Tune In Tuesday (45)

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Ginger @ GReads so you should head on over and link up! It is a great way to bounce from blog to blog and discover what others are listening to! I love music but there is so much out there that I haven’t heard of before. That being said, feel free to leave a link to your Tune-In Tuesday post!

So this Friday I am going to see one of the greatest concerts EVER!!!!! Okay, okay… I know I say that about every concert! This one is just as super freaking awesome as all the other concerts I’ve seen. The Cab and The Summer Set, both bands I have played the crap out of and shared with you guys on both my blog and Twitter, will be co-headlining. Basically what this means is that each band is just so good they couldn’t pick one to be the “bigger” band which is TOTALLY okay with me because I couldn’t tell you which one I like more either!

Anyways, I will NOT be posting their videos today but you can click their names to see older posts in which I talked (more like gushed) about them. As for the opening acts at this concert we have He Is We (which is the super cute band I talked about a few weeks ago) and Days Difference, an AWESOME band that you guessed it, I will be posting about today!

The first time I heard a Days Difference song, I liked it. I wasn’t exactly wowed by them but I gave them another shot. What I heard next was soooo good. Then I heard another one, and that was even better! They mix up their music so much. They could sound like a different band from song to song yet still sound the same. It is weird and I am probably confusing you guys like no other right now so I will just quit rambling and present to you guys…. Days Difference!

Down With Me by Days Difference

Are You Happy by Days Difference

Speakers by Days Difference

Radio Song by Days Difference

Stay by Days Difference

Blog Tour: A Touch Awesome

Hello fellow bloggers and book lovers! Welcome to the second week of the A Touch Awesome Blog Tour hosted by myself and the lovely Cate Peace! We are so in love with Leah Clifford’s A Touch Mortal and we are so impatient to read the second book in the series A Touch Morbid that we decided to host a blog tour going straight up to the release date! Last week we went over our top 5 favorite quotes from A Touch Mortal! We didn’t have anyone else participate in it last week, which is okay, I totally understand that things get in the way BUT I am hoping more will like to join in this week and any of the other weeks. All you have to do is write up a blog post on each topic for the corresponding week and link up! It is that easy! The schedule for the tour is:

Week 1 (1/21-1/27): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite quotes from A Touch Mortal.

Week 2 (1/28-2/3): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite swoon-worthy moments from A Touch Mortal.

Week 3 (2/4-2/10): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite characters from A Touch Mortal.

Week 4 (2/11-2/17): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite ANYTHING. This is a free week to post your top 5 favorite randoms from A Touch Mortal.

Week 5 (2/18-2/24): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite moments from A Touch Mortal.

And now what you have all been waiting for, those top 5 melt my heart and make my knees tremble type of moments aka as TOP 5 SWOON-WORTHY MOMENTS!!!

“Your eyes are blue, like the ocean.” She raised an eyebrow in annoyance, unable to believe he went with a line so pathetic. Slightly behind him, the other’s mouth cocked and apologetic half-smile. At least he knew his friend was an idiot. “I think I’m lost at sea,” lover boy continued, his voice sincere. A snort of laughter burst from somewhere between her throat and nose.

-Yes, I do consider a line that cheesy so completely swoon-worthy. Az is funny, a little over-confident, and totally knows how to make a girl smile. Those first words that he spoke to Eden may have been totally lame but they were enough to make me swoon.

She turned to Adam. He slid a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close in a sudden rush. The kiss lasted a second too long, the static thrumming through her as the throbbing from the turntables climbed to a crescendo. In the glow of the swirling reds and purples of the lights, Adam didn’t blink, didn’t leave her. A steady single pulse matched the sound of her heart as the DJ spun another record.

-I did not think it was possible to have SO MANY swoon-worthy guys in one book. I generally find the guy pinning after the clearly taken girl in books SO ANNOYING but that is SO NOT the case with Adam. He has a special little something.

“Hold your breath. I’m going to kiss you,” he whispered. Her breath did stall, frozen in her throat as his lips found hers in the darkness. Her lips tingled as a bit of her Touch passed to him. Then he moved to her cheek, back down her neck, and away from the danger her mouth held. “Adam. Please.” She tried to say it without emotion, but it didn’t come out as a thwart. It came out as a plea to keep going. “Try to say it now,” he said, his lips at her ear. “Tell me there’s nothing here.”

-I TOLD you that Adam had it going on. I may love Az like no other and Eden is so clearly held up on him but Adam is a close second. It was moments like these that literally made me go weak in the knees.

“You come here, after everything that’s happened and…I’ve spent the last months trying to get over you!” Eden stopped, starting over. “What right do you have to do this to me?” Az looked up in surprise. “every right.” He lowered his voice until she had to close her eyes and concentrate to make out the words. His hands rose to her shoulders. “I’m gonna fix it. I don’t care how long it takes. We’ll figure it out, okay?”

-FINALLY Az is coming back around! This moment between them changed a whole lot. Changed things between Adam and Eden, Az and Eden, heck, it changed things for the whole dang group! Az is brave to try again after the things he has done but this shows just how much he cares about Eden. He’ll stop at nothing to make it right.

“He Fell,” she said. Eden watched as Gabe ran a hand across Kristen’s forehead, smoothing away her brown hair. She’d never seen anyone touch Kristen. Not like that.

-Gabe may be batting for a completely different team but he still has his totally amazing swoon-worthy moments and this one is the PERFECT example. Gabe has so much compassion and he is just so caring for those that he loves.

So there you have it, my top 5 favorite swoon-worthy moments but keep in mind, this WHOLE book is full of them.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you haven’t already, add A Touch Mortal and A Touch Morbid on Goodreads! While you’re at it, stop by Cate’s Post to read her Top 5 favorite quotes! Also, be sure to check out Leah’s blog (and just so you guys know, she is giving away a super awesome gift for every pre-order of A Touch Morbid!)

If you plan on joining the tour this week, then link up below!

Author Interview: What’s Wrong With Me by Daree Allen

Title: What’s Wrong With Me

Author: Daree Allen

Today on the blog I have Daree Allen, Author of What’s Wrong With Me, a self-help book for teen girls. Here’s a little bit about her!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daree Allen is an authorpreneur, young adult esteem advocate, speaker, and goal-getter in Atlanta, GA. She has published articles on a variety of topics as a freelance writer and blogger, and is the author of the new teen mentoring book entitled, “What’s Wrong With Me?” in which she discusses her own childhood dealing with self-esteem, premarital sex, family and personal relationships. Find out more about her work at http://www.dareesinsights.wordpress.com and http://www.DareeAllen.com.

I know you’ve been asked a million times before but could you tell us a little about your book?

“What’s Wrong With Me?” is the name of my book and it’s also a question we’ve all asked ourselves. It’s hard to grow in American society with all the conflicting and over-sexualized media images and messages we get from every angle, almost everywhere we go. This leads to a lot of negative feelings such as low self-esteem, depression, self-doubt and confusion for teens. So I started compiling stories from years of journal entries that I have kept since age 13, in the hopes of helping other young women who struggle with issues of self-esteem and coming of age. The issues I grew up with are not much different from those of girls today—there’s just a little more bluntness, and our media and communities often help to desensitize or downplay issues of teen girls and young women today. These issues–when left unchecked–often continue into adulthood, as I know many women my age and older who still struggle with these same issues. I never had a mentor or a big sister to help me navigate through the tumultuous years of teen angst, so I’m now stepping into that role.

What are some of the topics discussed in your book? How did you go about choosing which ones to cover?

As I pored over my journals, I decided to include topics stories that were relevant to teenagers, and for which I could provide helpful lessons and insights from my personal experience.  Some of the topics in the book:

• Accepting body image
• Handling feelings of inadequacy
• Dating and premarital sex
• Getting along with family members
• Understanding personal finance

Several years ago, American Girl launched several self-help/workbooks for tween and teen girls. How does your book compare and contrast to these types of books?

The AG books contain colorful illustrations and content for a more juvenile audience, while my book is geared toward an older audience with serious subjects.

Do you have any daughters? If yes, have they read the book before? If no, what age do you think you would introduce this book to a young girl?

My daughter is 8 and my niece is 15. My target audience is teen girls, starting from age 13. Young women in their 20s+ also enjoy the book and find value in it, especially with regard to my advice on your self-esteem and dating relationships.

What would you consider to be the most difficult event you encountered while writing this book?

I spent several months trying to figure out how to take the ton of information I had to share and organize it into sections and chapters that made sense. I had a good sense of focus but not always a good sense of perspective to see what the end product would be. I had a life coach but I did not have a writing mentor to help speed along the process and help me get clarity on the project.

Since a lot of this book was inspired by past journals, how do you think that affected your writing process?

The writing process was definitely more personal. As I read my original journals, written in long-hand, I re-lived certain situations. Sometimes I marveled at my thought process back then, and sometimes I just wept for the “little Daree” who just didn’t know how great and special she was.

As far as the writing itself, once I got a clear handle on how to organize my content, and had editors take a look at the manuscript as it developed, the writing wasn’t difficult. I’ve been blogging for 5 years now and I write a lot of personal essays, so sharing wasn’t hard for me to do.

What sets your book apart from other self-help/memoir type books out there?

I tell a lot of personal stories, and they’re not always flattering. One of the girls in my focus group said that she enjoyed them, and commented that adults today want teens to think that they’ve never made mistakes. So it’s not all about advice, like, “Do this…” and “Don’t do that!” I am giving my own personal, background because I’ve lived it. And I didn’t have to rely on my memory–I still have all my handwritten journals, going all the way back to the late 80’s–that keeps my “teen voice” authentic.

What is your biggest goal for this book?

My goal is not to become a best-seller. My goal is to give HOPE. Now don’t get me wrong—if lots of people buy my book, that would be awesome! I am an independent publisher and it’s very expensive to set up your own company and self-finance a book. But the bottom line is that What’s Wrong With Me is a debut into my heart and the passion I have to see girls and young women succeed when circumstances or toxic people constantly tell them they’re hopeless.

When girls finish reading my book, my goal is that they will understand themselves better, feel more assertive, make better choices, and be on their way to discovering and walking in their purposes and destinies. They will realize that they’re not alone in the way they feel, that they don’t need approval from others in order to be validated, and that God should be #1 in their life. He will help direct them in their decisions, and He loves us unconditionally.

Thanks Daree for stopping by! I love all the answers to your interview questions!

TGIF (35)

There once was an awesome blogger named Ginger and she decided to create a super fun feature where fellow bloggers would answer fabulous questions via blog posts every Friday. TGIF was born and we all have Miss Ginger at GReads! to thank for that! This week’s question is:

Buy or Borrow:

Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?

Finally a question I don’t have to cheat on! I would say that about 80% of the books that I own, I have bought myself. The remaining 20% is from authors/publishers/giveaways etc. Now I may spend a crap ton of money on books BUT that doesn’t mean I don’t like a good deal. I have recently gotten my Barnes & Noble membership for 2012 so I am going to be using their free shipping A LOT this next year but I am also a big fan of Dealoz.com! Seriously, that place rocks my socks off and you can find so many great books at super reasonable prices.

I would be a major bookstore shopper as opposed to an online shopper if we had a cool one nearby! B&N is about 20 minutes away, the coffees good, and they have lots of books but I sometimes feel that big chain stores like that lose atmosphere! Schuler Books & Music is an hour away, has an awesome cafe, super fabulous author events, and a TON of books, music, and everything in between. Did I also mention they have a lot of signed stuff there? It is just the coolest independent bookstore ever! If I lived closer and had a bigger paycheck, I would be spending all of my days there!

As for borrowing, I don’t really do that a whole lot. I have a library card and have never used it! I know, I know, what kind of book lover doesn’t utilize a library? Well, I guess I just like to own my books. I think it is the absolute coolest thing when friends and family can come over and borrow whatever books they may want. <<< This is me using this as an excuse to justify the ungodly amount of money I spend on books. In all honesty, I really just like keeping them for myself! I have a feeling if I used books from the library, they would probably not get returned.

This Week on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (1/20-1/27):

TGIF (34) The last 10 books that I’ve read!

A Touch Awesome Blog Tour: Week One. My top 5 favorite quotes from A Touch Mortal!

In My Mailbox (30) Some more great books this week!

Unbreakable Love by Angela Carling + Giveaway!

Dark Days Blog Tour + Review!

Tune In Tuesday (44) 5 Random iTunes songs!

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon + Sign-Ups!!!!

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon + Sign Ups!!!

So Valentine’s Day 2012 is coming up. Your significant other will probably get some kisses, if you have kids I’m sure they’ll get some candy hearts, the kitty cats and/or puppies will get a scratch or two behind the ears, and if you’re anything like me, you will be watching The Vow with all of your closest friends while simultaneously stuffing your faces with ice cream and popcorn because “we are strong, independent women who do NOT need a guy in  lives ESPECIALLY on Valentine’s Day, a stupid little holiday, to make us happy” but what about all the bloggers out there? All those people who work day after day on their blogs, keeping up with their reading, and writing reviews until their finger bleed? Well maybe not until the fingers are bleeding, but you get the point! Don’t those people deserve a little love too? If you want to show a few book bloggers just how special they are to you by sending a little love their way, then this Love-A-Thon is for you!

I thought up this idea last year on Valentine’s Day when I tweeted something along the lines of “Today’s Valentine’s Day. Spread the love by commenting on 10+ blogs.” I was surprised by how many RT’s it got (keep in mind this was only my 2nd month on Twitter and 3 RT’s meant I was world’s most popular person). Well that idea started forming with a BUNCH of little ideas that eventually turned into this big, final idea to have a Love-A-Thon.

What is a Love-A-Thon, you may ask? It is quite similar to a Read-A-Thon but instead of reading books for an extended period of time, you will be spreading the love to bloggers all over! I am still working out a lot of minor details but here’s what I hope to accomplish with this love-fest:

Who: Anyone and everyone can sign up just as long as you remember to keep it friendly! I would like it if you had a place to post stuff so having a blog is required (I don’t think anyone without a blog would try to sign up for a Blog Love-A-Thon but sometimes you can never be too careful!)

What: A Blogger Love-A-Thon! This will be a day full of commenting on blogs, following blogs, tweeting about blogs, thanking blogs, sharing the word about awesome blogs, telling another blogger how freaking awesome they are, the list goes on and on. Basically it will consist of fun posts, mini challenges, lots of commenting, and perhaps a giveaway or two! I do not have a full schedule completely detailed out yet but I will be e-mailing it to everyone who hopes to participate. Since I am a simple person and like to keep things that way, it will most likely be a fairly easy-to-follow schedule!

When: February 17th 2012 at 12:00 a.m. EST until February 18th 2012 at 12: a.m. EST. I understand that life gets in the way which is why I am not putting in major time restrictions on how long you have to actually be participating! If you can only do it for 12 hours, then do it for those 12 hours!

Where: Twitter, blogs, Facebook! All of your posts will be on your blog but OF COURSE links are welcomed on Twitter and Facebook!

Why: I doubt any of you were asking this question but just in case, it is because there are SO MANY book bloggers that I love! I want to take this opportunity to tell them how much I appreciate all the time and energy they put into their blogs. I know this is hard work and we have all had that moment of feeling like “is there anyone even paying attention to what I’m saying?”  I just really hope that a day like this will be good to lift the spirits of book bloggers everywhere! (There I go sounding all cheesy! I am sure I’ll be regretting my wording in about 2 hours but oh well, it gets the point across!)

How: If you would like to participate it is easy to sign up! (Or as easy as I can make it!)

Step 1- Read over everything I had to say and see if you a) agree with it b) want to take part in it and c) are able to participate in at least part of it!

2- Take the button at the top and save it to your computer.

3- Put it in your sidebar if you want!

4- Make up a post talking about the Book Blogger Love-A-Thon (and of course link back to this post). Also, it would be really sweet if you could put that button you so conveniently saved to your computer during step 2 and put it in the post somewhere. Your post can be as simple or as extravagant as you want. It can just be a copy and paste sort of deal or use your own wording. I don’t care just as long as ALL of the main info is there for anyone stopping by!

5- Publish your post and get the link.

6- Come back here, fill out the form and paste the link for me! Yes I will be checking out all participating blogs!

7- Tell people about this! Of course I would be happy if even 1 person wanted to do this with me but I think the more, the merrier!

8- Tweeting is optional BUT if you do Tweet about it try using the hashtag #LoveAThon. That way if I see it (trust me on this, I will now be stalking that hashtag like no other) I promise to RT for you!

Thanks for your interest in my first ever Book Blogger Love-A-Thon! If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or even suggestions on what we can do for mini challenges during the event, please feel free to e-mail me at katelynsblog(at)aol(dot)com!

Tune In Tuesday (44)

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Ginger @ GReads so you should head on over and link up! It is a great way to bounce from blog to blog and discover what others are listening to! I love music but there is so much out there that I haven’t heard of before. That being said, feel free to leave a link to your Tune-In Tuesday post!

I am guilty of being lazy this week. Heck, I am guilty of being lazy every week but this week I didn’t have anything planned out at all! It was at 12 a.m. that I realized I mentioned to Tee last week that I would try her way of things and let my iTunes decide what music I would share with you guys! I simply opened it up, pressed randomized, then play and posted the five songs that showed up. Before you take a listen, keep in mind THIS IS A NO JUDGMENT ZONE! I have a very…eclectic taste in music so there are some very random tunes here but I love them all. Hope you guys enjoy!

Favorite Song- Pop! Fiction

This is one of those random, small bands I met at Warped Tour. I am pretty sure I got their CD for $5 if not for free. Their songs are very poppy but then again, it is in the name. They make me smile :)

Curse of Curves- Cute Is What We Aim For

Oh if these guys don’t bring back memories of high school then I don’t know who would! I listened to their CD every day while showering for a full year straight. I will never get sick of listening to it!

Stories- There For Tomorrow

There For Tomorrow captured my heart long ago and they still have it. This will forever be one of my favorite songs from them!

Big City Dreams- NeverShoutNever

To be honest, I HATED this song. It was my sister’s ringtone a long time ago so every time she got a call or text it would go off. My sister was quite the popular little thing so it seemed like this song was going off every 5 seconds. Now that the ringtone has changed, so have my feelings over it. It’s actually a pretty cute song.

Anna Sun- Walk The Moon

I have Ms. Ginger to thank for this obsession. When she so kindly sent me a mixed CD a couple of months back, this song was number one. I cannot tell you how many times I listened to it in the weeks following the CD’s arrival but if I had to guess it would be at least 100 times. Something about it is just upbeat and fun. Plus I can’t help but sing to it (very badly!)

So I hope you guys enjoyed this! I will hopefully be doing some random iTunes mixes sometime in the future!

Blog Tour + Book Review + Giveaway: Dark Days by C.A. Kunz

Hello and welcome to today’s stop for The Childe Blog Tour!!! This is my second round on the tour so if you’d like to see the first post which was lots of great teasers from both The Childe and Dark Days, just click this link and check it out! I have said before and I will say it again, I am so honored to be a part of this blog tour! Last year I was asked to review The Childe for Carol and Adam and let me just say, I couldn’t have been more excited! I was completely captured in this duo’s writing style, Cat’s world, all of her friends, and even her crazy family. There was just so much going on (all of it entertaining!) that I had a hard time putting the book down. If you would like to check out my thoughts on the first book of this series, you can click this link and check it out! Looking back on it, it is safe to say I was confused, a bit bewildered, but also totally in love with the world that C.A. Kunz created for us! Now on to how I felt about Dark Days!!!

Title: Dark Days (The Childe #2)

Author: C.A. Kunz

Publisher: Self Published

Pages: 482 paperback

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Source: I received a copy from the authors for an honest and thoughtful review

Surviving tenth grade is the least of Cat Colvin’s worries.

Cat Colvin wants more than anything to just be an “average” teenager and blend in, but having found out the secret of her adoption has Cat questioning her entire life. Unfortunately, there are much deeper and darker secrets being withheld from her that may prove to threaten her very existence. Cat will be forced to make a choice: stay in Astoria and possibly endanger all that she loves, or flee and hide amongst her kind.

Friendships will be tested, family bonds will be tried, and even Cat herself will be pushed to her limits both emotionally and physically; all while trying to maintain a somewhat normal relationship with her boyfriend Ryan. What is actually going on in the quaint port town of Astoria, and are Cat and her loved ones prepared for the dark days that loom ahead? Find out in this continuation to the “*…thrilling, unputdownable story,” The Childe.

I literally JUST finished this book a few hours ago and my jaw is still on the ground! I really liked The Childe. I loved the characters, the amount of mystery and action in it, and I was well prepared to enjoy Dark Days, however, I was not thinking it was going to be this good! It took it me on one wild ride of twists and turns that I never saw coming. It made me love characters I was previously annoyed with, it gave me insight to things I was confused about before, it answered ALL of the questions I had during the first book and still managed to dump a whole new slew of questions on me at the end. And people, do NOT even get me started on that cliff-hanger of an ending!

Let’s start off with the story line! It picks off basically where The Childe left off. Cat is just realizing she is adopted and soon after that she realizes what is so different about her, she just happens to be half human, half vampire. Yeah, talk about dumping a load of information on someone! Once the story gets going, things just don’t slow down! Cat is put through a ton of tough situations, she is forced to grow up a lot and deal with way more than one person should have to. Friends and family are put at risk, we learn things about the town and all of Cat’s neighbors plus there is a few new people thrown into the mix that make this story extra interesting. Basically you will be entertained from start to finish. There was never a dull moment throughout the whole book!

As for the characters, they couldn’t have been more perfect. We learn the quirks of most characters in The Childe and those quirks are even more predominant in this story. Cat is as sarcastic, silly, and strong as ever. She is such a brave and loyal person, seriously I just love this girl to pieces <3 At the beginning of the story she is hit with a lot of life-changing information and she has a lot of understood anger but in true Cat form, she just deals with it; for her sanity, for her parents’ sanity, and to just try to get back to normal. There trying to help her piece her life together are Ryan and all of her friends. Ryan is calm, a little protective, and always there for her. I was a bit surprised we didn’t see an overwhelming amount of him in this book. Sure he was there for the major events and when Cat needed him most but when he wasn’t there she didn’t just sit around wishing she could hang out with her boyfriend, no, she was spending time with her wild cast of friends!  Cat’s group of friends are still the same and still so incredibly great! Matt’s silly, off-the wall comments, Amanda’s feigned disgust at them, Elle’s constant timidness (though she does step out of her shell quite a bit in this book), Julie’s loyalness, Hannah’s constant blushing, all of it just brings a smile to my face every time! It takes a while to learn each and every one of their personalities but by the end of the book you feel like you can be friends with them too! The rest of the characters (there really are too many to mention them all!) are just as great! Cat’s family, the WHOLE family, is so supportive and caring. Her friends throughout the town add a sense of loyalty and even some mystery to the story. And let’s not forget about all the evil people (or I guess the better word would be “things”) that are after her…creepy!

Dark Days proved to be even better than the first book in the series! I was constantly on the edge of my seat and flipping through pages like a mad woman to try to get to the bottom of everything only to be left hanging out to dry at the end! I will recommend this series to anyone, it keeps getting better and better! There are moments that will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and MANY will have you dying to know more. Just trust me when I say take a chance on this series, it is so worth it!

GIVEAWAY:

To be eligible for The Childe and a swag pack-

Each week, there will be one book giveaway and swag for someone who has commented on the blogs participating for that week. So make sure you comment on each blog each week for more chances to win. You must follow that blog, and leave your GFC name and email address in the comments. Since my blog does not support GFC, you can still “follow” it by subscribing to e-mails every time I publish a post!

To be eligible for the Kindle Fire Giveaway-

“Find The Answer” Game Details: This is the main way we are going to get people involved to win the Kindle Fire. Every time a blogger posts a post, we will wait until we get at least 5 comments (from different people) until we post our question in the comments section. The question will deal with something about the post, so they will have to read each post to find the answer. They will have to submit their answers to kindlefirechilde@gmail.com for every question to get the biggest point value.

Here is the point break down:
For each post there will be a possible 10 points to gain:
5 points – for answering the question correctly through email
1 point – for following the blogger’s blog (must post their GFC name)
1 point – for tweeting about the blog post (must post their link)
1 point – for following C.A. Kunz’s blog (must post their GFC name)
1 point – Sharing the post on Facebook (must post their link)
1 point – Like either C.A. Kunz’s Facebook page or The Childe Facebook Page.

So start commenting RIGHT NOW! The sooner we have 5 comments, the sooner you guys can start entering to win the Kindle Fire! And don’t forget to check out the other blogs participating in the tour below!

FOLLOW THE TOUR:

Sunday, Jan. 8^th – Books Complete Me (Opening Post: Cover Reveal for Dark Days and Blog Tour Details)

1^st Week:

Monday, Jan. 9^th – A Diary of a Book Addict (Review of The Childe)

Tuesday, Jan. 10^th– Book Love (A Unique Mother (Tiffany King) and Daughter (Ashlynn King) Review of Dark Days)

Wednesday, Jan. 11^th – Book Bite Reviews (Author This or That Post) AND Intoxicated by Books (Review of The Childe)

Thursday, Jan. 12^th – Amethyst Daydreams (Guest Post: Playlist with Book Scenes)

Friday, Jan. 13^th – Mundie Moms (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days) AND Fiktshun (Character interview: Cat Colvin)

2^nd Week:

Monday, Jan. 16^th – Reading Away The Days (Character This or That: Ryan Beckford) AND Jowanna Reads (Review of The Childe)

Tuesday, Jan. 17^th – Blethering Book Worm (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days) AND Reading Lark (Guest Post: Why we write YA paranormal)

Wednesday, Jan. 18^th – Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (Sample chapter post from The Childe/Teaser of Dark Days)

Thursday, Jan. 19^th – Bookish Babes (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Friday, Jan. 20^th – Mundie Moms (Guest Post: Cast Our Book) AND Me and Reading (Review of The Childe)

 3^rd Week:

Monday, Jan. 23^rd – Me Myshelf and I (Guest Post: Being A Part of an Indie Group – The Paranormal Plumes) AND Insane About Books (Review of The Childe)

Tuesday, Jan. 24^th – Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Wednesday, Jan. 25^th – Blethering Book Worm (Character spotlight: Robert Craven) AND Words 2 Follow (Review of The Childe)

Thursday, Jan. 26^th – Fiktshun (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days) AND All Things Books (Guest Post: Our Writing Method)

Friday, Jan. 27^th – Page Flipperz (Character This or That: Cat Colvin)

 4^th Week:

Monday, Jan. 30^th – Book Bite Reviews (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Tuesday, Jan. 31^st – Me and Reading (Teaser Tuesday for Both The Childe and Dark Days) AND Page Flipperz (Review of The Childe)

Wednesday, Feb. 1^st – Reading Lark (Review of The Childe)

Thursday, Feb. 2^nd – Books Complete Me (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Friday, Feb. 3^rd – Bookish Babes (Favorite reads: Indie published) AND Jowanna Reads (Guest Post: Author Interview)

 5^th Week:

Monday, Feb. 6^th – Amethyst Daydreams (Review of The Childe) AND Reading Away The Days (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Tuesday, Feb. 7^th – Insane About Books (Character Interview: Ryan Beckford) AND Happy Twilighter (Link to Review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Wednesday, Feb. 8^th – All Things Books (Link to Review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Thursday, Feb. 9^th – Words 2 Follow (Our Favorite Reads: Traditionally Published)

Friday, Feb. 10^th – Forever Lost In My Own World (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Saturday, Feb. 11^th – Books Complete Me (Special Post and Last chance to enter Kindle Fire giveaway)

Thursday, Feb. 9^th – Words 2 Follow (Our Favorite Reads: Traditionally Published)

Friday, Feb. 10^th – Forever Lost In My Own World (Link to review of The Childe/Review of Dark Days)

Saturday, Feb. 11^th – Books Complete Me (Special Post and Last chance to enter Kindle Fire giveaway)

Book Review + Giveaway: Unbreakable Love by Angela Carling

Title: Unbreakable Love

Author: Angela Carling

Publisher: Acacia Publishing

Pages: 220 Paperback

My Rating: 3/5 stars

Source: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review. Thanks again!

Jennie Townsend is unlucky in love, so she is immediately suspicious when a mysterious new student named Nate tries to gain her friendship. But there is something special about Nate, and in spite of her best efforts Jennie finds her feelings for the boy growing deeper every day.

In fact, Nate is more special than Jennie can even imagine. He is a guardian angel, sent to protect Jennie during a most dangerous time in her life. To do so, he must first become close to her – buthttps://klt1128.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2994&action=edit not too close. The rules for Protectors warn against physical contact and strictly forbid falling in love. But the more time Nate spends with Jennie, the harder the rules are to follow. Will Nate be able to save Jennie from a premature end, or will his own emotions – and Jennie’s – get in the way of completing the task for which he was specifically chosen?

With Unbreakable Love, Angela Carling has created a captivating story for young adult readers, with a refreshing twist on relationship issues. It is an ode to the magical power of true love, a tribute to belief in a benevolent higher power that watches over us and surrounds us every day of our lives.

Unbreakable Love was an interesting book. It was not my favorite book but it was most certainly not the worst one either. There were some things I really liked, somethings I thought were sweet, some things that I really didn’t like, and even some things I thought were a little cheesy. I guess all in all, my feelings are very iffy on it.

At the very beginning of the book, I could have sworn it was going to be a switching POV type of book where one chapter is Jennie and the next would be Nate, and on and on. However this was not the case. It was sometimes Jennie, sometimes Nate, and sometimes another character completely. I understand that some of it was to gain information that is revealed later in the story BUT if that information is already going to be revealed later on, then there is really no use to have that extra POV in there to begin with. Does this make any sense? I just feel like the book probably would have benefited with the type of story that switches between main characters with each passing chapter (plus, I am a total sucker for any author who can do it well!) that way we could get a really good, in debt view on each character.

Okay, enough about that little nuisance, now let’s talk about characters!

Nate was great! I mean, he is a guardian angel, a cute guy, he emits calm and serenity every where he goes, he is always looking out for Jennie, he sacrifices his own feelings to protect her on more than one event, could you get any more sweet? He is just such a great guy. But what I think I love best is he is a Guardian Angel and he is all sorts of perfect but this guy also likes to bend break the rules especially when they concern Jennie! He tries so hard to do what’s best for her but sometimes his emotions get in the way and I sort of love that about him! It really shows that he is human (for lack of a better word because you know, with him being an angel and all, it’s a bit wrong to call him human). Nate has his flaws, he is definitely not perfect but he is sweet and generous, and he really tries to do what’s best for Jennie and that’s all you can ask for.

Jennie was also a pretty good character; she was easy to relate with but there were some things she did that really irritated me. I can totally understand why Nate would fall for her though. She is kind-hearted, sweet, loyal, just an all-around good girl however, she sure had her flaws too. She was quick to judge, sometimes thought irrationally, due to a past relationship she does not trust others very easily, and she is very stubborn. I know I posses all of these flaws and perhaps a ton more, but I just had a hard time stomaching them in this book. She feels a connection to Nate, they take it really slow, he makes sure he gains her trust and friendship first, and soon enough they are best friends. I liked that she let her guard down and let him in but the second someone said a horrible lie about him, she was so quick to believe it. She threw their friendship away so quickly and for such a petty reason, I had a hard time really liking her at that point. I understand that certain things needed to happen to push the story along but perhaps a few scenes could have been switched around to make Jennie a little less harsh and a little more likeable.

As for the angel concept, I really liked it for this story! Guardian Angels are almost part of an agency in this book. The angels get assignments, people who need to be protected for a small amount of time so they can go on to accomplish great things in life, and they are to follow the rules and get the job done. As you’ve probably guessed, Nate was assigned to Jennie (and as I stated earlier, he was not so good at following the set rules). It is Nate’s job to protect Jennie at all costs, don’t touch her, especially DON’T fall in love with her, and get her through a very tough time in life. Not so easy when rules 2 & 3 are broken rather quickly. I really like this whole concept. It was easy to follow and simple BUT there were some details that really didn’t need to be included. **spoiler alert** For instance, there was a very detailed reason behind Jennie needing to be saved and it had to do with a certain someone becoming President of the United States. Okay, I get that the paths these people will walk down in the future may be important but the whole President detail just made it a bit cheesy for me. I could have settled for a more vague statement like “She will go one to do great things.” It’s a minor detail but it was enough to irk me just a little. Some details could have just been left to the imagination and it would have made the whole story more believable.

I know it seems like I am being all picky about this book but don’t get me wrong, it is good! I thought it was a simple, cute, love story that was SUPER easy to follow and it certainly left me with a smile on my face. There may have been a few things I really didn’t like, but if you are a fan of angel books, or heck, even romance books, I say give it a shot!

GIVEAWAY:

Now, since the publisher is just so dang amazing, they sent me an extra signed copy! I am running out of room on my shelves and really don’t have the need for an extra one so I am giving it away (I am fairly certain that is what the extra copy’s purpose was in the first place!) So now onto the rules:

-Must be 13 or older to enter

-Must live in the U.S.

-Must comment on the post AND fill out the form posted below

-Must enter before 1/31/12

-You can earn extra points by doing one or all of the following:

+1 for adding Unbreakable Love on Goodreads

+1 for following me on Twitter

+2 for tweeting about the giveaway

The winner will have 48 hours to respond to an e-mail before a new one is chosen!

In My Mailbox (30)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for book bloggers to post what they have received for review, borrowed from a friend, bought at the bookstore, or picked up at the library!

So technically, I am on a self-enforced book buying ban BUT I still managed to snag some pretty awesome books this past week. Check it out below!

For Review:

Anew by Chelsea Fine

My Thoughts: I knew this book was coming but I still squealed when it actually showed up. I loved Sophie & Carter by Chelsea, and I know for a fact this one is going to be wayyyyy different, but I’m still stoked to read it!

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

My Thoughts: The title is adorable, the summary was super intriguing, the book trailer pulled me in. Basically, I am just super pumped to read this one. Right now it is sort of reminding me of My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody but that’s totally okay because I LOVED that book!

Bought:

The Glassheart Chronicles by Courtney Cole, Fisher Amelie, J.L. Bryan, Wren Emerson, Amy Maurer Jones, Tiffany King, Nicole Williams (e-book)

The Arrival by Nicole MacDonald (e-book)

Retro Demonology by Jana Oliver (e-book)

Song to Wake to by J.D. Field (e-book)

Anathema by K.A. Tucker (e-book)

Linger by Kodilynn Calhoun (e-book)

My Thoughts: I know what you guys are thinking, “Kate, you just said you were on a book buying ban yet you have a whole slew of “bought” books. This makes no sense!” But I am here to tell you, I stuck to the rule, I didn’t buy any…THESE WERE ALL FREE! I love running into awesome deals on Barnes & Noble!!! These all sound super great and I cannot wait to read them!

Won/Gifted:

The Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout (signed)

My Thoughts: Back in November, the lovely Ashely hosted a blog event called Just Contemporary Month. You might have heard of it? Anyways the event was AWESOME and hosted some of my favorite authors, including these two. I was just so busy being a little Comment Queen, I had no idea I even entered a giveaway! When Ashley e-mailed and said I won a book, I jumped all around the house. It was rather embarrassing BUT totally understandable because Yvonne and Sandy rock my socks off!

So that’s it for the books this week! I think for being on a ban, that is a pretty awesome haul! Don’t forget to 1)add the books on Goodreads by clicking the titles 2) let me know what you think and of course 3) leave a link to your blog so I can check out your IMM as well!

Blog Tour: A Touch Awesome

Yay!!!

I can’t believe this is the first week of the A Touch Awesome Blog Tour! I’m so excited to finally kick off this month-long A Touch Mortal love fest! For those of you who may not know, this is a five-week blog tour being hosted by myself and Cate Peace! Every week we pose a new topic for book bloggers to answer! They list their top 5 favorites and link back on our blogs. It is awesome, fun, super easy, and you know what the best part is? Anyone can join in at any time! All of this is to drum up an interest for the release of Leah Clifford’s  second book in the series, A Touch Morbid! I am literally itching with excitement to read this book and it is my goal that this blog tour will do the same for you. The schedule for the blog tour is:

Week 1 (1/21-1/27): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite quotes from A Touch Mortal.

Week 2 (1/28-2/3): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite swoon-worthy moments from A Touch Mortal.

Week 3 (2/4-2/10): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite characters from A Touch Mortal.

Week 4 (2/11-2/17): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite ANYTHING. This is a free week to post your top 5 favorite randoms from A Touch Mortal.

Week 5 (2/18-2/24): Anytime during the week make a post about your top 5 favorite moments from A Touch Mortal.

So that means that this week’s topic is: Top 5 Favorite Quotes!

I tried with this book guys, I really did! I am usually not one to note my favorite scenes/quotes/etc. but I knew this month was coming up so I marked all my favorite quotes. My top 5 in no particular order are:

“Her eyes flicked away. ‘Because I love you,’ she said. She swallowed hard. It was the first time she’d been so blatant. The same quicksilver happiness coated his insides, whisking away the dark thought, ut his smile was because of her alone.”

This one makes me love Eden and Az so incredibly much! It’s the first moment that shows Eden’s soft side, and Az…well it’s Az!

“No way am I claiming that one. New guy. He’s taking over the opening shift on Monday and Thursday. I trained him so he knows the routine. Told him you were VIP…that Carol-Anne chick’s dark, twisty sister.” He grinned at Eden’s confusion. “Theeeeyyy’re hhheeeeeeere.” She groaned, trying to kill her smile. “Poltergeist!” Zach laughed. “Come on, that’s classic.”

I have no idea if Zach is going to play any role in the upcoming books or if he was just good for this one exchange but I am so glad it was included in the book. It was so funny and it caught me so off guard. I laughed for a good 5 minutes.

“You’ve always been a terrible liar.” He pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t be so stubborn! This is your excuse to call him. Use those feminine wiles to get back to what you need”-he cast a quick glance at the door and stepped away from her-“instead of luring in boys who will never measure up. I trust you, and I trust you’re smart enough to swallow your pride and do what’s best. They’ll protect you for now, but soon I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

Oh my gosh! There goes Gabe being all awesome, funny, sarcastic, intelligent, understanding, yet so manipulative!

“Yesterday…maybe even last night, I would have gone all apologetic. You could have played the jaded card for however long it took me to win you back. But not anymore.” His voice was controlled; each word thought out and delivered for maximum impact. Clearly she hadn’t been the only one plotting this moment. “You don’t love him,” he said quietly. “You know that, right? He’s a replacement, Eden.” He almost managed to hide the quaver in his voice.

My heart melted at this point in the book. I wanted so bad for things to be okay between Eden and Az. I wanted all of the pain they caused each other to go away and this moment just proved that Az wanted the same thing too.

And for the last quote, I actually have two! I think Eden’s sarcasm is just so freaking hilarious and these next two show it off perfectly!

“Just wanted to make sure the number wasn’t a fake,” Az said.
She couldn’t help her bitter laugh. “Well, you can go ahead and erase it. A bit of advice? Either kiss a girl or don’t. Never stop halfway through.”

“Yeah, go ahead and get the forbidden garden comment out of your system. And no matter what witty snake joke you’re considering? Trust me, I’ve heard it.”

So what did you guys think? Does this book sound awesome or what?!? If you guys want to join in on the blog tour, check out our sign-up post, come up with your post for the week and link up. It is that simple!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you haven’t already, add A Touch Mortal and A Touch Morbid on Goodreads! While you’re at it, stop by Cate’s Post to read her Top 5 favorite quotes! Also, be sure to check out Leah’s blog (and just so you guys know, she is giving away a super awesome gift for every pre-order of A Touch Morbid!)

If you are participating in the blog tour for this week, link your post below!