lundi 31 décembre 2012

RAK December WRAP UP



Hello to all,
                   Welcome to a new wrap up post for the  Random Act of Kindness hosted by Booksoulmates . last day of the year but also the last wrap up post for 2012. Even if December is a busy month ( exams, holidays etc) i wanted to participate in the RAK and i'm really glad i managed to do it.  I hope those little gifts gave as much joy to their receiver that i felt when Vonnie thought about me.
I will participate again in January , with some RAK participants already contacted, so if you are interested never forget to add your birthday and if you accept handmade gifts in the form ( when there is no specific place you can add these info in the comment section).

Did the magic touched you too?


In December I received: 




I received Throne of Glass from Vonnie @ Vonnie's Reading Corner. You managed to make my Christmas really special, thank you so , so much dear ^^









and in December,  i've sent :
( note: i don't take picture of the Rak i create before sending them so it's only if the receiver made one i can use that i will add it here so this post will perhaps be edited later to add some)

A handmade Bird bookmark  to Martha from Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf

A handmade snowflake bookmark to Stephanie from Bookfever

A handmade Cute Baby polar bear Keychain  to Jenny from JuliaBabyJen's reading room


A handmade Cute Baby Polar Bear to Audris from YA Bookmark

A handmade Rose (new model) bookmark to the wonderful Anna from Herding Cats and Burning Soup - you really deserve it thank you once again

and lastly: Hannah from The Girl in a Cafe received her RAK, and handmade rose keychain ( first time i did the new model^^)i'm really glad you received it and love it. Patience paid off^^


 I hope December was a good month for you too, and i will see you in 2013 so more joy to give ( and also receive i hope^^)

thank you to all participants and to  Booksoulmates

Have a wonderful 2013 year , all of you

best wishes!

2012 challenge Wrap Up

Hi everyone!

              in a few hours, 2012 will be history as we welcome 2013, full of promises. However, to have a fresh start i want first to close my participation in the challenge i've entered for 2012.
Let's see how i did, some books counted in several challenges


Romance and Me Reading Challenge hosted by Stella from Ex-Libris

This one of those i prefered because it made me discover new genre and authors i wouldn't have dare otherwise. I'm really proud to affirm that i've completed the challenge by trying a different subgenre each month, sometimes with more pleasure than others but i've become fan of several new authors ^^;;
Some month i participated less ( life being what it's and also depending if i had the books of the subgenre in question) the minimum i did was 4 but sometimes i went up to 20 ^^
It's another challenge i would be very happy to try again.


2012 TBR Reading Pile Challenge: 10 hosts

Despite some trouble with the organisation, i managed to do better than expected. At first i had entered for level 1: 10books, i moved up the level  and in the end i read 91books for this one.  Completed
I'm happy to try again in 2013.

Challenge Romance paranormale organisé par Nastasia

The only french challenge i've entred ( but english books and reviews were accepted- ouf-)- completed with 45 books



Reading Romances Challenge 2012:

Another one, fun challenge, the topics were really diversified so i learned a bit with this one too^^ Completed
I got 15 entries for this one so statut:  Completed ^^


Completed with 25books/novellas

I also entered lesser challenges and i did the level i wanted ( even if i didn't necessarily added the links in the linky^^;;)

So i can tell that i'm really happy about my progress. Did you participate in some of theses too? how ddid you do?

Happy New Year



dimanche 30 décembre 2012

Pure (Covenant 2) by Jennifer L . Armentrout

Hello to all,

i didn't know if i was going to manage to finish another book and to write a last review for this year but participating in the Jennifer L Armentrout read along event i couldn't miss to share with you my opinion on book 2 of the covenant series, my favorite so far with the title " Pure".

Since the book is important, it's a bit difficult to write without spoilers so i'm sorry in advance if it's short and not a deep review but i prefer to let you the pleasure to discover this book by yourself  and experiment all the contrary feelings i'm sure you will feel. A really good book but it's better if you read Halfblood first.

Happy Reading and Happy new Year!

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Publication: 2012
ISBN:  0983157227
Genre: paranormal romance, YA
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 16+
Source: received as a RAK



Short description from goodreads :

There is need. And then there is Fate

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.


My opinion:
          Jennifer L Armentrout knows how to keep us on edge, Pure is an excellent addition to the covenant series. The tension is building up, some things are revealed but a lot are still unknown.
I was so sad for Caleb, and like Alex I would like if Piperi was more straight forward because at the moment I can’t tell who is lust an who is love…it’s even harder now. Aiden is still so *argg * he wants to act with honor great but in the same time he is hurting and confusing Alex more than ever. On the contrary Seth is trying to be a gentleman to help her BUT he is also the only one who is quite honest with his feeling, he does tell her  he isn’t in love, interested yes but when she asks him he answers not a maybe, I can’t tell, etc like Aiden.

The part with the council was for me too predictable but I still enjoyed how it turned out and I hope we will see more of “ brown eyes “ too, part of me wanted Alex to take him and the young one with her^^;; . I’m really suspicious of Leon and the thanathos sect makes me uncomfortable, as soon as they arrived at the council I was afraid to guess what was happening.

It’s hard for me to tell you all I thought without any spoilers let just said it’s becoming harder to choose between Aiden and Seth as they both act to protect Alex in their own way. The things is , I hated the way the pures controlled everything but now I hate them even more … arrogant and stupid, they don’t hesitate to break their own rules if it’s in their advantage…. I really hope the series will finish with a happy end but I’m getting afraid it won’t be the case.

To recommend to all fans of Jennifer Armentrout and the covenant series. I will be anxiously waiting for my copy of Deity and appolyon

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenge:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge

samedi 29 décembre 2012

2013 challenge part 3: Reading romances Challenge

 And 3 challenges already ( and i'm waiting for another one^^), mostly i'm staying loyal to the bloggers i know and  so far, to challenges i've entered before.

Nat from reading romances had a very funny challenge in 2012 and i took a lot of pleasure in it. This time the rules have changed a little since we don't have to wait to know the month's topic . All is already décided upon you just have to pick your book and read then on the right month ^^ sound good no?

After reading the topics, i'm not sure i have a lot of books left ( i should be better be cautious) that qualify so i start at the lowest level 3books during the year but i will try to move up the level if i manage


If you are interested you can  join us here but first the rules:

The Reading Romances Challenge 2013 will focus on Classic Romance plot lines  settings and themes this year!


You can commit to read a number of books for this challenge during the year:
  • Level 1: 1-3 books
  • Level 2: 4-6 books
  • Level 3:  7-9 books
  • Level 4 : 10-12 books
  • Level 5: 13-15 books
  • Level 6: 16+ books
Or you commit to read per month:
  • Romance Reader – 1 book per month
  • Romance Lover- 2 or 3 books per month
  • Romance Addicted – 4 or 5 books per month

JAN:    Marry me? –  Marriage of convenience. An arranged or forced marriage leads to love.
FEB:   Foreigners do it better! –  Greek, italian, spanish, french, brazilian, russians, sheiks! No English or North American heroes.
MAR:   The Avengers –  Man uses woman for blackmail, revenge, kidnapped, seduced etc .OR May The Games Begin! – two people fighting for the same prize and only one can win.
APR:    Beauty and the Beast  –  one of the main characters is physically marred in some way or a wounded hero, emotionally tortured.
MAY:    Summer Lovin’ – a couple is stranded together and the enforced intimacy leads to more. OR Nursing Back to Health –  hero or heroine is injured or near death and the other saves his/her life by nursing back to health.
JUN:   Who do you think you are?  –  One of a couple isn’t who he or she appears to be on the surface or pretending to be someone else or disguised.
JUL:    I’m BACK for good!  –  Reunited Lovers. Second chance or a first love rekindled story.
AUG :   Traditional or not!  –  time travel romance or a book with a love triangle.
SEP:   Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do? –  opposites attract. This can also be reversed with a bad girl/good boy.
OCT:    In Love with my Best Friend  –  a friendship leads to more. OR Beta Male Fest! –  any romance featuring a beta or gama male.
NOV:     Romeo and Juliet – a class difference sets a couple apart.
DEC:     Cinderella  –  rags to riches or riches to rags.

Challenge Guidelines:
  1. The 2013 Reading Romances Challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 – Dec 31, 2012.
  2. Anyone can join, you don’t need to have a blog. Feel free to sign-up in the comments – you can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, Librarything, Shelfari etc). If you don’t have a blog you are still welcome to sign up. You can create a shelf for the challenge at Goodreads or LibraryThing or a similar site, please include your name and a link to your shelf.
  3. The topics for each month are posted above so you can schedule ahead!
  4. You can list your books before reading them (by leaving a comment on the post with the topics for that month) or just put them in a wrap-up post and link each month. If you list them, don’t feel obligated to read them, changes are welcomed! Please identify the books you’ve reviewed in your wrap up post each month so that I may easily add up your entries for the prize drawing! Track all of your challenge accomplishments, the good and bad.
  5. Sign up in the linky bellow and add the direct link to your post about joining the Reading Romances Challenge. If you don’t have a blog, please link it to the page where you post your reviews (Goodreads, Shelfari, Amazon etc).
  6. You don’t have to participate every month, but please try to!
  7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
  • You can read the same author more than once and the books can be old or new, but they must be read during the course of the challenge.
  • Books used in this challenge may be used in other challenges.
  • Books can be in any format – paper, audio, ebook.
  • Post the button to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun!
At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. If you forget, feel free to add your reviews in the following month. It can be something simple and short, please don’t worry about it! For each review you link up, you will get one entry in the monthly giveaways and in the challenge giveaways! Winners will be posted on the next month’s challenge post.
There will be monthly giveaways during the year for everyone who is actively participating on the challenge. There might be special giveaway by the end of the year, so don’t give up!
Sign-up:
Write a starting post joining the challenge and outlining your challenges. Post your name and the direct link to your challenge post (or shelf link, amazon page)  in the Linky bellow


2013 Challenge part 2: " Sports " romance reading challenge

Hi!

 Like i just wrote, i've decided to select which challenge i enter and to be cautious about those choices but since we aren't in 2013 yet  i can wait to apply this resolution fully. Anna is a blogger that i really appreciate and she decided to host a "Sports" romance  reading challenge... i find the idea interesting even if i'm not sure i own the books that counts for this challenge, i will check or try to find some but i want to support Anna with her first challenge she is hosting so i enter even before checking^^;;!

Now, like nearly all the challenge, i will start low and here the first level is " The Tailgater" and in matter of books it means 6books read during the year.

So if you want to join the fun  here are the infos and rules as stated by Anna (Here)


The deets:
  • If you'd like to join in the goal is to read at least 6 "Sports" Romances in 2013 but you can read as many as you'd like!
  • Everyone's welcome to join! You either need to have a blog or Goodreads account to post your progress/reviews (both are FREE, if you need help setting up let me know)
  • The challenge begins 1/1/2013 and ends 12/31/2013. Yall can join up any time though!
  • There will be a post the 1st of each month here on herding cats & burning soup for you to link your reviews in for the the month. 
  • Books can be used in other challenges and ones in other challenges count here too as long as they're sports related!
  • Reviews in languages other than English are fine :)
  • You can participate each month or here and there :) Just have fun with it and stop by when you'd like!
  • Feel free to grab our button and add it to your sign up posts, blogs, reviews, etc
The Books:
  • The books don't have to be all about sports :)
  • Just a hero/heroine that is an athlete
  • Need some ideas?  Check out these Goodreads lists...
  • Can be ebook or print, Novella or full length, stand alone or part of a series, PNR/historical/contemporary, etc.
  • The sports: Auto racing, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, running, biking, etc. They're all fair game :)
Challenge Levels: 
  • The Tailgater:          6 books
  • Sports Lover:          12 books
  • The Die-Hard Fan:  26 books
  • Total sports nut!      52+ books

The Prizes: 
  • I think we'll do two giveaways with the event. If enough people join in and are linking up maybe a couple more!
  • There will be a 6 month giveaway
  • And a grand prize giveaway at the end! 
  • Each valid review you link up will count as an entry in the giveaways!


To Sign Up: 
  • Fill out the linky sign up below with your info!
  • Make a post about joining the challenge on your blog (or if you don't have a blog on FB, etc)
  • Let us know you're joining in!!

Are you interested? Join the fun!

2013 Challenge part 1: 2013 TBR Reading Challenge

 It's the time of the year when we try to take some resolutions, one of those i decided to take was to enter again some challenge and to continue to do my best in each one i enter so for that i need to be selective and reasonnable.

I entered the 2012 tbr reading challenge hosted by evie and while i read more than expected ( i started at the first level and in the end read 91 books) i was a bit disappointed in some part of the organisation, Evie isn't to blame at all and the challenge is really motivating for me so i decided to trust her again and participate in the 2013 edition where some rules have changed but not the essential.

I won't list my books in adavance because i mostly find them when i look on my shelves for other challenges too^^;; but you will find them in my list of challenge like this year. To be cautious, this time again i will start at the first level ( and move up if i can) A firm Handsake and that means between 1-10books

Here are the info you need to join us:



Challenge Guidelines:
  1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2013.
  2. Anyone can enter! You don't have to be a blogger, as long as you review the book you've read! (On your blog, Amazon or Goodreads/Shelfari!)
  3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2012 and earlier! NO  2013 ARCs and 2013 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
  4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
  5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 TBR PILE Reading Challenge. (If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Tweet!)
  6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
  7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
  8. On the 20th of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this monthFor each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. The giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up! (i.e. the entire month)
  9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 
  10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - a box of books
  11. You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!
Levels:
(how many books you're planning to read for this challenge in 2013)

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children


Schedule:

January 20th: Evie @Bookish (www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com)
February 20th: Rachel @Fiktshun (http://www.fiktshun.com)
March 20th: Justin @Justin's Book Blog (http://www.justinsbookblog.com/)
April 20th: Tiffany @Escaping.. One Book At A Time (http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.com/)
May 20th: Bonnie @Words At Home (www.wordsathome.ca/)
June 20th: Justin @Justin's Book Blog (http://www.justinsbookblog.com/)
July 20th: Emily @Doodle's Book Blog (doodlesbookblog.blogspot.com/)
August 20th: Tiffany @Escaping One Book At A Time (http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.com/)
September 20th: Rachel @Fiktshun (http://www.fiktshun.com)
October 20th: Emily @Doodle's Book Blog (doodlesbookblog.blogspot.com/)
November 20th: Bonnie @Words At Home (www.wordsathome.ca/)
December 20th: This one will be posted on all the blogsThere will also be a huge BOX OF BOOKS giveawayand this time you can link up ALL YOUR TBR Pile REVIEWS you wrote for the entire month!


See it can be fun so don't hesitate, you can move up the level too so if you are like me a little afraid and wanting to be sure  of what you are doing start low ^^

A Cajun Werewolf Christmas (Stormy Weather 6) by Selena Blake

Hello to all,

December isn't finished yet but i think i will close my discovery of the holiday romance today to have a short break before a 2013 year full of discoveries.

To finish on an happy note, i will give you my opinion on another holiday paranormal romance novella but don't worry even if you will learn a bit about a vampire it's mostly about werewolves , i had to have some diversity this month after all.

So without waiting, here comes A Cajun Werewolf Christmas by Selena Blake.

Happy Reading!

Publisher: Selena Blake
Publication: 2011
Genre: holiday romance, paranormal romance
Violence: none
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+
Source: free


Short description from goodreads :

 (The Happily Ever After)
paranormal romance – the final Stormy Weather story

Join Deveraux Pack for their first Christmas together. With Angel and Jules’ wedding days away, the pack braces the snow and cold for an unforgettable day. The men place a bet to see who can come up with the best baby present. And Mother Nature provides one last surprise for everyone.


My opinion:
          So sweet, I didn’t know the series before but, even if I haven’t read any book from Selena before, I can tell that I really enjoyed this novella. The author Selena Blake gives us just the right amount of information to understand why this Christmas together is really special for the characters, we know they suffered, all of them, differently yes but the result is the same they wouldn’t have dreamed such a happy reunion.

We get to see the evolution for each man for the pack and we have glimpses of how they met their respective mate like a little summary of the series because this novella was thought as a conclusion. Of course we don’t get all the background, that’s for the books but if for someone who has read the series this novella is a perfect conclusion for someone who hasn’t started yet it works well as a stand alone.
I admit though that I’m really interested in reading the series now, yes there will be hardship but at least I know they will have a real happy end. It’s a real treat the author did to her reader, in my opinion.

The writing style is engaging, the different personalities are well described so I didn’t feel like I was missing something. It’s sweet, cute but also funny and romantic, a fabulous novella for the season.
I recommend it.



Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge















vendredi 28 décembre 2012

Home for the Holidays (Night Huntress 6.5) by Jeaniene Frost in the anthology The Bite Before Christmas

Like promised, today you get 2 reviews instead of one. First you got a new author for me, now i got back to my classic with a novella from Jeaniene Frost, one of my favorite authors, and even better a novella set in the Night Huntress series. We never get enough of Cat and Bones^^.

So without waiting here is my opinion on "Home for the Holidays", published as part of the anthology " The Bite Before Christmas"

Happy Reading!

Publisher: William Morrow
Publication: 2011
Genre: paranormal romance, holiday romance
Violence: strong

Language: normal
sex: mild
Public: 18+
Source: bought


Short description from goodreads :

 This holiday season, join two of today's most popular paranormal authors for a special look into their worlds, where creatures are always stirring and no one sleeps through the night. . . . The Bite Before Christmas.
(…)
Home for the Holidays by Jeaniene Frost Cat and Bones are looking forward to a normal holiday--at least as "normal" as it gets for the combustible vampire couple and their otherworldly friends and family. But their yuletide plans are shattered when a stranger shows up and reveals long-buried family secrets that threaten to take a bite out of their holiday cheer . . . and lives.


My opinion:
          It’s always a great pleasure to read a book or a novella from the Night Huntress series. I really love Jeaniene Frost’s writing style and the ambiance of the story so when I hear about this novella I couldn’t miss it.

Cat is planning a birthday party for Bones with the guests staying longer so they spend the holidays all together like a family. That should be simple but with Cat and Bones it’s never as it seems and soon unwanted surprise transforms the happy time in a near war state. Bones doesn’t like himself and even worse he excludes Cat from his line.  In all this havoc Cat can only count on her friend ghost Fabian, and his girlfriend, Denise and a surprising useful Ian.

I loved to see more about the powers sources in this world, we got little details about demons in Denise’s story yes but here we delve deeper and the paranormal world Cat is discovering is even more complex that what she expected. However what I enjoyed the most was Ian. Until now I accepted the fact he was loyal to Bones at least in a measure but I couldn’t stand him. He was too selfish, arrogant and a real pervert but in this novella I saw him under a new light. He is more knowledgeable than it seems and he can act when needed.  He also has his own form of honor and I liked how he bickered with Cat but was also able to listen and comfort when it was needed. He really loves Bones and he has proven his loyalty. He was also kind with Denise.

Now I must admit that he also made me curious about the reason he got his tattoo and I hope the author will tell us more about that one day. I mean it will help to see how he matured too since it was long ago ( I hope for him^^).

It was funny to see how the girls teamed together to get their vampire mate back, I wouldn’t want to be on their bad side. And of course, love is stronger than evil even if it’s via the vampire’s territoriality^^.

A good novella perfect for the season and all year long for all the fans. I recommend it but preferably for the fans of the series, it can be read as a stand alone yes so if you don’t know this universes it could give you a taste of it but  you will appreciate even more as an addition to the series^^.

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:


This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge
Book read for the 2012 TBR reading


















To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!