Thursday, August 29, 2013

Ember Blog Tour: Character Interview & Giveaway



Entangled Publishing has a new imprint and it's called Ember Teen! I am so excited to share with you some information about their books, a character interview and a giveaway!


My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly, when I lose my temper, my fingers become weapons of mass destruction. Turns out I'm a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I'm stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this annoying and super-hot—guy all
up in my business, I'm about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there's this watchdog council of semis who keep an eye out for any bad apples. They think I'm the baddest one in the bunch and want to take me out before I do any more damage. My nemesis Mac might turn out to be my salvation, only he's got secrets of his own...and they may just kill us both.
About the Author:


Christine O'Neil was born and raised in Connecticut, where she spent most of her childhood outdoors catching salamanders, frogs and colds. When she wasn't terrorizing Mother Nature, she was curled up under the covers with her nose in a book. As an adult, she's stopped stalking amphibians, but still loves books. When she isn't reading, she likes to spend her time people-watching. In fact, she's probably watching you RIGHT NOW O_O She's also pretty obsessed with writing YA books, but if she had to pick another profession she would be a ninja...or a Professor of the Dark Arts. Christine also writes adult romance under the pen name Christine Bell.


A little sin can be deadly...

Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business.

Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...

When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.

Seven deadly ones, in fact.

They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...

There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.

About the Author:

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.


Character Interview!

I am excited to share an interview with Jessi Darker, the main character in Darker Days!

1. Cat or dog?
Dog

2. Peanut butter or jelly?
Jelly. The peanut butter would kill me ;)

3. Winter or summer?
Winter

4. Coffee or tea?
COFFEE!

5. iPhone or Samsung galaxy?
Samsung all the way, baby

6. TV or movie?
Depends…

7. Physical books or ebooks?
Partial to actual books, but since I'm running out of room…

8. Sweet or salty?
Sweet

9. White or black?
Gray

10. Swimming in the pool or tanning by the pool?
Neither. I'm a wilderness girl 

-J

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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

All Our Yesterdays
By: Cristin Terrill
Pub. Date: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.


"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Holy crap I was not expecting that! All Our Yesterdays is one of those stories that will mess with your mind (in a good way!) and leave you thinking about it for days after you finish. Time travel, young love, action, this book has it all!

Em and her boyfriend Finn are locked up in separate cells by someone only known as "The Doctor". Em knows there is something about the drain on the floor in her cell. When she finally is able to open it, she finds a letter written to herself with a list of ways to change the future. All of them are crossed out except for one, "you have to kill him". It was these words from the end of chapter 1 that completely hooked me!

All Our Yesterdays are told in two perspectives, Em and Marina. While I instantly loved Em, it took me a while to open up to Marina. She started off has a normal girl (albeit, someone rude who feels entitled) and was absolutely in love with her best friend James, but you can definitely see her growing as the story unfolds. Marina story is set in the past, or the time period that Em and Finn have to go to so they can "kill him". The one constant of this story for me was Finn. Seeing Finn from a few years ago and the Finn from today, we see that not much has changed. He's loyal and brave, and also the comedic relief! James was an interesting character. He's reserved and a genius, and ever since his parents died he has thrown himself into his studies so that one day he will be able to create a time machine to go back and save them. He was so hard to figure out!

The time traveling aspect was definitely confusing, but once I started to understand what was going on, everything was able to fall into place for me. All Our Yesterdays looks like a big book, but the words flow right off the pages! I was enjoying it so much, that I didn't even realize I had read over 100 pages!

Cristin Terrill is a super talented writer and I can not wait to read what she writes for us next! 


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Release Day Launch and Giveaway: Taming Cross by Ella James



Taming Cross
By: Ella James
Pub. Date: August 20, 2013

For twenty-three years, Cross Carlson was a playboy. You know the type. Tall, dark, and wealthy. Blue-eyed. Charming. He seemed to have it all so easy. But Cross was harboring a terrible secret - one that helped ruin the life of an innocent girl and almost ended his own.

Finally out of the hospital, Cross is flailing, scarred in both body and mind and stifled by the weight of the secret he still keeps. The only way to absolution lies in a Mexican convent, and going there could cost him everything.

If there's anyone who knows what it's like to screw up big time, it's Meredith Kinsey. Just a few years ago, Merri was an ordinary girl with a job at her college newspaper and white picket fence kind of dreams. Now she's holed up in a Mexican convent, hiding from a drug lord who thinks he owns her.

What happens when the only way out of hell is with the son of the man who put you there? They say love conquers all, but does it really?

Exclusive Excerpt:

Sister opens the door to a small reading room with green carpet and white bookshelves, and we pause before going in. All at once she pulls me to her chest and kisses my head.

“Be brave, Merri, my love. You must do what you must do. We only want what's best for you.”
And then she...leaves. She leaves me here, before I even see who's in the room.

For the longest second, I stay on the threshold, staring at the man who is facing the bookshelf.  My eyes run down the length of him, expecting to find Jesus or one of his Sicarios, but that's not what I find.

I don’t know who this man is. He’s tall, with dark hair and large bones. Long legs, wide back, big shoulders. 

He looks lean, almost sick, because I can tell he shouldn't be. He reminds me of a starved lion I saw once in a documentary.

He turns toward me slowly, and as he moves I'm frozen, like in those nightmares where you're being chased but you can't run.

At first I'm not looking at his features—only the expression, which is somehow both solemn and surprised. 

And I feel like I've been struck dead, because he has an angel's face. It's not just the flawless blue of his eyes or his celebrity-perfect bones. It's not his perfect, straight-line nose or that lush, cherubic mouth. It's not his smooth skin. It's what I see inside his eyes. Something so intense, so sad, so ecstatic, so relieved, that I know he must be God's answer to my prayer.

For the longest moment, he just looks at me. I feel like I'll unravel in the brilliance of those ice blue eyes. I'm so thrown off I whisper exactly what I'm thinking.

“Are you here to take me?”

His lips curl slowly, into something that's not at all a smile. My heart stops as he steps slightly closer.

“Rescue you.”
About the Author:

I'm a Denver, Colorado author who writes teen and adult romance. I am happily married to a man who knows how to wield a red pen, and together we are raising a feisty two-year-old who will probably grow up believing everyone's parents go to war over the placement of a comma. My books have been listed on numerous Amazon bestseller lists, including the Amazon Top 100 and the Amazon Movers & Shakers List; two were listed among Amazon's Top 100 Young Adult Ebooks of 2012. To find out more about my projects and win prizes and swag, find me on Facebook at facebook.com/ellajamesauthorpage. Questions or comments? Tweet me at author_ellaj or e-mail me at ella_f_james@ymail.com.

Giveaway: 

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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Review: Take Me Now by Faith Sullivan

Take Me Now
By: Faith Sullivan
Pub. Date: July 16, 2013
Publisher: Self
Pages: 160
Source: Author

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.


How do you survive the internship from hell?

Don't fall in love.

Ivy thought being a reporter-in-training at the Independent Gazettewould be her dream summer job. Little did she know, interviewing Eric, a landscaper with a heart of gold, would derail her plans. It turns out Ivy's boss, Lauren, has been eyeing his chiseled physique for quite some time.

But at twenty-four, Eric already has a tragic past, one that he is still reeling from. Even though his ordeal turned him into some sort of local celebrity, it's been a while since he's shared his bed with anyone. When he comes to Ivy's rescue out of the blue, it's not long before the two of them start seeing each other behind Lauren's back. When they get caught, Ivy's journey toward a college degree is jeopardized and her relationship with Eric is severely put to the test.

Career versus love? In the end, a shocking turn of events provides Ivy with a revelation she never saw coming.

When I read the synopsis for Take Me Now I was super excited to get the chance to read it. I was even more excited that it was only 160 pages because my to-read pile is absolutely ridiculous! But I think this is what hurt the story. I feel like the characters weren't developed enough, and I wish they were. I have never done this before, but I think it would be easier to write this review as a list format.

What worked for me:

  • The story: I was really invested in the story. I HAD to know how everything was going to turn out.
  • Lauren Price: Lauren is Ivy's boss at the Independent Gazette. Lauren is the ultimate psycho boss from hell and she was my favorite! She was so well written and devilishly creepy! I couldn't believe some of the things she did. I like to see the good in everyone, even in book characters, but I can't find any redeeming qualities in Lauren. I would love a book focused on her that shows why she turned out the way she did. Lauren as a teenager must be terrifying!
  • Eric and Ivy (separately): I loved these two as separate characters. Eric was so complex and while he is so young, he has been through so much which definitely aged him. Ivy is a few years younger and is trying to make her mark in the world. She's naive and definitely a little stupid (I mean really Ivy, who did you think the shirt belonged to?), but she is also extremely relatable.

What didn't work for me:

  • Eric and Ivy (together): I so wanted to love these two together, but it just didn't work for me. It didn't seem realistic at all. I also didn't like that about an hour after they met, Ivy is acting like she knows everything about Eric and how he is feeling and Eric is thinking about how amazing and special Ivy is. It just seemed very forced to me.
  • The synopsis makes it seems that Eric is this wonderful and sweet guy with a heart of gold, but he actually gave Ivy an ultimatum! He wanted her to choose between her career or be with him. No respectable man should ever make a women choose, and that was very hard for me to get over.
  • The writing: It didn't flow nice for me. There were too many times where I was confused with what was going on in the story. For example, at one point in the beginning, Ivy is meeting her boss for the first time (in flip-flops no less. Really Ivy?), and in the next sentence she is in her heels running errands for the women.
I might not have been the biggest fan of Take Me Now but I have heard wonderful things about Faith Sullivan. I am excited to read some of her other works. 


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Review and Book Release Launch: Keeping Her by Cora Cormack

Keeping Her
(Losing It # 1.5)
By: Cora Carmack
Pub. Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 70
Source: Edeweiss

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.


Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.
It was just last month that I read Cora Carmacks other titles, Losing It and Faking It and I was very excited to get Keeping Her in my hands early. We were only able to see Garrick and Bliss for a few brief moments in Faking It so it was nice to see them again. The two of them are officially engaged and are going to London for a week to meet his parents. We didn't learn much about Garricks past in Losing It so I loved seeing this glimpse into his life. It was interesting to see how much Garrick has changed since moving to America!

Since the moment these two met there has been drama, and their engagement is no different! Meeting Garricks rich, uptight, manipulative parents is way too much for Bliss to handle. I felt so bad for her! But at the same time, I did have one major issue with her. I wish Bliss had more self confidence! Every other sentence had to do with why Garrick chose her, or that he could get any girl he wanted so she has to be on her best behavior so he won't leave her. I wanted to slap her! Just shut-up and realize that you do deserve him and he loves you! Because of this, I could have done with less of her POV. On that note, I loved Garrick's POV. He's so sweet and funny and oh so romantic and he always says just the right thing!

Carmack is a fantastic author, and even with a seventy page novella, I think she told this story perfectly! I can't wait to read Finding It, the next book in the Losing It series. 


Monday, August 12, 2013

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl
By: Rainbow Rowell
Pub. Date: September 10, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 416
Source: Netgalley

I received this galley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? Open her heart to someone?

Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?
While I did enjoy Fangirl, I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping too. I thought the concept was really interesting, but the writing and plot was a little on the slow side. I felt like I kept reading and reading, waiting for something to happen, but it never did.

Cath is a loner. She would rather stay locked in her dorm room writing Simon Snow fan fiction then out having the college experience. I definitely connected with Cath on this level. I would much rather be at home reading then go out. Her twin sister Wren is the opposite. She wants to experience college life away from her identical twin. I really felt Cath's pain, but she needed to learn how to function without her twin. Then there is Cath's roommate Raegan, and Raegan basically ignores her for the first month of school. The only one who is actually friendly to Cath is Levi, the boy who is always around Raegan. Levi was the best part of the story! He is so sweet and kind and it is definitely hard not to fall for him. Rainbow Rowell has a knack for writing perfectly flawed, realistic boys.

While I definitely understood some of Cath's social awkwardness, I thought at other times, it was all a bit silly and immature. She's 18 for Christ sakes, stop eating only nutritional bars in your dorm room because you are scared to go to the cafeteria alone!!

What I thought was going to be a cute, silly story did turn out to be so much more. While everyone is dealing with finding themselves in college, Cath is dealing with a sick dad, a mother who left the family when she was a child and now wants back in their lives, a twin who needs space away from her, and her social anxiety. She's also trying to deal with college classes and people who want to take advantage of her. I loved watching Cath's character grow. You can clearly see her change from the beginning of the story to the end.

Overall, while I did enjoy Fangirl, I was expecting a little bit more. I loved Rowell's Eleanor & Park and I can't wait to read Attachments


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Review: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

The Infinite Moment of Us
By: Lauren Myracle
Pub. Date: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 336
Source: Netgalley

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.

For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now . . . not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them . . .

Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.
The Infinite Moment of Us is one of those books that is so raw and full of emotion that you can't help but feel everything the characters are feeling. Their life is your life, and you want nothing more than for them to be ok. The love story is sweet and realistic, which is something I always love. Some parts of their relationship definitely got intense, but their reactions were so true and real to what a teenagers reaction in real life would be.

Wren and Charlie come from two extreme backgrounds. Wren wants to please her parents, even if that means sacrificing her own happiness. Charlie has wonderful foster parents, but can't seem to get over the negative parts of his life, keeping him from fully moving on with his life. The two of them have always been aware of each other, but they never really spoke to each other until Charlie has to go to the ER after cutting himself and sees Wren, who volunteers there. I thought their first, major interaction was absolutely adorable. Charlie was so cute and had no clue what to say!

I love how the two of them really started to find themselves after getting together. It was like they needed that strength from the other person to be able to face their fears. I would have liked more of a background of Charlie though. We really only get to learn one major thing that happened and I think that alone doesn't really explain why he is the way he is. We know other things happened, but the reader doesn't get to know about them. I felt this took a lot away from the story. At least for me anyway.

My favorite character had to have been Dev! So much to say about that kid. He truly shows you how much one person can overcome. He was young, but a true inspiration.


I look forward to reading what Lauren Myracle comes up with next!


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Book Release Launch and Giveaway: If You Leave by Courtney Cole

Today Courtney Cole's new book, If You Leave releases! I was a huge fan of the first book, If You Stay and I can not wait to read this one. It sounds absolutely amazing! 


26-year old Gabriel Vincent is a badass hero. Or he used to be, anyway. As an ex-Army Ranger, Gabe never thought he needed anyone. But after one horrible night in Afghanistan scars him in a way that he can't get past, he needs someone who can help him heal...even if he doesn't realize it.

25-year old Madison Hill doesn't need anybody...or so she thinks. She grew up watching her parents' messed-up abusive relationship and she knows there's no way in hell that she's ever letting that happen to her.

They don't know it in the beginning, but Gabriel and Madison will soon develop a weakness: Each other.

But Gabriel's got a secret, a hidden monster that he's afraid Maddy could never overcome... And Maddy's got issues that she's afraid Gabe will never understand. They quickly realize that they need each other to be whole, but at the same time they know that they've got demons to fight.

And the problem with demons is that they never die quietly.
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble


About the Author: 

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.

Links:

Grand Central Twitter: http://twitter.com/grandcentralpub



Giveaway! 

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Monday, August 5, 2013

Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season
(Scion # 1)
By: Samantha Shannon
Pub. Date: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Pages: 480
Source: Netgalley

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.


It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.
I've been hearing wonderful things about The Bone Season. Its supposed to be the next big thing. There is a seventh book deal and movie rights already and the first book hasn't even published yet. Maybe it's because of all of the hype that my expectations were as high as they were, but unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story as much as I was hoping I would. Actually, I found the story kind of boring and slow. That isn't to say that I found the whole thing boring and slow, some parts definitely kept me at the edge of my seat, but overall the story was just average for me-not terrible, but nothing fancy either. You can tell that Samantha Shannon definitely has a talent for writing and world building, and I can see why many people are already going crazy for this one, I just think that it wasn't for me.

Paige Mahoney, is a dreamwalker, and in a world where people with clairvoyant powers are hunted down and killed, Paige and her criminal buddies try to stay under the radar. That all changes the night she kills two people using her power. Now she is being hunted and when she finally gets taken, she enters a world she never knew existed. A world where demons hold the power, and the humans are slaves. Her new master is a man that everyone calls the Warden, and honestly, he is the main reason I continued reading!

Page after page I kept trying to figure that man out. Was he good? Evil? Whose side was really on? Those were just some of the questions I had about him. I loved the connection between him and Paige. I loved how she hated him, but still wanted to save his life (this happens pretty early on, so it isn't a spoiler). I loved how he treated Paige too, especially considering how other human slaves were treated. I just wanted to know his story and everything about him. We definitely haven't seen the last of that man!

I do have to take in consideration that this is book one in a seven book series and I do think I will be picking up the second book. I did enjoy how The Bone Season ended and the last twenty pages I couldn't even put the book down. I think maybe if the entire story was 150 pages shorter, I could have really loved this book. 


Cover Reveal: All Of You by Christina Lee

I am so excited to be revealing the cover to Christina Lee's New Adult, All of You. I also recently received an eARC of it and I can't wait to start it!


All of You by Christina Lee 
Publication date: September 17th 2013 

Publisher: Intermix (Penguin)
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

In this powerfully emotional debut New Adult novel, Avery has just met her hot upstairs neighbor. He's irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she's perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother's bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, all Avery can handle is a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won't accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straight-laced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him, too.

So she needs to make a choice—let Bennett go or finally let him in.
About the Author:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives near Cleveland with her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything.

New Adult/Young Adult author. NA Contemporary Romance, ALL OF YOU, releases September with Penguin. BEFORE YOU BREAK in 2014. Repped by Sara Megibow.

Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.

Author Links:



Thursday, August 1, 2013

Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
(Between # 1)
By: April Genevieve Tucholke
Pub. Date: August 15, 2013
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley and TLA 2013

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.


You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.
Part of me debated if I should even review this book. I was not a fan at all. I didn't connect to the characters, I didn't like the writing, and there were too many plot holes to even be able to take this story seriously. I gave it 2.5 stars because I was interested in the mystery of River and what was going to happen, which is the only reason I kept on reading.

Violet and her twin brother Luke live alone in a huge house while there parents are off creating art in Europe. But the house is run down and they need money to pay the bills and buy food. Violet decides to rent out the guest house and the renter turns out to be River. A young guy who lies about everything and has a very shady past. First off-I know that parents not being present in YA happens a lot, but the fact that their parents didn't even care that their children didn't have food!! I couldn't get past that. Then there is River. I know he was supposed to be mysterious and we weren't supposed to know who or what he really was but c'mon! He was just ridiculous. I can't say much because I don't want to give anything away but I will say that he murdered people and Violet kept on going back to him. What the hell!

Violet was someone that I couldn't stand-maybe even more then River. She would tell River to stay away from her since he was a psycho murderer, but then she would get lonely and sleep in his bed. The two of them really pissed me off. Then when his brother comes to town and has to slap someone before he lights a little kid on fire, Violet gives him crap for slapping him. So to recap: It is ok to murder for fun, but not to slap someone before they murder a child. Ok got it. Thanks.

The only character I liked was Freddie, Violet's grandmother who died before the events of the book! She was the only wise and normal character in the entire book!

Right in the middle of the devil/monster storyline, the author decides to create old, family drama and mystery. Huh? Why? How is this relevant to the rest of the plot? While I was interested in it, I didn't understand the need for it.

Then there was the ending. I don't even know what to say. This story just wasn't for me, but I know so many other people who loved it! I think I am the odd ball out with this one.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.



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