Book Review~Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon & Giveaway!

Review Brought to you by Tonya {TBR's Featured Reviewer}

Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
May 29, 2012 by Random House
Review Copy

When Alice Buckle, who has been married to William for nearly twenty years,receives a survey in her e-mail from the Netherfield Center for the Study of Marital Happiness, she is in the doldrums. She loves her husband but they've grown distant, she is bored with her job, and her adolescent children need her less now. And she has reached the age at which her mother died. So as she idly begins answering the questions, she finds herself baring her soul in an anonymous survey she never even intended to respond to. As she struggles, she realizes it has been years since anyone asked deep, serious questions of her, and really listened to her answers. Soon her entire life as she knows it is called into question.

Review

Alice Buckle from the very beginning is a spunky, enjoyable main character. She teaches theater at a local elementary school, part time. William and Alice have 2 children, one boy and one girl. William and Alice have been together forever. So maybe the newness has worn off. Alice received an email asking if she would participate in a marriage survey. For $1000, why not! However, Alice thinks she is falling for Researcher 101 --- Wife 22 to be exact as she is known. In cute little conversations and snippets they converse back and forth through emails and eventually start talking on facebook as well. Lots will be revealed when you read it, as Alice and William as well search themselves and what they are really looking for. It might just be right in front of them!

Good writing, loved the modern day email and facebook talk! Perfect for these days. Alice was such an endearing character to me, I fell in love instantly.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review!

I give this book an A+.

~TONYA~

GIVEAWAY

Today thanks to Random House we have two copies of Wife 22 to giveaway. To enter please just leave a comment, following this blog is not necessary but always appreciated. This is open to US residents only.

About the Author

Melanie Gideon is the author of the memoir The Slippery Year: A Meditation on Happily Ever After, an NPR and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2009 and a New York Times bestseller, as well as three young adult novels. Her novel, Wife 22 (to be published in 30 countries and translated into 26 languages and currently in development with Working Title Films) is forthcoming from Ballantine in May 2012. She has written for the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, More, Shape, Marie Claire, the London Times, the Daily Mail and other publications. She was born and raised in Rhode Island and now lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son. Wife 22 is her first novel for adults. 

Book Review~ Havah by Tosca Lee

Havah -The Story of Eve by Tosca Lee
August 1, 2010 by B&H Publishing
Paperback, 368 Pages
Review Copy

In this place, there is no death, no pain, no birth. Havah awakens in splendor, opens her eyes to beauty and beholds the exquisite world around her. With no cognition of birth, sin or fear, her awareness is only that of knowing and that of pure innocence. The beauty of nature, the taste of pleasure and the intimacy of Adam.

After waking, a lush detailed account of her time in Paradise awaits the reader. As days turn to weeks and weeks turn to months, Havah tells a story of intoxicating love and pleasure, of happiness and the day that everything came crashing down. During her and Adam's time in Paradise, we see the couple living with nature, in tune with the animals around them, the physical nature of their sexuality and the delightful joy of being alive. We also see that inevitable character the serpent make his appearance and tempt Havah with the lie that something better was out there, she falls and ruin follows. 

When Havah and Adam are cast out of Eden, we see the horror of what it must of been like, almost like an Apocalypse of their own making. Scared and alone, the two struggle to make a life together, always fighting against the weather, the land and the anger in their marriage for the choice they made. Thoughts of jealousy, unsaid communications and a countless number of children bring rivers and deep mountains into the relationship, most that go unresolved and lead to bitterness. After her children are born we hear the inner dialog of a mother, a worn out woman, a woman who fears her own daughters will bed her husband, a woman who fights against her sons illogical sexual feelings and a woman who feels the pain of all she lost. To walk where she had walked, to go from youth and freedom to years of child bearing, jealousy and envy, Havah leads us through 900 years of a very long yet short life in the midst of the biggest mistake ever made.

Havah tells the story of the first woman according to Old Testament that was created in the voice of Eve from the Bible. With her exotic detail to the brilliant world around her, Eve's/Havah's voice was radiant describing Eden, the love she had for Adam and the oneness she felt with God and the world. Her voice was also devastating and horrific when she described the fall, being cast from Eden, being plunged into the unknown earth and taking on the fears of human nature. At times even when her voice took on a sharp bitter edge or a weepy pathetic woman, she was a believable protagonist to a vast amount of human emotion. 

I  was intimidated to review this novel and only because I feel in this case Tosca's story is so special I cant find the words to bring it justice, what I can say is that this novel stood out due to Havah's inner dialog and her common yet highly relatable struggles with faith, her husband, her children and her sexuality. Beyond the actual account of Eve in the Old Testament what Havah did was to reach beyond Biblical Eve and bring forth how utterly catastrophic her actions must have been. In the seldom times that I have personally thought of Eve, I never thought of what it must of been like to be thrown out of Eden or how terrifying it must have been to be cast into the unknown. Her plight obviously was heightened by a thousand due to where she came from, but she was amazingly the same flawed woman we all are. 

Tosca Lee did not shy away from sensual aspects in her story including sexual intimacy {which most of the book is about} multiple pregnancy's, incest and fidelity. Lee wrote these factors in with the utmost care using sensual language in way that didn't offend and left the characters vulnerable in the readers hands. Many parts of the novel had a very erotic undertone, each sentence heavy in word pleasure, even in the way Havah viewed the Garden and God, the writing felt raw and alive if that makes any sense. I'm thrilled to have a novel so rich in detail and honesty in human emotion, I would recommend this to anyone who
enjoys inspirational fiction, history or even tragic romances. Havah was a story of intimacy, deep longing and pain, loneliness, sexuality and the profound uniqueness of being a woman. 

An absolute stunning novel.

Rating 

Recommend to adult readers. Advisory content includes: Sexual aspects including: sexuality, child birth and body parts, death, murder, grief and loss. Havah also touches on Creation, love, intimacy, forgiveness and faith.

5/5- Inspy-Fiction

Thanks to B&H for review copy

Feature~Shelf Cravings {50}

Its time for Shelf Cravings a weekly dish on books! Coming soon, new releases, just discovered and deals on the Nook. This week Im excited for:

~Coming Soon~

The Program by Suzanne Young
April 2013 by Simon Pulse

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone.

With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories. Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie
September 2012 by HarperCollins

When everyone thinks you’re dead, how do you start your life over again?

Emma Tupper, a young lawyer with a bright future, sets out on a journey after her mother’s death: to Africa, a place her mother always wanted to visit. But her mother’s dying gift has unexpected consequences. Emma falls ill during the trip and is just recovering when a massive earthquake hits, turning her one-month vacation into a six-month ordeal. When Emma returns home, she’s shocked to find that her friends and colleagues believed she was dead, that her apartment has been rented to a stranger and that her life has gone on without her. Can Emma pick up where she left off? Should she? As Emma struggles to recreate her old life, everyone around her thinks she should change – her job, her relationships, and even herself. But does she really want to sacrifice everything she’s working so hard to gain?

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
October 9, 2012 by Random House

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin
August 2, 2012 by Putnam

Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend.

Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.

~New Releases~

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
May 1, 2012 by Simon and Schuster

Growing up in Africa and Latin America as the children of missionaries, London and Zach were as close as could be. And then Zach dies, and the family is gutted. London’s father is distant. Her mother won’t speak. The days are filled with what-ifs and whispers: Did Zach take his own life? Was it London’s fault? Alone and adrift, London finds herself torn between her brother’s best friend and the handsome new boy in town as she struggles to find herself.....

~Just Discovered~

The World as we Know It by Joseph Monninger
October 11, 2011 by Gallery 

A lifetime of friendship begins the day brothers Ed and Allard save Sarah from drowning in an icy river near their rural New Hampshire home. Though their paths diverge through the years, the connection between the three endures until a heartbreaking tragedy in the remote mountains of Wyoming forces Sarah and Allard to confront the unthinkable. In their grief, they find themselves on separate journeys that test the enduring bonds of their relationship and time’s unremitting power to heal.

Wow- don't those sound delicious!? I seriously cant wait to grab Catherine McKenzie's new one, after reading Arranged Im super excited to follow this authors career. I also cant wait for The Program and Mystic City. So many books, so little time.......what one looks good to you?

My eBook Purchases This Week:

Rock Me by Cherrie Lynn~ $4.24
Hereafter by Tara Hudson ~ .99 Cents
Just the Way You Are by Barbara Freethy~ Free!

                                                      

The Soul Savers Book Tour~Character Interview and Giveaway

Today Im thrilled to welcome Kristie Cook's character Vanessa form the Soul Savors series to answer a very important question..stay tuned after for lots of information on prizes and today's giveaway!

CHARACTER: Vanessa 

QUESTION: What’s been the biggest betrayal you've experienced? 

Vanessa: *raises a white-blond eyebrow* Where should I start? My life is nothing but one betrayal after another. But no worries. Revenge is definitely sweet and I have a big sweet tooth. Want to see it? *flashes a fang* Oh, you don’t like that answer? And you think I care? Okay, well, let’s point out the obvious. Maybe not the biggest betrayal – no way am I spilling that one – but pretty major. Seth. Oh, yeah, you know him as Tristan. *rolls eyes* He left me and became a freakin’ Amadis. End of story.

Tina: uhhhhh, what?? I guess I need to dive into these books Vanessa and find out what the heck happened!

ABOUT KRISTIE COOK

Kristie Cook is a lifelong writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle.

She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at www.KristieCook.com./Goodreads/Facebook/Twitter.

Find out More about this Tour- HERE And for your chance to win the Grand Prize:

Grand Prize – Nook Simple Touch (US only)

1st Prize — All 4 of my books signed (US only)

2nd Prize — Soul Savers Swag bag (US only)

International Prize — All 4 books as ebooks

RULES: You just need to leave a comment on this tour post to be entered to win.

Each comment left throughout the tour will count as an entry....which means you could have more than one entry. Commenting on this post will also enter you for a chance at one eBook copy of Devotion.

Please include their email address and if you are international.

Go to http://www.kristiecook.com/2012/05/on-tour-and-you-could-win-nook.html for a list of the tour.

TODAY'S GIVEAWAY

Today Kristie is giving away one eBook copy of Devotion (Book 3) for your reading pleasure. Just leave a comment to enter and a winner will be drawn after the tour. This is open to everyone.

With powerful abilities gained from the Ang’dora and Tristan back by her side, Alexis thinks she’s ready for the next challenge— protecting her son from what appears to be the inevitable. But she has so much to learn about her powers, her new world and the people in it. Nothing is what it seems to be on the surface, including the Amadis. 

Power-hungry politicians comprise the council and make impossible demands. A traitor lurks among them all, inciting trouble that could destroy the Amadis and, ultimately, humanity. The Daemoni wreak havoc in the human world, with the ultimatum that they’ll continue attacking innocents until Alexis and Tristan are expelled from the Amadis’ protection. The couple’s own society begins to shut them out. But that’s not all. 

Someone’s keeping a secret. A big one. Faith and hope in Alexis and Tristan will be restored if she can uncover the truth in time. 

But the search for answers leads only to the discovery of more betrayals by those closest to Alexis. Her devotion is put to the test—devotion to her husband, to her family, to her people and to her beliefs—leaving her to question whom she’s fighting for and why she should even bother. But if she won’t fight . . . who will? 

        

The Saturday Spotlight with Jennifer Thompson & Giveaway of Silver and Stone

Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight a weekly event hosted by Tinasbookreviews. This feature shines the light on Debut and Indie authors, a very growing and popular group of writers. This week I have the pleasure introducing readers to:

~JENNIFER THOMPSON~

Author of Silver and Stone

Hi Jennifer, welcome to the blog, please Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm a mother of two and wife of one. My day job is actually as an electroneurophysiology tech but since most people look like a dear in the head lights when I mention it, I didn't bother writing it into my author bio. I own a small photography business, which I absolutely love. I mostly write at night when the kids are asleep and I don't have toys and baby spit up flying at my head.

Indie publishing....hard road or good experience?

I won't lie; it wasn't easy. As a first time author I had no idea what I was actually getting myself into. I had to first figure how to even get my work out there, and then everything from the cover to the formatting and everything in between. It's a lot of work for one person, especially when that person is new to the literary world. That being said, indie publishing does have its advantages. Every decision is your own and so the author has total creative control.

What influenced you to write Silver and Stone?

While on maternity leave, I went on a YA paranormal romance bender so to speak. The more I read, the more annoyed I became with vampires. They're deadly sexy, we get it. But I kept thinking that there MUST be something else out there. That's where the character of Lucas took life and the Bloodlines series was born.

If you could pick a song that fit the mood of your book what would it be and why?

That's a tough one since the book touches so many different themes, but I would have to say Birdy's rendition of Skinny Love matches the dark melancholic mood of Silver and Stone.

What would you like readers to walk away with after reading your book?

I hope they walk away wanting more!

Whats on the horizon for Jennifer Thompson?

I'm hoping to complete the three book series by 2013. I also have another series in mind, though it's still only in the conceptual stages.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jennifer, it sounds like your going to be busy writing away!!! Your book sounds really interesting, thank you for being on the spotlight today and best of luck to your writing career.

GIVEAWAY

Today Jennifer is giving away one eBook copy of Silver and Stone. To enter please just leave a comment. Winner will be drawn June 2, 2012.

Silver and Stone

Welcome to high school high society hell. As if senior year at Weatherford Preparatory School wasn’t hard enough, sixteen year old Alexis Bardolph had to add school outcast to the curriculum.A new found notoriety following a family scandal, her lacrosse star boy-friend dumping her for a former BFF and a string of perpetually bad hair days were among the many things going wrong in her already turbulent teenage life. But when the haunting nightmares that have plagued her since childhood begin to take an eerily tangible form and several Holler Creek residents are reported missing, Alexis can’t help but wonder if there isn't more to her hellish dreams than meets the eye. 

The unexpected arrival of a mysterious and dangerously handsome new student ultimately leads Alexis to troubling truths that not even her wildest imagination could have conjured.

Find out More about this author at her Blog

~If you are an Indie author and would like to be featured please check out the features page.
~If you are a blogger and would like to participate in this feature please email me for more info.

Book Review~ Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

Arranged by Catherine McKenzie
May 15, 2012 by William Morrow
Paperback, Pages
Review Copy

Anne is your typical savvy career prone 33 year old woman. She's young, full of life, has great hair and has a weakness for good looking, blue-eyed, dark haired men who always break her heart. Why, when she has the looks, the body, the success and the personality, does she always pick the wrong one, why do they keep leaving her?

Those are the questions Anne asks herself before contemplating a dating service. At her wits end and sick of the dating scene, Anne decides to swallow her pride and go for it. When she actually starts the process with a secret and unknown company, she learns that the agency is in fact not a dating service but arranges marriages for couples in need of a husband or wife. Its totally legit and legal and only assigns willing, consenting adults, to the sum of ten thousand dollars.

At first Anne is floored by the idea but over the course of a few weeks and wringing her hands about the money, decides to go forward with it, I mean her best friend is getting married, her brother Gil and his happy wife are on baby number four and her mom can't understand why she wont just settle down....what could possibly go wrong? She'll either A: find a husband or B: get rejected from the program. So Anne does it with both feet in and undergoes evaluation and tons of tests to match her personality with the perfect man. She has to start rounds of therapy, things that help her see why she picks the men she does and gets to know herself a little better, because when the man is found there is no dating, its a meet and marriage arrangement, the company wants to make sure Anne is prepared and ready.

Anne fumbles her way through the process and everyday that a man isn't found she gets more nervous, in a sense shes ready to leave the awkward dating shenanigans behind her and settle down, but can she really just marry some guy before even going on a date with him? Anne finds out after a few months, when a man named Jack is matched to her and all her dreams are promised to come true. They each travel separately to a resort in Mexico, meet in a room full of other couples, eat dinner privately and you guessed it.....get married.

The therapist {who worked with them both in the beginning} warns the eager couple to take things slow, build a friendship and commit to the level of marriage they both so eagerly wanted. But when the couple rushes things and lets the intensity of their attraction get away from them, things lead to faster than should have scenarios. When the excitement and dangerous thrill of Jack and Anne's choice wears off the two must face reality when back at home. Friends and family must be told, lives must be merged and living together takes on a life of its own. Can the couple make it? Is it a dream come true? Only time will tell and the odds are stacked against them.

I so loved this book, it was brilliantly funny and Anne was a hysterical drama queen who captured my heart in the first chapter, she was so fun, at times calm and admirable and other times flighty and dramatic. Yes the cliche single woman with a great career looking for love arc was the building stones of Arranged, but McKenzie brought such originality to her story with the concept of an extreme dating service arranging marriages that I was able to overlook that. The book is told in three parts, before the marriage, the marriage and the after, my favorite part being of course the after because that's when the seriousness of the story took hold and the real depth of McKenzie's unique characters surfaced. Most of the book had me smiling, laughing out load and saying things like "ohhhh, noooo"...when things were said and done I filed Arranged under recommended summer reads for a blast of good time.


Rating

Arranged is recommended to adult readers and contains: Strong language, drinking and sexuality including sex scenes and dialog.

4/5- Contemporary
Thanks to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for Review Copy

Catherine McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, where she now practices law. An avid runner and skier, she also sits on various boards and professional organizations, and has taught part-time at the McGill Faculty of Law.

Check out the Rest of the Tour

May 16th: “That’s Swell!”

May 22nd: Twisting the Lens

May 23rd: Creating Comfort

May 24th: Book Journey

May 29th: Life In Review

May 30th: Peeking Between the Pages

May 31st: Colloquium

June 1st: Sara’s Organized Chaos

Book Review- Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Balthazar by Claudia Gray
March 6, 2012 by HarperTeen
Hardcover, 347 Pages
Purchased


Skye is all to familiar with the ghosts and vampires that surrounded her at Evernight Academy, before it burnt down to the ground. For years shes lived with ghosts and had an uncanny ability to sense them. So when she lent a helping hand to Bianca in the last book, she was left with a permanent ability into physic power that can reach into the world of the wraiths and connect her to ones that have passed on. With this new power it also changed Skye's blood, making it a potent powerful drug like magic to a vampire. A chance encounter with an old vampire who bites her makes this fact known to the vampire world and Skye finds herself the desire of a very evil group of blood suckers. With a taste of Skye's blood a vampire is transported (like a powerful hallucination) back to their previous life before turning and however brief the trip it brings back all the feelings of being alive. Needless to say, Skye is viewed as a major intoxicating human who is wanted for power, greed and lust. She's pretty much doomed to a life of slavery or a life of death.

When Skyes best friend Lucas asks Balthazar to keep an eye on her, he easily obliges. Having known each other from Evernight, the two find it easy to be around each other and build a fast friendship. Skye has actually always secretly admired Balthazar's good looks and old fashioned gentleman persona and pretty much falls for him within the first few weeks together. Balthazar becomes her full time body guard and when he discovers that the vampire leading the hunt for her is his sire, the man who claimed his life 400 years ago, the mission becomes personal.

Swept away by powerful memories, attacks around every corner and a soft realization that Skye is slowly becoming more than a friend makes everything crucial to keep her safe. Of course our broody Vamp who has sworn to never have a relationship with a human doesn't fail in his mission to make everything even more difficult as he denies once again what he truly desires.

Balthazar was a fabulous edition and spin-off from the Evernight series, he was always my favorite character from the books {especially Stargazer} and being in his head this time around was tremendous. B is a big ball of emotions, he's almost Edward like only older with his years of struggling against his vampire nature, the tortured I want to be a human again, but different because of his sordid and heartbreaking past, he's unbelievably strong and brave yet has an ancient sadness that pulls at the heartstrings. Only a taste of his life is shown in the previous books, tiny little snippets of a hinted romance and a crazy sister, in this book instead of just a glimpse into his past we get to be there, learning how he was changed, what his sister Charity went through, what he did to her, seeing and feeling the agony of his parents deaths and the death of the girl he loved. We also find out the torture he went through becoming a vampire and loneliness that has made this hundreds of years old vampire-man trapped in a 19 year old body become who he's become.

Grays delicious detail to an already enduring character gave him depth and soul (we wont mention the whole immaturity back to teenage shenanigans thing here) and FINALLY gave him the girl.

A Little Fun:

So I read on Claudia's blog that she wrote parts of Balthazar while listening to the Inception movie score. So I thought it would be fun to reread some of my favorite parts and listen to see if I could see the scene with the music. So I played Inception and it was fun listening as I read about the two getting trapped in a room at an old gas station, the vampires kicking and breaking in through the door, Balthazar crashing through the wall with his body, saving Skye from the evil vamps, they run, he's dragging her, a car flips over to not hit them, the gas station explodes, running again, falling and then Balthazar tastes Skyes blood that's sprayed into the ground and then he's being zapped back to the 1640s as memories flash before his eyes, then zapped back to the street of fire and craziness, then riding on the horses, being chased, being beaten, falling off the cliff, falling into the water, Skye trying to save a drowning Balthazar, the vampires getting closer.....Skye taking off Balthazar's clothes, Balthazar biting into her neck.......Skye running, the wraiths, everything freezing her.......Balthazar going ballistic like bat shit crazy and beating a vampire with a crow bar.......and then the kiss...with the gasps and the thighs and the hands.....I just had a mini-movie explosion in my brain.

Ok so its safe to say this book was a blast and action packed and written with Claudia Gray awesomeness that you can enjoy even without having read the Evernight series. So what if it was a tad cheesy or a bit far-fetched with the use of a hundreds year old immortal falling for an 18 year old, or that Gray did a ton of telling and not showing, I still liked it and I love Balthazar.

Rating

Recommended to mature teens (16-17ish&up) and contains: Violence, blood, gore, torture, gruesome deaths {told not shown} sexuality-including sex scenes, mild language, hinted memories and scenarios such as rape, child abuse and pedophilia.

4/5- YA-Vampires

Feature~ Shelf Cravings {49}

Its time for Shelf Cravings~ a weekly dish on books. New releases, coming soon, just discovered and great Nook deals. This week Im excited for:

Coming Soon

Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves
Summer-2012

What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else? Chris and Claire Canton’s marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. Daniel Rush had it all, until a tragic accident took away everything he cherished. A chance meeting with Claire sets in motion a chain of events that will leave three people questioning their choices and dealing with the aftermath of their decisions.

Crewel by Gennifer Albin
October 6, 2012 by Farrar

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested. Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape. Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

Defiance by C.J Redwine
August 2012 by Balzer & Bray

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her. At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared. As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Kat Fight by Dina Silver
June 1, 2012 by CreateSpace

The seriously funny, fabulously flawed Kat Porter has arrived, and she may just steal your heart—not to mention your boyfriend. Readers everywhere will revel in this sharp-witted, well-meaning whirlwind in author Dina Silver’s hilarious new novel, Kat Fight. In her quest for love, Kat makes every wrong turn, juggling two men, one best friend, and her own deeply confused heart’s desires.

Can Kat connect with the man of her dreams without hurting two of the people she cares most about? At the same time, she must also contend with the quips of her beloved catty coworker Adam, her bi-polar boss Brooke, and a string of comic, unpredictable plot twists. All the while, Kat’s cheeky perspective and generous heart will leave readers adoring every moment of her journey while chuckling and cheering for the ever cute, razor-sharp Kat as she fights to land the love of a lifetime.

New Releases

Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton
April 24, 2012 by Crown Publishing

Black smoke stains a summer blue sky. A school is on fire. And one mother, Grace, sees the smoke and rush. She knows her teenage daughter Jenny is inside. She runs into the burning building to rescue her. Afterwards Grace must find the identity of the arsonist and protect her children from the person who's still intent on destroying them. Afterwards, she must fight the limits of her physical strength and discover the limitlessness of love.

Swipe by Evan Angler
May 8, 2012 by Thomas Nelson

Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, Swipe follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn’t even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.

The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn’t been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back. When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? Find out in the first book of this exciting series that is Left Behind meets Matched for middle-grade readers.

Is that a great bunch or what!? I loved Tracey Garvis Graves first book On the Island, so Im over the moon to get Covet. I cant wait to check out Defiance and see what Dina Silver has whipped up for her sophomore helping, all these books look great. Which one looks good to you?

And my Kindle/Nook/Ereader Purchases for the last two weeks:


Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini~ .99 Cents
Effortless by S.C Stephens~ 3.99 (Bought at Smashwords)
Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout~ 5.99
Cornerstone by Misty Provencher~ .99 Cents


$12.00 Bucks total....a little more than normal for Ebooks, but I couldn't pass up the deals!

                                              

Book Review- Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan

Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan
May 1, 2012 by Thomas Nelson
Hardcover, 352 Pages
Review Copy

Sam Hopkins, a normal, sixteen year old teen wants more than anything to just fit in with his peers. He longs to be on the track team and capture the heart of a pretty popular girl. He longs for once to just be Sam. The kids at his school are nice enough, but they never really let him in or make him feel like another kid in the group. Sam doesn't fit in with the popular kids or really any of the kids because of who his father is....a pastor at a local church in the community. Always labeled as the mood killing PK {Pastors Kid} no one is ever real and everyone is overly polite afraid that they cant be themselves around the ministers son. Everyone expects one hundred percent from Sam and everyone expects him to do the right thing, except for the bullies, those guys just hit and knock Sam around. Which is how the book opens up, Sam being chased by bullies and standing up to them out of anger. It shocks and impresses the leader so much that he wants Sam in the group. Attempting to be anything other than what he's been labeled, Sam winds up making friends with them and joining in the band of dangerous boys. Thieves and all around trouble makers who steal cars, participate in illegal activities and have really no aspirations for a good future. Everything a PK kid needs to avoid.....and everything that screams rebellion.

During this time, which Sam calls the biggest mistake of his life, he gets deeper into the crimes and finds him self doing things that he knows is wrong and drifting further away from his Pk status. He also winds up meeting Jennifer, the sister of one of the guys in the group and life takes a spin into the unknown when he stands up for her against a bully at school. Jennifer herself is mentally ill and is constantly plagued by visions and voices in her head, that we later learn are demons taunting her. Compounded by her mental illness, Jennifer's hallucinations are terribly frightening and horrific to live with. her mother is frustrated with her, her brother while supportive just doesn't understand, that's why its such a God send when Sam comes into her life, he's the first close friend she's ever had and with that trust shes able to share and connect with him about what shes seeing. When Jennifer's visions start revealing some frightening premonitions of the future, Sam decides to help her figure things out and dares to become the hero that stops the madness about to take place, but at what cost and who will believe him when no one will listen?

Crazy Dangerous was a fun, fast and sometimes really weird read. For me personally I loved Klavan's voice and how he was able to create a young male protagonist that fit the age perfectly. While I liked the actual plot of Crazy Dangerous, the story itself was very youth driven and a tad juvenile for the YA I normally do read. Granted I think this book will be a wonderful addition to the middle grade audience, I wouldn't recommend it to adults. Crazy Dangerous has a profound message of right verses wrong, evil verses good and the lengths of true friendship.

Rating

Recommended to kids and teens 12&up and contains: Violence, bullying, mental disorders,frightening hallucinations, faith aspects and use of demonic activity.

3.5/5- YA-Inspy Thriller
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Litfuse for Review Copy

Enter for your chance to Win:

A $100 Visa Cash Card

A copy of Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan for YOU and 5 of your Friends!

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on May 28th. Winner will be announced at the "Crazy Dangerous" Author Chat Facebook Party on 5/29. Andrew will be hosting an Author Chat, testing your survival trivia skills, giving away books and gift certificates to iTunes and Amazon.com! Don't miss a second of the "danger"!

Grab your copy of Crazy Dangerous and connect with Andrew on the evening of 5/29/12 for an author chat and lots of giveaways.

The Saturday Spotlight With Kaiya Hart & Getting Thin Giveaway

Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature shining the light on Indie and Debut authors, this week I have the pleasure introducing readers to:

KAIYA HART~Author of Getting Thin

Hi Kaiya, please tell us a little about yourself.

First, I would like to thank you for having me. I’ve been writing seriously since I was eighteen. I’m a reader and always have been. My heroes were always fictional characters in books and I’ve always secretly believed that they are real people, even if they don’t exactly exist where we can call them up on the phone. Growing up, I devoured books by the dozen. I love words and I try to spend as much time as possible fitting them together and playing with them. I spend a lot of time in made up worlds, and, sometimes, I get a little confused about the difference between the places that are fictional and the ones that actually exist, lol.

What inspired you to write Getting Thin?

This was one of those rare books that required no real help from me. Eva just started talking in my head one day and telling me this story. She is one of my favorite characters, despite all the darkness in her. She has a beautiful, poetic mind, and once she started talking, that was all the inspiration I needed because I always wanted to know what she was going to say next.


If you could pick a song that fit the mood of the book, what would it be and why?

Actually, I have soundtracks for all my books when I’m writing them. There are several songs which I could pick, but I think the song that really fits best is The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars. I love the lyrics of that song because, to me, it is a song about someone realizing they have to accept who they are, no matter what anyone else thinks, even those closest to them, even if it means they have to accept their own insanity.

What three indie books would you recommend to readers?

Well, I don’t usually check to see who is indie and who isn’t. I just read what appeals to me. However, there are a few that I do know are indie and well worth a read. The first is Brains, Trains, and Video Games by Alicia Hart. Birthright (The Dark Gifts) By Willow Cross (or anything else Willow has written, really) is my second choice. Vs. Reality by Blake Northcott is my third pick and this one is really something if you love the superhero genre. There are so many talented authors out there right now, but these are books that I think are extra special.

What would you like readers to walk away with after reading your book?

If I could point out anything for people to pay attention to, it is that Eva was so willing to give herself up because she thought she wasn’t good enough. It took someone else to point out how amazing she was. I would tell people that, no matter who you are, what you look like, or how much you weigh, you are amazing and anyone who can’t see that isn’t worth your time. Don’t wait for someone else to come along and give you value. Find it for yourself and don’t let anyone take it away.

Can you share any future plans?

Well, I have several books I want to write, but right now I’m working on books 2 and 3 of my fantasy trilogy The War for Inisfail. I really want to finish that before moving on to anything else.

Kaiya, your book sounds fabulous! Thanks for stopping by today and PS- I love that song you chose, my first celebrity crush (after New Kids on the Block of course) was Jared Leto so that is awesome...true story.

~GIVEAWAY~

Today- thanks to Tim Mann, I have five eBook copies of Getting Thin to giveaway to my readers! Woot! This is open to everyone, please just leave a comment for an entry! Winners will be picked May 26, 2012. Thanks and goodluck.

When Roxy was alive, she was the perfect friend. When Roxy was alive, she was the girl everyone wanted to know. When Roxy was alive, she was the girl everyone fell in love with. The trouble is, Roxy isn't alive anymore and now she is looking for payback. Even if it means destroying her best friend in the process. This is a tale of Eva, one girl haunted by something more than just her best friend's tortured spirit. Her sanity is Getting Thin and she is starting to become the one person she never wanted to be. For Eva, Roxy is the key to finding herself and sometimes discovering who you really are isn't a good thing.

Find out more about this author at: www.kaiyahart.com 

Blog Tour: Guest Post & Giveaway with Genevieve Graham

Today Im thrilled to welcome Genevieve Graham to the blog for a guest post and a part of the Sound of the Heart Blog Tour.

Crossing Over by Genevieve Graham

In the beginning there was FICTION. And lo, the world so loved fiction that it became splintered among the masses.

Those who followed their hearts read ROMANCE.

a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic ormarvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usuallyin a historical or imaginary setting.

Those who desired puzzles read MYSTERIES.

a novel, short story, play, or film whose plot involves a crimeor other event that remains puzzlingly unsettled until thevery end: a mystery by Agatha Christie.

Romance, of course, occurs at any time, anywhere. To accommodate that, the literary world embraced Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Futuristic Romance, even Erotic Romance.

Mysteries branched into Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, suspense, thriller, and various other forms of WhoDunIt.

Other genres emerged, including Action/Adventure, Horror, Fantasy/Science Fiction, Westerns, Inspiration … and Paranormal.


Now the literary world had something new upon which to chew! Genres which had previously been limited to the ‘possible’ now swung open to reveal a treasure trove of the ‘impossible’. This new genre embraced the true concept of “fiction”, meaning the reader was forced to open their mind to a world they might not otherwise consider. Readers were introduced to vampires, ghosts, monsters, psychic phenomenon, time travel, and more.

What happens when Paranormal is married to Romance? We may be swept into the monumental struggle of a non-human entity in love with one of us, battling obstacles thrust in their path.

What about Paranormal with Mystery? Perhaps a ghost seeking to solve his or her own murder?

Now go farther. Explore the concept of Historical Paranormal Romance Adventure. That’s what you’ll discover in my novel, “Sound of the Heart”.

✔ Historical : The first thing you’ll notice is that the story occurs in the 1700’s. Read a little farther and you’ll see the history is accurate, brutal, and real.

✔ Paranormal : Then Dougal will tell you about the gift he has: the ability to hear other men’s thoughts and even to see into the future.

✔ Romance : You will fall in love with Glenna, just as Dougal does. You will watch their love grow from something totally unexpected into something neither can live without.

✔ Adventure : Dougal must battle for his life when he loses Glenna, then joins the army so that he can travel to the colonies and search for her across the endless land. Glenna is enslaved, put through hell, but she vows to live on, to find purpose in her life. And when she escapes … well, suffice to say, Adventure is a major part of “Sound of the Heart”.

I think most readers have a favourite genre. I love Historical Fiction, but when Diana Gabaldon threw in Time Travel, I was hooked. How wonderful it can be to mix and match. Take the best features of each, blend them together, and sample the results.

Do you have a favourite genre? Would you dare mix it with something new?


* definitions from Dictionary.com

~Thanks Genevieve for stopping by, personally my favorite genres are romance, dystopian and contemporary.....Im always up for an adventure though and would love to see things mixed up!!

GIVEAWAY

Today you can enter for your chance to win a copy of Sound of the Heart. To enter please just leave a comment. Open to US and Canadian residents only. Winner will be drawn at the end of the tour. 

Dougal MacDonnell, a fierce warrior from the Highlands of Scotland, is able to hear the thoughts of other men and dream how the future will unfold. Devastated by the loss of his family during the Battle of Culloden in 1746, he fosters a deep hatred for the English. But when Glenna, the love of his life and a Scottish outlaw, is captured and shipped overseas, Dougal is forced to join an English army made of vanquished Scots. Now fighting on the side of his sworn enemies, he embarks on a journey that will take him across the seas to the colonies. There he will risk everything for the chance to find his true love.

Find out more about Genevieve and a full blog tour list HERE!

Mini~Reviews: Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tale

Time for Mini~Reviews.....where I get out a few thoughts on a bundle of books or series Ive read.......this week Im talking about Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tale series, the three books being Tithe, Valiant and Ironside.


Black is not your puppy dog tales and sugar romance type of author, she's not the next Sarah Dessen or Stephenie Meyer, if you've read her stuff you know shes dark and very gritty for YA...Id say she crosses the line in whats acceptable considering most of her readers range from 13-17. Going into this series, I knew that and while I read the first two months ago, I actually just finished up Ironside and let me tell you readers, I am disturbed by just how dark Ms. Black can go.

TITHE

In Tithe we meet Kaye, a sixteen year old who travels around with her dead-beat mother and spends most her time in bars, smoking cigarettes and fending off creepy old dudes that want to see under her shirt. Kaye has a bucket full of crap called a life, but before you cry any tears over poor Kaye you'll be thrilled to learn that shes really an ugly pointy eared faerie pixie who when rolling around in grass and clovers can shed her human skin. One minute your a screwed up teen, the next minute your telling weird faerie dudes named Roiben to kiss your butt, in which he twirls you over pulls down your jeans and really kisses your butt........

After the butt-kiss Kaye winds up falling in love with Roiben {which I must admit the two had perfect chemistry} finds out shes an actual changeling and winds up smack-dab in the middle of a faerie war, lots of Seelie/Unseelie trivia, fights and pointy ears later, Kaye winds up having to rescue her new lover boy by saving his tush from an unseemly death. By the end we find out what fate will bring Kaye and Roiben and how the two will rule the Faerie courts forever and ever.

This was ok, the plot moved along pretty fast and the reading was simple, to the point and fueled with ugly, dark situations that normally tend to make my skin crawl. This isn't your grandma's Tinkerbell, this is black eyes and green skin and tree branch fingers....{ugh}....its also vulgar language, adult content and things not appropriate for young readers.

3/5- YA-Paranormal- {Paperback- 332 Pages Borrowed- Published 2004 by Simon & Schuster}

VALIANT

Valiant takes a deep nose dive straight off a cliff, having really nothing to do with Tithe's story but revolves around immature emotional Val who mistakenly comes home early one day to find her mother having the shag Olympics with her {Val's} boyfriend.. er...or should I say finds her boyfriend munching on something that wasn't carrots!?

This betrayal makes Val see red and without a second thought she turns around, hits the subway and becomes homeless. (!!!)  Overnight we have popular happy La Cross playing Val turn into a homeless dirty piece of crap.....suspending disbelief even for fiction sake didn't work for me on this one to be able to accept that happening.

In a twisted, freaky version of beauty and the beast, Val then finds solice in a group of teen runaways who live under the subway and begins taking a fairy drug called Never. A potent liquid that they shoot into their arms with needles to get high, causing terrible hallucinations, very similar to a street drug called heroin. After becoming a full out junkie and drug dealer, Val then falls in love with a troll...(yes a real ugly beastly troll who makes the drugs shes addicted to) and then has some freaky drugged out dirty sex with one of the homeless dudes who looks like another dude, never finds her way home and go's off in a happy ever after at the end with troll boy.

What this sad story had anything to do with the other story....not sure, but I can say as a parent I would never want my kids to read it. Black presented drug use in her book with utter carelessness... making drugs and homelessness out to be fun, orgasmic and a thrill ride. At first my instinctive knee jerk reaction to Valiant was anger, due to the horrible message in it for teenagers, however with the space of time between me finishing this and reading Ironside, my overall reaction is I feel sorry for the kids who are going to pick this up and get the message that getting high is ok and that it will solve your problems.

Novels aimed to influence children in negative ways with drugs and sex don't sit well with me. If this had been an adult novel, obviously I wouldn't judge it so harshly, but you can find it in the kids section in a public library. For SHAME, that this book promoted illegal graphic drug use to minors.

EPIC FAIL.

0/5- YA-Paranormal- {Paperback, 319 Pages- Borrowed-Published 2006 Simon & Schuster}

IRONSIDE

In Ironside we are back to the original plotline, no junkies lurking about...just messed up ugly fearies sitting around not doing much of anything......except I guess Kaye gets to go on a cool mission to help new king Roiben not lose his throne to witchy faerie queen lady. Im not sure why I read this third one, perhaps to see what becomes of Kaye? To see if it could redeem the previous turd I had read? All in all I was just more annoyed then really getting into the book........

Meh, a crappy ending to an overall crappy series.

2/5- YA-Paranormal {Paperback- 323 Pages-Borrowed- Published 2007 by Pulse}

Rating

While I would never recommend this series to kids, Modern Faerie Tale is suitable for mature teens and adults (17&up) and contains: Graphic language, graphic sexuality, disturbing drug use, life on the streets, illegal activities (stealing, crime, murder) and violence.