Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop - September 9, 2011

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a way to connect with fellow bloggers! First, blog about Follow Friday and weekly question, then leave your name on the Linky list, and visit as many blogs as you can on the list and tell them "Hi!" in their comments on their FF post. You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Q. Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story? If so, which one??

Not that I know of. There's been many villains that I have loved reading about or respected because they're so good they give me chills. I'm too involved with good, happy endings for a villain to win. It is what they are supposed to do, be vanquished. :)



Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy-for-Books. It is a great way to connect with other book lovers and bloggers! The Hop lasts from Friday till Monday, so there is plenty of time to participate. To join in, post the Hop and weekly question to your blog, add your name to the Linky list, and start HOPPING through it!

Q. Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?

I'm very eclectic with my genres. Romance is a consistent one through all of them though. It's what I started reading way back in the day. I mainly look for good story lines with great characters. Whatever genre I could find that in, I would be happy.

Waiting on Wednesday - September 7, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!


Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Hardcover, 304 pages

Expected publication: February 14th 2012 by Walker & Co (J)

From Goodreads:

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

The tale of Robin Hood was my favorite growing up. Any cartoon, movie, or comic that involved it, I can guarantee I have read or seen it. I saw this book on a blog the other day and of course I about did a dance. Not sure that I agree with turn of events and characters, but that's why I'm so intrigued. I like the idea of a strong female lead in this. If it is done well, this book will make the epic list for me. :)

Review: 3/5 for Entwined by Heather Dixon

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Hardcover, 480 pages

Published March 29th 2011 by Greenwillow Books
Source: Borrowed from friend
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.
The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.
But there is a cost.
The Keeper likes to keep things.
Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

The beauty of the cover snagged me on this book. After I started reading it I realized that it involved A LOT of dancing. This is normally ok, but this book takes it to another level. While that is a slight annoyance, the characters make up for any and all shortcomings.

Azalea and her sisters are charming. All of the girls are the product of the King's desperate attempts to have a son to take the throne. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but Azalea has the most weight on her shoulders. She has the burden of looking after her sisters and preparing to rule as queen. She carries her role well and stands up for herself really well for someone her age. Once it is apparent things are not going to go his way, the King comes to several realizations about his daughters. I enjoyed watching their relationships grow and change throughout the book. There are several, several suitors in this book for the girls, but they just do not seem realistic. Quite a few incidents and relationships actually seem just "tacked" on or an after thought. The "Keeper" seems vague to me. I learned some information about him, but I guess I simply didn't understand him.

The plot was very odd to me. It was not bad, but it wasn't great either. It is continually slow from the beginning all the way through until the ending scenes. However, unlike others this book had the wonderful characters to carry me through and keep me interested until the end. That being said, there were several times I stopped reading and would ask myself why in the world they would feel the need to dance at a time like that. I love music and dance, but I think I just do understand that "need" for it in every aspect of life. The final scenes do a really great job of wrapping up the book. It's one of the better endings I've seen in a while.

Dixon's writing is very beautiful to me. She does an amazing job with descriptions and vivid details. It made it easy for me to imagine that I could be standing right in the middle of the story, just watching from afar. Everything right down to the dialogue between the characters felt like it welcomed my subconscious into a whole other world and experience. It is a very solid good read and I do recommend it for everyone.

It's Monday! What are you reading? - September 5, 2011

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. To be a part of it, just post what you finished in the past week and what you plan to read this week. After writing your post, go to Sheila's blog and leave you post's link on the link entry form at the bottom of the What are you reading? post.

This one's short and sweet, guys. Classes kicked into full gear this week. :)

What I read this week:


Entwined by Heather Dixon
-Review coming soon!











What I am reading now:


Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton











What's up next on the list:


Legacy by Cayla Kluver
Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz











Happy reading, friends!

Addicted 2 Novels: Little, Brown Giveaway!

If you were to get a chance, stop by and check out Addicted 2 Novels giveaway for Little, Brown books!

From Addicted 2 Novels:

Little Brown has some amazing books coming out this year, and I thought, why not share the wealth? But you're not going to win just one book. Oh, no no no...what you'll win is one book/arc that's released for every month till the new year (except January, which was replaced with a February release).

*Dark Parties by Sara Grant
*The Shattering by Karen Healey
*Bunheads by Sophie Flack
*DJ Rising by Love Maia
*Wintertown by Stephen Emond