Thursday 24 July 2014

Review: Shattered Secrets (Book of Red #1) by Krystal Wade

20799895Title: Shattered Secrets
Author: Krystal Wade
Series: Book of Red
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Curiosity Quills
Publication date: March 3rd 2014
Pages: 300 (paperback) 
Source: received from publisher





After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichol's boy problems seem unimportant.
She couldn't be more wrong.

The boy who saves her holds her heart. 

But Derick Crawford also holds secrets.

Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.

Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.

But has she put her trust in the wrong place?

And will the world survive is she has?  




Abigail has a normal teenage life, with normal teenage problems. She’s in love with her best friend and neighbor. But does he like her back or not? As it turns out her life is a lot more complicated than that. She’s not just a normal girl and the world she lives in is much more complicated than she always thought it to be.

The world Krystal created is pretty unique. It was just a shame that it took so long before everything fell into place and I could fully enjoy the book. Overall it is a fast paced book. A lot happens in the first couple of chapters that my head is still spinning. There are a lot of mysteries, together with all the twist and turns this book will keep you on edge. At times I felt a little lost because so much was going on at the same time, but in the end you’ll figure everything out.

My biggest problem with this book were the characters. I couldn’t really connect with them. I just didn’t know enough about them to really feel with them. If the characters were developed better and had more depth than it would have been easier for me. And the book would have been so much better. But since it is just the first book in this series I’m sure that we will get to know the characters better and that they will get more depth in the end.

Shattered Secrets was a nice read. It was unique in certain points and enough happened that you don’t want to stop reading it. 




El

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #60: Gates of Thread and Stone (Gates of Thread and Stone #1) by Lori M. Lee


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Gates of Thread and Stone
by Lori M. Lee

17904985

In the Labyrinth, whe had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to  keep hidden her own secret - she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her "brother" has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn't know where her ability comes from - or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the fraight container they call hom, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai's only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper's son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she's ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique Power.

- Goodreads -


Why I can't wait
This books sounds amazing. I has been  a while since I last read a real fantasy book with a setting in an other world. And her powers sounds nice, so can't wait to read this book. Besides the cover of this book is gorgeous too!

Publication date: August 5th 2014

El

Thursday 17 July 2014

Character Interview: The Donor (Part 1) by Nikki Rae

Jonah: Why did you chose to contact Casey on MyTrueMatch from all the available girls?
I liked her. It seems like a simple answer, but when you have a lot of girls swarming around on a website, it's hard to set one apart from the other. Casey seemed different. Innocent.

Casey: You didn't know Jonah at all, you still don't know him very well. Like you said he could be a twelve-year old or a nine-year old for all you know, still you decided to trust him. Why?
Jonah is...Jonah. I got a few hits on my profile from some creepers. Like, serial killer material. Every time I talked to Jonah, I felt at ease, like I wasn't so alone. As long as I was moving my fingers against the keyboard, I had someone to talk to. Someone who didn't know me enough to tell me what they thought was good for me, and someone who knew me just enough to take care of me and make sure this was what I really wanted to do.

Jonah: It's obvious that you are rich. Still you live in a regular house, why is that?
I don't like it when people have money and they're obvious about it. I didn't always have money. Growing up, we were quite poor actually. So I'm grateful for what I have and try not be excessive. To me, there isn't really a point in that other than to show off and I'm not really interested in that.

Casey: Why did you decide not to tell your parents or anyone else what is going on in your life? Don't you think they deserve to know the truth?
It's.. a tough question to answer. I love my parents and I'd never want to hurt them. Either way, I'm hurting them, leaving a mark on their lives they'll never be able to recover from. I think this decision is the one that leaves a smaller mark, one that will never really go away, but one that may be able to fade eventually.

Jonah: Casey lied to you still you decided to help her out. Why is that?
I know what it's like to feel helpless. I admire Casey for trying to do her best she can with what she has. If I were in the same situation, it's hard to say what I would do. I'm happy she chose me. I'm happy I can be there for her and make her feel less helpless.

Casey: Your parents think that you are checking out schools. But if you decide to stay away long will they not think that something is going on?
I did. They probably will. I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I expected to only be here for a short amount of time so that's the story I gave them. If I should stay longer, I'll have to think of something so they don't worry.

Jonah: You got a tank with seahorses in your living room. Is there a reason you picked seahorses and not a regular exotic fish?
Seahorses are a challenge. It's hard to keep them alive for most. I wanted to prove that I could do it for some reason.

Casey: You took a plane for the first time in your life, how was it?
Scary. And AMAZING. I loved flying at first. I loved how technology could be so advanced that a ton of people could be crammed into a hunk of metal and float above the earth in order to get from point A to point B. Then a few hours passed and there were screaming toddlers and angry adults so I just wanted to get off the plane after a while.

Thank you so much guys!

El 

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #59: Winter Falls (Twin Willows #1) by Nicole Maggi


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Winter Falls
by Nicole Maggi

10726280

Alessia Jacobs is a typical sixteen-year-old, dying to get out of her small town of Twin Willows, Maine. Things look up when a new family comes to town, but when she falls for the hot, mysterious son, Jonah her life turns upside down.

Weird visions of transforming into an otherwordly falcon are just the beginning. Soon she learns she's part of the Benandanti, an ancient cult of waariors with the unique power to separate their souls form their bodies and take on the forms of magnificent animals.

Alessia never would've suspected it, but her boring town is the site of an epic struggle between the Benandanti and the Malandanti to control powerful magic in the surrounding forest.

As Alessia is drawn into the Benandanti's mission, her relationship with Jonah intensifies. When her two worlds collide, Allessia's forced to weigh choices a sixteen-year-old should never have to make.

Why I can't wait
This book sounds great. Shapeshifting into a falcon isn't something I've read before, wolves yes, dragons yes, but falcons never before. And when Ilook at the cover of this book then I just need to have it, it's so beautiful!

Publication date: December 9th 2014



El

Friday 11 July 2014

Book Blitz: Goodness of Fit (Smart is the New Sexy #1) by Missy Marciassa


Title: Goodness of Fit
Author: Missy Marciassa
Series: Smart is the New Sexy
Publication date: July 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult
Purchase: Amazon
Author links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Zoe Tawn is about to finish her bachelor's degree and start a PhD program in quantitative psychology. Yet her friends don't think she's quite ready to graduate: she still hasn't played her v-card. Zoe's friends don't know her v-card was played years ago; she doesn't talk about that carp. She does agree that dating would make her more well-rounded individual, however, so she tries, and realizes the dating game isn't for her: she's a geek, not a flirt. Zoe decides to utilize her strengths with the mantra "Smart is the new sexy" and develops a predictive model for companionship to replace those outdated compatibility questionnaires. Her model goes viral in no time, so her friends secretly enter her profile into it. When a match comes back, it shocks them all: it's Wesley Williams, the twentysomething CEO billionaire of Quantitative Solutions, were Zoe is doing an internship. Zoe insists the error in her model must be unacceptably high until she gets an email requesting she stop by Mr. Williams' office at her earliest convenience...


Excerpt


I started to gather up the papers; Wes obviously had another meeting. He looked genuinely regretful as he nodded at Mrs. Jensen, who turned and left to resume her post at her desk.
“Time got away from me,” he said. I felt a little thrill that he looked genuinely disappointed about having to end our meeting. “If I could cancel this, I would- this is much more enjoyable.”
Even now, after working with him for a few weeks, when he said certain words, like “enjoyable,” I felt my cheeks flush. If he ever lost his billions, he’d have a job in the voiceover industry, that was for sure. “Oh, it’s no problem- we’ve been working for a while.” I stuffed the rest of the papers into the folder and slid it into my backpack. I could feel him looking at me. “I’ve gotta get back to campus anyway.”
“This is great stuff,” he said as I stood and he stood with me, running a hand through his dark hair. It looked cute ruffled. “Do you have any plans tonight? I should be done by six.”
Meeting in the evening, after work, when everyone had gone home. I swallowed as the flutters that kept recurring in my stomach started up again. I was being silly. When would I get a grip around this guy? He was proposing a dinner meeting. We worked plenty over lunch: working over dinner wouldn’t be any different, right?
“Sure, I can work over dinner.” I grinned to hide the effort it took me to keep my voice casual. “Do you want me to meet me here?”
I didn’t know if it was just something weird about the lighting in his office or what, but for the first time, it was like the glow that seemed to warm up his deep brown eyes dimmed a bit. What was up with that?
Then he smiled at me, and I blinked: his rich brown eyes looked normal again.  “A working dinner: that’s  good. Meeting here is fine: I’ll figure out if we should order in or grab dinner nearby.”
I nodded and picked up my backpack. It felt heavier than usual. I felt as if I’d missed something, like an opportunity had been lost, but what? I’d agreed to meet to work over dinner. “If you want me to bring something, just, you know, send me a text or whatever.” He probably wouldn’t leave this office between now and six.
He nodded and gave me a little wave, which I returned before heading out the door. I still had the feeling something weird had just gone down. I needed to run this conversation by Lena and Talen. I got out my cell to text them to see if either was going to be in the apartment as I stepped in the elevator.
A text came through before I could finish typing my own text. It was from Wes.
Leave the laptop and printouts at home. Put on a nice dress. I’ll pick u up at ur place @ 7; I’m taking u out to dinner. Think of it as further validation of the model.
My stomach dipped, and I knew it wasn’t from the elevator’s descent. No laptop. No printouts. Just us, going out to dinner. I didn’t need Talen and Lena to tell me what this meant.
My cell beeped again as the doors to the elevator slid open, revealing the lobby. The beep told me I had another text, also from Wes.
Is that OK?
Forget the flutters: it was like a force lit up inside me. I felt my cheeks tighten as I grinned. I glanced around as I walked through the lobby, but no one was paying me any attention, thank God. I texted back:
OK. C u @ 7.

EL




Thursday 10 July 2014

Review: Perfect Opposite by Zoya Tessi

22378800Title: Perfect Opposite
Author: Zoya Tessi
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Publisher: self published
Publication date: February 8th 2014
Pages: 263 (kindle)
Source: received from author







Their wishes were simple and modest. Fate had other things in store though, and she can be a real bitch sometimes.

- All he wanted was to get the job done and somehow to endure those long months playing nanny to a spoiled little ritch girl. Without strangling her with his bare hands in the process. Well, it is going to be much easier said than done.

- All she wanted was to escape the past and live like any other nineteen-year-old girl. Her plan definitely didn't include the arrogant, tattoed savage, with his awful mohawk hair and lack of social graces, whose only mission was to stick real close and mess up her life.

But, people aren't always what they seem to be, are they?


- Goodreads -

I had no idea what to expect from this book. I've read other books with the whole bodyguard romance thing but this is by far the best one I've read.

To begin with the characters were so different. Sasha wasn't miss perfection. Yes she was raised with a lot of money at hand, but she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. If you didn't know better you would just think she was a normal college girl like you and me. Alex wasn't the typical security guy or typical criminal either. From the beginning you could see that there was something different about him. And it was impossible no to like him, even though he is one of the bad guys. I loved the bickering between those two, it was like they wanted to see who could enervate the other the most. Hilarious at times.

Perfect Opposite wasn't your typical cliché book with a love/hate relationship. Alex' and Sasha's relationship developed mor naturally. They might have been attracted to each other from almost the beginning, but it took a long time before they acted upon their attraction. And in the mean time they got to know each other better.

Perfect Opposite might not have such an original storyline but it was so much more refreshing than the others. The characters aren't trasparent in fact they were easy to connect with. And the plot was unpredictable, I never could have imagined that it would develop like it did. I loved that most of the story remained a mystery till well into the book, or till the end of the book. When I thought something was going to happen nothing did, and when I was completely relaxed something extreme happened. Tessi has a real talent of keeping her readers on edge.


The writing style was wonderful and I could easily lose myself into the story. The characters were interesting and nice and there were enough surprises to keep you engrossed in the story. If here other books will be like this than I’m definitely going to read them!



El


Wednesday 9 July 2014

Waiting On Wednesday #58: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Black Ice 
by Becca Fitzpatrick

20651947

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it's too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants - but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target.

But nothing is at it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick's riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous bacdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous...


Why I can't wait
Normally I don't like thrilles but this one sounds rather good. And I liked Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series so I can't wait to read more work from this author.

Publication date: October 7th 2014

El



Tuesday 8 July 2014

Cover Reveal: Virtual Arcana by Karen Amanda Hooper



Karen says: “I love the cover because it represents the story so perfectly—a blend of old-fashioned and techy, romance and magic, reality and illusion, The Notebook meets The Matrix (with a sprinkling of The Giver). Some friends saw an early sneak peek and asked if the girl was real or a CGI (computer-generated image).  That put a huge smile on my face because that is the perfect question for this series.” *insert mischievous smile here*

Karen gives huge thanks to friend and talented cover designer, Steve Graham of  the INFINITY CREATIVE (www.TheInfinityCreative.com) for making her virtual reality-esque vision a beautiful reality.

Virtual Arcana will release this fall serial style, meaning short episodes (averaging 15-20k) will be published frequently (official schedule TBA), instead of waiting 6-12 months between each long book in a trilogy.
Each episode will be named after one of the major arcana cards of a tarot deck.

Season 1- Episode List

0- The Fool
1-The Magician
2-The High Priestess
3-The Empress
4-The Emperor
5-The Hierophant
6- The Lovers

Karen says: “It’s an experiment for me as an author and for my readers. If Virtual Arcana develops a good following I’ll continue with season 2 and 3. That would mean 22 total episodes, one for each of the 22 major arcana tarot cards.”

Short description

In a faraway future, Kelsey Zellar is starting her senior year at yet another school thanks to her twin sister’s troublesome obsession with outlawed virtual reality games.

Every school they’ve ever attended is pretty much the same: lunchroom drama, rich kids binging on enhancement candies, and classmates rallying for or against the government’s strict control over everything from entertainment privileges to caffeine consumption.

Unlike her sister, Kelsey follows the rules and keeps her nose out of trouble and politics while sniffing out her next flavored latte and favorite novel. But when Kelsey meets a charming book connoisseur, and accepts his offering of a tarot card, she takes the first step toward two new addictions: the guy of her dreams, and his illegal dealing of virtual escapes into her beloved storybooks.

Kelsey straddles the worlds of fiction and reality, but is she a fool for believing in her own happy ending?
Karen says: “I realize some of my readers don’t/won’t care for episodic storytelling, so of course there will be the option to wait until the first season is complete and read all the episodes straight through as one full-length novel. But I wanted to offer my new series as a serial for those readers who dislike waiting so long to read more.”

Giveaway

To celebrate, Karen is giving away EIGHT ebooks of the first episode: The Fool.
Open internationally.
Enter using the Rafflecopter below.


About the author

Karen Hooper writes young adult paranormal and fantasy, and is the author of The Kindrily series and The Sea Monster Memoirs. She is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. She’s addicted to coffee, chocolate, and complicated happily-ever-afters.


You can find her at www.KarenAmandaHooper.com .




El

Thursday 3 July 2014

Review: Played (Hooked #2) by Liz Fichera

16177036Title: Played
Author: Liz Fichera
Series: Hooked
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: May 27th 2014
Pages: 352 (paperback)
Source: Netgalley





This Game Is Getting All Too Real

He said: I like to keep under the radar and mostly hang out with my friends from the rez. But when i saved Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, that rich suburban princess decides to try to save me. 

She said: If I can help Sam Tracy win the heart of the girl he can't get over, I'll pay him back for helping me. I promised him I would, no matter what it takes.

- Goodreads -

Played is about a lot of things: wrong first impressions, white lies, misunderstandings, first love and friendship.
Riley has always been the good girl. She got stellar grades, never breaks curfew and doesn’t cause her parents any trouble, after she has an older brother to do that. Everyone knows her as Ryan Berenger’s little sister, besides that no one ever notices her. That’s until she gets stranded in the woods together with Sam Tracy. Suddenly everyone wants to talk to her and all the boys want to know her including the guy she always had a crush on, Jay Hawkins.

Sam only wants two things in his life, get into a good college and a girl named Fred. Getting into college won’t be a problem, but getting Fred will be. She lost her heart to Ryan Berenger, Riley’s older brother. He wants nothing to do with anyone named Berenger, including Riley. Unfortunately you don’t always choose who you get stranded with.

And so there story begins. There is heartache, one or more ruined reputations and a lot of hilarious situations.

I haven’t read Hooked yet, maybe I should have before I read Played. So I didn’t know Riley’s and Sam’s background with both Ryan and Fred.  But I got an idea by reading Played. And without reading a complete book centered around them I already loved Ryan and Fred, so I’m definitely going to pick up Hooked. I got why Riley wanted to help Sam to get Fred, even though I didn’t like it. I mean if my little sister would try to break up my relationship I would be so mad at her for a long time. But I got why she did what she did, certainly at the beginning. But after you saw her feelings change towards Sam you would have thought she would give up her scheming but she didn’t. Even if it was obvious how they felt about each other they were both to stubborn to act upon it. But it did lead to some touching and hilarious situations so I won’t complain about it too much.

What I also loved was that the author tried to stay away from the clichés in YA and NA books. Sam’s relationship with his father was strained but it wasn’t because he’s an alcoholic or abusive or because he’s never around. But just because they just can’t seem to connect anymore.


I would recommend this book to YA readers who like books like “Wild Cards”, "Such a Rush" and “Things I Can’t Forget”.


El


Wednesday 2 July 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #57: Atlantia by Ally Condie


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:


Atlantia 
by Ally Condie

17731926

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above - of life beyond her underwater city Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision,stranding Rio below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio's true self - and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden - she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother's death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.


Why I can't wait:
I liked Ally's Matched series a lot, so that's the first reason why I want to read this book. The book also sounds really intresting. And I want to find out who Rio's mentor is.

Publication date: October 28th 2014

El


Tuesday 1 July 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #32: Top Ten Favorite Classic Books


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is: 
Top Ten  Favorite Classic Books

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6969241285071574503218135

El