Sweet Evil Blog Tour and Giveaway

Welcome! And this is my stop on the Sweet Evil blog tour hosted by Fall Into Books!

And for those of you who didn't catch my review, here it is:



The Synopsis:

Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

My Thoughts:

Sweet Evil was not bad at all. It was grand. I loved it. The beginning at first was a bit slow for me and I thought it highly impossible for our main character, Anna, to be such a Goodie-Goodie. But, I thought I should not judge her because I have been called a Goodie-Goodie throughout high school and much worse. I decided to like our dear and fragile Anna.

Not to take words from my previous review, but this book was not what I expected it to be. Surprisingly, a lot happened in Sweet Evil. A trip across the country all the way to California, another to New York. It all happened so fast. Despite how fast paced it was, I liked it that way. It kept me at the edge of my seat, craving to know what would happen next. And at times, I was just as scared and nervous as Anna. My heart would beat fast and my mind would spin with all the possibilities of what could happen next.

And at other times, the pace would slow down. But it was a good slow-down. I treasured every moment Kaidan and Anna had, along with other moments between others. It was sweet. It wasn't the sappy and mushy kind of sweet, though. It was intense and albeit, brief at times.

And then there was the evil. Demons threaten the normalcy of humans, making them do sinful things. Anna is torn between helping them all, sheltering them all from the evil that lurked around, and joining in with all the wrongdoings going on. It was a constant struggle that had my heart torn. Who wouldn't want to give in here and there? How could others let all of these bad things happen to all those humans? What could be done about it?

Switching the subject, I'll talk about Kaidan a bit. Whoo. He had my heart racing along with Anna's. He was not sweet. He was not innocent. He was deadly. He was scary. But, there was something there that Anna saw in him. It was other than his natural pull he gave off because of his Nephilim sexiness. He was a true mystery that made me question everything he did and why.

I'll make this quick! Five stars! No doubt about it. Miss Higgins, I will be looking out for other books by you! L-O-V-E-D Sweet Evil. It was the right amount of wrong. <------See what I did there?  Sweet Evil . . .right amount of wrong . . .

And here's my interview with Wendy right here:

What inspired you to write Sweet Evil?
Life. :) Truly, everything in my life lent itself - people I’ve known, things I’ve experienced, books I’ve read, heartbreaks I’ve suffered, friendships I’ve embraced...just everything.

Hmm.  That's a really great answer because I feel that in any great story, there's a ringing sense of experience within it.

Did you always want to be an author?
It was always my “dream job” - as in, the job I never thought I’d actually get to do.

It's mine, too!

What does it feel like to be published?
It feels amazing, and surreal, and I’m humbled by it every single day.

Aww!  That's so sweet. :)

I know this, but I'm not sure if others do, but can you explain what is going on with Sweet Hope?
Sweet Hope is my sequel, and it’s under consideration with the publisher. I am hoping to have news this fall.

Le sighh.  I hope so, too!  I wanna know what happens next with Anna and Kaidan!

What has been your favorite part of being an author?
Interacting with readers/fans and other writers. When people get excited about my story, I get all giddy and want to squee with them, lol. I’m a fangirl of these characters, too, so it’s beyond exciting that other people “get” what I’m feeling.

Happy to be a part of your fan club. *bows*

So what do you think of Daemon Black from the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout? Do you think Kai and Daemon would get along well?

I’m sooo crazy for Daemon. I think Daemon and Kai would be trouble together - they’d probably drive Katy and Anna crazy with their naughty, teasing banter.  I could see them feeding off each other’s energy...rawr.

Mmmm.  I can only imagine . . .

Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate.

Tom or Jerry?
I go back and forth about which one I feel bad for. I think I’m Team Tom. Or maybe Team Jerry. *sigh* Oh, I hate being torn.

I feel your pain.

And now for my giveaway!

• Keep in US only, please.
• Must be 13 years or older.
• This giveaway starts on August 21st and ends on September 2nd.
• And no cheating because that makes me sad. :(  Be decent, people.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

The Synopsis:
Can true love be forgotten?
As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.
Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out--a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.
As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.
Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling "Starcrossed" delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

My Thoughts:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love Greek mythology.

Dreamless picks up almost just where Starcrossed left off.  Lucas and Helen are 'cousins' and Helen is still getting used to the idea that she's the Descender.  And lemme tell ya, her visits to the Underworld are not pleasant.  Not at all.  And then there's Orion, mystery hand and mouth dude that comes to Helen's aid.  The stakes are even higher and this one and the danger is even worse.

I felt that Helen's character much improved from the first book.  She was stronger emotional wise.  Her mind was more stable without the Furies screaming in her ears and a clear goal in her mind.  Her badass self, a trait I certainly love to see in YA, was awakened with the truth she was so hard trying to hide all her life.  I didn't like her personality in Starcrossed; I didn't find her noteworthy, but she definitely made herself worthy in this book.

Now, I have to say.  I just have to.  I love these demigod hotties!  My heart still goes out to Lucas, but I also liked Orion.  Although he needed a haircut, I loved his intelligent and kind personality and he was a steady center for Helen, who needed someone sane, even if she could only meet him in the Underworld.  They were swoon-worthy boys, indeed.  Although I'm not one to go for the macho men type, they had my full attention every time their name was on the page.  Yup.

Oh, was I hooked on the story.  I could not put this book down at all.  There was just so much....much to it!  Once again, the villains were true villains in all their evilness and darkness.  I seriously would not want to mess with these bad guys, that's for sure.  And the love triangle wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It was almost one sided since Lucas and Helen are off-limits from each other, or so they think.  Most of the times, love triangles are too soap opera like with all their dramatics and cliches and they do not make me happy.  I did not mind this love triangle, surprisingly.

My only bone to pick with Dreamless is that I didn't feel as if there wasn't enough imagery.  There were moments where I would get confused and would have to reread a sentence or paragraph because it either wasn't delivered right or there wasn't enough description.  Then again, there were moments where the description of Helen's house was described beautifully.  It was like heaven to my mind it was so perfect.

Dreamless is a dark tale of your favorite forbidden romance between Helen of Troy and Paris.  It was wicked and captivating, keeping me glued to each page.  I enjoyed it even more than I did Starcrossed, getting me really excited for the final installment to the trilogy.  My only question is, Why does the release date have to be so far away? 

Cheers, everyone!

My Sorry Post. Sadness. And a Thank You, too.

Sorry I've been absent from the blog lately!  You have no idea how bad I feel for abandoning it for as long as I have.  Especially over the summer with all of the free time I've had, I've been really busy on the blog and reading.  I feel like this blog is my long lost brother and we've been doing a lot of connecting lately. 

Life has been pretty busy, especially now that school will be starting up again this fall, so it's time to finish up all of that summer work, right? (after some tweeting, of course)  ((okay, after hours worth of tweeting)) It's kind of ridiculous the amount of work I didn't realize I needed to do.  Humphh. 

But that is no excuse, right? Right.  I haven't posted on here ever since Wednesday and that was just to post my Waiting on Wednesday that only takes about five minutes to write up and post, and I'm pretty sure I scheduled that one too, so I wasn't even on the blog Wednesday!  What a disaster!  For shame....tsk, tsk.  The patronizing chastisements go on forever.

But this is not the only reason why I am writing this post.  There is a brighter side to this, after all.  I don't know about you, but have you seen my Six Month Blogoversary?  The turnout for it has been absolutely fabulous!  I cannot thank you guys enough.  And all of the new followers on here!  There are seventy of you now!  You guys have no idea how happy you guys have made me!  And this is the part where I thank you all . . . So thank you!

But now I'm on a mission because I have to be a good blogger now.

Waiting on Wednesday

This weekly meme is hosted by Rachel at Breaking the Spine where bloggers like me can rave about what makes my hands all grabby.

Violet Eden is Grigori - part angel, part human. Her destiny is to protect humans from the vengeance of exiled angels.
Knowing who to trust is key but, when Grigori reinforcements arrive, it becomes clear everyone is hiding something. Even Lincoln. The only thing Violet does know: Phoenix's hold over her is more dangerous than ever.
The race to find the one thing that could tilt the balance of power brings them all to the sacred mountains of Jordan, where Violet's power will be pushed to the extreme. And the ultimate betrayal exposed.

Enticed is the second compelling book in The Violet Eden Chapters.

Oh, I just love this cover!  Just look at it.  I think its pretty nifty for Violet on the cover to have those 'tattoos' on her arms.  And I love those angel wings she's got there, too.  I think us US folks have it lucky with this cover, for sure.

I very much enjoyed the first book, Embrace.  I thought it was awesome and the angel mythology in Embrace was a big and pleasant surprise to me.  I cannot wait to see what will happen next in Entice and I am dying to see what is going on now between Violet and Lincoln!

What are you waiting on, lovelies?

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini



The Synopsis:
Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention.
Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?

My Thoughts:
How come I've not read this book any earlier?  Is there something wrong with me?  I just don't understand.  Ever since Little Me sat under the dark dome as I observed and learned about Greek mythology under the projected stars in Star Lab, I've been in love with it.  Not just the name of all the constellations, but the tragic or heroic stories behind them.  I read The Odyssey and loved it because I was drinking in all of the mythology, following Odysseus on his twenty-year journey back to his home, fighting Scylla, a six-headed monster, and steering clear of Charybdis at the same time.  The stories are always of the gods seeking revenge in their own clever and sly ways and I love it.
I'm going to stop there because I could go on forever.  Seriously, I could. 

Helen wants to be like an average girl, but she knows deep down that she never will be no matter how hard she tries not to be.  She tries to hide her freakishness by trying to blend in and act average, but no matter what she does, people always seem to notice her.  And then she meets Lucas Delos and its like some beast is unleashed from her and not only does she attract unwanted attention, but she unintentionally jumps on this roller coaster of events that she was predestined for.  She wasn't a character that really stuck out to me, but she did surprise me every now and again with some of her decisions.
Now I hear that there will be a love triangle in the sequel to this, so before I go any further, I must pronounce that at the moment I am completely Team Lucas.  Usually the uber hot guy in the book turns out to be a total jerk wad.  He's not cocky and overconfident and annoying.  He's absolutely gorgeous and he knows it, but he doesn't care for it.  He'd much rather take care of his family and Helen than get all fascinated in the angle of his jaw.  Umm, if there actually is a guy like this out there, I'd totally be all over that.  Just saying.
However, the story was not something I was content with the entire time.  Especially in the beginning, I was confused.  There was just so much emotion and I didn't feel as if there was enough description or the delivery was off.  I found myself rereading sentences, trying to understand what was happening or how it was happening.  There were many awkward moments, but I didn't mind them all because they were flawlessly dealt with, creating it to be not as awkward as it would have been in real life. 

Other than that, I absolutely loved this book.  I can't wait to pick up the second book to the saga and see what will happen with Helen and the others.  My only issue will be about the love triangle.  I get forbidden love and all, but when you add a love triangle to the situation, I feel as if things get too soap opera drama-like.  I cannot wait to learn more about this new world Josephine has created with the demigods and I cannot wait to meet the villains because they are pure evil!

Cheers!

And don't forget to enter my Six Month Blogoversary!  It ends at the end of this month!

Join the Flirt Squad!

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

There's prizes, of course:

First level (25 points): A Super Sweet bookmark and tattoo

Second level (75 points): All prizes above PLUS a set of trading cards (your very own pocket-sized Lorenzo and Cat!), and a Super Sweet bracelet

Third level (150 points): All prizes above PLUS your name in the acknowledgements of book 2 in the Super Sweet series, A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES

Fourth level (250 points): All prizes above PLUS a special note from me inviting you to the sequel to My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES, including a special sneak peek!

ALL Participants who Reach Fifth Level (500 points): All prizes above PLUS an entry into a drawing to make a special appearance as a character in a future book.

And the FIRST to Fifth Level (500 points): Wins all the prizes above PLUS a sparkly tiara (you ARE an official Sweet Sixteen diva now after all), and a special necklace with the cover of my book as a charm.

How to join, hmm?

Just email the lovely author, Rachel Harris, at FlirtSquad@gmail.com.  Don't forget to mention to Rachel that I, Millie Dixon, referred you to join the Flirt Squad!  In the email, don't forget to also include your:

• Name
• Blog name
• And your email!

It's simply that simple!  No hurry up and join the fun to win some goodies!  I'm sure we have cookies somewhere.....





Team Human by Sarah Rees Brennan and Justine Larbalestier

I must apologize for kind of disappearing off the face of blogger this past week.  I've been very busy recently and reading Team Human took much longer than I expected it would.  Luckily, I've had a some giveaways to keep you busy while I was gone!

Winner of the Rift giveaway: Monica Lopez
You have been emailed!

The Synopsis:
Just because Mel lives in New Whitby, a city founded by vampires, doesn't mean she knows any of the blood-drinking undead personally. They stay in their part of town; she says in hers. Until the day a vampire shows up at her high school. Worse yet, her best friend, Cathy, seems to be falling in love with him. It's up to Mel to save Cathy from a mistake she might regret for all eternity
On top of trying to help Cathy (whether she wants it or not), Mel is investigating a mysterious disappearance for another friend and discovering the attractions of a certain vampire wannabe. Combine all this with a cranky vampire cop, a number of unlikely romantic entanglements, and the occasional zombie, and soon Mel is hip-deep in an adventure that is equal parts hilarious and touching.
Acclaimed authors Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan team up to create a witty and poignant story of cool vampires, warm friendships, and the changes that test the bonds of love.


My Thoughts:
I don't know if it was because I was busy or the beginning was actually a bit slow, but it took me a while to get into the story.  It could even be a combination of both.  Either way, the beginning half was slow going for me.

Mel is 100% anti-vampire.  Every cell in her body hated even the mention of them.  She's not quite she why other than the fact that they're old and creepy and don't laugh and now one is dating her best friend, Cathy.  I loved the fierce loyalty she had for her friends and she felt as if it were her duty to prevent Cathy from making the gravest mistake of her life. (The pun was intended.)  I loved how set she was in her path to help Cathy see her logic, but I found it annoying at times and it made her look naive, too.  However, what great character isn't without their flaws?  If they don't have them in the first place, how will they ever learn their lesson? 

Kit, our vampire wannabe, was absolutely adorable.  Mel and Anna labeled him as hot somewhere in the book, but I thought he was adorable with his cute quirks and his driving (you'll understand if you read the book).  The only reason why I don't really find him smoking hot is because I didn't get that impression much from Mel and other characters in the book and I feel as if there wasn't enough imagery.  I am not a Team Vampire person, so him being Team Vampire was the only thing that bothered me--but not by much because he's Kit.  He was smart and always smiling and I couldn't wait for him to be on the page because his unwavering happiness and optimism seeped from the book.

There was no action or adventure to this book, but there was detective work and mystery.  Being a huge Monk fan who's read some of the books, I love myself some detective/mystery stuff on occasion.  That being said, I was really glad to read about this mystery that was beautifully spun all the way to the very end.  Along with Mel's witty humor that would actually have me laughing along with the characters and the unraveling mystery, it was what kept me hooked.

Least to say, I almost did a happy dance when I finished the book earlier today.  Surprisingly, even though I was not hooked in the beginning, I became emotionally attached to the characters.  I had a moment.  It wasn't a waterworks moment, but it was a little sprinkler-works moment.  I admit that I did feel ALL THE EMOTIONS.  I'm not ashamed.

If you're looking for a light and entertaining, Team Human is the one.  I wasn't sure what to exactly expect, but I was certainly surprised by the end of the book.  I was happy and sad and confused and upset.  It was also one of the most hilarious reads I've ever read.  Team Human was up there with Croak by Gina Damico on the humor scale, most definitely. 

So, read it, for sure.