30 November 2014

A Holiday Gamble ARC Review

A Holiday Gamble
by Jane Feather




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A viscount stranded on a stormy night. The beautiful heiress who takes him in. Warm up with this delightfully romantic short story set in Regency-era England, from New York Timesbestselling author Jane Feather!

Edward Vasey, otherwise known as Viscount Allenton, is journeying precariously through a snowstorm one night when his coach is overtaken by highwaymen. Robbed and stranded, Edward takes refuge at Selby Hall, where he meets a spirited beauty who may steal something more—his heart. As passion flares between them, Edward uncovers a shocking secret that threatens to tear them apart…but will this be enough to chill their steamy love on a cold winter’s eve?

Published by Pocket Star on 17th Nov - ISBN: 9781476779522

Buy Links:

Amazon * Amazon UK


I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: A Holiday Gamble is short, cute and made me laugh. I love historical fiction but combining it with a Christmas theme is always going to make me smile.

Edward Vasey, the new Viscount Allenton aka Ned is on his way to his childhood home when he finds himself at the mercy of the weather and the somewhat sinister Selby. The notion of turning up unannounced to stay at a strangers house always makes me smile - can you imagine if anybody tried it nowadays? Anyway... 

Also present is Lady Georgiana 'Georgie' who is trapped by Selby's whim and doesn't seem to be interested in Selby and Godfrey's strange parties and plots. At one point I did think I'd misread the blurb and that the book was going to take a horror/Gothic twist but Jane Feather instead focuses on the potential romance, the Christmas setting and the regency intrigues.  

The pacing is fairly quick, but then this is a novella and I was thankful we weren't faced with insta-love (my least face thing in a book). There is attraction but Ned is initially more focused on leaving and his new responsibilities... The ending is quite abrupt but it made a nice change from the often long drawn out sunshine and rainbows epilogues we are often faced with. 

3 - 3.5 Stars in my Sky!


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29 November 2014

Under Different Stars Review

Under Different Stars
by Amy A. Bartol





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Revised edition: This edition of Under Different Stars includes editorial revisions.

Winner of four 2014 utopYA Awards, including Best Book of the Year and Best Sci-Fi Book of the Year.
All she wants is a home, but can she find one...UNDER DIFFERENT STARS 

Kricket Hollowell is normally not one to wish upon stars; she believes they’re rarely in her favor. Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home. 

Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go. 

Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket's gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own. 

When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?


Buy links:

Amazon * Amazon UK


I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: I decided to read Under Different Stars after meet Amy A. Bartol at a signing in Dublin earlier this year. She very kindly gave me a mini book charm swag and said she hoped I'd enjoy reading something very different from The Premonition series - well, I SO did!!


Under Different Stars is a YA story about a young woman who finds herself thrust into a strange and dangerous new world. In this new world everybody seems to want something from her and everybody has an agenda. When Kricket (love the name) is suddenly confronted by a group of strange (and attractive) men, her life changes dramatically.



It's difficult to talk about the plot without giving too much away, but this bits in the blurb  so I think I'm safe: Kricket lives on Earth until the mysterious Trey arrives to transport her 'home'. Home is in fact another planet called Ethar (humans don't know about Ethar or aliens). There is a lot to take in about Ethar and the Etharians but I liked the world building. The reader gets to experience this new world, just as Kricket does. Some of the traditions and ideas reminded me of medieval England, yet with super cool advanced technology. I did find all the titles a little confusing at times but I enjoyed getting to know this strange world.


I really liked Trey, Jax and Wayra - their banter was brilliant and I love how they adopted Kricket into their group (well sort of). Kricket is fierce and kinda badass which is fun to read about. Unlike a lot of YA heroines, she never annoyed me and I wanted her and Trey to figure out how awesome they could be together. It's a bit of a slow burn, but this is YA so we're never going to see OTT romantic action and smexy scenes.

I would have liked a little more explanation about certain events but overall I really enjoyed Kricket's story and after THAT ending I'm really looking forward to the next book!


4 Stars in my Sky!






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28 November 2014

Into the Night Tour & Review

Into the Night 
by Suzanne Rigdon




Coming Dec 2nd by Spencer Hill

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What they say: When Selina Baker, a coordinator for a Boston non-profit, goes out on the town with her friend Jess, she never expects to meet the man of her dreams. And she certainly never expects him to be undead.


When things go from flirty to majorly flawed on her first date with James Lawton, he is forced to save her the only way he can--by killing her. Selina suddenly finds herself in the mix with the creatures she thought were made up solely for late-night TV. Into the Night follows Selina’s transformation from a wallflower into an impulsive and dangerous new vampire. With no choice in the matter, Selina becomes trapped between a new man, his wary brothers, and his cruel and controlling Queen, who wants nothing more than to watch her suffer. Selina must walk the fine line between adjusting to her new powers, life after death, and following the rules--all while avoiding disaster.


Buy links:

Amazon US * Amazon UK * B&N

Author Links:

Spence City * Suzanne's website * Suzanne's Twitter


I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!


What I say:  If you know me or my blog then you'll probably be aware about my love of all things paranormal, urban fantasy and vampire related. You'll also possibly have noticed I've taken a break from reviewing them until recently because they were beginning to merge into one. I decided to read Into the Night because the blurb was intriguing and the idea made me smile.

The story focuses on Selina 'non-profit' Baker (I have to admit this made me laugh. Do people really introduce themselves as such?) as she goes steps out of her norm and goes on a date with the dashing stranger James. The date has rather unusual and pretty extreme consequences. 

I liked Selina and found her entertaining if not unfortunate. She made me smile, although I did find her slightly irritating on occasion (only at times). But because this was largely down to her coming to terms with her new circumstances and general befuddlement I didn't hold it against her and mostly it made me smile.

Some elements reminded me of My Sunny Vampire and I found James to be as intriguing as Jack. I was pleased Selina didn't have to constantly probe James for answers - and although he's not exactly forthcoming with information, he's not annoyingly aloof. 

I enjoyed Into The Night and found the story interesting and fun. It is fairly similar to other urban fantasy stories out there but I appreciated the story for what it is and am glad I read it.

I would have liked to see more romance not necessarily smut (get your mind out of the gutter people) because this is how James and Selina meet, but things get in the way and they have more important matters to deal with. This being said, I did appreciate that it wasn't all sunshine and smooching. Selina has been through a huge change and has a big learning curve, which luckily we don't forget.

The dramatic and action scenes are good and I have to admit I didn't see certain events coming. I would have liked a more developed ending, but then perhaps I'm just greedy?! 

3.5 Stars in my Sky!




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27 November 2014

I Belong To You Tour & Review


I Belong To You
by Lisa Renee Jones - Inside Out #5




What they say: Master…


Being that person, that man is how I define myself, how I allow the rest of the world to define me as well. And now, with a terrible loss shredding me inside out and someone trying to destroy my family to punish me, control is more important than ever. It is everything. It is what I need. It is all I need. Or maybe I just need…her.



Buy Links:






Author Spotlight:


New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT SERIES, and is now in development by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland, Austin Powers, Must Love Dogs) for cable TV. In addition, her Tall, Dark and Deadly series and The Secret Life of Amy Bensen series, both spent several months on a combination of the NY Times and USA Today and USA Today lists.


Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 40 books translated around the world. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.
Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.

Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Author Goodreads * Author Amazon





I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: I'm a big fan of Lisa Renee Jones's naughty Inside Out series because it never fails to make me swoon, smile and generally want to hit something :) !

I Belong To You is another Mark novella so the focus is on him and Crystal rather than Chris and Sarah. The action picks up where No in Between finishes. Mark is dealing with some pretty traumatic issues as well as the Rebecca/Eva situation. He's doing his utmost to ignore the spark between him and Crystal. He don't want to give up on his 'Master' ways and she has no intention of giving in.

My favourite part was finally getting some answers to certain big questions (don't worry no spoilers I'm not saying what answers or to which questions). I loved getting inside Mark's head, to find out how he really felt about Rebecca, Eva and Crystal. 

I liked Crystal and enjoyed her sass. I appreciate strong female leads and she's very willing and able, to stand up to Mark and his controlling ways. I think the reason I liked her so much is the combination of sass and vulnerability.

4 Stars in my Sky!



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26 November 2014

Cover Reveal: Forever Found

FOREVER FOUND
by Nazarea Andrews

December 2014







Neverland Lost series, #2



Losing Gwen was one of the hardest things I've ever had to survive. I've never loved anyone the way I love her.

But finding her was never about that. And now that I have found her--now that she knows the truth about me and the Island, I have to trust her to believe. Because her leaving me didn't just destroy me--its killing Neverland.

I need her to love me. But we all need her to believe again.

Peter Pan has grown up and found the girl who left--but the stakes are higher than ever in this romantic conclusion to the story begun in Girl Lost.


Excerpt:

Gwen is leaning against the window. Every time I leave her, I forget. She’s not all gangly limbs and huge eyes and dirty hair hanging in her face, flinching at her own shadow.  Not anymore. That Gwen still haunts my island, but this—this Gwen is breathtaking.
She thinks she’s broken. Fractured pieces of a broken mind, held together by medication and stubborn denial. But she doesn’t see herself, not the way I do.
Lane had that right. She’s breathtaking—even now, when I know she’s sad and broken. She stands straight, a pair of thin sleep pants curving around her ass before falling loose and free to the floor. Her shoulders are back, graceful and strong, under the thick sweater she’s wearing, her hair pulled into a messy knot at the top of her head.
She can see me, my reflection in the dark glass. And I see the tension in her tighten, drawing her up and sharp, until she’s almost vibrating with it. “Why are you here?” she asks, her voice low and hoarse.
She sounds like that when she’s been crying. I know—I’ve heard her so many times, heard her tears. Wiped them away. Whispered happy thoughts until I teased a smile from her.
“Peter,” she snaps, and I jerk, out of the memories and into the moment.
“You ran away.”
She gives an unladylike snort. “You decided you were a delusion of my past, and then you expected me to sit there and listen to your insane ramblings. Thanks, but no. I can’t do that. I’ve had enough crazy for one life.” She bites her lip, and then blurts, “You stole my file, didn’t you? That’s how you know about the Boy.”
“Do you remember the firefly meadow?”
She goes still, and I smile, gently. “You do.”
“That wasn’t real,” she whispers, and I feel the shudder.
“We’d hide there, from the lsot boys. And you’d fall asleep telling me your happy thoughts, and wake up to a galaxy of fireflies, and we’d chase them until you made yourself sick, laughing. And then I’d hold you and we’d stare at the stars, and you always said they were different. It smelled like jasmine and honey-“
“And wild woods and freedom,” she whispers, her blue eyes impossibly wide in her pretty face. I take a tentative step toward her, and touch her fingers.
Why are your stars different?
“It wasn’t a delusion, Gwendy. You know it wasn’t. Trust yourself.”
She shudders. “Can’t. My mind lies. It wasn’t—“
“Gwendy,” I say, desperately. Her eyes are filling with tears and I can feel the disbelief, the way it will tear apart the world I’ve known, and the girl I’ve loved, and I can’t. I move without thinking, catch her head and bring her lips to mine.



Author Spotlight:

\Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.




Giveaway:

Win a signed copy of GIRL LOST and an eARC of FOREVER FOUND (US only).





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Waiting On Wednesday: Princess Of Thorns

Power to the Princess!





This Week is...

Princess of Thorns 

by Stacey Jay


What they say: Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?


  • Expected publication: Dec 9th 2014 by Delacorte Press - ISBN: 9780385743228



Why I'm Waiting on Princess of Thorns:


  1. Come on! Princesses are kinda hot right now.
  2. I do love me some YA fantasy!
  3. Not so sleeping apparently!










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25 November 2014

New Release - The Shape of My Heart


THE SHAPE OF MY HEART
by Ann Aguirre 





Some people wait decades to meet their soul mate. Courtney Kaufman suspects she met hers in high school—only to lose him at seventeen. Since then, Courtney’s social life has been a series of meaningless encounters, though she’s made a few close friends along the way. Especially her roommate, Max Cooper, who oozes damaged bad-boy vibes from every pore.
Max knows about feeling lost and trying to move beyond the pain—he’s been on his own since he was sixteen. Now it’s time to find out if he can ever go home again, and Courtney’s the only one he trusts to go with him. But the trip to Providence could change everything…because the more time he spends with Courtney, the harder it is to reconcile what he wants and what he thinks he deserves.
It started out so simple. One misfit helping another. Now Max will do anything to show Courtney that for every heart that’s ever been broken, there’s another that can make it complete.








Make sure you grab the entire 2B Trilogy!


Author Spotlight: 


Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.







Excerpt:
            So many questions ricocheted around my brainpan, but Max’s shoulders were pulled up almost to his ears, his chin nearly on the table. Without looking at me, he shredded the napkin in his hands into four pieces and then in half again. The waning sunshine streaming in the smeared window behind him haloed his hair, so that the highlights shone blue instead of tawny or copper.
            “You don’t have to tell me a bedtime story,” I said gently.
            “No, you need to know. So you understand what’s going on and why it’s so tense when we get there.”
            “Okay. If you’re sure.”
            “I’ll set the stage.” His tone was brittle, uneven, and the bits of paper in his hands kept getting smaller. “I was sixteen, just got my license. My dad was drinking, acting like a f**khead. Business as usual. When he started in on Mickey, I grabbed the keys. Figured I’d get us both out of there for a while. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but taking off is kind of my specialty.”
            “Between your bike, the garage office, and the place you showed me by the river, I’ve picked up on the pattern, yeah.”
            “I thought I was doing the smart thing, you know? But I was driving too fast and some asshole blew the stoplight. T-boned us. Mickey got the worst of it… weeks in the hospital without knowing if he’d make it. Then once he stabilized, we found out he’d never walk again.” He curled a fist and slammed it onto the table, making the pizza box dance. “Ironic, huh? I was worried that my dad would hurt Mickey but I’m the one who—”
            “Not true,” I cut in. “That’s a textbook accident. Don’t tell me you blame yourself.”
            “It’s impossible to do anything else. No, wipe that look off your face, Kaufman. I didn’t open up to make you feel sorry for me. I just want you to know the deal going in. I mean, my dad’s the biggest asshole I ever met and he hates me, too.”
            “What about Mickey?”
            “We weren’t talking much when I left. Every day I think, what if I’d put up with my old man’s shit for five minutes more? What if I’d picked a fight with him instead of grabbing those keys? I—” His voice broke on a shuddering inhalation.
            Until this moment I didn’t realize how much weight Max carried on a daily basis or how good a job he did hiding it. I came out of my chair and rounded the little table before I consciously decided to make a move. Standing beside him, I hovered, unsure what to do. He answered the question by wrapping both arms around my waist and pulling me onto his lap. Unsettled, unnerved, even, I let him press his face into my shoulder, resting a hand on his head.
            His breath warmed the skin of my throat, rousing an inappropriate shiver. Now is not the time. It wasn’t like I’d never noticed his hotness; he specialized in a scruffy, soulful appeal that women of all ages seemed unable to resist. But it was so much better for him to call me Kaufman and confide in me instead of flirting. At the moment, Max needed a friend. I stroked his back for like five minutes before he raised his gaze to meet mine.
            “Sorry. The closer we get to Rhode Island, the worse I feel.”
            “It’s understandable. You have to be worried about how your brother will react when you see him.” The rest of his family sounded like jackwagons. Though he’d only told me about his dad, if he had any decent aunts, uncles or cousins, they would’ve stepped up when his old man went upside his head with a bottle. A scar like that would take eight or ten stitches, minimum. I imagined Max as a scared kid with blood gushing from his scalp, and all of my protective instincts roared to life. People had been calling me a bitch since I was fifteen, and I was ready to wade in against Max’s family. Yeah, the funeral might be tense and shitty, but if his family said one f**king word—


Giveaway:



Watch out for my review coming 4th Dec!



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