The Bookish Brunette

Book Babble: Reading Fraud

Bookish Brunette — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:22:48 +0000

BB Book Babble will be a mini mash-up version of the Time Warp posts and BB Thinking Too Hard posts – which haven’t been working out too well due to my spastic ADHD that frequently keeps me from completing any task lasting longer than TEN consecutive minutes.

Babble…

You ever feel like a complete and total READING FRAUD to non-readers???? I know, I know… Let me explain!

My hubby (Mr. Chatty Cathy on the block) is standing over by the fence CHATTING (per usual) with our neighbor. While I’m sitting about 30ft away hoping he doesn’t wave me over to be social, because I’m trying to READ.

Hubs eventually walks over *BB sighs in relief at not having been forced into an awkward situation where as I pretend to be “friendly” and use my “fake smile” while I’m actually plotting their untimely demises for having pulled me away from my book* ehhh… What what I saying? Oh yes! A fraud…

So hubs proceeds to tell me about the conversation he and our neighbor had… YES. He does. Clearly my staring at my kindle wasn’t a good enough indicator to even my dear husband to leave me alone. *sigh*

Hubs: You know what the neighbor said?

BB: If I said that I suddenly developed psychic skills and TOTALLY already know what he said, would you believe me?

*hubs gives me the “quit be a shit” look*

BB: FINE! It was surely a riveting conversation between you and the carpet cleaner. I simply MUST hear it!

Hubs: *rolling his eyes* He said that I must be super proud of you and you must be really smart because every time he sees you, you’re reading.

BB: Oh. Is he stalking me? I mean really. *turns Kindle back on*

Seriously… Yes, I’m a damn GENIUS. A freaking EXPERT in zombie fiction and smutty romance don’t you know!

Non-readers automatically assume that because we have a book in out hands, we’re “smart”. Well… I suppose that all depends on the subject at hand don’t you think??

Favs book quotes of the week…

“There’s a monster inside of me, eating little bits of me everyday and I can’t seem to stop it.”
Tasting Never (Never say Never) by C.M. Stunich

He’s as wounded as I am, and we’re both bleeding all over one another. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Tasting Never (Never say Never) by C.M. Stunich

“You find out who your real friends are when you call and tell ‘em you just accidentally killed a hooker and they show up with a shovel and a full tank of gas.”
The Other Fish in the Sea (Grab Your Pole, #2) by Jenn Cooksey

“Can you handle me? I have high expectations, you know. All us romance readers do. We’re spoiled by words.”
Losing Me, Finding You (A New Adult Biker Erotic Romance) by C.M. Stunich

Song of the week…

I’m Not Alright by Shinedown

“I like crossing the line
And slowly losing my mind
Are you ok
‘Cuz I feel fine
Maybe it’s me
I’m just crazy
Maybe I like that I’m not alright.”

Books of the week…

Random Book News…

Did you guys hear about the teacher who bought Fifty Shades of Gray for his 9th grade English student? O_o

Cover Reveal: Darkness Taunts by Susan Illene

Bookish Brunette — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:07:23 +0000

(Cover By PhatPuppy Art)

Darkness Taunts by Susan Illene (Book two of The Sensor Series)

Expected Release Date: June 30th, 2013

Melena Sanders has managed to avoid all things inhuman for most of her life, but after coming to Fairbanks, Alaska to rescue her best friend from supernaturals she hasn’t been allowed to leave. That is, until her long-time nemesis comes to collect a favor she owes him. Lucas might be half angel, but he’s all bad as far as she’s concerned.

Paying him back might get her out of town for a while, but her new destination will be anything but enjoyable. Mel’s got to help the nephilim take care of a demon possession outbreak in Juneau. Although something like this hasn’t happened for thousands of years, Lucas is certain Melena’s rare abilities are the key to solving the problem.

With violence in the capital city growing, she’s going to have to figure out how to stop it fast before the trouble spreads to other places. Not only that, but working closely with Lucas is changing the dynamics of their hate-hate relationship—worrying her even more than the demons. Getting back to her captivity in Fairbanks never looked so good.

EXCERPT for Darkness Taunts:

A vampire guard stood at his nighttime station inside. He would’ve seen me through a side window next to the door, and heard me coming before that, but it wasn’t until I entered the house that he grabbed me. I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with his crap. We’d had problems with each other ever since he’d taken the position a few months ago.

I glared at him. “Let me pass, Hagan. I have to talk to Nik.”

He tightened his fingers on my arm. “The master’s busy.”

“I’m sure he is,” I said through gritted teeth. “But this can’t wait.”

“Yes, it can.” He shoved me. I had to take a step back to keep from falling. “He shouldn’t tolerate you or any of your kind…sensor.”

Another shove and I went flying across the foyer. My head slammed into a set of medieval armor hanging on the wall. Pain exploded through my left cheek where it collided with the metal shoulder joints. It cut into my skin, not deep, but a trickle of blood came away when I pressed my hand to it. The vamp would pay for that. He’d been undead for over fifty years—too strong for me to fight hand to hand, but there were other ways.

He clucked his tongue. “Oh, did the little sensor get hurt?”

“Fuck you,” I said, stepping away from the fallen armor.

A couple of young werewolves came into the foyer to watch the show. Very few of the sups around here liked me. They knew exactly what I was, though they were compelled to keep it to themselves. Nik had imposed a policy forcing them to tolerate me, but they made their feelings known every time he wasn’t around.

I could sense the master vampire in his bedroom across the house. He’d had it soundproofed. Even with his enhanced hearing, he wouldn’t know what was going on. I’d have to resolve this problem without his help. It was about time these guys learned a lesson anyway.

I grabbed an expensive vase Nik had bought on a recent trip overseas and threw it far right of Hagan’s head. He dove to grab it. Yeah, he’d be in big trouble if the thing broke. I whipped my gun out at the same time. A vamp will never stand still for you to shoot them, but provide a little distraction—Hagan caught the vase a full foot before it would have crashed onto the shiny wood floor.

He turned over to find my .45 Sig pointed at him. I pulled the trigger. The hollow-point bullet went straight through his left eye and exploded, leaving bits and pieces of him all over the floor and walls. I tilted my head. Vamp brains looked basically the same as a human’s. Who’d have guessed? The vase fell from his limp hands, but it was sturdy enough not to break as it rolled away. At least I wouldn’t have to explain that later.

The werewolves across the foyer stood gaping at me. This was the first time I’d pulled a gun inside the house. I’d had more than enough of being bullied by these fools because of their stupid prejudices against my kind. They needed to learn there were consequences. I aimed the weapon at them next. They lifted their hands up and backed away a couple of steps.

“We don’t want trouble,” one of them said. The other guy nodded.

I glanced at the vamp on the floor. He was starting to heal, but he’d be out for at least an hour. If I shot the weres in the head they’d probably die and they knew it. Their healing abilities weren’t as good as a vamp’s while in human form.

“Then get out of my way.”

They took off without another word.

OMG I knoooow right?!?! Does Darkness Taunts sound AWESOME or what?!?! I always love a badass chick! So far I’m counting: Vamps, werewolves and demons?! Did I miss anything???

DARKNESS HAUNTS by Susan Illene (Book One of The Sensor Series)

Melena Sanders faced her fair share of danger with insurgents and terrorists when she served in the U.S. Army, but now she is about to go up against a new threat. Her best friend, Aniya, has disappeared while on a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska—a supernatural haven. Most humans have no idea darker races lurk amongst them. Mel knows better. If she wants to get her friend back, she’s going to have to go in alone—but not unarmed.

Melena has a few special skills the Army didn’t provide, but the odds are still against her. She’s got to come up with a plan fast that doesn’t involve her, or her friend, dying. But danger likes to play it rough. A war for power is about to rise in Fairbanks and if she wants to get Aniya back, she’s going to have to step right into the middle of it.

Goodreads Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Susan Illene : Instead of making the traditional post high school move and attending college, Susan joined the U.S. Army. She spent her eighteenth birthday in the gas chamber…an experience she is sure is best left for criminals. For eleven years she served first as a human resources specialist and later as an Arabic linguist (mostly in Airborne units). Though all her duty assignments were stateside, she did make two deployments to Iraq where her language skills were put to regular use.
After leaving the service in 2009, Susan returned to school to study history with a focus on the Middle East. She no longer finds many opportunities to test her fighting abilities in real life, unless her husband is demanding she cook him a real meal, but she’s found a new outlet in writing urban fantasy heroines who can.

TWITTER | WEBSITE | Facebook | Goodreads

Book Review: Until I Break by M Leighton

Bookish Brunette — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:02:15 +0000

Until I Break by M. Leighton

Published: 5/12/2013 by M. Leighton Books

“I’m intrigued. Tempted beyond what I’ve ever been before. To know her, to open her up. To break her.”

In love, sometimes what you fear most is exactly what you need.

Laura Drake is an author. She writes bestselling paranormal romances that continue to top the charts. She is sharp. She is confident. She is in control.

And she doesn’t exist.

Samantha Jansen is the woman behind the wig, the woman most of the world doesn’t know exists. She is shy. She is insecure. She is nothing like her main character or her alter ego. She is scarred—deeply scarred—by a past she can’t let go of and a present she can’t make peace with.

Samantha’s dreams are consumed by one man, the broken hero from her books. Mason Strait is both her wildest fantasy and her most terrifying nightmare.

When Samantha meets Alec Brand, a corporate consultant, it is as though Mason has come to life. Alec is handsome to a fault, as elegant as he is arrogant, and more intense than any man has a right to be.

Samantha is soon sucked into a world that mirrors the fiction she writes. Just like her main character, Daire Kirby, Samantha finds herself unable to resist the forbidden lure of Alec. And just like Daire, she also finds that she is faced with taking a chance on a man who could either set her free or destroy her.

The scale tilts toward destruction when Samantha finds out that Alec is as much a work of fiction as Mason. And he has scars of his own, scars that could ruin them both.

**This book may be read as a stand-alone, as the story of Alec and Samantha comes to a conclusion in this book**

The Bookish Brunette thought:

Samantha Jansen is timid, closed off and hides from the world. UNTIL she dons her alter ego of author of vampy awesome, Laura Drake complete with wig and the whole disguise.

“Without her facade, I’m a wallflower with scars that only I can see.”

She’s rocked to her very core, while at a book signing and in walks the man of her dreams… And nightmares. A visual double of Mason, the leading man in her books. But he is not Mason, he is Alec Brand.

“He draws my eye, my thoughts, ad some deep tragic part of my soul toward him.”

The next day while having coffee with her sister, *gasp* ALEC walks in… and says something to the effect of:

“I know you.” and Samantha just ABOUT DIES – because NO ONE (except her sister) knows about her double life… She’s like… “No you don’t.” and ALEC says…

“I want to.”

Um… Dear Alec, TAKE. Me. Now. Love, BB

Samantha is a SUPER complex chick… the kind I love to emerge myself into!

Honestly. I never thought I’d say this. Christian Gray – you have been REPLACED as the emotionally scarred, deeply broken, so exceptionally sensual, yet frightening at the same time fictional man of my heart – Alec Brand has taken up residence and made himself at home there. No hard feelings darling.

I love books told from dual and multiple point of views! So when I flipped to Chapter 2 of Until I Break and realized we’d get Alec’s POV, as well as Samantha’s, I did the “bookish jig”! Which if you’re not familiar with this, it’s a cross between Gangnam Style and the Macarena. Dude. True story!

Dear lord, seriously… I was CONVINCED – CONVINCED!!!! I tell you that Alec was going to chop Sam up into teensy little pieces and feed her body to sea turtles.

There are so many twists and turns in Until I Break, and I never saw any of them coming! I kept turning over Alec’s secrets in my head, trying to figure out WHAT he was HIDING – and I never came close.

I’m almost certain that I say this with EVERY new book I read by M. Leighton, and what can I say? She is just one of those authors… But Until I Break is M. Leighton’s best novel yet!!!

Dangerous, passionate and addictive - Until I Break is one that I’ll think of long after I finished… the characters got under your skin and all I could think is, “MORE!!!!!”

And OMG… so is ONLINE THERAPY a real thing??? Because I think I could SO benefit from some of THAT!!!

→ Check out my reviews of M. Leighton’s previous books

Cover Reveal: More by Clare James

Bookish Brunette — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:38 +0000

cover by PhatPuppy Art

More by Clare James

Expected publication: June 20th 2013

One summer.
One chance to forget the past.
One opportunity to make things right.

There’s no denying the heat between Jules Taylor and Foster Sutton. They are two wild souls with a fire burning inside. Together, they create a hot and dangerous mix of emotion and lust.

But after a terrible accident leaves one friend dead, Foster is bound by a secret that keeps him from getting closer to Jules. And he’s left with only one thing to offer her – friendship.

For Jules, her relationship with Foster is getting old. He falls down and she picks him up, but they never move forward. Their occasional hook-ups are no longer enough, and Jules vows that this is her summer to forget Foster and find love. If it were only that easy.

It seems fate is pushing Jules and Foster together at every turn. And it’s only a matter of time before they give up and give in.

MORE is the highly anticipated companion story to BEFORE YOU GO. It can also be read as a stand-alone book.

Before You Go by Clare James
Published: April 1, 2013

Paralyzed by the past and terrified of the future, Tabitha Kelly is broken.

After a public sex scandal at her college, Tabby moves to a new city with a new school, convinced she can start over. But she soon realizes the changes are not enough. Tabby must take action to help her heal and move on from the past.

And though it sounds crazy, she believes a one-night stand is the best way to take back what’s hers. If she can choose where, when, and most importantly, who … maybe she can regain control.
First, she needs a willing participant.

She finds more than that when she meets Noah Adler.

Unfortunately, she can’t go through with it. And when she tries to forget about the plan—and the guy—it becomes impossible.

Noah quickly weaves his way into her new life and her heart. But as he comes dangerously close to discovering her secret, Tabby’s at risk of losing it all.

Clare James spent her childhood, writing, reading, and dancing. Not much has changed since then, except she can no longer get up on toe shoes like she once could. And don’t even ask her to go into the splits because she may never get back up.

A new adult and contemporary romance writer, Clare loves a happy ending. She lives in Minneapolis with her two leading men—her husband and young son. BEFORE YOU GO is her debut new adult novel.

Twitter | Website

Riffle Books and Ten New Alternatives to Goodreads

Bookish Brunette — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:27:12 +0000

With Goodreads recent purchase by Amazon, it’s got lots of readers wondering what changes will be implicated…

In my opinion, it’s not even a question of IF Amazon will be making changes to how Goodreads is run – but WHEN these changes will take effect?

So in regards to this, I’ve been looking into other options!

Ten New Alternatives to Goodreads!

1. Riffle Books

Sometime last year I was invited to view Riffle Books site…

“Our hope is that influential people like you will check out Riffle early. We sincerely want to hear your criticisms. What could Riffle do for you? Can we make your life easier?”

At the time I thought,

“Oh dear God.. YES. I need another place to try to keep track of the thousands of books I’ve read… And blah blah.” Needless to say I didn’t give it much thought.

Last week I received an email saying Riffle is FINALLY up and READY TO ROCK the shit yo. Well, they didn’t say it quite like that – but you know… Not everyone has my awesome way with words.

I casually check it out… Without much enthusiasm mind you. Because honestly, do I REALLY want to re-list over 2000 books that are already cataloged and neatly organized within 20+ nifty “shelves” on Goodreads???? Eh… Not really. Dude. Because I’m LAZY.

But Riffle actually has some cool features… You can have “lists” similar to those on Goodreads (I should mention you have to SEARCH each and every book individually but…) and then embed that list onto your website like this:

Also the Riffle homepage is set up is a lot like Pinterest, which I haven’t decided if I like or dislike yet!

As far as I can see those are really the only POSITIVES to Riffle as of right now…

Now on to the Negatives concerning RIFFLE:

No “import books” option. MAJOR FAIL.
You can only have one “Currently Reading” book at a time. And since I’m CURRENTLY READING about 13… This presents a bit of an issue. *cough* Book Nazis! *cough*
As I mentioned earlier, you have to search each book INDIVIDUALLY and specifically to get anything. For example, I can’t search : “Rhiannon Frater” and get a decent list of the 20+ books that she’s written. Only five books come up per search, then you have to get REALLY specific. This is an EPIC fail for me personally.

Plus not all the books are indexed well… I tried searching Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and got a German version (with no cover) and nothing else. But I SUPPOSE it’s important to remember Riffle is still “new”…

Sources say Riffle will be adding the “Rate and Review” option in the future… but I can’t confirm.
And MOST importantly (IMO) Riffle is NOT available as a mobile app for iPad/Android! I need to add stuff on the FLY dude!!!! From anywhere and EVERYWHERE at the PUSH of a button!

Alternatively if you want to check out some other online book indexing sites:

2. libib

While I have yet to delve too deeply into this one, I can already tell that I like the simplicity of the libib set up! There’s an “import books” option on the first page, along with several informational links to get a new user going quickly!

Libib is NOT available as a mobile app for iPad/Android but is said to be working on one with no time frame in mind.

3. weRead

weRead is your own online virtual bookshelf and a great community for book lovers. Whether you love classics or popular fiction; whether you love Dickens or Dan Brown; weRead is a place where you can find others who share your reading tastes and through them discover new books that you will absolutely love.

Whats more, with weRead you can take/embed your bookshelf anywhere – on your facebook page, myspace page, your blog, even your own website.

Seems to have an extensive index of books… It recognized and listed everything I threw at it in the Search bar. Brunette is impressed!
weRead is NOT available as a mobile app for iPad/Android

4. The Reading Room

Seems to be well laid out and easily navigated with a good index of books!
The Reading Room app IS AVAILABLE FREE on iTunes | Android

5. Bookish

While Bookish boasts to have 270,000+ books and adding more everyday… I’m not impressed. The first THREE I searched came back as:

No results found for “awesome book you searched for”
Try a new search using the search box above.

Bookish has an iTunes and Android app, but it’s more of a Reader than an online “library”.

6. Book Glutton

Meh… Book Glutton looks boring from the 6.5 seconds I spent perusing it. Hey. ADHD is a bitch. Catch my attention fast or I’m headed elsewhere dude!

No Book Glutton apps are available

7. LibraryThing

Not extremely user friendly, nor very easy to navigate… But it’s not HORRIBLE.

LibraryThing boasts an app but it is more of a glorified library search than an APP for the website.

8. Shelfari

Of course if you’re looking to get AWAY from Amazon owned sites, Shelfari obviously isn’t the way to go… I’ve just never been able to REALLY get into Shelfari for some reason… No clue why, I’ve had an account forever!

No Shelfari apps yet either!

9. Collectorz

I wouldn’t even waste my time with this one… Collectorz is a books, movies & music cataloging site and it looks like to get anything productive out of it, you have to get the paid version. FAIL.

10. Thirdscribe

Thirdscribe isn’t even out of Beta yet, but it looks super interesting!

ThirdScribe is a book based social network dedicated to helping readers and authors connect.

ThirdScribe is focused on helping readers and authors form meaningful connections. To do that, we’ve provided a number of features that all work together, stacked one on top of the other. The result is something far more powerful than any one system on its own.

For Readers, this gives the ability to follow your authors across all social media in one place, filtered out from all of the noise. You can like and get information on any book or series, interact with the authors, and share your experiences. Book discussions take place at the book, not spread out across a hundred different site wide forum threads. Write reviews right there at the book page, and you can access other reviews from across the web right there as well — no need to search high and low.

For Authors, ThirdScribe provides a platform that allows your fans to quickly, clearly, and easily follow you acrossall of your social media platforms. And, it ties all of those different venues in with your book’s information, forums, pictures, reviews, and links to sales.

The end result is a book page much more capable and accessible than you’ll find anywhere else.

[from Thirdscribe's info pages]

Have you checked out Riffle Books yet?

→ Follow The Bookish Brunette on Riffle Books

Will you be searching out alternative options to Goodreads for indexing your reading lists online?

Book Review: Losing Me, Finding You by C.M. Stunich

Bookish Brunette — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:46:11 +0000

Losing Me, Finding You (Triple M Trilogy #1) by C.M. Stunich (Goodreads Author)

Published: 4/20/2013 by Sarian Royal

Twenty-one year old Amy Cross’s idea of a hot Saturday night is curling up with her favorite book boyfriend and secretly sneaking a bottle of her mother’s wine. That is, until she meets Austin Sparks, the biker boy with a past that burns like fire and a gaze she can’t look away from. Without knowing what she’s doing or why she’s doing it, Amy ends up on the road with Austin traveling from one city to another while learning things she’s only ever read about in romance novels.

At first it seems like Austin is Amy’s fantasy come true, but as their journey progresses, she starts to sense that Austin is running away from something. Amy knows that she’ll do whatever it takes to help him find himself. What she doesn’t expect is that she’ll lose herself in the process and how good it will feel to be free.

The Bookish Brunette thought:

Small town girl Amy is ACHING to break free of the strict rules and freaking CITY LIMITS of her Podunk nowhere community… When Austin and the Triple M motorcycle gang ride through, she all but begs him to take her with him…

Something about Amy breaks through all of Austin’s walls made of brick and cinder, and he before he knows it, she’s on the back of his back when they head out of town!

KUDOS to my sexy mancandy Austin for breaking out Nickelback when they left town! As if your motorcyle, leather and dirty, sweaty general badboy self wasnt enough ALL BY ITSELF… You break out NICKELBACK and cause me to *swoon* where I stand!

“Hey, Austin,” Beck calls from across the garage. “Nickelback? We’re going to listen to Nickelback? Seriously, fuck you, man.” Austin chuckles and starts the engine. [...]

“Fuck y’all. I’m Road Captain, so deal with it.” Austin kicks us off and the wind rushes around me, grasping with cold fingers.

Amy is a book lovers wet dream dude! No joke! With references to the ever hot Travis Maddox (Beautiful Disaster), Gideon Cross (Bared To You), Kellan Kyle (Thoughtless series), Ty McCabe (Finding Never), Fifty Shades of Grey… AND her countless other book boyfriends, Amy’s obvious obsessive reading habits (like sneaking JUST ONE or TWO MORE pages in the dressing room while trying on a hideous bridesmaid dress!) are of course highly appreciated by the likes of fellow fictional boy toy collectors!

“I take them both back to the bed with me and fall asleep to the black and white whispers of literary love.”

“Can you handle me? I have high expectations, you know. All us romance readers do. We’re spoiled by words.”

She is tough, spunky and has a BACKBONE! While still being caring and sweet at the same time… PERFECT!

My favorite type of romances are the ones that shouldn’t happen… Like the farm boy with nothing and the prissy princess born with a silver spoon in her mouth – running off after graduation to get married…

Or in this case … A SUPER sexy, bad boy biker (who plays Nickelback!! Shhhyea I had to throw that in again.) and a sheltered, small town chick thrown together by chance and they end up saving each other. I love it!

Losing Me, Finding You is HOT, romantic, SEXY and sweet at the same time! Perfect!

→ Loving Me, Trusting You (The Triple M Trilogy #2) is set to be released in June of 2013! No cover yet!

Book Stalking: Meet Me at the River by Nina de Gramont

Bookish Brunette — Wed, 08 May 2013 05:11:31 +0000

Meet Me at the River by Nina de Gramont

Expected pub: 10/15/2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

We can’t choose who we love…but can we choose to let go?Stepsiblings Tressa and Luke have been close since they were little…and when they become teenagers, they slip from being best friends to being something more. Their relationship makes everyone around them uncomfortable, but they can’t—won’t—deny their connection. Nothing can keep them apart.

Not even death. Luke is killed in a horrible, tragic accident, and Tressa is suddenly and desperately alone. Unable to outrun the waves of grief and guilt and longing, she is haunted by thoughts of suicide. And then she is haunted by Luke himself.

He visits only at night. But when he’s with her, it’s almost like the accident never happened. Oh, there are reminders, from the way she can only feel him when he touches the scars on her wrist, to how she can’t seem to tell him about life since he’s been gone. As long as they’re together, though, the rest…it fades away.

But during the day it is Tressa who can’t grasp hold of the people around her. The same people who never wanted her and Luke together in the first place are determined to help her move on. Determined to help her heal. They just don’t understand—one misstep, one inch forward, could leave Luke behind forever.

Nina de Gramont, author of Gossip of the Starlings and Every Little Thing in the World, writes of love that is beautiful and poetic, forbidden and radical—and utterly irresistible.

Meet Me at the River sounds AMAZING! Tragic very much in the way of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma! Nina de Gramont is sure to cause a stir with the subject matter, but I think it sounds intensely emotional!!

About Nina de Gramont – Nina de Gramont is the author of the story collection Of Cats and Men, which was a Book Sense selection and won a Discovery Award from the New England Booksellers Association. Her first novel, Gossip of the Starlings, was also a Book Sense pick. She is the co-editor of an anthology called Choice, and the author of a novel for teens, Every Little Thing in the World, which was an ALA pick for Best Fiction for Young Readers. Her next novel for teens, Meet Me at the River, comes out in October of 2013, and she is also the author, under the name Christine Woodward, of Rogue Touch, available in June of 2013. Nina’s work has appeared in Redbook, Harvard Review, Nerve, post road, and Seventeen. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and daughter.

Twitter | Website | Facebook | Goodreads

EXCLUSIVE Cover Reveal: Overfalls by Sutton Shields

Bookish Brunette — Tue, 07 May 2013 05:18:41 +0000

[cover by Claudia @ PhatPuppy Art]

Overfalls (The Merworld Water Wars #2) by Sutton Shields

Expected Release: Summer 2013

Two secret wishes. Only one will be granted. Let the Mer-Nor Games begin.

Unlike most high school seniors, Marina Valentine isn’t sweating college (she’s outlawed from even applying), the prom (she has her dream date…possibly), or graduation (though surviving to rock the ill-fitting gown is iffy). No, she’s a little preoccupied with succeeding as a walking myth post-graduation. So, when Marina awakens as the one and only Siren Savior, she thinks the tide is about to turn on the merbitch’s mer-psycho family. Unfortunately, she has issues with her flighty Savior powers, and the timing couldn’t be worse. For with the arrival of a feared foe, comes the promise of a disastrous year…and that’s an understatement.

For years, mythological beings have awaited the fulfillment of a mysterious prophecy involving Merpeople, Normals, an epic clash, and a wish that could forever change one group’s destiny. But the real trouble begins when an assassin known as The Dealer starts sending her cryptic messages written on potentially lethal playing cards.

The Dealer makes one thing very clear: someone Marina loves will die. Now, she must find The Dealer before he (or she) finds his victim. But with everyone either a suspect or a target, how will Marina be able to uncover the truth before time runs out?

Not even the Siren Savior in all her power can prepare for the devastating answers.

The cover of Overfalls is even more gorgeous than it’s predecessor! I am SO excited for the second book in the Merworld Water Wars series to be released!!! I loved FINNED so much, it was so unique and FUN! Overfalls sounds like it’s going to *edge of my seat* reading! I’m almost DYING as it is while I WAIT to find out how big of a role Manakel (the SINFULLY sexy ocean angel) plays in Overfalls!

Finned is FREE on Amazon!!!

→ Check out my review of FINNED by Sutton Shields

Finned (The Merworld Water Wars #1) by Sutton Shields

Published: November 2012

Take a fish-phobic girl, divide her by one hot merman, add a splash of his crazy ex-merbitch, and you get one stinky school year.

Sixteen-year-old Marina Valentine is a rule-stretcher in an uptight Texas seaside town. She’s hormonally challenged, curious to a fault, hates fish, and has a dating resume that makes the queen look like a slut. It’s not that guys don’t ask her out. They do. She just has an unfortunate reaction to dating—uncontrollable gags. It’s not exactly a turn on.

One by one, her oddball friends start disappearing—much to the joy of the snobby high school royals—and Marina fears she is a walking bull’s eye. Inquiries into their disappearances lead to startling, gag-worthy discoveries. Toss in an increasingly inconvenient attraction to one of the royals—who holds the key to solving the mystery…in his fin—and it’s an anti-fish girl’s worst nightmare come true. Soon, Marina finds herself at the center of a looming underwater war that’s really going to play games with her love life.

As time closes in—and the Merpeople officially come out of the ocean—Marina must choose between the lives of her friends, the future of an underwater utopia, and the life of her first love. There’s just one problem. Where does a love-shy, fish-phobic, non-mergirl even begin…especially when her enemy may be the one person she trusted above everyone else?

Finned is FREE on Amazon from 5/7-5/9!!!

I’m a dreamer, believer in the unbelievable, and author of the upcoming series The Merworld Water Wars, FINNED (Wave One).

I’m a handbag-loving gal who LOVES to watch sports–football, baseball, basketball, NASCAR, you name it. I take being a fan very seriously.

One thing I love most is trying to make people smile, even if it means making a fool out of myself (trust me, my inner idiot is bound to make multiple appearances).

I have a completely irrational fear of grasshoppers, worry that piranha may secretly lurk in lakes, and try to find the bright side in everything, even if I annoy myself doing so.

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Book Review: Bare It All by Lori Foster

Bookish Brunette — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:32:59 +0000

Bare It All (Love Undercover #2) by Lori Foster

Published: April 30th 2013 by HQN

“A cop’s craving to know more about the woman next door could prove fatal in the steamy new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster”

As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it…until the sexy cop next door comes knocking.

Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice’s secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire-and into the line of fire….

The Bookish Brunette thought:

FIRST… Bare It All is a 2-for-1 – it’s book 2 in the Love Undercover series, and book 5 in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series. I haven’t read any of the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor books, so I hope I didn’t miss any vital information!

I loved Run the Risk (Love Undercover #1), Logan and Pepper were awesome characters, soI was super excited to see them show up in book 2… and this is where we first met Reese!

Here’s a snippet from my review of Run the Risk:

Reese is a fellow cop and Logan’s partner. Alice, one of his neighbors is an EXTREMELY intriguing character, who is obviously harboring some massive secrets of her own. Dash is Logan’s super hot, totally carefree brother. And Rowdy Yates is Pepper’s brother.

Honestly I had forgotten just about everything from Run the Risk, but Lori Foster quickly filled in the gaps for me! Bare it All picks up the DAY after Run the Risk ended and Reese wakes up in an awkward position in Alice’s apartment!

Alice Appleton is an absolute mystery to her neighbor, Detective Reese Bareden, and he wants her BAD… but she’s got secrets that she may not be ready to tell.

It comes out that she took down a freaking HUMAN TRAFFICKER (ahem… Badass!), and I’m assuming this must have actually happened in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series – so this means that if you haven’t read that series, you really won’t be lost! I got along just fine!

I adore contemporary romance and no one does it better than Lori Foster! Bare it All has it all – super hot men, humor, lots of action and steamy sex!!!

I just have to add how much I freaking LOVED Rowdy! I caught the beginnings of his smexiness in Run the Risk, but it was still too early for me to decide! I’ve DECIDED – yum.

→ Check out my review of Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accardo

Books in the Love Undercover series:

Run the Risk (Love Undercover, #1) - 2012 [Check out my review of Run the Risk]
Bare It All (Love Undercover, #2; Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor, #5) - 2013
Getting Rowdy (Love Undercover, #3) - 2013
Dash (Love Undercover, #4) - 2014

Book Stalking: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Bookish Brunette — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:02:16 +0000

Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard

Expected publication: January 2014 by Amulet

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole. She was crowned Queen of the Red Court and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the boy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly appealing Morpheus. Now all she has to do is graduate high school.
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.
Could she leave Jeb and her parents behind again, for the sake of a man she knows has manipulated her before? Will her mother and Jeb trust her to do what’s right? Readers will swoon over the satisfying return to Howard’s bold, sensual reimagining of Carroll’s classic.

Let’s just be honest here…

FIRST: I have been waiting for the sequel to Splintered since I finished reading the very LAST page… I can’t even explain how excited I am for Unhinged!

SECOND: A.G. Howard has the MOST GORGEOUS book covers that I’ve EVER seen in Splintered and Unhinged! I am literally speechless!

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Published January 1st 2013 by Amulet Books

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.