Cover Reveal: The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

I am extremely happy to have been invited to join Jen Doktorski as she releases the cover of her upcoming novel, The Summer After You and Me. I really enjoyed (and reviewed) her other books Famous Last Words, and How My Summer Went Up in Flames. I can't wait to read this one as well--I'm sure I'll love it as much as her other books!

The Summer After You and Me 

by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: Spring 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it's not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.

Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

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I am stunned by the beauty of this cover. The coloring is phenomenal, and so eye-catching. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of this book! What do you think of the cover?

ARC Review: Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow
384 Pages

The dead of winter.
An isolated island off the coast of Maine.
A man.
A woman.
A sinister house looming over the sea . . .

He's a reclusive writer whose macabre imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill with laughs.

But she's not laughing now. When she was a teenager, he terrified her. Now they're trapped together on a snowy island off the coast of Maine. Is he the villain she remembers or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes. It's going to be a long, hot winter.

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There is nothing I enjoy more than getting so absorbed in a novel that I read it in one sitting, staying awake all night just to come to the end and close the book (or application) with a satisfied smile on my face. I started Heroes Are My Weakness just before bed hoping to calm my brain down for some sleep, and ended up finishing the book while my mother snored across the room. This was a fantastic introduction to Susan Elizabeth Phillips's work!

Annie has no choice but to return to her deceased mother's cabin on Peregrine Island. It's the only place she has left since she put herself in debt trying to give her mother all she wanted in the little time she had left on earth. The island is nothing but a reminder of the torment she was put through as a teenager. Theo is staying the Harp House trying to focus on writing his next novel. Annie's return forces him to remember his awful past. When eery things start happening around the cabin Annie is staying at, Theo find himself pulled into solving the mystery of who is out to get her. The two must let go of their pasts to work together, and maybe find a little more between them along the way.

I loved how the main characters, Annie and Theo, had so much depth to their personalities. They had dark pasts that showed how horrible life can be, but the were well-rounded, and recognized the good in people. It was so easy to fall in love with them both. Annie was quirky, kind-hearted, and sharp as a tack. I aspire to be like her. The inclusion of her ventriloquism was a unique talent that made me like Annie all the more. I also liked the direction she took with said talent. Annie had my sense of humor, and an intelligence that showed through her biting comments to Theo. Theo is introduced as an anti-hero, and one that as a reader, I wasn't sure that I immediately liked. He is a mysterious, and tragic character that over time stole my heart. His past is heart-wrenching, but the development of his character as the book progressed was very well done.

The romance… Oh geez. Don't even get me started. I adored the relationship between these two. What started out as bitter and fearful, turned sarcastic and teasing, and then became sizzling and sweet. I was hooked reading as their love progressed. I found their chemistry undeniable. I rooted from these two from their first interaction. Their dialogue really is what made the story for me! I also liked the role that the island community played in the story, and in their relationship. The minor characters like Livia, Jaycie, and even Annie's puppets played a large role in the story as well, and were excellently included--the story would not have been the same without them.

Heroes Are My Weakness is not a fast-paced novel; it moves at an unhurried rate. That being said, the pace fits the content. I was never bored, nor did I feel like the plot was too stretched. The hint of mystery made the novel all the more addicting. I didn't want to put the book down because I just had to know what came next! And though I am now so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open, I am happy to have given the book a chance. It did not disappoint!

I wasn't expecting this to address such heavy topics as murder, suicide, or mental illness. While I did take issue with the way a few things were handled, I liked that the author included them in this book. They are pertinent to life today, and something that we as a society struggle with on a daily basis. I just didn't appreciate the way that Annie sometimes spoke about the women featured that had obvious mental problems. She was a bit too callous, and unfeeling about what those women struggled through. This is why my rating isn't a full five stars.

You can bet your buns that I will be reading more of Susan Elizabeth Phillips's work. I was extremely impressed by how quickly I fell in love with this story, and how I found it impossible to put it down for any reason but to pee. I can only hope that her other novels are as captivating as Heroes Are My Weakness was. 

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Edelweiss.

ARC Review: My True Love Gave to Me Anthology

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:

Release Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
320 Pages

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins.

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Christmas is my favorite holiday, followed very closely by Halloween so to receive a book of winter-themed stories so close to Halloween is like everything I could've ever wished. I love the lights of the season, and snow, and the funnel cakes and sweet hot cider they serve at the zoo. I love getting presents, and giving them in return. I love kissing people under the mistletoe, and the smell of gingerbread. Basically, I love it for every commercialized, superficial reason in existence.

My True Love Gave to Me made me crave the winter sweetness that I love so much.

This book is filled with twelve stories written by some of the most talented authors in YA fiction today. While I didn't find all twelve pieces amazing, it was an overall magical anthology. Each tale was delightful in its own way. I was unsurprised that contributing authors that I loved before produced fantastic stories for this winter anthology. Of all the stories, I have to say that I enjoyed Stephanie Perkins, Rainbow Rowell, and Gayle Forman's most of all. I love their other works, so that I adored their stories in this book came as no surprise.

This is a quick read--maybe because I was immediately hooked from the very beginning. I could only put it down when my eyes started burning so badly that they watered and distorted my vision. It's a strangely wonderful feeling to be that in love with a book. My only complaint is that the stories ended! There were a few that I think had the makings of full-length novels, and the end of them had me yearning for more. Most were perfect just the way they were (and even then I wanted more just because they were so fantastic). I love the diversity in the stories; some were fantasy, others contemporary, all were utterly enchanting. I loved that I never knew which would come next, and that all of them were so unique, and distinct. No two were alike!

I need to go buy a physical copy immediately and reread this again as the holidays roll around (and probably a few times before then). They really help bring on the holiday spirit! I wish I could buy everyone a copy and make them read it, because it really is just a wonderful bunch of tales. I recommend it wholeheartedly, and hope that those who read it love it as much as I did! This exceeded my expectations, and reminded me why I love the holiday season so much! My True Love Gave to Me is sure to be an instant favorite for anyone who reads it.

P.S. Kudos to whoever designed the US edition's cover because from the moment I saw it, I knew I'd need to own it. I love that all the couples are included on the cover. That makes it even sweeter.

I received an e-copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review from the publisher via Netgalley.

ARC Review: Adrenaline Crush by Laurie Boyle Crompton

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
192 Pages

When a daredevil teen pushes herself too far, she must choose between two boys: the one who wants to keep her safe, and the one who dares her to return to her old self.

Seventeen-year-old Dyna comes from a family of risk takers and is an avid thrill-seeker herself, until the day she splinters her ankle in a terrible fall. Her whole life goes from mountain biking and rock climbing to sitting at home and attending group sessions at the bizarre alternative healing center that her hippie mother found. The boy who witnessed Dyna’s accident believes her injury is a wakeup call and he encourages her mild new lifestyle, but a young Afghanistan War veteran she meets at the healing center pushes her to start taking chances again. Forced to face the consequences of her daredevil impulses, Dyna finds herself in danger of risking the one thing she’s always treated with caution—her heart.

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Adrenaline Crush was a short, authentic story about staying true to yourself even when faced with the most difficult of challenges. This is the first book I've read by this author, and based on my experience, I would not be hesitant to pick up another. It was quite charming, and my interest never strayed from the story once I started it.

Dyna is an adventurous young woman who never backs down from a challenge. She has goals and plans and confidence, until a horrible fall that leaves her with an injury that may keep her from all that she loves to do. When her spirit declines, her parents send her to a new aging healing center and she meets people who are suffering through traumas much like herself. With the help of her new friends, and family, she must remember how to be the person she has always known herself to be.

I really liked the author's writing style. Once I picked it up, I read it to the very end. The book is pretty short, but it makes up for its length by being entertaining. I generally enjoyed the narrator's point-of-view, with just a few issues here and there. Adrenaline Crush isn't a heavy story. It does deal with some tough subjects, but ultimately, the focus is lighthearted in that it is really about a young girl coming into herself and taking pride in who she really is.

For being as short as the novel is (under two-hundred pages), it does deal with some serious issues like heartbreak, and war, and mental illness. I liked the way the author handles the subjects--it's easy to misconstrue these subjects, but the author seemed to really have a good grasp on the basic ideals. It's nice to read a story that deface human struggle, or make it seem like a completely negative thing. Reading about these characters facing their problems head on was interesting, and true to the nitty-gritty of real life. 

It was great to see how large of a part the story Dyna's family was. Stories with close families, or families that become close after an ordeal are more enjoyable to me. Familial relationships always seem to be downplayed, and that makes me sad. I adored the personalities of Dyna's parents. They are sweet, but have a bit of a wild, thrill-seeking side (that their children definitely inherited) which can be seen through their tattoos, motorcycles, and behaviors. The characters in this story were pretty assorted in that sense, and that was nice to see. I think it's sad that parents in fiction so rarely have diverse appearances because in this day and age it's quite common.

Is this the best book ever written? No. It definitely had it's faults. Dyna was not the easiest character to root for. She could be selfish, and sometimes it was a bit difficult for me to understand her perspective. Partially because I am not adventurous/outdoorsy/etc, but also because she was often too immature for my tastes. Her insecurities could drive me insane, as did her romantic relationships. This book is also quite predictable in regards to Dyna's love life. The "love triangle" and Dyna's final choice were obvious to me just from the summary. While I am satisfied with her choice, it would be nice for a more realistic romance. That being said, I am fond of Adrenaline Crush. It was a unique story with a familiar lesson. I think those who give this book a shot will find something in it they can appreciate!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

ARC Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
296 Pages

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

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This book was just what I needed. A light, cute, fun read.

Charlie is a tomboy. Growing up in a household with 3 brothers (4 if you include the neighbor boy, Braden) and no mother will do that to you. She loves every sport and plays every sport. There is not a girlie bone in her body. When she's forced to get a job at a local boutique after racking up some speeding tickets, she slowly gets pulled into the world of fashion and make-up and starts discovering her feminine side.

But that's the problem. How can she hide this side from her brothers who will surely ridicule her to no end? Instead, Charlie becomes two people: the "girl" while at work and the "tomboy" at home. But things start bleeding over, especially when Charlie brings home a date. Soon she's forced to decide which part of her is the real "Charlie" and what if it's both?

This was my first read from West and I enjoyed it. Yes, it had romantic elements but the focus was more on family. I loved scenes with her brothers (Gage in particular). They were hilarious and I believed that this family loved each other and would protect each other at any cost. Good thing the dad's a cop, right? And speaking of the dad, I liked how the author showed his struggle on how to raise a teenage girl. This was a family that worked.

But it is a YA romance, so of course there's a boy. Well,actually there's two. There's the one who she met while trying out this "girl" thing, then there's the one she's known since she was a child and who she has conversations in the middle of the night through the backyard fence with. Both were good guys, but one guess who my pick was. Yup, Braden. The boy next door. Her other brother. I adored Braden and was also amused at his jealousy. But aside from being the perfect choice for Charlie, I also loved how he was already part of the family. I could see the friendships between them all.

After reading this I am definitely interested in more from this author. Sometimes we just need these feel-good books. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
338 Pages

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

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I will start out by saying that at first it was hard for me to separate this book from Marissa Meyer’s fairy tale series. Both take place in a very sci-fi heavy dystopian world. Both are based loosely on fairy tales we all know and love. Both involve royalty. However, as I read more into it, I was able to see the differences and come to appreciate Stitching Snow on its own.

Essie (not really a fan of the name) is on the run from her home planet and has found refuge on a small mining planet called Thanda. Here she builds drones that help the local miners. She flies under the radar mostly and that’s how she likes it. Until the day a ship crashes bringing treasure seeker Dane into her life. Against her will, Essie befriends Dane and helps him rebuild his ship. It isn’t until he’s about to leave that she realizes he was there for her the whole time.

Snow White is not one of my favorite fairy tales in all honesty. But we all know the story: evil stepmother is jealous of her stepdaughter and does everything in her power to get rid of her. So right away I knew not to trust the King’s wife, but it was the King that I was unsure about. Did he know what his wife had done (and was still doing), or was he just blissfully ignorant?

Then there’s Dane, the love interest. He was an interesting one – brooding, quiet, not quite honest. It was obvious from the start that he would be the one our heroine fell for, it just became a mystery of how considering her all but kidnapped her. I’ve read other reviews where people have said he was forgettable or just okay and I can see it. There wasn’t really anything amazing about it and I didn’t get feels when reading about him, but I liked that he was a solid character who changed and grew over the course of the book. A lot was thrown at him, most of it contradicting what he thought he already knew, and yet he still managed to handle everything.

But the character (or characters) that stole the book for me were the drones. All 7 of them (I’m sure you can figure out who they were supposed to be). I found this to be a very original way to portray the dwarves and I loved them. Cusser and Dimwit were standouts. Dimwit reminded me of Wall-E so much. Not going to lie – I want one. 

It’s not often that we have standalone books anymore, especially with fantasy novels. This was one where I wouldn’t mind having another book to just to wrap up everything and to see how Princess Snow unites the kingdom. 

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

ARC Review: She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 22, 2014
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
354 Pages

Laureth Peak's father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers - a skill at which she's remarkably talented. 

Her secret: she is blind. 

But when her father goes missing, Laureth and her 7-year-old brother Benjamin are thrust into a mystery that takes them to New York City where surviving will take all her skill at spotting the amazing, shocking, and sometimes dangerous connections in a world full of darkness. 

She Is Not Invisible is an intricate puzzle of a novel that sheds a light on the delicate ties that bind people to each other.

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This is the first book that I've read by Sedgwick, and based on my experience, it will not be the last. She Is Not Invisible is a tale of familial bonds, strength, bravery, and coincidence. From the moment I heard about this unique story, I was determined to get my hands on a copy. Wendy, from The Midnight Garden, had been telling me to read something by this author for quite awhile and I'm ashamed that it took me so long to pick his work up!

From whatever viewpoint you look at, this story is imaginative. Laureth is a blind young adult, who is embarking on a huge adventure. Her father, once a renowned novelist, has disappeared. Sneaking away from her home in London with her little brother as her guide and companion, Laureth must use clues left behind, and brave New York to find her dad.

Some of the subjects that were brought up went over my head, but the intrigue of the plot kept me reading. The relationships between these family member also made this book that much better for me. Families in YA fiction are not generally shown as realistically as they are in this novel. Sure Laureth's family has their problems, but at the heart of it all, they have a deeply-rooted, unconditional love for one another. That is such a nice thing to see when so many recent books portray parents as dead/absent/abusive.

The plot is paced pretty slowly with quite a bit of build-up for the end. Though what the big mystery did not end exactly like I had expected, I still very much enjoyed this story. Laureth's point-of-view was mind-blowing. Her strength, as an individual struggling with a disability, astounded me. She does not want, nor need anyone's pity. She wants to be independent, and I sincerely admire that. The author does an excellent job of addressing the stigma of disability, and his character's struggle against is very well done.

She Is Not Invisible may have been my first book by this author, but trust me when I say, Sedgwick's other novels have become top priority on my to-read list! This book won't be for everyone, but I would still recommend giving it a shot. Unique, heartfelt and utterly captivating, She Is Not Invisible is a novel I won't soon forget, and is sure to leave its mark on readers.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

Pre-Release Celebration + Giveaway: Caged in Winter by Brighton Walsh

Hey guys, I'm sure most of you have heard about this new book from author Brighton Walsh (if you haven't, get on it!). I must say, I just started reading it and I'm already in love with the characters (especially Cade). So thank you for joining me today in anticipation for the release of Caged in Winter. We have an excerpt from the book as well as a giveaway.

CAGED IN WINTER BY BRIGHTON WALSH

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Publisher: Berkeley Romance
304 Pages

In this emotional and sexy New Adult debut from Brighton Walsh, the only thing more frightening than commitment is hope…

Aspiring chef Cade Maxwell is immediately, viscerally attracted to Winter Jacobson. But it’s not her mouthwatering curves he’s drawn to—it’s the strange emptiness in her eyes. When Cade saves her from a drunken customer with grabby hands, he’s shocked at her response…

Winter doesn’t need Cade’s help. After a lifetime of getting by on her own, she’s happy to rely on herself. She’s exactly seventy-six days away from graduating college, and if she can hold it together that long, she’ll finally be able to rise above the crappy hand she was dealt.

But now, every time she turns around, Cade is there, ready to push her, smile at her, distract her from her plans. Winter knows she can’t afford to open up—especially to a man she’s terrified to actually want…

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cade 

“Okay, now add the flour, but—” It’s too late, a puff of white exploding in Winter’s face before I can get the words out or reach to flip the switch. “You need to turn the mixer to low.”

She spins around, her cheeks covered in random white spots, some of the flour dusting her hair. “You couldn’t say that before, ‘Now add the flour’?” Her voice is low, her eyes narrowed, and I take a step back.

“Well, yeah, I guess I could’ve, but I just sort of figured you’d know enough not to add loose flour to a wildly spinning mixer.”

“Oh, you figured I’d know enough for that, huh? Even after I told you I’ve never made cookies before? Even then?”

She’s advancing on me now, and I shouldn’t be retreating like a scared animal. I have more than a foot on her, a hundred-plus pounds, but she looks pissed. And that glint in her eye tells me she’s up to something. I glance down at her hand, seeing a measuring cup half filled with flour, and I realize what she’s going to do a split-second before she does, but not soon enough to dodge it.

A cloud of white powder hits me straight in the face, and I cough as I inhale some. Wiping away the dust from my eyes, I say, “I can’t believe you did that.”

“Oh, well, I just figured you’d know enough to duck.” She shrugs and offers me a saccharine smile.

“I don’t think you want to start this with me, baby.”

“In case you missed the flour in your face a second ago, I already started it, baby.”

I stare her down, then reach over, grabbing the bowl of melted chocolate—my mom’s secret ingredient in her cookies—and dip my fingers into it. Winter narrows her eyes at me and takes a step back. “Don’t you dare.”

“Where you goin’? I thought you wanted to get messy.”

“No, I wanted you to get messy. I didn’t have a choice with this,” she says as she gestures to where the flour hit her. She darts her eyes down to the bowl of chocolate, then back up to my face. “Don’t, Cade. You’re going to get me dirty, and I have to be at work soon.”

“You maybe should’ve thought about that before you threw a scoop of flour in my face.” I don’t wait for her response before I smear the chocolate down her cheek to her jaw, then all the way down her neck and into the deep V of her shirt, stopping when I feel the swell of her breasts. “Whoops.”

“You did not just do that.”

“Looks like I did.” I shrug, putting the bowl back on the counter before I lick the chocolate from my fingers. She focuses on the act, her lips parted. I lean closer to her, drop my voice, and gesture to the spots of her skin that are covered. “You want me to clean you up, too?”

Glaring, she gives a jerky shake of her head, but a flush works its way up her chest to her neck—one of the tells she’s getting turned on.

I step closer, backing her into the corner until she’s pressed against the cabinets behind her. “Sure about that? It wouldn’t take much. Just a lick or two. Maybe a couple sucks. We’d probably have to take your shirt off, though, and your bra, too. I really got down in there.”

Her head’s tilted back as she stares up at me, her chest rising and falling in quick succession from her labored breathing.

I lean into her space, lick up a path from her neck to her ear. “I think you do. I think you want my tongue all over you, don’t you, baby? I got you all dirty. Seems only fair I clean you up.” Before she can respond, my mouth closes over her shoulder, my tongue tracing along the chocolate I smeared there. By the time I’ve dipped into the neckline of her shirt, my tongue in the valley of her breasts, her nipples are pressed tight against the material, and she’s got a white-knuckled grip on the countertop behind her.

“Want me to stop?”

I wait a second. Two. And when she gives the slightest shake of her head, I take. Gripping her face in my hands, my mouth covers hers, my tongue slipping inside. She groans into the kiss, her hands finally coming up to clutch my forearms.

“Wait.” She wrenches her mouth from mine, turning her head to the side. “Cade, wait. Your sister.”

I focus on licking every stray ounce of chocolate I can find, her hands a counterpoint to her words as she holds me close. “Not home. Gone till four.”

“Shit! Four. I have to be at work at four!”

“We’ve got time. Now stop talking.”

I peel her jeans and panties off, then lift her onto the counter, desperate to feel her around me. With one hand, I fumble with the button of my jeans, the other busy between Winter’s thighs, rubbing soft circles around her clit, getting her ready for me. She’s moaning, her head resting back on the cabinets, and the sight of her there, half naked in my kitchen, is too much. Too fucking much, and I can’t get my goddamn jeans off.

When she notices, her hands are there, opening my jeans and yanking my boxers down just far enough to pull me out. Her hands are around my cock, pumping slowly, and I need inside her now.

*****

 

Well, I definitely haven't gotten to that part yet! Whoa! A BIG thank you to everyone at Berkeley Romance for allowing me to participate in this awesome celebration!