Book Blast (Giveaway): The Watcher by Lisa Voisin

Title: The Watcher
Authors: Lisa Voisin
Blast Organizer: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Millennia ago, he fell from heaven for her.

Can he face her without falling again?

Fascinated with ancient civilizations, seventeen-year-old Mia Crawford dreams of becoming an archaeologist. She also dreams of wings—soft and silent like snow—and somebody trying to steal them.

When a horrible creature appears out of thin air and attacks her, she knows Michael Fontaine is involved, though he claims to know nothing about it. Secretive and aloof, Michael evokes feelings in Mia that she doesn’t understand. Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.

In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both? Ancient history is only the beginning.

Praise for The Watcher

“Voisin’s The Watcher blends paranormal mystery and romance into a book that is sure to keep readers turning the pages late into the night.” – Eileen Cook, author of The Almost Truth

“Perfect for fans of angels and demons, Lisa Voisin has created an uplifting tale of redemption, love, and spirituality that gives hope. Never preachy, The Watcher is the perfect answer to critics who claim Young Adult literature is too dark.” – Stephanie Lawton, author of Want and Shrapnel

“The Watcher is stunning! A paranormal romance that you won’t want to put down. Voisin will enthrall you until the very last page.” – Stephanie Keyes, author, The Star Child series

“Grips the reader, pulls them in and leaves them cheering for good!” – InD’tale Magazine

“The Watcher is my favorite angel fiction tale yet.” – Katrina, blogger at Kindred Dreamheart

“This book is phenomenal! I was hooked in right away and didn’t want to stop.” – Michelle, blogger at Michelle’s Paranormal Vault

Book Trailer


Excerpt

Instead of saying more, he brushed his fingertips along my cheek, and his halo glimmered. I could hear the waves slapping the rocks behind us, the wind driving them in. That same wind whipped against my skin, but the touch of his hand on my face was all I could think about. It sent a current through both of us and filled me with longing for something I wasn’t sure I understood.

Black Friday Extravaganza Giveaway and Facebook Party Hosted by Laura Howard

Title: The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy #1)
Author: Laura Howard
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Release Date: April 28, 2013
Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha Dé Danann? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble


About the Author

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.


Links
Twitter | Facebook
Facebook Party

Blog Tour (Review): The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

Title: The Supreme Macaroni Company (Valentine #3)
Author: Adriana Trigiani
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past... and a secret.

A piece of surprising news is revealed at The Feast of the Seven Fishes when Valentine and Gianluca join her extended family on a fateful Christmas Eve. Now faced with life altering choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: “A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything.” The proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves—the bitter and the sweetness of life itself.

The Supreme Macaroni Company is Trigiani at her comedic and dramatic best, the inside story of a family business, and the shoemaker who carries on the tradition while juggling a new marriage and family. The pull between old world Italian ways and American ambition tear at Valentine, as a secret is revealed that changes the course of her life. The story takes the reader from the cobblestone streets of Greenwich Village, to lush New Orleans, and home to Italy, in Tuscany and on the Amalfi coast, with a surprise twist that takes the action to America’s rust belt, Youngstown, Ohio.

Praise for The Supreme Macaroni Company

“Superb. Trigiani’s ability to bring the large, warm, enveloping--if somewhat dysfunctional--family to life will keep any reader engrossed and entertained.” — Publisher's Weekly

“Val’s eccentric family keeps the book going at a quick pace. . . . Recommended for all Trigiani fans and those who’ve enjoyed a good cookie table (an Italian tradition commonly seen at weddings in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia).” — Library Journal

My Review

There are two things that I have to tell you about The Supreme Macaroni Company first, before I go into this review properly. First - I've never read anything by Adriana Trigiani before (though I own several of her books). I force myself to read what I consider to be "literature" every few months, and my perception of Trigiani's books fit that bill, so The Supreme Macaroni Company was an assignment for myself. Second (and most importantly), I never realized that The Supreme Macaroni Company was the third in a series until I was putting together this post. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a standalone, but I don't feel like I've missed anything by not reading the first two books in the series: Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Covet's November New Releases

Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, LIKE their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.

Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's November releases, which is very exciting because in celebration of these three great new books, they are on sale for just $0.99 for the first week of release only. So they are perfect to download and read over the long holiday weekend between all the hussle and bussle for a nice little break.

Also, make sure to hop on twitter tonight, 11/25 at 8PM to join in the #CovetBash. The authors of these fabulous books will be joining in the fun, and there will be lot's of chances to win prizes, including a grand prize giveaway of Covet's entire backlist to one lucky winner! Details HERE.




Parts & Wreck by Mark Henry
Wade Crowson, a brutish and brooding playboy and veteran vivisectionist for the Parts Department, runs into more than he bargained for in new partner, Lucid Montgomery, a quirky beauty with a bizarre secret and a string of psychiatric diagnoses she tries hard to keep hidden. Loving Luce will stamp a demonic target on her back and thrust Wade into a frenzied whirlwind of hilarious misunderstandings and, quite possibly, a stripping gig for emptynesters. Can they withstand the savagery of an exorcism (with or without the split pea soup) and come out alive and …in love?




Buy Links

Cover Reveal (Excerpt & Giveaway): Legend of Me and The Winter People by Rebekah L Purdy

Today I'm happy to be featuring Rebekah L. Purdy and Entangled Teen, who are revealing the covers for Legend of Me, releasing in early 2014, and The Winter People, releasing July 1, 2014! Check out the covers, exclusive excerpts, and enter to win an eARC of each!


Sixteen-year-old Brielle has grown up hearing tales of a beast that kills humans, leaving behind only a scattering of bones and limbs. Or so the village elders say. She thinks it’s just their way of keeping children in line, though it doesn’t explain her grisly premonitions of blood, claws, and severed heads.

When Lord Kenrick, Knight of the Crowhurst Order, shows up asking questions about the legendary monster and Brielle finds a mangled body in the woods, she begins to wonder if the grim stories are true. Her attraction to the handsome knight grows as she spends time with him searching for clues to the creature’s existence, and she becomes even more determined to help him discover the beast’s location.

But as her seventeenth birthday approaches, her nightmares worsen. If Brielle doesn’t figure out the connection between Kenrick, the monster, and visions of a ghostly woman in the woods soon, more people could die. Including those closest to her…

Excerpt
Brambles scratched my legs, snagging my skirt. Gnarled trees bent in gruesome forms, while thick shadows splayed out beneath them. A heavy gloom settled over the woodland as wisps of fog slithered like snakes against the ground. I shivered.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Beauty's Daughter and Other Books by Carolyn Meyer

Carolyn Meyer is giving thanks for her readers!
Beauty's Daughter

What is it like to be the daughter of the most beautiful woman in the world?

Hermione knows . . . her mother is Helen of Troy, the famed beauty of Greek myth. Helen is not only beautiful but also impulsive, and when she falls in love with charming Prince Paris, she runs off with him to Troy, abandoning her distraught daughter. Determined to reclaim their enchanting queen, the Greek army sails for Troy. Hermione stows away in one of the thousand ships in the fleet and witnesses the start of the legendary Trojan War.     In the rough Greek encampment outside the walls of Troy, Hermione’s life is far from that of a pampered princess. Meanwhile, her mother basks in luxury in the royal palace inside the city. Hermione desperately wishes for the gods and goddesses to intervene and end the brutal war—and to bring her love. Will she end up with the handsome archer Orestes, or the formidable Pyrrhus, leader of a tribe of fierce warriors? And will she ever forgive her mother for bringing such chaos to her life and the lives of so many others?

The Story of Hermione and Helen of Troy

After years of writing about the young lives of fascinating women of power, from Cleopatra to Victoria, in Beauty's Daughter I've drawn on the myths of ancient Greece to tell the story of what it must have been like to be the daughter of the most beautiful woman in the world.

When Helen leaves her husband and daughter and runs off to Troy with handsome Paris, a thousand Greek ships sail for Troy to bring her back..and her daughter, Hermione, goes with them as a stowaway. Hermione's adventures on the Trojan beaches, her struggle for survival,, and her search for true love of her life drive this story.


About the Author

Guest Post (Giveaway): Into the Deep by Missy Fleming

Title: Into the Deep
Author: Missy Fleming
Publisher: Fire and Ice Young Adult Books
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: October 23, 2013
No one understands the fury of the ocean like Zoey.

Ten years ago, she lost her leg in a freak shark attack. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, she has yet to accept her awkward prosthetic limb, or the fact she will always be different. Wary of the sea, and its hidden threats, she ventures to a party at the beach and winds up swept into the cool, salty water by a rogue wave.

Zoey believed mermaids were creatures of legend, of children’s stories, but it’s hard to ignore the captivating tail that appears and the sense of finally being whole. She abandons her life on land in search of answers about who she really is and where she came from.

What she discovers is a kingdom full of intrigue and danger, as well as a royal father she never knew existed. Settling into her role as a mermaid princess, she learns her family is under attack, both on land and in the water. Raging storms swell up, threatening coastal cities, and sea levels rise practically overnight, endangering the lives of everyone she loves. Determined to stop the strange phenomena, Zoey becomes caught up in the race to track down what, or who, is responsible for the terrible events.

But Zoey possesses another secret, one born of legend and more powerful than any mer or human can imagine.

Guest Post

When thinking of something to do for my guest post, I thought I’d do something with Thanksgiving in mind since it’s right around the corner. So here are five things I am thankful for.

Books – This is an easy one. Without books, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love, which is writing. In a lot of ways, reading led to writing. And I still love actual books. Nothing beats the feel of a real one in your hands. Because of books I’ve traveled to far off lands, to new worlds, even to outer space. They help me escape a stressful day. A familiar character can comfort me. There are a few cases a character has even made me fall in love. Looking at a bookshelf that is crammed and overstuffed just makes me happy. I love to share books with people too. If I’ve read one I know a friend will enjoy, I pass them on. Not a lot of things allow us to do that, to connect with others or with an author we’ll never meet.

Book Blast (Trailer & Giveaway): Alive by Megan D. Martin

Title: Alive (Crave #1)
Author: Megan D. Martin
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Interracial Romance
Age: New Adult
Book Blast Organizer: A Little Bit of R & R
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Flesh-eating zombies, dirty sex, and a shattered past…
What’s more dangerous—the man who broke her heart or those trying to eat it?

Fighting to survive, Eve finds herself alone in the world after the Crave—the only parallel of her former life. On the hunt for her sister, she runs into Gage—the first and only boy to have her heart and break it. It’s been four years and he isn’t a boy anymore, nor is he the same person he used to be. Against her better judgment, Eve agrees to stay with him when he divulges information on a safe haven near the small town they grew up in—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it…

Returning home elicits a myriad of emotions that both Eve and Gage thought they had buried. The past and present collide and they are forced to the face bitter deceits that ruined them in the before and threaten to destroy them now…

Book Trailer




About the Author

Cover Reveal: Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater

Title: Pretty When She Dies (Pretty When She Dies #1)
Author: Rhiannon Frater
Publisher: Permuted Press
Cover Designer: Phatpuppy Art
Cover Reveal Organizer: Xpresso Book Tours
Release Date: November 24, 2008
Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry…

… in a new, horrific, unimaginable way…

Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature.

All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what’s worse is that he’s a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind.

But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation… or her death?

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Fishpond


About the Author

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, and Siege) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

Links
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest


Cover Thoughts

I'm not big on CGI, and the gore is a bit much for my taste, but the cover is definitely striking. I liked the first cover a lot, but I had issues with the font. But anywho, who cares what I think?

Would I buy it?

Umm, I think I already own an ecopy, but I'm not sure. (I have no idea why I haven't read this already.) I don't know if I could have the physical copy in my house because my daughter has way too active of an imagination and wouldn't be able to sleep at night if she saw it. I guess that's a good thing for a horror novel, right?

What do you think of the cover? Would you read the book?

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Alligator Man by James Sheehan

Title: The Alligator Man
Author: James Sheehan
Publisher: Center Street (Hachette)
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
Roy Johnson, the former CEO of Dynatron, preyed on smaller companies, swallowing them whole and spitting them out after taking huge profits. He left Dynatron with a one hundred million dollar golden parachute before the company took a nose dive, wiping out the jobs and benefits for all its employees. When Johnson goes missing and pieces of his clothing are discovered in alligator-infested waters, it is assumed he was murdered, and he’s dubbed the Alligator Man by a New York Times columnist. Billy Fuller, a former Dynatron employee who lost everything, including his wife, is just one of many who has a motive to murder Johnson.

Kevin Wylie, a lawyer in Miami, learns that his father, legendary trial lawyer Tom Wylie whom he hasn’t spoken to in 28 years, is having surgery for cancer and may not survive. Kevin decides to visit his father in St. Albans, and hopefully, get some answers on why his father abandoned him. While there, Kevin learns that his childhood friend Billy is the chief suspect in Roy Johnson’s murder. All the evidence points to Fuller’s guilt, but both Kevin and his father believe in Billy’s innocence. They decide to reunite to fight the courtroom battle for Billy’s life.

James Sheehan’s THE ALLIGATOR MAN (Hachette Book Group/Center Street; October 2013) is a story of corporate greed and corruption that unfolds within the four corners of a courtroom. In a review of Sheehan’s debut novel, The Mayor of Lexington Avenue, Booklist praised it as “not only a top notch legal thriller, [but] also a moving story about love, guilt, personal redemption and friendship.” In his inimitable style, Sheehan has once again rendered a top-notch legal thriller that is also a compelling tale about love, loss, and family bonds—and just how strong those bonds can be.

Early Praise

“It is not only the development of each character’s individual story but Sheehan’s ability to compel his readers to care about them that sets this book apart from other legal thrillers.” — Library Journal

“Sheehan weaves a father-son reconciliation melodrama into a Florida courtroom clash sparked by murder and corruption…Fun stuff.” — Kirkus Reviews

My Review

I'm not usually one for legal thrillers or crime novels, but I had a bit of an ulterior motive for reading The Alligator Man. No, it's nothing sinister - I'm now responsible for the adult material at my library branch, and I have to Know Things. I will say this, I now know that The Alligator Man is an awesome book that makes me a little more open-minded about reading outside my normal genres.

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): Spring Moon by HRH Princess Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian

Tour Schedule



Title: Spring Moon (Indiana Teller #1)
Author: HRH Princess Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian
Tour Organizer: Rockstar Book Tours
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Amid the expansive plains of Montana, the Lykos Ranch stretches for miles. The inhabitants who live in near isolation from the outside world are members of the most powerful clan of werewolves in North America. Among them lives just one human: Indiana Teller.

Grandson of the clan’s leader and offspring of a werewolf father and a mysterious yet human mother, Indiana is rejected by his peers and heads to the University of Montana to find a normal life. Despite warnings from his grandparents, he falls in love with a beautiful human, Katerina.

Before too long, he is the victim of an accident that would have killed him had he not miraculously vanished at the moment of impact. Are these strange occurrences just chance or the machinations of a hidden enemy out to destroy him? Facing his destiny, Indiana will have to choose who to believe, and who to love.

My Review

I would be lying if I didn't say that I was initially drawn to Spring Moon by Princess Sophie A-M (it's a mouthful, sorry) because she was a princess. I'm still a little girl who is fascinated by royalty at heart. Now that we have that out of the way, we can get down to business.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Rebels by Scott & Judith Powell

Title: Rebels
Authors: Scott & Judith Powell
Blast Organizer: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Release Date: October 6, 2013
The world is on fire. From the ashes like a phoenix rises a new America, one that will save it all. Under one condition; absolute and complete surrender. The world complies without question. Those who don’t are destroyed. It is in this world, John is born. His very name is treason.

If the New America, now known to everyone as the State, knew what John was, they’d kill him, but instead they give him a gift.

Praise for Rebels

"John has a lot of potential (especially for someone so young) in that he sees the flaws in this society. He wants to be like George Washington and knows a lot about the manner in which a government should be run… Highly recommended." - Amazon Review

Buy Links
Amazon


Upcoming Tour

Audiobook Review: Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: Because It Is My Blood (Birthright #2)
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan)
Acquired Via: My Local Library
Release Date: September 18, 2012
“Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in.”- Michael Corleone, The Godfather

Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship.But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It’s a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.

My Review

Previously reviewed in series: All These Things I've Done

Because It Is My Blood is the second book in the Birthright series, aka the series that I never was interested in reading but became a little obsessed with. Okay, a lot obsessed with. Anya Balanchine has become one of my favorite literary characters for reasons that I can't exactly pinpoint - perhaps it is the way the novel is written. I guess this is an instance where the narrator of the story (not the audiobook), Anya, talking directly to us as her audience actually works. I imagine her as a old woman telling her grandchildren about the important events in her teenage years, which makes for a successful audiobook.

Chapter Reveal (Excerpt & Giveaway): Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Title: Afterparty
Author: Ann Redisch Stampler
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 7, 2014
A toxic friendship takes a dangerous turn in this riveting novel from the author of Where It Began.

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother—whose name her dad won’t even say out loud. That’s why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her…and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she’s everything Emma isn’t.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It’s more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, a bash where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

First Three Chapters

Cover Reveal (Giveaway): Unwrapped by The NAturals

Title: Unwrapped
Authors: Laurelin Paige, Gennifer Albin, Melanie Harlow, Sierra Simone,
Kayti McGee Downey, and Tamara Mataya
Genre: Romance
Audience: New Adult
Cover Designer: Tom Barnes Design
Cover Reveal Organizer: AToMR Tours
Release Date: December 23, 2013
Six romance authors present six very different novellas in this anthology of new stories: Ménage a tango lessons. A bride DYING to say, 'I don't.' A horny college boy at a purity rally. Time-traveling graduate students meet Victorian playboys. A rugby player who's as dirty off the field as on. And kissing under the mistletoe with a Scottish exchange student. Something for everyone, the NAturals present sweet, funny, and erotic tales of new adults meant to be Unwrapped all year long and not just at Christmas.


About the Authors

Laurelin Paige, Gennifer Albin, Melanie Harlow, Sierra Simone, Kayti McGee Downey, and Tamara Mataya are the six authors who blog for TheNaturalAuthors.blogspot.com. They each write romance and adore pushing the boundaries of the genre. Above all, they love reading smut, looking at pictures of hot men, and making up names for the band they’re always talking about forming.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook


Giveaway

Twitter Chat: #ChampionChat with @Marie_Lu & @PenguinTeen on 11/19

Hello, fellow bibliophiles! I just wanted to give you guys a heads up about the upcoming Twitter chat with Marie Lu about all things Champion, the final book in the Legend series. Penguin Teen is hosting, and there will be an opportunity to ask Marie some questions. Oh, and there will be a giveaway! Who doesn't love those?!


On the technical end of participating in a Twitter chat, I like to use TweetChat. All you do is type in your hashtag - #ChampionChat - at the top of the page, and you'll be ready to roll! (I recommend getting it set up 10-15 minutes before the chat.) I also recommend following Penguin Teen (@PenguinTeen) and Marie Lu (@Marie_Lu) on Twitter before the chat, if you're not already.

If you're not familiar with the book, here is a little bit more about it:


The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.


I look forwarding to discussing Champion with you guys on Tuesday at 7pm EST!

Audiobook Review: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

Title: The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)
Author: Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
Narrator: Robert Glenister
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Acquired Via: Library
Release Date: April 30, 2013
A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

My Review

I was extremely hesitant to pick up The Cuckoo's Calling by one of my favorite authors writing under pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Harry Potter is one of my all-time favorite series, and I was scared that I would not be able to divorce that series from my mind while reading a completely different type of novel by J. K. Rowling. I know a lot of people have had this problem, especially while reading Rowling’s other adult novel, The Casual Vacancy. Which is one reason that while I own The Casual Vacancy in hardback, I have yet to read it. One of the reasons that I love J. K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series so much is that it was my introduction to the world of young adult fiction. Prior to reading Harry Potter (I was late to the party and didn’t start until almost forced at the end of 2008), I often held disdain for young adult fiction. I guess I always associated “young adult” with juvenile, held up my nose and read my purely adult novels. Then the Harry Potter series convinced me that I was idiot and that I would love young adult. And I do not want to see my beloved author fail to transition to adult fiction. However, some of my friends have read The Cuckoo's Calling and have really enjoyed it, and I saw some pretty great reviews, so I decided to maybe give it a try. When I saw that my library had it on audiobook version, I decided that I had to conquer my fears and jump in.

Spotlight (Excerpt & Giveaway): Amulet of Elusion by Katie Lynn Johnson

Title: Amulet of Elusion (The Lost Amulet Chronicles #1)
Author: Katie Lynn Johnson
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Young Adult
Release Date: June 12, 2013
Alexa Costa has a life-altering secret…only she doesn’t know it yet.

Confined by law to the kingdom of Alvair until the age of eighteen, Alexa Costa has lived a sheltered existence under the watchful eye of her sword-wielding guardian, Ivy. Her love interest, Caleb Whitman, is exactly the opposite. A merchant sailor and seeker of rare artifacts, Caleb has lived a life of adventure in nearby San Lucero, the long-time rival of Alvair.

After her eighteenth birthday, Alexa’s quiet existence becomes tumultuous, and she realizes she does not need to seek to find adventure. Myths become real, legend becomes fact, and Alexa discovers that she possesses rare abilities which make her a target for both sides in a centuries-old struggle for power. She must use every resource available to her—including her talents with the supernatural Amulets— to help her friends, rekindle her romance with Caleb, and save her island home from destruction.

Excerpt

Quietly she closed the door and placed her hand on the side of his face, silently imploring him to look at her. When Caleb continued to look at the floor, Alexa leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. She wanted him to know that she didn’t blame him for anything, and that she was grateful for his decision to brave Hadley’s fire chamber to rescue her.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Sisters in White by Melissa Foster

Title: Sisters In White (Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters #3)
Author: Melissa Foster
Publisher: World Literary Press
Book Blast Organizer: Book Nerd Tours
Release Date: October 9, 2013
Danica and Kaylie Snow are about to celebrate the biggest day of their lives—their double wedding—on an island in the Bahamas. But no wedding is complete without a little family drama. The two sisters aren’t ready to face the father they haven’t seen since he divorced their mother and moved away to marry his mistress, and live with Lacy, the half sister they’ve never met.

While Danica has exchanged letters and phone calls with Lacy, Kaylie has fervently tried to pretend she doesn’t exist. Lacy is sweet, fun, and nearly a mirror image of Kaylie. To make matters worse, not only is Lacy looking forward to meeting her sisters, but she idolizes them, too. As the countdown to the wedding date ticks on, their parents are playing a devious game of revenge, and there’s a storm brewing over the island, threatening to cancel their perfect wedding. The sisters are about to find out if the bond of sisterhood really trumps all.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble


About the Author

November New Release Giveaway Hop (INT)

Welcome to my stop on the November New Release Giveaway Hop! As always, it is being hosted by the magnificent O'Dell at Book Twirps and the glorious Dani at Refracted Light Reviews.

What You Can Win

This month I am featuring some November new releases that I have already reviewed (or has a forthcoming review) here on Bibliophilia, Please. You will be able to choose one of the four books, if you are the winner. Here are the books, and the links to my reviews are below them:



After Eden by Helen Douglas
Nick and Tesla's High Voltage Danger Lab by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder & Steven Hockensmith
Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes
Spring Moon by HRH Princess Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian
The Giveaway

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): For Your Heart by A.L. Davroe

Tour Schedule



Title: For Your Heart (Retellings #1)
Authors: A.L. Davroe
Acquired Via: Reading Addiction Blog Tours
Release Date: October 31, 2013
Experience THE BALLAD OF TAM LIN like you’ve never read it before…

It has been seven years since Jeanette Sauderheim followed her best friend into Carver Hall Park...and came out alone. Jeanette has never gotten over his mysterious disappearance nor has she gone back into the park. While that traumatic night still haunts her, Jeanette distracts herself by balancing her time between trying to pass Spanish, hanging out with her friends, and reading the latest manga.

But, when a promise to a friend drives her back into the park, she's forced to re-live the memories of that night. Lost and confused, Jeanette crosses paths with Tamrin, whose violent reaction to her provides yet another reason to avoid the park.

Tamrin, a knight of the Summer Court, has been sent to Earth to guard a garden of roses that hold special meaning to the queen of the Summer faeries. When his distraction at meeting Jeanette leads to her picking one of the Summer Queen’s roses, Tamrin vows to right his failure to do his duty.

However, the equivalent of one of the queen’s roses is a human heart and Tamrin’s reluctance to readily exact the sum from Jeanette sets in motion a spiral of love, betrayal, and magic that could mean damnation for them both.

My Review

I haven't read books with fairies as the main "supe" (supernatural/paranormal creature), so I was very excited for the opportunity to review For Your Heart. Finding out that the book was written by A.L. Davroe, whom I met and enjoyed listening to at Authors After Dark in New Orleans, was double the icing on the cake. I have never read any of the Tam Lin stories previous to For Your Heart, so I was able to experience this reimagining of the "fairy tale" repurposed with no expectations.

Cover Reveal & Teaser: Flirting with Chaos by Kenya Wright

Title: Flirting with Chaos
Author: Kenya Wright
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Cover Reveal Organizer: A Little Bit of R & R
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Can two mentally unstable best friends have sex and not drown in chaos?

Rain's been washing blood off her hands for far too long. After five years, she accepts the fact that she"s still a little crazy but feels as if she's finally gotten it all under control.

Parties, drugs, and sex flood Jude's life, and music and scandal run through his veins. He's the son of a rock god and grandson of a jazz legend. It's no surprise that his own star is on the rise, and with so many groupies vying for his attention, his childhood best friend Rain keeps him anchored in reality.

She's nothing like him--an art student with no idea of her own beauty, who would rather curl up with a sci-fi novel than party in the spotlight. Everything changes when she asks him for a unique favor: she wants him to take her virginity. He's more than willing to oblige, but things get complicated when his pervy father gets involved. Meanwhile, intense feelings rise to the surface, ones neither Rain nor Jude are prepared to deal with.

If their relationship has any chance for survival, she must finally confront the demons of her past, and he must face the addictions of the present. When the smoke clears, will they find that sex between best friends was a good idea, or will they discover they had been Flirting With Chaos the entire time?

Teaser

An intricate pattern of colorful tattoos decorated both of his arms. It was a mural of his life—stars that intertwined with musical notes; guitars interlocked into microphones; nude, big breasted angels riding hulky demons. Those arms and that face had adorned the covers of magazines for years. Now he represented a legend of rock history. To obtain his interview would mean lots of money and skilled maneuvering through his agent, publicist, bodyguards, entourage, and any of the other people that walled him away from society.


About the Author

Early Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Title: Panic
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperTeen
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: March 4, 2014
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes an extraordinary novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope.

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Already optioned by Universal Pictures in a major deal, this gritty, spellbinding novel captures both the raw energy of fear mixed with excitement as well as the aching need to find a place to belong.

My Review

Since I review a lot of young adult novels, I suppose the fact that I've never read a book by Lauren Oliver previous to Panic is the equivalent of living under a rock. It's okay because it is a very nice rock with soft, squishy, cool ground and plenty of wormy neighbors. But I digress. Panic is a contemporary novel with well-developed characters and impressive writing that I ultimately found to be quite boring.

Blog Tour (First Chapter Reveal): From Frights to Flaws by Sunayna Prasad

Alyssa Mccarthy’s Magical Missions: From Frights to Flaws Blog Tour Schedule



Title: From Frights to Flaws (Alyssa McCarthy’s Magical Missions #1)
Author: Sunayna Prasad
Publisher: FriesenPress
Release Date: August 19, 2013
Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy can no longer stand the toughness of her uncle and wants a better life. But one day she discovers not only the existence of magic, but also a villain hunting her down. The villain uses magic and magical technology to kidnap Alyssa to the Fiji Islands. As much as she wants to go home, she has to face some dangerous challenges first. Not only that, the villain himself must also be defeated. Can Alyssa succeed, even with the help of her mentors?

First Chapter Excerpt

The sound of the rain banging against the window distracted Alyssa from washing her lunch dishes. She stared out the window and watched every drop. What better way to spend a Thursday noon than to wash dishes? No hard work involved—just looking out the window.

Gone were the happy days of living in her uncle’s house. No more family fun. No more sweets and desserts. Just a structured life of strict and unfair rules. Alyssa longed for a normal and better life—the kind she’d lived before her parents had died in a car crash five years ago. She wanted to be like many children her age, but when would it happen? Not any time soon

Unless… she could find her godfather’s phone number and call him without her uncle knowing. One of the rules here was that all phone calls had to be earned unless there was an important reason to call someone. She hadn’t talked to her godfather ever since she’d also lost her aunt three years ago. She had never been able to find his number nor had she ever succeeded at convincing her uncle to let her talk to him. But she still remembered how sweet, fun, and caring he’d been. He even could be her legal guardian since her parents had designated him as one. If she could find his number and ask about moving in with him, her life would be happier.

But now something didn’t seem right with the raindrops, which took Alyssa’s mind off of her godfather. They turned grayish blue. Huh? How could that be? That broke the laws of nature. Too distract her more, though, the blue deepened into a dark grayish blue. What could be going on?

Blog Tour (Spotlight & Giveaway): Lethal Circuit by Lars Guignard

Lethal Circuit Tour Schedule



Title: Lethal Circuit (Michael Chase #1)
Author: Lars Guignard
Publisher: Fantastic Press
Release Date: February 28, 2012
From Best-selling Amazon author Lars Guignard comes the number-one turbo-charged, action spy thriller Lethal Circuit.

A Chinese satellite is on a crash course with Earth.
It contains enough plutonium to irradiate a large city.

 And that's the good news...


Michael Chase is a twenty-six year old backpacker, a recent college graduate, an amateur. He flew to Hong Kong to find his missing father. Four hours later, he's running for his life. The Chinese Secret Police want him dead. The Conspiracy wants him dead. And the one person who he thinks is on his side, may want him dead too. If Michael is going to live, he'll need to find a hidden piece of Nazi technology lost since World War II. And he'll have to do it before anyone else. Because if he doesn't, a little plutonium is going to be the least of his problems.

Can Michael Chase team up with a beautiful but deadly MI6 agent to locate a lethal piece of Nazi technology that will save the world?



If you can't get enough of the action of Lee Child and Vince Flynn, the intrigue of Robert Ludlum, and the adventure of Clive Cussler and James Rollins, you are going to LOVE Lethal Circuit.!

Buy Links
Amazon | Audible | iTunes

For November 12 & 13 Lethal Circuit is FREE for Kindle, so be sure to grab a copy HERE while you can!


About the Author