Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Review: Rebecca's Lost Journals #1: The Seduction by Lisa Renee Jones

       As many of you probably saw, earlier this week we hosted a stop on Lisa Renee Jones' blog tour to promote the upcoming release of volume one of Rebecca's Lost Journals: The Seduction which comes out January 28th. When I heard Lisa was writing these to accompany her Inside Out Trilogy, I was so excited, and since then I've been anticipating them even more than book 2, Being Me. Well, this week I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak.
      The first of five novellas, Rebecca's Lost Journals: The Seduction, tells the background story that is basically the prequel to If I Were You, book 1 of the Inside Out Trilogy. In If I Were You, we meet Sara who finds and reads the secret (and very sexy) journals of Rebecca who has mysteriously abandoned them in an auctioned off storage unit. Sara is so caught up in the mystery that surrounds Rebecca's seemingly sudden departure, she searches for answers, and as a result becomes very much a part of the world she has been reading about. (if you haven't yet read If I Were You, I highly recommend it - see my review- the ebook is available now and the paperback will be out again this spring).

       ** SPOILER ALERT ** If you have not yet read If I Were You, STOP HERE. I give no spoilers to the journals, but some mild spoilers to If I Were You you might not want to know yet **

       Rebecca's Lost Journals, Volume One: The Seduction, is exactly what I'd hoped for. We see Rebecca's entrance into the BDSM lifestyle Sara is just getting a hint of by the end of If I Were You. And it gives us more of the world we've been missing while we wait for Being Me, including those gorgeously hot men Chris and Mark, and adds some details we can only learn from Rebecca herself. We don't get a whole lot of answers yet, but there are some clues thrown in there if you are paying attention. Rebecca's Lost Journals, Volume One: The Seduction is a short 40 pages that I flew through in one sitting, practically begging for more when I got to the end. Luckily, I don't have to wait that long since the next one comes out less than a month after the first!

Rebecca's Lost Journals, Volume One: The Seduction: 4.5/5 Stars
Cover: 4/5 stars


*** Be sure to enter to win one of many Amazon or B&N gift cards and Paris scented Bath & Body Works goodie bags courtesy of Lisa for her blog tour going on now until the end of the month!  Enter using the rafflecopter below! ***




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Wednesday's Words & Quippish Quotes: Sisters

Yesterday was my sister's birthday - so this week's quotes are all about sisters! Happy Birthday Lisa!

Photo copyright The Revolving Bookcase, 2013


“If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?”
― Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper
“Best friends are important. They're the closest thing to a sister you'll ever have.”
― Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty

“My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes a part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving Bailey because I will never stop loving her. That's just how it is. Grief and love are conjoined, you don't get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy.”
― Jandy Nelson, The Sky Is Everywhere
“A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.”
― Toni Morrison
"To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other's hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  We live outside the touch of time."  ~Clara Ortega
"A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."  ~Marion C. Garretty

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Blog Hop Guest Post & Giveaway: Rebecca's Lost Journals by Lisa Renee Jones

If I Were You was one of my favorite books of 2012 and its sequels are some of my most anticipated reads of 2013. So, of course we are so happy to have author Lisa Renee Jones as our guest today. She brings along with her a new excerpt from Being Me AND a giveaway for every day of the 2+ week blog tour! Be sure to enter using the rafflecopter at the end of the post and visit every stop on the tour for more chances to win!




Thanks so much to Laura & Tanya for having me today! I am thrilled to get to bring readers Rebecca’s story. From the beginning of this series she was at the core of everything. She started Sara’s journey and her story needed to be fully told. In the serials you will hear from her what it was like to meet Mark, Chris, Ava, Mary, Ralph, Ricco, and more. You won’t know who her Master is but you will live her first submissive experience and her decision to become a submissive and why. You will experience her emtoional and physical journey into a world she never thought she’d be inside. And you will be given clues to what happens in BEING ME. Lots of clues! You will find the final conclusion to Rebecca’s story at the very end of BEING ME. BEING ME is a dark book with lots of twists and turns. I couldn’t sleep after writing the ending. I was haunted by it. I hope that is a sign you will be too. It effected me emotionally on so many levels and again, I hope it will you as well.

It’s hard to give you excerpts with so many secrets but here is one from BEING ME. I hope you enjoy!

Lisa


 "Suddenly, he’s picking me up and carrying me toward the bed. We go down on the mattress and he quickly shrugs out of his jacket and tosses it away. And then, he’s on top of me, the weight of him, the sweet wonderful weight of him, is all that keeps me from completely losing my mind.
He raises up on his elbows and our eyes meet, and I am lost in the fiery depths of passion this man stirs in me. “Sara.” He whispers my name and the air around us shifts and I feel him everywhere, in places he isn’t touching me. A shudder runs through me and I pull his mouth to mine, drinking him in, burning for him. His lips leave mine and I physically ache with the loss of the connection. And I know how deeply this man can hurt me. He could hurt me in a way I’m not sure I’d recover and it’s too late to stop it from happening." - Being Me


Release Dates and Links for Inside Out Trilogy:
If I Were You currently available in ebook; paperback release: March 12, 2013 
Being Me June 11, 2013
Revealing Us  Sept. 10, 2013



Release Dates and links for Rebecca's Lost Journals 
 The Seduction  available for pre-order now; releases Jan. 28, 2013 
The Contract  available for pre-order now; releases Feb. 18, 2013
My Master  available for pre-order; releases May 7, 2013
His Submissive  available for pre-order; releases July 9, 2013
The Master Undone  available for pre-order; releases approx. August 6, 2013

Check out Lisa Renee Jones' new website-- Click Here





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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Blog Tour & Excerpt & Giveaway: Taste by Kate Evangelista

We are very excited to be part of the blog tour for Kate Evangelista's book Taste. Sadly, my nook died when I was about 20% in, so I have to wait to finish and to post my review - but so far, I'm loving it. Who knew the undead could be so sexy? Read the summary and excerpt below and see for yourself. And then make sure to enter using the rafflecopter at the end of the post to win one of 6 copies (5 ecopies and one print) Kate is giving away as part of her blog tour!




Taste Blurb:
At Barinkoff Academy, there’s only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.
When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneathBarinkoffAcademy.Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.
Author Bio:
When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn’t going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master’s courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.

Author Website: www.kateevangelista.com
Twitter: @KateEvangelista
Crescent Moon Press page for Taste: http://crescentmoonpress.com/books/Taste.html
Purchase Links:


Taste Excerpt 
I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue? My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts.  I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t. 
“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with, which made me wonder who the boy was.
He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.
I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue ice stared back at me. 
“Human,” he whispered. 
He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered. 
Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.
“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.
He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting. 
Footsteps retreated behind me.
Luka reached out again. 
It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.
“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.
I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.” 
“The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
My cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection frightened me.
From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t come back to finish me off. 
Demitri’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense muscles vibrated into me. 
“What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.
I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed. 
“Phoenix.”
I flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster. 
“I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.” 
“I don’t think so.” 
Ignoring my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?” 
“I wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said. “Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone.”
There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.
“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.
Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”
Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.
Okay, weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before him? I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living on a different planet or something?
“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel. 
Without letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has been obeyed,” he said formally.
Luka nodded once. 
Demitri stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.



Check out all the tour stops for more goodies and extra chances to win!

  January 7 
January 8
January 9 
January 10 
January 11 
January 12
January 13
January 14 
January 15 
January 16 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Review: Sea of Tranquility By Katja Millay

                                                       The Sea of Tranquility
                                                            Katja Millay
                                                   September 5, 2012 (e-book)
                                                    Antisocialite Press LLC

Synopsis: 
         I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.

All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone and everyone allows it, because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a slow-building, character-driven romance about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

Review: 
   I think this is one of the most beautifully heartbreaking books I have read. My heart ached for Nastya, when we meet her you know something is wrong, something terrible happened to her but you don't find out quite what until you are completely emotionally invested in this story. Josh is just as damaged, he is only seventeen and has had more heartache than anyone should have in that short amount of time. Both of them just want to be left alone and hide from the world. When their worlds collide its beautiful to see how they can help heal each other but they can also hurt each other. This was an amazingly deep, heart wrenching story of two young people that have experienced so much in their short lives and how they heal. Was so amazing and I think everyone should at it to their TBR pile if they have not yet read it. One of the best books I have read in a while. 

Sea of Tranquility:                5/5  stars
Cover:                                5/5  stars
Audience Rating:                 PG-13    (language,drugs/alcohol, sexual situations) 

                                                        ~~~~~Tanya~~~~~
  

Friday, January 4, 2013

Review: Avoiding Responsibility by K.A Linde

                                                    Avoiding Responsibility
                                                            K.A Linde
                                                      December 1, 2012
                                                    350 pages paperback

Synopsis:
  Lexi has finally given up her once destructive relationships and moved onto bigger and better things with a sexy new man in town. Just when she is starting to figure it out with him, her world is tilted once again with a phone call from none other than Ramsey Bridges. A year after his entrance into her life, Ramsey is trying to make amends and does the one thing she never expects—invites her to Jack's wedding.

The wedding she had evaded at all costs. But no matter what she does, Lexi can't seem to escape her past with Jack. But does she really want to?

Despite the explosive chemistry between Lexi and Ramsey, she is skeptical about trusting him after everything that has happened. When things are amiss with him, she starts questioning his motives. Can Ramsey be the one to remove Jack from Lexi's life permanently or should she move on with her blossoming new life?


Review:
      After finishing Avoiding Commitment, I immediately got this book and started reading. This drama filled world of Lexi's had me so emotionally drained, I could not stop reading this train wreck that was her life. Lies, lies and more lies, that is all that the men in Lexi's life seem to feed her, especially the ones she cares for. This book starts out the same was as the first, with an early morning call that just turns her world upside down. It is a year later from when the first book ends and a lot has happened in that one year. I am so impressed by how this author writes, back and forth from the present to the past in order to catch the reader up on all that has happened, sometimes I get lost when books go back and forth but this author does an amazing job and kept me glued to the pages. At the end of book 1 I was a team Jack now after reading this one I can honestly say go Team Ramsey!!! I have never jumped teams before while reading a series so kudos K.A Linde. The last  50 pages or so had me screaming and trying to read as fast as I could....so much drama!!!  The supporting cast is great as well. Chyna is a great BFF and I hate the bitch Bekah, guess there always has to be one character in the book to dislike. This is an amazing emotional series that gets better with each book. I am so glad to have found this series and most definitely is a must read for everyone!!!! 

Avoiding Responsibility:     5/5   stars
Cover:                               4/5     
Audience Rating               R (adult themes, sexual situations)

                                                           ~~~~~Tanya~~~~

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Review: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

                                                                Deity
                                                    Jennifer L. Armentrout
                                                      Spencer Hill Press
                                                     November 6, 2012
                                                        360 pgs (paperback)
Synopsis:

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "


Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...



It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout. Which is why I was so excited to get my hands on a few ARCs of hers at this year's BEA. In fact, out of the 80+ books I came home with, the VERY FIRST one I read was Deity. The only reason I regret that decision is that I now have to wait that much longer for the next installment! Caution, if you haven't yet read books 1 & 2 of this series, stop reading here - I don't want to spoil either of them for you.

In Deity, Ms. Armentrout continues to do what she does best - write amazing characters with incredible chemistry. I've come to expect that from her, it's one of the main reasons I loved the previous Covenant Series books, Half-Blood and Pure (see review), as well as Cursed (will link to review once published in Sept) and of course, my favorite Obsidian. But, what I was not expecting in Deity was the twists and turns that the story takes and the intricate manner in which she weaves the plot together. Besides the exciting drama with the daimons and the gods, the Awakening and the council order, all of which continues in here, she also starts to make you think about serious questions regarding fate and destiny. And boy, are there some surprises in there as well! 

After reading Half-Blood and Pure, I was a solid Team Aiden supporter, but very reluctantly was starting to really like Seth, and the lines in my mind (as well as in Alex's) were starting to get blurry. I was not happy this continues in Deity, but I was super excited we get to see a lot more of Aiden in this one and everything starts to become a little clearer in the end (although you'll have to read for yourself how).. It is a bit frustrating to see how impossibly unfair circumstances become, but that only fuels my desire to keep reading because I just know this has to have a happy ending, right? Right?

Deity may just be my favorite of the three Covenant books so far. It has all the romance anyone could ask for, plus a whole lot of action and suspenseful drama as well. I felt so much more got resolved than in the previous books, but there are still a whole lot of questions yet to be answered for the next two books (at least!). Can't wait for them next year! 

Deity: 4.5/5 stars
Cover: 5/5 stars (have I mentioned how much I LOVE these covers!)



 

 Jennifer signing copies of Deity at The Voracious Reader In Larchmont NY on November 10, 2012













Tanya's review:
 
At the recommendation of my fellow blogger, I read my first Jennifer Armentrout book, Cursed, a few months ago and since then I have devoured everything she puts out, even her adult books.  Deity is the third book in the Covenant series and it was definitely my favorite so far. I started this book on a Sunday morning and was done by 7 pm that night. (I had to stop occasionally to do my domestic duties). Once I started reading I could not stop. Each chapter  pulled me in more and more. Ms. Armentrout has a way of writing mixing humor, action and romance that just makes you stop everything and you travel to the place she created. To say I was surprised by some twists would be an understatement. The choices that Alex has to make in this book and the danger she faces, who to trust? Do they love me? Are they my friend or do they only want me because of who I am, the Apollyon? This one was definitely a page turner and just when you think you know where the story has to go and who you can trust the world changes in an instant and you know nothing anymore. I completely agree with my co-blogger on team Aiden and was so happy he was in more of this book than the last.  Ms. Armentrout left us with a bit of a cliff hanger and I am extremely anxious to find out what happens next. She has created an amazing world and Alex is one strong kick butt heroine that I can not help but root for and I really want her to have a HEA.

Deity:                 4.5/5
Cover:                5/5  (All covers in series are just beautiful)

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Wednesday's Words & Quippish Quotes: Beginnings

Happy New Year! 
This week's Wednesday's Words & Quippish Quotes is all about Beginning
Enjoy and may everyone's 2013 be happy & healthy (and, of course, filled with lots of great books!)


“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson


“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” 
― L.M. Montgomery


“All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time.” 
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven


“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” 
― Lao Tzu

“Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. So when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.” - Hope Floats


“The beginning is always today.” 
― Mary Wollstonecraft






“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland