Thursday, February 27, 2014

The Afterlife of Lizzie Monroe by Kelly Martin [Book Review & Giveaway]




Genre:
Young Adult/Romance/Paranormal
Publication.Date  January 8th 2014
Pages:230
Published By:  Amazon Digital Services
WebsiteKelly Martin

The Afterlife of Lizzie Monroe Goodreads



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Having an undead girl in one's room is cool. Having a crying undead girl in one's room... not so cool. It especially stinks when the girl is town legend, Lizzie Monroe, who killed herself in 1862 when she got news that her fiancé died in the war.

Only, Lizzie didn't die... not in the conventional way at least. Oh, she thought she had. She spent the last century thinking she was locked in Hell. In reality, she'd been stuffed in a wall at the old Dixon Church.... the abandoned church Shane Davis just happened to burn down.

Now that Shane has her, he has no idea what to do with her. He can't release her into the "wild" because people will recognize her. He can't send her away because her muscles have stiffened from her time in Hell. And she can't stay because if people find her, they'll know he burned the church. Being eighteen now, Shane definitely doesn't want that fact coming out.

Unfortunately for both of them, someone else finds out about Lizzie and the source of her being alive and that person will do anything to get it, even murder.

“He knew he should be freaked out with the zombie-ish girl in his bed. Okay, sure it was pretty cool to have a zombie in his bed if he wanted to be honest, but who knew when she'd pop up and try to eat his brains. He wasn't exactly sure what she was, but zombie seemed as good of a descriptor as any. She was dead, not she wasn't.... or maybe she was. He was so confused. Lizzie Flippin' Monroe was in his bed, in his house, and he wasn't sure what to do with her."
 “Sure, in her day, she'd killed herself so she wouldn't have to face home without Daniel. That turned out well for her, didn't it? Now she had no Daniel, no mother, no real home. And no idea how to act in this twenty-first century."
 “I died years ago.No! No, you didn't. Why couldn't she just understand? You are alive for a reason. I don't know what it is, but I know it's not for Drake's mother. The world needs you, Lizzie. He couldn't look away. I need you."



Maybe when you kill yourself you end up living forever in your own private hell. 


Lizzie Monroe died a few hundred years ago. She killed herself in her families barn after a soldier of war came to tell her that her fiance, Daniel had been killed. She knew then what she must do. Now one hundred and fifty years later, the church that she is buried in is burned to the ground by Shane and his band mate Preston. As they are burning the church down they hear screams from inside. What was the noise they are hearing? How could someone be in the church? Both of the boy freeze. Shane is the brave one that goes in to check it out. Sure enough there is a young girl screaming but what Shane doesn't realize is that the screams are coming from Lizzie Monroe, the girl who supposedly should be long dead and gone. 
 
The premise of this story is so exciting to me that I had just had to review it. I couldn't believe that a person could kill herself but yet not be dead. The synopsis had me hooked on this book from the first time I read it. The writing was superb. The author gives us little clues each chapter but doesn't reveal anything that would spoil the fun. A book that is hard to predict is the best because you are on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.

Creepy. Exciting. Exhilarating. So much fun. This book had everything a romance, a spooky premise and even a bit of humor as well. While the story is being told, it flashes back to the time when Lizzie was young. It tells us how she became Daniel's fiance and even how she killed herself. The back and forth from present day to civil war times was so interesting to me. It helped to understand why Lizzie was having such a hard time grasping where she was today and how different things seemed. The author really wrote on point when flashing back. She made sure not to confuse the reader but to tell us just enough to make us interested in the more to come.

This story had an inspirational flare to it that I just was NOT expecting but ended up making the story even more amazing to me. Shane had no faith. He grew up without his father and him and his mother really don't see eye to eye. In walks Lizzie. Shane can't believe there is a dead girl in his bed and that he of all people saved her from the flames of the fire. He is not one of those knight in shining armor types and he has a real problem with his current situation. Will Lizzie show Shane how to feel again or will Shane make Lizzie realize that people just don't care?

Such an original story, told beautifully. A great and powerful read in my book.


GIVEAWAY 

What you can win: An e-copy of "The Afterlife of Lizzie Monroe" and a $5 gift card to Amazon. 

Ends: 3/07/14

Open to:  US & International participants. Please no PO Boxes. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



About the Author:

I'm a southern mommy who writes YA/'dark' or 'edgy' inspirational fiction (all the suspense, less of the cussing ;) ). By day, I'm a preschool teacher. By night, I'm a crazy-haired multi-tasker who writes and plots with three kids running around (and/or sitting on me).

My favorite books are those that I get so caught up in that I look down a few 'minutes' later and I'm 100 pages from where I stared.


My first novel, CROSSING THE DEEP, has been called called "unexpected" and an "incredible read". It is available now.


My second, SAINT SLOAN, is about a girl who wants the perfect 18th birthday, and her attacker who has other ideas (duh, dun, dun!) It's also a YA.


BIG IS BEAUTIFUL is coming out Sept. 2013.


THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER is coming out July 23rd! 


I love God, am addicted to chocolate, and would rather write than sleep.


Believes in Sherlock Holmes



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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Blog Tour: The Well's End by Seth Fishman (Guest Post + Giveaway)


Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Seth Fishman to the blog as part of a blog tour for his novel, The Well's End. We also have an awesome giveaway for you guys, so after reading Seth's fabulous guest post and checking out The Well's End be sure to scroll down and enter! 

I had the pleasure of reading an early review copy of The Well's End and I enjoyed it immensely! The plot line was good and well thought out, but it wasn't until the end that everything came together, elevating the story to a whole new level of awesome. It's a very entertaining book, filled with mysteries, danger and unexpected twists and I think fans of science fiction thrillers - and particularly stories about deadly virus outbreaks - will have a lot of fun with this one! Be on a lookout for my review soon! 

Guest Post:

Falling down a well, breaking bones, being stuck for days... that kinda trauma tends to leave impressions. Physical, like a slightly crooked nose, and mental, like fear of the dark and the water. Mia Kish, the protagonist of my novel, THE WELL'S END, has spent her life overcoming these challenges, these fears. It's an interesting thing, using a trauma to draw strength, and I don't believe anyone can succeed naturally doing so, but I had a tremendous time writing Mia into the chaos that surrounds her school's quarantine and the outbreak of a virus that ages people to death. It seemed second nature that she'd be willing to push the boundaries of her fears. That's how she's survived thus far, taking on her fear of water by swimming so well she's nationally ranks. In the end, for me, I kept seeing the physical challenges (soldiers, quarantine, virus, and others to remain unnamed) as equal and occasionally less than her internal struggles, her own fears, her life-long goal to escape her nickname, Baby Mia.



Thanks to the awesome folks at Penguin Teen (thank you, Tara!) we have 1 finished copy of The Well's End up for grabs today! US Only

Enter via Rafflecopter below:
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About the book:


Title: The Well's End
Author: Seth Fishman
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile / Penguin Teen
Pages: 352
Pub. Date: February 25, 2014
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes& Noble
A deadly virus and an impossible discovery unite in one enthralling can’t-miss read...

Sixteen-year-old Mia Kish has always been afraid of the dark. After all, she’s baby Mia, the one who fell down a well. That was years ago, though the darkness still haunts her. But when her classmates and teachers at ritzy Westbrook Academy start dying of old age from a bizarre and frightening virus that ages its victims years in a matter of hours, Mia becomes haunted by a lot more than the dark. Their deaths are gruesome and Mia worries she and her friends may be next. In order to survive, Mia and her small crew must break quarantine and outrun armed soldiers in hazmat suits who shoot first and ask questions later.

And there’s only one place to go—the Cave, aka Fenton Electronics. Mia knows it’s somehow connected and hopes her dad, Director of Fenton Electronics, who has always been strangely secretive about his work, has the answers she needs, and more importantly a cure to save everyone before the whole town succumbs to the mysterious virus. Unfortunately, it’s not answers Mia discovers, but something far more treacherous and impossible than even the virus itself.

A high-stakes, fast-paced adventure with imagination and heart.

About the author:


Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Seth Fishman is best known as a New York literary agent at the Gernert Company whose client roster includes ingenue National Book Award Finalist, Tea Obreht. Seth is also the recipient of an MFA from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. The Well's End is his first novel.

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Frustrating Characters

Top 10 Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and The Bookish

This weeks topic:
Most Frustrating Characters
It's rewind week here on Top Ten Tuesday and after perusing some of the old topics, I chose to writ about the characters I found to be terribly frustrating. Some of my options are frustrating in a tolerable way, and some in a way that I want to strangle them dead if I could.
Catherine and Heathcliff - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Why can't these two crazy kids just get over their pride and love one another. Let's be real - you love each other. In that all encompassing can't eat, can't sleep way. Stop it and just be miserable happy together.
Romeo and Juliet - Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.


Scarlett O'Hara - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. She bugs me in the same way Catherine and Heathcliff do, only with an Ashley thrown in. He doesn't love you, Scarlett. Rhett does. He's beyond handsome, has lots a money, and is crazy in love with. Ah... too little, too late, Mrs. Butler.

Nick Gautier - The Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I can't go into much detail without giving away a MAJOR spoiler in one of the books, but I feel for you, Nickey, I do. But this isn't you! Now stop this nonsense.

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Oh how many times I wanted to yell "Just kiss already!" and then they did and all was right with the world.

Anita Blake - Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. Oh, Anita. She started out so bad ass. Solving paranormal murders, kicking ass, taking names, and not making excuses for anything. Once, she even killed an "immortal" creature. How bad ass is that?! And then slowly, subtly, there were less murders, less ass kicking, more men, and more sex. And then that's all there was. Sex. *sigh* It's unfortunate that Merry Gentry followed in the same footprints.

Peter Pan - Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. There is only one reason, and one reason alone, that I find Peter Pan to be quite frustrating . . . He's never taken me to Neverland.

Ophelia - Hamlet by William Shakespeare


Anastasia Steele - 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I admit that I started reading 50 Shades of Grey. I was curious about the book that was getting equal love and equal hate amongst the masses. I will also admit that I did not get very far - for many reasons. One of those being Anastasia. A college girl who doesn't own a computer, a cell phone, will not shut up about her "subconscious" and "inner goddess," and was just unbelievably obnoxious in all that she did.
 
Did you find any of these characters frustrating when you read these novels? What are some of the more frustrating characters you've encountered in your books?

  
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Break It Up by E.M Tippetts [Book Review & Giveaway]




Genre:
General Fiction/New Adult
Publication.Date  November 29th 2013
Pages:206
Published By:  Amazon Digital Services
WebsiteE.M Tippetts

Break It Up Goodreads



Where to get:


Kyra Armijo is making a few changes in her life. One of them being, she's no longer going to give it up to every guy who looks at her twice. And she's putting her hopes and dreams for her future first. When the aspiring photojournalist gets the opportunity of a lifetime to tag along with international boy band sensation, Triple Cross, she can't pass up the chance.

The only problem is that she's in love with one band member, dodging the unwanted attention of another, and desperate to keep her turbulent past under wraps. Triple Cross have "nice guy" appeal, approved of by parents the world over, but have just let go their longtime manager, who controlled their clean image and media exposure with an iron fist. When Zach Wechsler, the object of Kyra's affection, begins to show interest, she has to be careful.

Surely one girl can't destroy a band that's been together for ten years... only what if she can? Kyra knows she's one bad decision away from ruining everything she's worked for, and taking the hottest act of her generation down with her.

“It took me a while to connect to dots, to figure out that my promiscuity wasn't me asserting control over my own body. I suppose for some people it might be, but there came a day when I had to wake up and face up to the fact that I was giving too many other people control over my body."
 “Any guy who thinks less of you for your past doesn't deserve to know you. You're better off without him."
 “But I learned something that summer. I learned that it's okay to be yourself, even if you're completely weird, and the people who matter in your life won't hold it against you. I decided to get to know myself a little better and stop trying to be who others wanted me to be."
“But it's not fair. I only just figured out how to actually not do the stuff people forbid me to do."


Rock-stars. Boy Bands. What's not to like? 

I am such a HUGE fan of E.M. Tippetts. I have read every single one of her books,plus reviewed them. She is one of my favorite E-Book authors so I was super excited when she asked me to review her latest book "Break It Up" She even sent me a paperback copy. Score!. The synopsis of this story is pretty simple. Kyra is a reformed wild child who happens to get the amazing opportunity to have dinner with the band "Triple Cross" They are the coolest boy band around and everyone wants them. Kyra invites a few of her friends to go with her and the evening starts out well, that's until Kyra wakes up the next morning in her crushes bed.

If you have read "Someone Else’s Fairy tale" or "Nobody’s Damsel" by Emily Mah Tippetts, Kyra would be familiar to you. Break it Up is a spin off focusing on Kyra,Jason’s niece. She’s not the wild child she was in those books, but rather maturing and coming into her own. Kyra owns her own mistakes but is trying to leave it in the past and make something of her future. Kyra's character was so real to me. Who hasn't made mistakes as an impressionable teenager and wished to right their wrongs? Obviously Kyra has it a bit harder as she is hanging with celebrities and the paparazzi are just ruthless. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of the main characters from Emily's previous books in the background of this story. It made the book feel like an old familiar friend. That doesn't mean that you need to read Emily's other books to enjoy this one (although I would reccomend both of them).

At first the idea that Triple Cross was a boy band that had just fired their main manger, who happened to be their mom, made me believe that I might be a bit too old for this teenish tale. I was wrong. The focus is on the band relations and how growing up is hard whether in the spotlight or just as a regular girl. I felt the author did an amazing job of portraying the interactions between the band members, the crew, the bands new manager and their interactions with Kyra. The story flowed really well and I found myself highlighting many poetic moments through out the dialogue.

I can now add this to my list of Emily Tippetts books that gets a solid 5 stars from me. Although many characters in this story were flawed, Emily made each one of them come to life for me instantly upon opening the page. I loved the fact that authors can still write amazing new adult novels without always having to be raunchy with words or scenarios. The story is fresh, clean and gives a perfect ending to a beautiful story.


GIVEAWAY 

What you can win: A signed copy of Break It Up and a temporary tattoo of the scene break graphic.

Ends: 3/02/14

Open to:  US & International participants. Please no PO Boxes. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



About the Author:

Emily Mah Tippetts writes romance under the name E.M. Tippetts and science fiction and fantasy under the name Emily Mah. Before she was a published author, she was an attorney who specialized in real estate, contracts, and estate planning, especially literary estate planning.

Her most recent pro publications have been her science fiction and fantasy short stories in magazines like Black Gate, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and the anthology, Shanghai Steam.


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Monday, February 24, 2014

Blog Tour: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott (Interview + Giveaway)


Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Victoria Scott to the blog as part of a blog tour for her novel, Fire & Flood. We also have an awesome giveaway for you guys, so after reading the interview and checking out Fire & Flood be sure to scroll down and enter! 


1) How would you describe FIRE & FLOOD to those who haven't heard of it yet?

FIRE & FLOOD is the story of a teen girl who enters a dangerous race across jungle, mountain, sea, and desert to try and win the Cure for her sick brother. The only help she’s allowed comes in the form of a genetically-engineered animal called a Pandora. 


2) Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind it?

I read a really great thriller and wanted to pack as much action into one of my own stories. Also, I wanted to write a story that included animals. ;) 


3) What were the challenges in bringing this story to life? Did you have to do any research for your book?

I actually had to do a lot of research for the ecosystems, and a bit on genetic engineering. I watched a lot of Man vs. Wild so I could properly equip Guy Chambers with know-how. 


4) Tella, the lead protagonist in your novel, sounds like a brave and kick-ass girl. For those of us excited to meet her, could you tell us a bit more about her?

She is someone who truly embraces her femininity. She also is brave when she needs to be, but only after acknowledging real fear. Tella is someone who has no business in a dangerous race, really, and yet she finds a way to persevere for her brother. 


5) Is there a scene in FIRE & FLOOD that you consider your favorite one?

Without giving too much away—when Tella’s Pandora hatches. 


6) What are some of your literary inspirations? Favorite books/authors?

I would say Kiersten White and Rachel Hawkins have both showed me how to write a serious story with a healthy dose of snark and humor. They’re amazingly talented. 


7) Do you ever experience writer's block? If so, how do you deal with it?

I definitely have days when I don’t feel inspired. My answer is always to push through anyway. You can always revise later, but you have to keep writing regardless of what you’re putting down. Plus, you never know what the day will bring once you get started. 


8) What books are on your 2014 to-be-read pile?

Ooh, I just bought CRUEL BEAUTY and A LOVELY, WICKED FOLLY. Also, I plan to buy UNINVITED and FRAGILE SPIRITS next! So many greats releasing this year.




10 finished copies of FIRE & FLOOD US Only

Enter via Rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the book:


Title: FIRE & FLOOD
Author: Victoria Scott
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 320
Pub. Date: February 25, 2014Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes& Noble
A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

About the author:


Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe of the Harvey-Klinger Literary Agency. She’s the author of the FIRE & FLOOD series published by Scholastic, and the DANTE WALKER trilogy published by Entangled Teen. Her books have been bought and translated in eleven foreign markets including the UK, Turkey, China, Poland, Israel, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.

Blog tour schedule:


Week One:
2/17/2014- Two Chicks on BooksGuest Post
2/17/2014- Curling Up With A Good BookReview
2/18/2014- No BS Book ReviewsReview
2/19/2014- FiktshunGuest Post
2/19/2014- Ketch's Book NookReview
2/20/2014- Step Into FictionReview
2/21/2014- Bewitched BookwormsInterview
2/21/2014- Seeing Night ReviewsReview

Week Two:
2/24/2014- BookishInterview
2/24/2014- NerdophilesReview
2/25/2014- The Book CellarReview
2/26/2014- The Irish Banana ReviewReview
2/26/2014- Cuddlebuggery- Guest Post
2/27/2014- Obsession with BooksReview
2/28/2014- Mundie MomsInterview & Review

2/28/2014- iceyBooksReview
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