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This week I'd like to (once again) welcome a very good friend of mine, Sheila from One Person's Journey through a World of Books!

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From Amazon.com...

"What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?
Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.
In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…"
What would you do if your nightmare turned out to be more than just a dream—and the only way to stop it was to believe the impossible? Anastasia Romanov knows she should be dead; she watched her family fall in a hail of gunfire. Instead, something, or someone, saved her. Trapped and scared in a magical hut with a witch who may be friend or foe, she begins to come to grips with the truth about her situation: that some fates are WORSE than death.

In her dreams, sixteen year old Anne Michaelson is somewhere else. She is someone else. The dreams feel as real as her waking life and they terrify her. This is not good for her social life! Aside from that, Anne thinks her life is pretty ordinary – until she runs into handsome, mysterious, and (okay) annoying Ethan on her way to chemistry class. Now Anne has powers she doesn’t understand, a history-altering mission she doesn’t want, and a growing attraction to a blue-eyed stranger that seems to be stalking her! And when Ethan realizes that Anne is the girl he’s been searching for, things start to get a little surreal! Despite her skepticism and reluctance, Anne quickly realizes that you don’t need to be imprisoned to be trapped! Stir in the doomed Duchess Anastasia, who is not quite as dead as the history books say, and the Baba Yaga, a legendary witch from Russian folklore, and you’ve got Dreaming Anastasia by debut novelist Joy Preble.
Joy Preble’s experience with Russian legends developed through her crazy maternal grandmother, who had been one of TWENTY children! The story goes that her grandmother’s family didn’t even notice when she ran off to America at sixteen, married badly, raised four children on her own and was the least grandmotherly of grandmothers a girl could ever hope for (despite her amusing and insane tales of the Bolsheviks and tsars). No warm and fuzzies there, only admonitions for Joy to eat her vegetables so she would be strong enough to survive the impending pogroms!
My Thoughts: This book was a wonderful mix for me – not only as a YA read – but to me it dabbled in so much more. There is history to this book with Baba Yaga and Anastasia Romanov. There is the taste of fantasy and the essence of mystery…. basically it had a lot of my favorite genre’s all roled up into one neat little binding.
I have to say I loved the story line based around Baba Yaga (I love folklore!)

I would rate this a PG13 rating for some language

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Thank you so much Sheila! I hadn't heard of this book! It sounds like a great intriguing read that I will most definitely be adding to my TBR list! Thank you so much!

Make sure to stop by One Person's Journey through a World of Books and share some book love with Sheila! If you have a great read that you would like to share or donate, please see my invitation to Guest Reviewers!

Find out what others think:
Hope's Bookshelf

I'd like to welcome this week's Guest Reviewer, Esme!

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Canadian Author Lawrence Hill is the author of this epic historical novel about the slave trade. In Canada the book was published under the title The Book of Negro. In the United States and elsewhere the book was renamed Someone Knows my Name-due to concerns about book sales and controversy.

No matter what title you choose to read the book under, it is a phenomenal piece of writing. You are introduced to Aminata as an old lady, reflecting on the life she led. The book is told by Aminata, a young twelve year old girl who is kidnapped from her idyllic life in her village along with other villagers. Aminata's childhood is showered with love and education. Her mother has her assist her with her midwifery, her father teaches her from the Quran. When a group of bandits raid and burn her village, this life comes to an end. Having witnessed her mother being brutally murdered, Aminata is forced to walk across Africa to the Atlantic Ocean where she is branded before boarding a slave ship.

Aminata's voyage across the Atlantic proves to be more arduous than her march across Africa. Her wit allows her to make herself helpful on the ship and gain extra food and living conditions while she watches her fellow Africans die of disease and despair.

Aminata is taught how to read by one of the other slaves on the plantation. When she is sold to a Jewish merchant, he continues her education, encouraging her to speak the Queen's English, improve her reading and learn how to how to handle money and the books. Aminata is helped by a free slave during a visit to New York with the merchant. As tensions rise between the British and the Americans Aminata is asked to assist the British compile The Book of Negroes- — a record of Black British loyalists promised freedom and passage to British North America.

The Book of Negroes is a little unknown part of Canadian history. This book's records descriptions and information on African American slaves who fought for the British Crown in the American Revolution. These free slaves were then relocated to Nova Scotia, becoming the first Black community in Canada. Others moved on, via the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company, to Sierra Leone, where they formed the original settlers of Freetown and founded the Krio people. As a Canadian, born and educated in Canada, I was completely unaware of this piece of history until I read the book.

Life in Nova Scotia was encountered with many of same racist attitudes these former slaves had faced in the United States.

Aminata returns to Africa even though the risk of enslavement still exists. Here she meets British abolitionists, who use her as the mouthpiece to end slavery.

This story is truly an amazing combination of history and emotion. Hill tells a memorable story that captures Aminata's desire and dream to return to her homeland. This was one of my favorite reads of 2009. It amazed me that I had never heard of the Book of Negroes or the first Black community in Canada. I was fascinated that a book actually exists recording free slaves that were loyal to the Loyalists. Quite simply I was enthralled by the story of Aminata, and her desire and will to escape slavery.

Born in Toronto in 1957, Hill is the son of a black man and a white woman, civil rights activists Daniel and Donna Hill. His African Canadian heritage and mixed race identity frequently inform his writing. The Book of Negroes is his third novel, following Some Great Thing (1992) and Any Known Blood (1997).

Hill came upon the idea for The Book of Negroes in a book he borrowed from his parents about 20 years ago. The Black Loyalists, written by historian James Walker and published in 1980, tells how black Americans settled in Nova Scotia after serving the British in the Revolutionary War. Walker described how many of these men and women later abandoned harsh racism in Nova Scotia for life in Sierra Leone. Canada, Hill learned, was home to the world’s first “back to Africa” movement. What most captured his imagination, however, was this single, astonishing fact: A number of the blacks traveling to Sierra Leone had originally been born in Africa.

“Wow! What a story,” Hill recalls thinking at the time. “What kind of person – what kind of woman – might have lived in such a way as to be born in Africa, shipped into slavery in the United States, made it up to Canada, and then chose voluntarily to go back to Africa? I was very impressed by the idea.”

In Canada, you can purchase an illustrated version of this book. I saw the book when I was home at Christmas. It is gorgeous with it's illustrations of the lives of black in the 1700's. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great novel or historical fiction. Author Hill has brought to life a little unknown piece of history.

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Thank you Esme for such a wonderful review! I've never heard of his book — I'm definitely intrigued. Please visit Esme at Chocolate and Croissants!

1. Can you explain how you first got the idea for Dreaming Anastasia?

The kernel of the idea for DA came one afternoon when it was raining to hard for me to get to my car after school and I was hanging around my classroom waiting for it let up. This girl characters came to me. She was funny and smart and sarcastic – and she was sitting in history class writing a note to her friend. I loved her voice. So I kept writing. And somehow a story unfolded. Because when the bell rang and I wrote her leaving the class, I knew she was about to bump into a mysterious and handsome stranger. The rest is history!

2. I read that the original title was Spark, did you consider any other titles for this book, and what caused the change?
Ha! You’ve done your research! Basically Dreaming Ansatasia was called Spark for a very long time. But somewhere around the time we entered copy edits, my editor decided that the title didn’t sufficiently brand the book. He wanted readers to pick up the novel and immediately have some sense as to what it’s about. And Spark really didn’t cut it in that regard. Interestingly, Haunted has always been the title of Book 2! So in publishing, anything can happen.

3. What has been the most shocking thing to happen to you since becoming a debut author?
Well, the most shocking thing was having my dream of being a published novelist come true and then getting diagnosed with thyroid cancer this past February. That definitely knocked me around for a bit.

4. I love the covers of Dreaming Anastasia, and book 2, Haunted, what did you think when you first saw the covers, and the book in print?
I fell in huge love with both covers as soon as I saw them. Although I loved the HAUNTED cover more immediately because it was so absolutely what I’d seen in my head that it was uncanny. The DA cover actually evolved some; Ethan was not originally on the cover! But we’re all glad that the art department decided he needed to be added.

5. Can you tell us a little more about where this series will go, how many books, and what you are currently working on?
Well, I hope to be able to do a third book in the relatively near future. Here’s the blurb for book 2, HAUNTED: Anne Michaelson’s world turned upside down last year when handsome, blue-eyed and temporarily immortal Russian Ethan Kozninsky showed up. Now six months later, Anne still has powers she doesn’t fully understand. She’s still dreaming about Baba Yaga’s forest. And she’s definitely still got feelings for Ethan, even though she’s got a new boyfriend—the very normal and very sweet lifeguard Ben Logan. But things are about to get even more complicated. There’s a wicked Russian folklore mermaid stalking Anne. With her heart torn between Ben and Ethan, Anne’s search for the rusalka’s identity reveals deep and startling secrets — including the true source of Anne’s powers. As the romance heats up, so does the danger. Will Anne’s powers be enough to help the rusalka get what she wants? Or will the longings of her own heart get in the way?

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble Publisher: Sourcebooks Reading Level: Young Adult Paperback: 310 pages Series: Dreaming Anastasia, book #1 What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?
Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.
In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

Find out more about Joy Preble Joy Preble / Blog / Twitter

Purchase Dreaming Anastasia Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Book Trailer

Kate Klimo is here to talk about her novel Daughter of the Centaurs. She will be sharing with us the journey she took while creating the world inside the story.

Daughter of the Centaurs took an incredible amount of world-building. Can you tell us what that process was like, how you organized the material, and what you hoped to capture when describing Malora’s world?
The fact that there were so few centaurs in the literature inspired me to want to tackle centaurs. World building is an exhaustive and exhausting process. Who knew? I’m sure some writers start from inside their characters’ heads and work outward from there to build up an external reality that’s an extension of the characters’ consciousness. I felt I needed to start from the outside and work in.

The first order of business was to create a history leading up to the present action. In world building, context is everything and isn’t history the ultimate context? So I started by researching centaurs, in art and myth. Those results mystified and even slightly terrified me. Except for the wise centaur named Chiron who taught the healing arts to Hippocrates (father of modern medicine), most of the centaurs were pretty rough trade. They were rock-chucking, stick-wielding, meat-eating, booze-swilling lusty boors. Another mystery was that they were all dudes. There were no women and no children. These dudes were real pieces of work: wedding crashers who liked to run off, not only with the bride, but also with all the female guests. Real dream guests, right?

This depiction baffled me. Since the days of cavemen, humans have enjoyed a close bond with horses. So what made this human-horse hybrid so repulsive and savage? Was it digestive difficulties that made the centaurs so rowdy? Seriously! Horses have very sensitive stomachs. A creature that ate like a human and digested like a horse might be permanently dyspeptic and downright surly. Maybe a steady diet of red meat and brandy made them nuts. So that’s where I started. I wrote the centaurs a shady, tumultuous history as rock-chuckers and rapists. It was the centaurs’ raid of one of the last human settlements of Kamaria that resulted in nearly wiping out the human race. Then a wise centaur named Kheiron (homage to Chiron) came along and converted the centaurs from savagery to gentility. No booze, no tobacco, no stimulants, no red meat. The converted centaurs erected a monument to the humans they had murdered and took over their town, calling it Mount Kheiron in honor of the patron. This gave the centaurs not only a religion but also a code of ethics and conduct. In order to stay on the straight and narrow, centaurs adhered to the teachings of Kheiron. They eschew stimulants, spirits, and the eating of meat and revere the works of the hand. All their efforts are dedicated to overcoming the Beast Within. I liked the idea of high-stepping, refined, fastidious centaurs. In early drafts, my editor said I was making the centaurs too effete. “They can’t all be that sissified,” she said. That gave me the idea of creating social strata within Mount Kheiron, with a working class that was more earthy and practical, as compared to the more leisurely patricians. The present action begins when Malora shows up. Not only is she a freak, a biped in a virtually quadrapedal society, but she is also a living (and uncomfy) reminder to centaurs of their less than savory past.

Somewhere around the second draft, with the introduction of Honus the faun and the Leatherwings, it became clear to me that this was not a fantasy set in an alternative world inspired by our mythic past, as I had originally thought, but a far distant future world peopled by human-created hybrids who had turned upon and destroyed their creators, the humans. (Thank you, Mary Shelley!) I loved the variety of hibes that were possible. Like the Mos Eisley canteen scene in Star Wars, it offered a too-too tempting opportunity to play not just with human-horse combinations, but with other mythological hybrids as well, along with more freaky crosses, like bat-human, sheep-human, etc. As the second book opens up to the world outside of Mount Kheiron, these other hibes come more into play.

At the same time as I was figuring out the centaur society, I had to figure out what it must be like to actually be a centaur. If humans have a mind-body split, how much more radical must centaurs’ be? How did it feel to be half horse? How did they go to the bathroom? What was their furniture like? Stairs would have to be shallow, doorways generous, and furniture very sturdy. I think I gave them the Twani, the half-cat servant class, because I thought they would need tiny, spry helpers, given that even the most graceful of centaurs would suffer from a certain ungainliness. The end result of all this thinking, I hope, is a world that is fascinating and unique.

Thanks for having me on your blog!

Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo
Publisher: Random House (January 24th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 362 pages
Series: Centauriad #1
Malora knows what she was born to be: a horse wrangler and a hunter, just like her father. But when her people are massacred by batlike monsters called Leatherwings, Malora will need her horse skills just to survive. The last living human, Malora roams the wilderness at the head of a band of magnificent horses, relying only on her own wits, strength, and courage. When she is captured by a group of centaurs and taken to their city, Malora must decide whether the comforts of her new home and family are worth the parts of herself she must sacrifice to keep them.

Kate Klimo has masterfully created a new world, which at first seems to be an ancient one or perhaps another world altogether, but is in fact set on earth sometime far in the future.

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2/20 Tynga’s Reviews 2/21 Insatiable Readers 2/22 Taking it One Book at a Time 2/23 Literary Escapism 2/24 Total Bookaholic 2/25 Livin’ Life Through Books 2/27 The Children’s Book Review 2/27 LitFest Magazine 2/28 Bibliophile Support Group 2/29 The Compulsive Reader 3/1 Sea of Pages

This year we have 23 authors that I'll be featuring over 7 days and each day you'll have a chance to enter to win! There's also a scavenger hunt going on, so be sure to check out The Crossroads Tour Post to see what questions will be asked, what blog you'll be able to find the answer on and enter to win!
Today I am featuring Lisa M. Cronkhite, Kiki Hamilton, and Jane McConnel. Be sure to check out the rafflecopter giveaway, too!

1. Can you share an excerpt from your upcoming novel?

Ten months later, and I still think Jimmy’s gonna walk through the front door. In some small way, I kid myself that it still might happen. I’ll never forget those two burning words my father said when Jimmy disappeared that dreaded day. Words that still haunt me now. I keep thinking Jimmy’s out doing something and will come back soon. I know he’s gone, but still, my mind plays tricks on me.

It’s the only way I can cope with his death.

2. What can you tell us about the main characters?

Bee is super skeptical and questions pretty much everything. But with that skepticism, she’s smart and is able to protect herself enough to get through it all. Bee’s father is about the best a dad can be. He loves and trusts her and lets her make her own decisions. Bee’s father is the most consistent and supportive character in the book, whereas the mother is in a whole other world.

1. What’s the most fascinating thing about writing historical settings?

I love the Victorian era because there was such a dichotomy of belief – the industrial revolution was

changing how the world did business and how people lived, but at the same time belief in magic, faeries and the occult was still very strong. So what I love about writing historical fantasy is to mix the real world with fantasy – sort of a what if these stories dropped through the cracks and pieces of history existed that we’re just now finding out about?

2. If you could travel back in time, where and when would you visit?

I would visit London for sure. There is SO MUCH history in that city – goes back to the Romans occupying in AD 64. I would be interested in many eras but if I had to choose one, I would probably go back to the Victorian era.

1. Daughter of Chaos involves witches. If you could do one magical spell, what would it be?

At one point in the series, another Witch teaches Darlena how to travel huge distances in an instant. I’d love to be able to do that: it would make my wanderlust so much cheaper and faster!

2. Can you tell us a little about Red Magic and what it means in your book?

Red Magic is chaos magic. It’s a very misunderstood kind of magic in Darlena’s world, but as she begins to discover, chaos is about more than destruction and death. It’s incredibly powerful, but also incredibly difficult, and being a Red Witch leaves Darlena feeling angry and isolated.

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1. I read that you worked in the theater before you started writing. What, if any, influence did this experience have on your writing and story ideas?

As an actor, I loved creating a characters and playing a role, telling a story, trying to make the audience connect with the character and root for her. I get to do the same thing as writer, but I don’t get to dress up in a costume. On the flip side, however, I don’t have to stay on a diet.
I think that all had a lot of influence on my writing. Creating a character on the page is also roleplaying, only you get to live out extraordinary things, and be anyone. You’re not limited by your age, body type, gender, or even species. Plus, theatre gave me a sense of dramatic timing, an ear for natural sounding dialog and the natural act structure. But I don’t have to worry about a special effects budget, either.

2. In your book, The Splendor Falls, the heroine Sylvia has a few haunting encounters. Have you experienced any haunting or paranormal encounters?
Nothing definite. I’ve been places that have given me the creeps, seen glimpses out of the corner of my eye, and scared myself pretty good after watching a spooky movie. (A overactive imagination is an occupation hazard, I guess.)
3. What is your favorite paranormal creature?
Fairies, probably, just because they come in so many shapes and types. But I like the angel and demon types, too, possibly for the same reason. There are so many tales of spirits, good and evil, from so many different cultures, that there’s a lot, as a writer, to explore.
4. Texas Gothic is set to release May of next year; can you tell us a little about this book?

Like The Splendor Falls, Texas Gothic is a twist on the gothic novel, this time set in, um, Texas, obviously. It takes place on a ranch, but it’s not full of cows or stereotypes. It’s full of ghosts and mystery and magic. Amy Goodnight is house sitting for her witch of an aunt. A modern mystery mixes with an archaeological dig plus a healthy dose of spooky stuff and good bit of romance and humor.

The Spendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (August 22nd, 2009) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 518 pages Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship.

Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. And that’s where things start to get shady. As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand.

Then she starts seeing things. Sylvie’s lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?

Find Rosemary Clement-Moore Rosemary Clement-Moore / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Purchase The Spendor Falls Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Andrew Jacobson is one of the co-authors of the middle grade fantasy adventure series, THE FAMILIARS.

I grew up in the same house my entire life. It was a brown and white, two story colonial in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Save for the white picket fence, Norman Rockwell himself would have approved. Like any kid, I feared the basement laundry room, and the old heaters made some awful noises, but I knew those noises well. I didn't imagine monsters under my bed. I slept with the lights off.
Then one night, when I was 14, I found myself running down the upstairs hallway into my parent's bedroom, screaming bloody murder.
My older brother was a freshman in college, and had returned home for the weekend. He and I were having a late night chat in my bedroom, catching up on all things into the wee hours. As we whispered in the dark, the closet door — which I always kept securely shut — creaked open. My brother and I tip-toed out of my bed and walked over to the now ajar door. I reached out and pushed it shut again.
As we turned back for my bed, the door creaked back open. And that's when I ran screaming. The next thing I remember is my mom and dad waking in a panic, and my brother standing in the hallway behind me looking at me as if I had lost my mind.
After that, my closet door would creak open on its own periodically, and whenever it did, I felt a cold chill. What lurked among my plaid button downs and doc martens? A ghost?
I have never been able to sleep soundly in any bedroom since unless all the closet doors were closed tight.
… Now, that might be my scariest paranormal experience, but for those of you who don't believe in ghost stories, here's a different kind of scary story…
I still remember the summer afternoon in 1991, when as a grade schooler in Milwaukee, I came home to the news that a man named Jeffrey Dahmer had been arrested for the murder of 17 men. It was one of the most gruesome serial killing sprees in history, and it had all happened just a few minutes away from my sheltered little house in the suburbs.
This would have just been a footnote to my otherwise idyllic Midwestern upbringing, but for the fact that my father, an attorney, represented nearly all of the families of the victims of Dahmer. Together, they sued Dahmer and won settlements totaling tens of millions of dollars — not a penny of which Dahmer would (or could) ever pay. So my dad got creative. He decided to go after any profits that Dahmer or anyone else tried to make off the exploitation of his murders. This included comic books, movies, and even trading cards. Really sick stuff. It also included a book that Jeffrey Dahmer's father wrote about the murders, which he was going to make a healthy payday from.
That's when my dad decided to sue Dahmer's father so the money he was making would go to the victims' families. And this is when the story gets scary. I'm not talking bump in the night scary, or I think there's a ghost in the closet scary, or I heard something in the attic scary. No, this is the worst serial killer in history threatened to make my dad sorry scary.
Although Dahmer was locked up in a maximum security prison for life, it was no less unsettling when I returned home from school that fall to learn that my dad had received a letter from Jeffrey Dahmer. It was typed on a typewriter, and was actually quite polite. But there was no mistaking the subtext of his note. In essence, he was warning my dad that if he went after Dahmer's father, he would be very, very sorry.
My mind raced, as any 13 year old boy's mind would. What if Dahmer escapes from prison, or gets out one day? What if he comes after my dad or my family… or me?! This was a guy who dismembered people and cannibalized them! I was terrified.
And then, a few months later, news broke that Jeffrey Dahmer was shanked in a prison laundry room, murdered and left dead on the floor. I'm not going to lie. I was relieved.
Happy Halloween everyone!

The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson Publisher: HarperCollins (September 7th, 2010) Hardcover: 368 pages After three young wizard apprentices are kidnapped by the evil queen of a distant land, it is up to their familiars, their magical animal companions — a street smart alley cat, a precocious blue jay, and a bumbling tree frog — to save them.

Thank you so much Andrew for the story!

Find Andrew Jacobson
The Familiars / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
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This week's Guest Reviewer is Alexia from Alexia's Books and Such...

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A teenage boy. A dark wizard. A mystic scroll. And the fate of a world hangs in the balance... When Alex "the Axeman" Logan is pulled from his world to help young princess Dara save her kingdom from the Shadow Lord, he thinks there has been a mistake. He's a teen guitar player close to failing 11th grade, not some defender of the realm. All he has are some school books, his wits, and his love of fantasy movies. Overnight his life is history. Alex must confront the Shadow Lord and his minions when he is thrust into a land that has changed from a magical paradise to a barren, hopeless, helpless realm invaded by a dark army. But Alex is not alone. He has the help of Dara, a magic scroll, and a band of unlikely companions drawn from his own history books: a hardened Roman Legionnaire, a swift Japanese Samurai, a mighty African Warrior, a fiery Amazon Archer, and a spirited Shaolin Monk. Can Alex become more than he believes and lead his small band of Defenders to the Hall of Shadows, the birthplace of the Shadow Lord? The fate of the realm and everyone in it rests on him.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, but have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Princess Dara is just a little girl whose father just started training her in magic, so it's understandable that she accidentally summons the wrong "Axeman" as her protector. And Alex is just a teenager who soon finds out that this wild adventure is all too real. But I love how all those hours spent watching movies and playing video games pay off when Alex is able to predict what should happen next, and is usually right!

The teenage warriors they summon from one of his books are also amazing! While they are all heroes and mighty warriors, they are also still teenagers and I liked how Shiraz made them vulnerable at times. Enjoyed how they all picked up some of Alex's slang, as it's not every day a magical princess says "crap."

I enjoyed Alex's struggle to survive his adventure and prove himself in a world surrounded by heroes. Liked how the warriors all learned to work together and started to become friends. Even liked the evil villains, as sometimes the bad guys can be disappointing, but not in this case! Thought the ending was a little abrupt, but looking forward to the second book so I can find out what happens next!

This was a great story: the story was enjoyable, the writing was very readable, it had likable characters, and I particularly liked that the pages looked like a scroll, which I thought was a nice touch.

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Big thanks to Alexia from Alexia's Books and Such...

Visit, share some book love, and read the original review.

I'd like to again welcome this week's Guest Reviewer, Leslie from That Chick That Reads!

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From Amazon.com...

"Kevin Curran wants to unite his family, but he's ready to give up on his younger brother, Danny-three years lost to heroin addiction and hard, desperate living on the streets of New York. When Danny shows up on Kevin's Staten Island doorstep, looking clean, fit, and prosperous, Kevin can't help but be overjoyed that his brother has escaped his past life. But at what price? Not even Kevin's worst nightmares could have prepared him for the horrors he'll discover about his brother's dark history. After a brief reunion, Danny offers Kevin a role in an underworld plot revolving around the Bloodroot Children's Hospital, an abandoned juvenile asylum with a nefarious past. Hoping to rescue Danny from his criminal life after years ago failing to save him from his addiction, Kevin accepts. While Danny's plan unfolds, Kevin is drawn into a world of murder, Mafia hit men and dangerous espionage. The halls of Bloodroot reveal one horrifying secret after another: about the building's history, about Danny's life of addiction and crime, and about the true roots of the Curran family. At the end of the maze of monsters, the brothers make a discovery so horrific it may force them to destroy each other."

Lately I’d been reading thrillers and mysteries but this one is by far my favorite, it has all of the elements a good thriller needs to have. A good storyline, unforgettable characters, and, last but not least, some romance.

The storyline was very interesting, throughout the entire novel, I could see why certain things were written a specific way. I also enjoyed a quote Danny said while speaking to his brother Kevin on page 66, “He murders because he’s afraid of the future, of worlds and people he’ll never understand and never be a part of. We call them terrorist because they cause terror but it oughta be because that’s all they feel”. That quote literally gave me chills, because I feel the same way concerning terrorists.

Moving on to characters, we have Kevin, the “scardy cat”, a teacher who lost the fun of it all and lives a boring life, Danny, the ex drug user who comes back clean and sober without much explanation, and, last but not least, Kelsey, the strong female character who gets Kevin out of his shell. The characters were totally unforgettable. My favorite was definitely Danny. He was a tough kid who’s determined to turn his life back around regardless of the consequences.

Ah now it gets good, the love. I’m a sucker for some good loving in a book, I was rooting for those two since day one. The romance didn’t interfere with the main point of the book, which I found so refreshing. It didn’t consume every page but there was enough in there that made me very happy.

Bill is also the author of Fresh Kills, which I noticed was mentioned briefly in this novel. I can not wait to read the Fresh Kills! Overall I give this novel 4.5 out of 5 paws!

*******************
Thank you so much Leslie for such an AWESOME review! This sounds like an interesting read!

Make sure to visit Leslie at That Chick That Reads and share some book love! Check out her original review. Thank you so much! (This is Leslie's second week in a row!)

Phone, Possessed?
My brush with the paranormal happened last June when I was at a history conference in St. Augustine, Florida. In case you didn’t know it, St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America. The Spanish colonized the site in 1561 – it’s full of history and, more than likely, a few lingering spirits.
I was staying in a hotel with my friend, and fellow historian, Christian. All seemed well enough, but a little after 2 a.m. I woke up to the sound of my phone dialing and my dad's voicemail picking up.

Strange?

Yes. Especially since I was across the room in bed. My phone was sitting five feet away still on the chair where I'd plugged it in to charge overnight.

I got to the phone where my dad's voicemail message was still playing and then my phone rang. It was my husband.

"Andrea — what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" I was not only confused, but really tired.

"You've been calling me."

At this point my stomach pretty much dropped out of my body. I had no idea what was going on. I told him that my phone seemed to be calling numbers randomly and I was clueless as to why.

After we hung up, I looked at my call log. My phone had been calling random numbers for at least fifteen minutes.

Not knowing what to do and pretty much freaked out, I shut the phone down and went back to sleep.

This morning when I woke early for the conference, Christian said."You sent me the most random text at 2 a.m."

She showed me the text. It was a smiley face followed by a bunch of random letters.

I did not send that text.

So there were random calls, and texts, and now this morning I've discovered my Facebook was also full of weird nonsense. I have a Facebook app on my Droid.

My theories: 1) my phone went insane. I don't know why, but it did.

2) A ghost, which had never used a smartphone, decided it would be fun to try mine out. After all was in a very old city, St. Augustine and was staying in a very old hotel on the national register of historic places. If any place has a ghost, it would be there.

3) My Droid had become self aware and is attempting to communicate on its own.

So dear friends, if you got a call with no one on the other end of the line or a nonsense text from me in the middle of the night it was not me. I don't know what it was. It hasn’t happened again since I left the hotel.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer Publisher: Philomel (October 19th, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 464 pages Series: Nightshade, book #1 Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a hardback copy of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US ONLY and ends October 15th.
• Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

Thank you so much Andrea for taking time to write a story and for the great book donation!

Find out more about Andrea Cremer Andrea Cremer / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads

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*Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post with Janenifer Archer. She is giving away an ARC of Through Her Eyes.

*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.

Today is the release day for The Near Witch and I have the wonderful Victoria Schwab here today to talk about the book.

I am super excited to talk to her because I will be meeting her on August 7th in Knoxville as part of the Ash to Nash tour!

1. You have explored quite a few college majors and careers. Can you tell us a little about what you learned from your experiences?
--I learned that physics wasn't for me, drama had too much drama, art history was too quiet to be a morning class, every religion has its own gorgeous stories, the majority of creative writing students are not very creative when it comes to writing (and goodness help you if you want to be a PUBLISHED one *cough*sellout*cough*), film doesn't give you credit for enjoying the films too much to take notes, and art students have perfected a method of staying up all night using only a bag of skittles.

2. How did you first get into writing?
--By writing really, really bad poetry. And then by writing slightly better poetry. By the time I decided to try writing a book, I had NO idea what I was doing, but I knew I could assemble words in lovely ways. Next I had to learn structure. That took a little while and a good deal of rejection. Thankfully.

3. What has been the most surprising thing to happen to you since The Near Witch started grabbing everyone's attention?
--I have two favorites. One is authors I adore/admire knowing that I even exist, let alone several of them having read (and enjoyed!!) NW. That's just beyond surreal and surprising. The second was hearing from a friend that their non-reader friend suggested my book to her, after the non-reader's mother, a high-school teacher, had mentioned it to her, after having overheard students in her hall talking about books they wanted to read that summer. That was pretty dang cool.

4. If you could tell people one thing about The Near Witch, what would it be?
--It's a fairy tale. And it's written that way. It's meant to be airy, and sparse, a bit blurred at the edges, a window into a world, rather than a door. Go in knowing that.

5. You will be going on tour with Beth Revis and Myra McEntire soon. What crazy things do you all have planned?
--OH THE ANTICS. There are planned ones, and ones that we couldn't plan if we tried. But rest assured, there will be lots of laughing.We are three loud and largely inappropriate people.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Hyperion Books (August 2nd, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 288 pages
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
And there are no strangers in the town of Near.These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

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The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Published: Simon Pulse (May 21st, 2013)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Summary:
When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak… unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Review:

Jude definitely portrays being the baby of the family well. She feels the burden of being left at home, alone, and being her parent's last hope, in many ways. She's all they have left and she's really amerced herself into this job. She has a difficult time realizing the severity of her father's diagnosis.

Soon she think that if they are able to fix his old bike that maybe it will help him cope, or even get better. She finds a guy to help and it sure doesn't hurt that he's so hot: ) But there's a catch, he's a Vargas. Jude's sisters have had some bad history with his family. They've gotten their hearts broken one too many times and they don't want her to go through the same fate.

This book is"cute" in many ways. Even though it has a deep meaning based around family and dealing with a disease, it's a nice romance too. I just couldn't fully get into it. I didn't buy the fact that this"oath" was such a big deal. I also didn't really enjoy all the flashbacks and found that I started skipping a few.

My favorite part was getting to know Emilio. He was such a great character and I felt he made Jude a better person. Someone who could deal with what was going on around her instead of being in denial.

I think I've read all of Sarah's books and while this one wasn't my favorite, it's still a good book to check out.

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Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt
Published: Simon Pulse (July 9th, 2013)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Summary:
Can a road trip repair a romance gone wrong? Find out in this standalone companion to Lauren Barnholdt’s Two-way Street.

Here are Peyton and Jace, meeting on vacation. Click! It’s awesome, it’s easy, it’s romantic. This is the real deal.

Unless it isn’t. Because when you’re in love, you don’t just stop calling one day. And you don’t keep secrets. Or lie. And when your life starts falling apart, you’re supposed to have the other person to lean on.

Here are Peyton and Jace again, broken up but thrown together on a road trip. One of them is lying about the destination. One of them is pretending not to be leaving something behind. And neither of them is prepared for what’s coming on the road ahead…

Review:

Here we meet Peyton and Jace while they are at a wedding but they already have a history. I was a bit confused. It has been a while since I read Two-Way Street. You don't have to read that book to enjoy this one but the characters are connected. I just struggled with what Peyton and Jace's history could be. Jace seemed to want to talk with Peyton but she wanted nothing to do with him.

Then Peyton ends up being stranded at the wedding and has to get a ride with Jace. Peyton is wanting to run away so she plans to use Jace for a ride, but to make him drop her off on the way. I am a sucker for road trip books so that aspect of the story was really enjoyable. The pair do have some cute interactions together. I did think some of their decisions were pretty silly though. I just wanted the characters to loosen up a bit and stop hiding the truth from each other and really sit down and think about their decisions. If they would have done that, this book would have been nearly perfect.

I did really love the fact that we get to hear both POVs in this story. And that we do get a little update on some past characters we've heard of. As far as Lauren's books go, I've read nearly all of them and this one was mid-way for me. There have been a few I've liked better but this one is still a pretty good read.

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A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers (March 20th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 448 pages
Source: Author/Publisher
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance…

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Review:

She has no idea what's going on and Darius, the older of the brothers doesn't seem too pleased with her arrival. Soon she gets a much better understanding of who she is, what her parents were trying to protect, and what she will have to do in order to stay safe.

Helen was a pretty strong character. I was amazed at her ability to remain calm under stressful situations. This is a historical novel so she seemed very composed and poised most of the time. Then there were times where her emotions showed — like when she was with Griffin, or when she would become stubborn when listening to Darius and his demands. While she does make a few silly, and dangerous, decisions, she was enjoyable to get to know.

Darius is hot-headed, bossy, and difficult. He knew how to push Helen's buttons but in a way, that helped her become so much stronger. Griffin was the sweet, gentle brother. There was immediate chemistry between Helen and Griffin and I enjoyed watching their relationship form. Then there is another young man from Helen's past that truly makes her question what is right and wrong. I won't spoil it, but I liked this character and I felt he really brought a lot to the story. In a lot of ways he helped me to better understand Helen as well. I am curious to see where this"triangle" goes.

The plot and world-building of this story is very complex. Most of this book did seem to be focused on setting up the world these characters live in. We get to know the paranormal creatures, history, and powers involved. For this reason, the beginning was a bit slow for me. There is a large chunk of it dedicated to explaining the history and current situation Helen is faced with, which was needed, but got a little tiring. But, by the middle I was hooked on this story and excited to see what would happen.

A Temptation of Angels was a great beginning to this paranormal story involving fantastic world-building, a steamy romance, and a heroine seeking justice for her family.

Recommended: Paranormal/historical fans looking for a new series with a complex format and great characters.

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Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Publisher: HarperTeen (May 31st, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 496 pages
Source: Author (Thank You!)
Series: Starcrossed #1
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood.. and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.
Review: I L-O-V-E-D this book! No really, loved it so much that I kept re-reading parts a day after finishing it. This will be one of my top books of 2011. I'm sure of it! I've been a complete fan-girl over this book all week and I will try to get my head together enough to write a review. But first, I must get all of the random, crazy, fan-girly thoughts out of my head.

Lucus *swoon*… HOT! Other hot boys with kick butt powers.*le sigh*. Must plot strategy for how to get book 2 from Josie's house.Hmm… will think of that later.

Okay, here goes. Helen Hamilton is beautiful. She tries to stay as closed off as possible because she hates attention. She has an adorable best friend named Claire who keeps her sane throughout the high school experience. Then one day she sees the new boy in school and can't seem to figure out why she wants to rip his hot little head off. I couldn't help but crack up at some of their first interactions. Josephine really brought some creativity to their struggles with each other.

From that point on Helen is only focused on Lucus and his family, no matter how hard she tried to go on with her daily life. She's not normally a violent person but she knows she wants them all dead. Spooky hallucinations seem to appear when they are close to her and she is sure she has gone insane. The more Helen tries to avoid Lucus, the more fate brings them together until one night all heck breaks loose and she finds out way more about her history than she would have ever thought possible.

Josephine's writing is beyond explanation. I experienced a full range of emotions while reading this book. From giddiness, to fear, to heart-pounding anxiety due to the intense action and passionate romance. I was hooked from the start! Helen was a wonderful character. I enjoyed seeing her spunk come out as the story progressed. She had a lot of power behind the cute face.

I am new to books that involve Gods and Greek mythology but Josephine did an amazing job weaving it into this book. It didn't feel forced or"too much" at one time. All the pieces slowly came together. Along with that, she introduces us to so many secondary characters that will steal your heart. Even though we don't get to learn everything about each of them, they were all so critical to the story and they really help bring everything together. It's rare to see a story with a"big family" and still know what is going on and who's who. Each family member had a distinct personality and after reading the book, I couldn't imagine even one of them not being part of this story.
Starcrossed is a book where I could picture everything in detail as I read it. The beauty of the Delos house, the view from the water, the sky, each character; everything was picture-perfect. It was like watching a movie.

Josephine Angelini was a master at presenting this new YA story that is sure to capture the hearts of many and only get more fantastic as the series continues. Starcrossed was much more than a"boy meets girl" type of story. The flow of the writing, action-packed plot, and outstanding characters make this book impossible to put down. A brilliant read with a captivating romance and a nice dose of mythology. It is a must read!

Find Josephine Angelini
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Book Trailer (UK)

True Scary Story
by
Le a Nolan

“Ray, I don’t think we’re alone in this house.” My mother held her breath, waiting for my father’s response. They’d just moved into the old cottage that faced the highway. Finding another place to live was probably out of the question.

“Of course not, Alice. The baby’s here, too.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. We, the three of us, aren’t alone. Someone else is here too.”

My father’s shoulders stiffened. “Like an intruder?” His voice filled with a fierce mixture of testosterone and the urge to protect his own.

“No,” she shook her head, trying to explain the recent events to her no-nonsense spouse. “It’s a… presence. And it’s here all the time.”

His brow furrowed. “A ghost?”

She nodded. “Yes, I think so. I’m pretty sure it’s a child.”

He narrowed his eyes. “And how would you know that?

“During the day, when you’re at work and I’m here with Lea, it plays with me. When I’m in the kitchen with the baby, I’ll hear something moving or jingling in the living room. As soon as I go in there to see what it is, the pots and pans start rattling in the pantry. This happens all day long, no matter where I am.” She gazed into my father’s pale blue eyes. “It’s happening so much, I’ve started talking to it, telling it I know it’s there. I think it believes we’re playing a game. And… I can almost see it. Not if I look at it straight on, but once in a while, I’ll catch a glimpse of something that looks like a wisp of smoke from the corner of eye.”

As my father stared hard at her, my mother knew he was working to make sense of all he’d just heard. Yes it was far-fetched, and sounded completely crazy, but it was also the truth.

He rubbed his chin. “Are you afraid?”

“No. It hasn’t done anything to hurt me or Lea, so I think we’re safe.”

Sometime later as my parents were watching television one evening, they heard me babbling in my bed.

My mother sighed. “I don’t know why she won’t go down. Would you go in there and see what she’s up to?”

Dutifully, my father headed to my room and found me sitting up in bed speaking to no one he could see.

“What are you doing?” he asked, scanning the room.

I turned my head toward the doorway. “Talking to my friend.” Though I was just over a year old, I was an unusually early talker.

“Your friend?” he asked.

“Yes.” I smiled and glanced back at the empty space before me.

“Is your friend here?”

Nodding, I pointed directly in front of me. “Right there.”

He drew a deep breath. “Well, it’s time to go to sleep, so tell your friend you can see him in the morning.”

“Okay,” I answered as I lay down.

Over the next few months, the ghostly presence became a part of our little family. Eventually my father began to see it too, hovering in a corner between the living and dining rooms, its diaphanous appearance vanishing whenever he attempted to look at it straight on. If he had any doubts of the ghost’s existence, they evaporated the night he heard my Fisher Price toy xylophone tinkling out a distinct tune. Sure I’d gotten out of bed to strike the multi-colored keys with my wooden mallet, he charged into my room and found me sound asleep. The xylophone was deep in my toy box, well out of reach.

Not long after, as my nearly six-month pregnant mother reclined on the couch one evening, both she and my father saw the apparition hovering in the corner, but this time it appeared to linger longer than usual. It disappeared and a few seconds later, an eerie, cold sensation crawled across my mother’s body and the icy impression of a small hand clutched her foot.

It was the last time they ever saw or heard from the ghost again.

So what about you, readers? It’s one thing to think you may have a ghost in your house, it’s another to see it. Would you rather retain that comfortable distance (and plausible deniability), or would you prefer to confirm its existence with your own eyes?

Lea Nolan writes the kinds of stories she sought as a teen—smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She’s holds degrees in history and women’s studies concentrating in public policy and spent fifteen years as a health policy analyst and researcher. She lives
in Maryland with her heroically supportive husband and three clever children.

Her debut YA novel, CONJURE, book one in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series releases on October 23, 2012 from Entangled Publishing. In CONJURE, three teens discover a mysterious 18th-century pirate treasure and inadvertently unleash a wicked flesh-eating curse. To save her brother’s life and the soul of her unrequited secret-crush, Emma Guthrie must apprentice herself to an elderly Gullah root worker to learn hoodoo magic and break the hex.

Conjure by Lea Nolan
Publisher: Entangled Publishing (October 23rd, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 314 pages
Series: The Hoodoo Apprentice, #1
Be careful what you search for…

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive an ebook of Conjure, magnet, and a signed bookmark.
  

Rules:

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends November 10th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here. Don't forget to check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post for today!

The Story of Us by Deb Caletti
Publisher: Simon Pulse (April 24th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 390 pages
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cricket’s on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend—but she’s picked a bad week to sort out her love life. For one thing, her mother’s romance is taking center stage: After jilting two previous fiancés, her mom is finally marrying Dan Jax, whom Cricket loves. But as wedding attendees arrive for a week of festivities at a guesthouse whose hippie owners have a sweet, sexy son—Ash—complications arise:Cricket’s future stepsisters make it clear they’re not happy about the marriage. An old friend decides this is the week to declare his love for Cricket. Grandpa chooses to reveal a big secret at a family gathering. Dan’s ex-wife shows up. And even the dogs—Cricket’s old, ill Jupiter and Dan’s young, lively Cruiser—seem to be declaring war.
While Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, she’s also alarmed by her own desires. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her…

Review:

The Story of Us is a serious book, but there are so many hilarious moments. Cricket's family has gathered with her mom's future-husband Dan's family for their wedding and it's a little like that movie Christmas Vacation. There are so many disasters happening around every corner. Cricket's worried about her mom taking off again before the wedding but she's also dealing with her own issues which include the cute guy Ash, her evil future step-sisters, and a house full of crazy, stressed out family members.

Cricket was a good character because she does truly love her family and worry about them — even her older brother. And while she is young, she still comes off as mature and wise. She wants what's best for her mom and that has become a big priority in her life. She has started to question her relationship with Janssen. They have been together forever but she just can't get over a few doubts. Although we don't really get to know Janssen first-hand, he is still very much included in the book. Cricket emails with him often and shares their history. This gives us a great chance to get to know him through her experiences and he was a fascinating character!

Ash is there, and he's hot, and he pays attention to Cricket. He has a bit of that dark, mysterious vibe going on and that really draws Cricket to him. She just has trouble finding out if that's real affection or her just latching on to something for comfort.

The plot was really what created such a well-rounded story in this book. Each character brought so much drama and fun. I think that everyone will find at least a few characters who remind them of a person in their own family. Some parts of the story lagged a bit for me, especially with a great deal of focus on the family dog. Not that I dislike dogs, I don't, but her emails with Janssen were mostly about the dog and I just wanted to know more about their relationship instead.

This book is a real coming-of-age story, involving a girl just trying to deal with the changes in her life. As with many young adults, change is scary and it can be difficult to let go of the security of a home, boyfriend, or friend. It's a time where a person takes a big leap of faith and that's exactly what Cricket had to learn to do. Deb Caletti truly knows how to target the mind of a teenager and dive into their dreams and fears.

Recommended: People looking for something cute and funny, but with a deeper meaning.

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This is a super hard list for me. I've read a huge number of books this year. 154 books as of today! Picking 10 of my favorites makes me break out in a sweat! But I will try my best.

Title: Deity
Author: Janenifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
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"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time."

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner… and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time"training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate.

Title: Easy Author: Tammara Webber Add to Goodreads A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

Title: Onyx
Author: Janenifer L. Arme ntrout
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
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Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Title: Partials Author: Dan Wells Publisher: Balzer + Bray Add to Goodreads The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulsepounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.

Title: In Honor Author: Jessi Kirby Publisher: Simon & Schuster Add to Goodreads Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn.. and ruggedly good-looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

Title: Taking Chances Author: Molly McAdams Add to Goodreads Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.

She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled… they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.

Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.

Title: The Secret of Ella & Micha
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Add to Goodreads
Ella and Micha have been best friends since they were kids. But one tragic night shatters their friendship and their lives forever.

Ella used to be a rule-breaker with fiery attitude who wore her heart on her sleeve. But she left everything behind when she went to college and transformed into someone that follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home.

Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. If Micha tries to tempt the old her back, she knows that it will be hard to resist.

Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella’s skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he’s determined to bring his best friend, and the girl he loves back, no matter what it takes.

Title: Born at Midnight Author: C.C. Hunter Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Add to Goodreads Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Title: The Edge of Never Author: J.A. Redmerski Add to Goodreads Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

Title: Anew
Author: Ch elsea Fine
Publisher: Firefall P ublishing
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Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery… until she met a boy with a familiar voice.

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past… might just be the death of her.

Now it's YOUR turn! Link up your list using the Linky below!
Lisa from A Life Bound By Books is hosting the giveaway for today!!
Note: This is the SAME Linky on all FIVE Co-hosting blogs.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Publisher: Random House Children's Books (February 14th, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardback: 272 pages
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

Review:

Lucy is searching, but it doesn't seem to be just a guy she's searching for. She is fascinated with the graffiti artist who creates wonderful works of art all over town at night. His name is Shadow and she just knows if she meets him, she will fall in love.

Ed is someone Lucy knows, and their history hasn't been a positive one. They went out once and it was a total disaster. I'm sure many teenagers can relate to that. Since that date Lucy and Ed have tried hard to avoid each other; however, under some strange circumstances involving a few of their friends, they end up thrown together on a journey to find Shadow.

Everyone will know immediately who Shadow is so this book wasn't based around that mystery. It simply involves these 2 characters spending a few hours together one night, both searching for different things. What really makes this book special is the way Cath Crowley writes the story. The writing truly captures the story like the artwork described in the book. I'm sure it is difficult to develop a story that takes place in such a short amount of time but Cath Crowley did that brilliantly.

Lucy and Ed were each realistic characters. They didn't have perfect lives and, in some ways, they focus on what's on the surface. Their night together forces each of them to think about things differently.

Another perk of this book for me was the setting — Melbourne, Australia. I've always wanted to visit Australia so this was the perfect book to dive into in order to get the feel of the area. There's so much more to this book but I don't want to spoil the surprises. A few parts of the book lagged a bit for me but it was still a highly enjoyable read.

Recommended: Contemporary fans who enjoy books with a unique setting, poetic style, and artistic edge.

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The post you are about to read is 100 % **Role Play

All the characters represented here (please see the list of all Role Players provided below ) with the exception of Lisa and myself are **Role Players from a group on twitter. They have agreed to role play with us to help celebrate not only our Halloween Event, but also to help share our love for the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by author J.R. Ward, as these Role Players are also huge fans of J.R. Ward's works.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT NO ONE with this site/blog, Lisa’s site/blog nor the role-playing group — which you can find with the list of twitter accounts provided — is in any way, shape or form connected to or affiliated with J.R. Ward. No one present or represented here is J.R. Ward, nor is the role playing intended for any purpose other than the personal enjoyment of the Role Players involved.

Warning: This story contains mature and adult themes.
J: @Rehvenge_BDB – seriously, I haven’t played this since college. Any tips on how to beat these boys? and you too *laughs* C’mon – help a girl out?

@Rehvenge_BDB: *enigmatic smile* Mind over matter, female. *leans forward* No… really… mind… *reaching out with the “fun” side of me to get a nice hold on your emotions… then looking over @Wrath_BDB and releasing my hold on you in an effort to play nice*… over matter.
@John_MatthewBDB: *Walking in with Xhex, smiling at the shellans, nodding at the brothers*
@Xhex_BDB: * Walking into room with John seeing everyone gathered together kicking back. Noticing @Rehvenge_BDB playing Monopoly with @Zsadist_BDB, @Wrath_BDB, and @Phury_BDB. I feel the smugness rolling off him, he must have Boardwalk and Park Ave again.* Gearing up to win @Rehvenge_BDB?
@Rehvenge_BDB: You know my tastes, Xhex. And how I play for keeps. *flicking amethyst eyes to @EhlenaA_BDB and thinking she’s overdue for one of our “special” phone calls*

L: *smiles* Hello, @John_MatthewBDB & @Xhex_BDB. It’s nice to see you both tonight. We were hoping you’d make it.

@John_MatthewBDB: *Looking to @Xhex_BDB, signing* Translate for me?
@Xhex_BDB: Of course. *smiling at @John_MatthewBDB*
@John_MatthewBDB: *signing* It's always good to be here, this is my family. No matter how crazy or strange, this is home. Thanks for your support of all of us.

L/J: *Sitting back, taking everything in and listening to the conversation that’s going around the room.*

@MarissaH_BDB: I’m new to some of these human traditions, but @Butch_BDB has explained the Halloween tradition to me. I’m curious to know what costume my hellren might wear if we all donned costumes? *looks towards @Butch_BDB*
@Butch_BDB: I’d put on a cop uniform. You wanna see my night stick, baby? waggles eyebrows and picks @MarissaH_BDB up, swinging her around, planting a kiss on her lips*
@CormiaC_BDB: Oh, costumes? That sounds like fun. I think I might like to dress up like an Explorer — I’ve been reading a lot of human history books lately. Perhaps Magellan or Columbus or Cortes… *looks to my hellren* What about you, @Phury_BDB? What costume would you wear?
@Phury_BDB: *looks at @Rhage_BDB and @Vishous_BDB* Before anyone suggests it, I am NOT dressing up as Pocahontas so @CormiaC_BDB can be John Smith.
@CormiaC_BDB: Pocahontas?
@Phury_BDB: Never mind. As for a costume? I don’t know, I’d probably go as something that would make my niece laugh.
@Vishous_BDB: Now that is a great idea, true?
@MaryL_BDB: I love Halloween. I’d love to know what costume @Rhage_BDB would have me wear. *blushes again* Scratch that, baby. I don’t think I want you to answer it in the interview.
@Rhage_BDB: *growls*
@BethR_BDB: I think @Wrath_BDB would make a good pirate & I could be the kitchen wench. *laughing at the mental image of my hellren dressed up as a pirate*
@Wrath_BDB: *shakes head* Great, I have to hand out candy to humans and dress up as Captain Jack Sparrow. Leelan, we need to discuss this pirate obsession of yours, preferably while I’m pillaging your village, wench. *low growl*
@EhlenaA_BDB: *smiles sweetly @Rehvenge_BDB* You’ve already seen my Halloween costume. What’s your favorite part?
@Rehvenge_BDB: Pantyhose. *FANGS*
@DocJaneW_BDB: *Laughing at the Halloween talk* I already have the perfect costume, I'm going as a ghost. Of course V has other ideas, don't you? *raises an eyebrow*
@Vishous_BDB: *growls, tempted to grab @DocJaneW_BDB and head for the pit*

@Lassiter_BDB: So I have a question for you two. Since I don’t have my own book yet, *rolls eyes* I want to know which book if your favorite? And what makes it your favorite? I know that when I get my own book that one will be everyone’s favorite. Also who’s your favorite brother? Favorite shellan? Favorite couple? It is okay to say I am your favorite, we all know it’s true.
@Vishous_BDB: *walks over and drags @Lassiter_BDB away from you* Leave them alone Lassy. He will do anything for an ego boost.

L: It’s okay @Vishous_BDB. I’ll try to answer @Lassiter_BDB’s question. I do have two books that are my favorites, which two, I’m not going to say. However, I will tell you this — I more then enjoyed, laughed even cried during each and every book for one reason or another. @Wrath_BDB & BethR_BDB’s story had me hooked and ready for more. Now, that’s how it is at the end of each book. Craving more. As for the other questions you asked. For a favorite brother – depends on who’s book I’m reading at the time. That brother will usually end up being my favorite. For shellan, I think the answers they gave for how they deal with the fighting just proves to me that they are all worthy of that title. And for Favorite couple? Well, each has been through so much *looks at @Tohrment* that shows that even a Vampire race and the couples within it have some normal, if not extremely hard things they have to deal with, that makes you seem somewhat human in how most of us humans can relate to you. So, each couple is my favorite if for that reason alone. As for your book @Lassiter_BDB I’m looking forward to it. *smiling at you* I can’t wait to see where your story will go and to learn more about you. *thinking I kinda rambled there*

L: What about you Jessica?

J: Well, I will admit that I am very much looking forward to your story @Lassiter_BDB *winks* but as for past stories I am a huge fan of @Zsadist_BDB and I think that him and @BellaR_BDB are a fabulous couple! I mean c'mon, @BellaR_BDB kicks butt! Gotta love when the lady takes charge. *smiles* I do have to say that one thing I loved in each book was that the shellans were there to help each of you see a different side of yourselves and with that I believe it helped to open each of you up a bit too.

@Lassiter_BDB: A long as you didn’t say that one is your favorite I am good: *points @Vishous_BDB*
@BellaR_BDB: *small smile* Thanks.

L: What about each of you? What do you think of your stories being out there? And were you surprised at anything you read after the fact?

@Wrath_BDB: Challa has been good to us. She’s told our stories and kept it accurate. I can’t ask for more than that.
@Butch_BDB: I’m ok with what she wrote about me. It was hard to read about my family back in Boston and how things ended with us, but *shrugs* I’ve found where I really belong and that’s what really matters, true?
@John_MatthewBDB: *Looking at @Xhex_BDB and signing* It's hard to have all of that exposed but at the same time I think it can help anyone realize that no matter how tough the path, eventually you end up exactly where you're supposed to be. * Squeezing @Xhex_BDB's hand and turning my head to look @Tohrment_BDB, remembering @Wellsie_BDB*
@Xhex_BDB: * Returning @John_MatthewBDB’s comforting gesture. * It is difficult as I am a private person normally, but it has brought me back to where I needed to be and to people I can work with, albeit hesitantly for me given my personality. *Smirks *
@Phury_BDB: I’m not proud of some of the decisions I made, so it was difficult to know that those decisions were in print. But I am proud of what I’ve done since then. So it makes sense to have the bad showcased with the good.
@CormiaC_BDB: *nodding* You have much to be proud of. *thinks how proud I am of you* And yes, it was difficult to know that what we went through was shared with others, but we take the good with the bad… together. *smiles at @Phury_BDB*
@DocJaneW_BDB: *Cutting in* I'd just like to say that I find the bond between mates absolutely compelling. Through reading the books, you are easily aware of when a male has found their mate *thinking of @Vishous_BDB's intoxicating bonding scent*. In each instance, the urge to claim their mate is nearly immediate whether the female is vampire, human or a half-blood, and in @Butch_BDB's case, he even knows before he's made aware of his lineage. I think that what may not be acknowledged as frequently, but can't be ignored, is that each of us was in turn magnetized to them. So is it all fate? Or is there something in our chemical make up that draws us to one another? I think there is plenty of room to explore this phenomenon. Anyway, I went off on a tangent there. About our story being out there? Personally, I think our book kicks ass. *winks at V*

J: Yeah.and what do you look forward to as more stories come out and your lives move forward?

@Wrath_BDB: A united vampire race. We need to recruit and work together to decimate the Lessing Society. With the Brotherhood strengthening daily anything is possible.
@John_MatthewBDB: *signing* I'd like to see my boys @Blaylock_BDB and @Qhuinn_BDB get smart and find what I did with @Xhex_BDB, no matter what that means, for both of them. As far as the two of us *smiling at @Xhex_BDB* well, I just look forward to kicking some ass side by side *John then signs something that Xhex doesn't translate*
@Xhex_BDB: * Rolling my eyes at my Hellren and signing back. * I can’t wait.
@Phury_BDB: I hope you’ll get to see our race strengthened…
@Vishous_BDB: Getting to know sister mine.
@Butch_BDB: I’m waiting to see what’s doing with @Payne_BDB. If she’s anything like her twin, holy hell we’re in for a ride *glances over at @Vishous_BDB grinning* You love me bro, and you know it. *glancing over at @MarissaH_BDB*
@Vishous_BDB: *claps @Butch_BDB’s back* True.

And with that, were going to get back to our visit and games here. We hope you enjoyed getting to peek in on our visit, we know we had a great time sharing it with you.
Goodnight!

If you would like to follow along with the all the Black Dagger Brotherhood Twitter Role Players is part of this group, please USE GOOGLE to easily follow each character. And trust me, you don't know what your missing! So hurry and follow today!

@FritzDoggen_BDB Online: (updates, notes and information on the Twitter Role Playing Group)

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Order All 8 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Preorder book 9 Online here:

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Thank you so much to all the characters from the Black Dagger Brotherhood Twitter Role Play group for all the time and effort they have been putting in to help us celebrate not only Halloween and our event, but also our love for all that is the Brotherhood and J.R. Ward.

ENTER TO WIN the first SIX books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood!! One lucky person will win a box set!!
NOTE: The winner for this contest will be chosen at Random with a little help from @Wrath_BDB! He will be helping us pick the winner LIVE ON TWITTER soon after Nov. 15th. Lisa and I will post details closer to when @Wrath_BDB is ready to pick the winner, so keep an eye out!
Here are the rules and how to enter:

• You MUST complete the form to enter. No entries in comments please they won't count. Comments are welcome, so share your love with Lisa and I for the Black Dagger Brotherhood World!!!
• You must be at least 17 years old to enter. (these are ADULT titles, so you MUST be at least 17 to enter)
• This contest is open to INTERNATIONAL! (Anywhere the Book Depository Ships to!)
• Contest ends: Nov. 15th, 2010

Check out Lisa's other Haunted Halloween post! NOTE: This post will be the same on both of our blogs.
REMINDER: *If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please ready full entry rules HERE.