Book Review: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

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Living Dead in Dallas
Sookie Stackhouse #2

Author: Charlaine Harris
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy Mystery
Released: April 1st, 2004
Review Source: Purchased

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck.

First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face to-face with a beastly creature that gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).

The point is: they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favor, she obliges - and soon Sookie's in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave and let the humans go unharmed. But that's easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly....

Book two of the The True Blood novels by Charlaine Harris is just as good as the first book! I was having a tough time putting it down.

Now that Eric, the head vampire of Area 5, knows of Sookie's disabilities, he intends to put them to good use, for himself of course. After a shocking incident involving the unusually drunk Officer Andy Bellefleur and the flashy Lafayette (I wont’ give any spoilers here folks so that’s all I can say on that matter), Sookie is whisked away to tend to vamp matters in Texas!

Of course our southern belle Sookie cannot take a step these days without finding herself in mortal peril. Before she even leaves Bon Temps a Maenad finds Sookie and leaves a not so friendly message for her to relay to Eric. She wants tribute, but it isn’t always that simple now is it folks?

The matters in Texas however becomes more and more problematic for our gal. A vampire has been taken from his nest, and his family wants answers, and their deaths. She has to infiltrate a fanatic religious group of sun worshipers who may or may not have kidnapped their vampire.

All Sookie wants to do is go to work, she can’t stop thinking about her drive way and how it needs to be re graveled and how she is going to afford it having to take so many days off from work. Damn Bill, he wants to treat Sookie as a kept woman but he isn’t doing such a good job where she really needs it. I am so Eric’s corner, his sweetly seductive bad boy self, and his brief moments with Sookie, I’m rooting for him.

Audiobook Review: The Angels' Share by J.R. Ward

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The Angels' Share
The Bourbon Kings # 2
Author: J.R. Ward
Narrator: Alexander Cendese
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: July 26, 2016
Review Source: Listening Library, Penguin Random House Audio

Number-one New York Times best-selling author J. R. Ward delivers the second novel in her Bourbon Kings series - a sweeping saga of a Southern dynasty struggling to maintain a façade of privilege and prosperity while secrets and indiscretions threaten its very foundation....

In Charlemont, Kentucky, the Bradford family is the crème de la crème of high society - just like their exclusive brand of bourbon. And their complicated lives and vast estate are run by a discrete staff who inevitably become embroiled in their affairs. This is especially true now, when the apparent suicide of the family patriarch is starting to look more and more like murder....

No one is above suspicion - especially the eldest Bradford son, Edward. The bad blood between him and his father is known far and wide, and he is aware that he could be named a suspect. As the investigation into the death intensifies, he keeps himself busy at the bottom of a bottle - as well as with his former horse trainer's daughter. Meanwhile the family's financial future lies in the perfectly manicured hands of a business rival, a woman who wants Edward all to herself.

Everything has consequences; everybody has secrets. And few can be trusted. Then, at the very brink of the family's demise, someone thought lost to them forever returns to the fold. Maxwell Bradford has come home. But is he a savior...or the worst of all the sinners?

This review will have some spoilers that happened in book one, so if you haven't read book one, get on it and read this review after!

I did NOT read or listen to book one so I was a little lost for a while in this book. It felt all over the place due to not knowing the characters and what they had been through previously. This book starts with the death of William Baldwine, the head of the family and highly successful bourbon business. The story takes place in Charlemont, Kentucky. William leaves the family business in complete chaos financially when he dies. Lane ends up stepping up to the plate and tries to fix the messes. This story is one mess after the other. When some gruesome evidence is found on the Easterly property, an investigation is launched to find out if William's alleged suicide, was actually a murder. Edward, William's oldest son, is looking pretty suspicious due to his difficult past with his father. Their history alone is like a lifetime movie, add to that the drama from the other family members and friends and you have yourself an epic story-line.

Oh my gosh!!! This book was full of secrets, drama, and craziness. I love J.R. Ward's ability to paint a scene. She gives such amazing detail to every single location of her books that it's like watching a movie play out in your mind as you're reading. Her writing makes you want to get on a plane and live in the place she describes/creates. Even though I did not read book one, I feel J.R. Ward did a great job with the back stories of the characters, so I wasn't completely lost the entire book. I really love Lane's character because of his strong will to right the wrongs in front of him. He doesn't give up and always tries to come up with ways for the business and family to survive. I also love Lizzie, she compliments Lane perfectly. She is down to earth and is very supportive and loving to Lane. They are the power couple of the book. I also loved Lane's friend Jeff, even though he gets dragged into the mess of the Baldwine family, by force I might add, he remains a loyal, amazing friend.

The Narrator: I really enjoyed Alexander Cendese's narration of the book. I felt he did an extremely great job with the "pompous" feel of some of the high society voices. I also thought he did a great job bringing the women to life. The southern drawl he gave to Lizzie made me smile every time she had a part in the book. He has such a range to his voice that it really sounded like different people talking the entire time I listened to the book. That in itself is amazing to pull off. I would definitely read other books narrated by Alexander Cendese.

The rating: I am rating the narration of this book 4.5 stars because I LOVED hearing the story! The audio version truly brought the story to life for me and I liked "hearing" it even more than reading it.

Book Review: Fear My Mortality by Everly Frost

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Fear My Mortality
Mortal Eternity #1
Author: Everly Frost
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: April 5 2016
Review Source: Month9Books

In a world where people are invulnerable to illness and death, with lives spanning hundreds of years, a sixteen-year-old becomes witness to the impossible – her brother’s failure to regenerate after death after which she suspects that she too may be mortal.

What do you fear when you're able to regenerate from death?
What keeps you human when you know you're able to come back?

This story is one that I feel everyone should read. Fear My Mortality relates to literally everyone. Death is a constant in our lives, it surrounds us with the sad reality of our world. To have a book bring it to light in such a way makes you actually think about things in a different light.

While the book is quite large it was a quick read. I sat down and read 100 pages within an hour. I knew that it would be a quick book for me. And the subject matter made it easier for me to chew too. Wanting to know what was going to happen next. Why, in a world full of regenerations of people, were Ava and her brother in danger?

Ava is humanity - at least that's how I read the book. Ava is what we all feel. Even if we weren't in her position, she still has mostly the same thoughts and feelings about certain topics that we all share. And that's why this is such a relatable book.

Movie Review: Lionsgate's Nerve - #PlayNerve

NERVE
Release: July 27, 2016
Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Writers: Jeanne Ryan (novel), Jessica Sharzer (screenplay)
Cast: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade
Official Channels: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Official Site
#PlayNerve #WatcherorPlayer

Industrious high school senior, Vee Delmonico [Emma Roberts], has had it with living life on the sidelines. When pressured by friends to join the popular online game Nerve, Vee decides to sign up for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun. But as she finds herself caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition partnered with a mysterious stranger [Dave Franco], the game begins to take a sinister turn with increasingly dangerous acts, leading her into a high stakes finale that will determine her entire future.

Lionsgate presents an Allison Shearmur / Keep Your Head / Lionsgate production.

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Everything is about social media these days.  I’m convinced that social media is the best and the worst thing to happen to us in a long time.  Everyone wants to be connected, but some people don’t know how to behave.  Enter this week’s super timely movie, Nerve, to highlight the best and worst of social media.

Nerve is a fun and cautionary tale about people going too far for “insta-fame.”  It’s all about how many followers everyone has, and what they are willing to do to get more of them.  It’s a too-real Truth or Dar game without the truth part.  The willingness to do crazy stunts is misclassified as “nerve,” when I would call it stupidity, but it is still exciting to watch.  I enjoyed the young cast of characters. I appreciated the enthusiasm.  Emma Roberts (Vee) and Dave Franco (Ian) bring a ton of energy to their roles and present different sides of the social media paradigm.  He’s all in.  She isn’t all in.  And away we go.  The entire cast was great. 

I enjoyed the action of the film.  Some of the dares are genuinely ill-conceived, but in the safety of the movie theater, I was drawn into the action.  Some of the camera work was annoying.  I am over the shaky camera effects, but since the film is based on social media, I can understand it. 

I think the most important facet of Nerve was the message.  I think it’s great for a younger audience.  I appreciated that the film draws the audience with this too fun to be good idea of an internet game that everyone can watch. At first it all seemed like good funs.  Quickly, the entire thing descended.  Just before the Nerve reached the threshold of irresponsibility, the film began highlighting many of the dangers of the Internet, social media and the game the teens were playing.  The themes are far from being preachy.  I am going to show the film to my tweens as a cautionary tale about the Internet.  

I loved the theater experience for Nerve.  The soundtrack is awesome and energetic.  I also appreciated the immersion of theater experience in as much as it pertained to the dares.  Some of the dares had me clutching the movie theater armrests because I felt connected to the screen.  The entire movie was a fun time.  Something great for the teens to see before the start of a new school year.  It’s also good Summer movie to enjoy with a bucket of popcorn.  But don’t take my word for it,Nerve is playing at a theater near you now. 

Movie Review: STX Entertainment's Bad Moms - #BadMoms

BAD MOMS
Release: July 29th 2016
Director: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
Cast: Mila Kuna, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Kahn, Annie Mumlo, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Christina Applegate
Official Channels: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
#BadMoms

In this new comedy from the writers of The Hanger, Amy has a seemingly perfect life – a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home and a career. However she’s over-worked, over-committed and exhausted to the point that she’s about to snap. Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities – going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun and self-indulgence – putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn and her clique of devoted perfect moms.

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Ladies and even Gents, make plans this weekend to see Bad Moms in theaters. If you like movies such as Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, The Hangover and Something About Mary, Bad Moms will fit right in and have you laughing till your stomach hurts.

You don't have to be a mom to understand the stress that comes with being a mom, you'll see in this film as Amy (Mila Kuna) is beyond stressed and is taken to the point of insanity trying to keep everything in order. As a mom, that is very difficult and she will realize it too. Amy finds solace with two other moms that are nothing alike her but have their own stresses in life due to kids, marriage, etc... These three mom pair up and decided enough is enough and now they are ready to embrace being bad moms. This is where the movie really takes off and you are constantly laughing out loud with all the raunchy scenes that come with their version of being bad moms.

As far as the acting goes, I really loved Kathryn Hahn role as Carla the most. Everything that came out of her mouth was priceless. I have a feeling some of her lines, where not even scripted. I would probably say the person I least enjoyed watching or she just didn't have me laughing was Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate). It might be due to her role, but yea she just didn't do anything for me in the movie.

There is one scene that seriously just had you in stitches, put it this way, if the whole movie sucked and then that scene happened, it would have still made seeing the movie worth it. But luckily the movie did not suck and that scene just added even more to it. I still think about that scene and even others and crack up about it.

It's really simple if you want to laugh then go see Bad Moms, you won't be disappointed.

Book Review: The Angels' Share by J.R. Ward

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The Angels' Share
The Bourbon Kings #2
Author: J.R. Ward
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: July 26, 2016
Review Source: NAL | Netgalley

In Charlemont, Kentucky, the Bradford family is the crème de la crème of high society—just like their exclusive brand of bourbon. And their complicated lives and vast estate are run by a discrete staff who inevitably become embroiled in their affairs. This is especially true now, when the apparent suicide of the family patriarch is starting to look more and more like murder…

No one is above suspicion—especially the eldest Bradford son, Edward. The bad blood between him and his father is known far and wide, and he is aware that he could be named a suspect. As the investigation into the death intensifies, he keeps himself busy at the bottom of a bottle—as well as with his former horse trainer’s daughter. Meanwhile, the family’s financial future lies in the perfectly manicured hands of a business rival, a woman who wants Edward all to herself.

Everything has consequences; everybody has secrets. And few can be trusted. Then, at the very brink of the family’s demise, someone thought lost to them forever returns to the fold. Maxwell Bradford has come home. But is he a savior...or the worst of all the sinners?

This review will have some spoilers that happened in book one, so if you haven't read book one, get on it and read this review after!

The story: I did NOT read book one so I was a little lost for a while in this book. It felt all over the place due to not knowing the characters and what they had been through previously. This book starts with the death of William Baldwine, the head of the family and highly successful bourbon business. The story takes place in Charlemont, Kentucky. William leaves the family business in complete chaos financially when he dies. Lane ends up stepping up to the plate and tries to fix the messes. This story is one mess after the other. When some gruesome evidence is found on the Easterly property, an investigation is launched to find out if William's alleged suicide, was actually a murder. Edward, William's oldest son, is looking pretty suspicious due to his difficult past with his father. Their history alone is like a lifetime movie, add to that the drama from the other family members and friends and you have yourself an epic story-line.

The likes: Oh my gosh!!! This book was full of secrets, drama, and craziness. I love J.R. Ward's ability to paint a scene. She gives such amazing detail to every single location of her books that it's like watching a movie play out in your mind as you're reading. Her writing makes you want to get on a plane and live in the place she describes/creates. Even though I did not read book one, I feel J.R. Ward did a great job with the back stories of the characters, so I wasn't completely lost the entire book. I really love Lane's character because of his strong will to right the wrongs in front of him. He doesn't give up and always tries to come up with ways for the business and family to survive. I also love Lizzie, she compliments Lane perfectly. She is down to earth and is very supportive and loving to Lane. They are the power couple of the book. I also loved Lane's friend Jeff, even though he gets dragged into the mess of the Baldwine family, by force I might add, he remains a loyal, amazing friend. I definitely would love to read more about Edward's character, I cannot wait until the next book comes out.

The dislikes: I felt this book was a little lengthy. I found myself sometimes daydreaming and would have to re-read certain parts until about halfway through. I don't love this series quite as much as I loved the black dagger brother series, but it was still an amazing read by J.R. Ward. If she wrote the phone book, I would read it.

The rating: I am rating this book 4 stars because I truly enjoyed the story and drama that unfolded! I will be purchasing book one because I would like to find out everything that happened in book one that I missed. I recommend starting with book one. J.R. Ward truly never disappoints! Grab some bourbon and popcorn and hold on tight for ride this series will take you on.

Blog Tour: The Bad Decisions Playlist by Michael Rubens | Excerpt | Giveaway

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The Bad Decisions Playlist
Author: Michael Rubens
Publisher: Clarion Books
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: July 17, 2016

Sixteen-year-old Austin is always messing up and then joking his way out of tough spots. The sudden appearance of his allegedly dead father, who happens to be the very-much-alive rock star Shane Tyler, stops him cold. Austin—a talented musician himself—is sucked into his newfound father’s alluring music-biz orbit, pulling his true love, Josephine, along with him. None of Austin’s previous bad decisions, resulting in broken instruments, broken hearts, and broken dreams, can top this one. Witty, audacious, and taking adolescence to the max, Austin is dragged kicking and screaming toward adulthood in this hilarious, heart-wrenching YA novel.

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Michael Rubens is the author of The Sheriff of Yrnameer andSons of the 613. He was a producer for several years for the Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and has written and produced for CNN, Oxygen, the Travel Channel and other networks. It’s theoretically possible that you saw him as the host of Eclipse Chasers: Ghana on the Travel Channel. He was also, for a very brief period, the World’s Least Effective Bouncer. He lives with his wife and daughter in Brooklyn, New York, and feels that the practice of writing one’s bio in the third person is somewhat questionable. He is represented by John Silbersack at Trident Media Group.

 

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EXCERPT

I pretty much completely rewrote the second half of The Bad Decisions Playlist and have mostly forgotten those vanished chapters, so it was weird to revisit earlier drafts and say, “oh, right, that scene...” Most of them deserved to go, but I sort of like this one, a scene where Shane, distracted by his own problem, takes a mystified Austin to an art museum. 

We ate lunch at an uptown place that’s hipster vintage restaurant in front and hipster vintage bowling alley in the back, everything wood and straight out of the 1950s. The tattooed waitress and a few others recognized Shane and he chatted with them, open and amiable, introduced me as his son. We bowled some sets, drinking PBR out of a pitcher, neither of us able to break 100. We laughed a lot, and he was still amiable, but I could feel a brittleness to it, a restless tension underneath. I was thinking about what Ed said, the warning in his tone, but I didn’t bring it up.   

We polished off the pitcher – well, Shane did, really -- and he says “Alright, let’s go,” already walking toward the exit before he finished with the words.

We wandered in and out of some stores, Shane distracted, not really focusing on anything, then went to a book shop where I watched him pull books of shelves, glance at them, put them back. Once in a while he’d freeze in place, mouthing words silently to himself.

“You okay?” I said at one point.

“What? Yeah, fine. Let’s go.”

Next we went to the Walker Art Museum and I tagged after him as he meandered aimlessly through the collection, pausing briefly before most of the paintings and sculptures before shaking his head and moving on. It’s all very strange, but right now I appreciate the diversion.

“You looking for something?” I asked.

He didn’t answer for a bit, moving on to the next paint. Then he murmured, “A way out.”

“Of what?”

“My own head.”

He seemed to know all the artists: “You see what Rothko’s doing here with the color? The purity of it?” or, “You think Pollock is crap? Maybe it is crap. But it was new crap when he did it. The Ramones weren’t exactly Bach. They weren’t even, I don’t know, Bachman Turner Overdrive. But they stepped out with those three chords...What they did was important for the era.”

Many times he said, this guy, he went crazy. Rothko killed himself. Pollock went nuts. This guy Nussbaum....

“Crazy?”

“No, the Nazis got him. You bored?” 

I shrug. “I don’t know. This isn’t really my jam.”

He was quiet. Then, “Will you promise me something?”

“Okay.”

“Don’t be dumb on purpose. Okay? Know stuff. It’s important. Not for any person, or for a test, but know stuff. For you. Know as much as you can, whatever it is, and it can be poetry, or art, or, hell, I don’t know, accounting. I don’t care. Absorb everything you can, because then you can give it back to the world, give yourself back to the world.”

I was going to make a joke about it, ask him if this was the sharing of the parental wisdom, but he had that look of quiet intensity, so I just said, “Okay.”

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Giveaway

3 winners will receive a hardcover of THE BAD DECISIONS PLAYLIST! 

US Only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tour Schedule

Week One:

7/25/2016- The Cover Contessa- Guest Post

7/26/2016- Owl Always Be Reading- Review

7/27/2016- Once Upon a Twilight- Excerpt

7/28/2016- James and the Giant Book- Review

7/29/2016- Fall Into Books- Guest Post

Waiting on Wednesday: Crooked Kingdom & Strange the Dreamer

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Crooked Kingdom

Six of Crows #2

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Release Date: September 27th 2016

Publisher: Orion Children's Books

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.

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Strange the Dreamer

Strange the Dreamer #1

Author: Laini Taylor

Release Date: September 27th 2016

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young

Strange the Dreamer is the story of:

the aftermath of a war between gods and men
a mysterious city stripped of its name
a mythic hero with blood on his hands
a young librarian with a singular dream
a girl every bit as perilous as she is imperiled
alchemy and blood candy, nightmares and godspawn, moths and monsters, friendship and treachery, love and carnage.

Welcome to Weep.

NERVE - #WatcherorPlayer Giveaway

NERVE is finally in theaters this Wednesday, July 27! 

Early showings begin tonight (Tuesday).

Ticketing Link: http://lions.gt/nervetix

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To celebrate NERVE hitting theaters, we have some amazing giveaways you can win, thanks to Lionsgate.

1 Grand Prize:

1 NERVE autographed poster 

1 NERVE Tank Top

1 NERVE Fanny Pack

1 NERVE Phone Snap Band

1 NERVE Final Poster

1 NERVE Emma Roberts Teaser Poster

1 NERVE Dave Franco Teaser Poster

1 NERVE movie tie-in book

1 Runner Up:

1 NERVE Tank Top

1 NERVE Fanny Pack

1 NERVE Phone Snap Band

1 NERVE Final Poster

1 NERVE Emma Roberts Teaser Poster

1 NERVE Dave Franco Teaser Poster

1 NERVE movie tie-in book

Rules & Restrictions:

Sweepstakes is open to U.S. residents only.

No PO Boxes accepted.

Winners will have to provide full name and address. 

Sweepstakes ends August 1st. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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NERVE is in Theaters This Wednesday! - #WatcherorPlayer

Check out new photos and clips and tell us if you're a #WatcherorPlayer!

 

NERVE Gives Special Treat to Pokémon Go Users

 

Today, July 26 (NERVE opening night), fans who show up at "PokéStops" (geo-fenced areas where you get Pokémon rewards) near movie theaters in select markets will receive buy one, get one promo codes to see NERVE, redeemable in the Atom Tickets app. Those PokéStops will be boosted "Lure modules," which give Pokémon players bonuses for a pre-set time. To find locations, please visit

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Official Site

#WatcherorPlayer

 

Industrious high school senior, Vee Delmonico [

Emma Roberts], has had it with living life on the sidelines. When pressured by friends to join the popular online game 

Nerve, Vee decides to sign up for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun. But as she finds herself caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition partnered with a mysterious stranger [

Dave Franco], the game begins to take a sinister turn with increasingly dangerous acts, leading her into a high stakes finale that will determine her entire future.

 

Lionsgate presents an Allison Shearmur / Keep Your Head / Lionsgate production.