Waiting on Wednesday (15) - Epic WOW!

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

My picks this week are...

Croak - Gina Damico

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure. 

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business. 

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer. 

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

This just sounds awesome and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

The Selection - Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon. 

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks. 

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

OMG This cover!! And this description has me hooked!

Everneath - Brodi Ashton

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. 

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. 

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

I have wanted to read this since the first time I saw the cover I am so in love its sick lol!

Incarnate - Jodi Meadows

NEWSOUL 
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why. 

NOSOUL 
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame? 

HEART 
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all? 

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

We will skip over this amazing cover for a second. This sounds AMAZING, I need this book like yesterday! And now back to this cover. It is beautiful and I love it. I would actually like to blow it up and hang it on my wall.

Review: A Need So Beautiful - Suzanne Young

• Reading level:
 Ages 14 and up

• Hardcover:
 272 pages

• Publisher:
 Balzer + Bray; 1 edition (June 21, 2011)

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten... 
Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger. 
But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely. 
Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

My Thoughts...

I NEED A Want So Wicked NOW! I devoured this book. I couldn't stop reading it. I loved the characters, Charlotte broke my heart, Harlin made me smile, Sarah made me sad yet happy at the same time. Charlotte's family made me happy too. It might not have been a fairy tale family, but they loved each other. The story compelled me to read even as my heart broke. I wanted Charlotte to fight I wanted her to have the life she wanted. There were parts where I wanted to scream at Monroe and tell him to fix things. I really don't have enough words to describe this book. It was beautiful and heart wrenching, yet at the end you are left with hope. I give this one 5 huge stars! I can't recommend this one highly enough! Go read this book! Now!

Review: Smokin' Seventeen - Janet Evanovich

• Hardcover:
 320 pages

• Publisher:
 Bantam; 1st edition (June 21, 2011)

• Language:
 English

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.  Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list.
Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.
With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.

My Thoughts...

I could read these books forever! I know that after a while some things might get repeated, and that some people want to see Stephanie choose between Morelli and Ranger but I couldn't live without both of them! Once of the things I love is the highly entertaining cast of secondary characters. We got to see quite a few classics.  Grandma Mazur, Steph's parents, Lula, the bail bonds team, and the men. We did get an addition to the crew. Apparently fans aren't the only ones who want Steph to settle down. So does her mom, she thrusts Dave at Stephanie. It was a lot of fun watching Steph fight off advances from Dave, and trying to keep her mom at bay. I won't lie, another thing I love is that they are set in New Jersey. Its nice to read a book set in the state I live in. Ranger and Morelli were both hot in this book, and while I am totally team Babe, I do love Morelli too. This book had everything I have come to expect from this series, a good story, great characters, car deaths, and lots of humor! I give this one 5 stars and recommend this series to everyone!

In My Mailbox (18)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

all links go to goodreads =o)

Legend - Marie Lu

Kiss of Frost - Jennifer Estep

Silver Tongued Devil - Jaye Wells

The Girl Who Could Silence The Wind - Meg Medina

Touch of Power - Maria V Snyder 

My Reading Plans

I have come to realise that I have started more new series this year that I have any year past I think. I have so many series that are just haning. I read the first book and got wrapped up in something else when the second, sometimes even third book was released.  I am going to try to catch up on some of these series to clear up some of my massive To Be Read Mountain! I am going to go threw all of my to be read books and come up with a list of books that I need to read to bring my current in the majority of my series. Once I have the list done I will update this post with my list and as I read some of these and can cross them off the list I will come back and update. I'm hoping that doing this publicly will help keep me motivated. What I really need to do is put on my blinders, I get caught up in all the new release hype and all the pretty covers! Cross your fingers for me! 

Review: My Soul to Steal - Rachel Vincent

• Paperback:
 352 pages

• Publisher:
 Harlequin; Original edition (December 21, 2010)

• Language:
 English

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back. 
See, Sabine isn't just an ordinary girl. She's a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people's fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives. 
And Sabine isn't above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants

My Thoughts...

Rachel never disappoints me! Her Were-Cat series still holds a special place in my heart and on my shelf, as wall as this series. I loved Kaylee in this book. In the past books I have liked her, but she always seemed to be leaning on Nash. Now we see her standing on her own .  I might be in the minority here but I loved Sabine! She was a great character and perfect for getting Kaylee to stand on her own two feet and try to fight for what she wants. I also might be team Sabine + Nash. I wasn't really ever a huge Nash fan. I've read reviews where people say that they would hate to see Kaylee with Todd but I personally thing if it happened I might squeal. I have always been team Todd. I guess we will have to see where the next book takes us. This story though had me completely sucked in and grasping at straws trying to figure out where we were going! I can't wait for the next book to see what craziness happens to this bunch next. I give this one 4.5 stars!

Review: Zombies Don't Cry - Rusty Fisher

• Reading level:
 Ages 12 and up

• Paperback:
 300 pages

• Publisher:
 Medallion Press (May 1, 2011)

In the sleepy small town of Barracuda Bay, Maddy Swift leads the life of a fairly typical teenager, but while attending a party one night, Maddy is struck by lightning and awakens to realize she has been reanimated and turned into a zombie. While becoming acquainted with her new "lifestyle," Maddy stumbles upon two unexpected undead chaperones, fellow students Dane and Chloe, who begin to teach her the ways of zombie life, including defending the populace from Zerkers—the bad zombies. Together, on prom night, the three teens must ultimately defend Barracuda Bay High from an all-out zombie Armageddon.

My Thoughts...

I was on the fence with this book tour. As I have stated before I am a wuss and zombies give me the creeps.  So you might ask why would you request a book that is clearly about zombies? Well to that I say I read the description on Goodreads and saw a few reviews that convinced me that this was more than you're typical zombie book, and it sure was! Maddy is a normal teenager struggling with normal things like a best friend who has the amazing ability to make everything all about her, a father who loves her, cares about her, but seems to work too many hours, bullys, and boys. Maddy's life takes a major turn when she literally bumps into the new school hottie, not once but twice in the same day. He seems interested in her which doesn't happen often with a spotlight loving best friend. Our hottie invites Maddy to a party and while she things that maybe things will change for her, she doesn't realise just how true this is. Maddy never makes it to the party she does how ever get struck by lightning and reanimated. This starts Maddy's journey of learning how to be a zombie, and how to pass for a still living girl. She makes some new friends and continues dealing with old enemies. this was a great story there was self discovery, tension, a romance that feels just out of reach. The characters were all pretty awesome in there own way. The ending was pretty shocking, I didn't quite expect things to go down quite the way they did. All in all this story kept me turning the pages and wanting more. I highly suggest this to everyone even wusses and zombie scardy cats.  I hope you give this one a chance it is well worth it. I give this one 4 stars.