Mundie Moms

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Kimberly Derting's The Pledge Cover Reveal

Early this evening Kimberly Derting shared her cover for her newest YA book (which will release in Nov), The Pledge. I'm hooked just by the cover alone. What do you guys think?
Here's what Goodreads says, "A romantic fantasy novel set in a dystopic, war-torn world, in which a teenage girl realizes that she may be the key to saving her country." The release date is Nov. 15th and it's being published by Simon and Schuster. I am looking forward to reading this!

LIVE author chat with Karen Mahoney TONIGHT @ 6 pm CST

We are very excited to have Karen Mahoney with us tonight chatting about her debut book, The Iron Witch! Tonight's chat will be starting a few hours earlier than normal, as we don't want to keep Karen up into the early morning hours, as she'll be chatting from the UK. We look forward to chatting with everyone tonight.


*Our chat will start at 6 pm CST/ 7pm EST. To join, hit join and enter a screen name.!

*We do our best to make sure all comments are published, but with the high volume of guests expected tonight, not all the questions may be answered in the hour time frame of the chat.

*In respect to our guest's time, we will only publish comments that pertain to their current writings, and book.

*We will not post any personal questions or comments.

* Any rude, disrespectful, or spam like comments will not be published.

*Thank you and we look forward to chatting with everyone tonight!

**No part of this chat is allowed to be used with out our permission**

The Vespertine Blog Tour/ Book Review


We are thrilled to be hosting and kicking off The Vespertine Blog Tour! There's a lot of fantastic blogs you'll want to stop by and visit through out the month of March. The tour will be winding down with a LIVE author chat here on MM's and it will end on April 1st on Saundra's site. Believe us, you don't want to miss all that Saundra has planned! We'll be giving away some must have The Vespertine signed swag this month!

Don't forget to collect the different cards that each participating blog has posted on their sites, similar to our's here-

To Be Released on March 7th, 2011
Source- ARC from author/publisher & bought published book
5 stars- It's A Must Have

It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause (quoted from Goodreads).

A beautiful, rich, Victorian era story that is both haunting and romantic. The Vespertine reads like a classic and has a voice that stays with you long after you read it.

Set in the 1800's in both Baltimore & Maine, The Vespertine quickly made me feel like I was apart of this world. With Saundra's rich, vivid writing I was able to see the world through adventurous Amelia's eyes. Amelia is a character I really enjoyed getting to know. Upon arriving in Baltimore for the purpose of finding a husband, she falls for someone she shouldn't. Which of course makes me like her that much more, as her spunk, and fierce independence are what drew me to her character. Amelia and her cousin Zora become well known upon society for Amelia's gift to see the future. Having visions isn't always a gift, as not all of them are pleasant, nor are they always what Amelia thinks she's seeing.

To match Amelia's character is an equally lovable character who you could deem as swoon worthy with an air of mystery about him. Believe me, Nathaniel Witherspoon will have you swept off your feet in no time and you'll find him just as charming as Amelia does. With Nathaniel there is no second guessing what he's feeling or thinking, as he's very straightforward, something rarely seen during this time period. Maybe it's that streak of defiance, or that you get what you see with him that I admire the most. Both Amelia and Nathaniel stand out as they know their place in society, but they push that envelope, so to speak. I adored the respect he shows to Amelia.There's just something about Nathaniel that I was drawn to and all I can say is you need to read the book so you can meet him for yourself.

There are other great characters that make The Vespertine a highly recommended story, but it's Saundra writing that really captured my attention. She has a talent for detail, no matter how great or small it is and she really brings her story to life. It wasn't hard for me to envision the settings or picture the characters in my mind. Her romance is beautifully written, the lines between Nathaniel and Amelia are brilliant and her plot twists make you wish you could read the pages faster to find out what will happen next.

The Vespertine is a breath taking, intriguing read that will make you feel that you're apart of 1800's Victorian Era. It's forbidden romance, mystery and paranormal elements will leave you both satisfied and wanting more when you're done.

March Releases

WOW there str s lot of fantastic releases. There are a lot of Book Birthdays TODAY!!! Happy Release Day to all the fantastic books that are now out on bookstore shelves.

March 1st
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Clarity by Kim Harrington
Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney
The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
Strings Attached by Judy Blundell
Blood and Flowers by Penny Blubaugh
I Am J by Cris Beam
Recovery Road by Blake Nelson
Beautiful Dead: Summer by Eden Maguire
Leap by Jodi Lundgren
Unlocked by Ryan G. Van Cleave
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

March 7th
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

March 8th
Afterlife (Evernight #4) by Claudia Gray
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler
Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
Human.4 by Mike A Lancaster
Evercrossed (Kissed by Angel #4) by Elizabeth Chandler
Illegal by Bettina Restrepo

March 15th
Steel by Carrie Vaughn

March 17th
The Screaming Season (Possessions) by Nancy Holder
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

March 21st
Lemniscate by Jennifer Murgia

March 22nd
Whither by Lauren DeStefano
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

March 28th
What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

March 29th
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

March 31st
Karma by Cathy Ostlere

If I have left off any books, please let me know and I'll add them to the list. Happy Reading!

Twitter Tuesday - Lindsey Leavitt

Lindsey Leavitt's Sean Griswold's Head is out today...and I'm so excited. You know that book that you've been waiting to come out and it seems like forever, well that's this one for me.

Here's the synopsis (from Lindsey's website):

According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object—an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas—it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking—er, focusing on—Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.
In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.


And here are a few of the many blurbs:
“Leavitt delicately handles topics of illness, evolving relationships, and what it means to grow up. Payton’s alternately sarcastic, snappy, and reflective narration carries this insightful story.”~ Publishers Weekly

“Payton’s voice, funny and honest–drew me in from the first line. This is my favorite kind of book–one that offers laughter and hope even in the midst of a serious subject.” –L.K. Madigan, author of Flash Burnout


“Payton is likable and the writing brisk and amusing…Complex, significant issues are raised.” ~Kirkus


As soon as I drop the kids off at school, I'm running over to my favorite bookstore to pick this up today. Who's with me?

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