Monday, November 3, 2014

Book Review + Blog Tour: Beautiful Girl by Lida James

Author:  Lida James
Number of pages: 251
Publisher: The Studio, A paper Lantern Lit Imprint
Date published: 28 October 2014
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Buy on: AmazonAmazon UK


Darkness has a way of catching up...

Sophomore year at Dutchess College has just begun, and Nicole is still haunted by memories of her first love, Zach. As the changing leaves fall on the stately Hudson Valley campus, she takes solace in running—pushing herself to go harder, faster, to be the best. With the wind blowing through her hair, she can almost convince herself that she is beautiful, that she will find love again.

So when Nico runs, quite literally, into the maddeningly elusive Justin, she’s convinced she’s found the guy to make her forget her ex—despite the warnings of her friends and her straight-edged running partner, Luke.
But when Nico is attacked in the woods after a wild night of partying, everything changes. Suddenly, Nico begins receiving anonymous threats, and she no longer knows where to turn for help—or whether even her close friends can be trusted.

All she wants is to be one of the beautiful girls—the ones who never have to chase perfection. But in order to uncover the truth, she’ll have to face a past she had hoped to leave behind forever. She thought she could outrun the darkness, but darkness has a way of catching up…and only one boy can save her.
 



Review:

So, this was an interesting read. I shall simplify:

Why you should read the book

First of all, the writing. While I would not claim it to be the most beautiful writing I had ever encountered (Not even close), it is beautiful. Every few sentences or paragraphs there will be a description that will cut into me like a sharp knife. Something that had me thinking- "yeah, I know that. That's how I think of that". 

Secondly, this book has many issues from drugs and anorexia to stalking and death threats. Really, this book covers many subjects and it takes them all seriously. Self insecurity in a major level as well. 

Thridly, the characters in this book are somewhat complicated. Some of them are flawed more than the others. Others are simply lost. Some of them are admirable and some are just jerks. However you look at that they are varied and tehre is plenty to love, hate or connect to in one degree or the other.

Fourth, there are all kinds of relationships in this book- from true friendships to healthy romantic relationships to abusive relationships and fake friendships. I really loved how the author showed the various relationships there are in a person's life, and while showing how some of them are wrong  and one should not stay in them she did not once judge them. Rather, she let us watch, she let us know how the character felt and she let us come to our own conclusion. 

Fifth, this is a a story of hope. I'll explain in a bit.

Why you shouldn't read the book

first of all, this seems like a thriller from the cover to the name to the synopsis. When I requested for it I thought I was in for a New-Adult thriller. Something serious and edgy. I did get something serious and edgy, but the thriller aspect of it was not the main one and it wasn't that unpredictable.

Also, as I said there are various characters and they are quite varied. One thing they have in common is that they are very likeable and a little hard to relate. Yes, they have human problems. Yes, I can understand them. However, connecting on a deeper level- for more than just scene or a feeling is a lot harder. 

As I already mentioned this book deals with many issues and while it deals with all of them seriously, I have to admit the book was quite ambitious touching so many subjects. It is like when someone is trying to throw those 10 balls in the air and catch them all at the same time. What I mean is that at the end of the day with so many issues and subjects to cover you are left with nothing. It's like when you can't see the forest because of all the trees.

My thoughts 

This was a nice read, an intriguing one, Fact is some of the issues are grandeur, but some I think most people deal with in their life- like the need to be beautiful, to connect, to belong, to be loved. Those are things that many of us experience at different points in life. 

Nicole also dealt with them and she became stronger, yes, she was far from perfect (in teh start and in the end) and she still has a lot to work on by the end of the book but her story is a hopeful one. She learns. Which says something considering how annoying I found her at first when she tried to act like this "Big Girl" who can handle things and ignored the warning of teh people around her- but aren't we all like that sometimes? Despite the darkness the story keeps on reminding us there is hope- you learn, you keep in going, you grow stronger, There is always hope.

An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Blog Tour: Eight Days A Week by Amber L. Johnson




Eight Days a Week
by Amber L. Johnson

A "manny" should always mind his own business. And he definitely shouldn’t fall in love with his boss.  


Release Date: November 6 , 2014
Genre: Romance / Contemporary
ISBN e-book: 978-1-61213-329-4
Available from: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS PH
 
~~SUMMARY~~
Eight-Days-a-Week-3D-Bookstack-2 Gwen Stone has secrets she’s not ready to reveal. After a recent promotion at work, she needs a caretaker for her children. She’s frenzied and in a lurch and pretty much ready to hire the first person who comes along. So she does. Andrew Lyons needs to get out of his sister’s apartment, and a Craigslist posting may be the answer to his prayers. But what he thought was an ad for a room rental turns into a job offer he can’t refuse. Accepting the nanny position could change his life, if only he had a clue how to be a grownup. A working mother, a shirtless “manny” who looks good in a towel, two children who need more than a babysitter, and hours of kids’ TV can only spell disaster for everyone involved. Because a manny should always mind his own business. And he definitely shouldn’t fall in love with his boss.    



AuthPhot
~~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~~


Amber is a full-time mom and a full-time wife who is employed full time and writes when she can. She believes in Happily Ever Afters that occur every day—despite the obstacles real life serves up on a regular basis. Or perhaps they’re sweeter simply because of them. She always has two rubber bands on her wrist, a song in her head, and too much creamer in her coffee cup that reads ‘Cocoa,’ because she’s a rebel. If she’s not at her desk, with her boys, or behind the computer, she’s supporting live music with her arms raised above her head and her eyes closed, waiting for the drop.    

~~CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR~~
 
Praise for Eight Days a Week
"Laugh-out-loud story about a guy who goes to look at a room to rent and discovers it comes with a job - that of live-in nanny to two damaged kids. So Andrew Lyons accidentally becomes the "manny". Written in his POV, this book chronicles his hilarious escapades as he looks after and grows to love Bree and Brady, and his employer, Gwen. His pranks and spot-on observations about kids' TV shows had me giggling, but there were a few serious moments worthy of a sniffle as well. The star of the show may be Don, though - you'll just have to read this book to find out about him! Highly recommended." 
 - Andrea Goodreads Review

Saturday, November 1, 2014

List Land #5: 10 Authors We Want to Read Part 2


So. This is the second part of the list. My part. And while we were thinking of the topic of this list I didn't realize how hard it was going to be. True, new books come out almost every single day. If you ask me I'm starting to suspect someday there will be more authors than lawyers. Which says something considering the amount of people who go to law school. 

Still. Coming up with a list of authors I want to read is harder than coming up with a list of books I want to read. Because in the end of the day thge meaning is that this, IMO, that this is an author that has more than one published book. preferably, thay are not all one series. 

But I found some! yup, I did. And how am I proud on myself like a lion that just learned how to roar!

Shall we?

1. Brandon Sanderson
I've known about him for a couple of years now. I own most of his books- the Mistborn series, Warbreaker, Elantris, Steelheart. 
yes, I admit, I read one book by him written for teens. It was a book somewhat different from all his other books that mix sience and magic in a system of rules. Which is why, perhaps, I do not consider it as me reading him ever. Do not make that mistake to think the book I read wasn't great. It was really good. It's just different from his other works. 

2. Sarah Fine
Among my friends Sarah had made quite the commotion. First with her Guards of the Shadowlands series and then with her Of Metal and Wishes book it became clear the woman's got the talent. So yeah, she's on my reading list. In the VIP list.

3. Nichole Chase
This might be a little cheating on my part as I am reading one of her books right now but damn her Royal series sounds great (and from what I read so far it is promising). She also has more books, one of her upcoming books is one I'm waiting for eagerly- The Accidental Assassin. 

4. Leah Raeder
This is one author who made it with a big bang into the world of indie authors. I have yet to read her book Unteachable but I really do want to read her. However, she would not have made it to this list if it wasn't for the interesting premise of her upcoming book Black Iris. 

5. Noelle August
Last but not least is this writing duo of Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger. I am not sure why but their first book Boomerang gave me the impression of a fun NA book and I JUST have to read it. Their second book also seems promising. Which is why I do want to read this author. That's without considering the fact the Veronica Rossi herself had been on my TBR for quite sometime becuase of her Under The Never Sky series. 


Authors that should have been on the list (but I was limited with space): Amelia Hutchins, Courtney Summers, Amy Spalding, Kelly Oram, Huntely Fitzpatrick & etc. 





Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #9

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Accidental Reader and it features upcoming book releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

We cant wait to put our hands on:
Addicted After All by Krista and Becca Ritchie
expected publication: October 31st 2014
series: Addicted #3

The final book in Lily & Lo's storyline.
-----
Due to the 2-year gap between Addicted for Now (Addicted #2) and Addicted After All (Addicted #3):
Thrive(Addicted #2.5) must be read before reading Addicted After All, if you have not read the Calloway Sisters spin-off series.

Teaser Tuesday #9


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Accidental Reader. Anyone can play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Open at a random page.
  • Share 2 teaser sentences from the page.
  • MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT INCLUDE ANY SPOILERS ON YOUR TEASER.
  • Share the title, page and author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My Teaser:
   ''We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” 
           -page 100 from Divergent by Veronica Roth

Please leave a comment with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesday post, or share your teasers in a comment here ,if you dont have a blog. 
Thanx.

Book Spotlight: All I Want For Christmas Is You by Jessica Scott



Title: All I Want For Christmas Is You

Author: Jessica Scott
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Novella (108 pages)

Since winter is coming and all we thought we should keep you warm with this upcoming Novella about a veteran woman who had been through hell and back and the man who loves her. 



Rafflecopter Giveaway

GIVEAWAY yup, another giveaway. Feel free to participate. 


Summary






All Major Patrick MacLean wanted was Christmas with the woman and child who were his family in everything but name. But Captain Samantha Egan has come back from the war a different woman than the one who left - and she doesn't know if she can love him anymore.

But neither of them counted on the determination of a little girl they both call daughter and if Natalie has her wish, her parents may have no idea what's coming for them. It's going to take Christmas miracle to bring these two wounded warriors back from the edge of a broken heart. 

Excerpt

It was not a gentle kiss. It was not tame or timid or questioning.

It burned her down to the root of Sam's soul. It touched something deep and dark and hidden.

Something she'd thought was long since dead and buried and gone.

Patrick’s tongue slid against hers, stroking to life the very sensations she thought she'd never feel again.

It was electric, the feel of his mouth against hers. The scrape of stubble against her chin, the taste of him. The smell of his skin.

He nipped her. Pinched her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked it. And she sighed at the pleasure, at the raw ache his taste and touch aroused in her, pushing aside the darkness that haunted her.

Sam felt him. Felt everything. The heat of his skin. The warmth that drew her closer. That made her want to crawl into his lap and unzip his pants and push up that damned flannel shirt until they were skin to skin and there was nothing between them but sweat and heat.

One hand slid down her side. Tugged at her fleece and...

"Dear lord how many layers of clothing do you have on under this thing," he muttered against her lips.

She smiled. "You weren't wondering why I wasn't cold?"

"Well you'd be a champ at strip poker right about now," he murmured.

Then his fingers found her skin and she was no longer thinking.

Goodreads Link


Buy Links 

Barnes and Noble - http://bit.ly/aiwbn
Google Play - http://bit.ly/aiwgplay

Biography

Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of OIF/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.

She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time  and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

Social Networking Links


***

The novella ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU is also included in November 11th release HOME FOR CHRISTMAS with Joann Ross.

Buy Links

Amazon.com:  amzn.to/1D7xcZO
Google Play: http://bit.ly/hfcplay

Monday, October 27, 2014

Book Talk: When My Currently Reading Shelf Is Out Of Control

In the last few months something scary happened. More than that I returned to old habits. Bad habits I tried to leave behind me a few years ago.
If I may add I think I did a pretty decent job until recently.
So what exactly is that horrible thing? Well.
Do you know those people who read a couple of books at the same time? For the longest time I used to be one of them. With the ability to read more than five books at the same time without getting confused between them. 

Then I decided to control the reading habit. I started limiting myself to 1-2 books each time. 
However, the last couple of months had been rough, So rough I found it hard to concentrate and immerse myself in one book. Which led to me reading many books at the same time. My "currently reading" shelf stands on about 13-16 books right now. It's scary as hell. Most I begin than pt asice and pick up again a few weeks after. 

However, I can't stop picking up new books. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to read finish one of those books in a normal amount of time (between a day or a couple of weeks). But there are book I've been reading for MONTHS. 

What about you?