Monday Meme

It's that time again folks! The Monday meme is here!
Here's what I read last week, am currently reading, and what I plan to read next.


Last week:

Currently reading:



Plan to read next:

New Release!

The Pharaoh and the Curator: A Paranormal Erotic Tale

Release Date: April 26, 2013

Promotion Dates: Free from April 26th-April 30

Synopsis: Unlucky in love museum curator Michelle Beaumont finds herself in Egypt where she contributes to god Amon Ra's resurrection. His burning heat soon has her throwing caution to the desert winds, but a lurking danger threatens both of their souls.

Biography

 Sophia Jones lives in the Arizona desert with her husband and an assortment of other furry critters. She is a voracious reader of many genres, though most often it's a romance novel in her hand. Coffee addict. Dog lover. Yoga noob. Fledgling paranormal romance author. She'd love for you to stop by and say hello.

Contact

Website http://www.sophiajonesromance.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sophia-Jones/406484616100942

Twitter https://twitter.com/SophiaJRomance

Monday Meme!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
To start off the new week, here's the Monday Meme. (:

It's easy to play along, just answer three easy question.

 1. What did you read last week?
2. What are you currently reading? 
3. What do you plan to read next?



Here's mine:

 -Last week-

 -Currently reading-

-What's next-

*Review*

Fall For Me by K.A. Last
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book full of surprises!! Grace is a protection angel. She stands up for what she believes in and will protect the ones that she loves no matter what. Angels aren't supposed to fall in love though...and there are consequences! Grace must choose what side she will fight for, who she loves, and how to keep everyone safe. I enjoyed reading this book and I love the characters! My favorite would have to be Seth. Just love the whole bad boy/angel thing he has going on! Fall for me is a well written story and I'm looking forward to reading the next book!


View all my reviews

Useful tips & websites!

I've only been blogging and reviewing for a year now, but I thought I should share with everyone what I've learned in that year, in case anyone out there needs help or is new to the blogging community and is unsure where to start. I didn't get much help when I first started doing this so I want to make sure I can help others as much as possible. Here is a list of tips and websites I use to run my blog. If you know of any tips or websites that I didn't list below, please leave a comment! I'm still relatively new to the blogging community and  most of this is common sense, but you can never have too much help! (:

Websites:

* http://bookblogs.ning.com

I found this website to be VERY helpful in getting more followers. It's free to create an account and you just mingle with other bloggers/authors and usually do a follow for a follow. 

*Twitter & Facebook

Everyone knows about these two, but I know I was hesitant to create a Twitter account at first.  I wasn't used to "tweeting" and wasn't sure exactly what to say/ do. I'm sooo glad I finally gave in and created an account! It's a great way to spread the word around about your upcoming reviews, giveaways, interviews, etc.  You get more followers, come across other bloggers giveaways, and I've had a good bit of authors get in touch with me through Twitter rather than my blog.  They both help get your blog out there and gives you chance to come across other bloggers. 

*http://www.goodreads.com

I LOVE Goodreads!! It free to create an account and I can't even begin to tell you how much it has helped me stay organized. Goodreads let's you create shelves for your books. You can have multiple shelves for books you want to read, what you have already read, and what you are currently reading.  You also get to rate & review the books. There's a code listed to the right side when you write a review so all you have to do is copy and paste that code onto your blog and boom! Your review is there (: 

*http://www.rafflecopter.com

This is the website I use to host my giveaways. It's free and so simple. You create your giveaway, copy and paste the code on your blog and then people can enter your giveaway. It shows you how many people have entered, how long the giveaway lasts, and the different options you can do to enter it. Free & simple, doesn't get much better, right? 

*http://www.shelfari.com

Shelfari is similar to Goodreads and to http://www.librarything.com  

All three of these sites let you organize, rate, and review your books. They also have widgets that you can put on your blog to show others what books are on your shelves. For example: I have my Shelfari " to read" shelf in my TBR List tab. I also have my Goodreads "have read" shelf  to the left side of my blog. 

*http://www.blogoversary.com

This one is pretty self explanatory. This site creates a widget for a countdown until your blog's anniversary. 

*http://www.picmonkey.com

This is similar to Photobucket, but in my opinion, waayyy better! Just upload your photo and have some fun decorating and editing it. 

*Blog Button code

I was stressing out soooo bad about having to make a blog button and I suck at codes.. completely. Just as I was about to give up and just pay to have one made I came across this blog article. It was so simple and actually worked for me! http://www.pinkonthecheek.com/2012/09/how-to-make-blog-button.html

*http://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com

Here is a huge list of bloggers! You can look up a genre and find all the blogs (that they have in their system) in one place! This is a great tool for bloggers looking for other bloggers in the same genre to follow and become friends with. 

Tips:

~Network~

Sounds simple, but trust me, it's very time consuming. If you want more followers you are going to have to follow other blogs. If you want comments on your articles then you have to comment on other's articles. Don't be shy about commenting on other blogs, most of us love feedback and will return the favor! It's a great way to make new friends and get your blog's name out there.

~Enter & Host Giveaways~

You get a chance to mingle with other from the blogging community and a chance to win free books! Hosting a giveaway is a good way to get traffic through your blog and gain more followers.

~Tweet a lot & Follow back~

~Don't get overloaded~

It's VERY easy to get over worked! I've found it best to keep a schedule for your blog. Write down what events you have coming up, pencil in time to network, give yourself some reading time, and if you do book memes, leave an opening for those as well.  Don't assume you can fit everything in at once. Also, before agreeing to review a book, make sure you aren't already booked up for that week or month. I know it's hard to say No to an opportunity to review a book, but sometimes you have to.

~Join Blog Tours, Blog Hops, and become a Tour Blogger~

~Ask other bloggers for help~

Don't be afraid to ask for help! The blogging community is pretty friendly and most of us love helping each other out (: Whether it be with a question, swapping blog buttons, or interviewing each other. 

~Make your deadlines~

Simple, but not always easy. Life sometimes get hectic and you may forget that you have a review due in a few days and you haven't even started reading the book yet!  :o Calm down. Just email the author and let them know that you will need a little extra time. 

~Comments~

If someone is nice enough to comment on one of your posts, then you should return the favor. This is a great way to build a friendship with one another and gain more followers.

*Review*

Lucius; The Fallen by Tara S. Wood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Omg, I loved this book!! I am picky about angel books, but this one was fantastic. It doesn't preach about religion or talk mostly about God. You've got a couple of sexy fallen angel warriors fighting demons and protecting the ones they love. It's well written and full of action! Each angel has their own "burden" and deals with things differently. Lucius is the leader and the others are loyal to him, even if it means getting kicked out of heaven. The heroine in this book is so loving and nurturing. They are perfect for each other! This book has action, betrayal, love, brotherhood, and a couple of hot steamy scenes. (; I'm already wishing the next book was out!! I think fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series would enjoy this series.


View all my reviews

Book Trailer:here

Excerpt

The subtle whoosh of air from the doorway ahead made all five angels turn as one.

“Is there another one?” Lucius muttered. Turning to Domniel, he said, “Can you smell another one?”

Domniel lifted his head and walked toward the doorway. “Hard to tell. That smell's everywhere. I'll follow it and see what I find.”

“Good. Elijah, go with him,” Lucius said as he bent toward the pool of goo to begin purifying the remains. From the corner of his eye, Lucius watched Elijah nod and jog off to catch up with Domniel.

Task finished, he placed the vial of holy water in his pocket, and called after the blind angel. “Dom?”

“Yeah, man, out here.”

He motioned to Jude and Mordecai, and they ran across the street to another parking lot. He paused as he realized Domniel and Elijah weren’t alone.

A woman stared at them from across the lot. She looked calm. A dark halo of thick curls was pulled back tight, emphasizing an oval face and high cheekbones. The assassin-chic ensemble she sported could not detract from the feminine perfection she represented.

She laid smoldering eyes on them and growled, her voice smoky and rich, “Figures I would find pigeons here. It is the gutter, after all.”

Domniel’s head tilted and Lucius knew he was trying to locate her. He caught a whiff of sand and something exotic and ancient. He knew the blind angel had found her when he turned, putting his shades on her.

“Where the fuck did you come from?” Domniel snarled.

She laughed, the sultry sound designed to stir men’s loins. “A higher plane of existence, you useless bird.”

His dark sunglasses looked her up and down. “No shit, you a Jersey girl? That explains a lot.”

She glared at him before bringing her arm forward to reveal a flaming scimitar. “You pigeons always have to crap on somebody else's sidewalk, don’t you?”

Lucius stepped forward and laid a hand on Domniel's shoulder, urging him to stand down. Apprehension collided with recognition like a shot to his gut, and he gave the deposed goddess a slow, tight smile, hoping that this encounter would leave them with all their limbs.

“Hello, Khemrhy.”

“Do you have any idea what you just screwed up?” Khemrhy laid the scimitar across her back, the fire dying and sword disappearing before she leaned against an old Chevy pickup, one foot planted squarely on the front bumper.

Before anyone could slap a hand over his mouth, Domniel spouted, “Could it be your hot date for this century?”

Khemrhy smiled and stood back up. “No, you fool. You messed with my hunt. He was leading me back to something important. Not that you could ever understand that.”

Always cautious in his dealings with Khemrhy, Lucius put a hand over Domniel's mouth and said, “We think there's a second one. Did you see anything?”

“Of course. The other one went that way,” she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to indicate the alley behind her. Something about it seemed too simple, but a gust of wind brought the stench of brimstone strong enough that they could all smell it.

As Lucius, Jude, and Mordecai began to head past Khemrhy, they instinctively gave her a wide berth. From behind them, Domniel said, “I'll stay here and keep an eye on her. I still don't trust the bitch.”

“Little hard to keep an eye on someone when you're blind, pigeon,” she quipped. “Maybe you should get a dog.”

Lucius heard Domniel mouthing off in the distance and rolled his eyes, hoping she didn't remove any limbs. This time.

“A dog, huh? You’ll do. Let me see if I can find a leash and a muzzle,” Domniel snapped back. “Though you might be a little front end heavy to be running around on hands and knees, fetching shit for me.”

As the wind picked up, Lucius could see Domniel’s head swivel as he struggled to locate Khemrhy’s dissipating scent. Elijah signed to him in a panic, the fluttering of his fingers reaching through to the blind angel.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! I lost her! Where is she? I don't speak finger-fuck!”

Lucius whirled in a circle, hoping that even he could get a quick scent to target the goddess.

Ten feet in front of his sightless brother, Khemrhy growled, “I’ve got a front end for you.” And then the truck came crashing down on Domniel.

From his viewpoint behind Domniel, Lucius watched as Khemrhy planted her boot on the truck's bumper and pushed down hard to lever it upward. When she started pushing down with her foot, Elijah began frantically signing the word, “Chevy” to no avail. As the truck stood on end, she reached down, grabbed the bumper, and swung the entire vehicle over her head.

The pickup came down in a barrage of creaking steel, slamming Domniel hard into the pavement. He gave a loud, anguished grunt as Elijah ran to his side. Twisted metal groaned as Elijah tried to maneuver chunks of the vehicle up off him.

“Get…off me… fucking bitch!” he gurgled. Khemrhy laughed as she made her way to a Triumph motorbike parked beneath one of the street lights.

Lucius and Jude ran to assist. “What the fuck happened? Dom?”

“Chevy half-ton pickup,” Elijah signed to Lucius.

Lucius winced, reaching for parts of the vehicle. “Ouch.”

The sound of the Triumph's throttle rumbling got their attention and they turned. Khemrhy smiled back, flipping them her middle finger before roaring off down the street.

Domniel lay on his back, his chest caved in, laboring for enough breath to groan.

Lucius shook his head. “You know better than to piss her off. She could've killed you, dumbass.”

Domniel wheezed, turned his head and spat out two bloody teeth. “Get 'Magic Fingers' over here - good to go.”

Elijah tapped Lucius on the shoulder and gestured to Domniel.

“Yeah,” Lucius nodded. “Do your thing. And get him to walk. I'm not fucking carrying his wiseass back.”

They came forward and closed ranks, making a circle around him. Elijah knelt down next to the blind angel, stretched out his hands and cracked his knuckles.

“Just fucking get to it, mute. My balls are wedged up in my ribcage.” Domniel's eyes fluttered closed in between gasps.

Jude snorted. “Why can't you be the mute?”

Lucius held a hand up, silencing them.

Elijah rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes. The silent angel’s hands trembled for a moment and then glowed with a soft, white light. He placed both of them, palms down, on what was left of Domniel's chest and took a deep breath.

Domniel lit up, his chest echoing the glow from Elijah’s hands, and he let out a deep, relaxing sigh. “Fuck, yeah. I bet the chicks love that shit.”

“Shut up,” Lucius warned.

Domniel sighed again and gave into the healing.

*Review*

Find on Goodreads

When Ally becomes a newly single woman, she is determined to meet the man of her dreams. Never truly expecting it to actually occur, she is amaze to find herself drawn to a dark, mysterious stranger leaning against the bar. He was utterly irresistible. Despite her friends’ protests, she willingly follows him outside the bar and soon realizes that her world will never be the same again.

This is a well written story and I enjoyed it very much. It is free on the B&N website and it is a short story. It's only about 104 pages and it differs from the normal vampire stereotype love story. When humans are around vampires they get this uncomfortable, creepy, stay away vibe. Their instincts tell them to avoid them and they don't find them attractive, unless the human is their mate. In that case, they are drawn to them immediately and find them very attractive. I like the way the author changed it up a bit compared to other vampire books where they are irresistible and sexy and so on. Many people have low standards for free books, but I found it cute and enjoyable . It was an easy fast read that held my interest the whole time.  The story picks up in the second book called Stolen, which is also free. I rate this book with 3.5 out of 5 stars and will continue to read the books.