Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-thon II Goals and Updates

The Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon is a time when we all get together to dedicate the days of October 11-20 to as much reading as possible. You read as much as you can in order to get yourself a little further through that huge to-read pile! We know real life gets in the way and even if you can’t participate more than one day, you’re welcome to join in on the fun!
In the meanwhile, we will be hosting book-related challenges where you can win some awesome prizes and have a Twitter party at the hashtag #WWReadathon! You can posts updates on your blog, Twitter, Goodreads or Facebook — as long as the profile is public and we all can enjoy your reading progress! For all the Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-thon 2.0 information and updates, be sure to visit My Shelf Confessions.

This is it, The Second Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-thon has officially started! Are you participating?
It is getting colder here, so there is nothing better than curling up on the couch in front of the fireplace with a warm cup of cider and reading some good books. It is also a great excuse to read all the scary stories I want to get into the mood for Halloween.

My Goals

• Read at least 7 books
• Write reviews for all books read
• Participate in the Twitter Chat on Oct 18 8-9:30 PM EDT
• Participate in at least 2 Challenges

*I will be updating this post with my progress through the challenge*

Reading List

Day 1: October 11th

• Number of Books Read Today: .30
• Number of Pages Read Today: 100
• The Books: Shark Bait

Day 2: October 12th

• Number of Books Read Today: 0
• Number of Pages Read Today: 0
• Total Number of Books Read: .30
• Total Number of Pages Read: 100
• The Books: Shark Bait
• Reviews Written: 0

Day 3: October 13th

• Number of Books Read Today: .33
• Number of Pages Read Today: 103
• Total Number of Books Read: .63
• Total Number of Pages Read: 203
• The Books: Shark Bait (Finished)
• Reviews Written: 1 (Shark Bait)

Day 4: October 14th

• Number of Books Read Today: 0
• Number of Pages Read Today: 0
• Total Number of Books Read: .63
• Total Number of Pages Read: 203
• The Books:
• Reviews Written: 0

Day 5: October 15th

• Number of Books Read Today: .56
• Number of Pages Read Today: 123
• Total Number of Books Read: 1.19
• Total Number of Pages Read: 326
• The Books: Wicked Thing (Started)
• Reviews Written: 0

Day 6: October 16th

• Number of Books Read Today: .44
• Number of Pages Read Today: 97
• Total Number of Books Read: 1.63
• Total Number of Pages Read: 423
• The Books: Wicked Thing (Finished)
• Reviews Written: 1 (Wicked Thing)

Day 7: October 17th

• Number of Books Read Today: 1
• Number of Pages Read Today: 156
• Total Number of Books Read: 2.63
• Total Number of Pages Read: 579
• The Books: As The World Dies Untold Tales Vol 1 
• Reviews Written: 0

Day 8 October 18th

• Number of Books Read Today: 
• Number of Pages Read Today: 
• Total Number of Books Read: 
• Total Number of Pages Read:
• The Books: 
• Reviews Written: 

Day 9: October 19th

• Number of Books Read Today: 
• Number of Pages Read Today: 
• Total Number of Books Read: 
• Total Number of Pages Read:
• The Books: 
• Reviews Written: 

Day 10: October 20th

• Number of Books Read Today: 
• Number of Pages Read Today: 
• Total Number of Books Read: 
• Total Number of Pages Read:
• The Books: 
• Reviews Written: 

CHALLENGES COMPLETED:

Are you participating?

Did you make your goals?

Feel free to leave me a link in the comments.

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Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Born of Deception

Cover Reveal

Born of Deception by Teri Brown

Born of Illusion #2

Expected Publication: 2014

Pre-Order Born of Deception: Amazon

Budding illusionist Anna Van Housen is on top of the world: after scoring a spot on a prestigious European vaudeville tour, she has moved to London to chase her dream and to join an underground society for people like her with psychic abilities. Along with her handsome beau, Cole Archer, Anna is prepared to take the city by storm.
But when Anna arrives in London, she finds the group in turmoil. Sensitives are disappearing and, without a suspect, the group’s members are turning on one another. Could the kidnapper be someone within the society itself—or has the nefarious Dr. Boyle followed them to London?
As Cole and Anna begin to unravel the case and secrets about the society are revealed, they find themselves at odds, their plans for romance in London having vanished. Her life in danger and her relationship fizzling, can Anna find a way to track down the killer before he makes her his next victim—or will she have to pay the ultimate price for her powers?
Set in Jazz-Age London, this alluring sequel to Born of Illusion comes alive with sparkling romance, deadly intrigue, and daring magic.

About the Author

I’m not sure who to tell you about here because I’m actually two people rolled into one.

As a responsible mother of teens, I show one persona to the world. That person is driven, conservative and level headed. But the other part of me just never grew up. She is rebellious, impulsive and curious.

It’s hard being both these people. They’re often at odds.

The mother part of me knows I should put a cap on how many animals we take in. The teen part of me wants to save them all. We have five cats and two dogs. Who do you think is winning?

Even now. The mother part wants to make a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a tossed salad. The teen part wants to order a pizza, work on my website and check my Facebook.

Luckily, though my two halves don’t always agree, both of us live happily in Portland, Oregon, with a husband and too many animals. And we both love to write and write and write..

Follow Teri

Twitter | Facebook | Website

My Thoughts: I think the cover works great with the first book of the series. I really like the red on this cover because it makes it look a little more dangerous.  It sounds like it is going to be an action packed sequel to Born of Illusion.

 Win an ARC of Born of Deception!

  Giveaway is open to US Only. Must be 13+ to Enter

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Cover Reveal: World of Ash

World of Ash

by Shauna Granger

Release Date: 12/2013

There are two inherent truths in the world: life as we know it is over, and monsters are real.
The Pestas came in the night, spreading their pox, a deadly plague that decimated the population. Kat, one of the unlucky few who survived, is determined to get to her last living relative and find shelter from the pox that continues to devastate the world. When it mutates and becomes airborne, Kat is desperate to avoid people because staying alone might be her only chance to stay alive.
That is, until she meets Dylan. Dylan, with his easy smile and dark, curly hair, has nowhere to go and no one to live for. He convinces Kat there can be safety in numbers, that they can watch out for each other. So the unlikely couple set off together through the barren wasteland to find a new life – if they can survive the roaming Pestas, bands of wild, gun-toting children, and piles of burning, pox-ridden bodies.

About the Author

Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, staring a spunky witch with a smush-faced cat named Artemis.Author Links:

   

My Thoughts: Not only does the book sound awesome, the cover is dark and a bit creepy which  fits with the theme of the novel very well. I love the Dark and Gritty.

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Cover Reveal: What Remains

Cover Reveal

What Remains by Nicole R. Taylor

Expected Publication: October 15, 2013

Cover Design by Paper and Sage Design

Purchase: Amazon | Smashwords

I’d never known true darkness until the lights went out.
I had never known what it was to be hungry.
Everyone I ever knew was dead. If they weren’t, then they wished they were.
I know I did.
Prue Ashford has been surviving alone in the Australian bush for the last three years. After an unknown virus wiped out most of the human population, she escaped the chaos and hid. Every town and city was locked down into quarantine, but that only led to the inevitable. Death.
Living off the land, avoiding other survivors turned bad, she’s led a lonely life, surviving on the edge of a very narrow cliff. The moment she begins to lose hope is when she meets the handsome and enigmatic, Shaw.
He’s the first human being she’s seen in three years that hasn’t tried to kill her and she doesn’t dare to hope. She’d given up finding anyone alive that still had goodness inside of them.
Her only option if she wants to live is to trust Shaw and he takes her to the isolated community he calls home. Being among people again is it’s own challenge and Prue finds herself tested on every front. Making friends was never easy for her and making them after an apocalypse is even harder.
Hannah, the town’s apprentice doctor, becomes the closest thing Prue has to a best friend and Nan fast becomes her surrogate mother. Shaw brings feelings to the surface that she would rather forget and Eva, the mayor’s daughter, seems hell bent on making her life a living hell.
In the end, Prue must make a decision. Stay in the town at the end of the world and learn how to love again, or go back into the wasteland of human civilisation and go it alone.
*
What Remains is a gritty story of human survival. When society crumbles and chaos reigns, people become desperate. They turn to violence and resort to extreme measures to go on living. Parts of this story may be confronting for some people. It contains violent situations staged by desperate people, the extremes that people go to to show their love and a dose of bad language. It’s recommended for readers 18 and up.

About the Author

Nicole R. Taylor is a Paranormal, Urban Fantasy and Contemporary Romance author from country Victoria, Australia.
Previously, she has written for various small street press music and entertainment publications as a gig and album reviewer before publishing her first Urban Fantasy novel in early 2013.
When she isn't writing, Nicole likes to spend time curled up with a good book and her 3-year-old rescue cat, Burger. She gets itchy feet more often than not and has lived in three countries and travelled to three times as many.

   

 My Thoughts: I like the dark, grittiness of the cover, because it seems to fit the story very well. The premise sounds very interesting, and I am curious to see what happens with Prue.

Not yet sure? Check out the teaser below!

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Waiting on Wednesday: Sunrise

 

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we cannot wait to get our hands on.

 I am waiting on:

Title: Sunrise

Author: Mike Mullin

Series: Ashfall #3

Publisher: Tanglewood Press

Publication Date: April 15, 2014

The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors' constant companions.

When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish.

This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.

Why am I waiting?

The Ashfall series is one of my favorite all time series! I was blown away by Ashfall, and then just as I am recovering Ashen Winter came along. I can only imagine how phenomenal Sunrise is going to be and it is going to be worth every second of the wait until April. 

If you have not picked up Ashfall yet, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today this series is not one to be missed.

What are you waiting on?

Let me know in the comments or feel free to leave me a link. 

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Phantom Eyes Book Blast with Awesome Giveaway!

Happy Release Day to Scott Tracey and Phantom Eyes!!

About the Book

Title: Phantom Eyes

Author: Scott Tracey

Series: Witch Eyes #3

Publisher: Flux 

Publication Date: October 8, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Every child in Belle Dam is taught about the feud from an early age. There are ‘our’ people and ‘their’ people. Friends and enemies. Associates and strangers. It’s the kind of town where eyes are always watching, and you don’t need a reason to sell out your neighbors.
But the feud is a lie. As a new wave of fury sweeps through the town, creating a third front to an already overtaxed war, Braden has been broken worse than ever. His innocence? Shattered. His heart? Crushed. His magic? Gone. His new life? Ruined. And this is only the beginning.
Beneath the city lay deep wellsprings of power. The one who controls them is the one who will win the feud. In a city filled with puppet masters, Braden must elude their strings and end the feud once and for all. But first, he must outsmart his father, evade Catherine’s dark magic, regain what was stolen from him, trick a phantom who refuses to die, and foil a demon’s master plan.
Even then, he may not survive. Because power is a problem, and victory comes with a cost…

The Witch Eyes Series

Witch Eyes is one of my favorite series of all time, and I cannot wait to continue the story in Phantom Eyes!

About the Author

Scott wrote his autobiography at age six, and its all been downhill since then. He traveled the country on a Greyhound for a month, devoted a semester of school to starting a series of urban legends, and spent five years perfecting how to say “would you like fries with that” for a short story. Or so he claims.

Follow Scott

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway is open to US Only.  Must be 13+ to Enter

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Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Push

Push (The Game #2)

by Eve Silver

Release Date: 2014

Harper Teen

It’s either break the rules or die.Miki Jones lives her life by her own strict set of rules, to keep control, to keep the gray fog of grief at bay. Then she’s pulled into the Game, where she—and her team—will die unless she follows a new set of rules: those set by the mysterious Committee.
But rules don’t mean answers, and without answers, it’s hard to trust. People are dying. The rules are unraveling. And Miki knows she’s being watched, uncertain if it’s the Drau or someone—something—else. Forced to make impossible choices and battling to save those she loves, Miki begins to see the Committee in a glaring new light.
And then the Game crosses a new boundary, pushes harder into Miki’s and her friends’ lives, and there’s nothing in the rules that can save them now.Push is the sequel Rush fans will be screaming for.

Pre-Order from:

Book One:

(linked to Goodreads)

Available from:

    

About the Author Eve Silver lives with her gamer husband and sons, sometimes in Canada, but often in worlds she dreams up. She loves kayaking and sunshine, dogs and desserts, and books, lots and lots of books. Watch for the first book in Eve’s new teen series, THE GAME: RUSH, coming from Katherine Tegen Books, June 2013. She also writes books for adults.

Author Links:

     

My Thoughts: I like the green and yellow color on the cover, and I also like how well the cover for Push goes with the cover for Rush. The characters running out of the letters also looks pretty cool.

Harper Teen is offering an ARC of PUSH as the prize, which will be mailed to the winner early 2014, as soon as ARCs become available. (US and Canada only)

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