Book Tour (Review + Giveaway): The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #1) by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #1) by Amy Engel
Release Date: 11/04/14 by Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

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Book Trailer:

REVIEW:

Over the past few months, I've had way too many awkward situations participating in book tours with reviews. Way. Too. Many. I didn't want to to the kind of blogger who only tosses up a promo post every single time they take part in a book tour (I have no qualms against promo posts, but you must see how convenient it looks to use them all the time), but ending up informing the organizer about the unfortunate affair of a three or lower stared book tour copy turned awkward quickly. I couldn't help, but commence considering whether book tours even worth it. Not this time, though. The Book of Ivy was so much more than I'd imagined!

It provides exactly what it claims to in the synopsis, but more. The dystopian world's building is rather intricate, setting up the perfect atmosphere to suck in the reader. It does make the book a tad slow, but I assure you, there're no wasted or excess parts here!

Ivy was a character I could seamlessly relate to. She was string and willful, however, that vulnerable side that can be found in everybody made her whole. Her struggles with who she was and what side she was supposed to be on, what would have been the right thing to do rendered her story even more realistic - and certainly more dramatic.

Bishop was ahhh ever so swoon-worthy. Typically my kind of book boyfriend - perceptive, smart, loyal, caring, but I'm sure almost anybody would find her at least attractive. I couldn't have adored their relationship more! The only con I can list is that the pages were dwindling way too fast and now there's a whole year of excruciating waiting ahead of us. It has a cliffhanger ending, - but even if it didn't - I NEED THE INSTALLMENT! At this very moment. (Please?) Still, it would have been a shame to miss it. It is a shame to miss it! ;)

About the Author

Amy Engel was born in Kansas and after a childhood spent bouncing between countries (Iran, Taiwan) and states (Kansas; California; Missouri; Washington, D.C.), she settled in Kansas City, Missouri, where she lives with her husband and two kids. Before devoting herself full-time to motherhood and writing, she was a criminal defense attorney, which is not quite as exciting as it looks on TV. When she has a free moment, she can usually be found reading, running, or shoe shopping. The Book of Ivy is her debut YA novel. Find her online at http://amyengel.net/ or @aengelwrites.


Author Links:

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YA Bound Book Tours

Book Tour & Giveaway: Raven (Chronicles of Steele #1) by Pauline Creeden

Series: Chronicles of Steele #1
Release date: October 2014
Publisher: AltWit Press
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis via Goodreads:
This is the complete Steampunk Fantasy novel - all four parts of the serial in one volume! Also includes bonus features found in the episodes.

Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.

Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.

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Book Tour (Excerpt): Guardian by Courtney Cole

 

We are excited about the Release Day Launch for Courtney Cole's GUARDIAN! GUARDIAN is a YA Paranormal Romance, and a book close to Courtney’s heart. Not only is this a release day, but it's also Courtney's birthday! To celebrate all the occassion, she is making a few select titles only .99 TODAY ONLY! 

Barnes and Noble ** Amazon ** iBooks

Synopsis:

Sometimes, things that go bump in the night are real. My name is Whitney Lane. I’m sixteen years old and at first, I thought I was crazy. I kept seeing shadows move along walls, and hearing whispers around corners, but whenever I looked, there was never anything there. Until one day, there was. Our world isn’t what we think. There are things around us, good things, bad things, scary things. Things that we tell ourselves aren’t real, but they are. They’re very real, and they’re terrifying. I’ve been swept up now, in a battle of good and evil, confused about love and what is supposed to be love, but isn’t. I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t trust my emotions and I don’t know what is true. There’s only one thing I know for sure. Nothing is what it seems.

Excerpt:

Sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real.

          Happy birthday to me. 
          I close my eyes and burrow into my pillow as I try to sleep, as I try to escape this life.
          It’s a life I never thought I’d have, a life I most certainly don’t want.
          I’m still feeling sorry for myself as the blackness of sleep finally overtakes me.
          I don’t know what time it is when I shoot straight upward like a rocket. Something had yanked me from the oblivion of sleep, something loud and shrill scraping my window.
          My room is completely dark and I glanceat my clock in confusion.
          3:00 a.m.
          As my heart pounds hard against my ribcage, I quickly scan every corner of the room.
          In the last few hours, dark shadows had migrated onto my pink walls, but they’re familiar, nothing out of the ordinary, although in the night, they seem twisted and scary.
           I remain motionless as I allow the sleep-induced fog to clear from my brain.
           As I sit, I feel common sense and logic slowly returning.
           Of course nothing had touched my window because my bedroom is on the second floor. Nothing can reach it. And there are no trees near enough to brush against it. It was just a dream.
            It was only a dream. I chant it silently to myself like a mantra as I consciously slow my breathing down, hoping that my racing pulse will soon follow. It was only a dream.
           But just as I’m calming down, I hear it again. A high-pitched shrill shriek, reminiscent of fingernails on a chalkboard, scraping down my window. I gasp and pull my feet up to my chest, which is when I notice the temperature.
            I notice because I can see my breath.
            Timidly, I blow a puff out again, watching the way my breath turns white in the air.
            Holy crap. Oh my God. 
            What the hell?
            The sound stops and stillness surrounds me once again, the silence so loud that it echoes in my ear.
            Nothing moves around me, the shadows are perfectly still as they twist across my wall. They look like mangled fingers and arms and legs, but they don’t move.
            My legs are weak and shaking, but I know I have to move. I have to move off my bed because it feels like something is under it. Something terrifying.
            With a leap, I bound across the room, my feet hitting the floor several feet away from the edge of my bed.
            The floor is ice cold, as though it had been covered in a blanket of snow.
            I’m trembling as I race to the far wall and check the thermostat. Because that’s the only explanation. I must’ve bumped it earlier, I must’ve turned the AC way down.
            But the luminous numbers stare at me in contradiction.
            74 degrees.
            It must be broken. It has to be broken.
            My breath is coming in pants now, terrified, anxious pants.
            My fear isn’t logical. I know there’s nothing here. I’m the only one in this room.
            Or am I? 
            The air seems to push at me from all around, something dark, something heavy, something real. Something unseen.
            My fingers shake, my legs tremble, and then all of a sudden, they can no longer support my weight. I go down like a pile of bricks, collapsing onto the floor. I lie still because I can’t move, because something seems to sit on my chest, holding me down.
            The shadows start to move, to slither across the walls, to reach and pull and dance.
            I struggle to focus, to see what it is. But all I can see are the numbers on the thermostat suddenly moving, rapidly counting down from 74 to 20.
            Twenty degrees?
            The air is frigid as I suck it in, as I try to pull the ice crystals into my mouth so I can breathe.
            All of a sudden, there’s a blackness in front of me. It hovers over me, a shapeless mass, sucking in the cells of the air, the atoms and the molecules. It’s darker than the blackness of my room, blacker than the blackest black.
            Something is here.
            With me. 
            “Dad?” I whisper in a white puff. Because what else could it be?
             I reach out a finger to touch it, and then I can’t see anything else, because the darkness of it surrounds me, bleeding into everything else, even my vision.
             The shriek is back, screaming into my ears, bleeding into my brain. Then there’s nothing.

To celebrate the release of GUARDIAN and Courtney's birthday the following books are on sale for .99, today only!

GUARDIAN
Confessions of an Alli Cat
Dante's Girl
Mia's Heart The Minaldi Legacy Soul Kissed Soul Bound

ABOUT COURTNEY COLE:



Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people. Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.    

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Book Tour (Review + Dreamcast): Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux

Release date: August 3rd 2014

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Falling hard never felt so good.

Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.

The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though...

The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of thecompetition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?

I didn't delve into Crossing the Ice with particularly high expectations. I've never read anything else from the author and the premise was not exceptinally unique by far so I considered it to be a nice, light read, but nothing more.
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BOY WAS I WRONG! This was one of the best books I have ever, EVER read. It was so hilarious and excited and suspenseful and adorable and having just finished it I feel so much like...

...because the book was just...

Please give me a moment to compose myself...

Okay, so let's get down to our raving rating business. Or rather the review first, and just then...I may need another minute.

The story

"You were following your dream. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I could've followed it more sensibly."

Crossing the Ice embraces about a year's time, from an important competition in terms of Olympics, until a little after the afortementioned event. Throughout this span we follow Courtney's journey toward fulfilling or failing? her dream to skate in the biggest competition an athlete can ever particiapate in and also, we get to know how she tackles a relationship with the sexy, shy Josh, who is her biggest competitior, too. 

I literally enjoyed every single moment of this book. The story was so very sweet and ginormously suspenseful all along, though the latter is not much a surprise as it's utterly fast-paced. It basically highlights a couple of days of the year and a half or so we spend with Courtney, the more significant ones. No filling scenes, no meaningless parts, just pure action. Okay, not that much action in fact, It's a tranquil story with no drama tainting it and when I write no drama, I mean not grim, disastrous drama. Because would the book be book without it at all? Despite the fact that it intended to be a rethorical question, I'm going to answer it. And that answer is a shocking: yes. there would be. But we would probably be bored to death. Where was I anyway? Oh, yeah drama. It mostly gathered around our FMC and Josh's relationship, however, sometimes the prior's personal life got involved as well. It was depicted completely realisticlly and unlike in a lot of YA novels, nothing was overreacted or stretch out just for the sake of the conflict.

The characters

"Yeah, because off the ice the only language Stephanie speaks is fluent bitch."

Courtney was an awesome FMC. I totally loved her attitude, her spunkiness, her guts as well as her soft, passionate, romantic side. She had her opinion and didn't mess around for a second, not with the bitchy Stephanie or her even worse mother, but wasn't scared of reciting an apology or thank a generous old woman her generous donation. All in all, I adored her and could relate her perfectly.

As for Josh....Oh, Josh, I  might swoon just at the mention of his name. He's shy and quiet, but not when it comes to Courtney. Or at least not after eight years. What he is when it comes to Courtney though, is devoted and understanding aaand SO SO FRIGGIN CUTE!  Not to mention his superhuman powers. No, it's not a paranormal. Just go read it and figure it out. Anyway, I may have a new book boyfriend. 

The Writing Style

"There was nothing quite like the sound of ten thousand people gasping at one.

Especially when it was because my butt had just slammed into the cold, hard ice."

Admittedly, I'm a writing style snob. I'm very picky when it comes down to it and if it's not nearly perfect if not perfect, that can take away much from the experience. And from the overall rating. However, this was not the case here. Jennifer Comeaux's writing style was most definitely stellar. Not only was it eloquent but still readable - meaning she didn't weight down our minds with long, unpronouncable words to create a unique feeling-, but it had that plus to it that sends it over the roof.

Overall

Jennifer Comeaux is a tax accountant by day, writer by night. There aren’t any ice rinks near her home in south Louisiana, but she’s a diehard figure skating fan and loves to write stories of romance set in the world of competitive skating. One of her favorite pastimes is traveling to competitions, where she can experience all the glitz and drama that inspire her writing. 

jennifercomeaux.blogspot.com 

twitter.com/LadyWave4 

facebook.com/jennifercomeauxauthor

And now something I have never done before...

Claire Holt as Courtney

Darren Criss as Josh

Lyndsy Fonseca as Stephanie

Chace Crawford as Mark

Bridie Carter as Em

Jeffery Dean Morgan as Sergei

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Book Blitz: Tortured Souls by Kimberly Wheaton

Tortured Souls (Orion Circle #1)

by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Release Date: July 2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option.

Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

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Praise

“Tortured Souls was a wonderful YA read. It was light and enjoyable all the way through. From the romance, to the thrills, this book was fantastic. YA lovers, this is definitely a book you'll want to check out.” ~ Farrah at Imagine a World

“Tortured souls by Kimber Wheaton........ omg!! Great book!!!! This is one you don't want to miss out on.” ~ Paranormal Romance & Authors That Rock

“The plot is wonderfully spooky with just the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep the pages turning.” ~ James Luby– Amazon Reviewer

Book Tour: Night of The Fallen (Dark Tides #2) by Diana Bocco

Night of the Fallen

Dark Tides #2

By: Diana Bocco

Isabelle’s mission seemed so clear: kill the king of the vampires to give humanity a fighting chance. Except she didn’t count on falling in love with him. And she didn't realize he held secrets that could actually end up saving the human race.

As the kingdom falls and Isabelle’s heart is torn between two worlds, everything changes. There’s something more dangerous out there, a plague that might destroy both humans and vampires alike. The only way to survive it might be to find a truce between species.

Peace will require the ultimate sacrifice.

And change the future of the world forever.

Book Tour: Redemption at Midnight by Mary Moriarty

Redemption at Midnight

My Beloved Vampire Series

By: Mary Moriarty

Blurb

Bella is the only daughter of former Vampire King, Cormac O’Heachthanna. She spent the first four hundred years or so in peace, happiness and love. Surrounded by her loving and strong father and brother. Then came the 1900s and with that women demanding their rights… and Bella starting to spread her wings.

By WWII Bella was in the thick of it. Working for the British as a spy. She goes to Germany where she would fit in to try and persuade top officials to come to the Allies side. No one prepared Bella that her objective was a dashing, German Aristocrat. Pictures didn’t capture his charm and personality.

She falls and falls hard but that is not suppose to happen. So her father orders the love of her life’s death.

Brent O’ Hara has been a Marine for almost half his life. He lived to go to battle. He was finally called up for a Special Ops unit with none other than Cormac O’ Heachthanna. Both he and his brother joined. After three years his brother is mortally wounded and changed. Seven months later without the backup of his brothers in arms he is on a mission, doing a sweep of a village when an IED kills four and severely wounds Brent. He wakes up to the bottoms of his legs missing and his left hand also gone. He then knew he would never be good for anything again… or so he thought. He needed to heal and Cormac knows just who would be the one to help. His daughter Bella… only she hasn’t spoken to him in sixty years.

Can Bella and Brent find the healing and love they so desperately need and want before it’s too late?

Virtual Book Tour: Fire of the Sea by Lyndsay Johnson

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: 48fourteen Publishing

Publication: March 24th, 2014

Pages: 379 (Kindle Edition)

             426 (Paperback)

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Rating:     

Synopsis:

Sharp, sleek, and golden. Like the dagger she has worn since childhood, eighteen-year-old Aeva is all three of these things. But there is something else that this mermaid and her prized weapon share – they are both hunted.

Hidden within the caves off Iceland’s dark shore, Aeva waits to take her place as the next ruler of the Meriads. But when Aeva uses her potent and alluring song to save a drowning human, she disrupts a delicate balance. Realizing she has unexpectedly bound herself to Gunnar, Aeva is torn between duty and love.

Aeva severs one life to begin another, and soon finds herself not only rejected by the sea, but also stalked by an old enemy. As the worlds of myth and man intertwine, Aeva will challenge fate to protect her own sacred relic and the man she loves.

But legends and lies cast an intricate net. With time and safety quickly unraveling for Aeva and Gunnar, there is only one clear course: Find and defeat Delphine before she can shift again.

Sunday Post on Monday #6

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme