Blogiversary Day 4: Fangirl squees and a SIGNED copy of Crux by Moira Rogers

I think you all know I have a weakness for shapeshifters and books set in New Orleans. When I stumbled across Moira Rogers' Crux, Book 1 of their Southern Arcana series, I was thrilled - this book had both! I read it (devoured it is probably more accurate) and have been hooked on Moira Rogers' books ever since. I also love their Red Rock Pass series, and read two of their unrelated short stories -Last Call-Kamikazee and Under the Magnolia - both were great. Something about their wolves draws me in, and their Southern Arcana wolves especially appeal to me. Maybe the fact that they live in New Orleans makes them seem a bit more "real". Do I imagine running into them during the course of my day? I'll never tell. These hot, sexy wolves are interesting to read and it's so easy to get lost in their magical world.

When I heard Crux was going to be available in print version, I was thrilled! I confess I don't usually re-read books on my kindle - I don't know why. Crux is a book I want to re-read, and now I have a copy on my shelf next to my bed :)

From the Author's website:
Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn't crack...until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn't explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past-and her destiny.

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Want to win a SIGNED copy of Crux, Book 1 in the Southern Arcana Series?

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Answer this question/statement: Name an author you "discovered" through blogging!

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Ends July 1 at midnight central time.

Review and Giveaway: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

From the author's website:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

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I picked up this book when Ms. Stiefvater came to New Orleans for a book signing. I hadn't read Shiver yet, but planned to, "eventually". Why, oh why, did I wait so long to read this book?!?

When Grace was a small child, she was dragged off her backyard swing by wolves and almost killed. One wolf stopped the pack from killing her, and since then Grace has felt a special bond with "her wolf". She looks forward to seeing her wolf every winter, when the pack comes to the woods behind her house.

Sam has watched Grace ever since he kept the rest of his pack from killing her 6 years ago. He watches her from afar, thinking about her, wishing their lives weren't worlds apart.

After a wolf attack on a fellow student, the town decides to kill the wolves. As she arrives home after trying to stop the hunters, she spies a wolf on her porch - he'd been shot. Then, suddenly, not a wolf, a boy - Sam.

The love story between Sam and Grace is epic. You wouldn't think a story between teenagers could be, but the obstacles between them seem insurmountable. As they fight the end - Sam's eventual final change into wolf, they know that the time they have together is stolen from fate. Grace is very practical and pragmatic, Sam is a dreamer. He views his experiences as song lyrics, finding the beauty in everything. Together they fit together like pieces of a puzzle, each giving the other what they need to be complete. As they work through trying to experience a whole relationship in a matter of weeks, they are also trying to find a "rogue" wolf, a former classmate who was thought to be dead. The wolves in Ms. Stiefvater's world change according to the temperature. They're human in the warm months and wolf when it's cold. Her use of temperature at each chapter heading sets the urgency of the scenes.

The one thing I didn't care for was that there didn't seem to be any positive parenting influences. With the exception of Sam's pack leader, Beck, who had a few issues of his own, the parents of the teens were self-absorbed, absent, and/or clueless.

This book is like a painting; a work of art - the beauty is in the words. Can I use the word "beautiful" to describe Ms. Stiefvater's writing? (It's my blog, I vote yes.) When I think about this book I picture a painting in my head - stark white with splotches of color - bits of red dotted randomly around the canvas representing Grace's mother, light brown for her father. Sam is huge swaths of earthy green cutting across the canvas, and Grace is ice blue, like sunshine on snow. Add some black for Sam's pack and warm yellow for Grace's friends, and the painting is complete.

This book drew me in from the first few pages and I didn't want to put it down. I bawled like a baby during pages 341-344, and then again at the end for completely different reasons. As soon as I finish this review I'm going to read it again.

I give Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 5/5 stars - a definite keeper! I cannot wait to read the next book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series - Linger, which comes out July 20.

I know I've posted the Linger trailer before, but it really is a cool trailer:



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Thanks to Scholastic, I have one copy of Shiver to give away! Want to win it? Leave a comment below telling me whether or not a book has ever made you cry.

This book giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.) Contest ends at midnight central time on Monday, June 28.

First Shift excerpt from Rachel Vincent!!!

Rachel Vincent has released a snippet from the nex book in her Werecats series, Shift - Click here. She also released the blurb from the cover yesterday - see here. Shift will be released March 1, 2010.

I love this series and am very excited for this peek!!

Cover Alert - Shift by Rachel Vincent

I stumbled across the new cover for Shift over on SciFiGuy's site:

I love her covers! They way she left things in Prey, I just can't wait until this one comes out in March 2010. I love these books, Ms. Vincent is such a talented writer. If you haven't read them, check them out here, or read my review of the series here.

Ms. Vincent talks about her cover here.

Whew, crisis averted!

I had to go out of the office for work today, and while I was out I decided to stop by my neighborhood B&N to grab Prey, out today. I reserved it quite some time ago and have been anxiously awaiting it.

Prey is the 4th book in Rachel Vincent's Shifter series. Faythe is a were-cat who has been having a hard time accepting her responsibilities to her pride and throughout the series I've enjoyed watching her grow and learn about herself and her family (and Marc - see my fictional boyfriend list at right). I loved the first three and can't wait to see what happens next.

So, I stroll in and ask at the desk if my copy is in. No, it's not in and they don't have me down as reserving a copy. It came out today and they haven't unloaded their trucks yet. Damn! Well, her site said many places have put her book out early (maybe because she's not as famous? Dunno.) so I go into the back to check the SciFi/Paranormal section. Nothing. I'm really disappointed and am thinking about trying another B&N and as I'm walking down the Romance aisle - THERE IT IS!!!!! It was already on the shelf, in Romance??!! Whatev. I've got it!!!!!

Don't call me tonight.