{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: The Edge of Never - J.A. Redmerski

Thanks for dropping by my stop for this tour! :D

Title: The Edge of Never

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Release Date: November 15th 2012
Genre: Contemporary romance
Age group: New Adult

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Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

I usually end up loving the books that I read, but only a few leave me speechless after I turn the last page. I can definitely say The Edge of Never is one of those few.

At first, Camryn was kind of a stuck-up, emotionless neat-freak, but surprisingly, I never disliked her, and that was because I knew something triggered all that control she had. I couldn't help but pity her because nobody deserves to go through life the way she had—completely guarded and hopeless—but I couldn't help but admire her, either, because at least she still went on with life instead of doing something worse, and especially when she finally dropped everything and went off to do something she felt like doing.

But most of all, I envied her because of Andrew motherfrakking Parrish. Tall, brown-haired, green-eyed, complete with tattoos and a somewhat elitist taste in music (classic rock, thanks to his dad), this dude had me squirming the moment he hopped into that bus. Sadly, just like Camryn, he had his own emotional baggage, but also just like her, he knew how to handle it, though quite passively, but his spontaneity made up for that.

Their romance did develop quite fast, I believe, but I also believe that two people can't share Camryn's and Andrew's levels of inner turmoil to one another and not develop that kind of bond. Anyway, I loved that even with all the drama they each had, their relationship was fun—god, they doubled me over with laughter a lot of times—and honest, the kind of honesty that comes, not with someone you've known your whole life, but with a stranger.

What I really loved about this book is the idea of two people finding in each other something they didn't even know they were looking for. That, plus the heartful writing in both of the characters' POVs and the humor, already makes me look forward to reading this book again!

MY FAVORITE PART was the jukebox incident at Waffle House XD

RATING:

  

About the author:
Author of THE DARKWOODS TRILOGY and DIRTY EDEN, mother, werewolf & zombie fanatic, book addict and a happy hermit obsessed with the Universe. Oh, and AMC’s “The Walking Dead”.

Addictions: Starbucks every morning, trolling Barnes & Noble’s shelves once a week, detesting winter, shopping flea markets and preparing for the collapse of society as we know it. Do I own a tin foil hat? Maybe. :-)

I was born in Arkansas and have lived here most of my life, except the couple of times when I lived in Pennsylvania. I started my first novel at the age of thirteen and have been writing something ever since. Generally, I love characters in life and on paper. I pay attention to people, especially those whose personalities make them different from the rest of us: the drug addict roaming the Laundromat that talks to himself, the young, inattentive mother in the park with the meanest kid on the playground – (the entire cast of ‘Swamp People’) – characters fascinate me and I hope that it shows in my literary work.

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Giveaway! The author is giving away (1) Signed paperback copy of THE EDGE OF NEVER, (1) Kindle or Nook copy, (1) sterling silver custom book pendant necklace $200 value.

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{Blog Tour} Book Review + Excerpt + Giveaway: Uses for Boys - Erica Lorraine Scheidt

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Title: Uses for Boys

Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Release Date: January 15th 2013

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

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Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical,  Uses for Boys  is a story of breaking down and growing up.

It has been almost an hour since I finished reading Uses for Boys but I still have mixed feelings about it, and you might be thinking that's not a good sign at all—let me tell you: it's good and bad.

At first, I thought Anna was strong, being able to cope with an absentee mother and one stepfather after another with just the memory of what she called the "tell-me-again times" with her mom. Well, that was until she discovered that if she let boys use her for their satisfaction, she can use them to forget about everything that she didn't have, too. Her personality and decision-making just went downhill from there.

I'm sure I'm not alone in hating whiners, and that's what, I think, will break this book for most people. Thank heavens Anna's complaining wasn't make-a-scene "I hate my life!" but more like whisper-in-a-corner "I want someone else's life". Even then, I believe she could've not let her need for love ruin her future; she disappointed me greatly while making me pity her, as well.

With boys who didn't really care about her and a questionable friendship with Toy, a girl she met while shopping, she knew well enough not to expect anything when she met Sam, but he soon proved her wrong because he does care. He teaches her what it's like to love and be loved, and even introduces her to the thing she knows least of: family. Their romance, although presented pretty late into the story, was as real as it could get with Anna's situation, and I really liked them together.

With a gratifying ending added to the sometimes confusing but constantly lyrical writing, Uses for Boys turned out to be very different from what I thought it would be. It may not be for everyone, but I can assure you that it's worth the try.

MY FAVORITE PART was when Sam introduced Anna to his family on their first date. 

RATING:

(cover from Goodreads.com)

About the author:
When Erica was a kid all she did was write. She dropped out of high school and attended the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University where she was surrounded by writers and artists.

But then, in Erica's early twenties, she got a job. She worked hard at that job for 15 years and didn't write a word.

Then this happened: Erica walked into a bookstore and bought two books by Francesca Lia Block. No particular reason, she just liked their covers. Then Erica read everything Francesca wrote. She read all the YA she could. She still does. Erica think's the world that happens between 13 and 17 is everything.

She quit her job. Studied writing. And then spent three and a half years writing Uses for Boys. Now she's working on a new novel and it's like falling down a hole. Writing her first novel taught her nothing about writing the next one.

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Book Blast + Giveaway: Wisteria - Bisi Leyton

Title: Wisteria (Wisteria Series #1)
Author: Bisi Leyton
Release Date: August 15th 2012
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Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows.

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

Praise for Wisteria:

“I love the buildup of this story, getting to know the characters and watching their connection grow. I had no idea which way the story was headed and I was kept in suspense right up to the very end! It has plenty of action and a fascinating plot and I can’t wait to see what Bisi Leyton has for us next!!” 

~ Naomi Hop 

“There are a lot of great things in this book, so much more than zombies and a struggle for survival. At it’s base core it is about star-crossed lovers, literally and the supporting characters roles… Ms. Leyton brings to Wisteria a mixture of science fiction, fantasy, dystopic world with a twist to the paranormal romance angle!”

~ Cabin Goddess

“The book was full of nonstop action from the beginning until the end, and I did not put it down until I had finished it. I loved the book.” 

~Author Monique Morgan

About the author:

Bisi Leyton was born in East London in 1978. She grew up in London, Nigeria and the States, listening to the stories life and love from aunts, cousins and big sisters.

She lives in London, but has worked around Europe including France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. She has a fondness for reading graphic novels.

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{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: Back to You - Priscilla Glenn

I had just added this book to my TBR shelf in Goodreads when I saw the announcement about this tour, so of course I signed up right away! XD

 Title: Back to You
Author: Priscilla Glenn
Release Date: October 20th 2012

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: Adult with YA crossover

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When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her.

Or that it would end so painfully.

Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation.

As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?

I had high expectations when I started reading this book—thanks to a well-written positive review I'd read—and I was nervous because expectations almost always led to disappointments. Thankfully, Back to You didn't just meet those—it exceeded them.

For me, what made this book a solid hit were the two main characters, Lauren and Michael. At first glance, they were total opposites—the smart, kind, and beautiful girl, and the scary, temperamental guy who everyone avoided. Two very different people but both of whom I very much loved and wholeheartedly cared for.

I liked Lauren because although she got excellent grades and did gymnastics, she still managed to party and be a normal teenager. But I loved her for her genuine kindness; she saw the good in everyone—not just in Michael—and didn't care about what everyone else said.

Then we have Michael, the moody loner who preferred to keep people at a distance. He tried to scare her away by showing his true self, but Lauren proved she was there to stay. As the story unraveled and I learned the reasons behind his actions, the more my heart broke. God. I just wanted to hug him... for a whole day.

Their story was written in alternating chapters of the present and past, and I loved how after intriguing the readers in the present, we are taken straight to the event in the past that caused it. It was also in this way that we are acquainted with their romance, which always left me craving for more. 

Having read this in less than a day—and without sleep, too—believe me when I say that Back to You was a real page-turner. Halfway through, I started feeling nervous for the ending, but Glenn couldn't have concluded this gripping story of understanding and forgiveness better.

MY FAVORITE PART was the epilogue, hihi.

RATING:

About the author:
Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three beautiful children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years. Glenn has written three books, although Back to You is her first published novel. Her guilty pleasures include great books, good wine, anything chocolate, and Robert Pattinson :)

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Giveaway time!

Book Blast + Giveaway: Heart of the Ocean - Heather B. Moore

Title: Heart of the Ocean

Author: Heather B. Moore

Release Date: January 2nd 2013

Publisher: Mirror Press

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A dark secret . . . a grieving ghost  . . . a handsome stranger  . . .What more could Eliza Robinson want?
Except for maybe her life.

In Heather B. Moore’s enthralling 1840’s historical romance, Heart of the Ocean, Eliza Robinson has turned down the very pretentious Mr. Thomas Beesley’s marriage proposal. As a business partner of Eliza’s father, Thomas quickly discredits the family and brings disgrace to the Robinson name.

While her father scrambles to restore his good name in New York City, Eliza flees to the remote Puritan town of Maybrook to stay with her Aunt Maeve. Although relieved to be away from all- things-male and unforgiving gossip columns, odd things start to happen to Eliza, and she is plagued by a ghostly voice. Her aunt’s explanation? That Eliza is being haunted by a woman who died of a broken heart twenty years ago.

After Aunt Maeve is tragically killed, Eliza's life is put in danger as she tries to uncover the mystery of her aunt's death. She encounters Jonathan Porter in Maybrook, whose presence in the town seems suspicious, yet she finds herself drawn to him. When she discovers that Jonathan’s dark secrets may be the link between the dead woman who haunts her and her aunt’s murderer, Eliza realizes that Jonathan is the one man she should never trust.

About the author:

Heather B. Moore is the award-winning author of ten novels, two inspirational non-fiction books, and two anthologies, including The Newport Ladies Book Club Series, A Timeless Romance Anthology, and Christ's Gifts to Women (co-authored by Angela Eschler).

Her historical fiction is published under the pen name H.B. Moore. She is the two-time recipient of Best of State in Literary Fiction, two-time Whitney Award Winner, and two-time Golden Quill Winner for Best Novel. Her most recent historical novel under H.B. Moore is Daughters of Jared (2012 LUW Gold Award of Excellence & 2012 LUW Best Book Trailer).

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