Month: October 2013

Oct 31
Best of the Bunch – October 2013

Best of the Bunch – October 2013

Best of the Bunch, Monthly Recap 0

Best of the Bunch is a book blog hop hosted over at Always Lost in Stories on the last day of each month, where we can look back over the books we have read over this past month and give a Best of the Bunch award to our favorite book of that month. October 2013 Wow!!  I read A LOT of books that I really enjoyed this month!!  Picking a Best of the Bunch is going to be even tougher than usual! This month I reviewed the following books: Cold Steel by Kate Elliott | Review | Rating: 4/5 Relativity by Cristin Bishara | Review | Rating 4/5 Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorenson | Review | Rating 5/5 Sleepless by Tracey Ward | Review | Rating 4.5/5 Iron Crowned by Richelle Mead | Review | Rating 3.5/5 More by T.M. Franklin | Review | Rating 4/5 The Curse Giver by Dora Machado | Review | Rating 4/5 The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau | Review | Rating 4/5 The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa | Review | Rating 4/5 The Long Game by J.L. Fynn  | Review | Rating 4.5/5 Unmaking Hunter Kennedy by Anne Eliot | Review |… Read more »

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Oct 31
Random Reads Review – The Island by Jen Minkman

Random Reads Review – The Island by Jen Minkman

Random Reads, Reviews 3 ★★★½

Title: The Island Author: Jen Minkman Release Date: June 1, 2013 Pages: 138, Paperback Goodreads Rating: 3.22 stars My Rating: 3.5/5 stars My Content Rating: PG-16 (References to sex, though none is shown; Some violence) Summary from Goodreads: ‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look. Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.  If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says. I have never seen one.’ Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed…. Read more »

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Oct 30
Review & $25 Giveaway – Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen

Review & $25 Giveaway – Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen

Giveaways (Ended), Reviews 0 ★★★★½

Tour Schedule Title: Just Ella Author: Annette K. Larsen Release Date: August 14, 2013 Pages: 300, ebook Goodreads Rating: 4.42 stars My Rating: 4.5/5 stars My Content Rating: PG-13 (No more than kissing) Summary from Goodreads: A Proper Romance    Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she’d imagined.    “I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I… Read more »

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Oct 29
Book Blitz & Giveaway – Tethered by Brandi Leigh Hall

Book Blitz & Giveaway – Tethered by Brandi Leigh Hall

Giveaways (Ended) 0

Title: Tethered Author: Brandi Leigh Hall Purchase on Amazon Purchase on B&N New Adult/Upper Young Adult Urban Fantasy What if the life you were born into, was never really yours to begin with? I’ve never felt normal in my own skin. Like an oversized pair of UGG boots, nothing about my life fits the way it should. At least, not the way I’d like it to. I was born a Witch, with an ability I despise. And I’d do anything to give it back. But how do you return a “gift” that came with no card? I learned long ago—visions are one thing—you can never send back. For six years, I’ve been an in-the-closet Seer, desperate to escape the murderous vision that ruined my childhood, and the Wiccan family I tore apart in the process. But I can no longer deny who I am. Something terrible awaits those I love…. Read more »

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Oct 28
Review – Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Review – Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Reviews 4 ★★★★½

Title: Allegiant Series: Divergent #3 Author: Veronica Roth Release Date: October 22, 2013 Pages: 526, Hardcover Goodreads Rating: 4.07 stars My Rating: 4.5/5 stars My Content Rating: PG-16 (Sex is not directly described, but some intense violence) Summary from Goodreads: One choice will define you. What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected? The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change… Read more »

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Oct 28
Cover Characteristics – Hats

Cover Characteristics – Hats

Cover Characteristics 0

This is a new meme hosted by Sugar & Snark. It came about when Sugar was wondering which cover to use for her #70 Cover of the Week post. Sugar kept on thinking of more than one, and they all seemed to have a theme/characteristic. So she decided to switch things up a bit! Each week we will post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favorite cover’s with that characteristic. If you want to join in and share your 5 favorite covers with the weeks particular characteristic, then just make a post, grab the meme picture (or make your own) and leave your URL in Linky (so we can visit). You don’t even need to participate, just stopping by and saying hi would be great! Don’t forget to stop by the other participants! Today’s cover characteristic: Hats I actually had a really hard time finding books on my Read list that… Read more »

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Oct 27
Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 10/27/13

Sunday Post & Giveaways Galore 10/27/13

Sunday Post 0

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on my blog and share news about what’s coming up in the week ahead.  Last week on FYFA: Cover Characteristics – Blondes From Gods by Mary Ting (excerpt & giveaway) – Still time to enter to win a $50 gift card! Top Ten Tuesday – Crazy Character Names Divergent by Veronica Roth (review) Insurgent by Veronica Roth (review) Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt (review, interview & giveaway) – Still time to win The Battle for Arcanon Major by Alexandra May (excerpt & giveaway) – Still time to enter to win a $50 gift card! Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma (review) Coming this week on FYFA: Allegiant by Veronica Roth (review) Tethered by Brandi Leigh Hall (excerpt & giveaway) Just Ella by Annette K Larsen (review & giveaway) Waking Up Dead by Margo Bond Collins (review) Replica by Jenna Black (review) Other Current Giveaways on FYFA: (Besides… Read more »

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Oct 26
Review – Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Review – Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

All-Time Favorites, Reviews 0 ★★★★★

Forbidden is just what its name implies.  The synopsis describes it well.  It’s a story of a brother and a sister who have lived through so much together that they feel that they only have each other to turn to – and much to their own horror, they start to turn to each other in a romantic way. You will be shocked and horrified at times throughout this book.  You will be torn apart by Lochan and Maya’s guilt, pain and suffering. If you don’t mind being ripped to shreds by a book, just hoping to come out whole when you get to the last page, then you will LOVE this book.  I certainly did! The negatives: The subject matter (mature YA or adults ONLY).  I’ve seen this book referred to as YA (I’m not sure if that’s an official genre, or just what people call it because the main… Read more »

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Oct 24
Review, Interview & Giveaway – Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt

Review, Interview & Giveaway – Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt

Giveaways (Ended), Reviews 0 ★★★★

  Title: Starstruck Author: Brenda Hiatt Release Date: August, 2013 Pages: 328, Paperback Goodreads Rating: 3.7 stars My Rating: 4/5 stars My Content Rating: PG-13 (Nothing more than kissing) Summary from Goodreads: Nerdy astronomy geek Marsha, M to her few friends, has never been anybody special. Orphaned as an infant and reluctantly raised by an overly-strict “aunt,” she’s not even sure who she is. M’s dream of someday escaping tiny Jewel, Indiana and making her mark in the world seems impossibly distant until hot new quarterback Rigel inexplicably befriends her. As Rigel turns his back on fawning cheerleaders to spend time with M, strange things start to happen: her acne clears up, her eyesight improves to the point she can ditch her thick glasses, and when they touch, sparks fly—literally! When M digs for a reason, she discovers deep secrets that will change her formerly humdrum life forever . . . and expose her to perils she never… Read more »

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Oct 23
Review – Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Review – Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Reviews 0 ★★★★½

Title: Insurgent Series: Divergent #2 Author: Veronica Roth Release Date: May, 2012 Pages: 525, Hardcover Goodreads Rating: 4.3 stars My Rating: 4.5/5 stars My Content Rating: PG-16 (No more than kissing, but some intense violence) Summary from Goodreads: One choice can transform you, or destroy you. Every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves, and herself, while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.   *This review contains spoilers for Divergent (book #1 in this series).* Insurgent is just as exhilarating as Divergent, full of twists and turns that will make your head spin! The book starts up exactly where Divergent left off, with Tris, Tobias and company on a train, headed toward Amity, looking to regroup after the horror of the attack on Abnegation.  But, they aren’t able to stay there long – they must figure… Read more »

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