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Wednesday, February 27, 2024

Review: Linked by Judy Serrano

Linked
by Judy Serrano


Published by: GMTA Publishing
Released on: May 9, 2024
Paperback
Pages: 334
Rating: 4/5



*Please note, this review was based from an ARC*





   I was pleasantly surprised when Judy Serrano contacted me to review the first novel in her newest series. I love her work so I wanted to be surprised going into it and did not read the blurb. What I discovered was shocking and left me desperate for answers. Fast paced, action packed, and romance laced, Linked will have you mesmerized.

   Daphne is a fill-in substitute teacher that just wants a stable job doing what she loves. Trying her hardest but working with teens, she thinks she's doing rather well until she gets notification that one of the parents wants a conference with her. What she expected to walk through the classroom door is not what she received. Not in the least.

   Charlie Cross is total eye candy and there is an instant connection between the two. Honesty is laid out on the table, he admits to his unhappy marriage and the separation. Daphne can deal with this. It's all good. At least, that's what she thinks. Surprise characters rise to the surface causing delight and much trouble.

   When Daphne realizes that there's more to Charlie than she ever thought possible, he acts out on it all and takes advantage. She thought she could get used to the idea but Charlie isn't letting that happen. Luckily, there's another man willing to accept Daphne with open arms. Heathcliff is special in his own way but it's something they can work on together. When you become "linked" it makes all the difference in the world.



Received for review purposes from the author.

Monday, February 25, 2024

Review: Violet Midnight by Lynn Rush

Violet Midnight
by Lynn Rush

Published by: Crescent Moon Press
Released on: October 15th, 2012
Paperback 
249 Pages
Rating: 4/5








   Violet Midnight is full of mystery and high anticipation. We are introduced to Emma who knows she isn't like others. Having went through some serious changes after a family accident, she has never been the same. The tattoo on her wrist proves this. Furthermore, the glow that comes from it when certain people are around has alerted her that there are other beings beyond human. 
  
  Emma knows nobody else like her. She has learned not to get close to others, fearing that they will find out about her. But when a public vampire attack takes place, Emma learns that she isn't alone. Jake claims to be just like her. Having a mysterious glowing tattoo and all to prove it, they decide to work together, with a beautiful relationship that we get to see form between the two. 

 The story behind Jake's past is a bit different, and when people start to resurface claiming things he never thought true, he learns that he needs to reevaluate things. His life in particular and his relationship with Emma. When you are told that you have no choice in a matter, do you just go along with it, or fight for what you believe in? Jake has some hard decisions to make, and he must make them fast.



Received for review purposes from the publisher. 

     

Wednesday, February 20, 2024

Author Interview featuring Rachele Alpine & Giveaway

I'm so excited today to bring to you, the author of Canary. Please give a warm welcome to Rachele Alpine! Canary is due to release at the beginning of August and published by Medallion Press. Rachele has been kind enough to let me share a giveaway with you so be sure to check that out!




Rachele Alpine is a lover of sushi, fake mustaches, and Michael Jackson. One of her first jobs was at a library, but it didn’t last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she’s a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit. By day she’s a high school English teacher, and by night she writes with the companionship of the world’s cutest dog, Radley, a big cup of coffee, and a full bag of gummy peaches. Rachele lives with her husband in Cleveland, Ohio, but dreams of moving back to Boston, the city she fell in love with while attending graduate school there.











1. In Canary, Kate struggles with serious and difficult issues at times. Did this effect your emotions at all?
Yes!  My husband hates when I’m writing difficult scenes, because they pull me down too!  I feel like my characters are a part of me, they’ve been living in my head for so long, so when I have to put them through hard times, I really feel for them. I’m affected by what they are going through too.   I also like to listen to music when I write, so that doesn’t help, because my soundtrack is always sad and depressing songs.  I think I need to go see a comedian or funny movie after writing a hard scene!

2. How long did you have the idea for Canary before you put your thoughts onto paper?
The idea was sparked when I was in undergraduate school, and my teacher had us created a multi-genre paper.  The project required us to research a topic that occurs in schools (I was an education major) and present it in a creative way using narratives, poems, song lyrics, and art.  I chose sexual harassment in schools, and the story of Kate started from some of the early pieces I wrote for that project.  In fact, one of the poems in CANARY is a poem I wrote for this project.  It wasn’t until about five years later that I actually took these ideas and started to write CANARY.

3. What was the hardest part of Canary to write?
When I was writing my first drafts, there was a struggle with what Kate (my main character) was really feeling and what she was hiding  (even from herself).  I felt like she was withholding stuff, but I didn’t know how to express it.  I had all these poems/anecdotes/creative structures of narration that weren’t a part of the story, but helped me define who Kate was.  It wasn’t until a few drafts in, that I realized I could use these pieces in the book.  That’s how the dual narration was born…most of the book is written as a narrative, but there are sections of poetry where Kate writes down her deepest and truest feelings that she doesn’t even always share with herself.  Once I made these part of the story, I was able to understand who the real Kate really was.

4. Did you think of changing any of it?
The biggest change that happened during drafting was making Kate to a strong character throughout the whole book.  In my early drafts, she was very passive and allowed things to happen to her.  That’s not the type of person I felt like she was.  Once I gave her a backbone, she started to stand up for herself and I loved who she was so much more.  I got that weak stuff outta there! 


5. If you got to choose one celebrity to read Canary, who would it be?
This is a great question (and one I have never really thought about until now!).  I always like seeing pictures or reading articles about what Barrack Obama’s girls are reading.  I wouldn’t call them celebrities, but I think it would be really cool if they read CANARY.  Or Ellen Degeneres!  I have fantasies that she’d read the book, love it, and then I’d get to go on her show and dance!  I’m a bit obsessed with dancing!

6. Sunny days or thunderstorms?
Sunny days for sure…I HATE rain!  It’s probably on my top five list of things I hate in life (right next to waking up early!). 

7. What's something that most people don't know about you?
When I was in high school, I lived with an Amish family for three weeks as part of my senior graduation project.  I was the only outsider ever let into their community, and I had to fully integrate myself into their lives and live/dress exactly like they did.  It was such an amazing experience, and afterward, I got to talk to groups of people about it and published an article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.  I kept in touch with the family through letters for years, until they moved away to Pennsylvania.


8. What's something you feel strongly in? (Feel free to go into detail)
I feel very strongly about the power of words.  Words can do so much…they can tear down a person when it’s comes to bullying (both cyber and face-to-face) or help a person see how incredible he/she really is.  I’ve seen words destroy a person and save a person.  I try to stress to my students how important it is to think about what they are saying to others and the affect it may have on them.  I also constantly try to push books into their hands, because I believe words can save a person sometimes.  I’m so fortunate to have a book coming out that speaks to some subject matter that I think is so very very important.  


Follow Rachele Alpine

and don't forget to add Canary to Goodreads!

Now for the giveaway...
One winner will receive an awesome swag pack!
Rachele will be putting something special in there for the winner! 

Rules:
13+
US Only
Winner must respond within 48 hours





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Tuesday, February 19, 2024

Less Than Three Conference tickets on sale NOW!

If you have no clue of what this is, please get informed ASAP! There are a very limited amount of tickets available for this event. It will take place at St. Charles City- County Library in St. Peters Missouri.

This event is a bullying/YA-Lit event hosted by Heather Brewer and will have many authors in attendance. Librarians, authors, teens, book lovers, parents, teachers, and anyone else are welcome to come and participate in this epic event. For more details and to order tickets, visit the <3 Three website. To view the authors and speakers in attendance, check it out here! I hope to see you there!

Review: Pulse by Patrick Carman

Pulse
by Patrick Carman

Published by: Katherine Tegen
Released on: February 26th, 2013
Hardcover
384 Pages
Rating: 5/5


*Please note, this review was based from an ARC*





   Patrick Carman is pure genius when it comes to storytelling. I fell hard and fast for Pulse. The concept was refreshing, addictive, and highly interesting. I just can't get over how much I loved this novel. 

  We learn that in the future, so many things will cease to exist, relying only on tablets. With the way the world seems to run nowadays, I can see this as a possibility one day. Shopping in stores is unheard of. It's something people used to to in the past. The empty buildings are the proof. Books? Who needs them when you have a tablet? School? That's just a building that Faith Daniels goes to while she learns from her tablet every day. Drugs? Yes, you even experience those on a tablet. So very interesting.

  Meanwhile, the schools are getting smaller, Faith has now had to relocate three times due to downsizing, and her newest school has but one hundred and fifty students and shrinking. It's only a matter of time till it shuts down like all the others. And where are the parents in this matter? They have no real care for the children anymore. The main thing is when they have decided to move over to the States. There is no turning back.

  Rumor has it, in the States, everything is better. But it's a choice to be made. Faith knows her day isn't going to come. The Drifters have something to do with that. And when two new students show up at school, everyone seems to know that there's something different about them. But just what is it and how will it come to effect Faith?

So many hidden secrets are hidden in the pages of Pulse. There are so many characters to grow attached to, so many that hold secrets from Faith. When it all starts coming to surface, you'll find yourself shocked and desperate to know more.


Received for review purposes from the publisher. 

      

Monday, February 18, 2024

ARC Giveaway: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Up for grabs today, an ARC of Mind Games by Kiersten White. Find out what I had to say about this new series in my review. (It's awesome)

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways… or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.




Rules:
13+
US Only
Winner must respond within 48 hours

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: REVELATIONS by J.A. Souders & Giveaway

Revelations Elysium Chronicles (Book 2)
J.A Souders
Release Date: November 5, 2024
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Tor Teen
Blurb to come!












About Renegade Elysium Chronicles (Book 1)


Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository


About A Dark Grave: Elysium Chronicles (Book 0.5)

An Elysium Chronicles short story: the beginning.

There is only one place forbidden to the people of Gavin's village; the island just off the shore, rumored to be haunted. Cursed.

All who venture to the island disappear.

But Gavin doesn't believe in such things. He is a hunter; since his father's death, he is the only one who can provide for the family. Silly rumors of ghosts aren't going to stop him from crossing the dark waters to the island in search of fresh game...









About J.A. Souders:
J.A. Souders was born in the heartland with an overactive imagination and an overabundance of curiosity that was always getting her into trouble. She first began writing at the age of 13, when she moved to Florida and not only befriended the monsters under the bed, but created worlds for them to play together.
Because she never grew up, she decided she’d put her imaginary friends to work and started writing. She still lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees with her husband and their two children.
Where you can find J.A.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook


THE GIVEWAY!!!
J.A is hosting a giveaway of a signed hard copy of RENEGADE, an e-copy of A DARK GRAVE (for those that don't have it, of course.) and signed copies of ARTICLE 5 and BREAKING POINT by Kristen Simmons. This is US. only. If you are international and wish to enter, ecopies will be provided for Article 5 and Breaking Point.

Friday, February 15, 2024

Sporadically Inspired By COVER REVEAL!!!

Sporadically Inspired By is written by Ashley Demi, published by Entwined Publishing and is due for release in June. The final date is still to be determined. Today we have the cover to unveil!




The story of my life is one that’s still being written, it’s about a girl named Ashley that had to go through a few chapters before she learned how she wanted to live the rest of the story. I could take you through moment after moment that got me to where I am now; in fact I’d have to take you through every single one. So instead I’ll just give you some highlights. Around May 2009 after seeing 17 Again at the movies it inspired me to pick up writing. I couldn’t tell you what it was about that one movie that was different from the tons of others I had fallen in love with over the years that finally shined light on what I had been trying to figure out since I was first asked what I wanted to be when I grew up; but there it was…my dream realized. It’s funny how after you reach that moment, you can’t believe you didn’t think of it sooner…I’ve loved movies since I was a kid and played The Little Mermaid on repeat, and had always been a daydreamer who loved coming up with a good story. I started writing my ideas in script format for movies and then decided to try one of my ideas as a book.
I’m just a girl from a small town with a big dream. Classic story…think you’ve heard it a thousand times…well I’d like to think mine’s unique. Maybe not extreme or extravagant to everyone; but to me…to me it’s a fairy tale. Oh don’t get me wrong it’s also a comedy, a horror film (you know how bad hair days can be lol), one with action, love, tears, and inspiration…but it’s my story, and it’s one of kind.
I use to think dreams were…well just that, dreams; nothing but thoughts and wishes that you kept stored away for a day you didn’t know would come or not. But then I thought why should it be like that? Seemed like a tragedy really, to keep all my dreams in my head instead of experiencing them for real. So instead I decided I wanted to live my dreams and make them my reality…make them my ‘normal’…if there is such a thing a normal lol. It won’t be easy, who knows where it will take me, or how long it will take to get there…but I can promise one thing…it’ll be one amazing ride!
Forever Inspired
Ashley Demi

Find Ashley Demi
Blog | Facebook | Twitter



Sporadically Inspired By
Sometimes, in a small community, it can be difficult to find reality in big dreams. Samantha can't wait to get out of town to start her life and move on from sad memories. Morgan isn't learning from the past, and Charlotte may be forced to make make a hard choice over following her dreams. It's Cali's story from which the girls find their inspiration. They believe her story is a fictional cult classic that each have read over and over. It encourages them to follow their hearts.

In the end, however, it could be Cali who needs the most help turning her sporadic inspirations into reality. . . again.



Add to Goodreads 


Thursday, February 14, 2024

Playing Hooky Release Day Blitz & Giveaway

It's release day for Playing Hooky by Rita Webb! Be sure to check out the giveaway below!  And, tomorrow there will be a Facebook event you won't want to miss!
Valentine’s Day.
And my 21st birthday.

Whoop-de-doo.

Just another college day full of classes and more homework than is humanly possible.

…until Jason, my best-friend-since-kindergarten, shows up to take me out for the day.

Like old times: the two of us on a wacky adventure, playing hooky from real life. With his lopsided grin and tickets to a circus full of misfits and monsters, he introduces me to a whole new world—one full of magic and mystery—and turns my reality upside down.

Except nothing goes as planned, and we end up running through the city to find a missing siren before someone brews a love potion with her blood.

Sirens and love potions, witches and elves, and Valentine kisses. Nothing will be the same for me again.
 

About the Author 

Leaving the house to go to school, I had schoolbooks spilling out of one hand, the other holding my place in a Nancy Drew novel, and bunny slippers still on my feet. My mom was a wee bit upset.



I haven't changed much. Still always have a book (or two) in my hand or creating stories in my head, and although I don't have any bunny slippers, I love writing in my jammies and snuggly slipper socks.



When I grow up (maybe a hundred years from now), I'd like to be a superhero, but for now, saving the day, one page at a time, suits me just fine.



With my husband TJ (my own cuddly werewolf), I home-school our three girls, who keep us busy with art, science projects, books to read, dance classes, and walks about the park. 

Where to find Rita Webb 

Want to read the first chapter

Playing Hooky can be found at these locations:
Amazon  | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads


Now, about that giveaway

One winner will receive a necklace with a metal Feather as a pendant, an eBook copy of Transcendent, an eBook copy of Daughter of the Goddess, and an eBook copy of Playing Hooky AND five more winners will receive an eBook copy of Playing Hooky Sounds great right?!

 

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