Happy Birthday To Me!!!!

Today, I am another year older!!! While you are reading this post, I am at work trying to make money (cry)...

Tomorrow is my brother's birthday, and.... we're going to VEGAS!!!!! I'm excited because I've never been to Vegas! I'm hoping to take lots of pictures and blog about them! Hope you'll come back and check them out! I'll try and blog while I'm there!

Cake anyone?!

Check out these celebrities with the same birthday!!

I'm hoping I would be in this list one day :D

Read More

Book Review: Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

Blurb:

Luc Cain was born and raised in Hell, but he isn't feeling as demonic as usual lately—thanks to Frannie Cavanaugh and the unique power she never realized she had. But you can't desert Hell without consequences, and suddenly Frannie and Luc find themselves targeted by the same demons who used to be Luc's allies.

Left with few options, Frannie and Luc accept the protection of Heaven and one of its most powerful angels, Gabe. Unfortunately, Luc isn't the only one affected by Frannie, and it isn't long before Gabe realizes that being around her is too...tempting. Rather than risk losing his wings, he leaves Frannie and Luc under the protection of her recently-acquired guardian angel.

Which would be fine, but Gabe is barely out the door before an assortment of demons appears—and they're not leaving without dragging Luc back to Hell with them. Hell won't give up and Heaven won't give in. Frannie's guardian exercises all the power he has to keep them away, but the demons are willing to hurt anyone close to Frannie in order to get what they want. It will take everything she has and then some to stay out of Hell's grasp.

And not everyone will get out of it alive.

Original Sin was the second book in the Personal Demons trilogy. I read this book in 2 DAYS. I forced myself to finish it - not only because I have a review schedule to get to, but also because of the intensity of the situations in the book.

Luc was the demon-turned-mortal and I kind of missed him as a demon. He was more interesting when he was able to shoot hellfire through his fists. He was also hotter that way. But alas, Frannie's love changed him. Frannie who was getting more and more frustrated with the gift she was given, not knowing how to control it.

Then, there was Gabe. He left in the beginning of the book and didn't come back until it was too late for Frannie's guardian angel and he'd lost his wings. I was so happy when Gabe came back. Just as Frannie feels at peace when he's around, I, in turn, love reading about him. Lisa Desrochers did a great job in bringing Gabe to life where I can actually feel at peace when reading about him and Frannie.

When tragedy hit Frannie, I was so sad, I was on the verge of tears. Once again, the author did an amazing job conveying the pain and the emptiness inside Frannie's heart. Not only was her heart broken, but one of her friends died.

Frannie: "Was it all just an act? Did you ever care about me at all?"

That quote above was one of the saddest in this book. I feel like EVERYONE can relate to it at one point in their lives. *sniff*

Finally, I just wanted to say something about Frannie's guardian angel. Oh. My. Goodness. I was so annoyed and irritated with him! He was supposed to be protecting Frannie and he let himself get distracted? He was weak. And now he lost his wings, and became.... yep, I predicted it from the beginning... a demon. (gah!)

Check out my favorite scenes :)

Luc: "For the love of all things unholy, what is it with you celestials? Will you please learn how to knock?"
Gabe: "And miss the show?"
Luc: "For an Angel, you're quite the pervert."
Gabe: "Some things are worth losing your wings for."

Rhenorian: "Fine. Call your Pit Bull off, Lucifer."
Luc: "She's never answered to me. You're on your own."
Rhenorian: "Son of Satan!"

Have you read Original Sin? I already have Last Rite (thanks Jen!) and hopefully I can read it VERY SOON. I'll try to get ahead on my review schedule so I would have a window of free days to read the last book! Talk to me in the comments!

Read More

VBT: Telesa by Lani Wendt Young

About the Author:
Lani Wendt Young's Blog

I  was born and raised in Samoa.  I went to university in the USA and New Zealand, studying English Literature, Women's Studies and  Education. Back in Samoa I worked as a secondary school English teacher for 7 years and did lots of writing in between for the local newspaper and for myself.


My short fiction has been published in Samoa, NZ, Australia and the UK. My collection of short stories "Sleepless in Samoa" won the 2011 USP Press Fiction Award. I also write stories for children that are used in primary school reading programs. In 2009 I was commissioned by Hans Joe Keil to research and write the narrative non-fiction book 'Pacific Tsunami Galu Afi'. The book was funded by the Australian Govt Aid program and all book sale profits go back to tsunami survivors who were interviewed for the record.


My book 'TELESA The Covenant Keeper' is the first in a YA urban fantasy series and  it was launched in Oct 2011.  I'm married to Darren Young (who is probably the most patient and most hottest man alive) and we have five children ranging in age from 4 to 16yrs. We are now based in New Zealand but get to go home to Samoa enough to keep me brown. (and broke.) I blog about the misadventures of a (slightly demented) Domestic Goddess over at Sleepless in Samoa.

Date Published: June 2012

Synopsis:

Leila returns to the land of her birth in search of family and instead discovers she is heir to a fiery elemental birthright...all while navigating through the drama of a new high school with the help of her new best friend "Simone daahling" - a boy with flawless makeup and the catwalk style of Kate Moss. She is introduced to the national sport of rugby and meets an irritating boy that would be much easier to hate if he didn't have chipped emerald eyes that are always laughing at her and a glorious golden smile. (The glistening, bronzed abs and Pacific warrior tattoos don't help either.) There's hate, love, jealousy, volcanoes and lots of delicious Samoan food in Leila's coming-of-age journey as she realizes that ancient Pacific myths of elemental spirit women Telesa, contain more truth than fiction. Secrets are revealed and things get blown up as Leila must choose between sisterhood and the boy she loves. Can their love stand against the Covenant Keeper? 

There are many different kinds of love. All of them require sacrifice. Who will give everything for the one they love?

A thriller-romance with a difference. If you enjoyed Twilight, then you will be enthralled by Telesa as it blends the richness (and humor) of Pacific mythology into a contemporary young adult love story that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.

" Tired of vampires and werewolves? TELESA has a supernatural element but a unique one... Like Air Benders and X-Men combined. Way cool. The Telesa women are an environmental terrorist group that wield their elemental powers with a fierce beauty and devastating impact..."

Excerpt One “No … please … how to stop it? How can I stop it?” I burst into useless tears. Tears that fizzed and hissed in a heartbeat of heat. No amount of crying would help now. I wrung my hands, no way out of it. It was hopeless. In a few minutes I would be a mass murderer. A killer. In my mind’s eye, I could see it now. People on fire running in circles, frantically beating at the hungry flames. The smell of flesh scorching, peeling off ashy bone. Screams. Pleas for help. I sank to my knees, drained dry of strength. Unwilling to watch the carnage but unable to take my eyes away. I was drowning in a sea of fiery despair. Suffocating in a red night of terror. A clear, calm voice spoke from beside me. “Leila. Call it back. You can do it. Call it back. Call it back NOW.” I looked up, eyes glistening with molten tears. He stood as close to me as he dared, shielding his face from the heat with his hands, the edges of his clothes singed and charred. “I can’t.” Abject despair in my voice. “I don’t know how.” “Yes you can. You have the power. You know you do. You spoke to it before. It listens to you. Call it back now before it’s too late. Please.” It was the ‘please’ that did it. That snapped me out of the depths. He wanted me to call the fire. He believed that I could. And I wanted him to believe in me. Slowly, I raised myself from the ground, closed my eyes and willed that fiery beast to come home. To listen to me – its mistress. To return and feed instead on my molten core. I trembled at the very thought of the blaze finding its way back. How could I possibly summon it all when it had grown so exponentially as it fed? But this was my fault. I had to find the strength from somewhere. I opened my eyes and shuddered at the majesty of the sight before me. Directly ahead of me was a massive wall of fire. It had stopped advancing across the field and now it stood waiting; the beast waited for my command. Now – it asked – what would you have me do? Opening my arms, every ounce of my being quivering with fear, I summoned it home. I burned. Inside and out. I burned. There was indescribable pain and the knife edge of pleasure. It was ecstasy and hell all at once. Then, as swiftly as it had begun, it stopped. I was empty. A dried husk scorched beyond belief. Withered and dead. I fell. The steaming darkness claimed me.

Excerpt Two Nafanua regarded me with pity in her eyes. “Leila, this is a part of you. This is who you are. I’m sorry, your powers are not going to go away, no matter how much you may want them to.” I was hostile. “How the hell do you know that?” Nafanua did not speak. She stood and walked the few steps out the open front doors and down the verandah steps. I followed her, confused as to her intentions. Almost lazily, she beckoned with her right hand and out of a blank blue sky, thunder clapped loud enough to make me jump. Another hand flicked gracefully and white light jagged, crackled and hissed as lightning seared the ground beside her. I gripped the verandah rails for support, my mind struggling to accept what I was seeing. Nafanua spun in a soft circle and the lightning burned out a path around her. When the circle was complete she stopped and stepped out of the smoke, brushing a stray piece of cindered grass off her skirt. She looked straight at me. “I know because I am telesā. And you are my daughter. I am matagi. Storm. Air. Wind. Lightning. You are fanua. Earth. Blessed with earth’s fire. And your gift is not going to go away, no matter what you do or where you live. It’s part of who you are and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can get the help you need to make sure that you don’t hurt anyone. Unless you want to that is.” She half smiled and walked slowly towards me. I slid to sit on the wooden step. The morning sunlight danced over the garden and a blue kingfisher sat on the wood railing and regarded me with dark eyes. It was supposed to be another day in paradise. Yesterday I had kissed a beautiful boy that a girl like me could only dream about. Today, here I was, watching the woman who was my mother call down lightning from the sky and burn circles of fire in the grass.

Read More

New Book Haul Feature: Pink Spotlight

One day, I just woke up and decided "I'm going to stop filming "Books I've Won" videos." I just didn't think it was worth continuing anymore. They don't get a lot of views, and I personally prefer not to watch book haul videos myself, so why force everyone else to watch mine?

So, I decided to just take pictures of the books I receive for that week and feature it on the blog that way. I decided that this feature would be called PINK SPOTLIGHT. It was the first one that came to me and it was the one that stuck to me. Let me know in the comments if you like that name and if you like the banner! :) The other option I had was "Hollywood's Book Haul" but I thought that was a bit much ;)

Without further ado, this week's Pink Spotlight!
Note: 2 of these books were already mentioned in my #RAK Wrap-Up Post, but I thought they deserve to be on the spotlight again - this time with the actual pictures of the book and what came with them!

Thanks again to Stephanie from A Dream Within A Dream for the beautiful hardback copy of Fever by Lauren DeStefano!

Next up, we have the amazing Jen from Jen Ryland / YA Romantics who sent me Last Rite by Lisa Desrochers - the last book in the Personal Demons trilogy! Thanks a bunch again!

For this next one, I was BEYOND EXCITED when I found out I won this book! I was bursting with happiness! Thank you to Sue from Satin's Book Corner for this amazing SIGNED book and the awesome swags!

Can anyone tell me what that swag at the bottom is? I can't seem to figure out what it does.

I was excited to get a notification that I won a Richelle Mead poster!!! I would totally bring this to her signing on June 18 but I think that might be overkill. I think I'll just bring Last Sacrifice (VA #6) and Bloodlines for her to sign! Woop! Thank you to Emma from Novel Minded for the awesome poster!

This next one was a 2-in-1 win because I won a swag giveaway as well as a book giveaway from the same blogger at the same time. Thank you Laura from Colorimetry for the awesome swags and the SIGNED Under the Never Sky book! Oh, and of course, the Kit-Kats! I love them :D

As luck would have it, I won a paperback copy of Rae of Hope by W.J. May. A very wonderful gift for writing a great review and hosting, if I may say so, a successful twitter party. Thank you W.J. May for the amazing book and swags!

As most of you probably know, I enter many giveaways and win probably 2% of them, maybe more if I'm feeling lucky. So, with this next one, I could barely remember entering for it, but I was very excited when I got it in the mail. The cover is beautiful, isn't it? Thanks to Jen from Romancing the Book and author Darcy Burke for signing the book! :)

Finally, the moment I was waiting for.... I received my business cards on June 5, 2012!!! I was so excited and thought I'd show you what they look like! I covered my phone number for security purposes ;) Aren't they beautiful! I got 250 of the purple one and 250 of the coral one - all for $21.99 from Vista Print! Ask me how I did it in the comments :)

Thank you again to everyone who made this first official Pink Spotlight such an All-Star post :D

Read More

Barnes & Noble Signing at the Grove (Pic Heavy)

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

Long story short, me and my friend WENT TO THE WRONG LOCATION. We ended up in Redondo Beach, because for some reason, I kept thinking of the trip to see Lisa Kessler and got the directions for that event instead!!! We ended up driving an extra hour in traffic, trying to get to The Grove in time (3 hours total + 2 hours to go back home). There were too many close accident encounters that I would be too happy to not experience again. Check out these photos en route to the wrong location :)

They call it "The Boobs"

WRONG ADDRESS!!!

My friend went a little camera crazy...

I wonder if those buffalo wings are yummy...

Waste of gas lol

This is light traffic... You should see what heavy looks like.

I like to touch things when I drive lol

Fake smile.

We finally made it to Barnes & Noble at The Grove and grabbed something to eat. It felt amazing seeing the authors and listening to them talk. Basically, I was starstruck. They gave away prizes that I unfortunately didn't win. And then, there were the signings :)

As you all know, I like to win books :) I won books from three out of the five authors at the event so I got them signed! I also got pictures with the authors and gave three of them my business card (picture of the card(s) will be in tomorrow's post). I forgot to give my cards to two of them (darn!). I also jotted down some quotes that I liked :)

So sweet!!! :)

"I'm a cryer."

Stairs or Elevators: "Elevators because I like awkwardness."

She hates flying.

"My favorite thing to do in books is to kill people...indiscriminately."

"I don't wanna fly - naturally or in a plane."

She loves flying.

Stairs or Elevators: "Stairs and rock hard gluts."

Very interesting to listen to :)

Love her handwriting!

Very Funny :)

"I used to be able to take pictures just by blinking my eyes. *blink*"

Stairs or Elevators: "Stairs and rock hard thighs."

Overall, it was a fun but very tiring trip. I was so tired, I accidentally ran a red light. Fortunately, there weren't many cars and they were smart enough not to drive off while my reflexes failed me. I was so scared and apologetic! I escaped unscathed, thankfully. I drove slow all the way home after that, telling myself what color the light is over and over again.

Tell me in the comments: Which authors have you met? If you haven't met any, who are you dying to meet?

Read More

New Feature: Let's Talk Friday

I was browsing my email when I saw Lauren Conrad's latest post Ladylike Laws: The Roommate Rules. I went and read it on her blog and was inspired to start a discussion feature on my blog.

So, I decided to start a new feature called Let's Talk Friday to discuss a topic for that week. Depending on my schedule or my inspirations, this feature might not go up every week, but when it does, I hope everyone will participate in the discussion!

This week's discussion is inspired by Lauren Conrad's post (obviously, lol). I want to talk about Do's and Don'ts in relation to roommates. Please note: The following are my opinion. I am in no way an expert about this topic.

Do's

• Wash your dishes after every meal.
• Flush the toilet after using it.
• Ask before taking anything that doesn't belong to you - even if the person said it's okay to do it anytime.
• Be aware of the noise level if you're having guests over.
• Check in with your roommates when you plan to have a get together.
• End the party by 10pm to allow your roommates some peace and quiet to sleep.
• Turn on the overhead fan in the kitchen when you are cooking.
• Socialize occasionally, maybe have movie or game nights.

Dont's

• Leave any door unlocked - especially the front door.
• Go into your roommate's bedroom without permission.
• Eat someone else's food unless you all decide to share.
• Leave your clothes lying around in the bathroom if it is shared.
• Wash your pets in the bath tub or the bathroom in general if it is shared.
• Be a slob and leave sanitary products wide open in the bathroom trash can if it is shared.
• Leave dirty dishes on the sink for more than an hour.
• Have guests over constantly.
• Smoke inside especially if one or more of the roommates explicitly expressed opposition to it.

Overall, as Lauren mentioned in her blog post, BE RESPECTFUL.

So there you have it. My Do's and Don'ts when you are sharing a place with people. What are YOURS? Did I forget something?

P.S. Do you like the banner?

Read More

Meme: From the Review Pile

This is my first time participating in this meme. When I saw it in a post, I thought it's a cute meme and decided to participate once in a while.

I apologize to all the authors that have given me a copy of their books and I have yet to review them. School had been hectic and I can only read as many words at a time. I'm trying to read more books this summer but my eyes are telling me I need a break.

From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.

The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

This week, I am highlighting three books.

Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.

Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.

Buy Here: Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback)



Ever since Kait Swanney could remember, the old crones of the village have been warning her to stay away from the selkies. They claim that like sirens of old, the seal men creep from the inky waters, shed their skins, and entice women to their deaths beneath the North Sea. But avoiding an encounter becomes impossible when Kait is spotted at the water’s edge, moments after the murder of a half-selkie infant.

Kait is awoken unexpectedly by a beautiful, naked selkie man seeking revenge. After she declares her innocence, the intruder darts into the night, but not before inadvertently bewitching her with an overpowering lure.

Kait obsesses over a reunion deep beneath the bay and risks her own life to be reunited with her selkie. But when she lands the dangerous lover, the chaos that follows leaves Kait little time to wonder—is it love setting her on fire or has she simply been lured?

Buy Here: Amazon (Kindle)



Twin witches Graylee and Charlene Perez agree on one rule: No dating warlocks.

Not so easy when a certain rogue warlock is convinced he and Graylee belong together and will use anything, including magic, to try and impress Gray. When Charlene’s boyfriend dumps her, she threatens to kill either herself or the girl who stole Blake. Somehow, Gray ends up dead.

A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong:

Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in Charlene’s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Only now Gray’s stuck sharing her sister’s body 50/50 in twenty-four hour shifts.

The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence. Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he’s after Gray’s invisibility spell and worse – her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever.

Buy Here: FREE Amazon (Kindle)

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
If not, would you want to read them?

Read More