Stacking the Shelves (#14)

Stacking the Shelves, which is hosted by Tynga's Reviewsis all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This mean you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course, ebooks.

Hello lovelies,

For this week haul I have some freebies and giveaway prize, some that I have bought, and a review copy. Here they are...

The freebie:
Cold Kiss (Cold Kiss, #1)
(source)

The one that I bought:
Inbetween (Kissed by Death #1) by Tara A. Fuller 
Inbetween (Kissed by Death, #1)
(source)

I got this one from NetGalley:
The Future We Left Behind (Point 4, #2)
(source)


I won this from Epic Reads:

That's it for me, what did you add to your shelves?

descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Review: In His Sights by Tina Beckett

In His Sights
(source)
In His Sights by Tina Beckett
Release date: August 27, 2012
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: Carina Press through NetGalley

My rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars (Goodreads: 3 out of 5 stars)

Summary (from Goodreads): "During a hostile situation at the American embassy in Angola, Special Forces officer Cole Scalini is ordered to take out a suicide bomber and rescue a hostage. Simple enough for a sniper with his training, until he realizes that the woman in danger is neither a random nor a typical victim. She's pregnant.

Callie Nascimento is carrying her sister's baby as a surrogate when she discover her sister was killed under suspicious circumstances. Now Callie's become a target. Her only hope for survival is a rebel of another kind, a handsome loner of a military man who's risking his life to save her.

As Cole strives to keep Callie safe, fighting the terrain and terrorist attacks, his respect for her grows. She's strong, capable and sexy as hell. But before he can explore if their attraction is something deeper, he has to get her safely back on U.S soil. Because the enemy is much closer to home than they realize."

The concept of the story was what caught my attention and so I was very happy when I got approve for this title. I love stories that deal with the military, a little bit of action and if you add a hot soldier into the mix, you have my attention. I found the story enjoyable but to quite honest, I found that I didn't care much for either the hero and the heroine, Cole and Callie.

We learn that Cole was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and that he can never sit still and is very impulsive. He doesn't believe in psychiatry and he uses his impulsiveness as an excuse for why he can't have a relationship with a woman. Callie is a surrogate for her late sister and her husband. She is a psychiatrist and for most of the book, I was too irritated with her that I ended up not liking her.

Currently Reading - Confessions of An Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Morning lovelies,

        I hope everyone is having a good week. I wanted share what I am currently reading. At the moment I am reading Confessions of An Angry Girl by Louise Rozett. I received the galley from Harlequin Teen through NetGalley. I'm really enjoying it so far and I can't wait to finish and share it with you guys.

Have a great day!

descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Waiting on Wednesday (#8)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Morning swooners!

This week pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is:

Expected Publication date: October 2, 2012

Breathe (Breathe, #1)
(source)

Summary (from Goodreads): 
"Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe...
The world is dead.
The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alina
has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hope he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two day's worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?"

That's my pick for this week, and I can't wait to read it. What are you "Waiting on?"

descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Currently Reading - In His Sights by Tina Beckett

Hello lovelies!

        Right now, I'm currently reading In His Sights by Tina Beckett. I got this title from Carina Press through NetGalley. It was released yesterday, the 27th of August. I'm almost at the half-way point and so I hope to be done by the end of the week. Be on the lookout for my review in the next week or so.

Have a good one, lovelies!

descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Teaser Tuesday (#6)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) "teasers" sentences from somewhere on that page
  • Be careful not to include spoiler! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teasers. 

Morning lovelies!

This week is: 

In His Sights"His hands moved up her back, despite the fact that he'd called them back to his sides. Insubordinate." ~ pg 105 of 232, In His Sights by Tina Beckett

"He deepened the kiss to almost savage proportions. He recognized the need to control her for what it was: the desperate attempt of someone who too often felt completely out of control." ~ pg 106 of 232, In His Sights by Tina Beckett








That's it for this week. What are teasing today?

descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Review: Few Are Angels by Inger Iversen

Few Are Angels (Few Are Angels, #1)Few Are Angels by Inger Iversen     
Published: March 23, 2012
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Gifted by author

*This ebook was given to me by the author for reviewing purposes. It did not influence this review in any way*

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Summary (from Goodreads): "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 her 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 Chory. 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, who 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 Chory has other plans for the 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 cursed condition as a retched and hated Chory 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."

I was asked by the author, Inger Iversen, to review this book and after providing me the book and reading the synopsis, I was immediately intrigued.

Ella has been dealing with the tragic death of her parents as well as hallucinations that caused her to be hospitalized. The author did a great job in portraying Ella's grief and confusion in dealing with her parents' death and in one of her monologues, Ella expresses how she feels so alone. Ella has no close living relatives and she now lives with her parents' best friends. I felt so much sympathy for Ella and her loneliness. You can feel her sadness and loneliness seep through the pages and that's a job well done from Ms. Iversen.

My only complaint of the novel were with Ella and how she reacted to what she was told. Sometimes her reactions gave me a whiplash. She would demand the truth and when told, she would get mad. There was a scene in which Ella ask Kale to use his seduction on her and in return all she did was get at him for doing something she asked him.

I will say that Ella and Kale have a very interesting history; I was very surprised at how intricate it was. Although there where times were I was confused with how Helene and Kale ended up where they did. The storyline of Helene, Kale and the Dark Prince was so spread out throughout the novel, that it just confused me.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series; I need to know what happens. However, with the way things ended, I have my suspicions of what will happen next.


descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Author Interview: Inger Iversen

Morning lovelies!

I'm happy to welcome author Inger Iversen to Books and Swoons today! I read her novel Few Are Angels which I enjoyed and I'm looking forward for you guys to get to know her.

1. What gave you the idea for "Few Are Angels"?

               I got the idea for Few Are Angels in a dream, but I was writing another book at the time so I ignored the idea. When Few Are Angels started hitting me in the form of daydreams, I knew that I had to get it out of my head and onto paper. It was really easy to write and at times I couldn't get my fingers to type fast enough.

2. What was your favorite part of the novel to write?

              I really enjoyed writing the scenes when Ella and Kale first kissed. It was exciting to write. Ella and Kale go through quite a bit in the series, so anytime where Ella and Kale got to know each other or spend time together was fun to write.

3. Do you have a favorite genre? To write or to read?

          I love crime mysteries and any YA books. My favorite mystery novelist is Karin Slaughter and my favorite YA authors are Shelena Shorts, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Elizabeth Chandler and so many more!

4. If you could coauthor a book with another author of your choice, who would it be?

         I would love to co-author a book with Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. She creates worlds that are beautifully unique.

5. Do you have a writing schedule or routine? Or a writing quirk?

        I have what I like to call "Hermit Mode" where I normally lock myself in a dark and quiet place and write. Luckily, my friends and family are really supportive and leave me alone when I'm in that mode.

6. A lot of authors create playlists in order to get into a certain mindset. Do you have a playlist and if you do, can you tell us who is on it?

          Yes! I love this question! I have a playlist for Few Are Angels and Awakened, the second book in the trilogy. I have a few of my favorite artists on the playlist and a few new artists. Some of the new artists include: Chairlift, The Ambassadors and We the Committee. Some of my all-time favorites include: Imogen Heap, Black Lab and Anberlin.

7. What made you decide to go the self-publishing route?

            I decided to go the self-publishing route because I didn't have the patience to send a manuscript and a query letter in and wait. I heard stories of some of my favorite authors getting rejected by big publishing houses and then using Kindle Direct Publishing and Upubit with Nook to publish their work. I'd heard that it was easy and fast, so I went that route. It is easy and fast, but there are still things that make me wish I would have gone the traditional route.

8. Are you working on anything new? If yes, can you tell us a little bit about it?

           After Awakened, the second book in the Few Are Angels trilogy, I'm going to release a new trilogy called, Ena's Wolf  and here's the synopsis:

Ena's Wolf: Blackwood v. Moon

When a man becomes a werewolf against his will, the man is not wholly damned until he tastes human blood. In that instant, his soul is damned and the eternal curse allows nothing to deliver his soul from the damnation of night. If the curse is placed upon him and he resists the call of human blood, his immortal soul will still be damned and he may never pass the gates into Heaven or walk upon holy ground. Only when the cursed is lifted shall his soul be freed.

The students of Hovsgrove High aren't letting the recent deaths of two students ruin their summer and why should they? It's not like the deaths are related or caused by an evil presence prowling in the night, right? Summer vacation before senior year was supposed to be one of the best times in Ena's life. Summer parties, cook-outs, hanging out at Mackie's - a pool hall in Hovsgrove -  with her cousin Vi and best friend T.W. was all ruined in a matter of minutes. The last day of school proves to be the worst day in Ena's life when she witnesses a student chased into the woods and killed by an obscenely large dog. After the "incident" the only thing that Ena gets to see for the first three weeks of her summer is the inside of her bedroom. When no body is found and Ena can't explain why she made up a story about a dog attack/murder, she ends up grounded and an outcast with the kids in school. Her only hope to salvage the rest of summer vacation after her three weeks prison sentence is over, is her cousin Vi and her best friend T.W. The energetic, smart-mouthed New Yorker Vi not only convinces Ena to sneak out to one of the best parties of the summer, but also convinces her to investigate the murdered student herself. Neither girl nor T.W. knows what is in store for them and as they start asking questions, they find out that there are missing teens that the residents don't know about. How could the HPD have missed this key information that a sixteen year old and her friends uncover in matter of days? Are the police really doing all they can to find the missing kids or is there something dangerously making its way through Hovsgrove and stealing teens in the night, without the fear of justice?  

9. This is a two part question: Ella, the protagonist, is not in the typical age in which Young Adult categorize their characters. Was that intentional? How do you feel about the new term Mature Teen/New Adult?

              Ella just turned nineteen and was in first year of college. I decided that because of the situations that I would place Ella in that I wanted her to be older than the typical 16 or 17 year old that are in most YA novels. I've seen sex on YA novels, but I was very uncomfortable approaching that situation with a 16 or 17 year old. I wasn't sure how far her relationship with Kale would go, but just in case I wanted her to be a more appropriate age. Some parents are very particular with what they will let their teens read and I didn't want some readers to be excluded because of the content of the book. I'm not saying Ella and Kale won't be intimate, but if they are, I think their age is a bit more appropriate.
Someone else told me that my book was in the New Adult genre and I think that's okay. I never really decided to write for any one particular genre or group of readers, but I knew that the book would placed in a category as books traditionally placed.

10. If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

            I have no clue, but I know that I would be happy. I enjoy writing.

And now for some fun questions!

1. If you could visit only one place in the world, where would you go?

          Greece! I would love to go to Greece. I hear it's beautiful. My father went when I was younger and brought back pictures and it looked awesome there.

2. Coffee or tea?

            BOTH please! I love a good cup of coffee in the morning and a good cup of tea. If I had to choose, I would choose tea. I love Chamomile Vanilla tea!

3. Favorite swoony boy? (Can be real or fictional)

          I love Patch from Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush and Wes from Shelena Short's The Pace. Both are are smart, funny and sexy!

4. Do you prefer hardcover/paperback or ebooks?

             I love paperbacks. I have more ebooks now, but I always buy my favorites in paperback.

5. What is your favorite sweet or dessert?

            Cupcakes! I LOVE Twister Sister's cupcakes!! They have awesome flavors like: Chocolate Noise Cupcakes, coconuts cupcake filled with a refreshing lemon curd topped with coconut buttercream and Peanut Butter Monster Brownie.

Few Are Angels (Few Are Angels, #1)
Inger Iversen was born in 1982 to Anne and Kaii Iversen. She lives in Virginia Beach with her overweight lap cat, Max and her tree hugging boyfriend, Joshua. She spends 90 percent of her time in Barnes and Noble and the other 10 percent pretending not to want to be in Barnes and Noble.






Be sure to stop by later on today and check out my review of Few Are Angels. 

descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Stacking the Shelves (#13)

Stacking the Shelves, which is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This mean you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course, ebooks.

Morning lovelies,

This week I added some pretties I've been anticipating to my review shelf. 

I got all of these from Macmillan through NetGalley.

The Shadow Society  Crewel (Crewel World, #1)  Dead Girl Moon

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Dead Girl Moon by Charlie Price

I also received these two for reviews for a book tour stop.


Catch the Sun by Lee Zamloch
Mahogany Slade by Stephen Robinson

That's it for this week. What did you add to your shelves this week?

descriptionAbout the Blogger
Jenn is a 23 years old, avid reader and who decided to try her luck on blogging. She enjoys reading Young Adults novels with swoony boys and with a twist. When she is not reading, she can be found watching The Big Bang Theory or watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls and Friends. Books and Swoons is her baby.
Follow Jenn on Twitter and Goodreads


Books and Swoons

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - The Eyes Die Last by Teri Riggs


Morning lovelies!

I'm excited to share with you all today that I am kicking off a tour for the book The Eyes Die Last by Teri Riggs. My first book tour stop, you guys! Squee! Anyways, on with the show.

Awesome cover, right?
The Eyes Die Last: The Last Vegas Mayoral race is heating up, and the incumbent doesn't have a prayer. Wealthy real estate speculator Nick Campenelli, who wants to legalize prostitution in Clark County, and former pastor Louis St. Louis, running on a 'clean-up-Vegas-by-getting-rid-of-the-whores' platform, are the front runners.

They're also front runners on the suspect list for a string of murders. Kennedy O'Brien, four-year detective with cop blood running in her veins, and her partner Wilder "Wild Thing" James, a veteran, are determined to find the man who's murdering prostitutes who work the wrong side of the street, and they don't care how important or politically active he is.

The killer is a man with a mission. He stalks the women before he kills them, leaving a "BEFORE" photo on their bodies, and sending an "AFTER" shot to the local news hound. Ed Hershey, an aging newscaster with just the right amount of grey in his hair, is determined to turn this story into a network gig, and his interference, along with the LVTVS legal team, are making Kennedy and Wilder look bad. Campenelli's good looks and charm, and St. Louis' vitriolic hatred of prostitutes are muddying the waters too, and now the killer seems to have taken a liking to Kennedy.


About Teri Riggs:

Teri Riggs was destined to be a writer.  As a small girl she didn’t read bedtime stories, she made up her own.  Who needed Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs when there were so many great tales bouncing around in her head?  When she grew up and became a mother to three little girls, she continued the tradition of making up bedtime stories.  On the occasions she chose to tell conventional fairytales, Teri usually gave them a bit of tweaking here and there or added a new ending.  Her girls loved it.

After her daughters had the nerve to actually grow up and leave home, Teri discovered she had a passion for writing and jumped right in.  It came as no surprise she chose to write mysteries and happily-ever-after’s since that’s the genres she loves to read.

Teri lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, one of her daughters and two dogs that seem to think they rule the world.  And some days Teri thinks maybe they do.

Teri still frequently tells herself stories as she falls asleep.  The only difference now is she wakes up the next morning and turns her bedtime stories into books.


You can find Teri here: @TeriLRiggsFacebook,and on Amazon

Giveaway:

Teri will be doing a drawing and will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to a lucky winner who orders a copy of The Eyes Die Last through Amazon during the book tour. In order to participate in the giveaway just leave a comment with your email and you'll be entered in the giveaway.

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour stops along the way! Just click here.

Happy Friday, Swooners!


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