Touched Launch Party and Giveaway!

I was super excited to go to this event and see my friends that I hadn't seen in forever! I met up with Stacee @ Adventures of a Book Junkie and our friend Ava! Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach is one of the cutest bookstores ever and I always try to hit up their signings whenever possible. 

It's that cake so awesome looking? And it was really good! All chocolaty and yummy!

There was also a candy bar! How cool is that? The swag bags had awesome bookish goodies inside!

She read from her book (which sounds awesome by the way) and then I signing began! And of course, being the awesome blogger that I am, I got a copy just for you guys! It's US only so go ahead, enter away! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Body at the Tower

Title: The Body at the Tower
Author: Y.S. Lee
Series: The Agency #2
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Find it Here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Library

This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the series, Mary Quinn sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at St. Stephen's Tower, better known as the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The accident occurred after hours in a highly public part of town and despite the presence of night watchmen. Mary, disguised as Mark Quinn, becomes a builder's assistant to find out the truth about the body at the tower.

My thoughts:

I love The Agency series so much! It’s full of great characters, fun plot lines and little bit of romantic interest thrown into the mix! It is so easy for me to let myself get swept up into the story of mystery and intrigue!

Mary is one of my favorite mystery detectives! Not only is she smart but she is embarking on this awesome career during a time when women were expected to marry and take care of the children. Being a detective is the last thing any man would expect her to be. She is also very quick and cunning; she can pick up on the tinniest of clues and unravel it until the very end. The scenes between Mary and James Easton are always my favorite! They have this awesome sexual tension that just continues to brew and eventually boils over when they can’t keep their hands off each other! And they complement each other very well!

The assignments that Mary gets are always so intriguing! The mysteries are just complicated enough to where you can follow along easily but I’m still unable to figure out for myself until close to the ending. These always make for the best type of mysteries, in my opinion! I give The Body at the Tower 4 hearts because there is no doubt in my mind that I will continue reading this series!

Stacking the Shelves (23)

Hey there! Welcome to this week's Stacking the Shelves! This awesome meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and we get to show each other the books we acquired this week whether bought, from the library or for review!

Pretty slow week this week and I only got a few books!

Bought:

Touched by Corrine Jackson

Netgalley Books:

Also Known As by Robin Benway

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Top of My Pile (11)

Hey there and welcome to Top of My Pile! I decided to start this post because I often times feel the need to talk about the book that I'm currently reading and throw out some of the thoughts I have before I finish it! I usually have all these crazy theories about how the story is going to end or what's going to happen to the main characters. But by the time I get around to writing my review, I forget what was swirling around in my head. So that's why I started this new Saturday post. It also gives me a chance to let you know what I read this week and also, what I'm planning on reading next.

Currently Reading:

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

I am absolutely love this book! I love Logan and Rachel! There's so much attraction and tension between them it's practically electric! Then there's the revolution that's brewing and the Commander who is so evil! Oh, I can't wait to finish it and I hope there's not a huge cliffhanger but there probably will be. EEEKK! 

Reading this Week:

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Perception by Kim Harrington

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Weekly Wrap-Up:

{Sunday} My book haul for Stacking the Shelves

{Monday} Middle Grade Monday: Review of The Time Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

{Tuesday} Top ten most anticipated books of 2013

{Tuesday} Review of The Turning by Francine Prose

{Wednesday} Waited on Starcursed by Jessica Spotswood

{Thursday} Audio Book review of Outpost by Ann Aguirre

{Friday} Review of Red Rain by R.L. Stine

Review: Red Rain

Title: Red Rain
Author: R.L. Stine
Publisher: Touchstone
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: ARC from ALA

Travel writer Lea Sutter finds herself on a small island off the coast of South Carolina, the wrong place at the wrong time. A merciless, unanticipated hurricane cuts a path of destruction and Lea barely escapes with her life. In the storm’s aftermath, she discovers orphaned twin boys and impulsively decides to adopt them. The boys, Samuel and Daniel, seem amiable and immensely grateful; Lea’s family back on Long Island—husband Mark and their two children, Ira and Elena— aren't quite so pleased. But even they can’t anticipate the twins’ true nature—or predict that, within a few weeks’ time, Mark will wind up implicated in two brutal murders, with the police narrowing in.

My thoughts: 

I grew up reading R.L. Stine. He writes such great horror that I couldn't get enough of him when I was in elementary school and junior high.  I read as many Goosebumps as I could and then moved on to the Fear Street novels! Looking back now they're probably pretty cheesy but R.L. Stine definitely installed himself as one of the great middle grade horror writers! So when I heard that he was writing a horror for adults, I knew that I absolutely had to read it!

The basic plot of Red Rain is that Lea is a travel blog writer and she goes to a little island off the coast of South Carolina. While she's there, a hurricane hits and she ends up taking home twin boys whose parents died in the storm.  When they get to Long Island, horrible things start happening and the whole town goes a little crazy. Even though I really enjoyed the story, it's not a mystery to try and figure out what's happening or who is killing people.  It's revealed right in the beginning who the twins really are and what their intent is. I enjoy a good horror novel when I have no idea who is behind the murderous and anyone who jumps out could be the killer! But there is still a twist in the end that's revealed which I didn't realize until I was almost finished with the book.

Even though I really liked the book I didn't like that the murderers were these twelve year old twins.  I understand that they're pretty unsuspecting and that the adults in the novel would never have guessed that these innocent looking boys are killing people but I thought it was just kind of weird.  And I didn't like their accents.  They were supposed to be these white boys with blonde hair and blue eyes but they sounded Jamaican! So that kind of threw me off! I also didn't like that the story changed from so many perspectives. That's just a personal preference though.

Red Rain is a great horror novel to read around Halloween time! I give Red Rain 4 hearts because even though the story was a little weird, it still has all the blood, guts and gore that I'm looking for in my horror novels!  

Audio Book Review: Outpost

Title: Outpost
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: Razorland #2
Publisher: MacMillian
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Audio Book provided by MacMillian Young Listners

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn't fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

My thoughts: 

I was so excited to get started on this audio book right after I finished Enclave because of that ending! I'm going to try to write this review as spoiler free as I can and I hope that I succeed! If you haven't started reading this series yet then you need to! Absolutely!!

Now that Duce and Fade have been brought to the outpost and have found a safe place to live, Duce is struggling to fit in. The people of Salvation expect her to act like a woman in the traditional sense meaning that men only to the hunting and the fighting and the women wear dresses and do all the cooking and house cleaning. Since all Duce ever wanted to be was a huntress, this is really hard for her to except.  Meanwhile, Fade and Duce are somewhat on the outs making Duce feel even more alone and isolated.

Duce is such a strong female character and she never truly conforms into what these people expect her to be. She holds on to huntress nature and has to prove herself worthy of being able to protect the town.  Event though I really like Fade, he is really sensitive sometimes! As soon as he feels a little bit hurt or rejected, he runs off, hides away and doesn't talk to anyone.  He kind of reminds me of a girl! I also think it's funny that they have to keep reassuring each other that they really do like each other.  It's obvious that they trust each other with their lives, but they're unsure of the part of their relationship that involves feelings.  And the zombie-like creatures are getting even crazier! I hope in the third book we really get to know what's going on with then and really learn more about their origins!

The Razorland series is such a great apocalypse series and one of my favorite dystopians right now! It's full of adventure, romance, people fighting to survive and blood and guts! And the reader of this series is great! Her voice has the perfect amount of toughness for Duce while still being a girl! I give the Outpost audio book 5 hearts for literally having me on the edge of my seat while I was driving my car!

Waiting on Wednesday (80)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Starcursed
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2
Hitting the Shelves: June 18, 2013

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.

Why I want this: Now I'm not a big fan of this cover but I LOVED Born Wicked! I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment in the Cahill Witch Chronicles! 

What are you waiting for?