ARC Review: Trial by Fire (Josephine Angelini)

Hardcover, 384 pages
Expected publication: September 2nd 2014 by Feiwel & Friends

ARC Provided by Publisher in Exchange for an Honest Review

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.
Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.
What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected. 

BUY LINKS

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JOSEPHINE ANGELINI is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in Los Angeles with her screenwriter husband and three shelter cats. Her debut series, Starcrossed, Dreamless, and Goddess, (Harper Teen) are all international bestsellers and have garnered the praise of various major publications, including the LA Times, and have twice won the Reader’s Choice Awards in Germany. Her next series, Trial by Fire, Book One of the WorldWalker Trilogy (Feiwel and Friends, Macmillan) will be out in the US on September 2nd.

Website *  Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

"Love burns.

Worlds collide.

Magic reigns."

 I had heard sooooo many people raving about this book so I had to get my hands on it. From the moment I opened the book and read the first chapter....I was completely hooked. Josephine Angelini's writing style is just breath-taking and phenomenal. She writes her characters in a way that it feels like you are in the book with them. 

The main character, Lily Proctor, is a young girl who has life-threatening allergies and could die at any moment. Lily's character was so easy to like. She is witty, smart, and down to earth. I immediately found myself cheering for her. Her only wish in life is to live like a normal teenager. She decides to try and attend a high school party and while there she has an allergy attack and almost dies. Once she is home and feeling better she imagines herself moving away....far away from everything. All of a sudden she gets dizzy and blacks out....

"Her skin pricking with a preternatural sense of wrongness, Lily turned and looked behind her.

She was still in Salem. The shape of the shoreline, as familiar to her as the whirls of her own thumbprint, told her that. 

She just wasn't in her Salem anymore."

Lily wakes up in a totally different place and she will discover that she is actually in a totally different world. She has been transported to an alternate universe called Salem. Lily discovers that her evil "other self" named Lillian is the person who has brought her to this world in order to train Lily and use her to take over Salem.

This new world is fascinating and dangerous at the same time. Lily experiences magic for the first time and realizes that in this world she is very important and could be the difference in whether good or evil wins. In this new world Lily meets Rowan and Tristan who are both on the side of good and are trying to defeat the evil Lillian. Lily and Rowan begin to develop a breath-taking romance and I just love them together. 

"A world of tenderness wrapped around Lily and filled her up, as if the air had turned into Rowan and she was standing in him and breathing him in."

There are so many parts of this book that I never saw coming!! I knew there would be plenty of magic and possibly romance but I never imagined that horror would also be included.....and I am a huge horror fan so when the horrifying, scary creatures showed up in the story I was just completely blown away!!! There are some parts of the story that are actually gruesome and took my totally by surprise and I loved every aspect of it!!! I mean, this book is just really awesome. Trial by Fire has everything from intense magic scenes to horrific fight scenes. Fans of young adult, suspense, romance, fantasy, and horror will absolutely LOVE this book. 

There were also so many questions that I had that did not get answered....Which of course makes me about to DIE to get my hands on the sequel...Well played Josephine Angelini...well-played.....Readers will devour this "unputdownable" book....and be left craving for more!! Josephine Angelini just moved to the top of my Favorite Authors list....Wow.....No other words but WOW.....

**The quotes from this book have been taken from an Advanced Reading Copy and are subject to change when the final book is printed. Please refer to the final, finished copy for exact quotes!**

**I want to say Thank You to Feiwel & Friends/MacMillian for the opportunity to review this book!!**

I Am A Reader Book Blast & Giveaway: Thirty-Two Going On Spinster (Becky Monson)

Thirty-Two Going on Spinster by Becky MonsonJulia Dorning is a spinster, or at least on the road to becoming one. She has no social life, hates her job, and lives in her parent’s basement with her cat, Charlie.
With the arrival of Jared Moody, the new hire at work, Julia’s mundane life is suddenly turned upside down. Her instant (and totally ridiculous) crush on the new guy causes Julia to finally make some long-overdue changes, in hopes to find a life that includes more than baking and hanging out with Charlie.
But when the biggest and most unexpected change comes, will the new and improved Julia be able to overcome it? Or will she go back to her spinster ways?

Purchase your copy for just $2.99!!

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  Praise for Thirty-Two Going on... Spinster   "Oh my, oh my. I have just finished wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes. This is seriously funny." ~Julie Darley (Never judge a Book by its Movie) "This was a refreshing change of pace for me to read. Some good clean romance was found in it’s pages and that is a rare find these days. It was some great chick-lit. I would not have thought this was Becky’s debut book, it was so well done." ~Liberty Ann (SnifferWalkBooks)   

  Author Becky Monson By day, Becky Monson is a mother of three young children, and a wife. By night, she escapes with reading books and writing. In her debut novel, Becky uses humor and true-life experiences to bring her characters to life. She loves all things chick-lit (movies, books, etc), and wishes she had a British accent. She has recently given up Diet Coke for the fiftieth time and is hopeful time will last... But it probably won't. Becky runs a large book club on Facebook called "This Chick Reads".  

Facebook * Website * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads * Blog

  BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 9/30/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Jean Book Nerd Blast & Giveaway: Tempting Sydney (Angela Corbett)

Click here for Tour Page & Schedule!!!!

“Someone needs to make you come completely undone, Sydney Parker.” His tongue moved slowly over his lips. “That someone is going to be me.”

Goal-oriented Sydney Parker has never had a problem focusing. She’s about to start law school, the first step on her way to the Supreme Court. With no time for relationships, she lives vicariously through her best friend Brynn, who has recently decided to use sex as a research tool. Sydney, however, hasn’t been laid in years. Men are a distraction, one Sydney has diligently avoided…until Jackson West crashes into her life, and under her hood.
The last thing Sydney needs is a hot mechanic working on her ‘69 Camaro. Especially a hot mechanic with eyes like the ocean and lick-me abs, who claims to be better in bed than a werewolf.

Jax thinks that’s exactly what Sydney needs.

But Sydney has goals, and a relationship with the enigmatic Jax would challenge her.

Distract her.

Tempt her.

Sydney is about to find out that temptation is very hard to resist.
*Due to mature content, this New Adult novel is recommended for readers over 18.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

As a child, Angela Corbett’s most prized possession was a set of read-along books. She used to follow along with the narrator on the stereo and dream of when she would be able to read by herself. Her childhood reading habit led her to consider her future career. However, after consulting with her parents, she realized she had already exceeded hobbit height and since fairies and dragonslayers were tricky jobs to get, she decided she wanted to create worlds of her own. She started writing poetry in elementary school and worked as a journalist in high school and college, but could never leave her love for writing fiction behind.

She is a graduate of Westminster College where she double majored in communication and sociology. She has worked as a journalist, freelance writer, and director of communications and marketing. She loves classic cars, traveling, and escaping in a good book. She lives in Utah with her incredibly supportive husband and their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin, whose following of fangirls could rival Justin Bieber's.

Eternal Starling is her debut novel and the first book in the Emblem of Eternity trilogy.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

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I Am A Reader Book Blast & Giveaway: For Love and Country (Elizabeth D Michaels)

 

 For Love and Country When A Man Is Torn Between Honoring His Country And The Woman He Loves, The Best Option Might Be To Choose Both.   When Maggie du Woernig willfully ignores her parents’ admonitions and entangles herself with Nik Koenig, she is certain he’s the only man who will make her happy. Blind to Nik’s real intentions, she throws herself recklessly into a situation that could not only destroy her life but compromise the safety of her country.   Han Heinrich has resigned himself to working in the castle stables, mostly as an excuse to have contact each day with Maggie. His aspirations for a more fulfilling career seem fruitless, in spite of his father’s position as the duke’s highest advisor. But when Han learns about Maggie’s precarious situation, he is willing to sacrifice everything to protect the woman he loves, and to save the country he would die for. He only hopes that someday Maggie will forgive him.

Purchase your copy:

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  Praise for The Horstberg Saga: I completely enjoyed this book. The character development is fantastic. The author has a great sense of emotional storytelling that wraps you into the story as if you know,and can fully relate to the characters. This is the kind of story that touches the heart and the spirit. Well done. I look forward to the next chapter in the Horstberg Saga. This book kept me so interested, I had a hard time putting it down. Suspense, love without smut, emotions that so relate to everyday life. This author touched on it all. Such in depth understanding of human emotions with the characters. Firstly, I loved that this was a VOLUME! And what a great story to really sink my teeth into and get settled in with for more than just one sitting! Well written and thoroughly satisfying.  

  Author Elizabeth D. Michaels Elizabeth D. Michaels began writing at the age of sixteen, immersing herself ever since in the lives created by her vivid imagination. Beyond her devotion to family and friends, writing has been her passion for nearly three decades. While she has more than fifty published novels under the name Anita Stansfield and is the recipient of many awards, she boldly declares The Horstberg Saga as the story she was born to write, with many volumes in the works. She is best known for her keen ability to explore the psychological depths of human nature, bringing her characters to life through the timeless struggles they face in the midst of exquisite dramas.

Website * Blog * Facebook

BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 9/26/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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ARC Review: Even In Paradise (Chelsey Philpot)

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: October 14th 2014 by HarperCollins

ARC Provided by Publisher in Exchange for an Honest Review

When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about the former senator’s daughter. Most people do... or think they do.
Charlotte certainly never expects she’ll be Julia’s friend. But almost immediately, she is drawn into the larger than-life-new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins falling for, Julia’s handsome older brother, Sebastian.
But behind her self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, Charlotte soon realizes that Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden … until now. 

PRE-ORDER LINKS

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Indigo

I’m a bibliophile and a library devotee.
I write about books, culture, travel, and the arts for the Boston Globe and teach writing at Boston University. Before moving to New England, I was a book reviews editor at School Library Journal in New York City.
HarperCollins will publish my first young adult novel, Even in Paradise, in fall 2014.

Website * Twitter  * Goodreads 

"The Buchanans' pull was as natural and strong as the moon on the tides,

 & when I was with them I was happy in the warmth of their reflected light. "

I have only read a few contemporary novels and enjoyed all of them so when I got the opportunity to review ,"Even In Paradise", I was very excited! I have seen it referred to as a new age The Great Gatsby and I loved that story!!!

This story is told by the main character Charlotte from a past-tense point of view. Charlotte's first encounter with Julia is when she hears Julia outside her dorm room puking in the bushes. Julia was completely drunk and unable to walk so Charlotte helps her into her dorm and takes care of her the rest of the night. This is the beginning of a tumultuous yet unbreakable relationship between Charlotte and Julia. They become the best of friends and inseparable.

Julia is a rich, popular girl who enjoys wild parties, long nights, and lots of alcohol. She brings Charlotte into the inner circle and introduces her to this new life and her family, The Buchanans. Charlotte immerses herself into the Buchanan family and immediately falls in love with them. 

Charlotte finds herself drawn to Julia's older brother, Sebastian. The romance between Charlotte and Sebastian is a beautiful addition to the overall story and I found myself cheering for them from the beginning. 

Everything seems surreal and amazing to Charlotte at first and then she begins to notice that all is not as it seems. She begins to learn things about the Buchanans that make her realize just how tight their family bond is and just how much they have faced and overcome. The secrets and twists in this story took me by complete surprise and I just found myself speechless. 

This debut contemporary novel is full of emotion, love, anxiety, mystery, and questionable choices. It is truly a great story with vivid characters that make you feel as though you are experiencing each moment with them. Chelsey Philpot's writing is just touching and gripping. She weaves an amazing story with phenomenal characters. Fans of contemporary, romance, young adult, and mystery will find themselves unable to put this book down. I absolutely loved it!! 

"Even knowing, as I do now, that grace, power, and yes, love can hide the darkest elements of the human heart, I would do it all again. Beginning with the night I met her, then him, then the rest. I would do it all again just to know that for a moment I was one of the Great Buchanans."

**The quotes from this book have been taken from an Advanced Reading Copy and are subject to change when the final book is printed. Please refer to the final, finished copy for exact quotes!**

**I want to say Thank You to Harper Teen for the opportunity to review this book!!**

FFBC Blog Tour, Guest Post, & Giveaway: Athena's Ashes (Jamie Grey)

Athena's Ashes (Star Thief Chronicles #2)

by Jamie Grey

Publisher: Clever Crow Press

Release Date: August 26th 2014

It’s Renna’s biggest job yet – convincing MYTH leadership that she’s put away her lock picks and is ready to save the galaxy, despite the dangerous implant in her brain. But with the Athena on the run, she’s working solo and facing her most ruthless enemy, the traitor Pallas, who’ll go to any lengths to destroy the MYTH organization. Including framing Renna for a devastating assault on MYTH HQ that leaves their defenses crippled and hundreds dead.
Now that MYTH believes she’s a dangerous double-agent, Renna escapes their firing squad before they put more holes in her than a pair of fishnet stockings. But the ticking time-bomb in her head is the one thing Pallas needs to complete his master plan and he’s not about to let her get away. Even worse, he’s discovered the only thing that will bring Renna to her knees – threatening Captain Nick Finn.
Out of time and options, Renna’s got one shot to take down the traitor before he annihilates everything she loves, even though winning this battle may cost her everything.

Guest Post Topic: What gave you the inspiration for this book?

Topic from Beth @ http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.blogspot.com/

Great question! I wrote THE STAR THIEF because I’d been looking for a good sci-fi romance and I’d read quite a few that I liked but none of them were exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a female Han Solo type, with ambiguous morals and a heart of gold. And a steamy romance. So, I wrote one!

With ATHENA’S ASHES being the sequel, I wanted to stay true to the spirit of the first book, but let my characters evolve and grow a bit. In this book, there’s a lot more focus on Renna’s relationships, on her trying to figure out what her path is and where she wants to be when this mess is all over. If she survives, of course.

And, while a lot of the inspiration came from the previous book, in general, I’m inspired by sci-fi movies - I love The Fifth Element and Star Wars, but also by other sci-fi books, and even video games. There’s so much cool stuff out there to get ideas from! And just between you and me, I’m already planning my next book based on a picture I found of space!

Follow the FFBC Athena's Ashes Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Jamie Grey spent most of her childhood writing stories about princesses who saved the day and pretending to be a daring explorer. It wasn’t until much later that she realized she should combine the two. Now, as a tech-obsessed gamer geek, her novels mix amazing scientific developments, future worlds, and the remarkable characters that live in them.
Jamie lives in Michigan with her boyfriend and their pets, who luckily tolerate her overspending on tea, books, and video games. You can learn more about her at www.jamiegreybooks.com, or follow her on twitter via @jamie_grey.

Win (1) copy of The Star Thief and Athena's Ashes, along with a copy of the ebook novella (All the books in the Star Thief Series) + some Athena's Ashes swag (INT)

Win (1) $25 Amazong Gift Card (INT)

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