Winter Wolf by Rachel M. Raithby (Review)

  Katalina Winter is a wolf, and not just any wolf, one of the last pure-bread wolves alive; and she doesn't even know it. After a tragic car crash that kills her adoptive parents, Katalina is thrust into the world of were-wolves, packs, murderer, mates and feuds.
  I found Winter Wolf quite generic. It seems to be a run of the mill were wolf mate story. It's a combination of Romeo and Juliet and were-wolves. I didn't dislike the story, but I did not find anything unique or that made Winter Wolf stand out in the crowd. I do have the complaint that the ending was a little quick and rushed. I  also found that the overall feel of the novel was not consistent. The beginning of the novel was intense and descriptive, but the rest of it seemed mediocre if not dull. This story was nothing to write home about for sure. On, the positive side I did find Katalina and her mate adorable. They are super cute together and were nice to read about. I give Winter Wolf TWO AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!

End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) by Susan Ee (Review)

  The third instalment of the Penryn and the End of Days series, End of Days continues the story of Penryn and her angel partner as they try to survive and prevent the apocalypse. I found the entire series, and that's including End of Days, addicting. The images created by the book were crisp and solid. The authors voice is always strong and interesting. I loved the amount of development in the story. It is rare to never see a lag in the storytelling, which Susan managed to prevent. Not one second did the book become boring or uninteresting.
   In the action packed and dangerous world that Penryn lives in, she is constantly fighting for the survival of her and her family. This constant tension was brilliantly written, holding the attention of the reader from page to page.
   I found End of Days pretty dark in content, but no darker then the rest of the series. As the end of the series, I found that End of Days was a very satisfying. I felt very happy with the ending, and am excited for any future works of Susan Ee. To sum my feelings on the novel up, I loved End of Days and the Penryn and the End of Days series. I give End of Days FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (Review)

   I love how the main protagonist of this novel is a young adult Muslim american girl. That is definitely one very inclusive and positive character to have in our literature. It starts off with introducing Scarlett as she takes on the case of a concerned nine year old girl. The story launches off into a mystery that starts to connect to Scarlett's personal life. It's mystery starts to connect to magic and the past. The danger and the intensity rises so consistently in this novel it keeps the readers attention.
   I found Scarlett Undercover refreshing and interesting. I loved the mystery, the action, and the inner power of Scarlett. The character of Scarlett is very interesting and positive, she is diverse and a good role model for younger readers. Scarlett has the content of a suicide (only in mention) and some violence but all things considered Scarlett Undercover is extremely appropriate for almost all ages, which is good because she is a very good model diverse hero for readers to encounter and read about.  All in all, I really liked Scarlett Undercover and give it the rating of FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

All The Rage Blogtour Giveaway!

    Enter bellow for a chance to win your very own copy of All The Rage by Courtney Summers courtesy of St. Martins Press in honor of All The Rage's blog tour celebration! Best of luck!

  ALL THE RAGE by Courtney Summers:

(On Sale: April 14, 2015)

ABOUT THE BOOK

The sheriff's son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything-friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy's only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn't speak up. Nobody believed her the first time-and they certainly won't now-but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear. 

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women in a culture that refuses to protect them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Courtney Summers lives and writes in Canada, where she divides most of her time between a camera, a piano and a word processing program. She is also the author of What Goes Around, This is Not a Test, Fall for Anything, Some Girls Are, Cracked Up to Be, and Please Remain Calm.  

BOOK LINKS

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/125002191X 

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-the-rage-courtney-summers/1119182775?ean=9781250021915 

Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/All-Rage/Courtney-Summers/9781250021915?id=6229825482952 

IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250021915 

Indigo: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/all-the-rage/9781250021915-item.html 

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-the-rage/id921442373 

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Courtney_Summers_All_the_Rage?id=UyudBAAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/all-the-rage-12 

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: http://courtneysummers.ca/ 

Tumblr: http://summerscourtney.tumblr.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneySummersAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtney_s 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/summerscourtney/ 

CA and US participants only!

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Halfway Perfect Book Blitz!

Halfway Perfect by Julie Cross and Mark Perini 

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication date: May 5th 2015

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Bestselling author Julie Cross teams up with Ford model Mark Perini to pen a poignant and gritty YA novel about love and the dark side of modeling and the fashion industry.
Eve’s time as a fashion model nearly destroyed her-now she’s determined to build a career behind the camera lens. But landing a coveted photography internship brings her face to face with her dark past-and her ex.
While Eve is snapping pictures, up-and-coming male model Alex is launching his career-which, for him, involves maintaining a fake relationship with his (secretly) underage co-star, Elana.
But Alex is falling for Eve, and Eve won’t let herself get hurt again. If Alex can pull off a fake love with Elana, can he convince Eve to risk a secret affair with him?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21900150-halfway-perfect?ac=1
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140229719X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/halfway-perfect-julie-cross/1120023140?ean=9781402297199

Five Facts About HALFWAY PERFECT

1) Co-author, Mark Perini, was the model who portrayed the main character on Julie Cross’ Tempest series books. He’s also been on many other YA covers https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/21313153?shelf=books-i-am-on-the-cover-of
2) In the book, main character, Alex books a big job modeling for Calvin Klein. CK is one of the few big designers/labels Mark hasn’t worked with (yet). Both authors are big CK fans
3) co-author, Julie Cross, started out writing Eve’s chapters, and Mark writing Alex’s, but plot elements and scenes required occasional swapping
4) Mark wrote parts of Halfway Perfect while in Milan, Italy for Fashion Week
5) Julie has never met a model in real life, not even Mark.

AUTHOR'S BIOS:

   Julie Cross is the International Bestselling author of the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, and the final installment, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the author of Letters to Nowhere (8/13), a mature young adult romance set in the world of elite gymnastics, as well as several forthcoming young adult and new adult novels with publishers like Entangled, Sourcebooks, HarperCollins, and St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books.
Julie lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She's a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA. She's a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of her reading and writing credibility's, Julie Cross is a committed--but not talented--long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict. You can find her online via twitter, her personal website, email, facebook, Goodreads, or co-moderating the YAwriters section of reddit.

Author links:

http://www.juliecrossbooks.com/p/home-page.html

https://twitter.com/Juliecross1980

https://www.facebook.com/FansOfJulieCross

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3429117.Julie_Cross

   Mark Perini began his career as an international fashion model ten years ago, while simultaneously obtaining a business degree from Seton Hall University. Turns out fashion's hurry-up-and-wait mentality lends itself quite well to writing. Mark is now a New York City based author, and Halfway Perfect is his first young adult novel. He is also a featured author in the New Adult anthology, Fifty First Times.
When he's not working, Mark's traveling the world. He's made a blood pact with friends to see all seven ancient wonders of the world before he's thirty. Four down three to go.

Author links:

http://www.markperini.com/

https://twitter.com/marktperini

https://www.facebook.com/marktperini

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5649611.Mark_Perini

Giveaway!

Here is a fabulous opportunity to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

(International)

The giveaway ends May 14th 2015

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Shadow Study Giveaway!

   Here is a fabulous chance to win a SIGNED COPY OF SHADOW STUDY BY MARIA V. SNYDER! To enter complete the tasks bellow to get ballets for a chance to win this awesome prize! This giveaway is for Canada and US residents only!  This giveaway will be open from May 1st to May 15th 2015.

   Blurb: 

   Once, only her own life hung in the balance…

   When Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.

   Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.

   Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.

   As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked.And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.

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Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Maria V. Snyder!

Bio

   Meteorologist turned novelist, Maria's been writing fantasy and science fiction since she was bored at work and needed something creative to do. A dozen novels and numerous short stories later, Maria's learned a thing or three about writing. She’s been on the New York Times bestseller list, won a half-dozen awards, and has earned her MA degree in Writing from Seton Hill University where she's been happily sharing her knowledge with the current crop of MFA students. She also enjoys creating new worlds where horses and swords rule, 'cause let's face it, they're cool, although she's been known to trap her poor characters in a giant metal cube and let them figure out how to get out. Readers are welcome to check out her website for book excerpts, free short stories, maps, blog, and her schedule at http://www.MariaVSnyder.com.

What Has She Written?

    She has written: Poison Study (Study, #1), Magic Study (Study, #2), Fire Study (Study, #3), Touch of Power (Healer, #1), Inside Out (Insider, #1), Storm Glass (Glass, #1), Sea Glass (Glass, #2), Scent of Magic (Healer, #2), Spy Glass (Glass, #3), Outside In (Insider, #2), Taste of Darkness (Healer, #3), The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire, Assassin Study (Study, #1.5), Power Study (Study, #3.5), The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance, Ice Study (Study, #3.6), Shadow Study (Soulfinders, #1), The Study Series Bundle (Study, #1-3), Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances, Inside (Insider, #1-2), Opal Cowan Trilogy 3 Books Collection Set (Glass, #1-3), Poison Study & Storm Glass, Brave New Love: 15 Dystopian Tales of Desire and Storm Watcher.

Now On To The Interview!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

I was in my early 20s - I was bored at work and started jotting down story ideas and writing cheesy science fiction short stories.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

I want them to be entertained and also know that when life is difficult, you need to keep going, to persist and not give up. That if you work hard and don't be afraid to ask others for help, you can achieve anything.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

My top three are: #1 - Read a lot! Read as many books in your genre as possible, but also read in other genres as well. No only will you know what's been done before (or done to death), but how your story will fit in with the others. Also it gives you an instinctive knowledge of how novels are structured. #2 - Write a lot! The more you write the better you'll be. Also get feedback from other writers on your stories, take writing classes if you can, and attend writing conferences if you can. #3 - Don't give up. Writing is hard work and it takes persistence to finish that story, to keep revising until it's the best story possible. Also if you're going to seek a publisher - you'll need persistence to find a publisher for your novel.

4) What is your favourite novel, why?

The Gate to WOMEN'S Country, by Sheri S. Tepper - it's the ultimate girl power book!

5) Who is your favourite author, why?

This changes and I don't have just one favorite. Currently I'm really enjoying books written by Ilona Andrews - they're fantasy and urban fantasy and they have strong female protagonists.

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing?

I enjoy photography, making jewelry, and playing volleyball. I also LOVE to travel and read of course!

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?

 I've never been asked this question before! I'd have to say my parents - no only do I have their genes, but they always encouraged and supported me when I wanted to take dance classes or acting classes. They never said I couldn't do something.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list?

I want to get a Ph.D in creative writing, I want to travel slowly - where I can spend months in one country and explore and not rush around going from one historical feature to the next. I also wish to see the Pyramids, Galapagos Islands, the Taj Mahal, and Machu Piccu.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory?

 My dad asking my sister what she would say or do if her BOYFRIEND asked her to "you know....mmmm hmmmm" (referring to have sex). And my sister replied without hesitation, "I'll tell him I don't hum."

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

 Don't give up. If you have a goal or have a dream, then pursue it. It won't be easy, but if you work hard and keep going, it's possible!