Reading Marathon!

This is me! Okay it's not really me, it's a picture I found on the internet, but this is how I feel.

I have been so excited about upcoming books and tours that I find myself in a sea of books!

Funny, I always thought I would be happy drowning in books, but alas, be careful what you wish for.

So...stay tuned for my own personal reading marathon.

I have 14 books to read, review, and host in the next 21 days.

It will be a fast month with all those titles!

This is what you lovely followers have to look forward to:

Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen

Gift of Illusion by Richard Brown

Raie'Chaaelia by Melissa Douthit

Shades of Grey by L.M. Pruitt

Indian Summer by Emily Cale

Vampire's Curse by S.J. Wright

Silver Moon by Stacey Thompson-Geer

Resurrection by Boone Brux

Paradise 21 by Aubrie Dionne

Huber Hill and the Dead Man's Treasure by B.K. Bostick

Burden of Blood by Wenona Hulsey

Picture Perfect by Deena Remiel

Forts: Fathers and Sons by Steven Novak

Beautifully Broken by Sherry Soule

(and a blog tour for Lacey Weatherford and Blood of the White Witch)

So..........wish me luck, time to sleep as well as read, and sense for next month!

I am looking forward to all the stories!!!

Review: Lucky Charm by Marie Astor

Lucky Charm by Marie Astor

*I received this book (digital copy) in exchange for an honest review and participation in the blog tour.  The blog tour is being hosted by The Bookish Snob Tours.

You can buy your own copy HERE.

Amazon Product Description:
Twenty-eight-year old Annabel Green is about to tie the knot with her college love, an aspiring author Jeremy Blake, but her plans for an ideal wedding are rudely interrupted when she catches Jeremy kissing his gorgeous book agent.

Shell-shocked by Jeremy’s betrayal, Annabel retreats into the quiet routine of TV dinners and solitary evenings. It is then that Annabel’s best friend, fashion designer Lilly Clayton, sets herself on a mission to draw Annabel out of her shell. In an attempt to persuade Annabel to keep an open mind on dating, Lilly takes Annabel for a stunning makeover, but after Annabel passes on a date with a dashing entrepreneur, Lilly decides that more drastic measures are needed. Lilly invites Annabel to see a palm reader who gives Annabel a lucky charm that is supposed to help her find true love.

A few weeks later, during her trip to Paris, Annabel meets a handsome Parisian, and as the two embark on a whirlwind romance, she starts to believe in the power of the talisman the palm reader has given her. But what Annabel doesn’t know is that Lilly is hiding a secret that could unravel her faith in her newly found luck in love.


My thoughts:
   This was my first Marie Astor read.  I was pleasantly surprised by dynamic and charismatic characters set in a modern day world.  There was just the right amount of "girl power" to balance out the underlying theme of the cheating P.O.S. boyfriend/finance/husband. 
   The storyline and plot are not complicated or intricate, but they do flow smoothly and I found myself emotionally invested in the characters right away.  
   Any woman who has ever had a bad relationship can spot Jeremy for the loser he is from the go just as we can spot Etienne as the prince charming who will totally sweep Ann off her feet.  Paige is a wonderful character, the kind of go-getter, self-starter we all wish we could be.  
   One of my favorite aspects of the story is that all the women are honest.  I don't mean honest, as in they always tell the truth during the book, but honest in their representation of "real" women.  There is no one character that stands out as NOT an accurate comparison to the real deal.  Each of the characters is flawed in some way - lending them to become real to the reader!  
   This is a short story so the fact that everyone begins relationships and falls in love in a few pages isn't a draw back for me.  I can see a lot of personal healing going on in the story and found myself cheering for all the new happy couples!
    I enjoyed the story very much!  Be sure to go check it out.

Coming soon...

FLAME OF SURRENDER (The Ferryman and The Flame #1)
by Rhiannon Paille

The boy who follows death meets the girl who could cause the apocalypse.

Krishani thinks he’s doomed until he meets Kaliel, the one girl on the island of Avristar who isn’t afraid of him. She’s unlike the other girls, she swims with merfolk, talks to trees and blooms flowers with her touch. What he doesn’t know is that she’s a flame, one of nine individually hand crafted weapons, hidden in the body of a seemingly harmless girl.

Nobody has fallen in love with a flame until now. She becomes Krishani’s refuge from the dreams of death and the weather abilities he can’t control. Striking down thousand year old trees with lightning isn’t something he tries to do, it just happens. When the Ferryman dies, Krishani knows that he’s the next and that a lifetime of following death is his destiny.

And Kaliel can’t come with him. The Valtanyana are hunting the flames, the safest place for her is Avristar. Krishani can’t bear to leave her, and one innocent mistake grants the Valtanyana access to their mystical island. They’re coming for Kaliel, and they won’t stop until every last living creature on Avristar is dead. She has to choose, hide, face them, or awaken the flame and potentially destroy herself.

Winners!

Congrats to the giveaway winners!

The Undertaker by William F. Brown 

Winner: Meredith M!

Summer Blog Hop Winners:

International winner: 

Fiona C

US winners:

Shannon J (set 1)

Aimee M (set 2)

Gloria S (set 3)

***emails have been sent - books are being shipped!

Thanks to all who entered!

I'm on a cover jacket!!!!

I'm so excited!!! I am being quoted!

The book is fantastic - you can read my review HERE!

My blurb is the bottom corner above the word HERE - - - this is what it says!

"Joanne creates

wonderfully thought out

characters and places them

in a world that has been

built with imagination and

focus. The attention to

detail can be seen in all

aspects of the story, and

because of it the story

comes alive. This book will

draw you in and not let go

until the end!"

Beverly, The Wormhole

http://goo.gl/34QvR

It's Saturday!

I have been out of town for a couple days - NO internet, NO cell reception....I thought it would be heaven...NOT so much.  I was shocked at how much I missed technology and my blog.  I am pleased to be home and at my laptop so I can get back to my own small world.  

Thanks to Felicia @ Geeky Bloggers Book Blog - The Fallen: Demon arrived while I was gone!!! Can't wait to read it!!!

Thanks to Carolyn Gibbs, author, for Tuesday's Child  - it has arrived for review!

I heard the sad news about L.A. Banks and bought some of her books as a tribute ~ she will be missed. 

The Hunted, Left for Undead, Cursed to Death, Undead on Arrival, Bite the Bullet, Bad Blood, Minion, Never Cry Werewolf, and The Awakening.

What have I been reading?

I recently finished The Undertaker by William F. Brown.  You can read my review HERE.

I listened to The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks in my Jeep (I didn't think I would cry again as I have read the story in print form and this was the abridged audio version, but of course I did.  Tears streaming down my face as I am driving down the interstate alone in my redneck jeep - caught a few looks!)

I am currently listening to The Host by Stephenie Meyer while I drive - I have already read this one too, but I like books on long trips and this one wasn't finished when I got home last night.

I am READING Forts: Fathers and Sons by Steven Novak 

and The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen