Sunday, March 31, 2013

Review- Saving Grace by Fiona McCallum

Title- Saving Grace
Author- Fiona McCallum
Genre- Australian Fiction
Release Date- 1st of April 2013
Publisher- Harlequin MIRA

Review copy provided by publisher

Blurb- When Emily Oliphant married John Stratten, she thought it was the beginning of an exciting new adventure, imagining herself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the most eligible farmer in the district, mucking in to build a thriving agricultural business. Three years later, however, Emily sees her marriage for what it is — a loveless tie to a callous man, her advice heeded only when it pertains to her husband’s dinner.

The last straw comes when John threatens to harm her new puppy, and Emily is forced to brave her husband’s wrath, and her mother’s glaring disapproval, and move out. With the encouragement of her new friend Barbara, Emily moves into an abandoned property, taking on the mammoth task of making the unloved house into a home. As she begins to work on the property, she discovers a new side of her father, meets some new friends and finds an inner strength she never knew she had.

Emily’s fragile confidence is soon tested, though, when the owners of the property make her a tempting offer. Will she risk everything and invest in the ramshackle house that has finally given her a sense of purpose? Or will Emily listen to the views of the community, and the voice of her mother, and go back to her sensible, but meaningless, life with John?


 3 Sassy Books!

Review- I must admit, I have mixed feelings about Saving Grace. Let's start with the good. I don't often read many books that are set in my homeland of Australia so I really enjoyed the familiarity of the language and described landscapes. It was easier for me to create images in my head of buildings and locations because I am so familiar with it. The familiarity of a small country town setting where everyone knows everyone also relateable. I also found it easy to relate to the characters because they are country Australian's which I have grown up around, not to mention reading something with Australian lingo in it. If it weren't for this connection, I think I would have given it a lesser rating.

Onto the storyline itself. It was fairly flat-line. It just seemed like one continuous and somewhat repetitive story. There weren't really any highs or lows or anything overly exciting. There was no intensity within the story, good or bad. It is described that Emily finds an "inner strength she never knew she had", I never discovered that. I found her depressing and quite annoying at times with zero self esteem. Rather frustrating.

All together I found the story lighthearted but not heart felt. This is the type of book you would read if you didn't feel like investing yourself entirely in a book. 

To find out more about Fiona and her other projects you can check out her WEBSITE.

You can purchase your copy from any good book stockist or online at AMAZON and 

Happy Reading!

 


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

**Cover Reveal** - Waiting On Wednesday #8

 
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
 
 
Here's our choices for this week...
 
Stacey's choice...
 
**Cover Reveal**
 
Frigid
by J.Lynn (aka. Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Expected Publication: 30th July 2013
Published by: Spencer Hill Press
 
 
For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.
Frigid will be available in digital formats on July 30th 2013
Print release of Frigid will be November 5th 2012
 
 
J. Lynn



J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is a # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. She lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
 
                           Twitter   - Facebook  - Website


Renee's choice...
 
 
Taken
(Taken #1)
by Erin Bowman
Expected publication: 16th April 2013
Published by: HarperTeen
 
 
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?


WHAT ARE YOU WAITING ON THIS WEEK??
 
 


Monday, March 25, 2013

Review- The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Title- The Best Man
Author- Kristan Higgins
Genre- Romance
Publication Date- 1st of March 2013
Publisher- Harlequin Mira

Review copy provided by publisher.

Blurb- Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she's ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family's vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there's some great scenery there….

Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief—and best friend of her former fiancé. There's a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it's not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she's having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.


5 Sassy Books!

Review- Fun-loving, heart-warming, romantic, dramatic and funny is the best way to describe The Best Man. Higgins has created a fantastic storyline with characters that you will fall in love with. 
 
The roller-coaster ride we are taken on starts with an abandoned wedding from reasons I cannot disclose (you will have to read to find out) and follows Faith on her emotional journey that follows. As well as the journey of the man who stopped the wedding, gorgeous Levi, with snippets from the past in between. Although set in a small town where everybody knows everybody's business The Best Man is non stop, full of quirky characters and lots of drama that is thoroughly entertaining.
 
I want to share my favourite line from the book. It really did make me "LOL"
 
"Yes. Levi Cooper was a sparkly unicorn of wonder"
 
It's not every day that you get to describe a man like that.
 
I lost myself in this fictional little world and I think you will too! 
 
The Best Man also touches base with an illness that affects so many people. Epilepsy. And it just so happens that today is Purple Day here in Australia. An awareness day by Epilepsy Action Australia. So what better day to post my review! 
 
 
So to purchase your copy of The Best Man go into and good book store or click on the following links:
 
To find out more about Kristan Higgins and her other projects check out the following links.
I know I will be!
 
 
Enjoy!


 

**COVER REVEAL** Hard As It Gets by Laura Kaye

 
 
Hard As It Gets
(Hard Ink #1)
by Laura Kaye
Expected Publication: 26th November 2013
Published by: Avon
 
 
 
Tall, dark, and lethal...

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome-pure catnip to a very jaded Nick. He's left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander's daughter. Loyalty won't let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge...
 
 
 
 

 Pre-Order links:

 

About Laura Kaye:

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.


 
 
 



HAPPY READING!!








Sunday, March 24, 2013

COVER REVEALS: Few Are Angels & Awakened by Inger Iversen

 
 
 
Few Are Angels
(Few Are Angels #1)
by Inger Iversen
Released: 28th May 2012
 
 
 
After a fatal hit and run accident, Ella Monroe fears that she’s lost more than her beloved parents. Horrifying visions of a past life and a disturbing voice in her head have psychiatric professionals convinced that she’s lost her sanity as well. But when Kale--a dark and handsome stranger with a mysterious past--reveals the true meaning of her visions and the tremendous power she wields through them, Ella must come to terms with the devastating truths of her own past, while eluding an ancient Dark Prince who seeks to control not only her future, but all of mankind’s, by means of abilities that Ella is only beginning to understand.

Enter the shrouded world of an age old battle between an ancient race known as the Immortals and their bitter enemy Laurent, the so-called Dark Prince, who commands an army of half-breed vampires known as Chorý. Both sides have been desperately searching for the prophesied emergence of the Arc, a clairvoyant with unparalleled power to recall the past and a soothsayer with clear vision into the future.

The Council of Immortals has sworn to protect the Arc, whom they have identified as young Ella Monroe, a college freshman from Virginia living quietly and unaware of her powers or her past. But a renegade Chorý has other plans for the protection of a girl he has loved through the ages. Can Kale convince Ella of who she is, what she is destined to become, and what he once meant to her? Is he truly the best protector to shield the world from the devastating misuse of her powers that Laurent is bent on controlling? Or will the forbidden love they share and Kale’s cursed condition as a wretched and hated Chorý be used against them both?

This paranormal romance told from the heroine’s perspective builds in intensity and intrigue to a finale you won’t see coming. Heart pounding action mixed with heartwarming friendships and heartbreaking romance will leave you breathless and begging for more.
 
 
 

 
Buy Links


 
 
 
 
 
Awakened
(Few Are Angels Book #2)
by Inger Iversen
Released: 22nd February 2013

 
What must he overcome to protect her?

With no clue of what to do next and the responsibility of looking after Alex and Mia as promised, Kale is up to his ears in problems and no solutions. How will Kale save Ella, keep Alex and Mia safe, control Jace as well as control the Bloodlust that creeps beneath the surface waiting to be released? Will Kale be Ella’s savior or will he convict her to a fate worse than the one Laurent has already promised her?

What truths will she learn?

Ella knows that the choices she makes affects not only her but everyone else around her, but what about the choices made to find her? Ella learns the truth about the death of her parents, learns that the ones she thought she could trust aren’t so trustworthy after all.
How will Ella handle these betrayals, and will she be able to sacrifice what is necessary to obtain eternal life?
 
 

Buy Links
 


 


About the Author
 
 
Inger Iversen lives in Virginia Beach with her tree-hugging boyfriend Joshua and her overweight lap cat Max. When not reading or writing she spends her time watching reruns of True Blood or killing zombies in Call Of Duty.


**The covers are just gorgeous!**
 
What do you think of the new covers??
 
HAPPY READING!!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Witch Weigh Blog Tour: Spotlight, Excerpt & Giveaway.

 
Welcome to the next stop on the Witch Weigh tour.
 
 
SPOTLIGHT!
 
 
Witch Weigh
by Caroline Mickelson
Published by: Bon Accord Press
Released: 24th April 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Comedy
 
 
Tessa Von Hellengaard is a real witch.
Magical spells aside, she’s snarky and selfish, and the other witches in her silent spell coven are fed up with her. Their plan to reform Tessa involves taking away her magic, saddling her with one hundred extra pounds, and sending her to a weight loss spa. For good measure they call in Liam Kennedy, a charming and sexy fairy godfather, to teach her some manners. Desperate to regain her magic and determined to shed the weight, Tessa soon realizes that protecting her heart from Liam will prove to be her greatest challenge.
 

                      
                                                      Buy Links:



 




About the Author

        Caroline Mickelson loves her family and loves to write.
She also loves a good adventure, among her favorites thus far were attending graduate school in a Scottish castle, riding a camel around the Pyramids in Giza, and taking a best in a life time road trip to Graceland. Caroline lives in the American southwest with her husband and their four children, affectionately known as The Miracles.








Excerpt
 
“I do have one question.” She twirled her beer bottle as she spoke, without taking a second sip. “If you’re my fairy godperson, aren’t you supposed to grant me three wishes?”
 

He laughed. He couldn’t help it. She was so clueless.
 

“No, that would be a genie, a different game altogether.” He took one last swig of beer and set the empty bottle on the table. “But, just for the sake of conversation and getting to know each other, tell me what your first wish would be if I were your genie.”
 

“You’ll do it?”
 

“If I can. Go ahead, your reasonable wish is my command.”
 

Tessa suddenly looked as satisfied as a cat with a canary’s feather in its teeth.
 

“I wish you’d take off your shirt.”
 

That certainly wasn’t what he was expecting to hear. Contessa Von Hellengaard was a witch in a million. Someone at Fairy Godmother Inc. had done him a good turn indeed when they’d assigned Tessa’s case to him. Of course, they’d likely just wanted to pass the buck after reading her file.
 

He stood and pulled his t-shirt off over his head.
 

The look on her face was priceless.
 

He watched her eyes wander over his body. He didn’t feel the least bit self-conscious. Not after the hours he put in at the gym every morning. It was actually nice to have his hard work appreciated.
 
“Turn around.” Her voice sounded far less imperious than usual.
 
He did as she bid. He knew what she was after and it wasn’t her first fairy experience between silk sheets with him. She was looking for wings.
 
He was more than happy to give her an eyeful.

 

GIVEAWAY
 
1 $50 gift card to winner’s choice of either Amazon or Barnes & Noble
10 Print copies of ‘Witch Weigh’ these are open to US only
10 ebook copies of ‘Witch Weigh’
 







Thanks for stopping by!
 
HAPPY READING!!
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