Cover Reveal: Compromising Her Position - Samanthe Beck

Cover Love!!

I'm happy to reveal the cover of Samanthe Beck's upcoming book, Compromising Her Position!

Introducing Compromising Her Position:
Releasing 11/16/15

When Chelsea Wayne drags Santa into a supply closet for a little office party nookie, she assumes the man in the suit is her on-again/off-again coworker boyfriend. Instead, it’s Rafe St. Sebastian, a man known for his hard-driving ways in business as well as the bedroom—and, kill her now, the brand spanking new owner of Las Ventanas—who grants her naughtiest Christmas wishes.

  So much for her reputation, not to mention her career.

  Rafe needs to close three acquisitions to prove to his father he’s ready to take the helm of St. Sebastian Enterprises. A hot interlude in a supply closet after deal number two seems like the perfect illicit Christmas bonus. Unfortunately, when that “bonus” becomes the key to the final deal, he finds himself back in bed—so to speak—with Chelsea, and after their steamy tryst, he’s not interested in keeping things professional…

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About Samanthe Beck:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

 

Wine lover, sleep fanatic, and USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy contemporary romance novels, Samanthe Beck lives in Malibu, California, with her long-suffering but extremely adorable husband and their turbo-son, Hud. Throw in a furry ninja named Kitty and Bebe the trash talking Chihuahua and you get the whole, chaotic picture.

When not clinging to sanity by her fingernails or dreaming up fun, fan-your-cheeks sexy ways to get her characters to happily-ever-afters, she searches for the perfect cabernet to pair with Ambien.

Mirrored - Alex Flinn

Title: Mirrored

Author: Alex Flinn

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Source: Edelweiss

Mirrored by Alex Flinn is a retelling of the popular Snow White fairy tale.  It is very creatively done and the story really pulls you in.

The story is told in two parts.  The first part is told by our evil witch Violet.  We watch her grow up as an outcast and as a victim of bullying.  We also get to see how she comes into her powers and watch her evolve into the character type we know her as.  We get to see why she became evil and what drove her to be that way.

I felt drawn towards the misfit version of Violet.  I felt her pain and her awkwardness.  I hated that she was so horribly bullied by her peers.  Her childhood was one that no child should have to endure.  As she grows up she learns how to use her powers and become obsessed with beauty.

The second part of the story was told by Celine.  Celine is the daughter of Greg, the object of Violets undying affection, and Jennifer, Violets nemesis growing up.  I think you can see where this is going.  I do not want to go into any detail and accidentally give what I would consider spoilers.  Let me just put it this way: Celine has to watch her back all the time.

There are a couple of other key characters in this story.  We have the beloved Kendra.  Fans of Alex Flinn's work will remember her, as she typically makes some sort of appearance in her fairy tale retellings.  However, do not fret if you haven't read the other books.  This is very much a stand alone book.  Then we have the ever wonderful and goofy Goose.  Goose is an awesome character and friend.

I did enjoy this book a lot, but that is not to say that it didn't have its faults.  A lot of the story seemed too simple and convenient.  Those part of the story left me wanting more.  I wanted to feel more struggle and angst from the characters.  Also, the characters did not always feel very flushed out.  Sadly I felt this happened not only sometimes with the main characters, but also with very important but still more in the background of the story characters.  I wanted more from the characters.  I wanted them to feel more real to me than they did.

All this being said, I still could not put the book down.  I enjoyed it a lot.  The way the story was put together just compels you as a reader to continue on.  It makes you want to know what is going to happen next and it makes you want to know how it ends.

I recommend this book.  Mirrored will pull you in and not let you go until you finish.  It is a quick and enjoyably "fluffy" read.  You will not be disappointed!

My Rating

4 out of 5 stars

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Review based on an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.

The Young Elites - Marie Lu

Title: The Young Elite

Author: Marie Lu

Series: The Young Elites #1

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 7, 2014

Source: Printed ARC

OMG! The feels! I have been suffering a massive book hangover since I finished this book.  I absolutely loved it.  Marie Lu did a fantastic job with this one.  It was even better than her Legend Series, which I loved as well!

Adelina is our main character in The Young Elites.  When she was younger she suffered from a blood fever that left her marked.  She has a scar where one of her eyes should be and her hair is the color of silver.  She, and others like her, are known as malfettos, and they are looked upon very poorly by those who are not marked.  Malfettos are seen as damaged goods and bad luck.  Barely any one wants anything to do with them.  To make matters worse, some malfettos, known as The Young Elite, have powers and have been known to harm others.

Adelina is one of the Young Elite, but she discovers this much later than most do.  She discovers her powers on the night she runs away from home, the night she kills her father.  She can summon shadows...illusions.  It is this discovery that leads her to meeting the members of The Dagger Society - other malfettos that also have powers.

The Dagger Society is run by Enzo, the crown prince.  He has the ability to summon fire at will.  His ultimate goal is to win back his crown from the King and his sister.  He will spare no one if they get in his way.

The Dagger Society takes on Adelina and decides to try and train her to use her powers despite warnings that she is unstable.  Her powers feed off of fear and anger.  The darker things get, the more power she has.  Was this a mistake on their part?

This book is just so amazingly done.  I loved the characters, especially Adelina.  I kept finding myself more attached and more drawn to her.  I could feel her inner turmoil as I read.  I felt for her.  The character that I felt the least connected to was her sister Violetta.  I wish we saw more development in her character.

The one thing that really just kind of irked me about the characters was that for some reason I kept envisioning all of the male malfetto characters as though they were drawn in an anime style and not as people.  I think it was due to how their hairstyles and hair colors were described.  Thankfully over time I was able to get over this.

The thing that I really loved about this book was that it brought up the issue of who is really the villain.  I felt that it was written so that each side kind of felt villainous and that there really is no hero.  That it all just depends on what side of the battle you were standing on.

I also liked that it takes a look at some things that may make someone a villain.  Is it the lack of love? Bullying? Torture?  The need for acceptance? All of the above?  

I am so glad that I finally read this book.  This book has skyrocketed itself up into my current top 5 reads.  I am so happy that I wont have wait forever for The Rose Society to come out!

This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher for review.

My Rating

5 out of 5 beautiful stars

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Now For Some Fun Stuff!

My Villain Identity

I am Twisted Cupcake. 

I am a mad scientist.  I have perfected many different cupcake recipes.  I can use cupcakes to achieve my evil goals.  One bite of my chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling will put you into a deep slumber.  A lick of my vanilla frosting will allow me to control your mind.  And you don't want to know what my strawberry cupcakes will do to you...

I have an elite villain squad.  You do not want to cross us.  Keep an eye out for:

Tati from Books, Cats, and Caffeine

Kaitlin from Reading is My Treasure

Alexandra from Twirling Pages

Diana from Booking an Adventure

Though it is up to them if they want to reveal who they really are and their powers to you!

And Don't Forget About the Giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal! Falling for her Enemy - Victoria James

We have some cover love for Victoria James' upcoming release, Falling for Her Enemy, that releases on November 9, 2015.  

About Falling for Her Enemy:

Release date: November 9, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Publishing (Bliss)

Series: Still Harbor #2

She’s falling for the one man who could destroy everything… Alex McAllister always dreamed of a life filled with the laughter and love of a family, but being abandoned at a young age left her wary of letting anyone in. Now that she’s settled in Still Harbor, Alex struggles between keeping her distance and the magnetic pull of the handsome stranger who claims he’s the biological father of her adopted daughter.
 Hayden Brooks never wanted to be a father. Long hours spent building his family’s real estate empire suits him just fine. But when he discovers an ex put the baby he unknowingly fathered up for adoption, his world crumbles. He tracks the child to Still Harbor with the intention of bringing her home—and comes face to face with his daughter’s stunning adoptive mother.
 The paternity test is in. And Hayden’s about to make the most shocking decision of his life, just in time for Christmas…

Find it online:

Amazon | Kobo | iTunes 

Falling for Her Enemy can be read as a standalone but also check out the first Still Harbor book, Falling for the P.I.

Find Victoria James online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Foxglove Killings - Tara Kelly

Title: The Foxglove Killings

Author: Tara Kelly

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Source: Netgalley

Wow.  Color me impressed with The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly.  It is full of mystery and suspense.  It will keep you on your toes guessing and drive you crazy trying to figure it all out.  Definitely a job well done.

The Foxglove Killings starts out with Nova and Alex walking through a park.  They assume that their walk is going to be like any other day with nothing eventful going on, but they are wrong.  They come across a mutilated deer.  The body parts spread all around, the head put up for display on the swings.  In the mouth of a deer Nova finds a Foxglove.  Very suspicious.

If the mutilated deer wasn't bad enough, another animal was found at house of local rich girl Gabi's house.  It too had a Foxglove in its mouth.

But it doesn't stop there.  Nova receives a strange letter from an anonymous person in a purple envelope.  And one of the rich girls visiting the town for the summer with her family goes missing.

No one knows who is to blame for the mutilations.  Nova has no idea who the letter is from.  Did Amber run away or did something worse happen?  And are all of these things connected?  If so, how?

Sounds like a thrilling story full of mystery and suspense to me.  Thankfully it doesn't disappoint at all.  It does start out a little slow in the beginning, but some where around 1/4th of the way in the story really picks up and gets juicy.  Things just keep happening.  One thing after another and you never know what is going to happen next.  It is quite a fantastic ride.

The Foxglove Killings is also filled with a lot of teenage angst.  

The big issue in this story is the rich tourist vs the somewhat poor locals.  The rich teenagers throw parties all the time and find as many ways as possible to torment the locals.  The locals aren't blameless though.  They do their fair share of starting problems too.

This leads me to the thing that bothered me the most about The Foxglove Killings.  All of the teenagers seemed so hard in this story.  Ready to throw down and fight it out at any disagreement that came there way.  Male or female, it didn't matter.  This was the way it seemed whether they were one of the rich tourists or one of the poor locals.  It felt a little unrealistic at some points and it got a little annoying.  It felt as though someone was always saying to someone that they should take their disagreement outside and have it out right then and there.  There are other ways to create tension between characters and I would have liked to see some more of those techniques used.

Tara Kelly did use a technique that I found really interesting though.  Every so often between chapters there was something that seemed like it was a diary or journal entry.  They were usually pretty short and they were filled with a lot of emotion.  However, you don't know who wrote them.  It helps increase the suspense of who is behind everything and what his/her motive is.

The Foxglove Killings has a lot of mystery and suspense and a little bit of romance.  It is a great read that you will not want to put down.

My Rating

4 out of 5 stars

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This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Q&A A Day For Creatives: A 4 Year Journal - Potter Style

Title: Q&A A Day For Creatives: A 4 Year Journal

Author: Potter Styles

Series: Q & A a Day 

Publisher: Potter Styles

Publication Date: August 11, 2015

Source: Blogging For Books

I was really drawn to this particular journal because I am always trying to find ways to boost my creativity.  I am also always looking for things to inspire me.  This book promises to have 365 different questions (or prompts) for me to use.  One for every single day of the year.

What is even more impressive about this particular creativity journal is that it is meant to last for 4 years.  In the end, you will have done each prompt 4 times.  Each page is separated into 4 parts, so you will easily be able to look at your drawings to see how you have changed.  That is a total of 1,460 sketches!

I thought that the prompts are pretty creative.  Some examples of prompts are "What would the perfect movie monster look like? (January 6)" "What do you see when you 'see red' (July 21)" and "How do you show the beauty of music? (September 29)."  All of the prompts aim to get you thinking in a creative way.  Some times they are abstract and other times they want something rather specific.

I was disappointed by a couple of things.  First, I thought the square for a given drawing/sketch was kind of small.  You can still go crazy with whatever inspires you, but you have to do it on a much smaller scale.  Second, I wanted the paper to be thicker.  The paper is not super thin, but I am a bit hesitant about using markers on it.  I think there is a good chance that they will bleed through - and each page is double sided.  Bleeding through would ruin a whole day for 4 years!  Finally, I wish that the cover was a bit sturdier than it actually is.  It is a bit flimsy and I don't think it will hold up for the amount of time it is intended.

All in all, I think that this book will help me over time to break through my creative blocks.  I look forward to working on it in the years to come

I received this book from Blogging For Books for a fair and honest review.

My Rating

4 out of 5 stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The Body Institute - Carol Riggs

Title: The Body Institute

Author: Carol Riggs

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Source: Netgalley

The Body Institute contains the type of story that is frightening to think about because it could possibly happen one day.  One day science could advance to a point where it is possible for people to switch bodies and that the government can control more things - such as a persons weight.

We all ready live in a world where how much we weigh matters, but not to the extreme that it does in The Body Institute.  In this world, the government will tax you if you weigh more than 20 pounds over what they think you should way.  The longer you are overweight and the more overweight you are, the higher the tax.  Even if you are over your ideal weight, but within that 20 pound range for too long you will get taxed.  The government also offers a lot of incentives to the people to exercise.  The more exercising you do, the more points you get.  You can then turn the points in for a reward.

Naturally an Institute was created to help people with their weight loss.  However, it isn't as simple as joining a gym and working out with a personal trainer.  The person actually has to give up their body.  Their psyche is downloaded and put into a computer some where while someone else is loaded into their body to do all the hard work for them.

Morgan is one of those that they put into another body to do the hard work of losing the weight.  The story starts up with her completing a job that she was on to lose 50 pounds for her loaner (the body that needs to lose the weight) and not wanting to do it ever again.  Unfortunately for her, when she is returned to her own body, her memories are reset back to before she started the job.  She loses 3 months of her life.  No memories whatsoever.

Morgan is then offered to do another job.  This time it will be 6 months long and her Loaner needs to lose 100 pounds.  However, she will be living off site with her Reducers family this time, not at the Body Institute.  She will also be given a large amount of credits (money) to complete this job.  Enough to settle her families huge debt and still put some away for tech school.  Since she doesn't remember that she doesn't want to ever do the job again and because her family could really use the money she agrees.

What happens after Morgan starts this job is a total whirlwind.  She starts experiencing memories that don't belong to her, they belong to the Loaner and they shouldn't be happening.  There is a boy she is interested in, but he never responds to anything of any importance that she asks him about.  And protesters keep attacking The Body Institute and Reducers.

The Body Institute is a fantastic read.  Not only does it tell a wonderful story and tells it well, this story makes you think at the same time.  It is easy to find nuggets of our world in Morgans.  These nuggets really help make the story something the reader can relate to and really draws you in.

There are also a lot of tough topics brought up that require the reader to think.  I love when a book makes this happen.  First, there is the issue on government control with the government trying to control how much a person weighs with extra taxes.  Then there is the topic of bullying.  The Loaner that Morgan is helping to lose weight has been the victim of quite a bit.  Also, body image is touched upon.  If you are a larger person, are you worth less to society, to your family, to yourself?  And finally, if you occupy a body that is not your own, are you still you?  

The character development is well done.  I really enjoyed Morgan.  She was a great narrator for this story.  I enjoyed watching her evolve and change.  I do wish that Vonn had been developed a little bit better.  He felt a bit flat to me at times.  I never really felt as though I was getting a good read on his emotions.

The Body Institute is a fantastic read.  It will make you think.  It will get you involved and suck you in.

My Rating

5 out of 5 stars

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This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.