacey: Oh, I'm never good at this! How about five random facts instead of a coherent, witty answer? That I can do!

1) I'm a PK (pastor's kid) so I was always the new girl in school. We moved every three to four years. Not quite sure how I survived that! :)

2) I did not attend my senior prom (and I don't think it damaged me psychologically...at least, not much!)

3) One of my very best friends is my sister, who is thirteen years younger than I am. Not often you can say that about someone you placed in a highchair and fed Gerber products. :)

4) I am well and truly a geek at heart. I can quote Star Wars AND Star Trek upon request...though, sadly, no one ever seems to ask.

5) I'm a gadget-fanatic. It is KILLING me not to buy an iPad even though I have no justifiable reason to own one.

Me: The Ghost and The Goth is your first YA novel, what else have you written?
Stacey: I have three other novels that were published for the adult market under a different name. Two science fiction romances in a series and one mystery. Unfortunately, I believe they're a bit tough to find these days, as they've just gone out of print. I loved those stories and characters and do hope to see them out and about again one day.

Me: What are some of your favorite books and authors?
Stacey: Oh, I have so many!

Jane Austen (love her): Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.

Linnea Sinclair (my mentor and a fabulous science fiction romance author): All of her books are excellent, but Finders Keepers, Downhome Zombie Blues, and Hope's Folly are three of my favorites.

Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire

Rachel Caine: Morganville Vampire series

Pretty much anything by Richelle Mead, Jeri Smith-Ready, Meg Cabot, and Kelley Armstrong. I love Patricia Briggs' Mercy series as well.

One fabulous thing about having so many favorite authors is that pretty much any given week one of them will have something new out for me to read!

Fun Questions:

Me: Describe yourself in 4 words or less?
Stacey: Shy first, then loud. :)
Me: You're stuck on a deserted island, what one book do you have with you?
Stacey: Pride and Prejudice! Every time I read that book, I find something new in it. *LOVE*
Me: You're making your big break in the movie business, what type of character are you playing?
Stacey: Hmm. Probably the nice but socially awkward girl next door. Or, the sort of crazy lady who lives down the street and knows all the good gossip because she always has her nose pressed to the window, watching what's going on. Yeah, definitely the second one, I think!
Favorites:

Color-Green
Ice Cream-Butter Pecan
Soda-Mr. Pibb
Food-Cheetos!
Movie-Ghostbusters (I can quote almost the whole thing, much to my husband's annoyance!)
TV Show-Life Unexpected (Here's hoping for Season Two!)
Season-Fall
Animal-Have to go with my babies--greyhounds!


Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to answer some questions, looking forward to the release of The Ghost and The Goth! :)

-------

Excerpt from The Ghost and The Goth:

(Note: Excerpt is not from the final, edited manuscript, so there may be small variations, typos, etc.)

Prologue


Alona Dare




It was easy enough to sneak out of school. I knew that from previous experience. This time, all I had to do was wait until Mrs. Higgins had led everyone onto the outdoor track and then slip behind the bleachers and walk down to the other opening in the chain link fence.

Sneaking back in, though…that would be a bitch. But I’d just have to deal with that when I got back. Like always.

I shivered in the cool morning breeze. It was seven a.m., or a little past, on the first day in May, and it wasn’t nearly warm enough to be out walking around in the stupid thin t-shirt and short shorts they made us wear for gym. At least on the track, the bleachers blocked the wind and the black cinders held some of the heat from the day before. Out here, I had nothing but anger to keep me toasty.

How could she do this to me again? Didn’t she get it? It was never going to happen. There would be no fairy tale ending for her, not this time.
 
---------------
 
 
So there you have it, an interview and excerpt!
 
Are you looking forward to Stacey's YA debut!?
(which comes out July 6th)
 
 
 
Sherry <3

It's time for a HUGE contest!!!! :)

**contest closed**

It's time to kickoff a HUGE contest that Susan from Wastepaper Prose and I have been planning! I recently hit 350 blog followers and she recently hit 250 so today we are going to give back to our wonderful followers! Keep reading to see what prizes are up for grabs!


Prizes will be split up and some will be put into packs. Instead of having everyone enter for everything, you can select which prizes you would like to be entered for. In the form, just check the boxes to the ones you would like to win, all of your entries will count towards each prize that you enter for. We did this because some of you may not want/need a critique, or maybe you already have some of the books we are giving away. Unfortunately we can't send prizes out internationally, but we will each be giving away a book from the book depository for up to $15 to our international followers, so thats 2 international winners!


Prize Packs will be labeled starting with (A) on the form. Check the letters for the prize packs you want to be entered for:


US/Canada followers:

Prize A- Wolf Lover Bookmark and swag(donated by Heather from Fire&Ice)
Prize B- Wolf Bracelet and swag(donated by Heather from Fire&Ice)
Prize C- 1st four books in the Gossip Girl Series by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Prize D- Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr(donated by Maria)
Prize E- The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Prize F- Break by Hannah Moskowitz and Being by Kevin Brooks
Prize G- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins(donated by Maria)
Prize H- First chapter critique from Chelsea Campbell (Rise of Renegade X).
Prize I- The Mark swag pack (donated by Jen Nadol)
Prize J-Forget-Her-Nots swag pack (donated by Amy Brecount White) 3 winners
Prize K- Random new & forthcoming release swag packs - 2 winners
Prize L- Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Prize M- ARC of Swoon at Your Own Risk
Prize N- Signed copy of The Snowball Effect by Holly Hoxter(donated by Holly Hoxter)
Prize O- Signed copy of The Iron King by Julie Kagawa(donated by Julie Kagawa)
Prize P- First chapter critique from Suzanne Johnson (Royal Street, coming summer 2011)

 
International Followers:


A book up to $15 at book depository- 2 winners



Phew that's 21 winners total!!



Here's the details:

This is a follower appreciation contest, therefore you have to be a follower of both of our blogs:


**contest closed**

There will be extra entries:


Follow our Blogs(which is a must)= +3

Follow us on twitter=

+1 ssalach21

+1 wastepaperprose

Tweet about this contest= +2

Sidebar/facebook= +2 (you can do one or both, each is worth 2)

Mention this contest in a post= +3

Make a blog post specifically dedicated to this contest+ +5


There are two forms. One for US/Canada followers and one for International followers. Make sure you fill out the correct form.






No comment entires will count. Fill out the correct form above!!!

The contest will run until April 30th at midnight eastern time!!



You can enter either here OR at Wastepaper Prose. The form on both blogs leads to the same place so please do not enter at both blogs!!!!


Many thanks to those that donated prizes for this contest: Holly Hoxter, Maria Ciccone, Heather Gardner, Julie Kagawa, Jen Nadol, Amy Brecount White, Suzanne Johnson, & Chelsea Campbell

***Apparently when I tried scheduling my post on the 17th it actually posted. I deleted it but somehow people still managed to enter. We changed the points for following our blogs to +3 no matter if new or old, its just easier. For those that didn't have +3 we changed it already so no worries!!

Get entering and good luck!! :)




Sherry <3

Blog Tour: Arson by Estevan Vega



Today the blog tour for Estevan Vega's Arson stops here at Flipping Pages.

We get to go back in time and read the original first chapter of A Boy Called Arson. Not only is the name different but the first chapter from back then and the first chapter from the finished book are completely different.

Here you go!!


-------


A Boy Called Arson
By: Estevan Vega



One

It was just a game.

Arson was never the type of kid to experiment with dangerous things. As a baby, the mere thought of playing with knives frightened him. It was strange the manner in which fear played with him, like a child plays with a pet, only with a certain sadistic charm. He admired fear, yes, as any eight year old, but from a distance—as if it wasn’t a part of the world where he existed: when he snuck into R-rated horror films designed to seduce viewers with dread, or in the numbing moments following a catastrophic highway accident—not playing with his own fragile mind. Not in his world.

His name was Danny. Of all the children in Cambridge, Danny was the only one to embrace him. Arson’s friend. He treated him with kindness. They had fun sneaking into places they didn’t belong. Danny was like a brother. He even looked like Arson, with his ash-brown hair hanging over those bushy eyebrows; they had the same body structure, even learned to laugh simultaneously.

Arson always wanted a brother. At birth, Grandma and Grandpa claimed he was grabbing for something—reaching—for another, as if he was waiting for a brother to be given life as he was. Danny was the other half of him by which he was born to coexist. But it was a dangerous bond that melted their fates together. Danny was a bastard, just like Arson, and as such, both were born abandoned. So they looked elsewhere for the bond that birth stole away. They found friendship in each other.

The game was firecracker. Arson had to light it, and then throw it as far as he could. But it had to be in the open. It had to be public. It would be fun. Danny always promised fun. He, as always, supplied the ammunition (they gave fireworks the more dangerous euphemism, naturally), and all Arson had to do was supply the gall to go through with it. Sure, Danny had convinced him to do most anything—whether that was killing an entire pack of one of his mom’s most recent move-in schleps’ Marlboro’s, being dared to catapult off the back of Danny’s deck, or even something as lame as eating till he puked. But this time was different. This time, fear circled him like a vulture. The sick thing was death seemed an easier thing to face than this.

“I don’t like fire,” Arson said, shaking. “I never liked it.”

“Don’t be a wuss, it’ll be fun.”

“I don’t feel safe, Danny.”

“Don’t be such a chicken, Arson, you’re always scared.”

“No I’m not; this time it’s different. I swear… I’ll do anything else, just not this.” His dread created a break in his voice, and a tear leaked from his eye.

“Unless you want the entire school to think you’re a chicken, you have to do this.”

Sigh.

He wiped his tear away. Hoped Danny didn’t notice.

Sigh.


Shaking.


Deep breath.

“Give it to me,” he finally said, giving in.

Standing in the center of downtown Cambridge, fear awaited a frail boy and his friend. It devoured the seconds before he lit the fuse. After numerous attempts to light it, Arson felt his wrist turn hot. Then his hand. Soon, a spark lit the tip of the fuse, though he had no idea how such a thing was possible.

The next few seconds came like a bullet. “Get rid of it. Quick!” Danny screamed, agitated and pressured by the bystanders’ passing stares. Their eyes found two jittery boys out in the darkness.

Gasp.

Let go.

Arson ran out of the street light and launched the firecracker from his hot grip, some of his clammy sweat still stuck to the firecracker as the sparkling flame outlined the night sky.

He heard his heartbeat in his ears, drowning out the world. But he could hear one thing, the sound that haunts him still. It was the sound of a girl screaming. The most frightening thing he would ever hear.


-------


A big thanks to Estevan for sharing that with us!

For those of you that have read it, what do you think? For those of you that haven't, I hope you get to read it soon!!



Sherry <3

Way overdue In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren(whose birthday happens to be today so stop on by and give her lots of happy b-day wishes). It showcases the books we received that week, wether it be from the library, that we won, or that we purchased, etc...


I have not been doing this for a while, so this weeks IMM is a combination of like the past three weeks or so. I know theres stuff I'm missing but I really can't search through all of my books/swag to see whats already been posted so I'll just go with this stuff that hasn't been put onto the shelf yet.



Purchased from Borders:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Beastly by Alex Finn
Valiant by Holly Black
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down A Dream by Tom Petty

Purchased from The Book Depository:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Purchased from Kristi @ The Story Siren:

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
Wild Roses by Deb Caletti

Purchased from Monica @ The Bibliophilic Book Blog:

Tithe by Holly Black
Ironside by Holly Black

Won from Heidi Kling:

Signed ARC of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Received from Joelle Anthony(for being 400th twitter follower):

Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony

Received for review from Librarything:

Descent into Dust by Jacqueline Lepore

I also got some awesome stuff donated by some very awesome people for an upcoming contest that I am co-hosting with Susan from Wastepaperprose. Keep a lookout on Monday for that!

If there's anything I didn't post about it's not that I don't like it, it's just I can't remember everything I got in the past three weeks so I apologize!!


Sherry <3

SEA by Heidi R Kling -Official Book Trailer



Not sure if you all have seen this yet, but you should definitely check it out.

Vania from VLC Photo did an outstanding job, and now I'm itching to read it even more!


For those of you that don't know Sea, will be released this June! We're down to two months!!! YAY!!!


What do you think??



Sherry <3

Flabbergasted.... did I spell that right?

I read something earlier that completely blew my mind. Usually I don't hop on the rant train when something like this happens. We've all seen it. One person posts one thing and before you know it there's 40 posts going on about each persons views towards said subject.

Well, If I'm ever to give my personal opinion on a blogging matter, I choose this one!!

I like to self promote. I like for other people that are inerested in reading to find out about that awesome new book I read last week, or maybe find a book that they hadn't heard of before from my blog. Seriously... what's wrong with that? Apparently that makes me loud. You know what? I don't care. I am who I am and I blog out of pure joyousness. I do what I like. I've never heard anyone complain or compare that to how other bloggers go about they're business.

I've got nothing bad to say to the author of the post because a personal opinion is a personal opinion.

But just because I'm not hating doesn't mean I agree....

In the post, it mentioned that most people from the UK view Americans as loud and self confident and that in turn somehow rounds out how a blogger from the US will be. Because we are loud and self confident, we promote our blogs more, share our success and are sometimes just too over the top.

I'll tell you right now I don't differentiate between blog locations. If I like the way you blog, I follow you and read your updates. The only bloggers whose locations I know are those that I speak to on a daily basis. Other than that I don't know where you live or where you blog from, and I truly don't care. I don't even read and think.. this person is quiet they must be from the UK, or wow what an obnoxcious blog, must be an American!!

You can live anywhere in the world and be quiet or loud. I don't think location really matters. It's the person thats blogging... Everyone is different and goes about how they do things differently... right??

Something else is mentioned in this post. The author stated this about UK bloggers. "These are the blogs you dream of discovering – they don’t have a single meme, no annoying competitions with numerous ‘follow me to enter’ hoops, no blog tour books, just great posts about the books they’ve been reading."

Ok....

I know for a fact that bloggers from the UK have contests involving the whole follower thing and they participate in memes. Seriously??

I don't understand how that can be thrown again us American bloggers...

Yea if i'm hosting a followers contest, you best be a follower of my blog or I'm not going to reward you... And I personally don't see a problem with memes. I don't get to read as much as I want but I still like to participate on my blog. I don't want to post a review once or twice every two weeks and have no one see it because the blog had hardly any activity so they stopped following or whatever.

You can read the whole post here and form your own opinion.


Overall, I don't think we should even be comparing US bloggers with UK bloggers. Or bloggers from Canada or Australia or wherever. We all blog for a reason and each of us is different no matter where we are from. I expect that, I like it. If we were all the same blogging wouldn't be quite as much fun...


I'm curious to know what you think about it! If you read the other post, come on back and share your opinions!



Sherry <3

Waiting on Wednesday(9): The Prophecy by Dawn Miller


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted my Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It showcases upcoming books that we can't wait to read!




This week I chose The Prophecy by Dawn Miller. Now please don't hate me but I'm just not a religious person. This seems to have an overall religious tone to it about God and evil and while normally I would just avoid most books on the subject because I'm just not interested in it, this sounds verry good!


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

"This intense, emotionally charged supernatural thriller is set in the dark city streets of St. Louis, where five teenagers are reunited by a reoccurring nightmare from their childhood. They soon learn that what was meant to destroy them would be the catalyst that drives them to embark on an epic journey of good versus evil—a journey that will open their eyes and hearts to the true power of God and the reality of evil determined to blind the world from that truth."


Doesn't that just sound awesome?!?!


The Prophecy has an official release date of May 1st, 2010. I look forward to reading it! :)



Sherry <3

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

It's been a while since I've finished a book. Ten days to be exact. Wow... just seems weird. I'm currently in the middle of four other books, and while they are all actually amazing books that I am loving so far, I was just in the mood for something else. So... I picked up The Body Finder yesterday and decided to test that out. I had borrowed it from a blogging friend and decided it needed to get read soon anyways. Man oh MAN am I glad I decided to read this. I've been wanting to for like 5 months anyways, but you know there's always something going on. Read on for my review! :)


The Body Finder
By Kimberly Derting
Published by HarperTeen
Publication Date March 16th, 2010
Source: Borrowed(Monica at Bibliophilic Book Blog)

Summary from Goodreads:

"A serial killer on the loose. A girl with a morbid ability. And the boy who would never let anything happen to her.
Violet Ambrose can find the dead. Or at least, those who have been murdered. She can sense the echoes they leave behind... and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren't enough to deal with during junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable, and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton.
Now a serial killer has begun terrorizing Violet's small town... and she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him."

----

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself."

My review: ***** = 5 Stars

Little Minor Spoilers, Nothing Major :)

The Body Finder starts out with an intense scene of a young Violet finding a body. It helps get the reader into the idea of what Violet has the ability to do, which is sense bodies, hence the title. Right from that one scene, I was locked into this book. Violet Ambrose is a standout female main character. Some authors write their heroines to be either mucho macho or far from it. Violet was a nice mix of both and that made me love her. She was innocent yet strong willed, caring yet capable of telling lies. She knew what she wanted but she didn't just assume she could get it or go after it just to prove she could have it. She's very likeable. Who's even more likeable?! Jay Heaton, Violet's best friend. He was absouletly perfect. So many young adult books these days focus on the swoonworthy bad guy, and while I don't mind that one bit, it was nice seeing the nice guy win out. He was kind, sarcastic and  charming... did I mention good-looking??? I found myself rooting for the two of them, and cheering them on. The romance in this book is just about perfect too. Not too much, not too little. I don't think there's anything in this book that I would complain about. The mystery kept me intrigued and the suspense near the end was nervewracking and exciting. It has everything that I look for in a YA book and am so very happy that I read it. I borrowed a copy but I will be getting my own soon so that I can add it to my favorites shelf. I've read a lot of 5 star books this year, but this goes right into my top 3.

I recommend this to everyone who can handle some murder and dead bodies. Other that that theres nothing too sexual besides some awesome kissing scenes and one minor alcohol scene.

I even emailed Kimberly gushing about how much I loved this, which was a first for me.

If you haven't read this yet, then you should!!!


Sherry <3

Contest Craze!!


Contest Craze is going on right now! If you haven't seen all of the giveaways then you are truly missing out. Cindy over at Princess Bookie is posting a giveaway just about every 15 minutes. Theres a lot of books to be won, so if you haven't checked it out yet, head on over now!!

Also, as one of the giveaways, all you have to do it promote the contest craze in some way and you will be entered to win a prize pack of ARC's from one kind donater.

There's a whole list to choose from, so get promoting!!



Sherry <3

It's time & 1st mini challenge!

Ok or it was time 35 minutes ago! I accidentally woke up late so I'm pushing my read-a-thon start date to 9:00 so I can eat and get everything all set to go.

I'll start off with the first mini challenge!


Where are you reading from today? My house in NY.

3 facts about me …  About reading/books or random.. oh heck we'll go with random!
       1)  My favorite food is shrimp.
 2) I'm constantly painting my nails but usually my the next day i've picked all the nail  polish off.
 3) The only fruit I like is apples. o_O

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? For starters just 4 but i'll add to it when necessary. :)

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? No goals really, I just want to have fun and help support my fellow readers throughout the day!

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time? I'm a first timer!!

So there you have it!
 
I'm off to finish getting ready then I'm sitting down with my big comfy quilt and starting where I left off in Shiver.
 
Have fun everyone!! :)
 
 
Sherry <3

Readathon tomorrow!

Wow! I can't believe it's already April 10th tomorrow. Time is just flying by. Pretty soon summer will be here and then fall and school... and I don't want to think about that!! So... tomorrow is the 24 hour read a thon. I'm all signed up but I never posted a book list. I think I'll play it by ear for the most part.

I'm for sure going to finish Shiver. And I am definitely reading The Body Finder. I have hopes that I will finally finish Before I Fall. If I can get those read then I think I will start Descent into Dust. Anything more will just be added, and anything that I change will just be adjusted. I will leave this nifty little list on my readathon page, which if you look over to your right, is on the sidebar! :)

Leave me a message here if you're participating tomorrow and i'll try to stop by everyone's blog to help support you during my breaks!!! :)

Have fun everyone!!


Sherry <3

Some winners!

My most recent contest has ended! I have randomly selected 2 winners who will each receive 3 books.

The first winner selected was
  
    xxxsquigglesxxx

who picked the books:

1. These Boots Were Made for Stomping
2. Catch a Mate
3. No Holding Back

The second winner selected was

 Amber

who said she was down for surprises.. so she will be getting

1. Alibi in High Heel
2. More Than Words: Stories of Courage
3. Deadly Deceptions


I will be emailing you both shortly and you have 48 hours to respond or new winners will be selected!

Congrats!


Sherry <3