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Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Happy Hour at Casa Dracula is book one in the feisty, fantasy, and romantic “vampire” series from Marta Acosta. Readers are introduced to Milagro de los Santos, the hip Latina who accidently gets infected by the ravishing Oswald. When Milagro suddenly gets the urges to eat raw meat and drink blood, Oswald whisks Milagro away to his family compound, and starts spilling the family secrets. Oswald and his family won’t claim themselves as vampires, instead insisting that they have a genetic condition- which makes them have urges to drink blood and can’t go in the sun. They fear Milagro has been infected after her encounter with Oswald, and that no human has survived infection. When Milagro appears to be able to fight off the infection, and grows increasingly attracted to the engaged Oswald, she must accept the vastly different life she will now lead.
I have never read vampires book, and don’t get much into paranormal reads, but when my pal Marta Acosta asked me to review her series, I couldn’t say no. And I’m glad I didn’t turn her down! Happy Hour isn’t a typical vampire novel filled with dark scenes and biting necks. Milagro is a hilarious protagonist, an independent chick who isn’t afraid to walk on the wild side and wear that skin tight leopard dress. The journey she takes readers on promises to be funny, entertaining, and will keep you flipping the pages. I love the world that Acosta has created, and look forward to more from the series!
Rating: 4/5

Author Profile: Shannon McKelden

Author Name: Shannon McKelden

Website: http://shannonmckelden.com/

Bio: Shannon knew she enjoyed writing since the sixth grade, when her short stories earned her A+ grades. While she enjoyed writing, that dream got sidetracked as she worked in a shoe store and a bank, graduated high school, got married and took on a mortgage. After her daughter was born, Shannon was able to start dabbling in the writing again- and went on to publish short stories for magazines. It took a few years later and finding the Romance Writers of America, but Shannon now has published three novels.

Currently: Shannon lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two kids, three cats, a dog and a crow.
Titles: Venus Envy, Venus Guy Trap, and The Kiss Test
Bio Retrieved from shannonmckelden.com

Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds Split

What is eating Hollywood? It seems to be the week for breakups- and it’s only Tuesday! Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens split after four years of dating, Jennifer Connelly and Michael C. Hall are on their way to a divorce, and now Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds have separated! People.com reported the news, and released this joint statement form the couple, “”After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we’ve decided to end our marriage. We entered our relationship with love and it’s with love and kindness we leave it. While privacy isn’t expected, it’s certainly appreciated.”
A source close to the couple says Johansson initiated the split and the couple has been separated for six months. Johansson, 26, and Reynolds, 34, have been known for their hush-hush relationship, rarely speaking out about each other. They married in 2008 in Reynold’s hometown of Vancouver, with only friends and family to witness the ceremony, and no wedding photos were ever released. The couple have no children.

Guest Post: For Love of Writing by Donna VanLiere

For Love of Writing
Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Journey
www.donnavanliere.com

At every writer’s seminar or symposium you’ll hear someone from a publishing house or literary agency say to write about you love or what you know. Red Smith, the first sportswriter to win the Pulitzer Prize, said, “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” That’s easier said than done and impossible to do unless you’re pouring your heart into the words and writing about you know.

It’s those books, the ones that come from the place of knowing that are the ones worth reading—ones where the writer poured herself into the writing. Those are the novels that touch the reader to the core, prompting her to care more deeply or give more generously. Those are the stories that reach the far places of the reader’s heart making her angry at injustice or more passionate about the homeless. Eloquence and style have their place but for my money I’d rather read a book that was written with passion because it’s within those pages that I feel something.

In Hebrew, the word dabar means both word and action. A good book shouldn’t just say something but make you feel something. When I give a book away as a gift it’s always because the book did something to me. As a writer, you should always ask yourself, “What do I want the reader to feel?” because it’s not all about the words. There’s more. There’s helping the reader feel a little wiser, a little less alone, a little less afraid, a heap more grateful, a little more understanding, patient or loving, a bit more human and a lot more alive. Those are the books worth reading and the only ones worth writing.

Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens Split

One of Hollywood’s youngest golden couples has called it quits. People.com reported that High School Musical stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have split after four years together. A source tells People that “they are 100 percent still good friends.” Efron, 23, is filming The Lucky One in New Orleans, and Hudgens, who turns 22 on Tuesday, is working on Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in Hawaii. No reason was given for the split.

The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden

Margo Gentry has a great life. She works as a DJ to Manhattan’s only country music station, and just got a prestigious award that will likely come with promotions and praise. Her boyfriend is fabulous and understanding of Margo never wanting to get married. Her mother lives far far away, and can never just pop in for dinner. Yes, Margo has a great life.
Until it all explodes. The radio station gets bought out and all DJ’s lose their jobs- even Margo with her fancy new award. Her boyfriend suddenly decides marriage, kids, and moving to the suburbs is a must- something that makes Margo want to gag. And her mom calls to say she is getting married-for the 11th time!- and insists that Margo be her maid of honor. With no job and no place to live after refusing her boyfriend’s proposal, Margo finds comfort by living with her best friend Chris- until she realizes his house is just a revolving door for all women trying to pin him down by passing his “kiss test.” Chris, a friend from Margo’s childhood, insists she be a part of her mother’s wedding, and offers to drive her across the country to attend. Margo accepts his offer on one condition- they can stop by in Graceland to visit the home of Elvis- Margo’s obsession. The road trip turns out to be a test of their friendship- and of the kiss test.
I really enjoyed The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden. The one-liners are hilarious, the situations Margo gets herself into are off the wall funny (the part where she has to sleep in a bathtub was the best!) and I thought this novel had some good life lessons buried under the humor. The friendship between Margo and Chris has a genuine feel to it, and I thought the road trip was the perfect way to show that. I did get a little overwhelmed with all the Elvis obsessions, but other than that, this is a super funny read and I recommend it to all chick lit fans!
Rating: 4/5

In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th

In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th

Title: Celebrities For Breakfast
Author: Shelley Stout
Received: From Shelley Stout
Synopsis: Personal shopper to the stars, Judith Collington, refuses to spend one more day in LA, answering the whiney demands of her Hollywood clientele. To escape, Judith and her seventh-grader, Shannon, give up their lucrative lifestyle to run a bed and breakfast in central Illinois. Judith prepares to purchase the property, until it changes hands in a poker game. New owner: Hollywood actor and part-time egomaniac, Ren Spencer. Judith installs Ren into the nearest guest room, where he insists on heated towels and meals on a tray. She would love to hate him, except he’s pathetic in an endearing sort of way. Oh, and did I mention he’s about to become engaged?

If you really want the latest, just read Shannon’s private computer journal. Her bedroom wall is plastered with posters of her all-time favorite star, but Shannon could care less if Ren Spencer’s a has-been at 35. He’s so hot, she can’t stop writing love stories about him. So what if Ren drinks too much and has to sober up in jail? And why can’t Shannon just have a normal mother like everybody else?

CELEBRITIES FOR BREAKFAST is a romantic comedy told through Judith’s voice, but sprinkled throughout are Shannon’s journal entries and Ren’s two cents.

Title: Blue
Author: Lou Aronica
Received: From Lou Aronica
Synopsis: Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris’s fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman – and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.

Title: The Christmas Journey
Author: Donna VanLiere
Received: From Ann Staszaleck with AuthorsOntheWeb.com
Synopsis: The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world.
Accompanied by moving and beautifully rendered original watercolor illustrations throughout, Donna’s signature voice retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.

Nicole Richie & Joel Madden Marry

Nicole Richie is a married woman! After four years together, Nicole Richie married Joel Madden in front of about 130 family members and friends on Saturday, according to People.com. Richie, 29, wore a wedding dress by Marchesa, and the rings were designed by jeweler Neil Lane. Guests at the wedding included the groom’s twin brother and Good Charlotte bandmate Benji Madden, Sam Ronson, and Gwen Stefani and husband Gavin Rosedale. Richie and Madden, 31, became engaged in February and have two children together.

Chick Lit Reading Challenge for 2011

I have been seeing a bunch of challenges popping up in the past week, but I have yet to see anything with just chick lit…so I decided to go for it and host my own! This will be my first year doing this, so there may be some bumps along the way, but I am excited to give it a try. So, welcome to the Chick Lit Plus Chick Lit Challenge for 2011!
Rules:
Challengers will read 12 chick lit books throughout 2011. You can obviously read more books of other genres, but you need at least 12 chick lit to count for this challenge.
Two of the twelve books need to be from debut authors. The debuts should be released in 2011. I am starting a new feature on my blog that will highlight new releases and debuts, so you can find suggestions there.
Start your own challenge post on your blog, and put the link in the Mister Linky below. This must be to the specific post mentioning the Chick Lit Plus Challenge, not just to your blog. This way, other challengers can link over to your page and see how you are doing! If you do not have a blog but wish to sign up, just email me at Samantha (at) chicklitplus (dot) com and I will get you signed up.
Please send me an email when you start a new book for the challenge. I will be doing a weekly post on the challenge, and I will mention all the books that are being read by challengers.
Starting in January, there will be a link specific to the challenge. Challengers can add their links to their book reviews.
Readers can join the challenge anytime between now and the later part of 2011. The books you read do not need to be selected beforehand, you can them add them as you go.
Prizes:
I have some fantastic authors that are willing to contribute their books to this challenge. There will be monthly prizes, and each reader who links over their reviews or emails me the book they are reading will be entered to win the monthly prize.
And that’s it! If you are wondering if a specific book will count towards chick lit, just send me an email and I will let you know. Also, if you have any trouble adding your URL below, send me an email with the link and I will get it added for you.
So I think that is it, but like I said, this is my first challenge I’m hosting, so if I missed anything please let me know, or I might be adding some info along the way. I hope you sign up and enjoy the challenge, and hopefully find some great books, authors, and new friends!