In My Mailbox (100)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

For Review:

 

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds, #2) by Alexandra Bracken (Thanks to Disney-Hyperion)

 

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

 

Taste Test by Kelly Fiore (Thanks to Walker Childrens)

 

Nora Henderson has been basting baby back ribs for as long as she could reach the counter of her dad's famous barbecue joint. When she's accepted to Taste Test, a teen reality cooking competition, Nora can't wait to leave her humble hometown behind. On set, run-ins with the maddeningly handsome and talented son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, make Nora wonder if it's him or the win she really wants, but as she and Christian emerge as front-runners for the final prize, Nora can't ignore the mysterious accidents plaguing the kitchen arena. Someone is conducting eliminations of their own, and if Nora doesn't stop them, she could be next to get "chopped" for good.

With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.

 The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1) by Alexandra Bracken

 

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn (Thanks to CreateSpace)

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.






Happy Weekend!!!

Happy Birthday Brooke!!!  My sister turned 33 yesterday and while I got to celebrate with her last weekend I wish I could be there this weekend to party it up with her!  I've told her and I'll say the same to you guys....this picture says it all...do what makes you happy and go for it!!!

And on a side note...one of my best friends Whitney and her husband John are celebrating their 1st wedding anniversary tomorrow and I couldn't be happier for them!  They found their perfect match and other half and I can only hope that every year is as wonderful for them as this first year was!

 

Blog Tour & Guest Post: My LIfe as a Lumberjack or how I fell for the wrong guys by Sara Olds

 Writing Humor—A Serious Business

 “My Life As a Lumberjack Or How I Fell for the Wrong Guy(s)” is a comedy on steroids. But as I was writing it, I realized that writing great comedy is a tough job. I’ve read tons of books which describe themselves as comedies but while they may start out funny, or even end up funny but to maintain pages and pages of smirks, grins and giggles is plain old fashioned hard.

 

The action must be fast. Your language clever and plot twists must come out of nowhere. And, I certainly hope I’ve accomplished those things. Here are a few things I tried to keep in mind to keep the energy soaring.

 

One thing that made writing Benz (nickname for Mercedes Bennion) fun was that she says just about anything that comes to her mind. Sometimes that gets her into trouble, and sometimes she might even come across as a little snarky. But who isn’t snarky now and then? The humor came because she was unpredictable.

 

I played and played with words and tone. Things like:  Sometimes I love playing dumb. 

“Oh thank you, Norm! Could you show me, just one more time how to do this?

You’re so good at it.” Yeah, I could do the helpless card when convenient.

I enjoyed the starlit hike — yes, hike — Norm took a couple of us on.

Me, Norm, the dark=awesooome.

 

There’s a solid mixture of physical slapstick comedy like getting stuck in a watering trough, a bad day in a porta potty (try not to cringe), a riot at Boy’s Blazer Camp and a rather complicated 

interaction with a flagpole (and in case you’re wondering…that actually happened as unbelievable as it may seem.)

 

And I used a lot favorite of Benz’s tool—sarcasm. Like her comments about the pair of mean girls in the program:

I wondered if slapping Tracy or Kim might get me fired.

Watching them made me feel like I wanted to throw up.

“Go, Conor, go!” Like a pair of inept cheerleaders, they’d wriggled and cheered when he was serving. And serving. And serving.

“You’re sooooo good, Conor!”

“Sooooo strong!”

“Sooooo forceful!”

“Soooo athletic!”

I’m going to be soooo sick!

 

Even some of the names carry humor: Norm (who one might expect to be geeky—no offense to the Norms of the world) is actually as handsome as a Norse god.  Mercedes – Benz (who btw you can tell the “dumb” people in the book because they all make a comment about her name and how it’s similar to the car) Dan (gorgeous-er than the day is long) gets his own name: Dan-Dan the Mountain man.

 

So when writing humor, remember it may not be as easy as you think. I found it worked well to have friends read the rough pages just to get the humorous beats right. And that was scary to let them see the non-polished story.

 

It’s important to keep the energy going, look for places to throw in unexpected twists, push the  

exaggeration (but watch out readers may say “but that can’t really happen!” Just smile and know 

you’ve pushed that envelope as far as you could.)

 

Also, if you’re great with words, use puns, irony and the fav teenism—sarcasm.

 

I’m tickled pink with the way “My Life as a Lumberjack” turned out and there are even parts that 

after reading them a billion and a half times I still laugh. And I think that’s about as good as any 

author can hope for!

 

**Thank you so much for stopping by Sara!!  And for you readers, the fun doesn't stop there...we've also got this great giveaway for you to check out and enter for your chance to win!!

 



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Review: Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Wickedly hilarious and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love—all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and doll-sized cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep.

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering, what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life years of early adulthood. These are the years when everyone else seems to have a plan, a great job, and an appropriate boyfriend, while Isabella has a blind date with a gay man, Mary has a crush on her boss, and Lauren has a goldfish named Willard. Through boozy family holidays and disastrous ski vacations, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

This was one of the first titles I checked out hoping to break myself out of my reading rut and luckily it did just that!  It might not fall into the YA category, but it was a fun and mostly light read that had me entertained from start to finish.  A book centering around three best friends who find themselves sorting out their lives and hoping for the best while at the same time, weathering some difficult and disappointing times along the way.

As a lot of people know, once you hit your mid-twenties, there seems to be no end in sight to what many refer to as wedding season.  There's always that first friend who gets engaged and then married, but it doesn't stop after that.  It's got a snowball effect that I found myself experiencing the past two years.  These girls featured in this story knew just how I felt.  All of their friends around them seemed to either be getting engaged, getting married, or having babies.  Nothing wrong with that, but I'll admit that once you've been a bridesmaid a few times, the allure and excitement tends to wear off.  It's not necessarily a chore, but once you've been through one wedding and know what's expected or what could be expected of you....well things change.

These girls saw dollar signs flashing in their eyes as the tasks added up that were involved with the celebrations they were apart of, and I found myself laughing, and empathizing with them as they rehashed horror stories of brides that forget themselves, mothers who don't realize that not everyone wants to discuss graphic topics of birthing children or trying to conceive these children, let alone at a dinner table where everyone's trying to enjoy their meals and casual conversation.

So while there were moments where a lot of what these girls discussed and went through hit very close to home, and had me shaking my head in empathy, there were also tons of moments where I found myself laughing out loud and wanting to read certain scenes over and over again.

A perfect light and fun read that you might want to take advantage of this summer, if not very soon!

Blog Tour: The Forgotten (The Lux Guardians, #1) by Saruuh Kelsey

Today I'm lucky enough to be a part of The Forgotten tour and couldn't be more excited to share with you guys this great upcoming release and all the other fun stuff on the tour!!

 

About the Author:

 

Saruuh Kelsey is a young author living in The Middle of Nowhere, England with an addiction to

 

semantics, literature, and Doctor Who. Saruuh writes dystopian and fantasy novels for young adults

 

and runs far too many blogs. ​ ​​

 

Social Media Links:

 

Author Website

 

Twitter

 

Goodreads

 

And now for some details on the upcoming release....

 

Good and goodness will prevail.

 

Honour and Horatia Frie are twins living in a world of wreck and ruin.

 

Forgotten London is a dismal place of containment, rationing, and a four-family-per-house regulation. Twenty five years ago the world was set ablaze when solar flares obliterated three quarters of the Earth’s population and wiped out whole continents in one blow. The flares brought

with them The Sixteen Strains: agonizing and fatal diseases that plague each of the forty one zones of Forgotten London and the rest of the world. The only places that escaped fatal damage were two countries now known as The Cities – States and Bharat. The rest of the world – The Forgotten Lands – is contained within borders for the people’s protection against even deadlier Strains outside the barrier. But fifteen year old Honour thinks differently. He thinks that they’re kept inside the fence for other, more menacing reasons. He thinks that States are planning to kill them.

 

 

Branwell and Bennet Ravel are twins living in a world of danger and secrecy. In Victorian London, years before the solar flares hit, the Ravels’ world has just been turned upside down. Their father, poisoned by something even genius Branwell can’t determine, has passed away.  His dying words were unnerving orders to keep each other safe no matter the cost, and to hide everything he has ever invented. When one of his creations goes missing – a device named The Lux that can generate unlimited energy – the twins are shocked to discover that their very own government has stolen it and, according to their father’s journals, are planning to use it to create unfathomable explosions to destroy their world.

 

 

The Ravel twins will have to find and reclaim The Lux if they are to stop their world’s planned destruction, but when they’re transported to an unfamiliar, derelict world, the search for the device

will become harder than ever. Honour and Horatia, against all odds, will have to find a way to stop

States before the remainder of Earth is eradicated and their world is lost for good, or somehow get every single citizen of Forgotten London outside of the fence.

 

And as part of the tour, Saruuh has been kind enough to share an excerpt from the book with us...check it out!

 

I roll my eyes, and unlatch the top half of the door. It’s one of those old stable doors. I wonder if this was a stable at one time. It doesn’t seem big enough to fit the giant horses that the military sometimes ride, but I don’t know what life was like whenever this shack was built. It’s older than Forgotten London, that’s for sure.

 

I swing the door open to look out and see if anyone’s around but the door smacks into something hard. I have barely enough time to glimpse the small band of Officials, and the man the door hit as he covers his bloody nose, before the shooting starts.

 

Yosiah reacts immediately, as always. He’s level headed as he grabs my arm and steers me back through the shed. The girl is sniffling and close beside me. I take her hand as Yosiah throws open the

back door and we run.

 

Outside is blindingly orange and on the horizon I can see patches of red and white. There’s an old phrase Yosiah says about skies like these. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Or is it shepherds?  I don’t know what it means, or why I’m thinking of it now. My thoughts are all fragmented and messed up—

 

Don’t get shot. Don’t stop running. What are we going to eat tonight? Where are we going to sleep? Don’t get shot. Don’t let Yosiah get shot. Who is this girl and what are we still doing with her? Don’t get shot.

 

I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait until this series opener gets released!  I've put the links below if you're interested in checking this book out for youselves, and don't forget to follow along with the rest of the tour stops, you won't want to miss out on all the fun and exciting stuff the other blogs have got going on!  But that's not all....we've got a giveaway!!!!!

 

 

Goodreads

 

Download it digitally for free!

 

or...

 

Sign up for a free paperback!

 

(It's recomennded that you download digitally and request a paperback simultaneously so that you aren't waititng to read it.)

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Review: Refugee (The Captive, #3) by Erica Stevens

Whispers, rumors, and horror stories abound about The Barrens and the strange creatures that lurk within them. Determined to find the remaining vampires that stood against his father in the war, Braith knows that it’s dangerous to enter the inhospitable land, but that they must if they are to have a chance at gaining allies to help overthrow the king. Though he once knew the powerful vampires that are rumored to reside within The Barrens, he is unsure what to expect if they succeed in finding them. He will do whatever is necessary though to ensure a future for himself and Aria.

Aria is fearful of entering into the land she’s heard nothing but cautionary tales about, but she’s determined to help Braith locate the vampires that may help them with their cause. She is fascinated and amazed by the world they uncover within, one that is unlike anything she has ever seen before. However, the more immersed they become in a world that she doesn’t entirely understand, the more she realizes that it won’t be the war, or even the king that will eventually tear her and Braith apart.

It will be her.

 

I think it's safe to say that the chemistry between Braith and Aria is in no danger of dissipating if Stevens has anything to say about it.  I kept waiting as I made my way through each installment in this series for the two of them to get tiring, or for their relationship and all the obstacles and turmoil that goes hand in hand to bore me, but it never happened.  Without delivering spoilers I have to issue up a warning to all those getting ready to read this third installment...you might want to wait until you can get the fourth book in your hands before you get started.  I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for the fourth installment, but if I hadn't, after turning the final page in this title I might have suffered a breakdown.  Stevens triumphs yet again with her legendary cliffhangers that have readers throwing their books across rooms, undergoing emotional roller coasters with no end in sight...it could get ugly.

 

The added characters this time around really sold me all the way.  The new dynamics between the characters, the relationships that develop with these new introductions, as well the continued ones that only deepen their connections, it was all artfully done by Stevens.  I'm not sure that I can narrow down any favorite characters with so many to choose from and for so many reasons.  But I can say this...Xander is definitely in my sights.  There's something about him, maybe its how he always appears to be taking everything in, calculating how everything can and will work out, weighing the options laid out before them, it's hard to wrap your head around what all could possibly be going through his mind at any given moment.  He's definitely a character to watch and one I look forward to seeing more of in the next book.

 

It all comes down to what readers think of the series as a whole.  As for myself, this third installment was equally as exciting and eventful as the previous two and I can't wait to see what Stevens has in store for her readers through the wonderful characters many have come to know and love.

In My Mailbox (99)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

For Review:

 

Strikeforce (Starship Academy, #3) by Nick James (Thanks to Flux)

 

Two brothers battle for one planet's fate.

 

Earth is under attack by the alien Authority. Cassius Stevenson and his brother Jesse Fisher, descendants of the planet Haven’s resistance forces, are the catalyst and key to marshaling Earth's remaining resources and warding off the invasion.

 

But the Authority has only begun to fight. Their terrible new weapon sends Earth's defenders—Skyship soldiers, the Surface government, and an army of Drifters—into turmoil. Alliances shift, traitors are revealed, and soon Earth's last chance at salvation lies in the hands of one brother who must make the ultimate sacrifice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quarantine: The Loners (Quarantine, #1) by Lex Thomas (Thanks to Egmont USA)

 

It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning.

A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you’re as good as dead. And David has no gang. It’s just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school.

In this frighteningly dark and captivating novel, Lex Thomas locks readers inside a school where kids don’t fight to be popular, they fight to stay alive.

 

Quarantine: The Saints (Quarantine, #2) by Lex Thomas (Thanks to Egmont USA)

 

A cross between the Gone series and Lord of the Flies, Quarantine #2: The Saints contunues this frenetically paced and scary young adult series that illustrates just how deadly high school can be.

Nothing was worse than being locked in—until they opened the door...
McKinley High has been a battle ground for eighteen months since a virus outbreak led to a military quarantine of the school. When the doors finally open, Will and Lucy will think their nightmare is finished. But they are gravely mistaken.

As a new group of teens enters the school and gains popularity, Will and Lucy join new gangs. An epic party on the quad full of real food and drinks, where kids hookup and actually interact with members of other gangs seemed to signal a new, easier existence. Soom after though, the world inside McKinley takes a startling turn for the worse, and Will and Lucy will have to fight harder than ever to survive.

The Saints brings readers back to the dark and deadly halls of McKinley High and the QUARANTINE series.

**There's a contest going on over at Goodreads for a chance to win one of 5 copies that ends July 5th!!

 

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook & Brendan Halpin (Thanks to Egmont USA)

 

A hint of Recovery Road, a sample of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and a cut of Juno. A Really Awesome Mess is a laugh-out-loud, gut-wrenching/heart-warming story of two teenagers struggling to find love and themselves.

Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy.
Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising position, Justin's summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents' divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.

Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog-- and Emmy definitely doesn't. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.

Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.

A funny, sad, and remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.

Happy Weekend!!

I might not be headed to Paris this weekend but I am in NYC visiting my sister and brother-in-law and celebrating B's 33rd birthday!  I'm taking the train up to Manhattan so I'll have a little bit of time to kill which I plan to use to catch up on some reading I've been itching to get through :)

 

Enjoy your weekend and as always...Happy Reading!!!

 

Cover Reveal: A Taylor-Made Life by Kary Rader

About the Author:

 

 

 

Kary Rader is a stay-at-home mother of three, avid reader and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head. Her book Queen of Jastain, published by Crescent Moon Press released this past April. Kary is currently in the process of self-publishing a book that is close to heart, and is sure to touch the lives of all the readers that encounter it. A Taylor-Made Life releases this summer. 

 

Always creative, she’s drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished with words. It’s the power of words that creates and destroys.

 

Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day’s work. And with the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life.

Social Media Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Cheerleader Taylor Smith doesn’t want to die a virgin. Unfortunately, if the terminally-ill leukemia patient doesn't find a lover or a stem-cell match within months, her fear will become reality. But when her cancer mentor is revealed to be a hottie entrepreneur from California, it seems fate might finally be on her side.

Tech-geek Gavin Taylor has everything he ever wanted, except someone to grieve for him when he's gone. With his melanoma cancer beyond the help of his riches, he agrees to participate in a cancer patient mentoring program where he's matched with a dying teen from Texas. Despite his immediate attraction, the Silicon Valley whiz intends only to provide friendship and happy memories to the beautiful, young woman who is determined to win his love.

When it's discovered that his frozen sperm and her harvested eggs could lead to a cure, Taylor's mother offers to be a surrogate. And Gavin must decide if he can risk the heart he has never given and a child he'll never know to a girl he just met.

And now it's time for the GIVEAWAY!!!!

Kary decided she wanted to include a giveaway for you fabulous readers out there and below you'll find the rules and the rafflecopter for your chance to win....

A signed copy of Kary's book Queen of Jastain, and E-ARC of A Taylor-Made Life and a charm bracelet.

Giveaway Rules:

• Giveaway begins June 21st and will end June 24th 11:59 EST. The winner will be announced on June 24th on Kary Rader's Facebook page.

• Open to U.S. residents only

• We are not responsible for items lost in the mail & have the right to disqualify anyone, at any time.

• Personal information given by the applicant in the giveaway will never be shared. All information is deleted once the giveaway ends.



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Review: Renegade (The Captive, #2) by Erica Stevens

Though she is free of the palace, rescued from her position as a blood slave, Aria is haunted by the memories of her time spent within the fortress, tormented by memories of Braith, the prince that betrayed her and shattered her heart.

Every day is a struggle to get through, and the only solace she is able to find is with Max, her best friend, and fellow captive. Though Max does not understand her bond to Braith, he knows some of what she endured, and helps to ease some of the tattered pieces of her soul. Aria slowly begins to salvage the broken parts of her wounded spirit by throwing herself into the wonder of the woods she had so greatly missed, and the secure and reassuring love that Max freely gives her. Her world is thrown into a tailspin again though when a marauding group of vampires destroy the caves she had found temporary shelter in.

Scattered about the forest, seeking to stay hidden and find her family, Aria is stunned when Braith, the monster that savaged her heart, reappears. Stunned by his sudden arrival in her world, Arianna is uncertain if he has come to recapture her, or to kill her for daring to escape.

After Stevens left us with that crazy and heart breaking ending in Captured, I was crossing my fingers and really hoping for this next installment to turn things around for Aria and Braith.  While I was excited to see the two of them facing off yet again, it took me a while to get used to seeing them outside of the palace.  My heart was breaking for Aria while she was attempting to get back to her "normal" every day life, while also trying to convince everyone around her that her circumstances and experience within the palace was not what she was expecting, nor what they've all convinced themselves it was.

I'll admit that I was feeling very bad for Max and watching him try to deal with his gruesome experience while he was a blood slave was just so sad.  But that didn't last long...he, like everyone else around Aria refused to believe that their captivity was different and it just grated on my nerves the way he was trying to force his opinions and feelings on her, when really all was he doing was treating her like an ignorant child who couldn't differentiate fiction from reality.  And once Aria and Braith were brought back together, his behavior put me over the edge for sure!

The adventure most certainly continued and nearly gave me an anxiety attack whenever Aria was on the run.  But seeing her in her natural environment of the woods and what she was capable of had me rooting for her like a cheerleader throughout each of her action packed scenes.  At times I found it hard to be on the outside looking in and just wanted to shake everyone (and I do mean everyone!) so that they'd stop being silly and realize what was really going on and how everyone was really feeling. 

Once again, Stevens left me no choice but to hurry up and order the next installment in the series, because there was no way I could let things end without picking it right back up....way too much pressure with another Stevens cliffhanger ending.

Blog Tour & Guest Post: Poison (Legacy, #2) by Molly Cochran

I've been super excited for this tour to kick off ever since being asked to participate a few month's back and so glad that the day for my stop has finally arrived!  For those of you unfamiliar with Molly's Legacy series, you'll want to check out her first installment in the series, Legacy, and then of course her latest release and the sequel, Poison!  Both are fantastic and I'm confident you won't regret taking the time to dive into this series!

 

I'm so happy that Molly was able to stop by the blog for this tour's stop with an extra special guest post!  Here's a little background before you get started...

 

About the author:

 

Molly Cochran, author of the teen paranormal romances LEGACY and POISON, has written 26 published novels and four nonfiction books under her own name and various pseudonyms.

Her books include New York Times bestselling novels GRANDMASTER and THE FOREVER
KING, coauthored with Warren Murphy, and the nonfiction DRESSING THIN, also a NY Times
bestseller. She has won awards from the Mystery Writers of America (Best Novel of the Year),
the Romance Writers of America (Best Thriller), and the New York Public Library (Outstanding
Books for the Teen Age).

 

SEDUCTION, the third installment in the LEGACY series, is scheduled for release later this year through her publisher, Simon & Schuster.

 

Two eBooks, THE TEMPLE DOGS and THE FOREVER KING, are currently available through online retailers. A third, GRANDMASTER, will be available soon.

 

Molly has lectured extensively and has taught writing at the college level as well as at a women's prison (where she was NOT an inmate). She also writes a blog on writing technique which appears on her website, MollyCochran.com. She is also on Facebook at facebook.com/molly.cochran1 and Twitter at Twitter.com/mollycochranYA.

 

She lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

 

Author Links:

 

Website: http://mollycochran.com/
Blog: http://mollycochran.com/blog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mollycochranYA
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And now for her guest post...

 

Keeping up the momentum of a series

Although I’ve written series books before (I began my career as a writer by ghostwriting several books in a men’s action/adventure series), I never thought of Legacy as the start of a series until I’d finished it. By that time I’d fallen in love with the witchpopulated town of Whitfield, Mass. and the characters who lived there, and wanted to write more about them.

I think that kind of love, that intense interest on the part of the author to keep exploring the characters and places she’s created, is the main thing that keeps a series going. I really love Katy and Peter and Hattie and Gram and the rest of the denizens of Whitfield. I want to know what happens after the end of the book. So there’s another book! And another!

Another quality that all good series ought to have is a balance between the known and the unknown. We want familiar characters, but we need to have them in unpredictable situations, too. So far there are two sequels to Legacy, Poison and the notyet published Seduction (if the publisher allows me to keep the title). In each book there is something—just a little something—left hanging that I pick up on in the next book. It’s nothing that new readers who haven’t read the previous book(s) will find confusing, but it’s a little reward for fans who have read the others.

I’d love to do a fourth Katy book. I’ve had an idea circulating in my head about a story based on the magical qualities of perfume. We’ll see. 
 

**Thanks so much again Molly for stopping by and in case you want some more information on her latest release Poison...

 

Arthurian legend mixes with modern-day witchcraft in this haunting sequel to Legacy, which Publishers Weekly said “should please the legions of paranormal fans looking for a sophisticated supernatural thriller.” After the riveting—and romantic—events of Legacy, Katy has won Peter’s heart and is now claiming her place in the magical world. Though half the students at her boarding school come from witching lines, the use of magic is expressly forbidden at Ainsworth, so as to keep the witching world hidden from the blue-blooded preppies, aka Muffies, who also walk the halls.

     But the Muffies have at least a notion of magic, because Katy catches them staging a made-up ritual—and to her astonishment, the girls collapse at Katy’s feet and fall into comas. When Katy is blamed, she becomes desperate to clear her name and finds herself battling all odds to harness her growing magical powers in order to save the Muffies and dispel the Darkness once more.

**And now for an exciting giveaway**

This is a tour wide giveaway and one lucky winner will get a signed copy of both Legacy and Poison, plus outtakes from the photo shoot for Selection!!!!!!  This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will end on July 6th so hurry up and click on the link below to enter for your chance to win!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire, #1) by Bella Forest

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.  An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

As always with recommendations, I'm never quite sure what to expect from a read until I've gotten a little ways into the story.  But with any paranormal romance, when this book was brought to my attention I was eager to see what it would turn out like and if it could in fact, become a new series for me to get excited about and continue with in the future.  Sophia and Derek ended up being an unlikely pair that piqued my interest.

First and foremost, I must say that I found this to be a very quick read, which is a bonus if you're interested in checking out the title but don't know whether or not it will be a perfect fit for your reading tastes.  Once I decided to check it out for myself, I soon realized how fast I was making my way through the pages, and while I was enjoying the read I knew I'd want more after I turned the last page.

For the series opener, and first installment, I thought Forrest did a good job of introducing the key players and giving her readers a decent backdrop without overwhelming us with too many details or information best left for a later date.  I got caught up in this world and its characters and had no problem discovering who's team I was on and who I was hoping would get what was coming to them.

I think readers will enjoy watching Sophia get her sea legs in this new world that she's thrown into against her will, as well as getting the chance to see how things are for Derek after awaking from his long term sleep.  Events unfold quickly and sides are drawn....who's will you be on?

In My Mailbox (98)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

For Review:

 

 

Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte, #1) by Samantha Young

 

Enter a world of fierce wolves, stunning magic and romance...

It’s bad enough feeling different among the human crowd, but feeling different among wolves?

No one said returning to her pack would be easy, especially after ten years without them, but seventeen year old Caia Ribeiro is unprepared for the realities of the transition. Raised in a world where kids aren’t scared by bedtime tales of the bogeyman but by the real life threat of enemy supernaturals who might come creeping into their community to kill them in their sleep, Caia is used to the darkness; she’s used to the mystery and the intrigue of the ancient underworld war she’s bound to by chance of birth. What she’s having trouble with are pack members treating her with wary suspicion, the Elders tucking secrets behind their backs out of her sightline, and her young Alpha, Lucien, distracting her, with a dangerous attraction, from her decision to uncover the truth.

But as the saying goes ‘the truth will out’ and when it does, Caia will only have so long to prepare herself before the war comes pounding on their door threatening to destroy the safe, secret lives of the wolves… and the girl they protect.

River Cast (The Tale of Lunarmorte, #2) by Samantha Young

Swept into the world of the Daylight Coven, Caia is caught between her loyalty to the Daylights and her new insight into the hearts of the Midnights. As more obstacles are thrown in her and Lucien's way, Caia is pushed further adrift from him and Pack Errante. With no one to turn to, Caia has to make the most difficult choice of all...

Who does she truly belong with? The Daylights or the Midnights?









Blood Solstice (The Tale of Lunarmorte, #3) by Samantha Young

 

In the final installment of The Tale of Lunarmorte, Caia is caught between the most powerful beings in her world, and they are all desperate to use her for their own means. While Caia struggles to find her purpose, tragedy strikes close to home, and time runs out.

Now she must decide if she will join the extremists she was trying to destroy... or bring them all down on her own terms...

Happy Weekend!!!

Since I've yet to get my dream trip to Paris in the works....one day I will...I thought I could at least practice my French a little and wish you all a happy weekend!  Hopefully it's filled with fun, friends, family and of course great reading!!!!

 

Review: Captured (The Captive, #1) by Erica Stevens

Blood Slave.

Captured, taken from her beloved family and woods, Aria’s biggest fear is not the imminent death facing her, but that she will be chosen as a blood slave for a member of the ruling vampire race. No matter what becomes of her though, Aria knows that she must keep her identity hidden from the monsters imprisoning her. She has already been branded a member of the rebellion, but the vampires do not know the true depth of her involvement with it, and they must never know.

Though hoping for death, Aria’s world is turned upside down when a vampire named Braith steps forward to claim her. He delays her execution, but Aria knows it’s only a matter of time before he drains her, and destroys her. Especially once she learns his true identity as a prince within the royal family; the same royal family that started the war that ultimately brought down humankind, reducing them to nothing more than servants and slaves.

Aria is determined to hate the prince, determined not to give into him in anyway, but his strange kindness, and surprising gentleness astonish her. Torn between her loyalties to the rebellion, and her growing love for her greatest enemy, Aria struggles to decide between everything she has ever known, and a love she never dreamed of finding.

Erica Stevens is quickly becoming an author that I can count on.  Each of her series that I pick up I find myself instantly adding each installment within that series to my TBR, because I know there is no way that I will be content without finding out what happens up to the very end.  I flew through this series opener and instantly ordered the next two installments in the series to satisfy my curiosity.

I was fascinated throughout the story as readers will see how we're fast forwarded to a future that's nearly impossible to imagine, and yet as they described how most modern technology that we all take for granted each and every day no longer exists.  Seeing Aria get so excited over a shower, and be so resistant to using eating utensils was surreal but intriguing.  I found myself pausing and looking around and wondering what I would do or how things would be without anything I consider modern to be at my very fingertips.

Stevens of course had me instantly rooting for these main characters to develop something between themselves that could last the test of time...and all the obstacles they would surely be forced to face.  Like I said, there was no way I was going to be OK to put this series opener aside and not go racing to read the next two available installments and finding out what would happen next.

I'll admit the ending threw me, definitely didn't see it coming and was somewhat crushed when it was revealed.  Yet another reason that I found myself downloading the next installment onto my Kindle so that I could pick up right where this book left off.  This was a fast, fun and highly entertaining and exciting read and I think if you guys are looking for a new book this summer, this series opener might be the perfect one!

Get It Together

Have you guys ever taken a look at your bookshelves and book collection and decided that it was time to get organized, or maybe time to reorganize how you have things set up?  I came home from work the other day and was just settling down for the evening and started looking at my bookshelves.  I realized that I didn't really have a set way that I organize my books (shocking! I know), they're more just put on the shelves wherever I could find a place.  I started thinking that maybe it was time for me to make a change...maybe it's the spring cleaning bug or something...either way I started doing some research and making lists!

 

Whenever anyone comes to my apartment one of the first things they comment on is my book collection.  There's no hiding that I'm a bibliophile...and who would want to right?  They comment on the size of the collection (which to be honest will never be big enough in my opinion) or the types of titles they find, browsing through my coffee table books which are scattered around every available space, and so on and so forth.

 

I found a ton of information online and suggestions on creative ways others around the blogosphere sort and shelve their books, and its given me some great inspiration.  Do you guys collect coffee table books like I do?  I know some girls have a love of shoes and purses, to name just a few, and while I'm no stranger to wanting to add a few pairs to my closet or a couple of bags to rotate, I've found that I'd much rather add to my library than anything else. 

 

So I've started (a while back) collecting coffee table tomes over the years and have made myself a pretty nice collection of conversation starters that I have stacked all over my apartment.  I found this picture online and it was nice to know that I'm not alone, and others have collected their 'stacks' around their living spaces as well.

 

Oprah's site recommended getting organized and expanding your storage spaces.  Creativity was key in her post and trying to think outside of the box when it comes to where you can shelve and store your books.  Ideas like framing covers, using small spaces in your home you might not immediately think of as a home for your books, but ones that can work out quite nicely.

So while I buy my books purely for my own enjoyment I've also started making sure that a good bit of them are out where anyone can see them and pick them up if they want to.  Sometimes people are less inclined to select a book off a shelf to look into further so I've tried to put some out in places that are more accessible and I'm not the only one. 

I found this picture on Pinterest and saw that I'm not the only one that's found chairs are not just for sitting, but also great places to put a few books out for show.  Not only is that chair gorgeous, but it's even more fabulous with that stack of fashion tomes on top!

I've always had a special place in my heart for fresh blooms, so whenever I get the chance I try to make sure at least one of the vases in my apartment is sporting some kind of arrangement, and if there are books right alongside it, the combination is fantastic!

What do you guys think?  Do you stick to alphabetical order?  Color shelving?  Or do you go more the traditional library route and keep books in their genres and organized by author so they're easier to find?  There are so many ways, so many books, and sometimes so little space that it's a tough decision to make.  I think as long as you know your system and like how it's set up than that's all that matters.  If others are able to enjoy it as well, than all the better right?

If you've got pictures of how you likes things send them my way, seen anything on line that you think I might want to give a try, I'm all ears!  I definitely have the spring cleaning and organizing bug and I think this weekend might be the perfect time to take advantage and get to work, don't you think?