Merry Christmas!

A very Merry Christmas everybody!

Have a wonderfull and happy Christmas weekend!

Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop

And it is time for the Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop hosted by I'm a reader not a writer and Oasis for YA

So somebody will be getting an after-Christmas present from me.

I was trying to think of a book to giveaway and I couldn't figure out which one I should offer. So I decided to just give you a book of choice for €10,- from the Book Depository. Just so you know €10,- is around $13,- but if you go to The Book Depository you can choose Euro's in the right top corner.

So how do you enter????

* Fill out this FORM
* This giveaway is International (to where ever The Book Depository ships)
* Please don't forget to check out my giveaway policy HERE
* This giveaway ends December 27th and I will announce a winner on the 28th.

This giveaway is now closed!

FILL OUT THE FORM

Don't forget to stop by all the other blogs to see all the other giveaways that are going on right now.

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Genre: Young Adult / Urban Fantasy
Series: Kate Grable #1
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Buy the book: The Book Depository

Someone’s been a very bad zombie.
Super-smartie Kate Grable gets to play doctor, helping out her high school football team. Not only will the experience look good on her college apps, she gets to be this close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds out that the coach has given the team steroids. Except the vials she finds don’t exactly contain steroids. Whatever’s in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating…zombies. Unless she finds an antidote, no one is safe. Not Aaron, not Kate’s brother, not her best friend…not even Kate…It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school.

What would you do when you find out your school becomes infected with a zombie virus. Yeah a normal person would make sure they run and stay away. No not Kate Grable, she is going to do what ever it takes to find a cure for this desease.

I enjoyed this book so much! It's a total zombie book but it is hilarious at the same time. While reading I was laughing out loud numerous times. This is a fast and easy read and I can not think of someone who would not enjoy this book. It's a total hoot.
Look don't read this book if you're looking for a serious zombie read because you are not going to find it reading this book. But if you want something entertaining this is the book to read.

I think Kate is one of my favorite characters I've read. She is a total nerd, she has a brain and she uses it wisely, she's funny and knows how to kick some zombie butt. Kate isn't someone you would picture being a heroine but she is definitely my favorite one.

This is the type of book you pick up when you're feeling down and when you finish it you will feel better immediately. Or just pick it up for a good laugh and lots of fun!

My rating: 4/5

Pro Luce Habere volume II by Krisi Keley

Genre: Paranormal

Series: On the Soul series #2

Publisher: TreasureLine Publishing

Find the author: Website | Facebook

Buy the book: Smashwords | Amazon (Kindle)
Source: I received a copy from the author

After an earth-shattering revelation by his maker that he doesn't truly understand, Valéry seeks a new world, free of the Old World's pain. Trapped in the darkness he can't escape, yet still touched by the light in the human lives he cherishes despite every dark deed, his attempt to determine who really is the monster further leads to him becoming one whose greatest deception is the lie he tells himself. Until two revolutions and two world wars later, the illusion is shattered to behold an enigmatic mortal girl.

Valéry's story continues. We follow him trough the next few centuries up until the end of the first book On the Soul of a Vampire. Valéry has had to endure a lot over the past few centuries. Still trying to figure out who and what he is, he gets to endure a loss of a lovedone, but also gaines another.

I loved to see how Michel and Valéry met, knowing them from the first book it was nice to see how this close and strong relationship found it's origin.
Every year and event that passes in this book has a great significans in the way Valéry ends up as the man we know him in On the Soul of a Vampire.

Krisi has an awesome way with words. She captures the right tone set with the right century, not forgetting that Valéry is from a whole different time. It all fits so well together within the story.
Her characters are well developed and all very important. Everyone of them playes an importent part in Valéry's life and the choices he makes. This is a complex story but written in a way that it all makes sence. Everything told playes a significant part in the story.

I really love Valéry's story. It shows how events, that you have no hold on, can change everything. How every decision made by another can make a significant change in your life, but also in the way you make your decisions and can change someone elses life. But it also shows that it doesn't have to mean you don't have the power to change you own life or the way you make your own decisions and that there is always hope. And that all told in an amazing story.

This story ends at the same time the first book ends but gives us that little bit of more information that makes you want to read the next book in the series right away.

My rating: 5/5

If you haven't read Pro Luce Habere volume I yet, you can also read volume I and II as one book. Smashwords | Amazon (Kindle)

Taboo by Casey Hill

Genre: Crime

Series: Reilly Steel #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book: The Book Depository

Source: Bought

Forensic investigator Reilly Steel, Quantico-trained and California-born and bred, imagined Dublin to be a far cry from bustling San Francisco, a sleepy backwater where she can lay past ghosts to rest and start anew. She's arrived in Ireland to drag the Irish crime lab into the 21st century, plus keep tabs on her Irish-born father who's increasingly seeking solace in the bottle after a past family tragedy.

But a brutal serial killer soon puts paid to that. When a young man and woman are found dead in an apartment, the gunshot wounds on their naked bodies suggest a suicide pact. But Reilly's instincts are screaming that something's seriously amiss, and as more bodies are discovered, the team soon realises that a twisted murderer is at work, one who seeks to upset society's norms in the most sickening way imaginable...

Reilly Steel, born in Ireland, moves from California to Dublin to lead the Dublin forensics team to modernisch the lab. She is not really excepted there, only by the younger crowd walking the lab. And while trying to teach them something they have murders to investigate. Together with Detective Chris Delaney and his partner Kennedy they have to figure out the clues that were left by the killer. But they really have to do some puzzle work to try and figure this one out.

Where normally a crime novel is all about detective work, this book combines the detective work with the forensic work that comes with crime solving. I really liked this combination although I thought there was room for some more details on the forensic part of the story.
I liked these characters. Reilly is a strong woman who knows what she's doing. Due to events in her past she suffers from nightmares. And even when nobody wants to go along with her therories based on evidense she doesn't give up. I really liked Chris Delaney and Kennedy. Their interaction is great and they compliment eachother well. Chris warms up to Reilly fast while Kennedy takes a while to even consider her theories and her "touchy-feely" way of finding evidence.

The story itself has a great build up to the plot. Where the murders are gruesome, the writing misses that bit of detail to give them a real impact when you read it. But on the other hand I love it when I totally picture a crimescene and others don't so it's totally personal. On the other hand the writing does make sure you're on the edge of your seat and let you flip page after page to see what else they uncover.

My rating: 4/5

The Executioner by Chris Carter

Genre: Crime

Series: Robert Hunter #2

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Find the author: Website | Facebook

Buy the book: The Book Depository

Source: Bought

He knows what scares you to death....

Inside a Los Angeles church, on the altar steps, lies the blood-soaked, decapitated body of a priest. Carefully positioned, legs stretched out, arms crossed over the chest, the most horrifying thing of all is that the priest's head has been replaced by that of a dog. Later, the forensic team discover that, on the victim's chest, the figure 3 has been scrawled in blood.

At first, Detective Robert Hunter believes that this is a ritualistic killing. But as more bodies surface, he is forced to reassess. All the victims died in the way they feared the most.
Their worst nightmares have literally come true. But how could the killer have known? And what links these apparently random victims? Hunter finds himself on the trail of an elusive and sadistic killer, somone who apparently has the power to read his victims' minds. Someone who can sense what scares his victims the most.
Someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted aim. (backcover)

Robert Hunter is back. Our nearly perfect detective, together with his partner Garcia. To be honest I've come to like Garcia better then Hunter because Hunter just is a little bit to perfect for my taste (a second pair of handcuffs????)
But that said this is yet again a great written crime novel. It's dark and gritty. And definitely isn't for the faint hearted. The crime scenes are graphically written and there is a seriously sadistic serial killer on the loose. 
  
Just as in the Crucifix Killer we get two serial killers for the price of one in this book. In the Crucifix Killer the 'secondary murderer' really added nothing much to the story but this time this 'secondary murderer' is woven well into the story. Although I wasn't all that fond of the psychic part which came with this part of the story.

The story is fast paced and had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. With the events taking place and the short chapters it is really hard to put the book down. And even though the motive is revealed halfway through the story the identity of the killer was a surprise for me. I would not have guessed that and Chris Carter even had me fooled at one point. The plot was well thought out and the motive of the killer is a global, social issue which makes it that even though this is a sadistic serial killer this makes him human.


I really enjoyed this second installment of the Robert Hunter series and I'm looking forward to reading more from Chris Carter.


My rating: 4/5

Winners On the Soul series by Krisi Keley

 

Winners!!!!!!

Krisi Keley is kind enough to offer every commenter on her giveaway the eBooks of her On the Soul series! So everyone will receive both ecopies of On the Soul of a Vampire and Pro Luce Habere I!!!!

Thanks so much Krisi for this awesome giveaway!

And to the winners: Enjoy reading!

Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Living with the Dead #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Find the author: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy the book: The Book Depository
Source: Bought

Meet Sarah and David.
Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On the routine trip to their counsellor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard and the fact that their counsellor, Dr. Kelly is ripping out he previous client's throat.

Meet the zombies.
Now Sarah and David are fighting for servival in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But just because there are zombies doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains first, they might just kill each other... (backcover)

I had so much fun reading this book. I was giggling throughout the book and it even gave me a few laugh out loud moments. Sarah and David are bickering about everything throughout the book while trying to survive this zombie apocalypse and this makes for a funny combination. So how are Sarah and David staying alive? Well with loads of luck, who knew a high heel shoe, a doctor Phill book and even a toilet seat would be good material to take a zombie down? Also the loads of (zombie)movies that David watched seem to help a bit. And aiming their frustration towards the zombies instead of each other not only seems to save their lives, but maybe their marriage.

The story is told from Sarah's point of view. Sarah is funny, witty and brave, she keeps a hold on herself during this zombie apocalypse. I liked her. It's mostly just Sarah and David and the zombies. The few other characters that pop up don't stay long.

This is such an entertaining read. Sarah and Dave are bickering about everything and nothing and since they are mostly together that is quite some bickering. Between and during the bickering there is lots and lots of zombie killing action going on in this book. It's not a a romance novel this is zombie mayhem in the most funny way.

My rating: 4/5

Winner Literary Bloghop

Congratulations!

Congrats to: The Book Whisperer.

You win your book of choice of one of the books listed below

I'll send the winner an email, please respond within 72 hours.

And thank you Judith from Leeswammes's blog for hosting this amazing bloghop.

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

*CLOSED*

The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop is hosted by Judith at Leeswammes' Blog.
Between now and Wednesday, October 19th, you can hop to over 50 different book blogs, all offering one or more giveaways of books or bookish items. All books are literary, (non)fiction or something close to that.

You know this is October and I think something scary is in order. So I took a look at my bookshelves in search of something that still fits the literary part of this blog hop (well at least a little). So what are my shelves full of that don't include the supernatural?
Yeah Serial Killers! So I picked my favorite serial killers I read lately.

Taboo by Casey Hill (Reilly Steel #1)
The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter Series #1)
The Executioner by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter Series #2)
Die For Me by Karen Rose (Daniel Vartanian #1)

So I will be giving away one of the books mentioned above. Winner's choice.

The book will be shipped through The Book Depository so this giveaway is open to wherever The Book Depository delivers.

So what do you have to do?
* Leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you won.
* Tell me which book you would like to win
   (Just because I'm curious, you can change your mind)
* You do not have to be a follower but it is much appreciated.
* This giveaway ends on October 19th 2011
* Winner will be picked by Random.org
* I will notify the winner by email. The winner has to answer my email within 72 hours.
   No answer means I will pick another winner.
* Do not forget to read my giveaway policy.

*CLOSED*

winner announced soon

Now if you're done then hop on over to Leeswammes' Blog where you can find Judith's giveaway and a list of all the other blogs that are participating in this Blog Hop.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway for the On the Soul Series by Krisi Keley. Three books, two winners!
These books are my favorites I've read in a really long time.

Guest post Krisi Keley and giveaway

Today I welcome Valéry from the On the Soul series on my blog.

He is one of my favorite characters and I'm really happy he was willing to take the time to come over today.

Don't forget to look for the giveaway at the end of the post.

A Friendly Word of Advice from a Vampire

Vampires can’t be real, right?  I mean, in this rational and scientific age, who could truly believe in an undead being who sustains immortal bodily existence simply by feeding on the blood of living beings?  It’s just an ancient myth, further perpetuated by medieval man’s inability to understand disease or the natural process of death, coupled with some of his religious hang-ups about good and evil, his concept of sinful lust and the universal “there’s got to be a terrible price to pay for accepting earthly immortality over the spiritual kind” thrown into the mix.  You agree?

Yes, well…  This theory sounds fairly reasonable on the surface, I admit.  .But there are a couple of holes in it.  Of the fatal neck wound variety, one might say.  Actually, maybe more than a couple, but here are a few that stand out:  The myth long predates any Judeo-Christian concept of sinful lust (think the Sumerians circa 3500 B.C. and more ancient still).  It exists in almost every culture and religion, some with extremely variant ideas on both lust and immortality.  It has survived into this rational and scientific modern era which does understand disease and the natural process of death.  And it still captivates the mind, and maybe something even deeper, as much as it ever has.

This makes one wonder then, doesn’t it, what is the power in this myth?  What about it makes it able to cross divergent cultures, worldviews and millennia?  Why does it survive, even if only as interesting fiction to most?

Some might suggest that it is because myth is not, in fact, synonymous with fiction, as is a frequent modern misconception.  Others might say that not even fiction is ever fully fictional.  Instead, it might be said that all myth and fiction are founded in truth, however obscured, and that they call to our awareness of that truth, no matter how deeply buried it is inside of us.

My suggestion is that you ask yourself these two simple questions:  can something be true, but still be missing the fundamental truth?  Or can it be true, but misinterpreted severely enough that it renders the truth unbelievable?

If you can answer “yes” to either of these questions, read on for a little more reflection because, I daresay, you already believe that vampires can be real.

Bloodlust

A defining characteristic of the modern vampire, to be sure; but what if this most important of traits is where man has been so led astray?  After all, in these enlightened times, it is pretty difficult to see how simply sipping the red stuff could bequeath bodily immortality.  There are quite a few creatures that live on it, from a breed of bats to leeches to those pesky unwanted summer visitors.  But as eternally annoying as mosquitoes can be, we all know they don’t live forever.  To the contrary, a few months, tops, I believe.  So, outside of one’s own veins, blood would seem to have no magical properties of life.

Now, not to suggest that the legend has gotten it all wrong.  Far be it from me to take the most spectacularly horrific trait from the thing.  God knows no one less than a monster would consider spilling a human being’s blood.  And drinking it?  How gross – unless it’s cooked up in a juicy steak, of course.

Still, even if blood can’t supply immortality, have you ever thought on this:  if a creature’s fulfillment required bringing about a death that was slow, intimate and more sedating than traumatic, what would be the most optimum way to deliver it?  I grant you, if the death was all that was desired and the blood was not the source of nourishment, it would seemingly be pointless to drink it.  Mm, yes, but then again, how many colas and cupcakes have you eaten this year?

Just Plain Lust

This is the strangest one, from my point of view, yet the most popular in modern times.  An association with guilt over lustful desires might have been a factor in the legend from early medieval times into the early 20^th century, but that’s a pretty much discarded guilt these days, from what I can see.  And nonetheless, vampires seem representative of sexual desire more than ever.  Odd, all things considered, that in an age where sexual violation and non-consensual relations are almost the only kind frowned upon, a creature that kills his date at the end of the night is considered sexy.  But medieval moralizing aside, even the simple idea that a being considered all but dead would be, nevertheless, a sexual being, has always struck me as bizarre.  Sex is all about life; vampires all about death.  So how is it the twain did meet?

Well, this one’s a little complex for a casual article on the topic, but for those who still do believe man has a spiritual nature, not only a physical one, have you ever thought deeply on how the two are connected?  In other words, if all earthly experience has an impact on the soul and prepares one for spiritual existence, where does sex, pardon the pun, fit in?

And Last But Not Least…

Immortality.  Great subject and just never gets old, does it?  Also the last sticking point in the whole crazy myth, I imagine.  For, after all, who lives forever?  And even if one could, modern scientific genius has not worked out the problem of aging.  Creaky joints and tooth loss wouldn’t make for the most skilled vampiric hunting, assuredly.

Well, here I’ll just suggest that the word “undead” is causing all the problem – you know, the whole walking corpse thing Eastern Europe fixed in everyone’s mind.  Not to put to fine a religious point on it, for those who avoid that sort of thing, but there is at least one story about resurrection in which the protagonist returns much more than a reanimated dead body, isn’t there?

But, how dangerous can a vampire be, if he’s offering advice to his victims about the existence of his kind, you might be thinking.  And I’d agree this conclusion has merit.  But, of course, if vampires are real, I’d be one among many.  So if you’re now a little bit worried you discarded the myth or chalked it up to entertaining fiction prematurely, you might want to do some further reading, if only for the sake of self-preservation.

Thanks for the warning Valéry I'll definitely keep it in mind.

And thanks so much for stopping by today.

Krisi Keley has a degree in theology from DeSales University and has also studied foreign and classical languages. She was born in Philadelphia and currently lives in Chester County, PA with her family and eight dogs. On the Soul of a Vampire is her first novel and a second edition of the book with TreasureLine Publishing is now available on Amazon. Pro Luce Habere Volume I, Book II in the On the Soul Series, is expected to be released this summer, 2011 and the author is presently at work on Book II Volume II and Book III of the series.

Check out the website of Krisi Keley for an excerpt of the books and more information HERE. You can also find her on Facebook. 

Buy the books:

On the Soul of a Vampire: Smashwords | Amazon | Amazon (Kindle)

Peo Luce Habere: Smashwords | Amazon | Amazon (Kindle) 

My review of:

On the Soul of a Vampire   |    Pro Luce Habere I

Giveaway

Thanks to Krisi Keley I will be giving away an ebook of On the Soul of a Vampire and Pro Luce Habere I to one winner and a ecopy of either On the Soul of a Vampire or Pro Luce Habere to another winner. So there will be two winners! This giveaway is international.

So here is what you have to do:

* First check out my giveaway policy

* You do not have to be a follower but it is much appreciated.

* Leave a comment with your email

* This giveaway will end October 22th 2011

* Winners will be chosen by random

You get an extra entry if you tweet about this contest (don't forget to leave a link in the comments)

Pro Luce Habere I by Krisi Keley

Genre: Paranormal

Series: On the Soul series

Publisher: TreasureLine Publishing

Find the author: Website | Facebook

Buy the book: Smashwords | Amazon | Amazon (Kindle)

Source: I received a copy from the author

For eight hundred years, Valéry Castellane has known only one kind of light - the light in those human beings he's had to kill so he might live. The last of these has been the most brilliant light of all, the light of the one sent to tell him that heaven was never really lost to him. But did he destroy all hope for it in attempting to make this angel a human love he could hold forever on earth, or is the mystery of this vampire's salvation yet to be fully revealed? Sometimes the key which unlocks the secret of what's to come is hidden in the past. Take another journey with a vampire, through eight centuries of dark human history which have, all along, been leading him to the light.

Volume I: "You continue to see the lie before you, no matter how often it speaks the truth!" Valéry warned Angelina in On the Soul of a Vampire, when she refused once again to see in him the monster he saw in himself. And as at the end of his first story, she lay dead in his embrace, it would seem it was he, not she, who had the clearer sight. But in the place between life and death, the soul is exposed to the light. Relive the memory of Valéry's descent into darkness as he does, from the child of faith who set out on the Children's Crusade in 1212 to desperate 14th century creature of the night, before deciding who was really right.

This is the second installment of the On the Soul series and is a prequel to On the Soul of a Vampire.

In Pro Luce Habere we go back in time to 1212, when Valéry is just a 14 year old boy set out to join a children’s pilgrimage together with his best friend Noël. For the first part of the story we follow Valéry in this pilgrimage where they encounter hardship, shipwreck, loss of friends and the betrayal that comes to make him a slave. Four years later after being nearly beaten to death he is saved by Lukios, an ancient vampire, but at a terrible price which Valéry isn’t sure he wanted to pay.

After this we travel with Valéry on a journey through Europe over a period of three centuries where Valéry tries to discover who and what he is now.

IMM #8

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created and hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren for bloggers to show all of the great books or book related things that you have gotten over the past week!  It can be books bought, gotten from the library, received for review etc.
Go HERE to read more about IMM.

I got one new book this week:

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

I've heard a lot of buzz arond this book but when a Goodreads friend of mine described this book to me as "Looney Tunes with severed body parts" I knew I wanted to read this. So I ordered it a few wees go and this week I finally received it.

I can't wait to start this one.

So this is what I got this week. What did you get?????

Teaser Tuesday #1

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

Just do the 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 SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"And this was all still the case when I came into Die, a little less than two months after I'd been beaten to the brink of death in Palestine."

"Dulce sensed the presence behind her as she filled a pail with water at the banks of the river and she turned in my direction before I had crossed the last few feet between us."

Pro Luce Habere - To Have Before the Light by Krisi Keley

Page 93

Don’t forget to go to Should Be Reading and leave your teaser.

IMM #7

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created and hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren for bloggers to show all of the great books or book related things that you have gotten over the past week!  It can be books bought, gotten from the library, received for review etc.
Go HERE to read more about IMM.

I'm a day late with my IMM but due to some migraines and really bad weather which made me shut my computer down I'm just gonna do a IMM on a monday instead of a sunday.

This week I got for review

Elegy by Christopher Kellen

I received Elegy fro the author trough LibraryThing

Hammer of Thor by S. Evan Townsend

I received Hammer of Thor from the Author.

And I bought

Shut your Eyes Thight by John Verdon

I already got the first book in this series and when I saw this one in the bookstore I thought I should take this one home to.

So this is what I got this week. What did you get???