Friday, January 31, 2014

Stacking the Shelves 1/31/2014


Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is a list of what books you have received over the previous week, either for review, from the library, from the bookstore, or from trades.


FOUND

I didn't buy any books this week, but as I was combing through some boxes in my garage, I found some books that had been packed up for the move, but never unpacked. So, since I am adding them to my shelf, I thought it would be okay to include them in my post.  And actually, I've read the two Kristan Higgins books already, but I love her and am always happy to have her on my shelves.


The Next Best Thing on Amazon
Until There Was You on Amazon
Invincible Summer on Amazon
The Blue Bistro on Amazon

What was added to your shelves this week?

BEFORE YOU by Amber Hart Cover Reveal







There are so many good books coming up to be excited about.  I've seen K. A. Tucker talking about this one for a long time.  When authors make time to read books and get this enthusiastic about them, it makes my blood race and my heart almost beat out of my chest.  Bring on the goodness.

Synopsis:

Some say love is deadly. Some say love is beautiful. I say it is both.

Faith Watters spent her junior year traveling the world, studying in exquisite places, before returning to Oviedo High School. From the outside her life is picture-perfect. Captain of the dance team. Popular. Happy. Too bad it’s all a lie.

It will haunt me. It will claim me. It will shatter me. And I don't care.

Eighteen-year-old Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn’t stand a chance of fitting in. Nor does he want to. His only concern is staying hidden from his past—a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him everything. Including his life.

At Oviedo High School, it seems that Faith Watters and Diego Alvarez do not belong together. But fate is as tricky as it is lovely. Freedom with no restraint is what they long for. What they get is something different entirely.

Love—it will ruin you and save you, both.    

What other authors had to say:

"Beautiful and evocative!" ~New York Times Bestselling author Sophie Jordan
"Fresh and unique...will hook and hold you." ~Bestselling author K.A. Tucker

Author Bio:

Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides on the Florida coastline with family and animals including, but not limited to, bulldogs, a cat, and dragons. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of BEFORE YOU, AFTER US, ECHOES, and ECHOES' sequel (untitled as of yet). Rep'd by Beth Miller of Writers House. 

Links:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads 
Amazon


Since Blogger isn't playing nice with me, I will let you know that there is a FOUR CHAPTER EXCERPT that can be found on Amber's WEBSITE.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

K.A. Tucker's FIVE WAYS TO FALL Cover Reveal Puzzle Piece

GET READY FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT IN THE TEN TINY BREATHS SERIES.

ABOUT FIVE WAYS TO FALL:
Sometimes you can’t change—and sometimes you just don’t want to. Discover Ben’s side of the story in this fourth novel by the beloved, top-selling indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, and Four Seconds to Lose.
Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.
Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.
If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…
And now for my piece of the puzzle...






ABOUT K.A. TUCKER:
Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Pre-Order Links:

LINKS:                                                                              

In case you missed any of the puzzle pieces, be sure to visit the other stops on the Cover Reveal Schedule:

January 29
January 30
January 31
February 1
February 2
February 3
February 4
February 5

Brought to you by:


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Flashback Friday 1/31/2014


Flashback Friday is a meme hosted by our friends at Fiction Fare and Swoony Boys Podcast.  The Objective - Pick a book... any book that meets the following criteria:  

1.  Must have been published at least 2 years ago or 
2.  Preferably is still in print or available to read

Lori's Choice

I loved Graceling (Book #1) and this one is sitting on the shelf in my living room.  I really have no excuse for not reading it yet other than the fact that I am easily distracted by pretty new books.

Fire (Graceling Realm #2) by Kristin Cashore
Hardcover1st US Edition461 pages
Published October 5th 2009 by Dial Books 

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

Connect with Kristin
Fire on Amazon

Nikki's Choice

Blood-soaked nightmares. Of another time. Of another place. Of another life. With a Supernatural gothic creepy undertone, I just find this book irresistible. I especially love to read chilling Gothic stories in the Winter. 


Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick
Hardcover272 pages
Published October 6th 2011 by Indigo 

Have you ever had the feeling that you've lived another life? Been somewhere that has felt totally familiar, even though you've never been there before, or felt that you know someone well, even though you are meeting them for the first time? It happens. In 2073 on the remote and secretive island of Blessed, where rumour has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visiting journalist, Eric Seven, and a young local woman known as Merle are ritually slain. Their deaths echo a moment ten centuries before, when, in the dark of the moon, a king was slain, tragically torn from his queen. Their souls search to be reunited, and as mother and son, artist and child, forbidden lovers, victims of a vampire they come close to finding what they've lost. In a novel comprising seven parts, each influenced by a moon - the flower moon, the harvest moon, the hunter's moon, the blood moon - this is the story of Eric and Merle whose souls have been searching for each other since their untimely parting.

Connect with Marcus
Website
Twitter
Goodreads
Midwinterblood on Amazon

Stephanie's Choice

An oldie but a goodie.


The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger


Paperback519 pages
Published May 29th 2004 by Vintage

A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.

An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come
.

Connect with Audrey
Website
Twitter
Goodreads
The Time Traveler's Wife on Amazon

What book is sitting on your shelf just waiting for you to remember it and read it?

Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday Must Read: Into the Still Blue


Monday Must Reads is a weekly post that features a book that I consider to be a 'must read' and that is releasing in the current month.

Available January 28, 2014


(Goodreads Blurb)
The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Timesbestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.
In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.
About the Author:

Veronica Rossi's debut novel, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, will be published in over twenty-five international markets, starting on January 3rd 2012 in the United States. Film rights to the trilogy have been optioned by Warner Bros.


Connect with Veronica:
Website
On Twitter
Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky) on Amazon

Cover Reveal: THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING by Rachel Harris



I've become a huge fan of Rachel Harris and am very excited to present the cover of her newest book, THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING.  It looks amazing and I cannot wait to read it.
About THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING:

Release Date: September 30, 2014
Author: Rachel Harris 

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.



Find Rachel Harris Online: 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Bookish Confessions - I'm a Quitter


I discovered something disturbing about myself this week.  When it comes to books series, I.  Am.  A. Quitter.  

It was during a routine visit to a fellow book blog that I made the comment that I often don't read the last book in a series.  I usually have an ending in my head and I'm afraid to read the author's version of how she thinks the series should end.  I mean, c'mon.  How many of us would've ended Allegiant the way Veronica Roth did?  But then I got to looking at the list of books I've read on Goodreads and have uncovered a scary amount of series that I have left unfinished.  I decided to list them a few in no particular order.


Fallen - 4 stars
Torment - 4 stars
Passion - 4 stars
Rapture - didn't read



Divergent - 5 stars
Insurgent - 5 stars
Allegiant - didn't read




Hush, Hush - 5 stars 
Crescendo - 5 stars
Silence - 5 stars
Finale - didn't read


Delirium - 4 stars
Pandemonium - 5 stars
Requiem - didn't read



Unearthly - 5 stars
Hallowed - 5 stars
Boundless - didn't read



Have you read these series?  Is there one series in particular that you really want to convince me to finish?  Give me your best argument.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Stacking the Shelves 1/25/2014


Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is a list of what books you have received over the previous week, either for review, from the library, from the bookstore, or from trades.

Purchased


Today we went to the used bookstore and bought books for the entire family.
I am planning to read:



I was also able to use my Barnes and Noble gift card that I received for Christmas.  I picked up two books that I have read on e-book and the next book in that I need in the Lucky Harbor series.



What did you get this week?

Flashback Friday 1/24/2014



Flashback Friday is a meme hosted by our friends at Fiction Fare and Swoony Boys Podcast.  The Objective - Pick a book... any book that meets the following criteria:  

1.  Must have been published at least 2 years ago or 
2.  Preferably is still in print or available to read

And now for the fun part...

Lori's Choice



Check out my published content!
My choice is one that has been on my TBR list for 2 years.  I think it's about time that I finally get around to reading it.

Published: July 8th 2010 by Simon & Schuster

'Will you marry me?' I think of you, then. I think of you every day. But usually in the quietest part of the morning, or the darkest part of the night. Not when my boyfriend of two years has just proposed. I look up at Richard with his hopeful eyes. 'Lily?' he prompts. It's been ten years, but it feels like only yesterday that you left. How can I say yes to Richard with all my heart when most of it has always belonged to you? I take a deep breath and will myself to speak...Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really shouldn't have fallen in love with. Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can't forget the one that got away. Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart - and the heart of at least one of the men who love her.

Connect with Paige
Website
Twitter
Goodreads

Nikki's Choice

Check out my published content! Nikki also added one from her TBR list.  This is one that she has been meaning to read forever and was just reminded of it again.

Published: February 1st 2005 by Penguin Books

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

Connect with Carlos
Website
Twitter
Goodreads

The Shadow of the Wind on Amazon

Amber's Choice

Amber chose a book that she has already read but loved immensely.

Check out my published content!
Published: January 10th 2012 by Dutton Books

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.


Connect with John
Website
Twitter
Goodreads

The Fault in Our Stars on Amazon




Stephanie's Choice

Stephanie also chose a book that she has read. 
Check out my published content!

Published: December 2nd 2010 by Dutton

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?


Connect with Stephanie:
Website
Twitter
Goodreads

Anna and the French Kiss on Amazon