Challenges Reminder!!

Hello Blogland!

Just a quick reminder for all the challenge participants:

The Heartbreakers Challenge ends Feb 28! We will be choosing the winner March 1.
There is still time to sign up and post your reviews!




Good luck :)

We will also be choosing a winner for the iChallenges. Please have your reviews in by Feb 28! The winner of the iChallenges will be posted on March 1.

Remember, the iChallenges is all year long. We will choose a winner at the end of each month.

Good Luck to all!



Check out this weeks Vlog {Fri., Feb 26} to find out which books we'll be giving to the winners!

Teaser Tuesday 2.23.10

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
  

Isalys's Teaser:
"She would work with him, she would make love with him, but she would not make care about him just because he insatiably caressed every inch of her body. She would not fall for a man set on saving her world - not when his success meant his death. She wouldn't do that to herself and she wouldn't do that to him."

~p. 153 from "Jordan (Pendragon Legacy #3)" by Susan Kearney



Vanessa's Teaser:
"I thought you had forgotten me, thought you felt nothing for me. " Arthur stroked the damp hair from her forehead, his hand cool; crooned to her loving and gentling. "I have never forgotten you, Cymraes. Feel for you more than ever you could imagine." She believed him, knew he spoke the truth."

~p. 340 from "The Kingmaking" by Helen Hollick

New Releases 2.23.10

♥ Fiction ♥

The Infinities by John Banville

♥ Mystery ♥

Split Image by Robert B. Parker
Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb

♥ Chick-Lit ♥

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

♥ Romance ♥


Jordan by Susan Kearney
Once Bitten, Twice Dead by Bianca D'Arc
Blood of the Demon by Diana Rowland
Darkness Within by Sherrilyn Kenyon

♥ Urban/Fantasy ♥

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

♥ YA ♥

Hard To Get by Emma Carlson Berne
Wintergirls (Out on paperback) by Laurie Halse Anderson

Rant or Rave Monday 2.22.10

So we thought we'd do a little ranting today on something that we've given a lot of thought to...and that's cover art. As avid readers, we've come to realize that the cover art of a book is a large part of a book's overall success. We all know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but should and won't aren't the same thing. We rely on a book's cover to attract our attention. With thousands of books lining the shelves, a book's cover should say, "Hey, pick me, pick me!" Otherwise, you'll just walk on by and may miss out on reading a great book.

This especially applies to new/first-time authors. Well established authors who have a strong fan base could probably put a turd on the cover and someone will read their books. However, if you're a new author, you really need to rely on your book's cover art as part of your marketing strategy.

Case in point, The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich which Isalys referenced on Friday's Vlog Post. We've heard about how funny & well-written these books are, but the truth is that we haven't read them because the cover art just isn't all that appealing. It seems more of a deterrent than a lure.



Note from Isalys: To be perfectly frank, I find the covers to be obnoxious and little too much of a throwback to the good 'ol 1980s. They weren't something that I was excited about adding to my shelf. However, I will say that Janet makes them memorable with the lime green and highlighter orange color action she's got going on, lol!

I have added the first book to my TBR list because I trust my friend's judgment and will read it on her recommendation :)

♥ Here are a few of Isalys's favorite covers ♥
{I Heart Vanessa's choices too!}




♥ Here are a few of Vanessa's favorite covers ♥
{I Heart Isa's choices too! lol}




What can we say, we have the same taste =)

Do you think covers are important to how well a book does?
What are your favorite and least favorite covers?

Wicked Wednesday Winners

So we owe you guys several giveaway results and here they are!
We hope to make some people very happy this weekend =)

Countess of Scandal by Laurell McKee

1. Letisia Cruz - Submitted
2. Martha Lawson - Submitted
3. Leola Norman - Submitted
4. Emma - Submitted
5. Kissell - Submitted

Ecstasy Unveiled (Demonica # 4) by Larissa Ione

1. Cynthia Garrido - Submitted
2. Takyra Morgan - Submitted
3. Crystal Broyles - Submitted
4. Elizabeth Sutphin - Submitted
5. Chrissy - Submitted



Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine

1. Laisa - Submitted
2. Emily Brown - Submitted
3. Kiara (kiki55) - Emailed for Address!
4. Jennifer (Scorpio M) - Submitted
5. Julie Holden - Submitted



Rion (Pendragon Legacy # 2) by Susan Kearney

1. Karen K - Submitted
2. RachieG - Submitted
3. Sue Mickelson - Submitted
4. StephTheBookworm - Submitted
5. Beth - Submitted



Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory

1. Penney Wilfort - Submitted
2. Raelena Pavey - Submitted
3. Jane - Submitted
4. Etiv - Submitted
5. *New Winner* Cynthia Garrido - Submitted

Yayyy! Winners were chosen using randomizer.org. We will email those who we do not have addresses for already. You have until next Friday to get back to us with your address (if we don't already have it). If we haven't heard from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.

If you are still interested in more giveaways, check out my giveaways page [here].