Wednesday, October 29, 2014

YA WEDNESDAY! Upcoming November Releases/ I met Pepe Toth (Daemon Black Ya'll at LoveNVegas)


Here are my top three November releases

Releases November 4, 2014
 
I have been a HUGE fan of Claudia Gray's for years now and I can't wait to get my hands on this beauty.
 
 
 
Releases November 25, 2014
 
 
This has so much hype on all the YA blogs that I couldn't resist adding it to my TBR. I hope it lives up to it all.
 
 
 
Releases November 13, 2014
 
It's no secret I am a DIE-HARD Dystopian fan. Although, FRANKIE ROSE owns my heart in that genre I still love to see what is out there.
 
 

Enjoy! If you are looking forward to anything coming up drop me a comment so I can check it out.

 
 
 
YA Fans Rejoice!
 
 
 
 
 
Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Cover Reveal ~ Coming For You by JA Huss



Coming For You by J.A. Huss 
(Dirty Dark and Deadly #3) 
Publication date: November 19th 2014
Genres: Adult, Erotica, Thriller





Synopsis
JAMES
Who am I?
What am I doing?
Why am I doing it?
Questions are as dangerous in my world as secrets are valuable.
Answers, however, never come easy.

HARPER
Who am I?
what am I doing?
Why am I doing it?
I’ve never asked myself a single question about my life. Not even once. I follow orders. I keep my head down. I do as I’m told. But now the choices are everywhere.

SASHA
I don’t ask questions and I don’t need answers.
I know exactly what I’m doing.
Last Christmas Eve, my life fell apart.
This summer, I’m about to get even.


Giveaway


About JA Huss
J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

Author Links:

Promo Tour ~ Addicted After All by Krista & Becca Ritchie


Addicted After All
 Promo Tour



Title: Addicted After All
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Series: Addicted #3
Pub Date: October 31st, 2014

Amazon: Purchase links not available until October 31st

Synopsis
Two addicts. One epic love story. 

Prepare for the worst. 

That’s what Lily and Lo try to do when Jonathan Hale schedules an “important” meeting. The problem: after being swept into the public eye and battling their addictions, they’re not sure what the worst is anymore. 

In a sea of many changes—including Ryke & Daisy living with them—Lily realizes that the best part of her fluctuating hormones might just be the worst. 

Her sex drive is out of control. 

Loren knows that she’s insatiable, but he’s not giving up on her. She’s too much a part of him. And as he carries more and more responsibility, some of the people that he loves doubt his resolve. 

In the conclusion to their love story, Lily & Lo stand side-by-side to fight, one last time, for their happily ever after. 

**AUTHORS' NOTE**
Due to the 2-year gap between Addicted for Now (Addicted #2) and Addicted After All (Addicted #3), you must read Thrive (Addicted #2.5) or the Calloway Sisters spin-off series before reading Addicted After All.
Loren Hale’s POV

Excerpt
When I walk through door, I see Lil on our bed, my tablet cupped in her hand while her brows furrow. 

The moment I shut it, she flinches and hides the tablet beneath the comforters. 

Not porn, is my first and only thought. 

“Hiding something?” I ask her. 

She holds out her hands for the grocery bag, her eyes widening. I stand at the foot of the bed. She looks 

ridiculously adorable dressed in her red Spider-Man onesie, pajamas that she bought in college.

“Did you get the icing?” She perks up and reaches for the plastic bag. 

I retract my arm, keeping a hard demeanor. “How about we trade? Give me the tablet and I’ll give you 

the food?”

“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” she says, but makes no movement to grab the tablet. 

I suddenly seize her ankle and tug her to the edge of the bed quickly. The breath rushes out of her, and 

her eyes land solely on my package. I put my face very close to hers so she stares right into my gaze. “Lily 

Calloway, are you looking at porn?”

About The Authors

Krista & Becca Ritchie are identical twins. They write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on twitter and their website: kbritchie.com

AUTHOR LINKS


Giveaway
*Kindle Paperwhite
*3 Signed Paperbacks of ADDICTED AFTER ALL

Both giveaways are open internationally!

Blog Tour - The Truth about Air and Water by Katherine Owen


The Truth About Air & Water 
by
Katherine Owen
(truth in lies book 2)
        
The Truth About Air & Water, book 2 in the Truth In Lies Series. READ This Much Is True, book 1 first, although it's been written as a standalone. Readers say, don't do that. 

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” -Ernest Hemingway ~ A Farewell To Arms 

They share an epic love but one moment changes everything. A life together that seemed certain is shattered. One learns you never love the same way twice; the other learns what it means to come home. You only think you know how this love story goes, but do you really know how an epic love can end? 

“There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.” 
-F. Scott Fitzgerald 
She is living color, and I’ve been in a black-and-white world for far too long without her. Powerful stuff. It surrounds me. I’ve felt it since I first arrived. The forcefield of her. The magnetism of her. The power she wields over me. I’m alive again because of her, like a dying plant that finally gets some water. I’ve got it bad for this girl. Reality dawns. The light comes through the darkness and shines on me. She’s my water. 
-Lincoln Presley 

The truth is I breathe with him. He is my air. Raison d’etre. 
-Tally Landon 
Author's note: This novel is part of the Truth In Lies series. It can be read as standalone, however, fans of my fiction already are highly recommending that those new to my work, READ This Much Is True book 1 FIRST. 

As Lincoln Presley would say, "do as you must, Princess."



My Review:

"I am broken by it all. Why doesn't everyone see that?"

Katherine Owen doesn't write books. She takes words and welds them together to create an experience that will last a lifetime. 

When you sit down to read this book, you must prepare yourself for an epic love story that isn't perfect, but what love is?

Who are Tally and Linc to me? They are the most unlucky in love couples of all time. I remember almost a year ago, sitting in my house and reading This Much is True. That book broke me down to nothing, built me back up only to break me again. That is what KO is amazing at. At the end of that book I wanted more. I want them to have more of a happy ending. 

But, this is KO we are talking about, she doesn't write fairy tales and I buy her books because of that very reason. I want to feel something when I read a book. I want to feel the character's pain and joy. I want to be broke and put back together. 

That is exactly what Katherine Owen gave me with this book, but she also gave me so much more that and I didn't even expect it. I felt so much and my heart broke in to a million pieces all over again for these 2.

Tally, oh how I love you. You have had so much shit dealt to you and you still fight. You still try and move past it, but you get sucked into the depths of hell and who knows if you will ever make it out. How can you when the world is against you? But you fight and you scream and you tell everyone to FUCK OFF because you will not surrender. YOU WILL FIGHT. 

Linc. You make me very proud. This is your book and you fucking nailed it. The growth, the maturity, the difference I see in you is monumental. I am in awe of the ways you changed and the responsibility. You manned the fuck up and you made mama proud. I couldn't be happier for you. But, you did screw up royally, but all is forgiven because who could blame you? NOT ME. 

"I cover my head with my arm to try and stem the pain, wishing for painkillers, wishing Tally was a narcotic that I could swallow down and have live inside me forever"
This books is full of lines that take you by the soul and rock you to the core. They make you want rip your heart out and have it crushed just so you can experience what she is writing about, because it is that real. 

Deep love isn't something you can walk away from. It isn't something that is easy. But it is something that can fought for and won. 

This Much is True is one of my favorite books that I will tell everyone I come across to read for the rest of my life. 

But the writing, the character ARC, the depth in this novel, make The Truth about Air and Water crush TMIT like an ant. 

Bravo Katherine Owen, you nailed this book to the ground and have strengthened my belief in your writing. 



Chapter 2 - Tally
“She’s got the story,” I say to Linc hours later as we lie next to each other taking up only half of the king-sized bed because our bodies remain intertwined at an all but intimate level. The money shot photograph session took twice as long as the interview. After another three hours, we finally told Candy we had to go. I had to pick up Cara from preschool and Linc had a late practice.
We left Candy and her photographer while they were still packing up their gear. By this time, the reporter had given up on asking us any more questions. She had the money shot. She had the story. We weren’t going to like it. The unsettled feeling nagged at me, but Linc didn’t seem to care. “She’s got the story.” Apparently, my fears need repeating.
“So?” He asks with a laugh. “Come here.” He pulls me closer and trails his hands down between my legs knowing full well this is my ultimate weakness for him. I cannot not respond. His touch right there gets me to do just about anything for him. I moan. He laughs again as he starts to make his move.
We put Cara to bed fifteen minutes ago and left the bedroom door slightly ajar so we can hear her but closed enough so she doesn’t hear us. Usually, we wait the agreed-upon half-hour before commencing with doing the deed as I still like to call it, but she was extra tired because I let her stay up late to watch Entangled. I’m not sure she understands the story line completely. I’m not sure I do either but she loves Rapunzel’s long hair. We watched it together while we waited for Linc’s return from practice. Cara played with my hair for most of the movie and kept running her little fingers through it over and over, while I filled out endless wedding invitations, imploring the ninety-five percent of strangers I do not know to come witness our nuptials in the middle of October.
“The article won’t run for weeks. Don’t worry about it. By the time it does, the season will probably be over. We’ll be married. Settled. Nobody is going to care about how we met or what happened in Moscow. They’ll be staring at your photograph, the Dirty Dancing one, and be thinking how did that guy get so lucky and get a girl like her? All those Sports Illustrated fans wishing they were me and holding you up in the air just like Baby.”
“Even the girls?”
He laughs. “Even the girls. When are you going to start believing we’re the two luckiest people in the world?” I turn into him then and stroke his face and search his eyes for solace and truth but I don’t answer. “When are you going to let go and let this happen and believe in it? In me? In us?” Linc asks again.
I trace his lips and kiss him. Lightly. Just a trace.
In the next, he smothers my face with kisses of his own and eventually pulls me up beneath him. “Come on, Tally. Let it go. Let it all go. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Don’t put a time clock on this. Don’t walk down the aisle toward me, less than a month from now, still not believing that this isn’t real or this won’t last because it will. I’m here. You’re here. So. Believe it. In me. In us. Now.” He pulls away from me and studies my face. Guilt arrives right on time. I wince along with it.“What is it? What aren’t you telling me? Because with that face? It is definitely something.”
“Dr. Eldon scheduled an ultrasound. I just…she’s optimistic and I just hope that we can find a way to have another child. I want to give you a son because you’ve given so much to me. And I want you to be happy. With me.”
“I am happy with you. I love you because you’re my life. You’re my water. Don’t forget that. I couldn’t survive without you.” He plays with a strand of my hair and lets it slip through his fingers. “And I’m your air.” He sighs a little. “I love you just as you are whether we have more kids or not. That’s why we’re going to make it. But you have to stop believing that something bad is going to happen. You have to believe in us as much as I do. We’re going to have this great life together. We already do. I love you. You love me. And believe me; love is enough. Our love is enough.”
I hold my breath and gaze at him for a long while. The commitment and compassion I see in the depths of his eyes begins to steady me. All the doubt, and even the guilt, begin to fade away. Like a protective shield, his love encircles me from all around.
Then when he pulls me into his arm and looks at me as if I’m the only one that counts, just before he kisses me, it is reassuring in the only way that matters.
Lincoln Presley, baseball star, is one of a kind.
And, he’s mine.
It’s a miracle really.
What an unbelievable stroke of luck at having him in my life and loving me back. I kiss him and let go of all my deep-rooted fears: falling, failing, even losing. I actually feel them disappear as if a strange wind has come by and blown them away.
I take in air—his air—that allows me to live and breathe.
“Okay,” I eventually say.
Then, I grab his hand and lightly kiss the inside of his wrist, and then trail my lips along his broad chest. He leans back against the pillows with a knowing look pulling me along with him, but cedes all control to me. I start to smile, but then another errant thought crashes in on me and threatens to undo all of these joyous declarations.
Everything breaks. 
International bestselling author of the New Adult Novel, This Much Is True and the most recently released second novel in the Truth In Lies series of The Truth About Air & Water.
Katherine Owen writes contemporary edgy fiction, which translates to: she writes love stories that are contemporary in setting and both edgy and dark. Some readers term her books emotional roller coasters. She is not sorry. Owen writes about trust, love, and fate and how relationships are often tested by all of these things in one way or another. Love, loss, and starting over.
Connect with her on:
The Truth About Air & Water (truth in lies book 2)
~ Add The Truth About Air & Water (Truth In lies, #2) on Goodreads!
Buy Links:
This Much is True (book 1) currently on sale $0.99
Both on the verge of fame. A ballerina who lies. A baseball player who believes her. Well, the truth changes everything. 

Tally Landon is just trying to survive the death of her twin sister, graduate from high school, and escape her tragic story by pursuing her ballet career in New York. She doesn't count on Lincoln Presley, Stanford's baseball wonder, to affect her at all. Adding him to a long list of one-night stands is the plan. Lying to him about her age and name is her standard method of operandi. She doesn't count on being found out, on seeing him again, or falling in love. 

Lincoln Presley's life is all mapped out for him. There is only baseball. With Major League Baseball circling their favorite prospect with a lucrative offer, he cannot afford to mess up. And, he doesn't; until he meets up with the girl he saved in that burning wreckage on the 101 on Valentine's Day months before. By the time he learns her real name and of all the lies she's told, he's in far too deep to ever really let her go. 

Fate has a different set of plans, but when fame and lies tear them apart, one truth remains. 
~Add This Much Is True (Truth In Lies, #1) on Goodreads!
Buy Links:

Monday, October 27, 2014

Review ~ Black Lies by Alessandra Torre



Black Lies

by Alessandra Torre
published August 25, 2014
review copy provided by Netgalley

Brant: 
Became a tech billionaire by his twentieth birthday. Has been in a relationship with me for 3 years.
Has proposed 4 times. Been rejected 4 times.

Lee: 
Cuts grass when he’s not banging housewives. Good with his hands, his mouth, and his cock. Has been pursued relentlessly by me for almost 2 years, whether he knows it or not.

Go ahead. Judge me. You have no idea what my love entails.

If you think you’ve heard this story before, trust me – you haven’t.


My Review
Wow wow wow! I can’t even begin to express how intriguing I found this book! I see now why all of the buzz is surrounding Black Lies. It had me, hook, line, & sinker. My mind was totally engaged from beginning to end. I had wild guesses as to what the secret was. I was so, so wrong! I was shocked, excited and impressed. Alessandra Torre weaves a story of love and lies and makes you beg for more. She really knows how to tell a fantastic story. I loved Brant. I loved Layanna. I loved Lee. The sex was off the charts HOT. The chemistry between Brant & Layanna and Lee & Layanna so intense and yet sweet. You can feel the love she has for both men. You can feel her devastation at the thought of having to give one of them up. And as things come to a head, you can feel the love that each man has for her. It is genuine and beautiful.

This is a fantastic story and I don’t want to share too much of what happens in it. You need to experience it yourself. I have heard some people complain about it being a bit boring (which I did not find at all) and to those I say……stick with it! It is a slow building story. It is a story that engages the mind and makes you think. One of my favorites that I have read this year.
Totally Addicted




Wednesday, October 22, 2014

YA Wednesday! Review ~ Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo





Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.
 
Published June 5th 2012 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)        
GOODREADS AMAZON    
 
 
 


I kept hearing about this book. The good and the bad. It was everywhere. I needed to read it. I was totally engrossed from the first page. I loved Mal and Alina and the entire atmosphere of the book, including the writing. I've heard a lot of complaints about the use of a Russian theme. As someone who has spent years studying Russian history and the Russian language I can tell you that I was not bothered by it. It's a beautifully crafted YA fantasy read.

Before I forget can I just mentioned that I love this cover. It's sooo cool. I also loved the typeface and all the details on the pages as I read. For me little visuals like this are great embellishments to books.

Yes, this is a YA fantasy romance and YES, this is my favourite type of story. However, there are millions out there and I have read some that I didn't enjoy or finish. This takes my love of YA fantasy/romance  and combines it with a rich folklore and storytelling .

The story is about Alina and Mal who were orphaned as young children and end up growing up together at the estate of a kind duke. Both of them end up being tested by the Grisha, who are a powerful group of magicians, but neither of them show an aptitude as a Grisha. Alina ends up studying to be an army cartographer and Mal becomes a military tracker. Both Alina and Mal are accomplished in their studies and as both are serving the military it allows them to continue to be together.

Alina who is described as very bright but homely has to watch as her best friend Mal, who is of course dashingly handsome be adored by every single girl around.  However, over time they realize that they are best friends who also have romantic feelings for each other. It's a slow burning love that comes from friendship.

There are a lot of twists and turns in the book and during an attack it becomes known that Alina actually has powers she didn't know she had. This leads her to become a very important person in the kingdom and her life is in constant danger. She can save the kingdom but only if she is kept save from her enemies, which include those in the kingdom and those outside of it.

This is a great first book (and lucky you can catch up with the other two now). I really enjoyed this book. I was in the mood for fantasy and I love Russian elements to a story. All together it was a great combination for me and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.


5 Totally Addicting Skulls


 
 
 

Blog Tour~ Killer Queen by L.H. Cosway

release_LHCKillerQueenCover6x9-NEW
Happy Release Day to L.H Cosway and her new book KILLER QUEEN!
LHCKillerQueenCover6x9-NEW
BUY THE BOOK
Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes
Synopsis
Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome… Come inside The Glamour Patch club to see the star of our show, Miss Vivica Blue. Do you want to read my diary you nosy little devils? Have a glass of champagne (you’ll need it) and get comfortable because you’re in for some crazy shenanigans brought to you straight from the horse’s mouth. I can be whatever you want me to be: boy, girl, a little bit of both. If you have a problem with a man in a dress then best be off with you. If males in make-up give you the willies, then I’ll say au revoir and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. So, who are we left with? Ah, a fine collection of curious souls. I want to tell you a tale of love, because those are the most glorious kind. I want to tell you about real love, a love that transcends labels and gender stereotypes. The moment I first laid eyes on my Freda I knew that we were kindred. Well okay, I also knew I wanted to get into her pants, but that’s beside the point. My world was a grey place. I was at my lowest ebb. Then she came along and patches of colour began to spring forth. One day the daffodils were yellow and before I knew it, colour was everywhere, lighting up my life. Love is not about how we appear on the outside, it’s about the soul contained within. Our story was not a conventional one, but it was ours, and that’s what made it shine. Killer Queen is a companion novel to L.H. Cosway’s contemporary romance, Painted Faces. It contains scenes that take place before, during and after the original story. It can also be read as a standalone. Cover Designed by: Letitia from Romantic Book Affairs add-to-goodreads-button   KQteaser-release day\ Playlist

 
AboutTheAuthor LH Cosway
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.

READ THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL♥ Painted Faces
painted faces Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes | Goodreads
Giveaway

 
 
 


If you have read PAINTED FACES then like me you were foaming at the mouth when you heard about this book. If you haven't read "Painted Faces" yet you need it. It will make you remember why you feel in love with stories.
 
Painted Faces reminded me why I love reading. I feel in love with the characters and the story. I feel in love with L.H. Cosway's mind full of brilliantly unique tales woven together with the ability to write beautifully and bring a people in our dreams to life.
 
Killer Queen was everything I dreamed and hoped it would be. Getting the chance to be in Nicholas's mind was better than Christmas.
 
 
I certainly have never dreamed of sexy times with a Drag Queen but let me tell you. Nicholas is as swoony as they come for me.
 
Killer Queen is a story about drag queen Vivica Blue (my Instagram account is Vivian Grey, my little accolade to my love, does anyone get it now??? Come on!!!!) and the unforgettable Freda (Fred..I mean. Fred. Cosway...you BLOW MY MIND!!!! I know you know what you are doing). What is even more special about Killer Queen is we get to see what happened before, during, and after Painted Faces.
"We're all a product of our experiences, and I do what I do because it's the only way I know how to cope. What's strange to the rest of the world is normal to me."
It's true I am L.H. Cosway obsessed. She writes my favourite books full of people who bring out so many emotions in me and I am forever in her debt for that. I don't know if I have ever loved anyone like I love Fred or Nicholas. I can literally remember moment for moment my readings of both Painted Faces and Killer Queen. The laughing, the swooning, the crying, EVERYTHING! I want to scream from the rooftops for people to read their story. So READ THESE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALLOW ME TO GET NICHOLAS OBSESSED:
" Normally, I like to think of myself as a classy drag performer. But not last night. Last night I was pure garishness in its physical form, and I didn't give two fucks at the time. "

"I slipped off my heels and let my dress fall to the floor. I was down to my boxer shorts now and went to grab a makeup wipe, staring at her hotly as I removed my mascara and lipstick from my face, my transformation back into a man complete." 
"I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. In fact, I would be devastated if she were hurt. The realisation was sobering."  
Really, I could go on FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!! And the ending. OMG - I have permanent swoon chills (it's a real thing, look it up on WebMD). It's one of those endings where you get so wrapped up in all that is happening  that you forget it is not happening to you. I realize I sound like a crazy person. I want to bath in Nicholas's swoonyness. OK, too much?
5 Totally Addicted Skulls
Long may Cosway reign!!!!!!!!!!! 

BUY LINKS: