Friday, March 29, 2013

Virtual Chair #14: Mary from The Sweet Bookshelf




Today sitting on the Virtual Chair is Mary from The Sweet Bookshelf. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook and don't forget to visit her awesome site!


Photobucket



  • Who’s your favorite villain?

Probably Voldemort. I love all things Harry Potter and old Voldie scares the crap out of me.


  • Vampires or Angels?


I'm not a huge paranormal fan but I'd have to go with Angels. I've read a few Angel tales and I enjoy the celestial qualities they posses. It's all so romantic. The eternal nature of it. 


  • Do you ever read the ending of a book before finishing it?

I NEVER read the ending of the book first. Never ever ever. I can't do it. It ruins a part of the surprise for me. The whole point to reading the story is the journey not necessarily the end result. I want to enjoy all the emotions while I read. Can you tell that I hate spoilers?! 


  • Describe your blog in 3 words.

I am so awful at describing my blog in just 3 words. I'm more of a detail person. So how about this: The Sweet Bookshelf is a place for fun bookish discussions. I've always got a discussion going on! If you're looking for something romantic, you can always find it here. I LOVE love stories! My blog is a place for friends to come together and talk books. You can know that I'll be commenting back!


  • Name one thing that would make you not finish a book:

I have this strange need to finish a book even if I'm not enjoying it. I think I've not finished 2 books in 5 years. If I'm not in the mood for something I'll promptly stop reading it and move on to something else. But those few that I've started will need to be finished in a certain amount of time or I literally can't move on to the next pile of books without finishing them. I just have to know how the story ends!


  • What's your least favorite thing about book blogging?

My least favorite thing about book blogging is all the drama and jealousy. I think we are all different and it wouldn't be any fun if everybody's blogs were the same. Let's all just do our own thing and support each other because we love books. Stop with the stats counting. Just have fun!


  • What do you think of love triangles in Young Adult books?


I love a good love triangle. If it is done right then you will be able to see the protagonist with either love interest. Although it might not be realistic to have so many guys after one girl, I love it. I love that the choice feels life or death. Some of my favorites are Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare and Wings by Aprilynne Pike. Those are some really well written love triangles!


  • Who’s your favorite character of all time?


My favorite character of all time?  I'm going to have to go with Sarah Agnes Prine from These is My Words by Nancy Turner. I have never in my life felt so connected to a character. She is spunky, brave, selfless and full of love. A true heroine is every sense of the word. I wish I was like her. 



  • How often do you visit Goodreads?

When I enter "goo" into my search engine Goodreads comes up instead of Google. I'm there to add the books I've read each week as well as checking out reviews for books I want to add to my TBR pile. I love it. I wish I participated in more discussions and such there but I just don't. At least not yet!


  • Ghosts or Zombies. What would scare you most?

 A Zombie would probably scare me. They could chase me and touch me and I'm pretty sure I'd be screaming and running for my life. I don't like being chased. 


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Precious Things by Stephanie Parent Cover Reveal


Precious Things
Release Date: May 2013
Cover Deisgned by: Allie Brennan of B Design 
Cover reveal organized by: YA Bound

Summary from Goodreads:
Isabelle Andrews isn’t supposed to be here. She isn’t supposed to be a freshman at Hartford Community College, she isn't supposed to be living at home and working at her dad’s failing bakery, and she definitely isn’t supposed to be taking Intro to Electronic Music Production, a class that will get her nowhere toward her goal of an English Ph.D. by age twenty-five. But when her dad’s latest business fiasco eats up her college fund, Hartford Community College is exactly where Isabelle finds herself—and thanks to her late enrollment, she doesn’t even get to choose her classes. Stuck with Electronic Music and way-too-easy English courses, Isabelle is determined to wallow in all the misery she feels entitled to.


But community college brings some unexpected benefits…like the fact that a certain overworked, over-scheduled Electronic Music professor hands over most of his duties to his teaching assistant. His tall, green-eyed, absolutely gorgeous teaching assistant. When TA Evan Strauss discovers Isabelle’s apathy toward electronic music—and, well, all music—he makes it his mission to convert her. The music Evan composes stirs something inside Isabelle, but she can’t get involved—after all, she’ll be transferring out as soon as possible. 

Still, no matter how tightly Isabelle holds on to her misery, she finds it slipping away in the wake of all Hartford Community offers: new friendships, a surprisingly cool poetry professor, and most of all, Evan. But Evan’s dream of owning his own music studio is as impractical as Isabelle’s dad’s bakery, and when Evan makes a terrible decision, everything Isabelle has gained threatens to unravel. Soon Isabelle discovers that some of the most important lessons take place outside the classroom…and that in life, as in Evan’s favorite Depeche Mode song, the most precious things can be the hardest to hold on to.


About the Author

Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.
Follow Stephanie at:
Blog
| Twitter|Goodreads  

Sunday, March 24, 2013

The Baby Bargain by Jennifer Apodaca



The Baby Bargain
Seeing Adam Waters is the last thing veterinarian Megan Young expects. Ex-Marine. Ex-boyfriend. And still extremely dangerous territory. But Adam doesn’t know the secret Megan has been keeping from him. The secret that was created three years ago, after their last night together...Adam returns to Raven’s Cove to sell his home in a final break with the town and memories that haunt him. The problem is that his attraction to Megan is as blazing hot as it ever was. But when a vicious smear campaign against Megan turns ugly, Adam learns the truth he never knew—he has a son. Now the only way Megan can protect her child is to strike a bargain with Adam. And it’s a bargain that looks a lot like blackmail...

This was such an easy read. I finished The Baby Bargain in one sitting. It was fun, hot, emotional and just what I needed. The characters were awesome and the pacing was great. The beginning was just like any other romance novel until, BOOM the twist. And what a great way to change the vibe of the book. There was a lot of sexual tension between Megan and Adam and OMG I loved it!

 I hope this is a series because I want to know more about the secondary characters! I don't know why but I want to now more about Cooper (which wasn't even in the book but he sounds like an intriguing character) and of course the best friend, Bridget, she was a fun character to read.  

Amazon/Goodreads

Friday, March 22, 2013

Virtual Chair #13: Hannah from Book Haven





Today sitting on the Virtual Chair is Hannah from Book Haven. You can follow her on Twitter, Goodreads and don't forget to visit her awesome site

    

Book Haven


  • Paperback, Hardcover or EBook? Why?

Physical form. I don't care if it's Paperback or Hardcover. Ebooks are nice and easy to hold onto, but it's much more fun to actually hold the book in your hand. 

  • What’s the last book that made you cry?

There are only four books that have made me cry. Only four. The last one was Bright Blue Miracle by Becca Wilhite. It's super tiny, so I have no idea how it did, but I bawled like a baby. 

  • Would you rather have super strength or super intelligence?

Super intelligence!! 

  • What do you look forward to in a book?

Great writing, interesting and original plot lines, characters with depth, swoon-worthy romance, awesome action scenes, historical accuracy/deets if it's Historical Fiction...basically I look for perfection. :D 

  • Would you choose to live forever if you could?

Nope. I think it would get boring after a while. Plus I'd probably get annoyed at seeing people make the same mistakes I did, even though they had examples to learn from.

  • What book are you most excited to read this year?

Right now I'm dying to read  LET THE SKY FALL, & STRANDS OF BRONZE AND GOLD. They both come out in March! After that, I'm excited for THE WARD, TAKEN & THE COLLECTOR in April, MAID OF SECRETS & TRANSPARENT in May, ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE and IN THE AFTER, in June, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US & BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA in July, DECEPTION in August, and in the fall; The HOUSE OF HADES & DIVERGENT #3

  • What’s your favorite book of 2013 so far?

To be honest I haven't done much reading yet. It's quite terrible of me. I've had lots of school getting in my way, and I'm on a YA reading challenge/ban until April so that's cut back the flow. :-/

  • How far into a book can you tell if you are going to like it or not?

Generally within the first chapter or so. By then I can have a good judge of the writing style, which is big for me, as well as the narrative voice and the plotline. 

  • What’s your favorite book cover of all time?

Um...WOW. That's a hard one. It's always changing, I'm always fawning over one cover or another. But I guess if I have to pick one for RIGHT NOW, I would have to say......(ugh this is very hard).....The Ward y Jordana Frankel. What an awesome photoshop job! Tehe! 

  • Do you prefer reading long or short reviews?

Longer. I write longer reviews, and I like to know lots of details about what they liked and didn't like about the books. If I'm in a rush I love short reviews for a quick assessment, but if it's a book I REALLY want then I like to know more about what the reader thought.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Bono met his wife in high school, Park says. So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we’re 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.
I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be.

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.


I don’t know how to start this review. I know it will be a little personal due to how much I identified with Eleanor. Maybe if I divide this review in parts it will be a little easier to write. Before I start rambling, I have to tell you guys that this book was beautiful and it broke my heart. It also took me back to a painful time in my life.

Eleanor and Park’s Relationship

Their love wasn’t love at first sight. Their relationship moved slowly. It was like watching magic happen, really. It was subtle, beautiful and when it happened, I felt like I was the one in love with them. Does it make any sense? I love their intensity, how they couldn’t breathe without one another. Oh, young love.

The Writing

This book was just amazing. When I started reading Eleanor and Park I knew I had to take my time with it. I had to enjoy it, read it slowly so I could remember every detail and engrave it in my brain. I don’t even know how to describe the writing. I can just say that I wish Rainbow Rowell writes a thousand more books so I can read her books forever.

Eleanor

For me Eleanor was the heart of this book. It was like finding my twin soul. When I read what she was going through I felt like crying because that was me at 15. Not the bullying at school, thankfully I had good friends who were there for me, but I’m talking about the situation at home.

I know how it feels to be a stranger in your own home. I know how it feels to have a guy who is not your dad pretty much taking over everything. 

My heart broke for Eleanor, for her siblings, for Park. I wanted to hug Eleanor so bad and I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be ok. And the thing is that even thought her life was shitty she didn't act weak, she was brave. 

To everyone out there reading this, read this book because it will stay with you forever. 

Amazon/Goodreads



Friday, March 15, 2013

Virtual Chair #12: Beth from Curling Up With A Good Book






Today sitting on the Virtual Chair is Beth from Curling Up With A Good Book. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and don't forget to visit her amazing site.



  • Have you ever bought a book just for its title?

Most definitely!! I have a weakness for anything involving Vampires or Zombies and if the title has a gorgeous cover as well...then im a goner! lol

  • Would you choose to live forever if you could?
 
I would say yes if my son was with me. That is the only way I could live forever. I wouldn't want to miss a day without him! :)

  • What are you currently reading?

I just finished Blood Kissed Sky by J.A. London and started Renegade by J.A. Souders and I am also listening to Rebel Heart by Moira Young on an audiobook.

  • Name a book you didn’t expect to like but did.

As The World Dies by Rhiannon Frater. It was my very first Zombie book and I had seen several mentions of it so I decided to give it a try. I had the entire series read in three days. I loved loved loved it and her writing. I cannot scream that LOUD enough!!

  • When was the last time you fell asleep with a book in your hands?
Last night....every night for that matter...I usually find it sprawled out in the floor. ha 

  • How do you prefer your Main Male Character, dark haired and mysterious or blonde and sexy?

That is easy. Dark-haired and mysterious. I love the main male character in Karen Monings DarkFever series.  

  • How far into a book can you tell if you are going to like it or not?

The very first chapter. If the book doesnt grab me from the "Get-Go" then I tend to not want to pick it up and I find myself looking at others to start. 

  • Who’s your biggest fictional crush?

Oh that is easy and yes I know it is pitiful and it has had its time but EDWARD CULLEN will forever be my first fictional true love!! LOL!!!! 

  • Describe yourself in 3 words.
 
Dedicated, Happy, Intense (lol)

  • What’s your favorite quote?

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb" Twilight (Stephanie Meyer)

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Starseed Book Blast Giveaway


Starseed
Author: Liz Gruder
ISBN: 978-1937178291
Publisher: WiDo Publishing
Published: February 2013

SUMMARY

Kaila Guidry has always known she is different. When she meets Jordyn Stryker at school, she finds out just how different.

Jordyn was born and raised far from Earth, a starseed, one of six new students sent to Louisiana's Bush High to learn human ways. But Jordyn didn't count on meeting someone like Kaila.

When Kaila is pushed to her limit by high school bullying and cruelty, Jordyn awakens her to a new reality—and to love. But to prove herself, Kaila must look the other way as the real purposes of the starseeds unfold.

As the horrific plan behind the starseed visit to Earth moves inexorably forward, Kaila and Jordan, caught in an impossible love, must determine where their true loyalties lie.


Praise

"You know from the opening paragraph that something very strange is going on… We see Kaila try to live the life of a normal teen, and we see her "otherness" pull her back into an increasingly tangled web of questions, deceit, and hidden intentions. Liz really shines as a writer, lining the closets and drawers of everyday life with spine-chilling suspense that springs out at you when you least expect it. Starseed is an entertaining read. I highly recommend."
--Patricia B. Smith. Author “What the Animals Tell Me” and “Fifty Shades of Santa” (clean romance fiction)

"Liz Gruder’s characters come alive through youthful, spunky narrative, and her headstrong heroine, Kaila Guidry, elicits a reader’s encouragement from the first page. Fans of Amanda Hocking will find themselves similarly transported into Gruder’s exploration of the dark sides of faith, love, higher dimensions, and, of course, high school." --Jadie Jones, young-adult fantasy author


Purchase



Author Liz Gruder

As a youth, Liz Gruder saw a series of UFOs with her best friend while riding bikes. Ever since, she’s held a fascination for the stars. An avid reader, she used to hide under her covers and read with a flashlight. She has degrees in English and Psychology from Tulane University, a nursing license and a yoga certification. After going through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Liz realized how short life is and is now slowly fulfilling her bucket list: she’s been to the Egyptian pyramids (totally awesome and thought provoking) and is now teaching yoga and writing speculative fiction. Starseed is her debut novel.









Tour Schedule




Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 4/7/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Transcend Time Book Blitz and Giveaway



Remembrance
Michelle Madow
Series: Transcend Time Saga #1
Publication date: July 27th 2011
Genre:YA Time Travel
Goodreads





Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.


Vengeance
Michelle Madow
Series: Transcend Time Saga #2
Publication date: December 8th 2011
Genre:YA Time Travel
Goodreads


How far would you go to get revenge?

When Chelsea Givens discovered that her ex-boyfriend Drew dumped her to be with her former best friend Lizzie, she'd never felt so betrayed in her life. Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back … well, it's downright crazy. 


Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay? 


Find out in Vengeance, the second part of the Transcend Time Saga.


*Vengeance is the short story that bridges the events in Remembrance and the final novel in the Saga.
Timeless
Michelle Madow

Series: Transcend Time Saga #3
Publication date: November 14th 2012
Genre:YA Time Travel
Goodreads



IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME.

In Remembrance, Lizzie and Drew changed the course of fate so they could be together.

In Vengeance, Chelsea set fate back on its original, deadly path.

Now, strange things keep happening to Lizzie. Things that are omens of darkness to come. A curse has doomed her to die an early death, just as she did in her past life. To make matters worse, even if she can figure out who cast the curse, it's irreversible. There's only one option left for her to save herself. It's crazier than anything she's heard yet, and to do it, she'll need Drew and Chelsea's help.

Because to make things right, they must go back to when it all began ... and Lizzie discovers that the final events in her past life were more sinister than she ever imagined.


GIVEAWAY!!
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Friday, March 1, 2013

Never Too Far (Too Far #2) by Abbi Glines

Never Too Far (Too Far, #2)
Rating: 3 1/5 out 5 stars
He had held a secret that destroyed her world. 

Everything she had known was no longer true. 

Blaire couldn’t stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him.
Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again. 
What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately? 

You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out.

I have mixed feelings about Never Too Far. Abbi's writing is amazing and addicting. Once you start reading one of her books, that's it you have to finish it. I waited impatiently for Never Too Far. I adored the first book. But sadly this one didn't lived up to my expectations. 

One of the things that I love about Abbi's book is the sweet romance. I didn't see a lot of it in Never Too Far. The relationship between the characters was more confusing than anything. How many times can one mess something up? It seemed like Rush and Blaire would not catch a break. *SPOILER ALERT, SORTA* Towards the end, when I thought everything was going to be fine between them, Rush did something that made me want to kill them both. That right there pretty much killed my love for Rush.*END OF SPOILER* . 

  
The sex scenes were a little too much. I've read worst but it was weird coming from an Abbi book. There was one part were I couldn't stop laughing because the dirty talk that was coming out of Rush's mouth was more comical than sexy. I wish I have the balls to add the quote to the review but I can't even bring myself to read it again. Maybe Blaire and Rush didn't need a sequel after all. Maybe all of this fit in one book. I don't eve know.

Never Too Far did have "the Abbi Touch". It was impossible to put down. The Drama was non stop. The secondary characters were good *ahem* Woods. I hated Nan more than I did in the first book and what's up with her and Grant? Maybe we'll know in the next book. 


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