Thursday, January 28, 2016

BLITZ: Reprieve by Celeste Hollister

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Reprieve by Celeste Hollister
Published:  December 8th, 2015
Publisher:  Elsekind Publishing
Genre:  Literary Fiction
Content Warning:  Graphic, non-gratuitous sex scenes
Recommended Age:  17+
Synopsis: “Don’t you think someone might miss him—that man we found?” Meredith asked. “He must have a family, someone who wonders day after day where he is and whether he’s safe and why he left. I know what that’s like to wait and wait for someone who never comes home.”
Gale gaped at her.
Meredith said, “Someone needs to know he’s never coming home.”
***
In the summer of 92, Gale and Meredith find the body of a dead black man in the river of their all-white hometown. They go for help, but when the search doesn’t turn up a body, Meredith’s father, the police chief, accuses them of making it all up. That night, Gale runs away from home, turning Meredith’s whole world inside out.
Thirteen years later, Meredith finds Gale’s picture in a magazine. Desperate to make sense of her life, she tracks him down and invokes a childhood promise that will lead them back home.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads

“It took all of twelve hours from the time I found your picture in GQ to getting your address from Ceravolo’s assistant,” she said.
        “Your point?” Gale asked.
        She bit down her frustration. “Okay, so maybe you just had to leave Levine because your life sucked beyond belief. I didn’t search for you after you left, not like your Dad did—”
        Gale’s eyes flicked to hers.
        “—And he did,” she said. “Until it left him dry. But I found you. I don’t usually believe in such things, but I think there’s a reason—”
        “—Ah, God—”
        “—Not like that.” She tightened her fists until the gash on her palm twinged. “Don’t you think someone might miss him—that man we found? He must have a family, someone who wonders day after day where he is, and whether he’s safe, and why he left. I know what that’s like to wait and wait for someone who never comes home.”
        He stared at her.
        “Someone needs to know he’s never coming home.”
        “Mer,” he said.
        “So I’m going back.”
        “No—”
        “—Yes. I’m going back,” she said.
        “Meredith, no.”
        A laugh broke from her, a low, bitter sound. “And you’re coming with me.”
        Gale was up again. He shoved the table. “Why?” he said. “Why would I do that? Why would I go back to the Bible-Thumping, Proud-to-Be-Confederacy Capital of Texas. Why?”
        “Because you were there—”
        “—Oh, I know what this is,” he said, stabbing a finger at her. “Miss Barbie Princess fell down and cracked her head. Found out you’re not so impenetrable in your Malibu Dream House?”
        She sputtered, speechless.
        “That’s right, I know,” he said. “I read it all on Yahoo! News. Live-in girlfriend of Jerome fucking Snow.”
        She pressed cold fingertips to her eyelids. “Oh no.”
        Gale said, “He know you’re here?”
        “No. He doesn’t.” She opened her eyes and re-focused. “This isn’t about him.”
        Gale took the empty chair beside her. “Hey, if you’re running, I’ll run, too. Got nothing tying me here.”
        “I’m not running.”
        “Really?” He traced the bandage on her forehead. “Mr. Playboy Billionaire do this?”
        “I’m not running,” she said again. “Not from him.”
        Gale looked as though he still had his doubts.
        “You remember that summer?” she said. “All the stunts we pulled, all the trouble?”
        His lips pulled into a lop-sided smile. “Spray-painting the trestle bridge—”
        “—Getting caught sneaking out of my bedroom window—”
        “—Lest we forget ramping my Dad’s Harley into the Levine Middle School Marquee,” Gale said. He rolled his shoulder at the memory. “Broke my arm—”
        “—You’re lucky it wasn’t your neck.”
        “And the shoplifting,” he said, grinning now. “From Two Sisters Christian Books. Guess I’m going to Hell for that one.”
        “You remember what you took?”
        A muscle in his neck twitched. “Yeah, I remember.”
        “You remember what you said when you gave it to me?”
        He lowered his eyes. “I said so long as you wore it, I’d be with you,” he said. “I promised.”
        Meredith pulled the platinum chain from under her camisole. The nautilus pendant swung between her face and his. “You promised.”
        “Fuck,” he said and lit another cigarette. And Meredith knew, for better or worse, that Gale would follow her home.
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About the Author:
Celeste Hollister is a novelist, a mom, a travel writer, and a teacher. She writes characters who struggle with racial identity and LGBT+ representation. She graduated from Texas State with a degree in writing, taught in the public school system for a decade, and lived in Korea for a year. She loves wine, cats, cookies, and traveling by train. She currently lives in San Marcos with her daughter and their friendly feline overlord.
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
$20 Amazon gift card
Giveaway is International. 
Ends February 4th at 11:59 PM

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Review: The Fatal Family Secret


ASIN: B00WC7HTOY
Pages: 213
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Initial Reaction: Emoji
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? On the first day of high school, Kayleigh wishes she could be taller, curvier, and cooler. But when she discovers she's a shape-shifter, she bites off more than she can chew. Overnight, she becomes a target, and surviving the school-year means defending herself against cyber-bullies, learning to control her new-found powers, and hiding from the ancient secret society that kidnapped her mother. Morphing has consequences, and Kayleigh begins to realize that being able to change into anything can mean losing herself in the process.



Hello everyone! Today I'm trying out a slightly new format for these reviews so please let me know if you like it! I've been spending a lot of time browsing different templates and I'm planning on giving this blog a huge makeover in the summer, but for now I'll tweak things here and there. Anyway, let's get back on track and get started on this review~

This story follows Irish mythology which I had no idea about and it made me more excited to dive more into the novel. What made me even more excited was finding out this story was based off of the Sons of Lir/Seven Swan Brothers story which is a classic favorite. The way the author incorporated the tale into her overall story was unique and everything managed to flow smoothly. There were some aspects of morphing and the whole secret society that I would have preferred to be more developed as I did have some unanswered questions, but this is the first in a series so it's not that big of a deal. For a first book, the groundwork was well laid out and a solid framework for the upcoming books.

It was really interesting to see how the author wove the issue of bullying in all aspects into the story. Kayleigh goes from becoming a scaredy cat to someone who can stand on her own two feet and that process is completed through her becoming more in touch with herself. After her mother gets kidnapped, she just wallows in this pool of self misery and pity. I mean, even her friends get fed up with her attitude. Personally, I feel like there were too many things that were being thrown at this poor girl from making that awkward transition to high school, finding out she can morph, finding out why her mother was taken, a potential love interest, some really rude people, and a secret society - she definitely has more than enough things to keep her busy.

Like I mentioned before, I still have some unanswered questions when it comes to everything and honestly some parts that were resolved were a bit unsettling for me. The rest of the characters all seemed relatively second tier and I was more focused on Kayleigh and how she was going to sort through all her problems. Bridget was...an interesting best friend to say the least and her character introduces yet another current social issue which was unexpected for lack of a better description.

I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to continue on the story just because I like how things ended with this one. Maybe one day in the future when I find myself wanting to find out the answers I'll pick it up, but for now I'm happy with how things are.

*Huge thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for providing a copy to review. All thoughts are 100% my own*
3.5/5 stars
 

Foreverly Obsessed,







Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Review: Shy Kinda Love

ISBN: 150786986X
Pages: 326
Source: WordSlinger Publicity
Publication Date: February 26, 2015
Appearance:
25328368
 When I was eleven, my best friend died in a car accident. When I was twelve, my mom walked out, leaving only a note to say goodbye. When I was eighteen, I was forced into witness protection. 
My new name is Shyanne Adams. To protect myself, and painless existence, I do not live. I do not laugh. I do not love. For the last three years, the only meaningful thing I’ve done is care for the horse I rescued. 
But now, at the age of twenty-one, the one person from both my past and present is pushing me to start living. Before I know it, I’m moving in with new friends who make me laugh. And next door is Kade Cross, the guy who wants me to love. 
Kade knows that I will complicate his life, but he welcomes the challenge. He sees that I’m broken, but he doesn’t try to fix me. When he knows I’m trying to push him away, he braces for the impact. 
What Kade doesn’t know is that I could have to relocate at any time. So I have to decide: is experiencing love for a short time worth the pain of losing it? 
This New Adult Romance is an emotional journey through pain and healing as Shyanne decides to start living again, but never forgetting she could lose this life… just like her last one. 
 Hello everyone! Today I have my review of Shy Kinda Love which I received for a review such a long time ago so this is long overdue~

This book has all the elements of a heart wrenching story, but I kind of ruined that emotional ride for myself. I've had this on my kindle for some while and I've picked it up and read it in sections. I read a huge chunk of the book back in August and afterwards it got pushed back until I picked back up in December. When I finally opened the book again, I could barely remember the plot of the story and I got in confused with another story.

The romance is absolutely heart wrenching with a swoon worthy male protagonist. The relationship is the one that everyone wants with a I'll-love-you-til-my-last-breath type of romance. To continue on with the whole "I lost track" theme, I didn't really feel anything towards the relationship and while it was definitely heart warming, it also felt very bland and unbelievable. I would love to think that there were guys like Kade who would go to the extremes that he did, but compared to all the other NA books with similar characters, this one didn't stand out too much.

Shyanne embodies the character with a broken past. She's been through a lot of crap and it was definitely uplifting to see her heal and piece back together the many pieces of her. Similar to Kade, I didn't feel much for other than just generally liking her character. Her compassion for other people, particularly horses, was definitely a heart warming attribute to her as a character.

The suspense in the story is definitely present throughout the entire story, but again, I just lost touch with everything that was going on. All in all, this book was decent and it would have been better if I didn't ruin it for myself by leaving such a huge gap. 

*Huge thanks to WordSlinger Publicity for providing a copy to review. All thoughts are 100% my own*
 3.5 out of 5 stars


Foreverly Obsessed,

Monday, January 25, 2016

Blitz: Whatever It Takes


Whatever It Takes
Lindsey Pogue
(Nothing But Trouble, #1)
Publication date: January 22nd 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Four years ago, I thought my life was pretty normal for a teenager. Three years ago, my world was shattered, and now I’m just trying to hold the pieces together. But regret and anger aren’t so easy to ignore.
I just need to catch my breath … for it all to go away …
I thought I might finally be ready to move on from that horrible night, but then he decided to come back.
He can’t come back … he’ll ruin me completely.
One horror-filled night changes the course of Samantha’s seemingly normal life. She’s ruined everything. Despite her determination to keep the family ranch up and running, her guilt makes it impossible to completely move on or forget.
Sam takes comfort in her quirky, endearing friends as she tries to balance between the girl she was and the woman she wants to become. Just when she thinks she’s finally making amends with her past, someone she never thought she’d see again returns, and Sam’s life is once again turned upside down. Both her head and her heart want different things, so she’s lost when, once again, she’s forced to make a decision that will inevitably change her life.
Light Excerpt WIT
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Author Bio:
Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, wrote her first YA manuscript in high school, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.




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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Cover Reveal: Elementals - The Blood of the Hydra

Author: Michelle Madow
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Release Date: April 18, 2016
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Series: Elementals #2
Format: eBook and paperback
ISBN: 9781311296788

A DEMIGOD WHO CAN KILL WITH A TOUCH. IT’S AN ABILITY THAT MUST BE KEPT SECRET FROM EVERYONE, EVEN FROM THOSE TRUSTED MOST.
Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle.
Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve. 
The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?
Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their next journey in their quest to save the world – or die trying.

Pre-order:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  iBooks  |  Kobo


About the Author: 
Michelle MadowMichelle Madow has always loved writing stories, but the possibility of being an author used to feel more like a dream than a reality. She didn’t share her stories with anyone until her junior year of college, when she signed up for an Intro to Creative Writing course. Her teacher and classmates read the first chapter of a book idea she had, and they loved it so much that they told her she had to finish the book so they could find out what happened next. By the end of the school year, Michelle finished that book, which would later be published as her first novel, Remembrance.
Michelle grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship. 

Connect with Michelle:
Facebook: /MichelleMadow
Twitter/Instagram: @MichelleMadow
Visit Michelle online at www.michellemadow.com, and be sure to sign up for her newsletterc and follow her on Amazon to get instant updates on her books!

Connect with Michelle:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Thursday Tracks: Bartender

Thursday Tracks: The Funeral

Hey guys! It's been a while since my last Thursday Tracks and I feel like I've been on a little "music slump." I blame this 100% on Danielle Bradbery who was releasing snippets of her upcoming tracks and I'm dying because I want her album so badly. So I turned to Spotify to find some songs to temporarily satisfy my craving and I came across Bartender by Lady Antebellum.

For some strange reason, I always avoided Lady Antebellum even though I've been getting more into country pop. When I first clicked on Bartender, I thought the song was catchy, but I wasn't sold. Then I started listening to more songs on Spotify and completely fell in love with their Own the Night album. 

However, for this week, I'll give the feature to Bartender because I cannot get this song out of my head and because the music video is so random it's amazing. Enjoy~

Foreverly Obsessed,



Mini Review: Curio

Curio by Evangeline Denmark
ISBN: 0310729661
Pages: 432
Source: BookLookBloggers
Publication Date: January 5, 2016
Appearance:
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Grey Haward has always detested the Chemists, the magicians-come-scientists who rule her small western town. But she has always followed the rules, taking the potion the Chemists ration out that helps the town’s people survive. A potion that Grey suspects she—like her grandfather and father—may not actually need.
By working at her grandfather’s repair shop, sorting the small gears and dusting the curio cabinet inside, Grey has tried to stay unnoticed—or as unnoticed as a tall, strong girl can in a town of diminutive, underdeveloped citizens. Then her best friend, Whit, is caught by the Chemists’ enforcers after trying to protect Grey one night, and after seeing the extent of his punishment, suddenly taking risks seems the only decision she can make.
But with the risk comes the reality that the Chemists know her family’s secret, and the Chemists soon decide to use her for their own purposes. Panicked, Grey retreats to the only safe place she knows—her grandfather’s shop. There, however, a larger secret confronts her when her touch unlocks the old curio cabinet in the corner and reveals a world where porcelain and clockwork people are real. There, she could find the key that may save Whit’s life and also end the Chemists’ dark rule forever.

I was super excited to get my hands on Curio when I first heard about it. The premise is definitely something that I've never heard about before and it has an interesting mix of steampunk and alternate historical fantasy elements. The story follows Grey who lives in this world that is controlled by the Chemists who have created this potion which help the townspeople survive. Grey is different from the rest as she doesn't need the rations to survive. When the Chemists arrive to use her for their own purposes, she retreats into a world inside her grandfather's cabinet that she didn't know existed. There she meets the rich and perfect porcelain people who run on water and the downtrodden clockwork creatures. Honestly this book is unique on so many levels and the development of the characters and the plotline was really well done. I can't really state a direct problem I have towards this book, but at the moment and time when I was reading, I was in the midst of a slump and found getting through the book a bit difficult. Regardless, it's a fascinating story and I plan on trying to reread it again in the future.
3.5 out of 5 stars

Foreverly Obsessed, 

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

TOUR STOP: Every Big and Little Wish

ISBN: B01725574O
Pages: 211
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Publication Date: October 22, 2015
Appearance:
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 Every Big and Little Wish, E.C. Moore’s young adult novel, opens in late spring 1970. Sixteen-year-old Jacy Wilbert’s Mom got promoted, so her parents sold their Victorian home in California and moved to a townhouse in Oregon. 

Torn away from the only home she's ever known and forced to leave her beloved German shepherd behind, Jacy now feels misplaced. Exacerbating an already terrible situation, her dad runs off with the bombshell real estate agent who sold them their townhouse. And, just when it seems things can’t get any worse, her mom loses the stupid job they left California for in the first place. As her mother drowns her sorrows with pink wine night after night, Jacy’s caught in the middle, struggling to maintain a relationship with her AWOL dad while tolerating his annoying, much-younger girlfriend. 
Missing old friends back in California, and feeling like an outsider, Jacy needs to build a new social life in a new school. Not the sort of girl to wait around for what she wants to come her way, she sets her sights on Neil Wilder, the best-looking boy around. 
Everything changes when Jacy Wilbert knocks on the wrong door.

Hello everyone! Welcome to my review for the Every Big and Little Wish book tour! As always, don't forget to check out the banner above to see all the other stops!

The summary of this book is one of the most deceiving summaries I have ever read. Go and take a read at the summary and tell me what you think about this story is going to be about. I'll tell you what I thought - this is going to be a cute contemporary about growing up, building new relationships, and finds love. WRONG. It's not even close. And that tagline: Everything changes when Jacy Wilbert knocks on the wrong door. She doesn't knock on the wrong door, the wrong person answers the door. With that being said, this book was really confusing.

I had some problems with the characters as I couldn't get connected with anyone. Each character sort of fits into these common stereotypes - the gorgeous guy with a dark past, the underdog turned beautiful, the father who leaves for a blonde bombshell with a shopping addiction, etc. The list goes on and on. The romance also wasn't the most important thing in the novel like the summary sort of suggests, but Jacy did spend a lot of time thinking about her feelings for Neil, even in the most random inappropriate parts.

Despite that, I definitely still enjoyed the suspenseful plot line and that sort of out weighed everything else in the story. I got so excited when I saw the title of the story and that section is probably my favorite part of the entire novel. The explanation as to why the book is named what is it was just so beautifully written. 

Overall, there was just too many things going on int his book that it becomes difficult to find out what is the actual plot of the story. Is it Jacy and Neil? Her mom's new romance? Her father and Miss Homewrecker? The crazy psychotic sociopath who is a hero wannabe? It just becomes hard to sort through the novel and in the end I was just blindly reading. My suggestion is to go into the story with the knowledge that a lot of stuff is going to happen and that the summary is a complete lie. With that being said, it was an interesting mix of things for sure.

GIVEAWAY:


AUTHOR BIO:
When Elizabeth’s not writing feverishly, you will find her out walking or sightseeing. She’s crazy about coffee, books, cooking, good wine, cairn terriers, miniature ponies, historical houses, tapas, and witty people.
She resides in a fifties bungalow in Southern California, with her creative-director, hubba-hubba husband, a yappy blonde dog, and one feisty Chihuahua.
3 out of 5 stars
  

Foreverly Obsessed,