Monthly Archives: March 2012

Devil’s Kiss Giveaway!

30 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Badass, Knights Templar, Mystery, Paranormal, Sarwat Chadda, Templars, Vampire

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In honor of all the badass heroines ever, this week’s giveaway is a signed copy of Devil’s Kiss, by Sarwat Chadda. Billi SanGreal is a truly awesome heroine and badass demon slayer!

Review Redux ~ by The Ravenous Reader

Devil’s Kiss, by Sarwat Chadda

As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn’t normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order’s ancient battle against the Unholy. Billi’s cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He’s ready to reclaim his place in Billi’s life, but she’s met someone new: amber-eyed Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else, effortlessly claiming a stake in her heart.  But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order’s ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years—a cursed mirror powerful enough to kill all of London’s firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined. (Goodreads Synopsis)

Click this link for The Ravenous Reader’s awesome review of Devil’s Kiss! 

Enter the FREE Giveaway! Here’s how to win…

  • Enter a comment on this post to have your name entered once.
  • Enter a comment on this post and tweet the link to this post including — #BilliSanGreal — to have your name entered twice.
  • The deadline is Sunday, April 1st at 12:00 NOON Pacific Daylight Time (no joke!).
  • I’ll draw a name at random and post the winner on this blog next Wednesday, April 4th.
  • You must live within the continental United States to qualify. Sorry, but international postage rates make shipping outside the USA cost-prohibitive.
In case you were wondering … this book was signed by the awesome Sarwat Chadda at Kepler’s Books, in Menlo Park, California.

Good Luck! May the baddestass win!

Buffy vs. Edward

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Paranormal, Supernatural, Vampire

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer versus Edward Cullen

Sorry Twilight fans (I’m a fan too. Honest). No disrespect intended. This is just funny. A fight to the finish with the badass who blazed the Femme Phenom trail…Buffy the Vampire Slayer…doing what she does best!

And the “Out of Sight, Out of Time” WINNER!

…DRUM ROLL…

The winner of last week’s “Out of Sight, Out of Time” giveaway is …

Maya Sabrina

*Throws confetti!*

Please send me your Snail Mail information and I will get the signed copy of “Out of Sight, Out of Time” into the mail to you pronto!

The other entrants  will be automatically entered in this  Friday’s giveaway … a book with a badass protagonist you’ll truly love. Promise!

Thanks for playing!

A New Breed of Badass

25 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in Badass, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Elizabeth Fais, Emmie Mears, Femme Phenom, Paranormal, Supernatural, The Matrix, Vampire, Young Adult

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Badass looked like this…

That is, until Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Buffy was a new breed of badass … the Femme Phenom. (As in, phenomenal. Come on people, keep up.) Joss Whedon created Buffy, because he was tired of the  pathetic female characters in horror films who maybe screamed before letting themselves get killed.

So not Buffy. She saved the world. A lot. And always did it with a witty quip, while rocking the hottest fashion. She wasn’t just tough, she was feminine and had depth of character. Buffy continues to save the world, as Emmie Mears so aptly points out.

I mean, would there have been a Trinity (of The Matrix series) if Buffy hadn’t blazed the Femme Phenom trail? Not to mention the other terrific Femme Phenoms, in fiction and film?

Take Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games (the heroine of the uber-popular book series, now a movie), an awesome Femme Phenom. She’s strong physically, mentally, and emotionally. She has to be to survive the horrific Hunger Games. Check out May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor, if you haven’t read the books or seen the movie.

So… in honor of Buffy, Trinity, Katniss, and all the other hot badass chicks, I declare this National Femme Phenom Week! And to celebrate, I’ll be hosting a phenomenal giveaway! A book with a truly badass Femme. You won’t be disappointed. Promise!

Sign up to follow this blog so you don’t miss out!

Badass is the New Awesome…

At least … during National Femme Phenom Week!

So, tell us … who’s your favorite badass … in film or fiction?

And for the record, badass guys are a total hot commodity in my book.

Out of Sight, Out of Time

23 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Ally Carter, Author, Mystery, Spy, YA, Young Adult

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There’s Still Time to Enter the SPY-TACULAR Giveaway!

It’s easy and FREE! Click this link and enter a comment! You could win a copy of “Out of Sight, Out of Time” signed by Ally herself!

Review Redux ~ By Mundie Moms

Out of Sight, Out of Time
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: February 12, 2012

Synopsis: With more than a million Gallagher Girls books sold, a legion of fans have fallen in love with the New York Times best-selling spy-girl series, and the fifth book delivers the most nerve-wracking, high-stakes adventure yet.

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan—an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers that months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

SPY-TACULAR Gallagher Girls Giveaway!

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Ally Carter, Author, Mystery, Spy, Young Adult

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Out of Sight, Out of Time, by Ally Carter

It’s time for the SPY-TACULAR Gallagher Girls Giveway! The fifth book in the Gallagher Girls series, Out of Sight, Out of Time, signed by Ally Carter.

Oh, and if you haven’t stopped by the Gallagher Girl Academy web site yet, you totally should. It’s AWESOME!

Rules of Engagement

Here’s how it works:

  • Enter a comment on this post to have your name entered once.
  • Enter a comment on this post and tweet the link to this post including — #SpytacularGG5 — to have your name entered twice.
  • The deadline is Sunday, March 26th at 12:00 NOON Pacific Daylight Time.
  • I’ll draw a name at random and post the winner on this blog next Wednesday, March 28th.
  • You must live within the continental United States to qualify. Sorry, but international postage rates make shipping outside the USA cost-prohibitive.

Good Luck! And may the best spy win!

Spy Hard, with a Vengeance

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in Ally Carter, Author, Mystery, Spy, YA, Young Adult

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Move over James Bond…

The thrill of a good spy story can be addicting. Which pretty much explains the huge box office draw for the James Bond and Bourne Identity films. Yeah, I’m right there with you. I admit it. I’m hooked. But even so, it kind of bothered me that the heroes were always guys. The women were beautiful … but not much else. That was how it rolled in high stakes espionage.

That is … until the Gallagher Girls.

…Make room for the Gallagher Girls!

The spy game totally changed when the Gallagher Girls hit the scene. Exceptional young women who attend a top-secret all-girl school … for spies.

But don’t let their ages and keen fashion sense fool you. Sure they can completely change their appearance with nothing but a pair of nail clippers and a little shoe polish. These girls can kick butt and take names in fourteen different languages, while making change for a dollar in eight currencies and factoring in the exchange rates. In short, they’re tough and have the smarts to match.

Take Cammie “The Chameleon”…  At the age of seven, she helped her father design a Trojan horse to infiltrate a former Soviet nuclear missile silo that had been take over by terrorists. Now at fifteen, she’s twice the match for 007. And her Gallagher Academy classmates are equally talented, because they have to be. They’re not in a game … they’re up against pros who mean business. These girls put the estrogen in espionage, with a vengeance.

But as spooky smart as they are (you try acing molecular regeneration, conversational Swahili, and Advanced Encryption & You in the same semester!) they are still teenagers grappling with love, loss, and betrayal. Except they deal with all that on top of heart-stopping life and death stakes that reach national proportions. If you haven’t read this series yet, get started NOW! The Gallagher Girls are AWESOME!

Ally Carter (a total Gallagher Girl!) is the mastermind of this exciting and fun series. The fifth book, Out of Sight, Out of Time released last week. In honor of the release, I’m hosting a SPY-TACULAR Giveaway on Wednesday, so stop by! The lucky winner will receive a signed copy of Out of Sight, Out of Time, by Ally Carter.

  • If you’ve read the Gallagher Girls series, who’s your favorite character?
  • For those who haven’t, who’s your favorite spy?

I LOVE hearing from you!

Another Jekyll, Another Hyde

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, YA, Young Adult

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Review Redux ~ YA Litwit

Of all the reviews I’ve read this week, this is the book I’d move to the top of my to-be-read pile … if it were out. A real edge-of-your-seat paranormal mystery that hits the stores March 27th. Can’t wait!

What book are you excited about reading next?

Another Jekyll, Another Hyde, by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: March 27th, 2012

An elusive stalker is targeting Marlowe kids – and something unearthly has gotten into its wealthiest student – as the Another series builds up to a fiendish finale. When his billionaire father marries French governess Nicola Vileroy, high society is all abuzz – but Thomas, the most popular student at Marlowe, is just plain high. Ever since his girlfriend Belle dumped him, he’s been spending less time with old friends and more time getting wasted at clubs. But after someone slips him a designer drug one night – and his stepmother seems to know way too much about his private life – things really start to get scary. As Thomas’s blackouts give way to a sinister voice inside his head, and as news of a vicious hate crime has students on edge, Thomas comes to the sickening realization that Madame Vileroy has involved him in a horrifying supernatural plan. How can he muster the strength and will to stop it? The pulse-quickening climax revisits Jekyll and Hyde as a current-day cautionary tale laced with a heady dose of paranormal intrigue.
(Courtesy of Goodreads)

Read Karis Jacobstein’s review at YA Litwit.

Monsters we love to hate…

11 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in monsters

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Yes, monsters. And don’t go all girly on me. You liked them too. Admit it.

We’ve all been fascinated with monsters from the time we were at least three. Huddling under the covers with a flashlight, telling scary stories when our parents thought we were asleep. Yeah, you remember.

I got to wondering exactly what makes “horror” such a big market in film and fiction after reading a blog post by Tim Kane on the Five Most Common Misconceptions About Classic Movie Monsters. Monsters have been an uber-hot commodity for a looooong time. Way before Buffy or Twilight, that’s for sure.

But why?

Why do we conjure up grotesque creatures only to hurry through dark streets, afraid they’ll jump out of the shadows?

As soon as I asked myself this, the answer hit me like a stake through the heart (OK, maybe that’s just a tad melodramatic). Alfred Hitchcock once said that the scariest things are the things we can’t see. Monsters put a face on our fears, and once they have form we can conquer them.

The simple fact is … we need monsters. The hero’s light shines brightest when it’s contrasted against the greatest darkness. Enter …  the monster.

Great stories require terrible villains, and Monsters are the perfect casting call. Nothing tests a hero’s strength like a monster. What would Harry Potter’s story been without Voldermort?

A badass monster generates conflict in epic proportions. Our hero has to dig deep to surmount superhuman obstacles, rising above fear and character flaws to save the day. Remember Indiana Jones going into the pit of snakes, his worst nightmare?

We pay good money to go on the journey with our hero (monsters and all), because along the way we glimpse what it would be like to conquer our own inner demons and triumph in the end.

So yeah, monsters are awesome. You’ve gotta love to hate them.

What’s your favorite monster from film or fiction?