Waiting on Wednesday (July 7)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiance and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything…

When Andie meets the two children she quickly realizes things are much worse than she feared. The place is a mess, the children, Carter and Alice, aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. What’s worse, Andie’s fiance thinks this is all a plan by North to get Andie back, and he may be right. Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting…
What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-in-law, and, of course, her jealous fiance. And just when she thinks things couldn’t get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them.

If Andie can just get rid of all the guests and ghosts, she’s pretty sure she can save the kids, and herself, from the past. But fate might just have another thing in mind… (From Goodreads)

Published by St. Martin's Press
Release Date: August 31, 2010

I love Crusie's books, and I'm glad she's releasing a new solo book (the past few that she's written have been co-authored)!

Teaser Tuesday (July 6)

What is Teaser Tuesday?
It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules:Grab your current read...
Open to a random page
Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on the page
Don't include spoilers

I've been reading some poetry lately, and instead of posting a teaser from the current YA novel I'm reading, I thought's I'd post one of the poems.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
-Robert Frost

It's one of his most popular poems, and was inspired by Dante's Inferno.

In My Mailbox (July 4)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

For Review:

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel (ARC edition/Published by St Martin's Griffin/Release Date: August 3, 2010)

"Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one." Those were some of Rhode's last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face. It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste. Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn't Rhode.

But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.

I never expected to be sixteen again...then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me... (From Amazon)

I'm pretty excited about this one, I've only heard good things so far.

Purchased:

Barnes and Noble was having their red dot sale last week, and aside from Sizzling Sixteen, they were all 2.99 or less. I'm not going to post each book's full synopsis, but I will link to Goodreads.

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

It’s summertime in Jersey And all across the land It’s time for Summer Reading And working on your tan. But no vacation can start Or go off without a hitch Unless you’ve packed your bag With the latest Evanovich. Yes, it’s time for Stephanie and gang To get up to their old antics With Grandma, Lula, Connie too— (Partial Synopsis from Goodreads)

Bite Me by Melissa Francis

AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire—as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend—whom she's still totally in love with, by the way—is now her stepbrother. A former classmate—who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire—is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood? (From Goodreads)


Jennifer's Body by Audrey Nixon
Someone needed to put a stop payment on Jennifer Check. Some people find it hard to believe that a babe like Jennifer Check would associate with a dork like me, Needy Lesnicki. But we had history. We'd been the Wonder Twins since we were preverbal, and sandbox love never dies. Or at least that's what I thought. But after that night in the woods, Jennifer was different. She looked different. And then the killings began. . . . A lot of people ask me if I'm sorry I did it. I'm only sorry I didn't do it sooner. (From Goodreads)

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He's strong and silent...and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn't want them. (Partial Synopsis from Goodreads)

Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Browne

Hester Browne created a unique heroine in Melissa Romney-Jones a.k.a. Honey, London's ultimate freelance girlfriend, who won the hearts of readers on both sides of the Atlantic in her "charming and feel-good"(Cosmopolitan) and "funny and original" (People) earlier adventures. (Partial Synopsis from Goodreads)

Deception Giveaway Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest for copies of Deception by Lee Nichols. The winners were chosen by random.org, and they are:

JESSY

and

MICHELLE

Congratulations, I've sent you both emails with the details!

Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

When Sophie Mercer turned thirteen, she discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-Gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hecate Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward prodigium, a.k.a. witches, fae, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard. Three powerful enemies who look like supermodels; a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock; a creepy, tag-along ghost; and a new roommate, who happens to be the most-hated person and only vampire on campus. Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her friend Jenna is the number one suspect. Meanwhile, Sophie has a more personal shock to grapple with. Not only is her father the head of the prodigium council, he's the most powerful warlock in the world, and Sophie is his heir. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all prodigium, especially her. (From Goodreads)

Sophie Mercer is both a witch, and an outsider. She's not a particularly knowledgeable witch, as the reader finds out soon after the book begins. Of course, it isn't really Sophie's fault that she cast an out-of-control love spell. Her powers come from her father, who she has very little contact with. While her mom is understanding, as a mortal she is unable to teach Sophie to use and control her gifts. Sophie is also extremely funny. There were quite a few scenes in the book that had me laughing aloud. The most memorable in my mind happened when Sophie arrived at Hecate Hall (aka Hex Hall). Sophie's getting charged by a werewolf, and instead of screaming and running in the other direction, she shouts, "BAD DOG!" (Page 19). Her roommate, Jenna, was another great character. She's the only vampire student at Hecate, and is an outsider herself.

I also enjoyed the plot of the book. What I appreciated most was Hawkins ability to create paranormal characters who weren't cliche. She made each prodigium (witches/faeries/werewolves/etc) into a character who was more than their gift. I found it especially nice to read about Jenna. She was a vampire who drank blood, and Sophie saw that (no sparkly vamps here). I also enjoyed learning the history of the prodigium. Without giving too much away, I thought this story was particularly unique. Of course, the book was also filled with suspense, a bit of romance, and some great twists.

This was a great debut by Hawkins. It's a suspenseful, funny story that has substance. Now, I just have to wait until spring 2011 for the sequel.

Hex Hall
By Rachel Hawkins
Published by Hyperion
336 Pages
Rating: B+