Soul Screamers Reading Challenge: My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers, #0.5) by Rachel Vincent

It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities...                ~From GoodReads

I am re-reading the Soul Screamers series as part of the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge, hosted by the awesome Rachel at Fiktshun. I recently read the entire series, including the novellas and, I believe, all of the short stories found in various anthologies. But this reading challenge was too good to pass up.

My first introduction to the Soul Screamers series was an audiobook of My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers, #1) that I found free on Audible. I loved it and quickly downloaded My Soul to Take. I also loved it, so I bought physical copies of all the books. For the sake of saving time, I chose to once again listen to the audiobook of My Soul to Lose. 

This isn't going to be a traditional review, but more of a post on my thoughts about the first time vs. this time with the series. It's gonna be short and sweet (unlike my intro) so let's get to it. Oh, and by the way:

Do Not Read any Further if You Have Not Read If I Die!! There Is a Mild Spoiler and You Will Hate Me and YOURSELF if You Read This!!

Actually, my spoiler isn't huge, I just don't want anyone to lose the small shock I felt during a certain scene in If I Die.

First off, I spent most of the story anticipating. I kind of love when I know everything the main character doesn't. But I also spent most of it feeling really sorry for Kaylee, and super mad at her family. Yes, I know they were trying to protect her. Good idea in theory, but it's not so good to let that poor girl think there is something wrong with her or that she's crazy.

I loved the little (odd) things about Uncle Brendan that Kaylee noticed and mentions. Such as, the fact he can talk people into things, his voice is very soothing, and that his eyes are churning, or what I refer to as the "bean sidhe swirl".

Another point I was anticipating, and this was the biggie: Lydia. She plays a huge part in this story. She literally takes all of Kaylee's anguish away, at least temporarily. You know there is something major going on with Lydia. But I completely forgot about her after this story. I did not think about her at all until Kaylee goes back to the facility in If I Die. The fact that Rachel Vincent sort of brought that small storyline full circle in If I Die caught me by surprise and sort of blew me away. And now I'm wondering if Lydia will play a part in the last two books of the series.

They say hindsight's 20/20. That is so true with this series. I found the re-listening of My Soul to Lose to be a fun, enlightening experience and I can't wait to tackle each book again.

Favorite Quote:

"Great. I'm psychotic and sparkly."

You can read My Soul to Lose for FREE here.

ebook, 87 pages

Published July 1st 2009 by Harlequin Teen

Review ~ Catching Jordan, by Miranda Kenneally

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate. ~From GoodReads

Catching Jordan is a book that caught my eye the first time I saw it. I love the cover, love the synopsis, and it has gotten glowing reviews from many who've read it. So when I bought it, I expected a great, fun read. But what I got was so. much. more.

From beginning to end, this book was funny, like, laugh out loud funny. Jordan was a riot. She is an insanely easy main character for "real" people to relate to. She's tall, over six feet tall, and has an athletic build. That in itself makes me want to scream "Thank you, Miranda!" to the author. As someone who has always been tall and athletic, it's darn near impossible to find characters to physically relate to. Almost every girl or lady I come across is teeny tiny and dainty, and that's swell. But I can't help but feeling that somewhere, there is a girl (much like me as a teen) who will feel Jordan was written specifically for her. And she will glow at the fact that Jordan is beautiful and perfect, just the way she is, without apologies for being herself. This girl, despite not always making the right choices (but what teen does?), is a fantastic role model.

Here's an example of her down to earth manner:
"The restaurant is dark and romantic and full of flowers, and I find myself wishing it was just myself and [blank]  here, huddled over wine and champagne and crepes or some shit like that."

The supporting characters were as endearing as Jordan. Each served a specific purpose, in their own way assisting Jordan, in moving the story forward. The guys on her team: JJ, a big lug with surprising moments of great advice; Carter, a sweetheart with his own conflicts who is always there to listen; Ty, the new boy in town who is out to steal Jordan's heart; and Henry, Jordan's best friend. Oh, how I loved Sam Henry. Sam is a close second to Jordan as my favorite character. At times he even places first. He is the type of guy everyone will love and all wish we had in our lives. Sam was funny, dependable, goofy, hot as heck, and the kind of boy you want to smoosh with love.

When I started reading Catching Jordan, I was afraid that the fact Jordan is a female quarterback with college aspirations would be glossed over. That her whole life would be bright and shiny. But it's not. The sexism she faces is dealt with in a realistic manner, which as unfair as it is, that's life. And as hard as it is for her to face athletes and coaches who dismiss her, what's even harder is the dismissal from her father, an NFL quarterback. The father/daughter relationship was beautiful and delicate. Watching Jordan and her father dance around their issues was difficult and tear-inducing.
Catching Jordan delivered more of everything that I expected: more laughs, more surprises, and more tears. It's a brilliantly written book that left me swooning, swiping tears and smiling. It quickly captured my heart and has leapt straight to the top of my favorites list. Catching Jordan is a MUST-READ!

Favorite Quote:

"He's fast asleep, curled up at the other end of my bed, looking peaceful. The expression on his face says he's not really sad, and he's not overcompensating for his sadness by acting all crazy or silly, he's just...content. And that makes me glad, because more than anything else, I want him to be happy."
(pg 111)

Paperback, 281 pages

Published December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire

You can purchase Catching Jordan at:
Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository  |  Amazon

Review ~ The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, by Jennifer E. Smith

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. ~From GoodReads

I swore, when I sat to write this review, that I wouldn't do this. I was going to be calm and reasonable and rational. But...that's just not me, not with this book. So, in an effort to not make a total idiot of myself, I'll keep this review short and oh so sweet. Before I get started, I have to get one thing out of my system. Ready? Here goes. SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Whew. I am so glad I got that out of my system. But in all seriousness, my feelings about Statistical Probability can pretty much be summed up with those frantic words above. Now that I'm somewhat collected, let me tell you why I loved this book.

My initial reading of this book was on a roadtrip with my husband. After showing much affection towards the cover, I finally cracked it open. I read the prologue. I sighed. I read the prologue again. I sighed harder. This cycle repeated itself about five times, with my husband, who I'll lovingly refer to as "Mr. Nonfiction", growing increasingly nervous. After many shifty-eyed glances my way, and seeing that I hadn't  moved past page three, he finally asked what my deal was. That question was all the prodding I needed to burst forth with my swoonage. "Do you understand how beautiful this is?" I asked in a desperate manner. His answer: a blank stare. So, like anyone who has a trapped listener would do, I read The Prologue to Mr. NonFiction. After I finished reading, I leaned back, clutching this beauty to my chest and asked what he thought. To be honest, I expected an eye roll or a snarky comment. But he looked at me, blinked about five times as if he wondered how in the hell he'd gotten into this situationwith his loon of a wife and then replied "Not bad", with a half-smile. That reaction might not mean much to you, but knowing him like I do, it might as well have been an "OMG!".  That was a huge seal of approval coming from him.

The entire book can be summed up by this one line from the prologue:

"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?"

Kind of promising, right? This book read like a beautiful, heart-warming movie. Love, Actually and Serendipity come to mind. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was a book about chance, circumstance, fate, and trusting your heart. This book made me happy beyond belief. It will likely end up being the "feel good book of the year". Highly, highly recommended. In fact, I might be willing to throw down a money-back guarantee if you don't love this book.

Favorite Quote (There were too many to choose from!):

"It seems impossible that she could have liked someone like Mitchell when there was someone like this guy in the world, someone tall and lanky, with tousled hair and startling green eyes and a speck of mustard on his chin, like the one small imperfection that makes the whole painting work somehow." (pg 31)

Hardcover, 236 pages

Published January 2nd 2012 by Poppy

You can purchase The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight at:
Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Book Depository

Dark Days Blog Tour

Welcome to today's stop on The Childe/Dark Days blog tour! I'm very excited to be taking part in this fun event. Last Spring, I reviewed the first book in the series, The Childe. You can find my review here. Be sure read this entire post so you can find all the details about the tour (links, giveaways).

Surviving tenth grade is the least of Cat Colvin’s worries.

Cat Colvin wants more than anything to just be an “average” teenager and blend in, but having found out the secret of her adoption has Cat questioning her entire life. Unfortunately, there are much deeper and darker secrets being withheld from her that may prove to threaten her very existence. Cat will be forced to make a choice: stay in Astoria and possibly endanger all that she loves, or flee and hide amongst her kind.

Friendships will be tested, family bonds will be tried, and even Cat herself will be pushed to her limits both emotionally and physically; all while trying to maintain a somewhat normal relationship with her boyfriend Ryan. What is actually going on in the quaint port town of Astoria, and are Cat and her loved ones prepared for the dark days that loom ahead? Find out in this continuation to the “*…thrilling, unputdownable story,” The Childe.
~From GoodReads

What a fun read! Dark Days, book two in The Childe series by mother/son team CA Kunz, picks up where The Childe ends and takes off running.

Cat Colvin, dealing with the fallout of life-changing revelations, is understandably angry and confused, but knows she must quickly come around and come to terms with her new life. As usual, Cat is a charming main character. She feisty, brave and will do anything for her family and friends.

Speaking of family and friends, The Childe is filled with a large, invigorating supporting cast. Cat's parents, Sam and Rachel, are so much fun to read. They are generous, supportive, and sometimes a bit goofy, but always the type of parents you want on your side. Taylor, Cat's brother, was a much easier character to like in Dark Days. Where in The Childe he came across as a bit of a bully and intimidating towards Cat, here he is supporting and protective. Cat's circle of friends, including Julie, Amanda, Matt and Elle, are as before, a great comic relief. The banter between them served to lighten the mood and always dish out a smile.

And, of course, I must talk about Ryan. As Cat's boyfriend, he is a dream. What a nice guy! I love, LOVE when the love interest is just a great guy, in general. Sure, he can be a bit secretive at times, but he doesn't seem to have an ulterior motive or agenda. I look so forward to learning more and more about Mr. Ryan Beckford!

As for the story, Dark Days has so much going on. It is filled with many twists and turns, ongoing secrets and revelations. My favorite is the story behind the original Childe and the coven's relocation to Astoria. I was so happy to be able to read this little chunk of history!

Dark Days went to places I honestly didn't expect. The secrets, the danger, the consequences...everything is ramped up in this book. And the ending? Surprising, evil (good evil), and exhilarating are all words that come to mind. The last chapter will leave you on the edge of your seat, begging for more. Good times, for sure!


Favorite Quote:

"Ryan silenced her, kissing her senseless until she forgot what she was about to say. His hands brushed through her hair, making her heart speed up, and though the air from the ocean was cool, she felt like she was in a sauna."

Now for the Good Stuff!

Grand Prize Giveaway:

The Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire (I have one, trust me, you want it.)At every blog stop, once five (different) people have left comments, the authors will post a question in the comment section. The question will pertain to something in the post, so you must read carefully to find the answer. Once you've found the answer, you can submit it to kindlefirechilde@gmail.com. But there are more ways to earn points. 

Here is the point break down:

For each post there will be 10 possible points to gain.

5 points- for answering the post question correctly through email.

1 point- for following the blogger's blog ( must post GFC name).

1 point- for tweeting blog post (must post tweet link).
1 point- for following CA Kunz's blog (must post GFC name).
1 point- for sharing post on Facebook (must post link).
1 point- for liking either CA Kunz's Facebook page or The Childe Facebook page.

Weekly Giveaway (5 in all):

Every week the authors will have a giveaway of one signed copy of The Childe and a swag pack to a random commenter on one of the blogs that week. The day and comment number will be known only by the authors, and it could happen on any day of the week and will be completely random.

Be sure to go to all the stops for more chances to win!

Blog Tour Schedule

 Sunday, Jan. 8^th – Books Complete Me

1^st Week:

Monday, Jan. 9^th – A Diary of a Book Addict

Tuesday, Jan. 10^th – Book Love AND Ash Talks Books

Wednesday, Jan. 11^th – Book Bite Reviews AND Intoxicated by Books

Thursday, Jan. 12^th – Amethyst Daydreams

Friday, Jan. 13^th – Mundie Moms  AND Fiktshun

 2^nd Week:

Monday, Jan. 16^th – Reading Away The Days AND Jowanna Reads

Tuesday, Jan. 17^th – Blethering Book Worm AND Reading Lark

Wednesday, Jan. 18^th – Katelyn Torrey

Thursday, Jan. 19^th – Bookish Babes

Friday, Jan. 20^th – Mundie Moms AND Me and Reading

 3^rd Week:

Monday, Jan. 23^rd – Me Myshelf and I  AND Insane About Books 

Tuesday, Jan. 24^th – Katelyn Torrey

Wednesday, Jan. 25^th – Blethering Book Worm  AND Words 2 Follow

Thursday, Jan. 26^th – Fiktshun AND All Things Books

Friday, Jan. 27^th – Page Flipperz

 4^th Week:

Monday, Jan. 30^th – Book Bite Reviews

Tuesday, Jan. 31^st – Me and Reading AND Page Flipperz

Wednesday, Feb. 1^st – Reading Lark

Thursday, Feb. 2^nd – Books Complete Me

Friday, Feb. 3^rd – Bookish Babes  AND Jowanna Reads

 5^th Week:

Monday, Feb. 6^th – Amethyst Daydreams  AND Reading Away The Days

Tuesday, Feb. 7^th – Insane About Books

Wednesday, Feb. 8^th – All Things Books

Thursday, Feb. 9^th – Words 2 Follow

Friday, Feb. 10^th – Forever Lost In My Own World

Saturday, Feb. 11^th – Books Complete Me

Waiting on Wednesday

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

This week's WoW selection is...

If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light…

KORI DANIELS is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she’s ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if that means taking it from someone else…

The job? Recruit Ian Holt—or kill him.

Ian’s ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he’s on a mission of his own. Ian has come to kill Tower’s top Binder: Kori’s little sister.

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they’ll have to choose between love and liberty...~From GoodReads

Why I'm Waiting ~ I read Blood Bound (Unbound #1) last Fall. Amazing. Rachel Vincent built a unique, intricate, intriguing world full of promises, betrayals, love, and lies. I'm practically bouncing waiting for Shadow Bound!

Expected publication: May 22, 2012 by Mira

You can pre-order Shadow Bound at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

This week's Teaser is from

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. ~From GoodReads

My Teaser ~

"And though all grooms look happy on their wedding day, there's something in the eyes of this one in particular that nearly takes Hadley's breath away. It knocks the wind out of her, that look of his, the joy in his eyes, the depth of his smile. It stops her cold, splits her right open, wrings her heart out like it's nothing more than a wet towel."  (pg 120)

This book blew me away. The writing was beyond gorgeous. Come back later this week to catch my review!

Hardcover, 236 pages

Published January 2nd 2012 by Poppy

You can purchase The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight at:
Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon  |  Book Depository

Book Blogger Confessions, #2

Book Blogger Confessions is a brand-spanking-new meme created by Karen at For What It's Worth Reviews and Tiger at Tiger's All-Consuming Books.

On the first and third Monday of each month, there will be a new blogging topic up for discussion. The idea to give bloggers a place to vent, share opinions and maybe solutions to the problems we all face.

 This week's topic is: "Have you ever had reading/blogging slumps? How do you work through them or work around them?"

Unlike a lot of the bloggers I chat with, I haven't had a true reading slump, yet. I do find that, at times, I get so sick of certain genres, namely young adult paranormal. I enjoy them, (the well-written, original ones at least) but there's only so much I can take before I need to switch it up. There was a time I felt so indebted to those who asked for reviews that I would dredge through book after book, regardless of my wants. But that doesn't bode well for me or the author, because an unhappy reader will most likely write a cranky review.

I have found that if I force myself to take a step back and read the book I want to read, I'm a much happier reader. And I have found that since I've changed my review policy, stating that even if I've accepted a book for review, I can opt out if I find it's not to my liking. That change took a lot of weight off my shoulders.

As for the blogging slump? That one was getting to be a problem recently. I felt I must comment on dozens of posts every day. I would see people with, and I'm not exaggerating, 40-50 comments on their posts. Seeing that made me feel like a complete blogging loser. And that made me think "What's the point if I can't keep up?".

But finally, I took a closer look and saw that so many of those comments weren't meaningful, just fluff. That made me rethink things. I would rather leave/receive ten meaningful comments than dozens that aren't even relevant to the post. Plus, I just do not have the time, honestly. I'm making more of an effort to worry about my own blog and focus on reading and commenting on those I really do enjoy. This new approach has helped me tremendously and I've so far avoided a serious blogging slump.

I know that I will have hardcore slumps at some point, it's inevitable. But I'm doing what I can to avoid them. I don't know the perfect solution. What do you think, fellow readers/bloggers?