Wednesday 27 August 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (24): Dirty Rowdy Thing!!!

 
"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It gives us the chance to fangirl over all of the books that we can't wait to read!


DIRTY ROWDY THING (WILD SEASONS #2)
by CHRISTINA LAUREN

Hitting the shelves on November 4, 2014 from Gallery Books

Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don’t even like each other...which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she’s too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.

MY THOUGHTS

I absolutely LOVED the first book in the Wild Seasons series, Sweet Filthy Boy, and I've been eagerly anticipating its sequels!!! I also loved the glimpses of Harlow and Finn that we got in Sweet Filthy Boy...so I seriously CANNOT wait to read their story in Dirty Rowdy Thing. Plus, Finn is Canadian so he gets bonus points for that. ;D haha

Anyone else excited for Dirty Rowdy Thing?
And what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

I'm back!!! :D

Hello, hello!!! :D 

So, I did get back last Friday, but I've been pretty much sleeping in my free time since I got back. :P 

And...as most of you guessed, I was in Cuba!!! My hints did kinda give it away, but that's okay. ;D haha

Here are a few photos I thought I'd share with you all! :) 

This was from the drive to our resort from the airport! The ocean and greenery were so beautiful! :D Everything was so vibrant!

Here's the ocean from the beach in front of our resort! The sand was white, soft, and perfect! And the water was soooo warm! :D

And here's the beach and ocean on the morning from the day that we left. My mom and I got up early to see the sunrise...and it was so worth it! :D

My family and I had a great trip, but it is always nice to come back home...and my mom and I definitely missed our doggies who we promptly dressed up in a hat when we got back. haha


I also drew the winner to my giveaway the other day, and have already sent the lovely winner her prize! Thank you all for entering, and for your guesses!!! :D 

Oooh...and I managed to read all of the books that I wanted to finish! I read If I Stay, The Maze Runner, The Giver, and Outlander...so now I'm allllll ready for the TV show and movies!!! ;P haha I also loved them all....so that was awesome, too! ;D

What have you been reading this summer?
And did you do anything special?

Thursday 14 August 2014

Cover Reveal: Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie!! #CoverReveal #Excerpt #Giveaway

This is the last post I'll be sharing until I'm back from my vacation...and I've scheduled it to go up right after my vacation post (pssst. make sure to check it out, too. I've got a giveaway running while I'm gone that will end on August 23rd) does since as this goes live I'm already at the airport and getting ready to be on my holiday. :P

 I'm pretty excited to share this post with you all though! 

Krista and Becca Ritchie, two of my most favourite authors, are going to be publishing a standalone book later this year, separate from their Addicted series...and today I have the cover to share with you all! :D 

It's called AMOUR AMOUR! Without further ado, here is the gorgeous cover!!! 

Title: Amour Amour
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Expected Publication Date:  December 2014
Genre: New Adult Romance
goodreads
 
Synopsis
Love is a circus

"Every day,” he says lowly, “I hold a person’s life in my hands. The circus is based one-hundred percent off of trust. I give it all to someone, and they give it all to me.”

The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip. Thora knows she’s out of her element the second she meets Amour’s leading performer. Confident, charming and devilishly captivating, 26-year-old Nikolai Kotova aggravatingly lives up to his nickname as the “God of Russia.”

When Thora unknowingly walks into the crosshairs of Nikolai’s after-show, her audition process begins way too soon. Unprofessional. That’s what Nik calls their “non-existent” relationship. It’s not like Thora can avoid him. For one, they may be partners in the futureacrobatic partners, that is. But getting closer to Nik means diving deeper into sin city and into his dizzying world. 

Thora wants to perform with him, but when someone like Nikolai attracts the spotlight wherever he goes—Thora fears that she’s destined to be “just background” to his spellbinding show.

This sexy and exhilarating New Adult Romance can best be described as Cirque du Soleil meets the steamy, athletic romance of Center Stage. *standalone & no love triangles—recommended for readers 18+ for mature content*
 

 About the Authors
Krista & Becca Ritchie are identical twins. They write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on twitter and their website:
kbritchie.com

GIVEAWAY

$15 Amazon Gift Card

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW: 
 
love 2


I love the sound of Amour Amour, and the cover is breathtaking!!! I love the text, the background, and I especially love how it all fits together. The text is extraordinary, and I really do love that you can see what looks like ropes going through the font of the title...and the text saying "love is a circus" is perfect!!!

What do you think?
Are you a fan of the cover?
And who else is a mega fan of Krista and Becca Ritchie? :D

On Holiday!!! (And a giveaway for you!)

Hey everyone!

I'll be on holiday starting today, so there won't be any posts (other than one that I have scheduled for right after this :P) until later next week, probably around August 25th! 

I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get lots of reading done...but even if I don't, the break where I can just sit back and relax will be AMAZING! :D

I'm gonna keep my vacation location a secret, but I'm sure you can all guess where it is.

I'll give you some clues. ;) 
  1. It's a Caribbean island.
  2. The name of the island/country has the same number of vowels as it does consonants in it.
  3. It's the country that the sequel to Dirty Dancing takes place in.
  4. It rhymes with "tuba". ;)
Any guesses? 
Guess away in the comments...I can't wait to see your answers when I get back. Feel free to be as goofy as you like, I'm a big fan of joke answers haha....and by guessing, you can get an extra entry in the giveaway I'm having!

That's right!!!

 I'm on holiday, and I know some of you (probably many of you actually) are stuck at home right now, so I thought I'd have a giveaway so that you can all get in on my vacation cheer!!! :D 

GIVEAWAY!

So, here it is!

One lucky winner will get their choice of book from The Book Depository worth up to $15 (CAD)...and if I get lots of extra entries while I"m gone, I may just add a second winner. ;)

Here are all of the fine, little details:
* INTERNATIONAL (as long as The Book Depository ships to your country)
* Must be 13 and older to enter
* Giveaway ends on August 23 at 11:59 PM (MST).
* The winner will be drawn using Rafflecopter, contacted via email, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW:


Once again...where do you think I'm going for my holiday?
And I'm curious, where would you love to go on vacation to? Any dream locations???

GOOD LUCK!!! 

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Hereditary Book Blast!!!

GUESS WHAT?! It's release day for J.A. Belfield's novella, HEREDITARY!

This means a chance to celebrate.

Because HEREDITARY is a FREEEEEEE Holloway Pack short story, which means you can go grab your copy now and not have to pay a penny.

\o/\o/ \o/ \o/ \o/

And if you've yet to read the Holloway Pack series? Fear not, because HEREDITARY can be read just as easily as a standalone. So, you, too, can go grab your copy now.

Here's what it's all about:

Hereditary
The trouble with one-night stands: you never know who—or what—you’re sleeping with.
~~~
Being a parent isn’t an easy ride. Even more so for single mum Shelley Lewis.
When her thirteen year old son’s hormones kick in, she’s faced with his immense growth, insane sweat, and ridiculous hairiness, not to mention all the normal teenage issues.
Discovering her only son isn’t human on top of those is the shock of a lifetime, and Shelley knows she’s the only one to blame.
It may be too late to save her son from her mistakes, but she can still try to save Gabe from himself.
~~~
For fans of J.A. Belfield’s Holloway Pack series, Hereditary is a look back at the origins for characters met in Resonance.

Release Date: August 13th 2014

Grab your copy!

KindleButton  EpubButton
**(And if it's not free in your country on either site, you can find it on Smashwords, here.)** 

 Pssst, if you visit J.A. Belfield's post, you can listen to her read a short passage, too!

But before you vanish, be sure to enter below in the celebratory giveaway to win a pair of signed Caged bookmarks ....

AND a $10 Amazon GC.

frontGCprize

Hey, maybe you can use it to add MORE Holloway Pack to your eReader. ;)

Good luck.

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW: 





I can't wait to get my free copy of Hereditary

Who else is excited?

Waiting on Wednesday (23): The Blood of Olympus!!

 
"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It gives us the chance to fangirl over all of the books that we can't wait to read!


THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

Hitting the shelves on October 7, 2014 from Disney-Hyperion (Twitter: @DisneyHyperion)

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.


MY THOUGHTS

Now that I'm all caught up with the Heroes of Olympus series, I absolutely CANNOT wait to read The Blood of Olympus! :D I can't wait to read about what happens to Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Nico, Piper, Frank, Leo, and Hazel! Seriously...this book CANNOT come out fast enough!!! AND I CAN'T EXPRESS HOW EXCITED I AM FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Who else can't wait to read The Blood of Olympus?
And what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Monday 11 August 2014

Game Changer Blog Tour: Review, Giveaway & Excerpt!!

Game Changer
by Collette West
Publication Date: July 25, 2014
Genres:Contemporary, Romance, Sports
Purchase from: Amazon • Source: Received a copy of the book to participate in the blog tour to give an honest review, and won a finished copy from the author. All opinions are my own.
Release Date: Already Released!
Add to Goodreads.

Synopsis

Young, rich, and unaware of how seriously hot he is, Brooks Davison is tearing it up as the latest shortstop for the New York Kings, despite his tendency to blush whenever girls scream his name.

When a health scare forces his best friend, Kyle Roberts, off the team, no one can stomach the thought of replacing him, especially so close to the playoffs.

Until Kyle's sister, Sasha, steps in, convincing management to let her take his place. The idea of signing the first female player in Major League history proves too tempting for the Kings to resist.

Nevertheless, Brooks doesn't want any part of it. Sasha is Kyle's little sister, not some sideshow.

Yet when Kyle takes a turn for the worse, Brooks promises to do everything in his power to help Sasha win a championship for him. Because there's no way he's letting either of them down. Not now, not ever.

About Collette West

Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball's biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette's impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.
Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she's not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com.
She is the author of NIGHT GAMES and GAME CHANGER.

And some teasers:

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW:



haha I just had to pick that excerpt because I was laughing for a while after Lenore said that about Brooks' butt. ;) haha

Also, if you're curious, check out my review for Collette West's first book, Night Games.

What do you think?
Does Game Changer sound like a book you'd like?
Who else is a sports romance fan? Any recommendations? ;)

Cover Catch-Up (14): Simplistic, yet Intriguing!

In "Cover Catch-Up" I share some covers that have either been recently revealed, or that I've just found and really wanted to share. 

This week I've got two covers for you that I found just over the past week!

------------------------------

The first cover that I have is for Mr. Kiss and Tell, the second Veronica Mars book written by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham!

 

I somehow both like these covers and am completely underwhelmed by them! I think part of me likes the clean, lines, and subtle designs because it fits the whole film noire vibe that Veronica Mars has, but another part of me just finds these covers a bit too bland for our girl V! I do like these one better than the first book's cover though, but like I said, I kind of wish it had a bit more flash. I'm not even sure what kind of flash...just something! :P

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And the second cover that I have is for Lisa Burstein's Again!



Now, this cover I LOVE! I love the way the filter makes it kind of glow, and the overlaying text saying "again" multiple times is super striking! It also adds even more meaning to the title since "again" is written over and over again...which I love! I just think this cover is gorgeous, and it pulls off simple in a way that really appeals to me! :)

------------------------------

For me, both these covers are more simplistic. They have a lot of colour, but the overall design is pretty simple. Both are just photos that have had filters applied, and have text overlaying them, but I find that Again's cover is much more appealing to me than Mr. Kiss and Tell's...but I still love you Veornica, I promise. :)

What do you think?

Thursday 7 August 2014

Monthly Recap: So...what happened in July? #Recap

July went super fast!! I swear, I blinked and it was over! haha

So, here's what happened to me in July:

What I did this month:

 - I bought a milk frother!
And I made lots of homemade lattes!! I have to say, they're pretty delicious! ;D

- I saw WICKED with my mom :)
And I also clearly got an awesome tshirt and bag to prove it. ;) haha

- I organized my tea collection ;)
I bought this storage container, and as soon as I put all of the tea I owned in...it was already full, but I've made room for a few more since then. ;)

- I went to K Days with my friend, Alisa! :)
We didn't go on as many rides as we would've liked because it was super busy, but we still had a blast! :D I also won a minion! :D

What I read this month:

I read lots!!! 24 books to be exact! :D And I finally found a way to make my cover collages look pretty on my mac, so hopefully you like how I set them up!

  1. Biggest Flirts (Superlatives #1) by Jennifer Echols
  2. Doll Bones by Holly Black
  3. The 100 (The Hundred #1) by Kass Morgan
  4. This Summer by Katlyn Duncan
  5. Serenity: Those Left Behind (Serenity #1) by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad
  6. Serenity: Better Days (Serenity #2) by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad
  7. The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein
  8. Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oaks #5) by Miranda Kenneally -- My Review!!!
  9. The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt
  10. Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen
  11. The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein
  12. Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1) by Kelley Armstrong
  13. Teaching Roman (Good Girls Don't #2) by Gennifer Albin
  14. Unwrapping Liam (Good Girls Don't #1.5) by Gennifer Albin
  15. Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale (Serenity #3) by Joss Whedon, Chris Samnee, Dave Stewart, Steve Morris, and Zack Whedon
  16. Four: A Divergent Story Collection (Divergent #0.1-0.4) by Veronica Roth
  17. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1 (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Renewal Editions #1) by Naoko Takeuchi, and William Flanagan
  18. Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 (Twilight: The Graphic Novel #1) by Young Kim, and Stephenie Meyer
  19. Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 (Twilight: The Graphic Novel #2) by Young Kim, and Stephenie Meyer
  20. New Moon: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 (Twilight: The Graphic Novel #3) by Young Kim, and Stephenie Meyer
  21. Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories by Zack Whedon
  22. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Renewal Editions #2) by Naoko Takeuchi, and William Flanagan
  23. In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo
  24. Forever Sheltered (The Forever Series #3) by Deanna Roy
 It's pretty exciting! This year, I'm getting seriously ahead in my Goodreads reading challenge!! :D I challenged myself to read 150 books this year, and so far I'm at 109!! Here's my challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/1107051. I also read a lot of books that I've been meaning to get to, like Sea of Shadows, The Chapel Wars, In the Shadows, and Doll Bones! I've also been venturing into more graphic novels, and I've even been reading the Sailor Moon Pretty Guardian mangas! :D I was pretty happy with all of the books I've read this month, too! Most were five star reads on Goodreads for me! ;) If I had to pick favourites though, I would go with Biggest Flirts, Four, Stolen Songbird, and Breathe, Annie, Breathe. They were all amazing! :D

What I watched this month:

- Wicked (the musical) -- this is the second time that I saw this musical on its way around Western Canada, and I loved it this time, too. I did prefer the actors from the first time I saw it better, but this cast was amazing, too. :)
- Sex Tape --- LOVED THIS SO MUCH!! :D I thought Sex Tape was hilarious, and I'm definitely glad I saw it! :D
- Merlin -- I finally finished watching Merlin, and I found the ending so bittersweet. I both loved, and felt tortured by it. haha
- The Witches of East End -- My mom and I watched season one of this show on Netflix over the span of a weekend, and I really enjoyed it! I can't wait to start watching season 2! :D
- Sailor Moon (Seasons 1, 2 and the Sailor Moon R movie) --- So...I spent a bit of money and bought all of the Sailor Moon series and movies...and I spent a fair chunk of this month watching the first two seasons! haha It definitely brought me back to when I was young watching Sailor Moon on YTV! haha

What else did I do:

- I've been getting excited about movies coming out later this year! The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and Into the Woods teaser trailers came out...and I can't wait to watch them!! :D





- And I've been getting ready for my vacation in a little over a week!! :D (I'll tell you all about it more when I'm back...with pictures!! :D)



So, that was July for me?
What did you do, or read in July?
 And who else challenged themselves on Goodreads?

Wednesday 6 August 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (22): The Revenge of Seven!!

 
"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It gives us the chance to fangirl over all of the books that we can't wait to read!

THE REVENGE OF SEVEN (Lorien Legacies #5) by Pittacus Lore

Hitting the shelves on August 26, 2014 from HarperCollins

The worst was supposed to be over. We were reunited after a decade apart. We were discovering the truth of our past. We were training and getting stronger every day. We were even happy...

We never imagined the Mogodorians could turn one of our own against us. We were fools for trusting Five. And now Eight is lost forever. I would do anything to bring him back, but that's impossible. Instead, I will do whatever it takes to destroy every last one of them.

I've spent my entire life hiding from them, and they've stolen everything away from me. But that stops now. We're going to take the battle to them. We have a new ally who knows their weaknesses. And I finally have the power to fight back.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

Number Three in Kenya.

And Number Eight in Florida.

They killed them all.

I am Number Seven.

I will make them pay.


MY THOUGHTS

I have totally fallen behind with this series, and still need to read THE FALL OF FIVE, but I am still super excited for THE REVENGE OF SEVEN to come out!!! As far as I can tell, this one is the last in the series, and sometimes I do kind of like waiting to read books until the last one comes out, so maybe it's a good thing that I'm behind in the Lorien Legacies. :P haha I really am excited to finally have this book on my shelf though! I'm a big fan of the series! :D

Who else is excited for The Revenge of Seven?
What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Monday 4 August 2014

Cover Catch-Up (13): Electric, Sexy, and Striking!! #Covers

In "Cover Catch-Up" I share some covers that have either been recently revealed, or that I've just found and really wanted to share.

It's been a while since I've shared some covers with you all, so today I've got three for you!! :D

-----------------

The first cover that I have for you is for Beth Revis's upcoming book, THE BODY ELECTRIC! :D



 I really love this cover! The silhouette is gorgeous, and the green circuit-board is so vibrant and bright!! I also love that the whole "electric" aspect of technology that's mentioned in the blurb and even in the title is represented with the circuits...it's a really awesome touch!! The whole effect of this cover really is electrifying! ;D

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The next cover that I have to share is for Jaci Burton's next Play By Play book, QUARTERBACK DRAW! :D

 

I'm a HUGE fan of Jaci Burton's Play by Play series! It's my absolute favourite when it comes to sports romances, and I'm always excited for more information about the upcoming books! There isn't a blurb yet, so I'm not even sure who this one will be about, but I do love the cover! It's as sexy as always. ;D haha

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 And the final cover that I have today is for Trisha Leaver's THE SECRETS WE KEEP!



First, this book SOUNDS amazing! And second, the cover is so striking!!! I also love that the hve the bit of writing on the side that gives you a bit of an idea of what the story is about without even reading the blurb. I also just think the little details on this cover are fantastic. The twin silhouettes, the blurry lights, and the rain all tie seamlessly with the description for the book, and I really love that! I also love the font that's used! It's simple, yet striking!

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What do you think?
Are you a fan of these covers?