Of I think you should check this out!

So I came across something pretty dazzling recently and I think you're going to enjoy this. I mean this blog is like Alice in Wonderland, which gets major cool points. Anyway click the pretty box and see what I mean.

Pretty dazzling, right?

LC has this amazing giveaway and an amazing blog! She's giving away some wonderful books, so go check out her blog! I'm sure you'll like it so much you won't be able to stop yourself from following. Go!

-Gomez

Of Paranormals, Prophecies, & Death

Paranormalcy
by Kiersten White

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal. 

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal.

Hello lovelies! I have something very important for you to do. Are you ready? Quick put aside everything you're doing. Now go buy this book. What? You don't have money? Sure you do. You don't need money to eat, spend it on Paranormalcy instead. Go. Shoo. Don't worry I'll be here when you get back.

Of Vampires, Love, & Demon Hunters

Insatiable
by Meg Cabot

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.

Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).

But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .

If she even has one

All Twilight/vampire haters - read this book. Actually all vampire lovers read this book too. For some reason it manages to appeal to both groups. Meg Cabot even manages to pull off different points of view throughout the book (which isn't normally successful for books).

*Warning (A Few Not Very Spoilerish) Spoilers Ahead*

Of Promises, Trials, & the Ultimate Love

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. 

And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can  survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s 

side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

All I can say is OH MY GOSH! After I finished reading this book I had to collect myself because it was so gosh darn AMAZING. Julie, you out did yourself with this one and I will admit that I wept tears of joy, sadness, and any other emotion and hyperventilated so badly that I needed to use a plastic bag to get my breathing correct (there was no brown paper bag in reach). If only all series ended so fantastically life would be perfect. 

Of Paradoxes, Rescue, & Hell

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto 

Even the love of her boyfriend, Xavier Woods, and her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep the angel Bethany Church from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly her loved ones as well. Can he be trusted in this wager? And what does Jake have Xavier believing about Beth’s fate that may result in an act of betrayal that will leave Bethany – and readers – wondering if Xavier is so good after all?

Have you ever felt like life sucked and the entire world is against you? Well that has nothing on how Bethany was feeling as an angel in Hell.


Reading Hades was interesting because I personally loved the first book and I wasn't really sure what angle Alexandra would write Hades. It was one of those iffy choices that made me anticipate and dread the second book. But, through all that I will have to say that I loved Hades, too. I mean sure there were parts where I was like hmm or I don't know, but the overall result was great!

Of Experiments, Lycans, & Love

Camille by Tess Oliver

At a time when society conforms to the strictest rules and most proper etiquette, sixteen-year-old Camille Kennecott and her guardian, Dr. Bennett, live a most unconventional life. They hunt werewolves. When unwitting victi,, Nathaniel Strider, wanders into one of their full moon pursuits, Camille and Dr. Bennett believe they have found the specimen for their study. Finding a scientific key to unlocking the mystery of lycanthropy would end their late night excursions. Yet beneath the irresistable exterior, Nathaniel is transforming into a flesh-tearing monster, and as each experiement fails, Camille loses another inch of her soul to him. In a month's time, she must face the prospect of destroying the boy who has stolen her heart.

What can I say besides that I'm impressed. I brought this from Amazon.com and it was $0.99 through Kindle. I thought what the hay, some of the best books I've read were either free or extremely cheap, so I gave it a shot. And I wasn't disappointed either. 

Of "I can't believe it!"

So you know how you can tell an ordinary friend from an amazing awesome friend? Simple, your amazing friend manages to get you a SIGNED COPY OF FAERIE RING! *applause and happy dancing* And can you guess who that friend is? If you said Gilbert, you are correct!


Seriously Gilbert texted me saying she had this wonderful gift and my reply was to be expected :


"No. No. No way. What? What?! WHAT?! AM I BEING PUNK'D????!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!"


Very eloquent of me, I know. When I was thoroughly reassured Ashton Kutcher was not going to appear with a camera crew I was stoked. And then I told Gilbert how wonderful she is. Now everyone join with me in saying "THANK YOU GILBERT. YOU ARE WONDERFUL! <3" Thanks for doing that with me guys. =)


And I mean it goes without saying that Kiki Hamilton is fantastic! I mean she wrote the book. (And signed my copy! Ah! It's so great!) But seriously how great is she that she signed a copy for me? Pretty Great, I know.


Now it just so happens the next day I went on a photo shoot, and guess what I brought along....

I look so smart and studious. Oh and look what I'm reading!

So once again, thanks Gilbert! And thank you Kiki Hamilton for the wonderful book! Seriously thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how excited I am.

-Gomez

*oh and if you want to read my review of The Faerie Ring go here: http://gilbertandgomez.blogspot.com/2011/06/of-rings-royalty-and-pickpocketing.html

Of Sisterly Feuds, Reincarnated Gods, & Starting Over

Wildefire by Karsten Knight 

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. 

But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… 

And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

All I can say is WOW. This book was amazing, and I know I say that often but that's just because I have great taste in books. This book was great and the female protagonist was done really well; surprising since Karsten Knight is a male! I didn't even know that until after I read the book. You would never have thought that Ashline, the main character, was written by a man because she had moments where she was so feminine. That was a nice twist that made me appreciate the writing even more. 

Of Memories Remembered, Forgotten, & All in Between

Evercrossed by Elizabeth Chandler 

It’s been a year since Ivy’s boyfriend, Tristan, died. They’ve both moved on—Tristan to the other side of the afterlife, and Ivy to sweet, dependable Will. Now Ivy’s heading to Cape Cod, hoping to leave the horror of last summer behind. She wants nothing more than to lie on the beach, sip lemonade, and hang out with her friends.

But then a car crash ends Ivy’s life.

As she floats to the beyond, looking down on the life she’s left behind, Tristan breathes life back into her with a passionate kiss. She wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by Will and her family, but all she can think about is the love that she lost.

But memories aren’t all that’s come back from the past. And this time, Ivy’s not sure love will be enough to save her.

Oh my gosh; that's all I can say about Evercrossed. It was so good that I read it in like 2 hours! And that's a record for me. Elizabeth Chandler has brought back our favorite true-lovers Tristan and Ivy, but this time there's a TWIST. Duh duh dummmmm. 

Of Dresses, Queen Elizabeth, & Love

A Sweet Disorder
by Jacqueline Kolosov


Sixteen-year old Miranda has no idea how much her life is going to change upon hearing the news of her father's death. Left with little dowry to offer, Miranda faces a broken engagement, and is sent to live with her father's cousin, the Count John Hardwood, and his wife whose primary goal is to take her to Court and marry her off to the insufferable Lord Seagrave for their own profit.

At Queen Elizabeth's court, Miranda soon learns that a large part of her survival will depend on her knowing who to trust. All the maidens at Court dream of being one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting. When Miranda distinguishes herself from the rest with her exquisite sewing and embroidery skills, she gets the attention of the Queen, much to the anger and jealousy of the courtiers, ladies in waiting, and even a trusted "friend."

As Miranda begins to win the Queen’s favor, she is given the ultimate test—to recreate Elizabeth’s mother’s (Ann Boleyn) coronation gown. Miranda knows this is her opportunity to escape the shackles of convention and get out of a marriage to Lord Seagrave and instead establish an independent life at Court as the Queen’s seamstress. But how will she reunite with Henry Raleigh, the man to whom she was once promised, and has always loved?

I do enjoy period novels. I had forgotten how much I love them until I read "A Sweet Disorder". I really really enjoyed this book and I can't believe I had never heard of it! It was published in 2009 and I'm just reading it?! I obviously missed out. But fate would have me happen upon this book as I heading to check out my library books. Sitting on a display shelf was "A Sweet Disorder" and the cover had me hooked. It didn't take long for me to realize what a delightful choice I had made.