WINNER OF FEBRUARY VALENTINE

And the winner of the FEBRUARY VALENTINE is.......

Juju of Tales Of Whimsy!

Congratulations!! to our winner who got the chocolates and her choice of book as she specified in the entry form.

Juju, your chocolates and Stupid Cupid by Rhonda Stapleton is on it's way to you.

THE FRIDAY 56: STORM BORN

Closest book: Storm Born by Richelle Mead
P56, 5th sentence:

I don't know what look was on my face, but he smiled at me.

Happy Friday everybody!!

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

WISHLIST: BROKEN

WISHLIST: Broken by Shiloh Walker
Book 2 of Fragile series.

Shattered

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s tempted by her beauty—but he knows from experience that anyone desperate enough to live in his building is damaged goods. Besides, he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Desperate

Sara Davis is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She’s not an abused wife, and she’s not a criminal. But she does have a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. There’s just too much at stake.

Driven to desire…

But Quinn must get closer to Sara when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and he discovers that there is something more complex and dangerous to her than he thought. Now, both Quinn and Sara will have to expose their true feelings—as well as their fragile hearts—if they hope their love will survive…

EXCERPT
He opened the door—

And stopped dead in his tracks as somebody all but fell into his arms. Somebody…a woman. And not Theresa.

He caught her just above her elbows, automatically steadying her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice soft and low.

Then she lifted her face and Quinn found himself gazing into the biggest, brownest eyes he’d ever seen in his life. Feeling a little dazed, he studied her face while she stammered out another apology.

Quinn barely heard it.

He was too busy staring at her mouth. A very pretty mouth, a cupid’s bow mouth slicked with deep, vibrant red. Under his hands, he could feel silken smooth skin and unable to resist, he stroked a thumb along her inner arm.

Her skin was soft, soft and warm. He was also pretty sure she had the creamiest, most flawless skin imaginable. Her shoulder-length hair was a shade caught between blonde and brown, nondescript, but for some reason, he found himself thinking about tangling his fingers in that hair and holding her head still while he kissed that red-slicked mouth.

Well, hello…

read more...

Buy Link:

NAKED DRAGON

Naked Dragon by Annette Blair

Genre: urban fantasy romance

About This Book:

A WORKS LIKE MAGICK NOVEL

In Salem, human magick has thinned the veil between the planes to a permeable mist, forming a portal into the city, allowing time travelers and chameleons of the universe to enter there.

Bastian Dragonelli, once a Roman warrior turned dragon, is the first of his legion to be returned to earth, a man. So his brothers can also be saved and sent to earth, Bastian must reclaim the magick of Andra, Goddess of Hope, who sacrificed hers to transform him. He must seek his heart mate and make her quest his own. But the dark, powerful Killian, Sorceress of Chaos, who turned his legion into dragons and skewed his transition back into a man, is hot on his heels.

McKenna Greylock, the last non-magickal descendant of Ciarra, a witch who survived Salem's hanging times, needs a jack-of-all-trades to help turn her dilapidated Victorian into a bed and breakfast so she doesn't lose her home and her family's centuries-old legacy.

Enter McKenna's cousin, Vivica Quinlan, Ciarra's most magickal descendent, owner of the Works Like Magick Employment Agency. Vivica has a gift for matching human employers with magickal employees. Like Ciarra before her, Vivica knows when magickal supernatural ancients are about to arrive. She greets them and acclimates them to life, and to making a living, in Salem.

Besides Killian's threatening presence, Bastian's life is also complicated by McKenna, his guardian dragon, a troublemaking fairy, and a case of culture shock. Bastian also has a problem with his man lance. It won't behave at all the way he remembered it should. Not at all...

Source: Info in the About This Book was taken from the author's website at http://www.annetteblair.com/story_of_story.htm on 01/02/10.

My Take On This Book:
The cover art was not so very inviting, I'd say in the marketing grid this would earn a 3 out of 5. The story itself is quite good, I'd give it a  4 out of 5. The story telling quality is not very compelling but still, I enjoyed the book. I'd give it a 3 out of 5. The ending somehow lost steam but still it closed the story very nicely while starting the next book without being a cliffhanger. I would give it a 4 out of 5. Overall, I would say this book is a 3.5 out of 5.

Cherry's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

SNEAK PEEK: APRIL CONTEST

Let me show you what is up for grabs in April:

The entire Study series by Maria V. Snyder!! Yes my dear, one lucky follower is going to get a brand spanking new set of the Study series!!!! I'm so excited I couldn't keep quiet about it!!! Now, if by the end of April, I get 500 followers, there will be two winners! The more followers the more winners. I have 3 sets in all to be given away sitting in my shelves at the moment!! One set is read though, so that is not brand new anymore. And I will get more if we are having more winners :) The April contest will run for the entire month of April and winner to be announced in May. Same rules. Open only to followers of Cherry Mischievous via the Google Friend Connect and/or CherryD community. Doing both will get you 10 extra entries. Extra entries will increase your chances of winning. Open to international readers. Each winner to get an entire set of the Study trilogy. If you have won before in one of my contests, it does not mean you cannot win again, so please do not hesitate to enter the contest if you would like your chance to get a free Study trilogy copy! And then the Disclaimer of course. The registration form will go live in April. The cover for Magic Study though is not the same as the one in the pic above. I couldn't get a pic of the cover of the ones I have. I need to take a photo of it with my camera. I will, when I get around to it :) ...just wonderin'... I don't know why they would want to put somebody there with a big nose. Yelena was never described as having a big nose :O

So... watch this space!

THE FRIDAY 56: THE SIX SACRED STONES

Closest book: The Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly
P59, 5th sentence: (Page 56 happens to be a blank page. Page 55 only has two lines in it being the end of not just a chapter but a "section" of the story followed by drawings... So I picked the next page with proper sentences in it, which is page 59.)

It is the most recognized structure of the most modern Arab nation on Earth, the United Arab Emirates.

Happy Friday!!!

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Caption At The Cover Sleeve:

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.

There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even with the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Genre: teen paranormal romance

My Take On This Book:
Cliffhanger Ending!

I like the humor in the story lines. Chapter one, and the book had me giggling on my lunch break with everybody giving me looks in the staff room. I think that earned the story-telling quality a 4 out of 5. The story itself even if it is not terribly original is quite captivating. The authors have seemlessly blended modern day teen culture with paranormal fantasy that as a reader I could believe in. If I have to grade the "suspension of disbelief" for this story I will have to give it a 4.5 out of 5. The ending however is a cliffhanger. Although the ending did close the book nicely, it is also the beginning of the next book. Gave the impression that the whole book is just chapter one of a bigger book. That deserved a 2 out of 5.  The cover art? It could do better. I have seen this book for sometime now in the blogosphere but ignored it for a few months just because I do not find the cover attractive to my fantasy reader's eyes. The art department who did this cover needs to be fired. In a marketing graph, this cover art would be a 1 out of 5. Overall, I would give this book an entertainment value of 3.5.

Cherry's Rating : 3.5 out of 5 cherries

WINNER OF SHADES OF MIDNIGHT

And the winner of Shades Of Midnight by Lara Adrian (Book 7 of the Midnight Breed (MB) series) is.......

Wings!

Congratulations to our winner!

Wings, please contact me at mischivus101-contsgiveaways [at] yahoo [dot] com. You have 1 week to do so before your prize is forfeit.

PYJAMA POLICE CENTRAL

Tesco Pyjama Ban
Recently it has been widely reported that Tesco is implementing a pyjama ban on their customers. You cannot wear pyjama to shop at Tesco anymore! (As reported by BBC, The Telegraph, The Guardian, Daily Mail, etc.)

Now, The Sun's article has a slightly different angle about it: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2831701/Tesco-ad-turns-jim-jam-ban-into-sham.html

What is your opinion regarding supermarkets implementing dress codes? Is Tesco right or is it just pyjama police central gone mad? Fashion statement?

I do shop at Tesco as you can see on some of the pictures of the books I reviewed, they have Tesco stamps on them, i.e., Seven Ancient Wonders, Hush Hush. But I do not wear my PJ to do my shopping. By the way, just FYI for international readers, Tesco is a UnitedKingdom-based supermarket, known as one of the biggest retail giants in the UK.

On the side, it is interesting to check out the Pyjama Country:
One news article says that it'll cost a lot of money, never mind time, to convince Beijingers to abandon their pyjamas as streetwear: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HE26Ad01.html

Another article tackles cultural differences: http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2002/0606/cu18-1.html

The pyjama fashion trend is viewed to be such a problem that the government wasted valuable time and resources in cracking down on the pyjama fashion trend:
• http://www.chinadaily.net/china/09tentopnews/2009-12/30/content_9242670.htm
• http://www.chinadaily.net/cndy/2009-11/06/content_8921796.htm
• http://www.chinadaily.net/opinion/2009-11/04/content_8910053.htm
• http://www.chinahush.com/2009/10/31/shanghai-government-requests-residents-not-wearing-pajamas-in-public/

CONTEST:
Just for fun, we will have a contest :)
Answer the question(s): Which country is known to be the pyjama police central? Or which country do you think deserves the title pyjama police central? Put whatever interpretation you want on the subject and tell me your views in a comment with this post. Then register HERE. You have to do both (comment here and register in the form) to enter this contest.

This is our monthly contest for the month of March which I am posting early. Okey, okey, crazily early... so....

What will you get for taking the time to think about your answer(s) to the contest question(s)? Winner to get his/her choice of book from the following list:

• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Need by Carrie Jones
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
• Shiver by Maggie Stievater
• City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Remember folks we need an email address to let you know if you won. But you do not have to give your email address in your comment, put it in the entry form so you do not get spammed.

You have to be a follower of Cherry Mischievous blog and/or CherryD member to enter the contest. Being both will gain you 5 extra entries. Please tell me if you are in your comment here so that I will not forget to give you your extra entries.

Contest is international and ends on March 31.

Questions? Ask! Shoot us an email (mischivus101-contsgiveaways [at] yahoo [dot] com). Please write PYJAMA POLICE CENTRAL in the subject line.
Please see the Disclaimer as this forms part of the contest rules.

WISHLIST: LINGER

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Win ARCs of Linger plus other swags at Maggie Stiefvater's blog! Some sections of the contest is open to international participants and some are for US/Canada only. Ends on Feb 21.

Contest Link: Click here to go to the contest.

HAPPY VALENTINES!

HAPPY VALENTINES everybody!!

THE FRIDAY 56: BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

Closest book: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
P56, 5th sentence:

Lena looked down into the lines of her notebook, but didn't say a word.

Happy Friday everybody!!

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

POISON STUDY GIVEAWAY

Win another new copy of Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder!

Contest is open to international readers and ends on April 16.

To Enter: Register HERE. (THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED)


Contest Particulars:
•You have to be a Cherry Mischievous follower via Google Friend Connect to enter the contest.
•There will only be one winner.
•Open to international readers.
•Contest ends on April 16, 2010.
•If this contest is not in concordance to your local legislations, it is up to you to follow your local rules.
•You must have a valid snail mail address and email address to enter this contest. We need the snail mail address to send the book(s) and/or prizes to. We need the email addy to get in touch with you.
•Please read the Disclaimer as it forms part of the contest rules.
•Questions? Ask! Shoot us an email (mischivus101-candg [at] yahoo [dot] com). Please write POISON STUDY GIVEAWAY in the subject line.

THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Another one I'm looking forward to watching this year! Due to be released this Feb :)

Trailer 1:


Trailer 2: