My Top Books I Can't Wait For In 2012

 Hello Happy Readers!

So in no particular order here is my list of books coming out in 2012 that I cannot wait for.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Pure by Jennifer Armentrout
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Tempest by Julie Cross
The Girl I Used to Be by Miranda Kenneally
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Halflings by Heather Burch
Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

What books are you excited for in 2012?

Happy Reading!
Stephenie

Halflings by Heather Burch

Thank you Netgalley.com and Zondervan publishers for allowing me to review an ARC copy of Halflings by Heather Burch.

ABOUT:
After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world. (Synopsis taken from Goodreads)


"For Halflings, to fall in love with a human is the unpardonable sin." ~ Mace

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to read this book. I hope my review does it justice.

MY REVIEW:
Halflings is an amazing YA novel that absolutely had me parked in my kindle. It rocked my world!

Halflings had me enchanted from the beginning.  It was so well written and fast paced that I just could not put it down. I had it read in one sitting. Burch's writing style is lovely. Her descriptive scenes that were painted for me had me frantically reading and hungry for more!

The main character Nikki isn't the usual damsel in distress she's more kick-butt and more of a heroine. Her protectors that have just arrived are Halflings or half fallen angel + half human.  The Halflings Mace, Raven and Vine show up at the very beginning of the book when Nikki is fighting off hell hounds and they are sure to change her world forever.

Instantly Nikki and Mace are drawn to one another but "for Halflings to fall in love with a human is the unpardonable sin." I absolutely loved Nikki and Mace and the romantic tension between these two. Mace has never been tempted by a girl before, he's actually never been tempted at all so to watch their stolen moments together it was just wonderful!

Raven is the typical bad boy. He's cocky and so sure of himself but Nikki gets to him in a way no other human girl ever has. Did I mention their might be a love triangle? I know I know, I hate them too but this one works!

Heather Burch has created a novel that had me from the fast paced beginning to the nail biting ending. The characters and world she has created have me so hungry for more!  I am so excited to see where Heather Burch will take us in the next book. I am anxiously awaiting!

MY GRADE: A

Happy Reading Y'all!
Stephenie

Book Giveaway

Memrie is giving away a dystopian book on her blog. Their are several to choose from and they are all on my TBR list or books I've read that were absolutely amazing.  Go to her blog to check it out!

Happy Reading!
Stephenie

Winter's Kiss by Jennifer Echols and Catherine Hapka

I am so very excited! I just won this book from Jennifer Echols' website. So look for a review very soon.
The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols 


The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols

Hayden and Nick used to be a hot item, but their brief affair ended with a highly publicized breakup. Now the two are "just friends," excluding the occasional flirtation.

When Hayden wins the girls' division of a local snowboarding competition, Nick is unimpressed, claiming that Hayden wouldn't have a chance against a guy. Hayden calls Nick's bluff and challenges him to a head-to-head boarding contest. Their mutual friends quickly take sides, the girls on Hayden's and the boys on Nick's, making for an all-out battle of the sexes. This friendly competition is bound to get heated—and they might end up igniting some old flames


The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Catherine Hapka

Lexi's feeling a little holidazed this winter....

Lexi's been going out with Cameron for way too long. Sure, he's a nice guy, but there's a spark missing between them. So she comes up with the perfect plan: get him to fall for another girl so she'll be free -- and guilt-free, too.

But when Lexi sees Cameron looking awfully cozy with Jaylene, her heart melts, especially when her budding psychologist best friend tells her that once a new couple has gone out a dozen times, their relationship is pretty much set. Cameron's twelfth date with Jaylene -- the Christmas Ball -- is coming up. Can Lexi find a way to rekindle her relationship with Cameron in the (saint) nick of time? 

Description of books taken from the publisher's website. 

These two books sound absolutely awesome! I look forward to reading this because it just sounds so good. Jennifer Echols is one of my favorite contemporary YA authors. Her writing is just so good. My favorite of her books is Going Too Far.  If you have not read it yet you should. You're really missing out.  I am also looking forward to reading something by Catherine Hapka, I've never read anything by her so I look forward to reading a book by a new author.

Winter's Kiss comes out next week. You should go out and get it because it really sounds like a great book to cozy up with.

Happy Reading!
Stephenie

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

I absolutely could not put this book down. I loved this absolutely crazy dysfunctional family, the author did such a wonderful job of developing the characters. This story made me laugh and cry and when I was done, I knew I was going to miss these wonderful people. 

 

Review coming soon!

Happy Reading!
Stephenie

Book Challenge

Book Chick City is hosting a book challenge on her amazing blog.  You just have to commit to read 100+ books in 2012.  More details are available on her blog at the link above. 

I am 1 book shy of my 60 books that I decided on mid year. I am going to try for 100 in 2012, won't  you join us?

Happy Reading!
Stephenie

I got a Kindle Fire!

Wow! Is all I can think of. I absolutely love it. I told my mother in law I wanted a Kindle and she got me a Kindle Fire. I've been playing with it all day and I absolutely am in book heaven with it. It's so neat and gadgety. I can keep up with twitter, Good Reads, book bloggers and book vloggers. It's that awesome! I'm so thankful that I have such and amazing extended family in my in-laws. They truly feel like family and that feels pretty special.

My Kindle Fire wasn't the best part of my Christmas but it was my favorite gift that I received. I didn't have one, I just had a Kindle app on my cell phone so this was wonderful for me. 

I hope everyone had an wonderful Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or whatever holiday that you may celebrate. I hope it was filled with lots of joy and love.

Happy Reading!
Stephenie 

Free ebook giveaway!

How absolutely sweet? In the spirit of the holidays Book nerds are pretty too is giving away an e-book.  She has three lovely books to chose from, you just have to have a kindle or a kindle app. You just need to visit the post above and leave a comment by December 23, 2011 at midnight.  She's such a sweetie that even if you don't have a kidle, you should check out her wonderful blog. You won't be disappointed.

Merry Christmas Y'all!
Stephenie

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

ABOUT:
ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though- she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line? {Taken from amazon.com}

REVIEW:

I have been wondering all morning what I should write here to give this book justice. It was so good! I had been anxiously waiting for it to come out and last night I saw a Tweet that it was out, I immediately went to my kindle and ordered it. I am so glad that I did. I read this book in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. I had to make supper for my kids and I held it as I made supper, not kidding.

I loved everything about this book. I enjoyed the character development and the friendships that she shared with her teammates. I especially loved Sam Henry, immediately. I've had a male best friend since 4th grade so I know how comfortable you can be around one another and how touchy it gets as you get older and think it could be more.

I really enjoyed that the book is centered around football and takes place in the SEC (South Eastern Conference) where college football is as good as it gets. I am fortunate to live in the SEC and I watch football games each Saturday either on TV or at the stadium. 

This book made me absolutely laugh out loud, my eyes got misty a few times too. It had me rooting for Jordan and all of her dreams and when she saw that what she had thought she wanted, she didn't. I was proud of her for staying true to her dreams and accepting a better one.

This is absolutely one of my favorites of 2011. This is definitely a book I am going to read again, it is just that good. Miranda Kenneally did an amazing job and I can't wait for more from her in the future.

I recommend this book for people who enjoy contemporary YA like Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Echols or Simone Elkeles.

My Grade: A+

Happy Reading Y'all!
Stephenie

My Review Policy

I am a new book blogger and I would love to read your book! I have a kindle so I don't mind e-books but I love a book in hand too.  I mainly read YA fiction but send me a synopsis of the book and if the it sparks an interest, I would love to read it.

Genres of YA and Chick-Lit fiction I love to read:

• Dystopian
• Paranormal
• Contemporary
• Fantasy
• Sci-Fi
• Romance
• Urban-Fantasy

I started this blog because I have read so many great books and I hope to inspire others to read too. I write honest reviews based on how I feel about the book.  If you do not want an honest review, then please do not ask me to review.   In my reviews I thank the author/publishing company that furnished the book for review.   To keep my reviews unbiased, I treat all books equally.


If I do not feel that I can rate a book at least a “C″, I will contact you and let you know if you still wish me to publish my review.

Please contact me at stepheniethomas (at) gmail (.) com to inquire about me reviewing your book on my blog.  I also review on Goodreads and I am working on making a youtube channel that I can do a vlog on.

A Really Great Challenge

 Hi Happy Readers!
I heard about this challenge from my friend Kristi at The Book Faery.  The challenge is Why Buy the Cow? The idea is to read more free ebooks.  It is hosted by The Unread Reader, you can find out more information about it by clicking The Unread Reader Challenge.  So lets do it readers, lets read more free books.  It just puts more money in our pockets for more books!

I am going to go with coupon clipper and say I will read 12 free e-books. I hope you'll check it out and join us.
 Levels:
Coupon Clipper: 12 Books
Penny Pincher: 24 Books
Super Saver: 30+ Books

Thank you to The Unread Reader and Reading Paranormal for hosting this challenge. You two rock!

Happy Reading,
Stephenie

I am taking the challenge!

Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen is running January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.  The only requirement is that you read more in 2012 than you did in 2011. Come on readers, lets read more in 2012!!!

Happy Reading!
Stephenie

Welcome to my new blog!

Hello readers! I am so happy that you are reading my new pretty blog. I am so excited for 2012 and all of the books that are coming out. I enjoyed over 60 books in 2011 and I am hopeful to read even more in 2012.

This past year I discovered the wonderful book community on youtube, Goodreads and many wonderful blogs.  The book community is simply amazing and  I just want to be a small part of it.

Please if you have read a book that you absolutely loved please let me know by commenting in the comments below.

Happy Reading!
Stephenie