What's Happening + Stacking the Shelves May 25th

Hello my bookish darlings! I've got two weeks' worth of What's Happening and Stacking the Shelves to share with you. Be sure to check the top of my blog for the giveaways I have open - there are three international ones!

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley {GoodReads}

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown {GoodReads}

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi {GoodReads}

Lucky Bastard by Deborah Coonts {GoodReads}

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost {GoodReads}

• I did a Top Ten Tuesday of my favourite book covers of books I’ve read

• I’m hosting a Get Ready For Summer Giveaway - win 1 of 8 of my favourite YA contemporary books!

• I reviewed The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley and gave it 4.5 stars

• I reviewed Lucky Bastard by Deborah Coonts as part of the blog tour, and I’m giving away all three of Deborah’s e-novellas!

• I talked about how I’m a proud nerd, but it wasn’t always easy to admit it

• On my personal blog, I shared another Saturday Smiles post; a tribute to my mum and Grama for Mother’s Day; 2 Wordless Wednesdays: Back Alley and Spring Blossoms; I talked about my best buddy (my three-year-old nephew); and I talked about finding my place online outside of book blogging

 

For those of you who have been following the saga of my health issues this year, I saw the doctor yesterday for what will hopefully be the last time in a long time...the tests I had to have on my heart, along with my blood tests all came back clean! *happy dances* The flutters in my chest are apparently nothing to worry about, and are fairly common in women my age. AND my back is doing much better...it's been 16.5 weeks since I hurt it and it's still not 100% but I'm so much more mobile than I was and I'm hardly in pain anymore *knocks on wood* which feels like a miracle. It's been a long year so far. 

Other than that, it's been a quiet week. I was actually in all week except for yesterday, and I started writing my fourth novel! *more happy dancing* I don't really know where it's going but it's a start after feeling really unmotivated since publishing WAITING FOR THE STORM last month. 

I've been watching: the season finale of Dancing With the Stars, season finale of Nashville (does anyone else watch this? None of my friends do and I LOVE it...that ending! OMG!), and my DVDs of S3 of Doctor Who (which I finished; I'll be starting S4 tonight), and S2 of Road to Avonlea.

What have you been up to lately? Happy long weekend to those of you in the States! We had our long weekend here last weekend. Anyone have any fun plans?

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

BOUGHT: 

Golden by Jessi Kirby {GoodReads}

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer {GoodReads}

The Sweetest Spell by Suzanna Selfors {GoodReads}

I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler {GoodReads}

This Time Next Door by Gretchen Galway {GoodReads}

The Light Tamer by Devyn Dawson {GoodReads}

FOR REVIEW:

Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair {GoodReads}

The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark {GoodReads}

Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino {GoodReads}

*Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Ballantine Books, and Renee Carlino*

What books did you get this week? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday, etc. Happy reading! <3

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Hello, my name is Marie and I’m a nerd

The other day on my personal blog, I talked about how I’ve always been a closest geek. If you met me in person, you’d likely see that I’m very shy and kind of awkward, but you probably wouldn’t know I’m nerdy unless you got me talking about a certain subject. I was always different growing up, but I tried never to let it show. I wasn’t cool or popular, and I didn’t want to give the ‘cool kids’ any reason to notice me and make fun of me. It was already hard being overweight and shy and a hopeless daydreamer.

I was lucky in that I had a very small, but very close group of friends. I wasn’t bullied too badly, and I was never concerned about being popular because the popular kids seemed so full of themselves, and they were all the same - same clothes, same hairstyles, same way of speaking. I liked being different. I just didn’t want them to know it. 

It wasn’t until I started book blogging that I finally let my inner nerd out of hiding. I began meeting people who shared the same interests, and not just books, but TV shows, movies, and music. I realized I wasn’t the only one who fell in love with fictional boys, wished I was a student at Hogwarts, dreamed of far off fictional lands, and pictured myself living the lives of my favourite fictional characters. I soon learned that I could be a squeeing fangirl and I wouldn’t be judged. In fact, for the first time in my life, I’ve made friends by being a squeeing fangirl. Online, I can be myself. I can let it all out and say proudly that I’m a nerd and I don’t care who knows it. 

It’s so amazing to finally have people who get it. Who get me. It’s exciting to have someone seek me out to talk about a book or a TV show because they know I’ll get just as excited as they do about something specific. Some of the best conversations I’ve had in the last few months have been about fictional people.

Blogging has been an unexpected gift for me. I’ve met so many diverse people, made some incredible friends (two people that I consider among my closest friends are people I met through blogging and who I haven’t actually met in real life - YET), and I get to talk about my favourite thing: books. I can be honest, I can be nerdy, I can be me. In a world where someone is always trying to tell you who you should and shouldn't be, being able to simply be yourself is a pretty fantastic thing. 

What about you? Do you consider yourself a nerd? Has blogging been a gift for you? In what way?

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Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: Lucky Bastard by Deborah Coonts

Lucky Bastard by Deborah Coonts

Series: Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure, Book #4

Published: May 14th, 2013

Publisher: Forge Books

349 pages (hardcover)

Genre: Adult mystery/humour

Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Book Depository || Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

 {My review of Wanna Get Lucky? || My review of Lucky Stiff|| My review of So Damn Lucky}

Lucky O’Toole, the newly promoted vice president of Customer Relations for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s primo Strip property, has never met a problem she couldn’t handle. But when a young woman is found dead, sprawled across the hood of a new, bright red Ferrari California in the Babylon’s on-site dealership, a Jimmy Choo stiletto stuck in her carotid, Lucky’s skills are maxed out. Of course her life is already on overload. Her mother, Mona, is pregnant, hormonal, and bored — a triple threat. A song that Teddie, Lucky’s former lover, wrote for her is getting national airplay as he hits the talk shows, pleading for her forgiveness. Lucky is less than amused by the high-powered “infotainment” spotlight on her personal life. She’s having enough trouble fending off Chef Jean-Charles Bouclet, the Babylon’s tasty new dish. All of this and The Smack-Down Poker tournament, the second-largest poker tournament in the world, is holding its final round at the Babylon. Hookers, thieves, players, cheaters, media, and hangers-on descend, looking to win or to score. When one of the players turns up dead, Lucky starts to make connections between the two murders, putting her in the crosshairs of the killer. After a revelation by someone close to her sends her world reeling even further, Lucky struggles to keep her life in balance, and a murderer from killing again as bodies pile up. Then, just when she’s losing control…life deals another major complication to her personal life…and it’s not going to be pretty. Lucky struggles to keep her life in balance, and a murderer from killing again as bodies pile up.

Lucky O’Toole is back with her latest Vegas (mis)adventure, and this time it’s personal: the number one suspect in the murders is a friend. Lucky doesn’t know who to trust, and it makes for a great mixture of tension, danger, and mystery.

As always, it’s fun to catch up with Lucky. She’s tough, smart, independent, and I like her more with each novel. It’s been nice to see her growth throughout the novels, both personally and professionally. She’s been hurt, she’s had her heart broken, she’s seen more than most people in her line of work ever should, but she remains strong and keeps fighting. It was also nice to see her get her head on a bit straighter where her love life was concerned. I was really unhappy with how the romance(s) played out in the last book, but I thought Coonts did a good job of sorting things out this time around. I liked the blossoming relationship between Lucky and Jean-Charles (even though I still miss Teddie and have a soft spot for him, despite how he hurt Lucky), and I think he would be good for her. But, of course, with Lucky things are never quite that simple, and there’s still a lot to be sorted out in her romantic life.

With the past three books, I’ve had the same complaint: there were always far too many characters and the story got bogged down in trying to keep everyone - and their motives - straight. I was very pleased to discover that issue wasn't present in Lucky Bastard. There are still a lot of characters, but this time most of them were regulars, and after four books I feel like I really know these people. It’s like being reunited with friends (or enemies, as the case may be), and I didn’t have trouble keeping them straight. My only real complaint about Lucky Bastard was that it lacked the usual action, and that action was replaced by a lot of inner dialogue from Lucky, which consisted of a lot of repetitious self-pity and over-thinking things. The book was a decent length (it normally takes me at least a week to read a Lucky book and this one only took me a few days, which was a definite plus), but it could have been shorter and more concise without Lucky going over the same problems over and over in her mind.

On a personal note, I was really happy to see a deaf character in this book. My brother is deaf, and my city has one of the few deaf schools in the country, so I grew up among the deaf community. I appreciated Cole’s character being added in, and I loved his charm and his take-no-crap attitude - he reminded me a lot of my brother. 

Lucky Bastard was a great addition to the Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure series. We got to see some character growth not only from Lucky, but from some of the secondary characters as well (I really love Romeo). There was good set-up for the next novel (that ending! My mouth dropped open!) and I’m eager to find out what crazy misadventures Lucky will get into next.

Besides reading this book for the blog tour, I also read it as part of my Summer Reading 2013 personal reading challenge. In honour of Lucky, that yummy fruit smoothie has a healthy dose of alcohol in it. ;-)

Deborah Coonts’s mother tells her she was born in Texas a very long time ago, though she’s not totally sure - her mother can’t be trusted. But she was definitely raised in Texas on barbecue, Mexican food, and beer. She currently resides in Las Vegas, where family and friends tell her she can’t get into too much trouble. Silly people. Coonts has built her own business, practiced law, flown airplanes, written a humour column for a national magazine, and survived a teenager.

Find Deborah Online:

{Website || Facebook || Twitter}

One lucky winner (ok, I like bad puns as much as Lucky herself) will get all three of Deborah Coonts’s e-novellas: Lucky in Love, Lucky Bang, and Lucky Now and Then.

*Open internationally. A very special thank you to Deborah Coonts for providing this awesome prize!*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review: The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

Series: Companion to The Winter Sea

Published: April 30th, 2013

Publisher: Touchstone

484 pages (paperback)

Genre: A blend of contemporary and historic fiction

Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Book Depository || Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

{Read my review of The Winter Sea}

Whoever dares to seek the Firebird may find the journey — and its ending — unexpected.

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees images; glimpses of those who have owned it before. It’s never been a gift she wants, and she keeps it a secret from most people, including her practical boss Sebastian, one of London’s premier dealers in Russian art.

But when a woman offers Sebastian a small wooden carving for sale, claiming it belonged to Russia’s first Empress Catherine, it’s a problem. There’s no proof. Sebastian believes that the plain carving — known as “The Firebird” — is worthless. But Nicola’s held it, and she knows the woman is telling the truth, and is in desperate need of the money the sale of the heirloom could bring.

Compelled to help, Nicola turns to a man she once left, and still loves: Rob McMorran, whose own psychic gifts are far greater than hers. With Rob to help her “see” the past, she follows a young girl named Anna from Scotland to Belgium and on into Russia.

There, in St. Petersburg — the once-glittering capital of Peter the Great’s Russia — Nicola and Rob unearth a tale of love and sacrifice, of courage and redemption…an old story that seems personal and small, perhaps, against the greater backdrops of the Jacobite and Russian courts, but one that will forever change their lives.

 

*While The Firebird is technically a companion, I’d personally call it more of a sequel and would recommend reading The Winter Sea first.*

You guys. This book. My heart. *sigh*

I honestly don’t know where to begin. I guess first I’d like to thank the amazing Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this book as an unsolicited ARC because if they hadn’t, I might never have read The Winter Sea, and in turn, never read The Firebird, it’s companion. And that would be a crime because these books…I honestly don’t think I can do them justice in a review. I attempted a coherent review with The Winter Sea, but having just finished The Firebird, I’m a jumble of emotions, and it’s so rare that a book can do that these days.

I said in my review of The Winter Sea that the book single-handedly rekindled my love of historic fiction. I couldn’t wait to immerse myself in another of Kearsley’s worlds, knowing the setting would be rich and vibrant, and as I journeyed with both Nicola and Anna through time and multiple countries, I fell in love with Kearsley’s writing all over again. She has a gift for seamlessly weaving the present with the past and creating a story that is breathtaking in its details, revelations, and characters.

And, oh, the characters. I thought it would be hard to top the characters in The Winter Sea, but I think I might just like Anna even more than I liked Sophia. Anna was strong, fearless, and selfless. She would do anything for the people she loved, and even sacrifice her own happiness to protect them. I was so happy to be reunited with Colonel Graeme and see his affection for Sophia pass to young Anna. Captain Jamieson was sweet and gentle with an air of mystery about him, and I loved his interactions with Anna as a little girl, and the promises he made to her (I get choked up just thinking about it). I won’t mention other characters by name because it seems a bit spoiler-y, but it was nice to see other familiar faces as well, and I adored Edmund as Anna’s love interest. He challenged her in more ways than one - he spoke freely and wasn’t the gentlemanly sort she was used to, but I liked that he was a bit rough around the edges, and I found myself falling for the sexy, roguish Irishman. He challenged Anna, and it was clear she was up for the challenge.

As with The Winter Sea, the historic aspects of The Firebird were my favourite. I couldn’t wait to be transported back to eighteenth century Russia to be reunited with Anna and learn her fate. I enjoyed the present-day parts too. Nicola was a great character, and while I thought Carrie’s story in The Winter Sea was more of a vehicle for Sophia’s story, it felt like Nicola’s story was really thought-out and fleshed out. She started out uncertain and embarrassed by her abilities, but with Rob’s help and encouragement, she grew to not only accept her gifts, but hone them, and it was nice to see. I also really enjoyed the romance between them, and I felt their connection from the very beginning. It’s no secret I’m a sucker for a Scotsman, and I fell hard for the ones in this book.

On a purely emotional level, I would give The Firebird 5 stars. I loved it so much, and I know these characters and their stories will stay with me for a long time. However, on a more critical level, I don’t feel I can actually give it those full 5 stars. The story started out a bit slow and there were times when it really dragged. It took me almost two weeks to read this book, and I’d like to say it was because I was savouring each detail, but it was more because there were times I felt like I was slogging through. I enjoyed the whole story, don’t get me wrong, but it felt like it could have been shorter. However, the last half or so of the book really picked up and it got to the point where I didn’t even want to go to bed because I was finally enjoying the story so much and I wanted to find out what was going to happen.

The Firebird is a beautifully written story with characters that practically leap off the pages, a story that alternately broke my heart and healed it, and a pair of romances (or a trio, more accurately) that made me fall in love. This book made me laugh, made me cry (I seriously bawled happy tears through the last 30 or so pages), and made me certain that Susanna Kearsley has a talent like no other.

Have you read The Winter Sea or The Firebird? What did you think? Have you read any of Kearsley's other books? How about books set both in present day and the past? Do you enjoy historic fiction? I want to hear from you!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Book Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Favourite Book Covers of Books I've Read

This one was hard for me because I'm such a cover whore. I made a list of about 20 and then basically had to randomly narrow it down to 10. And these are all ones I've read within the lifespan of my blog - I didn't even touch ones I read pre-blogging because then it would have been impossible. So here are 10 of my many, many favourite book covers of books I've read in the last two years.

1. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson {my review}. This is the UK cover - I love the North American cover as well, but this one is so evocative of the story. All the little bits and pieces that make the story so unique and so special are right there for the reader to see. I've spent a lot of time admiring this cover, and when I finally bought the book just recently (I borrowed the book from the library about two years ago), I purposely got the UK cover. 

2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick {my review}. This cover is so simple but I love it. It's beautiful and sweet and really fits the story. 

3. Splintered by AG Howard {my review}. I love the colours and the details and the font of the cover. It's all really eye-catching and piques your interest.

4. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson {my review}. I don't really know what to say about this one other than it's simple but beautiful.

5. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard {my review}. I love the girl's dress (and necklace and gloves and hairstyle) and the gear details in the background.

6. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock {my review}. What can I say, I like pretty dresses. I also love the vine details and the girl's pose - it's fitting to the overall mood of the story.

7. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi {my review}. I love the colours, the way the title's done, and the attitude emanating from the girl.

8. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood {my review}. I love the vintage feel of this one, plus the girl is gorgeous. I love her dress and the flowers in her hair. I was really bummed when this cover got a mid-series makeover; even though I like the new cover, I was looking forward to seeing how they'd match the next book to this one. Instead they redid this one and made the second book match the new cover. Why must publishers do that?

9. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake {my review}. I love the creepy feel of this one. Why is she covered in blood? What's the deal with the spooky house in the background? Plus I love the little details around the author's name.

10. Venom by Fiona Paul {my review}. I love masquerade masks, and purple's my favourite colour, so this one was a double win. Also, the inside of this book is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen - the pages have designs along the crease and each chapter has a black page with fancy writing and details. It's gorgeous.

Did any of these make your list? What are some of your favourite book covers? If you're participating in this week's TTT, be sure to link me up so I can see your favourite covers!

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Get Ready For Summer Giveaway!

After taking a week-long blogging break, I thought a great kick-off to my comeback would be a giveaway. Since summer officially begins in a month, I decided to give away books I consider to be perfect summer reads.

I’ve purposely chosen older releases because most giveaways are for new releases and I’d like to show a little love to some older books (I've read and loved all these books). What do all these books have in common? They’re lighthearted on the surface, but actually have a lot of heart and soul. Some are set in the summer, some aren’t, but all pack an emotional punch and have stayed with me long after reading them. Each story is about an emotional journey (I just this second realized all these books contain a physical journey as well - road trip/travel to another country) and combine humour, romance, self-discovery, and a whole lot of heart. 

One (1) winner will win one (1) of the following books:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins {My review | GoodReads | Amazon}

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson {My review | GoodReads | Amazon}

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen {My review | GoodReads | Amazon}

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares {GoodReads | Amazon}

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard {My review | GoodReads | Amazon}

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler {My review | GoodReads | Amazon}

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby {My review | GoodReads | Amazon}

Falling in Love With English Boys by Melissa Jensen {My review | GoodReads | Amazon}

As you can probably tell, I’m a contemporary junkie, so I know there won’t be something here for everyone and I apologize for that, but I hope to have more giveaways this summer. For now, I hope you guys will find something among these eight books!

Giveaway guidelines:

• Open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to your country
• You must be at least 16 years old to enter, or have parental permission
• Only entries in the Rafflecopter form count. Please don't leave personal information like your email address in the comments. Only Rafflecopter entries count. 
• Please be honest! I do check every entry to verify their authenticity.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for visiting, and good luck!

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