Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Robot Review: Jaq's Harp

Jaq's Harp
Ella Drake

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: February 2011

Publisher: Carina Press

File Size: 203 KB

Author Site: http://elladrake.com/

My Rating: 4/5

Source: Received for review from publisher for Rex Robot Reviews

Synopsis:

In a world of floating islands and bio-engineered beans, the bad guys are taken down by agents of the Mother organization—agents like Jacqueline “Jaq” Robinson. Instead of accepting her next routine assignment, she sets out on a mission of her own—to destroy Giant Corp, the company responsible for her sister’s wasting illness. Jaq must steal her cure from Giant’s headquarters high above the city…even though she’ll be brought face-to-face with Harper English, the man who left her to go deep undercover at Giant.

For Harp, Jaq had been a distraction the mercenary thought he couldn’t afford. But once he sees her again, Harp knows he’s made a mistake. Even though she vowed he won’t have her again, it’s clear they still have a powerful attraction. Harp’s determined to get a second chance with Jaq—if they can escape Giant Corp and get back to solid ground in one piece…

Review:

I usually don’t like short stories and/or novellas because I always seem to be left pretty unsatisfied in the end. So I tend to stay away from the shorter side of the story-telling world. However, something drew me to Jaq’s Harp, and having never read anything by Ella Drake, I can’t really tell you what made me want to read and review it. Jaq’s Harp is a unique re-telling of Jack and the Beanstalk that involves floating islands, secret agents, and new-age technology. Add in a little sprinkle of steamy sexual tension between ex-lovers and you got yourself a fun time!


To see the rest of my review click here!


Monday, February 14, 2011

Daily Dose [1]

**check it out!**









How To Woo a Reluctant Lady Winner

Congrats to:







Please contact me back before the end of Wednesday, February 16th. Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! Be sure to check out my other giveaways going on =)


Happy Valentine's Day


Happy V-Day Everyone!
<3

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Book Arrivals





For Review:

  • Indefensible :: Pamela Callow
    (December 2010 - Mira)
  • Indivisible :: Jessica McQuinn
    (January 2011 - Omnific Publishing)
  • The Promises She Keeps :: Erin Healy
    (February 2011 - Thomas Nelson)
  • Madame Tussaud :: Michelle Moran
    (February 2011 - Crown Publishing Group)
  • The Lipstick Laws :: Amy Holder
    (April 2011 - Graphia)
    *not pictured - ebook for review)
Purchased:

  • Lover Mine :: J.R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, book eight)
    (April 2010 - NAL)
  • In The Dark of Dreams :: Marjorie M. Liu (Dirk & Steele series, book ten)
    (November 2010 - Avon)
  • Ashes of Midnight :: Lara Adrian (Midnight Breed series, book six)
    (May 2009 - Dell)
  • Dark Slayer :: Christine Feehan (Carpathian series, book twenty)
    (August 2009 - Berkley)
  • Bloody Bones :: Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, book five)
    (October 1996 - Ace)
  • The Darkest Edge of Dawn :: Kelly Gay (Charlie Madigan series, book two)
    (August 2010 - Pocket)
  • Silver Borne :: Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson series, book five)
    (March 2010 - Ace)
  • Heir to the Shadows :: Anne Bishop (The Black Jewles series, book two)
    (April 1999 - Roc)
  • The Dead Girls' Dance :: Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampire series, book two)
    (April 2007 - NAL Jam)
  • Midnight Alley :: Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampire series, book three)
    (October 2007 - NAL Jam)
  • Secrets of the Demon :: Diana Rowland (Kara Gillian series, book three)
    (January 2011 - DAW)
  • Eve of Destruction :: S.J. Day (Marked series, book two)
    (June 2009 - Tor)
  • The Thirteenth :: L.A. Banks (Vampire Huntress Legend series, book twelve)
    (February 2009 - St. Martin's)
  • Mockingjay :: Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games trilogy, book three)
    (April 2010 - Scholastic Press)
Won/Miscellaneous:
  • Edge of Hunger :: Rhyannon Byrd (Primal Instinct series, book one)
    (April 2009 - HQN Books)
    *from Paperbackswap
  • Embers :: Laura Bickle (Anya Kalinczyk series, book one)
    (March 2010 - Pocket)
    *won from Lovin' Me Some Romance
  • Entwined :: Elisabeth Naughton (Eternal Guardians series, book two)
    (July 2010 - Love Spell)
    *won from Lovin' Me Some Romance

Friday, February 11, 2011

Friday Finds [48]


I usually add a lot of books on my TBR list throughout the week. This is just a small glimpse into the ones that were added on recently. Maybe you'll find something you like =)


Please let me know your thoughts on a book you've read from the list. Or tell me about a good book you've found this week.


My Finds This Week:














Thursday, February 10, 2011

Giveaway: CSN Stores Gift Code


Wall art and decor is something that always grabs my attention, be it in stores or on-line. I think it calls to my inner interior designer or something. All I know is when I see things like...








...my imagination runs wild and I want to go decorate houses and match colors... basically go nuts HGTV style!

I don't know about you, but I've seen CSN Stores everywhere around the blogosphere. I'm not a big online shopper (except for books) so I haven't had the pleasure of shopping with them. I've never won a giveaway for one of their prizes either. But I was fortunate enough to be contacted to host my own giveaway for a very generous gift code for one of my readers. You can browse their 200 different stores and bring out your own inner interior designer.

To win a $50 Gift Code to any CSN store simply fill out this form!


Giveaway ends February 24th
US and Canada only


Good luck!


2011 Reading Challenge: New Author Challenge


I didn't quite finish this challenge last year (38/50). I'm going to try for 50 again and see what happens.

To find out more about this challenge, or to sign up, visit Literary Escapism here

  1. Alice Clayton (The Unidentified Redhead)
  2. Joan Frances Turner (Dust)
  3. Artist Arthur (Manifest)
  4. Gail Giles (Dark Song)
  5. Ella Drake (Jaq's Harp)
  6. Cheryl Landmark (Wind and Fire)
  7. Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)
  8. Alice Hoffman (The Ice Queen)
  9. Pamela Callow (Indefensible)
  10. Flynn Meaney (Bloodthirsty)
  11. Jessica McQuinn (Indivisible)
  12. Artie Bennett (The Butt Book)
  13. Allen Williams (The Witches' Kitchen)
  14. Amy Holder (The Lipstick Laws)
  15. Darren Shan (Birth of a Killer)
  16. Diane Haeger (The Queen's Rival
  17. Kersten Hamilton (Tyger Tyger)
  18. Scarlet Blackwell (A Vampire in Whitechapel)
  19. Neil Plakcy (Rhiannon)
  20. L.A. Weatherly (Angel Burn)
  21. James Hutchings (Two-Fisted Tweets)
  22. James LePore (A World I Never Made)
  23. Susan May Warren (My Foolish Heart)
  24. Evelyn LaFont (The Vampire Relationship Guide, Vol 1)
  25. Ethan Cross (The Shepherd)
  26. Dawn McCullough-White (Cameo the Assassin)
  27. Jools Sinclair (44)


Male = 9
vs.
Female = 18

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Maybe This Will Make Your Day a Little Better...



This was in an email I got from a good friend of mine. Most, if not all, of them made me smile and/or laugh. I hope this brightens up your day!






A little humor break, enjoy.


---------------------------------------------------

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blu- ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Ladies.....Quit Laughing.



There was simply too many great ones to pick favorites. I hope you enjoyed them!


Waiting on Wednesday [74] - Putting Makeup on Dead People


from goodreads.com:

It's been four years since Donna Parisi's father passed away, but it might as well have been four days. Donna makes conversation and goes through the motion, but she hasn't really gotten on with life. She's not close with anyone, she doesn't have a boyfriend and she's going to college at the local university with a major that her mother picked. But one day Donna has an epiphany. She wants to work with dead people. She wants to help people say goodbye and she wants to learn to love a whole person--body and soul. She wants to live her life and be exceptional...at loving, at grieving and at embalming and cremating,too. Even as she makes the decision, things start to change. Donna makes friends with the charismatic new student, Liz. She notices the boy, Charlie, at her table and realizes that maybe he's been noticing her, too. And she begins to forgive the rest of her family for living their lives while she's been busy moping.



Reason: I don't think I've ever seen a book about morticians let alone a YA book featuring a mortician. It's so different and definitely grabbed my attention. The title is pretty nifty too because it makes readers look twice and think what the book could be about.

Cover Discussion: Eh, it's okay. I'm not crazy about it. I definitely think something more could be added or something.

Expected Release Date: July 26th



Tuesday, February 08, 2011

International Giveaway: Madame Tussaud


Want to win a signed hardcover of Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran?

Simply fill out this form!
*winner will also receive a pair of Marie Antoinette cupcake earrings pictured below**




Giveaway ends February 22nd
Open Internationally!



Good Luck!



Teaser Tuesday [58] - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies




Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:



-Grab your current read
-Let the book fall open to a random page.
-Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12
-You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given.
-Please avoid spoilers!

 

Did this fat little priest mean to take her as a wife? She was horrified at the thought of marrying a man whose only skill with a blade was cutting slivers of gorgonzola. (71)




**Find out more about Teaser Tuesday at http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/. Join in the fun!**

 
 
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