ARC Tour ~ Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale by Bethany Lopez Review & Tour-Wide Giveaway

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Nissa tour. I have a review for you as well as links to follow the rest of the tour and to enter the tour wide giveaway. Isn't the cover gorgeous?? It drew me in right away! :D

 

Title: Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale

Author: Bethany Lopez

Release date: April 23, 2013

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Blog Tour Organized By: AToMR Tours 

 

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~ Book Description ~

 

At 900 years old, Nissa is finally ready to follow her mother's path and become the best Fairy Godmother she can. She’s not thrilled when her first assignment turns out to be a teenage human girl with self-esteem issues, but she knows she has to start somewhere. Her assignment has dealt with bullies since her freshman year and they haven’t let up. If Nissa can’t help her regain her self-confidence her future is bleak.

To complicate matters Nissa experiences all the signs that she's met the being fated for her. This impossibility distracts her from her purpose. After all, fairies and humans aren't meant for each other. How can her heart believe otherwise? Can Nissa successfully complete her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother? Will the fates allow Nissa and Levi to be together? And even if they do, will Levi believe Nissa once she reveals the truth?

 

~ Purchase Links ~

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CF88XO0 

 

Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nissa-bethany-lopez/1115125446?ean=2940016665139 

 

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/307124 

 

 ~ My Thoughts ~

 

This was a very sweet and quick read for me. Nissa is a heroine worthy of rooting for with the selfless intention of helping humans as their Fairy Godmother, following in her mother's footsteps. How cool would that be? I couldn't decide which I wanted more - to be a Fairy Godmother myself or to have help from one like Nissa. She always thinks of others before herself and with her friendly nature, she seems like she could make friends anywhere. She'd be a great fairy to have on your side!

 

Though Nissa isn't excited with her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother, I was happy she was assigned to a girl who was being bullied and has no self-esteem. Nissa had hoped for something more challenging, but she soon realizes how hurtful it is to be bullied as well as how extremely difficult it is to stop it once it's started. She struggles to understand why it even began in the first place, and I understood her frustration. I felt there really is no answer to that question both in the story and in real life. It sometimes just seems to come out of nowhere as it did for Nissa's assignment. I cheered Nissa on in completing this mission - I really wanted to see her assignment happy and confident.     

 

My only issue with the story is that I wanted to be shown what was going on rather than being told. Other than that, I really enjoyed it. I liked the friendship that developed between Nissa and her assignment, the romance she found when she least expected it, the strong familial ties she had to her parents and siblings, and the way she made choices bravely and thoughtfully. The conflict Nissa has between what she wants and what she thinks she should do had me engrossed to the end in finding out how it was going to be resolved. I couldn't put the book down until I found out. Nissa was completely endearing from page one, and after reading this book, I decided I really want to read more books with fairies. I think I've been missing out. :) 

~ About the Author ~

 

Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High in Dearborn, Michigan, where she has set her Young Adult series. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her novels through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

 

 

Bethany Lopez | Facebook | Twitter

~ Social Media links ~

IAN - http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/bethany-lopez.html

Webpage - www.bethanylopez.blogspot.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/BethanyLopez2

Facebook - http://on.fb.me/LypEaO

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/bethanylopez2/ 

 

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To follow along with the tour, please click the following link: http://atomrbookblogtours.com/2013/03/21/arc-tour-nissa-by-bethany-lopez/

 

Cover Reveal ~ Until I Break by M. Leighton

Title: Until I Break (A Twisted Novel)

Author: M. Leighton

Publisher: M. Leighton

Release date: May 14, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: Adult

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours 

Laura Drake is an author. She writes bestselling paranormal romances that continue to top the charts. She is sharp. She is confident. She is in control.

And she doesn’t exist.

Samantha Jansen is the woman behind the wig, the woman most of the world doesn’t know exists. She is shy. She is insecure. She is nothing like her main character or her alter ego. She is scarred—deeply scarred—by a past she can’t let go of and a present she can’t make peace with. Samantha’s dreams are consumed by one man, the broken hero from her books. Mason Strait is both her wildest fantasy and her most terrifying nightmare.

When Samantha meets Alec Brand, a corporate consultant, it is as though Mason has come to life. Alec is handsome to a fault, as elegant as he is arrogant, and more intense than any man has a right to be.

Samantha is soon sucked into a world that mirrors the fiction she writes. Just like her main character, Daire Kirby, Samantha finds herself unable to resist the forbidden lure of Alec. And just like Daire, she also finds that she is faced with taking a chance on a man who could either set her free or destroy her. The scale tilts toward destruction when Samantha finds out that Alec is as much a work of fiction as Mason. 

And he has scars of his own, scars that could ruin them both.  

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding wild horses, skiing the slopes of Aspen or scuba diving with a hot rock star, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter 

 

My Flash Friday Entry #1

Friday night was my first time entering the Flash! Friday micro fiction contest that's run every week. A different prompt is given, and this week the photo below was the only prompt given. The story needed to be 100 words exactly, and you're given all of Friday to add your entry to the post's comments section along with your Twitter handle.

I'd like to share my entries with you each week, although knowing how lazy I can be, I may not enter every single week, lol! Whenever I do, though, I'd love to post my entry here to share with you. :) If you would like to participate in this contest every Friday click the following link for more info: Flash Friday blog .

Photo courtesy of Mensatic, Morguefile

“Perfect Day”

Violet dreamed of leaving her hometown and starting afresh far away. She wanted to meet new people, see new places, and have new experiences. Only sixteen, she had two more years of being stuck in this tiny town where everyone knows everyone. At Violet’s favorite spot, she climbed the ladder held up by her favorite tree until she could see the expanse of fields surrounding the trees.

Her heart seized in her chest. She must be hallucinating. Had she smoked that much? The group of things swarmed over the green grass, the sunlight beaming down on them. She was screwed.

Any comments and critiques are appreciated! Give it to me straight - I can take it, lol! I need to know what I can do to improve. Thanks! :D

Feature & Follow #10 ~ A Song and a Book

I'm so excited to finally be joining Feature and Follow Friday!! This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where they each feature a fellow blogger and ask a question which can be answered by participating bloggers. If you aren't already following the two hosting bloggers, please visit their blogs to follow them, the bloggers they're featuring, and enter your own blog in the linky. Hop around to other blogs - find new blogs to follow and gain some new followers as well. :D

Q: Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song & the book?

The entire time I was reading Splintered  by A.G. Howard , Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" was completely stuck in my head, lol. It's one of my favorite songs from its era, so I didn't mind at all. Love those lyrics! I just wondered if this song was stuck in anyone else's head while reading this book. :D

I'd love to hear what songs and books you guys have chosen! If you're a new follower, please let me know in the comments, and I'll follow back! :D

*Special Note* I'll be late hopping around to your blogs and responding to comments today due to my son's surgery for his cavities. Talk to y'all very soon! xoxo

Think Out Loud #8 Yet Another Surgery

Hey everyone! I'm now going to join the meme Think Out Loud hosted by Thinks Books. With this meme, you can post anything you want! Get to know other bloggers outside of the bookish realm. :)Click on the link to go to her blog and sign up. :) The posts go up on Thursdays or whenever you'd like. :D

After the two surgeries I had last year - my first one ever for my broken ankle and the second to remove my gallbladder - I was so done with the hospital and doctors. I wished for a surgery-free year, but my husband's grandmother had to have surgery recently and now my son is having surgery tomorrow. We're just in April!

My son has some cavities that need to be filled, and since he's only three years old with high doctor and dentist anxiety, the pediatric dentist decided to fill them this way. First of all, I feel like such a crappy mom upon finding out about the cavities. My daughter never had cavities, so this unexpected. Secondly, I recognize intellectually that I'm lucky my kids are healthy besides this, and I should be and am completely grateful for; however, emotionally as someone who grew up with a grandfather and mother battling brain cancer and both losing those battles, I live in a state of fear that one day my luck will run out again. But that's a long story for another day.

I'm feeling a bit nervous about tomorrow. I know they do this all the time. Everything is going to be okay - I just don't want to see my son scared or upset. My husband and I will be there together, and when the children's hospital called me today, the caller assured me my son won't remember anything about going to the operating room or the operation itself. That's a relief that I needed someone to tell me out loud (haha, get it? out loud?).

 

My son fell asleep tonight hugging his Mickey Mouse. Sweet dreams, Jack. <3

Re-Release Event: Love at 11 by Mari Mancusi

Check out the Excerpt & Tour Wide Giveaway!

Title: Love at 11

Author: Mari Mancusi

Genre: Contemporary

Age Group: New Adult

Re-release Date: April 24, 2013

Event organized by:   AToMR Tours

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Amazon

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~Book Description~

When Maddy graduated from Columbia University, she was ready to change the world. She'd get a job at Newsline, meet a nice guy, and live happily ever after with a real designer handbag on her arm. Five years later, she's stuck producing puff pieces for News 9 San Diego--where "if it bleeds, it leads." She's still single, her family's falling apart, and so is her knock-off Kate Spade. 

Then Jamie Hayes walks through her newsroom door. The former filmmaker is everything Maddy has ever dreamed of. Creative, smart, sweet—and with eyes that could make a girl melt. The perfect guy…but perfectly unavailable. And the more Maddy tries to stay away—the further she starts to fall.

Now a secret scoop from her favorite knock-off purse guy has Maddy chasing a lead that could make her career. Or destroy it forever. How far is she willing to go to broadcast the truth? And will this breaking news lead to a happily ever after…or a broken heart? 

Stay tuned...it's the story of a lifetime. 

Excerpt #1

Argh, my head.

My head really, really hurt.

And I was dying of thirst.

I pulled the blankets over my head to block the rays of strong San Diego sun from blasting my sensitive morning eyes. What time was it? Why was I naked?

Uh-oh.

A flashback of memory—a snapshot of my body on autopilot—hit me like a rock dropped from ten stories up.

The last thing I remembered clearly was leaving Moondoggies. With Jamie. Getting refused at the next club. With Jamie. Going back to my apartment.

With Jamie.

The rest was blurry. But what I did remember was truly horrifying. Blasting ’80s music from my stereo. Mixing up margaritas (like I needed more alcohol!) in my blender. Jumping on my bed, singing and dancing like a idiot to Simple Minds.

Making out with Jamie like there was no tomorrow.

I slowly rolled over to face the other side of the bed. To confirm my worst fear. Was there another body in my bed?

There was.

Not just any body, either. But a sexy, rumpled, naked, sound asleep, Jamie body in my bed.

Again. Uh-oh.

I groaned. How could I have been such an idiot? Gotten so drunk I didn’t even remember having sex with the guy? That was so bad. So alcoholically bad. On about a million and three levels:

a) Having sex and not remembering it.

b) Having sex and not remembering it with a guy I barely knew.

c) Having sex and not remembering it with a guy I barely knew who happened to have a fiancée he was going to marry in three months.

d) Having sex and not remembering it with a guy I barely knew who happened to have a fiancée he was going to marry in three months and that I had to work with day in and day out for the foreseeable future.

Now what should I do? Did I snuggle up next to him and pretend I had planned the seduction? Get the hell out of bed and pretend I’d slept on the couch, hoping he didn’t remember, either? Make breakfast? Leave the country and open up shop as a WWJD bracelet maker in Tijuana?

Hmm. Speaking of, what would Jesus do in a case like this? No, bad question. He wouldn’t have gotten himself in this mess to begin with.

I noticed with some relief a ripped open condom package on my nightstand. One of the ones Jodi had stuffed in a drawer one time “just in case.” Thank god, even in my drunken blackout I’d still had the wherewithal to be safe.

I tried to crawl out of bed, but at that moment the sleeping Jamie rolled over, tossing a heavy arm over my body and pulling me closer so I was spooned against him. I was stuck. Extremely comfortable, but stuck.

I felt his hot breath warm my skin and tried to think back to the night before. Damn it, why couldn’t I remember the hot sex I’m sure we must have had? I bet it was incredible. He was incredible. Not that I should be thinking about that. After all, he was taken. And not just kind-of taken, but wedding-invitations-and-white-dress taken.

Oh my god, I was the other woman.

How ironic that I’d been out mourning the fact that my father had cheated on my mother and had inadvertently helped some other guy cheat on his fiancée. And not just any other guy, but my new coworker! How was I supposed to work with him now? Would I have to go into Richard’s office and beg for a new photographer to combat the awkward morning-after syndrome?

~About the Author~

Mari Mancusi used to wish she could become a vampire back in high school. But she ended up in another blood sucking profession --journalism -- instead. Today she works as a freelance TV producer and author of books for teens and adults. When not writing about creatures of the night, Mari enjoys traveling, cooking, goth clubbing, watching cheesy horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure--videogames. A graduate of Boston University and a two time Emmy Award winner, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon and dog Mesquite.

Author social media links:

Website: www.marimancusi.com

Blog: www.marimancusi.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloodcovenvampires

Twitter: www.twitter.com/marimancusi

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21701.Mari_Mancusi

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Review ~ "The Girl from Bleecker Street" by J.R. Meehl

"The Girl from Bleecker Street"

by J.R. Meehl

Published September 13th 2012 by Daventry Press

23 pages

Genre: Drama, Family, Youth

Average Rating: 4.25 / 5.00

My Rating: 4.00 / 5.00

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~Synopsis~

Kristen and her family have just moved to New York City, which is a good thing for her because she's always dreamed of being on Broadway!

But Kristen soon finds out that not everything is easy or glitzy in the Big Apple. She has to make new friends, get used to a new school, and become accustomed to a whole new way of life. And of course, there are the auditions. Kristen never had any trouble with them before, but with a higher level of competition, and a growing number of rejections, will she be able to live out her dream? Read on and find out!

~My Thoughts~

This is a positive upbeat story about a young girl and her dream to star on Broadway. I loved Kristen and how supportive her parents are of her. They packed up their family and moved closer to help her achieve her dream. What awesome parents! It was so beautiful how much they believed in her and how hard this young girl worked. She kept going on, audition after audition, losing various parts to her competition, yet never giving up. I rooted for her all the way. She's strong, hard-working, and inspiring no matter what your own goal may be. I really loved this story and the way it ended!

I received a copy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review through the Making Connections group on Goodreads.

Purchase Links:    Amazon   

~About the Author~

Editor and president of Daventry Press, a publishing company that prints new material from upcoming writers, and annotates the classics for new audiences.

Meehl also has authored some short works and is currently working on comic books and his first novel: Grootslang.

Author Links:    Goodreads    Website    Blog    Twitter        

Feature & Follow #9 ~Which author would you want to hang with?~

I'm so excited to finally be joining Feature and Follow Friday!! This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where they each feature a fellow blogger and ask a question which can be answered by participating bloggers. If you aren't already following the two hosting bloggers, please visit their blogs to follow them, the bloggers they're featuring, and enter your own blog in the linky. Hop around to other blogs - find new blogs to follow and gain some new followers as well. :D

Q: If you could hang out with any author (living) who would it be and what would you want to do? 

This is definitely a difficult question 'cause there are so many authors I'd love to meet and hang out with! I'm going to answer with Augusten Burroughs. He's probably best known for writing Running with Scissors, although my fave book of his is Dry, in which he chronicles his recovery from alcoholism. He has a witty style of writing and a sense of humor intact even with all of the crazy things that have happened to him throughout his life. I really enjoy his books, and I own all of them except for his latest release I believe.

I'd hope with everything I've got that he loves amusement parks and roller coasters because that's exactly what I'd want to do, lol! I'd want to spend the day riding crazy roller coasters, eating ice cream and funnel cakes, and picking up some souvenirs. That'd make my year!

How about you? Who would you choose?

Blog Tour ~ Soul Bender by Robyn Jones ~Review & Tour Wide Giveaway~

Hey everyone! I have a review of both books in the Touched Girl series for you as part of my stop on this awesome tour today! I'm proud and excited to be a part of the tour for this series organized through JC's Book Haven. You can follow the tour here. Don't forget to enter the tour wide giveaway below!! :D
                                                           

Soul Walker (A Touched Girl Series #1)

by Robyn Jones

Published December 9, 2012

252 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Average Rating: 4.14 / 5.00

My Rating: 4.50 / 5.00

Add to Goodreads

 

~Synopsis~

 

"I need to get you to the hospital." He was taking responsibility for me. Only my parents had that job. I stretched my hand out in protest, but the lack of depth perception had my trembling fingers grazing his overheated neck. I swore his whole body shook.

When five-year-old Anna Pierce is offered a chance to have nightmare-free nights for the small price of her voice, she jumps at it. Silence has to be better than all-consuming dreams about blood and death and fangy monsters. The bargain she strikes comes with a secondary benefit, visions of a person's future potential. The combination of visions and silence changes her very nature and soon she's diagnosed with autism. Twelve years of living in her head comes to a screeching halt the moment Peter Davis pulls her out of an icy river.

Her new life has her twirling, tiptoeing, and crashing through unfamiliar territory, one filled with a cranky grandma, a knocked up cousin, an unpleasant cousin, a bunch of mostly good vampires, and the boy who rescued her.

To top it all off, the deal she made at five is no more. Anna is expected to talk, to figure out her resurfacing nightmares, and to control her ever-growing powers. And she'd better get it done soon because if the good vamps want a piece of a living, breathing Touched girl, the evil ones simply want. They'll take Anna for their very own.

 

~My Review ~

 

Anna is one of the most intriguing and unique female main characters I've come across. I liked her immediately and admired her inner strength. Every one of her "quirks" just endeared her to me even more. I couldn't imagine having nightmares to the point where I'd agree to give up my voice. Those must have been terrifying for Anna to have agreed to stop talking. And for twelve years! That's such a long time, especially since she has the ability to speak. She is soon diagnosed with autism, and I haven't read a book where the main character has been diagnosed with autism. With so much awareness having been raised for autism these past few years, it was really interesting to see the world through Anna's eyes. I cannot tell you how much I love this girl!

 

The action takes off from the very beginning, and I was thrilled to go along for the ride. Just when I thought there couldn't possibly be any new stories to be told with vampires, Jones proved me wrong, and I was just fine with being proven wrong. :) Especially with the world Jones has built and the characters she has developed - the combination made for the kind of reading where I was completely absorbed in the story no matter what was going on in the background of the "real world"!

 

Anna's grandmother, Ella, and her two cousins, Sara and Betsy, surprised me with how much they grew on me. I cared about them as much as I cared about Anna, which surprised me because I wasn't sure how they were going to treat her in the beginning. There are so many laugh-out-loud moments and witty dialogue between Anna and the other characters - I found myself smiling every time Anna interacted with her family.

 

I absolutely fell head over heels in love with the characters, the story, and the world Jones created in this start to what is sure to become one of my favorite series. I am looking forward to the next book!!

 

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for the blog tour.

 

Purchase Link for Soul Walker:    Amazon         

Soul Bender (A Touched Girl Series #2)

by Robyn Jones

Published March 11, 2013

307 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires

Average Rating: 5.00 / 5.00

My Rating: 5.00 / 5.00

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~Synopsis~

How much can a soul take before it breaks?

 

Anna Pierce has a vampire boyfriend, a driver's license, real friends for the first time since she was five, and now she faces one of her biggest challenges, senior year at a mostly all girls Catholic high school. Sure, she's a member of the talking crowd now, but she'll never be like everyone else. How can she when the first of her kind has camped out in her dreams?

 

Little dead girl Emily decides Anna's destiny can wait no longer. It's time for this generation's Touched girl to hunt. Trained in a virtual dream landscape to destroy all in her path, Anna must choose between her destiny, the one beat into her on a nightly basis, and her legacy, the one instilled in her by her parents.

 

Along the way, old enemies remain dutifully obsessed, new foes lurk in the shadows, and odd Little Duckie Anna Pierce sets out to be social.

 

~My Review~

 

The challenges that Anna faced in this book were even tougher than those from the first book. My heart broke for her several times, and I rooted for her to draw from her well of inner strength that I love her for and fight for what she wants from life. She's easy to love, and all of the ways she is different from "typical" girls makes me love her even more. She's such an awesome character!

 

So many moments had me biting my nails in anticipation (and I never bite my nails!) of what was going to happen next. I had no idea where the story was going to go, and I allowed myself to go on this wild ride through Jones's world once again. I had missed all of the characters so much! I was only too happy to jump right back in!

 

Things became much more complicated for Anna and the vampires she has befriended. She begins school, wading through all of the drama and turmoil of being a teen girl. I couldn't help but giggle when she lamented becoming caught up in emotions she isn't used to dealing with. I also empathized with her because being a teen girl is difficult enough without the extra complications of being a Touched girl. The way Anna looks at life and deals with situations in her life made me laugh along with her, cry with her, and fight alongside her. I felt like I was right there with Anna and a part of her family.

 

Jones drew me into her world again with her beautiful descriptions, realistic and endearing characters, excellent world-building, and lyrical writing. I need the next book like yesterday!

 

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for the blog tour.

Purchase Link for Soul Bender: Amazon

 

 

About Robyn Jones

I'm the mom of two hardcore boys. My oldest trained me to be matter-of-fact, no frills. My youngest wants the whole singsongy sweet package. Thank goodness for reading and writing because they are my sanity makers. I know life is all about the journey, that's why I like my fiction to be all about the destination. I want to be taken somewhere not here when I read, same goes with the stories I create. Thrills, chills, tears, and laughter, but there has to be something to hold on to at the end.

Blog = http://robgirlbooks.blogspot.com/
Twitter = https://twitter.com/robgirlbooks
Goodreads = http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6859637.Robyn_Jones

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Intangible Series Blog Tour ~ Review Imaginable by J. Meyers

Happy Release Day to J. Meyers!!! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from the author! Thank you to the author! :D

 

Imaginable (Intangible #2)

by J. Meyers

Published April 16, 2013

342 pages

Average Rating 4.45 / 5.00

My Rating 5.00 / 5.00

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~Synopsis~

 

The story that started in INTANGIBLE continues...

 

Twins Sera and Luke Raine’s unusual abilities are growing. Sera is healing vampires now, making them human again. And, at times, Luke can actually change the future he Sees.

But Sera’s healing has dangerous consequences, and though Luke is altering the outcome of more visions, he can’t control them yet.

Now Sera is in danger as the dark creatures of the Realm seek to use her. As Luke struggles to master his gift in order to save his sister, he discovers even more about his powers.

And what he learns just may put him in greater danger than Sera has ever been.

 

~My Review~

It's crazy how much I loved this book! It's even better than the first, which I know is hard to believe but is so true! I don't know how J. Meyers did it, but she did with flying colors. Absolutely. Deeper insight into Luke and Sera's world of Gifteds, Light Elves, vampires, and Dark Elves is given, and I was happy and satisfied with the character development - I could really see the twins maturing and expanding their powers. The characters seem so real, and they talk like young adults their age do. I feel like I really know them as though they're old friends of mine.

 

One of my favorite characters is Jonas, and I was completely ecstatic to spend some quality time with him, lol. I don't know exactly what it is about him that I find irresistible. It isn't even the fact that he's a vampire. There is this bad boy quality about him, yet he's so much more than that kind of guy. He's complex and mysterious with many layers to him, and after reading Indomitable with some of his past explored, I was even more excited to see him make an appearance!

 

With romance in the air, Meyers teases the reader with a will they or won't they kind of vibe between some of the characters. I really don't want to give anything away, so I won't say between whom. Meyers gives the different relationships time to develop and flourish rather than throwing characters together into relationships right away, which I appreciate and think is clever. It gives the potential couples rooting value, and I'm definitely rooting for these characters. 

 

Imaginable is action packed with surprising revelations and twists and turns that will hook you and keep you turning the pages until the very end. I was completely immersed in the story and the world of Luke and Sera. I love the sibling dynamic between them as not only brother and sister but as twins also. If you haven't read this series yet, I highly encourage you to do so! It takes no time at all to get into these novels. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series...it's always so difficult for me to leave their world until the next time. I can't wait to see where Meyers takes us next! 

 

Purchase Links:    Amazon US    Amazon UK    Barnes & Noble   

 

~About the Author~

 

j. meyers grew up in Vermont, spent three years in Germany when she was a kid, and now lives in Central New York. When she's not reading or writing, she's chasing after her four kids, exploring the outdoors with her family, baking sweet treats, and forgetting to make dinner. She's the author of Intangible, Intuition, Indomitable, and Imaginable.

 

~Connect with the Author~

Goodreads    Website    Twitter    Facebook   

Feature & Follow #8 ~Reader Conventions~

I'm so excited to finally be joining Feature and Follow Friday!! This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where they each feature a fellow blogger and ask a question which can be answered by participating bloggers. If you aren't already following the two hosting bloggers, please visit their blogs to follow them, the bloggers they're featuring, and enter your own blog in the linky. Hop around to other blogs - find new blogs to follow and gain some new followers as well. :D

Q: We are about to see a lot of posts & tweets about reader conventions, RT, BEA, ALA and many more are starting soon. Which one would you love to attend? Where and why?  

I've never been to a reader convention before. If I had to choose only one to start out with, I'd like to go to the BEA in New York. I love New York, and it isn't terribly far from me. I took a look at the website, and it seems really exciting. I'd be really nervous going though I think! :)

How about you? Have you been to a reader convention before? How was your experience? If not, which would you want to attend?  

Think Out Loud #7: Bizarre Tales of Staying Home with Your Kids

Hey everyone! I'm now going to join the meme Think Out Loud hosted by Thinks Books. With this meme, you can post anything you want! Get to know other bloggers outside of the bookish realm. :)Click on the link to go to her blog and sign up. :) The posts go up on Thursdays. :D

Up until four years ago, I was a working mom. Then I became pregnant with my son, and my husband and I decided I would stay at home with the kids. My daughter was in kindergarten at the time, and since then, I've been home. I can go to any of her school events without having to request time off or, even worse, missing those events. I've had the chance to see my son grow up and reach all of the milestones - laughing out loud, crawling, walking, talking...it's been really cool getting to be there for all of my son's firsts. I didn't get to be for my daughter unfortunately.

Since I stopped working outside the home, some really crazy things have happened these past few years. When my daughter was seven and my son 11 months old, I had taken them out to get breakfast. We had just come home and I was getting my son out of the car when an old man pulled up in front of my house. I thought he wanted directions, and I looked over to see how I could help him. He rolled his window down and asked if he could give my kids suckers "to teach them the dangers of accepting candy from strangers." I told him thanks but no thanks. He's a stranger himself, so how would I teach my kids not to take candy from strangers by allowing them to take suckers from a stranger?!?

I was very polite, yet he began yelling and cussing at me, saying, "I'm not like that" over and over. I became very frightened and ran with my kids into the house. He peeled away. I didn't get a chance to get his license plate number but called the police anyway. I described his car and what happened. Soon, a police officer came to my door to check on us. The man had told me he goes to Walmart a lot, and I told the police officer that. He said he'd go out there. They found him and made sure he didn't do that anymore. He did that at Walmart all the time, and I don't understand why they allowed him to in the first place. Obviously he's unhinged if he's willing to drive around neighborhoods looking for kids. So there was that incident.

There was the time at the beginning of the school year when my daughter was in first grade that a boy accidentally knocked her down in gym, and two of her teeth went flying - one on the top row and one on the bottom directly underneath. Then at the end of her first grade year, she was knocked down in gym again, except this time it was outside on concrete. Her glasses were bent, and she hit her head on the concrete. On the way to the eye doctor to get her glasses fixed, she began vomiting, and I turned around and took her to the ER. She didn't have a concussion, but the doctor said the vomiting was probably from hitting her head on the concrete.

A couple months after the concussion scare, my son was eight months old and had to be taken to the ER. He was dehydrated and couldn't keep anything down. He had a high fever but couldn't keep medicine down long enough to take it away. Cool baths didn't work, so off to the ER we went. They gave him Pedialyte, and after a couple of days, he began to get better.

In the summer of 2011, a teenager in a giant black SUV broadsided my nice, bright Pontiac Vibe, completely totalling it. My dad, son (18 months old at the time), daughter, and I were all in the car. My dad, daughter, and son were checked out at the ER. I didn't need to be - I felt okay besides being bruised and cut from the air bag going off and the seat belt tightening against my throat. The kids were just fine. They had some cuts and bruising from their belts. My daughter uses a booster seat since she's short like me, and my son is still in a car seat, forward facing after he turned a year old. My dad was injured badly and almost had to be kept overnight. I'm sure by this time, my husband was nervous every time I called him since this was the third time I ended up in the ER with the kids.

Last summer, I fell stepping down from a porch where the outdoor carpeting was duct taped at the end and broke two bones in my ankle. Once again, I called my husband to tell him I was in the ER, and he left work to come be with me. This was the third time he left work to come to an ER! Poor guy! I had surgery and now have two metal pins and a screw in my ankle.

Last December, I had surgery again with my gallbladder being removed after suffering from gallbladder attacks for almost a year. That was crazy! Two surgeries for me in less than six months.

Now our son is going to have surgery due to cavities. We feel terrible because this totally could have been prevented, but it's too late now. We just have to make sure to reach the back of his teeth while brushing whether he likes it or not. *Sigh*

So there you go. My amazing adventures as a stay-at-home-mom. Stranger things have happened to people, I know, but so many strange things have happened to us these past few years, it makes me wonder. Should I just stay home this summer rather than risk getting into a car accident or breaking a bone?? Probably not. If something is going to happen, it's just going to happen, and it very well could be right in front of my house (I'm talking to you, creepy sucker guy). So, hopefully things will calm down, lol, especially now that I'm baby-sitting my 8-month-old niece. :D

Do you have any crazy stories whether you're a parent or not? What do you think of mine?