Book Review- Haunting Violet

Last night I finished reading Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

At first I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the story.  I don't really enjoy historical fiction and that's what this book was  (somehow I didn't realize this before I started the book).  But I quickly realized that it was more of a ghost story and mystery and I quickly forgot the whole "historical" part of the story.

Haunting Violet had a good plot to it.  I definitely didn't figure out the mystery at all, which is always good.  And there was a nice romance subplot to the book as well. 

I really liked Violet, Elizabeth and Colin.  Elizabeth, Violet's friend, is someone that I probably would be friends with in real life!  And Colin just sounds yummy.

So if you're like me and just don't get into the whole historical fiction thing, I would still give this one a try.  I bet you'd be surprised!

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

Haunting Violet will be released on June 21, 2001.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge: 33
2011 ARC Reading Challenge: 28
2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 25

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

The Sunday Salon- May 1, 2011

The Sunday Salon

Well, I can now say that I am getting married next month!  Wohoo!  I still feel there is still soooooooo much to do!

I finished and reviewed the following books this week:

The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle










I fulfilled items in the following challenges this week:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge: 31, 32

I am currently reading Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey and up next is Falling Under by Gwen Hayes.

2011 YA Contemporary Challenge-- May Update

2011 YA Contemporary Challenge

What is contemporary? It's the genre wherein the events can happen in real life at the present time. The characters in the novel can be present in real life.

Goal: To read a minimum of thirteen young adult contemporary novels published in 2011.

Rules:

- All contemporary books must be in the Young Adult genre

- Books have to be published in 2011

- Open to everybody. Please fill in the form to enter.

- You can join whenever you want

- If you want to enter with your blog link, you have to post about the challenge.

- Link your reviews of 2011 Contemporary books in the MisterLinky below.

1.   Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors 
2.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
3.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
4.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurley Deriso
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2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge-- May Update

2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Create a post about the challenge and link your challenge post up in the linky below.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post.

2. There are four levels:
--The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
--The "Fun Size" YA Reading Challenge – Read 20 Young Adult novels.
--The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 40 Young Adult novels.
--The Mega size YA Reading Challenge – Read 50+ Young Adult novels.
3. Audio, eBooks, paper, re-reads all count.
4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
5. The Challenge starts on January 1, 2011 and goes until December 31, 2011.

* I will be participating in the Mega size YA Reading Challenge

1.  Entice by Carrie Jones
2. Starstruck by Cyn Balog
3.  The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
4.  Mercy by Rebecca Lim
5.  Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
6.  The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
7.  The Chaos by Rachel Ward
8.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
9.  The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
10.  Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors 
11.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
12.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
13.  Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
14.  A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
15.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
16.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris 
17.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
18.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
19.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
20.  Drought by Pam Bachorz
21.  Haven by Kristi Cook
22.  Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
23.  Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
24.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurely Deriso
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2011 Debut Author Challenge-- May Update

2011 Debut Author Challenge

2011 Debut Author Challenge participant information:

The objective of the DAC is to read at least twelve novels from Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit! I encourage readers who can read more than twelve to do so!

Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States.

You do not have to have an blog written in English to participate.

You can join at anytime. Deadline to join is November 20, 2011. (not 2010 you still have PLENTY of time to sign up!) The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

Qualifying books:

Books must be a Young Adult or Middle Grade novel.

DO NOTE: Just because a book has a teen character or is about a teen, does not mean that it is necessarily a Young Adult novel.

This must be the authors debut with a release date in 2011.

If an author has a previous novel published under adult fiction/nonfiction or children's fiction/nonfiction, they can still qualify for the challenge if they are releasing their YA or MG debut.

More challenge guidelines:

Novels must be read between January 1, 2011- December 31, 2011. That means, those of you that have read arc forms of the titles early will not be able to count those toward your challenge totals.

You can use debuts from other countries, but the novel cannot be previously released in your county. (I explain this a little bit more in the FAQ section, if you want to check that out!)

1.   The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
2.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
3.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
4.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
5.  Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
6.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris 
7.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
8.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
9.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
10.  Haven by Kristi Cook
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What's in a Name? 4 Challenge-- May Update

What's in a Name? 4 Challenge

Here's How It Works:

Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories:

A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why
A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception
A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee
A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife
A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely
A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child
The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know:

Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

On January 1, I'll publish 7 posts, each with a Mr. Linky (one for each category and one for your wrap-up post), on this blog so you'll have a place post links to your reviews (bloggers) or leave comments (non-bloggers) as you finish up each category.

Number:
Jewelry or Gem:
Size:
Travel or Movement:
Evil: The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Life Stage: Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

2011 ARC Reading Challenge-- May Update

2011 ARC Reading Challenge

The Levels

Level Bronze: .a. All of us who have or will have less than 12 ARCS must read all of the ARCS we have. Note, that if you have 11 ARC's and then receive a 12th one you will be bumped up to catagory b.

b. All of us who have or will have 12 or more than 12 ARCS must read and review at least 12.

Level Silver: Read 24 ARCS
Level Gold: Read 25 ARCS
Level Platinum: Read 30 or more ARCS

Rules:

To sign up, leave a direct link to your blog post about this challenge. Please leave a comment as well.

You don't have to make a list of which ARC's you plan to read, but you can if you want.

If you choose a lower level, you can always change it to a higher level if you like. However, you cannot go from a higher level back down to a lower level.

Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and Audio-books and ebooks are allowed as long as they are ARC's.

Read the books and review them on your blog. If you don't have a blog, you can post your review on sites like Powells, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

Please subscribe to my blog, as I will be doing a monthly post with MR Linky. Please add your reviews for each month in MR Linky in the monthly post. For your Name, please use this format Name: (Your Name, Book Title and Author's Name) for example: (Teddy, Obsessive Reading by Helen Reader). Please be sure to use the direct link to your review, not just to your blog. Then please leave a comment.

HAVE FUN!

* I will be signing up for the Platinum Level

1.  Entice by Carrie Jones
2.  Starstruck by Carrie Jones
3.  These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
4.  The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
5.  Mercy by Rebecca Lim
6.  Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
7. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
8.  The Chaos by Rachel Ward
9.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
10.  The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
11.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
12.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
13. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
14. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
15.  A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
16.  Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
17.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
18.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris 
19.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
20.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
21.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
22.  Drought by Pam Bachorz
23.  Haven by Kristi Cook
24.  Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
25. Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
26.  Demons are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom
27.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurley Deriso
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2011 100+ Reading Challenge-- May Update

2011 100+ Reading Challenge

DETAILS:

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Posting on GoodReads or wherever you post your reviews is good enough.
2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.
What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.
3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.
5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2011. Books started before the 1st do not count. You can join at anytime.
6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

1.  Entice by Carrie Jones
2.  Starstruck by Cyn Balog
3. These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
4. Sounds Like Crazy by Shana Mahaffey
5.  The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
6.  Mercy by Rebecca Lim
7.  Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
8. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
9. The Chaos by Rachel Ward
10.  Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
11.  The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
12.  Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
13.  The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
14.  Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
15.  Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
16.  My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
17.  A Need So Beautiful By Suzanne Young
18.  Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
19.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
20.  Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
21.  Clarity by Kim Harrington
22.  Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
23.  Forgotten by Cat Patrick
24.  Drought by Pam Bachorz
25.  Haven by Kristi Cook
26.  Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs
27.  The Baby Planner by Josie Brown
28.  Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
29.  Demons are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom
30.  Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurley Deriso
31.  Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd
32.  The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry
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2011 A to Z Challenge-- May Update

2011 A to Z Challenge

January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

How does this reading challenge work? Choose the option that works best for you...

Authors -- Read alphabetically by author. Commit to 26 books.
Titles -- Read alphabetically by title. Commit to 26 books.
Authors & Titles -- Commit to reading 52 books

How strict is the 26 or 52? I know it isn't always easy to find those difficult letters. The thought of finding the X's (for example) might scare folks away. It shouldn't! I'm a merciful host! (Ask anyone!)

If you want to give the X's a go... For authors, try to find an X in the first name, middle name, or last name. For titles, it doesn't have to be the starting word. Try to find an X somewhere in a title, and it'd count in my book.

Still can't find a book for the letter you need? I'll take your word for it. I've been there. I know. If your library doesn't see the need to order books just because it starts with an X, then I don't blame you for not wanting to special order a book that you may or may not enjoy. You gave it your best, don't feel bad. You can still make this challenge work for you.

*Since I didn't finish the authors one last year, I am going to try for it again this year.

A. Armstrong, Kelley "The Gathering"
B. Balog, Cyn "Starstruck"
C. Cach, Lisa "Wake Unto Me"
D. Desrochers, Lisa "Original Sin"
E.
F.
G. Gudenkauf, Heather "These Things Hidden"
H. Holder, Amy "The Lipstick Laws"
I.
J. Jones, Carrie "Entice"
K.
L. Lim, Rebecca "Mercy"
M. Mahaffey, Shana "Sounds Like Crazy"
N.
O.
P. Picoult, Jodi "Sing You Home"
Q.
R.
S. Shepard, Sara "The Lying Game"
T. Terrell, Heather "Fallen Angel"
U.
V.
W. Ward, Rachel "The Chaos"
X.
Y. Young, Suzanne "A Need So Beautiful"
Z.

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge- May Update

Welcome to the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge!

Here's your chance to catch up on Sookie and all her friends -- living and undead, fully human and not.

It's easy, it's fun, it's for you! And you have an entire year to complete the challenge.

The Rules:
1. Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie. Read Sookie in print, listen to the audio, read an eBook -- format is not an issue.

*ETA--I didn't complete this one on time, but I am going to still keep track of what I have read.

The Books:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone
Dead in the Family

There are also Sookie and gang short stories and an up-coming anthology! For more, see Charlaine Harris's website.



I probably won't start this one for while, but I wanted to post it now.