Amour Amour Blog Tour: 5 Behind-the-Scenes Facts about Amour Amour!!! #BehindTheScenes #GuestPost #Giveaways

Title: Amour Amour
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Standalone New Adult Romance
Pub Date: December 12th, 2014

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22888864-amour-amour
Amazon: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Love is a circus

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"Every day,” he says lowly, “I hold a person’s life in my hands. The circus is based one-hundred percent off 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 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 future--acrobatic 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* 

AUTHOR BIO

Krista & Becca Ritchie are identical twins—one a science nerd, the other a comic book geek—but with their shared passion for writing, they combined their mental powers as kids and have never stopped telling stories. Now in their early twenties, they write about other twenty-somethings navigating through life, college, and romance. They love superheroes, flawed characters, and soul mate love.

They are the New Adult authors of the Addicted series and Calloway Sisters spin-off series, and you can find them on almost every social media, frolicking around like wannabe unicorns.

LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Pinterest

5 Behind-the-Scenes Facts about Amour Amour

1. All of the circus apparatuses shown in the book are our favorites! There are a variety of apparatuses in the circus, but the ones that made the cut for Amour Amour were those we’d grown fond of through research and watching live performances. The teeterboard, Russian swing, aerial silk, aerial hoop, Chinese pole, trapeze, Russian bar, and Wheel of Death. In the first Cirque du Soleil show we ever saw, Corteo, we fell most in love with the teeterboard, so it holds a special place in our hearts.


2. John was meant to be a minor character. John Ruiz had a bit of the “Connor Cobalt” syndrome (Connor Cobalt is a fan-favorite character from the Addicted series) where we never planned to keep him for more than a chapter. We wrote him sitting at a bar, and he was supposed to have a couple lines and never be in another scene again. Well, those few lines made an impression on us, the same way that Connor Cobalt did. John was never a planned character, but he just had to stick around. And he turned out to be one of the biggest secondary characters in the book.


3. Thora’s first time gambling on slots… pretty much mirrors ours. We were in Vegas, and we thought we won BIG TIME. There were so many lines and noises and pings and we were like, “we just won a jackpot!” and then we realized, oh wait, we won about fifty cents. FIFTY CENTS. Slot machines celebrate for every quarter, and we didn’t even realize.


4.  We had multiple versions of this book before the final one. In the very first version, Thora was already in the circus. The next version, she was a rigger (harnessed the artists) and not even a performer. And then once we decided to strip it all away, rewind ourselves and Thora—her aspiring to be in the circus, her living in Ohio, not yet Vegas—we knew we landed on the right beginning. The one we most definitely love the best :)


5. The Addicted series cameos in Amour Amour! We’d always planned for Fizzle to be brought up through Fizz Life, Diet Fizz, and other Fizzle products to denote that this is the same world as the Addicted series. We never planned for anything else, but as we kept writing, we saw more and more opportunities and places the Addicted world should be mentioned. And if you’ve read to the end of Amour Amour, the Addicted series even has a substantial impact on this book. If you’re new to our work, you don’t need to read the Addicted series beforehand. You’ll understand everything, we promise :)

GIVEAWAYS

*Kindle Paperwhite

*3 Signed Paperbacks of AMOUR AMOUR

Both giveaways are open internationally!

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW
(MAKE SURE TO ENTER BOTH!!!):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To follow the rest of the Amour Amour blog tour, you can find the schedule at Krista and Becca's blog, here: http://kbritchie.com/2/post/2014/12/amour-amour-blog-tour-schedule.html

I don't know about you, but I love learning behind-the-scenes facts!!! 

I'm especially eager to see cameos from characters from the Addicted series in Amour Amour!!!

What about you?

Did you like learning some behind-the-scenes fun?

And are you excited to read Amour Amour?

My Bookish Christmas Wishlist! :D

It's that time of year again where family, friends, co-workers, and every awesome acquaintance in between gets together. And in some cases that involves exchanging gifts for Secret Santas! My lovely Edmonton Book Blogger group is getting together once again, so I decided to make my wishlist here on my blog! 

So, these are the awesome book-tastic goodies on my wishlist this year!!! :D

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THE BOOKS!

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
(Buy Links: Indigo | Amazon )

From YouTube sensation Zoella comes a debut coming-of-age novel that perfectly captures what it means to grow up and fall in love in today's digital world. "Girl Online "is the first book to be published by Keywords Press, an imprint under Simon & Schuster dedicated to today's digital stars. "I have this dream that, secretly, all teenage girls feel exactly like me. And maybe one day, when we realize that we all feel the same, we can all stop pretending we're something we're not... But until that day, I'm going to keep it real on this blog and keep it unreal in real life."

Penny has a secret. Under the alias GirlOnline, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her crazy family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love--and capturing every moment of it on her blog. But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny's cover--and her closest friendship--forever.

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff
(Buy Links: Indigo | Amazon)

Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten.

Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why.

When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all those years ago. But the truth gets muddled in her dangerous attraction to Fisher, the politics of New South Bend, and the Hollow, a fickle and terrifying place that seems increasingly temperamental ever since Clementine reemerged.

Now and For Never by Lesley Livingston
(Buy Links: Indigo | Amazon)

Past and present collide on the high seas when Clare and Allie hurtle back in time once more in a perilous attempt to retrieve Marcus Donatus—Allie’s blast-from-the-past crush—and put an end, once and for all, to the Time Monkey Shenanigans. But when Clare and Allie unexpectedly find themselves temporal stowaways on a Roman warship full of looted Celtic gold, sailing straight for the heart of a magic-fuelled maelstrom, there’s not much they can do but hang on for the ride—and hope Milo can tap into the Druid lore trapped in his genius brain to help bring them home, before it’s too late. The only thing that’s going to save Clarinet Reid and Allie McAllister now is if they join forces with old enemies, new loves … and unexpected friends.

Winter's Kiss by Jennifer Echols
(Buy Links: Indigo | Amazon)

Cozy up to a double dose of winter-themed romantic comedy with two books in one bind-up.
 
Lexi has come up with a master plan to make Cameron break up with her: get him to fall for another girl so she’ll be free (and guilt-free, too). But when the plan goes well—too well—Lexi starts to wonder if she hasn’t made a terrible mistake. Has she let the perfect guy get away? And is it too late to get him back?

Meanwhile, Hayden and Nick’s steamy relationship has ended in a frosty breakup, and now they’re just friends. But when they decide to go head-to-head in a boarding contest, the friendly competition gets heated….Will sparks start to fly on and off the slopes?

Wings by Elizabeth Richards
(Buy Links: Indigo | Amazon)

Following the cliffhanger ending of Phoenix, Natalie finds herself separated from Ash and unexpectedly reunited with her parents, including the father she thought was dead. But she can only think of Ash. She hasn't heard a word of him since she and Elijah were brought to the underground headquarters of the Sentry Rebellion. But she vows to find him.

Ash, meanwhile is back in Black City; it's the perfect place to hide from the Sentry government. But not for long. He won't give up on Natalie or bringing an end to the terrible reign of Purian Rose.

A pulse-racing end to an exciting series.

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THE BOOK-CESSARIES!

BOOKMARKS!

You can never have too many bookmarks, especially neat ones! 

Doctor Who!!!

Here's a three pack of bookmarks with the 10th and 11th Doctors and the Police Call Box (Tardis!!!)! :D

(Buy Link: Etsy Listing)

Harry Potter!!!

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"

(Buy Link: Etsy Listing)

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Pretty much anything book-related is always nice for a booklover! :D Totebags, bookish jewelery, book-ends, and bookshelves are also always neat ideas! ;D

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THE TEA STUFF!

MUGS!

Tea and books ALWAYS go together, so I'm always up for a new mug! ;D 

Here are a couple awesome ones that I found from Indigo/Chapters! :D

SLY FOX MUG
(Buy Link: Indigo)

READING IS SEXY

(Buy Link: Indigo)

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 Well, that's my wishlist!

What's on yours?

Waiting on Wednesday(35): The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black!! #HollyBlack

 

"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 DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST
by Holly Black

Hitting the shelves on January 13, 2015 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

MY THOUGHTS

I absolutely love Holly Black's writing, and she tells such wonderful stories, so I can't wait to read The Darkest Part of the Forest! The story sounds creepy, fascinating, and super duper intriguing! I'm definitely excited for to get a copy of this one in my hands...hopefully sooner rather than later! ;D haha

What about you?
Are you excited for The Darkest Part of the Forest?
What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Cover Catch-Up (21): Proof of Forever, & Tonight the Streets Are Ours!

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. 

I've already got my eyes on some upcoming 2015 releases, and today I've got some really awesome covers to share! The two covers that I have to share today are for contemporary YAs and they use some gorgeous photos! :D

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The first cover that I have to share is for PROOF OF FOREVER by Lexa Hillyer!

 

I love this cover so much! The text looks like it's written by hand, which I love, and I absolutely love how the pictures are formed into an infinity symbol...such a wonderful touch, and I love that it matches the title and the book's description! I love how the simpler elements of this cover work to make something that's really creative and becomes an extremely intelligent representation for the story!

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The second cover that I have to share is for Leila Sales's TONIGHT THE STREETS ARE OURS!

There isn't much information about this book yet, but I absolutely LOVE this cover!!! It's gorgeous! The colour, the text...it's just so pretty! :D The brief description for the book also sounds awesome! I really love that this cover almost looks like it blends into a sky full of stars near the bottom, too. It's a really neat effect! :D

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I love these two covers!
What do you think?

Waiting on Wednesday(34): The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski!!! #TheWinnersTrilogy #MarieRutkoski

 

"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 WINNER'S CRIME (THE WINNER'S TRILOGY #2)
by Marie Rutkoski

Hitting the shelves on March 3, 2015 from Farrar Straus Giroux

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

MY THOUGHTS

I absolutely LOVED The Winner's Curse, and have been eagerly waiting for The Winner's Crime...and it's almost here! I can't wait to read what happens next to Kestrel and Arin!!! :D

Who else can't wait to read The Winner's Crime?
What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Cover Catch-Up (20): Tragic!

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. 

Today I have two covers to share and they're both a bit tragic, and they definitely make you think!

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The first cover I have today is for Trish Doller's THE DEVIL YOU KNOW!

 

I love this cover! It's simple, but super intriguing. I especially love the way that the girl's hand is reflecting...it really fits with the title and the book description, too. Can't wait to read this one! :D

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The second cover that I have is for ALL THE RAGE by Courtney Summers!

I love the simplicity in this cover, too. The way that the girl is blurred  and surrounded by black and white seems really deep, too. I'm sure this story will be one that really works your feelings!

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What do you think of these covers?
Do you think they're tragically beautiful, too?

Blog Tour Review: Life Next Door (Love Not Included #2) by J.D. Hollyfield! #Giveaway #Teasers #Review

Life Next Door by J.D. Hollyfield
 Love Not Included #2
Publication Date: November 3, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Romance

Synopsis

There is only one thing in life that professional pastry Chef Pricilla Westcott values more than baking and wine, and that’s honesty. A quality she soon learns that her marriage lacks when her husband runs off with their next door neighbor.

Divorced and alone, Priscilla is determined to make changes in her life. She decides to approach her new goals like one of her beloved recipes. Surely with a little time, a dash of patience, and measured planning she can whip herself—and her life—back into shape.

 However, when a new—and utterly delicious—neighbor takes up residence in the house that ruined her marriage, Priscilla worries that her careful world will fold faster than a deflated soufflé.

Trent Walker knows what he wants and his sweet, sassy neighbor is at the top of the list. He’s certain that the chemistry between them would be explosive, but Priscilla fears that an affair with him, however hot, could be a recipe for disaster.

About J.D. Hollyfield

J.D Hollyfield currently resides in the Midwest with her husband, son and three doxies. As a Creative Designer by day, she enjoys spending her spare time with her nose in a good book. This obsession inspired her to test out her own creative ability. With her love for romance books and a head full of book boyfriends, this encouraged her to bring her own story to life and create her first novel.

Links:  Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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REVIEW

Life Next Door was the perfect light-hearted contemporary romance! :) It was fun, and the characters were absolutely adorable, and definitely quirky! It had me smiling and grinning like crazy, laughing, and it even had me tearing up at times.

As a HUGE fan of sugar, I could totally relate to Cece (a.k.a. Priscilla)! I absolutely loved her little quirks and how she turned to baking (and often wine :P) whenever she had a problem or was stressed. I really liked Trent, too! He was a hunky guy, and definitely tough, but I loved how Cece brought out his soft side. The two of them together were fantastic! They had some serious chemistry, and I loved the teasing and banter between them! :D

The story was pretty light-hearted. Cece was recently divorced and dealing with a bit of betrayal after her breakup. She handled it in a rather immature, yet endearingly hilarious way. I really loved Cece, but I definitely wanted to shake her into action every once in a while. Thankfully, her friends were awesome...and Trent was, too! They never let her stew too long, and would force her into acting a bit more mature! haha ;D While there was some miscommunication between Cece and Trent, I loved seeing them move past it and grow stronger! I'm always a fan of couples actually talking and working things out!! It's definitely one of the things in contemporary romance that I love to see! :D

Overall, I thought that Life Next Door was an adorable story! I really enjoyed the characters, and loved their passion together. I'd recommend Life Next Door to anyone looking for a sweet contemporary romance with some great chemistry, especially if you like a happily ever after! ;)

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TEASERS!

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GIVEAWAY

TO ENTER FILL OUT THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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What do you think?

Does Life Next Door sound like a book you'd like to read?

Waiting on Wednesday(33): Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay!!!

 

"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!

PRINCESS OF THORNS 

by Stacey Jay

Hitting the shelves on December 9, 2014 from Delacorte Press

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

MY THOUGHTS

"Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales"...I AM SOLD! :D I love the sound of Princess of Thorns! It sounds like an amazing retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and that Aurora is super duper awesome in this version. I love the idea of curses, fairies, and magic! I'm super excited for this one. :D

Anyone else super excited for Princess of Thorns?
What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Tea Tuesdays! (17): Today's Tea is...BUBBLEGUM!! #SteepedTea #LovinMySteeped #LooseLeafLovin

I'm totally obsessed with tea, so every Tuesday, I'm sharing one of my favourites...and maybe sometimes something just totally awesome and tea-related.

Recently my biggest tea obsession has been loose tea! If you're new to loose tea, check out my first Tea Tuesday post and see how easy it is to brew! You can also click my "Tea Tuesdays!" button above to see my previous tea posts! :D

Today's tea is Steeped Tea's BUBBLEGUM!

The Steeped Tea catalog describes Bubblegum as "Kids can chew the bubble gum as they watch this strawberry lemon tea brew."

I absolutely LOVE this one! It's nice and fruity, and it's super delicious hot or cold! :D

I'm a big fan of fruit tea already, so this one is perfect for me! :P

Have you tried Bubblegum before?
Do you like fruit teas?
And what's your favourite tea right now?

Cover Catch-Up (19): Bright and Beautiful!

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. 

Today I have two covers to share, and they're both super bright and they're definitely beautiful! :D

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The first cover I have to share today is for FINDING MR. BRIGHTSIDE by Jay Clark!

 

I absolutely LOVE this cover! The picture used in the cover is gorgeous, and I absolutely love the doodles that are "drawn" over top of it! They're so cute, and they remind me of doodling in notebooks or all over your homework in school. ;)

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The second cover that I have today is for Jennifer Donnelly's ROGUE WAVE!

I love the colour on this cover!! I also love the text. The only thing I'm a bit unsure of it the girl who is in both a dress and also has a tale...it looks a bit strange, but at the same time I love what it's representing. She's definitely caught between both worlds....it also reminds me that I REALLY need to read the first book. ;)

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What do you think of these covers?