Book Trailer Friday #1: GHOST HOUSE by Alexandra Adornetto (YA)

I have a new addiction: BOOK TRAILERS!!!

I'm an "old lady" who doesn't do much late Friday nights except read... 

until I discovered that there are a lot of book trailers out there! And more and more are being made and released, and I cannot help myself! I'm going to start sharing a few of my old and new favorite book trailers :) 

GHOST HOUSE

by Alexandra Adornetto

Expected release date: August 26th, 2014

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Young Adult Horror

Format: Hardcover, eBook, Audio Book

SUMMARY

After the loss of her mother, Chloe Kennedy starts seeing the ghosts that haunted her as a young girl again. Spending time at her grandmother's country estate in the south of England is her chance to get away from her grief and the spirits that haunt her. Until she meets a mysterious stranger…

Alexander Reade is 157 years dead, with secrets darker than the lake surrounding Grange Hall and a lifelike presence that draws Chloe more strongly than any ghost before. But the bond between them awakens the vengeful spirit of Alexander's past love, Isobel. And she will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who threatens to take him from her.

To stop Isobel, Chloe must push her developing abilities to their most dangerous limits, even if it means losing Alex forever… and giving the hungry dead a chance to claim her for their own.

GHOST HOUSE book trailer

MY THOUGHTS

A ghost with secrets. A love that awakens another vengeful ghost.

The music is eerie, intriguing and suspenseful.
Alexander is handsome, and seems spiteful.
Isobel does not seem like a ghost I would want haunting me.

Overall, the trailer has me on the edge of my seat and I cannot wait to read GHOST HOUSE soon! 

Let me know what you think!
Or leave a book trailer recommendation :) 

Happy weekend!!! xo

My Saturday In My Mailbox #14

"In My Mailbox" is a weekly meme created by 

The Story Siren 

The idea is to post whatever 'books' you may have received from the week (before), whether you purchased them, gifted to you, borrowed, traded, etc.

Blue Moon #2 and Shadowland #3 (The Immortals Series) by Alyson Noel
and If I Stay by Gayle Forman 

From Ivy of Ivy Reads,
Hades (Halo #2 - ARC) by Alexandra Adorenetto and
Enthralled (ARC) by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

Thanks, Ivy :)

A R.A.K. from Anna of Literary Explosion,
she knows how badly I have been wanting to read this book ;)
Above (ARC) by Leah Bobet

Thank you Anna :)

Borrowed from the Library:
May B., A Novel by Caroline Starr Rose

(Read May B. last night, it's been a long time since I've read a book in verse,
this was SO good! The writing, the flow, the story! A definite must read!)

And here is what my kiddos got this week... for my 8yo: 

Dragon of the Red Dawn (Magic Tree House #37) by Mary Pope Osborne,
Diary of a Wimpy Kid #3: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney and
My Weird School Daze #7: Dr. Brad Has Gone Mad! by Dan Gutman 

... and for my 5yo:

 The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka,

Phineas and Ferb: The Easter Eggs-travaganza by Scott Peterson and
Shampoodle by Joan Holub 

Thanks for stopping by today!

What's in your mailbox???

My Bumble-y Review for Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Good Monday morning book-y friends :)
I'm finally reviewing Halo today! I have to admit, I had to take some time to think on this one, lol, and I am still a bit unsure on how I feel about this book... here's what I think of it... for now ;)

Title: Halo

Author: Alexandra Adornetto 

Release Date: August 2010 

Age Group: Young Adult (13-17)

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback (496 pages), Ebook

"Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They must work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.

Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong. 

Then comes the brooding and popular new transfer, Jake Thorn... who just so happens to be in Bethany's class. Something about Jake seems to be hiding something darker, something more powerful than expected. That thing, and Xavier, distracts Bethany to a point that Gabriel and Ivy are concerned.
The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?"

Angels. Real Angels.
I have to admit, it was truly refreshing to read about 'good Angels', rather than the 'fallen kind' (although, those are really really really good too, hee hee)...

In Halo, Angels are being sent down all around earth to bring peace, love, compassion... Adornetto wants us to believe that they are all around us, helping and guiding humans to better themselves and not harm others. During their missions, they must keep their identities hidden at all costs because of free will, humans are to create their own beliefs of whether or not anything exists beyond our own existence... Once the angels missions have been completed, they are to return home, to heaven.

What I enjoyed most about this book was that it didn't get preachy or historical. Yes, there are references to the Bible and God, just enough for you to get to know the main characters and where they came from...

Gabriel is the oldest, and I don't mean just in age. He reminds me of the saying "Wise Old Man", lol, he most certainly acts like one, very practical and stern. Definitely a father figure. And he's suppose to be  a strong warrior, please note the 'suppose to be'...
Ivy is the mother figure in this story, she is very sweet, thoughtful, homely. She keeps everyone calm and in line...
And Bethany. Beth is the youngest out of her angel-siblings. Very young, only 17 human years old (we are not told on how much that is in angel-years, but I'm guessing it's a lot, lol)... and the only one to be able to relate to humans so well. She has had no experience with the human wold until now, everything is new to her. I didn't expect her to be so vulnerable, I had to constantly remind myself that this was her first time being exposed to everything.

And the, boy meets Angel-girl, and they fall in love. Angels are not suppose to have relationships with the humans... no one knows what will happen.
The story then gets a bit repetitive: "Oh, Xavier! How I love thee!" over and over again. After a few chapters of this, it gets tiring... and it's obvious when their love is instantly put to the test when the 'bad boy' comes into town... things get pretty predictable from here. But I kept reading because I wanted to know what will happen to Bethany/Xavier, will there love withstand or will they be punished for breaking heavens rules...

*Spoiler Alert:
Unfortunately, this book will not be telling you whether or not Bethany and Xavier's relationship will be okay with the heavens, sigh...
From all of the reviews and ratings I saw, I really expected so much more! I am not saying I was disappointed, I just wish that the author could have at least hinted as to something big to come... I wasn't satisfied... this was definitely a teen book, lol!

However, the second book to the series is already out! 

Hades

"Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well."

Hmmm, I really don't know what to make of it from this summary.
But I sure to love the cover, gorgeous work!

I give Halo a total of 3 bumble-y bees! 

If you've read the book, let me know what you think! and/or leave the link to your review!
and if not, will you be reading it???

Teaser Tuesday #1...

'morning!!! 

Woke up feeling a bit groggy and achy today... 

and my eyes are a bit buggy! I guess there really is a point where you read too much and your eyes start to cross! I actually read an entire book in one day - I've only done that once before and I forgot how exhausting that can be, lol! but more on that later ;) 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Should be Reading... 

It's such a fun one, I couldn't help but join in :) 

All you have to do is: Grab your current book, open it to a random page, and share 2 'teaser' sentences from that page; but be careful not to share any spoilers!!! 

I just finished reading Halflings... my review will be posted later this afternoon ;) 

... and now I'm back to reading Halo by Alexandra Adorenetto... 

"Only the two of us knew differently and now we both shared a secret - 

a dangerous secret that brought us closer than ever. 

It was as if we had just sealed the bond between us, 

closed the gap, and made it final." 

I landed on a good page ;) 

What are you reading now??? 

In My "Mailbox" Sunday #1

"In My Mailbox" is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren -
The idea is to post whatever books you may have received from the week,
whether you purchased them, they were gifted to you, borrowed, etc.

Sometimes I may have too many books to read and post about during the week - this is an opportunity for me to give these books a quick shout-out and also a peek as to 'what is to come' for reviews and posts on my blog within that month (hopefully!)

I Bought: 

- Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
(large paperback)

- The Lightening Thief by Rick Riorden
(paperback)

- Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl
(paperback)

- Love Unfinished by Darian Wilk
(Nook Book - available for limited time for only 99cents!!!)

Gifted to me: 

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
(paperback)

Nook Books Borrowed:

- Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins Series #1) 

by H. P. Mallory

I have to admit - I read this book already!!! aaaand, I did not expect this book to go the way it did! I really thought that it was going to be more chic lit with some paranormal 'things' thrown in more than anything else, I was so wrong! 
The main character, Jolie Wilkins, at first seems like your average "plain jane" girl who makes a living off her minimal psychic powers... until she meets Rand - THE warlock. Once this tall, dark, gorgeous man is introduced, the story comes alive and things seem to move pretty fast. We then meet vampires and werewolves, more witches, and we're told that demons, faeries and pixies do exist too! Of course we hear more about Rand and the job he has for Jolie - a job that changes her life forever. 
This was the perfect book for me to kick off my reads for 2012! It's quick, witty and you can definitely relate to Jolie so much! 
I  really do like all of the characters so far... I am starting book 2 to this series tonight!!!

- Toil and Trouble (Jolie Wilkins Series #2) 
by H. P. Mallory

_______________________________________

That was my book week!
I can't wait to see what awesome reads I find this coming week!
WHAT BOOKS DID YOU GET??? Share with me! I'm always looking to add to my TBR list ;)

More reviews to come! and a giveaway too!!!
Stay tune :)