Journey with Books

Oct 10, 2012

Blog Tour: Book Review and Giveaway: Shallow (Going Under Series Book 2) by Georgia Cates

Unknown October 10, 2012 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm here again with another blog tour! I'm on a roll this week, right? But now, I'm going to review the second book of Going Under Series entitled Shallow by Ms. Georgia Cates. Shallow can actually be read as a stand alone book but I suggest that you also read Going Under because it's good and I'm sure you guys wouldn't want to miss out on a good read.

Anyways, there's also a giveaway down below so please just read on. I know you're all waiting for the giveaway because it's the best part of blog tours. This lovely tour was organized by AToMR Tours.

Title: Shallow

Author: Georgia Cates

Series: Going Under Series Book 2

Date Published: September 21, 2012

ASIN: B009FC6242

Pages: 261 pages

Genre: Mature YA/New Adult

Book Blurb:

Payton Archer's best friend, Claire, strives to be perfect in every way. Payton doesn't and this is her story.

Nick Hawke likes his car fast and his girls even faster. He blows through females quicker than his muscle car races down the "The Strip" in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure in the aftermath of his mother leaving, he believes there is no room in his life or his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in things that won’t let him down...fast cars, adrenaline and one night stands. To his absolute dismay, all of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than one night. There’s only one catch...she is completely immune to him and his smooth talking ways.

Payton Archer is looking for what Claire has with Jessie, but she has given up on finding it...at least until she leaves for college in the Fall because she is certain that is where she will find the perfect guy to fit into her perfect world. She plans on Summer being nothing but three uneventful months of fun, but it turns out to be anything but ordinary when Payton is introduced to Nick Hawke, one of Jessie’s old Collinsville friends. She is shocked by her immediate and intense attraction for “Hawke” because nothing about him is what Payton is looking for. Sure, he’s hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed because he is exciting and dangerous, but his fast car and the dangerous chances he takes aren't what scares Payton the most...it’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time he looks at her.

Can Payton find that moment of total fearlessness and make the decision to leave the safe, shallow end of love to risk going under completely?

My Thoughts:

Shallow is the second book of Going Under Series by Ms. Georgia Cates and I must say that I liked it much better than the first one. Everything is more.. more fun, more daring and more intense.

I had so much fun reading this book. As I said it's more fun than the first one. I think it's because Payton and Nick had this much stronger personality. Payton is the kind of girl who's outspoken. She's strong and sassy but also vulnerable. She longs for true love and when she met Nick Hawke, there's an instant attraction but Payton doesn't believe Nick is the one for her because of Nick's reputation as a player. And it's up to Nick to convince Payton that he is her "Truly, Madly, Deeply".

I love Nick and Payton's oozing chemistry. I also appreciated the fact that Payton didn't easily gave in to Nick despite the attraction. The chase was really fun to read. Nick and Payton's interactions are fun and witty and sexy which makes this book so exciting.

Also, the fact that we get a glimpse of Jessie and Claire is a big plus for me.

Overall, I recommend this book to all the romance addicts out there. If you want a fun and witty romance without loosing it's angst and intensity in your next read, then get this book now because this is for you.

Author Bio:

I am a wife, mother of two daughters and a labor and delivery nurse. I have recently added Paranormal Romance Writer to my list of things to keep be busy, but I am ecstatic to release my debut novel, Blood of Anteros, the first book in The Vampire Agápe Series.

Like others that enjoy a great story of paranormal romance, I am easily bored by the tale of an obtainable, ordinary romance and was inspired to create The Vampire Agápe Series. When I am not tied up with my family or delivering babies, I am working feverishly on the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series.

http://georgiacates.com/

Giveaway:

US Only:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

International:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oct 9, 2012

Blog Tour: Book Review and Excerpt: Forever in Carolina by Nicholas A. White

Unknown October 09, 2012 2 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm back with another blog tour again. This time I'm posting a review of Forever Carolina by Mr. Nicholas A. White. You're also going to get a glimpse inside of this book down below. This tour was organized by Black Lion Tours.

Release Date: September 1, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Novel

Formats: Print and eBook

Publisher: Magnifico Manuscripts

Book Blurb:

Jason Wyatt vowed that he would fulfill his deceased brother's collegiate-football dreams. Despite a growing number of injuries, he is willing to risk anything, even his health, to uphold that promise. With recruiting underway and a football future imminent, he meets Riley, a green-eyed beauty, with a haunting and unforgettable past and an overprotective father. Jason tries to balance young love with football, and as he nears high school graduation, he is confronted with a new set of life-altering obstacles to both.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book I've ever read from Mr. Nicholas A. White. It's good and I enjoyed reading it.

The plot is good. The truth is I loved it at first. The way it was written was good. It was beautiful. The book is about a young man who's experiencing everything a normal young man does. Jason was probably at the top of his life in high school but things are complicated because life always complicate things. He met Riley who made the complicated even more complicated. It's a story of first love, of what you do if everything you always dreamed of didn't happen because of certain unexpected things that life throws at you. It was a good realistic story.

The characters are normal enough. I guess, they're written in a very realistic way. They aren't perfect. They have these annoying traits because they are young. Mr. Nicholas White wrote Riley and Jason in a way that a reader could imagine them as real people who made mistakes, who has dreams, who hurts and who fails. It was amazing, actually. The only complaint I have for this book is the way it ended. The story of Riley feels so incomplete. It feels unresolved but other than that I think Forever in Carolina is a good realistic book to read.

Book Excerpt:

“I didn’t say that.” Mr. Wyatt possessed a rare and undervalued ability to

maintain his composure even in the most stressful situations; a patience, whether or
not the reasoning held validity, that he attributed to years of fishing. “All I’m saying,” he
continued, “is that he will be miserable if he doesn’t play this year. It’s not just a sport
for him. It’s how he connects with Allen, and you know that. Look at him out there,” he
motioned to the back window. “It’s who he is.”

Mrs. Wyatt sat in silence on their bed. A photograph of an eleven-year-old Allen
rested on the dresser by the bathroom. She had taken it before his first football practice
in sixth grade—his helmet draped over his eyebrows, the shoulder pads extended too far
past his shoulders, and his little body hid beneath the enormity of the leg pads. The first
two years after Allen had passed, Mrs. Wyatt cried every time she saw the picture, but she
refused to hide it. She calmed much quicker than her husband had anticipated. “I just don’t
want him to get hurt. Permanently hurt,” she said.

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-A-White/e/B009CJ6AZE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1348420219&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-in-carolina-nicholas-a-white/1112436647

Author Bio:

Nicholas A. White studies civil engineering at Clemson University and is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina.

In his free time he enjoys golfing and fishing. Forever in Carolina is his first novel.

Oct 8, 2012

Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Unknown October 08, 2012 0 Comments

Title: Slammed

Author: Colleen Hoover

Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: Atria Books

Date Published: September 18, 2012

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1476715904

ISBN-13: 978-1476715902

Book Blurb:

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

My Thoughts:

Slammed is the first book I've read from Colleen Hoover. It has pleasantly surprised me and I enjoyed feeling everything while reading this book. This book actually surprised me because it was so good. At first, I thought it was just a simple girl meets boy and they fall in love with each other but I was wrong! It was so much more than that. It was so much deeper than that. It has so many twists and turns. It's like a roller coaster ride. The highs the lows of life will be absolutely felt while reading this book.

The plot is simply amazing! It simply describes how real life is and sometimes it just really sucks but we all have to live it, to deal with it because it's life and the truth is, life just doesn't wait for anyone. There's no "pause" in it when you feel like it's getting too much. You just have to go on because you can't just stop while life and everyone in it goes on.

The characters are just so fascinatingly real. Layken and Will are so adorable together. They had this instant connection, maybe because they were both sad and they had these extreme grief surrounding them. They were both very strong people and yet they're very vulnerable. I liked that about them. Actually, I really connected to these characters. I felt their pain and their frustration at their situation.

I'm not going to spoil this for anyone. There is a reason why the book blurb is so vague. It adds up to the excitement and it actually knocks you down with "WTF" expression when you get to the part where things go down and get heavy. It was actually the good part about this book. I went in and read it not expecting anything at all and I ended up feeling every single emotion there is. It feels like I'm going through everything with these characters especially Layken. It feels like I've been experiencing everything with Layken from the very first page to the last. I felt everything.

Overall, this book is one of the best books I've read. There's no way to describe how much I felt all the strong emotions while reading this book. I think it would be a crime not to read it. This book is simply about the reality of the good and the bad parts of life. This book is about love and how you have to fight for it if you really want it. "Happy Ever After" doesn't just happen, you have to make it happen. It's a decision, a choice, whether you want to wallow in self-pity and be sad or if you would learn how to accept things that you can't change and change the things that you could and be happy with what you have. You have to choose happiness if you want it.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone who wants to read something real and yet sweet.

About the Author:

I'm addicted to and seriously floored by the talent of The Avett Brothers band, which is obvious in both of my books. They are 99% of my playlist. The other 1% being Eminem and Jason Mraz.

I love lindor truffles (the white ones with the chips inside) and have an unhealthy addiction to diet pepsi. A serious addiction.

I get stoked whenever I get a message from goodreads saying I have a new friend request...so request me, dangit!

If you want to know when I have new books out or just want to be inundated by daily, pointless blog posts, follow me at www.colleenhoover.com

Oct 6, 2012

Blog Tour: Book Review, Excerpt and Giveaway: Empty Net (The Assassins Series Book 3) by Toni Aleo

Unknown October 06, 2012 1 Comments

Hi everyone! It's been a while but I'm back now with a blog tour! I'm reviewing the third book of The Assassins Series entitled Empty Net written by Ms. Toni Aleo. You'll also get a glimpse inside it through a book excerpt. And finally, there's your favorite part.. the giveaway!

Title: Empty Net

Author: Toni Aleo

Genre: Contemporary/Sports Romance

Series: 3rd Book of The Assassins Series/Can be a stand alone.

Book Blurb:

Definition of an Empty Net: When a team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, desperately seeking a goal.

Audrey Parker was in a horrible place.
She hated her job, her sister was getting married and moving out, but worst of all, she was in love with a total jerk. No matter what she did, every guy she met hurt her. All she wanted was her happily ever after. Her Prince Charming. Her Lucas Brooks! She didn’t know how to change her life but she knew she needed too.
Feeling like she was about to hit rock bottom, Audrey wakes up next to Tate Odder.

Tate Odder had lost everything.
After being brought up from the Assassins’ farm team, the Florida Rays to the Nashville Assassins, Tate hopes he’ll forget everything he has lost. He doesn’t. Each day gets harder to live in a place he doesn’t know. Even being the first rookie goalie to shut out an opposing team three times during the Lord Stanley Cup Finals, he still felt empty. With the loss of his parents and sister still heavy on his heart, Tate isn’t sure how to live like everything is okay.

But when he wakes up beside Audrey Parker, things start to change. She turns his life upside down with her kooky sense of humor and her bright clothing. She is intelligent and beautiful, and for once, he doesn’t feel empty.

Will Audrey be the person to fill the holes in Tate’s heart, making him whole again?

Or will another player ruin everything, leaving him feeling forever like an empty net?

My Thoughts:

Empty Net is the first I've ever read from Ms. Toni Aleo. It's also the third book of The Assassins Series, fortunately it could be read as a stand alone or else I wouldn't enjoy reading it as much as I did.

The first thing that made me want to read Empty Net is its book cover. I think Forehead Kisses are more intimate than any kisses. I think it's more heartfelt. I loved the cover! It's very romantic and so intriguing that it screams "read me".

I didn't expect the plot of the story. I'm not really big on older women-younger men love on my books but I guess the author made me forget about it.

The characters are very much more real to me as a reader. Audrey is a fun character to get to know. She's more real to me because she's not perfect. She has these issues about herself that are sometimes annoying but as you read, you know, that somewhere out there, someone is feeling the way Audrey is and you feel their pain and you just wish that they could give themselves more respect and love before giving themselves to other people. As for Tate, here's a guy who knows what he wants. He's young but he knows how precious time is. He learned early on that life with someone he loves is something not to take for granted. He's young but so mature and I felt that he's someone Audrey needs in her life. I felt that he came on when Audrey needs him the most.

There were times when they frustrated me. Their journey to each other is not easy. They have issues that they had to get over before they can be really together. The age gap was one but also Audrey's feeling for her jerk ex-boyfriend was also a big factor. I guess that made it more genuine. The attraction was there but Audrey didn't just accept it because of those issues looming over them. I think Ms. Toni Aleo wrote Tate and Audrey's relationship in a more realistic way.

Overall, I liked this book. It has many twists and turns and sometimes it's frustrating and other times it's just so sweet and hot but most of all it's realistic. I'm sure many women will be able to relate themselves to Audrey. So if you want all of these in your next read, why don't you give this book a try. I'm sure you'll enjoy being in Audrey and Tate's journey to happy ever after.

Book Excerpt:

“I have to tell you,” she said with a shy grin, “It’s usually not this easy.”

He looked down at her questionably, “Easy how?”

“This easy to pick me up. I usually make guys work for it.”
He grinned and her smiled grew more, “So you want me too?”

She eyed him, her face bright with excitement. He may have been a little too forward but he was a
blunt person, and hardly ever hid his feelings from anyone.

She moved closer, her eyes bright with lust as she said, “I do and I don’t even know you’re name.”

“Do you want to know it?” he asked with a cocky grin.

She moved in close, her wide brown eyes locked with his, “All I want to know is when you can leave?
I have a room not even a mile from here.”

About the Author:

I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.

I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it's cause of my intense love for hockey!
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena's glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!

When my nose isn't pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son's hockey games, my daughters dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel.

I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?

I am currently working on Empty Net, and I hope to have it out by November!

I hope to hear from you on here, my Facebook, or my twitter! Thank you so much!

http://www.tonialeo.com/

http://facebook.com/tonialeo1

Twitter: tonilovesweber6

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE:

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Oct 4, 2012

Under a Prairie Moon by Krista Kendrick Book Blitz (Free Download Oct. 4th-8th)

Unknown October 04, 2012 0 Comments

It's a Five-Day Book Blitz for Under a Prairie Moon!

Download your FREE book today

~~One night, under a prairie moon~~
Poor uninspired, unfulfilled Andrea Jameson; photographer extraordinaire. Where was her dreary life taking her? The last place she'd ever imagined! A motel room with her
ex-boyfriend's younger brother. She had to escape without a scene. So she slipped out with only the memories of one incredible night. Or so she thought...

~~One night is never enough~~
Nebraska rancher Jason McCoy made a miracle happen last night. He made beautiful, vivacious, talented Andy his after twelve years of loving her. But all his dreams came crashing down when he woke to an empty room. She was gone forever. Or so he thought…

How were they to know their journey had just begun?

Download your FREE book today!

UNDER A PRAIRIE MOON BOOK EXCERPT

Sunlight. It was only sunlight. Bright, infuriating, painful sunlight burning her retinas.
Andy would’ve screamed at the pain splitting her skull in half if she had any saliva in her mouth. She couldn’t swallow, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t blink without it hurting. Her entire body felt heavy and abused.

Was she dying? She actually hoped she was. Even her groan of agony was too much.

She kept her eyelids clamped together, afraid of what she would see if she dared to open them again.

What the hell had happened to her?

She tried to summon memories from the night before but it was like sucking Jell-O through a straw.

Water. She needed water. If the horrid taste and cotton-mouth were gone, she could force her brain to function.
Maybe.

She hesitated, bracing for the pain. Well, she couldn’t just lie here suffering. She parted her eyelids a fraction, wincing and scowling at the splintering in her head. She blinked, trying to focus.

Wool drapes. Not her drapes.

She squinted in confusion. Hotel drapes. I'm in a hotel. Silently cursing all alcohol to perdition, she raised a leaden arm to rub her forehead.
Hung over.

She’d rather be dying.

Sucking in a ragged breath she reached with her other hand to remove the sheet from - her naked body? She flinched as she fully opened her eyes. What was she doing sleeping in the buff? She never slept naked. Not with the possibility of a fire or a burglar.

Andy’s stomach churned. The sense of dread hovered at the edges of her sluggish mind. She tugged harder on the sheet, irritated with its determination to stay put.
With a huff she looked down to investigate.

Shock and mortification paralyzed her when her gaze encountered the problem. Good God. She closed her eyes tight, wishing it to be a hallucination from the drinking.

Andy gathered her courage and opened her eyes to the very tan, muscular arm lying across her rib cage. Her stomach clenched and her impossibly dry mouth became an arid desert. Panic spread like wildfire. She had never in her life done this. She had never brought home a random man.

Okay Andy. Get a grip here. She took several steadying breaths before easing the heavy arm away from her. She scooted gingerly to the edge of the bed and rolled to a crouching position on the floor.

She listened for movement, a change in the man’s breathing, anything to indicate she had woken him. Nothing. She braved a peek. The covers rose and fell in steady rhythm and Andy breathed a sigh of relief. She rose further, biting her lip, trying to stay quiet. She took one step back, her foot tangled in fabric threatening to trip her up.

She whipped her gaze to the bed and nearly dropped back to the floor. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes widened. Like a tidal wave, a fresh surge of embarrassment washed over her as the night came crashing into her brain.

“Oh sweet Jesus,” she whispered to herself. She had done the unthinkable. Her cold hands trembled. Why oh why had she gotten so drunk last night? She felt like the biggest idiot to ever cross the earth.

Frantically searching the room, she located her scattered clothes and suitcase by the table. Get out. She had to get out.

She tip-toed into the darkened bathroom, grabbing her clothes. The door creaked. Her heart stopped. Her breath stopped. Her jaw tightened. She couldn’t turn around, frozen in stunned panic. Nothing.

With her eye trained in the crack of the door, Andy pulled on her clothes and whipped her hair back into a pony tail. She gently pulled the door open - quicker through the creak- never looking away from the sleeping man. She crept to her suitcase and stuffed her things inside.

She went to the door and slid the chain. She rested her hand on the knob, looked back at the bed and hesitated.

Andy slid her fingers across her swollen and chapped lips, remembering. With an impulsive smile she eyed his peaceful body half-covered by the white sheet.
Her pulse quickened at the sight of his broad chest sprinkled with dark hair. Her entire being tingled with the memory of rough facial hair grazing delightfully against her heated skin. And those firm lips like velvet tugging at her flesh.

Andy closed her eyes in regret and remorse. Impossible. This was impossible. She squeezed the door knob and twisted.

One more look, just one more. She knew this was the last time she would see him. Disappointment saturated her, down to her very core.

Damn it all.

She was actually thinking about staying in this room, about waking him with a kiss.
Andy opened the heavy door only far enough to squeeze herself and her luggage through, then closed it with the same caution. She hurried down the hallway, glancing back, so nervous she would be caught. Her stomach twisted into knots and her sweaty palms slipped on her suitcase handle as she raced to the safety of the parking lot. She had to choke back the tears to find her car.

How was she going to come to grips with this? How was she going to live with the fact she had slept with her ex-boyfriends little brother?

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