Jenuine Cupcakes

Author: Anna Carey Publication: October 4, 2011 By: HarperCollins 5 STARS! A MUST READ! "I love you! I love you I love you!" I LOVE THIS BOOK. SO. HARD! It took me less than 24 hours to read this and I neglected ALL THE THINGS in order to finish it. It's been sixteen years since a plague wiped out most of the Earth's population leaving Eve and countless other children orphaned.  Eve, along with several hundred other girls have been fortunate enough to grow up within their safely guarded school where they've only heard stories of the danger that awaits outside the walls. Danger like wild dogs, disease, savages and worst of all, boys.   Now eighteen and on the cusp of a bright future filled with promise in the New America, Eve can think of little else but life as a teacher.  All that changes on the night before graduation when Eve learns the horrifying truth of her school's real purpose.  If she wants to survive, she'll have to leave the o...

 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine  Divergent was my FAVORITE book of 2011! *flails* I can NOT wait to read Insurgent ! *more flailing* Insurgent (Divergent #2) Veronica Roth May 1, 2012     One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by h...

Author: Jill Hathaway Publication: March 27, 2012 By: Balzar & Bray/HarperCollins 5 Stars/A Must Read! I love this cover! If you had the ability to see the world through someone else's eyes, even for just a few minutes, would you want to?     Vee Bell seems like your everyday narcoleptic but what really happens during her episodes is much more than nodding off.  Vee doesn't just pass out, she slides into the minds of other people, giving her a chance to experience the world as they do.  Last year, she slid into someone she thought was her friend who just stood by and did nothing on the night that changed Vee's life forever.  Most recently, she slid into the mind of a killer just as he or she finished off her sister's friend Sophie.  The worst thing about her ability is she can't share it with anyone, not even those closest to her.  She'll have to find a way to prove that Sophie's death wasn't suicide and that how ...

Author: Jennifer Echols Publication: July 10, 2012 By: Gallery/MTV Books 5 STARS! "Love isn't something you have to deserve" I can't post my review until closer to the release date BUT here is my completely unprofessional, teaser review...  OH.MY.WORD!  I LOVED THESE CHARACTERS SO.HARD! This is Jennifer Echols best work yet! You have to pre-order this book, like, yesterday! READ IT!  LOVE IT!  That is all.

 It's always fun when I can combine several things that I love into one thing. Call it what you want, killing two birds with one stone, multitasking, casseroling, what-evs, I call it FUN!   I got to have some fun this past week with friends, cardboard, movies and books I love.  Thursday marked the opening night of "THE HUNGER GAMES" movie and like any crazed fan of the book series, I wanted to see it at midnight.  My friend April and her teenage daughter Morgan came with.  (That's April on the left and me on the right rockin' the Mockingjay T my other friend Erinn gave me.)      (BTW, I was really hoping for a cardboard cutout of the "boy with the bread" but alas, all our theater had were these banner things which meant April and I had to stand on a bench to get close enough for a picture. Morgan was mortified and convinced we would get kicked out before the movie even started. *rolls eyes*  This was their first outing wit...

Author: Kristin Higgins Publication: April 24, 2012 By: HQN 3 Stars Thank you to Netgalley! This was a light, quick read filled with equal parts romance and humor.  Kristin Higgins always manages to write characters who have depth and charm and are able to entertain while simultaneously breaking your heart. Parker's father is a Madoff wannabe who not only loses the family's fortune but both her trust fund and her young son's as well leaving them virtually penniless.  Her only saving grace is a forgotten beach house left to her by a great aunt.  Having never laid eyes on the house, she makes plans to fix the house up and sell it as soon as possible in order to jump start her life again.  What her plans don't involve are falling in love with the one person she can't stand, her father's right hand man James Cahill.  James is everything to her father that Parker is not, including the son he never had.  James also happens to be very, very easy on the e...

It's no secret that I tend to crush (hard) on my "book boys" but I went TOTAL fangirl on Jennifer L. Armentrout today!  *flails*  Like, I want to bake her cupcakes or something!  BTW, I'm not the type of fangirl who screams/cries/stalks people but I do bake and when I want to show my appreciation for someone, I bake them cupcakes. (or write a blog post about them. *giggles like a girl*) Here goes... ~Her name is Jennifer. Um, hellew? Best.Name.EV-AH! ~Her middle initial is "L"?! *gasps* does that stand for "Lynn"?!  IDK but OHMYGOSH MY MIDDLE NAME IS LYNN!  *squeals*  takes a breath  *calms down* ~She lives in West Virginia and she's proud of it!   DUDE!  Do you even KNOW how awesome that is?!  (My husband has family from there and let's just say, "pride" isn't the first thing that comes to their mind.) ~Her husband is a cop and a K-9 one at that. Man in uniform brandishing weapon + Man's BFF used as a Weapon...

SLIDE by Jill Hathaway Interview & Giveaway!  (US Only)   Jill Hathaway is the author of "Slide", one of my FAVORITE debuts of 2012!  If you aren't familiar with the story, here's my quick synopsis... If you had the ability to see the world through someone else's eyes, even for just a few minutes, would you want to? Vee Bell seems like your everyday narcoleptic but what really happens during her episodes is much more than nodding off. Vee doesn't just pass out, she slides into the minds of other people, giving her a chance to experience the world as they do. "Slide" is fast paced, interesting and keeps you on your toes the entire time, a real thriller. (I was late for stuff because I didn't want to stop reading.) It's not without it's hot boys either (there's several to choose from) and romance that's both swoon worthy and heartbreaking.    I was honored and excited when Jill agreed t...

Author: Amber Dermont Publication: February 28, 2012 By: St. Martin's Press 3.5 Stars This is an intense story about one young man's search to find the best path in life after a series of heartbreaking losses leave him struggling to differentiate the thin line between friendship and love and learning how to forgive himself. Jason Prosper, a snarky eighteen year old whose grown up in a world befitting of his last name, has a love and natural talent for sailing. He's good looking enough and he's never lacked for anything whether it be girls, friends or material things but none of those have ever mattered much to Jason.  He's always felt at home, sailing the seas with his childhood friend and crew partner, Cal, but when Cal commits suicide during their junior year at Kensington Prep, Jason is devastated. Click here to read more...  

I can NOT tell you how many times I've been asked, "Why do you read YA and aren't you too old?" in the past year so lemme clear a few things up. (I'm only speaking for myself here) 1) For the record, there is STILL a "3" in my age and there will be for a "few" more years. *steps off soapbox* 2) YA is NOT a reading level. (It's not like the Bob Books my kids learned to read with, where they start with sight words and then get progressively harder.  *sighs* 3) Isn't YA all about vampires and werewolves? Um, No. While there are some books that have the bloodsuckers and furballs, YA goes through trends. There are so.many.other stories with butt-kicking warriors, time travelers, aliens, space explorers, faeries, angels - you name it.  There are ALSO some great contemporary stories because YA has something for ALL THE PEOPLES!  *does cartwheels* 4) As a Christian, should you really be reading all that fantasy stuf...

Last day to enter to win a signed arc of The Immortal Rules. Don't miss your chance. :) juliekagawa.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaw… — Julie Kagawa (@Jkagawa) March 14, 2012 http://juliekagawa.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-immortal-rules-signed.html

Author: Megan Bostic Publication: January 17, 2012 By: HMH Children's Books 4 Stars!  Warning: Tissues required! I like the cover but the mustang should be red considering it's red in the book. I'm not sure why that bothers me but it does a little. This book isn't very big but packs a huge punch, right to the heart.  Seventeen year old Austin has terminal cancer and most likely won't live to see his eighteenth birthday.  There's still so much life left in him and even though he won't get the chance to live it, he wants to make sure those around him do.  In this heartbreaking book about love, loss and learning to let go, Megan Bostic shows us just how precious life really is.  Austin doesn't have much time left so he wants to make it count not only for himself but for the people he cares about.  With the help of his long time BFF Kaylee, he sets out for the weekend to check a few things off his bucket list, things like, overcoming his fear o...

In Honor of St. Patrick's Day this week & ALL THE IRISH THINGS, I wanted to highlight one of my FAVORITE books from 2011!  It will do your heart good in more ways than one and have you planning your trip to the Emerald Isle by the end. Enjoy! Author: Jenny B. Jones Publication: September 4, 2011 (Original review  9.4.11) By: Thomas Nelson 5 STARS!  Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.  It's rare that I find a story that I absolutely love but "There You'll Find Me" is one of them!  A MUST READ!!! This book was well written, smooth flowing with characters who are full of real life flaws making them relatable.  This is a story about love and loss, forgiveness and grace, healing and recapturing the hope that only God can give.   The past two years have been rough for 18 year old Finley Sinclair, beginning with the death of her older brother Will at the hands of terrorists and ending with a series of bad choices that have left her feel...

Author: Lissa Price Publication: March 13, 2012 By: Random House/Delacorte Press for Young Readers 4 Stars! Thank you NetGalley and Random House! "HOLY.CROW. was this a good read!" That's what popped into my head when I finished this book .   BTW, I have no idea where the "crow" came from because there weren't any mentioned in the story and usually the words that pop into my head have to do with the plot or sugary confections, but a bird?  Yeah, even I can't explain that one.   STARTERS is a well written, interesting story full of heart pounding suspense, and has twists and turns that will leave you guessing right up to the very end!  There's even a little romance thrown in for good measure. Acutally, this romance has the potential to break your heart but you'd have to be sure you know whose heart your breaking to begin with. *wink* The Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty and forced Callie and her littl...

Author: Dom Testa Publication: February 14, 2012 (Read March 2012) By: Tor Teen 3 Stars In this final chapter of the Galahad series, the epic journey of 251 teenagers sent into space to save mankind comes to it's end.  They don't go gently into that dark wormhole though, especially now that Council leader Triana has returned from her mysterious trip and brought something or someone back with her.  Life aboard the Galahad is once again thrust into chaos as the crew is faced with new challenges and a decision that could alter the course of their entire mission. Click here to read more...  

Author: Dom Testa Publication: September 27, 2011 (Read March 2012) By: Tor Teen 3 Stars   A little too Sci-Fi for me. While this is book 5 in a series, you don't have to read the first four in order to know what's going on because author, Dom Testa gives enough background story to catch the reader up.  (Btw, I couldn't help feeling like a few people were missing aboard this mission.  I mean, where the frex was Amy? or Elder?!  No offense but if I'm gonna take a trip across the frexing universe I need a dose of Elder in there.  Bon is supposedly the ships "hottie" but he's too broody for me. *sighs*) When their Council Leader Triana disappears, the crew is faced with choosing a new one to take her place.  Gap seems to be the obvious choice, being next in line and all but when an unlikely candidate is offered up, the balance of power begins to tilt.  Add to that the unexplained flashes of light, the growing hostility among the crew members, (it'...