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Sunday 30 September 2012

Showcase Sunday #11 V-log


  Hi Guys!  Welcome to another Showcase Sunday :D  I've had enough books in to do a video, so I hope you enjoy watching it!!

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky @ Books, Biscuits & Tea- what a great way to see what everyone else has had in their mailboxes :D









For all the links to Goodreads please click on the titles:

Many thanks to:
Hachette UK

Mira Ink
& Author Melanie Gavillet

For the chance to win your own paperback copy of a Gathering of Blackbirds and see the author interview with Melanie click HERE

 What books did you get in your mailbox this week?  Leave a comment and a link and I will have a peek :D


    Saturday 29 September 2012

    Author Interview & Giveaway: Gathering of Blackbirds by M. M. Gavillet

    Here at Chocolate Chunky Munkie I'm pleased to have author M.M. Gavillet drop by and answer some questions.  The author has kindly provided three copies of her book, Gathering of Blackbirds, so I can hold a giveaway!!  check out the book, author interview and at the bottom you'll find the giveaway, it's open to Everyone.  Gathering of Blackbirds is a YA Urban Fantasy story.



    Released: August 12th 2012
    Publisher:  Createspace
    Series:  Yes #1
    Format:  Paperback
    Author Site: M.M. Gavillet


    Goodreads Synopsis:

    When fifteen-year- old Emily Moore buys a necklace at a thrift shop, she didn’t expect that purchase would land her in the middle of an ancient struggle between powers of lost civilizations.
    It isn’t until she saves Gabe, a fellow classmate and a boy she hardly knows, from two strangers that drifted into the small Midwest town of St. Francis, does she realizes the danger she had fallen into. This is Emily’s first encounter with the Alliances Creed, a group devoted to securing magical implements.
    Now, caught red-handed with a magical pendant, Emily must prove her innocence or suffer consequences of the laws of Atlantis.
    With Atlantis and many hidden worlds at risk, it is up to the Blackbirds-a small group of the Alliances Creed, to save magic from evil. Gabe, leader of the Blackbirds, protects Emily, who can suddenly hear silent messages sent centuries ago, only strengthens her ties to Atlantis. But how can a human girl do this? That is what the Blackbirds would like to know…



    Author Interview: M.M. Gavillet

    1.) Tell us a little about yourself.
     I live in Illinois with my husband, two children and an array of animals on our sort of hobby farm. I wish I could say something interesting, but my life is really is pretty quiet. Unlike many authors that you may read about, I wasn't born with a book in my hand and I didn't stay up at night reading, in fact, I was forced to do book reports as a child and it wasn't until I was in high school did the reading bug as well as writing bug bit me. Since then, I have conjured stories in my head and even wrote some on notebook paper and now I save most of them on my handy dandy flashdrive.

     2.) What inspired you to become a writer? 
     Not sure if I ever was hit by the lightening bolt of inspiration to become a writer, but I may have stood somewhat close to it. I think writing sort of found me and I always felt it was something in me that no matter how much you try to stop it, you can't. Writing to me is like a seed that needs to sprout, find the sun and drink a little water-it is hard work and frustrating at times, but like anything else, it is worth it. The last few years I have read a lot and written a lot and then repeated both over and over again.

    3.)Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. 
    Only one and I already used it! :) But, really, with the market flooded with many wonderful paranormal romance, urban fantasy novels for YA, I personally like and stuck to the urban fantasy genre, but wanted to venture in a different direction than vampires, werewolves etc., so if you're looking for something different, then my book is it.

    4.)What sparked your idea for your novel? 
     I don't recommend this, but driving in my car. I am usually by myself and not pulled in a million different directions and can actually think. I got the idea to write my novel from the hundreds of blackbirds that would gather in the fall and fly around the countryside like a giant black blanket to the different fields around the area. After observing this, I thought there needed to be a story about them and though the original story is far from the finished project, it is amazing how you can start in one place and end up in an entirely different one.

     5.) Your favorite authors? 
    Cassandra Clare, Amanda Hocking, Libba Bray,Jack London, J.R.R Tolkien and Christopher Paeolini to name a few.

    6.) If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? 
    This is a hard question, but I wold have to say Tolkien. His stories are so rich in history and characters, it would be interesting to find out his creative process and how he got his ideas.

     Thank you Melanie for taking time to answer my questions, some great answers  :) 

    Giveaway Details!!

    Chance to win your very own paperback copy of Gathering Of Blackbirds by M.M. Gavillet


    So here are the details: 
    • There will be 3 winners- Each winner will receive a paperback copy of Gathering of Blackbirds directly from the Author.
    • ·         Open to Everyone·      
    • You must fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter
    • Giveaway will end 31st October 2012
    • Please don't leave your email address in the comments box 


    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Wednesday 26 September 2012

    Wishlist Wednesday #48

    Every Wednesday, Dani at Pen To Paper features Wishlist Wednesday, a meme in which you can list a book that you really want to read or keep meaning to get. These are books that you want to add to your wishlist, and believe me there are plenty!  I've decided to use Dani's feature every Wednesday :)

    So what do you need to do to join in?
    • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
    • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
    • Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
    • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.
    • Put a link back to pen to paper (http://www.pentopaperblog.com/) somewhere in your post.
    • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

    So here is my book for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday:



    Goodreads Synopsis:

    In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning.Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

    Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

    Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.


    I stumbled upon this book whilst browsing the recommendations list on Goodreads, even though the cover doesn't scream read me, the synopsis does.  It sounds fast paced and exciting, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy when it comes out in January 2013.  On the wishlist it goes :)

    Tuesday 25 September 2012

    *** Review*** The Uninvited by Liz Jensen



    Released:  July 5th 2012
    Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus
    Series: No
    Format: Digital ARC
    Source:  From Netgalley for review purposes
    Author Site:  Liz Jensen




    Goodreads Synopsis:

    A seven-year-old girl puts a nail-gun to her grandmother's neck and fires. An isolated incident, say the experts. The experts are wrong. Across the world, children are killing their families. Is violence contagious?

    As chilling murders by children grip the country, anthropologist Hesketh Lock has his own mystery to solve: a bizarre scandal in the Taiwan timber industry. He has never been good at relationships. Asperger's Syndrome has seen to that. But he does have a talent for spotting behavioural patterns, and an outsider's fascination with group dynamics.

    Nothing obvious connects Hesketh's Southeast Asian case with the atrocities back home. Or with the increasingly odd behaviour of his beloved step-son, Freddy. But when his Taiwan contact dies shockingly, and more acts of sabotage and child violence sweep the globe, Hesketh is forced to make connections that defy the rational principles on which he has staked his life, his career and - most devastatingly of all - his role as a father.



    My Review:

    The Uninvited is the third Liz Jensen book I have ever read, so I generally know what to expect when I pick one of her books up.  If I'm comparing it to The Rapture and the Ninth Life of Lois Drax then I have to be honest and say it didn't really come up to scratch against these two books.  The premise of the story was really interesting but I did find this book a little bit on the flat side.  At one point I really seriously thought about giving up. This is why I find it really important not to judge an author by one book. You have to try more than one and then make your judgement about their writing styles and whether it suits you.

    One of my main problems was I didn't really connect with any of the characters.  None of them really stood out for me, not even the main character Hesketh.  Ok, as far as characters go Hesketh was multi layered, but that didn't even make me "root" for him.

    When I actually got this book to review I was really excited.  The first page was really really gripping, but from then on.... well... it didn't really do it for me.  I don't hate this book, no not by any means, but it is one that I will not be re-reading again any time soon.

    Don't be put off by my review, this book simply wasn't for me.  The writing style I can't fault, just the delivery of it didn't stand out from the books I've already read by this author.


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    Overall:
    Loved the synopsis, but it failed to hit the right note.

    My Thoughts on the Cover:
    Very dark and spooky and totally relevant to the book.  I would certainly stop and look at this cover in the bookstore. 

      *** Many thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for supplying me with a copy of this book for review.***

    Wednesday 12 September 2012

    Wishlist Wednesday #47

    Every Wednesday, Dani at Pen To Paper features Wishlist Wednesday, a meme in which you can list a book that you really want to read or keep meaning to get. These are books that you want to add to your wishlist, and believe me there are plenty!  I've decided to use Dani's feature every Wednesday :)

    So what do you need to do to join in?
    • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
    • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
    • Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
    • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.
    • Put a link back to pen to paper (http://www.pentopaperblog.com/) somewhere in your post.
    • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

    So here is my book for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday:


    Goodreads Synopsis:

    Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

    Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

    When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?




    This one has been out since May 2012, but this is the first time I have come across it.  I think it sounds exciting!  The synopsis sounds just my kind of book. I like books where people are fighting for survival, it does make an exhilirating read.  I've now added this one to the wishlist, so hopefully I will be able to get a copy soon.  It's also part of a series, so it will be good to see how the first book goes.

    Thursday 6 September 2012

    Blog Tour: Seducing Cinderella by Gina L. Maxwell (Review)


    Hi Guys!  I'm really pleased to announce that Chocolate Chunky Munkie is hosting a stop on the blog tour for the exciting new title from Gina L. Maxwell.  For my stop of the tour I will be doing a review of the book.

    Here is the official page that lists all the other tour stops, be sure to visit the other pages!


    Released:  July 20th 2012
    Publisher: Brazen (an Entangled imprint)
    Series: Yes, #1 in the Fighting For Love series
    Format: Kindle  e-book
    Source: Supplied by the publisher for review purposes
    Find At:  Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble
    Author Site:  Gina L. Maxwell

    Goodreads Synopsis:

    Mixed martial arts fighter Reid Andrews’s chance to reclaim his title as light heavyweight champ is shattered when he’s injured only months before the rematch. To make sure he’s healed in time, his trainer sends him to recuperate under a professional’s care—Reid’s best friend’s little sister, all grown up.

    Disorganized and bookish Lucie Miller needs some professional help of her own. She’d do anything to catch the eye of a doctor she’s crushed on for years, so when Reid offers seduction lessons in exchange for 24/7 conditioning for the biggest fight of his career, Lucie jumps at the chance.

    Soon Reid finds him himself in the fight of his life...winning Lucie's heart before she gives it to someone else.




    My Review:

    Wow, this was a book to get the pulse rating. I have to say that this is about the second book I’ve read in this genre and it was hot property. It has certainly given me an appetite for more. I’m sure at one point I could see my e-reader smoking with all the hotness.

     Under all the steaminess was actually a very good believable plot. I enjoyed the story and also I thought the characters were really down to earth and likable. My favourite character had to be Reid Andrews; I think every girl should have him in her life :) the world would certainly be an interesting place with him around!

    There are some very raunchy scenes, and due to the adult content it isn’t suitable for younger readers. Some parts even had me blushing! But it didn’t stop me putting the book down, I was eager to see how the story panned out. 

    This was a fun and light-hearted story with added spice. I really liked how it created a unique twist to the whole Cinderella tale. I can honestly say that I would recommend this book, I thought it was fabulous and just the type of escapism I needed. I would love to read more books by this author.


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    Overall: 
    I have to say that this book was very good, I am so glad I got to read it. A light bit of fun, one that I could get real escapism with.



    My Thoughts on the Cover:
    Well I’m not complaining about this cover. It has a hottie with tattoos and a cute girl; quite suitable to the story really.

     *** Many thanks to the publisher for supplying me a copy of this book for review.***

    Wednesday 5 September 2012

    Wishlist Wednesday #46

    Every Wednesday, Dani at Pen To Paper features Wishlist Wednesday, a meme in which you can list a book that you really want to read or keep meaning to get. These are books that you want to add to your wishlist, and believe me there are plenty!  I've decided to use Dani's feature every Wednesday :)

    So what do you need to do to join in?
    • Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
    • Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
    • Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
    • Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.
    • Put a link back to pen to paper (http://www.pentopaperblog.com/) somewhere in your post.
    • Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

    So here is my book for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday:


    The Enemy by Charlie Higson

    Goodreads Synopsis:

    They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?






    This wishlist book was actually recommended to me by Dani@ Pen to Paper, the host of this Meme.  She knows how much I am into zombie novels at moment, I can't get enough of this genre.  So when I logged onto Facebook Dani had kindly left me a link to the Goodreads page.  After reading the synopsis I added it to my wishlist.  Sorry it's another zombie book, but I did have a break for a week or so from adding them to my Wishlist Wednesdays ;)

    Monday 3 September 2012

    August Review Copy Clean Up - Wrap Up Post

    BBT
    Back at the beginning of August I joined up to participate in Review Copy Cleanup.  This was  an event taking place through the whole of August, and presented a perfect opportunity to blitz the review copies lurking on the bookcase.  It was being run by Vicky @ Books Biscuits & Tea and Celine @ Nyx Book Reviews. 

      I was busy working my way through my review copies, all the books that I read in August were purely review books.  I managed a total of 6 review books.

    Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry was by far my favourite contemporary read of the month.
    But the book that totally blew me away had to be Horizon by Sophie Littlefield.  This was an amazing book and featured zombies, which is a genre that seems to be growing on me.


    I also read:




    Sunday 2 September 2012

    Showcase Sunday #10 V-log

    Hi Guys!  Welcome to another Showcase Sunday :D  I've had enough books in to do a video, so I hope you enjoy watching it!!

    Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky @ Books, Biscuits & Tea- what a great way to see what everyone else has had in their mailboxes :D






    For all the links to Goodreads please click on the titles:


    Many thanks to:
    Bloomsbury UK
    Mira Ink
    Quercus
    Hachette UK


    Mentioned:
    Dani @ Pen to Paper and her review of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
    The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson




    What books did you get in your mailbox this week?  Leave a comment and a link and I will have a peek :D

     
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