Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! (90)

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. for help with the title.




(Staring At It by Safetysuit.)

*happy sigh* This song just makes me feel good.

What do you guys think of it? What are you listening to this week?
Peace and cookies,
Laina

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! (89)

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. for help with the title.

I noticed I've been a bit mushy with the music lately. So how about something that's just fun?

Ah, if you're under, like, 15 or so and/or your parents have rules about some music... well, I'm not saying to listen while they're not home, but use your own judgement, okay? Okay.



(Mirrors by Natalia Kills.)

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Waiting on Wednesday (109)

Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by the lovely Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Cold Fury by T. M. Goeglein - To be released July 24th, 2012

Sara Jane Rispoli is just a normal sixteen-year-old girl coping with school and a developing crush— until her parents and younger brother are kidnapped, and she discovers her family has been a key figure of Chicago’s Outfit (aka the mob) for decades. Her father, grandfather and great grandfather all used their special ability, cold fury, to settle disputes between the two mob factions—the muscle and the money. And unless Sara wants the mob to think her now missing family has turned state’s evidence, she will have to fill her father’s shoes as the mob’s peacemaker, using her own cold fury.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Why I want to read this: MOB, people. Seriously, how often do you read about that in YA books? (Besides Gordon Korman's Son of the Mob books.) Plus, seriously, she looks like she could kick some freaking butt.


Dangerous Boy by Mandy Hubbard - To be released August 30th, 2012

Harper’s new boyfriend Logan Townsend is everything she never knew she always wanted—tall, muscular, with tousled brown hair that falls effortlessly around his face. But what’s most exciting about Logan is that he’s exhilaratingly dangerous, and dating him allows Harper to say, “buh bye” to her good-girl past and “hello” to newfound adventure.

There’s only one problem with Harper’s otherwise heart-stopping romance: Logan’s twin brother Daemon. Harper knows he’s a bad seed, but she tries to look past his dark, icy stare and his chilling demeanor. After all, he and Logan are a package deal.

Then cow bones start appearing in people’s mailboxes, a flock of birds show up dead, and all of the cars in the senior parking lot are given flat tires—and covered with blood-red handprints. Logan insists that Daemon isn’t involved—sure, he’s had some trouble in the past, but they moved to Harper’s quiet northwest Washington town so that they could both start over.

Harper desperately wants to believe Logan, but the more he tries to protect his brother, the more she wonders what she isn’t being told. Now, Harper must unearth the hidden secrets of the mysterious Townsend brothers’ history if she and Logan are to have any hope of a future. But learning what brought Logan and Daemon to town won’t put just her heart in jeopardy... She’s playing with her life.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Why I want this: I'll give you three guesses. ;)

So what are you guys waiting on this week?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! (88)

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. for help with the title.

I had a really hard time deciding between this song and another by them but I decided to go with this one because it reminds me of characters in one of my books.



(Falling for You by Seabird.)

So what do you guys think? Is this song totally swoon-worthy or what?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Waiting on Wednesday (108)

Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by the lovely Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield - To be released July 5th, 2012

On the night of Becca’s high school graduation, the discovery of an unidentified dead girl left to bleed out on the side of a dirt road sends the town—and Becca—into a tailspin. Becca has always longed to break free from her small home town, but as the violence of the outside world creeps into her backyard, she withdraws and retreats inward, paralyzed for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson’s life are intercut with Becca’s own coming-of-age summer, unfolding into the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and tense romantic relationships as the summer’s tumultuous events twist Becca closer and closer to the truth about Amelia’s murder.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Why I want this: I think we all know by now how I feel about mysteries. Plus romance, yay!

Next up we have:


Survive by Alex Morel - To be released August 2nd, 2012

Jane runs away from Life House, a facility for kids with mental health disorders and addictions. She boards a plane to Montclair, New Jersey, though her destination does not matter—she doesn’t plan to be alive when the plane lands. Jane has planned the perfect suicide: she’ll fall asleep on the plane and never wake up. As she’s reaching for her pills in the cabin’s bathroom, the plane hits turbulence. Another jolt, and the engine’s down. The plane crashes into the mountains of Montana, and Jane and a boy named Paul are the only two survivors.

What starts out as a death mission quickly becomes a fight for life.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Why I want this: I actually just read a book where the characters were in a plane crash and stranded in the mountains. It was really, really good and this one sounds just as exciting. I can't wait to read it.

So what are you guys waiting on this week?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! (87)

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. for help with the title.



(So Contagious by Acceptance.)

This song is just... *happy sigh* Yeah.

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Waiting on Wednesday (107)

Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by the lovely Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Lucid by Ron Bass and Adrienne Stolz - To be released July 19th, 2012

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different - except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Why I want to read this: It sounds really, really good, and isn't that such an interesting concept?


Auracle by Gina Rosati - To be released August 7th, 2012

On the surface, there’s nothing remarkable about Anna Rogan: She gets average grades, she’s not especially fashionable, she spends most of her time just hanging out with her best friend Rei.

But Anna does have a remarkable secret: she has the ability to do astral projection. She uses her out-of-body experiences to explore the universe, until one day when there’s an accident at school and her classmate Taylor gets into her body.

Now Taylor’s using her new identity to accuse an innocent boy of murder and she shows no signs of leaving Anna’s body. The only person who knows Anna’s secret is Rei, and as her feelings for Rei grow she must face a future where they can never touch... unless they can get find a way to get Taylor out of Anna’s body, stop the murder trial, and discover the true nature of Anna’s power.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Why I want to read this: It just sounds really, really good and kinda fits with the other one, doesn't it? Which I always like because I'm uts.

Anyways, what are you guys waiting on this week?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

YA Review: The Family Greene

The Family Greene by Ann Rinaldi

Published: May 24th, 2010 for the hardcover, November 15th, 2011 for the paperback.
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Binding: Paperback
Page Count: 250, including the Author Note and Bibliography
Part of a series? I don't think so, no.
Amazon link.

Summary (from the back of the book but here's a goodreads link for you): Cornelia, daughter of General Nathanael Greene, is fed up with the gossip about her mother, Caty Littlefield Greene, whose husband was second in command to George Washington during the American Revolution, was known for lifting the spirits of the troops at Valley Forge when she was a beautiful young bride. But her daughter Cornelia knows that rumors of Caty's past indiscretions are hurtful to her adored and loving father, and she confronts her mother with her accusations. Caty claims that she's just a flirt, and that flirting is a female necessity - a woman's only means of power.

Yet Cornelia's concern with her mother's reputation fades to the background when her jealous older sister tells her that Nathanael Greene is not actually her father. As Cornelia searches for the truth, her unexpected discoveries lead her to a new understanding of all the messy, hurtful, embarrassing, and wonderful things that family entails - and the ever-increasing power of love.

Review: I'm going to start to by saying I did not like this book. If that's not your thing, that's fair enough. This also might get a bit spoiler-y. If that bothers you, that's also fair. If you want to, you can totally skip this review. I honestly don't mind at all. Go ahead if either of those bother you.

*waits*

*whispers* Are they gone?

Okay, to start with, you guys read the blurb/summary, right? Who would you think would be the main character of the book? Cornelia, right?

Wrong.

The book opened with a 3-page third person prologue about Caty at 10 years old. Okay. I wasn't too put out by that. It was a prologue, right? So I kept reading because, hey, prologue, no big deal.

Chapter One was first person told from... Caty's POV. At 10 years old. The first chapter was literally the same day as the prologue. Why did there need to be a POV shift? Why? I just really did not understand that at all.

In the first 50 pages, 8 years passed. Over those 8 years, Caty got sent away to live with her aunt and uncle, was courted at age 10 by a 22 year old man (I realize these were real people and it really happened, but, still, ew), got married at 18, got pregnant, and followed her husband to live with him at his military camp.

Then we got to Part 2 at page 83. Part 2 (and the rest of the book) is told in first person by Caty's daughter, Cornelia. The back blurb becomes relevant at page 125.

Confused yet?

Yeah, me too. Let's move on, shall we?

Plot: I don't even know. After a bit, I got so confused. Honestly, stuff just happened and I was so confused. So, so confused. My head hurts just thinking about it.

Characters: I was not fond of many of these characters. So this is going to be a bit long.

Caty annoyed me, both as a child and as an adult. When she was ten, she did not sound like a 10 year old. Honestly, she sounded like a 16 year old and I kept checking to see if she had suddenly aged, but, no. She was 10 for 40 pages, then 18 by page 50, and her voice NEVER changed. She hit about 19 or 20 before the POV change and nothing changed in her voice after all.

Here's an example:

We walked up the cliff. I hugged the cat and the spyglass and Sarah held fast to a birdcage she had found. But there was no bird in it.

It's like we're all walking around with empty birdcages, I thought, looking for the bird we want to put in them. Some get the bird. Some never do.

What 10 year old talks like that??? And what does that even mean?

Frankly, Caty annoyed me. She was overdramatic in a way that would have been appropriate for a 10 year old if she had sounded like a 10 year old. But she sounded like a 16 year old and it drove me nuts. And she was overdramatic about the weirdest, dumbest things. The discovery of her married aunt being in love and possibly having an affair with Benjamin Franklin was apparently Kosher with Caty, but try to get her to learn to spell and it was the end of the world.

*sigh* She just annoyed me so much. Even when it switched to Cornelia's POV, she annoyed me.

Also, as for Nathanael... what 22 year old "courts" a 10 year old? I get that it was 1764, but still. It's icky, right? Right?

Moving on now. In the beginning of Cornelia's POV, Caty is 7 months pregnant with her 6th child. They have an 11 year old, a 9 year old, an 8 year old (Cornelia), a 7 year old, and a 2 year old. Caty chases Cornelia, falls and goes into early labor. The baby is born too early and dies. Which is horrible, obviously, but Cornelia's older sister Martha makes Cornelia believe that it's her fault because Cornelia had skipped school and that was why Cady was chasing Cornelia. And apparently that makes it the 8 year old's fault.

And why was Cornelia running, do we think? Well, maybe it had something to do with this:

"And afterward, Mama, who was so quick to slap, or pick up a switch and spank, did nothing."

This is taken from later in the book, but, still.

I could go on, but I'm going to let it go now or we're be here all day.

PG-13 stuff: Not a lot of graphic stuff or language, but there were so many affairs that I lost track of who was boiinking who. But nothing more than kissing ever happened on page.

Cover comments: It's a very pretty cover. It's what attracted me too the book in the first place. (I'm a bit shallow like that.) I wonder how historically accurate it is, though, for the time period. (American Revolution.)

Conclusion: I feel horrible for saying this, but this book did nothing for me. I didn't like most of the characters besides Cornelia and a couple of her siblings, the voice didn't overwhelm me, I have no idea what was going on with the plot, and even though it was historical fiction, it felt unrealistic. All in all, I would not recommend this one unless you're a die-hard historical fiction fan. 1 and 1/2 roses.

Other notes:

Nothing funny this time, sorry!

Peace and cookies,
Laina

In My Mailbox (37 Part 2 - Makeup)

Obviously, In My Mailbox is from The Story Siren (inspired by Alea) and is usually books, but I'm going to "borrow" it to do a makeup post. Because it's my blog and I can :P

You guys all know I love elf makeup. And I got an AWESOME deal this time. See, I had to renew my anti-virus (which has its own long story I'm not going to go into), so I bought a Visa giftcard because the anti-virus company doesn't take Paypal if you live in Canada and I don't have a credit card or access to one. I always get extra on it because of taxes and stuff, and once everything was over and done with, I had about 10 dollars left on it. So I bought a 10 dollar elf giftcard with it.

Then I had a $50 Visa giftcard that I'd gotten for Christmas and been saving and I used that plus a buy one, get one 50% off coupon and all in all I only spent $10 of my own money! (Plus a little bit of the leftover giftcard that my order didn't use goes to an Amazon.ca gift certificate for myself.) And wait until you see how much STUFF I got.

(If you want to make any of the photos bigger, just click them.)

Okay, first of all, you know that ten dollar gift card I bought? They sent me this as a thank-you:

It's a Studio Lipstain. It costs $3. They sent me a $3 gift for a $10 giftcard order. How COOL is that?? This colour is called First Date. It's really hard to tell because my lighting was horrible, but it's a superbright pink that I'm not sure I'll ever wear but it's still kinda cool. I'll definitely play with it and I do really like the formula of the stain.

Now here's my actual order of stuff I picked:

LOOK AT THE BOX OF AWESOME. Apparently this is a medium box. I'm scared to know how much stuff you'd have to buy to get a large box.

This is how they pack the stuff. I actually like these bags. You sometimes get little ones, too. This is weird, but they're handy. And bubblewrap!!

This is everything I ordered. The entire order cost about 60 dollars, but I got 35 things, and the shipping itself was $15. (But with my BOGO code, I got around 15 dollars off, so, basically, free shipping. And again, I only spent 10 dollars of my own money that I had considered spent anyways. It's not as bad as it sounds, honest.)

Let's do this backwards of Eyes, Lips, Face, okay?

First, brushes:

The one on the left is Essentials Concealer Brush. I have one of these, but I wanted another because mine's getting a bit worn. (One dollar.)

The one on the left is the coolest thing ever. It's the Studio Retractable Lip Brush. You take the cap off, put it on the handle, and the brush slides out. SO COOL. (Three dollars.)

Nail polish:

Elf has apparently reformulated their nail polish, which is good because the old formula kinda sucked. I only got two because I didn't want to have a ton of nail polish I hated. Plus I have a ton of nail polish already. (2 dollars.)

Lip stuff:

Five Essential Lipticks in Voodoo, Captivating, Sociable, Posh, and Gypsy. These aren't AMAZING, but they're good, and I like that I can try different colours without wasting a lot of money if it looks horrible. I'm not a huge lip gunk person, so that's really good for me. (One dollar each.)

Studio Lip Balm spf15 in Peach. This is minty, too. I like it. It's a bit bright which would be good for summer, but I'd like to try it in Pink and Nude, too. It's not a bad colour and I can wear it, it's just a bit bright. (Three dollars.)

Studio Minty Lip Gloss in New York City. I wasn't expecting to like the whole mint thing but it turned out to be cool. Makes your lips all tingly. And I adore the names of this whole line. There's New York City, Houston, Boston, etc. New York is a bit red for me because I'm a wimp, but I want to try Boston. (Three dollars.)

Two Super Glossy Lip Shines in Pink Pop and Party Peach. I love the way these smell and they're good lip gloss. My only problem is I lose them all the time. But then again, I lost a kiddie pool once. I have all the colours except for like two. They also have spf 15 so that's neat. (One dollar each.)

Mineral Moisturizing Lip Tint spf 8 in Pink. This is a pretty nude colour. I like it, but it can be a bit pale for me. I'll probably try another colour next time I order because it's so easy and it doesn't bother me to wear like lipgloss sometimes does. (3 dollars.)

Last, I got an Essential Hypershine Lipgloss in Flirt as a free gift for referring three people to elf. I *love* this colour and the texture of the gloss is great. Plus, this one didn't break like the other twisty gloss I got from them once did. So, yay. (1 dollar, but I got it free.)

(First row of picture: All lipsticks. Second row: Studio lip balm, Studio Minty Lipgloss, Hypershine lipgloss, Super Glossy Lip Shines, Mineral Lip Tint.)

Face stuff:

Studio Blush and Bronzing Duo. I basically have this in a mini-makeup kit thingie I have, but I wanted a smaller version of it to fit better in my normal makeup bag. (Three dollars.)

Essential Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight. I don't know if I LOVE this, but it's okay. (One dollar.)

Studio Cream Blush in Heartbreaker. This I DO love. It's so fast for the days when I'm ridiculously pale and I don't have time to put on foundation and everything. (For some reason, powder blush doesn't show up well on my skin when I'm not wearing foundation. Doesn't matter the colour or brand. I think it's my skin.) If you're wondering, this isn't really a CREAM. It's more like a mousse. I've only played with Maybelline's Dream Mousse foundation a bit in the store, but I think it's a lot like that. It's not greasy at all and I think it's awesome. (Six dollars but it's huge and will last me forever because you hardly have to use any.)

Eyes stuff!

Obviously, eye stuff is my favourite :P

Top row:

Three waterproof eyeliner pens in Hunter Green, Purple, and Teal. I tried these before a long time ago and didn't like them, but I heard they got better. Then there were new colours and they were only a dollar... so I decided to try them. I've heard these can be a bit hit or miss, but for a buck, I didn't care.

I'm glad to say they ones I got are much improved!! The tips are thinner and the colours are way better than the other ones I tried. I have black, midnight, and plum and they all look basically the same. These actually look like COLOURS. They seem to have a bit more lasting power. I used Teal yesterday and I still have blue around my eyes from yesterday because it didn't all come off last night and I was too tired to care about it. (One dollar each.)

Three Brightening Eyeliners in Exotic Green, Teal, and Exotic Purple. This is okay liner. It smudges a lot, but I'm okay with that. (One dollar each.)

Studio Cream Eyeliner in Golden. I have this in black, midnight (dark blue that looks black) and purple from an older order. Purple is my favourite of those three, but I want to try Gunmetal, Ivory, Teal Tease and Punk Purple. I haven't played with this one much, but I think I'll like it. Gold looks good with my eye colour because they have blue mixed into whatever weird colour they are. Some browns do, too, but not all. Anyone who says all shades of brown look good on all shades of blue eyes is WRONG. Trust me. (Three dollars.)

Studio Single Shadow in Purple Passion. This is pretty sheer. I was expecting it to be brighter. It's not bad, though, just not what I was expecting. (Three dollars.)

Essential Shimmer Eyeliner in Iconic Ivory and Black Bandit. These were the only two I didn't own and I wanted them XD (One dollar each.)

Studio Kohl Eyeliner. It only comes in black and, admittedly, I'm not a huge black eyeliner wearer, but... this hasn't impressed me much. As soon as I opened it, the tip of the pencil fell off. Then when I tried it on my hand, it stained my skin really badly. (Three dollars.)

I bought three Brightening Eye Colors in Brownstone, Noveau Neutrals, and Ocean Dreams. I now own every one of these except for Butternut. (Next time.) I adore these eyeshadows. (One dollar each.)

Last of these is a Duo Eye Shadow Cream in Sugar Cookie. I use these as eyeshadow bases a lot as well as to line my eyes with a powder over top. This is the one I use the most so I figured I'd buy a backup of it. (One dollar.)

This next picture isn't makeup, exactly, but I wanted to share it:

Those cotton pads are what I take my makeup off with. You guys have no idea how glad I was to get new ones. My last batch was, like, defective and they were SUPER fluffy and I kept getting pieces of cotton in my eyes which hurts like crazy.

I found a toner for three dollars on clearance and I'm not entirely sure when you use toner or what it does, but I've heard they're good and it was three dollars, so I bought it.

Okay, now have you guys heard of these lip balms? They're called EOS. I had heard about them because I follow makeup blogs and stuff, and everyone said they were good. Then someone said that they were amazing enough that they paid like six dollars for them because apparently they're kinda hard to find in Canada. I remembered seeing them when I was looking at the makeup in this store in my town, so I went to see how much they were. Turned out, they were like three dollars. So I got two, Sweet Mint and Summer Fruit.

(Also, skincare does not count as makeup because I am not allowed to buy more makeup for myself until April. And April is only because there's a foundation I want for spring/summer and I have a coupon that expires in like June, but I'll have a bit of money in April, hopefully.)

Now, the real reason I wanted to include these is I really liked the close-up pictures I took of them. I was in the living room and the lighting was great. And I LOVE my camera. *hugs camera*

This is Sweet Mint. And it smells/tastes EXACTLY like candy canes and makes your lips tingly for a minute which is neat. The lip balm itself is a bit matte and not super glossy so that might be good for guys. Or if you just hate shiny lips. It's organic and stuff too, and three bucks isn't bad. (Chapstick is like 2.50 at my pharmacy. They overcharge like whoa.) I wouldn't say it's SUPER moisturizing, but it's still good. And to be fair, my lips are super dry.

I *cough* turned on the macro setting of my camera and kinda love this picture. I'm probably weird, but if you guys remember my old camera and pictures... this is a very good picture for me.

I can't quite place what Summer Fruit reminds me of. Maybe like melon a bit? I don't know, but I like it, too. I totally just wanted to show off this picture and that's the only reason for this part of the post.

So, did any of you stick around through this whole insanely long post?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

In My Mailbox (37)

In My Mailbox is brought to us by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea.

Holy heck, I haven't done one of these in forever. I haven't gotten a ton of books in the mail lately and I don't really like doing library books in IMMs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, of course, it's just that if it's in an IMM, my brain creates unreasonable expectations for me. Which I could do without.

Anyways, here's what I've gotten lately.

Won from contests:

The Girl in the Steel Corest by Kady Cross - Hardcover

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch...

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help-and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her.

(Summary from goodreads.)

I won this from the Epic Rat. I had a choice of books and I AGONIZED over which one to choose. Seriously, it took me SO LONG to pick because there were so many. But I definitely think this was a very, very good choice.

Hexed by Illona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorm, Allyson James, and Jeanne C. Stein - Paperback

Four of the bestselling names in romance and fantasy come together in this collection of thrilling novellas featuring powerful women who know how to handle a hex or two...

New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews spins "Magic Dreams." Shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau finds herself in deep waters when she must challenge a dark being to a battle of wits or risk losing the man for whom she secretly longs.

In "Ice Shards," New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn returns to the Otherworld as Iris Kuusi, a Finnish house sprite, journeys to the frozen Northlands to confront the crazed shadow of her former lover and break the curse that is keeping her from marrying the man she loves.

National bestselling author Allyson James takes you to Magellan, Arizona, where Stormwalker Janet Begay and her friends are trapped by a powerful curse. It will take every bit of magic simmering beneath her skin for the Stormwalker to survive being "Double Hexed."

From national bestselling author Jeanne C. Stein comes "Blood Debt," in which bounty-hunter-turned-vampire Anna Strong is visited by three witches who ask her to right an old magical wrong. Anna will have to live up to her last name to make it through alive.

(Summary from goodreads.)

I won this one from Mireyah who I love and adore.

Other:

Skin Game by Ava Gray - ARC

Kyra is a con woman and a particular kind of thief. She steals with a touch, but she only takes one thing: her target’s strongest skill. Which means she can be a fighter, an athlete, a musician, an artist—anything she wants… for a limited time. Heartbroken, she turns her gift toward avenging her father’s murder; with deadly patience, Kyra works her way into casino owner Gerard Serrano’s inner circle. After pulling off the ultimate con, she flees with his money and his pride.

Reyes has nothing but his work. Pity for Kyra, he’s the best and mercy never sways him once he takes a job. He’s been hired to find out where Kyra hid the cash—and bring her back to face Serrano’s “justice.” Dead will do, if he can’t locate the loot. He’s never failed to complete a contract, but Kyra tempts him with her fierce heat and her outlaw heart. So Reyes has a hell of a choice: forsake his word or kill the woman he might love.

(Summary from goodreads.)

You guys know how Headless Girl covers are a thing in YA? Headless Guy covers are a thing in romance.

Beyond the Shadows by Jess Granger - ARC

Commander Yara has spent years living without the distraction of caring for anything - or anyone. It's a sacrifice she's willing to make. Yara has honed herself into the perfect heir to the Azralen throne, but a bloody coup could destory everything she's worked so hard for. She must return home quickly to prevent war, but the only ship available belongs to an Earthlen trader with no regard for authority - especially hers.

Cyn is a rebel, driven to protect those suffering at the hands of the Elite leaders of Azra. Using his alias to manipulate the lovely but icy commander onto his ship, he has to keep her from Azra long enough to ignite the revolution. But when he awakens a vibrant and feeling woman between that icy exterior, he gets more than he bargained for - love. Can Cyn find a way to convince Yara to join them, or will they get caught in a web of lies and deception that could tear them apart?

(Summary from goodreads.)

See what I mean?

Nightfall by Ellen Conner - ARC

Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her - one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack - vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong.

When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must learn to trust their instinctive passion-a flame that will see them through the bitter winter, the endless nights, and the violence of a new Dark Age.

(Summary from goodreads.)

PEOPLE. I'm shocked :P

Witch Fire by Anya Bast - ARC

Mira Hoskins doesn't know she's a natural-born witch who possesses the rare—and powerful—element of air. And she never expects to find herself tied to a mahogany bed frame, captive of a man who aches to fulfill her every desire and let loose the magick that dwells inside her.

Heat emanates from elemental fire witch Jack McAllister. The Coven, a governing authority of witches, has sent him to protect Mira from a band of warlocks who drain witches of power...and life. Long ago, he saw Mira's parents murdered by this same dark magick. He'd like to quell his guilt and offer her everything she deserves. But she's the long-lost cousin of his boss—making seduction off-limits.

With Jack's strong guidance, Mira is luring forth her inner magick. But his sense of duty is quickly swelling into insatiable hunger. He was warned about the natural attraction between air and fire. Now he risks being consumed by the woman he shouldn't want—but can't stay away from.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Heyo.

Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorm - Paperback

Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the Dark Fae in order to harness their magic, only to create a demonic enemy more powerful than they imagined. Now Myst, the Vampiric Fae Queen of the Indigo Court, has enough power to begin a long prophesied supernatural war. And Cicely Waters, a witch who can control the wind, may be the only one who can stop her-and save her beloved Fae prince from the Queen's enslavement.

Cicely Waters, a witch who can control the wind, has returned home to New Forest, Washington, after learning that her family is in danger. The Indigo Court holds the city in fear. People are vanishing, and strange deaths plague the town. And when she is swept into an unexpected and passionate reunion with Grieve, the Fae prince who taught her how to harness the wind, Cicely finds herself with a fierce and territorial lover.

But Greive has been enslaved in Myst's court, and now, caught betwen two evils, the lovers must survive the machinations of the Vampiric Fae queen, even as Cicely untangles the hidden secrets to her own heritage.

(Summary from goodreads.)

So, the 4 ARCs were from my friend Ashelynn. I think she won them a bunch of romance ARCs in a contest. She threw the last one in as a surprise which was awesome. :)

Alright! I think that's everything book-wise. But I got an elf order in and I was thinking about doing a post with pictures of that since I've done them before. Anyone interested?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! (86)

Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. for help with the title.

I have to do one about this song because I am so addicted to it. You guys probably know it because it's insanely popular which is SO cool 'cause she's awesome and I've been a fan of hers for a while. (Remember this post?)



(Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.)

What do you guys think? What are you listening to this week?

Peace and cookies,
Laina

2012 Reading Challenge Post

I didn't make my goal last year but darn it if I'm not stubborn enough to try again.

I'm signing up to this:





And let's hope I do better this year! My list will be in this post.

Are you guys doing any reading challenges this year?
Peace and cookies,
Laina

Books Read in 2012:

1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
7 -
8 -
9 -
10 -