Friday, June 27, 2014

Audiobook Review: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

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Title: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2)
Author:
George R.R. Martin
Narrator: Roy Dotrice
Publisher: Bantam Spectra (Random House)
Acquired Via: Personal Collection
Release Date: November 16, 1998

George R. R. Martin, a writer of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination, has created a landmark of fantasy fiction. In his widely acclaimed A Game of Thrones, he introduced us to an extraordinary world of wonder, intrigue, and adventure. Now, in the eagerly awaited second volume in this epic saga, he once again proves himself a master myth-maker, setting a standard against which all other fantasy novels will be measured for years to come.

Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who held sway over an age of enforced peace are dead...victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky—a comet the color of blood and flame—six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard’s son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King’s Landing. Robert’s two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers.

A Clash of Kings transports us into a magnificent, forgotten land of revelry and revenge, wizardry and warfare. It is a tale in which maidens cavort with madmen, brother plots against brother, and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory may be measured in blood. And the spoils of victory may just go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel . . . and the coldest hearts. For when rulers clash, all of the land feels the tremors.

Audacious, inventive, brilliantly imagined, A Clash of Kings is a novel of dazzling beauty and boundless enchantment—a tale of pure excitement you will never forget.


My Review

You can read my review of book one, A Game of Thrones, HERE.

If you are wondering about the look of concentration on my face and the strange little dance that I'm doing, that would just be me kicking myself in the ass for not picking up these books sooner. Yes, these volumes are large and intimidating, but A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the best fantasy series that I've ever read.

#ALAac14 Bound

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I'm heading to ALA in Vegas! If you're going, too, or are from the area, hit me up on Twitter (@kaylabeck)! Good times will be had by all.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Cover Reveal (Excerpt & Giveaway): Razed by Shiloh Walker

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RAZED, a sexy romance by award-winning author, Shiloh Walker, is the much awaited sequel to WRECKED in the Barnes Brothers series and it releases this December from Berkley!

Take a look at the cover and let us know what you think!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of WRECKED, along with some fabulous swag!
(Yes, it’s international :))




Title: Razed (Wrecked #2)
Author:
Shiloh Walker
Publisher: Berkley (Penguin)
Cover Reveal Organizer: Barclay Publicity
Release Date: December, 2014

Tattoo artist Keelie Jessup can handle that someone else has claimed the man of her dreams. She’s just not pleased with her remaining options…

Keelie doesn’t believe in the “perfect man.” But the men who are worth the trouble are usually taken—like her business partner Zach Barnes. After a string of bad luck and the lost chance with Zach, Keelie decides that maybe flying solo—and living with suppressed desires—is the key to happiness.

As a photographer, Zane Barnes has an eye for the human form, and his eyes can’t get enough of Keelie’s curves. Unfortunately, Keelie is like most women—always fawning over his little brother, Zach. Zane is about ready to give up, but then a few stolen moments at his brother's wedding have him thinking maybe there's a chance there after all. Now he just has to prove that the perfect man does exist...for her.


Excerpt

Humiliation burned in her.

Rejection turned her blood to ice while her skin shrank down about two sizes too small.

She wanted to sink into the floorboards, turn into something thin and vaporous so she could just disappear.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Audiobook Review: Shattered by Kevin Hearne

1 comment:


Title: Shattered (Iron Druid Chronicles #7)
Author:
Kevin Hearne
Narrator: Luke Daniels
Publisher: Del Rey
Acquired Via: Personal Collection
Release Date: June 17, 2014

For nearly two thousand years, there was only one Druid left walking the Earth—Atticus O’Sullivan, the Iron Druid, whose sharp wit and sharp sword kept him alive while pursued by a pantheon of hostile deities. Now he’s got company.

Atticus’s apprentice Granuaile is at last a full Druid herself. What’s more, Atticus has defrosted an archdruid long ago frozen in time, a father figure (of sorts) who now goes by the modern equivalent of his old Irish name: Owen Kennedy.

And Owen has some catching up to do.

Atticus takes pleasure in the role reversal, as the student is now the teacher. Between busting Atticus’s chops and trying to fathom a cell phone, Owen must also learn English. For Atticus, the jury’s still out on whether the wily old coot will be an asset in the epic battle with Norse god Loki—or merely a pain in the arse.

But Atticus isn’t the only one with daddy issues. Granuaile faces a great challenge: to exorcise a sorcerer’s spirit that is possessing her father in India. Even with the help of the witch Laksha, Granuaile may be facing a crushing defeat.

As the trio of Druids deals with pestilence-spreading demons, bacon-loving yeti, fierce flying foxes, and frenzied Fae, they’re hoping that this time . . . three’s a charm.


My Review

You can read the joint review of Hunted (IDC #6) HERE. You should either go read that review or the books if you don't want to see spoilers for the series below.

I do not like Granuaile.

I feel like I have to get that out in the open in order for you to understand where I'm coming from in this review. This series has consistently been one of my all-time favorites, but I think Shattered is my least favorite of them all because being stuck in Granuaile's head made me want to skip through her parts.

This isn't just about Atticus being my boyfriend. (He is, but this isn't my beef today.)

Waiting on Wednesday (60): Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

7 comments:

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Gates of Thread and Stone (Gates of Thread and Stone #1)
Author: Lori M. Lee
Publisher: Skyscape
Release Date: August 5, 2014

In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.



Amber

I'm not normally a fan of time travel, but this sounds really good. Maybe the magic time travel will better than technology based time travel. Please, please, please don't have a love triangle with the best friend and the "brother." I'm willing to take the chance, especially since it's only $3.99 on Amazon and part of the Kindle Lending Library.

Kayla

I'm totally with Amber this week on Gates of Thread and Stone, and I wanted to put my two cents worth in. I discovered Lori M. Lee back when I did a shitton of giveaway hops. I don't know her personally or think that I've ever even spoken to her, but I have been keeping an eye out for when she would publish because I just knew it would happen at some point. Just reading her posts was always fun, so I'm very interested in seeing how her novel is.

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Early Review: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

2 comments:


Title: Stitching Snow
Author:
R.C. Lewis
Publisher: Hyperion (Disney)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: October 14, 2014

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.


My Review

I'm sitting in the break room at work, staring at the ARC of Stitching Snow that I just read, sighing happy little sighs at it. There is real magic in the reading of fairy tales, and one mixed with science fiction magically eradicates all traces of "The Grumps". (It does in my case, anyway.)

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Cover Trends

2 comments:

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Book Cover Trends

I Like:



1. Girls in Dresses on Historical Romance Novels

This is so much better than half-naked men and women who, more often than not, are making odd faces.



2. Covers That Actually Depict Scenes in the Book

Monday, June 23, 2014

Spotlight (Excerpt & Giveaway): The Longest Night by Kara Braden

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Title: The Longest Night
Author:
Kara Braden
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: July 1, 2014

Years ago, former Marine Captain Cecily Knight fled her dark past and the nightmares forever haunting her nights. Alone in the remote Canadian wilderness, she survives day to day…until Ian Fairchild comes storming into her life and shatters her protective seclusion.

Aloof but intriguing, defensive but undeniable, Ian is everything Cecily shouldn’t want but can’t ignore. He watches her with shrewd blue eyes, as if determined to decipher her secrets…and for the first time in years, she finds herself coming alive beneath the hands of a man with too many scars to count.

As the hushed and harsh winter closes in around them, two lost souls find themselves on the precipice of a love that could save their lives…or destroy them forever.


Excerpt

Cecily shifted her weight, and Ian caught her sleeve, silently cursing the bulky jackets and gloves that separated them both. At the touch, she went still, saying, “Ian—“

“Cecily,” he interrupted quietly. He wanted to pull away her sunglasses, but he sensed that she needed that little artificial shield. If Ian pushed too hard, she would shut down completely, and he might never get another chance at her. Even this might be too much, but Ian had to try.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Review: Altaica by Tracy M. Joyce

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Title: Altacia (The Chronicles of Altaica #1)
Author:
Tracy M. Joyce
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Acquired Via: NetGalley
Release Date: June 4, 2014

Isaura – little is known about her race, but much is whispered. Born to refugees, she grows up enduring racism and superstition within a community that fears her. She has few friends, and those she treasures. Trapped, she longs for escape to a different life.

Escape is only the beginning of her troubles. Having fled an invading army with her friends, Isaura is faced with heinous choices in order to survive. Secrets from her past emerge to torment her and threaten to destroy all she holds dear. Her struggles forge a bond with an ancient power – a power which may transform or consume her. Old hatreds and superstitions are renewed and at her most vulnerable she learns the true nature of those around her.

Her only hope lies in a foreign land – a land rich in tradition; ruled by three powerful clans. A land with a history marked by warfare; where magic as we know it does not exist. Instead what is here, in abundance, is a more primal power.

Survival carries a high price.

Welcome to Altaica.


My Review

I didn’t know what to expect from Altaica because the author and publisher were unknowns to me. I’m glad I decided to take a chance on it though, because I quite enjoyed it. However, it was almost as if there were two different books. The book was split into three parts and parts two and three were significantly stronger than part one. Also the feels of the parts were different - part one was almost just adventure, but parts two and three were definitely fantasy.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

#TheLEGOMovie Giveaway and Awesome Blog App!

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I know this is supposed to be a "book blog", but when I'm given the opportunity to share a great giveaway with you, how can I say no?! Today I'm featuring The LEGO Movie blog app, along with the opportunity to enter to win a copy of The LEGO Movie on Blu-ray. Everything is awesome, indeed!

About the Movie

The LEGO® Movie, the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO® adventure, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller is an original 3D computer animated story that follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

Chris Pratt (Moneyball) stars as the voice of Emmet. Will Ferrell (The Campaign) stars as the voice of his primary adversary, President Business, an erudite, anal-retentive CEO who has a hard time balancing world domination with micro-managing his own life; while Liam Neeson (Taken) voices the president's powerful henchman, known as Bad Cop, who will stop at nothing to catch Emmet.

Starring as Emmet's fellow travelers are Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), as Vitruvius, an old mystic; Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Emmy nominee for 30 Rock), as tough-as-nails Lucy, who mistakes Emmet for the savior of the world and guides him on his quest; Will Arnett (Emmy nominee, 30 Rock), as the mysterious Batman, a LEGO minifigure with whom Lucy shares a history; Nick Offerman (NBC's Parks and Recreation) as a craggy, swaggering pirate, obsessed with revenge on President Business; and Alison Brie (Community) as a sweet, loveable member of the team, with a powerful secret.


Out on Blu-ray June 17
The Lego Movie YouTube Channel

Blog App

Waiting on Wednesday (59): Broken Soul by Faith Hunter and Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

6 comments:

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Amber's Pick



Title: Broken Soul (Jane Yellowrock #8)
Author: Faith Hunter
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: October 7, 2014

Jane Yellowrock is a vampire killer for hire—but other creatures of the night still need to watch their backs...

When the Master of the city of New Orleans asks Jane to improve security for a future visit from a delegation of European vampires, she names an exorbitant price—and Leo is willing to pay. That’s because the European vamps want Leo’s territory, and he knows that he needs Jane to prevent a total bloodbath. Leo, however, doesn’t mention how this new job will change Jane’s life or the danger it will bring her and her team.

Jane has more to worry about than some greedy vampires. There’s a vicious creature stalking the streets of New Orleans, and its agenda seems to be ripping Leo and her to pieces. Now Jane just has to figure out how to kill something she can’t even see….



This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series, and I can't wait to get back into the world that Faith Hunter writes so well. It's especially awesome because it is mostly set in New Orleans. I hope this gets a audio version with Khristine Hvam rather quickly because she does such a great job as narrator.

Kayla's Pick



Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)
Release Date: August 14, 2014

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.



I haven't read any of the Anna and the French Kiss books, but I did read the "sneak peek" of this on NetGalley, and I loved it. I felt instantly connected to the characters and was very sad when I reached the end of the sample. Lucky for me, I have Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door to hold me over until August!

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Review: I Love You More by Jennifer Murphy

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Title: I Love You More
Author:
Jennifer Murphy
Publisher: Doubleday (Random House)
Acquired Via: Edelweiss
Release Date: June 17, 2014

One man, three wives, the perfect murder. A scintillating novel of betrayal and conspiracy.

Picasso Lane is twelve years old when her father, Oliver, is murdered at their summer beach house. Her mother, Diana, is the primary suspect—until the police discover his second wife, and then his third. The women say they have never met—but Picasso knows otherwise. Picasso remembers the morning beautiful Jewels showed up at their house, carrying the same purse as her mother, and a family portrait featuring her father with two strange boys. Picasso remembers lifting the phone, listening to late night calls with Bert, a woman heavily pregnant with Oliver's fourth child. As the police circle and a detective named Kyle Kennedy becomes a regular fixture in their home, Picasso tries to make sense of her father's death, the depth of his deceit, and the secrets that bind these three women. Cunningly paced and plotted, I Love You More is a riveting novel of misplaced loyalty, jealousy, and revenge.


My Review

I picked up I Love You More because it seemed like it contained drama and mystery and the polygamy story seemed interesting. I was a little hesitant to read it though, because I knew it was being compared to Gone Girl which I detested. I really didn’t want another book with unlikable characters, an unbelievable plot and infuriating ending. I was pleasantly surprised with I Love You More.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer TBR List

8 comments:

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR List



1. Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) by Ilona Andrews
July 29, 2014

My favorite writing duo is bringing us a new Kate novel! I just can't get enough of Kate and Curran. Also, Renée Raudman brings this story to life through her narration. I can't read "Why me?" in any book without hearing it in Raudman's voice and inflection. If you like urban fantasy and haven't started this series, you need to immediately stop whatever you're reading and start this series.



2. The Kraken King Part II: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm (Iron Seas #4.2) by Meljean Brook

I quickly devoured the first three in this series, along with a few novellas not too long ago. I'm attempting to be patient and read through the serials of book 4. My library has all of them but I am on the hold list for the second part. I really don't see myself holding out without just giving up and buying the rest of them. Which just confirms that I am too impatient for serials.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

6 comments:


Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Author:
Neil Gaiman
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 18, 2013
Acquired Via:
TLC Book Tours

#1 New York Times Bestseller in hardcover.

A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn’t thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she’d claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse where she once lived, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

A groundbreaking work as delicate as a butterfly’s wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out.


My Review

It would be easy for me to say that I love Neil Gaiman's writing, but it would not be enough. Nor would it be enough to say that I admire him as a writer. No, I think only a wordsmith such as Neil Gaiman himself could put such emotions as he makes me feel to words, and, sadly, I am not one. Unless you have read his books, you cannot truly understand the power in his words.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Blog Tour (Review): Curses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear Shecter

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Title: Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii
Author:
Vicky Alvear Shecter
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic)
Acquired Via: Historical Fiction Blog Tours
Release Date: May 27, 2014

When your world blows apart, what will you hold onto?

TAG is a medical slave, doomed to spend his life healing his master’s injured gladiators. But his warrior’s heart yearns to fight in the gladiator ring himself and earn enough money to win his freedom.

LUCIA is the daughter of Tag’s owner, doomed by her father’s greed to marry a much older Roman man. But she loves studying the natural world around her home in Pompeii, and lately she’s been noticing some odd occurrences in the landscape: small lakes disappearing; a sulfurous smell in the air…

When the two childhood friends reconnect, each with their own longings, they fall passionately in love. But as they plot their escape from the city, a patrician fighter reveals his own plans for them — to Lucia’s father, who imprisons Tag as punishment. Then an earthquake shakes Pompeii, in the first sign of the chaos to come. Will they be able to find each other again before the volcano destroys their whole world?


My Review

I was so excited to be given the opportunity to review Curses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear Shecter because I'm always on the lookout for YA historical fiction. I loved studying Roman history in college (yes, I was lucky enough to have a class through two semesters devoted to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire), so I squeed a bit when this book popped onto my Kindle. I never once worried about the historical accuracy of Curses and Smoke - Scholastic puts out stellar books - but I did worry about how much my recent watching of the movie, Pompeii, would have on my reading. In actuality, it wasn't much except that Lucia looked like Emily Browning and Tages looked like Kit Harington. Yummy!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Early Review: Winterspell by Claire Legrand

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Title: Winterspell
Author:
Claire Legrand
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Acquired Via: Edelweiss
Release Date: September 30, 2014

The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince . . . but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.

New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor's ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother's murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.

Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.

Her home is destroyed, her father abducted--by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they're to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets--and a need she can't define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won't leave Cane unscathed--if she leaves at all.

Inspired by The Nutcracker, Winterspell is a dark, timeless fairy tale about love and war, longing and loneliness, and a girl who must learn to live without fear.


My Review

I picked up Winterspell because the connection to The Nutcracker was intriguing and I had never read anything by Claire Legrand. I was expecting a light fantasy based on fairies and a little magic, but I got so much more than that.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (58): The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan

2 comments:

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: The Suffragette Scandal (Brothers Sinister #4)
Author: Courtney Milan
Publisher: Self
Release Date: July 14, 2014

An idealistic suffragette...

Miss Frederica "Free" Marshall has put her heart and soul into her newspaper, known for its outspoken support of women's rights. Naturally, her enemies are intent on destroying her business and silencing her for good. Free refuses to be at the end of her rope...but she needs more rope, and she needs it now.

...a jaded scoundrel...

Edward Clark's aristocratic family abandoned him to die in a war-torn land, so he survived the only way he could: by becoming a rogue and a first-class forger. When the same family that left him for dead vows to ruin Miss Marshall, he offers his help. So what if he has to lie to her? She's only a pawn to use in his revenge.

...and a scandal seven years in the making.

But the irrepressible Miss Marshall soon enchants Edward. By the time he realizes that his cynical heart is hers, it's too late. The only way to thwart her enemies is to reveal his scandalous past...and once the woman he loves realizes how much he's lied to her, he'll lose her forever.



Milan writes some of the best historical romances. Each of her books contains top notch writing, intelligent and engrossing heroines, and well-researched plots regarding issues not usually tackled in historical romances. I can't wait to read her newest edition to this fantastic series! I also just found out that she's releasing another series later this year called The Worth Saga which begins with Once Upon a Marquess.

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Review: Hexed by Michelle Krys

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Title: Hexed (The Witch Hunter #1)
Author:
Michelle Krys
Publisher: Delacorte Press (Random House)
Acquired Via: NetGalley
Release Date: June 10, 2014

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.


My Review

I decided to pick up Hexed because I had been reading some lengthy epic fantasies and urban fantasies and wanted a lighter young adult fantasy. And that is exactly what I got with Hexed. I had a lot of fun while reading Hexed and it was a very quick read. It wasn’t the most poignant, issue driven book in the world, but I enjoyed it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Have Read So Far This Year

5 comments:

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books I Have Read So Far This Year



1. Scarlet (Scarlet #1) by A.C. Gaughen

This is definitely the best book I've read so far this year, especially considering I almost didn't read it. To get over the dialect, I listened to the audiobook, and the book is just amazing. You can read my review HERE



2. Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity #1) by Elizabeth Wein

This was such a great story of friendship set against the background of World War II.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Cover Reveal: A Beauty So Beastly by RaShelle Workman

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Title: A Beauty So Beastly (The Beastly Series, #1)
Author:
RaShelle Workman
Publisher: Polished Pen Press
Cover Reveal Organizer: Blog Tours by Elana
Release Date: July 3, 2014

“For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you...”

What happens if the beauty is also the beast?

The stunning Beatrice Cavanaugh is considered American royalty. She has everything except the ability to love. Cursed on her eighteenth birthday, she becomes more beastly than ever, having a newfound craving for raw meat, and an undeniable yearning for the night. Bitterness is her only companion.

After accusing a maid of stealing, a disgustingly kind and exquisitely handsome guy named Adam shows up asking Beatrice to drop the charges against his mother.

Infuriated by his goodness, Beatrice vows to break him. Destroy him. Make him hurt the way she hurts. So she agrees. On one condition: Adam must take his mother’s place as a servant in the mansion.

Because Beatrice won’t stop until he’s more beastly than she is.


*Special Note*
A Beauty So Beastly will be available for 99 cents until its release date on July 3rd! Then it'll go up to $2.99. So pre-order on Amazon now!




About the Author

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Blog Tour (Review): The Heiresses by Sara Shepard

1 comment:


Title: The Heiresses
Author:
Sara Shepard
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: May 20, 2014
Acquired Via:
TLC Book Tours

You know the Saybrooks. Everyone does. Perhaps you've read a profile of them in People or have seen their pictures in the society pages of Vogue. Perhaps while walking along that choice block on Fifth Avenue, you've been tempted to enter the ornate limestone building with their family name etched into the pediment above the door.

The only thing more flawless than a Saybrook's diamond solitaire is the family behind the jewelry empire. Beauties, entrepreneurs, debutantes, and style mavens, they are the epitome of New York City's high society. But being a Saybrook comes at a price—they are heirs not only to a dizzying fortune but also to a decades-old family curse.

Tragedy strikes the prominent family yet again when thirty-four-year-old Poppy, the most exquisite Saybrook of them all, flings herself from the window of her TriBeCa office. Everyone is shocked that a woman who had it all would end her own life. Then her cousins receive an ominous threat: one heiress down, four to go.

Was it suicide . . . or murder? In the aftermath of the tragedy, the remaining heiresses—Corinne, the perfectionist; Rowan, the workaholic; Aster, the hedonist; and Natasha, the enigma—wrestle with feelings of sadness, guilt, and, most of all, fear. Now they must uncover the truth about their family before they lose the only thing money can't buy: their lives.

The Heiresses is a whip-smart mystery that simmers with the wicked sense of humor and intrigue that made Sara Shepard's number one
New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series a must-read, must-watch phenomenon.

My Review

Oh dear Bob, The Heiresses... What can I say? I've never read anything by Shepard before, but I was sold on the premise alone. (I found out the author's bio and stuff later.) Was it what I expected? Oh yes, and so much more. Drama, betrayal, mystery, and hot mess fills this book as well as any daytime soap opera or copy of Star. The Heiresses is delicious, delicious trash, and I loved every second of it.

Waiting on Wednesday (57): Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman

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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Boneseeker
Author: Brynn Chapman
Publisher: Month9Books
Release Date: June 17, 2014

Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn't fit the role of a proper 1900's lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella's dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.

Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment--to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.

But this is no time for child's play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal ... or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?

Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.



First, I just love the cover - so creepy noir! Plus, the book sounds like it was written for me to love it. Girl that doesn't fit in (and is the daughter of Sherlock Holmes, I think) lands a job in a museum, only to become involved in a paranormal mystery. When I saw it was only $3.99 on Kindle, I immediately hit "pre-order".

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

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Title: The Truth About Alice
Author:
Jennifer Mathieu
Publisher: Roaring Book Press (Macmillan)
Acquired Via: Publisher
Release Date: July 1, 2014

Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback, Brandon Fitzsimmons, dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody.

Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the "slut stall" in the girls' bathroom: "Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers" and "Alice got an abortion last semester." After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they "know" about Alice--and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.


My Review

First things first, I want to disclose that I've been past my teenage years longer than I was a teenager. Therefore, Jennifer Mathieu's debut, The Truth About Alice, didn't really affect me greatly like most of the reviews that I've seen. Or maybe it was because I went to school in a small town like Healy with a bunch of catty people and found myself just saying, "Yep, that's pretty much what happens." However, the longer it took me to write this review, the more I "got" the novel.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Should Be in Your Beach Bag

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books That Should Be in Your Beach Bag



1. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

A light YA contemporary set on the beach - perfect beach read. Almost any Sarah Dessen book is the perfect beach read, but I picked this one just because it is set on the beach.



2. One for the Money (Stephanie Plum #1) by Janet Evanovich

Light, hilarious with a touch of mystery. Plus, Lorelei King is one of the best narrators, and I can't imagine reading this series any other way.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Blog Tour (Review): The Runaway Highlander by R.L. Syme

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Title: The Runaway Highlander (Highland Renegades #2)
Author:
R.L. Syme
Acquired Via: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Release Date: April 16, 2014

Anne de Cheyne has a choice. She can play the dutiful daughter and allow her mother to sell her to a greasy English sheriff, or she can take control of her own life and find her own match. After a frightening run-in with her promised husband reveals a dark secret, she makes a desperate choice. Flight.

Aedan Donne needs easy money and no-questions-asked. When Milene de Cheyne offers him enough to pay all debts, requests complete silence, and pays half up front, just for a simple recovery, he can't believe his luck… until he meets his mark. Anne’s beauty and passion ignite something Aedan can’t ignore, even as she leaves him in the dust. Suddenly, he finds himself wanting to capture the runaway Highland lady for himself.


My Review

The Runaway Highlander is R.L. Syme's second book in her The Highland Renegades series, though the first that I've read. Even so, I don't feel like I missed too much, and I enjoyed the novel. The main character, Anne, is a spunky, headstrong heroine that is so common and adored in historical fiction. Her sweetness is what hooked me in the novel initially and then kept me invested in the book. I also enjoyed the interaction between Aedan and Anne quite a bit.