Blog Tour for Rocked Under (Rocked #1) by Cora Hawkes; Review, Excerpt + Giveaway

Posted by Donna
Release Date: October 31st, 2012

Finished Date: February 11th, 2013

Publishers: Self-Published 
Source: For Review

Format: Kindle

Pages: 279
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Falling in love isn't always easy or pleasant. The intense and angst-filled story of Emma and Scott is a painful, gut-wrenching and exhausting portrayal of how hard it can be to let go...

Picking up the pieces and starting again in the US, Emma enrols in college with her cousin, Ashley. She is finally free to do what she wants and live how she chooses, and no man will ever rule her decisions or emotions again.

That is, until Scott Mason walks on stage...

Intense bad boy Scott is the lead singer of a popular local rock band. A ladies’ man and Ashley's long-time friend, Scott holds an instant fascination for Emma — she finds herself drawn to him, even though he represents everything she hates and needs to stay away from in a guy. He treats females like he does a cigarette — light it, use it, and lose it. 

For her cousin's sake, Emma makes an effort to get along with Scott, but she soon discovers that there is more to him than first appears, making him even more dangerous in her eyes. Behind the façade of friendship, jealousy, obsession, fear and insecurity fester — an internal battle rages as she fights her attraction and does everything she can to stop history from repeating itself.

One thing she knows for sure is that if she breaks her rule, it may destroy her.

Warning: Contains mature content — recommended age 17+.

The Review: “I had no intention of getting involved with a tattooed, spikey-haired rock dude who wore his waistband under his ass cheeks, slept around and had commitment issues. Those were the types that had me running from the hills.” 


What can I say about Rocked Under? Well I absolutely freaking LOVED it! This book kept me up late into the night and gosh, I was so tired the next day, but it was so worth it! 

Rocked Under will appeal to fans of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. It has so many similar traits; however I will say that Rocked Under completely stands on its own. It's full of heat, steamy and intense scenes, and one full of emotion, sorrow and pain. It's really a book that plays on your emotions because I got so invested in the characters, everything that happened to them, I felt it. Even though there's a lot of happiness in this book, there's a lot of sorrow too. 

The characters have to try and overcome the people they once where to make sure they have a future....and it's not easy. I loved both Emma and Scott. Both troubled characters who for some reason find everything their looking for in each other, however their pasts rule their present. Emma seemed to go back and forth so much in the book that at times, I wanted to shake her BUT I could see why she was like that. Scott is your typical ladies’ man. He sleeps with women every night just for something to do. He doesn't give off the right vibe...it looks as though he will use every girl he comes across but as a reader, we all know from the start that for some reason Emma is different. Scott is such a redeemable guy though, despite his mistakes...he can make up for them. And the scenes between these two are so freaking intense! Seriously.....INTENSE!! Scott Mason is just WOW! If anyone could give Travis Maddox a run for his money, it's Scott! Seriously, he's that good! Definitely a bad boy you NEED to meet! 

“It’s always been you. I’m incapable of loving anyone else. It’s you or no one. I would be so good to you, babe. Please, just give me a shot at making you happy.”

I'm super excited that this is a series, I want more of Emma and Scott's story but I'm also worried. I hope it doesn't involve cheating...that's just a no go for me and it would really turn me off the series. So I guess time will tell.

In all, Rocked Under rocked my world! It's a fantastic page turner and it's a great addition to the New Adult genre! 

Excerpt of Rocked Under;

I had never picked up a guitar in my life — and it showed. Scott handed me a beautiful, black acoustic guitar. I didn't even know how to hold it but I tried my best, and at least Scott was smiling again, which is what I had aimed for.

He chuckled and moved his hand down over his face to try to hide his amusement. "You don't hold it like that…Here…”

I was sitting on the edge of a big footstool and he came to sit behind me. He shifted forwards until I was sitting between his hard, warm thighs. I was so aware of him that I froze. I didn't dare move. He came closer and put his arms around me to reach the guitar. His naked chest came into contact with my back, making my core temperature rise to dangerous levels. His scent was enveloping me, taunting me, and this time there was no escape.

His head peered over my shoulder causing the hairs on the back of my neck to  stand on end.

"Hold it like this," he whispered close to my ear as he moved my hand into the right position. 

His breath tickled me, making a shudder run down my back. 

He paused for a second and I thought he had noticed. "And if you," he slid his hot hand under my thigh gently and lifted it for me until only my toes were touching the floor, "raise your knee, you can rest it here."

"Okay,” I whispered. It was all I was capable of saying with his hands all over me. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

He took his hands away and rested them on my thighs. "Now try." His voice was gruff.

I started playing but my mind was focused on the parts of my body that he was touching. I was dreadful. He was just so there that I couldn't have concentrated if my life had depended on it.

He turned his face towards my neck and I heard him inhale through his nose gently. His grip on my thighs tightened as he shifted closer to my backside and his forehead hit my shoulder heavily. 

Shit! I'm going to spontaneously combust any goddamn bloody minute now if he doesn't stop.

Author Bio;

Cora Hawkes lives in England with her man and their four children. She thinks the kindle is the greatest invention ever and hers is mostly filled with paranormal and fantasy romances. Favourite books are Kresley Cole's IAD series, Jennifer Armentrout's Covenant series and Heather killough-Walden's The Chosen Soul series.

Apart from family-time, reading and writing, she LOVES music and going to gigs. She hates soaps and rarely watches TV but loves The Vampire Diaries, True Blood and Gossip Girl.

http://www.facebook.com/cora.hawkes

https://twitter.com/CoraHawkes 

Or, visit http://corahawkes.blogspot.co.uk for an excerpt of Rocked Under.

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Blog Tour for The Next Forever by Lisa Burstein; Review

Posted by Donna
Release Date: January 13th, 2013

Finished Date: January 28th, 2013

Publishers: Entangled (Ever After)
Source: For Review

Format: Kindle

Pages: Unknown
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US /Barnes and Noble

One night in college can change everything…

Away at college, Amy just wants one night alone without her high school sweetheart, Joe. So when he invites her to go to the library, she heads off on her own instead. How she ended up at a house party with the mysterious bad-boy Trevor is another story…

Joe so isn’t going to the library. He needs space from Amy, too, so he’s decided to rush a fraternity, to get back the swagger he had in high school. But it doesn’t take long for the brothers to invite him to the real rush here the beer is flowing and one particular girl has set her eyes on Joe.

Over the course of one wild night, both Amy and Joe will have to decide if their futures belong with two new people, or whether the next forever will have their first loves in it.

The Review: After finishing Pretty Amy a few days ago, I went straight into the follow up; The Next Forever despite the fact that I didn't really enjoy Pretty Amy. If you want to see why, you can read my review here.

Anyway, I was quite hesitant about The Next Forever but I really wanted to see what was next in store for Amy and Joe.  She's finally happy and not following her ex-best friends around and she's finally becoming someone she wants to be but, she still has doubts that maybe she's just following Joe around now instead of the girls. So in order to test her theory, Amy decides to do something reckless and go to a party with another boy - one that's she's attracted too. Could testing a theory prove to her that she is worthy of Joe's attention?

I have to say, I really enjoyed The Next Forever. It's a novella about discovering yourself and trying to find out if your choices are the right ones. I found it very realistic and found it so much more enjoyable than Pretty Amy. Amy was a unhappy girl in the first book that got herself in to a load of trouble and she never really had anyone around her she could support.  I felt as though I could connect with Amy so much more because this time around, as a character, she is so more likeable. I could understand why she was so unsure of herself and why she needed to test herself. She wants to be worthy and what makes this novella work so well is the fact that we have chapter's from Joe as well. 

Now Joe doesn't really gets much time in the spotlight in Pretty Amy, so I'm glad the author wrote this novella. It gave me the time to really get to know Joe and understand his feelings for Amy. Not only that but Joe's trying to work through his own problems, he wants to join a frat house, knowing that Amy will hate the idea but feels he needs help securing his future and a brothers a frat house could help him with that. We really get a chance to see who Joe really is, a chance that I believe was missed from Pretty Amy. 

All in all, I wish Pretty Amy could have been like The Next Forever because I really enjoyed this and it made me want to keep reading about Amy and Joe's journey. I also think that you could possibly read this novella without even reading Pretty Amy before hand. The author gives you just the right information to keep you in the loop about the characters past and I kind of wish I had just read this first.

About Author: 

Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom.

For more information on Lisa, please visit her website; http://www.lisaburstein.com

A Review for The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkins

Posted by Donna
Release Date: February 28th 2013

Finished Date: February 22nd, 2013

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK
Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages:  554
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Mara Dyer knows she isn't crazy. 
She knows that she can kill with her mind, and that Noah can heal with his. Mara also knows that somehow, Jude is not a hallucination. He is alive. Unfortunately, convincing her family and doctors that she's not unstable and doesn't need to be hospitalised isn't easy. The only person who actually believes her is Noah. But being with Noah is dangerous and Mara is in constant fear that she might hurt him. She needs to learn how to control her power, and fast! Together, Mara and Noah must try and figure out exactly how Jude survived when the asylum collapsed, and how he knows so much about her strange ability...before anyone else ends up dead!

The Review: 2.5 Stars!

This is one of them times where I wish I’d let Jess review this book. She loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and me, while I liked it, I just didn't believe it lived up to all the hype. But something intrigued me to want to read more and so I picked up the sequel, The Evolution of Mara Dyer and honestly, picking it up was probably a big mistake. 

I read both The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer & The Evolution of Mara Dyer back to back within the last four days. That's nearly 1000 pages of Mara's story and I can honestly say, after nearly 1000 pages, I have no idea what is going on. I was hoping the sequel would bring a lot of my answers to my questions, but while some were, it was like for every one question that was answered, a hundred more came and honestly, my head hurts! My mind can't figure out what's going on and I bet your wondering how I don’t know what’s going on but Mara’s story is so confusing because of her mental health issues. As a reader you don’t actually know if what she is seeing is real. The story seems to jump around a lot because of the things she sees and it really does make it hard to understand. Some might say that's a good thing but for me, it's highly frustrating.

Other problems I had with this book were, I didn't like the flashbacks. They were boring. The story is so long - over 500 pages and I felt most of could have been cut down. The flashbacks to India, the doll, the dead animals, Jude....it's a never end of confusion....most of this story just didn't make sense and I'm starting to think if Mara is just really crazy. The story plays on your mind and while some have said that's the beauty of it, how can it be enjoyable? When I read, I like to understand a story but with Mara's story...I just don't get it. The ending of book two does give some relief; we finally learn what Mara is....kind of. I’m assuming more answers will lie within the third and final book but I honestly doubt I’ll read it. I’m just not invested enough in this series or characters to carry on.

All in all, while I don’t connect to this series, I still believe many people will. It’s definitely a series that you need to try for yourself, so please do still go and read it. You might find that you love it and hopfully soon, Jess will have a more glowing review than me. 

A Review for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

Posted by Donna
Release Date: September 11th, 2011

Finished Date: Febraury 20th, 2013

Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK
Source: Gifted from Haley @ ya-aholic 

Format: Hardcover

Pages:  452
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong.

The Revew: “You're the girl who called me an asshole the first time we spoke. The girl who tried to pay for lunch even after you learned I have more money than God. You're the girl who risked her ass to save a dying dog, who makes my chest ache whether you're wearing green silk or ripped jeans. You're the girl that I--" Noah stopped, then took a step closer to me. "You are my girl.” 

I had wanted to read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for a while and I've had it sitting on my shelf since it was first released in 2011. That's not that long it is? Lol. Finally, I'm getting around to reading it and I have to say, I have so many mixed feelings about it.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a story that for me, doesn't live up to the hype. Sorry fans! But something about this story just doesn't work for me....and I'm not quite sure what it is yet. Now don't get me wrong, I did like the story but I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. One of my main problems what I didn't like how you didn't really know what genre the book is it. It's almost like a contemporary romance book with a hint of paranormal. I was reading the book thinking...okay...so where's the kick to this story? I waited and waited and then it comes by the last few chapters. And for a book that's 450 odd pages, thats a long time to wait.

The romance was also another aspect that kind of annoyed me. I did like that it wasn't an instalove between Noah and Mara, however I didn't like how deep these two characters got in with each other so fast. In the eyes of Noah, Mara couldn't do anything wrong. At times I did find their relationship sweet but mostly, it just annoyed me. I liked Noah, I thought he has some laugh out loud moments and I liked Mara but I just didn't connect with their relationship as much as they did.

“You want me as much as I want you. And all I want is you."
My tongue warred with my mind. "Today," I whispered.
Noah stood slowly, his body skimming mine as he rose. "Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”

I have to admit, I'm honestly not sure why I kept reading this book. Usually I'm the type to give up pretty quickly but even though I had some problems with it, I guess you could say I was kind of enjoying it. I was intruiged to find out what actually happened to Mara and how her friends actually died. It takes a long time to figure this out and you don't know the whole of Mara's story still and at times it's frustrating because the story is kind of mind boggling. The story is just so hard to predict, that it left me wanting to find out what happened and I for this reason I'm going to start the second book The Evolution of Mara Dyer and hopefully with that book I'll enjoy it all the more.

Showcase Sunday (#30)

Showcase Sunday is a new weekly meme hosted by Vicky @ Books Biscuits and Tea. We will now be taking part in Showcase Sunday instead of In My Mailbox. If you'd like to join see HERE for more details.

 

Donna's Showcase

   

Every Which Way / Another Little Piece / Losing It / The Boyfriend App 

    

 The Indigo Spell  / If I Stay / The Eternity Cure / Ten Tiny Breaths

 

The Mystic Wolves / I'll Be Here

 

Most books are for review other than, Mystic Wolves & I'll Be Here is currently free on Amazon and I bought If I Stay and The Indigo Spell.

 

 

For Review from Publishers

This Is What Happy Looks Like

Breaking Point 

Between the Lines

Barely Breathing

Parallel

 

Won

 from Viv @ Serendipity Reviews 

From What I Remember

from Paranormal Romance Novel

$10 giftcard for Amazon

 

Gifted

from Misty @ Bookaholic Book Club

The Last Dance

 

Thank you Headline, Tor Teen, Puffin, NetGalley, Edelweiss, HarperCollins, Random House UK, Calia Read , Misty, Viv, Paranormal Romance Novel and Taryn at My Secret Romance Blog. 

 

Jess's Showcase

             

It's been a long time since I had enough books to do a full showcase, but I think my 11 definitely qualify. Most of them are all e-books but a few hard copies snuck in there too ;)

NetGalley Reviews:

Losing It (Losing It #1)

Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths #1)

e-Books Bought:

Devoured (Devoured #1)

Fight With Me (With Me In Seattle #2)

 

Freebies On Amazon(e-Books):

All Over You (Devoured #0.5)

I'll Be Here

The Torn Wing (The Fairie Ring #2)

 

For Review (Hard copies):

Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1)

Dead Jealous

 

For Review (e-Books):

Irresistible

Seven Night Stand

 

Birthday gifts from Donna:

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)

Under The Never Sky (Under The Never Sky #1)

Thank you to Piccadilly Publishing, Entangled Publishing, NetGalley for the books to review. And of course thanks to Donna for both Indigo Spell (Squeeeeee....it's awesome) and Under The Never Sky (time to jump on the wagon!)

A Review for Ocean Kills (Ocean Breeze #1) by Jade Hart + Int Giveaway

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: 5th December 2012

Finished Date: January 27th, 2013

Publishers: Self-Published
Source: For Review 

Format: Kindle 

Pages: 404
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Around the world, murderers and rapists pick off the innocent. Killing loved ones, separating families, and ruining lives.

As an eight-year-old girl, Ocean witnessed her family’s massacre and something altered inside her. Twisting her genetic code… unlocking an ability to teleport.

Ocean Breeze was never destined to be normal, especially having been named after air-freshener. She’s a shadow, a ghost—a dark saviour of the innocent. Armed with a switchblade in her bra, and a box-cutter in her pocket, she hunts the filth of the world.
Callan Bliss is a Sydney police officer whose skill-set is far above that of a normal cop. All his fellow officers see is a hard worker who loves to catch perpetrators and surf, but that’s because they don’t know about his past. When Callan arrests a suspicious-looking prostitute, he comes face-to-face with a self-confessed vigilante, and suddenly, his secrets aren’t so easy to keep silent.
Ocean hates the police with a passion, and has no intention of being held captive by a cop, even if he is sexy as hell. Teleporting from under his nose, Ocean hunts her next target—a man responsible for the largest sex ring in South Africa—and now he’s about to die. But she doesn’t count on Callan giving chase, nor the body-quaking lust that consumes them. However, Ocean's dark hobbies take precedence over what her heart wants—her thirst for murdering is killing her too, and not even Callan can save her.

The Review: 3.5 Stars! 

There isn’t really anything I can add to the description of the book so I will just go on with my thoughts…..

This is quite a hard book for me to review because I both liked and disliked it, it held my interest a lot and then it lost it so let me try to explain. I really like the characters, Ocean is everything I like in a character and usually it’s the male that takes on this type of character because she is immensely flawed, she is damaged, she is an emotional cripple and basically a block of ice where people are concerned except for her mentor but you can still get a sense of the person she could be, through her wit and through the volatile relationship with Callan – who is also great! I love the way he pursues her, yeah he could be mistaken for a stalker instead of a cop but I’m willing to go with it because it’s a fictional story. He knows what she needs even before she does, the reader can really feel that there is a connection between them that could possibly be routed in her ability or along those lines and I wanted answers to that more than anything. But, she can’t let him in and who can blame her when she feels like to love a person will mean that they will leave her in some way, sending her back to the eight year old girl she once was, bringing about some truly heart-breaking moments as she tries to protect her heart. Even after reading the book, there are still a lot of things I’m curious about regarding them both but mainly Ocean.

The storyline is where I have a problem really, I suppose there is no easy way to put it… I just didn’t like the whole sex ring plot, don’t get me wrong it ties in perfectly to the story and what the MC goes through but I just don’t want to read about it, it’s totally personal preference, it sickens me and I want to enjoy a book not be disgusted by its storyline. Everything else was great, I loved everything else that was going on. I liked the developments in Callan’s story and think he is in a position to give us some answers to Ocean’s ability, I liked what was found out about Ocean by the others in her life, I loved the romantic element and it is soo promising if we can have some sort of cosmic link between them. I want to know more about what happened to her when she was 8 and why things happened, it hinted at something of a ritual and then was never spoke about again which was frustrating. I would have loved it a whole lot more if she has been kicking some demon’s butt but that’s not to say I wouldn’t read the sequel because I would. As I said I did actually like a great deal of this book it was just that part of the storyline that I couldn’t get past and spoiled my enjoyment of the book. I’m not even sure if I would class this as PNR/UF either because the only thing paranormal about it is Ocean’s ability to teleport, it had the feel of a serious novel with serious issues but it’s been lumped into the UF category and I’m not sure if it fit the bill for me, maybe I’m just sticking to the classing of what I know & love about the genre. Still, it’s a decent book and worth a read.

Author Bio:

Jade Hart is a self-confessed book worm who is happiest glued to a lap-top with an eternal battery life and typing up stories running rampant in her head.

Her three favorite things are:

1. Unlimited books on an Ebook Reader

2. Cracking the sugar on a creme brulee

3. Bunny rabbits

Jade currently resides in Middle-Earth, but has lived in Australia, England, and Hong Kong.

She writes New Adult 'smexy' fiction. Look for SAMSARA coming soon by Curiosity Quills Press, and the eagerly awaited Ocean Kills - book one of the Ocean Breeze Series. 

If she isn't writing, she's reading. And if she isn't reading, she's travelling. 

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Blog Tour for Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks #3) by Miranda Kenneally; Review, Author Interview + Int Giveaway

Posted by Donna
Release Date: March 1st, 2013

Finished Date: December 29th, 2012

Publishers: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Loaned 

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker. 

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Note: Mature themes, sexual situations, religious discussions.

The Review: "He grins, and looks around. "Are you King Crab Kate?" I cover my mouth with a hand. " Oh my gosh - you're Miniature Poodle Matt!"

I adore Miranda's work! Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker were fantastic reads, which I rated 4 stars each, however, Things I Can't Forget gets a massive 5 star rating from me. Third time's the charm right?

Kate is a good girl who always tries to do the right thing. She believes in God and while that's a good thing, it's drummed into her that every decisions she makes she has to remain true to God. But when her best friends has an abortion with Kate's help, she believes she's left herself and God down and now she's trying to make up for her mistakes. However by trying to make up for her mistakes she's missing out on the most important times of her life - being a teenager.  So when Matt comes long she realises she has to work out who she really is and how she can live her life to the fullest without jeopardising her beliefs. 

 "I don't know what makes me feel more guilty: that I love how he touched me when I should hate it, when I should have pushed him away, or how I couldn't heard God's warning because of the way Matt made me feel."

Things I Can't Forget is A-MAZ-ING! I managed to read it within space of a few hours (which if you know me, is not easily done) but once I started reading, I simply couldn't put it down. Everything from the get go was so intense and I have to say, I was worried about the religion in the story. I don't believe in God and sometimes religion can come across quite strong for a non-believer but Miranda Kenneally didn't over do it. She told a story about a girl who has strong beliefs in God and not once was it overwhelming - it was completely enjoyable. 
  
What made it so enjoyable for me was how much chemistry the story has. In Miranda's previous stories, the romance is toned down and it slowly creeps up on you but, with Things I Can't Forget, it's there within the first few chapters. Kate and Matt have so many laugh out loud moments that it was just so easy to love them. And Matt is easily my favourite guy that Miranda has wrote about so far - he's just so much fun and so very dreamy. 

"My favourite is when an eight-year-old girl named Lizzie sings "Jesus Loves Me" in the purest voice, and when she gets scared and I think she might run off the stage, Matt sings sings along with her as he strums his guitar. Leaning against a tree, as bugs chirp around me, as warm wind rustles the branches, that's when I know it for real. I want him." 

All in all, Miranda Kenneally's Things I Can't Forget is definitely a story you won't forget.  It's a story that will speak to many people. I just love how her stories always send the right message to her readers and I can not wait for Racing Savannah to see what Miranda comes up with next! 

A big thank you to Jasprit from The Reader Den for loaning me her copy! You rock girl! 

Author Interview with Miranda Kenneally 

When did you first start writing?

I was 8 years old when I started writing really crappy stories about poodles that joined the circus and did the high-wire. Then I started writing stories about families with 5 sets of twins and 5 sets of triplets and like 30 Golden Retrievers. At the time my naïve self thought it would be cool to have that many brothers and sisters and dogs. 

Do you have a favourite place to write?

Yes! In my green chair. I like having candles, books, pillows, pictures and a blanket around. Not pictured is a Diet Coke. I usually drink a Diet Coke while I write.  

Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re working on now?

I’m about to start writing a book I’m calling “Marathon Girl Ouija Board Book.” (The title will most likely change. Ha!) It’s about a girl who’s running a marathon in honor of her boyfriend who died. It was his dream to run a marathon. 

Questions relating to Things I Can't Forget

What was your inspiration for writing Things I Can't Forget?

I had a friend in high school who got pregnant twice. The first time she decided to have the baby, and I helped her figure out a way to put the baby up for adoption. Mean kids at school made fun of me for helping my friend and it was hard for me to handle. The second time she got pregnant, she wanted an abortion, and asked me to help her. I decided not to help her because I thought my parents would find out and get angry with me, or that people at school would make fun of me even more. To this day, I am ashamed that I let what other people think affect my decision. I am not sure if I would’ve helped my friend, but I should have at least made my own decision. THINGS I CAN’T FORGET is all about learning to have your own beliefs, but learn to respect the beliefs of others as well.

What’s your favourite quote? 

The set-up is that the guy character, Matt, loves this restaurant called “Just Tacos.”

Kate says: “So what does Just Tacos have to do with kissing?”

And Matt replies, “Besides the fact I absolutely love both?” 

Can you tell us how you chose the characters names?

Honestly, Matt and Kate’s names just came to me. I didn’t think about it too hard. There are two nasty girls in the book: Megan and Andrea. I had originally named Megan “Missy” but then I remembered that was the name of a friend’s wife! So I changed it to Megan. And one of my critique partners is named Andrea (Andrea Lynn Colt), but she didn’t mind being named after a villain!

Who is your favourite character?

Matt, obviously.  If I had to pick a non-Matt character, I would say Ian. He is snarky and fun and real. I found it funny that he hooks up in inappropriate places at camp!

Author Bio;

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.

And now for the giveaway! 

Because I LOVED Things I Can't Forget so much, I'm offering two winners a copy of the book. 

- Open Internationally providing The Book Depo ships to you.

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A Review for Gilt (The Royal Circle #1) by Katherine Longshore

Posted by Donna
Release Date: February 28th, 2013

Finished Date: February 1st, 2013

Publishers: Simon & Schuster
Source: For Review 

Format: Paperback

Pages: 416
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all. 

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

The Review: I've read a few historical books over the past few years but they've always been historical paranormal, so going into Gilt - which is a historical contemporary story, was a bit different for me. I was worried I wouldn't like it because I've never been big on history - in all honestly, I found it boring in school. I've heard of Henry VIII and his six wives and I've probably even studied them in school (not that I can remember now) I've never really took the time to find out their stories and how they died. But now Gilt was quite a fascinating read and one that I found very compelled to finish. 

I really enjoyed Gilt. With the story following Catherine Howard's best friend Kitty, I wasn't sure what to expect. But I'll tell you I certainly got a lot more than I expected. It's full of joy, hope and love but that's only the good side, the bad side is full of hidden secrets, sorrow and death. It's a hard time to live in because a women's job is to get married and bare children, but Catherine knows she wants more than that, so when she captures the heart of King Henry, she brings Kitty into the fold too - which becomes highly dangerous for Kitty. Because of her friendship to Catherine, kitty feels a deep loyalty to her so she tries to cover up Catherine's affairs but it really puts Kitty in more trouble. 

Henry VIII came across as a scary man. He's a King and there's something about him that makes you want to hide in a corner. I really didn't like him and even after finishing Gilt, admittedly I was goggling just what exactly happened to Henry and his other wife's. I've definitely came away from Gilt feeling like I've learnt about a huge part of history and honestly, I'm intrigued to find out more. 

While I enjoyed Gilt, I did have a few problems with it. I felt the story slowed down a bit towards the middle. I really couldn't see what was going to happen next and felt as though at least 50 pages of the story didn't need to be there and then the ending. Oh I really would have liked more closure on Kitty's story. The ending was left wide open and I was dying to know what happened between her and William. 

All in all, Gilt is an eye-opening and enjoyable read - one that I'd highly recommend to anyone who is looking for something a bit different from their normal read. 

Waiting on Wednesday (#33)

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Jess's WoW

Twisted Perfection (Too Far #3)
by Abbi Glines
Release date: April 23rd, 2013

Life outside of her house was a new experience for Della Sloane. The dark secrets of her past weren't something she ever intended to share with anyone. They would never understand. No one would ever get close enough to find out. Besides there was always a chance she’d go crazy sooner than they expected…

Woods Kerrington had never been one to be attracted to fragile females. They seemed like too much work. He wasn't in it for the work just the pleasure. A night full of naughty fun had been exactly what was on his mind when he’d laid eyes on the hot little number that didn't know how to pump gas and needed some help.

What he didn't know was she was as fragile as they came.

The carefree girl who spoke her mind and didn't care what the world thought of her was more breakable than he could ever imagine…

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Jess's Thoughts: Oh look! Another Abbi Glines book that I must get my hands on. Even though book 2 isn't even released yet, book 3 is on it's way in over 2 months time. I am so, so excited about this one because it's Woods. And when y'all get around to reading her Too Far series, you'll understand why I love Woods and can't wait for his story. So yeah, there's my WoW for this week! 

Donna's WoW

Angel Fever (Angel #3)
by LA Weatherly

Release date: October 2013

In the devastated remains of the world, millions of people live in "refugee" camps provided by the angels who have all but enslaved humanity. As this angelic stranglehold tightens, Willow and Alex are recruiting and training new Angel Killers while struggling to hold ground on the celestial battlefield. But Willow continues to have feelings for Seb, and her love and resolve are tested as a shattering revelation sends Alex on a separate journey. Now that the final battle versus the angels is about to begin-and the fate of the world hangs in the balance-each of them must face the consequences of their own choices. Will love endure? Will the human race survive?

Donna's thoughts: Anyone who knows me, knows this is one of my favourite series EVER! It's also one of the first Angel books I read so it holds a very special place in my heart. And wow, the cover! I love it! I love everything about it and I'm glad Seb is there, however I am TEAM ALEX and will forever be TEAM ALEX! So my fingers are crossed he gets the girl! 

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What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

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Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link at Breaking the Spine. 

Happy Reading!