Feature and Follow Friday {7}

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This week's featured blogs are Novel Reveries and Oh! Paper Pages.

This week's question is:

Who is your to-die-for book crush? What do you think they look like? Add an image to make us all happy.

My answer:

Wow, this is even harder than choosing my favorite book! I can't choose only one, so here are my top five:


Patch Cipriano from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
   Oh, the innuendos and witty comebacks. Do I even have to explain? Before, I would've said Steven Strait would be the perfect Patch, then I google-d pics of him and my brain just said "no".

 
Tobias "Four" Eaton from Divergent by Veronica Roth
   Who doesn't want a gun-wielding, knife-throwing badass with just four fears but is actually a tormented romantic? Swoon. Anyway, Max Irons was the perfect Four... until I started watching Teen Wolf and saw this guy *points to Colton Haynes on the right* in action. I was so thrilled when he followed Veronica Roth on Twitter and all, and I really hope he gets the role of Four in the movie.


Julian from The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
   First ever book guy to break my heart. Evil author is evil. And no pic because he's too perfect to be human.

Warner from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
   Yes, yes, he's a psycho and all but whatever, Juliette can keep Adam. I didn't have anyone in mind for Warner before this post, but I thought it through and came up with Evan Peters! If Warner becomes kind enough to smile like that, I'll just melt.

Last but definitely not the least, Alex Sheathes from Delirium by Lauren Oliver
   Alex, be mine? Let Julian keep Lena... Although I'm pretty sure Alex doesn't have a killer British accent, for me Benjamin Stone looks pretty darn like our favorite Invalid. (Stupid photo that I want to attach here won't show. Go google if you don't know him!)

And that's it! I had so much fun answering this week's question (because I love my book boys!). Leave a comment if you follow and I'll be sure to follow back. Happy Friday, everyone!

Off-topic: I have a giveaway going on HERE! Please go check that out :D

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: Stalk Me - Jillian Dodd

First, thanks for checking out my stop for this blog tour! I'm sure a lot of you would enjoy this book, so make sure to read it!

Title: Stalk Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #1)

Author: Jillian Dodd

Release Date: August 20th 2012

Publisher: Bandit Publishing

Pages: 365 (Kindle edition)

Source: ebook gifted from Amazon by the author

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | also available through iBooks 

(On sale for $0.99 up to Dec. 1)

Gossip Girl meets Hollywood in this steamy new series by That Boy author, Jillian Dodd. 

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She's popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most-coveted lunch table. 

She's just not sure she wants it anymore. 

Because, really, things aren't all that perfect.
Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.
Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.
It's exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.
And, deep down, she isn't sure if she has any true friends. 

To add to the drama, her movie star mom has a creepy stalker.
A hot, older man flirts with her and tells her they should make a movie together.
And she's crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating him would mean committing social suicide. 

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony.
But little does she know, there's someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen.

Beautiful prose, fast pace, exciting plot: these are what endears a book to its readers, but for me, it all comes down to whether I can put a book down or not, and Stalk Me definitely stayed in my hands from start to finish.

Keatyn Douglas was living the life she'd always wanted. She was dating the most popular guy and was in the clique with the rich and popular kids. She should have been happy to be living the life she'd scripted, so why wasn't she?

Honestly, I didn't like Keatyn. All she seemed to worry about was getting laid, and she wasn't too good at looking out for herself. Also, I felt like she was such a hypocrite, saying all Vanessa, her best friend, cared about was popularity when really, she worried about that, too, only she didn't want to follow Vanessa around anymore. And don't even remind me of her thoughtless actions. 

I thought she was going to start redeeming herself after breaking off from the things she didn't like - her unsatisfying boyfriend, her fake friends - but unfortunately, her personality went downhill instead of up. She did have some good points, especially with how she appreciated all the blessings she had, but her mind just worked so differently from mine that I couldn't sympathize with her.

Questionable main character aside, I really enjoyed Stalk Me, although Keatyn's dilemmas might have been quite shallow - aside from the stalker thing, but I was surprised to find out that that part was downplayed to make way for the teen drama. Still, I'm pretty sure I'll be checking out the sequel, Kiss Me.

MY FAVORITE PART was the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Roadster... Yep, I love fast cars.

RATING:

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Excerpt of Kiss Me by Jillian Dodd + Stalk Me Giveaway!

Title: Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #2)

Author: Jillian Dodd

Release Date: November 28th 2012

Genre: Romance, Mature YA

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I've always written scripts for my perfect life.
But no way could I have ever scripted this.
My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny.
All because of a stalker. 

I’m at a boarding school where I have to lie about who I am.
I can’t see my family.
I’m tutoring a Hottie God that tortures me with his smile.
The most popular girl already hates me.
But there’s this boy.
This hot, sweet, sexy boy.
So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it.
Because who knows how long I have left.

Excerpt:

Author Interview with A.E. Rought + BROKEN Book Trailer

Hi, guys! Today, I'm glad to have A.E. Rought, author of Broken (which comes out on January, 2013 from Strange Chemistry!), for a short interview. Stick around for the newly-released trailer of this Frankenstein retelling!

How did you come up with the idea for Broken?

My plot buddy and I kicked around a bunch of story ideas when I knew I HAD to write something dark and aching and romantic. I wanted to play with a classics revisit for a while, so we started bouncing ideas. I’m not sure which of us mentioned Frankenstein first, but it went kind of wild after that.

How long did it take you to finish the first draft?

About four months.

While you were writing Broken, did you make some major changes from what you'd planned or did it end up the way you'd thought it would be?

There were little revelations while writing, but for the most part, once I had the plot set there wasn’t much straying from the course. A couple scenes got shuffled around for flow, but the finished story is pretty much what I intended to write.

Do you have a favorite and/or least favorite part or scene in it?

Oh! Good question. I have two favorites. One is with Alex and Emma on the catwalk. The other is with Emma and the deer. :D

Who was the first person to read Broken?

Lexie, my plot buddy. I might not have written Broken if Lexie hadn’t said, “I’m going to cry!” I love tears!

What are your writing "rituals"?

I have to have music. There’s a playlist for every book. I also have to have a mug of tea or coffee within reach.

Do you plan on writing another classic retelling?

Well, the future is wide open, so the possibility is there.

Thanks, Ann!

About the author:

Funny: A known introvert and mild megalomaniac — handy because writing indulges both. When not writing, A.E. can be found slaving under the cat’s demands, chasing the laundry, or whipping up really good bad food in the kitchen.

Somewhat serious: Self-proclaimed nerd, A.E. Rought has spent most of her early life in libraries and bookstores. It’s no surprise that she turned to writing shortly after creative arts college. She has novels of varying genres, and different pennames, published since 2006.

Serious-er: A student of language arts, A.E. Rought studied creative writing while attending Grand Valley State University with a focus on languages; French, Russian, and English. Now, married and a mother, A.E. writes from the comfort of home.

Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Website

Now for the trailer!

And if you're still not convinced that Broken is a must-read, you can check out my review here!

Book Review: Speechless - Hannah Harrington

Title: Speechless

Author: Hannah Harrington

Release Date: August 28th 2012

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Pages: 288 (paperback)

Source: Edelweiss

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret.

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed. 

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse. 

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

Speechless was one of the first titles I requested at Edelweiss so I was ecstatic when I got approved, but what I didn't know was that I should be more than ecstatic because I'd gotten access to an exceptionally gripping book.

Chelsea Knot had it all: popularity by association, loving parents, and a knack for gaining access to other people's juiciest secrets - secrets that she had  never been able to keep to herself for long. She was in it to keep her clique happy, until the night she discovered something, talked about it, and unintentionally caused her friends to almost kill someone. 

I've read lots of YA written in first-person, but I haven't connected with a character quite as much as I did with Chelsea. I'm no ex-popular girl, sure, but I shared her worries and understood her complaints. She felt real. (Actually, all of the characters did.) And despite who she had been, I really liked her. Although I thought the vow of silence was a show of weakness and cowardice, I loved how from there, she worked to pick herself up and become a better person, facing the consequences of her actions. I also liked that she didn't strive for revenge, but rather to do what she should've done a long time ago.

Before I talk about the romance, let me get to Sam. Freaking swoon-worthy Sam, the erotic cook. Chelsea's words, not mine. God. Can I have him? Sorry, I just had to get that out.

Okay, romance. Chelsea and Sam's relationship started the way it should - with doubts and apprehensions - and developed at the perfect pace, so when it finally happened, I was like "I will go down with this ship!". 

Aside from the brilliant plot and even more brilliant characters - I'm running out of positive adjectives here, can you tell? - what upped the quality of this book was the writing, which flowed smoothly and wrenched me in the gut at the perfect moments. Straight-forward and fearless, Speechless is one thought-provoking, unputdownable read that I will surely pick up again in the future.

MY FAVORITE PART was when Chelsea finally faced Kristen (whom I can't help but imagine as Kristin from ANTM's college edition, lol) again.

RATING:

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: The Demon Lover - Juliet Dark

Title: The Demon Lover (Fairwick Chronicles #1)

Author: Juliet Dark

Release Date: December 27th 2011

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Pages: 448 (paperback)

Source: NetGalley

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

I've always had an interest towards incubi and succubi - yes, whatever that may say about me - so I don't know why it's only now that I read fiction about them. But I'm thankful that The Demon Lover is my first foray into it, because it sated my interest for the subject matter and more.

Cailleach (pronounced Kay-lex) McFay hadn't planned on staying in Fairwick - the town held nothing but the opposite of the city life she wanted - but one look at the Honeysuckle House, which stood almost dead yet still beautiful, was enough to change her mind. Unfortunately, the house and a job at the local college weren't the only new things in Callie's life - she also had a new suitor in the mist that was visiting her every night.

I read the synopsis and all before I requested this from NetGalley, and I knew that this wasn't YA (although the stunning cover would pass for a YA novel) so I really don't know why I was surprised when I got to the first steamy scene - I'm not being a prude here, though, because I have read books of this nature before. Anyway, those scenes were so lyrically-written, they actually didn't seem like the scenes they were. Think of the difference between having sex - there, I said it - and making love.

Moving on. I think it's safe to say that this book was character-driven. One different decision from Callie and the story would have taken an entirely different path. Probably one that wouldn't have broken my heart. Anyway, Callie - strong and independent - was a very likable character.  

But perhaps what made this a page-turner was the mystery. If only it were just about the incubus, the story would've progressed and ended faster, but no; I was surprised to encounter a whole assortment of paranormal and magical creatures, and they were all well-developed instead of being there just for the benefit of the plot.

Overall, The Demon Lover was a really good urban fantasy read. It was one of those rare books that made me question the line between right and wrong. Although definitely not for children, it should be good for those 16 years old and up, or just anyone looking for a great, unpredictable read. I'll definitely check out the sequel, The Water Witch.

MY FAVORITE PARTS were these heartbreaking lines: 

"Why?" I screamed.

"I couldn't let you destroy yourself for me."

 Just kill me now.

RATING:

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: Looking for Alaska - John Green

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Release Date: The edition I have was published on December 28th 2006

Publisher: Speak

Pages: 221 (paperback)

Source: Bought

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. 

After. Nothing is ever the same.

Oscar Wilde said "If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all", and while I beg to differ - because there is always use in reading - only a few are worth re-reading. Looking for Alaska is one of them.

Miles Halter, having lived a life of constancy, finally decided to live by one of his beloved famous last words: "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." He left the comfort of his old life for Culver Creek, the boarding school where his dad had also gone before. Boarding school might've been an unideal place to find a Great Perhaps, but this one didn't disappoint. Surrounded by smart, new friends in an unpredictable setting, Miles was on his way to finding what he came for. And more.

I love stories set in boarding school because the seclusion actually offers a lot of possibilities and fun. But, man, was I more than entertained by Culver Creek! The constant prank battle between Miles' group of friends and the Weekday Warriors - the rich kids - was hilarious and made me frown while reminiscing my dull high school days.

And then there were the varying characters who lived and breathed in and through the pages. I've always loved smart, sarcastic characters, and Looking for Alaska had an abundance of them. The famous last words that Miles loved added humor to the story, and his new friends provided the intelligent mischief that gave me a lot of laughs. My personal favorite was the Colonel - a boy who'd grown up in a trailer home with his mom but used his poverty as an inspiration to get them out of there. Such an admirable guy.

Still, nothing is perfect. I felt like Miles and Alaska's friendship was one-way; he was a friend to her, yes, but her nature didn't let her become a friend to him - she was just the girl he fancied. I did love that until the end, Green didn't let us fully understand Alaska; she'll always be an unsolved mystery.

Before I read this, I'd already known something was coming. I'd actually guessed what it was, but the how surprised me. When I got to the darkened page that said "after", I just had to take a deep breath to prepare myself before turning it. With a beautifully-written and poignant plot, Looking for Alaska is definitely a modern classic. And to think this was John Green's first novel. Wow. If you haven't read this, well, why haven't you? Go pick it up now!

MY FAVORITE PART was the Colonel's basketball game taunting. I really lol-ed when I read it the first time. And the second time. Oh and of course, the immortal quote:

So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.

MY RATING:

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Opal Trailer Reveal!

Title: Opal (Lux #3)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: December 18th 2012 (both print and digital)

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pages: 452 (paperback)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Now, check out the trailer (which I really loved and made me even more excited for the book's release!):

Check out Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:

Facebook
Twitter
Official Website

Waiting on Wednesday {8}: Tempestuous

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where bloggers post about much-awaited releases!

Title: Tempestuous: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's The Tempest (Twisted Lit #1)

Author: Kim Askew & Amy Helmes

Release Date: December 18th 2012

Publisher: Merit Press

Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Stories about revenge always intrigue me - probably because I've never had a reason for it - as do classic retellings. Now, a classic retelling about revenge? You don't know how stoked I am to read Tempestuous! I got accepted for an eARC at NetGalley so I'll be reading this some time near the release date ♥
(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Feature and Follow Friday {6}

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This week's featured blogs are Reach for the Stars and BookWorm8921.

This week's question is: 

Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around. What movie would make a great book?

My answer:

For me, it would be one of my favorites, 10 Things I Hate About You! I absolutely loved its plot and characters - KATRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK - and I'm sure the story would be more fleshed out in the book version. Also, I'd love it if the cover models would be the actors themselves (movie stars in the front cover, TV stars in the back; I loved both)! I know it was some kind of a retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, but I haven't gotten to check that out yet, sadly.

If you follow, comment and I'll follow back ^^ Happy Friday, everyone!

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: Once Upon a Second Chance - Marian Vere

First of all, thanks for dropping by my stop for the Once Upon a Second Chance blog tour! I really enjoyed this book and I'm thrilled to be sharing it with you!

Title: Once Upon a Second Chance

Author: Marian Vere

Release Date: November 6th 2012

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Pages: 210 (paperback)

Source: ARC from publisher for blog tour

Julia's life seemed to be falling perfectly into place. She had burgeoning job prospects in the finance industry, an exciting life in New York City, and a wonderful fiancé, Nick Kerkley, who she was totally in love with. Nick, however, while being completely devoted to Julia, did not have the career potential or financial stability to be worthy of someone like her - or at least that's what she came to convince herself. Hesitantly, Julia ended the relationship, forcing herself to believe it would all be for the best. Little did she know, that one decision would lead both their lives to spiral away from each other, only to converge again.

What happens to your fairytale when you let someone else wave the magic wand? Will your dreams of love and enchantment still come true, or will your 'happily ever after' pass by without you?

Once Upon a Second Chance is a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

When I started reading Once Upon a Second Chance, I was only expecting a light love story with a few cute moments here and there, but what I got was a captivating tale of a woman who had finally decided to take charge of her life. 

At first glance, Julia Basham seemed happy. She had a nice job and even nicer co-workers, a supportive older sister, and a life that she was living the way she wanted to. But she wasn't. For eight years, she'd secretly been regretting following the advice of Lisa - her older sister - to break up with Nick Kerkley, her ex-fiance from college who, back then, had an uncertain future. And for eight years, she'd been following his journey to success, right up to Forbes' Top 10 Richest list. Julia thought those news articles would be the closest she'd ever get to him again... until the day he was to be her personal finance consulting group's newest client. 

Honestly, when I first read the summary, I felt an immediate dislike for Julia. I mean, breaking up with your fiance just because your older sister thought he wasn't matching up to your foreseeable successful future? Really? But then I realized this story's not so far-fetched; I'm sure it's already happened to someone out there, so I quickly overcame that dislike and dived into her story, and she even more quickly made me regret that initial dislike!

Being inside Julia's head was really fun. She was witty and rational - well, most of the time - and her inside jokes with herself had me burst out laughing. But at the same time, I really felt the pain and regret she had in her, a weight she'd been carrying around for almost a decade when, if not for her one mistake, she should've been happy. I also pitied her when she was trying but failing to turn her love life around. When she wanted to give up, I also wanted to give up. When she saw a glimmer of hope, I also saw a glimmer of hope. Yes, this book took me on an emotional roller coaster, and I regret nothing.

Another thing I loved was how the characters all breathed life through the pages. There were quite a lot of them, but Vere developed them all very well, becoming their own selves. 

Though the plot was slightly predictable, I still got surprised. Like I were expecting to see a bridge but instead, what I see is a fallen bridge. Get it? No? Well, no one said I'm good at metaphors. *sigh* Also, I almost always got tempted to skip over Julia's internal monologues, or maybe that's just the constant anxiety this book brought me. The pace was brilliant and made this a real page-turner.

Overall, reading Once Upon a Second Chance was a great experience, and it is now one of my favorite contemporary reads! Sadly, I haven't read Jane Austen's Persuasion yet so I can't compare the two, but I'm sure that, like this retelling, it can only be good. Also... someone find me my Nick Kerkley!

MY FAVORITE PART was after the rehearsal dinner thingy ♥

RATING:

Five out of five hearts for a heartwarming story!

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

About the author:

Marian Vere is a twenty-eight year old writer of Women's Fiction. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she received her degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in - oddly enough - vocal music performance, only to later discover her love of writing and storytelling. Marian is represented by Carly Watters of PS Literary, and currently lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Website | Twitter

GIVEAWAY TIME!