First Frost Tour!! A Review of First Frost by Liz DeJesus

Genre: Young Adult (Fantasy Romance/Fractured Fairy Tale)
Published: June 22, 2012
Publisher: Musa Publishing

The Blurb:

Fairytales aren’t real…yeah…that’s exactly what Bianca thought.

She was wrong. For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”

Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.

She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

My Review:

First Frost is a modern fairy tale novel by Liz DeJesus. From the beginning I was drawn into Bianca's life. I love fairy tales and re-tellings of fairy tales anyway so, this story was right up my alley. All the characters introduced so far played important parts in the story. Some of them you will recognize, like Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf while others are completely new, or at least they were new to me. The author took these characters and really made them her own. She took aspects from the classic fairy tales and blended them with her own interpretation, and the result was a very entertaining and engaging story.

About the Author:

Liz DeJesus was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico.  She is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of the novel Nina (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007) and The Jackets (Arte Publico Press, March 31st 2011). Liz is currently working on a new novel.

To learn more about Liz DeJesus, visit her website. You can also find the author on Facebook.

First Frost by Liz DeJesus was provided to me by YANR Blog Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

 

Let's Talk: Do you like issue-driven books? Why, or why not?

Let's Talk is a fun new weekly meme, hosted by i swim for oceans, in which we discuss anything and everything about books!

This week, i swim for oceans wants to know:

Do you like issue-driven books? Why, or why not?

It depends on the book and the issue. I like to read to escape. So, if the issue keeps me in touch with reality too much, I tend to zone out. Also, if the issue is too dominant and the story gets to the point where it's obvious the author is pushing their opinions on you.. well.. then I lose interest quick. 

What about you? Do you like issue-driven books? Why, or why not?

Their Promise Release Day Blitz

Their Promise, a novella, by Brina Courtney is released today!!

Their Promise
One moment can change your life forever.
One moment to find love.
One moment to lose it.


To learn more about Brina Courtney and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Facebook Twitter.

Dark Promise Promotional Event

The Blurb:

Rylie has it all - great friends, dream boy, loving family. But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, her perfect little world shatters. A stranger claiming to be her real mother appears with a secret: Rylie is a faery whose powers will be unleashed on her birthday. Captured and forced into a new life, Rylie struggles to keep everything she loves and discovers a terrifying truth: some promises cannot be broken.

 Buy Dark Promise at:   Amazon   Barnes & Noble   iTunes

The Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old succubus Lily Anderson can’t have a normal life: She isn't allowed a boyfriend, she has no friends, and school is just one mess-up after another.

Lily’s parents send her away to the prestigious Emerson Academy. It doesn’t appear to be any different from the others. That is, until she meets her roommate, Hannah, and a blue-eyed boy named Jake.

Lily makes an almost deadly mistake, and Jake has a mysterious past that has come back to haunt him. Together, they must go on the run from things neither of them understand in order to save the people they love—and each other. But, Jake’s foe is more dangerous than they realized, and it will take the help of friends and family to save the man Lily loves.

She must learn to use her powers for good before it’s too late.

*This is a mature YA. Due to sexual content and some language it is not recommended for younger teens.

Learn more about the authors:

Julie Crane’s website

Facebook for JuliaCrane

Twitter for Julia Crane

Twitter for Talia Jager

Talia Jagar’s blog

Facebook for TaliaJagar

The Giveaway

One lucky person can win an ebook of their choice of either Dark Promise or Mesmerize by Julia Crane and Talia Jagar by filling out the Rafflecopter form below!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blood Doll Cover Reveal!

Blood Doll is the third book in The Vampire Agápe Series by Georgia Cates. Isn't the cover beautiful?!

The Blurb:

Solomon Alexander has faced huge obstacles during his existence, but they’re nothing in comparison to the one he’s about to hit head on. As leader of The Savannah Compound, part of Sol’s new position in the Coven of Landra is to guide the transition of fledgelings, newly turned vampires. It’s his job to save the unsavable. Being a Landra is what he’s done for over a century and he’s damn good at it, but everything he knows, practices and teaches is threatened when he is forced to drink from Avery Ferrand, a Blood Jewel.

The Blood Jewel is enshrouded with mystery, but one fact is known. There’s never been blood more desirable or addicting than Avery’s and there are consequences for any vampire that drinks it...including Solomon Alexander. Although he adamantly denies his need to feed from her, Avery suspects he’s lying but she has secrets of her own about the night he drank from her. She wanted him to and now she finds herself being drawn to Solomon in a way she shouldn't. As Avery’s desire to be closer to Solomon grows, she finds herself considering something more dangerous than being found by the dangerous covens hunting her...asking Solomon if she can become his Blood Doll.

About the Author:

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent thirteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author.

Blood of Anteros, Book One in The Vampire Agápe Series, was her first novel and it was released in September 2011. She decided to briefly step away from the paranormal genre to try her hand at a young adult contemporary romance when she wrote Going Under, but returned to the paranormal romance platform to complete the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series, Blood Jewel.

Her current works in progress are Shallow (A Going Under Novel) which will release on September 27th and Blood Doll (The Vampire Agápe Series #3), to be released in January 2013.

To learn more about Georgia Cates and her books, visit her blog.You can also find her on Twitter.

Saving Mars Tour: A Review of Saving Mars by Cidney Swanson

Genre: Young Adult (Science fiction)
Published: July 26, 2012
Publisher: Williams Press

The Blurb:

When the food supply of Mars’ human settlement is decimated, seventeen-year-old Jessamyn Jaarda, the best pilot Mars Colonial has ever seen, flies to Earth to raid for food. Earth-Mars relations couldn’t be worse, and her brother is captured during the raid. Breaking rules of secrecy and no contact, Jess finds an ally in Pavel, nephew to a government official, but their friendship only makes more agonizing the choice before her: Save her brother or save her planet?

My Review:

Saving Mars is the first book in the Saving Mars series by Cidney Swanson. Once again Cidney Swanson has shown us what a wonderful story teller she is. The main character, Jessamyn, was strong, rebellious, and fun. There were times when it felt like I was flying around right along with her and rooting for her on from the edge of my seat. I felt like I got to know each character more and more as the story progressed. The plot is building towards something big, and I'm excited to see what happens next. From someone who's not a huge fan of reading science fiction, I was completely drawn into this story.

Enter to win signed bookmarks and an ebook of Saving Mars by filling out the Rafflecopter form below!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out my reviews of Rippler, Chameleon, and Unfurl from Cidney Swanson's Ripple Series.

To read more about this series and Cidney Swanson, visit her website. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out an exclusive interview with the author!

Saving Mars by Cidney Swanson was sent to me from the author for review. The opinions are my own. 

Cover Reveal! Timeless by Michelle Madow

Keeping with the masquerade theme, the Timeless cover was designed by the author, Michelle Madow! Didn't she do a lovely job? If you haven't started reading the Transcend Time Saga yet, it's definitely one to check out. You can read my review of Remembrance, the first book in the saga here.

Michelle Madow is also offering an awesome giveaway! Visit her website for details!

To learn more about Michelle Madow and her books, visit her website. You can also find the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Check out my reviews of the books in this trilogy!

Be sure to read more books by this author! Check out my reviews below!

Book Review: HUNK by Alex Harris

Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)

Published December 13, 2011

Publisher: Createspace

The Blurb:

When Wes Hartley gets fired from his job as a video game designer, he is pushed to tryout for a starring role in a tween Revolutionary Epic. Now he’s going from self-prescribed nerd to unlikely leading man, and two of Hollywood’s hottest actresses are vying for his affection, but Wes has to be careful. His Alpha-male co-star will stop at nothing to maintain his #1 status. Can Wes defend himself against the perils of fame, and find love in the process, or will he be lost in a siege of scandal

My Review:

HUNK is a quick and light hearted read. Wes was a fun and goofy character who's easy to like. The book reads like a play, so it may take a little getting used to for some readers, but it allows you to imagine some of your own details into the story. HUNK is perfect for an airplane ride or something similar where you want to pass a few hours quickly. It will keep you entertained.

To read more about Alex Harris, visit his website. You can also find him on Goodreads.

HUNK by Alex Harris was sent to me from the author for review. The opinions are my own.

Teaser Tuesday: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share  doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from Forever by Maggie Stiefvater.

I shifted early one afternoon. "One" afternoon because I had absolutely no concept of time. I had no idea how long it had been since the last time I could fully remember being me, at Ben's Fish and Tackle.

Do you have a blog? Post a link to your Teaser Tuesday post in the comments. No blog? Post a Teaser in the comments anyway!

Cover Reveal! Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy

 

Check out the cover for Derailed, a new adult contemporary romance, by Alyssa Rose Ivy. The expected release date is September 26, 2012. The cover was designed by Once Upon a Time Covers.

Alyssa Rose Ivy is the author of Beckoning Light and Perilous Light of The Afterglow Trilogy.

The Derailed Blurb:

When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.

Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.

Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible. 

To read more about this book and the author, visit Alyssa Rose Ivy's Blog. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Enter to win an electronic Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of DERAILED by filling out the Rafflecopter form below!!
 a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Check out my reviews of this trilogy!

If you haven't done so already, you need to read Alyssa Rose Ivy's books!! While you're at it take a peek at my reviews too!

Book Review: Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks

Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)

Published: April 20, 2011 

Publisher: Savage Enterprises

The Blurb:

Time is running out & the Dark that's been chasing Syd for many lifetimes has finally caught up with her.

Sydney Roberdeau lost her parents as a young girl. Waiting for her life to start and the freedom that will come with her eighteenth birthday, Syd spends much of her time haunting the local cemetery. It is there, stretched out among the dead, that she feels most alive, most at home. Until one rainy night when Beau, Sarah and T.J. crash her ghostly sanctuary, appearing out of nowhere, turning her already inside-out world one degree past upside down.

Syd must now revisit past lives, dressing in the bodies of her previous selves & bone dressing. Her only chance to outrun the evil breathing down her neck is to face her own worst nightmares and her strongest desires. But if she can't stay out of trouble in this life, how can she possibly fix mistakes from past lives? And just how many lives has she lived, loved and lost? What is Syd exactly, and what will she risk for the life of a man she doesn't remember, the man she spent a lifetime with, the man she loves? Everything including her very own life?

Bone Dressing, the first in a series of seven books, will carry Syd and Beau on an adventure that transcends life itself.

My Review:
Bone Dressing is the first in what will be a series of seven books by Michelle I. Brooks. The blurb and premise behind the book really grabbed my attention; however the external and internal chatter from the main character was constant and distracting through the first half of the book. I always enjoy a sarcastic and snarky character in my reading, but I felt like it really took away from what was going on within the story. For the second half of the book, the amount of babble diminished significanlty, and I was able to really enjoy the story without the sidetracking and distractions. I grew very attached to Beau. He has a lot of secrets, and I hope to learn them as the series progresses. If you can overlook the blabbering of the first half, you'll find an interesting story. Give it a chance.

To learn more about Michelle I. Brooks and her books, visit her website. You can also find the author on Facebook.

Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks was provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

  Buy Bon Dressing at: Barnes & Noble  Smashwords
Book Depository Amazon 

Book Review: Remembrance by Michelle Madow

 

Genre: Young Adult (Fantasy/Paranormal Romance)

Published: July 25, 2011

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

The Blurb: 

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

My Review:

Remembrance is the first book in the Transcend Time Saga by Michelle Madow. This story effortlessly sweeps you away from reality. I enjoy a good escape from the real world when I read, and this book definitely accomplished that. The emotions are intense. There is a lot of hot and cold, especially from Drew. It reminded me of Twilight in the beginning for that reason, but that didn't bother me, nor do I feel like it hurt the story in any way. There is one thing that irks me though. Of all the people in the school, why did Drew have date to the particular girl he dated? It was cruel on so many levels. What girl you may ask? Well, you'll just have to read to find out! Aside from that, I absolutely loved the story. The author wrote Remembrance after watching the music video for Love Story by Taylor Swift. The fact that the song inspired the book was a big reason behind why I wanted to read it, and I was definitely not disappointed. I think Taylor Swift is an amazing song writer, but I'd never seen this particular video so I decided to wait until after I read the book to watch it. I got chills watching it. The author brought the song to life. Now I'll always think of Lizzie and Drew when I hear that song. 

If you've read Remembrance, check out my review of Vengeance and Timeless, book two and three in the Transcend Time Saga.

To learn more about Michelle Madow and her books, visit her website. You can also find the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Remembrance by Michelle Madow was provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own. 

Have you seen the video for Love Story by Taylor Swift? 

Check out my reviews of the other books in this trilogy!

Be sure to read more books by this author! Check out my reviews below!