August 6, 2011

My husband is going down!!!!

This morning my husband pulled a horribly evil prank and I am determined to get him back! So I NEED your help!

First, I want to tell you that I am probably the worst morning person ever (stay away or I might eat you alive.) My husband knows this more than anyone and he is the complete opposite. To make matters even worse, I was up until 3am reading the fabulous Divergent and he know this as well!

Anyways, I was supposed to be at work this morning by 8:45am, which means I should leave my house no later than 8:35. It is REALLY more than important that I’m at work BEFORE 9am.

So, this morning my husband snuggles up to me and says, “What time are you supposed to leave for work?” Through squinted eyes I look at my alarm clock (it’s about 20 minutes fast to guarantee that I get up on time), and it says 9:16!!! So I jump out of bed and run into the kitchen and look at the microwave clock at it says 8:55 and I say “Crap!" I screamed, "My alarm didn’t go off! I’m dead! I’m sooooo late!!!!” I start throwing on the first pieces of clothing that I can find. I’m running all over the house, I go to the restroom, brush my teeth and put on some deodorant. I grab my purse and phone and start running for the door.

But then I look at my phone and it says, "6:55!" PMg!?!?!? (PMg is Angeline Kace and my OMG) So...PMg!!! I say, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” No wonder why my husband was staring at me while I was going to the restroom. Immediately he starts laughing is butt off! I walk over to the microwave and the clock says 9:05am and my bedroom clock says 9:21! Can you believe it? He changed the freakin’ clocks on purpose! I am so MAD! My sleep in the morning is precious!

Now it is my turn to get him back! (Locking him out of the house this morning doesn’t count.) Luckily, he NEVER visits my blog, he barely checks his facebook page (maybe twice a month) and he never checks his email. So I am asking, “Please, please help me get him back!” I need something outrageously good. And it has to be logical…something that I can really pull off. And, as a reward, whoever gives me the best idea that I can actually use, will receive a swag pack from me. The swag pack can only be mailed to a US shipping address (I don't have the money otherwise), but I would still like to hear from the brilliant minds outside the US. If you are outside the US, maybe I’ll buy you a Kindle book if your idea is really good!

The SWAG

So please leave a comment(s) on this post of your idea and make sure include your contact info and state if you are US or International. I will make my decision by tomorrow night at 8/6/11 at 8pm PST. And I will keep you posted on how the prank played out!

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August 4, 2011

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Publisher's Summary:
An Impossible Romance.
Bitter Rivalries.
Deadly Choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

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My Take: Yay!! Vanish ended in the perfect spot possible and it still leaves me anticipating the next book and it’s release date. I want to know the date now!  It's so bad that I am searching all over the internet trying to find it! Grrrrr!!!!  If someone knows, please tell me! Firelight had such a crazy cliff-hanger that I was really worried that Vanish would end with the same type of cliff-hanger…or worse. But I am more than satisfied with the direction Sophie Jordan is taking with this trilogy.

Just like Firelight, I was completely sucked into Vanish, and the beginning of the book totally ROCKED! I was a little concerned that I was starting to have ill feelings for Jacinda due to her thoughtless actions and decisions. Especially the lying!  But she totally redeemed herself. There is still one particular thing that she did that really bothers me, but I guess I'll let it slide...  But I woudn't be surprised if it bites her a** in the last book.  Oh boy will that cause drama!.!.!

I ♥ Tamra now. Just thinking about her makes me think, "ahhhh!". In Firelight, Jacinda and Tamra’s selfishness was getting on my frickin' nerves.  I was really starting to get worried that the characters are nothing but Debbie Downers.  But just like Jacinda, Tamara proves that she's worth the love. Overall, even if they did have their self-pity moments, they would still think of how their actions affected others. I have also grown to have a soft spot in my heart for both Cassian and Az.

I’m also really happy that I was able to learn more about the pride in Vanish. It helped me get a better understanding of the pride people’s dynamics and understand why Tamra was happy to leave them in the beginning of Firelight. There is a twist at the end of Firelight about Will (I won’t say so I don’t spoil Firelight) but I was thrilled when I learned more about that twist at the end of Vanish.

I really love this series! I feel like I was able to get my young adult urban fantasy romance fix and I never had any of those annoying moments like I see in a lot of YA UF books these days...when I feel like I have already read it in another book. Now I am super excited and eager to learn about this supposed “enkros” (I hope I spelled that right.)

This is a series that I will be pimping out!

I'm going on a road trip with some friends up to Seattle to the Smart Chicks Kick It! tour.  So I need to make sure I get myself a copy of Vanish so I can get it signed by Sophie Jordan in October.  Yay...I'm so excited!
Received eGalley from:


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August 2, 2011

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Publisher's Summary:
A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

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My Take: I’m freaking out here! Seriously. What an anxiety inducing cliff-hanger at the end of Firelight! Luckily I have an eGalley copy of Vanish (the second book in this series) waiting for me, and I am dying to start reading it RIGHT now!

Oh, my, gosh! This book was amazing! I love a YA romance that gives me the tingles, gives my stomach butterflies and does a couple flips; and this one causes all these tingling emotions throughout the whole book. And even better, this romance story is set in a completely new type of fantasy world where humans can shift into a dragon-like form (they’re called “draki”.) The main character in this trilogy is Jacinda, and when she first manifests her draki, her people discover that she is a fire-breathing draki, the first in generations. Her people believed fire-breathing draki were extinct, so she is very important to the pride (the society of draki people), and the pride is determined to see her conceive more fire-breathing draki.

In the very beginning of Firelight, Jacinda goes on a rebellious daylight flying adventure with her draki friend, Az, which ends in a near disastrous draki-hunter attack. But during Jacinda and Az’s desperate escape attempt, one of the hunters, Will, finds Jacinda (in her draki form) hidden in a cave. Will (my heart *tap, tap, tap*) is mesmerized by the beauty of Jacinda’s draki form and tells the other hunters there’s nothing in the cave, essentially saving Jacinda’s life.

But after the hunter attack, the draki pride is so upset at Jacinda’s foolishness and near-death experience that they are determined to see that Jacinda never has the chance to put her life in danger again (so she can breed more fire-breathing draki!) So, Jacinda’s mom takes Jacinda and her twin sister, Tamra, and runs from the only life they’ve ever known.

While reading, I kept debating with myself over which sister was the most selfish. Jacinda is extremely upset they needed to run from the pride, but Tamra is thrilled (you’ll find out why when you read Firelight!) Yeah, they’re both extremely selfish but I understand Tamra’s point of view, and, at the same time, I also felt really bad for Jacinda.

This is a book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good YA Urban Fantasy Romance. So, read up and enjoy!

Buy it here:
Amazon ★ Barnes & Noble ★ Book Depository




This book was purchased with my own money.

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Dear followers, fans and peeps! Some of the books I review on Magical Urban Fantasy Reads are provided to me for free by either the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. Please know that I am in NO WAY compensated for my reviews. All opinions are mine and I am not required to give a positive review in exchange for a free book! But some of the purchase links on my blog are monetized through places like Amazon, Book Depository or Barnes & Noble.