The Willow (The Magical Sword Series #1) - By Stacey Kennedy

In Carson City, Nevada a tragic car accident has claimed the lives of Nexi Jones’ adoptive parents. Now, without them, her reason to live has vanished and she is determined to end her pain.

The problem with that, it’s not heaven she wakes up to, it’s the Otherworld. Nexi must reconcile the truth about her past, and her heritage as part guardian/part witch, while she begins to train to join the Council’s guard. But it’s not the combat training that has her worried, its attempting to keep her cool around the luscious guardian, Kyden that’s her biggest concern.

Before long, Nexi’s skills are put to the test as she begins to fight against the supernatural who have taken a human life. But nothing can prepare her for the journey ahead. Soon, she will find herself lost in a mystery and fighting to keep all she’s gained, as Lazarus, a vampire, threatens to take it all away.
(borrowed from staceykennedy.com)

Nexi is a woman who doesn't take shit from anyone, speaks her mind, & makes jokes in awkward situations. Not to mention she's got the temper of someone who's been stuck in mid-town traffic for hours, with a bunch of stupid drivers.

After losing everything that she has, and attempting to take her own life, Nexi is thrust into a place she never imagined existed. Having to face the transformation of becoming the warrior she never knew she could be, Nexi finds something within herself she never knew was there. Given a second chance at life, and a first glance at love, she starts to feel normal for the first time in her life.

Quickly everything is turned upside down & now must fight against all odds for what she believes in. On a path for vengeance, that she never knew was possible, Nexi must now find a way to harness her fury & destroy the one who has taken so much from her.

--After not being able to truly get into a book for a long time, I blew through, The Willow, in 1 day! Stacey has created a world & character that I completely fell in love with. She truly has a way to effortlessly make the story flow without a hitch or awkward pause. My interest is beyond sparked & now I can not wait to pick up the rest of the series & see how Nexi's journey unfolds! I completely recommend, The Magical Sword Series, and I hope that you will become consumed in, The Otherworld, as I was.

If you're interested in, The Willow, here are the links to get your very own copy:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

First Chapter from Dead Reckoning has been posted!!

YAY!! So excited that Charlaine Harris has posted the first chapter from the new Sookie Stackhouse novel on her website!!

Well, what are you waiting for?! Go read Chapter 1!

Fresh Face Friday 12-17-10

La, La, La....oh don't mind me, I'm just dancing around & listening to music while I'm writing this weeks, FFF.

Lately it seems as though I'm having a harder time finding authors that only have 1 book published. I don't know if that has to do with multi-book deals? Or possible they're all hiding from me? (I'm going with the latter) I will say this, that I am thankful for everyone that I do find, and every single author that I've found has sparked my excitement to feature them in my FFF.

OK, now onto the goods!

With her first book, The Thirteenth Chime, Emma Michaels takes a spin on YA paranormal that goes beyond your average vampire or shape shifters.  She captures you with a tale of lies, deceit & revenge, that will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. To show you what I mean here's a synopsis of Emma's book:

No one knew of its existence until it was removed from the attic upstairs.

In a beautiful house that overlooks the sea, an antique clock has the power to change the course of their lives.

The power the clock resonates will not only force Destiny and ex-boyfriend David on a journey into the depths of one man's mind long dead, but into the mind of a man filled with hatred and bent on revenge.

With the only clues to the nature of the clock having disappeared into the sea, Destiny and David must retrace the steps the man had taken into the darkness, before they fall prey to the trap he had set in motion over half a century ago. 

Hatred never dies.

 

As am up and coming author, Emma sure knows how to grasp your attention quickly! Imagine what the books like if this is just the synopsis? :)

So, swing by Emma's Blogspot, or her website, to find out how to get your copy of, The Thirteenth Chime!



Reviews, Reviews, Reviews

Yes, I know that lately I have been TOTALLY slacking on the reviews. Honestly I have no excuse except that I hadn't been able to get into a book....that is until I started reading Primal Heat by Susan Sizemore!

Now, while trying to pull myself away from my book, I am currently in the process of configuring a rating system that is personal & unique to Taking it One Book at a Time. I want everyone to look forward to my reviews & know, without a doubt, that it's one of my reviews.

So for the time being, try to bare with my while I'm still constructing this. (It might be a while, lol)

~Jess

Smuketeers + Larissa Ione = UH-MAZE-ING

Over at the Smutketeers website, they're currently celebrating the 12 Dirty Days of Xmas. Today they had Larissa Ione drop by with an excerpt & giveaway for her newest book in the Demonica Series, Sin Undone! I just had to share because Larissa is one of my favorite authors & her Demonica books are genius. Seriously, who else could come up with the Under World General Hospital? Brilliant!

Do make sure you visit the Smutketeers website & enter for your chance to win a signed copy of Sin Undone :)

Talkative Tuesday 12/14/10

Less then 2 weeks until Christmas! Holy Moley!

While I've been trying, oh so hard, to get my holiday shopping done, I've truly been fighting with myself on which amazing blog to feature today & next week.....it can get really frustrating arguing with yourself, trust me.

Finally it dawned on me, hallelujah! I ALWAYS see Fiction Vixen Book Reviews on my Facebook either, giveaway great books by amazing authors, or reviewing the books I love! So there was my answer, right in front of my eyes.

With an unrelenting appetite for romance novels, Sophia decided to start Fiction Vixen Book Reviews in August 2009. Now her site has turned into a great place to find, read-alongs, discussions, giveaways, and honest reviews. (Plus the fact that the Fever Series, by Karen Marie Moning, is one of her all time favorite series too is great!)

So as I ask you all every week, hop on over to the Fiction Vixen website, "Like" her Facebook & even follow her on Twitter. Fiction Vixen could possibly introduce you to an author or series that you never knew about. Hope you enjoy her site as much as I do!

B.A.M.

I'm stumbling on B.A.M's like they're rocks in the road lately!

While surfing thru some fellow bloggers sites today, I stumbled upon a piece of cover art that caught my eye.

But seriously, how could a half-naked dude with a nothing but a belt & jeans on NOT catch my attention?

So, while my interest was peeked, I decided that I'd google the author, Ava Gray. I found that not only does she offer a whole line of books with half naked guys on the cover (please try to see the humor I'm trying to put forth), but they're all really good!

Ava's, Skin Series, has a total of 4 books in it so far. Though only 2 have been release, Skin Heat (pictured above) is set to release Jan. 4th, 2011, and Skin Dive (pictured below) has a release date of July 5th, 2011.

Now that I've introduced you to another enticing author with amazing cover art, you can:

1. Check out her website (which also has a link above),  and Facebook (which is under her other pen name, so don't be alarmed)

2. Thank me later :)

Adrian Phoenix Giveaway via Dark Faerie Tales

Over at Dark Faerie Tales they're having an amazing Dark Winter Tales giveaway with author Adrian Phoenix! You could win signed copies of the first 3 books from her series, The Maker's Song, or a signed copy of Black Dust Mambo! So run on over and  Enter to Win Here!

BAM!

Yes, B.A.M! That stands for: Brilliant Author Mention

Recently I've decided that I'm;

1. Not paying enough attention to my blog. With issues that have been preoccupying my mind, I have let what's important to me be put on the back burner.

2. Need to start giving a shout out to authors that I think deserve it. (Besides my FFF authors of course)

There are some authors out there who are still up & coming, but have multiple books out. So when I find one of these authors, they're going to become a B.A.M

My first B.A.M is a new author that I've meet named, Keith Melton. With his 3rd publication being released in Feb. 2011, I have to say that I am excited to pick it up! Here's a brief synopsis of the book:

After accidentally blowing up both a client facility and a cushy city contract in the same day, pyromancer and mercenary captain Andrea Walker is scrambling to save her Zero Dogs. A team including (but not limited to) a sexually repressed succubus, a werewolf with a thing for health food, a sarcastic tank driver/aspiring romance novelist, a three-hundred-pound calico cat, and a massive demon who really loves to blow stuff up.

With the bankruptcy vultures circling, Homeland Security throws her a high-paying, short-term contract even the Zero Dogs can’t screw up: destroy a capitalist necromancer bent on dominating the gelatin industry with an all-zombie workforce. The catch? She has to take on Special Forces Captain Jake Sanders, a man who threatens both the existence of the team and Andrea’s deliberate avoidance of romantic entanglements.

As Andrea strains to hold her dysfunctional team together long enough to derail the corporate zombie apocalypse, the prospect of getting her heart run over by a tank tread is the least of her worries. The government never does anything without an ulterior motive. Jake could be the key to success…or just another bad day at the office for the Zeroes.

Sounds great right?!

Please make sure to check out Keith's page on Facebook, and his profile page with Samhain Publishing.

Talkative Tuesday 12/7/10

Thank god for Talkative Tuesday! I am in desperate need of a quick break from all this holiday madness. Don't get me wrong I LOVE this time of year, but I seem to be in some sort of holiday funk.

One thing that I am thankful for this holiday season is the discovery of an amazing blog called, Parajunkee's View. Not only does the site review all of our favorite books & give you the true nitty gritty on them, but they offer blogging advice.

If you cruise over to their Book Bloggin 101 section, they have answers to all those beginner blogging questions that you're constantly searching the "help" section for. The cool thing is, you don't receive a generic response or answer. Rachel, who runs Parajunkee's View, gives you her view on everything. She suggests what has worked for her in the past, or how she went about deciding what was best for her site & what might work for you.

This blog has not only entertained me with some amazing reviews, but has helped me shape my site into what it is today.

If you have time, check out Parajunkee's Facebook , or I have added links to her website above. The site will give you so much knowledge you'll be amazed!

Fresh Face Friday 12-3-10

Holy moley, it's December. That means holiday shopping, fighting outrageous crowds, & cold weather.

Well this weeks, Fresh Face Friday, author might be able to help you warm up a little bit. For the first time ever I'm introducing an up & coming Erotica author! Still a true Erotica virgin myself, I stumbled upon Eden Baylee's Facebook page while in a frantic search for my FFF author yesterday. After venturing to
Eden's blog and then eventually her website, I found her writing to be extremely enticing! Though her first book, Fall into Winter, does not officially come out until next month, I was able to indulge myself in the excerpt she has available. Here's how Eden describes her book:

"In Fall into Winter, a provocative collection of erotic novellas, four women seek pleasure in unique ways and are soon swept up in maelstroms of lust, seduction, and obsession."

Sounds amazing right?! Well if have never picked up an Erotica novel for whatever reason, I would suggests getting your feet wet now. With only a little over a month until the release of Fall into Winter, I for one can't wait to get my hands on it & spend many late hours reading it! So be expecting my review very soon!

New things to come!

Right now I am so SUPER excited! After adjusting my page yesterday, adding my review policy & my upcoming releases section. This morning I had an email in my inbox regarding hosting a free giveaway! I am so ecstatic right now you have NO idea! Just had to let everyone know :)