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Friday, May 28, 2010

Shade winners!

I'm back from BEA & TAC! More on that later, but for now, I'm announcing the winners for the Shade giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered!

I actually met Jeri Smith-Ready at both BEA & TAC and she is a lovely lady! She was really friendly and greeted everyone who came to her signing! BEA & TAC were great experiences and I definitely recommend attending them if you get a chance!

And now for the winners (chosen randomly by random.org):

- Linda Henderson
- The Book Pixie
- Swallow-inthe-Cloud
- Demon Hunter
- GMR

Congrats!

Please email me at bookvault(at)yahoo.com with your mailing addresses by May 31st or I will have to pick new winners.

And I would like to thank everyone who left those kind messages & congrats for the blogoversary! They really made my day :)

Saturday, May 22, 2010

BEA

Hi all!

I will be attending the BEA again this year!! I'm so excited--hopefully I'll be better at navigating this huge even this year!!

Anyone else going? I'd love to meet up with you guys!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Claire de Lune giveaway

Thanks to Simon Pulse, I have 5 copies of Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson to giveaway!

Synopsis (courtesy of Barnes & Noble):
"Torn between two destinies?

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?"



Interested in winning a copy? Just comment on this post with your name & email

Want more entries?
+ 1 if you're a follower or become a follower
+ 1 if you post about this giveaway elsewhere
Just comment separately for each extra entry you earn or it will not count! Sorry for the hassle--it's easier for me to keep track of all the entries this way

Good luck!!
Giveaway ends 6.5.10, midnight(EST). Please enter by then!
5 winners will be picked at random.
Sorry, no PO boxes & only open to US mailing addresses!

Don't forget to enter my Shade giveaway & giveaway for The Light!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Light giveaway!

How about another giveaway? This time 5 copies of The Light (Morpheus Road) by D.J. MacHale are up for grabs!

D.J. MacHale's (author of the Pendragon series) newest series tells the story of 16-year-old Marshall Seaver, who is suddenly plagued by unknown forces. Summer starts off pretty well but then his best friend Cooper is dragged off to a lake to spend time with his family and after his dad leaves for a convention, things start getting downright creepy...

Synopsis (courtesy of Barnes & Noble):
"#1 NYT bestselling author D.J. MacHale's Morpheus Road trilogy brings readers down an ethereal pathway between the worlds of the living and dead."




Interested in winning a copy? Just comment on this post with your
- name
- email
- & tell me your favorite book series
Easy enough, right?

Want more entries?
+ 1 if you're a follower or become a follower
+ 1 if you post about this giveaway elsewhere
Just comment separately for each extra entry you earn or it will not count! Sorry for the hassle--it's easier for me to keep track of all the entries this way


Good luck!!
Giveaway ends 5.31.10, midnight(EST). Please enter by then!
5 winners will be picked at random.
Sorry, no PO boxes & only open to US mailing addresses!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for 5 copies of Shade as well!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Release Date:
March 16, 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 210

Liking your best friend's boyfriend is definitely a no-no, but it doesn't stop Sarah from liking Ryan, her best friend's, Brianna, boyfriend. Sarah has liked Ryan for a while, but Brianna got him first--just like how she gets any guy she likes.

Ever since eighth grade and a botched attempt to go to the school dance together, Sarah has crushed on Ryan. Years later at a party in high school, the two seemingly have another chance to get together, but Brianna snags Ryan first. Confident and pretty, Brianna attracts guys like flies to honey. She hasn't failed to hook a guy she likes, and Ryan seems to be no exception.

It hurts Sarah to see the two together, and she is torn apart every time the two kiss, but as Brianna's best friend, she knows she can't do anything about it. Although she's dragged to every other date Brianna and Ryan go on, Sarah avoids being alone with Ryan at all costs--she does not think she can avoid temptation otherwise. But her passion for Ryan burns so brightly it may consume her if she doesn't do anything about it soon...


Warning! There may be a few spoilers in the next part of my review!

I really have no idea how Sarah puts up with Brianna! Brianna may have grown up in a troubled household, but she hardly treats the one person who cares about her, Sarah, with much kindness! Sarah is always there for her, but Brianna only uses and abuses their friendship, often dropping snide remarks that put Sarah down.

Although the emotional build-up was quite strong, I felt that it wasn't quite enough when Ryan and Sarah kiss for the first time. It seems a bit soon, and does not earn much sympathy for Sarah. Some may question whether or not she is such a good friend. Although you get more of the back story later, I felt it may have been a bit better if we knew more of Ryan and Sarah's background before their first kiss.

After a while, The Unwritten Rule seemed rather repetitive; Sarah likes Ryan and obsesses over him, Ryan seems to like her back, but he's with Brianna, repeat. Nonetheless, the emotions were very vivid and believable and I don't doubt that many can relate to liking someone who already has a boyfriend/girlfriend, or at least wanting something they can't have! While there are many points readers can relate to--that one popular girl that gets everything (and every guy!) she wants, the forbidden fruit, and knowing the kind of person who's every compliment is also an insult--after a while, the story drag started to drag.

Lastly, I was hoping that Ryan's character would grow a bit stronger by the end. I was hoping that after seeing who Brianna really is, he would be a bit more firm when he had to defend Sarah. However, his statement seemed a bit feeble and he did not really rise to the occasion. I was hoping both Ryan and Sarah would learn more from their experiences and grow, but they did not seem to change that much from how they originally were in the beginning. I understand that Ryan is a bit of a shy guy, but I was hoping he'd become a bit more sure of himself by the end.

I'm still a big fan of Elizabeth Scott's books, but I don't think The Unwritten Rule is my favorite book by her. Maybe my expectations were too high since I loved the last two books I read by her: Perfect You and Something, Maybe!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Shade giveaway!!

Hi guys!

Sorry for my absence; it's been a rough 2 months for me. My good friend's mother fell ill and then finals hit all of us. Unfortunately, that is also when I decided to get the sickest I've ever been all year. I've been sick for over two weeks now but hopefully the new medication will get rid of this awful cough!
But to make up for my lack of updates and to celebrate The Book Vault being open for over 2 years and to thank all of my lovely followers, I'll be hosting several giveaways!

And to start, I'll be giving away 5 copies of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready!

Summary:

"Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift." (Thanks to Amazon)


Check out the book trailer!






Interested in winning a copy?

Just comment on this post w/ your name & email address!
+1 entry if you are a follower or become a follower of The Book Vault! Simply comment again on this post telling me that you're a follower to get your extra entry!

Sorry, open to US mailing addresses only! No P.O. boxes please!
Please enter by 5.21.10 midnight, EST!

Thank you to Simon Pulse for generously donating 5 copies of Shade for this giveaway!

Series I Like

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Divergent by Veronica Roth Firelight by Sophie Jordon Halo by Alexandra Adornetto Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Thanks to i'm loving books!

Disclaimer

I receive review copies of books from publicists, authors and publishers for an honest review. I do not receive monetary or other compensations for posting reviews.