Blog Tour: Trying to Score Giveaway!

Trying to Score (Assassins #2) by Toni Aleo
(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Fallon Parker’s dream was to have her family’s wine company at the top of all wine magazines and to have a cellar of her own. After graduating from college, she has worked hard to make that dream a reality, even if that meant having a nonexistent love life. She had her chance at love and that was a bust, so she put everything into the wine company. After becoming the official sponsor of the Nashville Assassins, Fallon finally feels like everything is falling in place, that is until Lucas Brooks comes back into her life.

Lucas Brooks hates his life. He is lonely, he is sober, and he is angry. On the ice, when he’s not in the sin bin, he the leading scorer in the NHL but off the ice, he is a mess. He threw away the most important person in his life, and has regretted it ever since but when Lucas sees Fallon again after being traded to the Assassins; he is bound and determined to get her back. Even if she wants nothing to do with him.

The sexual tension between Fallon and Lucas is electrifying as Lucas tries to convince Fallon that he is a changed man. Fallon tries to resist Lucas, but it is so hard when all her body wants is his. But when Lucas finds out that Fallon has been keeping a huge secret from him, the game he is playing stops and penalties are called.

With new rules and new players on the ice, will Fallon and Lucas be able to work out their differences and work as a team or will they be left trying to score alone.

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Today, you've got the chance to win an ebook of Trying to Score, the second book in the Assassins Series!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: 

- International
- 1 winner will receive a Trying to Score ebook
- Winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to claim their prize
- Giveaway ends May 9th at 12:01 AM (EST)

To enter the giveaway fill out the Rafflecopter widget:

Blog Tour Review: Trying to Score (Assassins #2) by Toni Aleo

Source: Received an egalley to participate in blog tour and for an honest review.

Publisher: Self-published

Release Date: Already released.

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Fallon Parker’s dream was to have her family’s wine company at the top of all wine magazines and to have a cellar of her own. After graduating from college, she has worked hard to make that dream a reality, even if that meant having a nonexistent love life. She had her chance at love and that was a bust, so she put everything into the wine company. After becoming the official sponsor of the Nashville Assassins, Fallon finally feels like everything is falling in place, that is until Lucas Brooks comes back into her life.

Lucas Brooks hates his life. He is lonely, he is sober, and he is angry. On the ice, when he’s not in the sin bin, he the leading scorer in the NHL but off the ice, he is a mess. He threw away the most important person in his life, and has regretted it ever since but when Lucas sees Fallon again after being traded to the Assassins; he is bound and determined to get her back. Even if she wants nothing to do with him.

The sexual tension between Fallon and Lucas is electrifying as Lucas tries to convince Fallon that he is a changed man. Fallon tries to resist Lucas, but it is so hard when all her body wants is his. But when Lucas finds out that Fallon has been keeping a huge secret from him, the game he is playing stops and penalties are called.

With new rules and new players on the ice, will Fallon and Lucas be able to work out their differences and work as a team or will they be left trying to score alone.

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While I didn't love this one quite as much as I loved Taking Shots, I did still really like it. :) I loved that the main character, Fallon, was so sassy, and I think I loved pretty much everything about Lucas. ;) haha He's a character that you can see has had a lot of growth from the guy you see in Fallon's flashbacks. I'm gonna refrain from talking about the other character that I absolutely adored because he's not mentioned in the description and I don't want to spoil his entrance...but when you meet him, you'll love him too and you'll know exactly who I'm talking about! ;D

One thing that made Trying to Score so different from Taking Shots was that this one had flashbacks, which I really enjoyed, and I thought that they were a fantastic way to bring in parts of Fallon and Lucas's past. I especially loved getting to see the differences between Fallon and Lucas then, and Fallon and Lucas now. Also, I absolutely love Fallon's name! :D I also really loved the chemistry and banter between Fallon and Lucas. They have some major sparks!

I really liked the story, too. I especially enjoyed Lucas trying to woo Fallon back. I did think that at times Fallon's reasoning was flawed, and that the drama between the two was maybe a little drawn out...but I totally understood her reluctance to take Lucas back. She had the issues she had with him, and other people to think of, but she also had some serious trust issues with the male figures in her life...her relationship with her father was awful, so I got why she didn't really want to let Lucas in again. She was scared, and her daddy issues definitely played into it all. I would've actually liked to see Fallon's relationship with her father improve in Trying to Score, but since the next book is supposed to be from her sister Audrey's perspective (or so I've heard ;D), I'm hoping that will pop up in the next book.

Another thing I loved about this one was that Elli and Shea show up! :D I loved getting to see what happened to them after Taking Shots, and that we got to see how happy they were! It was awesome, especially since they appeared a lot more than I had hoped they would! :D

The only real issue I had with this book was the editorial errors, but since I had a reviewer's copy that should be improved in the finished edition. I did check some Amazon reviews, and a few mentioned errors as well, so I'm cautioning you about it right now just in case they're still there. While the errors were a bit distracting at times, I didn't feel like it detracted from the story, and I was still able to get caught up in Fallon and Lucas's love story. Overall, it was still a great sports romance, and I'm hoping that they've since been fixed, but just in case they haven't, I'm giving you a head's up.

If you want an addictive and dramatic sports romance this will be perfect for you, especially if you enjoy seeing characters change over time. I'm cautioning you about editorial errors, though, so be forewarned. It is relatively cheap, only $3.99 for Kindle and Nook, so it's a great deal, especially since it's a fairly long book. I really liked this story, and if you haven't read Taking Shots yet, I definitely recommend you check out that one, too. :)

Purchase Links:
Amazon: UK / US
Barnes and Noble

You can find the rest of the stops on the Assassins Series Blog Tour HERE.

Have you read Taking Shots or Trying to Score yet?
If you did, what did you think?
And if you haven't, do you think you'll check this series out?
Oh, and what's your take on hockey players? Sexy or not your thing?

Blog Tour Review: Taking Shots (Assassins #1) by Toni Aleo

Source: Received an egalley to participate in blog tour and for an honest review.

Publisher: Self-published

Release Date: Already released.

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Elli Fisher has never thought she was good enough. Let it be her job, her weight, her love life, nothing, she was convinced she couldn’t do anything right. She had walked through life for the past six years in a daze, never thinking that life could be good again after the abuse she endured from her ex boyfriend. She is lonely, sad, and depressed, that is until she meets Shea Adler. After doing a promotional shoot for the NHL team, the Nashville Assassins, she meets the hunky hockey player who shoots a puck, shattering her world. 

Shea Adler was tired of the life he was living outside of the rink. The girls, the money blowing, the drinking, everything had to stop and it all did when he met Eleanor Fisher. He had never met anyone like her. She is feisty, witty, shy, and simply gorgeous. When he laid eyes on her, it was as if he was taking the hardest hit of his life into the boards, and he had to have her. 

Elli is a little skeptical of Shea, but he knows that they were meant to be together, and he needed her in his life. But Elli just doesn’t understand what Shea could see in her. She is overweight, loud, and not even that pretty, so why would someone so gorgeous and so amazing want to be with her? It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to shake Shea off, he wasn’t going anywhere, and for the first time Elli didn’t feel alone. 

But could Elli throw her insecurities out the window and love Shea with everything inside of her? Or will she let a past relationship, and her family ruin any chance of her being happy?

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As I have mentioned before, I'm a sucker for romances involving athletes, and I have a particular soft spot for hockey players...I'm going to blame my Canadian nationality on that one, and also a particularly amazing fanfic that I read years ago where Edward Cullen was a hockey player...sigh. Don't laugh...I know you're laughing, it was fantastic! :P Anyway, Taking Shots managed to rekindle the love I have for sports romances...you may have noticed a steady rise in the number that I've been reading lately. :P While, it isn't a short story it's so addictive that you honestly won't want to stop reading...I didn't, and at the time that I read it, I seriously didn't have time to read...but I did anyway because it had me hooked!

I absolutely loved Shea, he was awesome, and I loved the relationship he had with his twin sister, it was so adorable! :D I really liked Elli too, but sometimes she got on my nerves. I understand second-guessing yourself, but Elli took it to an extreme. She'd have her mind made up, doubt herself, decide to do it again, then doubt herself and then doubt herself for doubting herself. It got a bit excessive. That being said, sometimes her fears were well-grounded, she had a rocky past, but I still found that sometimes it was a bit over-the-top. However, Elli's excessive doubts were the only qualms I had with the book, everything else was fantastic. I loved Shea, I loved when he and Elli were together (especially when she was just letting herself enjoy it all ;D), and I just loved this book in general.

One of the awesome things about Taking Shots is that there's actually hockey in it! I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of reading sports romances when there's no sports in it, I get that the author might want to focus on the romance rather than the sport, but what's the point in making the hero an athlete if there are no sports! Toni Aleo handles the sports aspect superbly! Elli is a mega fan of hockey, she has boxed seats, and she happened to be a big fan of Shea's prior to meeting him...her shrine of Shea was pretty hilarious once she actually met him. :P But, I loved that hockey was an actual focus in Taking Shots, and I loved how Elli was so into the game! :D

Along with hockey and the fabulous characters, I actually enjoyed the drama surrounding Taking Shots. Elli's past was heartbreaking, but it was also empowering to see her doing something that she was passionate about and working her butt of to run her business. :) With the exception of her awesome dad and uncle, her family was pretty terrible, and I liked that Elli's family dynamics actually had a purpose in the story...I won't tell you how, but it leads to some major drama. Finally, I loved how the book ended, it was such a sweet ending, and I was extremely happy with how everything worked out in the end.

I'd recommend Taking Shots to anyone who has a soft spot for athletes, especially buff ones with really pretty eyes, and who likes kids...seriously Shea's pretty much perfect. ;) Also, if you're interested in trying out a sports romance and haven't read one before this would be a good chance to start, it's primarily available on ebook, so it's an inexpensive way to get a great read and try out the genre. :D

Purchase Links:
Amazon: UK / US
Barnes and Noble

You can find the rest of the stops on the Assassins Series Blog Tour HERE.

How do you feel about athletes and sports romances?
Too much muscle for you, or can you never get enough? ;)
Anyone else have a serious soft spot for romances with sexy athletes...or is it just me? :P

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (74)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, is a bookish meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

Books I Read Last Week:

• Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Zoë and I finished this one for our buddy read this week, and I absolutely loved it! :)

• Queen of Atlantis by Sarah Rees Brennan

This one was a short story that Sarah Rees Brennan had published in a magazine. You can read it online. It was a short story, but I found it really interesting. :) It makes me want to check out more short stories. :)

• The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

I finally read through this short story by Edgar Allan Poe. I wanted to make sure that I read it before I read Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin, so now I'm all ready for it! I really liked it, but I'm not surprised that I did...I do love Poe's sense of style, and finally reading this makes me want to crack into my copy of The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. I've already read some, and I really enjoyed them, but I do have an awful lot left. ;)

Reading Now:

• A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R. R. Martin

I finally started this series, and so far I'm really liking it. :) I've been kind of bouncing around books this week so I haven't read a lot of it yet, but I definitely liked what I've read so far of this one. :)

• While He Was Away by Karen Schreck

 This ones an okay read for me so far. It hasn't really grabbed my interest though. I'm hoping I'll get into it soon. :)

• Glass (Crank #2) by Ellen Hopkins

Oh man! I just started this one last night and I've already devoured most of it! I'll probably finish before going to bed tonight to be honest. I just love Ellen Hopkins writing style. It's so beautiful, and it's so addictive. It just completely draws me in! Thankfully I already have Fallout from the library, so I won't have to wait long to read the next one. ;)

Books I Want to Read This Week:

• Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

So excited for this one! :D Eeek!

• Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers #1) by Michelle Rowen

This is my next buddy read with Zoë, and I'm so excited for it! It sounds like an amazing story! :D

And what are you reading???

Check out One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to see what other people are reading. :)

Some Books I Can't Wait to Get My Hands On!

It's been a while since I've posted about books that I'm really excited for, so I thought I would share some of the books that I'm really excited for. I've got quite a few, so I'm gonna break them into a few posts to keep you all from getting overwhelmed. :D

All book descriptions are from Goodreads. These aren't in any specific order, but I definitely want to read them all! :)

Glitch (Glitch #1) 

by Heather Anastasiu

Add to Goodreads

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network. When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers. As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse. In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

Release Date:  August 7, 2012

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Why I Want to Read it:

This amazing cover is what first caught my eye, but after reading the description I got even more excited for this release. It sounds like an amazing story! :D

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Black City (Black City Chronicles #1)  

by Elizabeth Richards

Add to Goodreads

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war. In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong. When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

Release Date: November 13, 2012

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR

Why I Want to Read it:

The cover reveal and excerpt of Black City that were on blogs a while ago got me totally hooked! I can't wait to read this book...November seriously is too far away! haha

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A Midsummer's Nightmare 

by Kody Keplinger

Add to Goodreads

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorced dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great. Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Release Date: June 5, 2012

Publisher: Poppy

Why I Want to Read it:

I absolutely love Kody Keplinger's books, and this one sounds amazing! :D 

I can't wait to get my hands on this book. :D

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Such a Rush  

by Jennifer Echols

Add to Goodreads

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.    

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly.

Release Date: July 10, 2012

Publisher: MTV Books

 Why I Want to Read it: 

I'm a huge Jennifer Echols fan, so I seriously CANNOT wait for this one, especially since I've heard some amazing things about it! :D

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Flesh and Bone (Benny Imura #3) 

by Jonathan Maberry

Add to Goodreads

Reeling from the tragic events of Dust and Decay, Benny Imura and his friends plunge deep into the zombie-infested wastelands of the great Rot and Ruin. Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong journey through a fierce wilderness that was once America, searching for the jet they saw in the skies months ago. If that jet exists then humanity itself must have survived…somewhere. Finding it is their best hope for having a future and a life worth living.
But the Ruin is far more dangerous than any of them can imagine. They are hunted by fierce animals escaped from zoos and circuses. They must raid zombie-infested towns for food and medical supplies. They discover the very real truth in the old saying: In the Rot and Ruin…everything wants to kill you.
And what is happening to the zombies? Swarms of them are coming from the east, devouring everything in their paths. These zoms are different. Faster, smarter, infinitely more dangerous. Has the zombie plague mutated, or is there something far more sinister behind this new invasion of the living dead?
In Flesh and Bone, Benny Imura, Nix Riley, Lou Chong and Lilah the Lost Girl are pitted against dangers greater than anything they've ever faced. To survive, each of them must rise to become the warriors Tom trained them to be.

Release Date: September 11, 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers

 Why I Want to Read it:

I love this series, and I am so excited for this one! Dust and Decay was so intense...I cannot wait to find out what happens next! :D

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Alice in Zombieland 

(White Rabbit Chronicles #1) 

by Gena Showalter

Add to Goodreads

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

Release Date: September 25, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

 Why I Want to Read it:

Alice in Wonderland + Zombies....enough said! I'm definitely going to be reading this one as soon as possible! :D I haven't read any of Gena Showalter's books yet, but I'll definitely be checking this series out! :D

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Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3) 

by Kiersten White

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Try as she might, Evie can’t seem to escape her not-so-normal past. And what was supposed to be a blissfully normal school break is ruined when a massive group of paranormals shows up at her house, claiming that Evie is the only one who can protect them from a mysterious, perilous fate.

The deadly war between the faerie courts looms ever closer. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its future rests solely in Evie’s hands.
So much for normal.
With a perfect blend of humor and suspense, Endlessly is everything readers could dream of in a conclusion—and the unexpected twists will keep them guessing until the very last page.

Release Date: July 24, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Why I Want to Read it:

 It's the last book in the Paranormalcy Trilogy, why wouldn't I want to read it?! haha This is one of my favourite trilogies right now, and I've been anticipating this one for ages! :D

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Something Like Normal 

by Trish Doller

Add to Goodreads

When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

Release Date: June 19, 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

 Why I Want to Read it:

I haven't read many books about soldiers and Afghanistan, but this one sounds like one that I would absolutely love. The fact that it's narrated by the male character makes it even more appealing to me. :D

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For Darkness Shows the Stars 

by Diana Peterfreund

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Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot’s estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret—one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she’s lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen’s persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Why I Want to Read it:

I'm sure it's no surprise that I love this cover, it is absolutely breathtaking! I also love the idea of this story. Inspired by Persuasion...and a dystopia...seriously, count me in! :D I haven't read any of Diana Peterfreund's books yet, but I've been wanting to. :D

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So, those are a few of the books that are coming out in the next few months that I can't wait for! What about you, are these ones that you want to read, too? 

Are there any others that you can't wait for?

Review: Sacrè Bleu by Christopher Moore

 Source: Received an egalley on Edelweiss

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 416 (hardcover)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

Absolutely nothing is sacred to Christopher Moore. The phenomenally popular, New York Times bestselling satirist whom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls, “Stephen King with a whoopee cushion and a double-espresso imagination” has already lampooned Shakespeare, San Francisco vampires, marine biologists, Death…even Jesus Christ and Santa Claus! Now, in his latest masterpiece, Sacre Bleu, the immortal Moore takes on the Great French Masters. A magnificent “Comedy d’Art” from the author of Lamb, Fool, and Bite Me, Moore’s Sacre Bleu is part mystery, part history (sort of), part love story, and wholly hilarious as it follows a young baker-painter as he joins the dapper Henri Toulouse-Lautrec on a quest to unravel the mystery behind the supposed “suicide” of Vincent van Gogh.

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Christopher Moore's books are always good for a laugh, and Sacrè Blue is no exception! It was hilarious, and I was pretty much laughing my butt off on every single page! Plus, "poopstick" is now my favourite insult, and it's just so fun to say! haha :P

I don't know much about art to be honest, but I found Sacrè Bleu to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. It was funny, and it felt informative to me. It's obvious that Christopher Moore took creative liberty with the lives of the artists, and with all of the instances with The Colorman and Bleu, but I loved how they all fit together and how they honestly seem really realistic. It's easy to forget that painters and artists in history were people too, but after reading this, I doubt I'll forget again. While reading Sacrè Bleu it felt like I was getting to know these artists, and eventually I started to feel like I'd known them for years. :D I love when you read a book and the characters start to feel like old friends, and Mr.Moore is fantastic at doing that!

The story itself was amazing! I really liked Lucien, and while he isn't an actual painter from history like the other painters, I still believed that he could have been one. I really liked him, he was a baker by day and a painter whenever he had the time. :D I also really enjoyed Henry Toulouse Lautrec. He cracked me up, and boy did he like going to the brothel! :P haha While he was a total poopstick and I didn't like him, The Colorman was still an awesome character. He was so ridiculous, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who was cracking up over his penis jokes. Then there's Juliette, also known as Bleu and countless other aliases. She was such an interesting character! I loved the whole history between her and The Colorman, and it was incredibly intriguing trying to figure everything out. I also absolutely loved Bleu's sass, she was so fun and I have her to thank for my new favourite term, poopstick! :P lol

Overall, I loved Sacre Bleu! I found it hilarious, and I recommend it if you're in need, or if you just want, a really good laugh. Some of the jokes are a bit crude, there are swear words, and it covers some pretty mature topics, so I'd recommend this for adults or even older teens if you're comfortable with all that. It didn't bother me, but I know that some people aren't a fan of all that, so I'm letting you all know. :)

Are you a fan of Christopher Moore?
If you've read any of his books, what did you think?
And if you haven't, what are you waiting for?!

Freedom! School's Out for the Summer! :D

Remember how last week I posted about finals and the end of the semester...well finals are officially over, and I'm finished for the semester! 

Image Copyright of ~E-rap on deviantART --- This sun is so adorable!!! :D

That's right...I am free! :D Now if only it was actually sunny outside...then it would feel like summer. :P

Of course, now I'll have to look for a summer job, but on the plus side I won't be having readings for school anymore so I'll get to read books that I actually want to be reading!!! YAY! :D

This post really doesn't have much of a purpose, I just wanted to rejoice about my freedom from school for a couple of months...and thankfully I have my classes picked out for next year already so I won't have to deal with thinking about next semester for a while. :P haha 

So, is anyone else close to the home stretch? Are you at the end of that long dark stress-filled tunnel we know (but do not love) called FINALS?? Now I'm being dramatic, but I think you get my point...I'm psyched. I was definitely ready for this semester to be finished, so it feels amazing to be finished with it! :D

Okay, that's the end of my school filled ramble. I hope that all of you are having an awesome day, and that all of my fellow University students are close to freedom, too. :)

Review: Revived by Cat Patrick

Source: Received an ARC from Hachette Book Group Canada for an honest review.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 8, 2012
Number of Pages: 304

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

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.

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Ever since I read the blurb and saw the cover of Revived I wanted to read it, and when I managed to get an ARC in my hands I was ecstatic, and once I actually read it I was even more thrilled! Revived is amazing! Honestly, it's addictive, and the story just reels you in and keeps you hooked until the very last page!

I wasn't sure about Daisy at first, she comes off as kind of flippant, mostly because of how she views death after using Revive for so long. However, even with her flippant feelings towards death, I really liked her as a character. I found her to be hilarious, and I really liked getting to see her open up to Audrey and Matt. I have to say though, while I loved Daisy and Matt together, I loved her relationship with Mason even more. He may not be her actual father, but they had one of the most amazing relationships I've seen in YA between a child and their parental figure. He respects her, and while she may not always listen to him, she still loves him and you could tell he genuinely cared about her. Their relationship wasn't something that I was expecting, but I was thrilled that it was there. I also loved Daisy's friend, Megan, and the blog that they run together sounds awesome. It's also nice to see unconventional character types given the respect and attention that they deserve. I'll let you read about Megan in Daisy's story...no spoiler from me here. :P

Along with the fabulous relationships in this book, it has one amazing storyline. I'm not going to go into too much detail because this is the kind of story that is so much better to experience for yourself, but I absolutely loved it! I'm a sucker for a good conspiracy...and I'm sure that there's no shock that this book has a big once since it's described right in the description. :P I thought that Daisy was the perfect narrator to undercover it all, and I loved getting to experience everything clicking into place for her as she figured everything out.

 Overall, I absolutely loved Revived, and I recommend it to anyone who wants an action-packed story that's also character driven. I will warn you that it might make you a bit squeamish at times because Daisy goes into detail about the times that she had to use Revive, but I didn't find it to be too much. However, I do know that I'm not the most sensitive person when it comes to that kind of stuff...I mean I do read zombie books, so I'm warning you just in case. :P That being said, I wholeheartedly suggest that you get your hands on a copy of Revived the first chance you get because this is one story you do not want to miss! :D

Purchase Links:
Book Depository: UK / US
Amazon: UK / US / Canada
Barnes and Noble

What do you think? Does Revived sound like a story you'd like to read?
Any other thoughts you'd like to share? :)

Guest Post: Kim Purcell, author of TRAFFICKED

Being a Canadian in LA and How it Helped me Write TRAFFICKED

A lot of immigrants move to America for financial opportunities or to fulfill their dreams, but I moved to America for love. I met my future husband in Korea, where we were both teaching English, and after our year was up, he told me he’d always wanted to live in LA. I’m always up for an adventure, so I said sure. Beaches and sunny weather all year round sounded pretty good.

LA was exotic, though not quite in the way I’d imagined. People spoke English, but some of the words were different. They teased me about my accent and loved to say “eh,” imagining a shared joke that I didn’t get. LA had mailboxes, but they were blue instead of red. At the post offices and government offices, I spoke through glass. In the stores, all the packaging was different: Kraft Dinner was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, there were no plastic bags of milk, and I couldn’t practice my French by reading the cereal boxes.

In the streets, few people rode bikes and most of the cars were expensive, even in poor neighborhoods. When I tried to ride my bike to work, I nearly got killed. Police officers scared me with their hands on their guns, shining flashlights in my eyes when they pulled me over. I’d always had friends from many different countries and races, but in LA, there was more racial tension and people didn’t mix as much. On the bus, I often witnessed the drivers mistreating immigrants who didn’t speak English perfectly and when I could, I stood up for them, demanding the drivers treat them with respect. People on the buses stared at me like I was crazy.

Even when I was trying to have fun at a party, I laughed too loudly for LA and people looked at me oddly. Sometimes I’d touch someone in conversation and realize I’d invaded their personal space. The rules were different and yet I couldn’t figure out what they were. I made jokes and no one laughed; they made jokes and I didn’t laugh. They had their childhood TV shows; I had mine. Nobody had watched The Beachcombers or The Littlest Hobo. We understood one another, but we didn’t understand at all. For the first time in my life, I had a hard time finding friends. I was miserable and lonely.

I used that loneliness and sense of separation when writing TRAFFICKED. The main character, Hannah, is living with a Russian family, but she is Moldovan, so it’s a similar feeling of speaking the same language, but being off kilter. She’s always afraid of making a mistake. When she leaves the house, it’s terrifying because nothing is familiar. The first time she takes a bus, she doesn’t know where to put the money because in Moldova, you hand the money to the driver and they give you change. But the driver won’t take the money. She doesn’t understand. Panic settles in. Finally the driver points at the hole for the money and she figures it out. When she talks to the neighbor boy, every small interaction holds the possibility for confusion. This is how I felt for the first couple years in Los Angeles.

Gradually, I adjusted to LA culture. I got a nicer car. I rode my bike along the ocean, like a sane person. I learned that the farmer’s markets are the place to shop. I found some wonderful people who helped me learn the ropes, laughed about my struggles and put up with my occasional singing of Oh Canada. I kept writing. My husband and I moved to New York City, I found a great literary agent and then Viking wanted to publish my book. And now it’s out. Many immigrants come here for their dreams. I might have come for love, but I got my dreams too, which is pretty cool, eh?

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Description of Trafficked from Goodreads:

A 17-year-old Moldovan girl whose parents have been killed is brought to the United States to work as a slave for a family in Los Angeles.

Hannah believes she’s being brought from Moldova to Los Angeles to become a nanny for a Russian family. But her American dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Platonovs force Hannah to work sixteen-hour days, won’t let her leave the house, and seem to have a lot of secrets—from Hannah and from each other.

Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah must find a way to save herself from her new status as a modern-day slave or risk losing the one thing she has left: her life.

Find out more about Kim Purcell:

Goodreads Author Page | Twitter | Facebook | Website

Add Trafficked on: Goodreads

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (73)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, is a bookish meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

Books I Read Last Week:

• A Perfect Storm (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #4) by Lori Foster

I absolutely loved this one! It hooked me in and I finished it in no time! I'm really looking forward to going back and reading the first three books in this series. :D I'm participating in its blog tour, and I'll be having a giveaway for this one too soon, so keep your eyes open for it. :D

• The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond

This one was for another blog tour. :) I liked it. It was a sweet story, and definitely made me even more excited for summer. :P

• The Hunt (The Hunt #1) by Andrew Fukuda

Well it took me a while to get into this one, but once I did I didn't want to put it down. The only downside was that I felt like it took a long time to build up to the story, and then once I finally got hooked the book was almost over....it also had one of the worst cliffhangers ever...series, it was kind of cruel, but at the same time, it will definitely make me pick up the next one!

• Trying to Score (Assassins #2) by Toni Aleo

I only have to review the first book in this series for the blog tour I'm participating in, but since I finished this one, I'll probably end up reviewing it the same day now, too. I definitely preferred the first book, but this one was still good. The only downside was that there were a tonne of editorial errors, but I'm hoping that my copy was only like that because it was a reviewer's copy. Other than that, I really liked Lucas, Aiden, and Fallon.

Reading Now:

•  Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

So far this has been a really fast read, and it's been easy to just flow through it. I'm hoping that the main character, Hester, will open up soon though because she's a bit hard to connect with, but even with Hester being distant, it's still been a really enjoyable story. :)

Books I Want to Read This Week:

• Fury (The Fury Trilogy #1)by Elizabeth Miles

I've had an arc of this for a while and I kept pushing it to the side, so I'm finally going to pull it off my shelf and get started on it. I'm looking forward to it. :)

And what are you reading???

Check out One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to see what other people are reading. :)

In My Mailbox (36)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, and inspired by her friend, Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. It's a way to share the books that you've received over the past week. They could come from the bookstore, the library, a friend, your mailbox or wherever. It gives us all a chance to showcase the books that we've gotten, and maybe give others an idea for the book they want to read or buy next. :)

For Review:

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg (Scholastic Canada)
 The List by Siobhan Vivian (Scholastic Canada)
Girl Out Loud by Emily Gale (Scholastic Canada)
Blackwood by Gwenda Bond (Netgalley and Strange Chemistry)
Shift by Kim Curran (Netgalley and Strange Chemistry)
The Rake by Mary Jo Putney by Mary Jo Putney (Book Trib and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations)
No Longer a Gentleman (Lost Lords #4) by Mary Jo Putney (Book Trib and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations)

I got some great books this week for review, and I'm really excited for them all. :D It's also a nice variety of genres, so it'll definitely keep me from getting bored of one genre. :P lol

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Library:

Fallout (Crank #3) by Ellen Hopkins
Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer

Bloodrose finally came in from the library! I've had in on hold for months...which was kind of nice...I'm a bit worried about this one! I've tried to stay away from any spoilers, but I've gotten the feeling that other Ren fans didn't like how it ends...and that worries me because I'm all Ren all the time. :P Fallout also came in, so I'm gonna have to get started on Glass now! :D

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So, that was my mailbox this week. :) What did you get in your mailbox?? Feel free to tell me in the comments or leave me a link to your IMM post and I'll come take a look. :)

Mary Jo Putney Blog Tour Giveaway Winner!

The winner of The Rake and No Longer a Gentleman by Mary Jo Putney is:

Elizabeth Kotkiewicz Hyatt

Congratulations Elizabeth! I'm about to email you, so make sure to check your inbox, but if my email doesn't turn up feel free to email me at ambiepie_6(at)hotmail(dot)com .

Thank you to everyone for entering, and thank you also to Book Trib for providing the books as prizes. 

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

 Source: Personal Library; Gifted by Zoë
Challenge: Completely Contemp Challenge

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 470 (Paperback)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

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Well, this was my first time ever reading one of Lauren Oliver's books...and I'll definitely be reading more in the future! I was pretty much hooked on Before I Fall from the moment that I started it, which was quite impressive considering the main character and her friends were about as likeable as an angry badger...okay, they weren't that bad, but they were exactly like those girls in high school that think they can walk all over everyone and that it's okay for them to do that. Coming from a small town, this wasn't as bad for me as it probably was for a lot of other people, but it was still there, and I could definitely recognize those "popular" tendencies that were present in Samantha and her friends. I did like that Lauren Oliver didn't just make them stereotypes. They all had reasons for being the way they were, and even though they weren't always likeable, it was still easy to sympathize with them.

As a narrator, I really enjoyed Sam. While she was incredibly shallow at times, she was pretty hilarious, so even when I wasn't a fan of her actions, I still really enjoyed her sense of humour that was infused throughout her narrative. I also loved that she was a dynamic character. She relives the exact same day seven times, and each day she handles it in a completely different way. I really enjoyed seeing her realize that some of her choices were wrong, and that she actively tried to change things...and I totally loved that she that one rebellious day where she pretty much just said the hell with everything because honestly, I think we all would do that at least once if we got the chance, especially with no consequence. :P Sam definitely grew on me, and by the end of the book, she'd won me over.

Sam may be shallow, but she is just the tip of the iceberg. Her best friend, Lindsey, is really that "mean" girl, similar to Regina George, but somehow a worse driver. :P I sympathized with most of the characters in this book, but I just didn't really click with Lindsey. She was incredibly self-absorbed, and she was just so cruel that it was really hard to like her. She did have some moments where you could see why Sam liked being her friend, but really, I wouldn't want to be her friend. There are some people that you're friends with and you just realize that friendship should not take that much work...and Lindsey is one of those friends. I also wasn't a fan of Sam's boyfriend, he was a prick, and their relationship was completely awful. :P But, to be fair, Lauren Oliver did an amazing job writing both characters, they definitely felt like real people, even if I didn't like them. :P
 
Now some characters that I did like....Kent, oh Kent! Sam was a total bag to him, but he was so sweet! I really liked him, and I liked how Sam's perception of him changed over the seven days. :) I'm not going to go into it too much though because I don't want to ruin it for everyone, but the whole Kent aspect was one of my favourite parts, the other was seeing Sam change, and I also enjoyed seeing her relationships with the other characters change, like the one with her parents, her sister, and even with characters that on the first day she and her friends were cruel to. It kind of makes you wonder just how much tiny little decisions that you make everyday influence what ultimately happens in your life....kinda weird, and freaky when you think about it really. :P

Overall, I thought that Before I Fall was a fabulous story! It was beautifully written, and the characterization was amazing. I absolutely loved spending the same day with Samantha Kingston seven times....and I loved seeing her change. Before I Fall is truly amazing, and I simply cannot recommend it enough! :D

Have you read Before I Fall?
What did you think?
And if you haven't read it, do you want to?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (72)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, is a bookish meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over to Journey and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading.

Books I Read Last Week:

• Croak (Croak #1) by Gina Damico

 This is another book that Zoë and I decided to read together, and I absolutely loved it! Lex wasn't exactly likeable at the beginning, but by the time I was a couple of chapters in, I thought she was awesome! I'll be reviewing this one some time soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that! :D

• Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore

Oh, I loved this one! Christopher Moore is hilarious, and in Sacre Bleu he goes all out! It begins with the death of Vincent van Gogh, and involved a crooked little man in brown called The Colorman, and a Blue Woman. I really enjoyed this one, and it had me continuously cracking up! I'll be reviewing this one soon, too. :D

• Changing the Game (Play by Play #2) by Jaci Burton

I read this one out of order, but that didn't stop me from absolutely loving it! I loved seeing a different side of Elizabeth, and seeing a whole lot more of Gavin. ;) This is definitely a steamy series, and I'm pretty much a smitten fangirl for it now...so I'm just gonna have to tell you that you NEED to check this series out! It's steamy, it's sexy, it's pretty much any steamy-sexy-like adjective that you can think of, and it has some seriously hunky males in it. I also love how Jaci Burton alternates POVs between the two characters. :D

Reading Now:

• A Perfect Storm (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #4) by Lori Foster

Oh my goodness....I'm loving this book right now. I really like Spencer, but I'm gonna refer to him as Spence because somehow dropping that "r" makes me feel closer to him (shush, I know he's a fictional character :P). I'll definitely have to make some time to check out the first three books now because this ones got me very intrigued about what happened before this book...I'm pretty sure I'll be done it later today. I'm at the stage where I really don't want to put this book down...at all. :P

• The Hunt (The Hunt #1) by Andrew Fukuda

I'm liking this one. I'm not totally hooked on it, but I am enjoying it. It's not really what I expected at all, but it's still definitely an intriguing and interesting read.

Books I Want to Read This Week:

• Glass (Crank #2) by Ellen Hopkins

After zooming through Crank when I read it, I'm really excited for this one! I'm looking forward to reading more of Kristina's story, and then I'm sure once I finish this one I'll be just dying to read the third book, Fallout! :D

And what are you reading???

Check out One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to see what other people are reading. :)