Friday, July 31, 2015

Blog Tour (Guest Post): Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins #LoveLiesBeneath @EllenHopkinsLit @AtriaBooks @LadyReaderStuff #Giveaway

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Title: Love Lies Beneath
Author:
Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)
Tour Organizer: Lady Reader's Bookstuff Blog Tours
Release Date: July 21, 2015

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collateral comes a gripping novel about a woman caught in a love affair that could be her salvation…or her undoing.

Tara is gorgeous, affluent, and forty. She lives in an impeccably restored Russian Hill mansion in San Francisco. Once a widow, twice divorced, she’s a woman with a past she prefers keeping to herself.

Enter Cavin Lattimore. He’s handsome, kind, charming, and the surgeon assigned to Tara following a ski accident in Lake Tahoe. In the weeks it takes her to recover, Cavin sweeps her off her feet and their relationship blossoms into something Tara had never imagined possible. But then she begins to notice some strange things: a van parked outside her home at odd times, a break-in, threatening text messages and emails. She also starts to notice cracks in Cavin’s seemingly perfect personality, like the suppressed rage his conniving teenage son brings out in him, and the discovery that Cavin hired a detective to investigate her immediately after they met.

Now on crutches and housebound, Tara finds herself dependent on the new man in her life—perhaps too much so. She’s handling rocky relationships with her sister and best friend, who are envious of her glamour and freedom; her prickly brother-in-law, who is intimidated by her wealth and power; and her estranged mother. However perfect Tara’s life appears, things are beginning to get messy.

Writing in beautiful prose, Ellen Hopkins unveils a new style while evoking her signature poetic form that readers fell in love with in Collateral and Triangles.


This or That

TV or Movies? Movies or made-for-cable TV
Hot or Cold? I’m hot, but I like the cold
Black or White? Black

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

2 comments:

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

Kim's Top Ten Books That Have Characters Who Are Book Nerds

I’m going back to one of my favorite genres for this Top Ten list. I have been reading cozy mysteries for years. Cozies and people working in the book field go hand in hand, so here’s a list of ten mysteries with Fellow Book Nerds.

And if you’ve never checked out http://www.cozy-mystery.com, you really should.



1. Chocolate Covered Mystery Series by Kathy Aarons

Michelle Serrano is one of the owners of Chocolates and Chapters, which is a combination bookstore and chocolate shop.





2. Bibliophile Mystery Series by Kate Carlisle

This series features Brooklyn Wainwright, a rare book expert in San Francisco.



Thursday, July 23, 2015

Blog Tour (Review): Name of the Devil by Andrew Mayne (ARC) #Thriller @AndrewMayne @HarperCollins @TLCBookTours

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Title: Name of the Devil (Jessica Blackwood #2)
Author:
Andrew Mayne
Publisher: Bourbon Street Books (HarperCollins)
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours

In this electrifying sequel to the crowd-pleasing thriller Angel Killer, magician-turned-FBI agent Jessica Blackwood must once again draw on her past to go up against a brutal murderer desperate for revenge at any price.

After playing a pivotal role in the capture of the Warlock, a seemingly supernatural serial killer—and saving the FBI’s reputation in the process—agent Jessica Blackwood can no longer ignore the world she left behind. Formerly a prodigy in a family dynasty of illusionists, her talent and experience endow her with a unique understanding of the power and potential of deception, as well as a knack for knowing when things are not always as they appear to be.

When a church congregation vanishes under mysterious circumstances in rural Appalachia, the bizarre trail of carnage indicates the Devil’s hand at work. But Satan can’t be the suspect, so FBI consultant Dr. Ailes and Jessica’s boss on the Warlock case, Agent Knoll, turn to the ace up their sleeve: Jessica. She’s convinced that an old cassette tape holds the key to the mystery, and unraveling the recorded events reveals a troubling act with far-reaching implications. The evil at work is human, and Jessica must follow the trail from West Virginia to Mexico, Miami, and even the hallowed halls of the Vatican.

Can she stop a cold-blooded killer obsessed by a mortal sin—or will she become the next target in a twisted, diabolical game of hunter and prey...?


My Review

You can read my review of Angel Killer (Jessica Blackwood #1) HERE.

If you read my review from yesterday, then you know that I absolutely adored Andrew Mayne's Angel Killer. I was so excited about reading Name of the Devil that I actually bought a Kindle copy (even though I had an ARC) so I could read it on my phone at work, in the bathroom, in line in the grocery store, etc. These books are that unable-to-put-downable. In this follow-up to the first book, there is a very different sort of mystery, but I enjoyed it just as much.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Audiobook Review: Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne

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Title: Angel Killer (Jessica Blackwood #1)
Author:
Andrew Mayne
Narrator: Jennifer O'Donnell and Fred Berman
Publisher: Bourbon Street Books (HarperCollins)
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Acquired Via:
Personal Collection and ALA

In this self-published bestselling e-book by a real illusionist—the first thriller in a sensational series—now available in paperback, FBI agent Jessica Blackwood believes she has successfully left her complicated life as a gifted magician behind her ... until a killer with seemingly supernatural powers puts her talents to the ultimate test.

A mysterious hacker, who identifies himself only as “Warlock,” brings down the FBI’s website and posts a code in its place. It hides the GPS coordinates of a Michigan cemetery, where a dead girl is discovered rising from the ground ... as if she tried to crawl out of her own grave.

Born into a dynasty of illusionists, Jessica Blackwood is destined to become its next star—until she turns her back on her troubled family, and her legacy, to begin a new life in law enforcement. But FBI consultant Dr. Jeffrey Ailes’s discovery of an old copy of
Magician Magazine will turn Jessica’s carefully constructed world upside down. Faced with a crime that appears beyond explanation, Ailes has nothing to lose—and everything to gain—by taking a chance on an agent raised in a world devoted to seemingly achieving the impossible.

The body in the cemetery is only the first in the Warlock’s series of dark miracles. Thrust into the media spotlight, with time ticking away until the next crime, can Jessica confront her past to embrace her gifts and stop a depraved killer?

If she can’t, she may become his next victim.


My Review

Before the review, I have a little story. For the library, we are doing something called "Super Reads" to promote our summer reading program. We (the staff) were asked to share something about a book that we were planning to read this summer. Since I have my review for Name of the Devil coming up on Thursday, I knew that I needed to read Andrew Mayne's first book in his Jessica Blackwood series, Angel Killer. I also wanted to have something as kitschy and nerdy as possible attached to my name for the library. Here's what I said:
"I plan on reading Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne because I’m curious to see whether there’s magic in the famous illusionist’s debut thriller."

Want to know a secret? There is magic. Oh. My. Bob. Is there magic.

Waiting on Wednesday (116): Winter by Marissa Meyer

1 comment:

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: Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4)
Author:
Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)
Release Date: November 10, 2015

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer's national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.



With the exception of Scarlet, the second book in the Lunar Chronicles, I have loved every book in the series. I know Fairest was supposed to hold me over until November, but each installation has been my birthday gift to myself. My birthday is NOT in November! Either way, it's less than four months until I get my grubby fingers on it, and I cannot wait.

What are you waiting on this week?

Friday, July 17, 2015

Blog Tour (Spotlight): The Courage Series by Jill Daugherty @samijolien @jilldaugherty

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Welcome to Bibliophilia, Please's stop on Jill Daugherty's Courage series blog tour! I have some information about the three books below, and there's also a great deal going on right now for the first book, Courage and Other Demons!

Book One



Title: Courage and Other Demons
Author:
Jill Daugherty
Publisher: Open Mike Publishing
Tour Organizer: Roger Charlie
Release Date: January 15, 2013

The end of the world will start in the suburbs of Denver with a faery transfer student from Ireland. If you think that’s totally ridiculous, then you understand how Maggie O’Neill feels. In all of her sixteen years, faeries were something you read about in children’s books. They didn’t actually show up on your doorstep. They didn’t kiss you and make your knees go weak and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Until Simon Brady, that is. Simon changed everything. He makes her heart race and her skin burn with excitement, but he has also changed her core beliefs about the world and made her see it as a dark and dangerous place filled with monsters that belong only in the lines of faery tales. There is no doubt in Maggie’s mind that she loves Simon, but can she see past who he is and find a place for him in her heart?

Get your copy FREE until July 22nd on Amazon!


Book Two

Early Review: Starflight by Melissa Landers (ARC) #yalit #scifi

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Title: Starflight (Starflight #1)
Author:
Melissa Landers
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours

Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She’s so desperate to reach the realm that she’s willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.

When a twist of fate lands them instead on the
Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he’s been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world–and each other–the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe.

My Review

You won't often hear me say this, but I really hope that the Powers That Be at Disney Hyperion make the decision to turn Melissa Lander's Starflight into a series. It is a book that has two very likable main characters, the setting is awesome, and there are plenty of secondary characters who could have spin-off books about them!

Solara is a rough-around-the-edges young girl who has had to work hard for everything she has and is more than willing to help colonize a new planet in the outer realm, since her past mistakes are tattooed across her hands and interfering with potential jobs. She also doesn't take bullshit off of anyone - Doran included. Doran is a pampered little rich boy who has more money and looks than good sense. Of course they have some personality conflicts, which leads to a slow-burning romance of which Melissa Landers is the YA master. (If you don't believe me, go read Alienated - so good!)

Thursday, July 16, 2015

No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop #4 (US)

23 comments:

Thanks to Mary at BookHounds & BookHounds YA, I'm going to let you share in my goodies that are cluttering up my life, and, quite frankly, creating a fire hazard in my bedroom.

What You Can Win

The Mystery Box!

For various reasons (book blogging, librarianing, and having no self control), I have an insane amount of books in my house. I have tried to give them to my friends and coworkers, but I've gifted them to the point that it's like trying to give away a litter of kittens every ten weeks. People stop coming to my house or office, and if they do, they try not to let the conversation steer toward books. So what I'm going to do is subject one lucky winner to a box of books. It will be a mixture of young adult and adult books, unless you state what you prefer in the comments.

I do apologize for this being US only, but international shipping has become quite ridiculous. I promise to make the next giveaway hop open to all Earthlings.

Giveaway

Book Blast: Naked by Eliza Redgold #HistoricalFiction @ElizaRedgold @HFVBT

5 comments:

Naked Book Blast Schedule



Title: Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva
Author:
Eliza Redgold
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (Macmillan)
Release Date: July 14, 2015

We know her name. We know of her naked ride. We don't know her true story.

We all know the legend of Lady Godiva, who famously rode naked through the streets of Coventry, covered only by her long, flowing hair. So the story goes, she begged her husband Lord Leofric of Mercia to lift a high tax on her people, who would starve if forced to pay. Lord Leofric demanded a forfeit: that Godiva ride naked on horseback through the town. There are various endings to Godiva's ride, that all the people of Coventry closed their doors and refused to look upon their liege lady (except for 'peeping Tom') and that her husband, in remorse, lifted the tax.

Naked is an original version of Godiva's tale with a twist that may be closer to the truth: by the end of his life Leofric had fallen deeply in love with Lady Godiva. A tale of legendary courage and extraordinary passion, Naked brings an epic story new voice.


Advance Praise

“Redgold’s variation on this enticing legend is often lyrical and offers a satisfying blend of history, lore, and romance.” - Booklist

“Breathes new life into the story of the woman who would stop at nothing to protect her land and people.” - Romantic Times

“NAKED delivers far more than the famous ride of Lady Godiva. It’s a beautifully woven story of love, loyalty, and the determination of a young woman trying to protect her people and their way of life, no matter the price. Godiva is a wonderfully strong woman in an age of dangerous men, and in NAKED, she certainly meets her match!” - Amalia Carosella, author of Helen of Sparta

“A wonderful, romantic retelling of the Lady Godiva legend. There is the colorful Anglo-Saxon backdrop, warriors, battles, peacemaking, desire, revenge and love – everything a fan of medieval romance could desire – plus a strong-willed heroin. Written with a lyrical lilt to her prose, Redgold adds realism to the myth and love to the lusty tale, allowing readers a glimpse into what might have been.” - RT Book Reviews

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound
iTunes | Kobo



About the Author

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday (115): Soundless by Richelle Mead

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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: Soundless
Author:
Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: November 10, 2015

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...



I have liked Mead's YA series more than her adult series, so I'm glad to see another YA book of hers is coming out this year.

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Blog Tour (Review): The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin (ARC) #HistoricalFiction #TLCBookTours @Morrow_PB

1 comment:


Title: The Tide Watchers
Author:
Lisa Chaplin
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours

In the winter of 1803, one woman stands between Napoleon and the fall of Great Britain

The free-spirited daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth defies convention by eloping to France. When her husband abandons her, she must find a way to survive and be reunited with her young son, who is in the care of her mother-in-law.

A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to keep his mentor's pretty daughter safe—a promise complicated by the wily Napoleon Bonaparte. The British believe he is planning an attack, and Duncan is sent to search for signs of invasion on the French coast—where he draws dangerously close to adventurous and unpredictable Lisbeth.

A sensational new invention may shift the tide of a French victory. A brilliant and eccentric American inventor named Robert Fulton has devised a deadly weapon that can decimate an enemy's fleet. To protect English ships, Tidewatcher must gain control of Fulton's invention and cross enemy lines . . . but he cannot do it alone. Left with no other options, he enlists Lisbeth's help in outwitting the American inventor and uncovering Bonaparte's secret plans.

Going undercover for the handsome and duty-bound spy, Lisbeth risks her freedom and her life as she navigates double agents and submarine warfare to outwit the greatest military tactician in history. The only question is . . . who can she trust?


My Review

Before I get good and started on my review for The Tide Watchers, which I enjoyed very much, I have an issue that I want to address in romance and some historical fiction. Can we please ease up on the rape scenes that allow a woman to be saved for whatever reason? I mean, seriously, I know it happened all the time historically and even now, but its use as a plot catalyst (or whatever) in fiction is getting out of hand. I almost DNFed a really good book because of it. Please and thank you. (Rant over.)

Top Ten Tuesday: Last Ten Books That Came Into Kim's Possession

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

Last Ten Books That Came Into Kim's Possession

One of the best things about being an Ace/Roc Star is all the new and upcoming books that they send me. Eight of the ten books below came from them! A lot of the books come out in September so you’ll have plenty of time to pre-order a copy.



1. The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires #1) by Jim Butcher

This one doesn’t come out until September. My husband just finished it, and loved it. He kept laughing and said I would adore the cat. I’ve read the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher and really like it, so I’m excited about the first books in this new series.





2. Linesman by S.K. Dunstall

I just finished this one, and it was excellent. I don’t read a lot of Sci-Fi, but was glad I decided to read this one. Lots of action, and great characters who grow throughout the book. This is the first one in a new series and I am looking forward to the next one. You can find my review from yesterday HERE.



Monday, July 13, 2015

Review: Linesman by S.K. Dunstall #SciFi #NewRelease #AceRocStars @AceRocBooks

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Title: Linesman
Author:
S.K. Dunstall
Publisher: Ace (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Acquired Via:
Publisher (Ace Roc Stars)

First in a brand new thought-provoking science fiction series.

The lines. No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he’s crazy...

Most slum kids never go far, certainly not becoming a level-ten linesman like Ean. Even if he’s part of a small, and unethical, cartel, and the other linesmen disdain his self-taught methods, he’s certified and working.

Then a mysterious alien ship is discovered at the edges of the galaxy. Each of the major galactic powers is desperate to be the first to uncover the ship’s secrets, but all they’ve learned is that it has the familiar lines of energy—and a defense system that, once triggered, annihilates everything in a 200 kilometer radius.

The vessel threatens any linesman who dares to approach it, except Ean. His unique talents may be the key to understanding this alarming new force—and reconfiguring the relationship between humans and the ships that serve them, forever.


My Review

I don’t read a lot of Science Fiction. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but there are often so many different names/species that I find myself losing track. That’s why I find Cozy Mysteries so easy to read, you have your usual set of characters and then add in three to five new people per book (to have some suspects for the crime), and that’s all. Besides trying to solve the mystery, you don’t have to worry about remembering which character is which.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass #yalit #TheSelection

1 comment:


Title: The Heir (The Selection #4)
Author:
Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Acquired Via:
Personal Collection

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect
her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

My Review

Previously reviewed:
The Selection (The Selection #1)
The One (The Selection #3)


One of my far and away most anticipated reads of 2015 was Kiera Cass' The Heir, the follow-up to her hugely popular Selection series. I loved all of the previous books in the series so hard, and I am sad to say that I did not enjoy The Heir half so much.

I sometimes forget how important a main character is to the story. America Singer was a character that I loved for whatever reason, and I was obsessed with following her story. I adored Prince Maxon, and I loved to hate Aspen. America and Maxon's daughter was a different matter. I did not like Eadlyn Schreave. Yes, she is a realistic princess/heir, but she has almost no redeeming qualities. I did not enjoy her interactions with other characters, and I liked her even less as the story progressed. I couldn't even love to hate her, like Celeste Newsome in the previous books.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Early Review: Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas (ARC) #yalit #fantasy @epicreads

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Title: Ash & Bramble
Author:
Sarah Prineas
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours

A prince.

A ball.

A glass slipper left behind at the stroke of midnight.

The tale is told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stretched, as it leads to happily ever after.

But it is not the true Story.

A dark fortress.

A past forgotten.

A life of servitude.

No one has ever broken free of the Godmother's terrible stone prison until a girl named Pin attempts a breathless, daring escape. But she discovers that what seems like freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles her in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between a prince and another—the one who helped her before and who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny.


My Review

Ash & Bramble might just be the most surprising book that I've read in 2015. As many of you might have discerned, I very much judge books by their covers. I almost didn't read Ash & Bramble because there is just so much awful about it. I'm not a fan of white covers, and everything going on... Just. No.

I've found myself getting slightly weary of fairy tale retellings, but Ash & Bramble is done is such a way that it is satisfactory and leaves me not minding more if it comes along. All of the characters are likable, and the story is just different enough from others that I've read that I don't mind going on the journey with Pin and Shoe. The secondary characters are just as good, and there honestly wasn't much to not like about the book.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Review: American Wife by Taya Kyle #Memoir

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Title: American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal
Author:
Taya Kyle
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Release Date: May 4, 2015
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours

The widow of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle shares their private story: an unforgettable testament to the power of love and faith in the face of war and unimaginable loss—and a moving tribute to a man whose true heroism ran even deeper than the legend

In early 2013, Taya Kyle and her husband, Chris, were the happiest they ever had been. Their decade-long marriage had survived years of war that took Chris, a U.S. Navy SEAL, away from Taya and their two children for agonizingly long stretches while he put his life on the line in many major battles of the Iraq War. After struggling to readjust to life out of the military, Chris had found new purpose in redirecting his lifelong dedication to service toward supporting veterans and their families. Their love had deepened, and their family was whole, finally.

Then, the unthinkable. On February 2, 2013, Chris and his friend Chad Littlefield were killed while attempting to help a troubled vet. The life Chris and Taya fought so hard to build was shattered. In an instant, Taya became a single parent of two. A widow. A young woman facing the rest of her life without the man she loved.

Chris and Taya's remarkable story has captivated millions through Clint Eastwood's blockbuster Academy Award-winning film American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper as Chris and Sienna Miller as Taya, and because of Chris's bestselling memoir, in which Taya contributed passages that formed the book's emotional core. Now, with trusted collaborator Jim DeFelice, Taya writes in never-before-told detail about the hours, days, and months after Chris's shocking death when grief threatened to overwhelm her.

And yet throughout, friendship, family, and a deepening faith were lifelines that sustained her and the kids when the sorrow became too much. Two years after her husband's tragic death, Taya has found renewed meaning and connection to Chris by advancing their shared mission of "serving those who serve others," particularly military and first-responder families. She and the children are now embracing a new future, one that honors the past but also looks forward with hope, gratitude, and joy.

American Wife is one of the most remarkable memoirs of the year—a universal chronicle of love and heartbreak, service and sacrifice, faith and purpose that will inspire every reader.


My Review

This has to be far and away the most difficult review that I have ever written. I've always tried to challenge myself as a reader, so I decided to go outside of my normal reading zone and read American Wife. I do like the occasional memoir because it's so fascinating to learn about someone's life. To an extent, seeing into Taya Kyle's life was no different - she's an interesting lady. However, the difficulty in reviewing American Wife comes with disagreeing with the book without seeming to attack the author, who it is about.

Waiting on Wednesday (114): Staked by Kevin Hearne

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: Staked (The Iron Druid Chronicles #8)
Author:
Kevin Hearne
Publisher: Del Rey (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: January 26, 2016

When a druid has lived for two thousand years like Atticus, he’s bound to run afoul of a few vampires. Make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers—led by power-mad pain-in-the-neck Theophilus—have become a huge problem requiring a solution. It’s time to make a stand.

As always, Atticus wouldn’t mind a little backup. But his allies have problems of their own. Ornery archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll trouble: Turns out when you stiff a troll, it’s not water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Granuaile is desperate to free herself of the Norse god Loki’s mark and elude his powers of divination—a quest that will bring her face-to-face with several Slavic nightmares.

As Atticus globetrots to stop his nemesis Theophilus, the journey leads to Rome. What better place to end an immortal than the Eternal City? But poetic justice won’t come without a price: In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend.



What's there not to love about a well-researched urban fantasy series about a hot druid and his hysterical giant pet dog?

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Early Review: The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (ARC) #yalit

2 comments:


Title: The Scorpion Rules
Author:
Erin Bow
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours

In the future, the UN has brought back an ancient way to keep the peace. The children of world leaders are held hostage—if a war begins, they pay with their lives.

Greta is the Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy, a superpower formed of modern-day Canada. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. The hostages are Talis’s strategy to keep the peace: if her country enters a war, Greta dies.

The system has worked for centuries. Parents don’t want to see their children murdered.

Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. Greta is furious that Elian has disrupted their quiet, structured world. But slowly, his rebellion opens her eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.

Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to mete out punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed...unless Greta can think of a way to save them.


My Review

It's not very often that I stay up all night reading a book, but I did for The Scorpion Rules. I think that worked both for and against the novel because on one hand, there's not much better than reading a dark book (no, I don't mean scary) alone in the dark. On the other hand, I can't quite figure out if the weirdness of the novel was due to my insomnia or if The Scorpion Rules was just a strange book.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Hyped Books That Kayla's Never Read

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

Kayla's Top Ten Hyped Books She’s Never Read



1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

In addition to me being a book snob... Well, I’m just a book snob. One of the things I try to avoid – as long as I’m aware of it – is fan fiction based on someone else’s work being published as their own ideas. And if this wasn’t enough, there is always the poor writing in the portions that I was unlucky enough to glance at. Not. Happening.





2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I’m interested in it, but it’s never been enough for me to drop my review books and pick it up.



Monday, July 6, 2015

Review: Mariposa by Kim Wells

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Title: Mariposa
Author:
Kim Wells
Publisher: Daydreams Dandelions Publications
Release Date: December 24, 2014
Acquired Via:
Author

Murdered, then trapped between worlds as a ghost, Meg is surrounded by other lost souls, some seeking to make peace with their past, while others… others fear a killer in the netherworld, who feeds on what ghosts most treasure: memories. Each time he feeds, the killer grows stronger, and he begins to threaten both the dead and the living, including Meg’s grieving step daughter.

Now a dead woman must fight the battle of her life, for the sake of her friends and family, and find out for herself if love can indeed be stronger than death.


My Review

The beginning of Mariposa is very slow. I understand the reader needs some back story, and to see how strong Meg’s love is for Tony and his daughter, Amelinda, but I almost stopped reading. That along with how many times Meg mentions that she can’t believe she slept with Tony on the first date, really put me off.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Book Blast: The Memory Painter by Gwendolyn Womack #Giveaway

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Title: The Memory Painter
Author:
Gwendolyn Womack
Publisher: Picador (Macmillan)
Release Date: April 28, 2015

What if there was a drug that could help you remember past lives?

What if the lives you remembered could lead you to your one true love? What if you learned that, for thousands of years, a deadly enemy had conspired to keep the two of you apart?

Bryan Pierce is an internationally famous artist whose paintings have dazzled the world. But there’s a secret to his success: Every canvas is inspired by an unusually vivid dream. When Bryan awakes, he possesses extraordinary new skills…like the ability to speak obscure languages and an inexplicable genius for chess. All his life, he has wondered if his dreams are recollections, if he is re-experiencing other people’s lives.

Linz Jacobs is a brilliant neurogeneticist, absorbed in decoding the genes that help the brain make memories, until she is confronted with an exact rendering of a recurring nightmare at one of Bryan’s shows. She tracks down the elusive artist, and their meeting triggers Bryan’s most powerful dream yet: visions of a team of scientists who, on the verge of discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s, died in a lab explosion decades ago.

As Bryan becomes obsessed with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the scientists’ deaths, his dreams begin to reveal what happened at the lab, as well as a deeper mystery that may lead all the way to ancient Egypt. Together, Bryan and Linz start to discern a pattern. But a deadly enemy watches their every move, and he will stop at nothing to ensure that the past stays buried.

A taut thriller and a timeless love story spanning six continents and 10,000 years of history, The Memory Painter by Gwendolyn Womack is a riveting debut novel unlike any you’ve ever read.


Praise for The Memory Painter

“Gwendolyn Womack’s tale dazzles.” - US Weekly (Standout Spring Novels)

“The guy-meets-girl story as you’ve never heard it before…A mind-explosion of a journey ensues that involves time travel, mystery, love, and a whole lot of plot twists.” - Refinery29

“Suspenseful and ambitious…We predict The Memory Painter’s story of love and revenge will be one of 2015’s biggest literary hits.” - Paste Magazine (Best New Books of the Month)

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Blog Tour (Excerpt): Untamed by Diana Palmer #Giveaway #Western #Romance @TLCBookTours @HarlequinBooks

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Title: Untamed
Author:
Diana Palmer
Publisher: HQN (Harlequin)
Tour Organizer: TLC Book Tours
Release Date: June 30, 2015

Stanton Rourke lives life on the edge. The steely mercenary is dangerous in every way…especially to Clarisse Carrington's heart. She and Rourke were playmates as children, but she's not the innocent girl he once knew. When tragedy robbed Clarisse of her entire family, her life was changed forever. Besides, she's a grown woman now, and there are secrets that hold her back from succumbing to her pursuer. As she struggles to keep her distance, sparks as hot as a Texas summer fly between them. But danger is following Clarisse, leaving her no choice but to rely on Rourke, even as the old wounds lying dormant between them flare up again…

Excerpt

Chapter 2

Rourke spent the night getting drunk. He was out of his mind from his father’s revelations. Tat had loved him. He’d pushed her away, for her own good, but in doing so, he’d damaged her so badly that he’d turned her into little better than a call girl.

He remembered her in Barrera, her blouse soaked in blood that even a washing hadn’t removed, the stitches just above one of her perfect small breasts where that animal, Miguel, had cut her trying to extract information about General Emilio Machado’s invasion of the country.