Journey with Books

Sep 24, 2012

The Last Year Blog Tour: Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh Book Review and Giveaway!

Unknown September 24, 2012 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing alright. I know I haven't been posting much these past few months because of a few real life obligations but I'm back! I'm here to feature and review The Last Year Series by Ms. Trisha Leigh. I'm posting my review for the first book of the series entitled Whispers in Autumn. I haven't read the second book, Winter Omens yet but I will post the review for it as soon as I finish reading it.

This lovely tour was organized by AToMR Tours.

Paperback: 418 pages

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 20, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1475235941

ISBN-13: 978-1475235944

Book Blurb:

In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots.

Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone.

Then she meets Lucas, everything changes.

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race.

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.

My Thoughts:

Whispers in Autumn is the first book of The Last Year Series written by Ms. Trisha Leigh. It's also the first book I've ever read from this very talented author.

Ms. Trisha Leigh created a very different world from the world we live in reality. I love the plot of the book. It's different and intriguing. In this book, Earth was taken over by an alien race. They control everything including the emotions and thinking of humans. All of the humans are under the control of the aliens or Others except Althea.

All her life, Althea thought there's something wrong with her because of how different she acts compared to the 'normal' humans. It's because she's not as happy and as contented as them. Althea feels emotions others do not. She thought there's something broken inside her and she tries so hard to pretend she's just like them until she meets Lucas, the boy who smells like winter. She realized then that she's not alone, that somebody is like her. And the 'perfect' humans are not so perfect after all. Together, Lucas and Althea goes on to a journey to find the truth about themselves and what makes them so different from the other humans.

I really enjoyed getting to know Lucas and Althea. I love their chemistry. I really liked how their romance took time. They didn't immediately liked each other. Their romance wasn't forced. The trust they have for each other grew with time. I liked that because it was realistic and believable.

Overall, I enjoyed living inside this book. It was very intriguing and creepy in a way. Ms. Trisha Leigh will make you very curious to know what kind of secrets will be revealed in every page. I recommend this book to all those readers who loves YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy books. If you want your book to be full of thrills, fantasy and romance, then I suggest you get this book now because this is definitely for you.

About the Author:

Raised by a family of ex-farmers and/or almost rocks stars from Southeastern Iowa, Trisha Leigh has a film degree from Texas Christian University. She currently lives in Kansas City, MO. Whispers in Autumn is her first novel, and she's hard at work on the remainder of the series. Her spare time is spent reviewing television and movies, relaxing with her loud, loving family, reading any book that falls into her hands, and being dragged into the fresh air by her dogs Yoda and Jilly.

http://www.trishaleigh.com/

Giveaway:

The author is giving away (3) $10 Gift Cards to Amazon or Barnes Noble (winner's choice.)
Open international.

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Sep 20, 2012

Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway: The Broken Destiny (Broken #1) by Calyle Labuschagne

Unknown September 20, 2012 0 Comments

Hi guys! I hope you're all doing okay. I'm here to feature and review a book by Ms. Carlyle Labuschagne entitled The Broken Destiny. This post is actually late because I was really sick these past few days and I couldn't post it on time. (Still sick but a bit better now) I'm really really sorry for that, Ms. Carlyle Labuschagne.

An amazing new sci-fi series begins with The Broken Destiny: Book One of The Broken Series.

Ava's People have been exiled to Planet Poseidon, where through a series of horrific events, Ava discovers that their existence has been fabricated by The Council, And She has a Destiny that could save them. Her Soul is a secret weapon that has been lost to an ancient race. To fulfill her destiny Ava needs to go through a series of "changes" that will reveal her true purpose. Throughout her journey she will become what she hates in order to save the ones she loves. And through it all she will find herself - for that is her Destiny, to rise above the fall.

The story continues in the next book Evanescent.

My Thoughts:

What I Liked:

I liked the complexity of the whole plot. Everything seemed so thought out and planned out. It was very well written.
The characters seems so complex. Everyone has a dark side. I liked that Ava wasn't perfect. She's the type of heroine, you wouldn't like instantly. She's the type that would grow on you. Ava is a strong girl but she's confused a lot of times. She's very frustrating but you empathize with what she's going through.
I liked Ava and Sam's friendship. As I've said it wasn't perfect but it was real. There were ups and downs. I love how they depend on each other. It's like Ava is Sam's home and Sam is Ava's home. They know each other so well.
I also liked how Maya's character played a great part in this book.
I love the world that Ms. Carlyle has created in this book. As I said it was complex. It will make you think really hard on a lot of things that's happening inside it.

What I didn't Liked:

The confusion. I think some parts in this book are unclear. But I guess, it's because as a reader I see what Ava sees, the book was written in her perspective, after all, and her confusion transfers to me. I hope the author would write the other characters points of view in the next book.
I felt that Troy and Ava lacks interaction to really 'feel' love. I mean, there is a connection between them but I felt that Troy was just like the wind in this book, he's there but not there. I'm actually expecting Troy to be more visible and more felt in the next book which really excites me. I really want to get to know Troy more.

Overall, I liked reading The Broken Destiny. It was very well written. As I said, it was well thought out and planned out. Ms. Carlyle Labuschagne is a very talented author. I really appreciated how very talented she is in the way she played with words in this book. It was beautifully written. For those readers who loves reading Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance with a whole lot of self discovery in their reads, I'm telling you to pick this book up because this is for you.

About the Author:

Carlyle Labuschagne

I am the Author of The Broken Series.

My tales stem from my experiences in South Africa, and brought them to my world of Science - Fiction, fantasy and Paranormal.

The Broken Destiny currently to be released in 2012 through US publishers, and will be available through Amazon , B&N and many more . Currently working on Evanescent #2 in the Broken Series.

My goal as an Author is to touch peoples lives and help others love their differences and one another.

A firm believer in - YA saves!

Giveaway:

Click on the link:

http://www.carlylelabuschagne.com/revealed-tour-giveaway.html

Sep 13, 2012

Blog Tour: Author Guest Post and Giveaway: What Kills Me by Wynne Channing

Unknown September 13, 2012 2 Comments

Hi my loves! I'm back with another blog tour! We have a guest in here for today. We have Ms. Wynne Channing, the author of What Kills Me. Now, let's see what Ms Wynne Channing have for all of us.

Title: When a giant film production company takes apart your novel, what do you do?

Thank you so much to Journey With Books for renting me this space on her great blog to chat a little about giving and receiving criticism.

“You should attempt to veil your petty jealousy over not being nearly as kind, talented or beautiful as [actress]."

I got smacked with this message from a movie distributor after I wrote an obviously less than positive critique of his film. As part of my job at a national newspaper in Canada, I write movie reviews. I re-read that message several times, until the sting went away and

then I swallowed the note (not literally — though eating paper is probably more pleasant than getting criticism).

According to Anthony Lane, the film critic at The New Yorker, the task of a critic “is the recreation of texture...filing a sensory report on the kind of experience into which they will be wading.” It’s something that I try to do. I inform and entertain, and hopefully, you will get a sense of whether the film is right for you. My goal is to serve the reader. And by all means, disagree with me. That’s what a review is, an opinion, an invitation to dialogue.

So when I published my debut young adult novel, What Kills Me, this summer, I eagerly awaited reviews. Of course, you want people to devour your book (again, not literally) and then love and obsess over it so much that it borders on unhealthy. But literature is

art. And art is subjective.

Firstly, I am grateful to anyone who would take the time to read my adventure story. Secondly, that he/she would spend even more time sharing their thoughts is awesome. That’s it. Whether they loved it or hated it. I’m impressed that someone cared enough either way.

I’ve never been anything but happy to work with book bloggers. But they’re individuals. They have lives. They may or may not read my book. They may or may not like my book. Authors can expect mutual respect but a promise of anything else, I think, is unrealistic.

So far as an author, I’ve been fortunate. Tons of people have reviewed What Kills Me and most of them rated it five stars. But a handful have given me, let’s call it, “constructive criticism,” including a production company who reviewed it for film/

television purposes. I studied that in-depth analysis of my novel by a company that produces million-dollar blockbuster films and I loved every critical word. I’m working on the sequel to What Kills Me and will keep some points in mind.

There will always be critics. There will always be haters. The two are different: I once wrote a very personal feature about my first heart break and a reader commented online that I sound “like a nut bar, and any guy with his head on straight should keep away.”

That is an example of a hater.

If you were brave enough to share your word with the public, you have the courage to weather the reaction and sift through the noise for lessons. To authors, my advice (as a nut bar) is: listen to the critics, ignore the haters. To reviewers, my advice is: Be honest,

be respectful, your opinion matters.

What Kills Me

An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire

race.

So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.

How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

What Kills Me Links:

Goodreads | Wynne Channing’s Website

Buy What Kills Me:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

All about Wynne Channing:

Wynne Channing is an award-winning national newspaper reporter and young adult novelist. She loves telling stories and as a journalist, she has interviewed everyone from Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman to the president of the Maldives and Duchess Sarah Ferguson.

The closest she has come to interviewing

a vampire is sitting down with True Blood's Alexander Skarsgard (he didn’t bite). She briefly considered calling her debut novel "Well" so then everyone would say: "Well written by Wynne Channing."

Where to find Wynne:

Giveaway:

Wynne is kindly offering a signed bookmark with butterfly charm and copy of What Kills Me to one lucky winner.

US/CANADA ONLY

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Celebrating Bloggers Blog Hop! $50 Amazon Voucher and $50 for your Chosen Charity Giveaway!

Unknown September 13, 2012 3 Comments

Hi guys! Today, I'm discussing why I decided to be a blogger. At first, I was hesitant. I didn't know the first thing to do but I sucked up my fears and and put myself out because I really love books. I think it became my escape from real life. When reading books I get to be whoever I want to be. I get to live different lives and I get to experience things I will never experience in my own real life. It was really good. It was exciting!

And because of my love for books I created this blog. It wasn't easy at first, it's still not easy till now but I got used to it. I created this blog because I wanted to show my love for books. I wanted to show how much I appreciate the authors for creating these books for us readers.

It's not easy being a blogger. You need to be really dedicated to maintain a blog. I still have some hardships when it comes to meeting schedules and the high demands of being a blogger because sometimes real life has to come first, but even though it's hard I can't stop. I can't just give up.

Giveaway:

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Sep 10, 2012

Blog Tour: Promo and Giveaway: Dreamwalker (Persephone's League of Immortals #1) by Andrea Heltsley

Unknown September 10, 2012 2 Comments

Hi guys! I'm back with another fun blog tour! This time, I'm featuring a book entitled Dreamwalker which is written by Ms. Andrea Heltsley. We all get to see what this magical book is all about. There's also a giveaway waiting for all of you down below.

This tour was organized by AToMR Blog Tours.

My review for this book will be posted within this week.

Publication Date: May 30 2012

ISBN/EAN13: 0985322438 / 9780985322434

Page Count: 434

Language: English

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / Paranormal

Book Blurb:

Noel Kennedy lost her boyfriend, her job and her dignity all in one week. Then something happened and she began to dream of this stranger she had never met. She couldn’t resist the man of her dreams named Jared especially when she met him in real life. Entranced, she slowly unraveled a world she was meant to stay out of. Her life was not what she thought it was once a sexy Boone stepped into the mix and shook things up. Can she escape a life of servitude or immortality for a chance at love?

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Createspace

About the Author:

I am a biology nerd who decided it was more fun writing than dissecting. I have written two novels and

my third will be out this summer.

I live on coffee and read like a robot. My husband and two Italian

greyhounds usually have to tear me away from the computer...imagine that. :)

Social Media links:
http://andreaheltsley.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/andreaheltsley
http://www.facebook.com/AndreaHeltsley
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5766043.Andrea_Heltsley

Giveaway:

US ONLY:

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INTERNATIONAL:

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Sep 6, 2012

Dark Summer (The Witchling Trilogy Book 1) by Lizzy Ford Release Day Party! Plus! A Kindle Fire and Autographed Book Giveaway!

Unknown September 06, 2012 1 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm back! This time I'm here for a Release Day Party! Just read on to know more about the first book of THE WITCHLING TRILOGY entitled DARK SUMMER written by Ms. Lizzy Ford. Join the party to get a chance to win lots of prizes!

Dark Summer (Book I, Witchling Trilogy)

A girl with a broken past and a dark secret. A boy with a twisted future and no second chances. When they meet, it just might cost them their souls. Sixteen-year-old Summer doesn’t expect the new boarding school to be any different than the rest: a temporary stay where everyone will turn against her after a few weeks. Until she meets the rest of the students at this special school and realizes she’s not the only one with magic in her blood. Accustomed to the concrete jungle of LA, she gets lost one night in the forests of the Rocky Mountains and meets Decker, the boy who will become the Master of Night and Fire on his eighteenth birthday. Their connection is instant and dangerous, for both will be forced to choose between Light and Dark, life and death, love – and their souls. One choice. One soul. One price.

Kindle / Paperback

We're having a party to celebrate the release of Dark Summer HERE Sept 6 1pm - 4pm EST !Join the Event to chit chat with Lizzy, win prizes, and have a lot of FUN!

The author is working with Promotional Book Tours for a contest for a KINDLE FIRE and autographed copy of the book!! Fill out the form to Enter to win! Open to US for Kindle & Book or International for GC and Ebook

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Sep 5, 2012

Blog Tour: Book Review and Giveaway: Breaking Lauren by Jordan Deen

Unknown September 05, 2012 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I hope that you're all doing great! I'm back now with another blog tour. This time I'm featuring and reviewing a YA contemporary book entitled "Breaking Lauren" which is written by Ms. Jordan Deen.

This fun blog tour was organized by AToMr Blog Tours.

Plus Ms. Jordan Deen is giving away 2 printed copies of this book so please read on.

Title: Breaking Lauren

Author: Jordan Deen

Paperback: 234 pages

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Date Published: May 24, 2012

ISBN-10: 161296110X

ISBN-13: 978-1612961101

Book Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Danny Cummings' life is far from a fairytale, but that's okay since he doesn't believe in happy endings. After spending a year in juvenile hall for maliciously beating his sister's boyfriend, Danny embraces his badass image. Spending most nights drinking, fighting and collecting gambling debts for his Uncle, Danny's life is out of control. His addiction to the bad boy lifestyle won't let him do anything about it, even with his family begging him to go straight. But, when fifteen-year-old Lauren McIntosh stumbles into one of his nightly escapades, the self-proclaimed anti-romantic can't concentrate on anything except Lauren and the fact that she's on the same path his sister was on. Danny knows true love happening for the villain is as common as gamblers paying their debt on time, but he's never backed away from a challenge before and he hates the idea that history will repeat itself.

Growing old with the man she loves—in the small town where she was born—is the only dream Lauren McIntosh has ever had; that is until her family is practically run out of town amidst rumors of arson and adultery. So, when she meets Danny at her new school and hears the rumors about his activities from her new friends, she wants nothing to do with him or the gossip that seems to follow Danny everywhere. After a dangerous and ill-fated attempt at sneaking out, she develops unwelcomed feelings for Danny that he seems to reciprocate. But, Danny’s unrelenting pursuit makes Lauren nervous, especially since he's the only one that wants to know the secrets surrounding her family’s move. Lauren can't tell if Danny's intentions are true or if he has other plans for their newfound and unlikely friendship. The only way to figure out is to let him in and that could destroy everything, including the popularity and social acceptance she desperately seeks.

My Thoughts:

Breaking Lauren is one of the most intriguing and frustrating reads I've ever had.

Let me start with the plot. I must admit that I liked it. I enjoyed the plot of this book. It's actually one of the reasons why I signed up for this tour. I was really intrigued on the plot of this book. To those who had been on my blog, you know how much I love angst in my books and Breaking Lauren definitely have a lot of angst.

The characters of this book are so complex and so frustrating. I love Danny the most. Danny is the typical bad boy, I guess. He's so hard and misunderstood but he has this soft spot inside him. Every time he was misunderstood and blamed for something he didn't do or meant to do, I just want to hug him and tell him it's okay. I wanted to hurt Lauren for hurting Danny.

Now, for Lauren. This is hard. I didn't like her at all. The whole book she's whining and whining as if she's the only person in this world who experiences pain. All she thought about is herself and what she feels. I know Danny isn't perfect. He has his dark side after all and that dark side is really scary but I think Lauren had been the most ungrateful heroine I've ever read. All she did was misunderstood Danny's intentions. All she saw was Danny's imperfections. She has conveniently forgotten how Danny saved her life the first time. Lauren is so infuriating. I can't explain how much she didn't deserve Danny's love and devotion.

Now, don't get me wrong. Danny and Lauren do have a chemistry in this book. I guess, that's why I was so mad at Lauren for treating Danny that way.

Although, I didn't like Lauren at all because I think she was a brat, I still enjoyed reading this book. Jordan Deen wrote a book about two teenagers who are so different and yet the same in some things. She didn't make her characters perfect. Both Danny and especially Lauren are very flawed and imperfect which I think makes this book more real to me. Lauren was a brat but I think we could say that she was only 15 and at that age, mostly we're all as self centered as Lauren was (or maybe not that much but to some extent we were). I hope that in the next book she would change. I really want her to grow up and mature a bit. I want her to realize how lucky she is that she has a family who loves her and protects her no matter how imperfect (or perfect depending on how you looks at it) she thinks they are. I want her to stop whining on how she doesn't fit in her family because they're all popular when they were in high school. I actually liked Lauren's mother in this book. I think she's the kind of mother who sees her daughter and knows that Lauren could be more than the girl who's on a cheering squad who dated the most popular guy in high school because her mother experienced it before and she knows that there could be so much more for her daughter than being the popular girl.

Overall, I still enjoyed reading this book and I'm actually looking forward to reading the next book even though I really disliked Lauren. I want to see where the story would go. I'm excited to see how Danny and Lauren could progress together and individually. Jordan Deen wrote a very intriguing and angst-filled romance that could very well frustrate you but it would also make you think and feel as a reader. I think "Breaking Lauren" is still a nice read despite its flaws and I'm looking forward to more of Danny and Lauren's journey together.

About the Author:

I grew up in a small town 45 minutes outside of East St. Louis, Illinois. I discovered my talent for telling tall tales at the age of seven when my family home burnt down. Of course losing my family home wasn't exciting enough! So, aliens did it. The dogs wanted revenge against the cats because they could be inside... you get the idea.

At twelve, my family relocated to California and I've continued to concentrate on my love of all things reading, writing and story-telling.

My reading taste hovers towards the YA audience as there is just something authentic and magical about first loves and building friendships that will last a lifetime (or not).

Even though 'The Crescent' is a YA Urban Fantasy, I tend to write a bit of everything. I have a few edgy YA novels in process, a book about witches, a Sci-Fi novel and several others that I'm not sure where they are going yet. Again, I write what I feel, when I'm feeling it.

Writing is like the air I breathe, I'd die without it.

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/author/Jordan_Deen

Author Website: http://www.jordandeen.net/

Twitter: @Jordan_Deen, https://twitter.com/Jordan_Deen

Giveaway:

Get a chance to win a printed copy of "Breaking Lauren" and swag by Ms. Jordan Deen.

OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY

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