March Madness Book Hop Sign Up

Updated 3/1/2011 Linky sign up will close on Wednesday, March 2 at 11:59pm central.  Linky code will be emailed to all participants so make sure you put your email in the sign up entry form.

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March Madness Book Hop

 Are you ready for another giveaway?  Join my March Madness Book Hop.  This hop is open to bloggers and authors.  Please make sure you read all the info below, sign the linky list and fill in the entry form.  Linky code will be emailed to all participating blogs on Wednesday. If you have questions, you can contact me at thedivasbookcase@gmail.com

Here’s what’s going on

A blog hop is simple.  Each participating blog hosts their own giveaway.  The hop will give readers a chance to “hop” thru blogs on the link list entering as many or as few contests as they like.  Giveaways can be books, gift certificates, stickers, pens, or any other bookish swag.

Here are the rules

Giveaway starts Friday March 4 at 12:01am central and ends on March 6 at 11:59pm central

Each participating blog can give away whatever bookish items they chose.   

Please keep your rules for your giveaways simple so that your visitors can enter quickly and hop on to the next giveaway.

Giveaways can be US, US and Canada, or International, again your choice.

Giveaway posts should be written early and scheduled to run at 12:01 am central on March 4 so that you won’t have any last minute problems.  On giveaway day, sites that do not have a giveaway posted will be deleted from hop list.

Please fill out the Sign Up Entry Form if you are interested in participating and sign the linky below.

Diva Mail (24)

Good morning book peeps!  It's Sunday and time for In My Mailbox.  IMM is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

First of all I found a new new and used book hang out so I am totally giving Barnes & Noble the finger for making me take a road trip just to get to the nearest one.   You guys still suck for closing my fav one.  So here's what I bought and got for review last week.

Bought

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

This Side Of The Grave by Jeaniene Frost

For Review

The Darling Rebels by Siobhan Nichols

Urban Falcon by Jennifer Caloyeras

*Thanks to Diversion Press for review copies.

Sexy Saturday

Late with the hotness today, but here it is.  Enjoy the view, but please refrain from licking your screen.

To Be Read Tuesday

Here is what is on my TBR for this week.  What's on yours?

Stone Kissed by Keri Stevens

When Delia Forrest talks to statues, they talk back. She is, after all, the last of the Steward witches.

After an arsonist torches her ancestral home with her estranged father still inside, Delia is forced to sell the estate to pay his medical bills. Her childhood crush, Grant Wolverton, makes a handsome offer for Steward House, vowing to return it to its former glory. Delia agrees, as long as he'll allow her to oversee the restoration.

Working so closely with Grant, Delia finds it difficult to hide her unique talent—especially when their growing passion fuels her abilities.

But someone else lusts after both her man and the raw power contained in the Steward land. Soon Delia finds herself fighting not just for Grant's love, but for both their lives...

The Games People Play by C J Domino

When people look at Mercedes' life, this is what they see: a picture-perfect couple living fabulously. But behind closed doors, it's another story as she struggles to maintain the status quo glory. With bitches on her left and ho's on her right, it's a constant fight trying to remain a glamorous trophy wife. Sex, lies and alibis keep them together, but what's done in the dark will never last forever.

Meet Mercedes Barone, the beautiful wife of a former NBA All-Star. To the world, she has it made, living the high life, but as you read along you'll soon learn that walking in her three-inch heels is no easy task. From her backstabbing relatives to her husband's baby mamas, what really happens when a ride-or-die vixen is fed up with the drama?

Diva Mail (23)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

I didn't get anything in the mail last week, but I did buy two  books.  Here's what I got.

Blood Of The Rose by Kate Pearce
Dreams Of A Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

What goodies did you get this week?

Oh, I just changed the website over to a .com!  My new web addy is www.divasbookcase.com but if you are still using  www.divasbookcase.blogspot.com, you will be redirected to the new addy.

Sexy Saturday

Since I neglected my Sexy Saturday post for last week, I knew I had to post an Oh My Freaking God pix to make up.  So enjoy the view.

ARC Review: The Countess by Lynsay Sands

Series:  Madison Sisters, Book #1

Genre:   Historical Romance

Release Date:  January 2011

Publisher:   Avon

Author Website:  http://www.lynsaysands.net/

Format I Read:  ARC ebook

Pages:  222 (Nook pgs)

Source:  Net Galley

Reading Challenge:  Historical Romance Challenge

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb

The fairy tale courtship did not turn into a happily ever after…

Not until her husband dropped dead, that is. He had been horrible enough to Christiana during their short marriage, and she was not going to allow the traditional period of mourning to ruin her sisters’ debuts as well. So Christiana decides to put him on ice and go on as if nothing’s happened…

Until the real earl appears. Richard Fairgrave had every intention of confronting his villainous twin who robbed him of his name and title…only to discover that he’d died. Quietly assuming his identity, Richard must now deal with a maddening desire for his ravishing inherited “wife”—certainly a gold digger and possibly a murderess. And Christiana must deal with an unwanted new “husband”…and they both must figure out what to do before the ice melts!

Awesomeness:

“I assure you, you are welcome to anything in my home,” he said, straightening with dignity, and then added in a lie, “I just did not wish you to drink the whiskey out of anger.  I’m quite sure you would never have consumed it under normal circumstances, and it’s very strong.  It would have gone right to your head.”

Obviously not appeased by his explanation, she said dryly, “Yes, well now it’s gone to my bosoms instead.”

My Thoughts

First of all Lynsay Sands is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance writers because I have enjoyed every one of her book that I have read.  Her stories never contain super complicated story lines, but easy plots and likable characters that always find themselves in humorous situations.

The Countess is the first, but certainly not the last, historical romance that I have read by Ms Sands.  The beginning of the story had me raising my eyebrows and wondering if I wanted to continue.  I had already decided that I didn’t like the imposter husband, or the way he treated his wife.  Normally, disliking one of the main characters turns me off to a book, but thankfully, the fake husband was killed off and the real husband’s attempt to take his life back made the story more interesting.

Despite their rocky start, I knew there was an instant love connection between Richard and Christiana.  Their back and forth struggle to figure out if their growing attraction was real or if they were simply staying in the marriage to avoid scandal made me turn pages very quickly.  I was really rooting for Richard to win over Christian and her family so that the two could have a happy ending.

I loved Suzette and Lisa, Christiana’s sisters.  They were a handful and more than ready to issue a beat down to anyone they thought was abusing their sister.  I also loved the fact that they were willing to help off their brother-in-law just to make their sister happy.  

Overall The Countess was a fun read and I look forward to reading future books in this series.

Rating

Four flowers of love, very good and a recommended read

Other Books In This Series:

The Heiress, Book #2 (February 22, 2011)

Other Reviews Of This Book:

Goodreads

Shelfari

Winner: Valentine's Day Books With Love Hop

 Thank you so much to all of my old and new followers that entered the Valentine's Day giveaway.  And the winner is....

Dominique S

Woohoo and congrats, Dominque!  Please email me at thedivasbookcase@gmail.com by Monday 2/21 to claim your prize. 

If you didn't win, I still have two giveaways going on.  For a chance to win an ARC copy of  Mystify by Artist Arthur, click HERE.  For a  chance to win a $15 gift card from your choice bookstore, join my Kick Ass Heroine Reading Challenge HERE.  

Also, if you would like to sign up for my March Madness Book Hop, please click HERE

Giveaway: ARC copy of Mystify by Artist Arthur

Mystify: A Mystyx Novel, Book #2

By Artist Arthur

Kimani Tru | January 2011

Sometimes being an outsider is the best way to fit in…

Sasha Carrington has grown up feeling like an outsider, and her parents are too concerned with scaling the Lincoln, Connecticut, social ladder to even notice her. They’d be really horrified to know about the supernatural abilities Sasha and her friends Krystal and Jake possess. But as part of the Mystyx, Sasha has found her place.

Now her parents have suddenly taken an interest in everything she does, and their timing couldn’t be worse. Sasha’s father wants her to become BFFs with snooty Alyssa Turner, who hates Krystal for stealing her boyfriend. Then there’s Antoine Watson, the boy Sasha has liked forever, the boy her parents would never approve of. But with the dark side getting more dangerous by the day, and the Mystyx’s own powers growing in unexpected ways, Sasha is facing choices that could affect her friends, her love life—and even her destiny.…

I enjoyed this book (read my review here) and look forward to reading future books in this YA series.  Thanks to Lisa @ Online Publicist, I have one ARC copy of Mystify for giveaway.  

Giveaway is a print copy and is only open to US/Can residents.  Giveaway ends on March 3.  For a chance to win:

• Read my Contest And Giveaway Rules
• Be a GFC (Google Friend Connect) follower of this blog
• Fill out the Entry From

*To learn more about Artist Arthur and other books in her Mystyx series, visit her website and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

*To learn more about Lisa Roe, visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

To Be Read Tuesday

Here is what I will be reading on my Nook this week.  What's on your TBR for this week?

The Heiress by Lynsay Sands

Desperately seeking a husband . . .

Suzette is not like other heiresses; she wants a poor husband, a gentleman who will be so grateful for her dowry that he will allow her access to it so that she can pay off her father's gambling debts. When this alluring beauty encounters Daniel Woodrow—handsome, titled, single . . . and even more impoverished than she could have hoped for—it seems Suzette's wildest dreams have come true.

But Daniel has not been truthful. Tired of being accosted by an endless stream of vapid coquettes and their fortune-hunting mothers, Daniel has decided to plead poverty to stop them in their tracks. Yet here is a most refreshing and delectable lady, who claims to be thrilled by his penury. Now all Daniel has to do to find true happiness is to keep a little white lie alive . . . while avoiding a villain who's determined to prevent this union by any means necessary.

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Giveaway: Valentine's Day Books With Love Blog Hop

Happy Valentine's Day book lovers!  I hope you get lots of flowers, candy, and smooches.

This blog hop is hosted by Good Choice Reading and features over 75 blogs that will be giving away tons of bookish goodies.  The hop starts on Feb 14th and ends at midnight on Feb 16th.  Make sure that you visit each blog on the linky below and enter all the great giveaways.

For my giveaway, I will have a copy of Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh along with some bookmarks and other swag.  The giveaway is only open to US residents.  To enter the contest, follow the three simple steps

• Read my Contest And Giveaway Rules
• Be a GFC (Google Friend Connect ) follower of this blog
• Fill out the Entry From

Don't forget to check out my upcoming giveaways HERE and sign up for my March Madness Book Blog Hop HERE.

Good luck!

Diva Mail (22)

Good morning bookish peeps.  It's Sunday and I have to go to work later-gah!  I've had a slow posting week, but I have gotten some reading and reviewing done-just having posted it yet.  Yeah, I know that sucks but each time I start to edit a review for posting, my mind wanders and I end up doing other things on the interwebs.  Hopefully, I can actually focus this week and get everything scheduled.  


Anyhoo, it's time to share what books I got last week.  In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme sharing what bookish things you bought, borrowed, won, or received for review. 


I got one book in the mail for review and I bought three books.  Oh, I am so pissed at Barnes And Noble and Bookstar right now because the ones that I frequent have done the unthinkable and closed.  Now, I've got a thirty minute commute to the nearest BNB because the nearby Books A Million is just not the same(although I did get a few sale items there.)


When I finally got to BNB, my son gave me his famous "she'll be in here forever" sigh but I managed to shut him up by getting him a tasty sandwich and soup and a couple of activity books I found on sale.  So here's what I got for myself

Bought
My Fair Succubi by Jill Myles

For Review
Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut 

Bought-ON SALE!
Mama Dearest by E. Lynn Harris
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

*Thanks so much to Darby Karchut for review book and bracelet.

To Be Read Tuesday

So sorry that I have been slacking on my reading and reviewing.  I go through spells where my brain turns into  mush and my TBR suffers.  I think I'm good now.  I still have fourteen books on my TBR that I really need to get read by the middle of March.  There are tons of new books that I want to add to my list and other stuff I want to do on the blog, but I refuse to do a thing until I finish this list.  I'm currently reading Wither by Lauren Destefano (which I should have read last month), but as soon as I finish, here's what I'll be reading for this week.

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities.   And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don’t worship as attentively, teachers don’t fall for her wide-eyed “who me?” look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she’s always loved - Liam Ward - can barely even look at her anymore. 

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she’s wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul. 

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once. 

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Blog Is Under Construction!!

I've been feeling a change coming on for quite some time so please excuse my mess while I spruce up the blog.

Sexy Saturday

Take it off, baby!  I never get tired of looking at David Beckham.