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August 30, 2013

Book Blitz ~ Excerpt & Giveaway: Aberrant by Ruth Silver


Aberrant (Aberrant #1)
Release Date: 04/17/13

Summary from Goodreads:
In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system.

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.


Excerpt:

...I sighed softly and did something I'd only read about in forbidden novels. I leant in, brushing my lips against his. The kiss was soft and chaste. It lasted no more than a mere second before I pulled back. 

"What was that, Olive?" He gave me a horrified look and all I could feel was my stomach somersault. I knew romance and love weren't ever spoken of in Genesis. There was no need when the government knew who was perfect for one another, and children were won by lottery and conceived in a lab. Intimate acts were considered unnecessary.

"I read about it in a book," I whispered, afraid I'd done it all wrong. "It was a kiss," I breathed, chewing on my bottom lip nervously. I'd never kissed anyone before and worried he thought it was terrible. I'd never seen two people share a kiss, I didn't quite know what it was supposed to look like, but I thought I'd done it right after reading about it. 

My hand reached out, grabbing his arm. "Please don't be mad at me," I breathed. "You have to swear you won't tell anyone!" 

Joshua hesitated for only an instant before he leaned in, taking another taste from my lips trying again. The second kiss was softer and satisfied both of our curiosities. 

My heart raced and my skin warmed to his touch. "I thought today was going to turn out so much worse," I confessed. 

Joshua laughed as he pulled back slightly, staring at me. His eyes had darkened a deeper richer shade of blue. I'd never seen his eyes change colors before. His fingers moved to tickle my stomach with a grin. "Worse? Really? You're not happy you married me? You're just relieved it wasn't someone worse?"

"No!" I shrieked, "That's not what I meant!" I tried to catch my breath, but he hardly gave me a second more than necessary. I pulled from his ticklish grasp, jumped from the couch and ran across the room in a fit of laughter. He quickly followed, jumping over the sofa as he was just inches from me. He was close now, smiling and trailing behind me as I ran toward the bedroom. It was probably the worst place I could go, trapped between Joshua and a mattress. I felt him tackle me down onto the plush bed, his hands skimmed my stomach but he was no longer tickling me. The laughter still hadn't subsided. 

"Breathe," Joshua said, staring intently at me.

"Trying," I gasped between fits of laughter. Lying down helped settle the feeling of my racing heart, and after a moment I shifted along the mattress, reaching out to him. "I want to tell you a story," I insisted as my fingers found his cheek. "One I read in a book." I wanted him to learn the things I had about love and romance. I couldn't help but feel my body stir with a strange fire and warmth as he loomed just above me. Staring up at him I froze on the mattress hearing the latch click on the front door. I knew it had been locked.  
      

Available from:
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About the Author
Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.

She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, "Deuces are Wild", which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.

Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling.



Her favorite YA genre is a mix of Dystopian & Fantasy which is evident in the upcoming release of her latest book, Aberrant. Slated for release April 2013 by Lazy Day Publishing, it is the first in a trilogy.

***Author Links***
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***GIVEAWAY***
1 signed paperback of Aberrant (US only)
3 scrabble tile necklace charms & signed bookmark (INT)
3 bottlecap keychains & signed bookmark (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

August 29, 2013

Book Blitz ~ Excerpt & Giveaway: American Girl on Saturn by Nikki Godwin


Please click here for the list of blogs participating in this book blitz with promotional posts, interviews, guest posts, and book excerpts! This book blitz is hosted by Irresistible Reads Book Tours. :D 

Title: American Girl on Saturn
Author: Nikki Godwin
Release date: August 29th 2013
Genre: Young Adult
Tour organized by: Irresistible Reads Book Tours 


~ Synopsis ~
The summer after graduation is supposed to be that first real taste of freedom - but not for eighteen-year-old Chloe Branson. Just as that breeze of freedom is making its way into her galaxy, her secret-service-agent dad drops a meteor-sized bomb of bad news on her and her sisters. An attempt has been made on the lives of Canadian boyband, Spaceships Around Saturn, during their USA tour, and the guys have to go into hiding ASAP. The only problem? In the midst of the crisis and media frenzy, their dad volunteered to hide the guys...in their house.

Six-year-old Emery is as ecstatic as any self-proclaimed Saturnite would be, but Chloe and her seventeen-year-old sister Aralie watch their summer plans crash and burn like a falling star. The SAS guys aren't happy with the situation, either. Bad boy Jules picks fights with Aralie about everything from his Twitter followers to his laundry, and heartthrob Benji can't escape Emery's fangirlisms for more than three minutes. But after the super cute Milo kisses Chloe during a game of hide-and-seek, she finally understands what Emery means when she talks about SAS being "out of this world." If this is what Saturn feels like, Chloe doesn't want to come back to Earth.

Book Excerpt 
He reaches toward the tray and grabs the lone Oreo. "Okay, this is my last one for the night," he says. "Half it with me?" 
Seriously? If I wasn't the envy of every Saturnite in the world just by sitting across the table from him, I'm definitely the envy of them now because the Milo Grayson wants to half his precious Oreo with me. And the thing that sucks the most is that no one knows about it to be jealous of me! 
He hold the cookie up and waits for a response. 
"Yeah, we can half it," I say.
I reach across the table for it, but he jerks his arm back. The sleeve of his T-shirt hugs his bicep tightly, and oh how I wish to be that fabric. 
"Not so fast," he says. "Let's make it interesting." 
Could this be any more interesting? Hello - you're gorgeous and famous and sharing cookies with me! Any more 'interest' and I might burst like a firework.
"If you get the side with the cream, I'll give you my honest male opinion about your checkout line drama today," he says. "But if I get the cream side, you have to tell me, honestly, who you think the best looking guy is in Spaceships Around Saturn."
Oh God. He's for real. Does he know? He totally knows. He knows I'm lusting for him from behind this glass of milk and tattoo magazine. He knows that his eyes make me melt and that clearly watch him on Twitter because I know all about amazzzzzing. Now he wants to make me 'fess up.
"Deal." I say it before I can chicken out. 
I can always lie and say Benji's name. He's the fan favorite anyway. Benji Baccarini is Spaceships Around Saturn for so many girls. 
He leans forward, positions himself over the table, and holds up that fated Oreo. I push my glass of milk aside because the last thing I want is to knock it over with my quivering nerves. Then I lean toward him, grip the cookie with my fingers, and inhale every scent of his body wash that I can while I twist my half of the Oreo away from his half.   

~ About the Author ~

Nikki Godwin is a Young Adult/New Adult author. She is a city girl who can't live without Mountain Dew, black eyeliner, Hawthorne Heights, and candles from Bath & Body Works. When not writing, she's not-so-secretly stalking her favorite bands. She may or may not completely love One Direction. 

~ Author Links ~ 

~ Tour Giveaway ~ 

August 27, 2013

Blog Tour ~ Review, Giveaway, & Scavenger Hunt: The Exemeus by Folami & Abeni Morris


Hi guys! Welcome to my stop on The Exemeus blog tour hosted by Candace's Book Blog. Click here for the full tour schedule! :D 


Title: The Exemeus (The Exemeus #1)
Authors: Folami and Abeni Morris 
Published: January 3rd 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy
Source: Review copy
My Rating: 4 / 5 


~ Synopsis ~
Hyalee Smith is dead, she just doesn't know it yet. 

Her short life was devoted to love and to hate. Love of the man who stole her heart, hate for the man who stole the world. Murdered by the government she swore to destroy, she has been given another chance to make it right. But to save the planet, she needs the help of the most powerful mystic the world has ever seen - unfortunately he hasn't been born yet.

In a world where fear is the only currency, Dephon has committed the ultimate crime: inspiring hope. 

His only goal is to make it safely through ninth grade, but on a post-apocalyptic Earth run by the Treptonian government, it isn't that simple. Heir to a legendary power, Dephon Johnson is the only threat to the government's rule. And on Trepton, all threats must be eliminated. when hundreds of assassins are dispatched to neutralize him, Dephon is forced to fight back. His only chance of survival is to enlist the aid of the greatest warrior the world has ever known. The only problem is, she's been dead for 13 years.

~ My Thoughts ~ 
With the overarching theme of good vs. evil, The Exemeus takes a dash of Harry Potter, adds it to a dystopian setting like that of The Hunger Games, and what you get is a fresh twist on both the fantasy and dystopian genres. To say that Dephon's existence is a harsh one would be an understatement. From the way he describes his life, it sounds as though his dad is providing just the basics and isn't an emotional support Dephon can count on. Dephon's mother died a long time ago, and he doesn't have friends, either. All he really can afford to focus on is surviving school and retreating to his room to read all evening. It would be a very lonely existence if you ask me. 

With all of the above in mind, I immediately cared about Dephon and just when I thought I wouldn't like his father for the entire book, Dephon discovers how his parents met and what circumstances led up to cause his father's current behavior. The puzzle pieces begin to fall into place, and I started to understand why his father chose to live the way he had been living, even though I disagreed with it completely. Then you really get into the meat of the story at this point. 

The only problem I encountered while reading this book was sometimes I slipped from Dephon's narrative into Hyalee's narrative without realizing the change in character voice right away. They were a bit too similar for male and female characters respectively. Other than this, I loved every thrilling moment. You're taken on a wild ride where anything can happen, and I love books like this that take chances. 

If you're a fan of fantasy, dystopian, young adult, and romance, this is a gem of a book you'll devour in one sitting like I did!   

~ Purchase the Book ~ 

~ About the Authors ~ 
Folami and Abeni Morris are a sister-sister writing team. Together they wrote (and rewrote) The Exemeus, somehow managing to accomplish it without murdering one another. Despite their facial similarities, tendency to finish each other's thoughts and stick up for each other constantly, no, they're not twins and thus deserve their own individual bio.

~ Folami Morris ~ 
Folami grew up in the tiny city of San Mateo, California where nothing ever happens and no one ever leaves. She went to Xavier University for undergraduate, getting her B.A. in physics and her B.S. in Biology. After graduation she returned to California to live in an even smaller city where even less happens, Antioch, CA. During this time she escaped the monotony by hanging out with her imaginary friends Hyalee and Dephon, and by writing The Exemeus. She finally escaped to Queens NY and now realizes that quiet and tiny aren't so bad.

~ Abeni Morris ~ 
As luck (and logic) would have it, Abeni grew up in the same tiny little town as her sister, then she too escaped to the tinier town of Antioch. She has yet to leave. She received her bachelor's degree in early childhood development from Cal State East Bay. She is the mom of two amazing kids, who swear that they deserve a percentage of the book proceeds and a ton of the credit. At least she raised dreamers.

~ Find the Authors ~

~ Scavenger Hunt ~
Make sure to check out The Exemeus Scavenger Hunt, where you can win a Kindle Fire or $150! The first stop is at My Guilty Obsession, where you can get the first clues on this incredible journey for an amazing prize! The Scavenger Hunt starts on Monday, August 26th and runs through Friday, August 30th. Chances to win are through midnight on September 1st. 
Buy your copy of The Exemeus today if you haven't already!   



August 26, 2013

Cover Reveal ~ Without You (Stripped #1.5) by Brooklyn Skye

WITHOUT YOU
Release Date: 10/22/13

Cover Reveal organized by: YA Bound Book Tours

Summary from Goodreads:

*A novella to the best-selling New Adult novel STRIPPED*


I’m the knight on the white horse in her eyes, the one who broke down her defenses after her sister’s death until she realized she was capable of love. To her—aside from my name, Torrin Kingsley—I’m perfect.

But there’s a sliver of my past I’ve never shared with her. One that is now haunting me with every breath I take. One she is starting to raise her brow to.

I’m not certain how much longer I can keep it from her. To be honest, I don’t know that it would make a difference anyway, because it seems no matter which path I choose, they all lead to the same end point. A place without Quinn.

My demons run bone deep. I guess burying them forever wasn’t possible.


Book One:

****Stripped on sale this week for .99 cents!!!!****


About the Author
Brooklyn Skye grew up in a small town where she quickly realized writing was an escape from small town life. Really, she’s just your average awkward girl who’s obsessed with words. Her Best-Selling New Adult debut, STRIPPED, is out NOW! Represented by Bree Ogden of D4EO Literary Agency.

***Author Links***
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Book Blitz ~ Excerpt & Giveaway: Life, Love, & Lemons by Magan Vernon


Title: Life, Love, & Lemons
Author: Magan Vernon
Publication date: August 20th 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary

Cover Reveal organized by: Xpresso Book Tours 


Synopsis:
When life hands you lemons, sometimes you have to say screw the lemons and bail. 

Seventeen-year-old Bentley Evans had it all. Then her Dad got laid off. 

Now she has to move across town to a small apartment and leave her life of luxury for public school and a job at the local burger place. Just when her world seems like it's crumbling she finds solace in the unlikely punk boy next door, Kai Stone. But as their relationship blossoms, a jealous ex-girlfriend and a secret to tell that threatens to bring disaster back into Bentley's life.

Excerpt:
"Are you okay?"
     I sat on the cold tile floor of the break room with my head between my grease stained knees. The last person I expected to come back and check on me was Kai. 
     In my frenzied cry I somehow managed to blurt out that I had female problems and that got Jason to find someone else to do the sweeping. No guy ever wants to fight that one and Jason's face turned red when I mentioned it.
     "I'm fine." I sniffled, hoping that Kai would just go away. I wanted to be alone. How could my friends have done this to me? It was bad enough that I already lost my house, my school, and now some of my best friends since grade school. To top it all off I had some kid with hot pink shoes acting like I was the one with issues. 
     "Well obviously you're not." He reached his hand out toward me. 
     I crossed my arms firmly over my chest. "I don't need your help." It came out whinier than I intended. 
     Instead of walking away, he just plopped down beside me and spread his long legs out next to mine. 
     "You can only try and make lemons into lemonade for so long before you just have to say, screw the lemons, and bail." He stretched his arms out over his head. 
     I couldn't help but smile. "I didn't think anyone but me actually used that expression."
     "Well looks like you were wrong." He slowly stood up and turned to face me. "Now c'mon and let me show you what else you're wrong about." 
     As I looked at him, I didn't know what came over me. Maybe it was just my girl emotions working overtime or maybe it was his pleading puppy dog eyes, but for some reason I took his hand and followed him out the back door.
     "So where are we going?" I questioned, letting go of his hand as soon as we got outside. I was really glad we exited out the back so no one saw us. I really didn't want people getting the wrong idea. Kai was a nice guy and everything, but I knew the other co-workers would have a field day if they saw us together. Luckily it was just my little red mini and a giant orange car in the parking lot. 
     "Just get in and you'll find out," he said conspiratorially and opened the passenger door of the giant orange thing. 
     "What is that?" I pointed at the car, tilting my head.
     "This would be my car, a Ford Falcon." He motioned again for me to get into the car.
     Slowly I approached the car and got in as he slid over the hood of the car to the driver's side. 
     "Isn't that like something out of Star Wars?" I asked as he got in and started the car. 
     "No, that would be the Millennium Falcon, and that would be Star Trek." He smiled and pulled out of the parking lot. 
     "Sorry, I'm not up on my geekery." I laughed and I held out my palms toward him.
     "It's okay I didn't really expect you to be." He slid his long fingers over toward me. I thought he was going to reach for my hand but instead he turned on the stereo, letting a loud screaming guy's voice blast over the speakers. 
     "Ugh!" I put my hands over my ears and screeched, "What is that?" 
     Kai sighed and turned down the music. "It's the Circle Jerks, you know Punk Rock." 
     I shook my head. "Never heard of them, maybe you have something else that I might like." I reached up into the CD visor and browsed through his CD's. Bad Religion, The Misfits, Dead Kennedys - all these bands I had never heard of and sounded really depressing. 
     "How about we just turn on the radio?"
     "You're kind of demanding you know that?" Kai looked at me out of the corner of his eye and leaned back in his seat. 
     "Gee, you're such a charmer," I mocked. "But seriously, where are we going anyway?"
     "It's a surprise," he said mischievously, smiling as he turned down State Street.
     "Okay," I said and pulled my uniform top over my head.
     "JESUS, what are you doing?" Kai swerved the car and almost hit the curb in the process, causing me to almost bounce my head off the dashboard. 
     "Ugh!" I folded the shirt in my lap and then ran my fingers across the straps of my white tank top that I had on underneath. "I just didn't want to show up to wherever we were going in my uniform; what did you think I was doing? Trying to strip down in the Star Trek car?"
     "I don't know." He shrugged. " I thought the Falcon had some magical powers or something." 

This book sounds so funny and sweet - I really can't wait to read it! As a fan of punk music as well as Star Trek and Star Wars, I really enjoyed the references. :D Kai sounds like he's a rockin' character! Keep reading for a chance to win an eBook! 

~ Buy the Book ~
Amazon  

~ About the Author ~


Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman. 

~ Connect with the Author ~



Cover Reveal & Giveaway ~ Speak Low (Speak Easy #2) by Melanie Harlow


Title: Speak Low (Speak Easy #2) 
Author: Melanie Harlow 
Publication date: November 4th 2013
Genres: Historical, New Adult, Romance

Cover Reveal organized by: Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis:
We always want what we can't have. 

Tiny O'Mara is tired of living in a world where men make all the rules. After bootlegging enough whiskey to free her father from the DiFiore crime family, twenty-year old Tiny is determined to gain her independence. 

But it's going to cost her. 

Her alliance with sultry Enzo DiFiore is based more on their explosive chemistry than loyalty or trust. But she's promised him some information that will help him take revenge on The River Gang, and when he offers her a job, an apartment, and the prospect of nights spend together where anything goes, she can't refuse - which only puts her further in his debt.

She needs gorgeous childhood pal Joey Lupo to help her again - when they're not at each other's throats, they make a good team, and her attraction for him is becoming impossible to deny. But after she rejects his offer to leave town together, he's tempted to let her fend for herself.

As Enzo's need for possession and power escalate and her feelings for Joey deepen, Tiny realizes her mistakes. She just hopes she gets the chance to fix them before it's too late.

  ~ About the Author ~
Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. SPEAK EASY was inspired by her cocktail-culture obsession, her affection for good gin, and the view from the end of her street. She lifts her glass to NA readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI. 

~ Author Links ~



Book one Speak Easy will be .99 cents for this entire week of the cover reveal!!! Click here to purchase your copy!

I can't tell you how psyched I am for Speak Low!! Speak Easy was phenomenal and so hot with both Enzo and Joey I hoped against hope there would be a sequel. Click here for my review of the first book, Speak Easy!
  


August 23, 2013

Feature & Follow #25 ~ Book Selfie!


I'm so excited to join Feature & Follow Friday!! This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where they each feature a blogger with an interview and also have a question or activity for all bloggers to participate in answering. Please click the links above to follow the hosting bloggers and the featured bloggers and enter the link to your own post in the linky. Hop around to as many blogs as you can - find new blogs to follow and gain some new followers as well. Mingle and make some new blogger friends! :D

I would be so happy and ever so grateful if you'd follow me any way other than GFC, especially by Bloglovin' or email (to the left) and Twitter. Thank you! <3

Follow on Bloglovin

 

 Q: Book Selfie! Take a pic with your current read. 

Cover Reveal ~ Hopeless for You by Hayden Hill

HOPELESS FOR YOU by Hayden Hill is scheduled for release on September 21st, 2013. To be notified when the book comes out. click here.  

 BLURB: Ash Jensen, a squeaky-clean sophomore at the University of Tennessee, has a trail of baggage a mile long. She swore she'd never love again but when she finds herself interned to a yummy Canadian conservation officer that promise is tested big-time. Kade Gyllenhahl sports wild tattoos, a rebellious attitude and a fohawk to die for. He's definitely the wrong man for her and she knows it. Kade doesn't have time for a girl like her. She's a pretentious, unreadable princess who lives her life by her parents' rules. Besides, he'll lose his job if he sleeps with Ash. Now if only he could get his mind off her. When the two of them end up alone and isolated on a routine field trip into the woods, things get a little complicated... 

ABOUT HAYDEN HILL: Hayden Hill is the author of HOPELESS FOR YOU, an upcoming New Adult contemporary romance. When not writing, Hayden enjoys photography and travel. Hayden is known to have a weakness for a certain white chocolate cheesecake...
 Goodreads: Hayden Hill 
Facebook: Hayden Hill Books 
Twitter: @HaydenHillBooks 

August 20, 2013

Book Blitz ~ Giveaway: Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy #1) by Nikki Narvaez


Envisioned
Series- The Elemental Prophecy Book # 1
By- Nikki Narvaez
Genre- New Adult /Paranormal Romance

Brielle De Luca thought she was just an average girl, despite her nightly dreams of an impending apocalypse, along with a gorgeous man that pulls at her soul.

However, on the night of her 18th birthday, everything changes when she is thrown into the Elemental World, a world where she is supposedly the One that is spoken about in an ancient Prophecy; a Prophecy that states she is the key to preventing an apocalypse.

Now she must learn to control her power over the four elements, all while dealing with the love and intense passion of her bond to the man from her dreams, Jace Vasquez.

Piece of cake, right?





Cover Reveal & Giveaway ~ Whiskey Lullaby (Love Songs #1) by Dawn Martens & Emily Minton

August 19, 2013

Cover Reveal ~ Retribution (Lost Souls #1) by Amy Thompson

Title: Retribution (Lost Souls #1) 
Author: Amy Thompson
Published: June 18th 2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Cover Reveal organized by: Mandy Anderson at i read indie

~ Synopsis ~ 
Regan Edison has just moved from California, to enter her first year at Georgia Liberty College, the place where jacked up Chevy trucks and hunting are a way of life. Regan hopes to start a new life for herself and she thinks that Georgia is just the place to do it. That is until she meets an unexpected stranger.

Colter Hayes is a member of the Collectors, a group of wrongfully punished lost souls. Colter and the rest of his team, Finn, Kaiden and Devon, work for the Requiem Council who pass judgment on those souls that are neither tagged for Heaven nor Hell. The Council has charged the Collectors with finding the lost in exchange for a chance at redemption.

When an ex-council member known to pass Retribution on lost souls sets his sights on Regan, the Requiem Council dispatches the Collectors to Georgia to work as protectors for Regan. The Collectors must fight to save Regan from a fate they know all too well, but can they work to earn back their chance at redemption or are their fates sealed forever?

Who is meant for Heaven? 

     Who is meant for Hell? 

          And who is just lost?

I have a copy of this book for review, and I'm so excited to read it! Thank you to Mandy and Amy!! :D 

~ Purchase Links ~ 

~About the Author ~

Amy Thompson graduated from Randolph-Macon College with her B.S. in Biology. She currently works as a high school mentor and is earning her M.S. in Higher Education from Drexel University.

Amy is a first time, self-published author of Retribution, a new adult paranormal romance novel that is the first in the Lost Souls series. She lives in Southern Virginia with her family and two lazy cats. Amy Thompson is currently working on the next book in the Lost Souls series and continues to be an avid reader of all things books.

~ Connect with the Author ~ 

August 17, 2013

Review ~ Giving You Forever (The Forever Series #4) by Ashley Wilcox

Title: Giving You Forever (The Forever Series #4) 
Author: Ashley Wilcox
Published: June 19th 2013
Pages: Approx. 296
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Erotica
Source: Review copy
My Rating: 3 / 5 stars

* Due to sexual situations, I recommend this book to readers 18+ *


~ Synopsis ~

From the moment Nolan Pratt walked into Alexa Arnold's life everything was forever changed. After a year of dating, the ring was on her finger, the house was purchased, and life was heading down Pleasantville lane. Everything was perfect. 

Or so they thought.

With help from his parent's inheritance, Nolan takes on a new business adventure, utilizing all his free time. What was once their life - carefree with minimal responsibilities, is no more. When Alexa starts to feel the pressure from school, wedding planning, and lack of help from Nolan, exhaustion kicks in and feelings get hurt, testing the strength of their relationship. But, if there is one thing that Nolan will never compromise, it's Alexa's happiness. There's nothing Nolan Pratt won't do to make sure Alexa is well taken care of, loved, and happy.

When Nolan's past resurfaces - a past that Alexa didn't know existed - will it all be too much? Will Nolan's devotion to Alexa's happiness cost him their relationship and lose him the only thing that has ever mattered in his life? Or will Nolan discover that his past doesn't determine his future and he is worth the happiness he doesn't think he deserves? 

~ My Thoughts ~ 

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I've read in this series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I might have have liked Nolan more if I had read the previous books. I didn't end up liking him, though, and was close to wishing Alexa would find someone more worthy of her. They're written as being perfect for each other, but Nolan has an ugly temper and can be rude. I wouldn't be as understanding as Alexa if my fiance was downright rude to people while we were out in public together. Not to mention the way he treated her friend.

While the issues they faced in their relationship were completely realistic, I had a hard time buying that after three years they were still going at it like rabbits. Don't get me wrong - the sex scenes were smoking hot - but it seemed like every two seconds they were ripping each other's clothes off. I was worn out, and I was just reading the book!!

With the stress of Nolan starting up his own business and Alexa finishing college all while planning a wedding, Nolan's past rears its ugly head and throws more stress at them to deal with. The way Nolan dealt with his problems towards the end of the book just made me not like him even more. His reaction caught me off guard, and I thought Alexa deserved better from him after all they had been through.

I did enjoy the author's writing style, I loved Alexa, and like I said earlier, the love scenes were hot! I loved the way Alexa fit in so well with Nolan's family, and there were twists in the story I didn't see coming. I plan on reading the other books in this series. I'm interested to see how Nolan and Alexa's relationship began and what it was like back then.

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~ About the Author ~ 

Through my addiction for reading, I've discovered my passion for writing. I'm a hopeless romantic, and love reading and writing about it. 

~Read to love, and love to read~

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