Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 41

Review: Reasons I Fell For The Funny Fat Friend by Becca Ann

From Goodreads:

It’s stupid to fall for your brother’s ex. It’s even worse to enlist another’s help to win the ex over. But Brody is desperate and Hayley, his partner in American Sign Language, is more than willing to lend him a few tips. 

She’s the school’s matchmaker,’ and with her bizarre and positive personality, Brody finds her easy to talk to, even about the most awkward situations. Hayley’s tips seem to be working, but as Brody learns more about his matchmaker, he starts finding reasons to spend time with her, and not the girl he thought he was in love with. 

But Hayley isn’t ready to fall for anyone. Labeled the “Funny Fat Friend” within her group, her self image makes it impossible for Brody to share his feelings without Hayley shrugging it off as a joke. 

Convincing her Brody can, and did, fall for the “Funny Fat Friend” turns out to be harder than simply falling in love.

My Thoughts:
Brody's into his brother's ex. The ex his brother cheated on. Hayley is there and willing to help, but the problem is, the more she helps and spends time with him, the more he needs to spend time with her. It's quickly obvious to him where his feelings really lie, the trick is convincing her.
In typical Cassie Mae (aka Becca Ann) fashion, this book is lighthearted, fun and charming. It's an easy read, not in the sense that it's simple, but that it flows well and has a great voice that grabs you and holds on as you can't help but flick through the pages.
Brody is a sweet guy with his heart in the right place. His biggest problem is that he's terrified of being like his biological dad and brother. Except everyone knows he's not "that guy."
Hayley is a girl everyone considers chubby, and always sticks in the friend zone. I think we all know a girl like that, or have felt that way at some time or another. But she's strong, and despite her family issues, she's still such a bright spark, which is what draws Brody to her.
I'm never disappointed by a Mae/Ann read, and this book is no exception. She is easily one of my favorite YA authors, and if I need something fun and light, I always know exactly where to turn.

Review: Souls Entwined by Ann B. Cole

From Goodreads:

When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty pirate who is determined to seek revenge. Gretta and Sam must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own lives—or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring’s curse. 




My Thoughts:
I've had this sitting on my Kindle for a long time, but it kept getting pushed back. Anne was a contestant in Aussie Owned and Read's Pitcharama a few years back, which is where she got this book deal. I've been intrigued to read it ever since.
In the beginning, we see several women in the PIT, a limbo state as they wait to be freed by their descendants. A curse has been placed on their family, and they are determined to have it broken.
Enter Sam, a smart young man who has lost his way since his mother's death. He dropped out of college to care for his father, and lives each day missing his mother. Until Gretta literally stumbles into his life. She's part of the cursed family, and together, they are sent back to observe the events leading to the curse in hopes of finding a way to break it.
I don't know if anyone out there has played Assassin's Creed, or at least knows the concept. To me, this has a similar feel. The main character are sent back in time to figure out the answers for current day problems. I love the set of the Grecian Islands, along with the action of pirates blended with romance.
My complaint would be the perspectives sometimes feel jumpy, and there were times I had to go back to figure out who said what.
I have a feeling with this open ending this is the first book in a series. If not, I'm pretty bummed. I want to see what happens with Sam and Gretta.
This book has a steady flow, slow in some places, but in general I enjoyed the pace and the action, and the characters captured my heart.

Cover Reveal: Link by Summer Wier

As I've said in the past, I LOVE Summer, and this book is fantastic. I read a earlier version, so I'm excited to see the final product.
About Link:
For seventeen-year-old Kira, there’s no better way to celebrate a birthday than being surrounded by friends and huddled beside a campfire deep in the woods. And with a birthday in the peak of summer, that includes late night swims under the stars.Or at least, it used to.Kira’s relaxing contemplation of the universe is interrupted when a piece of it falls, colliding with her and starting a chain of events that could unexpectedly lead to the one thing in her life that's missing—her father.Tossed into a pieced-together world of carnivals and gypsies, an old-fashioned farmhouse, and the alluring presence of a boy from another planet, Kira discovers she’s been transported to the center of a black hole, and there’s more to the story than science can explain. She’s now linked by starlight to the world inside the darkness. And her star is dying.If she doesn’t return home before the star’s light disappears and her link breaks, she’ll be trapped forever. But she’s not the only one ensnared, and with time running out, she’ll have to find a way to save a part of her past and a part of her future, or risk losing everything she loves.
Dreamy, fluid, and beautiful, LINK pairs the mystery of science fiction with the minor-key melody of a dark fantasy, creating a tale that is as human as it is out of this world.Add Link to goodreads
About The Author: Summer Wier grew up spending Saturdays with a maxed out library card and her nose in a book. But as much as she loved reading, and even writing, both took the back seat when it came to career choices. With her sights set on law school, corporate greatness, and even a hankering to become the first female president, she set off to conquer the world. As life would have it, though, she didn’t attend law school, nor did she become president (although, one day, your vote may be appreciated), finding her strengths, instead, in accounting and business management. After finishing her MBA, she revived her love for reading and began writing with dreams of finishing a book of her own. When Summer isn’t working, reading, or writing, she’s trying to keep up with two energetic girls and her husband, and dreaming of the mountains of Montana.LINK is her debut young adult sci-fi novel, the first in THE SHADOW OF LIGHT trilogy.Find more of Author Summer Wier on her website, twitter, facebook, or goodreads.

Teaser Tuesday #9

Deceptive Cadence comes out on the 30th, which is next week! So here's some teasers!(You can pre-order it now!)

Cover Reveal: Sun-Kissed Summer by Marta Brown

Publication date: July 2015 Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Summer can change everything.
For shy, bookish Katie Quinn, it just might after an accidental mix-up at the airport on the way to visit her grandparents for the summer leaves her stuck with the wrong suitcase. One full of short shorts, high heels, and absolutely nothing she would normally dare to wear. Until she realizes her newfound look has garnered the attention of Key West’s biggest hottie, Brad-freaking-Garrison, and might just give her the one thing she’s always dreamed of—an epic summer romance.
A romance her summertime best friend only wishes he could give her. But for Oliver, getting Katie to see him as more than just some dumb jock isn’t going to be easy after he agrees to compete against Brad in a kite-surfing competition. And if Brad has any say in it, the prize is Katie herself.
With more than just a contest on the line and a friendship at stake, will this be the summer Katie finds her footing, even if it is in someone else’s shoes?  Will Oliver finally get the courage to tell Katie how he really feels and get out of the friend-zone for good? Or, like a kite in a hurricane, will everything they’ve ever hoped for be lost in the storm?


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25706601-sun-kissed-summer

AUTHOR BIO:Marta Brown grew up in the Pacific Northwest and was a teenager when Doc Martens, Pearl Jam and flannel were the norm, and Dylan loved Kelly forever. (Beverly Hills, 90210 shout out!)

She still lives just outside Seattle, now with her husband and cat, and loves the rain.

When she’s not writing about cute boys, first kisses and the magic and wonder of being seventeen, she’s watching The CW. And she sleeps in. Late.
Author Links:https://twitter.com/martabrownbookshttp://www.martabrownbooks.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4756509.Marta_Brown

My Summer Reads!

I've seen a few of these floating around, so I thought I might pull one together. I've already read a few, like Sachael Dreams and Night of Pan (You can find my reviews by clicking the tab above) but here are the ones at the top of my list to read. Hopefully I'll get time to read them between my three releases and having a baby! I have every intention of cramming while in the hospital.

Here we go!



Souls Entwined
I've had this sitting on my Kindle for a long time, but it keeps getting pushed back. Not any more! Anne was a contestant in Aussie Owned and Read's Pitcharama a few years back, which is where she got this book deal.
Anne is a doll, and I'm eager to see where this time travel romance goes.









Altar of Reality
This is written by a good friend of mine, Mara. I helped her prepare the first few chapters for Curiosity Quills, and have been dying to finish it ever since. It's like a dystopian, but not. I'm intrigued to see what this story does.




Fight for Me (The Tate Chronicles #2)
I started this series a few months back with book 1, Fall For Me, then read the two novellas. You can find my reviews for them under my reviews tab above. So, since I have started it, I want to continue the story.
Plus, it's set in Australia. Can't beat that.









Reasons I Fell For The Funny Fat Friend
Cassie Mae (aka Becca Ann) is always a treat to read. Her characters are witty, quirky, and have voices that pop off the pages. I have no doubt this novel will be the same.
And bonus, they're pretty clean too. I feel safe reading and sharing Cassie's books.









Broken Forest
This is another one of those books I've had sitting on my kindle forever that keeps getting pushed back. Again, I'm making this one a priority. Eliza has been a wonderful support and is a great person, so I really need to get on this one. We were actually signed about the same time by the same person! Crazy, huh? I don't read much fantasy, but this doesn't seem too heavy, and has strong family elements that I enjoy.

Review: Night of Pan by Gail Strickland

From Goodreads:
The slaughter of the Spartan Three Hundred at Thermopylae, Greece 480 BCE—when King Leonidas tried to stop the Persian army with only his elite guard—is well known. But just what did King Xerxes do after he defeated the Greeks?

Fifteen-year-old Thaleia is haunted by visions: roofs dripping blood, Athens burning. She tries to convince her best friend and all the villagers that she’s not crazy. The gods do speak to her.

And the gods have plans for this girl.

When Xerxes’ army of a million Persians marches straight to the mountain village Delphi to claim the Temple of Apollo’s treasures and sacred power, Thaleia’s gift may be her people’s last line of defense.

Her destiny may be to save Greece...
...but is one girl strong enough to stop an entire army?


My Thoughts:
Night of Pan is a fascinating tale about the Oracle of Delphi and her rise to her position during a tumultuous and well renowned time of Greek history. It follows Thaleia as she runs from her wedding and meets the god Pan. This meeting changes the course of her life as she soon comes to realize she is the mouthpiece of the gods, and has the ability to potentially save Greece from the Persians.
This is not a YA read, it's definitely more adult with the heavy internal dialogue and overly flowery language. Although it's not as "mature" as an adult book, I think young readers could easily get bored and distracted by the lack of action verses the heavy description and lyrical language. In my opinion, it feels like I've walked into a high school history class, and while some teens might love this, I think the majority won't. This "heavy" writing, although beautiful and poetic, makes the pace slow. The story doesn't get to the actual war until after halfway through the novel. *spoiler*
Being a history nerd, I wasn't surprised by her youthful engagement to a considerably older man. This goes along with supporting the rest of the historical aspects in showing accuracy and establishing how different the setting is to our modern culture. I can't fault the history. But the fact that Thaleia ran away from the arrangement shows how reckless she is, and how she refuses to conform, a potentially dangerous trait in her time. In fact, it made me struggle to place her in that time. She feels too much like a modern day high school girl, whereas culturally the norm would be for her to be ready to marry and be a mother. This, among other examples of Thaleia's behavior, clashes with how historically accurate the rest of the book reads. It's like a contemporary YA character has been placed into a thesis or journal. Separately they are great, but together it's a bit jarring.
As I said, the writing is beautiful, and imagery colorful. It tells a well known tale from history through a new perspective.

Review: The Actuator 1.5: Borderlands Anthology

From Goodreads:
When the Actuator breaks the earth into a patchwork of altered realities, the remaining Machine Monks begin looking for the Keys to put it back. In the meantime, everyone in the world has been transformed without knowing why. This collection tells about some of the people struggling to deal with the change.

In “Remembering Emily,” by Sara Wolf, Daniel must rescue his distant girlfriend from danger. Worse, she might forget him.

Matthew Cox explores Cyberpunked China in "Stolen Orchid,” where a man finds his wife has become a ghost. His only hope is to cross the border to an unfamiliar realm.

In “The Blackbird’s Tale,” Dan Willis tells of a Machine Monk named David, who works his way through Chicago’s noir scene to find an Actuator Key.

Nathan Yocum gives us “The Dream Journal of Oren Smith Wessely,” in steampunk Arizona where his dreams suddenly come to life.

Mara Valderran’s “The Austenation” crosses Pride and Prejudice with werewolves so the young heroine is forced to do the unthinkable and take matters into her own hands.

In “Escape,” by Patrick Burdine, a group of teenagers are caught in a motherless town where all the fathers have turned into faceless, soul-sucking monsters.

“The Ritual,” by Whitney Trang, is a haunted house in Japan where a ghost seeks to sacrifice a young woman’s sister to save his family.

“The Gatekeepers of Change” is James Pratt’s chronicle of the awakening of great power in a man preparing to enact terrible plans.

“The Ringer” is Craig Nybo’s tale about a detective in New Orleans facing zombies and other undead monsters as he assists a client in taking on her crime lord husband.

A Soviet soldier guarding Chernobyl, in Jason Purdy’s “Anna and Lena,” must escape the poisoning by crossing an unknown border.

Jenny Persson brings us a teen in Viking Sweden in “Once upon a Frozen North,” who looks to the steampunk airships just across the border as a means for her escape.

Jay Wilburn tells of drug addicted Travis, in “Halfway,” who finds the sanctuary of the sanitarium suddenly turns violent.

The author Juhi’s “The Search for Punarnav” takes us to India, where a man seeks to become a healer despite the dangerous Hindu mythologies suddenly made real.

Jason A. Anderson brings us “15 Seconds of Fame,” in Steampunk London where a detective risks everything to save a child from her mob boss father.

In “Forever Young,” Wilbert Stanton explores the fate of an old man who finds himself young again, after paying his life’s savings to gain admission into an exclusive realm.

Finally, James Wymore’s tale, “Cult of the Actuation,” continues the story from book 1, as Dragon Star takes on religious zealots, organized in the wake of the Change, who have taken one of the Machine Monks captive.

My Thoughts:
This is a DNF for me. Not that it was bad, more that I lacked motivation. It seems I'm not an anthology type person. But here are my thoughts on what I did read:
Remembering Emily - Great opening story. Sweet ending.
Stolen Orchid - Well written, but I'm not into cyber punk.
The Blackbird's Tale - A bit longer than the first two. This one delves into the Actuator story, while also giving a classic 30's/mobster crime tale. Enjoyed.
The Dream Journal of Oren Smith Wessely - Again, not really my genre, but well written.
The Austenation - I thought this one was fun. An interesting spin on Pride and Prejudice with werewolves.

Teaser Tuesday #8

These are from Krystal Wade

Cover Reveal: The Glass Mermaid by Poppy Lawless

Release Date: 07/14/15Love Potion Books
Summary from Goodreads:
Kate

I'm the last mermaid.
I’m back on shores of Lake Erie, but the cold waters are silent. There is nothing here for me but ghosts and the beach glass that litters the rocky shore. Long ago, I lived below the waves. Now, I am the sole survivor, and at long last, my mermaid glamour is leaving me.
Every day, I walk the beach. Every day, I wonder what happened to my people. The little pieces of colored glass that wash ashore give me simple pleasure. They are gifts from the lake, reminders of home. I fashion them into trinkets: necklaces, earrings, bracelets. They are beautiful things. The humans seem love them.
Every day, I walk the beach. Nothing ever changes, until the day he says hello.
Cooper
I’m dying.
It’s not a question, it’s a fact. The cancer is eating me alive. They told me I have six months to live, maybe less. I came home, back to Chancellor on Lake Erie, to die. The sunsets are vivid there, and I will relish every one.
I've never seen anything more beautiful than a Lake Erie sunset until I see her.
All life is fragile as glass.
What would you sacrifice to save the one you love?

About the AuthorRomance author. Cupcake connoisseur. Certified herbalist. Beach bum. Fan of all things Starbucks. Holistic healing advocate. Surfer girl wanna-be. Lost guru. Maker of dandelion wine. Counselor. Paranormal buff. Etsy addict. Secretly Jedi. So not a geek girl. Gifted in sarcasm. Hot wife. Ninja mom. And now, I'm ready to share a whole head full of witty, mouthy, smart, lovely, heart-warming, and hot characters with the world. Are you ready?

Poppy Lawless is the author of the forthcoming series Love & Chocolate releasing in 2015 and The Glass Mermaid. Poppy holds degrees in English and Psychology. She is a counselor in the field of mental health and is a trained herbalist. Poppy's new series blends the best of romance with a Practical Magic or contemporary Bewitched appeal.
Author Links:      

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