Review: Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett

I received this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers Group.

Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett is an incredible story.  It tells of loyalty, determination, love, fear, control, and desire.  It is the story of a girl, a shapeshifter girl, but of so very much more than that.  I am not sure what I was expecting when I opened the cover of this book, but what I got was amazing.  I fell in love with the characters.  The names, not so much - but I think there is meaning in them too.  The main character, Sive, is stronger than she could ever imagine.  It is this strength that in so many ways is both her downfall and her saving grace.  Sive is a powerful singer with a magical voice and once the Dark Man hears her, her life changes forever.  The Dark Man - obviously the villain, is everything you expect the bad guy to be, in spades.  He is treacherous and cold, cunning and evil and will stop at nothing to have the power of Sive's voice.  Sive's father is one of my favorite characters, he makes me think of my own father, those incredible men who would stop at nothing to save their children.  I would have liked to learn more about Sive and Finn's son, Oisin.   I truly enjoyed the story, although it is sad in so many ways.  I was, as I always am, hoping for the happy ending - and I wasn't disappointed.

Mini Review: Moira Rogers - Down and Dirty Series

I love Moira Rogers books - just wanted to start my post with that statement, because I didn't love this mini-series.  They are short novellas and although I have loved everything else I have read by her - these just didn't have enough story for me.
I try to do my reviews with the WWW theory.
W: Why did I pick it up? I picked these up because I love her stuff and thought I would try them.  (Why did I read all three when I wasn't loving them? Because I wanted to see if there was more story in the next one, and then the next one).
W: What did I like about it? I love the characters.  Moira Rogers always builds a character that pretty much demands that you like her.  The men are always gorgeous and the women are always strong.

W: What didn't I like about it? I didn't like that I thought there was too much sex and not enough story.
Although these weren't my favorite reads of the summer - I will still grab the next Moira Rogers book I see and read that too!

Huge giveaway from In Which A Girl Reads!

Meg at In Which a Girl Reads is hosting a gigantic giveaway!

A very humongous blogoversary contest

It's a blogerversay contest!

There will be three lucky winners who get to choose from a pile of 25 books that you see above. 

Three winners: 
1. First winner gets choice of 3 books from pile
2. Second winner gets choice of 2 books remaining in pile
3. Third winner gets choice of 1 book remaining from pile

You have to check this one out!

It's Friday and I am hoppin'! August 13 - 16, 2010

It's Friday - last Friday I got my post together and didn't get a chance to hop or follow - so this Friday I am starting earlier - it is only barely Friday - just 20 past midnight and so I am hoppin' now and hope to hop again late Friday night, early Saturday morning!  Hope you are all getting the chance to hop too!

Crazy For Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop and Parajunkee hosts the Friday Follow!

I am hoping to start posting all my reviews on Saturday - so check back and see what I have been reading!

This week the question is: How many books do you have on your TBR?  

The answer to that question is so far out my my ability to answer that it shouldn't even be funny, but it is.  I remember a time when I had a TBR stack or pile.  Now I have shelves, piles, stacks, lists, boxes, and I am so far behind in reading all the books I want to read that I fear I will never catch up.  I am sure that if I quit buying and borrowing books, blogging, working, cooking, cleaning, eating, sleeping, and having any kind of social interaction with humans - I could finish reading all the books that I have in my TBR mountain in the next say three/four years.  Of course I could be wrong.  I hope your stack isn't like that too.

I have completed the Read Your Name Challenge!!!

I used Bev At The Wormhole as my name and the books I read are:

B: Brighid's Quest by P.C. Cast (this is the sequel to Elphame's Choice and absolutely had to be read immediately upon finishing Elphame!  It too was great! finished 4/25/10)

E: Elphame's Choice by P.C. Cast - - finished April 23, 2010

V: Viper's Nest (39 Clues #7) by Peter Lerangis - finished August 11, 2010

A: Alpha Turned by K.B. Alan ----- finished April 16, 2010

T: Tainted by Julie Kenner - - - -finished May 18, 2010

T: Touch the Dark by Karen Chance - - - finished 6/10/2010

H: Hidden Queen by Alma Alexander - - finished 7/12/2010

E: Even Money by Dick Francis - - finished - 6/20/2010

W: Wings by Aprilynne Pike - finished 6/15/2010

O: Once Bitten by Kalayna Price - - - finished 6/11/2010

R: Run, Wolf: Nightfall Wolf Clans #1 by Keith Melton - - - finished 5/15/2010

M: Mind Games by Carolyn Crane - - - finished 6/8/2010

H: Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl - - - finished 5/8/2010

O: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews - - finished April 18, 2010

L: Leader of the Pack - Karen MacInerney - - - finished July 2010

E: Exposure: A Novel by Brandilyn Collins - - - finished 5/4/2010

Larissa's Birthday Bash Giveaway is HUGE!!!

Larissa is 27 today (August 11) and she is having a huge birthday blow out bash!  Her giveaway runs from August 11 until October 11, 2010!  There are loads of prizes and the possibility of even more prizes!  You should run over to her blog, Larissa's Bookish Life and check it out!