Book ♥ Soulmates: April 2012

Month of Indie Epicness...The End

April is officially over and thus ends our Month of Indie Epicness! We had an EPIC month full of indie awesomeness! It was a lot of hard work but so worth it.

THANK YOU to all the authors who participated and shared their amazing stories with us.

M.R. Merrick: You sir, are a rockstar!! Keep up the #wangtaco goodness and I can't wait for more of your work!

Angeline Kace: Such a sweetheart and I'm so proud to be a part of your Street Team *woot* Team Mirko, all the way baby!

Kendall Grey : One of the raddest, craziest, most giving and most talented bitches around! I friggin' heart you lady and am so glad to see INHALE getting rave reviews. It deserves every one of them!

and finally J.L. Bryan: You are a master at the mind-fuckery and I'm so glad that my co-conspirators convinced me to read your book. You've got yourself a new fan ;)

And of course, I have to give THANKS to my MoIE crew:

Smash Attack Reads!

The Bookish Brunette

Between the Pages

Book Loving Mom

These girls rallied behind me from day one, supported my idea and made me laugh my ass off with our blogger chats. I ♥ you girls, like whoa!

I couldn't be prouder of how the whole event turned out and hope you guys had as much FUN as I did.

I am curious though, is this something you'd like to see us do again later in the year (with all new indie authors)? Please let us know in your comments :)

Random Acts of Kindness: April Wrap-Up #RAK

{Please click on the RAK button above to be re-directed to our Book Soulmates Store on Amazon. You can find all your favorite titles there and add them to your shopping cart.}

Another month has come and gone and thank you to everyone who wished us a happy birthday in some form or another <3

Sent:
Sent birthday RAKs to Ruby from Ruby's Reads and Aislynn from Stitch-Read-Cook. April babies FTW :)

Isalys Received:

Thanks to Mary at Sweeping Me for The Rogue Pirate's Bride by Shana Galen
Thanks to Aislynn from Stitch-Read-Cook for A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean and Not Wicked Enough by Carolyn Jewel
Received "Second Chances: Inspiring Stories of Dog Adoption" from Isalys's MIL
Thanks to Lisa at Dizneeee's World of Books for Beautiful Chaos by K. Garcia & M. Stohl
And *woot* a $50 gift card to B&N that will be put to good use this week!

Vanessa Received:

Thanks to Aislynn from Stitch-Read-Cook for Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Vanessa also received a gift card to B&N from her hubby-to-be
And she'll be getting another special surprise book from Isalys that cannot yet be disclosed ;)

Thank you EVERYONE for your continued support of our RAK program!

Huggles,

PS: Don't forget to leave the links to your R.A.K. April Wrap-Up! posts so we can stop by and check out your loot!!

Clock Rewinders 04.29.12

Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge is the weekly recap feature created byAmanda @ On a Book Bender and Tara @ 25 Hour Books, where they shamelessly plug each other, share the fantastic posts, giveaways, or whatever else they’ve found and loved by other awesome bloggers (or authors!) during the week, and talk about the books they plan on reading in the coming week.

_____________________________________________________________

Book Soulmates Post Recap:

J.L. Bryan was a our AUTHOR BLOG SOULMATE of the week.
NEW RELEASES for week of April 24, 2012
We announced WINNERS for the INHALE USB drives from Kendall Grey.
Isalys 5-star REVIEW of "Jenny Pox" by J.L Bryan.
Book Soulmates and J.L. Bryan are GIVING AWAY (1) set of Jenny Pox and Tommy Nightmare e-books.
J.L. Bryan shares with is a LETTER TO JENNY from her soulmate on his guest post.
Our FINAL BLOGGER CHAT where the girls discuss the epicness of Jenny Pox.

Book Soulmates News:

We're getting romantical on Book Soulmates with two historical romance blog tours this week plus a very cool promo from Kendall Grey about her passion for whales and inspiration for INHALE.
Went to the SPRING INTO THE FUTURE book event at Books & Books in Coral Gables and met Veronica Rossi and Tahereh Mafi :) Pictures will be posted later in the week.
We practically never get cool, funny or interesting search terms but one did pop up this week that we had to share with you guys. Ok, you ready?
"header erotic audio"
What the hell does this mean and how did it lead to our site? Oh, the mysteries of the internet.

Books We Got:

Isalys bought copies of "Under the Never Sky" by Veronica Rossi and "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi.
Book bully, Smash, strikes again!! She's got me all pumped to read The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

Books We Read:

Undone by Lila DiPasqua
Currently Reading: Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane

Around the Blogosphere:

Well, if you didn't know that The Story Siren was busted for plagiarizing, then you've clearly been living under rock, lol. We're not going to get into it or provide upteen links to the influx of posts over the topic. The whole thing turned into one giant pissing contest between her supporters/minions and those who wanted to tar and feather her. Bottom line, what she did was wrong but it happened and seems like just about everyone is ready to move on now. Just know that the girls of Book Soulmates do NOT condone or excuse her actions (regardless of how popular she is) and we will be NOT be supporting her blog in any way. That's how WE choose to take our stand on the matter!
So, are you a fan of Andrew Smith? Well, if you are or if you aren't, you guys needs to check out this RAD announcement for our homegirl's Smash 'n friends 4-month long read-a-long feature. Click on the image for details.
The next round of Bout of Books is coming up on 5/14-5/20. Click on the image for information and sign-ups.

Blogger Group Chat: Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Below is our FINAL ROUND of our Blogger Group Chat featuring:

Isalys / Book Soulmates

Ashley / The Bookish Brunette

Amy / Book Loving Mom

Smash / Smash Attack Reads!

Loretta / Between The Pages

GENERAL COMMENTARY:
I’m not even really sure where to start with this one...lol.

This was my first Indie rodeo! Before "Month of Indie Epicness", I hadn’t read any. I purposely stayed away but I’m glad I finally got over that because I’ve read some amazing books. Jenny Pox blew my friggin’ mind (for like the 16th time). Agreed. Not to sound like Indie authors don’t deliver, because um, obviously they do, but I really was not expecting what I received! I was really, really impressed with this entire series.

I’m getting excited for Tommy Nightmare. If Jenny was that good, I know Tommy will be too! Isa, it is amazing. As well as the last one! I want so much more. I want more books!! Ya hear that J.L.? You better get crack-a-lackin’ =P

Ohhh! The social worker in me came out gunnin’ during Tommy’s story! Do we see more of Ashleigh in Tommy’s book? Oh hell, that hooker is with us through it all. {Dammit! Hated that ho...damn good villain though!} We get new people each book, however, and they are all intricately connected. It’s a seriously wicked plot of epic proportions. The whole thing is quite brilliant, really! As I said in my Jenny Pox review, “Just when you think this book is about three people with paranormal abilities, the author kicks up the lore and story into high gear, and presents the reader with a serious expansion of the world the likes of which will have your jaw hanging low.” ← THIS I will just make comments on your stuff since I didn’t read it. I really suck!! Fail on my part. When you finally read it, I will be cheering you on via Twitter! I will be sure to update you ;) We need to get Isa on books 2 and 3 now! Yes Amy. It is amazing! *sigh* & YES, Isa, the next 2 books are JUST as freaking amazing!

So this is easily one of my top TWO favorite books EVER. Just throwing that out there ;) Dude, if I didn’t have like 30 things I NEED to read, I would read it right now. Yes! I loved these books so much!!! All of them! Especially Jenny Pox. I mean it was the 1st so it is sorta special. lol Me too! I loved all three... but Jenny Pox will always hold a SUPER special place in my heart!

The series is awesome to say the least. I was like WOW! What the…fuck. Agreed!!! I’ve read good and bad indie books, but J.L. Bryan’s Jenny Pox was BEYOND amazing! Seriously, BLEW me AWAY. He is a really awesome person too. I love chatting with him on twitter. What the...fuck? is RIGHT!

CHARACTERS:
ABOUT JENNY: So what did everyone think about the characters? My heart went out to the characters, especially Jenny. The sorrow and sadness and what-did-she-do-to-deserve-this-shit was palpable. Jenny BROKE MY HEART!!! I cried and CRIED. I FELT Jenny’s pain. I FELT her isolation. I needed to hug her. Save her from everything. ← Yes! This. I cried on the 1st PAGE! Another book that is going to break me?! I am still gathering my heart back up from the last book I read. This series will get ya! It has very touching moments and very Dat Bitch! moments, too! Yes! These books will fill you with so many emotions! They will leave you thinking about the characters long after you finish the last book. I still want MORE. Jenny didn't start off strong which would normally annoy me but considering her circumstances, it's completely understandable and it makes you feel so much empathy for her. She just cannot touch anyone. Nothing. Until she meets someone of course, it was just so hard on her. She had only ever gotten love from one person and it was still from a distance. It's so hard to imagine that kind of loneliness. *sniffle*

NOW ABOUT ASHLEIGH: If we’re going to talk about Ashleigh next, then I should leave. My language may offend. Offend who? Oh, the readers of the lovely blog post that will come of this chat. Oh I hated her! Yeah, I will not be very lady like.. like I ever was.. but you know.. Ashleigh was not a character I liked AT ALL. Me either dude. She was a fucking c*nt. Hated her with a fiery passion. Swear I would have beat that bitch down and gave her the pox just for the fun of it! Ashleigh provided such stellar drama to the story! She WAS a GREAT character, I just HATED her. But not to the extent that I hated the STORY bc she was a whore. Or... not actually. LOL I said the same thing in my review, then corrected myself because the slut is a virgin! It really doesn’t fit her character, which confuses the shit out of you, which is good! Home girl has manipulation down to a fuggin science, yo. She played a good EVIL BITCH, that's for sure. She had that damn role down. Sounds like I am going to hate her with a passion. Especially if Ashley hates her. She usually likes the ones I hate. ;) Yes, Ashley hates Ashleigh! YOU WILL TOO!! lol I’m still not convinced that Ashleigh isn’t the anti-Christ cuz girlfriend fit the profile to a motherfuggin’ T! HAHA! I could not agree one ounce more. She is a true piece of art wrapped up in a pretty package. Which is what makes her such a great villain...she’s so manipulative and deceiving! Like I said in my review, people thought she was "sugar and spice when she's really venom and claws."

AND LE SETH:
*sigh* Here Jenny finally finds someone she can ‘touch’. Oh my my my!! Ooooh... I LOVED Seth. He SAVED Jenny. Wait! I gotta go find my favorite part:

“Will you keep me safe?” she whispered. -Jenny
“I promise.” -Seth
“Then I’ll go anywhere with you.” -Jenny

Oh, homeboy made me swoon! That is super swoon worthy!! I must read and find out more about this Seth...he sounds like he will melt my heart. YES, he will! THAT quote STILL gives me chills! Oh dear lawdie. I have that quote as my top fav. *sigh* Seth surprised me. He really did. I was extremely in love? Ha! But yea, I was extremely smitten with Seth’s sincerity and honesty. Me too! I thought that Seth was an amazing character! He was great to Jenny! But Ashleigh really did some work on poor Seth. MANIPULATION. I deal with it daily, but that ho was a master. I felt so bad for him, and then I was like C’MON. Break out of it. I wanted to smack them, lol. But, alas that is what Ashleigh was good for. I adored that we didn't get to meet the REAL Seth until he met the REAL Jenny. As individuals, they were a reflection of their respective worlds (manipulation and isolation) but together, they were something else altogether! (Ooh, look at me w/ my fancy words...someone needs to hand me a degree now please!)

THE CLIMATIC FINALE:
Did we talk about the ending yet? Cuz g’damn...that one scene with Seth and the people and stuff. Yeah, I had to yell at J.L. for that one! LOL. Girl, that mayhem was EPIC. The visualization while reading the book was great. I could picture all of the sick twisted shiz that was happening. I love when an author pulls you in like that. Attached. Ohhh I love when I get really attached to the characters and feel like I know them for real. Oh, you will love Jenny and Seth, and want to pitch Ashleigh into a raging forest fire. Characterization was strong. Awesome. I love when an author has the ability to make the characters real. I was completely DUMBSTRUCK. The entire book was like... great... then the last 20 or so pages was like... BAM!! FUCKING EPIC. OMG right! My mouth was like =O Holy hell. What the what. That was an amazingly epic ending for sure!! That one chapter left me STOOPID! I could not believe what was happening and even though it was all a mess, I was proud of Jenny for finally growing a pair. And when she grew that pair, all hell broke loose. She didn’t grow a pair, she snapped. Like the crazed, beaten, bruised soul she is. But she heals, and it’s lovely. Yeah, snapped is a better word for it. I hated the scenes where she felt she had to walk with her head down...broke my heart and frustrated me at the same time. It’s not a fun thing to witness. You want to shake her and hug her simultaneously. She sounds so broken :( She is. The people at her school, Ashleigh + her minions were just so horrible to her. It was so sad to read. So the ending was just so gratifying. I have a feeling I am going to totally want to beat the shit out of Ashleigh. Get in line, lol! She really sounds like an evil bitch!! Drop everything. Read it tonight! I feel like I need to. Like, screw everything else for another day or two, lol

CONTENT:
Ok, the bigotry and racism drove me effing bonkers! Me too! That stuff was insane. *gag* But, people are still like that. Shameful but true. It worked well for the purpose of the story, but to think that shit like that still exists is sickening. I’m all for Christianity but the holier-than-thouness was not cool!

OMG! You just made me think of Jenny’s dad. Her dad really was sweet! The drinking was bothersome, but he never hurt her and he had his own grief to drown so I let it slide. I actually really adored him. He obviously had his own shit to deal with (in an unhealthy way) but he loved her unconditionally. Yes! He sounds like a really interesting character too. He was just a really good dad...and that makes happy because cruel/hateful parents make me want to break things...like their faces! LOL. I am both laughing and crying at your statement. FML. *high five* NOW *hug* lol Seriously though, you deal w/ this shiz daily...I know “dad” must have tugged at your heartstrings. Fo sho.

Thsi is not your “normal” YA. It is like MATURE RATED 'R' YA. Amazing! Uh yeah, that other scene...ya know the REALLY naughty one...I was like, o_O "Oh my!" It’s not REALLY YA at all... it does HAVE younger adults IN IT, but I classify it as horror/paranormal/EPIC.

Ladies, thank you for recommending this book because it really was EPIC and EPIC is the best way to end our "Month of Indie EPICness". Love ya bitchez!

Letter to Jenny

We asked J.L. Bryan to put together is guest post for our feature and he thought it would be appropriate to create a letter to Jenny (from Jenny Pox) written, appropriately enough, by her soulmate...

Dear Jenny,

Spoken words run too fast and thin to express what I must say to you. I must write this letter to you instead, so that there may be some hope of more fully conveying my true feelings, and choosing only the words that will reveal rather than obscure all that I mean to share.

I have always known, somehow, that you were out there waiting for me to discover you. My heart has stalked this dark world like a ravenous wolf, hunting without knowing the cause of the unquenchable hunger driving me restlessly onward. I have looked into the darkest places in search of a glimmer of light.

Despair was my constant companion until I found you. All that you stir and awaken in me makes me so much more than I was, as if I were merely sleepwalking until you first touched me. It was then that I knew for certain we’d found each other yet again, and this lifetime could at last begin.

It is so difficult for me to express how the depth of love between us transcends life and death, and we find each other again and again down through the millennia. My memories of the past stretch through the rise and fall of forgotten empires, through wars and famines and plagues, and in all of this suffering you are the bright and golden thread weaving so many of my lives together, bringing purpose to so much that would otherwise be without meaning.

I hope that you have awakened to some sense of this: the mad passions that have possessed us, the enemies we have vanquished, the cities we have ravaged and kingdoms we have crushed. The ecstasy and horror of what we become together is my only reason to live, the only reason I return to these miserable bonds of flesh again and again. When we do not have flesh, we cannot touch, and I thirst to have bodies again so that we can embrace more fully than our native fleshless form allows.

But now you have returned to me, my love, the only light in my universe. And again we will be together, as we are always meant to be. Now that I have found you, my other half, I cannot bear for us to be apart again.

You are the sole owner of my heart, now and for all eternity.

Sincerely, with all the love I have to offer,
Your soulmate

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and Romanticism. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, their baby son, and some eccentric dogs and cats. He is the author of The Paranormals series (Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, Alexander Death) and the Songs of Magic series (Fairy Metal Thunder, Fairy Blues, and Fairystruck).

Jenny Pox |Fairy Metal Thunder

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads

And this pretty much made me want to melt into a giant puddle of girly goo! Damn female hormones! Thank you J.L. Bryan for getting female loins everywhere a-throbbin'

Giveaway: Jenny Pox Set by J.L. Bryan

GIVEAWAY!
April 25 - May 2Winner announced May 3

One lucky winner will get an e-book SET of the first two books in the Jenny Pox (The Paranormals) Series available for Kindle or in PDF format.

Official Contest Information:

To enter, please fill out the form below.
Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
Contest open to EVERYONE with an email address.
The winner will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
The winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be emailed directly to winner from author.
No comment entries will be accepted.
You may choose to be a blog follower, but it is NOT required to enter the giveaway.

Title: Jenny Pox (The Paranormals #1)
Author: J.L. Bryan
Publish Date: July 24, 2010 by J.L. Bryan (self-pub)
Pages: 214 pages, e-book
Reviewed by: Isalys
Reason for Reading: E-book provided by author for review purposes

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town. Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

I hadn't heard of this book until my "Month of Indie Epicness" co-conspirators recommended that we include it. This is the reason I know those girls won't lead me astray because damn, Jenny Pox blew my friggin' mind, like whoa!

Jenny Morton, known as Jenny Mittens to all which was still a vast improvement from her days as Jenny Pox is a pariah. She wears mittens to protect others from her deadly touch. For reasons unknown, Jenny's touch spreads plague-like infections such as blisters, boils, and nasty open sores. If she holds on too long, you can kiss your butt good-bye.

Even with a loving and supportive father, Jenny has never known acceptance or even another person's touch. She's always been that weird girl that keeps to herself and is covered from head-to-toe even in the middle of summer, that is until. . .

Meet Seth, boyfriend of Ashleigh, the school's reigning Queen Bee. We are introduced to Seth as your typical high school jock, but a sad incident involving Jenny's dog reveals that Seth is actually really sweet and compassionate and has a BIG secret of his own. He also has an ability and incidentally, it nixes Jenny's which means they can touch, kiss and even have sex. For the first time in Jenny's life, she is over-the-moon in love and she does not intend to let go.

As for Ashleigh, little Miss Holier than Thou. She's got the whole town wrapped around her finger, except for one person and that is Jenny Mittens. She is determined to rise in power and take Jenny down and reclaim Seth while she's at it. What none of them realize is that they ALL have abilities and they're about to be pushed to their limits.

Holy shit guys! I can't remember the last time that a book affected me so much. The premise is unique, the characters are intense, and the world-building is surprising! Jenny's story broke my heart. I can't imagine living life without human touch. No hugs, no kisses, no high-fives, no smex *gasp*. Seth was funny and sweet and genuinely cared about Jenny so the scenes with them together were a delight. Ashleigh, well, she may or may not be the anti-Christ. She does a phenomenal job of convincing people that she's sugar and spice when she's really venom and claws. Jenny and eventually Seth are the only ones who see her for what she is and they are determined to stop her!

Then we get to our big finale...the climax of our story and the part where Isalys's (yes, I'm referring to myself in third person) palms start sweating, my eyes are bugging out of my head and my heart is about ready to burst. I'm reading the e-book so I've got my iPad in a death grip as I try to take it all in. The bad guys think they're good, the good guys do bad things and it's all chaos and mayhem. J.L. Bryan took the mind-fuckery to EPIC proportions.

And then, just when you think that this story is over, J.L. Bryan takes us for a little mythological ride with a taste of the backstory about why Jenny, Seth, and Ashleigh have those (particular) abilities.

*headdesk* To quote my own comment on Smash's Goodreads page: "I just finished Jenny Pox and I need a drink OR a hug OR a drink while being hugged."

Go read it. Now!

WARNING: The characters may be young adult, but there is some very mature content/scenes. Suggested for 18+ readers.