Sunday, September 4, 2016

Sunday Post #68 and Stacking the Shelves September 4th, 2016

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted  @ 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.  Last two weeks were busy, so I didn't get one done last Sunday, so this will be about the last two weeks.

 Last two weeks on the blog:
It was kind of a busy two weeks.  I did get my two reviews a week goal met.  I got my End of the Month post done, as well as my Discussion Post for the month. I also started the sign ups for my annual September is for Sequels Challenge, I'd love to have someone, anyone join in!  This will be the first year I haven't had anyone join in.  Even my first year starting it I had people.  So go HERE to sign up!  I've started my first sequel for the challenge, making pretty good progress with it I think.  Since school has been back in I haven't gotten to walk three times a week as easily.  Although with a 3 day weekend this weekend, I've gotten the 3rd time in for last week. And I bumped the 3 miles up to 4. Which I'm going to try to keep getting my 3 times a week in, but do 4 miles each time.  And it's September, so I'm getting so excited for NOLA  Story Con at the end of the month!!!

 Coming up this week on the blog:
  • Reviews:  Calendar Girl Vol. 2 by Audrey Carlan,  Lead (Stage Dive #3) by Kylie Scott
  • Cover Reveals:  Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend by Kay Marie, and Match Fit by Amelie S. Duncan
  • Possible Swoon Thursday
  • Possible Top 10 Tuesday - something to do with TV shows, either my all time top, current top, or new tops
  • Possible Waiting on Wednesday
  • Possible reviews:  The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, His Every Need by Terri L. Austin, Inclusions by Emily Duvall, Moonlight on Nightingale Way (On Dublin Street #6) by Samantha Young, and Redeeming Trust (sequel to Broken Trust) by Michelle Sodaro
It'll be a nice short week thanks to Labor Day.  So  I'm looking forward to that.  As I mentioned above I'm going to try to do 4 miles on each of my 3 days at the gym.  I'm going to try really hard to get some reviews done and double up on those posts to hurry up and get going.  I'm also hoping to really get some more writing done, especially to get ready for NaNoWriMo, hoping to get more outlining, etc. done.


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is a way for us to share the new books we have collected.  I have a ton of free/cheap ebooks since the last time I did a Sunday Post, but I've narrowed it down to just the past week's, and even that will still be a lot.  I do have three physical books to share as well.  

Physical books:


So the books above are all from two weeks ago.  On the left picture they are all ones I got for free.  I won the Weregirl from a Goodreads giveaway.  The 2nd one was from a publisher that had reached out and asked me to review.  Something in Between was at the bookstore where I work, and I picked it up, although mainly to see if anyone wants to trade something I want for it.  The books in the picture on the right are ones that I purchased.  They were having a really good deal on coloring books at the bookstore last week, so I chose to get the dog one that you see. The other book, Charged, I bought after I finished listening to the audiobook.  I should probably have waited so that I could have bought it in New Orleans to get it signed, since I can't bring as many books I thought I could bring to NOLA Story Con.

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The Other Boy is an ARC I got from a Shelf Awareness post.  Naming the Stars is one that I got from a publisher requesting me to do a review.  Now, my big excitement for the week is the book below:

This book, this ARC!!!!!  When I got the email from Hannah at Irish Banana Book Tours, and I read that there would only be 10 physical ARCs available, I immediately promised my first born child to get a copy of this.  (In case that seems in poor taste, just realize that I cannot have kids, so yeah...)  And when I opened the package and found this inside, I was soooooo happy!  I love this series!!  Not only that, I think this will be the first book series that I will have copies of all the books in the series' ARCs.  I still pick this up and pet it and can't wait till it is the day I have planned to start reading it.  

E-books/galleys for review:
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The first two I got requests to review. The third one I am part of a book tour for, and while I'm not planning to review it, I was sent the information to get the egalley just in case I still wanted to.

Free or cheap e-books:
Now, again, this is going to be a lot.  And while normally I only get free ones, there are a few I had to grab because they were part of a series and I needed to finish it or read on.




























 Okay, whew!!!!  So many books again!  Maybe you'll find one or two that look good to you, and are still on sale.

So, tell me what you added to your shelves this week.

And don't forget to go check out my 5th Annual September is for Sequels Challenge and join in!


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Saturday, September 3, 2016

Cover Reveal - Elementals #5: The Hands of Time by Michelle Madow

Book Description:
Time is running out. War will be waged. Sacrifices will be made.


Months ago, Nicole Cassidy’s life was turned upside-down when she discovered that she was a witch descended from the Greek gods. She and the four other witches gifted with elemental powers fought all over the world—and in another dimension—to battle the supporters of the Titans and fight for the people they love.

Now the Elementals must stop Typhon—the most dangerous monster in the world—from rising, and seal the portal to the dangerous prison world of Kerberos. But they won’t be able to do that without facing their hardest decision yet… a sacrifice so great that it may be one they’re not willing to make.

Get ready for the stunning, action-packed conclusion to the bestselling Elementals series, with twists and turns that you’ll never see coming!

Release Date: November 25, 2016   

Amazon Link: mybook.to/Elementals5
 

Get Elementals 1 for FREE

Michellemadow_elementals_800px
Nicole Cassidy is a witch descended from the Greek gods… but she doesn’t know it until she moves to a new town and discovers a dangerous world of magic and monsters that she never knew existed.

Fill out the form to the right and then click the blue button to get your free book!



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About the Author:
Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook!
Connect with Michelle:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads
  
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Book Blitz and Giveaway - Last Chance: A Second Chances novel by L.P. Dover


Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel
Author:  L.P. Dover
Publication date: August 30th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
One last chance.
That’s all Luke Collins, local bad boy and motocross champion, has to not only find his redemption, but win back the girl he lost. He’ll stop at nothing to make her his, even if it means playing dirty.
Lara Jacobs doesn’t want her heart broken again and refuses to give Luke a second chance. After he left her after their one night stand, she ran right into the arms of her close friend, Grayson Moore. He’s always loved her, and he’s determined to make her see he’s what she needs.
However, in life nothing goes as planned and tragedy strikes. After a fatal accident nearly claims Lara’s life, she’s left inside a world she can’t remember. Her memories are gone, including those of the men vying for her heart. Grayson sees her loss as a possibility to forget her love for Luke, but Luke sees it as an opportunity to start over. All he wants is one last chance to show her that she’s the one he’s been in love with all along.
*** An updated version of One Taste (prequel to Last Chance) has been included at the beginning of the book with all new scenes. ***

EXCERPT:
“Why can’t I go in there and tell her I’m sorry? She needs to hear it from me.”

“No, she doesn’t because she won’t believe it. You need to do a lot more than tell her you’re sorry. Actions speak louder than words. And until you can show everyone you’ve changed, it’s best you stay away from her. It’ll only make things worse.”

“What if I go in there anyway?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t want to fight Evan, but I was getting desperate. I needed her forgiveness, for her to know I never meant to hurt her.

Evan huffed and closed his eyes. “You’ll have to go through me first. Lara doesn’t want to see you. She’s with someone else now.”

It was as if someone had sucker punched me in the gut, the air being ripped out of my lungs as I took the hit. Summer groaned and I glared at her. “Is that true?”

“Yes, but I don’t see how that is any of your business. She’s happy, so leave her be.”

“Fuck that,” I shouted. “I’m going inside.” I tried to push past Evan, but he blocked me. We faced off with each other, the tension rising.

Summer stepped between us with a hand on each of our chests. “Guys, this is stupid. You’re friends.”

I scoffed and backed away. “That’s where I beg to differ,” I said, glaring at Evan. “If our situations were reversed and it was Summer inside, I’d let you go to her. I would give you the benefit of the doubt and accept that you’ve changed. But you’re not going to do that, are you?”

Evan’s face softened and he sighed. “I would, brother, but this night is special for Summer and Lara. The last thing they need is you and Grayson battling it out. I have no doubt he’ll come after you if you go in there.”

I faltered, the anger welling in my chest. “Fucking Grayson? That’s who she’s with?”

“Can you blame her? He was there for her, after everything you put her through,” Summer said.

Peering down at her, I hoped she could see the determination in my face. “You tell her it’s not over. I’m not going to give up.” With those final words, I jumped in my truck and sped out of the parking lot. The thought of Grayson touching her made me so goddamn furious. I didn’t care if she was with him . . . I wasn’t going to give up.

Last Chance Teaser 6


Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.
She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.
Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed and Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, and her standalone novel Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.


GIVEAWAY!
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
  • $15 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Friday, September 2, 2016

August End of the Month Wrap Up Post

Okay, since my posts are always all about how I'm doing with my challenges, I wanted to  make sure to get everyone's attention over to my 5th Annual September is for Sequels Challenge and see if anyone wants to join in. There is a giveaway that goes along with it, and I see some people have entered, although they haven't posted a link to a sign-up post yet that I can tell, so not sure how they are entered.  You can check it out by clicking on the button below. Sign ups are open till September 15th, and it fits in with a lot of other challenges, like the one I'm doing, Series Enders, and then of course the TBR Pile could always tag along as well.

http://misclisa.blogspot.com/2016/08/5th-annual-september-is-for-sequels.html

Of course I'll let you know how well I did at my end of September post!


So, this month I didn't quite reach my goal of 11-20 comments, I think I only got 8 in.  I had an awesome partner though, but I think she ended up like me having too much going on to get all of them done.  I still enjoyed checking out Marilag's posts at Story and Somnomancy during August.  She even tagged me for a post that I need to do pretty soon!  I'll miss not having this challenge the rest of the year, but will look forward to hopefully participating again  next summer.


My August post had to do with the books that everyone loves, but I  just couldn't get into.  You can go chime in on the discussion if you want:  I'm Yes Then I'm No, I'm In Then I'm Out - Or The Beloved Books That I Just Couldn't Seem To Love.


Only one new to me book this month:

 

Nothing from my TBR pile this month. Guess I'd better work at rectifying that!


I got one, although not sure why I didn't include it in last month's wrap up post as I actually did it then.  But I'll share it  now!  My score is still 70%.


Okay, let's see how I did about completing this challenge.  I needed 10 more, but I only got 5 from the list done.  However, since the goal was basically to read 20 books this summer,  I've added 5 more that weren't on my list to complete the goal.



I've got a couple to share this month!



Very quick, short, short version!


  • Still keeping up with not downloading from Edelweiss and Netgalley.
  • Still posting every day.
  • Didn't meet comment goal for challenge, and not as great with commenting once school started back up this month.
  • End of month post - check!
  • Still getting at least 2 reviews a week, although I'm still behind on reviews, I have at least 12 books sitting in a pile waiting to have reviews completed and posted, so may bump up to doing more than one review a day on review days, or combining them on days with other posts, just to try to get back on top of that.
  • I had money saved, but have had to pull from it a couple times to make it through the month, well, for things not necessarily needed. But I did get my carpet cleaned, and that was necessary.  Haven't done much with my new laptop.  Probably need to make that a goal.  
  • Walking goal of three times a week wasn't met every week, but I did get at least 2 per week. Being back in school has totally messed with that.  Had to get a new Fitbit, so am enjoying that as well!
Some statistics from the past month:
  • # of books read:  19 
  • # of full reviews posted on blog:  11
  • # of mini-reviews posted on blog:  10
  • # of DNFs:  4
Possible August TBR:
  • The Portal to Kerberos (Elementals #4) by Michelle Madow
  • Redeeming Trust (sequel to Broken Trust) by Michelle Sodaro
  • Torn (A Wicked Saga #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • Endless Night (The Arcana Chronicles #2) by Kresley Cole
  • The Giant (Quarantine #4) by Lex Thomas
  • Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L.  Armentrout
  • Swan Riders (Prisoners of Peace #2) by Erin Bow
  • Ice-Out (sequel to Frozen) by Mary Casanova
  • Like a River Glorious (The Gold-Seeker Trilogy) by Rae Carson
  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco and James Patterson
  • Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige
  • The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics
  • Legal by Bree Dahlia
Now that doesn't include all the ebooks I'll be fitting in as well, or any audiobooks.  NOt sure what all I'll be doing for that.  Speaking of which, I am off to the library website to pick out some new audiobooks for when I finish my current one!

How was your August?
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Three Novella Mini-Reviews

Okay, I've got some novellas that I need to review, and while I had planned to do them at different times, tonight I'm just going to get them done finally!  Trying so hard to get caught up on reviews.  So, here we go!


Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard:
Now, technically this is a book that contains two novellas, Queen Song and Steel Scars.  And actually, I'm only going to review the first one, because I couldn't get through the second one.









Queen Song:
Queen Coriane, first wife of King Tiberias, keeps a secret diary—how else can she ensure that no one at the palace will use her thoughts against her? Coriane recounts her heady courtship with the crown prince, the birth of a new prince, Cal, and the potentially deadly challenges that lay ahead for her in royal life.

This prequel novella was pretty good.  We got a good look at the Queen, although really it definitely didn't make me like her any more.  Maybe it's because I've already read Red Queen and know what she is like in there.  So I would recommend this though.

  

Steel Scars:
Farley was raised to be strong, but being tasked with planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected. As she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital, she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation—Mare Barrow.

I really tried, but I just couldn't get into this one.  I couldn't quite place the character with what I remembered about the first story, so it didn't work for me.  It is on my DNF list.




Castle Hill (On Dublin Street #3.5) by Samantha Young:
This was a good little novella, I definitely enjoyed the look at a moment we got a tiny snippet of in my favorite of the whole series, Before Jamaica Lane.  I won't give away what it is, I'll just say it was a good read, although I got really mad at Braden in this one.  This one they had an audiobook of to download from my library, so that's what I did!  Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

A Joss and Braden Novella

Braden Carmichael never imagined he’d fall as hard and as fast as he did for Jocelyn Butler. He also could not have anticipated how difficult it would be to convince her to give in to love. But now that he has her, he’s never letting go. He’s got it all planned—the passionate proposal, the dream wedding, the sexy Hawaiian honeymoon—even the perfect family they’ll start.

After trying to flee from her painful past, Joss is finally allowing herself to embrace the future. But when things start moving faster than she anticipated, she finds herself panicking over something Braden can’t understand. After everything they’ve been through, Joss is sure that their love can survive even her worst fears. But, this time, she may push Braden too far—and risk losing everything all over again…

As with every book in this series, including the other novella or two I've read, it was definitely something worth reading!
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Thursday, September 1, 2016

Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway - Scary Out There

Book info:
Title:  Scary Out There  
Author:  Various YA authors
Editor:  Jonathan Maberry
Genre:  YA Horror
Published:  August 30, 2016
Source:  e-galley from Edelweiss

ABOUT SCARY OUT THERE:
Multiple Bram Stoker Award–winning author Jonathan Maberry compiles more than twenty stories and poems—written by members of the Horror Writers Association—in this terrifying collection about worst fears.

What scares you? Things that go bump in the night? Being irreversibly different? A brutal early death? The unknown?

This collection contains stories and poetry by renowned writers such as R. L. Stine, Neal and Brendan Shusterman, and Ellen Hopkins—all members of the Horror Writers Association—about what they fear most. The stories include mermaids, ghosts, and personal demons, and are edited by Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker award winner and author of the Rot and Ruin series.

LINKS: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | iBooks

My Review:
I'm very grateful that I got to read this, as I am a fan of Jonathan Maberry, the editor, for one thing, and secondly because there were several other authors I really enjoyed who contributed to this scary story collection.   I have to admit, that being a fan of Stephen King, scary story collections are usually my favorite.  And overall, the majority of the stories in this collection did not disappoint.  Of course there were some that I enjoyed more than others, and one or two that just didn't work for me, but altogether it is a collection I will be highly recommending to people, including my high school students.  

Some of my favorites were the video game story by Brenna Yovanoff, The Doomsday Glass.  I'm not the hugest fan of video game stories, other than the two books by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One and Armada, but Yovanoff, a favorite author of mine, totally blew this first story in the collection out of the ball park.  Neal and Brendan Shusterman also wrote a pretty good video game story, the twist in it being that it was the parents who had been sucked into the video game instead of their kid.

 The Christopher Golden story, What Happens When the Heart Just Stops, was really good, and it left me hoping that maybe the author would take it and develop it into a longer story, there was so much more I wanted to know about this world.  Of course the RL Stine story was good.  

As I was finishing the book, there were two that stood out as favorites.  First was Kendare Blake's Chlorine-Damaged Hair, and Other Pool Hazards, which I could totally see made into a horror movie.  The second was Corazon Oscuro, by Rachel Caine.  There was a bit of a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, and I could definitely see it as a horror movie as well.

 Finally, the one by an author who I hadn't heard of before, Steve Rasnic Tem, that I liked the best was called The Boyfriend.  This book included clowns, or one main one, and it was reminiscent to me of when I first read about the clown Pennywise in Stephen King's It.  

 The majority of the ones that disappointed me or that I didn't enjoy as much were the ones that were prose, other than Ellen Hopkins of course, she knows how to do those.  And there was another author that is a favorite author of mine that had a story that just didn't quite grab me for a change, and that was the story by Zac Brewer.  It wasn't bad, just not as good as Brewer's past stories. 

About Jonathan Maberry:
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. His books have been sold to more than a dozen countries.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook




Giveaway:
  • 3 Finished Copies of SCARY OUT THERE (US Only)  
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
8/22: Life According to a Bibliophile - Review
8/23: Take Me Away to a Great Read - Mood Board
8/24: Never Too Many to Read - Review
8/25: Reading Is Better With Cupcakes - Guest Post
8/26: Bookish Lifestyle - Review

Week 2:
8/29: Kara the Redhead - Q&A
8/30: Here's to Happy Endings - Review
8/31: Books, TV, and More - Top 10
9/1: Lisa Loves Literature - Review - You are here!
9/2: The Irish Banana Review - Top 10 


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