Giveaway: Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker

K.A. Tucker and Atria Books are hosting an amazing giveaway to celebrate the release of Four Seconds to Lose. Ten Tiny Breaths was one of the first NA's I read and fell in love with, and even though the second book, One Tiny Lie, didn't work for me, I can't wait to continue this series and see how Charlie and Cain's story plays out. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it would be the same if not greater level than Ten Tiny Breaths. I thank Inkslinger PR for allowing to share this giveaway with my readers.

Four Seconds to Lose

K.A. Tucker

Releases on November 4, 2013

by Atria Books

Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #3

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

When a gorgeous young dancer walks through his door, a strip club owner must decide whether to follow his rules or his heart in the third novel by the author of One Tiny Lie and Ten Tiny Breaths.

Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can't get distracted by romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

  My Review for Ten Tiny Breaths

My Review for One Tiny Lie

Giveaway

Enter to win:

 First print of a Four Seconds to Lose Dooodles by Christina (which won't be available for purchase until late December), as well as signed copies of Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie, and swag bags filled with Four Seconds to Lose posters and goodies from K.A. Tucker and Atria! There will be 5 winners of signed copies and swag bags, and one Grand Prize winner for the Dooodles by Christina, signed copies and a swag bag. You don’t want to miss this! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Sentinel Blog Tour: Spotlighting Pure + Giveaway

The final book in the Covenant series, Sentinel, is coming out in few days and to celebrate it's release, Valerie from Stuck In Books organized a week long tour to promote the Covenant series and countdown for it's finale. Tour schedule can be found here. As a part of the promotion, I'm going to re-post my review for Pure, the second book in the series and my favorite book by far. But before that, here's a bit about Sentinel.

Sentinel

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Releases on November 2, 2013

by Spencer Hill Press

Series: Covenant #5

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

As most of you know, I'm Team Seth. I did switch teams in Deity but I still have a soft spot for my favorite bad boy and regardless of some of his unforgiving actions, I'll never stop supporting Seth. Pure was the book that flipped this series and made it unbelievably addicting and original. I loved that we got to know more about Seth and had some cute moments with him and Alex. I still remember swooning over that pool scene when I first read this book and even now, I go back to the story just to reread that particular scene.

I really hope you guys are following this series because I know, I've been shamelessly promoting it :) And if you still haven't picked it up, now would be the perfect time to catch up and finish the series when Sentinel comes out.

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Top Ten Tuesday (6)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 where bloggers share their opinions on bookish topics in list form.

Topic: Scariest Book Covers

 

Beware! 

Reading any further might give you nightmares!

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Review: Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under The Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Published: HarperCollins | Jan 2012
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Source: Bought
Series: Under The Never Sky
Under The Never Sky
Through The Ever Night
Into The Still Blue

Goodreads | Purchase

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered.

This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland--known as The Death Shop--are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild--a savage--and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile--everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Review:

 Readalong with Sarika and Janhvi from The Readdicts! 
Check out Sarika's review here!

     Under The Never Sky is one of the most visually appealing and beautifully crafted book I've read in a long time! The world created by Veronica Rossi is so cleverly put-together and executed that even if the characters weren't working for you, the story and the setting itself would've been enough to make me fall in love this book. But I did love the characters, so this was a win-win in every department, except one i.e. the pace. In the beginning, the pace was excruciatingly slow and even though I loved the story and had a huge crush on Perry, it was hard for me to continue reading in one sitting. I had to take several breaks to get through the first 40%, but after I passed that checkpoint, it was all good. The speed picked up, the world-building got more detailed and creative, several intriguing secondary characters were introduced and all in all, Under The Never Sky, from that point on, turned into one of the favorite series I've started this year. Why did I wait so long?!?

      Goodreads described this series as a dystopian, but to me, it felt more fantasy. The world in Under the Never Sky is divided among two types of people, The Dwellers, like Aria who live in Reverie and use different realms to travel and communicate, and The Outsiders, like Perry who live like us normal folks, expect they have tribes and territories and their generation seems a bit more backwards in time. There were many instances where I saw Perry as a more neanderthal looking, hot, sexy, brooding guy who was willing to do anything for this tribe and family. You know the type! Those glimpses were what made me fall in love with Perry so deeply; I love a man who can protect and provide under any circumstances, someone who shows strong emotions just by his actions and could a little vulnerable for relatabily factor but never an open book. And Perry was exactly that kind! I was under his spell from the first page! Perry, be still my heart!

     Where on one side, I had no problem connecting with Perry, on the other, I was lost trying to understand Aria's stand point. She comes from a place where Outsiders are considered as savages and worst than dirt, so it was hard for her when she had to partner up with Perry on a journey together. Nevertheless, a part of me still felt like Aria acted in a very immature manner in those scenarios. (Boiling clothes? Really?) But the uplifting quality about Aria was that she adjusted pretty well in the Outsider's land and I was so proud to see her transform from a sheltered, one dimensional girl to a strong, smart and an extremely sharp fighter, whose will to adapt and learn was beyond impressive. As for the romance, I loved every part of it! Aria and Perry started off at the different end of the spectrum. but as they spend more time with each other, they became closer than ever and before we know it, they are making out, declaring their love and going out of their way to support one another. And this whole situation might sound extremely cheesy, but it felt more romantic to me and the best part about Aria and Perry's relationship was that none of them ever tried to deny their feelings or hide it from anyone. They knew what they wanted and they went for it.

     Under The Never Sky was a beautiful, engaging and an action-packed adventurous read that made me hooked till the very end. I initially picked this book along with Sarika and Janhvi for the readalong in hopes of getting out of that 3 star reading funk, but I was already out of it when I started this book. Nevertheless, I'm so glad to have picked this book up, it gave me another great series to fangirl over. Plus, the author ended the story at such a romantic note, how could I not love it? It literally felt like I was reading a contemporary and along with Aria, I was swooning over the situation. I would've died if I had to wait a year for the sequel, so glad to already have it on deck. If you haven't started this series, then what are you waiting for? Buy the first book already!

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Review + Giveaway: Seducing the Enemy by Noelle Adams

Title: Seducing the Enemy
Author: Noelle Adams
Published: Entangled (Indulgence) | Oct 14, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: From the Publisher for Review (Thank You!)
Series: Heirs of Damon
Seducing The Enemy
Playing The Playboy

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

After being injured in a tragic accident as a child, Marietta Edwards has lived a sheltered life. Finally recovered, she wants to indulge in pleasures that are entirely new to her, so she begins by seducing a sexy, mysterious stranger. Only after their one-night stand does she learn their families have been embroiled in a fifteen-year legal battle and the man she’s given herself to is her worst enemy.

The heir to a vast fortune, Harrison Damon believes the unforgettable night he spent with Marietta in Monte Carlo is just a fling, an escape from his responsibilities. Then he discovers she is an Edwards—the family he despises most. He can’t quench his attraction for her, but he won’t let her use it against him. He won’t let her manipulate him to win money from his family. No matter how much he wants her, he won’t let her seduce him again.

Review:  

     There is nothing a classic romance can't solve! After being in that torturous (that's how it felt like!) 3 stars reading slump last month and trying all kinds of different reads to get out of it, all I needed was a pure, heartwarming, full of drama love story to remind me why I was a hopeless romantic in the first place. Seducing The Enemy did exactly that! It was addicting, highly entertaining and overall, a fun, romantic book that I was craving for a long time. On another note, I don't know why I stopped reading these Entangled romances, Kiss, Brazen and Indulgence were my go-to imprints for those fluttering, romantic reads and I really missed them in the past 4-5 months. Well now I'm back on track and hopefully, I won't slack!

     Seducing The Enemy is a story about family rivalry, forbidden romance and buried secrets. Marietta and Harrison's family are stuck in a decade long court battle which started when Marietta and 2 other passengers were involved in an accident than left her paralyzed from the waist down and soul survivor of that tragedy. The driver was a Damon and the other passenger was Marietta's older sister which means that both families lost someone in that accident, one more than the other, but the sad part about this whole scenario was that instead of getting to mutual agreement and moving on, both the families were insistent on blaming one another for the accident and none of them seemed interested in finding out the real truth behind it. The whole indifference left Marietta and Harrison at a bad place when it came to trust and loyalty and overall made their life, in every literal sense, a constant battle and a living hell.

     Marietta and Harrison met in a club, were unaware of each other's identity, hit it off pretty well, had attraction that could be termed as insta but felt more natural and "meant to be" like to me and all in all, their story had classic, a little cliched, drama filled romance written all over it and not surprisingly, I loved every bit of it! I love when people have to fight for their love and go through hurdles to prove that they can be together and achieve that happily ever after that everyone talks about, that's the beauty of classic romance and that's what makes me root for real love all the time. Seducing the Enemy brought out the romance addict in me and made me feel all those fluttery feelings that I haven't felt in a long run. In simple words, Marietta and Harrison's story made me fall in love with pure romance all over again. This is what I was missing and I'm so glad to have experienced it.

     And if my use of words like love and romance a millions time in this review hasn't given any indication, then I don't know what will. Seducing The Enemy was an unplanned, random read that I requested from Negalley just because, but I never expected it to be this good. I strongly recommend fans of contemporary romance to buy this book ASAP. You won't regret it!

PS: I just found out that this is going to be a series! Hallelujah!

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Never Before Seen Excerpt + Giveaway: The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski

I read The Edge of Never earlier this year when I was in my NA funk and it was hands down ones of the best I'd read in that genre! Road Trip + Two Strangers = Sparks and a lot of romance! Camryn and Andrew were such a great couple, so when I heard that they were going to get a sequel, I couldn't have been more happier. Last month I read The Edge of Always and even though I didn't love it as much as The Edge of Never, I still enjoyed Camryn and Andrew's emotional journey together and loved watching them get their much deserved happily ever after. I highly recommend this series to fans of "meant to be" romances who appreciate and enjoy life as a great adventure.

My Review for The Edge of Never
My Review for The Edge of Always

Buy The Edge of Always: Amazon | B&N | iTunes
Releases on November 5, 2013

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Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Published: Tor Teen | Sept 2011
Genre: Paranormal, Horror, YA
Source: Bought
Series: Anna
Anna Dressed in Blood
Girl of Nightmares

Goodreads | Purchase

Cas Lowood, armed with his late father's athame knife, kills ghosts. In Thunder Bay, Anna, forever 16, drips blood on her white dress from throat slit in 1958, and rips apart anyone who enters her house - except Cas. He makes new friends - high school queen Carmel, jock Will, admiring nerd Thomas and Tom's voodoo grandpa Morfran - to fight this demon.

Review:

     Anna Dressed in Blood is one of the non-scariest yet bone chilling book I've ever read. And no, I didn't contradict myself in that statement! For someone who gets scared so easily, Anna Dressed in Blood didn't do the job as well as I expected; the story was original, captivating and kept me glued to the pages till the very end, but I wasn't scared or creeped out by the storyline in the least. However, what did made me turn on all the light and stopped me from reading this book at night was the setting itself. The haunted mansion where Anna resides, the creepy apartment with the cop and even the house where Cas lives were downright the most scariest and horrific places I've ever heard about! A haunting setting + beautiful writing = A great horror read!

     Cas is a ghost killer, but not like the fake ones on TV. He's the real deal and only one in the world who can do that. Chasing ghost keeps him on the road all the time along with his mom who is a white witch and a cat who sees ghost as well. Yeah, that was one wicked family, but their adventures were even wickeder. Cas' new job brings him too Ontario, Canada where the famous ghost and terrific killer, Anna Dressed in Blood resides. Her horrendous murder tales are know everywhere in the little town of Thunder Bay, but no one dares investigate them because once you enter her house, there is no coming back. The minute I heard about Anna, I couldn't wait to meet her, the anticipation was killing me and I have to say that her introduction scene was done brilliantly. The way Cas described her as a Goddess of Death and something beautiful yet deadly was so perfect. I was in awe with Ana from that moment on and I think that's why I couldn't give it 5 stars because instead of being scared by her, I actually kind of admired her in a very sick way. That might sound wrong on so many levels because Anna was not a nice person, but I couldn't help it. I felt bad for the girl who died so cruelly and the girl who is now trapped as a ghost. But I never once felt sorry for her, Anna was a strong, powerful and an extremely dangerous girl who could kill anyone just with a snap and yet, I was her fan till the very end. 

      As you can tell from above, I was completely obsessed with Anna. The relationship she had with Cas was unbelievable at first but it grew on me as the story went. And speaking of Cas, I had no trouble in understanding his perspective and seeing where he was coming from when it came to Anna. I supported him with every decision and I can't wait to see what he's going to do next after that shocking ending. I'm rooting for this couple no matter how illogical it sounds, but in my heart, I know there's no happy ending for them. One can only wish. Fans of ghost stories and haunted house would have a blast reading Anna Dressed in Blood. It was fast paced, addictive and very gripping! The story might not be that spooky, but was the setting would make you wish you never find Anna's house.

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Top Ten Tuesday (5)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 where bloggers share their opinions on bookish topics in list form.

Topic: Character Names I Love/Find Unusual

The clear winner in that list is Renier Laroche from Nightshade series. I'm obsessed with it to the point that I only want to marry a person named Ren. Isn't that crazy?!? Not for me! :D

Poppy is not bad for a nickname, but for a real one...I don't even know what to say. America and Renesmee are the weirdest name for any person, I've read about only one America (from Beautiful Disaster) and I didn't like her annoying personality. Hermoione and Echo have grown on me now, but when I first heard about them, I wasn't a fan. And wow, I just realized they are all girl names! Well, the guys can make everything work then ;)

What names did you pick? Are they similar to mine?
Let me know in the comments and leave a link to you TTT.

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Blog Tour Review: The Only One by Magan Vernon

Title:The Only One
Author: Magan Vernon
Published: Beautifully Broken Books | Oct 10, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance, NA
Companion to The Only Exception
Source: From author for Review (Thank You!)
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Sweet and sexy!! Loved it! This is the type of story you read again and again- #1 New York Times best selling author Rachel Van Dyken

Honor student, manager at the campus coffee shop, owner of an impressive sweater collection – Melanie Wilder has it all together. Then John “John Boy” Walden strolls into her life wearing nothing more than an impish grin and all-too-revealing loin cloth.

Soon, make-out sessions replace homework, lust triumphs over work. And to further crumble her perfect world, an unexpected phone call threatens to take away everything she’s worked for.

Now, as Melanie struggles to pick up the pieces, she realizes that John may be the only one to put her life back together…unless he shatters it first.

**This is not a sequel to The Only Exception. It's a companion novel with two characters from the first book. You don't need to read The Only Exception to understand this book.**

Review:

     The Only One was yet another entertaining and highly addictive read by Magan Vernon. I didn't enjoy it as much as it's companion, The Only Exception, however I still think it makes a great romantic read for those slump days. Starting with something positive, I was a fan of John Boy. He appeared as a frat whose only job was to hook around with a bunch of girls or drink drink drink, but as cliched as it sounds, John Boy was much more than that. He flirted a lot and acted like a total jerk and a manwhore in the beginning (like every NA guy!), but the minute he met his "The One", he stopped everything else and only focused on her needs and pleasure. Now you see why I love him in the first place! No one else mattered to John Boy than Melanie and when she was faced with something horrific, he supported her at every stage and never left her side. He was indeed a keeper!

     Melanie Wilder is a studious, hard working girl and runs in a completely different circle than John Boy. The only link they have is Melanie's democrat best friend, Monica who is dating the conservative Trey Chapman, who happens to be a frat brother of John Boy. Needless to say that they haven't seen much of each other until the Halloween party where Melanie forms an infatuation towards John Boy, or should I say his chiseled body, because Melanie literally obsessed over it at every page. After a while it got old, but that's not my issue. After Melanie and John went on few unplanned dates, something drastic happened in her life and after that point, I started strongly disliking Melanie and her weird sense of reasoning. She turned into one of those girls who doubt over everything and constantly belittles themselves for no reason. To a certain point, I can understand her mindset and situation, but her inability to change after a period of time really made me not care about her anymore. Furthermore, after finishing the book, I still wasn't sure why John Boy liked Melanie so much. Throughout the story, besides the strong sexual attraction, I never felt the pure, passionate love between the couple like the one Monica and Trey experienced. 

     Nevertheless, at the end of the day, I ended up having a great time reading this book. It did come with it flaws, but there were enough good moments to balance it out into an okay yet fun read. The Only One delivered what it promised and hey, that's all I can ask for. Fans of new adult and hot alpha males would enjoy this book a lot more than I did, even though I do consider myself in that category, sometimes things just don't work as well as you expect them to. 

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Stacking the Shelves (18)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Review where bloggers
 share the books they bought, won or received for review.  

This was a great week in winning! I can't believe I won a whole series!

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Review: Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover

Title: Finding Cinderella
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publication: Atria Books | Oct 14, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance, NA
Source: Bought (Free)
Series: Hopeless
Hopeless
Losing Hope
Finding Cinderella (Novella)

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

This novella is a companion novel to the Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.

Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.

Review:
 
     How does she keep doing this? Every book is more emotional, powerful and outstanding than the last one and I just wish this chain of cycle never stops. Like always, I'm in love with Colleen's Hoover newest work, even in few pages, she succeeded in making me feel all the feels. From the highs to the lows, Finding Cinderella was a perfect example showcasing how a length of the novel doesn't matter as long as the content is phenomenal. Simple words made such a huge impact on me while reading Daniel and Six's story and I commend the author for that.

     The base of the story in Finding Cinderella started in Losing Hope when we heard Daniel talk about a mysterious girl he used to meet in a maintenance closest during fifth period and how he is appropriately named her Cinderella. The girl's identity was kept hidden during that book and if you've read my review for Losing Hope, you would know that I predicted that Cinderella was Les, Holder's dead sister, because her backstory matched perfectly with the scenario, but imagine by shock when I found out it was actually Six?!? It made no sense because I remember Six as a very bold and lively person and it was very unimaginable for me to think that she hated everybody. I'm still a little unclear behind her reasoning, but nevertheless it didn't stop me from enjoying and loving this story with all my heart. In the beginning, the story was very entertaining and hilarious and I though it was a fun book rather than the Collen Hoover trademarked emotional ones, but oh my goodness, I could never have predicated what happened when the actual Cinderella reveal took place! I felt like someone ripped my heart out and forgot to replace it. I couldn't stop crying after that particular 3-worded sentence, it was...tears, tears and more buckets of tears. And that's all I can share right now, but I have to say that for something that didn't cost me a penny is sure worth a lot more than that.

     Finding Cinderella was a masterpiece and I know I say that to every Collen Hoover book, but IT'S TRUE! Daniel and Six were a well matched couple and even though I didn't see them as that in the beginning, I sure did end up changing my mind and rooting for them till the very end. The great thing about this novella, beside it being totally free of charge, was that I never felt like I wanted more, the story was wrapped up so nicely from every angel that I couldn't have asked for a better ending. I would strongly and very forcefully recommend this novella to fans of serendipity romances. If you still haven't read anything by Colleen Hoover (What is wrong with you?), this is great is place to start. Finding Cinderella was a standalone that took place in the Hopeless series world, but it doesn't spoil anything. Plus, it's free on every website, so it's a great way to test out Colleen's work.

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Blog Tour (Guest Post + Giveaway): Play With Me by Piper Shelly

Play With Me
Piper Shelley
Publication date: December 9th 2012
Genres: Contemporary Romance, YA
Series: Grover Beach Team #1
Goodreads | Amazon (Free!) | B&N (Free!)

Ryan Hunter's parties are legend. And tonight she's going to be there.

Liza Matthews anticipates the return of her best friend and only love since kindergarten from soccer camp. But when Tony finally shows up, his mind is more focused on another girl. And worse, she's a soccer player. Fighting for the attention Liza craves, she's just a hairbreadth away from making a very stupid decision. But when extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, she's prepared to play ball to get her man.

The tryouts are hell, the first match ends bloody, and the morning after the selection party she wakes up in the worst place possible—in the arms of the captain of the soccer team. The hottest guy in school. Ryan Hunter.

Note from the author: Please be aware that this is a NOVELLA (a really short book). You will probably read it within 3 to 6 hours.

Guest Post: "Writing a Novella" by Piper Shelly

I never thought I’d actually ever do that. I love long books – to read and to write them. But a little over a year ago, I came across a romance novella starring a 17-year old girl that was written like a diary. I read it within 3 hours and I loved it. Why? Because it was a super fast, light summer read.

But the author made one severe mistake. She used all the 20,000 words up for the story and totally forgot to carve the characters out some more. In the end, I didn’t know what they exactly looked like, what they loved or hated, and what happened in their everyday life other than that revolving romance we got. The result? I couldn’t fully relate to the heroine. I couldn’t completely feel with her.

That day, I went on a mission. I wanted to create something that one could read in one swallow, but in the end, my readers should be fully satisfied with both the story and the characters I brought in. I wanted my audience to know my hero and the heroine as though they were their friends. Nothing should be left in the dark.

Basically, there is one very simple formula to make this work, even with a limited number of pages. As a writer you have to see the world through your hero’s eyes and not just the hero walking in that world. You notice small things around you (you—the character) and small things about you. It doesn’t take much to go into detail with character description. One or two additional sentences every now and then is all it takes. And you can do that in a short book just as well as in a long book.

And frankly, if, as an author, you need 500 pages to get your readers to like your characters or see them eventually come to life, you totally failed in that department. Long or short book doesn’t matter, the reader must know and must like your hero from the start. Right from page one. If we stretch it, you have about 10 pages time. That’s the only way a good book works.

I did my best to achieve that in Play With Me. I hope I managed. :-)

Cheers,
Piper 

Thanks for the guest post, Piper!

About the Author

Piper Shelly

The quick-and-dirty: I’m a cool girl with a passion for writing.
The genres you’ll find me hanging out at are contemporary and paranormal YA, but I’m also snooping into some adult paranormal right now. All of them romances…of course.
The nitty-gritty: I’m an Austrian lass—totally uncomplicated and up to anything fun.
I grew up in Vienna, not by free will but because my parents decided to move there when I was only 4 years old. I. Hated. The. City. Everything about it. So right after graduation I moved back to Upper Austria, where I settled down with a nice husband and an awesome laptop.
I’ve been a storyteller all my life. Already in kindergarten, I came up with the most exotic fantasies and tales. My teacher would call me a liar. I call it the cornerstone of my writing career.
People always told me you can’t make a living with being an author. So when my first novella PLAY WITH ME came out and shot straight to the stars within the first week, I was totally dumbstruck. Took me a while to realize what was happening, LOL.
And the personal stuff:
At the (awesome) age of seventeen, I met the love of my life. But he was a playboy, and I was so not going to be his next trophy. It took him another four years of fighting for me until I finally decided to give that “couple-thing” with him a shot. I’m now married to this man. ;-)
We have an eleven-year-old son, and together we travel a lot…although I sometimes wish the trips were shorter because I can’t wait to get back to my laptop and my many stories. Unless we’re in Disneyland. No stress to go home then…

If you still want to know more about me, my FAQ page is the right address for you. ;-)
http://pipershelly.com/faq/

Find Piper on: Website | Goodreads | Facebook

Giveaway

Grand prize (INT)

--A boxed set of PLAY WITH ME and RYAN HUNTER. 

One book, both stories inside.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Tour schedule can be found here.

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Blog Tour (Favorite Quote + Giveaway): Grab Your Pole series by Jenn Cooksey

Favorite Quotes - Melissa

 “Wait! Go back…Pete made-out with someone on New Year’s?! I didn’t see him do that…who was it? And why didn’t you tell me before?!” ~ The Other Fish in the Sea, Chapter 23 – Consulting An Oracle

I haven't read this series but here's what some readers have to say about Melissa: Melissa makes me giggle. She’s bouncy and bubbly, and very much your average teenage girl. She does have her fair share of baggage and insecurities, as everyone does, but most often, she’s either laughing to the point of tears or getting caught up in the drama and intrigue of her friends’ lives—sometimes she does both at the same time.

 About the Series: Grab Your Pole

by Jenn Cooksey

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mature YA

First 3 books are already out. 

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

About the Author

Jenn Cooksey

Jenn Cooksey is a Southern California girl born and bred, however she's no longer a resident of heaven on earth, but instead she currently resides in the 7th Ring of Hell with her husband, their three daughters, and a goodly number of pets. Aside from her husband, one cat, and three out of five fish, everyone living under the Cooksey's roof is female. She's sure her husband will not only be awarded sainthood when he kicks the bucket, but that Jesus will welcome him into heaven with a beer and a congratulatory high-five. Jenn is also of the belief that Bacon should be capitalized and that just being yourself is the best way to go. That is, unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman.

Find Jenn on: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway

Enter to win:

Kindle Paperwhite & $15 Amazon Gift Card

3 ebooks-Choice of Shark Bait, The Other Fish in the Sea, or Shark Out of Water

Print Copy (US/CA)-Choice of Shark Bait, The Other Fish in the Sea, or Shark Out of Water

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour schedule can be found here.

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Early Review: The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski

Title: The Edge of Always
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Published: Forever Romance | Nov 5, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance, NA
Source: From Publisher for Review (Thank You!)
Series: The Edge of Never
The Edge of Never
The Edge of Always

Goodreads | Purchase

He was taking the long road. She was taking the road to nowhere. It just so happened that they led to the same place…

When everything falls apart, love remains . . .

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS

Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged—and a wedding isn’t the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can’t wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew – a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to—until tragedy blindsides them.

Andrew doesn’t understand how this could happen to them. He’s trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won’t do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride…

Review:

     My only wish going into The Edge of Always was for Andrew and Camryn to stick together come hell or high water and to never halt their travel frenzy life. On one hand, I'm very happy to announce that the story went in the direction I wanted, but at the same time, this sequel didn't leave me as satisfied as the previous book, The Edge of Never. A part of the reason was that I wasn't really into the first half of the book, granted that it was very adventures and had lots of road trips and sight seeing, I simply didn't feel it. Though I did enjoy the second half tremendously, the hopeless romantic in me definitely appreciated the in depth happily ever after we got and it was the perfect ending to Andrew and Camryn's journey, but I'm still confused as to why the epilogue was written from that POV.

     From the first page, I knew where the story was heading, it was kind of expected. Camryn and Andrew are pregnant with their first child, but having a kid means settling down and giving up on their travel plans atleast for a few years. That part was specially hard for Camryn and it was understandable considering that she never felt comfortable living in one place for a long time. However, that change brought so much growth in both these characters, individually and as a couple; I loved seeing them evolve from carefree travelers who just wanted to have a fun life to a more matured and focused couple who planned their future (well atleast the basics, even in the end, they were still the carefree couple we met in the first book). Now on to the negatives, there were a lot of incidents in the first half that made me go WTF (and "What else did you expect?") specially around the time they went camping/partying with some strangers. I won't go much into details because honestly I hated reading that part. Camryn and Andrew acted so naively that even I was disappointed by them. I'm glad that they learned from their mistakes and didn't divulge too much into it.

     The Edge of Always wouldn't have worked for me if not for that beautifully executed second half. It was a perfectly romantic and fairytale-like ending to this series and I couldn't be more happy with it. All in all, I tremendously enjoyed the last chapter of Camryn and Andrew's lives. Fans of this series would without a doubt fall in love with this installment, though maybe not as much as the first one, this one wasn't that dramatic. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it to readers who believe in fate and happily ever afters.

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Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Published: St. Martin's Griffin | Sept 10, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance, YA
Source: Bought
Goodreads | Purchase

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

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

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

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Review:

     I've been staring at my computer screen for the past 3 hours and I still have no clue how to review Fangirl. How am I suppose to express my love for it in few words? Granted that it wasn't as good as Eleanor and Park, it wasn't as addicting or as romantic as E&P, but Fangirl was a masterpiece in it's own and doesn't need any comparisons. It was beautiful, meaningful and a completely relatable story about a girl who loves to read and write, as simple as that. What's not to love about that!

    Fangirl started off really slow and I found myself easily distracted and at times even uninterested in Cath's story. Cath was a total nerd head to toe, she obsessed over Simon Snow (fictional Harry Potter) all the time, bought shirts and poster and random knick-knacks featuring him, and not only that, she even wrote fan-fictions (very popular and in-demand fan-fictions at that!) about him and the Mage world. All this fangirling was very surprising for me, I've never met a person like Cath in real life and maybe that's the reason I was so weirded out/amazed/a little uninterested in her life. And that's clearly an odd thing to say because I obsess over books too, but I'm 100% sure that Cath's level was much much higher than mine. Nevertheless, after few chapters, I was on board with this story and in love with Simon Snow's world, especially the one from Cath's perspective. As a person who hasn't read fanfic in her life, I would say that that part of the story was done exceptionally well. It gave us few glimpses into Cath's writing and her passion towards it, and that's what made this story so special and relatable to me personally as a book blogger. 

     Fangirl was not only about Simon Snow and fanfiction, it was more about Cath, her revolving relationship with her twin sister, Wren, her socially awkward personality, but on top of everything Fangirl was about Cath staying true to herself through thick and thin and not changing a bit for anybody! That is a quality I admire in a person and I thank Rainbow Rowell for writing a character like Cath. She's definitely one of a kind and it would be a shame to let her story pass by. Though the one thing I didn't fangirl over in this book was the romance. It was cute in a geeky way, but certainly not something I looked forward to throughout the story. 

     All in all, Fangirl indeed turned me into a fangirl towards Rainbow Rowell. I can't praise this author anymore if I tried! This is my second book and I'm already in love with her writing and characterization. Plus, RR is a champion when it comes to open endings. The one in Fangirl was so appropriate and well placed, it gave us enough information so we could form our own ending and be happy with it or leave it where it ended and be completely satisfied with it. Perfect! In simple words, Fangirl should be in everyone's Must Read!!!

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Top Ten Tuesday (4)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 where bloggers share their opinions on bookish topics in list form.

Topic: Best/Worst Series Ending

 

First of all, this topic has made me realize how much I suck at finishing series. When I was looking through my goodreads read books, I was surprised seeing how many series I still haven't finished (Clockwork Princess, Boundless, Reached, Endlessly). But then again, there are so many series I follow that are still not complete. Anyhoo, I tried my best to come up with a best and worst series endings list, so here it goes!

Bestest Ending: Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
Do I even have to give an explanation? Okay, stop insisting! Here it is. Richelle Mead couldn't have wrapped up this series any better than this, Last Sacrifice was everything I hoped for and more. There was action, adventurous, hot romance, some sexy scenes, shocking revelations and all in all, it was a perfect ending to a joyride journey.

Other honorable mentions:

1. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini EPIC!

2. Fifty Shades by E.L.James Don't even question me! I'm probably the biggest fan of this series!

3. Slammed by Colleen Hoover Anything by CH is the best! I would've added Losing Hope too if it wasn't a companion.

4. Dream Catcher by Lisa McMann This was a wonderful series and I loved how it ended. It wasn't all rainbows and roses, but it certainly was a realistic one with hopes and dreams.

5. Too Far by Abbi Glines I have a severe case of Rush Crush! Enough said :)

6. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare If you tell me this City of Glass wasn't the end, I'm ready to prove you wrong. City of Fallen Angels was a joke, I read it and even after I finished it, I was so confused as to why it was written. For me, the series ended at a great note with City of Glass.

7. Fever by Karen Marie Moning I totally forgot about this! But in my mind, it's still not over because we still have some Dani and Ryodan story. Plus, KMM mentioned somewhere that she would be writing more books about Barron and Mac, so there's that. But anyhoo, I loved Shadowfever!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
That wasn't a shocker. I'm pretty sure by now even you're tired of hearing why I hate Bloodrose so much, but I have to keep mentioning it. I don't want people to go through it. Nightshade series is my favorite werewolf series but I hate it because of the absolute horror that happened in the last book. I don't think there is anything --unless the book is written again-- redeemable about it. So yeah, Nightshade series gets the title for the worst endings ever. Beware!

The Hunger Games by Suzzane Young

Mockingjay wasn't a bad ending by any means, but it wasn't as good as I expected. I didn't think Katniss rose up to her title, she still did what other people told her till the end and never took charge. But other than that (and killing off my favorite characters), Mockingjay was a pretty good book and ended well.

Did we get any same books? 

Let me know in the comments and don't forget to leave a link to your TTT.

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Early Review: Bang by Lisa McMann

Title: Bang
Author: Lisa McMann
Published: Simon Pulse | Oct 8, 2013
Genre: Paranormal, YA
Source: From
Series: Visions
Crash
Bang
Gasp

Goodreads | Purchase

Jules should be happy. She saved a lot of people’s lives and she’s finally with Sawyer, pretty much the guy of her dreams. But the nightmare’s not over, because she somehow managed to pass the psycho vision stuff to Sawyer. Excellent.

Feeling responsible for what he’s going through and knowing that people’s lives are at stake, Jules is determined to help him figure it all out. But Sawyer’s vision is so awful he can barely describe it, much less make sense of it. All he can tell her is there’s a gun, and eleven ear-splitting shots. Bang.

Jules and Sawyer have to work out the details fast, because the visions are getting worse and that means only one thing: time is running out. But every clue they see takes them down the wrong path. If they can’t prevent the vision from happening, lives will be lost. And they may be among the casualties…

Review:

     I hate to say it, but Bang was basically a rinse and repeat of Crash and provided nothing new in terms of vision explanations and family drama resolution. It wasn't disappointing by any means, but it wasn't satisfying either; at the end of the day, I was glad to be done and over with Bang. Was it better than Crash? No. What it worth the read? Kind of. Sort of. Sure. Will I continue the series? Not really, because I feel like it would be the same story with different character.

     Bang started off right where Crash ended. Sawyer is having a gruesome vision of a school shooting and initially he doesn't want anything to do with it (just like Jules!), but as the vision gets more consistent, Sawyer is left with nothing but to take action against it. Honestly, I didn't care for the vision/saving the world part because I've read it before and all the excitement was burned out in Crash, but the thing I was very interested in was Sawyer and Jules' relationship. Also, anything with Trey! Ah, that boy! Trey makes even the dullest scene brighter with his awesome and "full of life" personality! He is possibly the best brother I've read in any YA. Coming back to the romance, Jules and Sawyer made such an improvement in Bang, I was so impressed with the level of trust they had in-spite of all the negativity from their families, but most importantly, I admired the genuine and pure love they had for each other. It's not something that's seen regularly in teenagers, and that alone made their relationship so special and beautiful.

     Coming back to the family dynamics in Bang, I was particularly upset upon learning that there was no development between The Demarco and The Angotti family. Besides some scenes including Jules' parents, the families weren't even a major part of the story. And that's sad because one of the secondary storyline is regarding Rowan (Jules younger sister) and her ridiculous, nonsensical plan to meet her boyfriend. Just an FYI on that, I would never in a million years allow my sister to do that, let alone support her. What was Jules thinking!?! All in all, Bang wasn't a very memorable read; even though I enjoyed some parts and loved some of the characters, I don't think it made me want to stick with the series. After Bang, I'm done with Visions series by Lisa McMann. There is another book named Gasp coming out next year with a female on the cover and I have no clue who the narrator is going to be. I was really pinning for Trey, but I guess it doesn't matter now. 

PS: The dog phrases were still there, but surprising it didn't bother me that much. Though there was this new addiction of "dot com" jokes and they went over my head. Either I'm really stupid or those jokes were too lame.

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Stacking the Shelves (17)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Review where bloggers
 share the books they bought, won or received for review.  

I didn't buy a lot this week, but the review books I got, totally made my week!!!

Bought

After reading Candace's review on this book, I'm finally going to try some James Patterson. I love me some mystery and Confession of a Murder Suspect sounded too good to miss.

For Review

Okay, here they are. Ready!

Tada!!!

Eeeepppp!!!! I was over the moon when I saw the approval email. I only bad part is that I can't read Isaiah book right now because I have other books to finish, but I want to so bad! Isaiah, I'll get to you soon and I bet your story would be worth the wait.

I also received some pretty good classic romances this week, Isn't she lovely and Seducing the Enemy. I've already read Seducing the Enemy and I can't even tell you how thankful I'm for that book. I finally got me out of the 3 star reading slump and I can't recommend it enough. My review will be up later this week.

Thanks Forever Romance, Harlequin Teen, Entangled Indulgence and Flirt for these pretties! :)

That's about it! How was your week in books?

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