Book ♥ Soulmates

We FINALLY have winners!

2012-05-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

We owe you guys some winners!
We had two contests end around the time the life went a little haywire.
Without further ado, your winners. . .

The winner of the autographed copies of "Undone" by Lila DiPasqua and "Once Upon A Scandal" by Delilah Marvelle is:

Congratulations
Crystal B. / @CrystalGB

The winners for an e-book of "An Heir of Deception" by Beverley Kendall are:

Congratulations
1. Mandee from Compelled by Words
2. Patricia from Patricia's Particularity
3. Michelle from Michelle Chew Writes

Thank you all who entered and we hope the winners enjoy their lovely books :)

Please email your complete name and [physical or email ] address to booksoulmates @ gmail . com to claim your prize.

New Releases 5.29.12

2012-05-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

♥ Contemporary Fiction & Chick-Lit ♥
None

♥ Historical Fiction ♥

Changeling (Order of Darkness, #1) by Philippa Gregory

♥ Mystery / Suspense / Thriller ♥

The Yard by Alex Grecian {historical thriller}
Tote Bags and Toe Tags by Dorothy Howell
Tattooed by Pamela Callow
Courting Justice by Brenda Jackson
The Watchers by Jon Steele

♥ Horror ♥
None

♥ Fantasy ♥

A Blood Seduction (Vamp City, #1) by Pamela Palmer
All Spell Breaks Loose (Raine Benares, #6) by Lisa Shearin
Bleeding Out (OSI, #5) by Jes Battis
Casket of Souls (Nightrunner, #6) by Lynn Flewelling {M/M}
Osiris by E.J. Swift

Cursed (Alex Verus, #2) by Benedict Jacka
Bloodsworn by Nathan Long
Weird Space: The Devil's Nebula by Eric Brown, Erric Brown
The Emperor's Gift by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Toxicity by Andy Remic

♥ Steampunk ♥

The Janus Affair (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #2) by Philippa Ballantine
Night's Engines by Trent Jamieson

♥ Paranormal Romance ♥

When Passion Lies (The Shadow Keepers, #4) by J.K. Beck
Tangle of Need (Psy-Changeling, #11) by Nalini Singh
Embrace Me at Dawn (Doomsday Brethren, #5) by Shayla Black
Charmed by His Love (Spellbound Falls, #2) by Janet Chapman
Darkness Becomes Her (Offspring, #6) by Jaime_Rush

♥ Historical Romance ♥

A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet #2) by Julia Quinn
A Gentleman Undone (Blackshear Family, #2) by Cecilia Grant
Unexpected Pleasures by Mary Wine
Along Came A Duke (Rhymes with Love, #1) by Elizabeth Boyle

♥ Contemporary Romance ♥

Bannon Brothers: Honor by Janet Dailey
Summer Days (Fool's Gold, #7) by Susan Mallery
God Don't Make No Mistakes by Mary Monroe
Home for the Summer: The Chesapeake Diaries by Mariah Stewart
Devilishly Sexy by Kathy Love

Big Sky Country by Linda Lael Miller
Beg For It (Pact of Seduction, #2) by Stacey Kennedy

♥ Romantic Suspense ♥

Against the Sun (The Raines of Wind Canyon, #6) by Kat Martin

♥ YA ♥

Dreamless (Starcrossed, #2) by Josephine Angelini
Dark Frost (Mythos Academy, #3) by Jennifer Estep
Burning Emerald (The Cambion Chronicles, #2) by Jaime Reed
No Safety In Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Devine Intervention by Martha Brockenbrough {June 1}
Girl Out Loud by Emily Gale {June 1}
Grim by Anna Waggener {June 1}
Stunning (Pretty Little Liars, #11) by Sara Shepard {June 1}

Happy shopping and happy reading!

Got questions?

2012-05-25T09:32:00.002-04:00

We've done quite a few interviews recently and we're happy to do them, but we thought it might be fun to open the floor to YOU guys for questions.

Want to know how many shoes Isalys owns?

Where has Vanessa been hiding?

If we could change one thing about Book Soulmates, what would it be?

Here's your chance!
Leave a comment below with your question(s).

They could be personal, blog related or book related.

Once we've collected all the questions, we'll VLOG the answers back to you.

Fun, right? We thought so too!

Where Isalys has been...

2012-05-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

I'm sure you've all noticed that it's been awfully quiet around here lately. I was supposed to be in Vegas all last week for work. My hubs, who normally doesn't join me on these trips decided to tag along this year. We flew into Vegas on Saturday afternoon to have a couple days of down-time before I had to start work on Monday.

Unfortunately, things did NOT go as planned! On Sunday (yes, Mother's Day), my family notified me that my grandmother was taken to the hospital because of a severe pain she had gotten in her upper back. As it turns out, it was her heart. They had to rush her into emergency open heart surgery to repair the artery that had ruptured. By Sunday night, we got the call that the doctors managed to repair the artery but my grandma's heart was too weak and she passed away on the operating table. Needless to say, this was a HUGE shock since as far as we all knew, she was feeling well and was not sick.

Thankfully my husband was with me and he arranged to get us back home on Monday. I was a wreck so I know I couldn't have managed without him! He was my ROCK this past week! Rather than participating in work-related festivities as planned, I spent the week mourning my grandma with my family. As my cousin said, "life happens when you're busy making plans."

Thank you for all the warm wishes sent my way and a special thank you to my best friend Vanessa for being there for me and my family when we needed it most ♥

I am proud to say that I am named after two incredible, strong, hard-working and loving women. I am the third generation Isolda and I can only hope that I continue making my grandma proud! Maybe one day we'll continue her legacy with Isolda the fourth ;)

Rest in peace Abuela Isolda ♥ Nunca te olvidaré y siempre te voy a querer!

My grandma, Isolda U. Garces as a young woman in Cuba (early 1950s)

Wasn't she beautiful?

On her birthday with her first three grandchildren

Mom and daughter, the first two Isoldas :)

The last picture I took with her on my 32nd birthday last month.

I've taken this week off from blogging because frankly my heart hasn't been in it. I will be back soon though. Thanks again for the support!

Love you all,

Isolda Alicia

aka

Interview & Giveaway with Beverley Kendall

2012-05-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

We're so excited because today we get to interview a pretty incredible lady, Beverley Kendall.

Beverley is the owner of the e-zine and blog "The Season for Romance" as well as a published author. Today we get to ask her some questions about publishing and her latest release, An Heir of Deception which is the third installment of her Elusive Lords series.

B♥S: Your first two books were published with Kensington and Zebra (respectively) whereas your most recent books were self-published. Can you tell us a bit about the different processes?
Bev: LOL. The process of writing the book is pretty much the same. It’s everything that comes afterward that’s different. I got to pick and approve my own cover. As lovely as my Kensington covers were, I loved this part of doing it myself. I had full say so I knew I wasn’t going to have a cover I didn’t like. Kim Killion hit it out of the ballpark in this arena.

I had to hire my own editor. I ended up hiring two because as I found, an editor like an agent needs to be a good fit. Not every editor is for every author. Full line edits, formatting the book, these are all things the publisher would also take care of. I hired one to do the former and did the latter on my own. Let me tell you these are all jobs in and of themselves.

By far self-publishing is a much more difficult process but I have to say, it’s been totally worth it.

B♥S: How do you think conventional publishing versus self-publishing affects book sales (positively and negatively)?
Bev: I think that in traditional publishing because you have no say so in terms of pricing, cover and back cover copy, if all or one is not good, it can definitely affect an author’s book negatively. If the price of your ebook is too high in the eyes of readers, they just won’t buy your book. If the back cover copy doesn’t entice them to want to read on, you’ve lost another potential reader. If your cover is God awful, you’re sunk.

On the other hand, if they do all these things right, traditional publishing offers a wider distribution, print books stocked in physical stores. There is also the publisher’s name backing the book, which gives readers the sense that things have been done “right” and the book is “professional”. There is also the matter of being able to get an author’s book up months in advance on all the major etailers sites so readers can pre-order. This is a big deal and I wish that option was open for self-published authors.

With self-publishing if you manage to do all the items I listed above right, an author can benefit greatly because they aren’t getting only 8-17% of the books gross sales, you can receive anywhere from 35% - 70%. This is a BIG deal. This can be the difference between never being able to make a living just writing, to writing full-time without fretting over money. Let’s face it, it’s one of the MAJOR reasons writers have taken to self-publishing the way they have.

Of course if you can’t write or your storytelling ability isn’t where it should be to publish and you self-publish anyway, that reflects very poorly on self-publishing as a whole. My motto there is every author NEEDS an editor. The best have them (Nora Roberts et al) and so should you.

B♥S: Which do you prefer? Will you continue to self-publish in the future?
Bev: Absolutely!!! I’m hooked now. I would love to go back to NY but it would have to be a contract I could live with.

B♥S: What's the one piece of advice you'd give to an aspiring writer who wants to self-publish?
Bev: Learn your craft well. Enter contests. Get looks and lots of feedback. If you’re not a graphic artist or your talents don’t run quite that high, hire someone to give you a professional cover. Most important, hire an editor. Every author needs one and no one is the exception.

B♥S: Can you tell us about your latest release, AN HEIR OF DECEPTION?
Bev: An Heir of Deception is my baby. I came up with the idea for An Heir when I first introduced Alex Cartwright in Sinful Surrender. Alex has this very dry sense of humour and he’s so laid back, I knew I had to shake him up a bit. And by shaking him up, I mean putting him through some intense heartbreak. LOL. I’m so funny that way. I take my most adored hero and give him the worst of the situations.

This is definitely Alex’s story. Readers get to see him in his darkest hour and truly dark and brooding. In An Heir, Alex discovers the love of his life, Charlotte, who left him on his wedding day, gave birth to his child while she was gone. His son Nicholas is four and rightfully should be his heir. This infuriates him beyond belief and he is determined to have his son.

B♥S: Your hero and heroine already have a rather sordid history. Did that make it easier or harder to write their story?
Bev: It did make it easier to write because I knew them inside and out. I’d been with them through the two prior books, so I had their personalities down. This did make it easier to write them but not the book per se. ;)

B♥S: Do you have any plans to continue with the THE ELUSIVE LORDS series?
Bev: My next series, The Temptresses, is a connecting series. The first book, TWICE THE TEMPTATION is Charlotte’s twin sister, Catherine’s book. So while the series won’t continue, all the characters will persist in this series. I find it very hard to let go of much loved characters—and that’s much-loved by me.

B♥S: Did any authors influence your writing style?
Bev: Yes, so many. But I have to say Sherry Thomas’s writing taught me about voice when I didn’t really know what voice was.

B♥S: You wear many hats: reader, writer, blogger, mom, corporate employee. How do you manage it all? The power is in the superhero cape, isn't it?
Bev: LOL. If you only knew what falls to the wayside while I try to do it all. My house certainly isn’t as clean as it used to be and now I only mail books out once a month when I used to do it every week. No, I can’t do it all. And God willing, one day I won’t have to.

B♥S: You're also a reader of romance, which book(s) have you read lately that you would highly recommend to other romance-aholics?
Bev: Yeah, I do love to read. My favourite romances of 2011 were Julie Anne Long’s What I Did For a Duke, Courtney Milan’s Unveiled, Rachel Gibson’s Any Man of Mine (really, take your pick of any of Rachel’s books and you won’t be disappointed). I actually discovered Susan Elizabeth Phillips last year and I bought a number of her books. If you’re looking for some really great medieval but aren’t really a big medieval fan, I absolutely adore Margaret Mallory. Her latest series is great. I loved The Guardian and The Sinner. I’m dying to read the next one, The Warrior, which will be out later this year.

As for books I’m greatly anticipating, those would be Sherry Thomas’s Ravishing the Heiress and Tempting the Bride. I also can’t wait to read Julie Anne Long’s A Notorious Countess Confesses.

Visit Beverley at www.BeverleyKendall.com
Follow on Twitter at @beverleykendall and @season4romance
Friend on Facebook at authorbeverleykendall

GIVEAWAY!
May 10 – May 16

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 winners get an e-book An Heir of Deception

Official Contest Information:

To enter, please fill out the form below.
Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
Contest open to EVERYONE with an email address.
The winner will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
The winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be emailed directly to winner from author.
No comment entries will be accepted.
You may choose to be a blog follower, but it is NOT required to enter the giveaway.

Good luck!

Discussion: Classifying Genres - Part 1

2012-05-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

The other day, Loretta from Between the Pages was working on a project where she had to discuss YA Paranormal Romance and she was gathering opinions on what counts as a "YA Paranormal Romance". This simple question sparked a rather elaborate scientific discussion. It got me thinking:

How do we classify genres?

I've come to realize that classifying genres are like opinions: varied and subjective. We've all been readers and bloggers long enough to come up with our own set of criteria. Here are mine:

YA Paranormal: The main character(s) are adolescent, have some supernatural element(s) and the plot essentially revolves around saving the world. (Eg: Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace and Exiled by M.R. Merrick)

YA Paranormal Romance: The main character(s) are adolescent, have some supernatural element(s) and fight to be together (sometimes while trying to save the world) and ultimately end up together. (Eg: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead)

Adult Paranormal Romance: The main character(s) are adults, have some supernatural element(s) and fight all sorts of obstacles to be together (sometimes while trying to save the world) and ultimately end up together. (Eg: Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward and Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter).

Urban Fantasy: To me, it's the adult equivalent of 'Paranormal'. The main character(s) are adults, live in an urban/city setting, have some supernatural element(s) and kick monster ass to save the world. Oftentimes, there's a romance involved by it doesn't affect the main plot and you don't always get a HEA. (Eg: Downside Ghosts Series by Stacia Kane and The Fever Series by KMM)

Here's one thing that's been bugging me: Barnes & Noble (not sure about other stores) has filed The Fever Series by KMM as Paranormal Romance and this is NOT correct. Fever is not about Mac and Barrons. In fact, there isn't even a Mac and Barrons until book 4 and even then the and part is a loose interpretation of their relationship!

Steampunk: Sort of like an Urban Fastasy (located in the 'Fantasy' section) except that instead of an urban setting, the main character(s) are in a historical setting and they use neat gadgets to save the world. There may be a romance involved by it doesn't affect the main plot and you don't always get a HEA. (Eg: Soulless by Gail Carriger and Phoenix Rising by Philippa Ballantine)

Horror: The main character(s) are adults, involve monsters (vampires that you DON'T want to sleep with), zombies (because you never want to sleep w/ those *eww*) and they eat people. Little or no romantic elements are present. (Eg: Dracula by Bram Stoker)

Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic: Ok, here's where I get all confuzzled because in my mind dystopian WAS post-apocalyptic but I'm starting to realize that maybe that's not exactly true. I consider The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater to be dystopian but it's not post-apocalytic. However, Hunger Games and Divergent are also dystopian, but are they also post-apocalyptic? Oh vey!

Tell me, do you guys agree or disagree with my assessment of these genres? Do you have your own sets of criteria? Maybe even have your own special genre categories on Goodreads?

New Releases 5.8.12

2012-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

♥ Contemporary Fiction & Chick-Lit ♥

The Road to Grace (Walk, #3) by Richard Paul Evans
The Emerald Storm by William Dietrich

♥ Historical Fiction ♥

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

♥ Mystery / Suspense / Thriller ♥

The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
Guilt by Degrees: A Novel by Marcia Clark
The Inquisitor's Key (Body Farm #7) by Jefferson Bass

♥ Horror ♥ None

♥ Urban Fantasy (top) / Sci-Fi (bottom) ♥
None

♥ Steampunk ♥
None

♥ Paranormal Romance ♥

Beauty (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #20.5) by Laurell K. Hamilton

♥ Historical Romance ♥
None

♥ Contemporary Romance ♥

Yours to Take (The Connaghers, #3) by Joely Sue Burkhart

♥ Romantic Suspense ♥
None

♥ YA ♥

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5) by Cassandra Clare
Until I Die (Revenants, #2) by Amy Plum
Underworld (Abandon Trilogy #2) by Meg Cabot
Endure (Need, #4) by Carrie Jones
Hemlock (Hemlock, #1) by Kathleen Peacock

Broken Illusions (Midnight Dragonfly, #2) by Ellie James
Flora's Fury (Flora Trilogy, #3) by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Back and Deader Than Ever (Monster High, #4) by Lisi Harrison
The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes
See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky
The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze
Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Happy Families by Tanita S. Davis
Ferocity Summer by Alissa Grosso
Hollyweird by Terri Clark

Happy shopping and happy reading!

Blog Soulmate: The Midnyte Reader

2012-05-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

Every week, we'll announce a new recipient for our BLOG SOULMATE AWARD! This is our way of helping spread the word about these awesome bloggers we love!

BLOG SOULMATE is back and this week's award goes to:

The Midnyte Reader . . .

Blogging since April 2010

Find her on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

What made you decide to start blogging?
I learned that I could! Seriously, for some reason I just had never applied my love of books to blogging and then someone suggested I start one. I looked into it and I was hooked. I was so happy to be able to discuss books with a larger audience than just my small circle of friends who like to read.
Favorite and least favorite things about blogging?
My least favorite thing is all the negative drama. <--Amen to that!

My favorite thing is developing friendships with the people I meet online and through blogging. Also, I have discovered so many books that I may not have otherwise heard about through the blogs I've visited and people I've met.
If you could hang out with ONE author, who would it be and why?
Are ya' kidding me? ONE??? Ummm....okay, I think it would be Stephen King. Or Charles de Lint. Or Robert McCammon. See I can't just pick one.
UPDATE: Since writing this, Midnyte Reader's dream came true :) She got to meet and ride in a car with Robert McCammon and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Check out her awesome POST.
What is the ONE book you tell everyone they 'have to' read?
Again only one? {Yes, because we're evil like that *muahahaha*} It really depends on what kind of books that person likes. Horror-Pet Semetery by Stephen King. Urban Fantasy-Anything by Charles de Lint. YA-Hunger Games. Dystopian or Post Apocalyptic-The Stand by Stephen King or Swan Song by Robert McCammon.
Do you have any bookish guilty pleasures?
I love to escape and go to Burger King or Dunkin' Donuts, get a snack and sit in my car and read. It only takes about a half hour, but it's really uninterrupted time when I don't have to clean, take the dog out or answer the phone.

Now tell us 5 random, non-bookish things about yourself:

Hmmm, this is kind of difficult because I'm basically a boring person. LOL. But I'll try.

I am a Halloween Addict. {Woohoo, we are too!}

I've always wanted to learn to surf.

I kind of want to move to New Orleans. Or Ireland.

I have a license in Cosmetology.

I'm a night owl.

Thank you to Midnyte Reader for hanging out with us today :)

Clock Rewinders 05.06.12

2012-05-06T11:38:00.000-04:00

Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge is the weekly recap feature created byAmanda @ On a Book Bender and Tara @ 25 Hour Books, where they shamelessly plug each other, share the fantastic posts, giveaways, or whatever else they’ve found and loved by other awesome bloggers (or authors!) during the week, and talk about the books they plan on reading in the coming week.

_____________________________________________________________

Book Soulmates Post Recap:

We WRAPPED UP "Random Acts of Kindness" (R.A.K.) for April. Share with us your RAK loot :)
"Month of Indie Epicness" came to an END and we thanked all the amazing authors and bloggers who made it such epic fun!
NEW RELEASES for the week of May 1st.
SIGN-UP for May's "Random Acts of Kindness" (R.A.K.)
We were a part of the INHALE FLASH MOB. Check out this quick video on why whales inspired Kendall Grey to write her UF novel.
We announced the WINNER of our "Jenny Pox and Tommy Nightmare" e-book giveaway with J.L. Bryan.
We're part of the "Undone" by Lila DiPasqua BLOG TOUR (Review + Giveaway + Bonus)
The "Inhale Pimp Team" brings you the COVER REVEAL of "Just Breathe", the final installment in Kendall Grey's Just Breathe Trilogy.
And finally...Book Soulmates celebrates its third blogoversary. THANK YOU FOR THREE AMAZING YEARS!

Book Soulmates News:

Still need to post our pictures from the SPRING INTO THE FUTURE book event at Books & Books with Veronica Rossi and Tahereh Mafi :)
Went to another book event, but this time we got to meet Charlaine Harris, creator of the Sookie Stackhouse. You guys won't believe how funny and cute she really is! That post is coming up to.
We've lined up an interview and giveaway with Beverley Kendall for the launch of her latest novel, "An Heir of Deception".
What better way to clean out the bookshelves than by finding new homes for the books we no longer want? Oh yeah, we're working on that giveway too!
This week's interesting search terms were: mcquerry the peculiars epub and old seventies stuff. We don't have much of either, but feel free to poke around anyway!

Books We Got:

Finally got "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth and "Shine" by Jeri Smith-Ready *does happy dance*

Books We Read:

Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane
Currently reading: "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Around the Blogosphere:

The awesome ladies of Me, My Shelf and I have put together an amazing charity event to raise funds for Christian Hurt, a senior football player with a serious injury and in need of medical attention. Book Soulmates is donating books and swag. Visit their post, THE CHRISTIAN HURT FILES for details on how you can help!
Has Book Soulmates ever thought of quitting blogging? Visit EMILY'S READING ROOM to find out along with what nine of your other favorite bloggers had to say ;)
One of our favorite gals also celebrated a blogoversary this week. Visit ON A BOOK BENDER and wish her a happy first blogoversary.
Have some books you wanna swap? Visit Ruby's Reads SATURDAY SWAP post for deets.
The Bookish Brunette, a blogger we're totally jealous of but love like whoa, finally launched ZOMBIE CRAZE 2012.

Thank You for Three Amazing Years!

2012-05-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

Today is not just Cinco de Mayo.

Today is also our 3rd blogoversary here at Book Soulmates!

We can't thank you all enough for the three amazing years we've had! We started Book Soulmates on a whim at the suggestion of another blogger friend. We never expected it to become such a big part of our lives! It's not only broadened our literary horizons and taught us about the industry, but it's allowed us to make some incredible friends, fellow bloggers and authors alike, all around the world.

Yes, it true that book blogging is time consuming and sometimes challenging. There have been times that blogging has taken a back to seat to our lives. However, there hasn't been a day where we didn't love it or not wanted to continue. The joy it has brought us far outweighs the responsibilities of it. It has become as natural to us as eating, sleeping or going to work. It's what we do - it's a part of us now! We are book bloggers and we're proud to be able to say that.

Even more amazing are the people we've met. Do you guys even know how AWESOME you are? Book bloggers are the most intelligent, clever, funny, kind, caring, hardworking, dedicated, generous people! You guys have enriched our lives with your humor, support, and friendships and that means the world to us!!

So this is to YOU; our followers, our supporters and our friends!

Thank you for holding us up on our bad days and celebrating with us on our good ones (like today).

Happy Birthday to Book Soulmates!!

With lots of booky love,

Isalys & Vanessa

Cover Art: Just Breathe by Kendall Grey

2012-05-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning kiddos!!

Today, the INHALE Pimp Team brings you another treat. The *da-da-da-dahhh* cover reveal for the third and final installment of Kendall Grey's "Just Breathe" trilogy.

Below are the covers for the first two books, INHALE and EXHALE:

Before we get to the big reveal, Kendall shares with us a little about the cover creation process. Kendall, take it away:

"I enlisted photographer Teresa Yeh to shoot a custom cover image of Gavin and Zoe's clasped hands. Check out these pics from the photo shoot:

Awesome body painter Vonetta Barry goes to work on model Bradley Nethercutt's "tattoos."

Models Hope Danielle Smith and Bradley Nethercutt pose as Zoe and Gavin while Teresa Yeh gets to work.

Once I chose my favorite picture, I turned it over to the talented Claudia McKinney from Phat Puppy Art. Claudia added an ocean backdrop and a whale fluke, then mixed in a little of her creative magic and voila, ze final product: "

The first book in the trilogy, INHALE, is available now in paperback, for Kindle, and for Nook. Book 2, EXHALE, should be out in early July. JUST BREATHE is scheduled for release in August.

We absolutely adore these covers! Not only are they vibrant and hauntingly beautiful, but they are so telling about WHO the focus is on in each installment...from Zoe to Gavin to their journey together!

HUGE thanks to Kendall for sharing this with us and to Claudia from Phat Puppy Art for being crazy talented. You ladies RULE!!

And remember kids, all profits from the sales of INHALE, EXHALE, and JUST BREATHE will be donated to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face. Don't lie...you know that's about the coolest damn thing you've ever heard!

Blog Tour: Undone by Lila DiPasqua

2012-05-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Undone (Fiery Tales #4) by Lila DiPasqua

Published Date: April 23, 2012

Pages: 350, e-book

Reviewed By: Isalys

Reason for Reading: Blog Tour and giveaway thanks to the author

Lila DiPasqua | Goodreads | Twitter

Inspired by the tale of Rapunzel, Lila DiPasqua offers a new steamy, emotionally charged historical romance in the acclaimed Fiery Tales Series . . . Rescuing this beauty from the ‘tower’ is only the beginning . . .

Maintaining her ruse as a commoner, and trusting no one has kept Angelica safe. But a chance encounter with a handsome stranger lands her right where danger lies. Now, this sinfully handsome man with arresting blue eyes and a polished manner thinks he’s saved her life, when in fact he’s placed her in great peril. She’s intent on keeping him and everyone else at arm’s length. Yet, the smoldering attraction between them is difficult to deny. And impossible to ignore . . .

As commander of a number of privateer ships, Simon Boulenger dresses and speaks like an aristocrat, and has obtained wealth. But he is still not a noble. Or an officer in the King’s Navy. His lifelong dream to elevate himself from his station of birth and attain a respectable place in society is dead. Worse, he’s ensnared in a deadly scheme, and must get out. But how is he to stay focused on his dangerous mission when the mysterious beauty has him utterly intrigued? He can’t afford the distraction any more than he can resist the carnal hunger she stirs. Simon soon discovers that she’s not only a passionate soul mate, but a woman born into privilege. A woman he can never have. But they’re in too deep. Their hearts are at risk . . . as well as their lives.

Angelica lives in a convent, but she's no nun. She's a born aristocrat living, or rather hiding, as a commoner in a convent in the Republic of Genoa. One evening, she sneaks out of the convent to help a local villager and quite literally runs into Simon Boulenger on her way back. Simon is a commoner living as a noble. Working as a privateer, his ultimate goal is to become a titled gentleman and an Officer in The Kings Army. Unfortunately, his time spent as a privateer has done more to line the pockets of The Superintendent of Finance than anything else. Simon becomes very disheartened and feels like he needs to give up his lifelong dream.

The evening that Simon is nearly trampled by Angelica, he's utterly captivated by her. So much so that he follows her into the convent where he witnesses her being abused by one of the nuns. Disapproving of this and with the help of Angelica's friend, Gabriella, he removes her from the convent and takes her on board his ship set for France. Angelica had been knocked unconscious so when she comes to, she panics at the thought of returning to France.

Simon is absolutely determined to learn Angelica's real identity and why she is so adamant about returning to the convent, even at the risk of being abused again. Angelica on the other hand will do anything to avoid Simon discovering why an aristocrat is living in a convent and WHO she's really hiding from.

Simon was a self-made man, was very compassionate and gentle but at times, he was a bit too alpha. Other than his attraction to Angelica and his desire to help her, his determination to learn her past bordered on nosy. However, as his feelings became serious it made sense that he would want to get to know her. Angelica suffered a very dark, traumatic event at the hands of her step-father. Being a delicate subject, I feel that Lila handled it perfectly and it justified Angelica's reluctance to trust Simon, to trust her body and to re-enter society. Watching them fall in love as they learn to trust each other was a beautiful thing.

Lila's stories are erotic historicals so girlfriend knows how to deliver in the smex department. Simon and Angelica's attraction and chemistry simply sizzled. Simon had a very healthy appetite and like a typical ~~rake~~ man, he thought about sex...A LOT! I did enjoy watching the intimacy between them grow from lust to love over the course of their story though.

I was happy with the ending and feel it happened the way it needed to even if it was a bit too convenient. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable story with humor, compassion, some action and a lot of heart. I remain a fan of Lila's :)

GIVEAWAY:
Autographed copies of "Undone" by Lila DiPasqua and as a bonus, "Once Upon A Scandal" by Delilah Marvelle.

Open: May 2 - May 81 winner will be announced May 9

Official Contest Information:

To enter, please fill out the form below.
Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
Contest open internationally.
The winner will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
The winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be emailed directly to winner from publisher.
No comment entries will be accepted.
You may choose to be a blog follower, but it is NOT required to enter the giveaway.
DO NOT PUT YOUR [EMAIL] ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner of Jenny Pox & Tommy Nightmare

2012-05-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yay, we have a winner for Jenny Pox and Tommy Nightmare e-book set :)

Congratulations

SupaGirl

a Rafflecopter giveaway

INHALE Flash Mob

2012-05-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we REVIEWED and hosted a whole week of indie epicness dedicated to Kendall Grey and her book INHALE. We're happy to announce that today is officially release day!

*throws confetti*

As you recall INHALE is an urban fantasy romance by Kendall Grey and it's now available in PAPERBACK and e-book for KINDLE (MOBI) and NOOK (EPUB). INHALE is the first book in the JUST BREATHE trilogy. Kendall is actually donating all profits from the sale of the trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.

Please take a few minutes to watch the VIDEO below to find out why.

Kendall encourages interested readers to consider purchasing an e-book instead of a paperback. E-books save trees, cost considerably less, and bring in much more money for the whales.

Thank you for supporting INHALE, and most importantly, the whales that need our help!

Random Acts of Kindness: May Sign-up

2012-05-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

{Please click on the RAK button above to be re-directed to our Book Soulmates Store on Amazon. You can find all your favorite titles there and add them to your shopping cart.}

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules! Thank you!

Please sign-up each month that you can participate (give as well as receive).
Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store.
At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post. This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

Links you will need:

Sign up for May 2012 [HERE]
See who else is participating [HERE]
If you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact us via the following:
rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com

Tips:

1. When talking about RAK on Twitter, please use the hashtag (#RAK). It makes it much easier to keep track of the conversations, answer questions and/or tweet back! =)

2. When submitting your wish list, please make sure that it is set to PUBLIC viewing. Some people have run into trouble with wish lists that were set to private. We want to be sure that no one is left out of getting great RAKs.

3. Some of you seem to have gotten frustrated because you can't get your links to appear active. This is a very easy fix :) Just make sure that when you enter your link, do NOT hit the Enter key. Instead, hit the TAB key which will send you to the next field on the form. Additional spaces entered after the link will leave the link inactive.However, if this does happen to you...no worries, we'll fix it for you :)

New Releases 5.1.12

2012-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

You guys, it’s finally May 1st
Sooo many amazing books are out today. I didn’t have time to compile the whole list (we’re talking 100+ books) so instead I focused on the most anticipated titles!!

**The titles in bold are the ones we're EXTRA excited about!**

♥ Urban Fantasy (top) / Sci-Fi (bottom) ♥

Inhale (Just Breathe, #1) by Kendall Grey
Born of Silence (The League, #5) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris

♥ Steampunk ♥

The Impossible Cube (Clockwork Empire #2) by Steven Harper

♥ Paranormal Romance ♥

Embrace of the Damned (Brotherhood of the Damned, #1) by Anya Bast
Sparks Fly (Light Dragons, #3) by Katie MacAlister
Demon's Bride (The Hellraisers, #2) by Zoe Archer
Warrior Enchanted (Sons of the Zodiac, #4) by Addison Fox

♥ Historical Romance ♥

An Heir of Deception (The Elusive Lords, #3) by Beverley Kendall
My Lady Rival by Ashley March
A Gentleman Says "I Do" by Amelia Grey
Undone by Her Tender Touch (Pregnancy & Passion, #4) by Maya Banks
Beguiling the Beauty (Fitzhugh Trilogy, #1) by Sherry Thomas

♥ Contemporary Romance ♥

Captivated (Phantom Corps, #3) by Lauren Dane
Karma (Serendipity, #3) by Carly Phillips
The Last Boyfriend (Inn BoonsBoro, #2) by Nora Roberts

♥ YA ♥

Insurgent (Divergent, #2) by Veronica Roth *Squee*
Shine (Shade, #3) by Jeri Smith-Ready *More squeeing*
Destined (Wings, #4) by Aprilynne Pike
Bitterblue (Graceling Realm, #3) by Kristin Cashore, Ian Schoenherr
Black Dawn (The Morganville Vampires, #12) by Rachel Caine

Taste by Kate Evangelista
Heart of Brass (Wardens of the Realm, #1) by Kate Cross
The Drowned Cities (Ship Breaker, #2) by Paolo Bacigalupi

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame
Wrecked by Anna Davies|

Infinity (Numbers, #3) by Rachel Ward
The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles, #3) by Rick Riordan
Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Back and Deader Than Ever (Monster High, #4) by Lisi Harrison
Body and Soul (The Ghost and the Goth, #3) by Stacey Kade
This Is So Not Happening (He's So/She's So, #3) by Kieran Scott

Happy shopping and happy reading my darlings!

Month of Indie Epicness...The End

2012-04-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

April is officially over and thus ends our Month of Indie Epicness! We had an EPIC month full of indie awesomeness! It was a lot of hard work but so worth it.

THANK YOU to all the authors who participated and shared their amazing stories with us.

M.R. Merrick: You sir, are a rockstar!! Keep up the #wangtaco goodness and I can't wait for more of your work!

Angeline Kace: Such a sweetheart and I'm so proud to be a part of your Street Team *woot* Team Mirko, all the way baby!

Kendall Grey : One of the raddest, craziest, most giving and most talented bitches around! I friggin' heart you lady and am so glad to see INHALE getting rave reviews. It deserves every one of them!

and finally J.L. Bryan: You are a master at the mind-fuckery and I'm so glad that my co-conspirators convinced me to read your book. You've got yourself a new fan ;)

And of course, I have to give THANKS to my MoIE crew:

Smash Attack Reads!

The Bookish Brunette

Between the Pages

Book Loving Mom

These girls rallied behind me from day one, supported my idea and made me laugh my ass off with our blogger chats. I ♥ you girls, like whoa!

I couldn't be prouder of how the whole event turned out and hope you guys had as much FUN as I did.

I am curious though, is this something you'd like to see us do again later in the year (with all new indie authors)? Please let us know in your comments :)

Random Acts of Kindness: April Wrap-Up #RAK

2012-04-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

{Please click on the RAK button above to be re-directed to our Book Soulmates Store on Amazon. You can find all your favorite titles there and add them to your shopping cart.}

Another month has come and gone and thank you to everyone who wished us a happy birthday in some form or another <3

Sent:
Sent birthday RAKs to Ruby from Ruby's Reads and Aislynn from Stitch-Read-Cook. April babies FTW :)

Isalys Received:

Thanks to Mary at Sweeping Me for The Rogue Pirate's Bride by Shana Galen
Thanks to Aislynn from Stitch-Read-Cook for A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean and Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel
Received "Second Chances: Inspiring Stories of Dog Adoption" from Isalys's MIL
Thanks to Lisa at Dizneeee's World of Books for Beautiful Chaos by K. Garcia & M. Stohl
And *woot* a $50 gift card to B&N that will be put to good use this week!

Vanessa Received:

Thanks to Aislynn from Stitch-Read-Cook for Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Vanessa also received a gift card to B&N from her hubby-to-be
And she'll be getting another special surprise book from Isalys that cannot yet be disclosed ;)

Thank you EVERYONE for your continued support of our RAK program!

Huggles,

PS: Don't forget to leave the links to your R.A.K. April Wrap-Up! posts so we can stop by and check out your loot!!

Clock Rewinders 04.29.12

2012-04-29T12:13:00.000-04:00

_____________________________________________________________

Book Soulmates Post Recap:

J.L. Bryan was a our AUTHOR BLOG SOULMATE of the week.
NEW RELEASES for week of April 24, 2012
We announced WINNERS for the INHALE USB drives from Kendall Grey.
Isalys 5-star REVIEW of "Jenny Pox" by J.L Bryan.
Book Soulmates and J.L. Bryan are GIVING AWAY (1) set of Jenny Pox and Tommy Nightmare e-books.
J.L. Bryan shares with is a LETTER TO JENNY from her soulmate on his guest post.
Our FINAL BLOGGER CHAT where the girls discuss the epicness of Jenny Pox.

Book Soulmates News:

We're getting romantical on Book Soulmates with two historical romance blog tours this week plus a very cool promo from Kendall Grey about her passion for whales and inspiration for INHALE.
Went to the SPRING INTO THE FUTURE book event at Books & Books in Coral Gables and met Veronica Rossi and Tahereh Mafi :) Pictures will be posted later in the week.
We practically never get cool, funny or interesting search terms but one did pop up this week that we had to share with you guys. Ok, you ready?
"header erotic audio"
What the hell does this mean and how did it lead to our site? Oh, the mysteries of the internet.

Books We Got:

Isalys bought copies of "Under the Never Sky" by Veronica Rossi and "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi.
Book bully, Smash, strikes again!! She's got me all pumped to read The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

Books We Read:

Undone by Lila DiPasqua
Currently Reading: Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane

Around the Blogosphere:

Well, if you didn't know that The Story Siren was busted for plagiarizing, then you've clearly been living under rock, lol. We're not going to get into it or provide upteen links to the influx of posts over the topic. The whole thing turned into one giant pissing contest between her supporters/minions and those who wanted to tar and feather her. Bottom line, what she did was wrong but it happened and seems like just about everyone is ready to move on now. Just know that the girls of Book Soulmates do NOT condone or excuse her actions (regardless of how popular she is) and we will be NOT be supporting her blog in any way. That's how WE choose to take our stand on the matter!
So, are you a fan of Andrew Smith? Well, if you are or if you aren't, you guys needs to check out this RAD announcement for our homegirl's Smash 'n friends 4-month long read-a-long feature. Click on the image for details.
The next round of Bout of Books is coming up on 5/14-5/20. Click on the image for information and sign-ups.

Blogger Group Chat: Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

2012-04-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Below is our FINAL ROUND of our Blogger Group Chat featuring:

Isalys / Book Soulmates

Ashley / The Bookish Brunette

Amy / Book Loving Mom

Smash / Smash Attack Reads!

Loretta / Between The Pages

GENERAL COMMENTARY:
I’m not even really sure where to start with this one...lol.

This was my first Indie rodeo! Before "Month of Indie Epicness", I hadn’t read any. I purposely stayed away but I’m glad I finally got over that because I’ve read some amazing books. Jenny Pox blew my friggin’ mind (for like the 16th time). Agreed. Not to sound like Indie authors don’t deliver, because um, obviously they do, but I really was not expecting what I received! I was really, really impressed with this entire series.

I’m getting excited for Tommy Nightmare. If Jenny was that good, I know Tommy will be too! Isa, it is amazing. As well as the last one! I want so much more. I want more books!! Ya hear that J.L.? You better get crack-a-lackin’ =P

Ohhh! The social worker in me came out gunnin’ during Tommy’s story! Do we see more of Ashleigh in Tommy’s book? Oh hell, that hooker is with us through it all. {Dammit! Hated that ho...damn good villain though!} We get new people each book, however, and they are all intricately connected. It’s a seriously wicked plot of epic proportions. The whole thing is quite brilliant, really! As I said in my Jenny Pox review, “Just when you think this book is about three people with paranormal abilities, the author kicks up the lore and story into high gear, and presents the reader with a serious expansion of the world the likes of which will have your jaw hanging low.” ← THIS I will just make comments on your stuff since I didn’t read it. I really suck!! Fail on my part. When you finally read it, I will be cheering you on via Twitter! I will be sure to update you ;) We need to get Isa on books 2 and 3 now! Yes Amy. It is amazing! *sigh* & YES, Isa, the next 2 books are JUST as freaking amazing!

So this is easily one of my top TWO favorite books EVER. Just throwing that out there ;) Dude, if I didn’t have like 30 things I NEED to read, I would read it right now. Yes! I loved these books so much!!! All of them! Especially Jenny Pox. I mean it was the 1st so it is sorta special. lol Me too! I loved all three... but Jenny Pox will always hold a SUPER special place in my heart!

The series is awesome to say the least. I was like WOW! What the…fuck. Agreed!!! I’ve read good and bad indie books, but J.L. Bryan’s Jenny Pox was BEYOND amazing! Seriously, BLEW me AWAY. He is a really awesome person too. I love chatting with him on twitter. What the...fuck? is RIGHT!

CHARACTERS:
ABOUT JENNY: So what did everyone think about the characters? My heart went out to the characters, especially Jenny. The sorrow and sadness and what-did-she-do-to-deserve-this-shit was palpable. Jenny BROKE MY HEART!!! I cried and CRIED. I FELT Jenny’s pain. I FELT her isolation. I needed to hug her. Save her from everything. ← Yes! This. I cried on the 1st PAGE! Another book that is going to break me?! I am still gathering my heart back up from the last book I read. This series will get ya! It has very touching moments and very Dat Bitch! moments, too! Yes! These books will fill you with so many emotions! They will leave you thinking about the characters long after you finish the last book. I still want MORE. Jenny didn't start off strong which would normally annoy me but considering her circumstances, it's completely understandable and it makes you feel so much empathy for her. She just cannot touch anyone. Nothing. Until she meets someone of course, it was just so hard on her. She had only ever gotten love from one person and it was still from a distance. It's so hard to imagine that kind of loneliness. *sniffle*

NOW ABOUT ASHLEIGH: If we’re going to talk about Ashleigh next, then I should leave. My language may offend. Offend who? Oh, the readers of the lovely blog post that will come of this chat. Oh I hated her! Yeah, I will not be very lady like.. like I ever was.. but you know.. Ashleigh was not a character I liked AT ALL. Me either dude. She was a fucking c*nt. Hated her with a fiery passion. Swear I would have beat that bitch down and gave her the pox just for the fun of it! Ashleigh provided such stellar drama to the story! She WAS a GREAT character, I just HATED her. But not to the extent that I hated the STORY bc she was a whore. Or... not actually. LOL I said the same thing in my review, then corrected myself because the slut is a virgin! It really doesn’t fit her character, which confuses the shit out of you, which is good! Home girl has manipulation down to a fuggin science, yo. She played a good EVIL BITCH, that's for sure. She had that damn role down. Sounds like I am going to hate her with a passion. Especially if Ashley hates her. She usually likes the ones I hate. ;) Yes, Ashley hates Ashleigh! YOU WILL TOO!! lol I’m still not convinced that Ashleigh isn’t the anti-Christ cuz girlfriend fit the profile to a motherfuggin’ T! HAHA! I could not agree one ounce more. She is a true piece of art wrapped up in a pretty package. Which is what makes her such a great villain...she’s so manipulative and deceiving! Like I said in my review, people thought she was "sugar and spice when she's really venom and claws."

AND LE SETH:
*sigh* Here Jenny finally finds someone she can ‘touch’. Oh my my my!! Ooooh... I LOVED Seth. He SAVED Jenny. Wait! I gotta go find my favorite part:

“Will you keep me safe?” she whispered. -Jenny
“I promise.” -Seth
“Then I’ll go anywhere with you.” -Jenny

Oh, homeboy made me swoon! That is super swoon worthy!! I must read and find out more about this Seth...he sounds like he will melt my heart. YES, he will! THAT quote STILL gives me chills! Oh dear lawdie. I have that quote as my top fav. *sigh* Seth surprised me. He really did. I was extremely in love? Ha! But yea, I was extremely smitten with Seth’s sincerity and honesty. Me too! I thought that Seth was an amazing character! He was great to Jenny! But Ashleigh really did some work on poor Seth. MANIPULATION. I deal with it daily, but that ho was a master. I felt so bad for him, and then I was like C’MON. Break out of it. I wanted to smack them, lol. But, alas that is what Ashleigh was good for. I adored that we didn't get to meet the REAL Seth until he met the REAL Jenny. As individuals, they were a reflection of their respective worlds (manipulation and isolation) but together, they were something else altogether! (Ooh, look at me w/ my fancy words...someone needs to hand me a degree now please!)

THE CLIMATIC FINALE:
Did we talk about the ending yet? Cuz g’damn...that one scene with Seth and the people and stuff. Yeah, I had to yell at J.L. for that one! LOL. Girl, that mayhem was EPIC. The visualization while reading the book was great. I could picture all of the sick twisted shiz that was happening. I love when an author pulls you in like that. Attached. Ohhh I love when I get really attached to the characters and feel like I know them for real. Oh, you will love Jenny and Seth, and want to pitch Ashleigh into a raging forest fire. Characterization was strong. Awesome. I love when an author has the ability to make the characters real. I was completely DUMBSTRUCK. The entire book was like... great... then the last 20 or so pages was like... BAM!! FUCKING EPIC. OMG right! My mouth was like =O Holy hell. What the what. That was an amazingly epic ending for sure!! That one chapter left me STOOPID! I could not believe what was happening and even though it was all a mess, I was proud of Jenny for finally growing a pair. And when she grew that pair, all hell broke loose. She didn’t grow a pair, she snapped. Like the crazed, beaten, bruised soul she is. But she heals, and it’s lovely. Yeah, snapped is a better word for it. I hated the scenes where she felt she had to walk with her head down...broke my heart and frustrated me at the same time. It’s not a fun thing to witness. You want to shake her and hug her simultaneously. She sounds so broken :( She is. The people at her school, Ashleigh + her minions were just so horrible to her. It was so sad to read. So the ending was just so gratifying. I have a feeling I am going to totally want to beat the shit out of Ashleigh. Get in line, lol! She really sounds like an evil bitch!! Drop everything. Read it tonight! I feel like I need to. Like, screw everything else for another day or two, lol

CONTENT:
Ok, the bigotry and racism drove me effing bonkers! Me too! That stuff was insane. *gag* But, people are still like that. Shameful but true. It worked well for the purpose of the story, but to think that shit like that still exists is sickening. I’m all for Christianity but the holier-than-thouness was not cool!

OMG! You just made me think of Jenny’s dad. Her dad really was sweet! The drinking was bothersome, but he never hurt her and he had his own grief to drown so I let it slide. I actually really adored him. He obviously had his own shit to deal with (in an unhealthy way) but he loved her unconditionally. Yes! He sounds like a really interesting character too. He was just a really good dad...and that makes happy because cruel/hateful parents make me want to break things...like their faces! LOL. I am both laughing and crying at your statement. FML. *high five* NOW *hug* lol Seriously though, you deal w/ this shiz daily...I know “dad” must have tugged at your heartstrings. Fo sho.

Thsi is not your “normal” YA. It is like MATURE RATED 'R' YA. Amazing! Uh yeah, that other scene...ya know the REALLY naughty one...I was like, o_O "Oh my!" It’s not REALLY YA at all... it does HAVE younger adults IN IT, but I classify it as horror/paranormal/EPIC.

Ladies, thank you for recommending this book because it really was EPIC and EPIC is the best way to end our "Month of Indie EPICness". Love ya bitchez!

Letter to Jenny

2012-04-26T10:40:00.000-04:00

We asked J.L. Bryan to put together is guest post for our feature and he thought it would be appropriate to create a letter to Jenny (from Jenny Pox) written, appropriately enough, by her soulmate...

Dear Jenny,

Spoken words run too fast and thin to express what I must say to you. I must write this letter to you instead, so that there may be some hope of more fully conveying my true feelings, and choosing only the words that will reveal rather than obscure all that I mean to share.

I have always known, somehow, that you were out there waiting for me to discover you. My heart has stalked this dark world like a ravenous wolf, hunting without knowing the cause of the unquenchable hunger driving me restlessly onward. I have looked into the darkest places in search of a glimmer of light.

Despair was my constant companion until I found you. All that you stir and awaken in me makes me so much more than I was, as if I were merely sleepwalking until you first touched me. It was then that I knew for certain we’d found each other yet again, and this lifetime could at last begin.

It is so difficult for me to express how the depth of love between us transcends life and death, and we find each other again and again down through the millennia. My memories of the past stretch through the rise and fall of forgotten empires, through wars and famines and plagues, and in all of this suffering you are the bright and golden thread weaving so many of my lives together, bringing purpose to so much that would otherwise be without meaning.

I hope that you have awakened to some sense of this: the mad passions that have possessed us, the enemies we have vanquished, the cities we have ravaged and kingdoms we have crushed. The ecstasy and horror of what we become together is my only reason to live, the only reason I return to these miserable bonds of flesh again and again. When we do not have flesh, we cannot touch, and I thirst to have bodies again so that we can embrace more fully than our native fleshless form allows.

But now you have returned to me, my love, the only light in my universe. And again we will be together, as we are always meant to be. Now that I have found you, my other half, I cannot bear for us to be apart again.

You are the sole owner of my heart, now and for all eternity.

Sincerely, with all the love I have to offer,
Your soulmate

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and Romanticism. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, their baby son, and some eccentric dogs and cats. He is the author of The Paranormals series (Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, Alexander Death) and the Songs of Magic series (Fairy Metal Thunder, Fairy Blues, and Fairystruck).

Jenny Pox |Fairy Metal Thunder

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads

And this pretty much made me want to melt into a giant puddle of girly goo! Damn female hormones! Thank you J.L. Bryan for getting female loins everywhere a-throbbin'

Giveaway: Jenny Pox Set by J.L. Bryan

2012-04-25T13:00:00.000-04:00

GIVEAWAY!
April 25 - May 2Winner announced May 3

One lucky winner will get an e-book SET of the first two books in the Jenny Pox (The Paranormals) Series available for Kindle or in PDF format.

Official Contest Information:

To enter, please fill out the form below.
Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
Contest open to EVERYONE with an email address.
The winner will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
The winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be emailed directly to winner from author.
No comment entries will be accepted.
You may choose to be a blog follower, but it is NOT required to enter the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

Review: Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

2012-04-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

Title: Jenny Pox (The Paranormals #1)
Author: J.L. Bryan
Publish Date: July 24, 2010 by J.L. Bryan (self-pub)
Pages: 214 pages, e-book
Reviewed by: Isalys
Reason for Reading: E-book provided by author for review purposes

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town. Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

I hadn't heard of this book until my "Month of Indie Epicness" co-conspirators recommended that we include it. This is the reason I know those girls won't lead me astray because damn, Jenny Pox blew my friggin' mind, like whoa!

Jenny Morton, known as Jenny Mittens to all which was still a vast improvement from her days as Jenny Pox is a pariah. She wears mittens to protect others from her deadly touch. For reasons unknown, Jenny's touch spreads plague-like infections such as blisters, boils and nasty open sores. If she holds on too long, you can kiss your butt good-bye.

Even with a loving and supportive father, Jenny has never known acceptance or even another person's touch. She's always been that weird girl that keeps to herself and is covered from head-to-toe even in the middle of summer, that is until. . .

Meet Seth, boyfriend of Ashleigh, the school's reigning Queen Bee. We are introduced to Seth as your typical high school jock, but a sad incident involving Jenny's dog reveals that Seth is actually really sweet and compassionate and has a BIG secret of his own. He also has an ability and incidentally, it nixes Jenny's which means they can touch, kiss and even have sex. For the first time in Jenny's life, she is over-the-moon in love and she does not intend to let go.

As for Ashleigh, little Miss Holier than Thou. She's got the whole town wrapped around her finger, except for one person and that is Jenny Mittens. She is determined to rise in power and take Jenny down and reclaim Seth while she's at it. What none of them realize is that they ALL have abilities and they're about to be pushed to their limits.

Holy shit guys! I can't remember the last time that a book affected me so much. The premise is unique, the characters are intense, and the world-building is surprising! Jenny's story broke my heart. I can't imagine living life without human touch. No hugs, no kisses, no high-fives, no smex *gasp*. Seth was funny and sweet and genuinely cared about Jenny so the scenes with them together were a delight. Ashleigh, well, she may or may not be the anti-Christ. She does a phenomenal job of convincing people that she's sugar and spice when she's really venom and claws. Jenny and eventually Seth are the only ones who see her for what she is and they are determined to stop her!

Then we get to our big finale...the climax of our story and the part where Isalys's (yes, I'm referring to myself in third person) palms start sweating, my eyes are bugging out of my head and my heart is about ready to burst. I'm reading the e-book so I've got my iPad in a death grip as I try to take it all in. The bad guys think they're good, the good guys do bad things and it's all chaos and mayhem. J.L. Bryan took the mind-fuckery to EPIC proportions.

And then, just when you think that this story is over, J.L. Bryan takes us for a little mythological ride with a taste of the backstory about why Jenny, Seth and Ashleigh have those (particular) abilities.

*headdesk* To quote my own comment on Smash's Goodreads page: "I just finished Jenny Pox and I need a drink OR a hug OR a drink while being hugged."

Go read it. Now!

WARNING: The characters may be young adult, but there is some very mature content/scenes. Suggested for 18+ readers.

Winners of INHALE USB Drives

2012-04-24T21:29:00.000-04:00

As part of our Month of Indie Epicness, we're happy to announce the winners of the INHALE USB Drives :)

And the winners are:

Felicia from Living Life Through Books
Regina from Hott Books
Erin F.
Jen from Not Now...I'm Reading!
Yadira aka Yadkny

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations ladies!

This book is AMAZEBALLS and we hope you all love it as much as we do :)

New Releases 4.24.12

2012-04-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

♥ Contemporary Fiction & Chick-Lit ♥

White Lines II: Sunny: A Novel by Tracy Brown

♥ Historical Fiction ♥

Fight for Freedom by Simon Scarrow

♥ Mystery / Suspense / Thriller ♥

Border Run: A Novel by Simon Lewis
Kaleidoscope by Gail Bowen
Life Without Parole: A Kate Conway Mystery by Clare O'Donohue
Wildcat Play: A Mystery by Helen Knode
Blackbirds (Miriam Black, #1) by Chuck Wendig

Rest In Pizza by Chris Cavender
Drop Dead Chocolate (Donut Shop Mystery #7) by Jessica Beck

♥ Horror ♥

Siege (As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy, #3) by Rhiannon Frater
32 Fangs: A Final Vampire Tale by David Wellington

♥ Urban Fantasy (top) / Sci-Fi (bottom) ♥

Summoning the Night (Arcadia Bell, #2) by Jenn Bennett
Deadly Descendant (Nikki Glass, #2) by Jenna Black
The Minority Council by Kate Griffin
The Prophet (Graveyard Queen #3) by Amanda Stevens

Shadow Blizzard (Chronicles of Siala #3) by Alexey Pehov

♥ Steampunk ♥
None

♥ Paranormal Romance ♥

Obsidian Flame (The World of Ascension, #5) by Caris Roane
Under a Vampire Moon (Argeneau, #16) by Lynsay Sands
Hunted (Dark Protectors, #3) by Rebecca Zanetti
Wishful Thinking (Time of Transition, #3) by Gabi Stevens
Wicked Road to Hell (League of Guardians, #1) by Juliana Stone
The Claimed by Caridad Piñeiro

Sevin (The Lords of Satyr, #7) by Elizabeth Amber
On the Prowl (The Others, #13) by Christine Warren

♥ Historical Romance ♥

No Longer a Gentleman (Lost Lords, #4) by Mary Jo Putney
Be My Prince (The Royal Trilogy, #1) by Julianne MacLean
The Saint Who Stole My Heart (Regency Rogues, #4) by Stefanie Sloane
Lyon's Bride: The Chattan Curse by Cathy Maxwell

♥ Contemporary Romance ♥

Sunrise Point (Virgin River, #19) by Robyn Carr
Barefoot in the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire

♥ Romantic Suspense ♥

Silenced (Lucy Kincaid, #4) by Allison Brennan

♥ YA ♥

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa
Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
Whisper (Riley Bloom #4) by Alyson Noel
Social Suicide (Deadly Cool, #2) by Gemma Halliday
The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass

Eve of Destruction by Patrick Carman
Storm (Elemental, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer
Purity by Jackson Pearce
Thumped (Bumped, #2) by Megan McCafferty
Zero by Tom Leveen

It's Our Prom by Julie Anne Peters
Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
The Story of Us by Deb Caletti
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Happy shopping and happy reading!