Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 95

Review: Switched by Cassie Mae

From Goodreads: Ever since high school, Kayla has been crazy for gorgeous football player Talon. But before she could muster the courage to tell him, he became a hot item with her beautiful BFF, Reagan. The only person who knows Kayla’s secret is Wesley, Talon’s best bud—and he’s got it bad for Reagan. Now they’re all in college together, hanging out 24/7. For Kayla, seeing the two lovebirds together is absolutely unbearable. So Kayla and Wesley hatch a plot to drive them apart before Talon has a chance to give Reagan the Christmas gift she’s been waiting for.

Soon enough, the once happy couple is fighting. Reagan suddenly can’t get enough of Wesley’s goofy sense of humor, and Talon seems to be paying more attention to Kayla than a guy who’s “only a friend” ever should. But just when everything seems to be falling into place, Kayla and Wesley accidentally spend a night together and discover a hitch in their plan they never considered: that switching partners may not lead to a perfect ending after all.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

This book! Ugh! All the feels. So Kayla at first irritated the snot out of me. She is so smitten with Talon, this stereotype of a jock and has been for years, but she can't even talk to him. She doesn't seem to have anything else to her personality for quite some time. She had no balls, no confidence, and never stood up for herself. But... I'll get back to this thought...
Reagan, yeah, I still don;t like her. She is seriously the worst best friend ever. Ever. I don't care about her intentions, she's still the worst. Ever. She was irritating throughout. I'd have ditched her in a heartbeat. In high school.
Talon had a fairly blah personality. He was nice and stuff, but nothing particularly outstanding.
But Wesley was what kept me reading from the beginning. If it wasn't from him, Kayla's annoying obsession with Talon, who was Reagan's boyfriend, would have made me quit. But he made it all interesting.
All that being said... I love this book! Once Kayla finally starts to show non-obsessed character traits, I really liked her and felt for her. I wanted her to deck Reagan most of the time, and wanted to open her eyes and see Wesley. Although I saw the end coming when Talon and Reagan broke up, I still wanted to smack Reagan. But Wesley, yup, he's pretty much the reason everyone should read this book. Once I got into it, it was hard to put down and I was thinking about it when I wasn't reading.

Review: A Long Time (And at One Point Illegal) Crush by Janette Rallison

From Amazon: From the day Elsie’s big brother brought his friend Kye McBride over to their house, Elsie adored him. When she was eight she secretly blew kisses to him. When she was twelve she sat on the stairs, unnoticed, and watched him escort another girl to prom. When she was a senior in high school, she walked into math class and found out he was her new math teacher.

With that much emotion fueling her, things were bound to go wrong. And they did. Elsie not only spent the last two weeks of school avoiding him, she turned avoiding-Kye-at-all-costs into her life-long philosophy.

Now three years have passed and Elsie has come home for her brother’s wedding. She’s got to face Kye-–hopefully without getting crushed again.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and let me say, it was definitely worth it. Its a quick, feel good read about a love story that was "meant" to be. Elsie has loved Kye since she was eight and he was fourteen. But when he came back to teach at her school her senior year, her feelings became, as the title says, illegal.
Both handled the awkward situation badly but in a completely understandable way. I think the author did a great job at getting into a teenage girl's head and understanding the conflict she would hold.
I read this in about three hours, but they were worth it. After feeling stuck in a rut with my reading material, this definitely brightened my day.

Blog Tour: Life A.D by Michelle E. Reed

In Life, A.D. you have two choices: join the program or face the consequences.Seventeen-year-old Dez Donnelly crashes headlong into fate on the side of a rural highway, her life ending in a violent collision of steel and screaming brakes. The train that delivers her newly departed soul to the crossroads of the afterlife won’t be carrying her to the sweet hereafter until she accepts her abrupt end and learns to let go of the life she’ll never finish.Her new reality is conduct manuals, propaganda, and unrelenting staff, all part of a system to ease her transition from life to death, while helping her earn her way out of limbo. Atman City, beautiful and enticing, is an ever-present temptation that is strictly off limits to underage souls. The promise of adventure proves too strong, and beneath the city’s sheen of ethereal majesty, Dez discovers a world teeming with danger.Welcome to Life, A.D. where being dead doesn’t mean you’re safe, and the only thing harder than getting out of limbo is getting through it.

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ABOUT MICHELLE E. REED:
Michelle E. Reed was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully. Connect:  Website | Twitter |  Facebook | Goodreads


Giveaway Information: ·        -  Three (3) ebook copies of Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed (International)·         - One (1) signed paperback copy of Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed (US only)a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Dare to Breath by M. Homer

Can you learn to forget?
Sam is plagued by nightmares she can’t understand with dark visions of a past she suspects may be her own. When she moves into a new co-ed house, she is drawn to the handsome but aloof Nathan. The housemates welcome in Sam but all withhold their own secrets from her which she knows she needs to unravel to truly understand Nathan. But her past is destined to torment her, can she find the strength to face her fear?

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Author bio: Michela lives in the beautiful country of New Zealand with her very understanding husband, two children, two cats and one fat chocolate Labrador!

Michela has always loved reading and remembers one of her first books being "The Lord of The Rings" Trilogy which she read repeatedly. Her main passion however is writing books about young adult love. She loves to write stories about characters based on emotional struggles and how despite these, love can overcome all.
Michela loves hearing your feedback.
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Cover Reveal: I See London by Chanel Cleeton

February 3, 2014
Maggie Carpenter is ready for a change— and to leave her ordinary life in South Carolina behind. But when she accepts a scholarship to the International School in London, a university attended by the privileged offspring of diplomats and world leaders, Maggie might get more than she bargained for.
When Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the life she always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari, wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only problem? Another guy, the one she can’t seem to keep her hands off of.
Half French, half Lebanese, and ridiculously wealthy, Samir Khouri has made it clear he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything Maggie thought she wanted…and he’s everything she can’t resist. Torn between her dream guy and the boy haunting her dreams, Maggie has to fight for her own happy ending. In a city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in the blink of an eye.
This is a New Adult romance recommended for readers 17 and up.

AUTHOR NOTE ABOUT THE COVER:
I love, love, love this cover.  From the beginning I wanted an iconic London image.  I wanted something romantic, sexy, and adventurous that really captured the heart of the book.  We played around with a couple ideas, wanting to convey both the sexy NA feel and the unique setting.  It was a tough cover- my hero is half Lebanese, so finding stock images was a challenge.  Harlequin was amazing to work with and I was so lucky to have tons of input.  I actually created my own cover and sent it over to them and they did a beautiful job of taking my idea and improving on it tenfold!  There's this line in I SEE LONDON about London nights being full of adventure and possibilities.  That will always be London for me and I think this cover represents that spirit perfectly.  What do you think? 
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Originally a Florida girl, at seventeen Chanel moved to London to attend an international university.  In the four years that followed, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, learned how to dance, travelled through Europe, and made lifelong friendships.  Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever.  But fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise, when an American fighter pilot with smooth dance moves, swept her off her feet.  Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in South Korea.  An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she is happiest curled up with a book.  She has a weakness for handbags, puppy cuddles, and her fighter pilot husband.  Chanel writes New Adult contemporary romances and Young Adult thrillers.  Her New Adult debut, I SEE LONDON, will be released by Harlequin (HQN) on February 3, 2014, followed by a sequel, LONDON FALLING, later in the year.
Website:   www.chanelcleeton.comFacebook:   www.facebook.com/authorchanelcleetonTwitter:   www.twitter.com/chanelcleetonGoodreads:   www.goodreads.com/chanelcleeton


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Cover Reveal: Waiting on my Reason by Devon Ashley

I'm a little late getting this up today. My brain is higlty piglty lately. But, here it is!

Everything happens for a reason. I just wish I knew the why behind mine. 
Five years ago, graduation wasn’t what it was supposed to be. Publicly humiliated, Melanie was more than happy to kiss off her high school sweetheart. But in doing so, she lost more than just her boyfriend, she lost the only other guy she truly cared for – his best friend, Shane.

Shane loathed the idea of returning to his small hometown. He just wanted to get in, help his best friend manage a legal matter, and get the hell back out again. But he wasn’t expecting to run into the one girl who got away, who always held a piece of his heart despite the animosity that lingered. Melanie could’ve been the one, but after everything that happened, trust was a serious issue.

She just wanted to do right by her son. He just wanted to do right by his best friend. And just when they thought they could find the strength to forgive the sins of the past, more secrets and lies bubble to the surface, threatening to push them irrevocably apart.
Expected Publication: January 21st, 2014
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Blog Tour: Sleeper by S.M Johnson

Blurb: A new heart should mean new life, not a living nightmare.

Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, the two of them have the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares that have been plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull the high she’s on.

Things start to unravel as Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab. But she can’t ignore the instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed.

Torn between the blossoming love and the obsession, Mishca must decide if she wants Ryder or Colin. But the organization responsible for her changes and her connection to Colin, is moving to secure Mishca for himself so that she can be the weapon he always intended her to be. If Mishca can’t resist her programming she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance.


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Excerpt:
Someone will die so I can live. I’ve come to terms with that. It used to turn my stomach, how my donor might die, but now I’m used to it. It’ll most likely be a car accident or a drunken fall from a height, especially at this time of year, with all the end-of-school parties. But not from illness or any other “natural” causes. A violent, painful death will be my savior. That’s how I will get my new heart.I open my eyes and stare upwards, hoping the white, fluffy clouds that splotch against the blue sky will distract me from the images of people dying that flow through my head. I guess I’m not as used to the idea of getting someone else’s heart as I thought. The harsh Australian sun brings beads of sweat to my brow and a squint to my eyes. I swing my legs around and hoist myself upright on the stadium bleacher, looking out over the sports field. I readjust the singlet strap that had slipped off my shoulder and try to think happier thoughts. At least I won’t be responsible for the person who dies so I can get a new heart.Yeah, happier thoughts.I let out a sigh. This is not how I expected to be spending my schoolies week, with my dad as he puts hopeful rugby league players through their paces. My friends are all doing the traditional, Aussie, end-of-high-school celebration with a weeklong party, but instead of Airlie or the Gold Coast, they’re all in Bali, where I should be. It’s the big party to start our summer holidays before we find out which university we’ve been accepted into. When Mum and Dad found out I was at the top of the transplant list, they vetoed my November plans in case someone croaks this week. So all my friends left, minus me. I know it’s because Mum and Dad care. They’ve proved time and time again that you don’t need blood ties to be great parents, or overprotective ones.“All right, boys. That wraps it up for today,” Dad calls out to the pack of sweaty guys. “Hit the showers, and I’ll see you all tomorrow.”I do my best not to stare as the group heads towards me. Half of them are shirtless, their muscles glistening after the training session. Okay, so I’m staring. A cute, red-haired guy catches me looking and winks. So, I reward him with a smile. A guy from school, who obviously chose a potential sporting career over a party week, nudges Cutie Ginger and then shakes his head. I hold back a huff. I thought with the end of an era, I could have a fresh start, but my reputation looks like it will haunt me beyond high school. Mishca the untouchable.Dad lingers behind, deep in discussions with the managers and trainers, no doubt discussing the fates of the young men desperate to break into rugby league at a national level. They were all trying so hard to get Coach Tom Richardson’s attention. If only I had that many guys chasing after me. I wipe the sweat that’s formed at the edge of my almost afro, before it trickles down my brow. Yuck. Finally, Dad makes his way towards me, leaving his entourage behind.“So, any contenders in your latest batch of victims?” I ask, picking up my discarded copy of West Side Story. I’d been rereading my university audition piece, torturing myself on how I could have performed it better. I wish I had tried out for plays at school, but I was a closet actor, only performing in drama class for fear that somehow my weak disposition would get in the way. But next year will be different. A new heart and new hope.“There may be some. Tomorrow will be the clincher,” Dad replies, humouring me. He knows I’m not that interested in his latest player acquisitions. He puts his hand on my shoulder.. “I’ve got to grab some paperwork from the office before we go.”“Sure thing,” I say to his back as he retreats up the tunnel under the stadium. I trudge behind him, my book clutched in my hand.With each step the tips of my curls brush lightly against my bare shoulders. It tickles and I regret agreeing with Mum to grow my hair out. I shove my hands into the pockets of my denim shorts and focus on the cool shade I’ll get once I’m inside.My nose wrinkles the moment I step in the door. The whole place smells like dude, and not in a good way, but in the male equivalent of a stinky, wet dog way. I walk down the corridor and lean against the cool cement wall outside Dad’s office.My heart transplant operation is like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, only there’s no countdown to watch. Evil thoughts invade my mind again, only now about my parents. Would they still have wanted to adopt me if they’d have known I had a congenial heart disease, or in simpler terms, a hole in my heart?“That girl was hot. Who was she? I could love on some brown sugar.”I squee inside, hoping that’s the Ron Weasley look-a-like voice floating down from the locker room.“Seriously, don’t go there. Apart from the fact she’s Coach Richardson’s daughter, she’s got a broken heart, and I mean literally. Mishca couldn’t even do sports at school cause it might’ve killed her. There’s no way you can hit that. She might die on you during sex, and then you’d be left fucking a corpse.”“Thanks, man. Dodged a bullet there.”I suck in a breath and run back down the corridor towards the seating. Anger and sadness fight within me. Part of me wants to breakdown and cry while the other half wants to scream and pummel any guy that comes near me. Instead, I throw my playbook onto a chair and curl my fists in balls of rage and stand rigid and still.

Review Snippets:
“SLEEPER is a fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, romance, action, and humor. Mishca and Ryder rank up there with my favorite heroines and heroes ever! S.M. Johnston is an author to watch out for.” ~Wendy Higgins, author of Sweet Evil, Sweet Peril, and Sweet Reckoning.

About the Author:

Sharon is a writer from Mackay in Queensland, Australia who has short stories published in anthologies and was also runner-up in the Australian Literary Review's Young Adult short story contest with KARMA. By day she is a public relations executive and by night she writes weird fiction and soulful contemporaries while her husband, two sons and cat are fast asleep.Facebook  Twitter  Website  Blog  Goodreads  Goodreads Sleeper Page







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Blog Tour: Copied by S. M. Anderson

Adopted off the black market, Alexander Mitchell, has no idea his DNA is copyrighted and property of military weapons giant Texacom Defense. Nor that his DNA is being used to develop an army of clones.
When the company discovers he was not properly disposed of 17 years ago, they send an assassin copy, BETA23, to terminate Xan and cover it up After he narrowly escapes BETA23’s first attempt, Xan teams up with Lacey, a genetically engineered genius he’s surprised to find common ground with— only they’re awkward together. Half of the time she stares at Xan like the science project he is and the other half…let’s just say Xan can’t keep his eyes off her lips.
When they manage to capture a company copy by luck and sheer stupidity on Xan’s part, Lacey is determined to see the good in their prisoner to the point she believes BETA23 can be persuaded to give them the intelligence they need to keep the company forever off Xan’s back. Xan’s not sure if he can trust the darker version of himself, not when it means gambling with the lives of his family and the possibility of losing Lacey.
 
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 S. M. Anderson (Sarah Anderson) was born in Lima, Peru. She has lived in seven different countries, on five continents, and speaks a smattering of languages. As a child and even young adult, writing and reading were difficult for her, so difficult that she received extra help outside the classroom and was diagnosed with a learning disability. However, she always loved stories, especially ethnic folktales from the countries she lived in. It was the desire to create stories of her own that fueled her determination to overcome the challenges that came with writing. She has a BA in Art Education from BYU, with a minor in Russian, and a love of power tools.  She has a growing family of three kids and currently lives in Springville, Utah.      




Target Audience/Markets
Copied will find a home in the hearts of readers who enjoyed Divergent and the TV show Heroes. The novel contains enough action to engross male readers with a romantic subplot that will captivate the fairer sex. Although Copied’’s main target audience is teenagers the core of the story deals with ethical dilemmas that will trigger a crossover appeal to more mature readers.  
 
Reviews
“Unique and captivating story about a boy who discovers he isn’t who he thought he was.  In fact, there isn’t only one of him. And when faced with a very different version of himself, he is forced to look within and decide who he wants to be. Sometimes it takes looking at oneself, literally in this case, to become who you want to be. I can’t think of many things that would totally freak me out, but running into a copy of myself—a copy that is so unlike me—would top the list. The theme that no one is as they seem permeates this novel.   Copied is full of compelling characters that are easy to care about and root for. They are not cookie-cutter, bumbling teens, but smart, strong, and proactive. I had to finish in a hurry to discover how it would turn out for them.   You won’t be able to put it down as the mysteries of these teens’ lives unfold. It may even have you questioning who you are and where you came from.   A chilling tale of nature vs. nurture, the power of trusting, and the belief in the transformative power of kindness to change who we are. The underlying theme that we can choose to be whoever we want to be, despite what we’ve been taught, screams from the pages of Copied.   I highly recommend this clean, intriguing novel--don't miss it.”
-Cindy M. Hogan, author of the Watched trilogy.
 
"Copied by S. M. Anderson was a fresh, exciting novel that seamlessly wove together elements of science fiction with our everyday world. Not only was it a great read, but it got me thinking--what makes a person truly unique, and what would happen if that uniqueness was challenged? I definitely recommend it."  
- Tristi Pinkston, freelance editor and author

Release: Death of the Body by Rick Chiantaretto

Today is the release day of Death of the Body by Rick Chiantaretto!


Purchase on Amazon     Purchase on B&N    Purchase on Kobo
Come celebrate the release of Death of the Body on Facebook on Saturday  December 14, 2013!
Title:  Death of the Body (Crossing Death #1)
Author:  Rick Chiantaretto
Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy
I grew up in a world of magic. By the time I was ten I understood nature, talked to the trees, and listened to the wind. When the kingdom of men conquered my town, I was murdered by one of my own—the betrayer of my kind. But I didn't stay dead.
I woke to find myself in a strange new world called Los Angeles. The only keys to the life I remembered were my father’s ring, my unique abilities, and the onslaught of demons that seemed hell-bent on finding me. Now I must learn who I really am, protect my friends, get the girl, and find my way back to my beloved hometown of Orenda.


About Rick Chiantaretto

I’ve often been accused of having done more in my life than the average 30 year old, but if I were completely honest I’d have to tell you my secret: I’m really 392.

So after all this time, I’m a pretty crappy writer.

 I have one book published but out of print, one coming out soon, and a bunch half written (when you have eternity, where’s the reason to rush?). I’ve been favorably reviewed by horror greats like Nancy Kilpatrick, and my how-to-write-horror articles have been quoted in scholarly (aka community college freshmen’s) papers.

 I enjoy the occasional Bloody Mary, although a Bloody Kathy or Susan will suffice.

 Mostly, I just try to keep a low profile so people don’t figure out who I REALLY am.

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Review: Everybody's Got a Story by Heather Wardell

From Goodreads:
Both personally and professionally, Alexa knows all too well the power of words. Two years after her boyfriend Christophe's vicious attack, she's still trying to see herself as more than simply 'his victim', still trying to figure out her own story.

After his trial, she moves from New York City to Toronto in an attempt to start over, but his words cling to her and even in a new country she can't see how to move into relationships with the new people in her life while hiding the secret of Christophe's worst offense.

She can't hide that secret from her coworker Jake, though, because the news buff has recognized her from the coverage of the assault and trial and knows every word she can't bring herself to say about her ordeal.

With Jake's help, can Alexa reclaim her story and her life?

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

My feelings on this book are fairly neutral. I liked it, but that's it. I don't regret reading it by any means, but it didn't grab me and keep me flipping pages for hours on end and late into the night.
The main character, Alexa, has certainly gone through something truly awful, and is coming out the other end of it. It's her story about how she moves on and allows herself to trust and love again. It was nice and dealt with the issue respectfully and with taste.
Internal dialogue got a bit heavy in places, which frustrated me in scenes where I wanted to just get to the point. But aside from that, the writing was good.
I'd recommend it for people who want a light, HEA book.