Sorcha O'Dowd's Blog, page 48

Book Blitz ~ ‘Remember Our Song’ by Emma South.

 









Remember Our Song: A Billionaire Romance by Emma South

(Our Song #2)

Publication date: December 22nd 2013

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance



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SYNOPSIS

Beatrice Holt seems to have it all. She’s got a passionate and loving marriage to the perfect man, billionaire Jeremy Holt, and all the opportunities and financial security that comes with it. However, life wasn’t always so wonderful. When a tragic accident results in amnesia, she is effectively transported back to a time when all her emotional wounds are still causing her intense pain. She can’t remember how those wounds were healed the first time around, she can’t remember her marriage, she can’t remember the man behind the money at all. All she sees in Jeremy is the very kind of man she swore she would never fall for.

Can Jeremy find a way to make her fall in love with him all over again and make lightning strike twice? Can he help Beatrice remember their song or has their one chance for happiness slipped through their fingers?

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Sale Alert: Remember Our Song will be 99c/77p during the blitz. Grab it now!

~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~

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…I felt his hands begin to pull away and I quickly raised my own to cover his, keeping them firmly planted on my cheeks as I raised myself up on to the tips of my toes and kissed him.  Jeremy hardly moved for a moment, as if he’d forgotten how to kiss, but then returned it with growing confidence until we had to break it off to catch our breath.

We stared at each other, my heart beating so hard I thought for sure he would hear it.  All the protests inside my mind were washed away by the more immediate desires of my body, the usually strongly asserted points washed away by the events of the day, a perfect day as Jeremy had said.

Jeremy leaned down again, one hand leaving my face to slide down my back and pull me against him, the other moving to the back of my head and his fingers running through my hair.  I felt him against the entire length of my body, held tight like he was never going to let go, his heat driving away any lingering chills the cold air had caused…

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Enter below for the chance to win!

Prizes – open INTL
Amazon gift cards:
1st prize as $50, 2nd as $15 and 3rd as $10

~ A Rafflecopter Giveaway ~

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I’m in my thirties and living in New Zealand. A little over a year ago I lost somebody very close to me. I was lucky in a way, I was given enough time to make a promise. My promise was that I would never forget our young and innocent love, and it’s a promise I intend to keep.

My writing is a way to help me keep that promise. I’ve always enjoyed writing but was forced into being ‘prudent’ and giving myself over to soul-crushing office work for the sake of a steady salary. Recent events forced me to re-evaluate my priorities and I decided to take a chance. I like to put little pieces of ‘us’ into my writing, from funny conversations we had, to apocalyptic arguments, to that special feeling you get when you hop into bed fully aware that your feet are freezing but your partner doesn’t kick you away.

Even though these things are set in fictional worlds and attached to fictional characters, in a way it feels like I’m doing something that will make our love live forever. If somebody reads one of my stories and likes a joke or sheds a tear, then our love has lived on, and I thank any readers I might have for that.

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~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~




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Book Blitz organised by Xpresso Book Tours.


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Blog Tour ~ ‘Shattered Veil’ by Tracy E. Banghart.

Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart

(The Diatous Wars #1)

Publication date: February 28th 2014

Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction

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SYNOPSIS

For Aris, a talented wingjet pilot, war means sacrificing everything: her home, her name, her face—and the one promise she swore she’d never break.

In the small village of Lux, everyone flies wingjets, but nobody flies them like Aris Haan. When she’s not dancing through the skies, she’s spending every minute with Calix, whom she’s loved since childhood. They plan to Promise, but instead he is sent to defend their dominion against a bloody invasion. Determined not to lose him, Aris follows, joining an underground network of women inside the male-only military. Using secret technology that allows her to pass as a man, she becomes “Aristos”, a Flyer in a search-and-rescue unit.

As Aris grows stronger on the battlefield and more comfortable in her guise as Aristos, her personal mission becomes less and less clear. When she and her enigmatic commander, Major Vidar, uncover an astonishing conspiracy that could destroy everything, she must make a choice that will determine not only the fate of her heart, but the future of her dominion.

 

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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~

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Book Review ~ ‘Shattered Veil’ by Tracy E. Banghart ~ 5 Stars!

I was really excited to start this book, as I’m currently having a huge love of all things future/dystopian. I also have an obsession with the First and Second World Wars, and particularly on the women who were left behind and the lives and horrors they lived through whilst their men were fighting. So this book intrigued me as soon as I read the synopsis, and I delved into it with high expectations.

My high expectations were not only met, but blow out of all proportion. Everything about this book was absolutely incredible, from the story-telling, the pace of the novel, the characters and the world that was created. Everything just blew me away and as soon as I finished reading Shattered Veil I felt bereft that the incredible story had come to an end, but so privileged to have been on the journey with the characters.

There’s so much I absolutely adored about this story, but I don’t want to spoil any of the story for potential readers so I’ll be purposely vague.

Aris was a fantastic heroine. Forget weak and feeble Bella Swan (Sorry, can’t stand her), Aris is a true heroine in her own right, as she fights her own weaknesses, stigma and her life as a woman to be with the man she loves who was selected for military, where he worked as a medic. I really liked how the story panned out as I never once felt annoyed or bored with Aris for the devotion she showed her childhood sweetheart Calex. I admired her for her bravery and strength and the pain that she put herself through so that she could be with her love.

I loved the progression she made and how she very gradually became her own person who wanted to make her own contribution to the war effort, rather than her being there being purely in the purpose of finding her sweetheart. This also contrasted brilliantly with the way that her feelings towards Calix gradually began to change as she began to see Major Vidar in a way that was more than simply soldier to leader. The change that she made was not only in her looks so she could pass as a man beneath the Veil she wore (it broke my heart when she had to cut her hair), but also in her view of her own use in fighting the war. It was wonderful to see her becoming her own person, away from her hometown Lux, and I was excited to see how this changed her relationship with Calix, as well as Major Vidar when they were reunited.

I really connected to the characters, and my favourite parts of this novel were the character driven moments where we saw how the changes in Aris’ life made her too different for Calix to accept. I loved that I hadn’t found my favourite character until after half way through the novel, as I really had to experience the characters throughout their journey’s to understand them. Major Vidar in particular was one of those characters and I absolutely adored him in the last part of the book.

The back story of the politics behind the war that was selecting more and more young men as military personnel was brilliantly written, and I loved seeing how Atalanta’s leaders had to fight against corruption to keep peace throughout their dominion. Galena Vadim’s kidnapping storyline was particularly chilling in the most thrilling way, and you’ll have to read it to see what I mean.

This story was an absolute gem and I can’t even express how much I adored it. 5 Stars, and I hope to read more of Aris again (Pretty please?)

5 Stars!

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4 Prizes!








–$50 Amazon gift card (INTL)

–3x “swag packs” which will include: a notebook, magnet, button, 2 signed bookmarks, and Shattered Veil-themed temporary tattoos. (US/CAN)

~ A Rafflecopter Giveaway ~

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Tracy E. Banghart

Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.


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Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter


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Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.

Click the banner above to follow the ‘Shattered Veil’ blog tour.


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Cover Reveal for The Vasser Legacy – When Empires Fall & Rulers of Deception

Cover Reveal for The Vasser Legacy – When Empires Fall & Rulers of Deception.

Blog Tour ~ ‘Peaceful Genocide’ by J.A. Reynolds.

 

 




Peaceful Genocide by J.A. Reynolds

Publication date: November 25th 2013

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult




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SYNOPSIS

Seventeen-year-old Mitzi and Deuce can recall how many drops of water were on a leaf from a rainstorm five years ago and conversations from last week, month, or year. They have the ability to remember every second of everyday—since birth.This gift has blessed Mitzi with a history of being sexually assaulted by researchers and abused by her own parents. She trusts no one. Likes no one. Deuce, however, is a high school standout. His gift has made him a superstar on the football field and his memory promises him endless opportunities.

When they both end up at an Alzheimer’s research facility under false proviso, they quickly realize this place isn’t what it seems to be. They endure crazy military-style tests, are forcefully drugged, and complete real-life simulations that haunt them.

Mitzi and Deuce have no idea what the researchers want to do with them or their memories. But one thing is clear: the researchers will go to any lengths to get what they want.

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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~





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Book Review ~ ‘Peaceful Genocide’ by J.A. Reynolds ~ 4 Stars!

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I just knew that I had to read it. A story that takes real life psychological issues and expands them is always enough to get the Psychology graduate in me really excited, and that and more, is what  Peaceful Genocide did.

I love when science or fantasy in a book is taken to a new level and given new meanings and more exciting prospects. Peaceful Genocide really hit me with how clever the storyline was. It felt very unique and not once did I guess where the story was going or what would become of the characters. It was truly refreshing to read, and I really commend the author for her intense writing style that had me on  the edge of my seat throughout.

I loved the characters that we were introduced to, despite the way they outwardly projected themselves to keep themselves safe. Mitzi truly fascinated me from a psychological perspective and I felt for her on a deep level when I learnt about her past. The cat and mouse relationship she had with Deuce was great to read and really dynamic. It made me really connect to the characters and want the best for them, as it reminded me that they were only teenagers and because of a gift that they were born with, they had experienced and witnessed things that no teenager should have.

It was also great to see how different their gift had made their lives growing up. Whilst Deuce had found success by using his gift, Mitzi had only experienced pain and heartbreak, and it was great to see how the differences between parenting in their early lives effected them later on.

The story was paced brilliantly, and I loved the action scenes, which kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt a trickle of unease each time the ‘research participants’ were asked about their memories, and loved seeing Mitzi’s detective work to find out what the true intentions of the research was for. It gave me as a reader an insight into a corrupt research facility which could easily be a future possibility if science continues progressing at the fast rate that it is.

The only reason I couldn’t quite give this five stars was because of some of the grammatical errors that were quite frequent throughout the novel. It usually involved using the abbreviation of ‘it’s’ in the incorrect context, when ‘its’ should have been used. This sort of error was made quite a lot throughout the book and often made me lose my train of thought and have to re-read the sentence to take it in correctly before carrying on. My copy of the book also had a strange formatting and had strange paragraphing, but as it was a review copy, it is likely this has already been fixed for amazon copies.

Overall this was a superb, intriguing and exciting book which I can’t wait to see continue in future stories in the ‘Peaceful Genocide’ series.

4 Stars!

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Prizes – open to US and Canada:
-A Kindle Fire and 10 signed copies

~ A Rafflecopter Giveaway ~

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J.A. Reynolds

JA Reynolds lives in the Midwest with a normal family, raising a normal daughter, with some abnormal pets. It’s extraordinarily ordinary.


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~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter





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Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.

Click the banner above to follow the ‘Peaceful Genocide’ Blog Tour.


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Book Blitz ~ ‘Control You’ by Jennifer Snyder.

Control You by Jennifer Snyder

Publication date: March 4th 2014

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

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SYNOPSIS

Kind hearted and naive, Paige Jacobs wants what every girl craves…to be loved. She uses this need to make excuses when her current boyfriend goes from being a tad jealous and slightly overprotective to stalker-ish. She isn’t that girl and Craig isn’t one of those guys. Things are fine. Perfectly fine. Until the moment a dark-haired, tattooed hottie with a snarky mouth walks into her life and tells her she deserves better.

Confident and boldly spoken, Cameron Green has always been the guy bad girls can’t get enough of and all the good girls want to tame. He’s lived a lavish lifestyle filled with drugs, women, and alcohol up until his destructive path finally caught up with him. Now Cameron isn’t sure what to do with himself or how to dampen the longing for something more festering inside of him since coming out of his drug-induced haze. But when he meets a doe-eyed girl who gets past his walls like no other, everything about him clicks into place.

Together the two learn there are emotions that hold within them all the power to control you…

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Excerpt from ‘Control You’ by Jennifer Snyder.

I folded the skinny jeans in my hands and chuckled. “How do you fit in these? Don’t your legs feel like they’re lacking circulation when you wear them?”

Eva shot me a go-to-hell look. “Are you calling me fat?”

Placing the jeans on top of the other pairs I’d managed to fold, I laughed. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

She grinned. “Yeah, I know, but you walked right into that one. And, no, they don’t cut off my circulation. They’re stretchy.”

“Stretchy, right, and that makes them seem to fit better? Some women need to realize that just because an article of clothing is made of stretchy material it doesn’t necessarily make them look good in it.” I picked the jeans back up and held them out to her. “Here, go try these on and let me make sure you don’t fall into that category.”

She smacked me across the chest. “Shut up. You know if anyone should be giving someone hell, it should be me giving you hell. I mean, you’re folding laundry on a Thursday night with me. Since when did you become so domesticated?” She grinned.

I pursed my lips together; she was right. It was Thursday night and I had nothing better to do besides stay at her place and help fold her freaking laundry. What the hell was the world coming to?

“Yeah, well, I could be asking you the same thing, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart. You know how much I hate your little pet names,” she grumbled. “And you know why I’m home. The loser I chose this time was just that, a loser. What’s your excuse?” She arched an eyebrow at me.

“I’m a recovering addict; becoming a homebody is logically my next step. If I don’t cut myself off from fun, I might relapse.” I was kidding, slightly. The last week or so had been tough, and thoughts of using to escape the mental anguish I’d found myself in had been tempting.

“Not funny.” Eva frowned.

“I wasn’t trying to be.”

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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~ Smashwords ~

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Best Part of Writing a Companion Series
by Jennifer Snyder

- Never having to fully let go of a character you loved writing.

You can interlace all the characters throughout the novels along the way, so essentially you never really have to let them go. Their personality still builds with the others and you can keep improving on their H.E.A. you left them with.

- If there is a sexy book boyfriend you’ve created and fallen in love with you can add him in here and there to keep him alive in your heart.

This is what I truly meant with my first answer…once you meet Cameron Green in Control You you’ll understand.

- The town and all the little places the characters visit become more real.

Maybe I should reword this one and say that it makes you wish the places were real. I would love to visit Shooters, the main bar in Norhurst, just because so many things have happened between those walls. Paige’s Closet in Control You would be the best place to shop for clothes too!

- The more stories in the companion series you write, the closer the friends within them seem to become. They also begin to feel like your friends and family too.

This is true. You get used to them being in your head and they feel like friends. By the way, I’m not as insane as that comment just made me sound…this is what we call “writer problems”.

The Coldcreek Series is actually my first attempt at a companion series. The majority of my novels are either continuation series’ or standalones. I’ve had a blast trying this out, though. While I won’t state whether I’ll be writing any more companion series in the future, I can tell you that there will be a total of FOUR novels in this particular companion series—Break You, Control You, and then two others that will release later this year.

Blogger Note: Click here to read my 5 star review for ‘Break You’.

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Enter below for the chance to win!

Prizes:

– a Control You necklace + Swag (US only)

–2x eBook of Control You (INTL)

~ A Rafflecopter Giveaway ~

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Jennifer Snyder

Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most of her time writing new adult and young adult fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it notes and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.

Find out more about her latest novel by visiting her blog:

http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.com

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Other ways to connect with Jennifer:

Email: Jennifersnyder04@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjennifersnyder

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jennsnyder04

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Book Blitz organised by Xpresso Book Tours.

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Book Review ~ ‘New England Rocks’ by Christina Courtenay.

New England Rocks by Christina Courtenay.

New England Rocks #1

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance.

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SYNOPSIS

When Rain Mackenzie is expelled from her British boarding school, she can t believe her bad luck. Not only is she forced to move to New England, USA, she’s also sent to the local high school as a punishment.

Rain makes it her mission to dislike everything about Northbrooke High, but what she doesn’t bank on is meeting Jesse Devlin …

Jesse is the hottest guy Rain’s ever seen and he plays guitar in an awesome rock band!

There’s just one small problem … Jesse already has a girlfriend, little miss perfect Amber Lawrence, who looks set to cause trouble as Rain and Jesse grow closer.

But, what does it matter? New England sucks anyway, and Rain doesn’t plan on sticking around …

Does she?

Christina’s Highland Storms won the 2012 Historical Romantic Novel of the year award. Her novel The Scarlet Kimono won the Big Red Reads Best Historical Fiction Award and was short listed for the Festival of Romance Best Historical Read Award 2011.

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Book Review ~ ‘New England Rocks’ by Christina Courtenay.

I’m a huge fan of Christina Courtenay’s work, so I had high hopes when I heard that she had written a Young Adult book. I was not disappointed, New England Rocks is one of the finest examples of contemporary romance for young adults that I have read in many years.

As a young adult, I was an avid reader, much like I am today, but there were times when I felt a little let down by some of the books in the same genre as the characters and stories just seemed unrealistic and I couldn’t identify with the hugely exciting and adult-like things that the characters seemed to be doing. But for me, New England Rocks was a book that my teenage self would have longed for, to be able to identify with the characters and the every day goings on of High School.

The writing style was an absolute joy to read, as it got to the real nitty-gritty of the story and the characters without going into any unnecessary detail which can be the cause of trouble finishing a book for young readers. I absolutely adored the characters, especially Rain, as she was just such a fun girl. I loved how she began as slightly spoilt but after meeting Amber, became less likely to draw attention to herself. Seeing the two girls who both were used to getting what they wanted, become mortal enemies was brilliant, and I liked seeing how this changed Rain throughout the novel.

Oh and Jesse. What can I say about him? What a hottie. It was brilliant to see his development throughout the novel. I loved the way that his thoughts were expressed throughout the story, it was so perfectly male and made me roll my eyes at time at how he could be so clueless.

I adored this book and it was just so easy to read! I loved the way it flowed so well and how the story and character development was paced just right. A real joy to read.

5 Stars!

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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~

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Christina Courtenay

~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~

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Cover Reveal ~ ‘Fall into Forever’ by Beth Hyland.

Fall into Forever by Beth Hyland

Publication date: March 2014

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

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SYNOPSIS

Ivy McAllister had it all. Perfect boyfriend. Perfect life. Perfect future. Or so they tell her. Because one night, on a dark country road, a fiery crash changed everything…and Ivy can’t remember what happened.

Now, two years later, at a new college far from home, she tries to regain control of her life, but her plans don’t include a tattooed, motorcycle-riding, indie music-obsessed guy with his own sorority girl fan club.

Jon Priestly is the hottest guy at Pacific State University. Just ask his groupies. But with a dark past he must keep hidden, he shuts himself off emotionally and trusts no one. That is…until he meets a broken girl with haunting green eyes and secrets of her own.

Ivy shouldn’t be attracted to Jon. They’re wrong for each other in every possible way. Yet as they spend time together, something about him—everything about him—feels so right.

But when threats from her past make her question what little she does remember, Ivy must decide whether to run again or trust the one person she can’t live without.

 

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Beth Hyland

Beth Hyland is the author of FALL INTO FOREVER, a contemporary New Adult romance coming out March 10.

A friendly Seattle girl who loves books, believes in happily ever after, and has a closet addiction to YouTube makeup tutorial videos, she married her college sweetheart and has two awesome kids.

She used to work in the tech field but prefers writing books. She also used to sell wedding dresses and cigarettes, despite the fact that she wore her mother’s dress when she got married and she’s never smoked.

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~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~

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Cover Reveal organised by Xpresso Book Tours.

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Book Blitz ~ ‘Head Above Water’ by Amber Garza.

 








Head Above Water by Amber Garza

Publication date: February 28th 2014

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance





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SYNOPSIS

Sometimes all you need is someone to hold you up.

Harper Elliott knows what it feels like to drown. To be unable to breath, to feel the crushing weight of your lungs collapsing while waves crash over your head and the surface is just out of reach. The ocean has stolen way too much from her and her family. Even though she lives just miles from the beach she rarely ever steps foot on it, and never goes in the water.

Until she meets Tag Williams, the sexy lifeguard with the funny name, kind smile, genuine eyes and smoking hot body. He makes Harper want to do more than just stick her toes in to test the waters. He makes her want to jump in with both feet.

But if she does, can she trust Tag to keep her head above water?

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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~

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Head Above Water ~ Playlist:

 

Float – The Neighbourhood

Lucky – Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat

Talking to the Moon – Bruno Mars

The One That Got Away – Civil Wars

I Am Mountain – Gungor

Sweater Weather – The Neighbourhood

Dust to Dust – Civil Wars

From This Valley – Civil Wars

I’m Yours –Jason Mraz

Eavesdrop – Civil Wars

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Prizes (US/CAN only) – all to 1 winner:

A signed paperback, a $25 amazon card and a coconut bath and body lotion.

~ A Rafflecopter Giveaway ~

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Amber Garza


Amber Garza lives in California with her amazing husband and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.




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~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Website ~



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Book Blitz organised by ‘Xpresso Book Tours’.


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Book Review ~ ‘Beneath the Rainbow’ by Lisa Shambrook.

Beneath the Rainbow by Lisa Shambrook.
Genres: Young Adult, Friendship, Family

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SYNOPSIS

“It’s those silly dreams that keep us alive.”

Dreams define us, shape us and realise our potential…they make us who we are.

Freya won’t let death stand in her way. When she dies Freya knows she needs to move on, but is caught within her mother’s grief and the discovery of terminally ill Old Thomas. Finding she can affect the lives of those beyond her heaven she fights to reach her mother and wants to help Thomas realise his final dream. Meanwhile, her family finds her own list of goals and soon discovers that Thomas has a burning desire to ride a motorbike.

Freya intends to create a rainbow, the last item on her list, to reach her mother, but her pale arcs won’t achieve closure. She needs scarlet like remembrance poppies then sunset orange and sunflower yellow. She makes green like her willow and blue like daddy’s t-shirt. Finally conjuring indigo, the shade of deepening night and violet to match Purple Ted…

Beneath these colours will Freya reach her mother, wait for Old Thomas and be ready to move on?

Discover the importance of dreams and fulfilment in Freya’s heart-breaking and uplifting tale of grief, hope, triumph and joy.

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Book Review ~ ‘Beneath the Rainbow’ by Lisa Shambrook ~ 5 Stars!

Wow, well what can I say about ‘Beneath the Rainbow’? I could quite easily fill a whole page of ramblings about how much I adored and treasure this book, and I still don’t think I’d even begin to express how wonderful this book is. I didn’t think it was possible to cry so much during one book. The last time that happened was when I was reading the last Harry Potter book, and being the book nerd that I am, I wrote a list of every character that died during its pages. Whilst ‘Beneath the Rainbow’ I had a similar experience, only this time it was reading Freya’s list and crying with happiness each time one of the items was completed on it.

This story is heartbreaking from the start, when young Freya dies in a tragic car accident, leaving behind her mother, father and baby sister Jasmine. I’m not a parent myself, but the way that Lisa Shambrook described the complete heartbreak and despair of Freya’s parents, made me feel as though I myself had lost a child. The emotions just seeped off the page, and carried me through the story making me unable to put the book down until I’d finished it. The writing style was so beautiful, melodic and just flowed so well that I felt like I was a part of the journey, and not just reading about it. The pace of the novel was also done to perfection. Reading about Freya’s journey to acceptance of her death, and her having to let go the guilt she feels for her parents despair was so rewarding, as it coincided beautifully with her parents acceptance, and how they began to remember the happy memories with Freya, rather than focus on her loss.

The storyline of Freya’s parents fulfilling a list that Freya had made as a child, was so wonderful to read, I cried so many times whilst reading this as I saw how completing every item on the list helped both Freya’s family and Freya herself move on and begin to see happiness in their future again. This storyline coincided beautifully with Old Thomas’ story as he fights looming death to spend as many happy times with his wife as possible. Freya’s desire to make a rainbow, and how this rainbow helped those she left behind had me sobbing like a baby.

There was so much about this story that spoke to me. The authors description of the children in their special place before they could move on was absolutely stunning, and I loved the concept so much. It gave me hope of something after death, which I feel is something that life can suck out of you at times. Lisa Shambrook’s world was a magical one, and I felt so happy that Freya was in a safe and happy environment whilst she waited to be ready to move on to whatever came next for her. I absolutely adored Jake’s character, and the romantic in me loved the hint of a future for them both, romantic of not, as Jake and Freya helped each other through their guilt and Jake waited for Freya once he’d moved on. It was truly a beautiful relationship, and I smiled with tears in my eyes as I read the chapter where they were together.

This was a true gem of a story, and I feel so changed for having read it. I saw the beauty of life through a child’s eyes and I know that I will treasure every day the more for it. Such an incredible, heart-warming tale that will stay with me forever.

5 Rainbow Coloured Stars!

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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~

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~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~

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Book Review ~ ‘Healing Rain’ by Karen-Anne Stewart.

Healing Rain by Karen-Anne Stewart

The Rain Trilogy #2

Genres: Romance, Thriller, Suspense, Crime.

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SYNOPSIS

Shattered when Raina runs after his marriage proposal, Kas is hell-bent to find her and bring her home, where she belongs. He will bend every law necessary to do so, willing to do anything to protect Raina from her demons and the men who haunt her, going as far as placing his career and life on the line to save hers. Raina will give up everything she has worked so hard to achieve, even flee the country to keep Kas from the wrath and powerful reach of her abusive father. In the midst of the FBI team closing in on the Ghost, another ghost from Raina’s past taunts her, promising that she will be his.

Meanwhile, a different trafficking ring is gaining strength in New Jersey. Michael solicits Raina’s help, needing her smooth, sultry voice to win the audition for the new singer in the ring leader’s swanky night club. Raina knows her life is in jeopardy with the dangers of being undercover, but she is blindsided when she discovers that it’s her heart that is threatened with a mortal blow. Raina tries to heal from the nightmares of her dark past as the grisly bodies of innocent victims surface when the team gets closer to discovering the identity of the man responsible for the infuriatingly clever and powerful slavery ring.

When Raina finally comes face to face with the Ghost, he quickly engulfs her in a twisted game of cat and mouse, delivering a veiled threat as he slips through her fingers. As the ghosts of her past and present ensnare her in their deadly web, Raina realizes the danger has just begun.

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Book Review ~ ‘Healing Rain’ by Karen-Anne Stewart ~ 5 Stars!

I was on tenterhooks for the weeks after I finished reading ‘Saving Rain’. I had to force myself not to read the next two books in the series straight away because I desperately wanted to keep the story alive for me as long as possible, and I wanted to savour every part of Kas and Raina’s journey of their love.

We returned to Healing Rain right where Saving Rain left off, and by god was that a cliffhanger of an ending. I felt devastated for Kas when Raina turned down his marriage proposal, but also so thankful that the strength of his love, and the complete devotion he had for her and her safety meant that he could push aside his pride and fight to get Raina back. I was on the edge of my seat as he begins his journey to getting Raina back.

What I love so much about Karen-Anne Stewart’s writing style is how effortlessly she weaves the story, with the perfect pace in terms of both character and story development. I like how Kas and Raina had to overcome many little obstacles over the course of their relationship and that it isn’t like in some books, where there is a huge build-up to a huge event that happens towards the end of the novel. I love how fresh this style of story is, and that there are so many incidents and events throughout the novel that I feel like I’m constantly kept on my toes. It beautifully contrasts with the way that the threat of the Ghost in the sex trafficking storyline keeps the entire investigative department and Kas and Raina constantly looking for and following up different leads, which happen throughout the story.

I loved how Raina really started to believe in herself throughout this novel. The way she stands up to her father was so empowering, but also heartbreaking to read, when we see the pain she puts herself through so that she can save Kas from her father’s wrath. I also adored how this caused a bump in Raina’s psychological condition, and that she had a minor setback. As much as I love to see the heroine overcome her demons, I love the realistic route that this story takes, making it clear that there are highs and lows in any recovery for abuse victims and that strength and belief in themselves is something that can be dashed in a second, even when it is unbelievably strong just an hour beforehand. It was beautifully and realistically portrayed and I commend the author for her fantastic work on the incredible way she depicted this, sadly, common feature of abuse.

And for every story there are the bad guys. There is the threat of Raina’s ex-boyfriend Chris’ looming release from Prison, and the way that ‘The Ghost’ is running them in circles with their investigations in the sex-trafficking. Funnily enough it was one of the ‘good guys’, who I came to dislike the most as a character. Brent was an interesting character that was introduced in this novel, when working with Raina on an undercover investigation. I held no dislike for him when his attraction to Raina became clear, but I began to loathe the way he acted on it. I hated the way he caused such grief for Raina by trying to force his affections on her, and the way he doubted her and Kas’ love when he had seen so little of it. I didn’t hate him for his jealousy, but for the way he seemed to think that he knew better than Raina, similarly to how many other men had treated her in the past, when he told her that she was too young to know that she would love one man for the rest of her life. He became the character I loved to hate, and I was devastated when his actions caused Raina to have another setback in the development she had made in believing in the worth she had.

This was a stunning second novel in a really incredible series, and with another cliff hanger, this time a deadly one, I just knew that this book, and this series had captured a part of my heart.

5 Stars!

Blogger Note: Go here to read my review for ‘Saving Rain’, the first book in ‘The Rain Trilogy’.

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Karen-Anne Stewart

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