Feature & Follow #10

Q: What is the BIGGEST word you’ve seen used in a book lately – that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition & book too.
A: I forgot the latest! But there was one time when I was just starting to read, that made me stop and think of what is the meaning of Jump in his bones?? I remember it goes like this, "I think she wants to jump in his bones." That was Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. I knew that it was a slang phrase but I honestly don't know what it meant THAT TIME. Now I know you think how clueless I am. I'm sorry, I'm not from your country (I'm not familiar with their..slangs) and I was just starting to read that time..and it wasn't YA.
So..I felt like first grader. LOL

Happy Friday, everyone! :)

Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Slammed by Colleen Hoover, ebook edition book cover

Slammed

by Colleen Hoover

Series: Slammed #1

Genre: YA/new adult, contemporary, romance

Editions available: Paperback, ebook, Kindle

Date published: January 4, 2012

Publisher: Colleen Hoover/Atria Books/Simon & Schuster UK

Source: Netgalley

Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

* Book Depository * Indiebound

Rating: 

Summary (Goodreads):

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

My Thoughts:

When you see a book listed together with Fifty Shades, Beautiful Disaster, Bared to You, etc with the title Intense and "Angsty" Romance in Goodreads...it makes you wanna stay away from that book especially when all you want is a clean, but really good romance book. But something about this book makes me don't wanna miss it. Especially with consistent high reviews and ratings.

Saw it on Netgalley. Requested. Got approved. And here I am.

I never expected I'd like this but... I. Love. This. Book! Awesome. Awesome. Awesome!

It's seems like a love at first sight for Will, and Layken was just being friendly since she just moved in. Usually, this kind of sequence would irritate me, but no. Never this time. Coz after this cliché intro, I was pretty hooked up with the story and characters. 

I loved how Colleen Hoover created Will, as the swoon-worthy male leading character without describing how hot he is in over-exaggerating adjective words. He is adorable because he's being a real and lovable person. He's being real through poetry. Layken confuses me sometimes, though. One time, she's being adorable, one time she's being like a spoiled child. The story wasn't clearly I expected. It contains a powerful romance, and holds a dilemma neither I can't help but think of ways how to fix it. I also loved the Slammed in the book and poetry (you'll see what I meant when you read it).

Slammed is a book about love. Love for your family, parents, sibling, job, your life...and that special person. Reading this book made me realized that my heart was never torn since Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (which was a million years reads ago), or be into a whirlwind of emotions. I was never prepared for any of it. It is also a book that talks about the reality of our life. It is true, it is honest. Any reader would learn a lesson and fall in love from this book. Everything about this book is lovable.

I'm about to request Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) now... ;)

And oh, have I told you that is a clean contemporary romance?

Recommendation:

For everyone who wants a good very good love story. Teens and above of age.

Book cover comment/s:

A stage and a spotlight. It represents Slammed (not the book--but the Slammed that is in the book). But whoever who's gonna came across this book for the first time, seeing the cover alone won't appreciate it right away, I'm afraid.

Alternate cover:

Slammed doesn't really have an alternate cover with different picture, like other books does. But I would like to show you the updated cover (published by Atria Books) with a praise on it and the "New York Times Bestseller" tag. It deserves to have one and lot more--because it really is good.

Check out my review of Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) here.

WWW Wednesdays #9 / Waiting on Wednesday #8: Black City

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?


My Answers:

What I'm Currently Reading:

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
- from Netgalley

and because I'm busy in school, I still haven't finished Stitch by Samantha Durante and Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett







What I Recently Finished Reading:

Rua by Miranda Kavi
- for tour stop on October 7th, I'll be having my review of the book and an awesome giveaway!









What I'm Planning to Read Next:

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr (for blog tour. Stops by October 8th.)
Wingless by Cydney Lawson (from author for review)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine  that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title.

Black City
by Elizabeth Richards

Black City #1
Expected publication: November 13, 2012
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR

Summary (Goodreads):


A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

I. Want. This.

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: His Black Wings by Astrid Yrigollen

His Black Wings

by Astrid Yrigollen

Genre: YA, paranormal, romance
Expected publication: early November
Publisher: Astrid Yrigollen

Summary:

His Black Wings is...

Beauty and the Beast set in the future during a Victorian era revival. 

The Grand Council has brought the world peace, but will it last?

Malice, revenge and lust are not easily defeated...

Claren Maidstone has been forced to flee her childhood home, following the death of her parents and a vicious attack from a man who intends to marry her. 

She assumes a new identity and finds employment as an assistant to the handsome, Fredrick Lowood. However, Fredrick's generosity isn't without a price and Claren soon finds herself forced into a strange friendship with his disfigured son. 

Unaware of how Claren's past entwines with his own, 

Etrigan Lowood begins to yearn for her love. 

Unfortunately, the past is not far behind.

Is his love for Claren enough? 

Or will Etrigan remain alone with his black wings... 

Author bio and links:

Astrid Yrigollen is a self published author of young adult and children's books. Astrid started her writing career when she begun work for the international video game giant, Sega of America. Working her way up the ranks, she began writing companion guides for games. With a love for writing fiction since childhood, she took her short stories out of storage and had her first story ever written published. It was only after that she found out that first stories are never published! She has resumed writing full time and has succeeded in putting out the titles, The Doughnut Tree, Mysterious Pootkins, and The Mosswoods--to name a few. Her short stories have appeared in the literary journal of Threshold Press and Shock and Awe Magazine. 

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Website

GIVEAWAY!

- signed copy of His Black Wings, tote, journal swag

- copy of His Black Wings, tote, swag

- copy of His Black Wings, swag

- open INT!

- ends October 31st--so much time for you to save entries! ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Hollywood Holiday by Sasha Summers

Hollywood Holiday

by Sasha Summers

Series: Red Carpet series #2

Genre: Romance

Expected publication: December 7, 2012

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

Blurb:

All she wants for Christmas is for Hollywood to love her again. But once she meets

him, her Christmas list changes.

Jen’s only Christmas wish: Hollywood falling back in love with her. Meeting ex-Marine

Gunner was a bonus. She likes that he isn’t impressed by celebrities or the movie biz. She

likes that he’s funny and sweet … and drop-dead gorgeous. And she loves that he has no

idea who her alter-ego is: Jen Fleming, Hollywood bad-girl and paparazzi target number

one. Why ruin an amazing affair when he’s leaving after the new year?

But the closer they get, the harder she falls, and the more she wants to tell Gunner

everything. Especially once he shares his secret with her.

Her new Christmas wish: Gunner accepts and loves her for who she really is.

Know More about Red Carpet Series Book 1: Hollywood Ever After

She wasn’t meant for movie stars, Hollywood, or happy

endings.

And then she met him.

Happy Endings are for fairy tales. Or the movies. Not for

real life. At least, not in Claire’s life. Even though she’s

starting over, she knows better than to want too much

this time. But when she falls, literally, into the strong

arms of Hollywood’s ‘it’ boy Josh Wiley, Claire’s in for

some surprises. Her plans for rest and relaxation are

forgotten as one incredible night with Josh becomes

two… And her heart begins to want him as much as her

body. Will two kids, one bastard ex-husband, and Josh’s

juggernaut career mean the end of their affair? Or can

Claire find her happy ending after all?

About the Author:

Sasha is part gypsy. Her passions have always been

storytelling, Hollywood, history, and travel. It’s no surprise

that her books include a little of each. Her first play, ‘Greek

Gods and Goddesses’ was written for her Girl Scout troupe.

She’s been writing ever since. She loves getting lost in the

worlds and characters she creates; even if she frequently

forgets to run the dishwasher or wash socks when she’s doing

so. Luckily, her four brilliant children and hero-inspiring

hubby are super understanding and supportive.

GIVEAWAY!- paperback copy of Hollywood Ever After, Red Carpet series book 1

- very nice bookish Christmas ornament!

- open to US, UK and Canada only

a

Rafflecopter giveaway

This cover reveal and giveaway is brought to you by InkSpell Publishing.

Book Feature: Shifted Perspective by J. Bridger

Shifted Perspective

by J. Bridger

Series: Tails of Change #1

Genre: YA, paranormal

Date published: September 10, 2012

Publisher: J. Bridger

Summary (Goodreads):

Caleb Byrne is a bright high school senior who has enough to deal with between college choices, taking care of his single dad, and dealing with his headstrong girlfriend Joanna and an eccentric set of cousins in California. He was managing to get by until the day he woke up a Cocker Spaniel. Even if it only happens monthly and is more embarrassing than painful, the so-called ability is something that he's anxious to be rid of. 

He didn't realize his transformations would drag him into a hidden society of canine and lupine shape shifters as well as a family legacy he hates. To make matters worse, after moving to Los Angeles to learn more about his heritage from his Aunt Moira and his cousin Kalista, Caleb now struggles through life-and-death matters. He keeps angering the werewolves in charge of the shifter world, especially Kalista's boyfriend Peter, the Southern California alpha's son, who also happens to be grade-A sociopath. Worse, Caleb's floundering to keep his secret from Joanna. 

While his family offers him some support, they may not be enough as Caleb realizes that the rules in shifter society---number one is supposed to be don't kill humans---are not so ironclad. Some werewolf out there is leaving a blood-soaked trail across the Midwest and it might just be with the alpha's blessing...



Excerpt:

Things were good for a while. 

School got back to session, I exchanged a few polite emails with Kalista, and Joanna and I went back to keeping The Gazette afloat even if it was far from popular. It was also a great relief and thrill to be able to send my uncle's check to my new alma mater. Duke class of 2016 that was me. 

Then, about a month after finals, maybe the sixteenth of January or so, my hearing got worse. It was so bad that when I woke up in the morning, it felt like the morning news dad was watching over coffee was going to kill me. That or someone was taking a railroad spike to my skull every time the anchor talked. Rolling over, I pulled the pillow over my head and hoped I'd die. I'd never had a migraine so severe before that I was seeing auras; I wondered if something was
wrong with me like a tumor. 

When dad knocked on my door, I shuddered. "I can't go to school today," I said under my nest of pillows. 

"Son, look up at me." 

I did as I was asked, even if it was reluctant about it. "My head is staging a revolt. I have a migraine." 

My dad came to sit at the chair by my bed and frowned. "Your pupils aren't the same size and your eyes are pretty bloodshot." He reached up and put the back of his hand to my forehead. "Do you have a fever?" 

"Do I feel like it?" 

"A little warm. You haven't missed since a cold in September, so I think it's alright. You're not exactly pulling a Ferris Bueller. I want to give you a day to get better, but if you don’t, you’ll have to go to Dr. Seiberman." 

I shuddered. “No, I’m not that bad off, just hurts. Besides, that's great. A day off from the school grind and I just want to curl into a ball and die. I...my hearing is awful. Everything's too loud, like a throbbing all over. Can you not have the TV on for a while?" 

He blinked back at me, dumbfounded. "It wasn't that loud downstairs." 

"It was bad enough, definitely. I just think I'm going to pass out with the curtains drawn and see how it goes from there." 

I guess sometimes pillows can be good for more than comfort because after my dad left, being careful not to stomp his boots on the way out, I managed to fall to sleep, my dreams odd for me, about running through the woods by Pilot Mountain, chasing something that remained mysterious throughout the day and night. 

Even now, I have no idea what it was, can only guess.
**
When I woke, I knew something was off. The sun was just rising over the horizon and I had no idea how I'd managed to sleep almost for twenty-four hours. My hearing didn't pound in my head, but that wasn't reassuring. Shaking my head, I shivered with the cold. I'd slept walked again and of all things come to rest on the sofa downstairs. 

This was getting ridiculous but at least it didn't involve waking up tangled in drying deer hide. Thank God for small favors. 

"Christ this is pathetic," I said to no one in particular. Then I froze, everything muscle in my body taught. 

I hadn't heard my voice, not at all. 

But I had heard a series of plaintive barks. 

What in the world? 

Scared, I started just trying something simple, starting into the alphabet, but it was just more barking. I gulped and braced myself. Looking down, all I saw were four modest-sized black paws. 

I could only hope I was hallucinating.

***

Author Bio:

J. Bridger has had an eclectic life. She’s worked in the psychiatric ward in a hospital in La Paz, Bolivia, been a veterinary intern giving all sorts of better-left-to-the-imagination exams to dogs and cats, and had her own spate in creating and running a television ad campaign. Currently, in her day job, she is getting her certification as a medical Spanish interpreter in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.

By night, she’s a fledgling author, who has just penned her debut novel, Shifted Perspective; she is currently working on its sequel, the next installment of The Tails of Change Series. J.’s always loved things that go bump (or that howl) in the night and devoured Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker starting in middle school. Her favorite shows are no less preternatural and include Big Wolf on Campus, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Teen Wolf. While she’s been writing fiction for eight years and been published in several academic journals for her psychological research, this is her first venture into published original fiction.

J. Bridger lives in Raleigh with two Yorkies, a beagle, and a Schnauzer-Yorkie mix (as well as far too many dust bunnies).

Author Links:

Blog - http://www.jbridgerwriting.blogspot.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JBridger1313
Tumblr -http://www.tumblr.com/blog/jbridger1313
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-Bridger/216174885176369

Smashwords * Barnes & Noble

Feature & Follow #9

Q: What hyped up book do you think was worth all the talk?
A: The Hunger Games trilogy.
Easy as a smile. :)
Click here for my review.

Happy Friday, everyone! :)

Blog Tour (Excerpt + Giveaway): Careful by Isobella Jade

Careful

by Isobella Jade

Series: The Careful, Quiet, Invisible #1

Editions available: Paperback, ebook

Date published: July 26, 2012

Publisher: Gamine Press

Summary from Amazon:

After Estella Montclair is killed in a texting and driving crash, what remains of her face and body is devastating. But not all of her has died. During the first month after her death, Estella's spirit travels among her living friends and family. Her best friends Zara, Eva and Jett show her how pain and sorrow can break apart or strengthen a bond. She also sees for the first time that loss can spark revenge, catastrophe can come without warning, and we all have secrets. She wonders if her chance for love with Phoenix has passed her by, and if out of sight truly means out of mind. And maybe one day the girl who caused her death will admit her mistake. While adjusting to a new state of being, Estella struggles to face the limitations that come with death, but blossoms by recognizing she can still touch the lives of the people she once knew so well.





Excerpt

I gravitated to Phoenix. I wanted to see him when he was awake. Unlike other times, tonight he was snoring loudly in a deep sleep; as I got closer to his bed, he let out another snort, puff, and blow. 

He was lying on his back, with the covers barely over him. I tried to keep my eyes above his waist, but it was hard since, as usual, he wasn’t wearing anything. 

I hovered over his body to be closer, wishing I could lie on top of him for a moment and hear his heart beating, feel his breath on my skin, and rub against him. Even with his mouth open, taking air in and pushing it out with a wuffle, he was cute. While I shadowed over him, he changed his position, grumbling a little, then grabbing his pillow tighter until he was lying on his side with his back facing me. His snores became soft murmurs, like a purr. 

There was a soft glow coming from the streetlight that hit the curve from his neck to the end of his shoulder. It was perfect. Besides his brown eyes and the scar by his eyebrow, I had always thought his shoulders were the sexiest part of him.
I descended closer to his body, and then as if I were a pair of hands I massaged down his neck to his shoulder. His lips twitched as if he felt something, but I couldn’t be sure he did. 

At his shoulder I latched on, molding myself against his back. I stayed there for a while collecting his warmth, wishing I was alive. 

There were so many things I wanted to share with him, and it seemed like the moment things were so close, they had been torn away. I could sense that he felt the same way—or maybe it was just my own hoping.

About the Author:

Isobella Jade is an author, petite model and a wizard of self-promotion. Her modeling memoir Almost 5'4" is her personal memoir about being a shorter-than-average model in NYC, the ins and outs and highs and lows of striving to beat the odds. Her graphic novel Model Life was released in November 2009 and Short Stuff is her collection of on-the-job experiences that took place after Almost 5'4" and includes modeling tips for shorter girls. Her most recent work is a new YA novel called Careful, the first book of the Careful, Quiet, Invisible series.

Find her:
Website
http://www.isobelladreams.com
Twitter username
@IsobellaJade
Book trailer:
http://www.isobelladreams.com/TheCarefulQuietInvisibleSeries.html
Seventeen.com featured the book in their book club:
http://www.seventeen.com/entertainment/reviews/book-review-careful-isobella-jade
I was recently visiting my hometown in Syracuse, NY and chatted with ABC affiliate News Channel 9 about the book:
http://www.9wsyr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=3615539



Buy Careful now!

GIVEAWAY!

- 5 signed print copies of Careful (US only)

- 5 ebook copies of Careful (INT)

- ends September 22nd

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here for the complete blog tour schedule, hosted by YA Bound.

WWW Wednesdays #8 / Waiting on Wednesday #7: Crewel

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?


My Answers:

What I'm Currently Reading:

Stitch by Samantha Durante (Stitch #1)
- now on page 116
paperback from author for blog tour.




and








Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett (Confessions #1)
- from Netgalley










What I Recently Finished Reading:

Rua by Miranda Kavi
- ebook from author/tour host for blog tour. Stop here on October 7th, review.











What I'm Planning to Read Next:

Freedom Road by T.M Souders
- ebook copy from author for blog tour.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine  that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title.

Crewel
by Gennifer Albin
(Crewel World #1)

Expected publication: October 16, 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Summary (Goodreads):

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.



I knew this book would be awesome. Though the cover is kinda bothers me..I was enjoying seeing positive reviews from my Goodreads friends. And it made me wanna have this book NOW.

What books are on your list? Leave your links below!