Thursday, 13 March 2014

Blog Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway: Flawed Perfection

Bobby Beckerson was the American All-Star hockey player--he was the spitting image of perfection to his family. Goofy, sweet and undeniably gorgeous, he had everything but the one girl he wanted: River Ahlers.

River Ahlers is successful in everything but love. She's been in love with Adam Beckerson since they were kids. Worst of all she's stuck right in the middle of the brother's dueling over everything and anything, and she doesn't even know she's the ultimate prize.

Adam Beckerson was a boy with a guitar, a smile that sunk girl's hearts and a stone wall around his own. He was anything but perfect, and no matter how hard he tried he was nothing compared to Bobby. Sweet, damaged, with boyish good-looks, nobody thought Adam loved anyone but himself.

Bobby loved River, River loved Adam and Adam only loved himself--or so everyone thought. Then one night everything changes, and as it threatens to destroy everyone involved a tragedy strikes that will break them all...

Excerpt:

I nodded my head and watched as Adam's hand lingered on the neck of the Ibanez™ before he picked it back up and slipped the strap over his shoulder.

I sat on the edge of the bed as he began to play without an amplifier.

The noise was tinny without the electric part hooked up but that didn't matter. Adam's fingers moved effortlessly from fret to fret as he strummed the guitar. His headed nodded ever so slightly to the beat and his bare foot tapped the floor as he closed his eyes and a smile formed on his lips.

I stood and placed my hands around his neck, yet he continued to play, nod his head and tap his foot with his eyes closed. The only change was on his lips as they crept into the seductive grin.

I leaned into him, letting my hands comb through the hair on the back of his head as my breath washed over his lips.

Still nothing. The guitar continued to hum with his talent.

I let my lips hover over his, then let them wander over the soft skin of his neck and up the stubble of his chin. The beat remained smooth, undisturbed as the strings squealed and he deepened the riff.

I paused as my lips reached his again, lingering at the corner of his mouth where the cold metal of his lip ring teased me just as much as his fingers on the guitar.

I let my mouth run over the metal until it caught in my teeth and I sucked it in.

Finally, his body reacted tensing as he groaned - but his playing didn't cease, didn't change. He still resisted, hand strumming a tease over the strings next to the skin of my belly.

His mouth responded to mine as I let the ring and his lip slowly slip away from me. That was it - the guitar spun to his back and he yanked my hips to his own.

"I need you to play me like that guitar," I gasped as his hand tilted my head and his tongue ran over my trembling neck.

His other hand drifted down my torso.

"Good, because I wasn't done with my song," he growled into my ear.

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Tuesday, 4 March 2014

Review: 'Til Death

Title: 'Til Death (Fractured Souls #1)
Author: Kate Evangelista
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Released: 4th March 2014
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Selena Fallon has visions of the future. She's not sure why, and sometimes it makes it hard for her to have an entirely normal life, but it's something she can deal with. The fact that her best friends and grandparents know also helps. Except when she has a vision of her death - and it's not a particularly nice one at that - things start to get out of control. Dillan Sloan is the new boy at school and, not only do they not get along, but weird electricity zaps through them every time they happen to touch. Missing dogs and undead creatures compound the situation, until Selena discovers that she is part of the Illumenari, the secret society that Dillan also belongs to. What she also discovers is that she is a target. So far her visions have never failed to come true, but she has no intention of going down without a fight.

Although by no means her first novel, this is my first experience of Kate Evangelista's work, and I have to say she left a very good impression. With a solid writing style that improved over the course of the book, and fresh ideas that were also well-executed, this wasn't a difficult one to like. Realising that we have both the view of Selena and Dillan made me happy, but what I also liked was that the selection of supernatural creatures presented here was pleasantly different, even within the context of the usual secret society types. Certainly as far as Selena goes, we have not seen everything. And while a couple of things were predictable, a couple were not, and it is these things that have the most impact on the overall story. I thought one surprise in particular could have been smoothed over, but there was nothing that truly hindered my enjoyment. Evangelista almost takes her time, letting you get comfortable with the novel and the pacing, until it really kicks off towards the end and all manner of things fly at you and hit you in the face.

As far as heroines go, Selena falls happily somewhere in the middle. While I doubt we could label her as badass, she can hold her own; she forces herself to keep it together and, if need be, fight. She comes across as real, and as such I was able to relate to her. Of course there were the usual secrets surrounding her, some obvious to me as a reader and some not, but none of it prevented me from feeling sympathy for her. Nor has it stopped. Dramatic irony being what it is, I'm impatient for that moment later in the series when she finally knows what I do. Dillan, too, has his own emotional battles to overcome, and there is a change in him in terms of his approach towards these which was good to see. I appreciated the different dynamics between him and Selena, and I also liked the established partner relationship he had with Sebastian. It wasn't quite what I was expecting when I first met him, but it's definitely something that adds to the book.

Overall, then, I was left quite happy with this one. (Actually, I was also left in disbelief and had to quickly search for the sequel's release date, only to stare in more disbelief, but you get my point.) As an author new to me Kate Evangelista has made her mark and I will certainly have to go back.

Sunday, 23 February 2014

Review: The Collector

Title: The Collector (Dante Walker #1)
Author: Victoria Scott
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Released: 2nd April 2013
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The Collector could very easily have been a miss for me. Dante was, by all accounts, rude, unfair and arrogant. I was prepared for this to go into the cluttered vault at the back of my mind labelled 'Meh'. What I was not prepared for was for it to creep past my walls and insist upon my liking it.

Dante is a collector. Not like stamp collector, but soul collector. His new assignment is Charlie Cooper. He's not sure exactly why his boss wants her, but whatever. This assignment is his chance to escape hell and he has ten days to complete it. He probably won't even need ten days, since no-one can do the job like him. But when he meets Charlie and unwillingly gets to know her, he finds himself putting off his task. It's problematic to say the least, but her can't stop emotions he hasn't felt in ages from rising to the surface. Looks like this won't be such a simple assignment, after all.

First of all, Dante is rude, unfair and arrogant. I spent a good deal of time marvelling at his attitude, especially when it came to Charlie. I have never come across another protagonist so sure of themselves and if the poor girl knew what was running through his head when he met her I'm not sure she'd have been so happy to have him around. But she didn't and things progressed and Dante actually turned out to be a redeemable character. His growth was very gradual yet pleasant to see, and I think I preferred the second half because of the added depth that came with connecting with him more. With his emotions came an entirely different side to him, one not so cocky, and that was nice. What might have been even better would be to see more of his work and get a greater feel for that.

Charlie was the complete opposite of Dante. Bubbly, friendly, always seeing the good in other people, she made for a genuinely nice character. Admittedly I found her a little too gullible - surely her past experiences would teach her to be more wary? - but perhaps that's just the cynic in me. Either way she was a fresh character, and I have to commend Scott for bringing to life two characters different from the norm. Actually, 'different' and 'unpredictable' appear to be themes that run through this book, as I was not entirely expecting the level of humour that there was, and there were a couple of twists that had me blink in surprise. As soon as there was one revelation I made the mistake of getting comfortable with it, only to find myself having to readjust to what was actually the truth. This one certainly keeps you on your toes. The mythology isn't just recycled material, either. A fresh spin was put on it to renew my interest, and the ending in particular had me sitting up straight.

There were areas of doubt with this one, but if I overlooked the problems - which wasn't too hard to do - I did find myself enjoying it. If nothing else there was the humour, but there were some genuinely good attributes, all of which makes me sure I'll be coming back to this author.

Friday, 7 February 2014

Cover Reveal: Flawed Perfection

Hey, guys! I'm so excited to be working with Cassandra Giovanni again, this time for the cover reveal of her new novel, Flawed Perfection! I think this is her best cover yet - it's simple, yet everything comes together nicely. I like that, although there's a model, it doesn't entirely fall into the NA cover trend of couples kissing/holding hands/gazing at each other. It's thoughtful, plus there's greater meaning added with the flaw cutting across the corner and up the side. I'm also a fan of the colour scheme and fonts used.

Okay, here it is. What are your thoughts? Let me know!

Flawed Perfection

Beautifully Flawed, #1

Author: Cassandra Giovanni

Publisher: Show N'ot Tell Publishing

Cover Designer: Gio Design Studios

Released: 7th March, 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

River Ahlers is successful in everything but love. She's been in love with Adam Beckerson since they were kids. Worst of all she's stuck right in the middle of the brothers' duelling over everything and anything, and she doesn't even know she's the ultimate prize.

Adam Beckerson was a boy with a guitar, a smile that sunk girls' hearts and a stone wall around his own. He was anything but perfect, and no matter how hard he tried he was nothing compared to Bobby. Sweet, damages, with boyish good looks, nobody thought Adam loved anyone but himself.

Bobby loved River, River loved Adam and Adam only loved himself--or so everyone thought. Then one night everything changes, and as it threatens to destroy everyone involved a tragedy strikes that will break them all...

About The Author

Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and the Amazon bestselling thriller, Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children's novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra released her first New Adult novel, Love Exactly, which became an Amazon Bestseller overnight in June of 2013. She's currently working on her new New Adult Contemporary Romance, Beautifully Flawed. The first novel in the series, Flawed Perfection is scheduled to be published on March 7, 2014.

Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios Photography and Gio Design Studios Publication Marketing . She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Cassandra can be found on:

Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ @cgiovanniauthor

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Review: Pawn

Title: Pawn (The Blackheart Rebellion #1)
Author: Aimée Carter
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Released: 26th November 2013
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pawn is the first of Aimée Carter's books that I've read and, while there were a number of issues, I know I'll be going back for more. For a genre that has become so popular with authors - and one that is a favourite of mine - this book offers a refreshing take on the dystopian world, alongside some surprising moments and conspicuously absent tropes.

Society is ranked from I to VI, depending on how well they do when they are Tested at age 17. VII is reserved for the ruling family. Kitty is stuck as a III, guaranteeing her a less than mediocre job, with extremely little pay, in a place far from home. Which is why, when offered by Prime Minister Daxton to be a VII, she's quick to agree. But what Daxton doesn't explain to her is the catch. Becoming a VII means her being Masked, a surgical procedure that leaves her looking exactly like Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's dead niece. Which puts her in the unfortunate position of being at the head of a rebellion, one begun by Lila. Unfortunate because Kitty now has to choose: risk death and see the rebellion through, or do as Daxton wants and call it off, ensuring herself a life of luxury and safety.

The concept of a numerically tiered society was one I liked, and it gave Carter's world a decidedly structured feel. It was very clear how fixed a person's place was; you take the test and you receive a rank, but it is not something you can very well lie about or even manipulate. This is a dystopia not overly concerned with technology, even with its presence and the significance of the Masking, but, I would say, more in society itself: people and how they function. I appreciated, too, the fact that rebellion, or at least the widespread idea of it, was already born. From what I've seen, dystopias usually start at the beginning, introducing the world and perhaps one challenging character or a small group who then branch out. It's almost as if Carter has fast-forwarded this process; we have here a huge network of people who look up to Lila. This isn't the only time the author has done so, but we'll come to that in a moment. In doing this, the focus changes slightly from what we might usually expect, and it is nicely done. Saying this, however, it did bother me somewhat. There was something about the way the Hart family worked that had me feeling sceptical. Having the voices of oppression and freedom, undisguised, under one roof, and with a particular hierarchy, made me question the feasibility of such a situation. It may just be me, but I was never immersed enough in the story to lose those niggling doubts.

That leads me nicely to the characters themselves. Again I had a mixed reaction. Kitty was a decent enough character, of course with her frustrating moments, but ultimately stepping up to her new role as Lila Hart and then putting her own effort into Lila's work. I was also see her pleased to stick to Benjy, who we are introduced to as her boyfriend right from the beginning. There is no new relationship, only an established one: once more the fast-forwarding, and once more it works. When Knox comes into the picture, despite a few seemingly close calls, it does not form a triangle. There is also a refreshing lack of secrets between Kitty and Benjy. At the same time I'm not sure how memorable they are, nor can I say I felt as much connection to Kitty as I do to other characters in other books. And I really had my doubts with Celia. For a woman of her position - and you'll know the full extent of that meaning if you've read it - she's not particularly good. She's neither careful nor strategic. Frankly she's quite disappointing. The characters are not predictable (and I mean that in the best way) and they're easy enough to read about at the time, but I'd be hesitant to say they leave a significant impression afterwards.

Pawn turned out to be a mix of ups and downs for me that ended up sort of balancing out. For all its flaws, it is a decent book, and worth picking up if only to see a different take on what is already a well-explored genre. I do wish I could have enjoyed it even more, but the potential is certainly there for the rest of the series.

Monday, 27 January 2014

Review: The Darkest Part

Title: The Darkest Part (Living Heartwood #1)
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Publisher: Self-published
Released: 6th August 2013
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't think it's possible to be disappointed by Trisha Wolfe. I opened this, safe in the knowledge that all I had read before I had liked, and expected good things. I think it's safe to say I got good things. In fact, with such a beautifully emotional story and with characters you just want to hug, I'd go so far as to say I got wonderful things.

Sam was left devastated after her fiancé, Tyler Marks, was killed in a hit-and-run and shocked when she started seeing his ghost. At first disbelieving, now she holds on to seeing him and talking to him to help her get through each day. Her parents, on the other hand, have her meeting with a psychiatrist. She decides she needs to help Tyler cross over, and a plan starts to form: she'll collect his ashes and finally take that trip they were supposed to go on for their honeymoon, scattering his ashes at each stop. Never mind the fact that she might not be ready for him to go. When Holden, Tyler's brother, returns to the neighbourhood to see where Tyler's case is at, Sam enlists his help to get hold of his brother's ashes. Holden is the last person she wants to ask given their past, but there's no other choice. What she doesn't plan is for Holden coming with her. Holden, who is increasingly worried at Sam's mental state with each day. Holden, who has secrets of his own. With the past clinging tightly to both of them, it's uncertain whether they'll be able to make it back out.

This is a bit of a difficult one because it's marketed as a contemporary, yet there also seems to the be the possibility of the supernatural. The matter of Tyler's ghost and Sam's mental state is portrayed in such a way as to leave room for doubt. A little more definition may have been desirable, but I believe it works equally well either way. Whichever end of the spectrum this book falls at, the ghost works to bring a delicious level of darkness, on the one hand through its own presence and on the other through conveying Sam's highly troubled state of mind. Add to that a roadtrip and two characters each undergoing their own emotional journey, and there was no way I was being parted from this book before finishing. Once again Wolfe's writing style proves irresistible, flexible enough that she creates a world so different from her usual creations - real rather than fantasy - and yet still so complex. In addition to which, two perspectives that are clearly different.

Sam and Holden are both broken characters, shown to be so in different ways. The extent to which Sam is shattered over her fiancé's death truly had me feeling for her. Ghost or no ghost, she isn't ready to let Tyler go, and that has caused her to let go of herself. Holden is barely holding it together under the weight of guilt and secrets - and now also being close to Sam. One of the things that really struck me about him was how thoughtful he was. As far as he's concerned Sam is unstable, and in his interactions with her you can see him think through what the best approach would be at any given moment so that she isn't pushed too hard (arguments withstanding). It probably sounds patronising here, but the novel depicts someone very intelligent and very concerned.

For such broken characters, then, I thought the roadtrip a perfect way to make and show their own personal journeys. I think that's one of the reasons I love roadtrip stories. At the same time as honouring Tyler's memory they were making their own, and the dynamics between them were constantly changing. There was outright hostility and forgiveness and fear and love and everything in between, not to mention the pretty awesome Biker Melody helping things along. The past was confronted, demons (or do I mean ghosts?) put to rest and the sweetest of endings. Until finally there was just me, face stretched into a wide smile and the presence of two new characters in my heart.

The Darkest Part shows what it means to lose someone and to let go. It's beautiful, emotional, well-written. Frankly by this point I don't expect anything less of Trisha Wolfe. If you haven't yet read anything by this author, I would strongly urge you to do so. (Seriously, why haven't you?) Whether it's myth, fantasy, adventure or, as is the case here, mystery, emotion or even simply a tale of two individuals, there is no doubt that she has you sorted.

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

Review: Addicted to You

Title: Addicted to You (Addicted #1)
Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Publisher: Self-Published
Released: 22nd August 2013
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Addicted to You was not a book I was expecting to enjoy. It was not even one that I was going to
pick up, as I really didn't think it would be for me, until I happened across a few reviews that persuaded me to give it a try. Even then my hopes weren't high. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it...and yet I did.  Immensely.  The novel is, in some ways, quite a dark one, and I was left impressed with the way the authors dealt with their subject matter.

Lily Calloway and Loren Hale are both addicts. The past three years have seen them pretending to be in a relationship, a solution they came up with to help them hide their addictions: this way Loren can help Lily hide the fact that she's addicted to sex, and Lily can help Lo hide his alcoholism.  For three years, this solution has worked. But now it's becoming harder to pretend, and the lines aren't so clear anymore. The possibility of them sharing a real relationship hangs in the air, but their addictions, combined with the arrival of new people in their lives and the demands of family, mean that too easily everything could fall apart. Even so...being with each other for real may prove too hard to resist.

Addictions are something we generally realise to be extremely serious affairs. Drugs, alcohol, these are the addictions we come across the most in media and fiction. Krista and Becca Ritchie do a highly commendable job in showing us the extent to which an addiction can take over someone's life, allowing the reader to truly appreciate what the character is going through. They take this one step further in exploring something rather less addressed: Lily's sex addiction. It's quite easy to dismiss this as something unimportant, either because we think it doesn't really compare to the life-threatening nature of, say, the other two types, or because the idea of being addicted to sex seems somewhat absurd and self-indulgent. In reading this book, however, I could see that Lila was also a victim; in its own way her addiction was destroying her life. Having sex was not just an activity to pass the time, nor was it just a trivial concern. It was something she needed to function.

With this in mind, then, Lily and Lo were characters, if not easy to like at times, easy to relate to. I was invested in their story, and some part of me was glad when they finally decided to make this relationship work for real, even though I knew it would only prove even more destructive. The authors never once shy away from the dark realities of their characters' lives.  The secondary characters, too, have been well thought-out. While at first I didn't appreciate the intrusion of Connor and Ryke, neither of whom I could really connect to, my feelings toward them did change. What I really liked was seeing the complex family dynamics of the Calloways, particularly when it came to Rose and Lily. The range of characters here is wonderfully complex and adds to the emotional depth that the novel offers, all of which made me enjoy it even more.

This is not a light tale, and neither is there anything half-hearted about it. It is dark, gritty, emotional. There is much more to appreciate and consider than I had expected going into the book, and I am certainly looking forward to reading the next one.

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