Alice in Zombieland, by Gena Showalter

Author: Gena Showalter [F] [T] [W]
Publisher: Harlequin Teen [W]
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Format: Hardcover; 404 pages
Series: The White Rabbit Chronicles (Book 1)
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance, Zombies
Avg. Rating: ★★★★✩

Goodreads | Book Depository

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

With the exception of Warm Bodies and a few others, I'm really not the biggest fan of zombie books. I can read them.. I just don't enjoy them all that much, and I really don't go out of the way to read them completely voluntarily. And I definitely don't go out of the way to contact a publisher for a zombie book. HOWEVER, this IS Gena Showalter we're talking about. Everyone has their exceptions.

For me, the best part of picking up a Gena Showalter novel is knowing before I even hold the book in my hands that I will enjoy it. Is that biased? Maybe, but it's completely true. There's something very genuine and unique about Showalter's writing that stays completely true to her style to let you know the book is definitely hers, yet she still manages to keep every story's tone its own and every character has their own individual voice. It's something rare that you may not always see in an author's work, especially when they have so many books under their literary belt. 

Having said that, it shouldn't be a total shocker that I really loved this book. I know that I read about people being disappointed with the fact that the title of this novel is very similar to Alice in Wonderland, so it was assumed that it was a highly-imaginative retelling when it really didn't have much to do with the classic tale at all. I can say that wasn't the case for me - as a matter of fact, that little bit didn't bother me one single bit. There's also a twist on the actual zombies in this book that some people didn't like much. Again, didn't bother me. Just the opposite actually.. I really LOVED the twist on the zombie lore of this book. It's something that I have never EVER in my life come across in a book, and that made it just that much more special of a read for me.

Alice was a great female lead. Very independent, strong and need I say hard-headed? Especially when it came to a certain boy. Cole was the sexy bad boy in the novel and I thought he was a great opposite for Alice - and I definitely mean opposite. Their ways always seemed to clash (which I'll admit at times got a little tedious for me), but the chemistry was off the charts for these two. I also enjoyed Alice's quirky best friend, Kat. She brought that special magic to the story that only some characters can pull off and managed to keep an aura of mystery to her that kept me intrigued.

The setting to this story was perfect and helped to really set the tone for the book. I loved the pace and the plot, which isn't short of amazing - but I expect no less from Gena Showalter. This is definitely a great read that I think all of my paranormal readers would enjoy. And if you're a Showalter fan, I think this is really a given that you MUST read this book. ;)

My Rating: ★★★★★

Book Source: Publisher

 

Ripped, by Shelly Dickson Carr

Author: Shelly Dickson Carr [T] [W]
Publisher: New Book Partners [W]
Release Date: December 1, 2012
Format: Paperback; 520 pages
Series: N/A
Genre: YA, Indie, Thriller, Time-Travel
Avg. Rating: ★★★★★ (via Amazon.com)

Goodreads | Book Depository

Katie Lennox wishes her parents were still alive. Having to leave Boston to live with Grandma Cleaves in London was hard, but she's making new friends, working on her British accent and even learning some Cockney rhyming slang. London's cool and actually feels like home in some ways, like she's been here before, belongs here. When a museum visit with her cousin and his cute friend turns funky, Katie finds herself in a long, uncomfortable dress, wearing a ridiculous hat, wondering what happened to her jeans and high-top sneakers? And where's her iPhone?... It's London, 1888. Smart and gutsy, Katie knows she's here to stop Jack the Ripper. The serial killer didn't just slash his victims' throats; he butchered the women. Katie has read about the Ripper, knows the names of his victims and where and when they were killed. She's watched her fair share of CSI. Can Katie save their lives?

Ripped was one of those random finds that I discovered while browsing around for new books to read. Loving all things Jack The Ripper related I knew that, fiction or not, I had to check this book out. I ordered, waited and read as soon as I received it in the mail.I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but for some reason I wasn't expecting it to be so good that I devoured this book in very little time. 

This book is told from the point of view of a fifteen-year-old girl (Katie) that goes back in time to try to stop Jack The Ripper from butchering women - one being an ancestor of Katie, whom her rock star sister looks a lot like. I loved Katie's voice in this book and, between her dialogue and references to modern-day pop culture, I think she really made this story very easy to read - even the gory and violent parts.

This story is very detailed and historically accurate when it comes to the facts about Jack The Ripper - someone definitely did their research and stayed true to history where it mattered. Seeing a book that is 500+ pages long about history and time travel may seem daunting but the intrigue in the mystery of this book definitely sets the pace and you'll be through it before you know it. 

If you're a fan of Jack the Ripper, time travel or just a good mystery then I would definitely recommend this book. 

My Rating: ★★★★★

Book Source: Purchase

Special Announcement!

I know I told you all in my last post that I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my little bundle of joy. Well, he's here! My little Riley was born two days before his due date after only eleven hours of active labor and thirty minutes of pushing. I'm completely over the moon in love with him and it's still sometimes hard for me to believe that I birthed this amazing little boy. But, I did.. and he's here.. and we're enjoying every moment together!

I expected to start blogging a little sooner, but Riley has definitely taken up more of my life and time than I could have ever imagined. We also have a few things we're working through like cluster feeding and fighting sleep. Both of these things are making my free time almost non-existent right now. But, he's definitely worth it. 

I'm hoping to have a better schedule worked out soon because I'm so behind on reviews it's not even funny. I can tell you I have at least a good 50 new reviews I need to post, and that's not including the back-up of reviews that I had before and during my pregnancy that still needs to go up. Eesh! 

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday and I hope to be speaking to you guys again BEFORE the Christmas holiday. 

XOXO

Hey! What's Going On??

Hey, guys! Long time no post, eh? Sorry about that. As most of you may or may not know, the past year and a half has been c-r-a-z-y for me and not always in a good way - but mostly in a good way, especially the past nine months almost.

So, what's been going on??

Let's start from the beginning. Early last year, due to some miscommunication between myself and my doctor (but mostly just the doctor - lol), I went through a bout of crazy high blood pressure and weight gain. At first, no one knew what was going on because everything except for one thing had stayed the same - and it just so happened that one thing is what brought it all on. 

Once that was figured out (by a new doctor, I might add), I was on the road to getting everything back in order and everything seemed to start going splendidly again. So splendidly in fact, that my husband and I decided it might be time to add an addition to the family after four years of marriage - we wanted to have a baby. Being the overly paranoid type, I decided before we started trying that I wanted to go to the doctor to make sure everything was 100% ready to go - and that's when the second big road block came around. I found out I had cervical cancer. Luckily for me, I caught it super early and it was still superficial, so all I had to do was undergo a small surgery to get rid of it - no radiation and no chemo of any sort. But, that put a HUGE stop on plans to have a baby because not only did I have to recover for months and months, there was also the very high possibility that my cervix might not be strong enough to carry a child full-term. There was a lot of crying and depression on my part, but ultimately I came to the conclusion that things in life happen for a reason and, if I wasn't meant to have a child, then that just meant I'd grow old with just my husband and our animal babies. 

After my months of recovery, I just decided to let nature take its course even though my doctor had warned me it could take forever to conceive after my surgery.. or it just may never happen. A little over a month later, I found out I was pregnant. 

This coming Monday, I will be 38 weeks pregnant. That pic up there is a 3D picture of my sweet baby boy that will be gracing us with his presence so very soon. My pregnancy hasn't been ideal with morning sickness, allergies, sinus issues, aches, pains, etc. HOWEVER, as far as pregnancy and his development goes, it's been pretty textbook and I couldn't ask for anything more than that. At my appointment today, I found out that he weighs 7 pounds already and they're expecting him to make it to his due date of November 12.

So, what does that mean for the blog??

I would first like to say a huge thank you to all of my followers that have stuck around, even though there hasn't been much going on lately. This blog has suffered more than anything else in my life from my health issues and everything else going on. But I haven't forgotten about it and I most certainly am NOT ready to give up on it. Even though I haven't been around and I have not updated.. my love of books has never waned. I still read a lot and I have a TON of books that I need to review.. I just haven't gotten around to it because it's so uncomfortable for me to be on a computer for more than a few minutes. If it wasn't for my phone, I probably wouldn't have any online communication whatsoever. 

I can say one thing, though: I miss blogging and reviewing. And I'm ready to get back on track. However, I am a lot more realistic about my life and my priorities now versus what I would like to get done. It will be a slow process, but it WILL happen. If my baby goes full-term, then that means I have a little over two weeks to prepare for him.. and I still have A LOT to do to prep for him. So, that comes first. And I know that once he's here, my world will be turned upside down for a little while. There's no physical way I can just come back to blogging 100% from the very beginning. So, I'm making a compromise.

In some of my down time, I have revised a small plan that may help me get back on track. First, I know there's no way I can post reviews on a daily basis - even though I probably have a year's worth or more of reviews I could post if I did it daily. (I told you I've still been reading!) I have a list of at least 50% of my books that I have read and need to do reviews for. When I have some time to myself, I will start scheduling those.. and these will probably start showing up around the time I have Riley or maybe later in November. Second, I don't think sporadic reviews will be enough and I'd like to start up a feature again to keep this blog active. A lot of bloggers do IMM, Teaser Tuesdays, Waiting on Wednesday, or some type of weekly top ten list. I love those, but I don't know if I can be consistent with any of those. What I thought I would do that seems more feasible is the Before & After feature that I started a couple years back with debut authors. Before & After is an easy enough deal to keep up with. The most energy spent for the project is finding debut authors (already have a list), contacting them and formatting each blog post for each author that participates. It's simple - and something that I really enjoy because it goes with what I like doing on my blog, which is promoting good books and new authors. 

So, that's the plan. Hopefully, this blog will be up and running again very soon and I will be able to join the bookish world once more during my journey of becoming a new mommy. :)

Once again, thank you all for sticking around. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I'll see you all very soon!! <3

Wicked Nights, by Gena Showalter {Giveaway!!}

I'm holding a week-long giveaway for a chance to win a copy of this book. If you'd like to enter, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out about the rules!

Leader of the most powerful army in the heavens, Zacharel has been deemed nearly too dangerous, too ruthless--and if he isn't careful, he'll lose his wings. But this warrior with a heart of ice will not be deterred from his missions at any cost...until a vulnerable human tempts him with a carnal pleasure he's never known before.

Accused of a crime she did not commit, Annabelle Miller has spent four years in an institution for the criminally insane. Demons track her every move, and their king will stop at nothing to have her. Zacharel is her only hope for survival, but is the brutal angel with a touch as hot as hell her salvation--or her ultimate damnation?

 I don't think that it's a secret I love Gena Showalter's books, especially her Lords of the Underworld series. When I found out there was a spin-off series, I was excited. When I found out the first book was about Zacharel.. I almost hesitated. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bias - I love the angels, demons and other supernaturals that pop up in Showalter's books just as much as the Lords. But, Zacharel? He's so serious! Could there really be a girl out there that would turn him around like the heroines in my LoTU books? Not too be too spoiler-ific but, after reading Wicked Nights, I can definitely answer this with a resounding YES!

At the beginning, there is no mistaking that the Zacharel we encountered briefly in the Lords of the Underworld books is exactly the same Zacharel that we are introduced to here.. just as serious as ever. Then there's Annabelle, who is a bit on the vulnerable side but still has a hard, kick-ass side to her. Honestly, I think she has to have that hard side to live through all of the things that she has in order to live to see another day. The chemistry between the two is pretty explosive from the very beginning, though not necessarily the way that you would think. It's fun to see these characters evolve into what I would consider almost better, stronger versions of themselves throughout the story - as well as seeing the attraction between the two build up and explode. 

Like all of Showalter's books, the story doesn't just revolve around the romance between the two main characters. There is an amazing plot to this book that doesn't just center around these two, though it does definitely involve them. This plot just scratches on the surface of what is the beginning of a major storyline in the Angels of the Dark series. After reading this story, I don't think this new spin-off could have started with a better main character than what it did. There are also a ton of supporting characters that you will fall in love with, some you have met before if you've read the Lords of the Underworld series - including some of the Lords themselves! 

I know that I have mentioned the Lords of the Underworld a lot in this review because I'm a little obsessed with that series. Make no mistake though, you will NOT get lost in this book if you've never read that series before. While there are references, the Angels of the Dark series is an entirely different brand with it's own story that may run parallel to the other story but definitely does not run on the same story. 

If you're a huge Gena Showalter fan like me, make no mistake that you WILL love this book. If you've never read her books before but you like paranormal romance, you will definitely fall in love with her stories after reading this. Showalter delivers and definitely does not disappoint with her new series. 

Rating: ★★★★★ Avg 4.33
Source: Little Bird Publicity

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Title: Wicked Nights
Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Angels of the Dark
Publisher: HQN Books
Format: Paperback, 411 pages
Release Date: June 26, 2012

► Purchase

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★ Giveaway! ★

Thanks to Little Bird Publicity, Harlequin and Gena Showalter, I am to give away a copy of Wicked Nights to one lucky reader!! The rules are simple:

★ You must live in the US.

★ You must comment on this post with a VALID e-mail address.

★ You must get your entry in before Wednesday, July 4th. 

Good luck!!