Friday, November 30, 2012

Mini Reviews and Updates

Hey guys! I've been a lazy blogger lately. I think I'm just a little exhausted with all the holidays stuff going on. I'm hoping to post a Pic2Book post next week and a Christmas giveaway so be on the look out for those. Anyways, here are two mini reviews for Just for Now by Abbi Glines and The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. Click the images to read summary on Goodreads. 

Just for Now by Abbi Glines

Just for Now (Sea Breeze #4)Rating: 3.5/5 

I'm a huge Abbi Glines fan and I love all her books. This one was no different. Maybe that's why the 3.5 rating. To me it feels like I  read it already or like I know what's going to happen next. This book is very similar to her previous books. Another think is that I felt that the ending was incomplete. For some reason I didn't get that "The End" feeling. But, I still liked it. In one hand the whole book feels like a déjà vu but in the other we have sexy, complex and amazing characters. I love her characters *sight*. This was a very fast and entertaining read. Hopefully, if there's another book in the series, we'll see something different. Maybe a bad girl and good boy match? How about Jess, Rock's cousin and Jason!? That right there my friends is a match made in drama heaven.

Amazon/Goodreads


The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of TranquilityRating: 5/5

You know, it's ok to once in a while read a book that will break your heart in tiny little pieces. This book made me cry and laugh and cry some more. It was beautifully written and amazing in so many ways and sad and... and... hold on I'm crying again. The Sea of Tranquility was very overwhelming to read at times. To enjoy this book you need patience. Sometimes I didn't understand why Nastya acted the way she did, hell, I don't think she knew why either. But that's where the patience comes in handy. The beginning is a bit slow and confusing but after the first few chapter the reader will begin to understand the story. I know I said that this book will break your heart but it will also restore your faith in humanity. If you are like me you will cry tears of joy when you read the last sentence. 
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Amazon/Goodreads

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Guest Post: It Happened in New Orleans… and Giveaway


It Happened in New Orleans…


Don’t those words instantly conjure images of mystery and intrigue?

Making New Orleans the setting for ROUGE came to me almost as fast as the idea of what I wanted to happen in the story.

Using Oliver Twist as a jumping-off point, main character Hale is a 17 year-old orphan protecting a younger orphan girl (a’la Oliver and the Artful Dodger).

The two are struggling to survive, to hide from prostitution, and to escape what ultimately becomes an abusive situation. Hale finds love, but she has to decide quick if he’s worth the price she’ll have to pay…

New Orleans was the perfect backdrop. It added the darkness, the damp, the possibility of hidden vices.

Maybe it was the history of Storyville or just the history period.

Or even the present—think about the little kids constantly tap-dancing for tips on the sidewalks of the French Quarter. 

Music is everywhere in New Orleans, which led me to make them performers in a cabaret. But all their earnings go to the cabaret owner, like those underage tap dancers.

From there, it was a matter of incorporating the heat, the humidity, the river, the sounds and the smells of that big, musty city.

I grew up in Baton Rouge, 60 miles north of NOLA, and the Big Easy was always a favorite setting of local authors and storytellers. It was always the place where dark and mysterious things occurred; where politicians were super-corrupt and everybody had some form of vice going.

At the same time, I love the Crescent City. Its residents are warm-hearted, the food can’t be beat, and nothing’s better than strolling through the Vieux Carre on a cool day.

For a young woman facing a horrible threat, determined to escape her wretched circumstances, yet surrounded by music and a “family” of street-smart grifters, it was the perfect place.

My early readers said they felt like they were there—just enough, not too much—like spice in the gumbo. 

Thanks again for having me, Bethzaida! I hope you and your readers enjoy my book! I hope you feel immersed a city that’s steeped in history… and secrecy.

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Leigh Talbert Moore is a wife and mom by day, a writer by day, a reader by day, an editor when time permits, a chocoholic, a lover of YA and contemporary romance (really any great love story), and occasionally she sleeps.

-ROUGE is the first book in her mature-YA/new adult romance series (available in all major outlets).
-THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKING is her debut young adult romance (available in all major outlets).

Leigh loves hearing from readers; stop by and say hello:
*Blog: http://leightmoore.blogspot.com/
*Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LeighTalbertMoore
*Amazon Author page: amazon.com/author/leightmoore
*Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/leightmoore
*Email: leightmoore(at)gmail(dot)com

Here are the places where you can buy Rouge: 
Amazon/BN/KoboSmashwords


Giveaway

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Monday, November 5, 2012

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Ask The PassengersRating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.
In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.


I finished Ask the Passenger a few days ago and I can't seem to find the words to describe how much I loved it. A.S. King's writing does this to me. It leaves me speechless. This book was flawless and full of love and a little bit of hate, anger and so many more emotions that I just couldn't pick anything else to read after I finished it so I re-read Ask the Passengers. I was blown away once more.


Astrid was an amazing heroine. She was selfless but not in an annoying kind of way, maybe selfless is not the right word to describe her. She was loyal. Loyal to her friends, to her family and more importantly to herself. Even when they weren't so loyal or understanding towards her she still sends them her love. Here's one  of my favorite quotes in the book:


-"Every airplane, no matter how far it is up there, I send love to it... Because If I give it all away, then no one can control it. Because if I give it all away, I'll be free." - Astrid


I don't only admire Astrid for her loyalty I also love her for being strong. When people pressured Astrid to "come out of the closet" she refused to do it because she herself wasn't sure if she was gay. She only knew that she was in love with a girl. She stayed true to herself and I think that's when I realize that Astrid is pretty much the best character in the world. And she was funny too! That's another thing I loved about Ask the Passengers that even though it deals with serious themes A.S. King manages to incorporate humor into it. Here's a quote I thought was very funny:


-"Claire, I am not sending any love to you because you are a horrible person right now. Who made you eat bitch for lunch? Who poured you a tall bitch beer float? Who sprinkled bacon bitch on your salad?" - Astrid


I'm in love with this book. I recommend everybody and their mothers to read it. After you have a taste of A.S. King's beautiful and witty writing you will be hooked!


Amazon/Goodreads

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Quintana of Charyn Review and Giveaway


This review is part of the Quintana of Charyn Blog Tour hosted by 132 minutes. Don't forget to visit the other stops in the tour!!


Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles, #3)
There's a babe in my belly that whispers the valley, Froi. I follow the whispers and come to the road . . .

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi must travel through Charyn to search for Quintana, the mother of Charyn's unborn king, and protect her against those who will do anything to gain power. But what happens when loyalty to family and country conflict? When the forces marshalled in Charyn's war gather and threaten to involve the whole of the land, including Lumatere, only Froi can set things right, with the help of those he loves.


This will be a long review. This book deserves it!! Quintana is the ending of a series that's been part of my life for a few years now. A big chunk of my heart belongs to this series and its characters.

Something happened to me while reading Quintana. Something I never thought would happen, but it did. I got angry at Finnikin and Isaboe.

Though it was only for a little bit, it still hurt me.

I've known them for three years of my life. I love these characters with a passion. I feel like they are real and they could do no wrong in my eyes. So for me all of a sudden to dislike them, even if it was for a few chapters, was too much for my heart to handle.

This also made me realize, though, that they are not the same characters from Finnikin of the Rock. Isaboe is Queen and Finnikin her consort, (although he will alway be a king in my heart) and because of who they are and what their queendom has been through, they will always put Lumatere and their people first.

Sometimes I wanted them to forget about duty and follow their hearts, and follow their hearts they did, but even as they did so, they never forgot about their duty to their people. For this I will always love them. They will always be the love of my literature life.

But amidst the short lived anger, uncertainty and desperation to see the end of my favorite characters' suffering, I'd have to say that hope was the feeling that accompanied me throughout this novel. Quintana and Froi to me were the hope in this book.

Froi never gave up, and Quintana... Wow. There's a reason why this book was tittle Quintana of Charyn. I've never read about a character quite like her. So much passion, so much hate and wildness encased in her. Sometimes I thought she'd explode from so heavy a load on her shoulders.

The secondary characters were also a very important part of QoC. Without them this book would not be a complete book, really. They are as important to the whole plot as the main characters are. It's very hard to choose but I think Perry's and Tesadora's and Phaedra's and Lucian's sub stories were my favorite.

Since Finnikin of the Rock I've had a thing for Perry and Lucian. Tesadora is just amazing and powerful. And Phaedra's transformation from shy and sad, to strong and happy warmed my heart. Oh, and Arjuro is one of my favorite characters. I love every single character in this book!!


It sounds insane to feel this way about fictional characters, I know. Trust me. But that's the way it is. Melina Marchetta writes believable characters. They are so alive that sometimes I forget that I'm not going to see them across the street and say "Good morning my beloved Queen" or "Hey Finn how is it going?"

I can't really talk about the plot without giving something away. All I can say is that the plot has Marchetta's signature all over it! It's so her and so amazing. I can't say anymore. You guys have to read Quintana of Charyn to experience the beauty of it.

I really don't know how to end this review. My heart is broken because this series is over. I know I can reread it but it's hard to let go of the characters. I want more. I want them to be real.


Goodreads

Giveaway
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INTERNATIONAL.
Entrants must be 13 years old to enter.
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