Laura McCarthy Benson's Blog, page 16

Books!

So 2012 was a good year for reading. I read 205 books and some of them were just absolutely breathtaking. I'm hoping 2013 is going to be the same in the quality of books. There are so many new authors out there that I just cannot recommend enough. So I'm going to mix it up a bit and tell you about some books I've read toward the end of the year and the beginning of the year.







If you want a sweeping, brilliant historical love story, then you must read this one. I fell in love with Tatiana and Alexander. Set in the backdrop of Hitler's invasion of Russia, you feel the cold, the hell, and the total destruction of Leningrad. Tatiana is considered a whisp of a girl, but she has a heart of steel and will do anything for love and her family. Falling in love with the same guy that her sister has been gushing about wasn't what she wanted to do, but then again, he fell in love with her too. However, as a soldier in the Russian army, he's away more than he is around. But everything he does, he does for Tatiana.



This book had me in tears and hoping for a happily ever after, but are there any in wars? Highly recommend!







This is one of those self-published, mature young adult, new adult genres that is rolling around out there. But what I liked about this book is the heart. Kacey was involved in a horrible accident several years ago that killed both her parents, her boyfriend and her best friend. Since then she and her sister (who was not in car) are shipped to their aunt and uncle's house. Kacey knows that she needs to get Olivia away from that house, so she takes her to Florida to start anew. At her new apartment she meets a young single mom and a hot, sexy neighbor.

Kacey starts to develop feelings for said neighbor and becomes good friends with the young mom. From there, Kacey must face her fears and her past. But everything is about to explode when sexy neighbor Trent isn't exactly who he says he is.



I loved this book so much and although Kacey's story ends, KA will be continuing on with Olivia's story. Looking forward to that one too.





Blaire Wynn mom has passed away and she has headed to her father's current wife's house. But there she meets her horrible step-brother, Rush and his sister. Rush's dad is a rock star, so the house is actually his. When Blaire shows up and her father is gone on vacation, she is treated quite rudely. While having a gorgeous stepbrother with a standoffish sister, Blaire realizes that things aren't as they seem. As her relationship with Rush grows, the secret of her life and the life around her is brought crashing down around her.



I've always had a hard time getting into Abbi's books. I really don't like the SEA BREEZE series. Just don't. Enjoyed THE VINCENT BROTHERS series. But this one really impressed me. Her writing is getting much stronger and the editing is much, much better.





Colleen Hoover is my new favorite author. Her writing is so strong and so on point. This book will give you goosebumps it's so good. As much as I loved her SLAMMED series (and there will be a third book!), this one is completely different. When Dean Holder sees Sky in a grocery store, he's sure that he knows her from somewhere, but cannot place it. When Sky informs him that she has never met him, he won't give up. Breaking down the walls that Sky has built up around her, Holder will do everything he can to get Sky to remember certain things from her past. And some things should very well stay there.



A brilliant story that reduced me to tears and had me shaking my fist at times. Sky and Holder are the couple to beat.





Oh such a provocative cover and title! But it's true! Caroline Reynold's lives next door to a wallbanger! And every night a new girl is brought over to her neighbor's apartment to apparently help bang the walls (wink wink). Poor Caroline has lost her 'O' and listening to her neighbor's sexual escapades night after night is not helping the cause. But it gets even worse when she meets said neighbor, Simon Parker. Of course he's gorgeous and she's only dressed in a very little nighty, because his wallbanging is keeping her up and causing her cat distress (best cat ever!). Alice Clayton writes with such humor and class that you can't help but love every character in the book. Especially Clive, the cat.



Can Simon help Caroline achieve the 'O' or is she destined to remain 'O'less? Obviously this book is for the mature crowd. But so worth it!





Every now and then, comes a book that completely blows you away. Yep, this one was it. Gorgeous cover and gorgeous story. Camryn needs to get away. She doesn't know where she's going, but she cannot stay in NC any longer, so she purchases a bus ticket to nowhere. However, when she runs into Andrew, her plans go awry.  As they start to learn about each other and where they are heading, love blooms. Andrew's dad is dying. Camryn's boyfriend was killed in a car accident, death is what brings these two together. But it may be short lived when Andrew ends up in the hospital and in a coma due to a brain tumor.



Oh this book causes UGLY tears. Just when you think you know everything, it throws a wrench into story and you haven't a clue where you're ending up. Just a fantastic story that I could read again and again.





This book had me in hysterics way too many times. I was laughing out loud so many times my 9 year old would tell me to stop! Even though it's comedy of errors, there is a story here. Claire is a college student when she drunkenly gives up her v-card to a complete stranger, and much to her dismay, after she leaves, never learns his name, she finds out she's pregnant. Skip forward to four years and with a 4 yo, a best friend who wants to open up a sex toy shop, Claire agrees, as long as she can open up a bakery/pastry/candy shop next door.



All Carter knows is the girl that took his heart smelled of chocolate. And for four years he's been searching for that girl. When a chance encounter brings him face to face with Claire, he doesn't remember her. Plus, he's drunk. Things get even worse, when he realizes he has a four year old son with a mouth like a truck driver. However, Carter will do anything and everything to make good to Claire and falling in love with her is just on that ticket.  The four year old is absolutely hysterical. The best friends are too funny that you will be laughing at every page. Tara Sivec can write comedy. There are two other books in the series, but I honestly though this one was the best.

Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, OH MY!

Oh, Vampires! How I have loved you since I was a little girl and saw my first Dracula movie when I was four years old in a movie theatre with my babysitter! (Um, yeah, she got in trouble for taking me!). But with the way that vampire books, movies and just pop culture altogether have been going, I think I'm done with my vampire fettish. WHAT? I know, I know, how can I give something up that I've loved for 40 years?



Actually, it's quite easy. It's called over-saturation of the vampire market. Everywhere you look, there is another vampire story popping up. Some good, some dreadfully awful. We have sexy vampires, we have sparkly vampires and we have vampires that can't seem to get enough sex that we all want one ourselves! But we know that vampires don't really exist. Only in our very greedy imaginations do they exist. Dracula is portrayed as a lover who is destined to find his better half for all eternity. Edward is portrayed as a lover who is destined to find his better half for all eternity. Same with Damon and Stefan, Bones, all the BDB's etc... Sure we love the erotic stories that take us into this dark, blood read world of sex and blood and gore. True Blood introduced it to our living rooms. One of my all-time favorite vampire series which when you think about it is less about vampires and more about growing up, falling in love, losing the love of your life, trying to move on with another person, but it's just not the same and then you're accused of murder! Is the Vampire Academy series. There's just so much going in these books that vampirism really just takes a back seat. Rose is like Buffy. She's strong-willed, she'll kill the person she has to to save a race. Of course, like Buffy, she tends to make misstep after misstep when it comes to the person she loves. But that's neither here nor there.  Basically what I'm saying is that love with vampires has been slowly dwindling. Oh, I have no doubt another vampire series will come along (hopefully in a few years) and my love with return bigger and stronger than ever.







I've never been a huge werewolf fan. I mean really, who wants to fall in love with a half man/half dog? Just never really intrigued me. Oh, yes, I've read several were books. Shiver, Linger, Forever. I didn't really care for them. They were destined to be the next Twilight, but then again, everything that was published in '07, '08, '09 was destined to be the next one. Oh they did extraordinarily well, but just not for me. I do enjoy the Patricia Briggs' series enough. I like the dynamic between and alpha and his pack. Yes, I like a sexy alpha male, but they don't have to be dogs to be one. Any man who wants to take charge and growl at me, hell yeah! Just don't become a slobbery mess. I don't need a Jacob-like person to make me whole or to imprint on me. My first run-in with werewolves was a book that was probably written in the 70's, it was also made into a movie, The Howling. I read the book, saw the movie, again, never really made me love werewolves as much as I loved vampires. Sorry dogs, I love you as pets, not as a love interest. So that brings me to...







I will never, ever understand the zombie love-fest. I'm sorry, I don't get it. Oh, I watch The Walking Dead and I enjoy it enough, but I don't see the appeal. I've read a few zombie books and to me they've been "meh". I will say that one of my favorite zombie books that is also a bizarre love story is Lia Habel's series, Gone with the Respiration. Those books pack so much into one series. It's sci-fi, it's dystopian, it's steampunk, it's Victorian, it's progressive, it's a love story, it's about freakin' zombies! But this one works. Because she is able to poke fun of the genre and her main character's Bram and Nora, while an unconventional lovers, work as well as Romeo & Juliet or Hamlet & Ophelia did. Is it a doomed affair? Well he's a zombie and she's proper Victorian lady in the year 2500 or somewhat! Now we have another book out, Warm Bodies, (of which I have not read), and the movie will be out soon. Now we are humanizing brain-eating zombies by having them fall in love and develop a conscience and conscious. Okay, okay, I'm contradicting myself because I love Lia Habel's books so much. But I love them because they don't take themselves seriously. She says, yeah, who the hell falls in love with a zombie? Oh, well the proper girl who's family pretty much started the whole damn thing. It's ironic. But with most zombie books we get a lot of the same. People running away from zombies, killing zombies, having to kill infected family members, etc... It gets a bit tiring, don't you think?



We deal with a lot of horror in our every day lives. Just watch the evening news and you hear of horrific stories on a daily basis. In our books, we try to humanize the bad person, make them pliable and lovable. Eh, on some level it works, on others it can be a total failure. I know that as long as there is a market for these books, people will gobble them up and keep buying. But for the time being, I think I'm done with the paranormal market. I had a great time reading those books and they will always hold a special place in my heart, but overdosing on things tends to go badly. I'll probably overdose on the mature YA market that is out there right now. The contemporary romance market is blowing up. Even some of the self-published authors out there that are becoming household names. We'll all overdose on our sexy tattooed bad boys, the ones who get caught cheating because they can't seem to commit. Or the good ones who try to walk us down the path of life. But for now, I'm going to enjoy some normalcy in a book. I don't need a sparkly vampire, a down-on-his-luck werewolf or a zombie with a heart.

Just One Day, Gayle Forman READATHON

Starting at 5pm until 5pm tomorrow night, there is a twitter readathon for Gayle's new book. Now if you read IF I STAY & WHERE SHE WENT, then you know this book will probably surpass those two.  I'm thinking of partaking in this twitter event #justoneday.



I loved IF IS STAY & WHERE SHE WENT. Both book really hit the heart hard and I can imagine that this one will do the same. I was lucky to get an early copy but never got around to reading it. I probably should've!



Oh, also after the 24 hours is up (7-8pm), Gayle will host a chat on Twitter as well! So if you have the book, why not have some fun tonight, if you don't have the book it's out for you purchase.



Have fun!

Cover Reveal: The Forgotten Ones, Laura Howard

I am sooooooooooooo happy to be able to bring this to you. I have been friends with Laura since 2008. And I mean we know each other personally. She was my midnight TWILIGHT buddy for movie 1, 2 and 3. (then she upped and moved to another state which upset me so much!) She's been there for me when I've been down and been there when I've been happy and vice versa.



I first heard about this book in 2008. So she's put her heart and soul into this story. I am so excited with the route she is taking to get this published and I hope that my readers will be excited for this one. Plus this cover is so flipping kick-ass awesome!



She is also offering a cool giveaway to people who share this. So please, fill out the rafflecopter that is found at the bottom of the post.



Laura, I wish you tons of luck with this book. I know I've read several different versions of this but have yet to see the final perfect one. I will be your biggest cheerleader!  Good luck, amazing cover and miss you!















Title: The Forgotten Ones

Author: Laura Howard

Genre: NA Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Expected release date: May 15, 2013

Age Group: New Adult

Cover Designer: Stephanie Mooney 








Book Description:





Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more.

When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.










Laura Howard | Facebook | Twitter






Share on Facebook and/or Twitter and you could win a $50 Amazon (or B&N) Gift card!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Edge of Never Blog Tour

Excerpt 1











We head over to the medicines and there’s a middle-aged couple standing in front of the cough syrup, reading the labels.





Andrew says casually, without lowering his voice, “Babe, did you find that yeast infection stuff?”





My eyes spring open and I freeze in front of the Tylenol.





He removes a small box of Advil from the shelf.





The couple pretends not to have heard what he said, but I know they heard him.





“I mean are you even sure that’s what’s causing the itch?” he goes on and I’m literally melting from the heat in my face.





The couple does glance over this time, covertly.





Andrew is grinning his ass off at me from the side, pretending to be reading labels.





I want to smack him, but instead, I play him at his own game.





“Yeah, baby I found it,” I say as casually as he had, “what about you? Did you see if they have extra-small sized condoms?”





The woman turns her head and looks right at him, up and down, and then she eyes me before going back to reading labels.





Andrew doesn’t break; somehow I knew he wouldn’t. He just smiles over at me, enjoying every second of this.





“One size fits all, baby,” he says, “I told you they fill out better when you can actually make it hard.”





A spitting noise bursts from between my lips followed by laughter.





The couple leaves the aisle.












About the Author







Author of THE DARKWOODS TRILOGY and DIRTY EDEN, mother, werewolf & zombie fanatic, book addict and a happy hermit obsessed with the Universe. Oh, and AMC’s “The Walking Dead”.


Addictions: Starbucks every morning, trolling Barnes & Noble’s shelves once a week, detesting winter, shopping flea markets and preparing for the collapse of society as we know it. Do I own a tin foil hat?

Maybe. :-)



I was born in Arkansas and have lived here most of my life, except the couple of times when I lived in Pennsylvania. I started my first novel at the age of thirteen and have been writing something ever since. Generally, I love characters in life and on paper. I pay attention to people, especially those whose personalities make them different from the rest of us: the drug addict roaming the Laundromat that talks to himself, the young, inattentive mother in the park with the meanest kid on the playground – (the entire cast of ‘Swamp People’) – characters fascinate me and I hope that it shows in my literary work.






J.A. Redmerski | Twitter | Facebook








Giveaway: (1) Signed paperback copy of THE EDGE OF NEVER, (1) Kindle or Nook copy, (1) sterling silver custom book pendant necklace $200 value. Open to United States and Canada only.





a Rafflecopter giveaway









Book description



Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart. 



Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.



With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.



But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart


Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction








Social Media links:

web site: http://jessicaredmerski.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRedmerski

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JRedmerski

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jredmerski/







Links to find/buy the book:




Amazon: 




The Edge of Never on Amazon





Barnes and Noble:





The Edge of Never on Barnes & Noble




Goodreads:  




The Edge of Never on Goodreads





Tour site: http://wp.me/p20ttU-Ts

BLOG TOUR: THE DARKEST MINDS, Alexandra Bracken

Today Alexandra Bracken stops by Laura’s Review Book Shelf to share how The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” helped shape The Darkest Minds, and what song also inspired the name of a certain minivan in the novel…






Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones

This is the very first song referenced in The Darkest Minds, though it’s done indirectly. (“Mick
Jagger crooned next to my ear, singing about war and peace and
shelter—those kinds of lies.”) In this scene, Ruby is being driven out
of Thurmond, the rehabilitation camp she’s been trapped in for the last
six years and is… a little out of it, to put it mildly.




Because
there were so many references to songs in the early drafts of the
book—and they had the tendency to be a little distracting--my editor and
I decided to pull back a bit and blend some of these references in a
bit more subtly. It made a lot more sense in relation to Ruby’s
character, too. While she grew up listening to classic rock thanks to
her dad, and can generally pick out what band s playing, after so many
years, she might not remember all of the titles themselves.




Most
of the songs mentioned in the story are from the 60s and 70s, and
allude to that period of war and uncertainty. This one is no difference.
“Gimme Shelter” is ultimately about the awareness that war is always
present in our lives (Just a shot away). This song makes me feel
anxious every time I hear it because it builds and builds and builds to
this screaming tension. I liked that it reflected the high-pressured
situation Ruby finds herself in—that some small problem could get her
caught and sent back into the hell she just escaped.




Black Betty by Ram Jam

If
you flip through the pages, you’ll find any number of nicknames I’ve
borrowed from classic rock, and the name Liam bestows upon their minivan
chariot is no different. To give you a little background on the song’s
(in my opinion!), it’s a 19th century folk and work song,
though there’s quite a bit of debate about who or what “Black Betty” is.
The nickname has been given to a number of things throughout the years,
including, but not limited to: a bottle of whiskey, a musket, a whip,
and a penitentiary wagon. So why the name “Black Betty” for the
minivan?  Well, in part because when Liam & Co. found the black car,
it still had a decal from its former life: Betty Jean Cleaning.  Liam has the (endearing?) habit of nicknaming the things and people he likes and want to bring into his fold.




About The Darkest Minds




When
Ruby awakened on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed.
Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and
call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal
government "rehabilitation camp." Because Ruby might have survived the
mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and
the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they
cannot control.




Now
sixteen, Ruby knows that she is one of the dangerous ones and, when the
truth comes out, she barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run
and desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her, Ruby
joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave
leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for
him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what she did to her
parents.




When
they arrive at the safe haven, East River, nothing is as it seems,
least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work
too, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against
the government. And soon Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one
that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.




The heart-pounding first book a near-future dystopian series, Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds will leave you begging for the next installment.












Alexandra Bracken was
born and raised in Arizona, but moved east to study at the College of
William & Mary in Virginia.  She recently relocated to New York
City, where she works in publishing and lives in a charming apartment
overflowing with books.  You can visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com or on Twitter (@alexbracken). 






















The Darkest Minds Blog Tour Schedule




January 6th: TheSkipKids.com




January 7th: Mundie Moms




January 8th: Laura’s Review Bookshelf




January 9th: The Book Smugglers




January 10th: Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf




January 11th: The Book Muncher




January 14th: The Compulsive Reader




January 15th: Anna Reads




January 16th: Emily's Reading Room




January 17th: *Headdesk*

January 18th: BlookGirl




January 21st: Once Upon a Twilight




January 22nd: Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog




January 23rd: Good Choice Reading




January 24th: Novel Novice




January 25: Tynga's Reviews

Some YA giveaways I've come across...

These are giveaways on various YA blogs that I thought my readers might be interested in. Please check the individual blogs for contest rules. Enjoy the contests. I think my favorite one is for the newest Melina Marchetta book.

Also, a great way to find new bloggers, friends, etc... 

1. One Year Blogoversary Giveaway: Win a YA Book of YOUR choice (INT) Ends 3/1  41. Hello 2013 Mega Giveaway! // INT // Ends 1/31  
2. INTL Giveaway I Am Alive, Snow White  42. Win Splintered or another brand new YA release! INT  
3. Ebook copy of If You Believe in Me by Natalie J. Damschroder  43. I Am Alive by Cameron Jace - Win a bundle pack&song composed by the author!  
4. Eboook copy of I Choose You by Bethany Lopez  44. 1 Year Blogoversary Epic Giveaway!- US & INT (Ends 1/18)  
5. Win an ARC of Unravel Me. International.  45. Blogoversary, 11Giveaways, ScavengerHunt, Competition!-UK&INT (Ends 1/25)  
6. Win The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox ebook (INT 1/10)  46. ebook copy of I Choose You by Bethany Lopez  
7. Jessie's Book Place 2nd Blogoversary Book of You Choice Giveaway (INT 1/21)  47. I Am Alive by Cameron Jace  
8. Jessie's Book Place 2nd Blogoversary, Jessie's Favorite Book Giveaway (INT)  48. The Year in Review Giveavay! INT  
9. I Am Alive by Cameron Jace (INT)  49. Print copy of The Daring Jung Man by Jane George (US/CAN) ebook INT  
10. Blogoversary Giveaway: $15 book from TBD (INTL) Ends  50. ARC giveaway: Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta (US/CA)  
11. 100 FREE E-BOOKS-The Things They Didn't Bury  51. Blogoversary! Meant To Be, Venom or The Sky is Everywhere! INT, ends 2/3  
12. I Choose You (Int) Ends 1/9  52. Blogoversary! Signed Wanderlove, Cinder or Throne of Glass! US/CA, ends 2/2  
13. 4 YA ARCS of books released in 2012 and 2013 (US/CAN)  53. Mystery Box of YA Books! Includes The Diviners and Hush Hush. US, ends 1/10  
14. Huge box of books (US/CAN) & two 2013 pre-orders (INT)  54. Unmaking Hunter Kennedy giveaway//End 1/8// U.S Only.  
15. audiobook of UNDER WILDWOOD by Colin Meloy (US) Ends 1/7  55. 5 Book Prize Packs (INTL)  
16. $50 Giftcard + 2 books from 2012, INT, Ends in Feb  56. Level 2 by Lenore Appelans (signed) (US/Can)  
17. Win ANY 2012 YA RELEASE of your choice! (INT)  57. Ask the Passengers by A. S. King (US) Ends 1/8  
18. 15$ Amazon Giftcard - 2 winners (US) - Ends January 6 2013  58. Every Day by David Levithan Giveaway  
19. ARC Scarlet by Marissa Meyer! (US, ends 1/9)  59. Last chance! International swag giveaway. Two winners. (Ends 07/01)  
20. Ya Giveaway- Ends 1/5 at night  60. Win an ARC of Catherine by April Lindner! (INT) ends 31/1  
21. Win an ARC of Return to Me by Justina Chen-Headley (US/CAN)  61. Win The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman (INT) ends 31/1  
22. Win 1 of 6 great YA titles, INT (ends 1/9)  62. Signed ARC of The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau  
23. Falling For You Giveaway!  63. Inkk Reviews Birthday Giveaway (month long)  
24. Nobody but Us by Kristin Halbrook SWAG Giveaway!  64. INT Giveaway 2 winners 18 books to choose from  
25. Author Interview w/ Sherry Gammon + Giveaway! Win a copy of Souls in Peril  65. Book of Your Choosing (INT)  
26. I Am Alive blitz giveaway  66. The Farm by Emily McKay (US only)  
27. 2012 Top Cuddles Giveaway  67. The Dead and Buried Giveaway US only Ends 1/7  
28. Sheltered by Chapoton ends 1/7  68. 2013 6 book Blogoversary giveaway! Ends 1-19 (US only)  
29. Hunter by C.W. Nash (Int) ends 1/9  69. Clean Out Your Shelves Giveaway (US)  
30. Shadows Gray by Melyssa Williams kindle copy (Int) ends 1/10  70. Giveaway: Swag, Swag, and more Swag!  
31. Signed Empty by K.M. Walton (US) ends 1.14  71. Giveaway: A Shade Of Vampire by Bella Forrest  
32. Book of Choice Giveaway (Int)  72. The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams (US)  
33. Souled by Diana Murdock ends 1/20 (Int)  73. Enter and Win a YA Faeries & Fantasy Book of Your Choice (INT) End 01/14  
34. Secret of the Songshell by Brian Tashima (Int) ends 1/28  74. 100 Followers Giveaway: Book of Choice or Book + Swag - INT/AUS  
35. LAST DAY: win an Xpresso Reads top pick!  75. I Am Alive Blitz Giveaway: 2 Book Bundles from Cameron Jace - INT  
36. Happy New Year Giveaway  76. Win an e-copy of The Keeper's Curse by Diana Harrison - INT ends Jan 15  
37. 2nd Blogoversary giveaway (INT) ends Jan 19th  77. "Just Because" Giveaway-book of your choice valued $15 (INT)  
38. Three YA Books of your choice ends 08.01.13  78. The Daring Young Man Ebook!  
39. 500 Follower Giveaway - 10 winners! (Ends 1/10)  79. The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner (US) ends 1/13  
40. Win One of Three Copies of Islanders (INT)  

SAD...

ADDENDUM:




I apologize if my actions have caused you
stress. That certainly was not my intent. While my expression and word choice
were poor, I assure you I committed no breach of trust. Your ARC was not being
distributed. It was not making the rounds. Thank you for bringing this to my
attention. I assure you that the handling of an ARC will be clarified between
myself and the authors, going forward. I thank you, as well, for pardoning my
human fallibilities, as we are all prone to mistakes.




I need to thank my guardian angel for helping me. I really appreciate it.












I am being accused of "pirating" an e-arc. I made a lapse in judgement and offered a book to someone, but did not send that book. Since then, it has snowballed into something huge and I'm not even allowed to defend myself. I realized after I offered that book that I was in the wrong. As a blogger, we do share arcs and even give them away (physical copies). I am NOT in the business of ruining an author by sharing something that they entrusted me with. I am being accused, but not allowed to defend myself to the group that has accused me. I'm very sad and sick with this. I have been blogging for four years and nothing like this has ever happened. I donate the bulk of my books to my local library that I have a great working relationship with. We are encouraged to 'share' the wealth. Of course again that is with physical copies.

I am a huge proponent of indie authors, But being accused of stealing ARCs and sending them out willynilly is ridiculous. As a future writer, why would I do that? There are some indie authors out there that are accusing me that I've never heard of.

I am sorry if I offended anyone, but these accusations are false. I know that not everyone will believe me, but if anything I am honest. I have never uploaded or sold an ARC. (On physical copies they say not for sale anyhoo). I have never gone onto ebay and sold an ARC that I have received. In fact, I get very upset when I see that happening generally right after BEA.

I am a trustworthy blogger and I am not a pirate. What I am is hurt and surprised that this has been leveled at me.

Book Review: Collide, Gail McHugh

Reading Level:

New Adult



Format:EBook (Advance Copy from Author)


Publisher:

Self-Published 1/21/13


Rating:

4








I first met Gail through another author on a writer's page I'm on. We'd been talking quite a bit via facebook and she'd read a few snippets of my story that I wrote. Well I approached her about reading and reviewing her book that comes out in a few weeks. She immediately agreed and sent me an e-copy.  I devoured it in record time.




The influx of incredible self-pubbed books is so grand that trying to get to all of them is difficult. But I am so glad that this one crossed my path.




Emily Cooper has just lost her mother to the dreaded C-word. She's traveling across country (Colorado to NYC) where her boyfriend lives and works. She's just finished up college and is hoping to find a teaching position. Because it's summer, she gets a temporary job waitressing. She is asked by her manager if she could drop off a delivery at a building close by, she agrees. From there everything that could go wrong, does.




She is greeted at the door by a gorgeous guy in a suit who says he'll take her up to the floor she needs to go to. He even offers to hold the bag for her. He tries to engage her in conversation, but she's flustered by his good looks. It's not until she gets to the floor, he informs her that the food was for him. (Cheeky!) Of course, she can't stop thinking about this extremely fuckable good-looking guy and tells her roommate about him. Her roommate cannot stand her boyfriend so there are some funny vignettes with the two of them when he's in the picture. Olivia cracked me up most of the time.




Gorgeous guy stops by the restaurant to see Emily and engage her in conversation. He's interested and wants to take her out but she lets him down by telling him that she has a boyfriend. She also learns his name. Gavin Blake. 




When Emily's BF invites her to come out to meet the 'guys', she's shocked to see Gavin in the company. Dillon (Em's BF), informs Gavin that SHE is off limits. Because she's his. 




From there on the tension builds and builds. Emily loves Dillon and he was there during the worst of her mother's illness, but she's also drawn to Gavin who is funny, personable and pays attention to her. He does everything he can to draw her away from Dillon. 




Gavin is a great character. He's likable, and according to Olivia and Emily, totally fuckable. I had problems with Dillon. You know that there is something up with him, but you can't be 100%. Emily could be wishy-washy at times. Her feelings for Gavin are growing leaps and bounds and when she catches Dillon in a lie, she thinks she's done with him. 




Gail has written a fantastic new adult book that really pulls you in. It's a love triangle, but there's more to it than that as well. Emily doesn't know what she wants and feels as if she owes Dillon for helping her during her time of crisis. But living in NYC can change a person.




A fantastic debut and a stellar story. You'll be craving for the sequel as much as I am!

And we finally have a cover!

I got to read an early copy of this book and I love the series so much. I love the maroon, but I'm not sure if I like the models. It might grow on me.




Btw, S.C. is really a kick-ass writer and I implore you all to read this series and anything else that she writes.  Once again, have a wonderful New Year!