INDIE AUTHOR GIVEAWAY HOP

Welcome to the INDIE AUTHOR GIVEAWAY HOP! This hop is being hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Krazy Book Lady. This hop is, you guessed it, a feature for indie and small press authors. There are apprximately 200 blogs participating in the hop. You can find each blog here.

Those of you who know me or this blog know that I have MAJOR love for indie or small press authors. And it was extremely hard to narrow down the choices of which books to offer. So here is what I am doing.

My prize is:
Winner's choice of books, up to $10, from Amazon. The winner can choose $10 worth of ebooks or a print copy. I will be gifting the prize, to be sure that it is an indie or small press book.

Although I am leaving the final choice up to the winner, I do have some suggestions!




These are, by no means, the only indies that I love. But I have read each of these books and truly enjoyed them.

How to enter:

• Enter the Rafflecopter entry form.
• You do not have to be a follower to enter, but that will earn you +2 entry points.

Good Luck and most importantly...HAVE FUN!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

TEASER TUESDAY

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
·Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

Jaden Sinclair knows he'll never amount to anything...so why would he deserve a girl like Priscilla Mendoza? Since last summer, things have been screwed up between Jaden and Pris. He knows it's his fault, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to go a few rounds with her new boyfriend. He also knows he’s the loser his dad calls him, but it doesn’t stop him from wanting her. After getting a huge bomb dropped on him, Jaden lashes out and lands himself in jail. Everything in his chaotic life is turned upside down and to make it worse, his mom kicks him out in order to side with his dad. Yeah, he’s totally a prize for a girl like Pris. Sebastian, Aspen, and Pris are all going places in their lives...and he knows he can't keep tagging along for the ride. The group has one last chance for The Epic Adventure they've been looking for: a road trip to New York, where Jaden's friends will be going to college. Unfortunately, the more time Jaden hangs around Pris, the harder it is to keep the carefully constructed walls between them so she doesn't find out what a train wreck he really is. When the trip ends, Jaden has to decide if he's ready to say goodbye to his friends, and the girl he loves. He knows what he needs, but will he be man enough to go for it? ~From GoodReads

My Teaser ~

"I have never, ever wanted to kiss her as badly as I do right now. Never wanted to feel her lips against mine with the force of the need surging inside me. With everything in me, I slam the door on all the other thoughts that plague me and I do it. My hand slides to the back of her neck and buries deep in her hair.
Then, my lips find hers. She tastes spicy. Feels perfect as our tongues play tag. Her hands squeeze my sides. Her scent surrounds me. There are no people, nothing except for her." (eARC, pg 116)


Expected Publication Date: TODAY!!!!

Review ~ A STIFF KISS

Who knew kissing a corpse would change everything? Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves. But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia's arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up? With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn't realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she's thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia's this time. ~From GoodReads

Xylia Morana is a unique girl, to say the least. Since her mother died, she has been fascinated by all aspects of death. She wonders the cemeteries, tries to sneak into morgues, works around those who are close to death. When her high school crush suddenly dies, Xylia decides to pay him one last visit in the morgue. But when she kisses him goodbye, she brings him to life, upsetting the balance between life and death.

So...I just didn't love A STIFF KISS. I thought the premise was cool, it reminded me of the show PUSHING DAISIES. It had a similar premise and a great, weird vibe. Xylia was funny and sarcastic. She was quirky and definitely odd. Landon was a likable guy. He's basically the high school athlete/popular guy that dominates much of the YA genre.

I found, though, that I had a hard time getting fully "into" the story. It just didn't pull me in and captivate me like I'd hoped it would. I found the first half to be a little slow going. After Xylia gives Landon the kiss of life, the story sort of stalled. It seemed that the characters were just in their head. I guess that should be understandable, given what had transpired with the kiss. I wanted them to get on with working through what came next. But I will add, that the last portion of the story did move much quicker. And A STIFF KISS had a nice resolution.

A STIFF KISS is a nice read for fans of paranormal young adult. More so for those who are looking for something a bit out of the norm. And although it didn't resonate strongly with me, I think there is definitely a lot of readers who would enjoy it.


Favorite Quote:

"But how can I ignore what happened? How can I pretend as though I had nothing to do with Landon coming back to life? Was I supposed to force myself to believe I hadn't been there, hadn't seen his dead body, and hadn't watched that body come back to life after I'd kissed him?" (ebook, 31%)


For an alternate point of view, here is a very positive review I found on GoodReads.

Published February 12th 2012 by Crescent Moon Press

You can purchase A STIFF KISS at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository



Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review.

Review ~ PURITY, by Jackson Pearce

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order. Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex. Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity. ~From GoodReads

Shelby Crewe made three promises to her dying mother. To always listen to her dad, to love as much as possible and to live her life without limits. She has spent the six years since making good on those promises, especially the last promise. But there's a problem. If she always listens to her dad, she can't live without limits. So Shelby has a "loophole" system. If her dad isn't specific about a rule, she can work around it. When Shelby's dad signs them up for the annual Princess Ball that will force her to make a vow of purity until marriage, Shelby only has one way around it. She must lose her purity before taking the vow. That decision sets Shelby up on a quest to find the right guy to give her virginity to, but she also discovers what she's lost in her single-minded goal of fulfilling her mother's wishes.

PURITY was not what I expected. I thought the story would be more of a closer look at Purity (or Princess) Balls. A cautionary tale of what happens when you let a group decide what's best for you and your body. For those who may not know, a purity ball consists of several vows, among those, vowing your "purity" to your father. I for one, think that's creepy. But honestly, while the question of the vow does play a big part in the story, I found the heart of PURITY to be Shelby's relationships.

While Shelby's mother asked her to keep the promises to her father to help them remain close, it actually caused a distance between them. I went into the story sure that I would dislike Shelby's dad. He does sign her up for a purity ball, after all. But as the story unfolded, I began to realize that he is simply lacking direction. He's not a bad guy at all, simply misguided. Shelby is a girl with strong conviction. Even if she's not sure that her decision is the best, she will follow through, no matter what. She is incredulous every step of the way, even questioning the pastor as to why boys don't have "Prince Balls". And I admire that Shelby wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and her body. Shelby's friends, Ruby and Jonas were simply brilliant. Ruby was a riot, a great relief for the drama. She continually pulled through for Shelby when needed. Jonas was Shelby's compass. He was always there, no matter if he thought Shelby was wrong. I enjoyed seeing their friendship unfold in new ways.

PURITY is a funny, thought-provoking story. I was charmed from the opening lines, and read it in only a few hours. I was surprised by the development of the story. OH! I can't go without saying: If you love the movie Sixteen Candles, you will love last few chapters of PURITY. Maybe it was just me, but I felt a "Jake Ryan standing at his car after the church" moment. If nothing else, that should seal the deal for some of you!


Favorite Quote:

(A funny moment when a friend was describing the sexual status of the HS band.)
" 'I'd also say most of the horn line has played the game, and the majority of the horn line has gone hot and heavy with a girl or two - usually from the woodwind section. People always figure it's the color guard, but seriously, it's the woodwinds you've got to look out for.' " (pg.47)

Published April 24th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

You can purchase PURITY at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository


Source: A finished copy was provided by the publisher for review purpose.

THE WEEKLY REWIND, #7

THE WEEKLY REWIND is a weekly post in which I recap the bookish awesomeness from the past week, and post a book haul. Warning: I tend to ramble in my vlogs. Sometimes I get excited about things and I flail. Enjoy.

Book Haul

Books Received:

• FALL FOR YOU (The Jane Austen Academy Series, #1), by Cecilia Gray
• GOT YOUR NUMBER, by Stephanie Bond
• HOW TO BUDGET: THE RICH MAMA SPENDING PLAN, by Andrea Stein
• MORTAL OBLIGATION (Dark Betrayal #1) by Nichole Chase
• STREAMLINE, by Jennifer Lane
• BECAUSE OF LOW (Sea Breeze, #2), by Abbi Glines
• INK EXCHANGE (Wicked Lovely, #2) by Melissa Marr
• THANK YOU NOTES 2, by Jimmy Fallon
• NIRVANA: THE DVD COLLECTOR'S BOX 

Awesome People:

• Stephanie Bond
• Nichole Chase
• Jennifer Lane
• Abbi Glines
• Autumn at Autumn Review
• Jessica at Hackaroo's Reviews

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PODMATES:

• Aptil at SimSational Books
• Jessica at Hackaroo's Reviews
• Autumn at Autumn Review

Posts:

• Blog Tour ~ ENTANGLED, by Nikki Jefford
• Teaser Tuesday ~ THE LAST PRINCESS, by Galaxy Craze
• Waiting on Wednesday ~ LOST IN WANDERLUST by Karina Halle
• Review ~ SWEETNESS (Bold As Love #1) by Lindsay Paige
• Review ~ THE LAST PRINCESS, by Galaxy Craze
• Review ~ REVIVED, by Cat Patrick
• Sexy Summer Saturdays #2 ~ HEAT RISES, by Alice Gaines

Thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment, and I'll come check out your blog. Have a great week

SEXY SUMMER SATURDAYS, #2

Sexy Summer Saturdays is a weekly post that Hackaroos Reviews, Sims-Sational Books, The Autumn Review, and The Bookish Babe created for fun, to challenge one other to add a little spice to our reading and to spread the word about sizzling summer reads.


This week's Sexy Summer read is another hot one. If you're under eighteen, you need to back away again this week. ;-)

Snowbound in a cabin . . . able to live out all her fantasies . . . Laura Barber has dreamt of doing unspeakably delicious things with Ethan Gould for years. Now, stuck in a mountain cabin, she just might get her shot. Ethan offers her the chance to live out each and every one of those desires. They may be rivals in the business world, but in the bedroom they're a perfect match. Knowing they have only a few days, Laura shakes off all her inhibitions. Every secret need, every lust-filled thought . . . it's all fair game. ~From Edelweiss

Laura and Ethan were college acquaintances. Laura spent a lot of her free time fantasizing (and fondling, *wink*) over the uber-hot Ethan. After Ethan rejects her drunken advances at a college party, Laura spent the rest of the time at university avoiding him. But she never forgot him, especially on lonely nights. So when fate, and a blizzard, lands them in a remote cabin hideaway, Laura and Ethan decide to make up for missed opportunities, and lost time.

I appreciated that the story didn't take forever to set up. I know that at approximately one hundred pages, the author couldn't waste time, but still, kudos. Laura and Ethan immediately get down to business, which is ultimate fantasy fulfillment, for the duration of the stay. When they leave the cabin, the two are to forget all the down and dirty that happens. Umm... nice in theory, I guess, but there's not even a slim chance that either one won't be using those memories for "future reference".

The smexy is good and plentiful. I mean, really plentiful. Ethan must have boundless "resources" because the man honestly seems to have a full tank, if ya know what I'm saying. The scenes are nicely set up, and the foreplay is good. The finish did seem to be a bit abrupt at certain points, but hey, it happens. ;-)
The story arc was a bit predictable, but that's fine. I did enjoy HEAT RISES. It was a super quick read and I will NEVER look at maple syrup the same way again. Mmmmm...

Since fire plays such a big part in the story, the song "FIRE" Babyface & Des'ree was on a constant loop in my head. I loved this song when I was a teenager and it's still bad ass.  Perfect "Love Making" Music. Enjoy.



For the record: I think Babyface's wife was stupid for leaving him for Eddie Murphy. Did you see the way he strums that guitar? Rawr.


Favorite Quote:

" 'What are we doing?' she whispered.
'What we should have done six years ago.'
'Oh God.'
'Praying won't do you any good, lady. This is going to happen.' "


Publication Date: June 5, 2012 by Avon Red

You can purchase CABIN FEVER at:
Barnes & Noble (only $1.99 for Nook)  |  Amazon ($1.99 for Kindle, $2.99 for pb)   |  Edelweiss  |  Book Depository (only $2.24)


Source: Received from publisher for review, via Edelweiss.

Review ~ REVIVED, by Cat Patrick

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life. A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger—and more sinister—than she ever imagined. ~From GoodReads

Daisy Appleby just can't seem to stay alive. She has died, literally, five times by the age of fifteen. Thanks to the secret drug Revive, and her ever-present family of agents, Daisy keeps coming back. But every time Daisy is Revived, she must relocate. That's never been a problem because she never puts down roots. When Daisy moves yet again and is befriended by siblings Audrey and Matt, she begins to finally feel like she's home. But when she starts finding clues that suggest the Revive Project has shady motives and methods, Daisy's new home and new life begins to crumble around her. Daisy determines to uncover the evil behind Revive to save those she loves, and herself.

Set in the present day, with a completely plausible premise, REVIVED was a cool ride from start to finish. I love a nice, thrilling mystery that is rooted in logic. The Revive Project is headed up by a secret division of the FDA. Nobody trusts those people, right? And seriously, we all know there are many "secret" divisions in the different federal departments. [Sidenote: My husband works for the US Gov.'t, not FDA. So I feel a little nervous saying that. :-) ]  So you could say, my inner government and theory geek was having a raging good time considering all of this.

I thought Daisy was an easy to embrace main character. She begins the story understandably detached from the world around her. It makes no sense to her to make friends, establish ties, when she may have to relocate at any time. Daisy begins her transformation when she meets Audrey. Audrey was like a bright, happy burst of life. The story instantly warmed due to her presence. I love the influence she had on Daisy. Audrey's brother, Matt, brings a happy change to Daisy's world. As far as book boys go, he was a nice addition. Matt was cool, thoughtful, and yeah, a hottie. But he also was very realistic. Matt isn't a robotic good guy. He has very real, and not always easy to take, reactions to Daisy and her secret. I appreciated that Matt wasn't Daisy's "puppy", always happy and easy to please. I loved Daisy's "dad", Mason. He was a genuinely warm parental figure and I could tell, even on paper, that he loved Daisy. Interesting tidbit: There is a transgender character. I haven't found many in the books I've read and it was handled very well.

Overall, I really liked REVIVED. The characters were engaging, the story was beyond cool. I loved author Cat Patrick's style. The flow and structure of her words made the story an easy, quick read. I did find that the pace lagged a bit in the middle portion of the book. The last portion more than made up for it, though. It was a crazy intense roller-coaster of action and emotion. And though I would enjoy more adventures with Daisy, I was glad to see the story neatly tied up. REVIVED, for me, was very enjoyable.


Favorite Quote:

"I feel like I'm drawing out his pain like venom from a rattlesnake bite and, for a few minutes, it makes me forget my own misery." (pg. 235)
Published May 8th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

You can purchase REVIVED at:
Book Depository  |  Amazon  | Barnes & Noble


Source: Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.