Win, Win, Winners!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone!! I am here to announce the winners of the Hurricane giveaway!! There will be two winners, one for the ebook, which is international, one for swag pack, which is US only!! They were picked using Rafflecopter.com automated winner thingy. The winners have been notified and if they don't reply within 48 hours I will pick a new winner! Thank you to everyone who entered  and I am sorry if y'all didn't win! There's always next time! :)

Now on to the winners!

The winner of the Ebook is:

Jude Henderson!!

The winner of the Swag pack is: 

The Obscured Vixen!!!

Hurricane Review!

Synopsis:

I anxiously looked around, my heart palpitating, just in time to see an alligator slink into the green algae covered water that was on either side of us. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced even faster. Alligators were a different type of predator—the one thing I was afraid of. Now I was on my own personal swamp tour. What if my kidnappers left me in the middle of a swamp with five of them creeping up on me? I’ve had that nightmare before and—oh no, if my dreams really are a sign of the future—I couldn’t breathe now.

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

Review: 

I enjoyed this book, but was also confused. It had a good plot, but at the beginning I was like "Um.. I thought this was supposed to be about a Hurricane. Am I reading the right book?" But then I read farther into it and figured out, that yes I was in fact reading the right book.


The plot was a little confusing. It seemed to jump from place to place with no real connection. One second it was talking about her being at school, and in the same paragraph she was at home trying to figure some things out. The bothered me, but it was still a good book.


Ana is a very strong female lead. I mean with her dad being a flake and leaving her to fend for herself in the middle of a hurricane and going off with his girlfriend. Then being kidnapped by the new kids in school, yeah not fun! She feels this strange connection with the new boy, Hayden and is scorned by his brother Luke. You figure out later why! I'm not into spoliery reviews!


Then there Hayden, the dark and mysterious new kid, who has a bi-polar attitude in my opinion. One minute he's saving Ana, from what, she has no idea. The next he's telling her that he can't be seen with her. Of course this would spark my interest with the kid, but it just pisses Ana off.  Plus he kidnaps the girl and well, won't explain all the mysterious behavior going on!


All in all the book was just Okay, of course I am going to read the sequel if there is another one. I give this book a 39 out of 59 tacos! I want to thank Jenna Lynn Duncan for giving me the chance to read and review her book! It was my pleasure to read your book, and I hope to be given the chance to read another one of your books in the future.
~~ Sam :)

Matched

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. 

-- bn.com

Matched is not my favorite book. Not by a long shot. For all the hype that came before it, I thought that it came off rather flat. The story was very predictable. No odd twists came along; nothing special was added. Predictable isn't necessarily bad, but you have to have some appeal somewhere. 

Yes, there was some appeal in the hook. I loved the beginning of it at least. It gives off real emotions and excitement. Slowly as you read on though, it kind of loses this appeal. Halfway through the book it was almost dead. There are several reasons for this:

--Ky is a very flat and unlovable character. Yes, I know he has that spark because he appeared on the screen, but why does Cassia love him? I have no idea. Xander seemed like a much nicer guy- I liked him much more just because he was introduced as the hot best friend that you can spend the rest of your life with. There are only so many times you can gush about Ky's eyes.

--I felt like I've already read this book. I've said that there were no plot twists, but with all the dystopian I've read, it was the same. If you take The Giver and add a bit of romance, you will get some eerily similar books. This was a big reason, I felt, becasue there are only so many times a plot can be rewritten and still have something left in it. 

I would give this book 22 out of 51 tacos for the above reasons, but it still gets some because I know that I'll be reading the sequel, if just to see what happens. That has to mean that Matched manipulated my conscience somehow to like just a little bit of it, right?

Have you read Matched? Did you like it, or were you like me and not like it so much?

Waiting on Wednesday! #2

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine, where we talk about what us bloggers are waiting on!

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned.
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed.
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

~~Taken from Goodreads.com

What are you waiting on this week?

~~Sam!

Waiting On Wednesday #1

This week I'm waiting on Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick!! 

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever. ~Taken from BN.com

What are you waiting on this week??

~~Sam :)

IMM #2

In My Mailbox is brought to you by the Story Siren. It is a great way for people to share what they are reading this week or month and its a blessing to be welcomed into it!

Bought/ For Review:

Waterfall- Lisa T. Bergren

Kiss Me, I'm Irish- Bella Street

Nevermore- Kelly Creagh

Love Story- Jennifer Echols

Without Mercy- Belinda Boring

Everblue-Brenda Pandos

The Nine Lives of Chole King- Celia Thomson

The Mark- Jen Nadol

Breathe- Abbi Glines

Hades- Alexandra Adornetto

Juliet Immortal- Stacey Jay

Bloodlines- Richelle Mead

Falling for Hamlet- Michelle Ray

Gifted or Won:

The Help- Kathryn Stockett

Glow- Amy Kathleen Ryan

Stolen- Jodie B. Cooper

Cold Kiss- Amy Garvey

For Blog Tour:

Vanish-Sophie Jordan

Thank you to Once Upon a Twilight for Vanish, A good friend for the Help, Shelle Roberts for Cold Kiss, St. Martins for Glow, and Jodie B. Cooper for Stolen! I can't wait to read all these amazing books!! What is in your Mailbox this month guys??

~~SAM :)

ARC Review Of Cold Kiss!

Synopsis:

It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.

Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants—what shemust do—is to bring Danny back.

But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.

Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her—and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought—even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

Review:
I recived this as a prize from one of the authors of The International Kissing Club, Shelle Roberts! Thanks so much for the book!! It was amazing! 


I really enjoyed the book, it was interesting. It was extremley different then most books I read on the terms that I don't do ghost's well. The creep me out, and so I stay away from them. There was something different about this book though, and it was a good change. 


The plot was adequete, not perfect, and kind of all over the place. Sometimes I had to go back and re-read the page to understand what the next page was talking about. It bothered me because I really don't like doing that.


The characters were fun though! They dealt with what teenagers our age deal with. Well other than one of them being from a family of witches and being able to bring back a person from the dead.


The character I just described was Wren, the main character.  She is a keep to yourself person with only a few best friends, till she meets Danny.  He takes her out of her shell and just makes her happy. That is.. till he dies and she goes into depression and pushes everyone away and is hiding a big secret that I can't say!! That is till a new guy comes along...


This new guy is Gabriel, he is new to town and is instantly atracted to Wren! Of course Wren is still hiding somethings and isnt interested in this new mysterious hottie! Gabriel is the kind that will do anything he to get what he wants and always wants to help people. Always. So watch your thoughts around Mr. Mystery, you never know when he's listening!!


This book was amazing, it was a quick and easy read. I give it 39 out of 59 Tacos!! Which is equal to 3 stars!! Woo!! Pre-order it and you won't be sorry. Even if your against ghost books, this one is worth it!!
~~Sam!

ARC Vanish Review!!

Synopsis:

An Impossible Romance.
Bitter Rivalries.
Deadly Choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.~ Taken from BN.com

Review: 

Sigh.. Did this book ever have to end?? Why did it end there!! GAHHHH!! ~Those were just some of my thoughts as reading the amazing book that is Vanish by Sophie Jordan. I adored this book and was blessed to get an ARC thanks to Once Upon A Twilight. She has put up with all my annoying emails about the book and for that: Thank you so much!!

Wow. Is all I can say about this book. It was truly amazing. The plot kept you immersed into the story like no other. From the beginning i was absorbed into this book and couldn't put it down. The book might have started off a little slow, but as soon as you got about two chapters in, it had you hooked and you Vanished from the world.

Okay, lets start with Jacinda today. Whoa, she is one determined little miss in the latest book. I don't think she stays put or does what she's supposed to for most of the book! She has her heart set on forgetting about   Will but some things you just can't forget. Plus when your sister is the new It girl, things tend to hurt. Plus they call her Jace and well I love the name Jace!!

Then there's Cassian, who swoops in and takes everyone back to the Pride. Not willingly though. He promises Jacinda that he will protect her no matter what, and does that from the very beginning. He really saves her butt multiple times, and well also doing some things accidentally along the way, but hey nobodies perfect!

I don't think that I could pick a team between Cassian and Will. So maybe I like Cassian a little better because, well who wouldn't love a Draki who's a super hunk? I don't think I could ever love a man who had the blood of my slaughtered brethren running through his veins, even if  it wasn't his fault, but still, not cool dude!!

My favorite quotes from the book were:
"His mouth curved with a slow smile. 'I've never wanted to be your friend, Jacinda." Pg 94
"Everything else slips away as I stare at him. Where we are. The danger that still threatens..." Pg 110
"From here we crawl." Page 292
"'Lets bring it down.' I mutter. 'All of it.'" Pg 294


I give this book a 59 out of 59. It was an amazing book to read and it will be well worth the wait! Just a couple more days guys!!! Thanks again to Yara from Once Upon a Twilight. Go check out her blog! You won't be disappointed!!

~~Sam!

Stolen Review

Synopsis:
Every vampire has a destined lifeMate, a mate who is a perfect match. What happens if that perfect mate is stolen?

Katrina knows Eric is her destined mate, but her high school rival has other plans for Eric.

Twisting the most ancient of Sídhí laws, Clarisse steals Eric from Katrina with binding words, knowing Katrina can't fight back. Or can she?

Dreams of death dance in Katrina's head, because no one gets between a vampire and her true mate.

Excerpt:

Eric, my former best friend, walked across his back deck. My heart lurched at the sight of him. After eight years of being my very best friend, he could make me laugh at anything, knowing when to comfort and when to tease me.

I missed him so much it hurt. Watching him through the wide slats, I wished he'd talk to me, but I knew it was wishful thinking on my part.

He was only sixteen months younger than I was, but it seemed like a hundred. I couldn't understand his sudden dislike of me to save me. One day, without warning he had stopped talking to me. To say it hurt was an awful understatement.

He stopped in the middle of the deck, looking toward my house. His forehead crinkled and I saw a deep yearning in his eyes. He took a step forward then stopped. His scrawny shoulders slumped and he shook his head. Strands of dark red hair flopped in his eyes.

My heart raced, thundering in my ears. Could he miss me as much as I missed him?

Three months ago, after I went through Sídhí puberty - twenty-one days of going from stick-thin to beach bunny - he started ignoring me, avoiding me as if I had grown two heads or had the plague or something.

Yeah, he dropped contact with me so fast my head spun. When it first happened, I thought he must be angry about something. You know some teenage boy thing that had his shorts in a twist. I tried talking to him, but he would turn and stomp away every time.

I snorted in disgust at the memory. Ignoring me royally ticked me off. Before long, anytime I saw him I stormed off in the opposite direction without another word.

Now, here he was looking like he was the one who had been dumped.

From my vantage point, I watched him gulp a couple of times. From his desolate, scrunched-up face, I couldn't help but wonder if he missed me. Maybe he was as miserable as I was.

I hoped so.

Ugh, that sounded horrid. I couldn't help it. We'd been connected at the hip ever since his family moved in next door. If I wasn't at his house then he was at mine. I really missed him.

I hesitated, but I had to try. Butterflies stirred my stomach. I stood and leaned over the wood railing.

“Hey Eric, what's up?”

His head jerked up, looking straight at me. Gray-green eyes grew wide. The pause lasted a whole two seconds. Giving me a brief wave of his hand, his voice squeaked as he said my name, “Katrina, sorry, got to run. I'm late.”

Before I could respond, he turned and rushed through the back door of his white clapboard home. I caught the aroma of hot, spiced cider on the upward breeze. Hot and delicious spiced with cinnamon. My mouth watered as I sat frozen in time, unable to move if my life had depended on it.

The moment his eyes met mine the synth crystal lacing my blood bloomed into life, singing the Song of the Sídhí. I sucked for oxygen and air hissed through my clenched teeth, burning its way into my ice-cold lungs. It didn't seem to help my dazed reaction.

Reality, ever so slowly, dawned on me: My body's synth crystal marked Eric as my lifeMate.


Review: 
I enjoyed this book, sure it was a little short considering it was only 22,000 words. It was still really good. Even with the length of the book being short, it had quality writing! I had  requested to read this book from a Read, Reviews, Recommendations that has authors suggest bloggers to review their books! I am really happy I requested this book!


The plot was quick and to the point, but kept you guessing about what Katrina would do. I like a little length in my books, but this one was worth it. It gave enough background information for you to understand what was going on, even if it was the 3rd book in the series.


Lets start with Katrina. She's a very determined girl. She's suffering from the fact that her best friend has ditched her. Without any explanation. It doesn't stop her though from living her life. She still longs for her best friend, and it hurts even more when she see's him right next door, and he runs away from her.


Her best friend's name is Eric. He is the 'pre-pub' kid who is suffering right along with Katrina, but isn't doing anything about his suffrage. Then a spiteful girl who hates Katrina latches on to him and well starts to ruin his life. What will he do now that he is forbidden to talk to Katrina and is in pain because of it?


I really enjoyed this book. Enough to go and buy the other books written by Jodie B. Cooper. I give this book a 49 out of 59 tacos! Thank you Mrs. Cooper for having me review the book, I have thoroughly enjoyed it!!!
~~Sam 

Random Acts Of Kindness

"Random Acts of Kindness" is something I've been dreaming about doing since last year! Isalys and I are always finding bookish goodies to give each other 'just because' {I ♥ my bestie!}. We love seeing the look on the other person's face when they light up after receiving 'that book you've been dying for'. I figured why not create a way to promote goodwill amongst our fellow book soulmates? There's nothing like the feeling you get when doing something thoughtful for another person without expecting something in return. You brighten their day and let them know 'hey, you were thought of today'. :) - That is from Book <3 Soulmate's website and their description for RAK!
This will be my first time doing RAK and I am very excited!! Anne and I will be switching off every month and I can't wait to send out some amazing books to people!!
Want to join the RAK-ers this month? Here's how you do it.
Rules:
• Sign up each month you'd like to participate in.
• Show off your participation! Grab one of the buttons available :)
• Create a wish list and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
{Post on your blog, Amazon, where ever as long as there's a link to it.}
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!
Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)
~~ Sam!!