Monday, April 22, 2013

My Picks of the Week! (23rd April)


 Howdy, my Muses!

Finally we have some great releases available tomorrow, so take a moment and check them out! Things will be finally picking up on my blog in the next few weeks. I am excited to announce that I will be participating in my first Blog Tour for the amazing novel, REAL by Katy Evans. I reviewed the book last week, so if you haven't had a chance to check it out, go HERE.

Enjoy!






BOOKS (April 23rd)

ADULT

Behind the Lies (Montgomery Justice, #2)
by: Robin Perini

Of the six Montgomery brothers, golden-boy Zach has always walked on the wild side. He rocketed to fame playing a hero in a movie, but offscreen he's living in the shadows. Zach's dark secret: he leads a double life as a CIA operative. When a mission to stalk a terrorist goes horribly wrong, Zach's cover is blown. He's on the run and fighting to stay alive long enough to discover whom he can trust and who betrayed him.

Jenna Walters thought she'd married the 'perfect man' until she unearthed his terrible secret. Now, desperate to escape his crosshairs, she and her son take refuge in Zach's secret hideaway. Sparks fly between Zach and Jenna even as danger explodes around them.

From Afghanistan to Turkey to the mountains of Colorado, assassins track them and are closing in. Not only is Zach's life at stake, but now Jenna and her son are targets in this high stakes game. 


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Claim Me (Stark Trilogy, #2)
by: J. Kenner

For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.

Damien Stark’s need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.

I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.

But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Hot Blooded (Jessica McClain, #2)
by: Amanda Carlson

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps.

Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

All in a day's work for a girl.

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties...


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Promises Under the Stars
by: C.L. Greenlee

Joe and Betti as children were neighbors and best friends.They attended colleges at opposite coasts he at West Point and she at UCLA but bonded by friendship and the stars. Orders take him to a conflict and the night before he leaves passion brings consequences. Does she tell him about the baby? Does a new love separate that bond that was made under the stars? Or does she lose part of that heart in an accident? Who does she walk down the aisle with?

Release Date: 23rd April 2013




YOUNG ADULT

Crush (Crash, #3)
by: Nicole Williams

Football glory. A giant diamond. A wandering eye.

Jude and Lucy are happily engaged . . . but that doesn't mean life's a bed of roses.

Once again, Jude and Lucy are torn apart by football training and a summer job that creates new tensions. This time Jude's the one with trust issues. Will Lucy's life-changing news bring them back together or end their relationship for good? Can love triumph forever?


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Darius & Twig
by: Walter Dean Myers

Darius is a writer struggling to find his own way, with only his alter ego, Fury, a peregrine falcon, and Twig, his best friend, in his corner. Twig, a middle-distance runner, has the skills to make it but wants to dictate his own terms for success. He may be a winner on the track, but it doesn't stop him from getting picked on. For these friends, money is tight; there are bullies and absent adults and, most disturbing, the notion that their Harlem life doesn't have much to offer. They need to navigate their world: the thugs, the seamy side of sports, the uncertainty of their prospects. And they need to figure out how to grow up together, but apart.

Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Elite, The (Selection, #2)
by: Kiera Cass

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Exile (Mercy, #2)
by: Rebecca Lim

Mercy is an angel in exile and is doomed to return repeatedly to Earth, taking on a new human form each time she does. Now she "wakes" as unhappy teen Lela, a girl caring for her dying mother but never herself.

As Mercy's shattered memory begins to return, she remembers Ryan, the boy she fell in love with in another life, and Luc, the angel haunting her dreams. Will Mercy risk Lela’s life to be reunited with her heart’s true desire?

An electric combination of angels, mystery and romance, Exile is the second book in the undeniably mesmerizing Mercy series.


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True
by: Sarah Strohmeyer

When cousins Zoe and Jess land summer internships at the Fairyland Kingdom theme park, they are sure they've hit the jackpot. With perks like hot Abercrombie-like Prince Charmings and a chance to win the coveted $25,000 Dream & Do grant, what more could a girl want?

Once Zoe arrives, however, she's assigned to serve "The Queen"-Fairyland's boss from hell. From spoon-feeding her evil lapdog caviar, to fetching midnight sleeping tonics, Zoe fears she might not have what it takes to survive the summer, much less win the money.

Soon backstabbing interns, a runaway Cinderella, and cutthroat competition make Zoe's job more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. What will happen when Zoe is forced to choose between serving The Queen and saving the prince of her dreams?


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Manicpixiedreamgirl
by: Tom Leveen

Sometimes the most dramatic scenes in a high school theater club are the ones that happen between the actors and crew off stage.

Seventeen-year-old Tyler Darcy's dream of being a writer is starting to feel very real now that he's sold his first short story to a literary journal. He should be celebrating its publication with his two best friends who've always had his back, but on this night, a steady stream of texts from his girlfriend Sidney keep intruding. So do the memories of his dream girl, Becky, who's been on his mind a little too much since the first day of high school. Before the night is over, Ty might just find the nerve to stop all the obsessing and finally take action.


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Natural Born Angel (Immortal City, #2)
by: Scott Speer

Life turned upside down for Maddy Montgomery when she found out she was half-Angel and was catapulted into the scene of flashbulbs, paparazzi, and the fervent adulation that comes with being in the celebrity Angel world. She's trying to juggle her ordinary life—high school, family, friends—with the intense demands of being in the public eye as heartthrob Angel Jackson Godspeed's girlfriend.

And now Maddy must face the most difficult choice of her life. She's been offered the chance to become a Guardian. This means entering into dangerous and high stakes training, with no guarantee that she can succeed. But more than that, it would mean leaving her mortal life behind—forever—and allying with the Angels at a time when their relationship with humans is heading for war. . .


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Obsidian Mirror (Chronoptika, #1)
by: Catherine Fisher

Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.

Release Date: 23rd April 2013


The Rules (Project Paper Dolls, #1)
by: Stacey Kade

1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


The Silver Dream (Interworld, #2)
by: Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves

Sixteen-year-old Joey Harker has just saved the Altiverse—the dimension that contains all the myriad Earths—from complete destruction. After mastering the ability to walk between dimensions, Joey and his fellow InterWorld Freedom Fighters are on a mission to maintain peace between the rival powers of magic and science who seek to control all worlds.

When a stranger named Acacia somehow follows Joey back to InterWorld’s Base, things get complicated. No one knows who she is or where she’s from—or how she knows so much about InterWorld. Dangerous times lie ahead, and Joey has no one to rely on but himself and his wits—and, just maybe, the mysterious Acacia Jones.

Full of riveting interdimensional battles, epic journeys between worlds, and twists and turns along the way, this sequel to the New York Times bestselling InterWorld is a thrilling, mind-bending adventure through time and space.


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


MOVIES & TV SERIES (April 23rd)

MOVIES

A Haunted House
Directed by: Michael Tiddes

Starring: Marlon Wayans, Cedric the Entertainer

Marlon Wayans and Cedric the Entertainer star in this outrageously funny supernatural scary movie. When young couple Malcolm (Wayans) and Kisha (Essence Atkins) move in to their dream place, they soon discover they're not alone. But it's not the home that's possessed, it's Kisha. Now, Malcolm will go to hilarious extremes - including hiring a priest, a psychic, and a team of modern-day ghostbusters to get his place and his sex life back to normal. Co-starring Nick Swardson and David Koechner, it's the no-holds-barred, raunchy comedy that will have you laughing from start to finish.

Release Date: 23rd April 2013

Any Day Now
Directed by: Travis Fine

Starring: Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt

Any Day Now is a powerful tale of love, acceptance and family. When a teenager with Down Syndrome (Isaac Leyva) is abandoned by his mother, a gay couple (Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt) takes him in and becomes the loving family he's never had. But when their unconventional living arrangement is disconcerted by authorities, the men are forced to fight a biased legal system to save the life of the child they have come to love as their own. Inspired by a true story from the late 1970s, Any Day Now touches on legal and social issues that are as relevant today as they were 35 years ago. 

Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Gangster Squad
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin

Los Angeles 1949. Ruthless Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs the guns the prostitutes and-if he has his way-every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest street-hardened cop...except perhaps for the small secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart.

Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Impossible, The
Directed by: n/a

Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor

Based on a true story, THE IMPOSSIBLE is the unforgettable account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. But the true-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives. Both epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, THE IMPOSSIBLE is a journey to the core of the human heart.


Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Promised Land
Directed by: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Matt Damon

Matt Damon stars in Promised Land, the compelling contemporary drama based on an original screenplay by John Krasinski and Damon and directed by Gus Van Sant (Milk, Good Will Hunting). Corporate salesman Steve Butler (Damon) has been dispatched to the rural town of McKinley with his sales partner (Frances McDormand) to offer much-needed relief to the economically hard-hit residents in exchange for drilling rights to their properties. What seems like an easy job for the duo quickly becomes complicated by a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook), a slick environmental activist (Krasinski), and Steve's interest in a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt). As they grapple with a surprising array of both open hearts and closed doors, the outsiders soon discover the strength of an American small town at a crossroads.

Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Thale
Directed by: Aleksander Nordaas

Starring: Morten Anressen, Erlend Nervold

Two crime-scene cleaners discover a mythical, tailed female creature in a concealed cellar. She never utters a word, unable to tell her story, but the pieces of the puzzle soon come together: she's been held captive for decades for reasons soon to surface… Fun fact: THALE is based on a mythical character in Nordic folklore called the "huldra". According to the myth, a huldra is a beautiful creature with female attributes living deep in the woods. It is said that it seduces men that works in the woods by humming a beautiful song, and they never return to their village. You can recognize a huldra by its cow tail. 

Release Date: 23rd April 2013



TV SERIES

A Haunting: Season 5

Starring: n/a

Between the world we see, and the things we fear... there are doors. When they are opened... nightmares becomes reality. These are the true stories of the innocent and the unimaginable.
These chilling tales of the supernatural take you inside real-life horror stories, with each one-hour episode featuring eyewitness accounts and cinematic re-enactments of some of the most spine tingling and inexplicable stories ever recorded. You'll meet Chris Gibbons, a Michigan attorney driven to the point of insanity by a ghost that has infiltrated his dreams; a stay-at-home-mom who enjoys taking walks with her children through her historic neighborhood, until something dark and sinister follows them home; and Victoria Dane, whose near death experience opens a door to a paranormal world that can never be shut.
Episode by shocking episode, you will be stunned and astonished by these spellbinding tales of evil lurking in the most everyday places. By the end of each amazing story, you will experience an eerie feeling that life and death are stranger and more terrifying than you had ever imagined.

Release Date: 23rd April 2013


Touched by an Angel: Season 7

Starring: Roma Downey, Della Reese

A trio of angels Monica (Roma Downey), Tess (Della Reese), and Andrew (John Dye) are dispatched from heaven with a special mission: to inspire people facing sometimes unseen crossroads in their lives. Monica, an angel who at times still needs some guidance with her earthly assignments, reports to Tess, her tough, wise and always loving supervisor. Also on hand is Andrew, who, in addition to his duties as the Angel of Death, now helps out as a caseworker on various assignments. Gloria, an angel for the 21st century, continues to seek guidance from Monica performing her angelic duties. While the angels may not bring solutions to every problem, they always deliver a message of hope.

Release Date: 23rd April 2013

2 comments:

  1. Hi Mia,
    great picks for this week. I haven't watch The Impossible yet, but I hae a copy and I hope I have a chance to watch it soon.
    How is everything going???
    See you soon,

    Ruty@Reading...Dreaming

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Ruty!

    The Impossible was a really great movie. It's based on a true story about the tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004. I heard about the tsunami when it happened but it wasn't until I watched the movie and saw the devastation and chaos it caused that it really sunk in how bad it was. I shed quite a few tears watching it. Let me know what you think when you get a chance to watch it!

    Heading over to your blog now to see what you have been up to!

    xoxo
    Mia

    ReplyDelete