Bookish Bucket List Blog Hop

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to meet up with your favorite literary characters and have an adventure? Or how about hopping in a book to try one of the tasty treats being baked? Well a group of bloggers got together and made our very own Bookish Bucket Lists where we listed what we would do and where we would go with different characters.

Before I post my list and giveaway, I thought I would post a list of the other participating bloggers. There are still giveaways going on so don't miss out!

Bookish Bucket List Hop Schedule:

May 14th - Kate @ Epic Chocolate Fantasy (with giveaway)

May 15th - Tiffany @ A Purrfect Read (with giveaway)

May 16th - Alison & Daphne @ Winged Reviews (with giveaway)

May 17th - Kayleigh @ K-Books (with giveaway)

                - Guest Post by Renée on A Purrfect Read

May 18th - Sonnie @ Lit Girl (with giveaway)

                - Guest Post by Lindsey on Epic Chocolate Fantasy

May 19th - Chris @ Reading is FUNdamental

                - Guest Post by Wendy on Winged Reviews

My Bookish Bucket List:

Spend a week on Le Floret Island…and a sighting of a certain Scottish werewolf wouldn’t be so bad either **winks**

Werewolf in Seattle (Wild About You #3) by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Win a gift card for a free cupcake every day for a year from Cakes By The Cup.

Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1) by Donna Kauffman

Spend a few months with the red scarf crew following and experiencing the circus.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Learn about magic and climb around in trees with Yelena.
And while we’re doing that, Valek can be carving something extra special for me as a souvenir.

The Study Series by Maria V. Snyder

Have a breakfast with Max, talk about life, and listen to his stories. He would of course make his famous baked eggs for me.

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

Go to Mundy, Alaska and spend time with Mo, Cooper, Maggie, Nick, and the rest of the locals. And maybe get a couple cooking lessons from Mo.

Naked Werewolf Series by Molly Harper

Have the chance to interview Gretchen Lowell…as long as I don’t become her next target **shivers**

Gretchen Lowell Series by Chelsea Cain

Spend a day with Verity Price meeting some of the cryptids, running the roof tops, and maybe watching one of her dance competitions.

Discount Armageddon (InCryptid #1) by Seanan McGuire

Sample each of Julia’s creations…and maybe spend time making some chocolaty treats with her.

Julia’s Chocolates by Cathy Lamb

Be a Swan Maiden for a day...or two...or three. I would love to be able to fly!
The Next Full Moon by Carolyn Turgeon

 Giveaway:

• Comment with your email
• Winner will be able to choose ONE of the above books
• Contest will end May 27, 2012 at 11:59 PM (EST)
• Open Internationally as long as Book Depository ships to your country

 Good Luck!

Book Updates - Amanda J. Greene, Ashlyn Chase, & Samantha Sotto

Good Morning Readers!

I just wanted to give you a few quick book updates…

Caressed by Moonlight (Rulers of Darkness #1) by Amanda J. Green - Click here to see my review.

A new edition of Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J. Green will be released for the Nook, Kindle and All Romance eBooks on August 12, 2011.  The new edition of the print books will be released in about a month.

AND it will have a vibrant new cover!!

The Vampire Next Door (Strange Neighbors #3) by Ashlyn Chase - Click here for my review of Strange Neighbors (Book #1) and here for my review of The Werewolf Upstairs (Book #2).

Yesterday was the release date for The Vampire Next Door!!

AND because of the release, Strange Neighbors (Book #1) is FREE for the Nook, Kindle and Sourcebooks.com until August 8^th!

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto - Click here to see my arc review.

Today is the official US release date for Before Ever After!!

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

Goodreads Summary:

Three years after her husband Max's death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max–same smile, same eyes, same age, same adorable bump in his nose–he could be Max's long-lost relation. He introduces himself as Paolo, an Italian editor of American coffee table books, and shows Shelley some childhood photos. Paolo tells her that the man in the photos, the bearded man who Paolo says is his grandfather though he never seems to age, is Max. Her Max. And he is alive and well.

As outrageous as Paolo's claims seem–how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn't he looked her up? – Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down–if it is really Max– and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max's stories of bloody Parisian barricades, medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her "happily ever after." And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.

My Review:

I really had to sit and think about what I wanted to write before starting my post. Even after reflecting, I'm still not 100% sure what to say. I took my time reading this book, partially because I felt as though I had to in order to fully capture the emotions of the story and partially because at times I struggled, just a little, to keep up with all of the people in the stories of the past.

Before Ever After is a story journey of love and heartbreak. You grow to know and understand the characters and Samantha Sotto writes in such a way to make the reader feel the joy, fear, love, and earth shattering heartbreak right along with them. Along with powerfully written scenes, Samantha has a knack for the philosophical. She makes you think about how you look at life and the moments in it.

I laughed, teared up, and had to pick my jaw off the floor. If you're looking for an emotional, intriguing, and thought provoking read this is the book for you.

**I won this ARC in a giveaway on Goodreads.com but that did not affect my review in any way