Winner!!

The Random Goddess has spoken and the winner of the 

Varian t-shirt is...

~::~Linda~::~

Congratulations Linda, I'll email you shortly :)

TRG chose #36

Childrens Book Review: The Jelly That Wouldn't Wobble by Angela Mitchell

Title: The Jelly That Wouldn't Wobble

Author: Angela Mitchell

Illustrator: Sarah Horne

Release Date: May 1st 2012

Publisher: Maverick Arts Publishing Ltd

Source: Received from PR company for the purpose of an honest review.

The Jelly That Wouldn’t Wobble is a fantastic new book by debut author, Angela Mitchell and illustrated by Sarah Horne.

It is Princess Lolly’s 89th birthday party and a glorious jelly is on the menu. However there is a problem: the jelly refuses to wobble!

“I won’t wobble, I won’t wobble and that’s my final word!” screamed the jelly…

My Thoughts

This was a very funny story to read with my Miss 5, and she stopped time and again to have a good look at the illustrations, which she really liked.

Some of her comments about the book were :

"Oohh what an angry princess, she's princess grumpy pants!"

"That's a cool story. I like the mad jelly, the jelly was bad."

"Good pictures, mad bad pictures."

Its safe to say that my Miss 5 really enjoyed this story, and I definitely enjoyed reading it with her.

She did however wonder why the princess was so old!
Apparently - well in the mind of my 5 year old - "Only little girls and pretty ladies can be princesses, old princesses should be queens!"

A great story with witty text and fun illustrations, Miss 5 and I both agree that The Jelly That Wouldn't Wobble is a 5 Star read ~<;]

Book Review: Angel Betrayed by Cynthia Eden

Title: Angel Betrayed (The Fallen #2)

Author: Cynthia Eden
Release Date: June 26th 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Imprint: Brava

Category: Fiction - Adult: Romance: Fantasy
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

A LITTLE BIT OF ANGEL LUST.

Sammael – call him Sam – was an angel once. An angel of death. But the dispassionate, watch-from-above thing just wasn’t working for him when it meant watching evil torture innocent souls day in and day out. It might have cost him his wings, but these days, he gets to apply the direct method on the bad guys. Problem is, what’s making his life difficult is a bad girl…

Seline O’Shaw needs protection, and with the hounds of hell on her tail, she’s not going to quibble too hard about where she gets it. Sam’s virtue is questionable, but he’s smoking hot, massively powerful, and owes her a favour. So what if she’s getting a little case of angel lust? There are some damn deadly sins after her hide…

My Thoughts

Filled with great plot twists, steeped in mystery and intrigue, the lovable and frustrating Sam is stubborn, angry, and misunderstood - and a total hottie!

Selina is strong, pigheaded and overly confident in her Succubus skills but completely at a loss when it comes to Sam, and her heritage.

The author has done a spectacular job with her characters and their background stories. I was very quickly caught up in this new and intriguing world of Angels, Demons and all things paranormal.

The very detailed world building using both traditional and new Angel rules/facts and hierarchy is exceptional, and I very much enjoyed all the new and exciting powers that the Angel's in this world had to offer.

Jam packed with adventure and excitement, Angel Betrayed is a well written story that flows effortlessly.

I cant wait to read more in this series, 4 Stars ;]

Cover Reveal: Witch Born by Amber Argyle

Awesome Cover Reveal for...

Witch Born by Amber Argyle

Brusenna thought it was finished.

She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong.

She was wrong.

Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands.

Some things can't be saved.

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything. 

     Including her life.    
                              

Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Here's the Goodreads link
Author's Blog

Forbidden Territory Review and Interview With Authors Melissa Pearl and Brenda Howson

It is my great pleasure to welcome Forbidden Territory authors
Melissa Pearl and Brenda Howson
to My Book Chatter today.

Lets Meet The Authors
 
Melissa Pearl and Brenda Howson have been best friends for about 12 years. Both mothers of two young children, both married to school teachers and both lovers of writing, they have a lot in common. Having spent many vacations away together, they have become as close to sisters as two girls can get. It was on one of these holidays away that the Mica and Lexy Series was born.

Melissa is the author of the Time Spirit Trilogy, which was published at the end of 2011. She is a fully trained elementary teacher, but is lucky enough to stay home and watch her kids grow. She is also spending every spare moment trying to turn writng into a full time career - and loving the process.

Brenda was the one who encouraged Melissa to start writing in the first place. Once Melissa got started, Brenda caught the bug and she has been writing for ten years, in between motherhood and working at a local high school in the computer department. She has won two short story competitions and been runner up in another. Forbidden Territory will be her first published novel.

I have to say a BIG thank you to both Melissa and Brenda who were gracious enough to take the time to answer the following questions :)

1. What are three quirky, interesting, or little known facts you can each tell us about yourselves?

Melissa: Once on holiday we spent about three days playing that game where you give the person two options they have to choose from eg: rice bubbles or cornflakes... you know, really important stuff like that :) I think we chose the same thing for about 90% of the questions. It was getting a little ridiculous :)

Brenda: Although we have a lot in common, we usually have different fashion styles or so I thought. The last few times we’ve been together, we’ve both shown up in the same sort of jeans, boots and same coloured tees. Spooky.

Melissa: We both like to eat really well and encourage each other to aim for the healthy option. We eat high protein, low carbs type food. Once we were away on a girly weekend and really felt like french fries, we did homemade pumpkin fries instead. I think we got through most of the pumpkin and were turning slightly orange by the end of the day :)

2. Who are some of your favourite authors and what books do you have on your ‘to be read’ pile?

Brenda: Melissa Pearl is my favourite author. Seriously. She’s so talented and I am impatiently waiting to be the first to read her next manuscript!! My to read pile is pretty huge, but I’m keen to read the next Simone Elkeles book.

 
3. What have been the biggest challenges and/or surprises you’ve each faced as writers?

Melissa: Getting yourself out there is the hardest part for me. Marketing is way harder than I thought it would be. I'm having fun as I go, learning some of the tricks of the trade and meeting amazing people along the way, but I'm sure I could be doing better. Writing is the fun part, marketing is the hard work, but you need to do both well to be successful :)

Brenda: I’m super shy around people I don’t know (total introvert) so the writing part is easy but getting out there and marketing (as Melissa has mentioned) scares the heck out of me.

4. What has been the hardest thing about writing Forbidden Territory together?

Melissa: We live an hour's drive apart so that has been a little challenging. We make it work by having writing weekends away or just a day together to chat stuff through. We also use ichat a lot and e-mail each other constantly throughout the day. Good communication is key in co-authoring a book.

5. Did these stories/characters manifest themselves in dreams/daydreams, voices in your head etc, or do you sit down and purposely create them?

Brenda: Lexy started off being purposely created but then I left her with my imagination and she evolved into who she is today. I don’t tend to dream about my characters but as I’m exercising, driving or listening to music, they manifest themselves in my head. It’s extremely fascinating how that happens. And although Mica and Lexy were created independent of each other, they just happened to work out perfectly together as best friends. 

6. How did you pick names for your characters or did they come with their own already?

Melissa: That is such a cool question. I always loved the name Mica for a girl and I had been saving it up for the right character. When my red-haired bombshell with her sassy mouth and punk rock ways walked into my imagination, I knew Mica was the perfect name for her. My other character, Mica's love interest, needed a really strong, masculine name. I thought Eli was perfect.

Brenda: I have a list of names I keep on a document that I LOVE and want to use one day. Lexy was the one that jumped out at me and matched the character I was creating. Lexy is short for Alexandra, which of course, she hates.

7. Favorite movie and/or TV show?

Melissa: That question is WAY too hard. I have so many!!! How about I take TV shows and Brenda can do movies. We like all the same stuff anyway :)

TV Shows: Friends, Big Bang Theory and Rookie Blue

Brenda: Awwww Melissa… You know I have like a MILLION faves. Hmmmmm favourite movie of all time, if I have to narrow it down, is Dirty Dancing. Other movies that I can watch over and over and over again are: 10 Things I Hate About You, Never Been Kissed, She’s the Man and last but not at all least, all of the Twilight movies.

8. Favorite actor and/or actress?

Melissa: Leonardo DiCaprio is amazing. I think he's a really talented actor - and let's face it, he's gorgeous!

Brenda: I have a little thing for Rob Pattenson, but I actually prefer him when he has his own English accent. Super sexy (I created Tom so you can see I have a thing for Brits). I don’t miss a movie with Sandra Bullock and I also really REALLY love Lauren Graham, but she’s mostly in TV series rather than movies.

9. Who is your ultimate swoon worthy man? (Other than your hubby!)

Melissa: Brenda is going to read this and totally crack up. She knows my answer already... Paul Walker. Happy sigh!!!

Brenda: I TOTALLY could have answered that for her as she could about mine: Jason Behr (watch ‘Roswell’ and you’ll understand!)

(Ohh yes very yummy!!)
 

10. What is the most daring thing you have ever done or hope to do?

Melissa: I am afraid of heights so the most daring thing I've ever done is the Big Swoop in Rotorua. Basically you get strapped into a really strong sleeping bag, hooked onto a wire and pulled about 10 storeys into the air. I hung there like a petrified Superman then my hubby who was strapped beside me pulled the cord and well fell. After that initial drop, and I swallowed my heart back down, I had the best time swooping through the air. It was awesome!!

Brenda: On my bucket list is to do the 10 BEST roller coasters in the world (finances willing of course), I LOVE anything speedy and fast like that. One of these days I’ll do a bungy jump too. Love, love, love that stuff. But ask me to crawl through caves – NO WAY!

Thanks again Melissa and Brenda.
Its been great getting to know you both better and I wish you lots of success with Forbidden Territory and all future Mica & Lexy books :)

Here's their book and my review...

Title: Forbidden Territory: A Mica & Lexy Book
Author: Melissa Pearl and Brenda Howson

Release Date: July 1st 2012

Publisher: Self published

Source: Received from the authors for an honest review

Mica and Lexy have been best friends and next door neighbours since they were eight years old. They share everything and have no secrets from each other until... Tom arrives on Mica's doorstep - a gorgeous exchange student from England. And Lexy is smitten.

Suddenly both girls are keeping secrets. Mica is hiding news about Tom's English girlfriend and Lexy hasn't got the heart to tell her best friend that her brother Eli, the guy Mica is mad on, thinks of her as only a friend.

After a massive fight, the girls decide the best way to mend their friendship is to spend some quality time together. And what better way than to go camping away from their parents and why not invite along the guys they are crushing on.

So the four teenagers embark on a geo-caching expedition into New Zealand's native bush expecting a long weekend filled with flirtatious fun; instead secrets are exposed as they stumble across a hidden marijuana crop and its gun-wielding watchmen. Forced apart they spend the next forty-eight hours racing blindly in opposite directions as they fight to find each other before the hunters do.

My Thoughts

Forbidden Territory is the story of a group of average teenagers doing what average teenagers do.
Being good students, falling in love/lust, and finding secret armed compounds of large marijuana crops out in the bush!!

While seemingly average in every way, this group of teenagers are soon put to a test of physical and mental endurance, in a bid to outrun and outsmart a blood hungry group of no-nonsense criminals.

This book has everything...vivid story telling, a great cast of characters, intricate twists and turns with action galore and a little teenage angst thrown in too.

While written in differing points-of-view, by not one but two authors; Forbidden Territory is a coherant and well structured story you will find hard to put down.

Forbidden Territory is one of those books that immediately sweeps you up and carries you away on a spectacular journey, and I think anyone who has grown up in New Zealand will be carried away by childhood memories that this story invokes of adventurous games played in our many reserves and bushblocks - I know I have.

An exciting and adventurous 4 Star read ;]

Check out the tour schedule and giveaway here.

Purchase Links

Smashwords
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

Author Links

Twitter - Melissa

Twitter - Brenda

Facebook Fan Page - Melissa
Facebook Author Page - Brenda

Melissa Pearl Blog

Melissa & Brenda Blog - YAlicious

Goodreads - Melissa

Book Review: The Darkest Day by Britt Bury

Title: The Darkest Day (Immortal Heat #1)

Author: Britt Bury
Release Date: July 3rd 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

ALL-CONSUMING DESIRE . . .

Izel Campbell was raised to believe she is an immortal Fionn with the magical skills fo persuasion. But when she travels to Scotland to visit her ancestral home, Izel discovers that she is actually the world's last living human. Forced to run for her life, Izel crosses paths with Kelvin Kerr, the Campbells' greatest foe-and the most magnificent warrior she has ever seen.

BURNS BRIGHTEST . . .

A thousand-year-old battle chief of the Kerr clan, Kelvin lives only to avenge his father, who died at the hands of the bloody Campbells. Honor demands he kill the Campbell heir, but when he learns that the lovely Izel is both Campbell and human, Kelvin is torn between duty and desire . . .

ON THE DARKEST DAY

My Thoughts

Considering that this is the first in a new series, it has started off really well.
In a lot of cases, first books are slow to start and swamped with too much background and world building to let the story actually shine.
Thats not the case with The Darkest Day. It was a very well balanced, and interesting read.

Is it a little cliched and predictable?
Yes, but sometimes that can be a good thing. 

The Darkest Day follows a tried and true recipe.
Thats right, just like your favourite cake, The Darkest Day has been lovingly weighed and measured, baked at just the right temerature (hot) and smoothered in lots of yummy frosting and sprinkles ready for you to devour!!

Great characters, interesting and fresh storyline with plenty of action, angst and sex!
A very enjoyable 4 Star read ;]

LINKS

Author's website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

Childrens Book Review: Sparkle's Song by Samantha Hale

Title: Sparkle's Song

Author: Samantha Hale

Illustrator: Mariana Ruiz Johnson

Release Date: February 2012

Publisher: Maverick Arts publishing Ltd

Source: Received from PR company for the purpose of an honest review

Aunt Millicent does not allow music in her house, so when Sparkle hears a beautiful song coming from the forest, she wants to find out where it is coming from. Following a songbird, she discovers something magical that will change her life forever. 

A special gift book with a story about the magic of music by film-maker Samantha Hale, and stunning gouache illustrations by Argentinian artist Mariana Ruiz Johnson.

My Thoughts
 
I enjoyed reading this book but my Miss 5 lost interest in it pretty early on.
The illustrations are quite lovely and the story is sweet, if a little sad.
In fact, Miss 5 got upset and almost cried because Sparkle's parents died; she lost all interest after that.
Here's what she had to say about Sparkle's Song:

"I dont like it, its sad"

"I'll look at the pictures, but no reading!"

Although I convinced her to listen to the rest of the story, it was easy to tell it wasnt a book for her.
And I got a scrunched up sourpuss face in response to asking what she thought of the book, but I liked it.
 
So its probably not a book that all kids will like, but still a good 3.5 Star read :]

LINKS

Publishers Website

Publisher on Facebook