November Author Appreciation: Spotlight on Kristen Day & Giveaway

First off, Lana and I wanted to let you guys know we realize we are way behind in our monthly author appreciation duties, but in our defense, we have been insanely busy. We're ready to make it up to you guys though. This month, we are dying to tell you all about an author we both absolutely adore. Kristen Day, author of the Daughters of the Sea trilogy, is one of our new favorite authors and we were lucky enough to snag an interview with her to share with you guys! 

Kristen Day hooked me from the very first line of Forsaken (Book 1 in the Daughters of the Sea trilogy) and she hasn't let me go yet. I am now eagerly awaiting the final book in the series. Her storytelling is enchanting and her characters are completely captivating. I dare you to read these books and not fall in love with them and their brilliant author. 

Now without further ado, I give you our interview with Kristen Day! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, Kristen. We really appreciate it!

*Can you start by telling us a little about yourself? I’m 34 years old, but my soul is approximately 1,270 years old. I live in North Carolina and graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Marketing. I have an unhealthy obsession with Sharpies, scrapbook paper, buttons, old books, and most recently Hobby Lobby. I love painting, jewelry making, sewing, and just about anything else I can create with my hands. I’ve been writing my entire life, only to keep my works hidden (until now). The written word has always been my outlet and reading has always been my escape. Those worlds collided when I decided to write the Daughters of the Sea trilogy and it’s been a terrific ride thus far! 

*Where did you get the inspiration for the Daughters of the Sea series? 
It’s a beautiful marriage of my true passions: the beach and history, or more specifically, mythology. I started by doing a TON of research about the different sea gods and goddesses. I knew I wanted to have a boarding school with different ‘types’ of students. That’s where the research came in. Depending on the different qualities I wanted each ‘type’ to have, I was able to choose a god or goddess for them to be descended from. I love symbolism, so the traces and stones were a no-brainer. The story just continued to grow and grow. Before I knew it I had an entire notebook of characters, a foundational plot, and plenty of scene ideas! 

*If you attended Lorelei, which Sea God or Goddess would you want to be descended from? 
If I attended Lorelei, I would want to be descended from Charon, however being that there are no Daughters of Charon, that’s not really an option. So my second choice would have to be Amphitrite. She is extremely pure and wise, but also very powerful. She’ll be introduced in Chosen. *wink, wink* (don’t you HATE it when I do that!? GAH.) 

*If you could spend a day with any character from the literary world, who would you choose and what would you do? Well, every sizzling, sexy male character (Patch) from every series (Lucas) I’ve ever read (Four) just popped into my head (Daniel), but in an effort to keep this PG13, I’ll refrain from using them as my answer. With that in mind, I would have to choose Minny from The Help. It might sound like an odd choice, but she is the epitome of strong women who has seen a great deal in her lifetime. I’d love to go to church with her, chat about her life, and then have her show me how to cook that mouthwatering comfort food! 

*Are any of your characters based on people you know, or are they completely made up? Actually Stasia and her roommates are all little chunks of my own layered (and slightly weird) personality. I pulled from my sarcastic side to create Carmen, my airheaded gullible blonde childlike side for Phoebe, and my dreamy, idealistic side for Willow. Stasia was pulled from my logical, strong side. So as you might imagine, coming up with conversations sometimes sounds like the different voices in my head on a daily basis. Nadia was actually inspired by a real person from my past (she-who-must-not-be-named) and Finn has many uncanny similarities to my own husband… And finally, Kira was inspired by my mom - she lives by the beach, loves to laugh, and is infinitely supportive. 

*If you could only recommend one book to us, which book would you choose? Why Men Marry B*tches. No, seriously. As a southern lady who was taught to be sweet, tolerant, and utterly selfless; this book had a profound effect on how I viewed myself, my husband, and my relationships as a whole. 

*Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? 
I would to tell aspiring authors to write ONLY because they love, love, love to write. Not because they want to make money, not because they want to see their name on the front of a cover, not because they want their book to become the next Twilight Franchise, but because they have an obsessive and undeniable need to put their thoughts into words. That passion can be felt by your readers and its absence speaks louder than any critic. 

*Is there any chance of a spin off from Daughters of the Sea series? One that maybe focused on one of Stasia’s roommates? 
There is a very good chance of this, but I’ve decided to wait until Chosen comes out so that I can get some feedback on who everyone would like to know more about. And I still have to decide if I want to write more of a prequel or a true spin-off. So, stay tuned! 

*Lana and I both have an obsession with really good cheesecake; is there a dessert you can’t turn down? 

If you would have asked me this question a year ago, I would have said, without a doubt, apple crumb pie (my grandma’s recipe of course), but there has been a new contender in recent months that rivals even the best crumbly, sweet, cinnamony (that’s right, cinnamony) apple pie straight from the oven. This little slice of heaven is called strawberry shortcake cheesecake; also known as the best dessert *in my best nasally Taylor Swift voice* like..EVER. I discovered it at Epic Chophouse in Mooresville, NC. It begins with a graham cracker crust, one layer of cheesecake, a thin layer of strawberry yumminess, a layer of shortcake, and topped with a layer of strawberry mousse. DELISH!

Thank you again, Kristen!! We cannot wait for Chosen!!

And because Kristen ROCKS, she's having a giveaway with the Awaken Blog Tour! You can see some of the goodies being given away below! Enter NOW and Good luck everyone! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

'Cemetery Plot' by Alex Granados Blog Tour: Guest Post

Vanessa Hawthorne is a zombie. . .at least that was the plan. Miserable with her life, she agreed to participate in a fatal ritual that would transform her into one of the Living Dead. Instead, she wakes up decades later alive, unaged and living in a world overrun with graveyards.

But when a real estate tycoon finds out about Vanessa, he will stop at nothing to discover how she cheated death. He hopes that this knowledge will give him the power to resurrect the dead. The money he stands to make is incalculable. And he is willing to do whatever it takes — kidnapping, assault and even murder — to get the job done. Luckily for Vanessa, she has Mark Nimocks and his friend Emily to protect her. . . but at what costs?

A zombie apocalypse is in the works, and it will take a medium from the future to find a way to undo the end of the world. But can he actually help change the past? Or is the world fated to be destroyed no matter what?

     

Thank you so much to Girls *Heart* Books for having me. In my guest post today, I want to talk about some of the literature and media that has influenced me over the years.

I’m going to start way back. In elementary school, I used to get this book called “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” I don’t know if anybody remembers it, but it used to terrify me. It was one of those books full of urban legends, like the story of the guy who leaves his girlfriend in the car to investigate a spooky noise. He doesn’t come back, but the girlfriend hears a scratching noise on the top of the car, she’s terrified. And when she eventually investigates, she discovers that her boyfriend has been hanged (hung?) from a tree above the car.

Those stories really freaked me out. Then I got a Time-Life series on paranormal experiences. Every month, I would get a new volume detailing all the weird crap happening in the world that nobody could explain.

As far as movies are concerned, I went traditional in the horror genre. There was lots of Michael Myers, Jason from Friday the 13th and Freddy Krueger. But it was later in life that I really got into some of the more interesting horror/sci-fi alternatives out there.

I remember the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. I didn’t think much of it, but I watched it numerous times because I thought Kristy Swanson was hot. When the television show came out, I wrote it off immediately. If it was anything like the movie, I wasn’t interested.

I can’t remember what first made me watch an episode, but when I did, I was hooked. I became a dedicated Buffy watcher. It was the humor more than anything that drew me to the show. When Angel spun off, I started watching that too, and, in fact, I became a huge Joss Whedon fan in general. I watched Dollhouse on Netflix in a marathon two-week stretch with my wife. And I’m a big fan of Whedon’s movie The Cabin in the Woods. I still haven’t seen Avengers, but I’ve heard good things about it, even if it’s not Whedon’s usual fare.

I’ve always been a fan of Stephen King, but I stopped reading horror novels a few years ago. There are just too many interesting things happening in the sci-fi genre.

I think, more than anything, what led to me writing a zombie novel for my first book was the show “The Walking Dead.” I was watching it around the time I wrote the novel.

I’ve always been a fan of the zombie movies of George Romero. Hell, I even liked the remake of Dawn of the Dead. But The Walking Dead and the idea of a serialized zombie show really called out to something in me. The idea of exploring the zombie apocalypse and what it does to people, that’s just something I find interesting. You know, I have a hard enough time dealing with day to day life. It seems amazing to imagine surviving in a world overrun with zombies. What a terrifying proposition.

Anyway, the only other movie I want to mention is one that will probably have you all laughing at me. I love the Paranormal Activity movies. They freak me out. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have spent many a night walking through a dark house imagining some kind of creepy crawly or spooky specter sneaking up on me. There is nothing so scary as your imagination, and I feel like those movies really rely on your head to provide the scare tactics.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Cemetery Plot. You can buy it on Amazon.

Thanks for having me. 

Alex Granados is a producer for The State of Things on North Carolina Public Radio WUNC and the North Raleigh News Columnist for the regionally acclaimed News & Observer newspaper. Cemetery Plot is his first novel.

Alex received a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also has a minor in philosophy, which basically means that he used to think he was really smart but realized he wasn't in time to switch majors.

Fishing, reading science fiction, watching crazy movies, walking his dog Zoey and late night dance parties with his wife are some of his favorite hobbies. Alex still doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up, but he is holding out for astronaut.

Review: Baroque, Hunted: Over My Spilled Blood #2 by Joseph Eastwood

Baroque

Hunted: Over My Spilled Blood #2

Joseph Eastwood

Published: September 6th, 2012

Artemisia was a protector of the mortal gods, gods who were cursed to live a human life, over and over again. But when word gets out about the things that a god's blood can do, there's no stopping the supernatural world from getting what they want.

And they'll kill a whole race of people to get it.

This is the second short story from the anthology Over My Spilled Blood. This is a dark fantasy / horror short story. (Goodreads)

About a month ago, I read "Bait" (the first in the Over My Spilled Blood series) and loved it. This, however, is not a "sequel", per se, but another story all together (because Eastwood is evil and likes cliffhangers *long sigh*). This one is about faeries, Artemisia and Giovanna, who have been protecting the gods for centuries. It is told in the third person, but mostly centers on Artemisia's perspective, which helps the story as a whole, because she is just as confused as I was, which lets the reader know this is what he [Eastwood] was going for.


Honestly, I think Bait was a little better than this one. For a while I was a teeny bit confused as to what was going on. Once I got to the end, I figured it out, and since this is a short, I will give it a break, but I do think it could've been explained a bit better.

All in all, I think the story was good, but I liked Bait better-- Now, onto Book 3! :D

My Rating:

Joseph Eastwood is the eldest of five siblings. He lives and grew up in Lancaster, England, where he also attends the University of Cumbria, studying English Literature and Creative Writing.

He has always had a giant creative connection in his life, from drawing and writing to having an eclectic taste in music and reading a wide range of books, which he hopes reflects in his own writing. He also loves watching sci-fi, supernatural and fantasy based TV shows and films. Among some of his favourites are Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries and True Blood. As well as those he loves dramas, like The Good Wife and Desperate Housewives.

Joseph is either busy doing edits and writing or trying to get some university work done. He lives for creativity, striving to be different and thinking up new hoops for his characters to jump through.

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly even hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we're super excited about. This week, my pick is:

Paper Valentine

Brenna Yovanoff

Expected Publication: January 8th, 2013 by Razorbill

A girl does a macabre dance with death in this eerie new novel from New York Times bestselling author Brenna Yovanoff.

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor's peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go pack to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian's ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah's just trying to understand why her best friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn't there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able to move on with her life--and it's up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

I happen to own both The Replacement and The Space Between by Yovanoff, I just haven't been able to get to them yet. I love the ideas of her novels, though, and I can't wait to add Paper Valentine to my shelves- Hopefully, I'll be able to read her other novels before this one comes out. Hehe.

This is my "Waiting on", what's yours?

Cover Reveal: "Hidden Gates" by D.T. Dyllin

Hidden Gates

Book #1 in the PJ Stone Gates Trilogy

By: D.T. Dyllin

Publication Date: January 2013

For P.J. Stone, being a “Seer” who has never seen anything is less than fun. And P.J. isn’t known for her patience.

To make matters worse, she must choose a suitable mate to continue the Seer bloodline. Duty always comes before her heart…at least that’s what her parents taught her. When she finds herself wanting someone who is considered off-limits, P.J. is forced to question everything she believes.

As if navigating her love life isn’t complicated enough, P.J. finally receives a vision—of a threat to her world that only she can perceive. But no one will believe a fledgling Seer’s warnings. With nowhere else to turn, she may decide to trust a stranger with her life, her world, and maybe even her heart.

Cynical-Optimist. Chocolate-holic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Self-Imposed Insomniac. Sci-Fi Geek. Animal Lover. Writer…are just a few words to describe D.T. Dyllin. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and two very spoiled GSDs.

Follow D.T. Dyllin:

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'Embrace' by Stacey Rourke Blog Tour: Review & Character Interview

Embrace 

Gryphon Series Book #2 

By: Stacey Rourke

Published By: Anchor Group

Whether she likes it or not, eighteen year old Celeste Garrett has come to terms with being the Chosen One. She knew having a “normal life” would be tricky, between intense training sessions and epic demonic battles, but she didn’t know at what cost it would come. That is, until a dear friend is harmed by the malicious forces hunting her. 

Now, she’d like nothing more than to retreat into a hermit lifestyle to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. But startling revelations, amazing new abilities, and mortifying moments in front of insanely hot guys won’t allow time for that. Soon, Celeste finds herself surrounded by darkness and wondering who she can trust—if anyone.

Being on a "spoiler free" blog is equal parts wonderful and frustrating. And the reason for that is because on one hand, it's great knowing that my review might make someone decide to pick up a book, while on the other, I can't gush or fangirl, and that's annoying. Do not fret, readers, I'm not gonna spoil anything- Really, I- No... Okay... Review time.

"Embrace" is the second book in The Gryphon Series by Stacey Rourke. I was lucky enough to get this blog tour on my To-Do list, and when I read the summary, I was...well, my hopes weren't high. Most every book where someone is "The Chosen One" bores me to death because all they do is sit and whine to the point where I am rooting for the bad guys to kick their butt. Thankfully, as I was reading this, I was pleasantly surprised. This book is awesome!

Celeste isn't whiny at all, and I love it. In fact, she's a lot like me--awkward and loud and sarcastic and awesome. I could relate to almost everything she said, and I didn't find myself stopping and thinking, "And now she'll do this and he'll do that and duh-duh-duh ope, I know the ending." All the characters, in fact, are likable. I love Keni, and Gabe, and Alaina (oh, close to my name! :D), and Caleb (*drools all over the Kindle*), and Rowan (again- *drools all over the Kindle*), the "Glee Club" and- And- Well, okay, I really shouldn't give you the character list...

The story is full of twists and the dialog and the monolog is all hilarious. I found myself highlighting way more than I have in a while and making notes to add the quotes to Goodreads. If I added every funny note, it would be the whole book though. Ha.

I love this book. I will definitely be ordering it (and "The Conduit") in paperbacks for my shelf-- And that, readers, is the highest honor I can bestow a book. :) I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a funny, fast-paced and dramatic book. Excellent!

My Rating: 

And now we are happy to share an interview Stacey Rourke did with Celeste: 

Stacey-Celeste, thanks so much for being with us today!

Celeste-Uh, I only exist in your head. You know that, right? So it’s kind of a “where you go, I go” situation.

Stacey-(talking behind her hand) I get that, okay. But would you just please play along?

Celeste-Whatever, Boss Lady. Thanks for having me and congrats on your public display of schizophrenia.

Stacey-You’re mouthy. You know that?

Celeste-I am what you made me.

(Stacey scowls, Celeste gives her a big grin.)

Stacey-Let’s move on, shall we?

Celeste-Sure, this is fun!

Stacey-So, in book one of The Gryphon Series, The Conduit, you found out that because of a pact your ancestors made you’re the fabled Chosen One. How has your life changed since then?

Celeste-Well…I was going to go to college and be an art teacher. Now I have an army of demons chasing me and trying to kill me on a pretty much daily basis. So…uh…things have been better. Wait a sec, that was all YOUR doing! YOU made me the Chosen One! Why you…

Stacey-Next question?

(Celeste huffs.)

Stacey-Are you going to pout for the rest of the interview? I’ve done nice things for you, too! What about Caleb, we meet him in book 2, Embrace. He’s all kinds of fun eye candy! I made him just for you!

Celeste-He is pretty amazing. You cooked him up in your head?

Stacey-Yep! The face and hair of Ian Somerhalder, abs of Joe Manganiello, body of Alex Pettyfer and Irish accent of Gerard Butler. Nice, huh?

Celeste-Very! And I thank you for letting me play with your Frankenstien-esque creation, however I think you may be watching too much TV.

Stacey-Well this isn’t about me, is it?

Celeste-Easy, don’t get huffy. I have a question for you. (leaning in) So in book three do Caleb and I…(wiggles eyebrows suggestively)

Stacey-Celeste! First of all, if you aren’t mature enough to say what the act is you’re not ready to do it! Secondly, your Grams could be reading this!

Celeste- I know she is. Who do you think told me to do the eyebrow thing?

Stacey-Oh for crying out loud. Moving on.

Celeste-That wasn’t a yes or no.

Stacey-I guess you’ll just have to wait and see like everyone else. So, we also met Rowan in book 2, the golden haired bad boy pirate. Let’s talk a little bit about him.

Celeste-Oh, you mean the hot demon that can control my mind with a simple touch and makes me lose complete control of my inhibitions? Yeah, he’s a hoot. Thanks a bunch for that. That’ll make fidelity with Caleb super easy.

Stacey-Oh don’t worry, you won’t have to juggle both of them for very long.

Celeste-What?! Why? Is someone going somewhere?!

Stacey-Well that’s about all the time we have for today…

Celeste-No it’s not! I live in your head and will not let you sleep until you answer me!

Stacey-To our readers, please pick up The Conduit and Embrace by me, Stacey Rourke, and look for Sacrifice coming this fall wherever fine books are sold.

Celeste-Writers block will look like nothing compared to the sit in I’m staging until you answer me! Not one creative thought will leak out! Don’t act like you can’t hear me!

Stacey-Also catch a special Gryphon Series short in the Paranormal Days Gone Awry Anthology releasing this Halloween by Anchor Group Publishing.

Celeste-Ever gotten your butt kicked by a figment of your imagination? ‘Cause your itching for it, Rourke.

Stacey-Thank you to our guest, Celeste, for her time and thank you all for joining us. Happy reading!

Celeste-You. Me. Parking lot. Now.

You can purchase Embrace: 

Amazon

Smashwords

Writing is something I have always done. I can remember in elementary school creating stories that I would stand up and read aloud to my classmates…whether they liked it or not. As I grew older I didn’t flaunt my writing as freely. It became something I did just for me to vent my teenage angst, or chronicle my journey to adulthood. I never thought about becoming a writer because that title prompted the visual of a grey-haired man in a tweed smoking jacket with suede elbow patches, slaving over an old fashion typewriter while puffing away on a pipe. No way was that stuffy kind of life for me. (Plus tweed is itchy.) Instead I wanted to be in the spotlight! I wanted to be–pause for dramatic effect–an actress! I gave it my best shot, too. Got about as far as any aspiring actress can get in Flint, Michigan. Which is exactly no where. But I did get two great things out of my time delving into the theatrical world; I gained the ability to act out the scenes I write to make sure they’re believable (yes, I really do that and no, you can’t watch) and I met my amazing husband. 

My theater ambitions behind me, I decided to do the “mature,” “grown up” thing and went back to college. As I worked toward my Bachelor’s degree in marketing I did a lot of writing. Essays, research papers, PowerPoint presentations. All of it mandatory, none of it what I would ever call fun. Even then, becoming a writer never entered my mind. No, then I was going to be a business tycoon…or somethin’. Truth be told, I never picked writing. It picked me. During my time as a stay at home mom I needed an outlet to give me a mental break from diapers, formula and midnight feedings. That’s when my hands found their way back to the keyboard. Story ideas began coming at such an incessant rate that my rapidly clicking fingers couldn’t keep up. Post-It notes and scrapes of paper with story ideas decorated every inch of our house. In mid-conversation with my husband I would dart off to jot down things that would come to me. Sweet guy my hubby is, he would just shake his head at my obvious rudeness and hold my place in the conversation. 

My first book was completed for an entire year before I told anyone about it. I outed myself as an author and then sent out my first round of query letters to literary agents. Surely, it would be picked up immediately and become an overnight success! Yeah, not so much. For two years I got rejection, after rejection, after rejection, after rejection…you get the idea. Thankfully with the ever increasing pile of rejections came feedback. I digested all the suggestions and applied the usable ones to my manuscript. Little by little, the rough edges were chipped away and the diamond shone through. The work paid off when I received an email from a publisher offering me a contract on The Conduit.

It’s been a long road, and it ain’t over yet. But now, at thirty-mumble, mumble years old I finally know what I wanna be when I grow up–-a writer.

Follow Stacey Rourke: 

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Anchor Publishing

Review: Through To You by Emily Hainsworth

Through To You

Emily Hainsworth

Published: October 2nd, 2012, by Balzer + Bray

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. He'd give anything to have just one more glimpse of her. But when Cam visits the site of Viv's deadly car accident, he sees an apparition. Her name is Nina, and she's a girl from a parallel world. When Cam follows her there and makes an unbelievable discovery, it's as if all of his wildest dream have come true. But things are very different in this other world. Nina is hiding a secret, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with the truth, he's forced to make a choice that will change his life forever.

I found out about "Through To You" while looking at The Tattered Cover's website. I was checking, for the millionth time, to see if the event with Maggie Stiefvater and Brenna Yovanoff was, indeed, real. I'm a little paranoid, okay? That's beside the point. I clicked the wrong day, and found out about Emily's signing. The cover was pretty enough to get my attention, and the summary sold me-- I immediately took off work and convinced my dad he needed to give me a ride. Emily was very sweet and the way she spoke of her book made me eager to give it a try. Usually when I have my hopes up, my review suffers, because the awesomeness in my head did not match the book.

Well, readers, that is not the case, here.

Through To You has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. It and Butter by Erin Jade Lange are sitting up there on my "Favorites of 2012" list. I could not believe how fast I tore through this book. A day and a half, people. Less than 48 hours! *jaw drop* That is unheard of for me, especially if the book is over 100 pages-- I take forever to read a book, for various reasons (i.e., work, sleep, other books, etc.). But this, this book blew it all out of the water.

Through To You is told from Cam's perspective, and follows him as he grieves over his dead girlfriend, Viv. The grief is very believable and not overdone or underdone at all-- Losing your whole world when you're barely an adult is earth shattering, and Hainsworth depicts that perfectly. 

What I also love about this is that while Cam's world and Nina's world are totally different, they're rather similar, too. Sure, major pieces are rearranged, but you can see how if this had been a little different, and if that had been a little different, this world is actually possible. We didn't jump from broken-ex-footballer to alien-spaceship-fbi-agent, and for that, I am thankful. 

This book literally had me engrossed from the very first page. Every assumption I had was wrong, every "I've got it now" was misplaced, and every time I thought I might not cry, I did. I absolutely LUH-OVEEEEEE this book, and recommend it to ANYONE who is looking for a good story. Perfection.

My Rating:

Emily Hainsworth was raised in upstate New York and currently resides in Denver with her husband, cat, and standard poodle. THROUGH TO YOU is her first novel. 

Find Emily:

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'The Boss's Fake Fiancee' by Inara Scott: Review

Is she his worst nightmare…

No relationships, that’s billionaire Garth Solen’s rule—especially not with a woman like his new employee Melissa Bencher, who thinks with her heart and not her head. But all bets are off when Melissa tries to make her jerk ex-boyfriend jealous by suggesting that she’s dating her gorgeous boss. How could she have imagined all the trouble one impulsive act could cause?

…or a dream come true?

To protect his ailing grandmother, Garth is forced to play the part of Melissa’s adoring fiancé. Now they’re trying on rings and posing for the paparazzi. The game is clear: for one month, they play the part of an engaged couple, and then they part ways. No emotions. No entanglements. But when it comes to matters of the heart, Melissa’s never been good at following the rules…

The Boss's Fake Fiancee is Inara Scott's newest romance novel for ADULTS, yes it's in caps, because it's not for you actual young adults in the audience. We have rescinded our earlier decision to stick to YA only because I adore a good steamy romance and Inara Scott always delivers. So when she approached me about whether I'm still reviewing adult titles as well as YA, I had a little chat with Lana and we decided we will no longer be specializing in any genre. Ahem, ok, so explanation over. 

The Boss's Fake Fiancee is a sequel to Rules of Negotiation, only it focuses on Brit's sister, Melissa and her boss (Tori's client) Garth. Scott has once again crafted a sweet yet steamy story with vibrant and interesting characters for us to fall in love with.  I can honestly say I have never read a book by Inara Scott that I didn't absolutely love from start to finish, regardless of which genre she was writing in. She is easily one of my very favorite authors and that is VERY hard for me to say.

The story follows both Melissa and Garth, slipping back and forth between them giving us a glimpse into what makes them each tick.  They are both fantastic characters; complex and enchanting, but I have to admit that Garth is my favorite. I cannot help but love him.  He is my favorite of all Inara Scott's male leads.  He's very private and he is widely known as 'the human computer'.  People don't see his dry humor and fierce loyalty, though. Or the struggles he's had to overcome to get where he is in life. I adore him. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good love story. Inara Scott has written what I consider to be the perfect romance and I look forward to reading more from her.

My Rating: 

Inara Scott grew up in the winter wonderland of Buffalo, NY. Consequently, she spent much of her childhood complaining about being cold. To spare the world her whining, she fled the cold climate and eventually wound up in the Pacific NW. She loves it there — they get occasional snow, tons of rain in the winter, and lots of sun in the summer. The forests are huge, and the old Douglas Fir trees and thick ferns make you think you’ve wandered into a fairy tale. She would be surprised if there weren’t fairies and elves living there. Seriously.

She loves to hike, canoe, and play outside. She is addicted to yoga. She has a deep affinity for water (she used to believe she could learn to breathe underwater, if she stayed down there long enough).

She's a geek through and through. She fears deep, intellectual books and loves romance and fantasies. She listens to cheesy, happy music. When she was in high school, her friends considered having a clothing intervention for her because she insisted on making her own clothes and shopping at thrift stores. Somehow, she survived.

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Friday Fever: Awaken by Kristen Day

Friday Fever is a weekly event hosted here at Girls *Heart* Books. Every Friday, we will showcase one of our favorite steamy and/or romantic scenes. You know the ones we're talking about; those that get your pulse thumping and your temperature rising. Enjoy.

This week I simply had to share a steamy scene from Awaken, the second book in the Daughters of the Sea series by Kristen Day! The chemistry between Finn and Stasia is downright electric. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I bent down to kiss him softly, but I should have known that would be a futile effort. He latched onto me with an urgency that was mirrored in my own movements. Instantly on top of him, the feel of his body beneath me sent a surge of longing that could not be silenced no matter how close I was to him. Somehow I managed to pull his shirt off and couldn’t resist kissing every inch of warm skin I could get to. He rolled us over so that I was now beneath his weight, causing every cell in my body to explode with need. As he buried his mouth into the crook of my neck he simultaneously thread his fingers through mine and pulled my hands above my head, securing me where I was. It was all I could do to not wrestle out from under his grip and continue touching him.

Knees on either side of me, he sat up and tugged off the t-shirt I had been wearing in a split second; tossing it on the floor as I fumbled with the button of his shorts. Surprising myself with my own boldness, I unzipped them and practically ripped them off of him. He did the same with the already loose gym shorts I was wearing, and I watched as his breath visibly caught in his throat when he looked down at me. Watching me carefully as if I might disappear into thin air, he wrapped an arm around me; picking me up enough to pull back the covers beneath me.              

Oh my goodness it just became a little warmer in here! If you guys haven't checked out these books yet I am telling you now, you really NEED to! They are phenomenal!   

'Awaken' by Kristen Day Blog Tour: Review

 

Awaken

Daughters of the Sea Book #2 

By Kristen Day

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

(Self-Published)

The sacrifices we make have the power to shift the very fabric of who we are, and ultimately who we are meant to be…

After learning of her true destiny as the intended Leader of the Tydes, Anastasia Whitman must now embark on a perilous quest to the Underworld before the age of eighteen in order to plant the seed of immortality and complete her essence to become a true Sea Goddess. But before she can make her legendary journey, an unexpected new student transfers to Lorelei; initiating a sequence of events that will unravel Stasia’s new life, and test the boundaries of her relationship with the mysterious, dark, and sexy Finn Morrison. The line between the Underworld and the Living begins to blur as gruesome ghosts, morbid reveries, and pure evil haunt her waking hours as well as her sanity. Once the details of Finn’s own startling destiny are revealed, the dangerous secrets he’s been hiding will threaten the very love Stasia believed to be indestructible. As time begins to run out, she will be forced to choose between the one she loves and the destiny she cannot escape.

Awaken is the second installment in Kristen Day's fabulous Daughters of the Sea series. As some of you may remember, Lana and I both absolutely LOVED Book 1 in the series, Forsaken.  So when we found out that Young Adult Novel Reader was putting together a tour for the sequel, Lana and I jumped at the chance to be a part of it. I know I have been eagerly awaiting this sequel since the moment I finished book one. 

Awaken picks up shortly after Forsaken ends and I was pulled right back in from the opening lines. Day knows how to keep us hooked and I read this book in less than a day. I couldn't put it down. I found myself completely wrapped up in Stasia's story once again and  the end came entirely too soon for my liking. Of course, along the way, my husband thought I'd lost my mind since I was randomly laughing out loud, gasping, and crying; sometimes all at once. I was an emotional wreck by the time I finished it.

Awaken is packed with suspense, romance and a few twists I definitely didn't see coming. I cannot find  the words to tell you exactly how much I loved this book.  It exceeded my every expectation. Day has created a fantastically quirky cast of characters for us to fall in love with and in doing so she has made it impossible for me to stop reading these books. I cannot wait to see how things wrap up in Chosen, due out in January 2013. 

My Rating: 

Kristen Day is a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity. She loves all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky. She’s been told she sees the world through rose-colored glasses, but she prefers to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something she can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).

She is the author of the DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA trilogy, which includes FORSAKEN, AWAKEN (Oct 2012), and CHOSEN (Winter 2012). She loves all books, but really enjoys writing young adult, paranormal romances. She’s loved to write for as long as she can remember. Her first published work was her poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color red - life altering, right?) that won her 5 gold stars and a spot in her elementary school's poetry book. That's when her addiction to the written word officially began. She was the only kid in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh - its okay.

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