Friday's Featured Freebie

Digging through thrift stores or garage sales drives me crazy!  I just want to walk into a store, scan the area for what I want or need, pick it up, check out and leave.  So, why is it that I can spend hours, searching through the thousands of free titles on my Nook and Kindle?  Is it because I can dig from the comfort of my own couch?  Is it because of the thrill of finding that hidden treasure?  I'm not quite sure but what  I can tell you is that I think I have what I'm calling 'free book phalanges flick disorder'.  It's the pain you experience from flicking through all of the free books, one side effect is that the brain releases endorphins while you are flicking which makes you forget about the pain.  The cure is of course resting those tired fingers.  Since this is a new disorder, long term side effects have not yet been discovered.  It is believed that this may lead to 'chronic free book phalanges flick disorder' and it is recommended that you alternate fingers, wait a day after heavy flicking to begin flicking again, and of course resting and reading.  So what did I find last night you may ask?  Well my flicking found us the Forbidden Forest by Tenaya Jayne.


Forbidden Forest by Tenaya Jayne
Current Goodreads Rating: 4.11

Born in shame. Cast from society. Shape Shifter/Elf hybrid, Forest must fight for any respect she can get. Targeted in her youth by a vampire noble who placed an illegal slave mark on her, she is forced to obey him, no matter what.

Slipping the grip of her master and abandoning the prejudice of Regia, her native world, Forest takes a job on Earth, guarding the portal, using her skills as a warrior to enforce Regia's laws. Now, called home for a black ops mission, Forest must put aside her own prejudice to transport the vampire prince, Syrus, through enemy territory in a time of war.

Prince Syrus, mage and master of the Blood Kata, wants Forest more than he's ever wanted anything. In spite of their mutual mistrust, their attraction cannot be denied. Through the danger of their mission, and the secrets they both keep, it doesn't matter what they feel. Forest is forbidden. ~Goodreads

Review: Insight (Insight, #1) by Jamie Magee

Hello from Jacksonville, IL!  I'm traveling again for work, which means that I have been busy reading again.  I finished what I have for the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.   She is one of my new favorite authors and I could probably go on, and on, and on about the books that I have read.  I'm super excited for Sentinel to be released on November 5th and don't be surprised if you see this as my Waiting on Wednesday post next week.  Yes, I know I still owe you some more Daemon reviews I'm working on those.  I have also read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaimon.  This was my first book by Neil Gaimon and it won't be my last.  Review to come! Now, go back a few weeks ago and I posted a Friday's Featured Freebie post about this book I found, the cover was captivating and the synopsis was intriguing.  Well, in that post I made a comment that this book moved to the top of my TBR list.  Begin away from the hustle and bustle of home, I seized the opportunity to read this while I was away.  I told you I have been busy!  I'm on such an emotional high from this book right now that I have to write this review immediately.

Jamie Magee's Insight is one of the most... I don't think I have words that can describe it right now.  Seriously, this book is about Earth as a multi-dimensional world.  There are people who have the ability to travel in-between these dimensions.  Their world is called Chara, and in Chara love is the single most powerful thing.  At the age of 20 everyone begins to feel the pull to search for your soul mate.  They will travel through every dimension to find you.  Love conquers all, right?

Insight (Insight, #1) by Jamie Magee
Rating: 4 wine glasses

This story is about Willow, an eighteen year old, who has grown up in the dimension Infante, which is our dimension.  Willow has the insight to feel everyone's emotions around her.  Having grown up in Infante, not knowing or understanding who she really was until she was branded one night in her nightmare.  Willow has been having nightmares for as long as she can remember, but never as real as this one.  Her father, now forced to explain what she truly is and move his family back to Chara so they would be safe.  Of course this is no easy task and trouble soon arises.  Willow is forced to leave her friends and the house she grew up in because of something no one will explain to her.  The plan is to meet one of her father's closest friends who will help them travel safely through the strings to Chara.  What no one knows is that after every nightmare, Willow dreams of the man who she knows she will travel the ends of the earth to be with and finding her soul mate will awaken the prophecy of the creators from over 4 million years ago.

This book is also multi-dimensional.  The story at face value is wonderful.  The characters are strong and passionate.  The plot is nothing like I've ever read before.  The meaning of the words just jump out of the book and touch you.   Love is everything.  Love heals.  Love is power.

Waiting for Wednesday #9

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on. This week I can't wait to get my hands on...

The Trap (The Hunt #3) by Andrew Fukuda
Release Date: November 5, 2013

From author Andrew Fukuda comes The Trap, the explosive finale to The Hunt trilogy—perfect for fans of The Hunger Games!

After barely escaping the Mission alive, Gene and Sissy face an impossible task: staying alive long enough to stop an entire world bent on their destruction. Bound on a train heading into the unknown with the surviving Mission girls, Gene, Sissy, David, and Epap must stick together and use everything they have to protect each other and their only hope: the cure that will turn the blood-thirsty creatures around them into humans again. Now that they know how to reverse the virus, Gene and Sissy have one final chance to save those they love and create a better life for themselves. But as they struggle to get there, Gene's mission sets him on a crash course with Ashley June, his first love . . . and his deadliest enemy. - Goodreads

Why am I Waiting?

I just finished the first book in this series, The Hunt. The ending was such a cliffhanger that I refuse to read book two, The Prey until the final book is released. I am not going through that torture waiting for November 5th. I have trouble getting into books where the lead character is a male, but I liked the idea and the protagonist's two love interests, Sissy and Ashley June.

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday

This is this week's Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish.

This week's topic: Top Ten Book Turn Offs

Rachel's list is a little more cut and dry and mine.  I do agree with Rachel's list and in addition a turn off to me is how the book makes me feel.  A really well written book has so much power over my emotions it's not even funny.  For whatever reason, I become emotionally connected to what is happening in the book.  Is anyone else like this or is it just me?  One of big emotion that I do not care to feel when I read is terror which is one the reasons I stay away from horror books.  Blood and gore don't bother me, it's more of the feeling of terror when someone/something is going to jump out at you.  Disgust is also another big emotion I try to stay away from.  This is what I would feel if children are being mistreated in any way or when adults have no morals.  Contemplating rape, murder, abuse that sort of thing.   I also prefer books with happy endings, since sadness is also a very strong emotion for me as well, however, it's not a deal breaker.

These are on Rachel's list, which I also find annoying.

~Overuse of exclamation points
~Overuse of hyphens
~Over descriptiveness
~Childish dialogue
~Too cliche
~Drug use
~Incest


What else do you find are book turn offs?

Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass
Rating: 5 glasses of wine

I read a lot of good reviews about the Selection and now I can finally say I know what everyone else is talking about. Before I read this book I told myself I am done with dystopia, love triangles and vampires. Well…this book has the former 2 of the 3. For hearing so much about the book, I clearly still didn’t know what it was entirely about when I picked it up so let me tell you a little bit about it.

Futuristic dystopia set in Illéa  formally known as the United States of America. Society is broken into 8 different castes and each caste is designated with a corresponding number 1-8. Here is a quick reference to get the idea: One = royalty, Eight = homeless. You are born into your family’s caste and you must do a job that fits within your caste’s roles. If you are a Five then you are expected to be an artist, musician, sculpture, singer, etc. There are only three ways you can move into a high caste:

1.) Buy Your Way Up - If you make enough money, which is unlikely because the lower your caste is the less money you make, then you can buy your way into the next highest caste and slowly work your way up the totem pole.

2.) Marriage – To my knowledge when a couple marries the wife moves into her husband caste but not the reverse.

3.) Get Drafted – If you are a male and you are drafted into the military then you are automatically made a Two.

A notice is sent out that there is to be a selection to help Prince Maxon find a bride. They are selecting 1 young woman from each province in a random drawing that turns out to be not so random. Picture the TV show the Bachelor being filmed in a castle and the bachelor is a prince and there you have the premise for the Selection.

The female protagonist, America, is a Five but she is in love with Aspen and he is a Six. She is an idealist and believe they can make their relationship work despite their class differences. America doesn’t want to enter the selection however Aspen tell America he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if she didn’t enter since she might always wonder what if. Then, her mother pesters her and makes her a deal she can’t refuse so America doesn’t see the harm since what is really the chance she will get picked? Wrong!

Aspen ends up breaking up with America because he feels like he can’t provide for her. Then America’s name is drawn for the Selection and she figures the castle will be a good place to mend her broken heart away from Aspen while earning some money for her family. The contestant’s family receives a check for every week they remain in the selection. She has no intention to fall for Prince Maxon, but he is Prince Charming wrapped in a big, red bow. America and Maxon become friends and then they start flirting with the line of friendship.

The Selection kept me captivated from the beginning to the end. It is an intriguing tale that left me wanting more…so much so that I started reading book two, the Elite through Amazon’s preview option during my lunch hour since I didn’t have it on hand. Yes, it is a dystopia and it has a love triangle, but so what. This is a uniquely crafted dystopia and when a love triangle is done right, like this, it is a real treat.

Have you read The Selection? What did you think of it? Are you Team Aspen or Team Maxon?

Showcase Sunday #9

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea where you show what books you've purchased, borrowed, checked out from the library, received from giveaway, etc.

Bought: Melissa is currently addicted to anything written by Jennifer Armentrout. She downloaded the entire Covenant series. She also bought Ocean at the End of the Lane for our book club and Mentoring 101 for a work book club. I purchased the below three self-help marriage books at a secondhand store. I'm not married but they contain interesting discussion topics and are very informative about relationships in general. In addition, I had a New Year's resolution to read 6 self-help or self-motivating book in 2013. I haven't completed one this year so I need to get at it.

Daimon (Covenant #0.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Half-blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Deity (Covenant #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Mentoring 101 by John Maxwell
Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts by Les Parrott III and Leslie Parrott
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman and Nan Silver
Why Marriages Succeed or Fail by John M. Gottman and Nan Silver

Borrowed: I borrowed two more books from the library this week, which is a little bit less than normal, but I have a pile on my nightstand so I should be good for a while. I am currently finishing up The Hunt. It's about a human pretending to be a vampire in a vampire dominated society...to pretend or to be eaten is the question he faces everyday. I also picked up Tiger Lily which is a book I heard good things about from fellow bloggers. It is the story of Tiger Lily from Peter Pan. I wonder if I should read Peter Pan before this or  if the Disney's version will give me enough to go off of. Any thoughts from people who have read it?

The Hunt (The Hunt #1) by Andrew Fukuda
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Freebie: I downloaded this one as our Friday's Featured Freebie pick. It is about a fifteen-year-old girl and Hades' twin sons, Hypnos and Thanatos.

The Gatekeeper's Sons (Gatekeeper's Saga #1) by Eva Pohler

What did you find/pick up this week? Please feel free to share your showcase link below.