Blog Tour: Knee Deep by Jolene Perry

Goodreads Blurb

Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.

Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.

Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.

Knee Deep has got to be one of the best contemporaries of the year. And I mean that this time. I know, I don’t usually read/review contemporary. But that’s only because they make me cry. As in, full out sobbing. And that was no exception for Knee Deep.

Ronnie loves Shawn. He’s her soulmateand it’s just that black and white. Or so she thinks. Suddenly, Shawn is getting a shorter and shorter fuse. He starts getting angry at the smallest things, starts hurting her in ways he never had. And jealous over her best friend, Luke, for no apparent reason. Or is there an actual excuse for his over protectiveness? Because Ronnie is starting to pull away from Shawn and ever closer to Luke, something she doesn’t understand. After all, Luke is just her friend. But something’s going on with Shawn’s family, something he’s hiding.

First off, let me say that I was so irritated by Ronnie’s character. No matter what Shawn did, she always forgave him, thinking that his sudden lash outs were because of his dad’s stress. Come on. But I guess when you’re in love you’re just blind to that. But it still annoyed me to no end, especially when Luke was right there and supporting, helping, her. ARGH. Luke was so sweet and had the perfect boy-next-door feel and I absolutely loved him! Shawn on the other hand was…no, just no. He always seemed truly sorry after each lash out, but the things he did…they were just unforgivable!

This story just broke my heart. It was beautiful and raw and…and…there are no words to describe how much I love Knee Deep.  It was so moving and it just tugged on my heart strings. I know this happens a lot, but 50% of the time I spent reading it, I was crying. That’s how much Knee Deep touched me. That’s how much I loved it. Lovers of contemporary should move Knee Deep up on the top of their TBR pile.

Pages: 176

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Tribute Books

Release Date: May 1

Rating: 5 stars

"He stops me, grabbing my arm—hard—just above my wrist.

'This is not okay.' His jaw is set.

'Hey.' My voice shakes. My body shakes. I’m actually scared of Shawn for the

first time ever. I jerk my hand once, but he tightens his grip…impossibly tight. My lungs

can’t pull in a breath; there’s just not enough air in the room anymore. 'Shawn, you’re hurting me.' He can’t mean to hurt me. He can’t."

Short Author Bio:

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.

Contact Info:

Knee Deep web site:

Jolene Perry's Facebook:

Jolene Perry's Twitter:

Jolene Perry's Website:

Jolene Perry's Blog:

Jolene Perry's GoodReads:

Tribute Books website:

Tribute Books Facebook:

Tribute Books Twitter:

Author Interview: Kimberly Sabatini

I managed to interview the amazing Kimberly Sabatini who debuts this year with her YA novel, Touching the Surface! It definitely sounds amazing and has a BEAUTIFUL cover!

Fiction Freak: Let’s start with the classic: What inspired Touching the Surface?

Kimberly Sabatini: About seven and a half years ago my father passed away. After he died I started to write to make sense of the loss. I also decided that since he died young, this was my wake up call. I needed to crawl out of my own box of insecurity and fear and begin to chase down some of my dreams. I'm not sure I knew at the time that I was writing, that by puzzling through my thoughts on his death and the afterlife that I'd really written a very long love letter to my dad. It was a very proud moment to write the dedication to him. <3

FF: What's your funniest moment?

KS: In the book--I think the funniest moment for me involves a dinghy. That scene always makes me smile. You can let me know after you read it. :o)

FF: What made you decide to write about the afterlife?

KS: Aside from my dad...fear. I've always been the kind of kid and later adult that worked very hard to NEVER do anything wrong. Elliot does something very wrong in TOUCHING THE SURFACE and I wanted to explore one of my biggest fears. What would it be like to be a very good person, but make an epic, unforgivable mistake? Basically, I wanted to know if I was still capable of being loved if I ever screwed up really bad. I grew a lot from writing this book. I'm not sure I've completely conquered this fear, but I know that I've grown in a healthy direction.

FF: Some authors write while listening to music. Did you? And if so, what songs/type of music?

KS: I write to music when I draft, but not when I revise. In fact, sometimes I can't even write if I don't have the right song to set the mood for me and I may play that one song over and over again for hours. *head thunk* My only prerequisite on what I listen to is that it has to be meaningful to me and the story. So I never know what I'm going to end up with, it could be anything from Broadway to Rap. I'll give you one song that is on my playlist but also plays a big role in the book...Little Bird by Annie Lennox.

FF: Your cover is absolutely GORGEOUS, but I'm curious: do the birds represent anything or are they just there to add more prettiness?

KS: The origami birds are very relevant to the story. I LOVE that they were represented on the cover.

FF: Quick: first word that pops into your head when you think of first getting published.

KS: Jump (as in up and down for a long time in a lot of places.) My husband wanted to take me out but I told him that what I really wanted to do was jump up and down for a little while longer. LOL!

FF: Your book is at the top of many, MANY, wishlists (including mine). How does that make you feel?

KS: Humble and hopeful. It feels like such an honor. I know that not everyone will love my book--it's not possible for everyone to love any one thing. But the idea that there will be some people who connect with me and what I wrote--what I poured out on the page.  *sigh* That makes my heart want to burst through my chest just like it does for the Grinch as he's riding back into Whoville.

FF: What aware you currently reading? What are your thoughts so far?

KS: Right now I'm reading about 10 different books between my Kindle, audio books, what I read to my kids and what's on my night stand. I'll give you one...MY LIFE NEXT DOOR by Huntley Fitzpatrick...LOVING IT!!! I find myself staying up way too late reading every night.

FF: What is your most anticipated read of 2012 or 2013?

KS: Hmmmm There are sooo many but I'll pull from the Wolf Pack (My fellow pups represented by Michelle Wolfson) and say MIND GAMES by Kiersten White, PIVOT POINT by Kasie West and WHEN YOU WERE HERE by Daisy Whitney. They all sound incredible.

FF: Give us a teaser of Touching the Surface? Please?

KS: Here's the first paragraph...

My body smacked the water. Thoughts scattered like a handful of beads dropped on a bare wood floor. I gasped for air and the current rushed in. My throat burned. Panic, thrashing, spots of light exploding in my head. Surrender. I sank softly down...until...fingers wrapped around my wrist, yanking me out of the water. As my head broke the surface it all became clear. I had died...again.

FF: Any last words to readers/bloggers/aspiring writers?

KS: First and foremost--thank you so much for all the support and early buzz you are creating for TOUCHING THE SURFACE. I am an absolutely believer that word of mouth is what really sells books. I cannot thank everyone enough for passing on their excitement. As for aspiring authors (because there are no aspiring writers) you either write or you don't. :o) I just want to remind you that while there are lots of things to learn and understand about the publishing business, in the end we are just like snowflakes--completely unique in how we craft a story. Don't chase down someone else's dream...chase your own. Celebrate what makes you...you. Leave yourself on the page because that is the one thing that no one else can do. (((hugs))) Thank you so much for having me over to your blog. I had a wonderful time. <3

Touching the Surface Blurb:

Experience the afterlife in this lyrical, paranormal debut novel that will send your heart soaring.When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she knows she must have messed up, big-time. She doesn't remember how she landed in the afterlife again, but she knows this is her last chance to get things right.
Elliot just wants to move on, but first she will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she'd rather keep buried. Memories of people she's hurt, people she's betrayed...and people she's killed.
As she pieces together the secrets and mistakes of her past, Elliot must find a way to earn the forgiveness of the person she's hurt most, and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves...even if it means losing them both forever.



Short Author Bio:

Kimberly Sabatini is a former Special Education Teacher who is now a stay-at-home mom and a part-time dance instructor for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. After her dad passed away in 2005, she used writing as a way to make sense of the experience and discovered that she’s full of questions that need to be answered. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband and three boys. Kimberly writes Young Adult fiction and is represented by Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency. She is thrilled to be part of the "Wolf Pack." TOUCHING THE SURFACE is her debut novel. (Simon Pulse - Simon & Schuster, October 30, 2012)

Contact Info:

Kimberly Sabatini's Website

Kimberly Sabitini's Blog

Kimberly Sabatini's Goodreads

Kimberly Sabatini's Facebook

Kimberly Sabtini's Twitter

 

Shift by Em Bailey

Goodreads Blurb

Olive Corbett is not crazy. Not anymore.
She obediently takes her meds and stays under the radar at school. After "the incident," Olive just wants to avoid any more trouble, so she knows the smartest thing is to stay clear of the new girl who is rumored to have quite the creepy past.
But there’s no avoiding Miranda Vaile. As mousy Miranda edges her way into the popular group, right up to the side of queen bee Katie – and pushes the others right out – only Olive seems to notice that something strange is going on. Something almost . . . parasitic. Either Olive is losing her grip on reality, or Miranda Vaile is stealing Katie’s life.
But who would ever believe crazy Olive, the girl who has a habit of letting her imagination run away with her? And what if Olive is the next target?
A chilling psychological thriller that tears through themes of identity, loss, and toxic friendship, Shift will leave readers guessing until the final pages.

Wow. Let me just say I was not expecting this when I started Shift. Honestly I only read it because my reading pile was empty. But once I started it, I was hooked.

Olive was popular, beautiful, fun, and bubbly, but when her dad left because of her suicide attempt, it all spiraled downhill. Suddenly Olive has a new life and is shunned, teased, and bullied by everyone including her ex-best friend, popular girl Katie. Only Ami sticks with her...but htere's something about her that's different. Something Olive never expected...

Newbie Miranda Vaile comes to town, niece of crazy Loony Oona and she's fresh meat for the vultures of high school. Yet somehow, she pushes everyone away and becomes Katie's best friend and confidant...but something creepy is happening because just as Miranda's looking more and more like Katie every day, Katie's becoming paler, sicker, and tired by the minute. Everyone isn't noticing it though, and soon enough Olive starts to doubt just what is real. Becuase, when you're going crazy yourself, who's to know what's real and what's not? Even when you know what's going on.

Em Bailey masterfully blurs the line between reality and imagination. I swear, there was not one time I was sure if what Olive saw and discovered was real or not! Em wrote beautifully, the prose leaning into paranormal then falling back into reality. The creep factor is high and I think that if anyone read this entirely at night...you'd definitely dream about it. Maybe not bad enough for a nightmare, but it will definitely leave an impression on its reader.

Olive was a great protagonist. Because of her problems, you, like I said, could never tell what was reality and what was her mind. I mean, Miranda would mouth words that Katie had said mere seconds later, act like Katie, dress like Katie, and slowly start to look like her. And even htough Olive suspected Miranda to be a shapeshifter, I couldn't be sure. Especially with what Miranda makes Olive realise. What was mind-blowing, though, was the fact that the most obvious things were the things that surprised me the most. When there was a twist, I would think "what? That's not possible!" But the more I thought about it, the more I realised how many hints were pointing at it.

There was romance! I know! I wasn't expecting it, but when the romance came I was pleasantly surprised! THe love interest was sweet and understanding and this was one romance where I loved the guy being kind and not mischevious and bad. The apocalypse is coming, isn't it? But yeah. Lachlan was just ADORABLE and I loved him!

Pages: 320

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: May 22

Rating: 5 stars

"Now everyone was looking at Miranda, who was standing up. 'Katie wasn't talking,' she said, her voice clear and confident. 'I was.'

Rift by Andrea Cremer

Goodreads Blurb

Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

The Main Characters

 Ember was a strong heroine who was stubborn and independent and she always stood by her decisions no matter what. But something that annoyed me was that she always seemed as if she thought herself high above others, a bit snobby, maybe. She got offended a lot and was too hardheaded (which can sometimes be a good thing) to listen to others even when it may have risked a friend's life. Her attitude made me frustrated a lot of times and I often found myself wanting to strangle her. But Ember did have her strong points so...eh.

Eira, our antagonsit, was a perfect villain. She never meant to be evil per say, she was just swayed by her desire to do what she thought was better for her friends and family. But in the process, she lost what she thought were her goals and wanted to become more powerful than anyone. And that just makes the perfect antagonist. She didn't mean to become the villain it just happened, and the way Andrea Cremer shows the transit form good to bad was amazing, the way she blurred the lines between the two!

The Plot

The plot was awesome! I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened and tearing at my hair when something unexpected happened. Which was a lot. The plot twists were those that you think are going to happen, but doubt it. Which, of course, makes everything moree surprising. Am I right? The plot was action-packed and full of secrets! But at times, I sometimes felt as if it was a bit too...redundant at times. But that might've been just me!

The Romance

You could kind of see how the romance was steadily growing, but I still think that when the big kiss scene came, it was still sudden, still too fast. Especially when it almsot hit the next level. It honeslty surprised me when they did kiss, but I guess it was to be expected.



Pages: 448
Series: Nightshade Prequel #1
Genre: Paranormal/Romance
Publisher: Philomel
Release Date: August 7
Rating: 4 stars

"Ember brought her sword down without warning and her aim was true. Her blade whistled through the air, hitting its mark and smoothly halving her adversary."

Book Paparazzi News!!!

So...remember my Random Musings post about Book Paparazzi and how it would make an awesome blog name? Well I came up with an idea where all bookish news will be posted on that site! That means cover reveals, links to author interviews, author tour stops, blog tour stops etc. My blogger buddy, Lisseth from Read-a-holicz will also be helping out and we decided to do a launch giveaway which will be live tomorrow! The prize? 5 mystery books. Don't worry, they're all YA fiction. But click on over here to go to The Book Paparazzi! (And give a round of applause to Lisseth for helping me with this little blog!)

 

Showcase Sunday

Some of my books got lost in the mail and I'm so frustrated at the Post Office now. ARGH!!! I swear, they're out to get me...Hopefully they get to me by next week but we'll see...And since I didn't manage to review Katana or Shift last week and the week before that, I'm adding it for review this week!

Props to Books, Biscuits, and Tea for creating this meme where we tell you what we got in out mailbox!

For Review

        

Traded

Bought

Like I said, I'm revieing the books I didn't have time to before.

I'm not sure if I'll enjoy Rift or not. I never read Bloodrose, the third book in her Nightshade series, and I have no plans to because of all the bad reviews. But if the characters are anything like Calla and whats-his-name (not Ren. I love him) then I will chuck this book in a fire.

There have been some awesome reviews so I can't wait to read it! Hopefully I get the chacne soon...

Random Musings: The Book Paparazzi

So I've been thinking lately: bloggers are like the book paparazzi. I mean, a cover is revealed: 10 minutes later at least 7 blogs have the cover on their blog and by the end of the day everyone's abuzz. Same with a title reveal, giveaway, and other book stuff. I feel like bloggers can literally sniff out bookish news.

Example:

Boundless cover

Everbound cover

Nightmare Affair giveaway

SPF9 giveaway

It's just amazing how fast news travels on the blogger/reader vine. So now I'm just rambling....

Hey that would make an awesome blog name: The Book Paparazzi. Any takers? Maybe I'll take it...

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Cover Reveal: Nightmare Affair

I have waited SO FREAKIN LONG FOR THIS!!! You have no idea how much I want The Nightmare Affair! Ever since I first heard of it from my recomendations on Goodreads, I've been pining for this book! And now a giveaway is under way and the cover has been revealed! AAACCCKKK!!!
Where did I learn about it? At Icey Books! Here's the cover:


Isn't it just....ACCK!!! I WANT.

Fall Into Summer Giveaway

 <center><a href="http://fiction-freak.blogspot.com/2012/06/fall-into-summer-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Fiction Freak" src="http://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/p566/Nikki_Wang/summer2.jpg" /></a></center>So I was going to do something similar to this when I reached 300 followers, but I decided that if I waited too long then it wouldn't be techincally the start of Summer anymore, would it? This will be the giveaway instead of the 222 since that one isn't so fun. Lol. Think of this as my giant giveaway of the year. Who knows? I might do one next year too.

What's Up for Grabs:
Any book that's released from August 20 to November 31. Techincally August isn't a Fall month, but a lot of awesome books are being released. I wouldn't want you to miss out on that! I'm not that mean.

Rules:

• 13+ or must have parent's permission
• One set of entries per household! I'll be chacking IP Addresses
• One winner at 300 followers, and another winner every 100 followers from there.
• The book MUST be released from Aug. 16-Nov. 31 if you didn't see it earlier.
• This giveaway ends on the first day of Winter. Which is a loooonnnngggg ways off so that should give you a lot of time to get extra entries is you want!
• Please keep the price under 13$. I'm not rich
• INTERNATIONAL if the Book Depository ships to you. Remember, under 10$ people.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Goodreads Blurb

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.
To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.
But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.
When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

What happens when the girl who never wanted to keep going ends up being one of the only to survive?

This book just blew me away. The prose was absolutely wonderful, the book well-written, the plot shocking, and the characters are complex, each with their own ups and downs. I'll admit, I was worried that witht he zombies, I wouldn't like it, much less love it. I've never liked zombies so I was a bit nervous to start this book. And yet, I still dove head-first in this awesome book. This has been said so many times (About a gazillion), but zombies were not a major part of This is Not a Test. I repeat, they were not a major part of Thisis Not a Test. Another worry: They were locked in a school? How was Courtney Summers going to write a 300 page story in the same exact setting? I didn't know, I thought it was impossible. But somehow she did it and not only did she accomplish it, she made it into one of my favorite books of 2012!

Let's talk about the creep factor: I was reading This is Not a Test at night, despite many warnings not to, and had reached a part where the zombies come a-knocking. And....my door creaked open. That was the part where I put the book down and turned out the lights. The writing is intense, to say the least. After all, we have 6 teenagers who are desperate to stay alive after everyone and everything they loved have gone up in smoke (figuratively, of course.) No matter how annoying the characters become, you can't help but forgive them for each stupid thing. They just felt so real, so sad, and so...ugh. Tehre are no words for how amazing these characters are, despite their shortcomings.

Summary: This story was just so raw and I found myself on the edge of tears at times. Sloane had no idea who to follow, who to trust, or what to do. She made her own decisions, but almsot never felt like they were right. This is Not a Test has an ending as captivating as the beginning and a finish line so startling, I desperately hope there's a sequel. This book will leave you wanting more and will stay with you for days after you've finished, if not weeks.

Pages: 322

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Apocalyptic/Paranormal (?)/Romance (a little)

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: June 19

Rating: 5

"They know. This isn't the frenzied sound of bodies stumbling and tripping against the door amid all the other chaos, an accident that goes away. This is consistent. It has purpose. Intent. They know we're in here."

Cover Reveals!

Some more covers were revealed this week!


Rise by Anna Carey


Hidden by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Neferet’s true nature has been revealed to the Vampyre High Council, so Zoey and the gang might finally get some help in defending themselves and their beloved school against a gathering evil that grows stronger every day. And they’ll need it, because Neferet’s not going down without a fight. Chaos reigns at the House of Night.












Everbound by Brodi Ashton (Back Cover)

Two months ago, the Tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That night, Nikki's boyfriend, Jack, made the ultimate sacrifice. All Nikki wants is to save Jack before it's too late. All Cole wants is to find his queen - and he thinks Nikki is the one. Both determined, both desperate, Nikki and Cole form a tense alliance, leading them on a dangerous journey to The Heart of The Everneath.

Venom by Fiona Paul

Goodreads Blurb

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

HOLY GUACAMOLE. This book was awesome. Full out blow my mind awesome. The book, characters, plot, they all stayed with me for days, weeks, after I read it. I am so happy I got a copy!

The World:

The world of Venom made me felt as if it was fantasy somehow. The descriptions of Venice were absolutely enchanting and the fact that underneath the beautiful waterways and glittering jewels there were grave robbers, illicit meetings, and murdered women...well, let's just say if I hadn't already been absolutely caught up in the book, I was then. The way that Fiona Paul weaves her world is spectacular and magical.

The Characters:

Let's start with Cass. I absolutely adored Cass! Unlike a lot of other heroines in historical, she doesn't use extreme measures to get out of an engagement. Sure she wasn't exactly ecstatic, but she accepted it. Cass was adventurous, brave, and willing. Not to mention stubborn and insanely protective of her friends.
Falco! MEEP! Falco was definitely the boy I was rooting for. With his dark looks and scandalous suggestions, I found myself laughing, giggling, and falling hard right there with Cass. My heart was in my throat at one point where Cass and Falco were...not exactly at good odds.

The Plot:
The plot had twists and turns that I never would've believed in other circumstances. I would think one thing and Fiona Paul would tell me something else. You have no idea how many times my mouth popped open in shock.
What struck me as different than other Historical fictions though, was the fact that it wasn't as...boring as others. Venom was so much more scandalous and had more action, romance, than others and that definitely made me love Venom all the more.

Overall:
Venom is a must read for any YA reader who's looking for something new and fun. I found myself sucked into this world filled with mystery, romance, and intrigue and couldn't pull myself out until the last page was read. Fiona Paul somehow made me love one genre I usually avoided and I hope I find more novels as wonderfully written as this!

Pages: 432
Series: Venom #1
Genre: Historical/Romance
Publisher: Philomel
Release Date: October 30
Rating: 10/5

"How stupid of me to let my heart go. It was a lovely fantasy while it lasted though, wasn't it?"

P.S. No that teaser was not spoiler. Though it does leave you wondering...

Have a Picture!

Is it or is it not completely true?

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Showcase Sunday

I'm expecting quite the batch of books this week. But anyhow, the books I got last week were pretty awesome too.

Props to Books, Biscuits, and Tea for creating this meme where we tell you what we got in out mailbox!

For Review

         

Traded

Given


Won
              

All three have been on my wishlist and hey! I finally get to read them. Of course I'll review them.
My BBB traded this with me. It's actually through this trade we became friends. Weird, right? Anyways, I love the cover, but the plot sounds a bit...familiar. And I've heard of the love triangle. Ummm...but we'll see.
That's right people! I was given an ARC of Venom. From who? Fiona Paul herself! Fangirl moment! Do you know how much screaming was done once we reached our hotel? A lot. Wouldn't hav emissed it for the world...maybe BEA though. ;)
Teen Author Carnival is where I won these. Fathomless sounds interesting, I haven't read Belles so I won't be reading book two, Narc seems...OK, and I've already read Goddess Test. I did re-read it though, and saw things with a critical eye. As in, it was once 5 stars...and decreased to 3.5. Ah well. Things happen.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Some things are going on that you should've heard about by now. If you haven't, no worries! It's all here:

YA Crush Tourney Nominations
The nominations are starting for the annual YA Crush Tourney, hosted by the YA Sisterhood. Do you know your top ten swoon-worthy boys? The enter them here!

Lost Prince Release Date
We have the actual date now! Count down the days until October 23rd to buy the spin-off Iron Fey book!

Need Some Giveaways?
The famous Clear-your-shelf giveaway is here where bloggers are giving away their extras/unwanted books! I've entered at least 75% of them already! Find the links here!

New Book Site!
A new site has been launched, all about books! I was contacted and given the early access code which I'm allowed to pass on, so yes, this is allowed. The code is discover_books. Just type that in here and explore!

Awesome Cover Reveals
A few absolutely stunning covers were revealed. Click here to see my post of them!

On a personal note...

2-2-Too Late Giveaway
I've decided: If I reach 350 followers, I'll add in a winner. So then two winners will each receive two books!

Summer Goal!
I finally came up with my yearly summer goal: Collect all five Breathless Reads in ARC form! I already have 2/5. This'll be a cinch! I hope.

2-2-Too Late! Giveaway

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So as you know, I like to do things a bit differently. Remember my 111 giveaway? Well I was going to do a 222 Giveaway, but we all know it's too late for that. After all, I have 280 followers now! (and no, I still can't believe that.) ?Right? Wrong. Introducing the 2-2-Too Late! Follower Giveaway. Oh, and don't forget to see my review of Arise by Tara Hudson. It's right below this post.
By the way, these are all books that are either semi-popular, or not that popular.

The Bolts and Rods

• US only. Sorry folks!
• You must be a follower!
• Do not leave your email in a comment
• If you are the winner, you must reply within 48 hours or anotehr winner will be picked.
• The books must be chosen from the list below

                                                             
         

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Arise by Tara Hudson

Goodreads Blurb

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her

Amelia has stopped having her nightmares ever since she escaped the demons and into Joshua’s arms. She’s finally safe and happy. If you don’t stop and think about her random materializations and vanishing acts whenever a) her emotions run high or b) when she and Joshua are getting a bit…steamy, if you know what I mean. And that is quite the problem, isn’t it? And then Amelia discovers that the demons are after her and will kill anyone and everyone she loves. Including her mother, Joshua, even Jillian who seems to hater her. Any living being she associates with will be killed. And that’s when Amelia decides to leave Joshua, if only to protect him. But when New Orleans, Amelia finds that about five others can hear her, one of them are able to see her. Something that comes as quite the shock, especially when it turns out that they want to help, not harm, Amelia. Or do they? Because something weird is going on, especially when she meets Gaby, the ghost who lives half a life. Exactly what is going on? Is there a traitor in their mist? How does Gaby become solid? Questions are raised and answered in this sequel to the debut Hereafter.

We get to see new characters who I absolutely adored, even if a few weren’t very…real, and get to see more of old characters such as Joshua and Amelia as their budding relationship blossoms into something more…but that was the problem. The entire story, every little thing, was based on the romance. Amelia was in danger because she loved Joshua. She met the other evil ghosts...because she loved Joshua and wanted to leave him to protect him. She tried to become semi-human...for Joshua. OMG, Joshua, Joshua, Joshua. It just annoyed the heck out of me. Especially when the guy in questions is acting just a wee bit immature. And Amelia starts trusting almost everyone she meets. Really, Amelia?

On the other hand, I did enjoy this novel, especially because it's set in New Orleans which, as most know, is filled with ghosts so it was the perfect setting for this story. The characters all seemed to have a place in the story, so no one was exactly just there. The story line flowed naturally and beautifully so tehre weren't any akward moments, thank goodness! Our two main characters were in such a sweet romance and they seemed to be so loyal (maybe a bit too much.) The action was still there and I was at the edge of my seat, flipping through page after page. I’m still not sure if I think it suffered Sequel Syndrome where there is no actual plot since there were many revelations and plot development in Arise, but it seemed irrelevant though definitely interesting and fun to read.  The Hereafter series is definitely one of my favorite ghost stories!

Pages: 404
Series: Hereafter #2
Genre: Paranormal/romance
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: June 5
Rating: 4 stars

"Then when I finished apologizing, I would ifnally tell him I loved him. More than anything."