Universal Alien Blog Tour - Jeff and Kitty's Top 10 Vacation Spots

I'm happy to announce that today I'm hosting a tour stop for Gini Koch's Universal Alien Blog tour!

Universal Alien, book 10 in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt series will release next month. All books in this series have been awesome, but fans of the series all have their favorite book, character, or event. I for example still think the first book in this series is the best, if only because it made me fall head over heels for this series. When I picked up Touched By An Alien I didn't expect to love it as much as I do, and I certainly hadn't expected so many awesome books would follow after that first one.

Talking about favorites:
To celebrate the upcoming release this blog tour is all about top 10's!
Today will feature Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini’s Top Ten Fave Vacation Spots, but be sure to keep an eye on Gini's blog for more tour stops and top 10's.

And don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway!



Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini’s Top Ten Fave Vacation Spots

10. Alternate realities. Okay, that’s in Kitty’s Top 10. Jeff’s not so excited about this one.

9. Anywhere that gets us away from Washington, D.C. Because most places are cool, fun, and have cool people in them.

8. Disneyland. If we have to explain that, we don’t necessarily want to hang with you.

7. Europe. Yes, all of it.

6. Chicago, great food and great people.

5. Australia. Yes, all of it.

4. New York City, ‘cause it’s cool and fun and never sleeps.

3. Paris, France, despite all the stuff that’s happened there.

2. Las Vegas, because that’s where our daughter was conceived, and it’s also cool and fun and never sleeps.

1. Cabo. If you have to ask why, you haven’t read the books about us, have you?



About Universal Alien:
Being the wife of the Vice President isn’t easy. Especially when your talents lie in kicking butt and rocking out…
Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini find out just how easy it is for the wife of the Vice President of the United States to unintentionally insult an ally. Now they have to smooth things over with the Australian Prime Minister, pronto, or risk creating an international incident the worldwide anti-alien coalitions will be able to use to force Jeff to resign and the A-Cs to leave the planet.
But before Kitty can make things worse, a cosmic congruence and a little help from some powerful beings shoves her into another world -- one where she’s been married to Charles Reynolds for years and aliens don’t exist. She’s also landed in the middle of a huge conspiracy and is marked for death…but at least that’s business as usual.
Kitty’s not the only one confused, because the Kitty from that world has taken her place in this one. Now Alpha Team and the Diplomatic Corps have to make sure that no one spots that there’s been a switch, while keeping World War III from happening. And they have to do so while keeping this new Kitty in line, because she has views about what to do and how to it, and time is running out.
Can both Kittys save their respective days before it’s too late to go home to the universes they belong to? Or will one Kitty decide to keep the other’s life…forever?




About Gini Koch:
Gini Koch writes the fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, the Necropolis Enforcement Files series, and the Martian Alliance Chronicles series. Alien in the House, Book 7 in her long-running Alien series, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award as the Best Futuristic Romance of 2013. As G.J. Koch she writes the Alexander Outland series and she’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch. Currently, Gini has stories featured in the Unidentified Funny Objects 3, Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, and Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets anthologies, and, writing as J.C. Koch, in Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, The Madness of Cthulhu, Vol. 1, and A Darke Phantastique anthologies. She will also have a story in the first book in an X-Files anthology series coming out in 2015. Gini can be reached via her website: www.ginikoch.com

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Giveaway:
Gini is offering one winner the choice of one of any of the first 9 books in the Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt Series (Touched by an Alien, Alien Tango, Alien in the Family, Alien Proliferation, Alien Diplomacy, Alien vs. Alien, Alien in the House, Alien Research, or Alien Collective), signed and personalized. Open internationally.

Rules:
The winner is Missy Katano

- The winner has been contacted by email
- Pearls Cast Before A McPig & Gini Koch are not responsible for any prizes getting lost in the mail.

Clockwork Angel - Book Review

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)
by Cassandra Clare

What is it about:
The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...

What did I think of it:
I'm really enjoying the Mortal Instruments series, so decided to give this prequel series a try as well.

And this first book is awesome!

I will confess I think I like this series even better than the Mortal Instruments series. The story is suspenseful, full of mystery, and has really intriguing events and characters.

I will confess Clare still manages to make some things predictable, especially with her use of names, but I didn't mind. The lead characters were a bit too trusting and gullible at times as well, but maybe I'm just a jaded piggy.

There's an obvious love triangle forming, but to my surprise I actually got into it, and I'm curious how it will play out. I like both Will and Jem, so I might not even be let down by the outcome.

The other characters are really interesting as well. I especially liked Henry, the husband of the leader of the London Shadowhunter Institute. And Magnus Bane is in this series as well! I'm thinking of buying The Bane Chronicles, because Magnus is a very cool and fun character.

All in all I loved this book and I will certainly read the rest of the trilogy. In fact I ordered the other two books soon after finishing this one, if only to console myself because I won't be able to attend a signing of Cassandra Clare this weekend as I hoped: She'll be in Belgium instead of the Netherlands and that's too far away for me.

Why should you read it:
It's a really cool Steampunkish YA read.

On McPig's Wishlist - The Heir

The first three books in this series were very entertaining, so I'm definitely going to give this book a try.


The Heir (The Selection #4)
by Kiera Cass

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.


Expected publication: May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen

Universal Alien - Early Book Review

Universal Alien (Katherine "Kitty" Katt #10)
by Gini Koch

What is it about:
Issues with Australia need to be straightened out, so the White House sends the Vice President and his wife, aka Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, over to handle the situation. But before Kitty can make things worse, she’s suddenly in another world -- one where she’s been married to Charles Reynolds for years and aliens don’t exist.

Kitty’s not the only one confused, because the Kitty from that world has taken her place in this one. Can they both save their respective days before it’s too late to go home to the universes they belong to, or will one Kitty decide to keep the other’s life… forever?

What did Voodoo Bride and I think of it:
We fell in love with the series when we read the first book, Touched by an Alien, and the books after that first one have only deepened that love. So we were looking forward to reading Universal Alien.

I will confess we were just a little bit apprehensive. Kitty is married to Chuckie in that other universe? I know many fans of this series love Chuckie, but Voodoo Bride and I have never liked him. But after 9 awesome books, we trusted Gini Koch enough to not be too worried. We were sure she would handle it in a way that would make us love this book.

And she did!

Wow! This book is right there in the top three of our favorite books in this series. Gini not only manages to pull the Kitty switch off in a way that had me rooting for both Kitty's, she also manages to have both Kitty's get involved in suspenseful intrigues. At first these seem separated, but it soon becomes clear these two universes may have more in common with each other than just superficial similarities.

I loved reading how both Kitty's try to adapt and save the day. Our Kitty meets lots of doppelgangers of people she knows in the other universe, and I liked seeing how these people were so very different, yet the same, all due to making different choices in life, or due to different events. I even started rooting for characters in the other universe, who never really clicked with me in the regular Kitty universe. (Nope: still not liking Chuckie.)

All in all this is yet another crazy, fun, and action-packed adventure that is a must read for fans of this series. And if you haven't started on this series yet: get going! This series is too awesome to miss out on.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool, fun, and wacky SciFi read.

Teaser Tuesdays - Clockwork Prince

The second book in a trilogy. I'm very much enjoying it so far.


His flashing eyes came to rest on Tessa then, and he stopped abruptly, his mouth open, as if he had been slapped in the face mid sentence. Tessa glanced at Jem; he looked as startled as she did at Starckweather's sudden silence.

(page 104/105, Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare)




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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Compelled - Book Review

Compelled (Coveted #3)
by Shawntelle Madison

What is it about:
For the past five years, Natalya Stravinsky has dreamed of two things: to rejoin the South Toms River werewolf pack and to be reunited with Thorn Grantham. Fate may have brought the pack back into her life, but unless she journeys to Russia to save Thorn, the love she’s found may be lost again. For a stubborn werewolf like Natalya, no distance is too far, no magic spell too complex to master, because one way or another she will find a way to have everything she has ever wanted.

What did I think of it:
I very much enjoyed the first two book in this series, so was very happy to get my trotters on a signed version of Compelled. Some reviewers seemed to be disappointed by this book though, so I was afraid to start on it, and only recently picked it up from my TBR-pile.

And I must say I really liked it!

Thorn being cursed and losing his strength meant that he wasn't as annoyingly present as in the last book. Yes: he may be Natalya's love interest, but I do not like him. So without Thorn constantly in Natalya's way, trying to wipe her nose for her, she could actually get the job done.

Some of the characters from the previous books got more depth and screentime, and there were some interesting new characters as well. I was a little bummed that my favorite character had just disappeared and wasn't in this book, but that is a minor grumble.

Overall this book is fun, full of action, and very entertaining. This is the last book in this series as far as I know, and it does end satisfying where it comes to Natalya and her quests. There are some things left open for other characters, so I'm curious if Madison will address those in novella's or spin-off books. I will keep my eyes out for news!

Why should you read it:
It's a really fun Urban Fantasy read

TBR Orphans Challenge - Update

A new month started, so time to see how we did on the TBR Orphans Challenge.

I read two books this month that have been in my 'To Be Read'pile for more than 3 months:

Compelled by Shawntelle Madison - I got this book at the start of June this year.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - Had only just turned into an orphan when I started on it.

That is a total of 21 orphans read so far this year!

How did you do on your challenges in October?