Blog Tour: Devon Ashley Top Ten

I have here Devon Ashley's Top Ten Favourite Male & Female Fictional Characters. A lot of these make sense to me, and the ones that don't, are characters I haven't read about yet. Devon Ashley is giving me more reason to get reading!

Top Ten Ladies

10. Pamela – Dearly, Departed – kick-@ss heroine in a petticoat. Pamela turned out to be a way more interesting character than the main characters. 

9. Lena Holoway – Delirium series – sweet and innocent and trying not to fall in love.

8. Darla – Ashfall – the girl you’d want by your side in a post-cataclysmic world.

7. Zoey Redbird – House of Night series – sassy lil’ thing…love her.

6. Sophie Mercer – Hex Hall series – love this girl.

5. Jenna Baker – Falling In Between - of course I have to love my character enough to add her, but I think she’s pretty freakin’ awesome even without my vote.

4. Abby Sorrensten – The Immortal Archives – sarcastic and smart and sacrifices herself to save her loved ones.

3. Hermione Granger – Harry Potter series - super smart and wicked-quick with a wand…I sure wouldn’t tick her off.

2. Katniss Everdeen –Hunger Games trilogy – is there anything this girl can’t do in a survival situation?

1.  Elizabeth Bennet – Pride and Prejudice – my all time favorite book and character.

Top Ten 'Gentlemen'

10. Alex Sheathes – Delirium series – swoon…

9.  Archer Cross - Hex Hall series – love the chemistry between him and Sophie.

8. Carlisle Cullen – Twilight Saga – am I the only one that prefers the man over the boys?

7.  Ben Conway – Silver Moon trilogy. Sigh…I got to read Black Moon early so now I’m really swooning for this guy.

6. Harry Potter – Harry Potter series – do I really need to explain why I like him?

5. Robert/Chance – Falling In Between – Nope…just like any other mother, I refuse to admit if I love one more than the other!

4.  Ash – The Iron Fey series – um…yum. That’s all I’m gonna say. Yum.

3. Peeta Mellark – Hunger Games trilogy – super sweet and constantly trying to win Kat’s love.

2. Fitzwilliam Darcy – Pride and Prejudice – there were times I truly wanted to smack him, but mostly, I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let go.

1. Patch Cipriano – Hush, Hush series. The bad boy we all want.

In My Mailbox (6)

I'm still moving through my NetGalley books from last week but I spent some time at the library today.

Pegasus by Robin McKinly
Goodreads | Amazon
A Brief History of Montmoray by Michelle Cooper
Goodreads | Amazon
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Goodreads | Amazon

The Viking's Sacrifice by Julia Knight

Viking raiders destroyed Wilda’s home. She witnessed the murder of her mother and would have been killed herself if it weren’t for the Viking boy Einar, who saved her from his ruthless brother. The blood and murder left Wilda cold and shorn of feeling. 
Eight years later, the heathens return for Wilda. As a captive in the Viking village, she finds protection and silent comfort in the man who once gallantly saved her. 
Einar has been cursed to silence by his brother. With the dark net of his brother’s power cast over their village, silence is a small price to pay for his family’s safety. But Einar is immediately drawn to Wilda, and the need to protect her from his brother awakens his Viking courage. Can Einar break his brother’s curse in time to save the village and the woman he loves?

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Publication Date: January 12th, 2012
Publisher: Carina Press
ASIN: B00699QQ5Y 
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Romance/Historical Fiction
Source: NetGalley
Lootability: ***

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Publication Date: August 1st, 2008
Publisher: Harlequin Books
ISBN:  0373772998
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Romance

Lootability: ***

Being one of the guys isn't all it's cracked up to be...So when journalist Chastity O'Neill returns to her hometown, she decides it's time to start working on some of those feminine wiles. Two tiny problems: #1--she's five feet eleven inches of rock-solid girl power, and #2--she's cursed with four alpha male older brothers.While doing a story on local heroes, she meets a hunky doctor and things start to look up. Now there's only one problem: Trevor Meade, her first love and the one man she's never quite gotten over--although he seems to have gotten over her just fine.Yet the more time she spends with Dr. Perfect, the better Trevor looks. But even with the in-your-face competition, the irresistible Trevor just can't seem to see Chastity as anything more than just one of the guys....

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Can there truly be love after death?Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Publication Date: 7th June, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN:  0062026771 
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance/Paranormal
Source: Library
Lootability: ***

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Publisher: Harcourt's Children Books
ISBN:  0547626142
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural/Thriller/Romance
Source: From the publisher via NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Grab it and go!

Waiting On Wednesday (4)

The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long
Goodreads | Amazon

The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own

Shadow of the Night by Deborah Harkness
Goodreads | Amazon

Shortly after Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont timewalk to London, 1590, they discover that the past may not provide a safe haven after all. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy Matthew Roydon, the vampire falls back in step with a group of radicals known as the School of Night who share dangerous ideas about God, science, and man. Many of his friends are unruly daemonsn - the creative minds of the age who walk the fine line between genius and madness - including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot. Matthew, himself, is expected to continue to spy for Queen Elizabeth, which puts him in close contact with London's cutthroat underworld. 
Together, Matthew and Diana scour the bookstalls and alchemical laboratories of London where they follow the elusive trail of Ashmole 782 - and search for the witch who will teach Diana to control her powers.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them... turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.” 
Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a shelf in her favourite bookshop, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept them. But is Dash that right guy? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? 

Rachel Cohn: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 
David Levithan: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Publication Date: December 1st, 2010
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Country: U.S.A
ISBN: 9781742374666
Original Language: English
Age Group:Preteen/Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Source: Library
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: There's room but keep looking.

Blog Tour: Falling In Between by Devon Ashley

Finally! A private conversation. And all I had to do was throw myself off a cliff, drown in a pond in my undies and let him put his hands on my breasts to bring me back to life. Yay me! (yeah, that’s sarcasm) 
Yep, that pretty much sums up the most craptastic night of Jenna Baker’s life. She drowns after jumping off a cliff, meets a hotty named Chance in the pearlescent in-between and is brought back to life by her soon-to-be boyfriend Robert. 
Just when things start to move forward with Robert, the guy she'd been crushing on for a year now, in walks the man of her dreams – literally. Chance suddenly appears in her dream every time she closes her eyes. So it's Robert by day and Chance by night. One in the real world and one in the dream world. What could possibly go wrong? 
Absolutely nothing – until she comes face to face with the guy she met in the in-between, and realizes her romantic rendezvous with Chance may be more than just her imagination. 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 
Publication Date: February 14th, 2012
Publisher: Indie Publishing
Country: USA
ISBN13: 9781466388901
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult (Mature content included)
Genre: Romance/Supernatural
Source: Devon Ashley
Lootability: Grab it and go!

In My Mailbox (5)

I have so many books to read this week that I'm tempted to skip work and just read all week!

 From the Library:


 Meridian by Amber Kizer
Goodreads | Amazon
Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Goodreads | Amazon
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Goodreads | Amazon
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
Goodreads | Amazon
0.4 by Mike Lancaster

Goodreads | Amazon

Prized by Caragh M O'Brien

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?


Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
Publication Date: November 8th, 2011
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Country: United States
ISBN:  1596435704
Original Language: English 
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance, Dystopian,
Source: Library
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Grab it and go!

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." 
If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him. 
Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine. 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 
Publication Date: 30th September, 2003
Publisher: Miramax
Country: UK
ISBN: 078681859X
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: There's room but look for more.

Legend by Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 
Publication Date: 19th November, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Country: United States
ISBN: 039925675X
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian/Romance/Adventure
Source: Library
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Grab it and go!

Howl's Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne Jones

In the land of Ingary, where seven league boots and cloaks of invisibility do exist, Sophie Hatter catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell. Deciding she has nothing more to lose, she makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls… There she meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the Fire Demon, with whom she agrees a pact. But Sophie isn’t the only one under a curse – her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl, and Michael, and her quest to break her curse is both gripping – and howlingly funny!

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Publication Date: April 14th, 1986
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Country: USA
ISBN: 0007299265
Original Language: English
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Fairytale
Source: My bookshelf!
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: The book that set off a thousand raiders!

Author Interview: Heather Burch

Two weeks ago I reviewed the debut novel Halflings by Heather Burch, which is due for publication at the end of the month. Now, I have the honour of chatting with Heather about her writing and her experiences with Halflings.

Halflings is Burch's first book to be published, but before this success she had written five other books for adults. It wasn't until she got the idea for Halflings that she realised she was better equipped to write for teenagers than adults. As a woman who worked with teenagers, as an ordained minister and motivational speaker, it makes sense that her target audience should be teens.

"At the time I wrote Halflings, I hadn't read any YA books (a big publishing no-no!) I didn't know the trends, the attitudes, the storylines ... but I know teenagers. I've spent years working with teens and I wanted to give the teen I knew the type of story they would enjoy. They were my inspiration. Before Halflings I was writing novels for adults. Which was stupid, really because I'd rather hang out with teens. :)"

Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life... 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 
Publication Date: 20th December, 2012
Publisher: Mira Ink Books
ISBN: 0778313077
Original Language: English
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
Source: Library
Buy the Book: Amazon 
Lootability: Grab it and go.

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

This week I'm including two books I've been dying to get my hands on since I started the first books in their series. I'm sure there are many others waiting for their release as desperately as I am!

Perception
Kim Harrington

When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you? 
Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past. 
Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her. 
But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back? 
One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.

Fever 
Lauren DeStefano

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. 
The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary. 
In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

Top Ten Character To Dress Up As

I have a costume party coming up, the theme is Superhero's and Villains. I was trying to work out what to wear  and decided I'm not going as a 'Super' hero but as a Book hero. So here are a few of my favourite ideas for costumes:

1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter by J.K Rowling) was always a costume option for me. Growing up I had the long, frizzy golden brown hair of Emma Watson and was often the nerd with her hand up in class.
Check out the-leaky-cauldron.org for a DIY Hermione costume.

2. Alice (Alice In Wonderland by C.S Lewis) is another favourite. I have a beautiful black and white pinafore dress that puddles around me like Alice's does in the Disney movie.
Alice-in-wonderland.net for Alice costume ideas.

3. Little Red Riding Hood is another classic that can look suave, sexy or smart. A cute little dress, a red hood and a basket is almost all you need.
The halloweenmart blog has LRRH ideas.

4. Sherlock Holmes (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle) isn't too difficult either. Throw on a trench coat, grab a bubble pipe (ala Bart Simpson) and throw on a matching cap.
Howtomakestuff.com has a few suggestions on how to throw things together.

5. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) is my curent choice. I bought a Mockingjay pin and I'll throw on black skinny jeans, with a black singlet and a leather jacket. I'll buy a children's bow & arrow set, and some fake leather material. I'll use the leather to sew brown boot covers, and wrap it around a cardboard packing cylinder for a quiver.

I'm only doing my top 5 cause I'm super lazy :)

In My Mailbox (4)

NetGalley did well by me this week:

The Viking's Sacrifice by Julia Knight

Amazon | Goodreads

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Amazon | Goodreads

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Amazon | Goodreads

The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge

Amazon | Goodreads

Caught in Crystal by Patricia C. Wrede

There stands a twisted tower... hidden in the Windhome Mountains. Something is imprisoned there - the Sisterhood of Stars does not know precisely what, but something is bound tight with a wizard's spell so that it can never escape again. Kayl is one of the few to have looked upon the Twisted Tower. She has no desire to see it again - she left the Sisterhood long ago, settling down to a quiet life. Her sword lies unused in a secret place beneath the stones of her hearth. But something evil is leaking from the Tower. And now a sorceress and a wizard have appeared on Kayl's doorstep, demanding she take up the sword again.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 
Publication Date: 1st March, 1987
Publisher: Ace Books
Country: United States
ISBN: 0441760066
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Adventure/Romance/Fantasy
Source: Amazon
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Needs more booty.