Blog Tour: Review - Keepers of the Zodiac by Sharon Wood

Keepers of the Zodiac by Sharon Wood 
Release Date: September 28, 2012
Publisher: Sharon Wood
Source: Gifted by author for Blog Tour stop
Links: Amazon / Goodreads

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: The stars have shifted and the Earth is rapidly moving into the throes of chaos. 
Four god-like beings known  as the Zodiac High Council, send their winged herald, Syrie, out with twelve sealed envelopes. His mission? To bring a chosen group of thirteen future Zodiac Keepers, including a set of mesmerizing twins, to the Isle of Oriba for training.
Syrie never would have imagined that he would fall in love along the way - ultimately forcing him to choose between betrayal and death.
Keepers of the Zodiac is an enthralling tale of obligatory fate, temporary hope, and impossible love.

         What attracted me to this book was its synopsis. I haven't really read anything like it before and then I was give a chance to read it for a blog tour. It was an easy and fast read and I really enjoyed the mythical feel to it. I feel like I should mention that while I really enjoyed the book, I had a hard time connecting with a lot of the characters. There are some really bratty teenagers in this book, yo. Maybe if we were given more time to get to know them and seen some character growth, I would feel differently towards them.

Syrie and Simone's romance happened a little too fast to be believable for me. It sort of came out of nowhere. I was really enjoying the book and on page 58, right after their second date, Syrie is telling the Zodiac Council that's he in love and he plans to marry Simone. Uh no. You don't each know her. And it might help if he tells Simone how he feels before making plans that include her without her consent and knowledge. But that's just me.

What I did see coming was that little plot twist at the end with Syrie and Raquel. Maybe not the same thing but I knew something was up. I did wish we were given more time with the Council and seen how everything comes together. But the cliffhanger at the end is very very interesting. I'm looking forward to reading the next book and I hope we get some answers.


About the Author: 
Sharon Wood is a married, mother of two boys. She was born and raised in Northern California, and attended college at San Jose State University, where she studied Marketing. A self-proclaimed Disney fanatic, Sharon enjoys collecting Vinylmations and talking about Disney related things to anyone that will listen. Besides writing, she enjoys playing and coaching volleyball, dancing, and reading. Keepers of the Zodiac is her first novel, and she is currently hard at work on he sequel.

Contact: Blog / Goodreads / Website

Book Blitz and Giveaway - All the Right Moves by Ever Leigh

 

All the Right Moves by Ever Leigh
Release Date: January 2013
Publisher: Ever Leigh
Links: Goodreads / Twitter / Website

Book Summary: Life for Lilah had become too predictable. Convinced she needs a bit of a challenge and change of pace in her life, she moves away for college and embarks on a new journey of self-discovery.

A college town, new friends, a new romance with a mysterious older guy that may prove to be an even bigger challenge then she bargained for!

Note: Not suitable for younger readers. Contains mature content including sexual situations.

Giveaway time!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Quotes (#15)

I do this a lot more than I care to admit.

Morning Lovelies,

I hope all of my American friends had a nice Thanksgiving and everyone had a good weekend.

"After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations." - Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance

"Words were not given to man in order to conceal his thoughts." - Jose Saramago

"What a blessing it is to love books as I love them;- to be able to converse with the dead, and to live amidst the unreal!" - Thomas Babinston Macaulay, The Selected Letters of Thomas Babington Macaulay

"I don't want to repeat my innocence. I want the pleasure of losing it again." - F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise

"Books are uniquely portable magic." - Stephen King, On Writing

Have a great week, Swooners!

Waiting on Wednesday (#14)

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:

Flowers in the Sky by Lynn Joseph

Expected Release Date: March 5, 2013

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Nina Perez is faced with a future she never expected. She must leave her Garden of Eden, her lush home in the Dominican Republic, when she's sent by her mother to seek out a better life with her brother in New York. As Nina searches for some glimpse of familiarity amid the jarring world of Washington Heights, she must uncover her own strength. She learns to uncover roots within foreign soil and finds a way to grown, just like the orchids that blossom on her fire escape. And when she is confronted by ugly secrets about her brother's business, she comes to understand the realities of life in this new place. But then she meets him - that green-eyed boy - who she can't erase from her thoughts, the one who just might help her learn to see beauty in spite of tragedy.

From the acclaimed author of The Color of My Words comes a powerful story about a young girl who must make her way in a new world and find her place within it.

Book Blitz and Giveaway - Breathe Suzanne Cox

Breathe (Atlantis #1) by Suzanne Cox 

Published: October 22, 2012

Publisher: Suzanne Cox

Links: Amazon / Goodreads

Synopsis: 17 year old science prodigy, Laney Brookes, is looking for two things: a cure for the flu virus that's ravaging the world and the truth about what happened to her father. Using clues from her father's secret journals, she and her two friends Kate and Carter follow what she think is the path to the answers.

It's a path that lands them in the lost world of Atlantis, a world struggling to survive. Laney finds more than just answers in Atlantis. She finds love. TO get her friends and herself home, Laney will have to travel into enemy territory, led my Andrew a young Atlantean determined to return his people to power. In the process, she'll even unravel the mystery of her missing father. But first, she'll have to figure out who the real enemy is.

Giveaway time!

US only

• (1) Copy of Breathe & (1) Marked.
• Sparkly nail polish that coordinates with the book cover.
• A stoneware necklace with concentric circle design from Breathe by Kaatee art.
• Metal bookmark.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author's Bio: I remember writing my first story when I was about nine or ten years old. I've been writing ever since. In 2002 I decided to seriously try and get some of my word published. On February 14th, 2005 I sold my first book, A Different Kind of Man, to Harlequin Superromance. While trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, besides a writer, I went to college (a lot) and worked a variety of jobs. I have a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in secondary education, a bachelor of science in nursing, a master of science in career and technical education with an emphasis in adult education and most recently, a master of science in nursing as a family nurse practitioner. I was also a National Board Certified Teacher in career and technical education. Along the way, I've worked as a high school English teacher and an elementary teacher. I've worked as a registered nurse on a cardiac unit, brain injury rehab unit, and several different medical-surgical units. I've also done stints as a home health nurse and a community health educator at a hospital, and many years as a allied health instructor at a high school career and technology center. Presently, I'm working full time as a family nurse practitioner at an inpatient psychiatric facility.

If I'm not writing I like to spend time reading. My husband and I share our home with our four legged children. Our boy and girl in puppy dog clothes, Toby and Sassy, who masquerade as Miniature Pinshers. We are also owned by three cats, Chase, Jackson, and Spots. We are all terrorized by Gray Kitty, a stray who decided to stay and take over.

Contact: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Quotes (#14)

(source)

Morning Swooners! So pretty, isn't he? Show of hands, who have seen Breaking Dawn Part 2? *raises hand* I loved it. I may or may not have liked it a lot more than the book. And, this may not win me any friends but, I wished it would have ended the way it "did." Sorry! *ducks*

Let's get on with the show.

"I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally." - W.C. Fields

"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody - no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they've got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds... Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe." - Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol.5: A Game of You

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." - Saint Augustine of Hippo

"Write what you know. That should leave you with a lot of free time." - Howard Nemerov

"Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis." - Zig Ziglar, Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World

"The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as small fire makes a small amount of heat." - Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

"Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible." - Doris Lessing

Mini Review: Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi

Roar and Liv (Under the Never Sky # 0.5) by Veronica Rossi
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Personal Copy
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / Harper Collins

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:  Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital - and more brutal - than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

Set in the harsh but often beautiful world of Veronica Rossi's "unforgettable" Under the Never Sky (Examiner.com), this captivating prequel novella stands on its own for new readers and offers series fan a fascinating look into the character of Roar. Poignant and powerful, Roar and Liv is a love story that will "capture your imagination and your heart." (Justine on Under the Never Sky).

         I'm not exactly sure what I expected from this novella but I was so surprised by this one. Roar is unbelievable swoony and I about died as he talks about how much Liv means to him. I never would have pictured Roar to be this lovey, sensitive, sweetheart of a guy. Here are some of my favorites scenes:

With Liv, there is always something unexpected, but not the way she makes me feel. That never changes. One kiss and I'm hungry - starved for of her...

~B&S~

"Do you think it's about us?" she asks after a moment.

"Yes"

"You do?"

I shrug. "You're part of me, Olivia. Anything that involves you is always about us."

~B&S~

My ambitions aren't grand. All I have ever wanted is to be there for the two people who mean everything to me. Maybe that's a small goal to others, but it's always felt like enough.

~B&S~

I step toward her and find her hand. "I understand the risks, Liv." I glance toward camp, thinking of the friend I might lose. "And I'm willing to take them. For you. For us. I choose you. Above everything else, I choose you."

Sigh. Love it. Reading this novella definitely give us more background information on Under the Never Sky. It made me even more excited for when Through the Ever Night comes out in January. Less than two months!

Book Blitz and Excerpt - Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman

Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman 

Release Date: November 13, 2012

Publisher Henry Holt and Co.
Links: Amazon / Goodreads

Summary: Meet Erin. Smart student, great daughter, better friend. Secretly the mastermind behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. Totally unaware that her carefully constructed life is about to get crazy.

It all begins when her ex-best friend sends her a letter to her blog - and then acts on her advice. Erin's efforts to undo the mess will plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance. 

What's a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like: You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life.

Book Excerpt:

Video Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Source: Personal Copy
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

My Rating: 4.5 stars (Goodreads Rating: 5 out of 5 stars)

Book Synopsis: Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can't.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren't.

She couldn't  imagine that after everything she's been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She's wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

So, I had a bit of a problem. I wasn't supposed to read this book until later on this month but it been beckoning for me to read, so one I picked it up, I read this in two days. Now, the only problem was that I had no idea how to write this review. I had no way to putting words together that would make sense and so I decided to have my friends join me in reviewing the book. And so, we recorded ourselves talking and flailing and swooning over The Evolution of Mara Dyer.

Beware: There will be lots of swooning and fangirling and giggling.

Part 1- The One Where We Fangirl all over the book

Part 2- The One Where We Discuss Mara and Noah

I hope you guys enjoyed our little discussion. I know we had a lot of fun. I do want to thanks Nahomi and Daisel for putting up with me and my last minute ideas and whims. Love you guys!

Swoon Thursday

A weekly meme from YA Bound.

From the book you're currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What  got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog. The awesome girls over YA Bound and I want to know!

Hi lovelies, I decided to try this meme today and if I like it enough, I'll continue doing this weekly. Here's what I'm swooning over this week:

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin.

"Fuck seventeen." His eyes and voice were defiant. "If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If I were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one."

I mean, seriously? If that doesn't make you run to your nearest book store and pick up a copy of The Evolution, then I don't know what I did wrong. But do stop by tomorrow to see my review of The Evolution of Mara Dyer. It definitely something you haven't seen yet.

What has you swooning?