I hope everyone had a good holiday/long weekend! I spent some of it with friends and family and some of it hibernating due to the heat (I'm more of a 75 degrees or below type of gal!)

Anyway, I know Blogger has been having a lot of issues lately. I've had  problems following blogs and commenting on posts. If I haven't responded to a comment you made don't fret, I haven't forgotten about you. I'm just patiently waiting for blogger to fix everything.

If you are having problems commenting on the giveaway post (or any posts) you can email me at lratrandom@gmail.com

You have less than 12 hours left to enter the giveaway!

Cute Video

This has nothing to do with books, but I thought it was cute.

And the race is on...


Book Blog Questionnaire

I found this Questionnaire on Wall-to-Wall Books and thought I'd take a few minutes to answer her questions. Hope you don't mind that I stole your post ;)

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These are some questions for book bloggers and book blog visitors I have been wondering about. I have posted my answers and encourage you to either - answer them in the comments or - Post them on your blog and leave me the link in the comments.

1. How often do you post and how often do you visit other blogs?  
I pretty much post when I have something to say or have a review to share.  Some weeks I do one post and some week's its 3 or 4.
I follow a ton of blogs and I try to stay up to date with them all. I know there's some posts that fall through the cracks since I follow so many but I try :)

 2. Do you always comment, or do you only comment when there is a contest?
Some blogs I do only comment when there's a contest. It's not that I don't read and enjoy their blogs it's just that sometimes I don't know what to say other than the normal 'I really liked that book' or 'I really want to read that one'.
3. When you "follow" a blog, do you always go back and visit or are there some that you only followed for a contest? 
For the most part I only follow blogs if I like them and will want to read them in the future. I don't want to offend anyone but I don't think it's right that people are required to be a follower to enter a contest. That's just me...I want followers who will enjoy my blog and stop back on the days when I'm not having contests. If I'm not their cup of tea then I don't want to feel like I'm forcing them to follow.

4. How often do you enter book giveaways?
I admit, I do enter a lot of giveaways. But I only enter them if I really do want to read the book; it's a really great way to find authors that you may not have read otherwise.
5. How long have you been blogging?
I had personal blogs for a couple years but they were mostly just for family. After those I started a private journal blog which then morphed into At Random a couple months ago...in March maybe? Anyway, I've been hooked ever since. I love blogging and the blogger world! I've made some great friends and I hope to make more!
6. Do you have book giveaways, how often, and why do you do it?
Well I'm still pretty young as a public blogger so I don't know how often I will be having giveaways. I have joined two blog giveaway hops this month to get my name out there a little and both were a blast. In the future I may do one or two a month until I decide what's right for me. As for why I do it, I love sharing the wealth so to speak. Giving is a lot of fun and I love that it makes people happy. 

7. What other booky sites do you belong to?
I am on Goodreads a lot. I'm still pretty new to LibraryThing and FictFact. I may also check out NetGalley one of these days.


8. How often do you use "Bookish Memes"?
I haven't participated in any Memes and I'm not sure that I will. I know bloggers put a lot of time into them and I think I would rather have that time for reading or reviewing.

9. What do you like or dislike about some blogs?

This is a tough question. I'm not into some of the memes and slow loading blogs are a bit of a turn off. On the flip side I like blogs that have similar tastes as me; I get a lot of great reading ideas from surfing the blogosphere! I like when bloggers are friendly and respond to comments. I also like when bloggers share tips, especially HTML how-to's since I'm an HTML beginner.

10. Have you gotten close to any bloggers, just through blogging?
I have made a few friends and I hope to make more :)
OK now its your turn - time to speak your mind!

Zoe Winters - Series Spotlight

 I read an ebook of Kept by Zoe Winters today. Kept is a novella that begins the Preternaturals series. If you check out Zoe Winters' website and sign up for her newsletter you can get it for free. Don't worry, she doesn't spam you with emails

I was drawn into the story and characters and liked both so much that I decided to buy Blood Lust and Save My Soul as paper books; they should arrive late next week. I'm such an impulse buyer ;-) and I'm looking forward to reading them and adding them to my collection!




  • Preternaturals Book One is Blood Lust which contains three novellas (Kept, Claimed & Mated)
  • Preternaturals Book Two is Save My Soul which I believe is a full lenth novel.

 Goodreads Summary of Kept:

As a cat therian (shifter), Greta’s blood is already sought after to enhance spells and potions, but due to a quirk of her birth, her blood is potent enough to kill for. When her tribe plans to sacrifice her, Greta must ally herself with Dayne, the dangerous local sorcerer, and the only person strong enough to protect her.

Goodreads Summary of Claimed:

For a vampire, Anthony isn’t a picky eater, but he’s drawn to Charlee’s blood more than any other. Like a fine wine saved for a special occasion, he’s denied himself this pleasure. But one night, high from the potent magical blood of another, he claims his prize and loses control. Ashamed of almost killing the one woman who means anything to him, he wipes her memory of the event. When Charlee awakens with complete amnesia, Anthony is the only one who can clean up the mess he’s made.

Goodreads Summary of Mated:

Because of the vampiric blood in her veins, Jane has been a target for vampires who resent a human being “kindred.” She’s forced to disguise herself as a vampire groupie to appease them and safeguard her life. When she’s abruptly given to Cole, the leader of the werewolf pack, to satisfy a gambling debt, she discovers the blood running through her veins has a far greater impact on her destiny than she ever imagined.

Goodreads Summary of Save My Soul:

After buying the antebellum home she’s fantasized about since childhood, Anna Worthington discovers Luc, a dangerously seductive incubus who has been trapped in the house by a fifty-year-old curse. To rid herself of her problem house guest she’ll call on a priest, gypsies, ghost hunters, and the coven of witches from lust bunny hell. All she has to do is resist him long enough to break the spell so they can go their separate ways. If she doesn’t, she could die. And that would be the best case scenario.

I would recommend these to the over 18 crowd.

Random Crumb - Dracula


May 26, 1897:

Dracula goes on sale in London
The first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker, appear in London bookshops on this day in 1897.

A childhood invalid, Stoker grew up to become a football (soccer) star at Trinity College, Dublin. After graduation, he got a job in civil service at Dublin Castle, where he worked for the next 10 years while writing drama reviews for the Dublin Mail on the side. In this way, Stoker met the well-respected actor Sir Henry Irving, who hired him as his manager. Stoker stayed in the post for most of the next three decades, writing Irving's voluminous correspondence for him and accompanying him on tours in the United States. Over the years, Stoker began writing a number of horror stories for magazines, and in 1890 he published his first novel, The Snake's Pass.

Stoker would go on to publish 17 novels in all, but it was his 1897 novel Dracula that eventually earned him literary fame and became known as a masterpiece of Victorian-era Gothic literature. Written in the form of diaries and journals of its main characters, Dracula is the story of a vampire who makes his way from Transylvania--a region of Eastern Europe now in Romania--to Yorkshire, England, and preys on innocents there to get the blood he needs to live. Stoker had originally named the vampire "Count Wampyr." He found the name Dracula in a book on Wallachia and Moldavia written by retired diplomat William Wilkinson, which he borrowed from a Yorkshire public library during his family's vacations there.

Vampires--who left their burial places at night to drink the blood of humans--were popular figures in folk tales from ancient times, but Stoker's novel catapulted them into the mainstream of 20th-century literature. Upon its release, Dracula enjoyed moderate success, though when Stoker died in 1912 none of his obituaries even mentioned Dracula by name. Sales began to take off in the 1920s, when the novel was adapted for Broadway. Dracula mania kicked into even higher gear with Universal's blockbuster 1931 film, directed by Tod Browning and starring the Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi. Dozens of vampire-themed movies, television shows and literature followed, though Lugosi, with his exotic accent, remains the quintessential Count Dracula. Late 20th-century examples of the vampire craze include the bestselling novels of American writer Anne Rice and the cult hit TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

This article is from www.history.com

Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop



The Splash Into Summer Giveaway and is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Co-Hosted by Page Turners


My giveaway is for the chance to win A SIGNED copy of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready.
·         Following is not required
·         Must be over 13 years old to enter
·         Must have a US shipping address
           (I will try to make my next  giveaway open to more people)
·         You have until Sunday, May 31st at Midnight (est) to enter
·         The winners will be selected Monday, June 1st using Random.org
·         I will email the winner and you will have 48 hrs to respond 

With all of that out of the way, all you have to do is leave a comment

including your name and email address.

Good Luck!!

Check out all of the blogs below for more awesome Splash Into Summer giveaways!!

Caressed By Moonlight (Rulers of Darkness #1) by Amanda J. Greene

Goodreads Summary:

Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life.

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Prince Vlakhos.

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire would bind them for all eternity. But treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive.

My Review:

I had originally read an excerpt from Caressed By Moonlight (see below for the excerpt) and just based on that I knew I wanted to read this book. I hadn't previously read any historical romance books, but I knew I would like it.

Well it turns out I didn't like it.....I loved it!! I was completely engrossed in the story and read it in a day! This book is historical paranormal romance but there's also some edge of your seat action. I will give a little warning that there are some spicy sex scenes so if you're not into that then you may not want to read this...which will be a shame since it's a great book!

Victoria and Dorian cross paths at a ball. Was it happenstance or was it fate? They both have their own agendas and Victoria's does not include Dorian. Will some twist of fate bring them together? I'm surely not spilling the beans so you will have to read this awesome book to find out ;). I will say that I really connected to the characters and especially towards the end I know my forehead was creased with concentration. I'm really surprised my husband didn't notice!

 - - - - -

This is the excerpt that had me hooked. I borrowed it from the Amanda J. Greene's website (with permission of course). AND if you swing on by to her website you can download Caressed By Moonlight for free up until May 26th! Don't miss out!!

A Lustful Meeting 

Dorian despised parties. He hated the young girls fighting for his attention and he hated the jealous men. But he could not serve his clan if he wasn’t seen. He had to mingle with the people if he was to draw the attention of the hunters away from his family.

            Women smiled at him, fluttered their lashes, and even winked at him as he made his way through the room. Some were even bolder. They pressed against him and quickly whispered their names and addresses in his ear. It was the same everywhere he went. Even when he had been human women would beg for him to take them to his bed. Ever since it got out that Lady Tillman had paid him a strictly social visit he was now the talk of the ton. He had been interested in renting one of her properties to store his horses and, naturally, the rotten minds of the aristocracy would have to twist it into an afternoon tryst. He could not deny that he had taken lovers within the last month. He preferred his own kind. Humans could be so frail. His few tumbles had been vampires with the exception of those very talented gypsy women.

            Dorian shook hands with a few of the men and exchanged pleasant words with a few of the more respectable ladies before he dashed outside. He took in a deep breath of the fresh night air and spared a glance up at the moon. The sky was not as clear as back home and he found it irritating. The one thing that had ever given him peace was the brilliant shine of the moon.

“It isn't as clear as the country.”

“I'm sorry?”

“The sky. It is clearer in the country,” Victoria said as she stepped from the shadows of the trees.

            The man turned to face her and she gasped as if she had been struck. He was tall, taller than any man she had ever seen, muscled and thick. Strands of deep brown hair fell across his angelic yet masculine face, her fingers twitched with the desire to brush them away from his magnificent eyes. Those fathoms of blue were like the sea after a tremendous storm, piercing, penetrating, and exotic. His jaw was straight and square, his lips thin and alluring. He was absolutely beautiful, in a dangerous, masculine way.
“Yes.” Dorian’s delicious lips turned up in a smile.

            His husky voice moved over her skin like a caress, her entire body was aflame from his cool gaze that roamed over her, leaving nothing untouched.

            Dorian was swept away by this young woman's beauty. She looked like an ancient goddess. Her nearly black hair sat in tight ringlets atop her head; a few tussled locks fell and rested on her shoulders. He could see every detail of her face in the moonlight. Her deep green eyes framed with long flirting lashes, her slim nose, perfectly molded cheekbones, and lush lips that would tempt any man. His eyes slowly moved down the length of her bare neck, over her slender shoulders, and paused for the briefest of moments on her full breasts. Then continued their journey across her waist and hips, all the way down to the hem of her gown.

            Victoria shook her head trying to remember why it was she had come outside. She demanded herself to think and forced the thick sensual haze from her mind. She turned her eyes back to the man and found that his had never once left her. The way he studied her was beginning to grow irksome and she had the sudden desire to slap that satisfied smirk off his face.

“I do believe you are staring, sir.”

“I am,” he said, his smile widening.  And he wasn't finished. He looked her over once more, much to Victoria's aggravation. “Do you belong to anyone?” he asked.

“Belong, sir?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, no one.”

“No one?” he repeated, his interest rising.

“That is what I said.”

“And why is it that such a beautiful woman belongs to no one?”

“I'm not married or engaged,” she stated then snapped her mouth shut. She should not have given this seductive man that information. In his hands the knowledge could be dangerous.

“I concluded that, but surely your parent's–”

Victoria tilted her chin up. “My parents have recently passed away.”

“I'm sorry,” he apologized, his smile gone.

“Why should you be? You didn't know them,” she stated fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Now was not the time to cry, not in front of him, even if she had the desperate desire to feel his strong arms around her.

“The little kitten has claws,” Dorian said intrigued. “I like that.”

            She laughed. It was a warm sound that made him want to kiss those rich lips of hers.
“You are trying to make me blush, but it won't work. I’ve dealt with men like you before.”

            It was Dorian's turn to laugh now. She had never dealt with anyone like him. He was no ordinary man. He was a vampire king.

“Men like me, kitten?” he asked when he had finally gained control of his laughter.

“Yes,” she said with a nod, her irritation growing. He had laughed at her. Did he think she was a young naïve chit who knew nothing of men and their ways?

“You are the rakish type whose only talent is seducing innocent girls.”

“That is not my only talent. Although I must admit,” his smile turned devilish, “it is one of my favorites.”  He took a step forward. “Tell me your name, sweetheart,” his voice was bewitching, smooth and elegant.

Her name? Her name? Her mind was a whirlwind of sinful images, tender caresses, and feather light kisses. Her name? How could she have forgotten her name?

            Dorian chuckled at her confusion. She looked so sweet, her emerald eyes glazed over with passion; her lips parted and moist and he took another step.

“Please, a name my lady,” he begged, moving closer.

“My name?” she asked herself. “I–My–” She shook her head, clearing it of its sinful haze and announced, at long last, “Victoria Kingston.”

“Victoria,” he repeated with a nod. “A gorgeous name, it suits you well.” Another step, now they stood a breath apart. He could feel the heat from her body; her rapid heartbeat was music to his ears. This woman was a treat and it appeared that he would no longer need to amuse himself with gypsies and vampire whores. His policy was to never bed women who were members of fickle court life but he was more than willing to make an exception for this girl. She was a delicacy and everyone deserved a little indulgence once in awhile.

            Victoria backed away; she could not allow herself to be so close to him. He was a libertine and she could not afford to be seduced.

            She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word he announced, “I am Dorian Vlakhos.”

           Her eyes flew wide. This was the man Lady Wisten had warned her about. This was the man that had caused such a stir. Now she understood why the women were fawning over him. He was everything he was said to be, a devilishly handsome man who had seduction on his mind and she was out on the terrace alone with the letch. He could ruin her. He could tarnish her good name. Panic began to flutter in her belly.

“Well, Mr. Vlakhos–”

“Call me Dorian.”

“Mr. Vlakhos–”

“It’s much easier to say.”

“Mr. Vlakhos–”

“As you please,” he said with a shrug.

“Mr. Vlakhos,” she snapped. “I really must be getting back to the party, my friend is waiting.” She moved to step around him, but he caught her arm and pulled her back.

“Not yet.”

            Victoria sighed in exasperation.  “Mr. Vlakhos, I have no desire to become another one of your conquests for this season.”

“I just want us to become better acquainted,” Dorian stated. “And we will,” he added with a raised brow.

“No,” she declared yanking her arm back. “We won't.” She turned on her heel and stormed back into the house.

            Dorian watched her with a smile on his face. He could not remember the last time he had smiled and this girl had him smiling like a fool. He fought the urge to go after her, pull her back outside, and into the shadows where he could make true his promise.

            Victoria Kingston was going to be a hard skirt to catch, but he was not a man who backed down from a challenge, especially not when the reward was so sweet.

- - -

Just an update to this post. The cover has been rereleased. See the new cover here.

My Favorite Destruction Movies

I've been in a bit of a book slump this month so I thought I would post my favorite weather related destruction movies. I can't explain it, but I absolutely love this type of movie! I have seen a lot but the below are the ones that sick in my head.

I'm not at a computer (gotta love the world of technology and smart phones)so I cannot link them easily but you can check them out on http://www.imdb.com/ which is the International Movie Database.

These are classic destruction movies in my mind! Everyone should see them at least once.
- Twister (1996)
- Volcano (1997)
- Armageddon (1998)
- Dante's Peak (1997)
- Day After Tomorrow (2004)
- Perfect Storm (2000)
- 2012 (2009)

The 10.5 movies were made for TV. Since it wasn't made for the theatre some of the special effects are pretty cheesy but I still like the movies!
- 10.5 (2004)
- 10.5 Apocalypse (2006)

These are not my favorites but I like them so I wanted to include them
- Deep Impact (1998)
- Ice Twisters (2009)
- Night of the Twisters (1996)
- Atomic Twister (2002)
- Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004)
- Category 7 (2005) I wasn't the biggest fan of this one but don't let that deter you, you may like it more than I did.

What are your thoughts on destruction movies? Did I miss any good ones?

Maria V. Snyder Chatting on Goodreads

Maria V. Snyder is participating in a live Q&A on Goodreads tomorrow at 12pm (EST)! Click here to join the fun!

Maria V. Snyder is the author of the Study series, Glass series and Insider series! And she has a new book coming out early next year called Touch of Power!!!

Don't miss it!


Don't miss this great opportunity to ask Maria a question!

Spring Blog Carnival Giveaway WINNER

I'm not a mother (except to my dog, lol) but I hope all of the mom's out there had a fantastic Mother's Day yesterday!!

I am really surprised by the number of people who entered my Spring Blog Carnival Giveaway and how nice you all are. I absolutely loved reading all of your kind comments and birthday wishes! So thank you for being so great.

Also a big wow and thank you to all of my new followers! I never expected to gain 56 new followers by hosting this. So welcome to the newcomers!

And now on to the winners...

In first place is Inga at Me and Reading, you get first choice of the below books
In second place is Anki at Fields of Elysium, you will get second choice

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Wuthering Bites by Sarah Gray

I will be emailing both of you this morning for your book choice and mailing information. Please respond within 48 hours.

Congrats to the winners!!

**winners were chosen via random.org**

This Month On RAK

I participated in Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) again in April. What's RAK you say? Well, RAK is Book Soulmates brain child. The idea of RAK is randomly sending people books/ebooks from their wishlists.

Click here for more information or to sign up.





In April I received four awesome RAK's.

First is Delirium by Lauren Oliver from Alyssa (Sorry, I don't know your blog to link you)

I received Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick from JL @ Avid Readers Musings

And last but certainly not least Tuesday I received Nightshade by Andrea Cremer and Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause from Jess @ Gone With The Words







Thanks again Alyssa, JL & Jess :-) You're all amazing!



And one last reminder to enter my Spring Blog Carnival Giveaway! Enter by May 8, 2011! This is really my first giveaway so I'm very excited to draw the winners!! Good Luck!

The Witches of Santa Anna Series by Laura Barnholdt

 Goodreads Summary of Claimed: Natalia Moore is the new girl at Santa Anna Prep, and all she wants to do is fly under the radar -- get to her classes, meet a few friends, and try not to make a total fool of herself in the meantime. But when handsome and popular Campbell Elliot goes out of his way to be nice to the new girl, Natalia's plan to go unnoticed flies out the window.

Cam’s hot, but he’s completely off-limits. Raine Marsden, the most popular and meanest girl in school, has had her eye on him ever since the summer. And Raine doesn’t like competition.

When Cam goes as far as inviting Natalia to the exclusive weekend party at Raine's house, Raine sets her sights on a new victim. But what Natalia doesn't know is that Raine and her friends are no ordinary mean girls. They have powers most people can only dream of, and nobody will stand in the way of what they want. And what Raine
 wants is Campbell.

Claimed, the first book in The Witches of Santa Anna series of novellas, proves just how far true love will go and that nothing--not even pure evil--can change your destiny...

My Review: This is a series of 9 short stories or novellas that are only available in ebook form I believe. I’m going to do one review for the series rather than breaking it up per story.

#1 – Claimed
#2 – Tricked
#3 – Rumored
#4 – Hushed
#5 – Pursued
#6 – Enticed
#7 – Ruined
#8 – Denial
#9 – Suspicion

Reading these stories was actually kind of interesting because each almost reads like a chapter in a book. I read all 9 stories in an afternoon. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat reading them but it definitely kept my interest enough for me to read straight through all of them. Each installment had its own twists and turns and I really liked the butterly aspect of each. Suspicion ends with a lot of unanswered questions so I’m thinking the story will go on. I know I will be reading any new novellas that come out!

I also really like some of the covers! I included a couple of my favorites in this post.

-  -  -

#10 - Isolation
#11 - Paranoia
#12 - Fear
#13 - Oblivion
#14 - Forgotten
#15 - Broken
#16 - Stolen
#17 - Taken
#18 - Risen
#19 - Given


I haven't had a chance to read 10 - 19 yet, but thought I would include them here.

The Perfect Storm - Movie Review

IMDB.com Summary:

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. Magnificent foreshadowing and anticipation fill this true-life drama while minute details of the fishing boats, their gear and the weather are juxtaposed with the sea adventure.

My Review:

I had seen this movie before (although I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen it) but I watched it again last night. It's an awesome movie about a fishing boat who is behind on it's catch so the captain decides to do a turnaround and takes a risk with an 'edge of the map' location. The problem comes in the form of a triple threat storm in their path. If you like emotional dramas with love, bitterness, edge of your seat action, and heartbreak I definitely recommend you check this out!!

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Click here to enter the Spring Blog Carnival Giveaway! Don't miss out! You have until May 8, 2011 to enter!!