Join in on Burns Night!

You guys heard about the epic party Jeri Smith Ready's throwing? No? Then read more about it here!

It's all in celebration of Burns Night, which is a pretty big celebration in Scotland! But here's a rundown on what's gonna happen: (which, I admit, I just copy pasted then edited :D)

Our planned activities for Wednesday, January 25:

"Ask a Real Scotsman" Twitter Q&A with Glasgow native and brilliant photographer Fraser McFarlane.

Time: 4PM EST

Hashtag #RealScotsman.

Twitter chat with Zachary Moore from the Shade series and Aiden MacRae fromCyndi Tefft's Between.

Time: 10pm EST

Hashtag #FakeScotsmen.

Logan and Aura will also be around for the chat.

--Note the plural "men" in this hashtag, and yes, Zach's a man now, having turned eighteen this past winter solstice. You can read all about that in Shine--very soon if you win an ARC!

Other Assorted Nonsense

• Since the celebration of Burns Night centers around haggis, Zachary will at some point recite Burns's "Address to a Haggis," or a shortened version thereof.
• Being a bit defensive about the dish, Zach will post pics throughout the day on the SHADEboys tumblr of Foods More Revolting Than Haggis. (Oh look, he's started already.)
• Possibly there'll be a Toast to the Lassies and a smart-ass response from Aura.
• Cyndi Tefft will be blogging all day long about Scotland and giving away copies of Between and Aiden's Angels swag!
• TeamKilt swag will be given away all week by KiltandKeeley.com.
• Jeri will give away copious amounts of exclusive TeamKilt autographed personalized bookplates for SHADE, SHIFT, and SHINE. These will feature all covers, including new, old, paperback, hardcover, and UK versions. Collect all 9! NOTE: These bookplates will only ever ever ever be available during TeamKilt events.

All Things Scottish giveaway hop, hosted by For What It's Worth. Go to the bottom of the post to see what Favorite Scottish Things people are giving away, or to link to your own giveaway.

Get Your Scot On festival of random fun, hosted by Fictitious Delicious. 

Zachary will post songs, poems, and pics of Foods More Revolting than Haggis on the SHADEboys tumblr.

Sya at Mountains of Instead and Fraser McFarlane of Street Spirit Photography will argue for the superiority of Edinburgh and Glasgow, respectively.

PLEASE NOTE: the official Twitter hashtag for the day's festivities will be #TKBurnsNight, not #BurnsNight. A few million other people might be using #BurnsNight on that date.

So yeah, that's it. More or less. It's all very long, and a bit confusing. ;) So yeah, just check it out! It sounds like fun! :D

Jen @ Midnight Book Thief

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Shade by Jeri-Smith Ready: Review

Yup, three different versions of the cover for your viewing pleasure. :)

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Yes, I am ashamed to say that I just recently read Shade by Jeri-Smith Ready. I wasn't gonna, but so many factors pushed it up the TBR pile. First, during the Crush Tourney, Shade was buzzed about, and Zach was able to beat Tod. Plus, I heard so many good things about it. And a few weeks ago, I joined an author chat held by Mundie Moms that was a part of the Crossroads Blog Tour, and Jeri actually talked to me! It was so cool being able to chat with so many amazing authors. (Including the awesome Rachel Vincent! I was soo happy!) Jeri was really nice, so it just made me want to read her book more.

And I've decided on a new way of reviewing. It will be broken down into four parts, like what I've done below. Let me know whether you guys like it. So enough of me blathering, and on the the review.

The Bad:
The pace. I understand that Shade is a love story. I usually avoid these, since I'm not a fan of stories which are purely about romance, but the ghost aspect made me read it. However, the pace was a bit slow. I couldn't see the point of the story at first, and felt that it was a bit dragging. However, just bear with it, since it quickly picks up later on.

The Good: 
The plot. Beneath it all, the concept was totally unique. The idea that everyone after the Shift can see ghosts? Cool. The whole ghosts-turn-to-Shades when they get mad? Epic. Plus the love triangle between the ghost of the dead boyfriend and the new sexy Scottish student? Loved it. Jeri-Smith Ready gives us a fresh new take on paranormal romance.

The mystery. Luckily, there's a bit of mystery involved. What's up with Aura's mom? And what's the deal with her being the First and Zach being the Last? How is Aura able to turn Shades back to ghosts? How is Zach able to ward off ghosts? These questions left me hanging, wanting to read more.

The Awesome:
The ending. Okay, the ending was epic. It made up for whatever flaws the story had. It was heartbreaking and painful to read. I could feel Aura's pain when Logan turned shade. The part where Logan said "Don't wait for me!"? I got goosebumps. I devoured the last few pages, needing to know how it ended.

The love triangle. Yes, I hate love triangles. But I can't help but take sides in this one. Team Kilt, in favor of the sexy Scot Zachary Moore? Or Team Logan, the talented rocker ghost? Personally, I'm Team Kilt. Logan was too whiny and irresponsible for me. Zach though, was there for Aura through it all. But during the last few pages, I somehow connected more with Logan and I felt really sorry for him. Who knows, I might change sides after reading Shift.

The Rating: 
So overall, I loved it. I was able to look past whatever I didn't like about it, and I loved the world Jeri created, the mystery surrounding it, and the unforgettable cast she made. I'm giving Shade 4 out of 5 stars. This book is for those who love love triangles and choosing sides. And if you like a little mystery and a good heart-wrenching story, then pick this book up now!

Jen @ Midnight Book Thief

PS- I totally dissected the book, don't you think? :P

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So did you love Shade? Which cover was your favorite? Leave your thoughts below!