Heather Self's Blog, page 3

Review: The Bane by Keary Taylor

Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter. It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world. Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold. The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born. The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction.

Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality. This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time.

Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love. There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets. And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind.

The Bane is The Terminator meets The Walking Dead with a heart-twisting romance.

Previously published as Eden, due to reader demand it has been revamped and rereleased as The Bane: book one in The Eden Trilogy.

 I read this as Eden way back in the day before I even had a blog, and I loved it. I was kind of sick of series and trilogies at the time so was happy to find a stand alone to read. While the story, had a definitive end, it did leave questions unanswered, but not so much that you were dissatisfied. When, I found out Taylor was turning it into a Trilogy, I did get a little excited. I wanted to know what happened after...and because the second book (The Human)  has already released I did a re-read of The Bane (aka Eden).

Set in post-apocalypse America The Bane is about a small group of humans who have managed to survive being turned into cyborgs. Eve is the best fighter/tracker/hunter for this small colony. She's, stronger, faster, has more endurance, but is a little less than personable. She knows she's different,  but she doesn't know why since she has no memories from "before". All she's ever known is Eden (the name given to their refuge) and the people in it--particularly Avian and Sarah--a brother sister duo who found Eve at the age of 13(ish) and helped her fit in there.

In comes West, running from the Bane (the cyborgs whose only purpose in life is to take over all things fleshy and human) with a lot of questions, a lot of secrets, and an ability to make Eve feel things she hasn't felt before. It doesn't keep Eve from being any less of a bad ass. If anything, it turns her into more of one as she does her best to ignore the emotions and puts all her energies into keeping Eden safe.

There is a rather large cast of secondary characters who round out the story well, without bogging it down. And while, the love triangle seemingly comes out of nowhere at first, secrets are revealed that connect dots with surprising revelations.

This is a really cool read. (I won't say fun, as it is a little darker given the end of the world and all.) And it certainly makes you think about technology in a different light given all the advances that are being made so rapidly today. It's a very well-done, post-apoc/sci-fi with some surprising deaths, revelations, and twists.

**Note**If you read this as Eden you could go straight to the second book The Human. I only noticed minor changes from the original book that didn't change the plot and gave minor foreshadowing to book two.**

About the author:
Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of THE EDEN TRILOGY, the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com

Review: Left Drowning by Jessica Park

What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?
Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Note: due to mature content recommended for Ages 17+

This has probably been one of the hardest reviews I've had to write. Every so often, you come across books that just need to be experienced. None of the things I'd say would ever do the characters, the plot, or the subject matter justice.

I might say, the book opens with a bang, and in the beginning you're not sure if you'll even like Blythe.

"It used to be fun to feel."

I'd tell you the first time you meet Sabin, you'll love him. His boldness, his quirkiness, his humor.

"...I'd think my whereabouts would be an extremely pressing issue here. Was Sabin at an all-night karaoke amusement park? Was he abducted by alien cowboy goats?"

And that your heart will break just a little when you realize he's not for Blythe.

Until you meet Chris.

Another chance meeting that pulls Blythe further into the "real" world. Whose banter is fun and flirty, and who's oh so careful to never completely cross the line. Whose presence is familiar, yet not.

"This near stranger is inexplicably giving me more safety and security than anyone else ever has"

I would mention Estelle and Eric and James and Zach. And coincidences that aren't. And heartbreak and rage and hatred and loss. And love. And that you feel those with them.

I'd tell you about how broken all the characters are, and how in their brokenness they manage to fit together like pieces of a beautiful puzzle.

I would say it's a stunning narrative of being lost and finding one's way out of the dark, of the bigger picture being greater than ourselves and more inter-connected than we could imagine. Left Drowning, is a breathtaking story of learning to forgive--others, as well as yourself--and the overwhelming power love has to set us free.

I could tell you all those things, but it would be better if you'd just read it.

About the author:
Jessica is the author of New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE, RELATIVELY FAMOUS, and the upcoming NA novel, LEFT DROWNING (July 16, 2013). She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

Please visit her at jessicapark.me and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjessic... and Twitter @JessicaPark24

Cover Reveal: Every Shattered Thing by Elora Ramirez

So I'm SUPER excited today to be revealing the cover for one of my dearest friends! Sarah Hansen over at Okay Creations did a phenomenal job with this cover and I can't wait for y'all to get a hold of this book. Make sure you add it to your TBR!!

Stephanie fights reality every day. The voices inside, the ones declaring her worth, deem her broken, used and dirty. She is an object. A toy. Something to be tossed aside when bored. Who will believe her if she whispers the truth about her wrecking ball of a family? Eventually, her secret explodes and the person who means the most to her knows just how shattered she is and why she's so afraid. But rescue is closer than she realizes. Hidden in plain sight, her horror hasn’t been ignored by everyone. Racing against the truth of what she faces, forces are joining together and developing a plan to free her from the hell in her own backyard. And while she’s at her lowest point, she’s hit with the beauty of love at any cost - redemption in the face of ruin. Will it be enough?

*Warning: Contains mature content that may not be suitable for younger audiences*

About Elora Ramirez:

Elora Ramirez lives in Austin, Texas with her chef-husband. At the age of four, she taught herself how to read and write, cutting her teeth on books like Dr. Suess and writing anywhere she could find the space—including her Fisher Price kitchen set, the pages of picture books and Highlights Magazine. Since then, she's grown to love the way words feel as they swell within her bones. Writing holy and broken is her calling, and pushing back the darkness and pursuing beauty through story is her purpose. She loves hip-hop, wishes she lived by the beach and cannot write without copious amounts of coffee, chocolate, and her husband's lavender liqueur.

LINKS:
Website: http://eloranicole.com/
Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eloranicolewrites
Twitter: http://twitter.com/eloranicole
Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5786742.Elora_Nicole_Ramirez
EVERY SHATTERED THING Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18158307-every-shattered-thing

Milestones Giveaway!

Thanks to all you amazing people I reached two cool milestones today!

Like this one:


And this one too!




It's really neat to see those numbers go up as more people find me and my books so to celebrate I've thrown up (not literally of course) a couple giveaways. A digital copy of each of the books, and bookmarks. Because y'all are awesome. And I couldn't do it without y'all. Thank you all SO much for taking a chance on this little newbie, indie. You guys rock my socks!

And while you're entering giveaways, check out these two going on in anticipation of UtopYA Conference next week!
UtopYA Giveaway 1
UtopYA Giveaway 2

*sidenote the supercool FB cover was free from parajunkee.net. She's awesome.*

Enter them all or pick and choose
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Authors of UtopYA Ultimate Giveaway!

The countdown has been going on for months, and now it’s almost time! One of the most fun conventions of the year is about to happen, and some of your favorite authors attending UtopYA want to celebrate. We’ve gotten together, and have some amazing prizes that you’re not going to want to miss out on.

Ultimate Swag Pack Giveaway
True reading fans love to collect goodies from their favorite authors, but this giveaway takes that to the next level! If you’re going to UtopYA this year, you’re going to want to get your hands on this Ultimate Swag Pack. Some of your favorite authors have gotten together to give you their very best swag. I’m not talking about a signed bookmark (although those are included)—this prize pack includes the following:

· Leather bracelet from Tiffany King

· “Grant’s Cupcake” tee shirt from Sarah M Ross

· Lavender/Spearmint bath salts from Heather Self

· “Nick Rocks my World” mug and bath soaps from Ella James

· Skull Necklace and other prizes from Amy Jones

· Keychain from Morgan Wylie

· Signed mini-poster and other prizes from Quinn Loftis

· Custom USB loaded with books and Necklace from Laura Elliott

· Modified Swag Pack from CA Kunz

· Estilorian Swag Pack from Raine Thomas

· Bracelet from SR Johannes

· Archers of Avalon tote bag and coffee mug from Chelsea Fine

And that’s just part of the prizes you can win! So now that you’re salivating and reaching out your “gimme, gimme” hands, you’re probably wondering how to enter. We’re giving you a few options:

1. Make a video hyping UtopYA and the authors of UtopYA. Then, post this video on FB or Twitter and email it to sarah@sarahmross.com (so we don’t accidentally miss it in the Twitterverse. This video can be short and sweet – basically telling people that UtopYA is coming and about the amazing authors that are going.

2. Make a FB banner or meme hyping UtopYA and the authors of UtopYA. This is the same concept of the video, but for the more camera shy folks out there. Then, change it to your banner and email it to sarah@sarahmross.com to have your entry counted.

*We’re not giving a whole lot of instruction on how to do this on purpose. We want you to be creative! Get those juices flowing! Want to make a Utop rendition of “Call Me Maybe”? Or post a video of you stalking your favorite authors before you stalk them in real life at Utop? A meme of Grumpy Cat at Utop with the authors? The possibilities are endless! But make it creative! All the participating authors will vote on the one that WOW’s us the most. And remember: This part of the contest is open to peeps attending UtopYA only! Prizes to be picked up at UtopYA!!Not able to make it to UtopYA this year? Don’t worry! We have a great giveaway for you too! Enter the Rafflecopter below to win some amazing autographed paperbacks! (Open to US residents only! Sorry!!)


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Can’t wait to see you all at UtopYA!!

Frigid by J. Lynn~The Bloggerhood of the Traveling Review+Giveaway

My super awesome friend, Val from Stuck in Books got to go to BEA this year and was lucky enough to pick up a signed ARC of Frigid by J. Lynn (aka Jennifer Armentrout). 
Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, Jen had to leave BEA before it really got started and to show our appreciation and love for her, Val came up with this fun idea to send around the Frigid arc to some other bloggers and give it away to one LUCKY winner.

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She (Val) also had some additional instructions for us. Write a one sentence review. Here's mine:


Underline three of my fav passages. I had a much harder time with this one:
Massive post its after first read through
Then I went back and narrowed it down:


And whined enough to Val that she let me pick four. (Shh! Don't tell her I told). Here's a little (VERY little so no spoilers) sneak peek:

"An unexpected tremor got me as she rested her cheek just above my heart..."

And finally post our review:

It's no secret that JLA is one of my all time favorites. She writes fabulous characters, great plots/stories, and always enough snark to break up the heavy moments. Frigid is no different. And it's DUAL pov which I love.

But...

I'm having a really hard time writing this review, and it's NOT because I didn't love the book, because I did. I thought Sydney was great and easy to relate to. She's been hurt by a jerk of an ex, who left her feeling very insecure. She's hard on herself for being clutzy (like uber so which makes for some really funny scenes with Kyler) and short and small boobed and thinks there's no way Kyler could ever be interested in her because of these things. Not that she'd ever make a move or tell him she's been in love with him for forever because that could ruin their long-standing friendship.

Kyler is your typical man-whore. And he doesn't do relationships. His only exception is his friendship with Sydney. He's super sweet with her, if not a little handsy for being "just friends" imho, and very protective when it comes to her relationships with other guys. One of the first scenes we see is him "rescuing" her from a guy he considers a douche. No one is good enough for his Syd (he's the only one who gets to call her that), including himself--not that he thinks of her that way.

Until...

...they get snowed in at his family's cabin.  Add some awkwardly funny events, and Kyler starts seeing Syd differently even though he continues to think he's not good enough for her. Things take an interesting twist when Syd is almost hit with a snow mobile. Meanwhile, Sydney grows some "lady balls" (her words), and tells Kyler she wants what everyone else has had already. She pushes him to treat her just like one of his one night stands. It pisses him off and he pushes back--hoping to show her she is worthy of so much more.

"You're better than a one-night stand Sydney. I can't do that to you. You're nothing like those other girls. You deserve more than that." ~Kyler

Armentrout adds an unexpected element to the story that actually helps push Syd and Kyler closer together, moving their story along. However Syd's insecurities, along with other things, work to tear them apart. I've always been a fan of the best friends to lovers theme and Frigid is no exception. Plus we have two awesome best friends--Andrea and Tanner--who totally need their own story.

Here were some of my non-spoilery notes while reading:

Dual POV!!!

Love the miscommunication. As a reader WE know what Kyler meant (or Sydney) but they OF COURSE take it the wrong way adding tension to their situation

Kyler opens up about not wanting to continue down the path his family has set up for him. Syds positive reinforcement...

Funny how it's the little things that hurt her the most, very human.

So go pre-order/add to your TBR. It's a not to be missed read!

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

About the Author:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins. 

Blog Tour: One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker--Plus Interview & Giveaway

Today on the Triple P is one of my all  time favorite authors (and people). I was super excited to be one of Kathleen's beta readers for Ten Tiny Breaths and pimped the MUG outta that book before it came out. I was fortunate enough to beta again for One Tiny Lie and am so thrilled it's finally out in the wild and that I got to do a fun interview with Kathleen. No writing or One Tiny Lie questions for me! All complete randomness from my weird brain, but fun insight into Mrs. Tucker. Check out all the awesomeness below!


Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.
Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.  

I absolutely loved this book (with only one thing in it that drove me crazy, and that's just a personal thing so I kind of ignored it--kind of and no I won't tell you).

Tucker opens the story with a bang and left my stomach in knots for most of the book. It was so great to see Kacey take the roll of big sister in all aspects, and of course we get to see our fav cast of characters--Storm, Dan, Trent, Cain, Ben--all make appearances and affirm that family isn't just about blood. Our favorite psychiatrist is back and he steals pretty much every scene he's in. He is awesome.

But really story is about Livie & Ashton. How they are each clinging to heartbreaks from their pasts and allowing that to shape what their presents are and what their futures might be. An incredibly emotional journey of self-discovery, Livie's stories will make you laugh, and groan, and cheer.

Interview with K.A. Tucker:

If you could have any super power what would it be? To be invisible (so I could stalk David Gandy and he’d never know)

Favorite place in the world: Prague.

Place you've never been but would like to visit: I’m dying to go to Tuscany. I imagine it will be exactly like it is portrayed in “Under the Tuscan Sun”. I mean, exactly (don’t ruin it for me)

What five books would you have to have if you were shipwrecked? Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Bared to You by Sylvia Day, Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and On The Island (by Tracey Garvis Graves) –Note: this list could change tomorrow. There are so many incredible books. I know I could read these ones over and over again, though.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?: Wine. Oh, wait… food, you said? Okay…cheese (to go with the wine)

Favorite Classic Read/Favorite current read (haha! oh yes, I did!): Favorite Classic would be Wuthering Heights. Favorite current read….gah! There are so many… I think I’d have to go with The Opportunist, though it left my guts all over the floor at the end. I’m still not over that ending, two months later…

If you could take home the cast of any movie, what movie would you pick?. Love, Actually. I think that’d be one helluva party.

If you could be any animal what would you be?.A grizzly. No one messes with a grizzly and they don’t worry about their weight.

Favorite book to movie adaptation/least favorite. Fav—Bourne Identity. Least fav--Bridget Jones’ The Edge of Reason

Describe your perfect day. Waking up at nine am on my own (without the help of alarms or children), having all my meals made, getting some writing in (with words flowing effortlessly from my fingertips), and then magically appearing on the beach at my cottage (which is three hours away) for the afternoon with a book in one hand, a glass of wine in the other, and my children happily amusing themselves in the water.

We've just discovered time travel is possible, but only to the past. What is the first, non-modern, stop on your list? The 60’s, Woodstock. I need to see what all the fuss was about.

I never go anywhere without my: iPhone.

What holiday would you miss the most if was taken off the calendar and why? Christmas/Boxing day (two days, back to back) because Canadian winters are depressing enough. We can’t lose Christmas!

Speed Round of Randomness!!

Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning and tea at night
Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate
Morning person or night owl? Neither :) But I’m turning into a night owl
Coke or Dr. Pepper? Coke
Beach or mountains? Beach
Margarita or daiquiri? Daiquiri
Barefoot or shoes? Barefoot
Bubble bath or shower? Shower (if I have a bath, I end up having a shower immediately after)
Cats or dogs? Dogs 
Twilight or Harry Potter? Twilight
Movies or TV? Movies
Go out or stay in? Stay in (I’m a hermit) unless it’s with the girls…

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Blog Tour & Review: Faking It by Cora Carmack

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

Faking It is the follow-up novel to Losing It but don't worry, if you haven't read Losing It. You'll be able to follow this story just fine. I've tried to keep this review as spoiler free as possible. --hence, some of the vague sentences.

Could Faking It live up to the awesome awkward that was Losing It? Um, yeah people, it can. Could anyone be more awesome than Bliss and her deliciously English Garrick? Lemme just say, Texas grows 'em better.

So first there's Max. The only people who call her Mackenzie are her parents, and she's not particularly pleased by that. Events in her past have caused her to close herself off from well, everyone, in anything more than a superficial way. Max is a hardcore rocker who only let's herself feel when she's on the stage singing. She's loud, and brash. Dyed, and tattooed. Fearless, except when it comes to her family.

When her parents show up in Philly for a surprise visit there is no way she can introduce them to current boyfriend Mace. They already think she's slightly irresponsible. Desperate, she approaches Cade.

Cade. Y'all if you liked him in Losing It you're going to love him in this. Still struggling with his redefined relationship with Bliss, Cade is a little lost. He's not landing any roles and the coffee shop date with Bliss and Garrick is kind of the last straw for him. Then Max approaches him with her crazy plan. She's everything Bliss is not and it'll be a way for him to stretch his acting chops so sure...he'll pretend to be her temporary boyfriend. And y'all, seriously. If you don't have a Cade, you're going to want one. He's so fantastic with all his southern charm, and manners. (Good TEXAS boy!)

Surprisingly to them (but not to us) their opposing personalities actually mesh well together. They challenge each other in unexpected ways, and what was supposed to be just a couple days of pretending turns into an unexpected friendship, and of course more. It's in the "more" where we see the struggle take place. Max is scared to feel, and Cade...well we'll say he's scared to feel too.

Bliss and Garrick as well as Rusty make small cameos leading to both happy and sad discoveries for our leading male. We also get to meet Spencer, a new character that bridges the gap between Max's and Cade's world.(REALLY need a book for him)

There was a lot going on in this book between Cade's issues, Max's issues, Max's family's issues, but it never felt overdone or too over the top, and there is always humor to keep the balance. Cade and Max compliment each other really well, and I love how Cade encourages her to be herself no matter who she's around.

Naturally, there are issues that pull them apart and make their relationship strained and difficult, but none of it seems contrived or forced. I'd have to go back and re-read Losing It to be sure, but I think I even liked this one better. Because it's Cora, you can also expect plenty of awkward.

Faking It is a wonderful follow-up to a smashing debut that will have you laughing out loud, and cheering on  Cade and Max. And wanting to take a trip to Texas to find a Cade of your own. ;)

Review: Don't Bite the Bridesmaid by Tiffany Allee

Alice Shepard needs one thing: a date for her sister's wedding. And not just any date. A hunk who will make her fiancé rue the day he left her for her best friend. Her drop-dead gorgeous neighbor fits the bill—even if he is a bit quirky and never comes out during the day—and Alice has downed just enough appletinis to ask him. But she makes it quite clear that there will be no funny business.

Spending a week on a cruise ship full of humans while sleeping close to his sexy next-door neighbor sounds like a helluva bad idea to vampire Noah Thorpe. But his friends need time to get him out of a shotgun wedding—a vampire bonding that will tie his fate to a female vampire he's never met. And Alice's offer comes at just the right time.


What could possibly go wrong?

If you're in the mood for an easy read, and like your romance with a bit of supernatural included then don't Bite the Bridesmaid will certainly fit the bill. Alice and Noah have been nothing more than wave from the driveway next door neighbors for years, but Noah is exactly the kind of guy Alice needs to bring with her to her sister's wedding (who's inconveniently marrying the brother of Alice's ex-fiance). Though her initial attempt to get Noah to accompany her ended in amusing failure, she doesn't give up...

The vampire council can't force him to get married if they can't get to him, and while fun in the sun and Noah don't exactly mix it's better than a forced bonding. Noah has no intention of getting involved with his (he can't help but notice) attractive neighbor, even after his "brother" commits him to attending the wedding.  Of course, he doesn't take into account the close quarters he and Alice will be sharing, or the fact that her ex will bring out all his possessive instincts.

There is chemistry galore between our two heroes, and though they both freely acknowledge that to themselves they are determined to resist it for their own personal reasons. Alice because she doesn't want to get involved with anyone, and Noah because of all his secrets. There was a nice little twist in the story, that I didn't see coming (always appreciated) and thought it put the two MCs on more even footing.

While I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Alice and Noah, I have to say her sister Cindy stole the show. She was funny, and spoke her mind, and wasn't afraid to stand up for herself or her sister. And her wedding...awesome. She was awesome.

Overall a fun, fast read that didn't disappoint.




*ecopy provided in exchange for fair and honest review

Really Cool News

In less than a month I will be going to the UtopYA Conference. Last year was it's inaugural event and also my first event to attend as an author. I had an amazing time and am SO looking forward to going again. This year, I was asked to speak on a panel, which I thought was total cake. Well yesterday, I got icing to go with it. It started by getting THIS email in my inbox:


Yay! Award voting time! The awards show was super fun last year and it was great getting to vote and see friends win. Voting is open to EVERYONE (here) so of course I hopped on over to cast my vote for my favs when I found this:


then this

THEN this:

and FINALLY THIS!
*side note* I absolutely ADORE the other woman in this category.They're not just amazing authors but fabulous friends as well
Needless to say I was a little blown away that my fellow authors (that's who did the nominating) thought enough of my work to nominate me for 4 categories. Sometimes, I still have a difficult time thinking of myself as an author. I'm a reader, and a fan girl, like a lot of you, and am the absolute WORST critique of my own work so this was extra special. And I get to post this somewhere on the blog now too!
          <---that's me!

So go vote using the link above and then see who wins on June 29th! You don't have to be in Nashville to see it LIVE, you can watch it from home! Check out the trailer below to see how. And thank you thank you thank you!