"I do not just want to read books; I want to climb inside them and live there." -Anonymous

July 28, 2012

Review and Giveaway info for, The Soul's Mark: FOUND, extended edition, by Ashley Stoyanoff

Before I give my review I want to share Ashley's Giveaways she is having to celebrate the release of her book, The Soul's Mark: Found, Extended Edition.

The Goodreads giveaway ends on August 25th and her website giveaway will end very soon, on July 31st.
You can find info on both giveaways on her website http://www.ashleystoyanoff.com/book_giveaway.html

Here is a link to a Sneak Peek Chapter Of The Soul's Mark: FOUND http://www.ashleystoyanoff.com/sneak_peek.html

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Smashwords


The Soul's Mark: FOUND (The Soul's Mark, #1)
by Ashley Stoyanoff
YA Paranormal Romance
Published by: Ashley Stoyanoff Books
Pub. Date: July 20th 2012 (first published May 24th 2012)
Kindle Edition, Revised and Extended Second Edition
My Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥


Summary ~ from goodreads~


Anxious to leave her destructive past behind, Amelia Caldwell moves to Willowbwerg, excited for  a  fresh start. Once there, she discovers that her birthmark is more than it seems. She has been marked by a vampire's soul. Not only does she hold his soul, but Amelia is also his soulmate.


After almost a century of searching for his soulmate, Mitchell Lang fears the worst-he is going to lose Amelia to another man. His heart takes over, and his impulsive decision to take away her free will and to intensify their bond quickly turns her growing love into hate.


When they become trapped in the emotional rollercoaster of their souls' bond, open conflict erupts. Amelia has no intentions of belonging to anyone, not even her soulmate, and Mitchell refuses to let her go.


While she frantically searches for a way to escape his grasp, Amelia unlocks the painful memories of her past and uncovers a powerful secret. But before she has a chance to explore her newfound edge, she finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly game of revenge and is forced to realize that, 
YOU CANNOT RUN FROM DESTINY.


My Review:


First I would like to give a big thanks to Ashley Stoyanoff for giving me a copy of her extended edition of The Soul's Mark: FOUND. I loved the additional scenes that she added. I enjoyed reading it the first time and even more the second time. When I read this book the first time I gave it a 4 and a half  rating. Reading the extended edition I found that the pace of the book flowed better, and I found myself  liking Mitchell, Amelia and Erin better then I did before. This book has a well balance of drama, suspense, mystery and humor. I can't wait to start counting the days to read the next one.

Having a soulmate? Is it good, or bad to have one? There is no right and wrong answer for this. Your answer would depend on whether you are someone who can easily accept your destiny/fate. If you rather have more control, and prefer to choose the type of person you love, then a soulmate may not be for you.

Even though Mitchell and Amelia are destined to be together there is no immediate happy ending. Like all great and strong relationships, both of them have to want to work on accepting and trusting each other. I love how Amelia and Mitchell struggled and argued about their thoughts, feelings and differences. They both had moments of wanting to give up and I am glad they didn't.

I really love the characters in this story and felt a connection to several of them. I wish I had some of them as friends/family. I developed mixed emotions with several characters, this kept me on edge,(which is a good thing). The main characters had back stories, which gave them more depth and gave me an understanding for them. Amelia grows into a very strong female character. I loved reading Amelia's journey as she learns to deal with her personal tragedy, learns to embrace her destiny and makes some very difficult choices in her life. I like the splashes of humor written in with the drama as it unfolded. The ending left me wanting to continue the journey with Amelia and Mitchell.

The sequel, The Soul's Mark: HUNTED, will be released by the end of 2012!!!!

Check out these links to find out more about Ashley Stoyanoff :

website      http://www.ashleystoyanoff.com/about.html

goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5890982.Ashley_Stoyanoff

facebook https://www.facebook.com/AshleyStoyanoffTheSoulsMark





July 13, 2012

Happy Funny Friday the 13th!!!



I know that there are many people who really believe that Friday the 13th is a day of bad luck. For me it is a day of good luck. My son was born on a Friday the 13th, and he is a wonderful son. So in celebration of Friday the 13th, I decided to post some funny pics of black cats that I have found on the internet.

ENJOY!!!
Here is my cat Binx !!


Now for the pics I found on the web.....












July 12, 2012

I ♥ Gilmore Girls...



The opening dialog of the pilot episode.....(shorten version)


She goes into Luke's coffee shop, takes off her coat and walks up to the counter with her coffee cup...


Lorelai: Please Luke..Please, Please, Please..
Luke:  How many cups have you had this morning?
Lorelai:  None
Luke: Plus....
Lorelai:  Five, but yours id better.
Luke:  You have a problem.
Lorelai:  Yes, I do.


Luke pours her coffee..


Luke:   Junkie.
Lorelai:   Angel. You've got wings, baby.


A man watches Lorelai drink her coffee, then walks over to her.


Joey:   You make that look really good
Lorelai:   Oh it is really good. It's the best coffee in town.
Joey:   Oh Yeah? I will have to get a cup.
Lorelai:   Good plan.

Lorelai takes a coffee cup up to Luke, who gives her a stare...


Lorelai:   What? It's not for me. It's for Rory, I swear.
Luke:   Your shameless.

Luke:   So what'll you have?
Lorelai:   Coffee, in a vat.
Rory:    I'll have coffee also, and chili fries.
Luke:    That's quite a refined palate you've got there.

Luke:    Coffee, fries.I can't stand it. This is so unhealthy. Rory, put down that coffee. You don't want to grow up and be like your mom.
Rory:    Sorry, too late.



July 8, 2012

It all seems impossible until it is done......


I hope to get back to posting my book reviews this week. I have to take baby steps to get back in a routine, I have become very far behind.
 My Plan IS:
**To do very short reviews for those books that are popular
**To do longer reviews for books I feel do not get enough recognition
 (authors and books I consider to be hidden treasures)♥


My posting has become very few because of that thing called LIFE! I am making major changes in my life which has caused me to put  my posting on hold.
My life has felt like it has been stuck in cruise control for the past 5 years. I guess when life becomes stuck on auto pilot you do not recognize it until you have someone push you hard or slaps you out of it....
Being single (coincidentally for 5 years) and 44 years old, I just accepted what life has thrown my way and settled for what I was given. With out realizing it, I gave up on finding things that will boost my confidence and make me happy. I am taking control of my destiny and making a new path leading me where I want to go. I am setting new goals in my life to achieve  my dreams.

Accepting things in your life, trying to stay positive, and not creating waves, aren't necessarily a good thing. With a huge push from my daughter I am in the process of trying to purchase a house that seems just right for me. This has become a long and difficult undertaking. I have been excited, overwhelmed, frustrated, and on the verge of feeling like giving up. Making this huge effort to get this house (on my own) has really inspired me to better myself in every aspects of my life.

** I would like to give a huge shout out to my son Alex, my daughter Beth, and to my two best friends & cheerleaders Christy and Shannon. I love you guys!! You deserve my rating of ♥♥♥♥♥ plus infinity ;)

FYI
I decided that I will be working on two new pages to add to my blog. It will be a page with a list of my goals and achievements and a page of quotes that inspired me.