Indigo Fall Party 2011!

So last week on twitter Chapters Indigo ran a contest to attend the preview of their new Fall 2011 Lifestyle Collection. Originally it was supposed to be 25 winners, but due to overwhelming demand, they opened up more spots for people to attend. I was one of those lucky people invited to the Chapters Indigo HQ for this event. For those of you who don't know, Chapters Indigo (this also includes Coles stores) is Canada's answer to Barnes & Noble. They are Canada's leading chain for all of your books, music and movies!

I was able to bring a +1 to the event and since the lovely Evie from Bookish is in town, I decided to bring her along. We met up with a bunch of bloggers and awesome people (Brenna, Jenn, & Gwen) that we know from twitter and were able to partake in great food, conversation and get a sneak peek at some of the wonderful merchandise that Chapters Indigo will be selling this fall in stores and online.  There were prize giveaways (apparently I won a copy of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, but due to my needing to leave early the prize went to someone else they are actually going to send me a copy!), and everyone received a swag bag at the end of the nigh

A  bove are photos of some of the merchandise offered as part of the Fall 2011 Lifestyle Collection as well as the swag we received at the end of the night.  As you can see, Chapters Indigo has really taken this collection to a whole new level.  The items are fun, functional, excellent quality and all at a great price!  If you haven't already done so, I urge you to check out the new Fall 2011 Lifestyle Collection from Chapters Indigo.  You won't be disappointed.

In My Mailbox #15: August 21- 27, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week. So let’s see what I got in my mailbox this week!

So I have been slacking on the blog lately!  I am so sorry guys, but I promise that the reviews are on their way back.  Preparing for the upcoming school year the University has been so hectic this year.  No, I am not a student, but I do run to Engineering Undergrad Programs!  I think everything is sorted out now, and it's back to blogging.  So let's see what I received in my mailbox this week!

L.A. Mental by Neil McMahon [Goodreads | Amazon] ARC Copy
Drama: An Actor's Education by John Lithgow [Goodreads | Amazon] ARC Copy
Irma Voth by Miriam Towes [Goodreads | Amazon] ARC Copy
Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror Series #1) by Karina Halle [Goodreads | Amazon] Finished Copy
Red Fox (Experiment in Terror Series #2) by Karina Halle [Goodreads | Amazon] Finished Copy
The Edge of Grace by Christa Allen [Goodreads | Amazon] Finished Copy *Blog Tour coming up*

Review: The Sixes

Title: The Sixes
Author: Kate White
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Rating: PG
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 2, 2011
Pages: 384 pages
Source: ARC Courtesy of the Publisher
My Rating: 5*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Kate White rises to the pinnacle of modern suspense with The Sixes, a page-turning stand-alone thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Hush, and the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine. With taught prose evocative of Laura Lippman’s Life Sentences and Dennis Lehane’s Moonlight Mile, White paints the sinister picture of a quiet Pennsylvania college town left shaken after a mysterious death precipitates a cascade of evil events on campus. When new teacher Phoebe Hall undertakes the dangerous quest of uncovering the truth behind the ghastly recent happenings, her investigation will send her into the clutches of a deadly secret society—the Sixes—and unearth the dark relics of her own long-buried past.


My Thoughts

This is the first book I have read written by Kate White.  I have to say, if they are all like this, then I need to read more of her work.

The Sixes, like The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon, is a book about a murder and secret society of mean girls.  Actually girls aren't just mean, they are sociopath's.  Sociopath's with far, far too much time on their hands.

Phoebe Hall is a famous writer recently a part of plagiarism scandal.  As a way to lay low and recover from this scandal she is offered a place teaching a writing class at Lyle College by her long time friend who is now the head of the school.  Shortly after her arrival, a girl is found drowned in the river just off campus.  During the investigation into her death, the school administration gets wind of a secret society of girls that may be operating on campus.  Desperate to contain possible damage to the school, Phoebe is tasked with using her journalistic talents to investigate The Sixes.

Phoebe's investigation, predictably, stirs up a hornet's nest and makes her the target for this group of mean girls on crack.  It's actually scary the complete lack of respect for authority or personal safety that The Sixes show in their bid to intimidate Phoebe from finding out the truth about them.  In the course of investigating The Sixes, Phoebe unwittingly becomes involved in the investigation for the killer that appears to be haunting Lyle College, its students and Phoebe herself.

Kate White has done a phenomenal job in weaving all the different back stories together into one cohesive and dynamic thriller.  I guarantee that this is one ending that you won't see coming.

This review was done after reading an uncorrected ARC copy courtesy of HarperCollins New York. My priority is to you, and I honour that commitment by being honest! I don’t do reviews for payment, nor do I guarantee favourable reviews for any book/galley/ARC sent to me for review.  I promise to stay truthful with you and all opinions represented here are my own. If you are uncertain what this all means, I urge you to read my Review Policy for further clarification. You can also contact me at contact@nicoleabouttown.com.

Review: The Twisted Thread

Title: The Twisted Thread
Author: Charlotte Bacon
Genre: Fiction
Rating: PG
Publisher: Voice
Publication Date: June 14, 2011
Pages: 352 Pages
Source: Digital ARC from NetGalley
My Rating: 3*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

When beautiful but aloof Claire Harkness is found dead in her dorm room one spring morning, prestigious Armitage Academy is shaken to its core. Everyone connected to school, and to Claire, finds their lives upended, from the local police detective who has a personal history with the academy, to the various faculty and staff whose lives are immersed in the daily rituals associated with it.


Everyone wants to know how Claire died, at whose hands, and more importantly, where the baby that she recently gave birth to is a baby that almost no one, except her small innermost circle, knew she was carrying.


At the center of the investigation is Madeline Christopher, an intern in the English department who is forced to examine the nature of the relationship between the school s students and the adults meant to guide them. As the case unravels, the dark intricacies of adolescent privilege at a powerful institution are exposed, and both teachers and students emerge as suspects as the novel rushes to its thrilling conclusion.

*Warning* May Contain Spoilers!

My Thoughts

A book about secret societies?  A book about secret societies of girls?  A book about secret societies of girls wreaking havoc on those around them?  I am so in.  Add in a murder of the girl who is rumoured to be the head of said secret society and it should be a great read.

Well, it didn't work out as well as I had hoped.

The book begins with scatter brained Madeline who now has a new job at the prestigious Armitage boarding school as a teacher, despite being little older than the student's she is in charge of.  Within the first few pages of the book, a student named Claire, is found dead in her dorm room.  It soon becomes clear that Claire was not only murdered, but that she had recently had a baby.  A baby, that none but a select few were aware she was even carrying, and a baby who is now missing.  From there is not only becomes a case of whodunnit, but it also becomes an investigation into the secret society that Claire was rumoured to run.

The story itself, at least the idea of it, was good.  It's the execution that falls a little short.  For some reason, we are introduced to 15 characters or so it seemed..  Characters, whose stories are so developed, and more often than not irrelevant to the central plot of the story.  I often found myself having to flip back and forth trying to remember what they brought to the story.  The answer: nothing!  I felt like I spent too more time trying to keep all the back stories straight than I did trying to figure out who killed Claire.  The fact that a girl was murdered and her baby was missing got lost in the back story until the last 40 pages.

I will say this, I really didn't see the ending coming and the culprit never even made it to my suspect list.


This review was done after reading an uncorrected ARC copy courtesy of Voice Publishing and NetGalley. My priority is to you, and I honour that commitment by being honest! I don’t do reviews for payment, nor do I guarantee favourable reviews for any book/galley/ARC sent to me for review.  I promise to stay truthful with you and all opinions represented here are my own. If you are uncertain what this all means, I urge you to read my Review Policy for further clarification. You can also contact me at contact@nicoleabouttown.com.

Waiting on Wednesday (#12) The Way We Fall

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…



Title: The Way We Fall
Author: Megan Crewe
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: January 4, 2012

[Goodreads | Amazon]

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.


And then you're dead.


When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.


Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.


Because how will she go on if there isn't?


Megan Crewe crafts a powerful and gripping exploration of self-preservation, first love, and hope. Poignant and dizzying, this heart-wrenching story of one girl’s bravery and unbeatable spirit will leave readers fervently awaiting the next book in this standout new series.

New series!  That's all I had to hear and I was hooked.  It's just a bonus that it sounds awesome!

What is your Waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (#11) Born Wicked

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…



Title: Born Wicked - The Cahill Witch Chronicles Book 1
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 7, 2012

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Cate Cahill and her sisters are considered eccentric bluestockings—a little odd, a little unfashionable, and far too educated for their own good. The truth is more complicated; they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it could mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave. Before their mother died, she entrusted Cate with keeping them safe and keeping everyone, including their father, in the dark about their powers. When her father employs a governess and Cate begins to receive notes from her missing, presumed-mad godmother, her task becomes much more difficult. As Cate searches for answers in banned books and rebellious new friends, she must juggle unwanted proposals, tea parties, and an illicit attraction to the new gardener. Cate will do anything to protect her sisters, but at what cost to herself?

How gorgeous is that cover?  It is just so simple and beautiful.  I just want a photograph of it for my wall.  Bonus...is that the story sounds interesting as well.  Double score!

What is your Waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

In My Mailbox #14: August 7 - 13, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.  So let’s see what I got in my mailbox this week!

So this week I had the opportunity to take part in a focus group held at Penguin Canada HQ to give them some feedback on their new YA imprint Razorbill.  I had an awesome time and met some great people.  At the end of the focus group, we had the opportunity to get our hands on some books.  Even though there was no limit to how many we could takeI honestly feel bad cause I didn't realize how many books I had!  I think I feel a giveaway coming up!

Matched by Ally Condie

Crossed (ARC Copy) by Allie Condie

The Future of Us (ARC Copy) by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Kill All Enemies (ARC Copy) by Melvin Burgess

Glow (ARC Copy) by Amy Kathleen Ryan [Goodreads Giveaway]

Massive thanks to Bronwyn and Vimala and everyone at Penguin Canada.  They were so lovely to invite us and were amazing hosts.  *Waves* hi to my fellow focus group attendees Mel from He Followed Me Home, Jackie from My Ever Expanding Library, Brenna from Esther's Ever After, Gwenn from Rants & Scribbles, Erin and Jenn.

This was a fabulous group of women and I encourage you all to check them out if you haven't before!

What's in your mailbox this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (#10) Damage Control

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…


Title: Damage Control
Author: Denise Hamilton
Publisher: Scribner
Publication Date: September 6, 2011

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Maggie Silver is solidly middle class, with a mortgage to pay and an ill mother to support. She does her best to scramble up the ladder at an exclusive, high-powered PR firm in Southern California, whose clients are movie stars and famous athletes. Now, Maggie is being asked to take on her toughest client yet: Senator Henry Paxton, distinguished statesman from Southern California, who also happens to be the father of Anabelle, Maggie’s former high school best friend.


Senator Paxton’s young, female aide has been found murdered, and it is up to Maggie to run damage control and prevent a scandal. Thrown back into the Paxtons’ glamorous world, Maggie is unexpectedly flooded with memories from the stormy years in high school when her friendship with Anabelle was dramatically severed after a tragedy that neither of them has been able to forget. As Maggie gets further embroiled in the lives of the Paxtons, she realizes that the ties of her old friendship are stronger than she thinks.


Riveting and suspense-filled, Damage Control examines our craving for celebrity and spectacle and how far the bonds of friendship can stretch before they break forever.

I am kind of love this cover, not to mention he content of the book themselves.  Must pre-order this book immediately!


What is your Waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

In My Mailbox #13: July 31 - August 6, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.  So let’s see what I got in my mailbox this week!

Books Received For Review

My Long Trip Home by Mark Whitaker [Courtesy of Simon & Schuster]

That is it.  I didn't purchase any books this week as I need to catch up on reading the ones I already have.

Review: Map of Bones

Title: Map of Bones (Sigma Series #2)
Author: James Rollins

Genre: Fiction, Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Rating: PG
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: May 1st 2006
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 523 pages
Source: Purchased Finished Copy
My Rating: 4*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

The crime is inhumanly cruel with horrific consequences both unthinkable and inevitable. During a service at a cathedral in Cologne, Germany, a band of armed intruders dressed in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and terror, ruthlessly gunning down worshippers and clergy alike. The killers haven't come for the church's gold and valuable artwork, but for a priceless treasure secreted within: the preserved bones of the Three Magi who once came to pay homage to a newborn savior. As they flee the carnage they have wrought, they carry a prize that could reshape the world.


The Vatican is in turmoil, and Lieutenant Rachel Verona of Rome's carabinieri is assigned to lead the investigation. But no ordinary police organization alone can deal with the bizarre theft and massacre, and SIGMA Force -- an elite covert arm of the U.S. Defense Department -- is called in under the command of Grayson Pierce. New to SIGMA, Pierce assembles a crack team of scientific and Special Forces operatives to unravel the mystery of the stolen bones, and together they set out on a twisting trail through a labyrinth of clues and dark revelations that carry them to the sites of the Seven Wonders of the World -- and to the doorstep of the mystical and terrifying Dragon Court.


An ancient, secret fraternity of alchemists and assassins, the master-adepts of the Dragon Court have plans for the sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind in devastating ways that only the maddest of zealots could desire -- and they will let nothing and no one stand in their way. Suddenly Pierce, Verona, and the SIGMA team are the hunted as well as the hunters, forced to use every skill they possess to survive as they follow the bones to the ultimate confrontation between darkness and light -- in a lost place of history where science and religion will unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.

My Thoughts

So as of now, everyone already knows of my total fangirl love and appreciation of James Rollins and his Sigma Force series.  Oh, you didn't know, well now you do!

This is book number two in the Sigma Force series and it is the first one that I read.  I honestly didn't feel that I was missing anything from the story by not having read book one (which is called Sandstorm by the way).

From the opening moments of the book, the action and suspense doesn't stop.  From the massacre in the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, to the famous lighthouse of Alexandria, James Rollins once again takes the reader on a never-ending trip filled with action, adventure, suspense and drama.  Add to that a healthy dose of History, Science and the ancient art of Alchemy and you have one book you won't be able to put down.

I have said it before and I will say it again, the best part of the Sigma Series is that though Rollins manages to wrap up whatever mystery is the subject of the book, the overall mystery of the series, gets resolved a little at a time.  All in all, it leaves you satisfied at the end of the book, but wanting to get on to the next one to get the next piece of the puzzle.

Review: The Quiet Game by Greg Iles

Title: The Quiet Game (Penn Cage Series #1)
Author: Greg Iles
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Rating: PG-13
Publisher: Signet Books
Publication Date: July 1st 2000 (first published July 6th 1999)
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 640 pages
Source: Purchased Finished Copy
My Rating: 4*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Trying to cope with the recent death of his wife, Cage takes his 5-year-old daughter to Florida's Disney World, where the child sadly sees visions of her mother everywhere in the fantasy-filled environment. Wouldn't a trip to his parents' stately home in Natchez be more soothing for all concerned? Wrong, as it turns out--and before Cage can catch his breath, he's deeply involved in several dangerous matters. His father, a dedicated doctor, is being blackmailed for a past mistake in judgment, and a powerful judge (who just happens to be the father of Penn's high school sweetheart) has a nasty personal agenda of his own. Then there's the unsolved 1968 murder case of a black man, which Cage insists on reopening with the help of an attractive, ambitious newspaper publisher. 


Quotes

"I will do those things which make me happy today and which I can also live with ten years from now."

My Thoughts

So I am not really sure just who turned me on to the Penn Cage series by Greg Iles.  If I did, I would give them a huge hug, because this series has turned out to be pretty amazing.

The Quiet Game is the first book in the Penn Cage series and of course, I read it after I read the second book, The Turning Angel.  Reading it second is probably why I didn't give it five stars as I was comparing it to the second book.  If you haven't started this series yet, please read this one first.  Don't read the books out-of-order as it really spoils them.

The book is really, really raw.  Penn Cage returns to his home town after the death of his wife to find out that his father is being blackmailed over a decades old mistake.  It all revolves around the 1968 unsolved car bombing and murder of a member of Natchez's black community.  As you can imagine, there was a fair bit of racial tension at the time of the murder, and now that Penn is digging into the case, the tension ratchets up once again.  It seems that most people in the town know something, but aren't willing to talk for whatever reason.

The case does get solved in the end, but it doesn't have the same resolution as one would suspect of a civil rights era murder case.  Added to that, Penn doesn't investigate the case as a lawyer, even though he is a former prosecutor.  He investigates it for both moral and personal reasons and it is refreshing to see a character struggle with his decision and trying to balance his need to help his father and his wish to protect his daughter at all costs.

*Warning* Like most books that deal with civil rights era issues, the language in the book is strong and has definitely reflects the atmosphere of the situation.

Waiting on Wednesday (#9) The Lady of The Rivers

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…

Title: The Lady of the Rivers
Author: Philippa Gregory
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 18, 2011

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI. Widowed at the age of nineteen she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her house-hold for love, and then carved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou's close friend and a Lancaster supporter - until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fell in love and married the rival king Edward IV. Of all the little-known but important women of the period, her dramatic story is the most neglected. With her links to Melusina, and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation for making magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

This is book three in the Cousin's War series by Philippa Gregory.  I already have books one and two, though I haven't yet read them, but who doesn't love a Philippa Gregory book?  Maybe I will read the first two books before the third one comes out.  Fingers crossed!

What's on your waiting list this week?

Review: The Pact

Title: The Pact
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Fiction & Literature, Social Issues
Rating: PG
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: September 1st 2006 (first published May 6th 1998)
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 496 pages
Source: Purchased Finished Copy
My Rating: 3*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty-- they've grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born.


So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet-- a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described.

Quotes

"I love you," he whispered, and that was the moment he knew what he was going to do. When you loved someone, you put their needs before your own. No matter how inconceivable those needs were; no matter how fucked up; no matter how much it made you feel like you were ripping yourself into pieces."

"Do you know what it's like to love someone so much, that you can't see yourself without picturing her? Or what it's like to touch someone, and feel like you've come home? What we had wasn't about sex, or about being with someone just to show off what you've got, the way it was for other kids our age. We were, well, meant to be together. Some people spend their whole lives looking for that one person. I was lucky enough to have her all along."

"He began to trace a pattern on the table with the nail of his thumb. "She kept saying she wanted to keep things exactly the way they were, and that she wished she could stop everything from changing. She got really nervous, like, talking about the future. She once told me that she could see herself now, and she could also see the kind of life she wanted to have - kids, husband, suburbs, you know - but she couldn't figure out how to get from point A to point B."

"Adults, light-years away from this, rolled their eyes and smirked and said, "this too shall pass" - as if adolescence was a disease like chicken pox, something everyone recalled as a mild nuisance, completely forgetting how painful it had been at the time."

"The mind is a remarkable thing. Just because you can’t see the wound doesn’t mean it isn’t hurting"

 My Thoughts

While I did like this book, it was not one of my favourite Jodi Picoult books.

There was just something about this book, and I still can't figure out what it is exactly, that I wasn't able to connect with.  The names drove me crazy.  I wasn't able to keep track of who was who and I had to keep going back to the beginning to remind myself who was who.  It also didn't help that there were these flashbacks that didn't really add to the story, in my opinion.

What I did love is that once again Jodi made me believe in a situation that was so far-fetched.  Do I think that a suicide pact is far-fetched?  No, I don't.  But the way that the one in this book plays out is.  Even after having read the book twice, I still don't know the reason it happened in the first place.  Not to mention, that Emily, who comes up with the idea never gives a reason for her wanting to commit suicide, not even to Chris who ends up being the surviving member of the pact.  Even though he is never given a reason a reason, Chris decides to end his life simply because he can't see his life being worth living without her in it.  To me, that isn't realistic at all and that is where Jodi Picoult's talent really comes in.  While I may not have believed in the circumstances, she did have me believing in the characters.

Review: Crushed Seraphim

Title: Crushed Seraphim
Author: Debra Anastasia
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: R
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Release Date: May 17, 2011
Pages: 194 pages
Source: Goodreads Firstreads Copy
My Rating: 4*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

How does a foul-mouthed angel end up as the last hope for all of Heaven and Earth?


When Seraph Emma is maimed and tossed from Heaven by a rogue angel who’s taken charge, she fears she’ll never be allowed to return. Tasked with the impossible job of showing the self-loathing (and not even human!) Jason his worth, Emma is sure she’s doomed to fail.


Meanwhile, having wormed his way into Heaven, the corrupt Everett has trapped God in Hell and has designs on unleashing evil everywhere. Fortunately, if there’s one thing Emma can’t do (in addition to minding her language), it’s give up. Determined to save Jason and get back to Heaven—even if it means going to Hell—Emma’s plan is simple yet impossible: trick the Devil to save God.


What she doesn’t count on is the devotion and, well, humanity she finds in Jason; the spirit, hidden compassion, and raw sex appeal within the Devil; and the vulnerability of her own heart. With the help of two unlikely allies, she’ll wage the battle for Heaven. But will Emma be sidetracked by a new sort of heaven along the way?


What’s truly more dangerous? Falling from Heaven, or falling in love?


Debra Anastasia has twisted a fast-paced tale of intimate relationships with literally universal impact. Rich with humor and electrified by attraction, this novel offers a playfully off-beat take on the good and evil that make up the world.

Quotes

 "There is something about me, doll face. It’s between my legs, and I do believe a few minutes ago you were praying to it."

"I’m Emma. I’m here to make you see the meaning of your life.” Her exalted words were totally conquered by her dragging tone and lack of eye contact."

"Okay, God. I forgive You for trusting me. I promise to trust You in return."

 My Thoughts

Debra Anastasia is crazy, but in a good way, and I love her for it!

Really, I don't have any idea where she got the idea for the book in general, let alone the things that happen in the book, but damn, it was quite impressive.

I have been wanting this book for a while and it was one of my first, if not the first, Waiting on Wednesday picks.  I was lucky enough to win a copy through Debra's Goodreads giveaway, and I am so happy that I did.  I could not stop laughing.  While this book and the situations in it were laugh out loud funny it was also hot as hell.

What I love about this book is that the characters were engaging.  I wanted to be Emma.  She was so awesome and down-to-earth.  I loved that she wasn't some damsel in distress waiting to be saved, but was willing to take the bull by the horns and get it done.  I equally loved Satan Jack.  I wanted to keep him for my own so I can see how much naughty bad fun he can get up to!

All in all, I loved the book.  I found it very easy to read and follow along and can't wait for the sequel!