The Bookshelf

Revealing Eden Review

2011-12-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls book 1) by Victoria Foyt

Revealing Eden was a great read. It's about a world/ society that could possibly happen in the near future. As the planet dies around them, people must hide underground to protect themselves from the sun. The suns rays are deadly, causing severe burns as it penetrates through the atmosphere. The dominate species are what they call Coals; dark-skinned people, those with the darkest skin are the ones most likely to survive. As their pigmentation protects them from the devestating effects of the sun. There are many classifications among the skin tones and that is how people are judged. Pearls are the pale white-skinned people, who are looked down upon and the only thing lower than them are the cottons which are the albino race. The rarest around especially because they kill off the weak species.

Any pearls living among the coals must coat themselves with a type of paint. darkening their skin and hair so as they can blend in more easily. For Eden life is hard but not as hard as most. She works with coals because of her father; a scientist searching for a solution to the problem. All Eden wants is to be like the coals, dark and beautiful. She want a mate and she needs a mate because at 18 if she doesnt have a mate she will be cut off from the supplies needed to survive. The only way to live is to find someone and reproduce, helping society survive. But finding a mate isn't as easy as one would think. Being a Pearl diminishes her odds but Eden has her sights set on one Coal in particular, one who has been keeping his eye on her as well. Secretly talking to each other Eden hopes that he will soon ask her to be his mate but sometimes those you think you can trust are actually not who they seem to be.

When Eden unwittingly reveals secret information about her fathers experiments she jeopardizes everything they've been working towards, forced into an unescapable situation and thrown into a lost society out in the wilderness Eden must find herself and learn to adapt. With Eden's father as their only hope of survival in the hot rainforest, Eden must do everything she can to save him so that he can complete his experiments. As Eden struggle with what to do without technology, and the always present worldband now out of reach she finds comfort in the company of a beast-man. A man who she believes to be her enemy but can't seem to stay away from. With her attraction to Brandford, Eden must try to understand his motives for bringing them to the forest and accept that life will never be the same.

When the secret to Brandford's actions is revealed you be shocked. As Eden and Brandford fight for their lives you feel pulled into their world. The emotions run high in this fast paced book filled with questions, action, and even a little romance. Heart-pounding and devastatingly realistic Revealing Eden will leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen. Amazing writing, creative and enthralling story that captivates you. Eden's character was developed beautifully, she's strong, independent but still a girl at heart just wanting someone to love her for who she is. A great story showing that you can't judge a book by its cover, and that beauty comes from within.

Fantastic read I recommend everyone to check out this book, can't wait for book 2! So glad I got the chance to read this book by an amazing author. Loved her writing style and the detail she puts into the story is fantastic. I loved how she took something so real; problems that we're struggling with today, and made a possible world from it, and the concept of rascism in reverse is a fresh take on problems that we as a society have had for generations. I really don't know what else to say but it was amazing. Five Stars.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Clockwork Prince Review

2011-11-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

Clockwork Prince: Book 2 in the Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare

****May Contain Spoilers****

To start I want to say that I liked Clockwork Angel but i didn't think it was amazing but book 2 blew book 1 away. Clockwork Prince was amazing. It was fast paced and the storyline carried so well I just didnt wan't to put it down.

Set in an era that intrigues me beyond belief, Clockwork Prince did NOT disappoint. Picking up where Angel left off. With Mortmain still at large the shadowhunters along with Tessa must find him and bring him to justice. With no real leads on his location, they must find a way to get the information the need in order to bring the magister down. Will continues to sneak off from the institute in order to meet with Magnus in his attempts to get his life in order. With the reasoning behind Will's attitude towards others and life in general coming into focus, he's trying to find a way to overcome the curse set upon him years ago.

As will pushes everyone away; including Tessa, Tessa becomes familiar with Jem. Looking to him for comfort, companionship and understanding, his kindness is a relief to her in comparison to Will's rough nature. After Will's feelings towards her were clearly made in Angel, she protects herself now from the icy shards of Will's heart. Little does she know that everything Will does in his life is actually to protect them all from a terrible fate.

As the story progresses new conflicts arise. Charlotte's position as the head of the institute is challenged by Lightwood, and as the consul sets a seemingly impossible task ahead of her she struggles to find a way to keep things together. She is forced n ow to find and stop Mortmain within two weeks or Benedict will take over the institute. The stress of this seems trying enough, but those at the institute run into even more problems as the story goes on. In their search of Mortmain they come across an unexpected event. Will's family is at risk now, the magister has his hooks in them without them even knowing it. With Will still forced to keep his distance he's plagued with a difficult challenge; how can he keep the ones around him safe.

Also, the Lightwoods have found a way to infiltrate the institute, setting the task of Sophie and Tessa to be trained in combat, Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood are charged with training them. Everyone is on edge and must tread lightly in order to keep the truths around them secret. Jessamine; refusing to partake inand combat training, uses her free time to assist Charlotte with her taks around the institute. Little do they know that she's up to no good all on her own.

When the twists come into play you'll be left in shock. Who you think you can trust you can't, who you think is the enemy might well be your greatest ally, and those you love are the ones most likely to break your heart. As you entwine yourself within the story and into the lives of the characters you love most, you feel yourself drawn into theeir world. Feeling for them in a way I never thought possible, moments where you want to just grab them and shake them, yelling at them "what are you doing!?" These are the worst and also the best parts of the book. Worst in the sense that you feel so attached to the characters that you just want whats best for them to happen.

Some great OMG moments and definitely a few WTH moments. I fell in love with Jem in Angel but I've fallen even harder for Will in Prince. As his true colours come out in this books I don't think there will be a single person out there that wont enjoy his story. I high energy installment that I feel pushes Cassandra Clare to a whole new level of writing. Cassandra Clare has taken this series in general to a whole new level and in this second book she leaves the audience hanging by a thread in desperate need for the next book.

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

Fire Wars Contest

2011-11-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Up for grabs this week is a copy of THE FIRE WARS by Kailin Gow!

The Fire Wars was released on October 17, 2011.

The Fire Wars is A dystopian romance that takes place on an island and is the melding of mythologies from two different cultures.

This contest will be fairly easy here's what you need to do:

1. Become a Fan of Fire Wars on Facebook

2. Tweet and/or Facebook post about this contest AND that Fire Wars is now available!

3. Change your profile picture to The Fire Wars book cover! (should be nice because it's an awesome looking cover!)

That's it! Pretty simple. Once you've done the above things just click on this form here and click what you've completed.

Contest is INTERNATIONAL. Contest will run from November 1, 2011-November 8, 2011.

Good Luck everyone and please be sure to tell your friends about the contest!

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

Metamorphosis Review

2011-10-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

METAMORPHOSIS BY DEVON ASHLEY

Book 2 in the Immortal Archives Series

I loved the first book in the Immortal Archives series and Devon Ashley doesn't disappoint with this second installment. Metamorphosis was quick paced, dramatic, and witty. A great continuation of the series.

Metamorphosis follows the POVs of Abby, Emily, and Noel. It starts with Emily's full transformation process and continues on with her acceptance of the life she now lives.

As Abby and Noel get Emily adjusted to her new life, they must train her to become strong and accustomed to her new powers. Emily learns to heighten all her senses and must learn to let go of her past life; nothing is the same now and with her new abilities she needs to rely on her vampire senses and not her human ones to survive.

Abby on the other hand, is still recovering from her battle even though all her injuries are healed on the surface and all her powers have returned her immortal heart has not stopped beating; which gets both Abby and Noel worried that something might be terribly wrong with her. The heart does not beat unless the pure vampire is injured and it needs to heal the body but with nothing obvious plaguing Abby she can't figure out why it wont stop.

Abby also begins to experience some strange symptoms; in the case of an immortal, headaches, stomachaches and a craving for junk food. I had a feeling of what could possibly be wrong with her and once I found out what it was it's a definite twist in the right direction. It throws everything for a loop and put even more pressure on Abby to stay healthy and stay alive.

Now i'm not a fan of giving away parts of the book; I hate spoilers I think they ruin books for people but there is a part in this book that I wish I could totally say OMG this happened and I thought I was going insane I couldn't believe it. BUT I won't. Midway through the book there is a HUGE twist in the story involving Noel, and for those who have read Ordained, you probably fell in love with his character. Metamorphosis almost had me hating him! The beginning was great but like I said once you get to the middle of the book, your feelings will change just as mine had but through the whole reading process I kept thinking to myself 'No, this can't be happening, this isn't real.' And that's all i'll say on that, it's a great twist and everyone will love it.

There's no true villain in this book but there are plenty of characters in it to keep the heroes busy. One character that comes into play will definitely be in the next book, and he's a real piece of work, as well as two new additions that surprise you at the end.

Metamorphosis was a great read, I love the characters and the attitude they have, they're strong but funny and they keep the book interesting. There's plenty happening in this book that you will NOT be bored in the slightest bit.

Metamorphosis will be released on November 15, 2011 So be sure to get your copies today. AND if you haven't read ORDAINED, definitely check that out first, The Immortaal Archives is a great series and I recommend it to everyone!

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

Win a COMPLETE Jodi Picoult Library of books!!

2011-10-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! Simon and Schuster is hosting an amazing contest where you can have the chance to win a complete set of books by Jodi Picoult. This is a great opportunity for you to add some great reads to your bookshelf so check it out and enter today!

Check out the contest here at : Simon and Schuster

Jodi has plenty of amazing books to satisfy everyones bookish needs. Books including:

My Sister's Keeper

Nineteen Minutes

The Pact

Plain Truth

The Tenth Circle

Vanishing Acts

Change of Heart

Handle With Care

House Rules

Keeping Faith

Salem Falls

Perfect Match

Picture Perfect

Second Glance

Mercy

Harvesting the Heart

Songs of the Humpback Whale

Sing you Home--

which comes out in paperback mid-october!

AND

Lone Wolf

which will be coming out February 28, 2012.

If you're already an avid Jodi Picoult reader and are excited for her new book Lone Wolf here's a little description of the book to tempt your tastebuds :)

Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.

With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?

Want to check the book out for yourself? Go take a look at it's page at Simon and Schuster !! OR you can go right to the source and check out Lone Wolf as well as ALL of Jodi Picoult's books at HER website: www.jodipicoult.com

Jodi Picoult is a Bestselling author with over 14 million copies of her books published worldwide. If your attracted to books that make it to the bestsellers list check out Jodi's books. Her book Nineteen Minutes (which is about the aftermath of a school shooting) was her first novel to debut #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. She went on to write another book Change of Heart which was her second novel to debut at #1 on the NYT best seller list.

Not sure if you want to read Jodi Picoult's dramatically realistic novels? You can get a feel for her writing style by watching her book to movie adaptations such as:

The Pact (2002, lifetime movie)

Plain Truth (2004, lifetime movie)

The Tenth Circle (2008 lifetime movie)

My Sister's Keeper (2009, feature film)

So good luck to everyone who enters; which I hope is a lot of you, because this is a great contest and a great opportunity to enjoy some wonderful books by a great author. Either click on the link I provided for you or just click the contest photo in the sidebar which will link you directly to the contest!

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

Silence countdown!

2011-09-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

So not much longer to wait for the release of Silence book 3 in the Hush Hush Series. Silence will officially be out on October 4, 2011 and I've been hearing some mixed reviews on what people expect in this book here's what the cover has to say:

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

I have a few expectations myself but with the way book 2 ended I know that there will be a lot happening in Silence. I never expected to find out so much about Marcie, she is definitely a character that I never liked but with everything that happened in book 2 it shined a different light on her and on Patch.

I would love to hear what you guys all have to say about Silence, what do you expect? Anything you want to happen?

There are some pretty cool features involved with the release of Silence, if you haven't yet you can try out the facebook app: Patch and You

There's also a contest going on: Canadian Silence sweepstakes Contest so be sure to check it out!

And also if you have a blog yourself be sure to put up the Countdown Widget which is also up here on my blog!

Hope you all are ready for SILENCE by Becca Fitzpatrick

FURY Review

2011-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

FURY by Elizabeth Miles

Ascension, Maine is a beautiful town during winter break. Snow is falling turning the barest of trees into beautiful sculptures, Children are playing and on the coldest of days they are bundled up indoors. The perfect little town where nothing special ever happens...Or so you think. In this small town things are not as peaceful as they seem.

Fury follows the story of two characters. Em and Chase, both of which have their own problems and their own drama.
Chase is trying his best to stay in the popular circle but with trouble at home and the stress of everyday life and everyone judging him his life begins to come undone. When he runs into a mysterious girl named Ty everything changes for him, he feels as though finding her is a miracle. She makes him feel different and alive, he feels lucky to have her with him but she is not what she seems. Everytime he hangs out with her something bad happens afterwards but he feels like he's falling in love with her and just can't believe that Ty is the cause of all the problems happening around him.

Em has a great life, popular, a best friend that she loves to hang out with and her best friend's boyfriend who she's falling in love with. She knows that loving him is wrong but she feels a chemistry between the two of them and he's been noticing her a lot more especially the closer they get to winter holidays. When Em's best friend goes on vacation he makes a move on Em that she can't refuse. The Passion between them is clear and as much as she hates herself for doing this to her friend she feels that in the end they are meant to be together and her frriend will understand....Well she's wrong about everything. When things start going south for Em she must figure out what to do, now that she has been chosen by the furies there's no escaping their wrath.

Chase and Em find themselves in a world of trouble and must fight to survive the dangers that follow the furies.

Fury was a good book, not great to me but defnitely has the potential to become more. I felt that the book was a bit slow and lacked a true story as to who the mystery girls were and the history behond them. The truth about everything only comes out right at the end. I understand that the feel of the book was to draw the reader in and make them curious but with no real tidbits in between it left the reading dry in places.

Elizabeth Miles definitely has the potential to create a wonderful story and I hope that book 2 will bring everything together. Fury was written well, good style and decriptions but definitely needed a little more for me.

3/5

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

MONARCH WINNER

2011-09-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered the MONARCH contest!

Hopefully even if you didn't win the book you'll buy your own copy! Monarch will be officially out on September 15, 2011. And I definitely suggest you get your own copy!

I put everyones name into random.org and our lucky winner is: ALLYSON CONLIN!!

Please email me your information which includes:

*your email
*your name
*your mailing address

You have 24 hours (until 7:15pm EST September 6th) to send me the email so that I can send it off to Rhemalda publishing. If I don't hear from you within 24 hours a new winner will be chosen!

Hope to hear from you Allyson :)

To everyone else, thanks for participating and stay tuned to the bookshelf for more contests and all my book reviews!~

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Monarch Giveaway

2011-09-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys Hope you were able to check out my Monarch Review! It's a great book written by Michelle Davidson Argyle and a copy is up for grabs right here on my blog!

Here's a description of the book:

Nick's life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness, a wife who committed suicide, and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the United States has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he'll have the chance to start his life over again. Just when he's on the brink of catching Ferreira, he's framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia, where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He's safe, but not for long.

Contest is open INTERNATIONALLY. All you need to do is fill out THIS form.

Contest will run until Monday September 5th 12:00pm EST and winner will be chosen by random.org then announced here on the blog. Winner will then have 24 hours to email me with their mailing address.

Good luck to everyone who participates and hope you enjoy the contest. Thanks to Michelle and Rhemalda Publishing for donating this book for the Giveaway.

Monarch will be available for purchase on September 15, 2011.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Monarch Review

2011-09-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

MONARCH by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Nick is a CIA agent, a spy to be exact. Nick has been deep undercover, mixed in with a drug lord. Nick's life has been complicated, his wife committed suicide and his daughters want nothing to do with him but now he's in Brazil trying to bring down the drug lord Mattheus Ferreira who has been a threat to the US for years. The government has been trying to bring him down but have not been able to locate him.

When Nick is the closest he's been to finding Ferriera, he's betrayed and framed for a murder that changes his life forever. Now on the run from the CIA and from Ferriera's men he has no choice but to go into hiding. His journey leads him to a place from his past, to a woman he knew from years before. Lillian Love is the owner of an Inn and as he takes refuge in her presence old feeling begin to surface.

He puts a great risk on Lillian by bringing his problems to her door but she welcomes him and gives him shelter as he struggles on what to do about his situation. When the truth of the betrayal settles he must bring his family together in order to protect them. As Nick makes plans on how to free himself and protect everyone he cares for, he learns more about himself and his family that he ever thought possible. Lines are crossed and passions flare as Nick delves deeper into the lies surrounding his job, cowokers and family.

Dangerous events, sacrifices must be made, and friendships will be broken, relationships are tested and loyalties are questioned. Monarch is a great read. Thrilling and unexpected. The characters were fresh and real and the description of everything was fantastic. The research put into this book was thorough and as the story flows you can learn a lot. Monarchs are a beautiful thing and Michelle did a wonderful job in bringing their frail but fighting spirit to life in combination with the mystery and intensity of a book about love and deception.

4/5

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Witchlanders Review

2011-08-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

WITCHLANDERS by Lena Coakley.

Witchlanders follows the sotry of Ryder. A young man living in a world where witches rule the land, predicting the future by throwing bones and protecting the village people with their future-sight. Ryder has grown up believing that the witches have no power that everything they say or do is fake and that they take portions of the peoples crops but don't deserve any of it. Ryder lives with his mother and his two sisters, going about everyday life tending to the fields and taking care of his family.

Ryder doesn't believe the witches are necessary, even if they could predict the future what would be the point, there's no danger anymore not since the only enemy The Baen were defeated years ago. Ryder's mother use to be a bone thrower and he never believed her prophecies, as his mother struggled with reality and the effects of a deadly drug Ryder tries to bring her back to her life telling her there's no magic. Little did he know that his mother's prophecy would come true.

When a deadly new magic makes itself known, it threatens his family and his friends. The witches are useless against this new force and all the blame is being put onto the old enemy the Baen but is the blame directed at the true source or could everything Ryder ever learned be completely false. The history of all he's ever know about the prophets his whole village worships gets turned upside down, nothing is as it seems and the only way Ryder can defeat the evil plaguing his town is to join with an unlikely character and make a stand against all he's every known.

Witchlanders was an interesting read. It was a bit slow to start, and the story was hard to get into but once the characters were developed and the attachments were built the story flowed with ease and anticipation. Witches are respected in this story and feared for their knowledge and power. Overall a great Debut novel for Lena Coakley.

4/5

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

AWARD!

2011-08-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

I got an award today from an amazing Page. Best Books is one of my favourite pages and they have an amazing blog as well. Thanks to Alice and Annmarie for this award.

The goal of the award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!

This was way harder to do than I thought. Picking only 5 blogs is tough because there's some amazing blogs out there.

1. Bookaholics book Club
2. Best Books

and honestly that's it. There's a lot more I follow but they all have over 200 followers. These 2 blogs have amazing creators handling things, and are super helpful when it comes to anything book related :)

Soul Thief Review

2011-08-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

SOUL THIEF (book 2 in the Demon Trappers Series) by JANA OLIVER

Soul Thief is a gripping continuation to the Demon Trappers. Absolutely thrilling, addictive and must read for 2011.

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS---Read Demon Trapper's Daughter before reading this REVIEW***

Riley Blackthorne is still recovering from what happened at the Tabernacle. With so many of her own dead or severely injured; including her boyfriend Simon, Riley is trying to hold it together.
Poor Riley, she has so much going on in her life: Suffering the loss of her father; who was illegally taken from his grave by an unknown necromancer. Simon is acting strange and pushing Riley away. Beck is being his overprotective self, and still trying to get Riley to move in with her aunt. And now Riley has a body guard to worry about.

As the story continues Riley is still trying to figure out what happened at the Tabernacle. As the blame gets thrown around for how the demons got through the ward Riley's as well as her father's name get put through the ringer. Many of the trappers think that she was involved in the attack. How else would she have survived an attack from a grade five geofiend? And how was her father inside the ward just before the attack if he wasn't the one behind it?

As Riley tries to figure out who stole her father from his grave, she must also figure out what is going on with the holy water supply. Riley takes the investigation into her own hands and does a little research as to where the bottles are going missing. With so much on her plate, Riley has a hard time facing reality. Simon is acting strange and he blames Riley for what happened as well. He will not believe that God has failed him, he can't believe that God would just allow demons to prevail.

With the increasing threat of demons in the city, the vatican has dispatched the demon hunters to bring down the number of demons. Also putting their hands into the trappers business, the hunters are trying to find out who is involved in helping the demons. When Simon gives them a 'lead' into the traitor, it puts Riley in a very difficult position.

Riley tries to protect her friends and herself by staying out of trouble but trouble always seems to find her. With the help of her new 'body guard' Ori, Riley is able to continue her invesigations. But who is Ori? He claims to be a freelance demon hunter, but no one has heard of him and even though he saved her at the Tabernacle there's something strange about him.

Soul Thief is fast paced and entertaining. A fantastic story that leads you through a road full of twists and turns, and unexpected surprises. It allows you to enter the lives of the characters on such a deeper level. Thouroughly enjoyed this book and I recommend this series to everyone!

Jana Oliver is a creative author, who is able to wrap a story around your heart and soul. Leading you through a world of the unexpected, she brings her writing to the surface of the pages leaving you wanting more.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Interview with Karsten Knight

2011-07-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to interview Karsten Knight, author of Wildefire. It was tough to come up with some questions for him but he was able to tackle them with ease and provide me with some amazingly real answers. Here's a little bit about Karsten:

Karsten Knight has been writing since the age of six, when he completed his first masterpiece: a picture book series about an adventurous worm. In the two decades that have followed, Karsten worked as a proofreader, a bookseller, and a college admissions counselor before finally deciding that his true calling was as a volcano goddess biographer. He resides in Boston, where he lives for fall weather and football, and is on a far-too-successful quest to visit every restaurant in the city.

bio info taken from Karsten's website: http://www.karstenknight.com/p/about-karsten.html

Here are the questions that Karsten answered for me!

1. Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that story/idea?
Well, after I divorced my Polynesian volcano goddess ex-wife…Oh wait, I’ve used that joke before. It came from two things. After scrapping a few drafts of a first chapter, this one line popped into my brain: “Ashline Wilde was a human mood ring.” Out of that, this character—this voice—quickly evolved of this spitfire teenager who was both impulsive but also firmly loyal. While I continued to try first chapters, an old friend of mine introduced me to Pele, the Polynesian volcano goddess, and I knew I had a perfect match for the story that was evolving.

2. What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write(do you have a favourite spot or time to write)? Do you set a daily writing goal?

Whenever I try to explain my typical work day to friends who have 9-to-5 jobs, I usually get blank stares. Basically, I finally accepted that I don’t do my best writing until the afternoon, so now I go to the gym every morning for a few hours to get my blood pumping and my brain synapses firing. I try to write 1,000 to 2,000 words a day between the hours of 1pm and 1am when I fall asleep, but there’s a lot of social media mixed in there—facebook, twitter, blogging.

As for where I write—I have a beautiful, 18-square foot desk with a beautiful view of my street…yet I find myself restless and constantly change positions in the house. I take my laptop everywhere: the couch, the porch, the kitchen table, and sometimes even sprawled out in my bed when I’m feeling really lazy.

3. What’s the best thing about being an author?

I get to make things up for a living. I don’t know how to summarize it any better than that.

4. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

I always struggle with this question, because I feel like people always say the same things. “Be a lifelong reader.” “Never give up.” “Write every day.” “Learn to cope with rejection and persevere.” Blah blah blah. But I think the best advice is to always make sure the stakes in your story are constantly increasing. Think of a story like a boiling pot. You need that spark in the first chapter for the fire to catch, but after that, you want to keep slowly turning the knob, cranking up the heat. By the end of your novel, the story should be boiling over the sides.

5. What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? And how would you answer that question?

“High heels or flats?” Depends on my mood and how tall I feel like being.

There you have it guys! A little look into the mind of Karsten Knight! Be sure to check out his book WILDEFIRE which is officially released on July 26, 2011. And be sure to check out my review for WILDEFIRE here on my blog! http://msilvabooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/wildefire-review.html

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Summer Surprise Giveaway Winners!

2011-07-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the Swag giveaway, you guys committed to the contest like real champs lol and after a whole month you can now change your pictures and 3 of you will be a swag bag richer for it!

Thanks to Kailin for donating all these amazing prizes and remember even if you didn't win today, check out Kailin's books today! Get your copies at amazon.com and read some amazing stories. :)

Once again here are the prizes available:

***PULSE BAG***

Includes: Signed PULSE book 1, T-Shirt, and Bookmark

***DESIRE BAG***

Includes: Signed DESIRE book 1, T-Shirt, and Bookmark

***BEAUTIFUL BEINGS BAG***

Includes: Signed BEAUTIFUL BEINGS book 1, T-Shirt, and Bookmark

Random.org was used to select our winners. Here are the prizes and the winners of each prize!

PULSE SWAG BAG

The winner of the Pulse bag is: MISTY NICHOLSON-PRICE

DESIRE SWAG BAG

The Winner of the Desire Bag is: KATRINA WHITTAKER

BEAUTIFUL BEINGS BAG

The Winner of the Beautiful Beings Bag is: ALICE PRIDAY

Congrats to all our winners! All winners please email me your mailing address so that I can send them to Kailin for your prizes. msilvabooks@live.com

Again, thanks to everyone who entered and stay tuned to The Bookshelf for more contests!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Spellbound Review

2011-07-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

Spellbound by S.L. Ross

Book one in the Immortal Island Series.

May Contain ::SPOILERS::

Spellbound follows the story of Sarah Daniels. When Sarah is asked to house sit by her parents she gets upset. The old house creeps her out. It's located on an Island outside of the city and growing up there strange things always happened in the house. As Sarah makes her journey to the home she comes in contact with some strangers that don't seem too strange to her. She experiences visions and when one of them reveals one of the strangers, Sarah doesn't know what to think.

When contact with this stranger; whose name is Chase, causes Sarah to get another vision, one of the past, Sarah is in awe. Chase's touch is shocking and sends tingles all the way through her body. Who is this man?

As the attraction between Sarah and Chase increases, she discovers the truth of who he really is. Chase is a vampire. When Sarah realizes that the Island she once called home is actually full of Immortals she's thrown into a world she can barely understand. When Sarah also realizes that she's actually an old soul, born multiple times over the centuries she questions the love Chase has for her. Is he in love with her or what she once was?

With Sarah having so much knowledge of the Other world she's now in a dangerous position. When others start coming after her, she must protect herself and the ones she cares for, but she's not being attacked just for her knowing too much...Sarah isn't who she thinks she is.

What do they want with Sarah? Will history repeat itself? Spellbound is a fast read that leaves you hanging at the end.

Spellbound was a great story. The Concept was great and the characters are detailed, the only problem I had with the story was the writing style. I have a hard time reading stories that are completely proper. I like when a story flows wells and is written in the way people speak. When words like do not and cannot are used instead of don't and can't it cuts the flow of the story for me and makes me pause in the line of thought. I understand that Chase is suppose to speak like that but with Sarah being from the modern world i think it would have fit better if mordern speech was used.

The end was very sudden, crazy cliffhanger leaving a lot of questions and anticipation (just the way i like a story), it makes you wonder what is going to happen to Sarah and Chase in the end. Will it all work out? Will Sarah remember who she once was?

If you like a fast paced book, with love, action and heartache and a quick read Spellbound is the book for you.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Betrayed Review

2011-07-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

May Contain ::SPOILERS::

Betrayed by Ednah Walters.

Betrayed is book 2 in the Guardian Legacy Series.

Betrayed is a great continuation to Lil and Bran's story. Just when you thought things couldn't get more dangerous and more complicated, Lil finds her way into trouble once again.

Lil is adjusting to her new life as a guardian. As a powerful Psi and the only one able to control the most powerful weapon known to nephilim (the Kris Dagger) Lil is a force to be reckoned with. As she goes through training to increase her abilities and to learn to wield the dagger with minimal pain and effort she
discovers some new challenges in the process.

Just as Lil feels like her life is becoming as normal as it could possibly be she begins to get phone calls from her father Valafar. He warns her of someone betraying her and that she cannot trust the ones closest to her. He also tells Lil that Bran is keeping things from her, and when Lil tries to cut ties with Valafar, he uses any means necessary to get in contact with her even if that means putting one of her friends at risk.

As Lil tries to figure out why Bran is being strange and pushing her away, Lil comes to realize that Valafar may be right. Should she trust her father? When Lil finds out the truth behind why Bran is avoiding her, she does whatever she can to help him even if it means going to her father for help. Lil must overcome her fears, and question the motives of everyone around her in order to find the person that has betrayed her.

Can she truely be the chosen one and bring conflicting sides together once and for all or must she choose a side herself; even if it's the side of evil, in order to save the ones she loves.

Betrayed was fast and action filled. As you fly through the pages all you can do is guess the outcome of events and be surprised at the twists that unfold. A great read, Ednah Walters does it again bringing a world of guardians to life.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

DESIRE REVIEW

2011-06-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

DESIRE: Book 1 in the Desire Series by Kailin Gow

Desire introduces you to a strange new world where your whole life is planned out for you at age 18. Even if you want one thing for yourself whatever is planned out is what you must do...or else.

Desire follows the story of Kama. A young girl who is about to turn 18. Her life is perfect and she hopes that her life's plan will have her life following the path she's on now. She hopes that her plan will be just as she wishes just like her boyfriend's and her best friend's have. Everything was going exactly as it should be until she comes across a mysterious yound man who captures her attention with one glance, and is able to speak to her in her mind. All it took was one gently whisper in her head and a gorgeous face to go with it and Kama is thrown into a world she never expected.

When Kama receives her life's plan in the mail she's left in shock, it's nothing like she expected and her boyfriend Liam is no longer in the picture. Heartbroken and torn on what to do now Kama and Liam try to find a way to fix what is wrong and put Kama back on to the path she was meant to be. But is it what Kama truely wants. With an empty life's plan Kama doesn't know what to do. She knows she can't be with Liam now that he wasn't mentioned in her plan and the thought of that rips her apart. Her heart aches to be with him because that's all she's ever wanted, but her mind now wanders to the mysterious man with the power to speak to her from a distance.

As Kama delves deeper into the world she's lived in all her life she begins to question the truth behind Arcadia. Her eyes are opened to what happens behind the scenes, the truth about her family is revealed as well as what Liam's father has really been doing with Arcadia, and Kama must learn to accept the path she's been given because it's a gift, giving her the power to explore the truth behind every lie.

Desire was a new and interesting story in the YA genre. It has you wondering about the true nature of this so-called perfect world. Will Kama discover the truth about her life? Will her life's plan give her freedom or just cause more problems. Desire was mysterious and engaging with an ending that leaves you wanting more.

Another great read by Kailin Gow!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Summer Surprise Giveaway!!

2011-06-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

Time for a spectacular giveaway! In honor of Kailin's New books being released :

SUMMER WISHES (release June 30th), THE PULSE PAPERS (release July 4), and BEAUTIFUL BEINGS!( release july 18).

She is putting up for grabs some wicked Swag Bags!

Contest is International and we have 3 swag bags up for grabs.

***PULSE BAG***
Includes: Signed PULSE book 1, T-Shirt, and Bookmark

***DESIRE BAG***
Includes: Signed DESIRE book 1, T-Shirt, and Bookmark

***BEAUTIFUL BEINGS BAG***
Includes: Signed BEAUTIFUL BEINGS book 1, T-Shirt, and Bookmark

Awesome right??

Okay Here are the rules!

Rule #1: Tweet about the contest and encourage people to pick up PULSE, DESIRE, and BEAUTIFUL BEINGS!

Rule #2: Change profile picture on Facebook to the cover of BEAUTIFUL BEINGS!

Rule #3: Tweet about the American Airlines Contest Kailin has going on at: http://wp.me/p14n0g-eG
(If you wish to enter the AA contest: It's US residents only so Americans feel free to enter there too!)

Rule #4: Comment here your First and Last Name, links are accepted to your FB and Twitter.

That's it! Lots of great prizes here so Enter for your chance to win, good luck to everyone!

Contest will run from JUNE 20TH to JULY 19! Again THIS contest is INTERNATIONAL!

Thanks again to Kailin for Donating such wonderful gifts!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Spoon-Fed Addiction Winner

2011-06-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered this contest and thank you to Silvano for being so generous in donating a signed copy of his novella and allowing fans to download it for free online!

I used random.org to pick our winner and congrats to: BETSY HILLENDAHL. You have 24 hours to Email me your mailing address before a new winner is chosen!

Stay tuned to the bookshelf for more contests and giveaways as well as book reviews and what to look forward to this year!!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Spoon-Fed Addiction Giveaway

2011-06-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here's your chance to win your very own copy of SPOON-FED ADDICTION by Silvano Williams. Thanks to Silvano for donating a copy for this Giveaway! Winner will receive a SIGNED copy of S-FA. Contest is INTERNATIONAL.

Here's the description of the Novella:

Spoon-fed Addiction is a transgressive fiction novella detailing the last moments in the life of Adiran P. Battlefield, a young, seemingly apathetic yet charismatic drug dealer. It is a story about love, loss, revenge and pain, which takes the audience on a front seat ride through the darkest places of the protagonist's mind. Allowing the reader a glimpse into an almost familiar world, dreams soon become nightmares, plans become failures and flawed perceptions of reality give way to horrible consequences.

This is the story of Adiran's last night alive and the impact he had on those he left behind.

I have also done a review for this Novella here on my blog so make sure to check it out for more details into the story.

Okay, so here is what you have to do to enter!

1. Become a fan of Spoon-Fed Addiction on Facebook
2. Become a Fan of The Bookshelf
3. Become a fan of Silvano on goodreads
4. Leave a comment with your FIRST and LAST name! (so many contest I put this and people still dont follow it. If I don't have your name then you wont be entered because I can't announce a winner if there's no name to announce!)

That's it! nice and easy! Contest will run from June 2nd to June 5th and a winner will be picked by June 7th! Good Luck to everyone!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Wildefire Review

2011-06-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight

Wildefire is an intensely brilliant read. It's an emotional ride that leaves you guessing at every turn.

Wildefire is about the life of Ash and Eve Wilde. Two Polynesian sisters that were adopted as kids, they are similar in many ways but the one thing that makes them different is one's good and one's evil.
As Ash tries to fit in at her school, her life gets turned upside-down when she finds out her boyfriend cheated on her, and her missing sister comes back at that moment to step back into her life. Eve takes drastic measures to exact revenge for Ash and because of her violent behavior Ash is forced to relocate to a remote private school out in the woods of California.

As the memory of that tragic night still haunts her, Ash tries her best to move on in her new school; making friends and dating again, she believes that her life has finally settled down. Being isolated in a far away school away from her past and her sister (who once again went MIA) has allowed Ash to begin a new life. She's now the captain of her schools tennis team, and along with new friends she never thought she would hang out with she also has a park ranger boyfriend that will do anything to keep her happy.

When Ash finds out from a fellow student; who just so happens to be a siren, that she along with some other students at Blackwood are actually Gods and Godesses she doesn't know how to react. Ash is thrown into a world of mystery and power, the other Gods have all shown some sort of ability but Ash feels that when it comes to her a mistake had been made; she has no powers and has never shown them in her life. As Ash tries to get a grip on reality her sister shows up at her new school to stir up some trouble, and Ash soon realizes that she has some abilities of her own, but Eve also has information.

According to an unknown source the life the Gods are living are not their first, they have been reincarnated for centuries but now a new threat is coming for them and threatening their ability to come back after they die. With Eve lurking in the darkness of the redwoods surrounding Ash's school, Ash must find a way to defend those she cares for, she must tap into the fire buring deep within her and learn her power before it's too late.

A clash between the Gods and a war between sisters makes Wildefire an exceptional ride from beginning to end. There's something new on every chapter and when you get to the end you'll wish there was more! The Ending is a fantastic twist that leaves you wiith your mouth hanging open.

A must read for the summer! Get your copy on July 26, 2011.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Deep Review

2011-05-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

DEEP Book 2 in The Lake Dwellers Series by Leesa Birch

This series is a must read! I'm so happy that I got a chance to read it and review it. Deep (book 2) was even better than the first and I can't wait to see what happens in book 3!~

Deep has an amazing start. Ivy finds herself in a little situation. She wakes up in the Arizona desert alone and having no idea who she is. Wandering through the red dusty land she finds her way to a small town where the people there try and help her find the truth to who she is and what happened to her. Kane soon finds her and takes her back to the lake in the hopes of finding out what happened to her and how her memories were erased. Ivy battles through her nerves and tries to trust those at the lake and with the help of Grogan soon discovers how she was left alone to fend for herself.

Ivy is now working for the council and living full time at the lake, but when the darkest of dreams begin to plague her nights Ivy can't ignore the warnings hidden behind them. The nightmares take hold of her and she fears for the residents of the lake. There's something in the water; something hiding and laying in wait, an invisible creature that's deadly to anyone who gets caught within its grasp. Ivy must learn the truth about her dreams, and learn to accept her water weaving gifts because they may be the only way to save everyone she cares about.

Ivy battles her way through the toughest of situations, and pushes herself to the very limits, straining her body and her abilities to the end. Can she overcome the challenges of controlling her abilities and overcome the fear of using her power to the fullest? A thrilling story that I never want to end.

Deep holds a twist or a battle in every chapter, full of surprises and the unexpected. A Fantastic read!! Check it out everyone you wont be disappointed!!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

IVY Review

2011-05-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

IVY: Book 1 in the Lake Dwellers Series by Leesa Birch

Ivy was an amazing story, great writing style and descriptions and a new twist in the YA Genre. Ivy is about a Lake Dweller, one of many in a secret society. The Lake Dwellers live at a hidden location where they can be close to a sacred Lake. Lake Dwellers have the ability to heal but after a certain amount of time must enter the lake in order to cleanse themselves of all the pain they have taken in from others.

Ivy is one of the few lake dwellers that lives away from the lake and only returns when her pain cycle is active, going home to rid herself of the absorbed illnesses. She loves the lake but has never felt that she could live there; isolated, forever. She wants to live a life where she can do what she was meant to which is heal people, but even though lake dwellers are meant to heal she finds herself isolated among her own people. Ivy soon discovers that she is actually a water weaver; a lake dweller with the ability to control water at will, and among her people that is a forbidden gift. The last one to hold that power went mad with power and had to be executed so this makes Ivy nervous as well as afraid that she will become like her ancester.

As Ivy learns to control her new powers she must also try to hide who she really is from the real world. She was taken prisoner before because of her gifts of healing and when she becomes threatened once again of being discovered she must find a way to keep her life, control her new powers; which are triggered through emotions, and escape those who wish to control her. Ivy must learn to trust others but wonders how can you trust others when you don't know who you can truely trust... Even the ones closet to you can betray you in the end.

Ivy is amazing. A great story brought to life by Leesa Birch. The concept of lake dwellers and the details put into them to bring them to life was impressive and inspiring. All the ideas put into this book made it come alive and brought the characters closer to our reality than I ever thought possible. Leesa Birch was able to make Ivy that everyday girl that you could meet passing on the road but would never really know who she actually is, she brought the lake dweller to life and created a world that the reader can just sink into easily.

A must read! Check it out for yourselves :)

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Captivated Review

2011-05-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Captivated by D. Apodaca. Book 1 in the Affliction Series.

Captivated was a little slow to start. The prologue was promising but the first few chapters were a bit hard to get through. It's not that the beginning was boring just that not much was really happening in the start. Once I got past chapter 5 things picked up, and I started to enjoy reading it.

Captivated follows the characters of Mindy and Dean. Mindy and Dean use to be best friends but after an incident in his life he shuts her out along with everyone else in his life. He no longer socializes with anyone and as the years went by Mindy got over the fact that he no longer wanted to be her friend. Now Mindy has new friends, Markus and Tanya. After a night out at a local club, Markus claims to have seem Dean kill someone in the alley and freaked out he tells Mindy. Mindy can't come to grips with the fact that Dean is a murderer and the fact that Markus has no evidence of it; not even a body, makes it even harder for her to believe him.

Markus makes it his mission to find out the truth about Dean and follows him around in the shadows to see what he's up to. What Markus discovers is unbelievable and he begins to question his sanity. Dean's 'victims' disappear after he kills them and Markus begins to believe that Dean is not who he seems to be. He no longer believes Dean is human and will do anything to prevent Mindy from getting hurt by him. No matter what Markus tells her she still can't get over the fact that it's Dean; her childhood friend, the investigation Markus puts into Dean makes her keep an eye on Dean which leads to her feelings for him coming to the surface once again. Even after everything, Mindy is falling in love with him.

When Markus starts being secretive as well Mindy begins to develop a relationship with Dean once again; hanging out with him hidden from others, but whenever they get close he always makes up a reason for her to go home, saying that she's not safe out at night and that she should go home. Curiosity takes a hold of Mindy and it makes her wonder what Dean is really up to. What is he trying to protect her from? Could Markus' claims be true, is Dean truely dangerous or is there something far worse out there in the darkness. Just when Mindy thinks things are going well she falls deeper into Dean's world, when he tries to pull away he realizes its too late for the both of them.

Captivated was great! When the story develops into full swing you never know what's really going to happen. A captivating story that makes you wonder what's really going on, what's the real truth, and what is going to happen!? The ending leaves you hanging. It allows the feelings to linger within your mind of how can it end like this? Definitely going to read the continuation as it left me wondering and full of questions that need answers!

Captivated will be released June 10, 2011.
Pre-Order your copy today!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Ordained Winner

2011-05-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Time to announce the winner of ORDAINED by Devon Ashley!

We had a pretty good turn out, thanks to those who were interested in the book and actually participated. I used random.org to pick our winner!

Congrats to: MARIELA SILVA!

You are the winner of ORDAINED by Devon Ashley! Hope you enjoy it. Email me your mailing addy so that I can send you the book :) msilvabooks@live.com

To everyone else, sorry you didn't win but stay tuned to The Bookshelf for more chance to win other books too!

If you'd like to read this book you can buy your copy here: Ordained: The Immortal Archives (Volume 1)

or just click the link to the book depository here on my page if you rather buy from there!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Spoon-Fed Addiction Review

2011-05-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Spoon-Fed Addiction by Silvano Williams.

Spoon-Fed Addiction is a Novella.

At first I honestly didn't think I was going to like it. It started off a bit slow for me but it soon picked up. It follows the mind of Adiran a young man that's trying to figure his life out. The only thing about it being in his POV was that the narration got long at times. His train of thought rambled on and didn't really seem to be going anywhere..... At First, but it all fit together in the end.The people he comes into contact with is what makes the story interesting and really brings his character to life.

Adiran is a drug dealer that throughout the whole story is high on something, if not acid then weed, which makes his perspective on life come into more focus. His encounters with his friends is highly entertaining, comedic, vulgar and exciting at times. A true meaning of everything and everyone is connected in some way. Adiran's life is pretty good until people who he doesn't know start bugging him for drugs and then when one of his friends gets killed.

His train of thought becomes twisted and at times distorted, the things he does to find out the truth and seek revenge on the ones who wronged him and his friends is extreme in an almost primal way. When Adiran makes the journey of finding and inflicting vengeance on the killer of one of his friends, it brings a lot of truths and unexpected outcomes to the surface.

Spoon-Fed Addiction is entertaining, raw, and defintely a ride if you're willing to entangle yourself into the mind of a twisted and confused soul. Definitely a novella that you have to keep your mind open to. A book in which you have to step back to take in the full story and truely appreciate what is being thought of throught the mind of Adiran, one of the best twisted stories I've read!

Check it out for yourself! Content is Adult, contains Vulgar Language and drugs.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

ORDAINED GIVEAWAY

2011-05-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Up for grabs is a copy of Devon Ashley's ORDAINED! Book 1 in the Immortal Archives Series. Thank you to Devon for donating her book for a giveaway!

Here is a description of the book:

Normally, the school creates the hunters…not the monsters.

Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn’t the best choice for the Order’s experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby’s their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she’s not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon’s weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.

I also have a review up for it here on the blog! Ordained was a great read and one lucky winner will get the chance to read it as well here is what you need to do.

1. Become a fan of Devon Ashley on Goodreads
2. 'LIKE' Devon Ashley on Facebook
3. Post about this contest on facebook!
4. Become an official follower of my blog here---
5. Leave a comment with your NAME in the comment so I know who you are!

That's it, nice and simple. Contest is INTERNATIONAL and will run until May 5th, tell your friends and Good luck to everyone! Winner will be chosen by random.org and winner will be posted on May 6th.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Ordained Review

2011-04-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ordained by Devon Ashley

Ordained is book one in The Immortal Archives Series. The characters are entertaining and aggressive, and you ca't help but feel like you're right there with them.

May contain Spoilers.

The story follows Emily in the beginning, a born-hunter trained in an order focused on destroying vampires. They're trained from a young age and then set upon the world on their own to go out and kill the things that go bump in the night. Their training focus' on vampires but vampires aren't the only things out there. For years, hunters have fallen before a great Demon at the age of 25, none have shown the ability to kill the deadly beast until Abby.

Abby knows how to hold her own, fighting her way through demons, coontrolling the elements, and creating fires with just a thought. When she was taken to the Order she was put through a serious training program. Abby was treated like a soldier and nothing more. For thirteen years she was beaten and battered, bruised and isolated. They never showed her any affection and without contact from anyone it can really mess with someones head, especially when your already battling with a power within yourself. The night Abby left the Order was bloody, they pushed her to her limits and her anger tapped into a power burried deep within her core. Anger and pain triggered one of her abilities and she became lost in her self; killing those who hurt her.

Abby left the Order and stayed hidden for two hundred years. When she reappears the Order is in shock; she was assumed to have died when she turned 25, the same as all the hunters before her against the great Demon, but she survived. Now, the Order has asked for her help against a larger threat but little do they know that she is one of the things that goes bump in the night, Abby is a vampire and the one person to be able to save the Order and all the hunters at the school. She is the Ordained Huntress, a secret she has kept hidden from the Order and as much as she hates the Order she is not willing to put the lives of the Hunters and her friend Emily at risk.

Emily is the first hunter to live past her 25th birthday and Abby plans to keep her alive a lot longer. She along with her partner Noel are going to do what they can to protect her, but sometimes what you want to do and what actually happens are two completely different things. The truth about Abby and Noel is a secret they will do anything to protect and the people that can never find out are the ones they have to help. The order is a threat that they can't avoid and when they have to live under the eyes of the Order in order to protect them, their secrets get harder and harder to keep.

Ordained is an amazing read, full of action and mystery, the characters are fun and exciting and the story draws you in right from the start. Devon Ashley did an amazing job bringing the characters to life and bringing a fresh look to the darkside of things.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

City of Fallen Angels Review

2011-04-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels Review

May Contain spoilers. Please do NOT read if you haven't read the first 3 books in The Mortal Instruments Series.

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments Series. It follows more in the point of view of Simon; Clary's best friend turned vampire turned Daylighter, with occasional POV changes between other characters. Even though the story is a bit more about Simon it's still got plenty of Clary and Jace as well as Isabelle.

Simon is trying to get a handle on being a vampire, and now with the ability to walk around during the day he thinks he can live a normal life; living at home and going to school, but fitting in is still difficult for someone who isn't normal. Clary has taken hold of her true path and is training to become a shadowhunter, training with her boyfriend Jace.

The mystery of the story is that someone is murdering shadowhunters, and the crazy thing is they're going after shadowhunters that were once in Valentine's inner circle which creates tension on the new truce between shadowhunters and downworlders. Not only is there trouble among the shadowhunters but now someone is after Simon, when he's attacked the power of his mark kicks in and brings a force that obliterates the enemy. But that still doesn't answer the question of who is behind the attacks, whoever it is obviously doesn't know about the mark of Cain, and if they do they're willing to risk lives to get to him. Simon is a high priority vampire that anyone may want to get their hands on, but why?

Simon has a pretty rough time in this book, he's trying to live a life that's no longer meant to be his, he tells his mom he's a vampire and ends up having to move out, he's dating two girls but neither of them know about the other even though they're friends and he's got people trying to kill him. He battles with himself and until he accepts his vampirism he'll struggle.

Meanwhile, the story also progresses with Clary and Jace. Clary is still learning the ways of the shadowhunter and is completely in love with Jace. Now that the truth of who he really is, is out they can love each other freely, they can just be happy and live their lives...or so they think. Jace is plagued with dreams where he does bad things, things that he's afraid he won't be able to control in his waking life. With this thought at the back of his mind at all times, he slowly starts pulling away from Clary which makes her think that he doesn't truely love her; if she only knew what he dreamed of.

New enemies arise as well as some new faces on the side of good. A battle of good versus evil and the gut wrenching feeling of never knowing who will come out on top. Will another loved one fall at the hands of the darkside? Will enemies unite in the hopes of saving their world? Will evil prevail in the end?

City of Fallen Angels is a heart attack-inducing book that makes you beg for more, and stand up yelling at the characters you've fallen in love with. It twists in ways you can't imagine and leaves you wanting more. It leaves you gripping the final page in anticipation for the following book. Book 5 will be a book I look forward to all year long.

A must read series! Cassandra Clare has done a wonderful job in creating this unique and breath-taking world.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

IMMORTALIS: HUNTERS AND PREY REVIEW

2011-04-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

IMMORTALIS: HUNTERS AND PREY BY KATIE SALIDAS

*****May contain spoilers*****

Book 2 in the Immortalis series. Hunters and Prey takes place a while after the battle with Santino. The one that brought Lysander to the brink of death. Alyssa is still young and learning the ways of the vampire. She feeds only on those who deserve death; the dirt bags that prey on the innocent and had once tried to kill her, if not for Lysander she would be dead.

One night while Alyssa is out feeding she gets a feeling of being watched; still young in the art of all things vampire, she's still able to sense that a vampire is nearby. She gets a strange feeling that she knows who is watching her and with that she takes off running and instinct takes her to a place she shouldn't be...Her old hangout. When she realizes she really should turn away from the Cafe, her former best friend Fallon spots her and that's when things get interesting.

Alyssa is left wondering how to explain her being missing for so long and her odd behavior and appearance and when nothing she can think of can explain away what is going on with her she is left with no choice but to confide in Fallon and tell her the truth. Fallon is in shock but takes the news rather well but with the knowledge of Alyssa's new life comes responsibility and great danger. She is thrown into a world of vampires and the war between them and the Acta Sanctorum, and Lysander is not happy about this...especially when he realizes that Alyssa was right and Santino is back and chasing after Alyssa.

With the truth of the vampire world now on Fallon's shoulders, it puts a rift between the clan. Should the mortal be trusted or should she be killed? Lysander will have the final say. With Fallon now knowing about Alyssa it puts her in danger of being used against Alyssa and the Clan. Fallon is pulled into a war that she wishes she wasn't a part of. The hunters now have a new soldier; an unstable hybrid of hunters, that when unleased cause destruction wherever they go. These new frenzy soldiers are not only a threat to vampires but to anyone that stands in there way.

The only way for Alyssa and her Clan to survive this brutal enemy is to make a temporary alliance with the greatest threat they've ever known...Santino. Santino is against this new army, he believes in protecting the innocent and with these rogue soldiers now on the Acta Sanctorum's side he must help the vampires he once hunted in order to protect everyone. Will Santino turn against the Acta Sanctorum? Will he truely join forces with Lysander's Clan in order to rid the world of the abominations plaguing their city?

Immortalis: Hunters and Prey is an unexpected thrill ride. The story flows so easily that you don't realize it's over til the last page is in your face. Full of action, passion, comedy and characters you just want to bring into your own world, you won't be disappointed with the second installment in the Immortalis series! It leaves you wanting more. Book 3: Pandora's Box is a book I can't wait for! It can't come fast enough!

This series is a must read! Go out and get your copies today Katie Salidas does NOT disappoint!

For sale on Amazon Click the links below to get YOUR copies!!

Book 1: Immortalis Carpe Noctem

Book 2: Hunters & Prey

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

FROST CONTEST WINNERS

2011-04-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!

Thanks for the awesome participation during this contest I hope you all had fun. I kept track of everyone who followed all the rules and everyone who participated during the bonus questions (which counted towards extra entries during the draw). I put all your entries in through Random.org and have my winner and runner up.

Prize run through for those of you who don't remember.

First prize is a set of the first three books in the frost series by Kailin Gow. Bitter Frost, Forever Frost, and Silver Frost. A great series!

Second prize is an ARC copy of DESIRE by Kailin Gow which is set to be released May 15th!

Enough waiting right? Time to know who the winners are! Thank you to everyone who participated but there are only 2 prizes to give away.

First Prize: For the Frost Series books, the winner of the wonderful set is: BETSY HILLENDAHL

Second Prize: For the copy of Desire, the winner of this first book in the new series is: AUTUM FRAILEY

Congrats to you both! Please email me with your mailing info. If you decide you do not wish to receive your prize (because you already have it/read it etc and want to give someone else a chance to win it) please let me know as well if not, Please email me by April 16th with all your info :) If I don't hear from you by Saturday April 16th I will be picking new winners! (msilvabooks@live.com)

Thanks again to everyone who participated! Stay tuned to The Bookshelf for future contests! You guys are awesome :)

Thanks to the wonderful Kailin Gow for donating all these amazing books! I couldn't have done this big contest without her!

If you haven't won today no worries remember you can always buy Kailin's books on Amazon or bookdepository when available! Or Stay tuned who knows i might give away some more of her books in the future!

<3
Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Frost Contest!

2011-03-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys time for another contest! Up for grabs this time is the FROST SERIES by Kailin Gow. Swag package includes Bitter Frost (book 1) Forever Frost (book 2) and Silver Frost (book 3). In honor of Book 4: Frost Kisses being released Kailin has kindly donated these books to give away to one lucky fan of The Bookshelf! Thank you Kailin!!

Contest is INTERNATIONAL. Contest will Run from MARCH 20TH to APRIL 10TH. Please read ALL instructions carefully before commenting so that you know that you've completed everything required for this contest.

Here is what MUST be done:

1. 'LIKE' the facebook page: YA Books from Kailin Gow
2. 'LIKE' the facebook page: The Frost Series
3. Post about this contest on facebook
4. Post the Frost Kisses Book Trailer on facebook.
5. Change your facebook profile picture to Any of the Frost book covers (bitter frost, forever frost, silver frost OR frost kisses) for the duration of the contest. (you may switch between any of the frost covers during the contest)
6. Leave a comment with your name (first and last) and tell me why you would like to win these books :)

***If you want a chance to enter ANOTHER contest go out and buy FROST KISSES (book 4) you also get a gift with every purchase.*** Check it out on amazon: Frost Kisses (Bitter Frost #4 of The Frost Series)

************UPDATE*************

All I have to say is that Kailin Gow is amazing! She has now offered a SIGNED ARC of Desire (first book in a new series out MAY 15, 2011). ARC will be given to the second place winner of The Frost Contest. So Enter the contest for your chance to win!

First Prize: Frost Series books 1-3
Runner Up: ARC of Desire
*****************************************************
The contest will be running for 3 weeks. March 20th-April 10th. Keep posted to The Bookshelf for your chance to get more entries in this contest. The required elements are for your initial entry into the contest. Once done you don't HAVE to continue with the bonus entries, but if you do you get more chances to win The Frost Series Package :)

I will be posting random questions here on the blog (on this post) all you have to do is email me your answer (msilvabooks@live.com) for every right answer you get another entry. Simple right? It is! You may use whatever you wish to answer the questions, google, goodreads, facebook, kailin's blog (hint hint lol). Just no asking me or Kailin directly. Questions could be about anything really but I'll keep them pretty easy; as in you should be able to find the answer if you look :)

I'll post on The Bookshelf when a question goes up and you'll have 24 hours to answer that question. Once the 24 hours are up the question will no longer be 'in play' for a point (answer will be posted at the end of the 24 hours)

That's it, those are the rules. Play nice, play fair and most important have fun!!

Questions will be posted right here (remember to EMAIL me your answer. If you post the answer as a comment it won't count towards a point)

YOU MUST COMPLETE THE REQUIRED ELEMENTS BEFORE BEING ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS!!

Question 1: Who is the winter prince in the frost series?
Answer: Kian

Question 2: What is Kailin Gow's publishing company?
Answer: Sparklesoup or The Edge Books (both accepted)

Question 3: What is the name of book 2 in the Wolf Fey-Frost series(out summer 2011)?
Answer: The Red Wolf

Question 4: Which series of Kailin's is being made into a TV series?
Answer: The Stoker Sisters Series

Question 5: What is Kailin's new years resolution?
Answer: to get in better shape and bring awareness to Autism with a marathon

Question 6: What is the name of Kailin Gow's Radio Show?
Answer: Women Who Write

Question 7: What are the 3As in 3As for Autism?
Answer: Actor, Artists and Authors

Question 8: (EXPIRES: Saturday apr. 9 @11pmEST) What is the name of book 5 in The Frost Series?
Answer: Midnight Frost

Question 9: (EXPIRES: Sunday apr. 10 @ 11amEST) Question 9: What series is the last name GREYSTONE from?
Answer: Pulse Series

Question 10: (EXPIRES: Sunday apr. 10 @ 10pmEST) From one of kailin's series(one of kailin's 'quotes', who said this: "There is no law stronger than that of magic."?
Answer: Kian

Overprotected Review!

2011-03-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

OVERPROTECTED BY JENNIFER LAURENS

Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.

Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.

Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.

Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.

Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.
Daddy was wrong.

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

I loved reading overprotected! It was a change from my usual reads (because it was something that could actually happen) and it was such a great choice for that genre! The book is well written, and the story develops so smoothly. A must read!

Overprotected is about a 17 year old girl named Ashlyn. Her father has been keeping a close eye on her since she was 5 years old when she was first kidnapped, since then she's had a bodyguard protecting her; or more like watching her every move. Ashlyn has been doing everything she can to gain her freedom, even if it mean trying to sneak off unprotected. As a lawyer, Ashlyn's father has the money to keep her safe, but Ashlyn has different plans. She wants a life of her own, and a chance to fall in love. Neither of which can happen as long as she's guarded by her father's hired hands.

When her father hires a new bodyguard to protect her she's in shock to find out that it's Colin; a childhood frenemy. As kids they were friends but Colin was the kid that always found ways to pick on her, and now he's back and in her life. Ashlyn's father hires Colin for that very reason, he hopes that her hatred towards colin will prevent her from falling for him. Another way of protecting her is preventing her from falling in love. But what happens when the one you're meant to hate is the one you fall in love with.

As Ashlyn's feeling towards Colin evolve, things become a little more complicated for Colin. Ashlyn is the job but his feelings for her are hard to control. As the drama between Colin and Ashlyn progresses, problems between her mother and father develop even further. Things aren't as they seen in her home, what she thinks is normal, is actually the opposite, and she soon realizes that things between her mother and father are strained.

The story progresses with her attendance at school, as well as with the occasional contact from Ashlyn's best friend Felicity. Ashlyn goes out for walks; supervised, as well as to her favourite bookstore. Just when you think Ashlyn is safe the unexpected happens.

Overprotected is a great read, filled with detail, romance, suspense and unexpected comedy. The characters had me from the beginning, and I didn't want to put it down.

Check out Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

Buy it now! Overprotected on amazon.com

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

The Girl Next Door Winner

2011-03-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who entered. We had a good number of entries but only one person will win a Signed copy of The Girl Next Door by Selene Castrovilla. 12 Runner-ups will receive signed bookmarks and as for everyone else who entered I'm sorry if you didn't win anything but maybe next time! I always have contest on my blog so keep checking in on The Bookshelf.

If you didn't win the book you can purchase your own copy here: The Girl Next Door on amazon :)

I used Random.org to calculate out winners. And now for the winner of the SIGNED book...... Congrats to: MINA ZENTENO.

Winners of the signed bookmarks are:

1. MARIELA SILVA
2. OLGA KOULOURI
3. ALICE PRIDAY
4. BARBARA LOPEZ
5. SHANNON BYRIEL
6. AURORA MOMCILOVICH
7. KATRINA WHITTAKER

8. CASEY HENSLEY
9. SIOBHAN PHINN
10. KERRY KOUKAMAS
11. ANA ARROYAVE
12. SARITA LOPEZ

All the winners must email me their mailing address so that I can send them off to Selene so she can ship off your prizes. I won't be chasing down the winners so if you don't email me by March 17th your prize will be withdrawn. Here is my Email: msilvabooks@live.com

Thanks again to Selene Castrovilla for donating these wonderful prizes I hope you enjoyed the contest and remember to check out her new book MELT coming out this FALL!

Keep checking in on The Bookshelf for all the latest books and contests!

Congrats again to the winners and thanks everyone for entering!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

The Girl Next Door Contest

2011-03-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Hey guys time for another contest!!! This time up for grabs will be a SIGNED copy of The Girl Next Door by Selene Castrovilla. Contest will be open INTERNATIONALLY. THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is a Best YA Book of 2010! Best YA Books of 2010: A Literary Mixtape - GalleyCat

Here's what you have to do to enter.

1. Post about this contest on Facebook/twitter
2. Post the trailer for The Girl Next Door on Facebook: The Girl Next Door Trailer
3. 'Like' Selene Castrovilla's page for The Girl Next Door on Facebook
4. Follow my blog officially (by clicking follow on the right side of my blog)
5. leave a comment with your full name and how you found out about the contest (twitter or facebook)
6. 'LIKE' The Bookshelf on Facebook

and as a bonus entry change your profile picture on facebook to the cover of The Girl Next Door for the duration of the contest. (Be sure to tell me in your comment if you've done the bonus!)

Contest will run from March 7th 8:00am EST until March 11th 11:59pm EST

On March 12th I will pick a winner at random to win the signed copy of The Girl Next Door.
AND 12 more people will be chosen to win signed bookmarks :)

Thanks to Selene for donating this book! Here's a description:

In THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, two teens are forced to make some very grown-up decisions when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Seventeen year old Samantha has been best friends with Jesse since she moved into the New York high-rise apartment next door to his fourteen years ago. Jesse is their school's poster child for popularity: good-looking, a star athlete, even Romeo in the school play. On opening night he collapses on stage. That's when doctors discover the unthinkable: a tumor on his spine. His type of cancer is virtually incurable – 97% of those diagnosed die within ten months.

Jesse shuts down, refusing to see most of his friends. He submits to treatments of chemo and radiation, but he doesn't possess hope. Sam is the one person he’ll talk to. He convinces his mom to let her sleep in another bed in his room, saying he's afraid to die alone.

That’s when Jess and Sam make a startling, bittersweet discovery: they’ve been in love all along.

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR addresses the universal question: In an unpredictable world, how can we possibly feel safe?

Remember to check out Selene Castrovilla's website where you can read an excerpt for MELT her new novel coming out Fall 2011 as well as her first book Saved by the Music.

Good Luck everyone!!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

City of Fallen Angels: My thoughts...what are yours?

2011-03-06T15:59:00.000-08:00

Spoilers: If you haven't read The Mortal Instruments books 1-3 you will find spoilers in this blog post!!!!

With the release of the fourth book in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instuments series fast approaching, I'd like to talk a little about this series. I'm super excited to find out what will happen in City of Fallen angels and I'd love to hear from you guys what you think will be happening with your favourite characters.

So far out of this series City of Glass was my favourite. I loved the detail in the city and the twist involving Sebastian, and of course finding out that Jace and Clary AREN'T brother and sister. lol

I think in COFA, Sebastian will make an appearance and more than likely stir up some trouble. Simon will obviously have a larger roll in this book, and i'm curious to see where his story is headed now that he is the most wanted vampire out there for being a Daylighter. Clary and Jace will be the main love focus; trying to work out their relationship, and the whole gang will be involved in the mystery of who is killing off shadowhunters.

I'm also curious to see who will be killed off in this book; will it be anyone we know as a favourite character or all just random chartacters? My favourite character is Jace, just because of his attitude and comedic commentary and I hope there's still plenty of him in this book.

Here's Cassandra Clare's top 10 list of what will NOT happen in COFA:

1. Alec and Magnus are not getting married no matter what Isabelle says.
2. Simon's band does not apply to a major label
3. Jace does not travel back in time to the Victorian era and get into a fight with Will
4. Jace does not travel back in time to the Victorian era and hit on Tessa
5. Clary does not rope Magnus into posing naked for her life drawing class
6. Luke does not need to get his tuxedo altered when he shows up at his wedding in wolf form
7. Max does not return from the dead leading a tiny zombie army
8. Church and Chairman Meow are not getting married no matter what Isabelle says.
9. Jace does not get addicted to Clary's Magical love gentlemen and starts stealing copies of it from her room.
10. Nobody takes a road trip to South Carolina.

Enjoy those little tidbits :)

Comment on this post and lets see what your thoughts are for this next book!!

Here's the description for City of Fallen Angels:

City of Fallen Angels takes place about eight weeks after the events of City of Glass. It continues the story begun in City of Bones, while also starting a new story, with new challenges and a new enemy to beset our protagonists. All the core characters from the Mortal Instruments series appear in it: Jace, Isabelle, Clary, Simon, Alec, Magnus, Luke, Jocelyn, Maia, and many more. (It even helps to have read The Clockwork Angel before you read CoFA, because some of the characters from the ID series do show up in it. However, it isn’t required.) City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

City of Fallen Angels will be released April 5, 2011. Preorder your copy today!
City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments, Book 4) on Amazon.com

Also check out the COFA Widget at the bottom of my page! Add it to your blog to keep track of this books countdown!! AND stay tuned to The Bookshelf on Facebook for when I post the trailer for COFA!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Caption Contest Winner!!

2011-02-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of great entries in this contest, and that made it difficult to pick a winner. You all did awesome and came up with some creative captions I wish a had a book to give everyone who entered but only one can win.

Thanks to Alice Priday for donating this book and helping come up with this contest. We went through the entries together and had a great laugh doing so and finally picked a winner.

The winning quote is:

"Didn't the Geek Squad say this thing comes with a mouse?"

Congrats to AURORA MOMCILOVICH for coming up with this witty caption :) Please email me with your mailing address so that Alice can get the book out to you!

Thanks to everyone who participate i hope you enjoyed this contest and stay tuned for more here on my blog! Become a follower for easy access :)

Here are the other entries from this contest!

Techno kitty attacks!!!!

"Wachu say?!?! Intel's been jacked!"

Isn't I much prettier to looks at?

''sorry i cant respond to my emails today...something has crashed in my computer''

Already tired of 3D movies? Tired of 3D TVs? Well get ready because a new type of 3D is coming your way. Introducing CatPC. Your background is always a cat that moves but the computer runs slowly. Don't get too frustrated because if you hit the computer, the cat just might jump out from the screen!!!!

when computer cats ATTACK!!

"I swear I saw the mouse come in here"

Escaping windows to touch reality... shouldn't we follow the kitten?

HALP! I iz stuck! I tryed to get a "byte" of ur cheezburger!

Intel Processed Kitty

"finally can escape from this wretched box where to go first....*light bulb* lets go to barnes and noble!!!!!!!

"awwwwww I dont want to go to the vet!"

"IZ B PURR-O-VISION"

Kitty Squad making sure your computer is furry safe from birds and mice.

Hope these put a smile on your face :)

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Red Glove Review

2011-02-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

RED GLOVE BY HOLLY BLACK (Curse Workers book 2)

An amazing continuation to White Cat. Holly Black turns up the heat in the second Curse Workers.

***Contains Spoilers, Please read White Cat first!***

Red Glove continues in Cassel's life. After Cassel discovers his memories have been altered and erased, that he's actually a Worker and a rare one at that. Cassel can transform anyone or anything into something completely different, as Lila; Cassel's childhood friend, knows all too well. After Cassel transformed Lila back from being a cat, he finds out that his mother cursed her to love him, making it so he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel finds out that Philip is murdered, he's roped into finding out who killed him and for what reason by the feds. But the feds aren't the only ones trying to get Cassel to work for them, the mob is after him too after finding out that he has such a rare ability.

Cassel finds out that Philip was working as an informant for the feds before he was killed, and when Cassel gets a hold of the evidence for the case they're working on he knows they're looking for two different killers...one a woman with red gloves and the other...could be him. Cassel still tries to live his life as normal as possible; going to school and hanging out with his two friends Daneca and Sam, until Lila walks back into his life. After she disappeared for the summer; after learning she was worked to love Cassel, she shows up at Cassel's school and becomes the new girl. Rumors start flying about her; who she is, where she came from, what's her story, but only Cassel knows the truth. The cat turned girl only has eyes for him.

Cassel begins to suspect Lila for Philip's death but when he begins to dig deeper he sees that the evidence doesn't add up. His mother is out of prison as well and trying to stay off her radar is keeping Cassal busy after all his mother couldn't be the killer...could she?

In Red Glove Cassel learns what he's capable of, and to what lengths people will go to have him on their side. He struggles to control his feeling for Lila as she waits out the curse put upon her and is learning to trust his friends.

Red Glove is filled with non-stop action and shocking twists, filled with murder, deceit, magic, romance, and the unexpected. Cassel's story is fantastic and the mystery entwined within the pages leaves you breathless and wanting more. Anything can happen in this world that Holly Black has created!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshlef

Caption Contest

2011-02-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

February Contest: CAPTION CONTEST!

Enter for a chance to win a copy of Cassandra Clare's City of Glass. Book 3 in her Mortal Instruments Series.

Contest is INTERNATIONAL.

Contest will run from February 6th til February 10th.

Here is what you need to do:

Take a look at the picture below (I know cute right?) and come up with your own caption for the photo. Most creative caption will win the book, so take your time and try your best in coming up with the best and most creative, funny, cute etc. caption you can think of!

That's it, easy-peezy!

Send your Caption entry to my email: msilvabooks@live.com with the subject: Caption Contest. Please include your full name. Only one caption entry per person. At the end of the contest, I along with Alice Priday; who has donated this book, will go through all the entries and the best one will win. Winner will be announced by the 12th of February if not sooner :)

Have fun and Enjoy!

Here is your photo:

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

WITHER REVIEW

2011-02-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Chemical Garden Trilogy

WITHER BY LAUREN DESTAFANO

Wither was a fantastic read. Romantic and twisted all at the same time. An amazing first book for Lauren DeStefano!

May Contain Spoilers

Wither follows the life of Rhine, a 16 year old girl thrown into a world of money and unwanted affection.
Rhine is a girl born of Genetic Engineering, because of this she will die at the age of 20. A lethal virus claims the lives of all young girls and boys. Boys living only to the age of 25 before they get taken over by the sickness. This virus is a big problem, causing the human race to begin dying out and the kidnapping of young girls in order to be sold off and used as baby-makers.
Rhine and her brother go everywhere together in order to prevent this from happening to her; but the one time she goes off to do a job on her own, she's tricked along with other girls and gets captured. Rhine along with two other girls get sold to a wealthy man named Linden and they soon become his new wives.
Life as a wife has it's moments; with everything she could ever ask for...except freedom. Rhine makes it her goal to become first wife in order to gain as much freedom as possible; first wife being priveleged enough to go outside the compound to parties and events with her husband Linden.
Things get complicated when she befriends with one of the servants; a boy her age named Gabriel, which she spends time with hidden from everyone. When Rhine begins to feel attracted to Gabriel, she vows to do everything she can to free him and herself from the life at the mansion.
When rumors of what really goes on around the house reach Rhine she becomes worried. With Linden's father being a scientist trying to find an antidote for the virus, and apparently controlling Linden's life as well, Rhine tries her best to stay off his radar while still finding a way to escape.
Rhine soon finds out that Housemaster Vaughn is experimenting on dead bodies down in the basement, and she doesn't know who she can trust. She befriends the other wives Jenna and Cecily but does not confide in them.
Rhine worries about the other girls; especially Cecily because she is so young, she tries to keep Linden's attention away from her in order to protect her, but her attempts are in vain. Linden soon beds the other wives and Cecily becomes pregnant. Cecily loves the life she has, and wants nothing more than to have Linden's attention and everything she asks for; she is oblivious to what her life really is. Rhine becomes closer to Jenna and soon finds she has a lot in common along with their hatred towards Linden and his father for bringing them into the life of wives. Rhine wishes to take Jenna with her when she escapes but Jenna knows there is no point, she will die soon due to the virus.
Rhine must find a way to save herself and Gabriel, they must escape the mansion and live their lives in the real world all without being caught.

Wither is exciting, romantic, and shocking! It left me in awe and wanting more. Rhine is an amazing character filled with life and determination. Book two can't come fast enough!

Want to read it for yourself? Buy it here: Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy)

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Angelic Contest Winner

2011-01-31T14:10:00.000-08:00

Time to announce the Series and the winner of the contest.
So the mystery series was THE HEAVENLY SERIES by Jennifer Laurens
Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mariela Silva for donating these books for the giveaway :)

Thanks to Random.org we have our winner. We had a great amount of entries but only one person can win. Congrats to DAWN SLAUGHTER. Please email me with your mailing address msilvabooks@live.com

Stay tuned to the Page and my blog for more contests and for my book reviews!

Melissa
'The Bookshelf'

Angelic Giveaway

2011-01-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Angelic Giveaway!! This contest is for the whole series of an angel based book and it's your job to guess what that series is! Contest will run for 4 days starting today (thursday) and ending sunday 10pm Est. Winner will be announced monday January 31.
Contest will be open to US and CANADIAN residents only.

Here are the details:
1. You are only permitted to guess ONCE per day if you attempt to guess more than once in a day your entry will be VOID.

2. Contest guesses must be sent to my through EMAIL. No other form of entries will be valid so please do not Facebook message me or goodreads message me because it will NOT count.

3. The first day of the contest (January 27th) will be open to random guessing. Basically if you can guess which series is being given away WITHOUT any clues you will receive 4 entries into this contest. Again only ONE guess is permitted per day.

4. Day two: January 28th, this allows you to have another guess. On this day you will also get a clue as to which series is being given away. If you guess correctly on this day with only one clue you will get 3 entries in the contest

5. Day three: January 29th, this allows those who haven't guessed correctly to get another guess. Another clue will be given as to which series is being given away. If guessed correctly on this day you will receive 2 entries for this contest.

6. Day four: January 30th, this is the final day to take a guess if you haven't guessed correctly yet. Guessing correctly on this day will only get you ONE entry. No other clues will be given.

Play fair and don't ask others for help.

And again DO NOT answer more than once on the same day or your guess will NOT count. Once you've guessed stay tuned for the winner announcement day to see if you've won.

To enter send your guesses of the Angel Series to: msilvabooks@live.com with the subject title: ANGELIC GIVEAWAY and don't forget to include your First and Last name.

Day 1 January 27th: Start emailing me your random guesses until 11:59pm Est--

Day 2 January 28th: First clue entries until 11:59pm Est--
CLUE 1: I am real

Day 3 January 29th: Second clue until 11:59pm Est--
CLUE 2: You can see me if I let you

Day 4 January 30th: Last chance guesses 10:00pm Est--
Decided to give you guys one final clue: I look after someone special

I will email everyone who has answered correctly once the contest is over, so keep an eye on your email because I will ask you a question and the sooner you respond the sooner I can pick a winner :)

Melissa

2011 Book Releases

2011-01-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

BOOKS OF 2011

C.C. Humphreys
Hunt of the Unicorn- March 8, 2011.

Cynthia Leitich Smith
Blessed:Tantalize Series- February 8, 2011

L.J. Smith
The Return;Midnight:Vampire Diaries Series- March 15, 2011.
The Craving: VD- Stefan's Diaries Series -March 1, 2011.

Cassandra Clare
City of Fallen Angels:Mortal Instruments Series- March 31, 2011.
Clockwork Prince: Infernal Devices Series- August 30, 2011.

Lisa McMann
Cryer's Cross- February 8, 2011.

P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Destined:House of Night Series- November 5, 2011.

Richelle Mead
Succubus Revealed:Georgina Kincaid Series- August 30, 2011.
Iron Crowned:Dark Swan Series- March 31, 2011.
Bloodlines: Bloodlines Series- August 23, 2011.

Kelley Armstrong
The Gathering:Darkness Rising Trilogy- April 12, 2011.
Spell Bound: The Otherworld Series- July 1, 2011.

Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
The Cursed Ones: Crusade Series- February 3, 2011.

Nancy Holder
The Screaming Season: Possessions Series- March 22, 2011.

Alyson Noel
Everlasting: Immortals Series- June 7, 2011.
Shimmer: Riley Bloom Series- March 15, 2011.
Dreamland: Riley Bloom Series- September 13, 2011.

Lili St. Crow
Defiance: Strange Angels Series- April 19, 2011.

Claudia Gray
Afterlife: Evernight Series- March 1, 2011.

Melissa Marr
Darkest Mercy: Wicked Lovely Series- February 22, 2011.

Ellen Schreiber
Cryptic Cravings: Vampire Kisses Series- April 8, 2011.

Rachel Caine
Bite Club: Morganville Vampires Series- May 2, 2011.
Unseen: Outcast Season Series- February 1, 2011.

Melissa De La Cruz
Witches of east End: Beauchamp Girls Series- June 21, 2011.
Lost in Time: Blue Bloods Series- October 2011.

Sarah Rees Brennan
The Demon's Surrender: The Demon's Lexicon- June 14, 2011.

Holly Black
Red Glove: The Curse Workers Series- April 5, 2011.

Aprilynne Pike
Illusions: Wings Series- May 8, 2011.

Janni Lee Simner
Faerie Winter: Bones of Faerie Series- April 5, 2011.

Maggie Stiefvater
Forever: Wolves of Mercy Falls Series- July 12, 2011.

Jessica Verday
The Hidden: The Hollow Series- September 6, 2011.

Lauren Kate
Passion: Fallen Series- June 14, 2011.

Becca Fitzpatrick
Tempest: Hush, Hush Saga- October 18, 2011.

Gillian Shields
Eternal: Immortal Series- August 1, 2011.

Carolyn MacCullough
Always a Witch: Witch Series- August 1, 2011.

Kimberly Derting
Desires of the Dead: Body Finder Series- March 15, 2011.

Chloe Neill
Hard Bitten: Chicagoland Vampires Series- May 3, 2011.

Rachel Hawkins
Demonglass: Hex Hall Series- February 15, 2011.

Gena Showalter
Twisted: Intertwined Series- September 11, 2011.

Jennifer Anne Kogler
The Siren's Call: The Otherworldlies Series- July 1, 2011.

Michelle Zink
Circle of Fire: Prophecy of the Sisters Series- August 1, 2011.

Andrea Cremer
Wolfsbane: Nightshade Series- July 12, 2011.

Tera Lynn Childs
Fins Are Forever: Fins Series- June 28, 2011.
Medusa Girls: Medusa Girls Series- 2011.

Jen Nadol
The Vision: The Mark Series- September 27, 2011.

Julie Kagawa
The Iron Queen: Iron Fey Series- February 1, 2011.

Jocelynn Drake
Wait for Dusk: Dark Days Series- July 27, 2011.

Kiersten White
Supernaturally: Paranormalcy Series- September 2011.

Jenna Black
Sirensong: Faeriewalker Series- July 5, 2011.

Carrie Ryan
The Dark and Hollow Places: The forest of Hands and Teeth Series- March 22, 2011.

Jeri Smith-Ready
Shift: Shade Series- May 3, 2011.

Kailin Gow
Frost Kisses: Frost Series- February 3, 2011.
Midnight Frost: frost Series- 2011.
Blue Blood: Pulse Series- March 8, 2011.
Blood Bond: Pulse Series- 2011.
Angels and Hunters: The Stoker Sisters Series- February 8, 2011.
Sisters of Strigois: The Stoker Sisters Serie- 2011.
Silver: Wicked Woods Series- July 11, 2011.
Silence: Wicked Woods Series- 2011.
Sight: Wicked Woods Series- 2011.
Beautiful Beings: Beautiful Beings Series- April 20, 2011.
Heaven and Hell: Beautiful Being Series- August 17, 2011.
Desire: Desire Series- May 15, 2011.

Mari Mancusi
Blood Ties: The Blood Coven Series- August 2, 2011.

Christine Johnson
Nocturne: Claire De Lune Series- May 10, 2011.

Sherrilyn Kenyon
Invincible: Chronicles of Nicke Series- February 1, 2011.
Alpha: Nevermore Series- October 1, 2011.

Tricia Rayburn
Undercurrent: Siren Trilogy- July 12, 2011.

Ilona Andrews
Magic Slays: Kate Daniels Series- May 31, 2011.

Cat Adams
Demon Song: Bloodsinger Series- March 1, 2011.

Sophie Jordan
Vanish: Firelight Series- 2011.

Jackie Morse Kessler
Rage: Horsemen of the Apocolypse Series- April 18, 2011.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Trial by Fire: Raised by Wolves Series- June 14, 2011.

Patricia Briggs
River Marked: Mercedes Thompson Series- February 1, 2011.

Kelly Meding
Another Kind of Dead: Dreg City- July 26, 2011.

Karen Chance
Hunt the Moon: Cassandra Palmer Series- June 7, 2011.

Anya Bast
Dark Enchantment: Dark Magick Series- April 5, 2011.

Lauren DeStefano
Whither: Chemical Garden Series- March 22, 2011.

Seanan McGuire
Late Eclipses: October Daye Series- March 1, 2011.
One Salt Sea: October Daye Series- September 2011.

Elle Jasper
Everdark: Dark Ink Chronicles- June 7, 2011.

Kristin Cashore
Bitterblue: Seven Kingdoms Series- 2011.

Jennifer Laurens
Overprotected- February 2011.

Rachel Vincent
If I Die: Soul Screamers Series- 2011.

Nina Malkin
Swear: Swoon Series- August 2011.

Beth Fantaskey
Jessica's Guide to Ruling on the Dark Side: Jessica's Guide Series- 2011.

The Demon Trapper's Daughter Review

2011-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

The Demon Trapper's Daughter is a fantastic read. Loaded with excitement and the unexpected, Jana filled this read with everything you need to get your daily-dose of a kick-ass heroine.

May Contain Spoilers....

The Demon Trapper's Daughter follows the story of Riley Blackthorne, A Demon Trapper Apprentice following in the footsteps of her Father. The book takes place in the year 2018, and a lot has changed. Demons are everywhere; ranging from the smallest and least dangerous but trickest Grade-Ones to the most dangerous and vengeful Grade-Fives.
Riley being in training is only suppose to deal with Grade-One hellspawn, but with Lucifer increasing his number of Demons invading the cities sometimes what your suppose to take on and what your forced to take on are two diffrent things.
The only thing standing between the demons and the humans of the world are the trappers, and with the invading demons it literally pays to be a trapper...if you can handle it.
Riley gets called to capture a grade-one demon at a library but when she gets attacked by a grade five geo-fiend all she can do is try to not get killed. with the destruction done to the library on her routine assignment she then has to face the rath of the guild; who don't really need another reason to try and kick her off the team, with Riley being the only girl trapper, a botched assignment is just more ammunition to end her career.
The guild tries to blame her for not even being able to capture a simple grade one, but when a youtube video proves that a grade five was the culprit to all the damage done all hell brakes loose at the realization that demons are now working together.
When her father goes out on a hunt for a grade four with his fellow trapper Beck little do they know that they're about to get ambused by the grade five that attacked Riley in the library. Try as the might they can't capture the fiends at the same time as trying to defend themselves from a furious elemental attack, and Beck is helpless to save Paul Blackthorne.
Devestated by his death, Beck must return to Riley to tell her about her fathers murder. Riley soon realizes that his death is the first of many dangerous events in her future. One of the biggest problems being that now that her father is dead, she has to still defend his body from those who wish to steal it for their own means...the necromancers. Since her father's body isn't damaged he would be a good candidate but Riley refuses to have her father summoned so she must stand vigil over his grave until the first full moon to protect him, a task that proves to be more difficult than she expected. Meanwhile Riley has to deal with the guild, Beck, trying to find the fiend that killed her father and the fact that the Demons of all grades know her by name; something Beck thinks is a very bad thing. Riley's life is going to change in a very dramatic way.

Riley's world comes crashing down around her and she must do everything she can to protect those around her and seek revenge for her father'death.

The Demon Trapper's daughter has everything you could ask for in a book; demons, a killer heroine, drama, romance, and an ending that will leave you begging for more. This book is a nail-biter from beginning to end and the second book can't come fast enough!

If you wish to check out this book yourself click here: The Demon Trapper's Daughter Release February 1, 2011.

Enjoy!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Darkness Becomes Her ARC WINNER

2011-01-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Darkness Becomes Her ARC Winner!!

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book. I put everyones entries into an online randomizer to make things fair :)

And the winner is ***ANGELA EVANS*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address WITHIN 24 HOURS, or a new winner will be chosen tomorrow!

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways as well as book reviews :)

Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Even though you didn't win you can BUY this book Darkness Becomes Her. Release Date FEBRUARY 22, 2011.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf 

Darkness Becomes Her Giveaway!

2010-12-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

TO A RE-IMAGINED NEW ORLEANS, THE WORLD OF NEW 2 . . .
Where the Novem rules the city from the French Quarter. Where the Business District is in ruins. Where the Garden District is home to squatters, misfits, and Other Things. Where one girl finds her place among the shadows…
Read Ari’s story coming February 21, 2011 from Simon Pulse!
Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.
Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.
She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.
Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Up for grabs is an ARC (advanced Readers Copy) of Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton!! Fantastic read and I hope you guys enjoy the contest. Contest is INTERNATIONAL and it's pretty simple just follow the rules to enter :)

Each thing you do will get you ONE entry. If one of the options has an and/or it doesn't mean you have to do both but you can but it'll still only count as ONE entry.

Here are your entries

1. Change your Profile picture on facebook to Kelly Keaton's Darkness Becomes Her for the duration of the contest

2. Post this contest on facebook and/or twitter during the length of the contest

3. Follow Kelly Keaton on Twitter

4. Follow Me on Twitter

5. Become a Fan of Kelly Keaton on Goodreads

6. Add me as a friend and/or follow my reviews on goodreads

7. Become a fan of Kelly Keaton on Facebook

8. Follow THIS blog officially

9. post about this contest on your blog if you have one

10. Follow Kelly's Blog officially

11. Post a comment here telling me which entries you've completed (be honest, and I will be checking those I can to see if you've done the entries) Remember to include your full name so if you win I know who you are and links( so I can check).

And Please tell your friends about my blog and my Facebook page The Bookshelf; not required, but it's always nice to spread the word and it's good Karma.

That's it! If you do all these things you'll have 8 entries and a better chance of winning :)

Contest will Run December 31-January 3 and winner will be announced January 4th on my page on facebook so stay tuned for the announcement.

Good Luck, Play fair, Be honest, and Have fun!!

Make sure to check in on Kelly Keaton's Facebook Page and her WEBSITE for updates and info on her books :) She Also writes as Kelly Gay so check out her OTHER Website

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Soul Screamers Series Continues

2010-12-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite series by one of my favourite authors. My Soul to Steal is the fourth book in the Soul Screamers Series by Author Rachel Vincent. Kaylee's story continues with more twists and unexpected turns.

Description of My Soul to Steal:

YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?Want even more details for My Soul to Steal? Check out the trailer!
Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their
relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to
take Nash back.
See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft
them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she
survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to
death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

I DON'T THINK SO.

This series has had me right from the beginning but don't just take my word for it check it out for yourself My Soul to Steal officially comes out JANUARY 4 2011!
Buy your copy today, here's a link to every book in the series by Rachel Vincent on Amazon:

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers Book 2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers, Book 3)
My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers, Book 4)

here's the prequel to the series as well

My Soul to Lose

And the Soul screamers Novella about our favourite reaper

Reaper

Enjoy everyone! and be sure to check out Rachel Vincent's other books The Shifters Series

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Darkness Becomes Her Review

2010-12-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

DARKNESS BECOMES HER BY KELLY KEATON

Darkness Becomes Her is a book all on its own. A breath of fresh air on all things supernatural, leaving you wanting more.

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Ari is a strange girl; a girl who never fit in, with silvery hair and teal eyes she lives a life always trying to hide who she is. Ari lived her whole life in foster care but always wanted to know the truth about her past; and her mother. Her need for knowledge leads her on a journey, first in search for her mother she discovers that she's dead but not without leaving her only daughter a little message. RUN.
Ari can feel that she's being followed, but even with the message from her mother she has no idea why she should run or who she's running from. Without any real information she has no idea how to protect herself, but she knows the only way to find answers is to go back to where she was born; the hurricane stricken New Orleans, now known as New 2. The trip to New 2 is anything but easy but with a group of new friends she realizes that New 2 is different from what she thought it would be.
Ari soon realizes that she fits right into this world; a freak among freaks, and that most people she encounters are actually afraid of her. When one of the founding family leaders of New 2 sends a request to meet her, Ari is suspicious as to whether these people are the ones she should be running from. Little does she know, that the families are the least of her worries. There are far more dangerous things out there then the leaders who are special all on their own.
With the help of Sebastian; a friend and the grandson of the leader of the founding family Arnaud, Ari goes through a long and dangerous journey to discover the truth behind her strange characteristics and the supposed 'curse' bestowed upon her family. When she finds out who is actually after her Ari can't help but fear for all those around her; everyone who has helped her, and all those who stand against the force of this devastatingly dangerous enemy.

Darkness Becomes Her is filled with suspense and heart-pounding action, a kick-ass heroine, an unexpected twist and a gripping ending. Can't wait for the sequel. Kelly Keaton has brought an amazing story to life!

This book is a must read so add it to your TBR piles!

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Cryer's Cross Review

2010-12-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

CRYER'S CROSS BY LISA MCMANN

Lisa McMann has done it again. Cryer's Cross is a gripping story that leaves you shivering in the end.

*****May Contain Spoilers****

In the small town of Cryer's Cross, everyone knows everyone but secrets are still well kept. When a girl goes missing the town is thrown into a frenzy in search of her.
Kendall is a simple girl with a complicated problem; she has OCD, and the change in the town has thrown her OCD into overdrive.
Kendall leads a very routine filled life and school feels different to her with the missing girl hovering over her like a dark cloud. When two new student come to her class anxiety fills her, and when the rumors start flying that Jacian (one of the new student) is a suspect in the disappearance of the girl, Kendall becomes fearful of him. Jacian is a very quite boy, but he ends up taking an interest in Kendall. When Nico (Kendall's bestfriend) starts acting strange and distant she becomes worried and when all of a sudden Nico goes missing Kendall's heart breaks and the town shuts down. Curfews are put into place and no one is allowed out alone, the town fears a killer and Kendall fears that she'll never see her friend again.
With the buddy system in place Kendall is stuck going to school with Jacian and his sister, eventually allowing for a friendship to form. School is difficult for Kendall; looking at Nico's empty desk, she feels a huge loss within her. When she begins to notice that the writing on Nico's desk has changed; due to her OCD, she feels that something is wrong. She starts to sit in Nico's desk to try and feel closer to him and when she begins to hear his voice coming from the desk she thinks she's losing her mind. She feels drained after sitting at the desk but Nico's voice keeps her going back.
The messages on the desk change and she realizes they must be coming from the missing students who use to sit there, when the message tells her to go somewhere; that it's the only way to save Nico, she follows the voices intructions to a hidden place...a place the townsfolk have tried to hide. Risking her life to try and save Nico, maybe Kendall is the one who really needs saving. Everyone needs a hero.

A town with a secret so terrible, they would do anything to keep it buried.

Cryer's Cross drew me in from the start. Creepy and chilling, Cryer's Cross is a great read for those who need a little mystery and a little scare in their life.

Cheers to Lisa McMann, congrats on a fantastic read.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Forever Frost Review

2010-12-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

FOREVER FROST BY KAILIN GOW

REVIEW

Breena's story continues in the second installment by Kailin Gow. Forever Frost is magical and intriguing.

***May Contain Spoilers***

Breena is now back in the summer court with the Queen, waiting for the moment when she can see Kian once again, stricken with the grief of Logan's death and the hopes of seeing her mother again. Breena knows she can't stay in Faeryland and it upsets her, she has fallen for it and everything around her. The Summer Queen's hatred towards her and her mother is so great that she doesn't want to risk her anger. After escaping the Pixie King Breena was taken to the summer court and now awaits the hostage exchange between the winter princess and her mother who is being held captive by the winter court and Kian. Breena offers to make the exchange herself but she soon realizes things wont be as easy as she thought they'd be. With the Pixie King still out to get her and the stress of getting her mother back, Breena has her work cut out for her. Breena must travel to the Winter Court with Shasta the Winter Princess to get her mother back and then leave Faeryland to please the Summer Queen. If only it were that easy. With a growing list of enemies Breena must find a way to stay safe and help the ones she loves.

When shocking news come to her she must stray from her path to help a fallen friend. Torn between two loves and struck with the truth of her family, Breena is pulled into political drama.

Forever Frost is a fast paced sequel that leaves you hanging on for dear life when the ending hits you. Unexpected twists and turns, all you can do is hold your breath and wait for the ride to end.

Kailin Gow has done a fantastic job and I can't wait to see where Breena's story will take me next.

Happy Reading

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

TWILIGHT FAN WINNER

2010-12-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

TWILIGHT UK EDITION

TWILIGHT UK EDITION WINNER!

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.

And the winner is ***CHEYENNE LABRAKE*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by DECEMBER 14TH.

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :)
Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf 

The Real Twilight Fan Contest

2010-12-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

Okay guys here is your chance to win a UK EDITION Twilight book! How gorgeous is this cover. White cover with red-edged pages, this is one book that must be added to your collection! Thanks Aurora Momcilovich for donating this awesome edition! Contest includes this book plus some other TWILIGHT Goodies :)

Contest will be INTERNATIONAL.

Contest will begin December 11, 2010 and ends December 12, 2010, winner chosen December 13, 2010.

Two quotes will be given and you will have a day each quote to figure out what page the quote is on AND who said it.

You must get both quotes right to qualify and only ONE guess per quote(I will email you back after each quote to tell you if you got it right (if you get the first one wrong then the contest is over for you sorry) and after the second day (if you answer right) you will also be asked a question by me which you will have to answer truthfully in order to be in the contest)

Only answers that are EMAILED to me will count (msilvabooks@live.com). Answers that are posted as a comment will be deleted and you will be disqualified, answers sent to me by facebook, shelfari, twitter or goodreads will not count...so ONLY Email. Thanks (it's just easier for me to keep track)

Email me subject as: TWILIGHT FAN CONTEST

I'll be using the HARDCOVER Original version of Twilight as my reference book. If you only have a different version please type some of what comes after the quote as well as which version you are using just in case the pages differs.

Please follow my blog for the best access to all your book and contest needs

Good luck to everyone, Have fun, play fair and PLEASE follow ALL instructions.

DECEMBER 11, 2010
QUOTE 1:

'My mind still swirled dizzily, full of images I couldn't understand, and some I fought to repress.'

DECEMBER 12, 2010
QUOTE 2:

'He opened his eyes and they were hungry. Not in a way to make me fear, but rather to tighten the muscles in the pit of my stomach and send my pulse hammering through my veins again.'

Distort 3: Contest winner

2010-12-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

MYSTERY BOOK IS....

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.

All Participants were put into an online Randomizer and the winner is ***VANESSA MARTINEZ*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by DECEMBER 5TH if I don't hear from you by then, another winner will be chosen.

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :) If you wish to BUY this book just click on the link here: Crescendo (Hush, Hush)
Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf 

What am I contest-DISTORT 3

2010-11-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

WHAT AM I?

Okay. This contest is for a book. You will not know what book it is because that is part of the contest lol. I have posted a photo of the book but it has been DISTORTED and GRAYSCALED. Everyday it goes without being guessed it gets less distorted.

If you think you know what book it is by the one clue email me at msilvabooks@live.com with your answer. If only one person has guessed the book within the allowed time frame that person wins the book. If multiple people are able to guess the book with the one clue, all the names get put into a bowl and a random winner is chosen.

Now this is where it gets hard. The clues will be difficult so if no one can guess the book with the one clue, a second clue will be added to go with the first. Then another time limit will be activated with the clue and the same rules apply. (if one person guesses they get it if more than one then names in bowl).

This will keep going for UP TO 5 ADD ONS to the photo. The clearing up of the photo will make it easier to guess the book, but this also means the more people to get it right the less chance you have to win.

So here are the rules.

1.This time the contest is US and CANADA ONLY (book is being shipped by someone else :))
2. You can use whatever you want to try and find what book i'm talking about (google, goodreads, etc)
3. DO NOT post the answer on the comments because that will ruin the contest, email me your answer. If I see any answers on the wall the contest WILL get withdrawn and therefore no winner.
4. play fair and have fun
5. One guess per person. Once 2nd clue is posted a second guess is allowed. Once 3rd clue is posted a 3rd guess is allowed. etc etc
6. Each clue will give you time to guess til midnight that day the clue is added (my time)
Not to many rules but they should still be followed :)

****Every day there will be more of the photo visible until someone can guess what it is. If only one person guesses correctly then that person has the option of receiving the book or passing it up for the contest to continue. If multiple people guess correctly they will have the same option and whoever wants it gets their name put into a hat and drawn at random.****

good luck and have fun!!

MELISSA SILVA
The Bookshelf

Distort Contest Winner

2010-11-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

AND THE BOOK IS:

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.
All Participants were put into an online Randomizer and the winner is ***ALLYSON GILMORE*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by NOVEMBER 26TH if I don't hear from you by then, another winner will be chosen.
As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :) If you wish to BUY this book just click on the link here: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle
Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You
Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf 

WHAT AM I CONTEST-DISTORT 2

2010-11-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

WHAT AM I?

Okay. This contest is for a book. You will not know what book it is because that is part of the contest lol. I have posted a photo of the book but it has been DISTORTED and GRAYSCALED and the title has been removed. Everyday it goes without being guessed it gets less distorted.
If you think you know what book it is by the one clue email me at msilvabooks@live.com with your answer. If only one person has guessed the book within the allowed time frame that person wins the book. If multiple people are able to guess the book with the one clue, all the names get put into a bowl and a random winner is chosen.
Now this is where it gets hard. The clues will be difficult so if no one can guess the book with the one clue, a second clue will be added to go with the first. Then another time limit will be activated with the clue and the same rules apply. (if one person guesses they get it if more than one then names in bowl).
This will keep going for UP TO 5 ADD ONS to the photo. The clearing up of the photo will make it easier to guess the book, but this also means the more people to get it right the less chance you have to win.

So here are the rules.
1.This time the contest is INTERNATIONAL
2. You can use whatever you want to try and find what book i'm talking about (google, goodreads, etc)
3. DO NOT post the answer on the comments because that will ruin the contest, email me your answer. If I see any answers on the wall the contest WILL get withdrawn and therefore no winner.
4. play fair and have fun
5. One guess per person. Once 2nd clue is posted a second guess is allowed. Once 3rd clue is posted a 3rd guess is allowed. etc etc
6. Each clue will give you time to guess til midnight that day the clue is added (my time)
Not to many rules but they should still be followed :)

****Every day there will be more of the photo visible until someone can guess what it is. If only one person guesses correctly then that person has the option of receiving the book or passing it up for the contest to continue. If multiple people guess correctly they will have the same option and whoever wants it gets their name put into a hat and drawn at random.****

good luck and have fun!!
MELISSA SILVA
The Bookshelf 

Distort Contest Winner

2010-11-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

MYSTERY BOOK IS:

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.

And the winner is ***CHRISTINA WHITE*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by NOVEMBER 20TH if I don't hear from you by then, another winner will be chosen.

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :) If you wish to BUY this book just click on the link here: Hush, Hush

Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf 

WHAT AM I CONTEST-DISTORT

2010-11-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

Okay. This contest is for a book. You will not know what book it is because that is part of the contest lol. I have posted a photo of the book but it has been DISTORTED and GRAYSCALED and the title has been removed. Everyday it goes without being guessed it gets less distorted.
If you think you know what book it is by the one clue email me at msilvabooks@live.com with your answer. If only one person has guessed the book within the allowed time frame that person wins the book. If multiple people are able to guess the book with the one clue, all the names get put into a bowl and a random winner is chosen.

Now this is where it gets hard. The clues will be difficult so if no one can guess the book with the one clue, a second clue will be added to go with the first. Then another time limit will be activated with the clue and the same rules apply. (if one person guesses they get it if more than one then names in bowl).
This will keep going for UP TO 5 ADD ONS to the photo. The clearing up of the photo will make it easier to guess the book, but this also means the more people to get it right the less chance you have to win.

So here are the rules.

1.This time the contest is INTERNATIONAL

2. You can use whatever you want to try and find what book i'm talking about (google, goodreads, etc)
3. DO NOT post the answer on the comments because that will ruin the contest, email me your answer. If I see any answers on the wall the contest WILL get withdrawn and therefore no winner.
4. play fair and have fun
5. One guess per person. Once 2nd clue is posted a second guess is allowed. Once 3rd clue is posted a 3rd guess is allowed. etc etc
6. Each clue will give you time to guess til midnight that day the clue is added (my time)

Not to many rules but they should still be followed :)

****Every day there will be more of the photo visible until someone can guess what it is. If only one person guesses correctly then that person has the option of receiving the book or passing it up for the contest to continue. If multiple people guess correctly they will have the same option and whoever wants it gets their name put into a hat and drawn at random.****

good luck and have fun!!

MELISSA SILVA
The Bookshelf

Contest Winner

2010-11-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

AND THE MYSTERY BOOK IS....

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.

And the winner is ***CHRISTINA DIAZ*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by NOVEMBER 15TH if I don't hear from you by then, another winner will be chosen.

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :) If you wish to BUY this book just click on the link here: Evermore: The Immortals

Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

ABSOLUTION REVIEW

2010-11-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

ABSOLUTION BY JENNIFER LAURENS

Absolution is the third book in Jennifer Laurens Heavenly Series. I've been waiting anxiously to read this book and let me tell you I was not disappointed, it was everything I expected and more.

WARNING THERE ARE SPOILERS, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ ANY BOOK IN THE SERIES YET!****CAUTION*****

Absolution takes place right after Brady's funeral. Zoe is still being haunted by Albert and he is doing everything he can to ruin her life by attacking her family with his evil pressence. The slightest argument gets blown up into a frenzy of emotions and he will not settle on just her family but everyone who is close to her just to get Matthias' soul.

Nerves are worn thin and trying to get back into the swing of things is becoming very difficult. Krissy is filled with guilt over her disaster of a party and with her dad a raging maniac threatening everyone he can think of to find his daughter after she ran away things become a bit complicated. Luke finds her hitchiking and becomes surprisingly close to her in order to comfort her, finding out truths about her life that make Zoe and Luke feel horrible and trying to do anything they can to find a way to help her. Zoe knows there is something wrong with Krissy's father because of the swarm of black spirits latched on to him.

Albert's attempt to destroy her family has put a strain on Zoe and because of him she is forced to tell her parents the truth about everything, from her 'near death' experience and about Matthias. Albert's influence on everyone has made Zoe's life very stressful and it doesn't help matters when Brady's influence is focused on Weston. His short fuse makes it even more difficult for Weston to keep his cool and when he turns his aggression on Zoe, she is pushed into a situation where she must keep Weston calm and explain to him that he feels this way because of Brady wrapping his evil tendrils around him. It becomes easier for Weston to handle the idea of his former best friend pushing him to the edge of darkness when Matthias finally reveals himself to Weston.

The ending of Absolution is Ab-So-Lute-Ly Fantastic! An unexpected outcome involving Albert makes your heart swell with joy and the heartbreakingly beautiful ending makes you never want it to end. But life goes on as Zoe realizes and Matthias becomes more important to the world then she can even imagine.

Jennifer Laurens' Heavenly series is a MUST READ, Absolution is a great conclusion to this trilogy and I can only hope to read more in the future but if this is truely the end I am happy :) Thanks to Jennifer for creating such a wonderful and heart-warming series and for being such a great writer AND friend.

If you want your chance to read Jennifer Laurens' trilogy check out these links: Heavenly(book 1) Penitence (Heavenly) (book 2) and finally Absolution (Volume 3)3)

Enjoy everyone

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

WHAT AM I PHOTO CONTEST

2010-11-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

WHAT AM I PHOTO CONTEST

Okay. This contest is for a book. You will not know what book it is because that is part of the contest lol. I have posted a photo of the book but it has been blacked out except for a small portion. Everyday it goes without being guessed gets a piece added on. The add-ons will lead to what the book is and leave you to guess.

If you think you know what book it is by the one clue email me at msilvabooks@live.com with your answer. If only one person has guessed the book within the allowed time frame that person wins the book. If multiple people are able to guess the book with the one clue, all the names get put into a bowl and a random winner is chosen.

Now this is where it gets hard. The clues will be difficult so if no one can guess the book with the one clue, a second clue will be added to go with the first. Then another time limit will be activated with the clue and the same rules apply. (if one person guesses they get it if more than one then names in bowl).

This will keep going for UP TO 5 ADD ONS to the photo. The add-ons will make it easier to guess the book, but this also means the more people to get it right the less chance you have to win.

So here are the rules.

1.This time the contest is US and CANADA only

2. You can use whatever you want to try and find what book i'm talking about (google, goodreads, etc)

3. DO NOT post the answer on the comments because that will ruin the contest, email me your answer. If I see any answers on the wall the contest WILL get withdrawn and therefore no winner.

4. play fair and have fun

5. One guess per person. Once 2nd clue is posted a second guess is allowed. Once 3rd clue is posted a 3rd guess is allowed. etc etc

6. Each clue will give you time to guess til midnight that day the clue is added (my time)

Not to many rules but they should still be followed :)

****Every day there will be more added to the photo until someone can guess what it is. If only one person guesses correctly then that person has the option of receiving the book or passing it up for the contest to continue. If multiple people guess correctly they will have the same option and whoever wants it gets their name put into a hat and drawn at random.****

good luck and have fun!!

This contest begins Wednesday November 11th til midnight (for first clue)(my time-windsor ontario)

MELISSA SILVA
The Bookshelf

WHAT AMI I 3- WINNER

2010-11-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

WHAT AM I CONTEST 3 WINNER

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.
And the winner is ***LISA HOAG*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by NOVEMBER 3rd if I don't hear from you by then, another winnr will be chosen.

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :) If you wish to BUY this book just click on the link here: Hush, Hush

Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

What am I Contest 3

2010-10-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

WHAT AM I CONTEST 3

Okay. This contest is for a book. You will not know what book it is because that is part of the contest lol. I will post a clue to what the book is and leave you to guess.

If you think you know what book it is by the one clue email me at msilvabooks@live.com with your answer. If only one person has guessed the book within the allowed time frame that person wins the book. If multiple people are able to guess the book with the one clue, all the names get put into a bowl and a random winner is chosen.

Now this is where it gets hard. The clues will be difficult so if no one can guess the book with the one clue, a second clue will be given to go with the first. Then another time limit will be posted with the clue and the same rules apply. (if one person guesses they get it if more than one then names in bowl).

This will keep going for UP TO 5 CLUES. The clues will get easier and the more clues in, the easier to guess the book, but this also means the more people to get it right the less chance you have to win.

So here are the rules.

1.This time the contest is INTERNATIONAL! YAY lol

2. You can use whatever you want to try and find what book i'm talking about (google, goodreads, etc)

3. DO NOT post the answer on the comments because that will ruin the contest, email me your answer. If I see any answers on the wall the contest WILL get withdrawn and therefore no winner.

4. play fair and have fun

5. One guess per person. Once 2nd clue is posted a second guess is allowed. Once 3rd clue is posted a 3rd guess is allowed. etc etc

Not to many rules but they should still be followed :)

First CLUE will be given sometime tomorrow(october 28) so stay tuned to the bookshelf to know when it's up. Good Luck to everyone and like I said have fun with it :)

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Clue will be posted on THIS post!!

CLUE #1
The first. Death is the key. Forbidden Love

CLUE #2
Silence. The one for me.
CLUE #3
I am falling; I am hurt so fix me; kill her
CLUE #4

CLUE #5

AWAKENED REVIEW

2010-10-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

AWAKENED BY EDNAH WALTERS

Awakened has everything someone could ask for in a book. Suspense, action, heart-pounding/nail biting moments, hot guardians and a kick-ass female lead character.
Awakened is about a girl named Lil Falcon. Lil is an orphaned child living with her grandfather, raised in a homeschooled setting she gets nervous when she finds out she's going to an actual high school; worried about fitting in. Lil lives the life of a gypsy and walks to the beat of her own drum, little does she know she's a guardian. A special being with extraordinary abilities, and the duty of killing demons and protecting the humans...Both things Lil does NOT want to accept, the last thing she wants is to be even more of an outsider but the powers that run within her veins are not something she can just turn away from especially when it means protecting the ones she loves.

When a strange and mysterious boy name Bran literally pops into her life asking for her grandfather's help, Lil becomes entranced by his personality and gorgeous face and body. As their relationship grows, Lil soon finds out that Bran hides a large and dangerous secret...He's half demon; half of the very things that Lil is suppose to hunt down and destroy, but deep down she knows that he is good. As her fellow guardians in training attempt to convince her to stay away from Bran; warning her of how dangerous he is, her grandfather gets kidnapped and the only way to find him is with Bran's help. Lil convinces her friends that Bran is one of the good guys, explaining to them that he is the only chance they have of finding the nature-bender that took her grandfather, and Bran's abilities and knowledge are the best chance they have of surviving a suicidal rescue mission.

Lil and the guardians realize that her grandfather's kidnapping was all just a trick to bring Lil closer to the enemy and when the truth of who she really is comes into focus, everything she's ever known; her life, her family, and herself, get ripped out from under her.
Lil's special abilities; powers that no guardian has ever possessed, become evident throughout the story and the origin of her powers will leave you shocked. Awakened is full of twists and turns, drama, and the unexpected. Every page left me wanting more. Bran is an amazing bad boy, that could make any girl's heart melt. His story is exceptional, and his true nature speaks for itself. Lil is a powerful main character that makes you want to stand up and cheer!

Awakened is a must read for supernatural lovers; Get your copy today!
Happy reading

Want to get your own copy of Awakened by Ednah Walters? click the link here: Awakened (Book One of the Guardian Legacy)

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

What am I contest Winner

2010-10-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

AND THE MYSTERY BOOK IS:

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.

And the winner is ***Allyson Gilmore*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by October 11th if you dont want the book please let me know so I can pick another winner.

Thanks to MARIELA SILVA for donating this book for this contest! It's always nice to have fans help out with the page and I truely appreciate it :)

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :) If you wish to BUY this book just click on the link here: Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)

Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

What am I contest 2

2010-10-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Okay. This contest is for a book. You will not know what book it is because that is part of the contest lol. I will post a clue to what the book is and leave you to guess.

If you think you know what book it is by the one clue email me at msilvabooks@live.com with your answer. If only one person has guessed the book within the allowed time frame that person wins the book. If multiple people are able to guess the book with the one clue, all the names get put into a bowl and a random winner is chosen.

Now this is where it gets hard. The clues will be difficult so if no one can guess the book with the one clue, a second clue will be given to go with the first. Then another time limit will be posted with the clue and the same rules apply. (if one person guesses they get it if more than one then names in bowl).

This will keep going for UP TO 5 CLUES. The clues will get easier and the more clues in, the easier to guess the book, but this also means the more people to get it right the less chance you have to win.

So here are the rules.

1.This time the contest is US and CANADA only (sorry guys).

2. You can use whatever you want to try and find what book i'm talking about (google, goodreads, etc)

3. DO NOT post the answer on the comments because that will ruin the contest, email me your answer. If I see any answers on the wall the contest WILL get withdrawn and therefore no winner.

4. play fair and have fun

5. One guess per person. Once 2nd clue is posted a second guess is allowed. Once 3rd clue is posted a 3rd guess is allowed. etc etc.

Not to many rules but they should still be followed :)
First CLUE will be given sometime tomorrow(october 7) so stay tuned to the bookshelf to know when it's up. Good Luck to everyone and like I said have fun with it :)

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Clue will be posted on THIS post!!

CLUE #1

I shine but I hold shadows
TIME FRAME: october 8th

CLUE #2

Heaven's time; darkness falls.
In the beginning.
TIME FRAME: october 9th
CLUE #3

CLUE #4

CLUE #5

Who Am I Contest Winner

2010-10-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

AND THE MYSTERY BOOK IS:

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope you guys liked it and I hope to do more contests like this one in the future. Congrats to everyone who got it right but only one person can win this book.

And the winner is ***Shannon Jensen*** Congrats! If you wish to receive this book please email me with your mailing address by October 6th if you dont want the book please let me know so I can pick another winner. If you do not contact me by October 6th I will automatically pick a new winner.

As for everyone else thanks so much for playing along and stay tuned for future contests and giveaways :)

Books that are not donated are paid for by me, so please be respectful while participating during any and all contests Thank You

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

HALLOWEEN FANTASIES REVIEW

2010-10-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Halloween Fantasies by Katie Salidas

**Halloween Fantasies is for Mature readers only, due to it's sexual content. Must be 18 years or older.**

Never a dull moment with Katie Salidas' writing. Halloween Fantasies is just another taste into her world of vampires. The story is set at the Halloween Fantasy Ball. A party known for its openess for every girl to let loose and indulge in all their wildest dreams and fantasies. Sasha and her friend Angela attend the ball in the hopes of having a good time, Angela as a sexy witch and Sasha as a seductive Vampire Huntress. Sasha draws the attention of Dante; a sexy creature of the night and a real life vampire, which is just what Sasha has ever dreamed of. Dante sets his eyes on Sasha in the hopes of endulging in his own fantasies, and with the help of his brother Trevor, gets Sasha alone and draws her into his arms for a night filled with fun and neverending pleasure. Sasha is left breathless after a night filled with lust and passion and the hopes of one day seeing her vampire lover again.

A sexy story with a surprising ending, a fantasy played out for every vampire lover out there, a must read for vampire erotica fans. The characters draw you in and the story leaves you wanting more of Dante and Sasha.

Great writing style. Congrats to Katie on another great story.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

WHAT AM I? CONTEST

2010-09-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. So I have a special contest idea it's a little different but I hope you enjoy it so here goes...

Okay. This contest is for a book. You will not know what book it is because that is part of the contest lol. I will post a clue to what the book is and leave you to guess.
If you think you know what book it is by the one clue email me at msilvabooks@live.com with your answer. If only one person has guessed the book within the allowed time frame that person wins the book. If multiple people are able to guess the book with the one clue, all the names get put into a bowl and a random winner is chosen.
Now this is where it gets hard. The clues will be difficult so if no one can guess the book with the one clue, a second clue will be given to go with the first. Then another time limit will be posted with the clue and the same rules apply. (if one person guesses they get it if more than one then names in bowl).
This will keep going for UP TO 5 CLUES. The clues will get easier and the more clues in, the easier to guess the book, but this also means the more people to get it right the less chance you have to win.

So here are the rules.
1.This time the contest is US and CANADA only (sorry guys).
2. You can use whatever you want to try and find what book i'm talking about (google, goodreads, etc)
3. DO NOT post the answer on the comments because that will ruin the contest, email me your answer. If I see any answers on the wall the contest WILL get withdrawn and therefore no winner.
4. play fair and have fun
5. One guess per person. Once 2nd clue is posted a second guess is allowed. Once 3rd clue is posted a 3rd guess is allowed. etc etc.

Not to many rules but they should still be followed :)

First CLUE will be given sometime tomorrow (october 1st) so stay tuned to the bookshelf to know when it's up. Good Luck to everyone and like I said have fun with it :)

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

Clue will be posted on THIS post!!

CLUE #1(posted: october 1st)
I am white. I am large
TIME FRAME: til october 2nd.
CLUE #2(posted october 2nd)
Born in 2010, I am 3; I am omnibus
TIME FRAME: october 3rd.

CLUE #3(posted october 3rd)
Good.....to-be-read. I am the first, my heroine is stong; some hate her.
TIME FRAME: october 4th
CLUE #4

CLUE #5

WORDWICK GAMES WINNER

2010-09-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks Everyone who participated in the WORDWICK GAMES contest! The winner will get a SIGNED First Edition copy of Book 1 in the Wordwick Games Series RISE OF THE FIRE TAMER by Kailin Gow. You guys have been great and I hope you enjoy the contests that I host here on my blog. Thanks again to Kailin for being SO great and donating her book for this giveaway on my blog. Hope you enjoy reading her work.

And remember if you haven't won the book you can still buy your own copy, just click on the link here to get your own copy of Rise of the Fire Tamer: Wordwick Games Book 1 .

Ok so time to announce our winner. I put all your entries into a bowl and our random winner is: KRISTEN CECI. Kristen, Please email me with your mailing info by October 1st. If I haven't heard from you by 10pm Friday (my time, ontario canada) a new winner will be chosen. msilvabooks@live.com
Thanks again to everyone who entered the WORDWICK GAMES contest and I hope you enter my future contests. Good Luck and Happy Reading everyone.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

WORDWICK GAMES GIVEAWAY

2010-09-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

RISE OF THE FIRE TAMER BY KAILIN GOW

Hey guys, I got another contest for you! Up for grabs this time is book 1 in the Wordwick Games Series Rise of The Fire Tamer by Kailin Gow. This copy will be a FIRST EDITION! Thanks to Kailin for donating this book to give away on my blog! This contest is open INTERNATIONALLY Good Luck everyone!

Each thing you do on the list will get you an ENTRY,you don't have to do them all but the more entries you have, the better chance you have of winning.. When you do the entries remember to leave a comment with your name and email address so I can contact you if you win, and a list of all the entries that you've completed. Now it's not easy for me to check up on what you've actually done so please be honest with your entries.

Okay here goes! you get one point each, so like I said the more you do they more likely your name will be drawn!

1. become a FAN of KAILIN GOW'S PAGE ON FACEBOOK

2. Become a FAN of KAILIN GOW ON GOODREADS

3. Change your profile picture on facebook/twitter to the RISE OF THE FIRE TAMER COVER for the duration of the contest

4. Follow KAILIN on TWITTER

5. Follow ME on TWITTER

6. post a LINK on twitter/facebook for the facebook fan page of KAILIN GOW

7. become MY friend on goodreads:GOODREADS

8. officially FOLLOW my blog by clicking the follow button on the right side where it says FOLLOWERS

9. change your status to LINK this CONTEST on your facebook/or twitter

10. Post the Rise of the Fire Tamer TRAILER on your facebook/or twitter

11. Join Kailin Gow at her NEW BLOG

This isn't a requirement but for Karma points... (and to increase your luck of winning because KARMA is cool like that) tell your friends about The Bookshelf and about Kailin Gow's Facebook page her new BLOG and about this blog!

Okay that's it...GO!! Remember to leave a comment, name and email or facebook profile required for winning purposes so I can tell you if you've won and LEAVE A LIST OF WHAT YOU'VE COMPLETED! Contest will run from SEPTEMBER 19th TO SEPTEMBER 29th. Contest winner will be announced by SEPTEMBER 30TH. Winner will have until October 1st to email me their address before a new one will be picked. Hope you guys enjoy this contest and Good Luck to everyone who enters.

Please remember that these books are either bought by me or donated by the Author so if you don't want to put in the effort to enter then you don't have to but please don't be rude and insult the contest; just don't enter. Thank you

Here's a description of Rise of the Fire Tamer and remember to check out my blog here, I did a book review for this book!

After winning a contest for a popular game called Wordwick Games, five teens Gemma, Sparks, Rio, Kat, and Jack, are invited to stay at Wordwick Games inventor Henry Word's mysterious castle and play the newest level of Workwick Games. Little do they know, the castle is the doorway to a wondrous world call Anachronia where words can be used as weapons, power, and commodity. There is unrest in Anachronia, and if the five teens can follow the rules of Wordwick Games and prove to be the best player, one of them will be crowned Ruler of Anachronia.

If you haven't won the book through this contest it's ok, you can buy your very own copy through AMAZON! Click here for the Rise of the Fire Tamer: Wordwick Games Book 1 Link

CONTEST NUMBER 2!~

Also, right now, if you purchase any books from KAILIN GOW during September to October 31 on Amazon.com and send an email proof of receipt to theedgebooks(at)yahoo(dot)com, you get a chance to win a $50 Amazon.com gift card!! (purchase paperback or kindle)

Here's Kailin's books on Amazon!

no purchase is necessary, but if anyone wants to enter the $50 Amazon.com giveaway, please send a postcard/letter with their name, address, email address to enter:
Kailin Gow
PO Box 60834
Irvine, California 92604
United States

PARANORMALCY REVIEW

2010-09-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy focuses on the life of Evie; an orphan leading the life of an agent. Evie was taken in at the age of 8 because of her ability to see through paranormal glamours and has been working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency since then. Evie has only known life at the center and dreams of being able to live a normal life, with school, shopping and boys. Even though she can't go out she finds ways to keep herself entertained, like when she hangs out with her best friend Lish who just so happens to be a mermaid, or the drama she has with her ex-boyfriend Reth who happens to be a Faerie. And when a new guy comes to the center she finds herself drawn in and begins to have feelings for him...even if he's a shape-shifter.

Everyday is the same; homework bagging-and-tagging paranormals, and trying to avoid Reth until mysterious deaths show up around the world. Someone out there is killing paranormals on a massive scale and the IPCA can't figure out who could possibly be doing such a thing. When Evie starts having dreams that could possibly be the clue to discovering who the killer is, her dreams hold whispers and voices speaking of prophecies and death. A prophecy that may link her abilities to the killings.

Evie soon realizes that she isn't as human as she thought and that her abilities are being monitored by the IPCA as well, who have classified her at a high level which makes her question who she really is, who her parents were and what she can do to save her friends and 'family'.

Paranormalcy was full of suspense and mystery at every page, drawing you into Evie's life and the hope that she can find the killer and herself. A must read for all supernatural lovers.

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

Want your chance to read PARANORMALCY?

Buy it on amazon buy clicking the link here--->Paranormalcy

WHAT'S THAT BOOK CHALLENGE

2010-09-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

WHATS THAT BOOK?!

I'm going to put up a Blurb from a book and you have to try and figure out which book it's from and by which author. Once you think you know what it is email me your answer with the subject line: WHAT'S THAT BOOK? and leave me your name and mailing address. My email is: msilvabooks@live.com

All the people who answer it correctly will be entered into a draw for a Random Prize (could be a bookmark, a book-based postcard, a book, or anything else I can think of lol) and one person will be chosen to win said Random Prize.

Quotes will be taken from books i've read, don't ask for clues because they wont be given and DON'T post your answers as a comment because that just ruins the game--(if you post as a comment it will be deleted and your entry WONT COUNT!!)...also do NOT talk to other people (even on the bookshelf) about the contest to try and find the answer to the game.

Hope you guys enjoy this game. All challenges will only last a day.

Ok Here goes. Here's the first challenge Level: Easy(longer quote):

"A much more vibrant sound eclipsed the clock. It was a reassuring, ethereal sound, a melodic dance on air. Wings, I thought. Coming to take me away.
I held my breath, waiting, waiting, waiting. And then the clock began to go in reverse. Instead of slowing, the beat became more certain. A spiral-like liquid formed inside me, coiling deeper and deeper. I felt myself pulled into the current. I was sliding down through myself, into a dark, warm place."

Ok so there's the quote for today. Remember you only get til the end of today to figure it out so email me with your answer!

Good Luck Everyone
Melissa

ALPHA by Rachel Vincent

2010-09-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Check out the final book in Rachel Vincent's shifter's series. Blurb and Trailer!

In honor of the ALPHA release I'm blogging about it. Alpha is Rachel Vincent's FINAL book in the Shifters series. Alpha will be in stores October 1st 2010. It will be an epic finale to an amazong series, and i'm sure we're all sad to see it end.

Here's a blurb for the final book ALPHA!
The unscrupulous new Council chair has charged Jace, Marc, and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder, and treason. Yeah, we've been busy. But now it's time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother's death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.
It's not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I'm heading for a final showdown that can--that will--change everything forever. A showdown I'm not sure I'm ready for.

But life never waits until you're ready.

Here's the Trailer for Alpha ENJOY!!

CINDERS WINNER

2010-09-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

CINDERS CONTEST WINNER

Thanks Everyone who participated in the CINDERS contest! The winner will get a SIGNED copy of CINDERS by Michelle Davidson Argyle. You guys have been great and I hope you enjoy the contests that I host here on my blog. Thanks again to Michelle for being SO great and donating her book for this giveaway on my blog. Hope you enjoy reading her work.

And remember if you haven't won the book you can still buy your own copy, just click on the link here to get your own copy of Cinders .

Ok so time to announce our winner. I put all your entries into a bowl and our random winner is: SARITA LOPEZ. Sarita, Please email me with your mailing info by September 10th so that I can get your prize sent out :) If I havent heard from you by Friday 12pm (my time) a new winner will be chosen. msilvabooks@live.com

Thanks again to everyone who entered the CINDERS contest and I hope you enter my future contests. Good Luck and Happy Reading everyone.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

CINDERS REVIEW

2010-09-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

CINDERS BY MICHELLE DAVIDSON ARGYLE

Ever wonder what happened to Cinderella AFTER she had her happily ever after? What was her life like after the wedding and after she became a Princess? Cinders gives you a new look on her life within the castle walls and it's not as happy as everyone thinks.

Cinderella's life isn't exactly as she expected, though her relationship with Prince Rowland is filled with affection and everything she could ever dream of, Cinderella feels like there's something missing. As her dreams become haunted by the appearance of of a mysterious stranger, and a strong and magnetic pull forms between them, Cinderella begins to question herself and her life in the castle. With her faery godmother imprisoned within the castle dungeon, Cinderella must find a way to reach her and ask the questions that have been tearing at her very soul.

Cinderella is thrown into a world of mystery and magic, as everything around her begins to unravel and the spell cast upon the royal family; and Rowland, starts to crumble. With Eolande (her godmother) withering away in the depths of the prison, her powers become difficult to maintain. Cinderella finds a way to see Eolande and with her guidance discovers a way to bring the mystery man of her dreams closer to her...but at what price.

Cinders is filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing throughout every page. When the mystery of Cinderella's life unfolds you'll be left surprised and the truth will leave you shocked. When the story comes to an end, you never see it coming.

Cinders brings a new light to an old story and it's a fresh take to not have every fairytale end the same way.

Check out Michelle Davidson Argyle at her PAGE.

Waant your chance to read CINDERS? Buy it now at AMAZON: Cinders

CINDERS GIVEAWAY

2010-09-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

CINDERS BY MICHELLE DAVIDSON ARGYLE

Hey guys hope your excited for the next giveaway. Up for grabs this time is a SIGNED copy of CINDERS by Michelle Davidson Argyle. Thanks to Michelle for donating her book for this giveaway. Contest will be INTERNATIONAL. Enjoy and good luck everyone.

Each thing you do on the list will get you an ENTRY,you don't have to do them all but the more entries you have, the better chance you have of winning.. When you do the entries remember to leave a comment with your name and a list of all the entries that you've completed and remember to check back here when the contest is over to see if you've won. Now it's not easy for me to check up on what you've actually done so please be honest with your entries.

Okay here goes! you get one point each, so like I said the more you do the more likely your name will be drawn!

1. Become a FAN of The Cinders Page on Facebook.

2. Follow Michelle on her Blog Site

3. Become a fan of Michelle on Goodreads

4. Change your Facebook picture to the cover of Cinders for the DURATION of the contest.

5. Invite your friends to join Michelle's Facebook Page

6. Share the Cinder's Video on facebook/ post it to your profile

7. Become my friend on Goodreads

8. Follow me on Twitter

9. Officially follow my blog by clicking the follow button on the right side where it says FOLLOWERS

10. Post on facebook a link to this contest.

***You do NOT get 2 points if you do an entry on facebook and twitter, whatever the entry asks for you only get one point for it. Thanks *****

This isn't a requirement but for Karma points... (and to increase your luck of winning because KARMA is cool like that) tell your friends about this blog!

Okay that's it...GO!! Remember to leave a comment, name and email or facebook profile required for winning purposes so I can tell you if you've won and LEAVE A LIST OF WHAT YOU'VE COMPLETED! Contest will run from September 1st to September 8th. Contest winner will be announced by September 9th. Hope you guys enjoy this contest and Good Luck to everyone who enters.

Please remember that these books are either bought by me or donated by the Author so if you don't want to put in the effort to enter then you don't have to but please don't be rude and insult the contest; just don't enter. Thank you

Here's a description of the book CINDERS:

Cinderella's happily-ever-after isn't turning out the way she expected.With her fairy godmother imprisoned in the castle and a mysterious stranger haunting her dreams, Cinderella is on her own to discover true love untainted by magic.

Didn't win this contest? It's OK you can buy your very own copy of CINDERS on AMAZON just click here: Cinders

PULSE REVIEW

2010-08-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

PULSE BY KAILIN GOW

Pulse Series: Book 1--PULSE by Kailin Gow

This story covers the life of Kalina, a 17 year old girl with a life full of secrets. When Kalina hears that her boyfriend Aaron is supposedly killed in a drunk driving accident; though his body was never found, the story just doesn't seem to fit and the details seem far too suspicious for Kalina. Kalina soon meets Aaron's 2 half-brothers; Stuart and Jaegar, and they drop the biggest bomb possible...Aaron was a vampire and so are they. Kalina soon finds out that Aaron wasn't drunk during the accident and the three began a search for information to find out what really happened. Stuart soon wins Kalina's heart with his personality and the similarities he has to Aaron make Kalina fall for him but Jaegar's attitude and forwardness begin to grow on Kalina as well. He heart becomes torn between the two brothers and when she realizes her blood is the key to everything and possibly the reason for Aaron's death things begin to take an unexpected turn. With her life on the line and the brothers taking dangerous risks to protect her, Kalina must find a way to save them and herself from the evils out to get them. Her blood is the most precious thing out there and every vampire has their eyes set on getting it for themselves.

Can Kalina find the answers she's looking for? Will they ever know the truth about Aaron's disappearance? Only the second book: Life's Blood will hold the answers.

Pulse is fast paced and intriguing, the story has twists at every turn and the ending leaves you open mouthed and wanting more. Kailin did a wonderful job in creating this vampire world.

Want your own copy of pulse? Buy your own copy at AMAZON check it out here: Pulse

And once you have your copy of PULSE don't forget to buy book 2 in the series on AMAZON: Life's Blood (PULSE, Book 2)

GHOSTGIRL SWAG WINNER

2010-08-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in this contest! I appreciate the support Thanks guys. The winner of this contest will receive SIGNED copies of the ENTIRE Ghostgirl Series, a Ghostgirl pillowcase, and a Ghostgirl Tote bag. Thanks to Tonya Hurley for donating this wonderful swag to give away on my blog.

Hope you guys enjoy these contests and participate in future contests as well as tell your friends about my blog and The Bookshelf on Facebook :)

Ok so I tossed all your names into a bowl and our random WINNER of this awesome giveaway is: MARIELA SILVA! Congrats Mariela. Please email me with your mailing info by Saturday August 28th so that I can send your prize to you. If I haven't heard from you by Saturday Morning, another winner will be chosen. msilvabooks@live.com

If you havent won this contest you can still buy your own copies of Tonya Hurley's Series, Check them out on AMAZON, click the book name to check out the link.
ghostgirl
ghostgirl: Homecoming
ghostgirl: Lovesick
Thanks again everyone who entered and I hope to see your names in future contests. Good Luck and Happy Reading.

Melissa Silva
The Bookshelf

PULSE CONTEST WINNER

2010-08-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks Everyone who participated in the PULSE contest! The winner will get a SIGNED copy of PULSE by Kailin Gow and a SIGNED bookmark. You guys have been great and I hope you enjoy the contests that I host here on my blog. Thanks again to Kailin for being SO great and donating her books for the giveaways on my blog. Hope you enjoy reading here work. Adn remember if you haven't won the book you can still buy your own copy on AMAZON just click on the link here to get your own copy of Pulse.

Ok so time to announce our winner. I put all your entries into a bowl and our random winner is: ARIANNA MACIAS. Arianna Please email me with your mailing info by August 28th so that I can get your prize sent out :) If I havent heard from you by Saturday morning a new winner will be chosen. msilvabooks@live.com

Thanks again to everyone who entered the PULSE contest and I hope you enter my future contests. Good Luck and Happy Reading everyone.

Melissa Silva

The Bookshelf

GHOSTGIRL SWAG GIVEAWAY

2010-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

GHOSTGIRL GIVEAWAY

Ghostgirl Swag Includes: Entire series, Ghostgirl tote bag, and ghostgirl Pillowcase

Hey guys, here's a pretty sweet Giveaway Thanks to Author Tonya Hurley for donating this wonderful swag which includes:

HARDCOVER copies of

                                                Book 1: GHOSTGIRL
                                                Book 2: HOMECOMING
                                                Book 3: LOVESICK

A Black Ghostgirl Tote Bag
A Ghostgirl Pillow case

Check out the Picture above to get a look at what's up for grabs.

Contest is open to US and CANADIAN RESISDENTS only. Contest will be open from August 22-August 26th and Winner will be announced by Friday August 27, Winner must then contact me by the 28th or a new winner will be chosen. Here's what you need to do (MUST COMPLETE ALL):
Links included here for easy access...

Post this contest on your Facebook/Twitter
Invite your friends to become fans of THE BOOKSHELF.
Post the LOVESICK Trailer on your Facebook
Become a fan of TONYA HURLEY on Goodreads
Become a fan of the official GHOSTGIRL Page on Facebook.
Officially follow my BLOG.
Leave a comment here ONLY if you've done ALL the requirements. Remember to leave a link to your facebook or an email for me to contact you if you've won and leave your name so we know who you are!

Again contest is open to US and CANADIAN residents only. Lots of prizes in this contest so hope you guys enjoy the Giveaway.
Karma is great so the more you tell people about the bookshelf, about my blog and the contests I do the more Karma gives you luck to win the contests :)

Please remember that these books are either bought by me or donated by the Author so if you don't want to put in the effort to enter then you don't have to but please don't be rude and insult the contest; just don't enter. Thank you

Here's a little description of the GHOSTGIRL SERIES
Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

And if you haven't won on this contest you can still head on over to amazon and buy your copy of GhostGirl.
Here's the links to Tonya Hurley's Books:

BOOK 1: ghostgirl
BOOK 2: ghostgirl: Homecoming
BOOK 3: ghostgirl: Lovesick

Guardian of the Gate Review

2010-08-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Prophecy of the Sisters Series by Michelle Zink

Book 2: GUARDIAN OF THE GATE

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Book 2 picks up 8 months after Prophecy of the Sister Ends. Lia is now in London at Milthrope Manor with Sonia; one of the keys to the prophecy. Lia has isolated herself from her sister Alice in the hopes of developing her powers and protecting herself from the rath of Alice. Lia tries to understand the prophecy, and is hard at work trying to discover the location of the final 2 keys. As Lia tries to increase her powers in the hopes of stopping Alice from forcing her to fulfill the Prophecy, she still gets dragged into dreams, summoned by Alice and exposed to the Souls.

Lia has put her trust in Sonia; while Luisa is not with them in London, and entrusts Sonia with protecting the Medallion and keeping it away from Lia as the pull to wear it weighs heavily on Lia's mind.

The story takes Lia on a journey in search of the missing page of the Prophecy. With the assistance of her oldest friend Edmund and the help of Luisa and Sonia, Lia heads off on a dangerous journey to the Island of Altus to speak to her dying Aunt Abigail who holds the secret to the missing page's location. With twists and turns at every corner and a friend turned foe Lia must fight to survive. When their trip becomes more dangerous and they have the Souls on their trail, they must try to outrun the deadliest of creatures...including hellhounds. If not for one mysterious man whom Lia has a strange connection with, Lia's journey would have ended long before the story began.

New creatures and new characters bring this story to a whole new level twists keep you guessing every step of the way. Juust when you think things canore difficult for Lia...somehow they do. The Prophecy series is a great read and Guardian of the Gate just leaves you with more questions that you can't wait to get answered. Will Lia finally end the Prophecy or will she give in to Samael's demands and become the true Angel and open the Gate...

Michelle Zink has created an amazing story filled with betrayal and mystery, twists at every turn that keep your heart pounding and your mind craving more.

Want to read it for yourself? Click the link to buy Guardian of the Gate (Prophecy of the Sisters, Book 2) on Amazon.

August Contest Part 2: PULSE

2010-08-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

PULSE BY KAILIN GOW!

Hey guys, I got another contest for you! Up for grabs this time is a SIGNED copy of PULSE by Kailin Gow in honor of it's release on AUGUST 31, 2010 AND a SIGNED bookmark!!! PULSE is a special book with a bit of a background as to how it was created. Here's what Author KAILIN GOW has to say about writing PULSE:
"So exciting...I actually began work on this series a few years ago before I started Bitter Frost. Personal life inspiration...I lost a lot of blood once to the point I blacked out and required 3 bags of transfusion, and it still wasn't enough.

My body craved the blood to keep alive, yet the thought of having to receive the blood from others because my own body couldn't generate it fast enough, made me empathize with what my vampire characters like Jaegar and Stuart felt.

Well...you'll soon have the opportunity to read about Jaegar and Stuart this month.

Releases on August 31 in paperback. A little earlier in Kindle and IPad."

Thanks to Kailin for donating this book to give away on my blog! This contest is open INTERNATIONALLY! Good Luck everyone!

Each thing you do on the list will get you an ENTRY,you don't have to do them all but the more entries you have, the better chance you have of winning.. When you do the entries remember to leave a comment with your name and email address so I can contact you if you win, and a list of all the entries that you've completed. Now it's not easy for me to check up on what you've actually done so please be honest with your entries.

Okay here goes! you get one point each, so like I said the more you do they more likely your name will be drawn!

1. become a FAN of Kailin Gow's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/YA-Books-from-Kailin-Gow/104549539596369?ref=ts

2. Become a fan of Kailin on GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/78111.Kailin_Gow

3. Change your profile picture on facebook/twitter to the PULSE cover for the duration of the contest

4. Follow Kailin on Twitter: http://twitter.com/kailingow

5. follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/msilvabooks

6. post a link on twitter/facebook for the facebook fan page of Kailin Gow: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/YA-Books-from-Kailin-Gow/104549539596369?ref=ts

7. become my friend on goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/msilvabooks

8. officially follow my blog by clicking the follow button on the right side where it says FOLLOWERS

9. change your status to link this contest on your facebook/twitter: http://msilvabooks.blogspot.com

10. Post a link on your Facebook/or Twitter to this contest:

11. Ask friends to become a Fan of Author Kailin Gow on Facebook as well as The Bookshelf and have them leave a comment on the Bookshelf WALL telling me who sent them (each friend will earn you an extra entry but they must be fans of BOTH pages)

This isn't a requirement but for Karma points... (and to increase your luck of winning because KARMA is cool like that) tell your friends about this blog!

Okay that's it...GO!! Remember to leave a comment, name and email or facebook profile required for winning purposes so I can tell you if you've won and LEAVE A LIST OF WHAT YOU'VE COMPLETED! Contest will run from August 15 to August 25th. Contest winner will be announced by August 30th. Hope you guys enjoy this contest and Good Luck to everyone who enters.

Please remember that these books are either bought by me or donated by the Author so if you don't want to put in the effort to enter then you don't have to but please don't be rude and insult the contest; just don't enter. Thank you

Here's a description of PULSE
Kalina didn't know her boyfriend was a vampire until the day he died of a freak accident. She didn't know he had come from an old line of vampires until the day his two half-brothers showed up to investigate his demise. Now she has to work with them in order to uncover the secrets her boyfriend had been hiding in order to survive. But working and being close to two vampire half-brothers had suddenly gotten interesting.

Check out Amazon to BUY your copy of Pulse