150+ Reading Challenge:  I finished this one on 5/17/2011.  In total my grand finale of books read and reviewed in 2011 was actually 235.  This could have been more, but the rest of my reviews won't post until the New Year.

2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge:  I finished this one on 5/9/2011 with the goal of 50 young adult books.  In total my grand finale of young adult books read and reviewed in 2011 was actually 140.  It is safe to say that this was the year of Young Adult books for me.  Such amazing stuff came out in this genre that it was easy to surpass my goal of only 50.

2011 Erotica Reading Challenge:  FAILED  My goal was set at 15 in this genre, but I couldn't really get into this genre for some reason.  I mean who doesn't love smut? I love it, but it took a back burner for me this year.  Maybe next year will hold better results in this category.

2011 M/M Reading Challenge: FAILED  My goal was set at 5 or more, but again I failed.  Maybe because I am still a little hesitant on reading this genre because other readers find it so taboo.  I have made a list of books though in this genre that I plan on reading this coming year.


As of the date and time of this post:
Followers GFC:  1746  (1214 at the beginning of 2011)
Followers through email: 254 (162 at the beginning of 2011)
**Networked blogs is new this year so there is no comparison for last year.

Labels: 2011 Recap

SUMMARY:
Jennie Townsend is unlucky in love, so she is immediately suspicious when a mysterious new student named Nate tries to gain her friendship. But there is something special about Nate, and in spite of her best efforts Jennie finds her feelings for the boy growing deeper every day.
In fact, Nate is more special than Jennie can even imagine. He is a guardian angel, sent to protect Jennie during a most dangerous time in her life. To do so, he must first become close to her – but not too close. The rules for Protectors warn against physical contact and strictly forbid falling in love. But the more time Nate spends with Jennie, the harder the rules are to follow. Will Nate be able to save Jennie from a premature end, or will his own emotions – and Jennie's – get in the way of completing the task for which he was specifically chosen? 

Awkard
Author: Marni Bates
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: K-Teen
ISBN-13: 978-0758269379

Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she's the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous - not to mention unwelcome - attempt at CPR. Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that's when life gets really interesting...


I didn't have high expectations for this book when I first received it.  To me the cover was a little cheesy and childish.  Yet after you start reading this book, you find yourself sucked into the teen drama and at times find yourself laughing out loud at the scenario that is unfolding on the pages.

Mackenzie has always considered herself an invisible among her high school population.  She isn't a part of the Notables who happen to be the rich and popular kids.  Then everything changes once something is posted to YouTube and shared among the class.  All of a sudden she is popular in her own way with reporters knocking on her door for interviews, people are starting to talk to her, and talk shows are even trying to get her to make an appearance on their shows.

The author does a wonderful job of portraying the characters in the book as true teenagers.  They have the witty dialogue that teens can be obnoxious for and she has the cliques down as well.  Even though there are many things going on -- including a love triangle -- the author kept it on track and didn't waver from the original plot of the story.  I liked how Mackenzie came across as a person you either knew in school, or actually be the person you were in school.  It is very easy to relate to her and her struggles.

A fresh and fun new read that keeps it clean for the young adults but has the parents laughing as well.  I am glad to have given this book a chance in a genre that is full of paranormal at the moment.

Labels: 4 flames

By The Book by Scarlett Parrish
Daniel Fucking Cross.  Any man who can have a tattooed back, wear guy liner, knows how to write AND can be so freaking sexy in bed is enough of a reason to be on this list.  Thank you to Fiction Vixen and Smexybooks for the new addiction of Scarlett Parrish.

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith
The Escape From Furnace Series
This book blew me out of the water!  The follow up books had me drowning in scary.  I never would have picked this series up in a store if I hadn't been asked to review them.  I had just started off with my Spotlight Series books and I chose to accept this series for a month long feature.  I certainly did not expect to be chilled to the bone with the horror that this author could bring to his characters.   One of the best page gripping series in the young adult genre this year.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
This is one that I read closer to Halloween and boy did it give me the scare factor for the holiday.  This author could send chills down your spine with a petite girl ghost and make you turn on every light in your house at night just so you can sleep.  I was captivated by the cover, but the story is what kept me up at night!

Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine
I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  I am not a big reader of contemporary young adult but I found myself speeding through this short read.  I loved the characters and the story was written beautifully.  It was a short read, but it packed a punch to this reader.  I was so glad to have read this and I admit to reading it at least three times already this year.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will get another story featuring these characters!

The Reaping by M. Leighton
I just couldn't decide between this book and the previously mentioned one.  These two were such a close tie that I decided to use them both.  Author M. Leighton was one of the best authors to talk to and her writing proves the dedication she has in her work.  I loved Carson and was thrilled to read the conclusion of the story The Reckoning.  This story just progressed so well and left the reader with anticipation to find other books she has written.  She just so happens to be a fellow Supernatural TV freak like me as well.  We love our Winchester boys!

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning
Again, thank you Fiction Vixen and Smexybooks for my new addiction named Barrons.  Hot damn that man can make you quiver in anticipation with just one word.  I stepped into the Fever series with hesitation because I had never read an urban fantasy series before.  What more can you say besides Barrons being the ultimate Alpha man you would want to have in your bed and defending you.  He may claim not to be the hero, but he can tattoo me anywhere, anytime and any place.  If you haven't read this series, you are crazy. Get to it and know that you will be fighting many fans over who gets to claim him as their book boyfriend. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I was a little late to the party with this series.  I felt like I was the only person on the planet who hadn't read this series when Mockingjay came out.  It just didn't sound like the type of book that would interest me.  Boy was I wrong!  Katniss, Gale, Peeta, Finnick, Rue, and all of the other characters hold special places in my heart in this series.  Strength, determination, survival, love and childhood innocence stolen away threw me into a tailspin of emotions.  I cried when the story came to an end and immediately fell into a depression for the rest of the day.  Yes it was that awesome.  I convinced my parents, my daughter and my stepson to read them.  They cursed me for making them cry and they thanked me for recommending them to read as well.  Books that can mess with you emotionally for days - or a year -  afterward are what readers crave.  I still get emotional just thinking about reading them again and I honestly don't think my heart could handle reading them again anytime soon.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Is it any wonder or surprise that this book is my top pick?  If you follow me on twitter or even ask me what book to read by a debut author you will know Divergent is my recommendation.  I was intimidated at first by the sheer size of this book, but I dived into the world that Veronica Roth created and didn't come up for air until the last page.  I fell in love with Tris and her strength and found a soft spot in my heart for Four.  I am already excited to read the next book just remembering it. If you haven't read this yet, you are missing out on an amazing read.

Labels: Best of 2011

By The Book
Author: Scarlett Parrish
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult Erotica
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
(January 4, 2011)
ASIN: B004QGYAJQ

Two's company; three's allowed. 


Reece Hutton conducts his life between the covers -- of books and beds. A librarian by day, in the evenings he's a man whose tastes are anything but vanilla. So when local writer Daniel Cross appears in the library one afternoon with the aim of doing some research, Reece has a hard time not noticing how attractive he is, or what feels like chemistry between them. They exchange a few words and Daniel's business card, an interlude which Reece puts down to networking rather than flirtation. 


After all, he has his girlfriend Georgia to go home to and her best friend: a threesome to help his birthday go literally with a bang. Reece, being a gentleman (most of the time), has no objection to returning the favor, especially as his new friend Daniel seems all too willing to be their third for an evening. Georgia sees their triangle as nothing more than a temporary bit of fun but Reece...? He’ll eventually have to own up to breaking the unwritten rules of their relationship or close the book on a growing attraction to Daniel. 

Labels: 5 flames

Blood and Bullets
Deacan Chalk: Occult Bounty-Hunter #1
Author: James R. Tuck
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Kensington
(February 7, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0758271471

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights… 


Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl “hires” him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him—and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he’s got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There’s also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon’s greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him…


This is going to be a hard review to write.  Bad ass monsters? Check.  Down and dirty hero? Check.  Lots of action? Check.  Great story? Kind of.

I had a really hard time enjoying this book.  While the character of Deacon Chalk was sexy and bad ass, he wasn't one that attracted my interest.  He wasn't so much an alpha hero you would come to expect in the sense of good guy will prevail, simply because he is at times so rugged and dirty as the bad guys.  He can kick butt and take names when he feels like it, but if you are looking for a romantic side of his character, don't get your hopes up.  Yes he has the bad boy sex appeal, but that is as far as it goes for me.

The story in itself wasn't that bad.  It had plenty of action and evil things to hunt.  I feel that this book would be a better match for the male readers than the females.  This is just my opinion, but I think the men will gravitate more to this book because of the action, violence and all around male cast of characters.

Again, the story in itself was pretty good, but it isn't a series that will keep me up at night waiting for release day.

Labels: 3 flames

Vesper by Jeff Sampson for $0.99
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand for $0.99
The Ascended by Tiffany King for $2.99
Hex, A Witch and Angel Tale by Ramona Wray for $0.99
Entwined by Heather Dixon for $0.99
Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine for $2.99
My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking for $0.99
Hereafter by Tara Hudson for $0.99
Bitter Frost by Kailin Gow for $0.99
A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler for $0.99
Delirium: The Special Edition by Lauren Oliver for $2.99
Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia for $1.99
The Reaping by M. Leighton for $0.99
Insatiable by Meg Cabot for $2.99
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey for FREE

Summons: A Goblin King Prequel by Shona Husk for FREE
Hunter's Choice by Shiloh Walker for FREE
Only Us: A Fool's Gold Holiday by Susan Mallery for FREE
Winning the Wallflower by Eloisa James for FREE
Snaring the Huntress by Sylvia Day for FREE
Christmas Wishes by Debbie Macomber for $1.99
Broken by Megan Hart for $2.99
Sins of A Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan for $1.99
Mad About the Duke by Elizabeth Boyle for $1.99
Nightwalker by Jocelyn Drake for $0.99
The Trouble With Harry by Katie MacAlistar for $0.99
Noble Destiny by Katie MacAlistar for $0.99
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear for $0.99
I Dream of Genies by Judi Fennell for $0.99

Fracture
Author: Megan Miranda
Source: Contest Win
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Publisher: Walker Childrens
 (January 17, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0802723093

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine
-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?


Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?


I have been eyeing this book for a while now and was excited to win an ARC copy of it for review.  I love books about after death experiences and what a person goes through after the miracle of coming back from the dead without the zombie angle added in.  So when I started reading this book it was no surprise that I  ended up putting everything else on hold just to finish it in one sitting.

When Delaney and her best friend/neighbor Decker cross the frozen lake to meet up with friends, Delaney slips and falls through the ice.  She struggles to find the surface as Decker tries to get to her, only to drown in the freezing Maine waters.  She was under the water for a total of eleven minutes.  Death is definite at ten minutes, but somehow after being pulled out of the waters at eleven minutes, Delaney is brought back to life.  She is confused at first, but as the events of that day are filled in, she starts to realize she is not quite the same as before.  She is a walking miracle in the fact that she survived, but she also did it without any brain damage. She does have an abnormal brain scan now, but she is walking and talking just as before.

When Delaney starts to get a terrible itch and trembling fingers, she starts to feel a pull that she can't resist following.  What she ends up realizing is that she is being pulled to people who are facing death and they are facing it soon.  When she is approached by Troy though, she realizes she is not the only person who is like this.  Troy has been through his own near death experience but he has a different outlook on the situation.  He tries to convince Delaney to do things his way, but Delaney believes she could do good with this new ability.  During all of this, Decker is there for her and is secretly hiding the fact that he is in love with her.  Delaney needs to sort out her feelings between the two boys she has in her life and also deal with the fact that she is now a walking death sensor.

I absolutely loved this book.  I fell in love with Decker from the first few chapters and could already sense his feelings for Delaney.  While Delaney did seem to have some snobbish feelings towards the people who visit her afterwards,  I feel that the author did a wonderful job in explaining why she was this way towards them.  I liked Troy at first in the book, but as the story progressed, I realized he wasn't what he seemed.  I could also see his point in his reasoning of why they were given this gift, but I didn't like how he was using it either.

I personally can't wait to see what other stories this author will come up with.  I love the fact that she can take a great subject and turn it into a wonderful story that keeps the reader engaged from page one up until the end.  A great new paranormal book to add to the genre from a debut author that can write beautifully!

Labels: 5 flames

Labels: WOW

With all of the changes that are coming up with Blogger, My Overstuffed Bookshelf has many options available for readers to keep up to date with my reviews.

Whether you have Blogger, Wordpress or no blog at all, it is quite easy to keep up to date on all of your blogs.  Listed below are numerous ways for you to subscribe to My Overstuffed Bookshelf.  I hope you will decide to follow my blog for the upcoming new year and thank you for following the blog for the last two years!

Everneath
Everneath #1
Author: Brodi Ashton
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
 (January 24, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0062071132

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 


She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 


Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 


As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...


This was one of those books that you are dying to read and you know you won't be doing anything else until you read that last sentence on that last page.  I first fell in love with this book upon seeing a preview of the cover on another blog.  Then I continued on and read the summary. It sounded so captivating that I just knew I wanted to read it!

After reading the first chapter I thought Cole was going to be the good guy.  What I came to find out was that Cole was the tempting bad boy that you want to love, but nothing good can come out of a relationship with him.  Jack was the true hero and good guy of the book.  I fell in love with him the moment he entered the story and hoped he would be Nikki's salvation and white knight.  What I didn't expect was the way the story ended and had me craving for more!

Be prepared to have tissues on hand for an ending that will rip your heart out and wishing we wouldn't have to wait so long for then next book in the series.  With Greek myth, characters that hold on and don't let go, and a plot that flows wonderfully, you will be captured from page one and not wanting the ride to end.

Labels: 5 flames

Magic Bleeds
Kate Daniels #4
Author: Ilona Andrews
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace (May 25, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0441018529

Kate Daniels cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to deal with-especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community. 


And now there's a new player in town-a foe that may be too much for even Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family.


AMAZING!
OUTSTANDING!
FANTASTIC!
This book has me on adjective overload!  There are so many more words I could use to describe my thoughts on this book, but honestly, none of them come close to the awesome that this book is.

I have decided that Curran is now to be called the Sexiest Beast Lord or His Furriness instead of plain Beast Lord.  His Majesty was one of the best parts of this book.  I literally jumped for joy whenever he appeared on the pages and swooned at his sexy form.  I wanted to crawl into the pages and pet his fur and distract him away from Kate.  Seriously, how can Kate even attempt to deny him? I would have crawled all over him in book one, but the authors wait until book four to give us Chapter 17!  I read that chapter three times before moving on to the rest of the book.

In this installment of the series, Kate is up against not only the most powerful enemy yet, but she is also up against her Aunt Erra.  That's right readers -- we get to see her go up against her Father Roland's sister.  Erra also happens to bring disease wherever she goes at thinks she can defeat Kate. Be prepared for a blood bath when these two collide several times in the book.

Not only can Ilona Andrews deliver the perfect story of suspense, fantasy, fighting and honor, but the author can also deliver some of the best witty and humorous dialogue throughout the chaos. I found so many quotes in this book that I would love to share, but then I would have to quote the whole book!

I have found this series to be a new favorite of mine and has made me discover that Urban Fantasy can be just as great as other genres.  I can't wait to get my hands on the next book and pick up where Magic Bleeds ends.

The phone rang. I picked it up.
“Are you sitting down?” Curran's voice asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Click.
I listened to the disconnect signal. If he wanted me to sit, then I'd stand. I got up. The chair got up with me and I ended up bent over my desk, with the chair stuck to my butt. I grabbed the edge of the chair and tried to pull it off. It remained stuck.
I would murder him. Slowly. And I'd enjoy every second of it.
-- page 142 Kate and Curran

"I don't know your wolves." I looked at Jim. "Why can't you go if you're so concerned?"
He sighed. "Because certain people aren't altogether rational at the moment.  If I came with you, I'd have to answer uncomfortable questions.  I ask questions, I don't answer them."
"What kind of questions?"
"Why were you in a vehicle with Kate, alone? What were you wearing? What was she wearing? How long were you there?  Did you do something or did you talk? What was the nature of your discussion? Could this trip have been avoided?"
I rubbed my face.  "So basically you're scared that His Lordship might get his panties in a bunch?"
-- page 255 Jim and Kate

Labels: 5 flames

Magic Strikes
Kate Daniels #3
Author: Ilona Andrews
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace;
(March 31, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0441017027

Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot.


But when Kate’s werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet.


This series has been such a great find to read.  Each one keeps getting better and better.  Seriously, it has been a hard choice on which one is my favorite so far, but I think this one surpassed the first two and became my new favorite of the series.

Derek was always one of my favorite secondary characters and when he is attacked in this book, I literally wanted to rip someone to pieces.  The horrific things the enemy does to Derek was just heart wrenching and I nearly collapsed just like Kate when she went to see him after the attack.  I wanted justice and I wanted it to be just as painful as what Derek had went through.  The way Jim explained his reasoning on disobeying the Beast Lord made me see Jim in a new light as well.  It showed his compassion and loyalty to his friends that I hadn't really seen in the previous books.

This brings me to the dynamics that are evolving around Kate and Curran.  *swoon* Can this Beast Lord get any sexier?  I fell harder for this character this time around and I am sure other readers will agree that this book was the one that opened our eyes to the sexiness that is called Curran.  His compassion surfaced and showed that he does have a softer side and understands the reasoning in the way members of his Pack did what they did.  Instead of destroying them for what they had done, he surprised me and decided to fight right beside them.  He showed his loyalty back to the Pack and stood ground with them in a bloody battle that could have killed them all.

The sexual tension is stepped up a notch in this book as well.  The bet had to be the most stupid thing out of Kate's mouth if she truly didn't have chemistry with Curran, but I think it was one decision her subconscious really wants to happen.  That is one bet that I wouldn't mind losing if I was betting with Curran myself! *sigh*

The scenes near the end were almost my undoing.  I was swooning with the words and actions from Curran.  I wanted a furry Beast Lord of my own.  I seriously cannot wait to start the next book and see what happens next.  This series has become a serious addiction to me and I can't break the hold it has on me.

“His Majesty needs a can-I girl anyway. And I'm not it."
"A can-I girl?" Andrea frowned.
I leaned back. "'Can I fetch your food, Your Majesty? Can I tell you how strong and mighty you are, Your Majesty? Can I pick your fleas, Your Majesty? Can I kiss your ass, Your Majesty? Can I..."
It dawned on me that Raphael was sitting very still. Frozen, like a statue, his gaze fixed on the point above my head.
"He's standing behind me, isn't he?"
Andrea nodded slowly.
"Technically it should be 'may I'," Curran said, his voice deeper than I remembered. "Since you're asking for permission."
--page 42

“I flexed my wrist, popped a silver needle into my palm, and offered it to him.
'What's this?'
'A needle.'
'What should I do with it?'
He'd walked right into it. Too easy. 'Please use it to pop your head. It's obscuring my view of the room.'
- Kate & Saiman page 63

Labels: 5 flames