Blog Tour- Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis

From Goodreads.com:

SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. AND SOMETIMES, THEY CHOOSE YOU...
Once, Max dreamed of a career, a home, a loving family. Now all she wants is freedom...and revenge. A witch named Giselle transformed Max into a warrior with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance. Bound by spellcraft, Max has no choice but to fight as Giselle's personal magic weapon -- a Shadowblade -- and she's lethally good at it. But her skills are about to be put to the test as they never have before....
The ancient Guardians of the earth are preparing to unleash widespread destruction on the mortal world, and they want the witches to help them. If the witches refuse, their covens will be destroyed, including Horngate, the place Max has grudgingly come to think of as home. Max thinks she can find a way to help Horngate stand against the Guardians, but doing so will mean forging dangerous alliances -- including one with a rival witch's Shadowblade, who is as drawn to Max as she is to him -- and standing with the witch she despises. Max will have to choose between the old life she still dreams of and the warrior she has become, and take her place on the side of right -- if she survives long enough to figure out which side that is....

The first book of the "Horngate Witches" series, Bitter Night is full of bloody, gruesome, and high flying adventure. I can almost say, this isn't for those with weak constitutions. Some of the injuries Shadowblades and Sunspears endure are pretty gruesome and the author is very sadistic.. in a good way! LOL. For the first book right out the gate of this series, I have to say, not bad. Not bad at all. I definitely wouldn't say fantastic or anything but not bad. There were a few nuances with the changing in viewpoints I thought was odd and there was some inconsistency with the shifting of the viewpoint that caused me to backtrack a little bit to reconfirm who's view it was. Sometimes first books in a new series can be slow with attempting to build the characters, the scenery, back stories and so forth, Bitter Night definitely didn't lull. I could easily have read this in half the time it took me if I didn't have to eat, take a shower, feed the kid, shower her, put her on the potty, ya know.. all those responsibilities and believe me, breaking away was hard for me to do.

I really like Max's character. I felt we didn't get enough of the other Sunspears and Shadowblades to decide if I liked them or not. Akemi, Oz and Niko seemed cool. I am on the fence about Alexander, he was borderline weak and kind of grated my nerves. I don't see he and Max in a romantic relationship. I can't wait to find out what's next with the Horngate, the witches, the angels, and the war..

Sooo.. Diana Pharoah Francis, when's book two coming out? :D

A thank you to Pocket Books for providing a copy of Bitter Night to read and review. Acceptance of a review copy does not affect my ability to remain unbiased and provide a truthful, honest review. I am not paid for my reviews. I am just a book lover who enjoys books, I do not attempt to be a professional reviewer. I just want to read good books. Whether I buy them or they are provided, my review will remain untainted regardless of the source.

Love this...

I love Eric! LOL

Book 5 of the Mercy Thompson series cover announced!

Patricia Briggs' 5th installment to her popular Mercy Thompson series is going to be Silver Borne! According to the author's website, Silver Borne is pending a release date of March 30th, 2010. Synopsis from Amazon.com:

All-new action in the #1 New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series

When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...

From the author's site:

This will be the fifth Mercy Thompson novel. I may be premature putting it up, but a number of people write wanting to know if Bone Crossed was the last in the series. Happily, ACE has contracted for a total of seven Mercy novels, and it's possible the series could go even longer.

Coming March 30, 2010

I can NOT wait! I am such a fan of Patricia Briggs. I am waiting for Bone Crossed to come out in paperback so I can order it. I just ordered The Hob's Bargain by her, also.

Review: The Wildest Heart by Rosemary Rogers

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

New York Times bestseller with over 3 million sold - the #1 bestselling book from mega-bestselling author.
Rosemary Rogers' romances are known for their breathtaking pace, wide ranging and exotic locales, violent passions and unforgettable characters. The Wildest Heart is Rosemary Rogers'#1 bestselling book, with nearly three million copies sold.
Heroine Rowena Dangerfield is sensual, headstrong, and scandalously independent, the granddaughter of the governor of an Indian province under the British empire. After his death, she travels to England and then to New Mexico, where she arrives in grand style to lay claim to her inheritance.
There she discovers an affinity with the wild and untamed frontier and meets Lucas Cord, a devastatingly handsome half-Apache renegade, whose reputation as a feared outlaw both attracts and repels her. When he encounters the beautiful stranger, unlike any woman he's ever met before, he knows instantly that he'll have to win her for his own, and not even the treachery of desperate enemies is going to stop him.

A sweeping, beautiful epic historical romance, "The Wildest Heart" by Rosemary Rogers kept me entranced throughout 739 pages. Yes, 739 pages. Beginning in 1872 with Rowena in India, onto 1873 when upon her grandfather's death she is sent to her mother's (whom she has never met) in London, and off to America upon her finding out her father is dying and has left her his ranch in New Mexico and a very wealthy woman. These pages take you through her life to 1878 without disappointing and no obnoxious down time. When I first saw this book, I was overwhelmed. A romance THIS long? How much can the author write about? Obviously plenty and without disappointing the reader. This is a TRUE romance in my book. Lady Rowena is beautiful, fierce, independent and strong. Her life was never easy, she is The Wildest Heart. I felt so much of a connection with Lady Rowena, dislike towards Todd Shannon, unsure about Lucas Cord and of course, I eventually fell in love with him, and all the players. I love when an author can build other characters without losing her key players. The late 1800s was a time of wild, raucous and outlaws, especially in the west. The author has woven the time period in beautifully.

Just beautiful. I say this book is worth each and every page you read. I wasn't disappointed and I am sure other readers won't be either. I will even say this, this is definitely going into my re-read pile for another round. Be prepared to be captivated through the entire book

Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing this copy for my review. Acceptance of a review copy does not affect my ability to remain unbiased and provide a truthful, honest review. I am not paid for my reviews.

Giveaway!! The Heretic's Daughter

Blurb from Hatchette Book Group:

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live.

Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft.

This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.

See the Reading Group Guide
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With an enormous thank you to Hatchette Book Group, I am able to giveaway 5 copies of The Heretic's Daughter! Yay!

US and Canada only.
No PO Boxes.

To enter: Just leave a comment to enter!

That's it! Very simple!

If you would like to earn extra entries, you can tweet, blog, post on facebook, etc. just leave me a link in SEPARATE comments. Each will be worth an extra entry!

I do not require you to follow my blog, however, I will NOT contact the winner. Winner will be notified right here on my blog and it will be up to the winner to contact ME within 48 hours of my posting the winner. Another suggestion, if you don't want to follow is you can set up a Google Alert for your username. This contest ends on December 5th. Winner will be chosen randomly by Random.org.

Merry Christmas Time!

Some of you may or may not know some of the history of my daughter Emma. I won't go in to too many details (You can also see my other Blog here!)

Too make a long story short, Emma was born a happy, healthy normal baby until she suffered a horrific act of child abuse called "Shaken Baby Syndrome" (SBS). Emma suffered SBS with a blunt force trauma. She was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for one month following major brain surgery in which a portion of her brain had to be removed, part of her skull removed, a shunt placed to keep fluid off of her brain, and just overall recovery. After the month long stay, she was moved to the Neurological Rehabilitation Unit for another month in which she endured grueling physical, occupation and speech therapies. She had to learn to eat again, to sit up again, to smile, and regain all she had lost. She ended up being put on a feeding tube as she wasn't intaking enough calories and she was inhaling most of her fluids which put her at risk for pneumonia and other lung issues. She wore a helmet, a leg brace, an arm brace and had issues with her vision due to the brain damage.

Now 5 years later, she is just starting to walk, she has cerebral palsy on the left side of her body, she is cognitively delayed, speech delayed, and no longer wears a helmet after having major surgery this last July.

One issue we have is that due to her Cerebral Palsy, she can not walk very fast. Which means not enough cardio. The best way to get that heart beating is riding a bicycle! Today we were fitted for a bicycle along with several other special needs kids. These bikes are adapted for each child's different disabilities. These bikes, however, are not covered by insurance and are very expensive. We are going to do some fundraising activities so that all the children can own a bike and lead independent lives. These bikes, as I said, are expensive. However, they will last many years, to adulthood with changing a few things (seat, handle bars, etc) in the future. I am also going to call on those in the Blogosphere for help! This is going to be Emma's Christmas gift. Since I have been unemployed, I just don't have the money. I start a job at the end of November and hope I can come up with $500.

$1 will go soooo far in this quest. Let's say through the internet we raise enough to buy Emma's bike and THEN some, the left over money will go to the pot for other kids. I am brainstorming right now.

The company that makes the bikes is going to email me the estimate and a link to set up a page for Emma for donations. I am so excited. If I can get her this bike, it will be such an AMAZING gift for her. Hours upon hours of happiness. The chance to join other kids outside, to be independent, and just be happy. Most of the kids with disabilities don't get a chance to play with other kids because their free time is spent on therapies (Physical, speech, occupational), doctors, and just to do a normal activity takes much longer. They spend so much of their time working.

I just hope that when I get the link that I can ask you all to pass it around. Like I said, $1 will be sooo huge!!!! You have no idea how GRATEFUL we will be!

Twitter Giveaways

Hi everybody!

Watch tomorrow night (want to give everybody a heads up!) on Twitter for some quick, lightening giveaways! If you aren't already following me on Twitter, be sure to do so, the link is on the left side of my page!

Up for grabs are some unclaimed books or books that the winner let me know they had already won on another site, so it's YOUR lucky night tomorrow!

Up for grabs:
2 copies of Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
4 copies of Run For Your Life by James Patterson


What I will do, as some of you may already know who have participated, I will post on Twitter something along the lines of "I have 2 copies of Nine Dragons for the first two to reply to my tweet" and I will tweet who won. You can say "I want Nine Dragons" or "Count me in", whatever. The first 2 will be the winners. I will only do one title at a time and I will give you notice of how much time is remaining for the next title. PLEASE DO NOT DM ME!!! There is a DELAY in the DMs (at least a minute) and your entry will not count!

Stay tuned tomorrow (Saturday November 7th) evening for more!!!