Contest & Guest Post with Kerrelyn Sparks

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Today on My Overstuffed Bookshelf, I have the very talented Kerrelyn Sparks!!
Lets give her a warm welcome and stay tuned after reading her Guest Post for an amazing giveaway hosted by AVON books!

A Different Sort of Hero
            Not every romance hero can be born a duke…or a werewolf.  That was the idea behind the hero of The Forbidden Lady.  Can a normal guy succeed as a hero without the benefit of a title– or in the case of my usual supernatural heroes, without the benefit of superpowers or fangs?

            Introducing Quincy Stanton, the hero of The Forbidden Lady.  He’s a sea captain from Boston in 1769, a tense time in American history that climaxes with the Boston Massacre.  Quincy is recruited by the Sons of Liberty to spy on the British. Instead of shifting into a werewolf, he transforms into the James Bond of the American Revolution.  With no superpowers, he depends on some super gadgets—a carriage rigged with special compartments and a booby trap, a magnifying glass lined with phosphorescence so it glows in the dark, and a submersible for sneaking about Bostonharbor. (This is based on the Turtle, an actual submersible used during the Revolutionary War).

            So Quincy is a different sort of hero—or is he?  Like all my heroes, Quincypossesses what I consider heroic virtues:  honor, strength, intelligence, and integrity.  He also has something else in common with my supernatural heroes—a second identity he needs to keep secret.  He can’t admit to being a spy.  It would cost him his life.  So when he falls in love, how can he gain the heroine’s trust without revealing his secret?

            It’s the same dilemma that some of my vampire and shifter heroes face.  In Wild About You, (releasing November 27th), Howard Barr is trying to win the heart of Elsa.  Would any woman in her right mind want to fall in love with a guy who occasionally becomes a real bear?  A huge, grizzly bear to be precise. 

            Whether it’s a sea captain hiding the fact that he’s a spy, or a guy who played for the Chicago Bears hiding the fact that he’s a were-bear, it’s still a hero with a dual personality. He’s both the prince and the beast, and it will take a special heroine (or Beauty) to see past the beast and recognize the prince.  In The Forbidden Lady, Quincy becomes a very different sort of beast—an obnoxious dandy in lavender silk and a lavender-tinted wig.  Only another spy, the lovely Virginia Munro, will manage to see through his Scarlet Pimpernel-like masquerade.  And along the way, there will be a lot of laughs, some adventure and suspense, and of course, some glorious romance.

            The Forbidden Lady goes on sale in e-book form September 25th, then in print form October 25th. Originally published as For Love or Country, it has now been revised to be funnier and sexier than ever.  Wild About You, the thirteenth book in the Love at Stake series, releases November 27th.  For more information, please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kerrelyn Sparks’ first paranormal romance, How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, zoomed out of the bat cave so fast it became Borders bestselling debut romance of 2005.   Each book in the Love at Stake series has become a USAToday bestseller.  When the fourth book, The Undead Next Door, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, even the Undead sat up and took notice, which made Kerrelyn a bit nervous. She lives in the Greater Houston area with her husband, children, and a house full of garlic.  So far, there are no vampires in her family. Werewolves are another matter entirely.



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CONTEST

Thanks to AVON/HarperCollins, I have:

1 $25 gift card to the e-retailer of winners choice (INTERNATIONAL)

RULES
— Comment for your chance to win!
— Please state if you are US or International so I know which contest to enter you in.
— Leave an email address for me to contact you if you win!
— Contest ends 9/30/2012

GOOD LUCK!

Stalking The Others by Jess Haines

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Stalking the Others
Series: H&W Investigations #4
Author: Jess Haines
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Gift form Author
ISBN: 9781420124026

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Vampires, werewolves, mages–the Others are very real, and wreaking havoc in Shiarra Waynest’s life. But now, she’s returning the favor…

Once, she was one of the good guys–or as close as a New York P.I. can get. Then Shiarra Waynest was drawn into the world of the Others. Every faction has its own loyalties and agenda. And Shia’s recent betrayal by her ex-boyfriend means that she may be on the verge of becoming a rogue werewolf at the next full moon.

Of course, with all the threats against her, Shia’s not sure she’ll live long enough to find out. The enigmatic vampire Royce wants her back in his clutches, as do two powerful werewolf packs, along with the police. Instead of going into hiding, Shia is enlisting the aid of her enchanted hunter’s belt and every dirty P.I. trick she knows. If she’s going down, she’ll take out as many of her enemies as she can–and hope that in the process, she keeps whatever humanity she has left…

MY THOUGHTS

Action? Check.
Kick Ass Heroine? Check.
Suspense? Check.
Another winner of a book? CHECKMATE.

Since I am not a regular reader of urban fantasy,  the books in this category better blow me away for me to keep reading them.  What author Jess Haines brings to this reader is excitement and holy amazing!  I loved the writing and the characters in this book.

I love how the author changed the character of Shia in this book.  Instead of the usual, we get a Kick-Them-In-the-Jewels Shia that is one seriously bad girl.  I loved it.  She was strong and fierce.  What made it better was all the action that was involved with this one.  Even with the most dire situations though, the author is able to give us witty dialogue to keep it just a touch light enough to make me not dread what could happen next.

Even though I came into this series on the second book, I have not had a hard time playing catch up.  I will eventually get around to reading the first book someday when I have time, but for now — I am just enjoying the ride.  I might have a better understanding of some things if I had read the first in the series, but the author writes so wonderfully that it hasn’t been a hindrance to me.

Even with the ending being rushed — although I will say that it is not too bad — I loved how it ended.  Now if I can just convince the author to finish up writing the next book.  I need more and that is no joke.

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

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Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Source: Wunderkid PR
Genre: Fiction/Sci-Fi/Adventure
ISBN: 9780307887443

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. 

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.   

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape. 

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

MY THOUGHTS

After numerous requests from people that I venture out of my comfort zone of romance, I decided to give this book a try.  It was sent to me for review — one I didn’t request — but I thought I would use it as my stepping stone into a different type of read than what I am accustomed to.

Can I just say that this book was completely the opposite of what I was expecting!  I am not a huge fan of Science Fiction, but I will say that this book gave a new take to the genre.  It was set in the new future which added the Dystopia theme to it.  It had undertones of Hunger Games like fighting in it.  It had suspense in it as well.  It was like a gift of several genres all wrapped nicely with a bow on it.  I couldn’t believe I actually enjoyed a book like this.  The writing was even done to a point to where I felt like I was experiencing it like the main character at times.

There were a few things that I didn’t like about the book though. If you are not into the whole 1980’s, then you might want to reconsider.  This book is rich in the eighties culture and has you step back into those horrible years of youth.  Even with that being said, I still say give it a try if you are willing to step into a different comfort zone for your next read.  You might find yourself finding a new story to enjoy.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Every Day by David Levithan

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Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Source: Amazon Vine
Genre: Young Adult
ISBN: 9780307931887

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

MY THOUGHTS

This is a book where some things are left unanswered but does not leave the reader wondering too much about it.  Yes, some will have some questions still, but most will just enjoy the ride.

I really liked this book.  I haven’t read anything before by this author (at least I don’t think I have), but I found myself enjoying the writing and the story that the author created.  While I am not a big fan of the cover,  I am willing to overlook it because the story is truly what held my interest. Not knowing what could be the next day in life, the author made the story come alive through A.  A was just going through the motions of changing each day into someone new, but when A finds love we get to see the transformation. I couldn’t wait to get to each new chapter to see what would happen.

Again, while I have not read anything else by this author, I am happy to say that I will definitely be checking out his other books to try.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!

*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Wake by Amanda Hocking

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Wake
Series: Watersong #1
Author: Amanda Hocking
Source: Amazon Vine
Genre: Young Adult
ISBN: 9781250008121

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Fall under the spell of Wake—the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking—and lose yourself to the Watersong.

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They’re the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone’s attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

MY THOUGHTS

I have never been a huge fan of “mermaid” themed books.  There are a few that I have found to enjoy, but not many.  The only reason I ventured into this world again was the fact that it was written by Amanda Hocking.  Everyone is raving about her writing and her amazing publishing deal she received awhile back.  I figured there must be something to her writing if publishers were this excited about signing on a new writer.

I am still on the fence about this read.  While I can see the allure of the authors writing,  I am still not sold on the mermaid and sirens.  All I can think about is a fin getting in the way while trying to hug someone.  I know it seems childish, but my brain can’t seem to compute this with romantic and alluring.  This is just a personal peeve and not one that another reader should hold against a mermaid themed book.  On that note, the story itself was entertaining, but not outstanding.  Yes it held my interest and I was glad to have read this new read, but it is not one that blew the others in pile out of the water.  (no pun intended)  Also the climatic ending was pretty good and I give it points for keeping me interested enough to want to try the next book.

I can say that this author does have a unique writing style even if it did seem a little on the young side.  I know this is an author with many books under her belt though, so I will try and read other stories by her before making a final decision on adding her to my auto-buy list.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*