Showing posts with label lgbqt. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Review and Excerpt Tour with Giveaway: The Impossible Vastness of Us by Samantha Young @AuthorSamYoung @InkSlingerPR

**From New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young comes a story of friendship, identity, and acceptance that will break your heart—and make it whole again. Order your copy of THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US today!**

**About THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US:**

“I know how to watch my back. I’m the only one that ever has.”

India Maxwell hasn’t just moved across the country—she’s plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It’s taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she’s living in one of Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods with her mom’s fiancé and his daughter, Eloise. Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister’s clique of friends, including Eloise’s gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.

But India’s not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school’s golden couple, aren’t all they seem to be. In fact, everyone’s life is infinitely more complex than it first appears. And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what’s left are truths that are brutal, beautiful, and big enough to change them forever…

Amazon US Hardcover | Amazon US eBook | Barnes and Noble | iBooks US

Amazon UK | Kobo UK | GooglePlay | iBooks UK | Kobo US

Add to your Goodreads

My Review:

My rating: 5 stars

Samantha Young has been one of my favorite authors since I first read her book On Dublin Street only a little over a year ago. From that point on I devoured her books, mostly through audio the first time. One of my all-time book boyfriends, above almost all others - probably top 3, Nate Sawyer, came from her book Before Jamaica Lane. While I was sent an egalley of this book to read and review for the tour, when I found someone willing to trade a physical ARC, I jumped on that chance since I had to have at least one physical ARC of one of my favorite author's books. The way she writes both the characters as well as the events in the story always leads to an emotional and memorable read. If I had not had any other responsibilities, such as work, this is one I would have read in one sitting. In fact I read it in about 3 sittings, as each time I was barely able to put it down for anything else. I read the last 100 pages in one sitting, at the park near my house, in my car, where I knew there would be no one to distract me from reading. And that last part of the book was packed full of tear-jerking scenes, where anyone who had seen me sitting in my car crying might have wondered just what was going on.

I feel all of the characters and most of the reactions were pretty realistic. There wasn't anything that was way out there, used just to create drama for the story. Honestly everything that happened was something that I could see happening in real life, or maybe had actually seen happen to others around me, or to myself. Nothing in the extreme bad things, just the way that people reacted to situations is very realistic to me. Even the mean girl, yeah, she was kinda a mean girl, and her friends knew it, and would call her on it. The reaction of people to finding out someone in their life was a different person then they'd been led to believe, that their very best friend had lied to them, well, it was pretty true to human nature. Young really had a great grasp on real life and how people interact. I'm so excited to finally have a book by her that I can definitely put in my high school library and share with my students. Hopefully alerting them to an author they will also fall in love with and pick up every book she writes from now on.

A wonderfully emotional story, showing that it doesn't matter what walk of life you come from, the things you keep hidden about yourself can be the same, and do affect you and the rest of your life just as much as they do anyone else.

Giveaway:

Signed hardback copy of THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US, Umbrella and Raindrop Necklace and Bubblegum Blue Fuji INSTAX for 1 Winner

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Samantha Young’s THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US – Review and Excerpt Tour

June 19^th

BookWorm221 – Review and Excerpt

Clare's Mad About Books – Review and Excerpt

Joyful Shimmy – Review and Excerpt

Little Red's Reviews – Review and Excerpt

Naturally Nerdy Books – Review and Excerpt

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book Boyfriends – Review and Excerpt

June 20^th

Beware Of The Reader – Review and Excerpt

Books For The Living – Review

Kindle and Me – Review and Excerpt

Melissa's Book Obsession – Review

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Promo Post: David Inside Out by Lee Bantle

Summary:

David Dahlgren, a high-school senior, finds solace in running with the track team; he's a fast runner, and he enjoys the camaraderie. But team events become a source of tension when he develops a crush on one of his teammates, Sean. Scared to admit his feelings, David does everything he can to suppress them: he dates a girl, keeps his distance from his best friend who has become openly gay, and snaps a rubber band on his wrist every time he has "inappropriate" urges. Before long, Sean expresses the thoughts David has been trying to hide, and everything changes for the better. Or so it seems.

The book was released last week, and the publishers and author would like to do a little bit of a fun thing with having these questions below answered, and then they're going to save the posts and answers for a time capsule. Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments. My answers will be at the bottom of this post.

In the novel David Inside Out, David grew up before the Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states. Though he was romantically drawn to boys, David never imagined that he could one day marry a man.

How his world would have changed when the Obergefell decision came down! The highest court in the land recognized the "equal dignity" of same-sex couples. David could now imagine a romantic life that included marriage. His identity was affirmed.

How did the Supreme Court decision embracing marriage equality affect you?

It would be great if this could be a forum where everyone of all stripes answered this question. We're going to save all your posts in a 2017 time capsule. Write your answers for posterity.

Personally, it didn't really affect my every day life. However, I have many friends who it made it possible for them to be able to marry the person they love, whoever they may be.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Review and Giveaway: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

Book info:
Title: Of Fire and Stars
Author: Audrey Coulthurst
Genre: YA fantasy LGBTQ
Published: November 22nd, 2016
Source: E-galley from Edelweiss and Irish Banana Tours

Synopsis:
Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.

Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine (called Mare), sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two work together, each discovers there’s more to the other than she thought. Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. Soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other

LINKS: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

My Review:
I haven't quite finished the book, but I can say that I am really enjoying it! I like the characters a lot. And the plot is really detailed and keeps me wondering where the story will go next. I like how the characters find out that they may be interested in each other, even though Denna is actually betrothed to the prince, Mare's sister. The book is told in alternating chapters between Denna and Mare. And while you can get the difference and know exactly who each chapter is told by, you can also see all the differences in them, and how they deal with the feelings they come to discover about each other. I am really looking forward as I mentioned above, to see where their relationship will go, as well as how it will affect the marriage and alliance between the two kingdoms. I hope to find out that the magic will become accepted, and the people will find who is causing all the violence. There is a woman who is causing issues with the kingdom, and I am interested to see if she is really behind it all, especially since she is really hard to like so far. I like the LGBTQ aspect, and how it seems so seamlessly to fit in. It's not just out there, to be in your face, like some books do. It seems just like normal life should be between people and a romance.

This is a book I will definitely recommend, and also purchase for the school library where I work. I hope to read more books like this in the future, as well as more from this author.

About Author:

Audrey Coulthurst writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. Her debut novel, Of Fire and Stars, will be published on November 22, 2016 by Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse.

Audrey has a Master’s in Writing from Portland State University, is a member of SCBWI, and studied with Malinda Lo as a 2013 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow. She lives in Santa Monica, California.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Giveaway:

3 Finished Copies of OF FIRE AND STARS (US Only)

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Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
11/14: What Sarah Read - Review
11/15: A Backwards Story - Mood Board
11/16: Addicted 2 Novels - Review
11/17: Caught Read Handed - Guest Post
11/18: Lisa Loves Literature - Review YOU ARE HERE!!!

Week 2:
11/21: The Irish Banana Review - Fast 5
11/22: IN WONDERLAND - Review
11/23: No BS Book Reviews - Q&A
11/24: Don't Fold the Page - Review
11/25: Arctic Books - Top 5

Monday, July 25, 2016

Promo Post and Author Interview: We Awaken by Calista Lynne

Book info:
Title: Awaken
Author: Calista Lynne
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
Published: July 14th, 2016
Genre: YA magical realism, LGBQT protagonist

Synopsis:

Victoria Dinham doesn’t have much left to look forward to. Since her father died in a car accident, she lives only to fulfill her dream of being accepted into the Manhattan Dance Conservatory. But soon she finds another reason to look forward to dreams when she encounters an otherworldly girl named Ashlinn, who bears a message from Victoria’s comatose brother. Ashlinn is tasked with conjuring pleasant dreams for humans, and through the course of their nightly meetings in Victoria’s mind, the two become close. Ashlinn also helps Victoria understand asexuality and realize that she, too, is asexual.

But then Victoria needs Ashlinn’s aid outside the realm of dreams, and Ashlinn assumes human form to help Victoria make it to her dance audition. They take the opportunity to explore New York City, their feelings for each other, and the nature of their shared asexuality. But like any dream, it’s too good to last. Ashlinn must shrug off her human guise and resume her duties creating pleasant nighttime visions—or all of humanity will pay the price.

Buy links:
Harmony Ink Press: https://www.harmonyinkpress.com/books/we-awaken-by-calista-lynne-399-b

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/We-Awaken-Calista-Lynne/dp/1634769953/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1466868261&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: barnesandnoble.com/w/we-awaken-calista-lynne/1123939010?ean=9781634769952

Author Interview:

1. What does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start? Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)? If you plan it out, how do you do that? Outline, note cards, post-it notes, etc.?

I am the outline queen, which is odd because I wasn’t always this way. The most important part of planning is writing up a list of scenes. My theory is that if I plan it all out and make a numbered list of everything that I know happens, I can just move on to the next number if I get stuck. It’s helpful for avoiding procrastination and writer’s block.

2. With your story being about a dancer, are you a dancer yourself? If not, how did you learn about the dancing world?

I wish I was a dancer! My only trysts into that community are the tap dancing lessons I took for a year in high school and the pathetic moves I break out at weddings. I study Drama & English and have worked in a few theatres. The drama and dancing community are closely intertwined in many ways so I was able to get firsthand experience and hear anecdotes, plus you can learn anything through research these days.

3. What made you want to write about the topic of asexuality?

I wrote the representation I wish I had growing up. So many young people feel broken because they don’t know what asexuality is and my goal was to prove that anyone can have a happy ending regardless of whether or not they feel sexual attraction.

4. Dreams play a big part of your story. I often have very vivid dreams that I remember. Do you remember your dreams? What do you think about dream dictionaries and their "definitions" of different dream topics?

As a child I owned a dream dictionary and while they’re fun, I don’t believe a word of them. They are helpful in thinking up symbolism for novels, though. I tend to remember my nightmares more frequently than other sorts but I don’t have them too frequently. Dreams have just always excited me and I love stories that involve them. My favorite book in elementary school was The BFG and I love the Sandman graphic novels.

5.
Favorites:
Books/authors/genres American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Actually, all his books. Also I’m partial to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Movies/TV Shows The Princess and the Frog. My favorite TV programmes are Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Fargo.
Music Broadway show-tunes get me going real good.
Food/writing snack Coffee and tea
Social Media Site Tumblr is a lot of fun for book photography. Twitter confuses me but I use it.

Author Bio:

Calista Lynne grew up on the American East Coast and is currently studying in London. She is having difficulty adjusting to the lack of Oxford commas across the pond and writes because it always seemed to make more sense than mathematics. Look for her near the caffeinated beverages.

Author links:
Tumblr: http://calista-lynne.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/calistawrites

Blog: http://calista-lynne.blogspot.com/

If you stop by the author's blog she's got a giveaway for an e-copy of the book open until the end of July.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Review: Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward

Thanks to Egmont USA and Netgalley for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title. As I go to write this review, I see that it may not actually be released until next February, even though I originally had it down as coming out in August. But anyway, I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. While it really was mostly about the relationships between the people in the story, it still had enough of the science fiction story tied in to keep it from being just about the people. And that is exactly how I like stories like this. It didn't get quite as much into the science of what was going on with the disaster, and while I also enjoy that with my science teaching background, I also think for some people it can drag a story down. So I think the author did a great job with balancing all parts of the story.

The main character is Lea. When the story starts she is in a cemetery with her best friend finishing up some headstone rubbings for a school assignment. They see blood just pooled up, as if it is coming up through a crack somewhere in the earth. But not that much. Just one location really. Soon after they each get home, the blood starts to cover the earth, and not just in Lea's town, but all over the world. At first it is just a think layer covering all the ground, but soon it gets deeper, and after that there seems to be something else that shows up in it, hair, human hair as determined by scientists. Following that, there are bones. And while the scientists don't seem to know what is going on exactly, at first they feel it isn't anything that will cause harm to humans. But even that changes when they suggest wearing respirators.

Lea has a crush on someone who isn't in her circle of friends, a girl named Aracely. While Lea is out and not worried about her sexuality, Aracely hasn't let people know yet. So far their relationship seems to be going really well though. But the blood and other things happening will, of course, put a bit of a hitch into it. First there is school being cancelled so that they don't get to see each other every day. And because Lea's parents know she is gay, they won't allow her to go over to Aracely's place without an adult there, or if she comes over, the door must stay open on Lea's bedroom. She also starts having problems with her best friend, again due to things that seem to happen because of the disaster going on. Lea's dad works at the local dam for the small town they live in, and so far, they are keeping it running enough to keep the power going for their town. But there comes a time when her father is unable to come back from the dam every day, he's working longer hours. And her mother seems to get a little extreme, boarding up all the windows and doors. Lea doesn't know whether it is to keep the dangerous people out, or keep them in.

Honestly, as I said, this was a very good story. I feel that the relationships were all very realistically done. I loved the relationship between Lea and Aracely, with each of their statuses being the way they were, it made a lot of sense how they each dealt with the things as they happened. Although there was one part later on in the story, when Lea is goofing around with one of her long time friends, a girl, and Aracely happens to see them with Lea kind of having her arms around the girl, and Aracely misunderstands what is going on. I feel like that was a little unrealistic, knowing how Lea was, and how she and Aracely really knew each other. But it fit in well to add some drama for the next part, so I guess it worked in that way. I think this is a great book to add to the growing list of teen LGBTQ books that are available. And I will recommend it as such. Also a great science fiction, apocalyptic type of story. And an ending that kind of ties things up, but is realistic with who doesn't make it, and how those that do make it are able to make it.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Book Blitz and Giveaway: How We Began Anthology

How We Began
Authors: Alexis Hall, Amy Jo Cousins, Annabeth Albert, Delphine Dryden, Edie Danford, Geonn Cannon, Vanessa North
Publication date: November 9th 2015
Genres: LGBTQ+, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult

How does love begin? A glance, a gesture, an unexpected offer of help from a stranger…or from a good friend. A smile across a counter at a coffee shop or video store. A secret revealed in a song from another place and time. Or in a love ballad crooned at a high school dance.
In this anthology of never-before-published sweet LGBTQ+ stories, seven authors explore the beginnings of love between young and new adult couples. All proceeds will support The Trevor Project’s work with crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble

EXCERPT:

TruNorth by Alexis Hall

We play the O3 in London.
       The crowd is amazing, filling up this vast dome. When there’s that many people, they look like coloured beads, shaken back and forth by these huge ripples of motion.
       They’re here for us. To see us.
       There’s something almost physical about so much excitement and anticipation and all this… I don’t know what else to call it except love. Surging towards the stage, beating against my body, as if it’s trying to push right inside me. I never know if I’m flying or drowning or dying.
       But when I’m here, when I’m on stage and my face is on the screens and my voice is everywhere, I don’t care.
       It’s weird because it’s not the sort of thing you can really seriously want or imagine wanting. It’s too big. Too impossible.
       But now I know what it’s like, I do want it. I want it so badly it tastes like blood in my mouth.
       We close with Something About You—our first number one.
       I wish you could see what I see when I see you
       Cos then you’d believe there’s no reason to doubt you
       You’d know how your smile lights up my world
       Because to me, oh to me
       There’s something about you.
       It’d been waiting for us after The Next Big Thing. All we had to do was record it. The video’s a bit rough around the edges. Not the video itself—it’s Glyde’s handiwork, so slick as slick as can be—but us.
       Still learning our parts.
       It’s effortless now, though. We know how to move and how to stand together. Whose arm should be flung across whose shoulder. Who keeps his hands in his pockets. Who tucks his thumbs in his belt.
       Max, Me, Oli, Rayan, Callum.
       All choreography, but it’s meant to look natural.
       Glyde calls it “coordinated anarchy”. Vigorous young animals having the time of our lives.
       He really does call us that. With this awful fondness.
       We’re doing it now. Running to the edge of the stage, waving, blowing kisses, swapping places, jumping past each other, coming together at last. I rest an elbow on Max’s shoulder, put my left arm round Oli. Rayan leans against him on the other side. Callum, on the far end, folds his arms. Close but not touching.
       We’re publicity-still perfect.
       We did good tonight. I know we did.
       Adrenaline sparks beneath my skin even as my breath slows and my heart calms. It’s a hectic, electric feeling, not quite like happiness. This moment when I blur so absolutely into who I’m supposed to be and everything else falls away.

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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Review: Willful Machines by Tim Floreen

First, thanks to Simon Pulse and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title. I really enjoyed it, and feel like it was a very unique type of story, with some themes that I'm beginning to see more and more of in YA. It was also a good science fiction story, and I really liked what we learned about how the robots worked.

The main character is Lee. Lee's father is the President of the United States. So he's got that to deal with. And he is going to a prestigious school that his father went to, as well as his grandfather. His grandfather is the headmaster of the school, and is a military veteran who is well-known for having had to kill his best friend in the enemy's prison and use his synthetic leg to get away and save himself. This is a future story, maybe not too far ahead. They have begun working and actually created a sentient computer. Only that computer, named Charlotte, went a little crazy and killed someone, Lee's mother. But somehow she escaped, into the World Wide Web possibly. And since that, Lee's father has been trying to get all kinds of laws put in place, defining what is a machine and what is human, but some of his laws are even taking back human rights, like women being discriminated against even.

Lee is having to deal with all of this, along with being a teenage boy, and being gay. But he has to keep it a secret, as it would probably cause problems for his father. He's always under surveillance, at least one member of the Secret Service guarding him every minute. And then, where we begin the story, a new student has arrived at the school. His name is Nico, and he seems to be interested in Lee. He seems to know Lee's secret, and flirts with him. Lee finds that he really likes Nico, and so takes many chances to be with him. But there are still dangers. Charlotte has threatened more terrorism, as bad or worse than her last one that destroyed the Statue of Liberty. And while Lee has always enjoyed working with robotics, like his mother, his creations have started to turn against him. So it seems someone, maybe Charlotte, has found a way to take them over and use them against Lee. And all along Nico also has a secret, one that could also cause Lee even more problems.

I really liked the story. While I kind of figured out Nico's secret pretty quickly, you probably will too, there were other things that were still surprises, and kept me reading to find out what exactly was going on. I loved all the little gadgets and robots that Lee had created. I really liked the relationship between Nico and Lee. It was playful and fun like any relationship between a boy and girl in a book, and I felt that was very realistic and wonderful to be able to read. I will definitely be ordering this book for my school library, and recommend it at the bookstore where I work. I look forward to reading more from this author.