Blog Tour + Giveaway: The Noise Beneath The Apple by Heather Jacks

Title: The Noise Beneath the Apple

Author: Heather Jacks

Foreword’s 2013 Book of the Year Award Finalist

Written by Heather Jacks and accompanied by an eleven-track vinyl record featuring the original music of a select number of participants, this 200-page art-style coffee table book measures 12” x 12” and weighs in at a whopping 8lbs. Putting the spotlight on the age-old profession of busking, Jacks also seeks to stem the tide of regulation intended to suffocate creative expression and take performers off the streets.

A limited-edition coffee table book, ‘The Noise Beneath the Apple®’, is a unique and vibrant study of the culture of street performance, its legitimacy in modern times and above all, an intimate look at thirty-five buskers throughout New York City. Released with an eleven-track vinyl record that was mastered by Grammy and Academy Award winning mastering engineer Reuben Cohen, this book is a singular achievement and a one-of-a-kind tribute to the chaotic, beautiful and spirited world of busking.

I am so excited to be featuring this book on the blog today! It is not my normal type of read but it includes one of my favorite things (aside from books!), music! I love visiting big cities for their sites, the food, but most importantly, the people. In the few times that I’ve visited New York City, I’ve come to love just sitting in a single spot and people watching. It takes no more than a few minutes in one spot to find a person (or persons) singing, playing instruments, and giving it their all in these street side performances called busking. It is an amazing thing to see and hear people. The cool thing that Heather has done is created a book with an accompanying record that includes music from these super talented performers!

The rest of this post includes all sorts of fun things about The Noise Beneath the Apple including a giveaway so be sure to check it all out!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In the video below, Heather talks all about the book! It is so cool to hear how passionate she is about music, and busking in particular!

WHAT IS BUSKING:

Just in case you aren’t aware of what this profession is, you can watch this really cool video to find out more about it!

 WHERE TO FIND MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

Website // Facebook // Heather’s Twitter // YouTube

You can purchase it here:

Website // Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Heather Jacks was raised on an Indian reservation in southeastern Oregon, until age fifteen. Jacks was the first ‘experimental exchange student’ to Australia with an organization called YFU, Youth for Understanding, where she spent 10.5 months in 1982. Once she returned, she received her B.A. from USF and followed that with two years of study at UC Davis. She has worked in the music industry in various capacities, since the eighties; radio, production, A&R, booking and most recently as a music journalist. She was recently named a finalist in the Book of the Year Award in the Performing Arts & Music category, for her multi-media project, The Noise Beneath the Apple®, which was inspired by her love for street music, busking and the people who make it. Heather can be contacted at: heather@heatherjacks.com

GIVEAWAY:

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Blog Tour + Book Review + Book Playlist + Giveaway: Only The Good Die Young by KK Hendin

Title: Only The Good Die Young

Author: KK Hendin

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Source: I received this e-book in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review as part of this blog tour

The first year of college is supposed to be about parties, parties, and getting the hell out of Texas. Instead, Milcah Daniels is spending her eighteenth year in and out of Houston’s hospitals. Her hair is falling out, they’ve cut off her boobs, and if she makes it to nineteen, she’ll consider it a personal miracle.

Breast cancer really has a way of messing with a girl’s social calendar.

When Milcah’s temporarily discharged from the hospital, she’s determined to get a tattoo for every medical procedure she’s had. Her quest leads her to Skin Stories, a new tattoo parlor a block from her apartment. And to it’s infuriatingly sexy artist, Callum Scott.

Callum is everything Milcah wants, and everything she shouldn’t have now. A new relationship when the official prognosis is one to five years is a terrible idea. But Callum doesn’t know about the breast cancer, and Milcah’s not running to tell him.

But when the doctor says things are actually looking positive, her entire life turns upside down. How is she supposed to start living again when she’s finally learned to accept her death?

Where do I even begin with this story? I don’t think I have ever been as torn apart as I was while reading through Milcah’s story. It was one of those stories that had happy moments, heart breaking moments and then moments that hit me so strongly that I had to stop in the middle of a scene to just let it all soak in.

Milcah is by far one of the most realistic and complex characters I have ever read. I would say that my heart went out to her during this story but I sort of have a feeling that would end with me getting a lifetime supply of glares from Milcah. Her story was as tough as she was. I wanted so badly for her to just be alright. For the cancer to be gone, for her boobs to still be there, for her to feel no more fear. But that is not the way life goes and I applaud KK Hendin for not sugar-coating a single second of it. Through the endless doctor appointments, through getting her boobs cut off, through leaving her life behind and trying to start all over by herself, Milcah was a fierce fighter whether she realized it or not. I loved this strength she had about her but at the same time, I also loved her fear. I know that may sound kind of weird but it made her even more real to me. Milcah’s fear of death, of being sick, of loving and living was what a lot of this story was about and it was these little messages that KK wrote so beautifully that had me turning page after page.

While I loved the deeper, heart-felt, thought-provoking moments in this book to absolute pieces, I also loved the fact that the story was enriched with fun, light-hearted moments brought on by Milcah’s sassiness and Callum’s general awesomeness. I loved that through the pain and sickness Milcah was able to hold true to who she was which was this feisty, say-it-how-she-means-it type of girl. But a certain boy makes Milcah second guess everything she believed before. I loved that Callum was this walking, talking, extremely good-looking mass of sweetness, surprise, and compassion. He was there for Milcah, supported her, pushed her beyond her comfort zone, and taught her what it meant to really live. I loved that while he looked like a total bad-ass, he was this super sweet man who would do anything for Milcah.

While I loved just about everything this truly beautiful story had to offer, I couldn’t help but wish that it were longer. I wanted to know more about Milcah, more about her family, and more about her relationship with Callum. To me it felt like it ended way too early but I can certainly see why KK ended it the way she did. It wrapped up nicely but not perfect, on a happy not but not on a for-sure one. In a way, I couldn’t see this story ending differently.

Only The Good Die Young isn’t a story you take lightly. It will break your heart, multiple times actually, it will make you swoon, make you happy, make you cry, and even make you think about life, death, and everything else in between. It isn’t an easy story to read for those reasons but despite how hard it is the brutally, beautifully honest way it is written makes it all worth it in the end.

BOOK PLAYLIST:

KK has put together an awesome playlist to go along with Only The Good Die Young. After reading the book and now listening through the songs, I could so see where they play a part in this story. I hope you all enjoy listening to it!

I spent a lot of time simultaneously attempting to draft this book and g-chatting one of my dear friends, Alex Brown. Somehow, our conversations ended up with us trading songs that made us cry. To get us in the mood of writing sad things, I guess :) Or because we’re both twisted souls. Both of these are entirely possible.

Some songs that were on repeat while I was drafting:

Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

Fix You by Coldplay (or this version from the Sing-Off)

Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine

Let Love In by Goo Goo Dolls

For Good from Wicked (Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel)

Falling Slowly from Once (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)

Leave from Once (Glen Hansard)

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

Bright Lights and Cityscapes by Sara Bareilles

Hero by Family of the Year (recommended to me by the lovely Tabitha Martin)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

KK Hendin’s real life ambition is to become a pink fluffy unicorn who dances with rainbows. But the schooling for that is all sorts of complicated, so until that gets sorted out, she’ll just write. Preferably things with angst and love. And things that require chocolate. She’s the author of the NA contemporaries HEART BREATHS and ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG.

She spends way too much time on Twitter, where she can be found at @kkhendin, and rambles on occasion over at www.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com.

Blog // Twitter // Facebook // Goodreads

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes and Noble

GIVEAWAY:

Click here to enter the giveaway!

FOLLOW THE TOUR:

Click here for the full tour schedule!

HOSTED BY:

Blog Tour + Guest Post + Giveaway: If Only by A.J. Pine

Title: If Only

Author: A.J. Pine

Publisher: Entangled

Sometimes it takes crossing an ocean to figure out where you belong.

It’s been two years since twenty-year-old Jordan had a boyfriend—which means it’s been forever since she, well, you know. But now she’s off to spend her junior year in Aberdeen, Scotland, the perfect place to stop waiting for Mr. Right and just enjoy Mr. Right Now.

Sexy, sweet (and possible player) Griffin may be her perfect, no-strings-attached match. He’s fun, gorgeous, and makes her laugh. So why can’t she stop thinking about Noah who, minutes after being trapped together outside the train’s loo, kisses Jordan like she’s never been kissed before? Never mind his impossible blue eyes, his weathered, annotated copy of The Great Gatsby (total English-major porn)…oh, and his girlfriend.

Jordan knows everything this year has an expiration date. Aberdeen is supposed to be about fun rather than waiting for life to happen. But E. M. Forster, Shakespeare, and mistletoe on Valentine’s Day make her reconsider what love is and how far she’s willing to go for the right guy.

Hi there everyone! I am so excited to be featuring A.J. Pine and her book, If Only here on the blog today! It sounds like an incredibly adorable book and I cannot wait to finally read it!

By the sounds of it A.J. has created two swoon-worthy boys I so wouldn’t mind getting lost in Scotland with but for today I have asked A.J. to come up with 10-ish fictional boys she wouldn’t mind getting lost on the glorious Scotland with. I had so much fun reading over her answers because for half of the guys I couldn’t agree more with and for the other half I cannot wait to read about so I too can fantasize about getting lost in Scotland with. I just know you guys will all enjoy this guest post so sit back, relax, and prepare to swoon!

GUEST POST:

Top 10 (ish) Fictional Guys I Wouldn’t Mind Getting Lost in Scotland With

(From adult to YA…pack your bags, boys! We’re going to Scotland!)

Drew Evans from Emma Chase’s Tangled and Bennett Ryan from Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Bastard because who doesn’t love a smart man who is sexy as hell but admits he’s met his match with an equally smart/sexy heroine?

James Walker from Lisa Burstein’s Sneaking Candy because the man can command an espresso machine and the English language. Smart is always sexy.

Levi from Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl because he has the “smilingest face” Cath has ever seen, and everything about him is just perfection. Please let me get lost anywhere with Levi!

Cade Winston (a.k.a. Golden Boy) from Cora Carmack’s Faking Itt know I could love another hero from Cora Carmack as much as I did Garrick (Losing It), but Cade is one hell of a sexy good guy of NA.

Matt Watkins from Jessica Park’s Flat-Out Love because he can pull of a t-shirt that reads “Nietzsche Is My Homeboy” and still make me swoon.

Adam Wilde from Gayle Forman’s Where She Went because tortured musician who says stuff like this in both If I Stay and Where She Went. If you read these books, you know the implication of those words, and ANY guy who loves like this is one to get lost in Scotland with.

Akiva from Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy Will Herondale from Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices because a gorgeous broken angel and a gorgeous broken half angel/half human (nephilim) could use some time away to heal. Sigh.

Jonah Griggs from Melina Marchetta’s On the Jellicoe Road-really I just want to bring this book with me to Scotland because it was life-changing for me.

And finally, a shout out to some not pubbed yet gorgeous men… Gavin Murphy from Lex Martin’s Dearest Clementine (coming April 18) because hot R.A; Alec Stone from Megan Erickson’s Make it Count (coming June 3)because hot nerd with a Danny Zuko pompadour; and Dov Meiri from Natalie Blitt’s The Truth About Leaving because hot soon-to-be Israeli soldier.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

AJ writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend those hearts with a happily ever after…maybe. The first book she wrote was YA, but now she’s two-timing her first love Pine4BWwith NA. She’s always in the middle of reading two to three books, adores online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes), and she still loves vampires, whether it’s Eric Northman or the Salvatore brothers. When she’s not writing, AJ is sneaking off to her day job as a high school English teacher or hanging with her husband and kids in the Chicago burbs.

AJ’s debut NA novel, IF ONLY, releases with Entangled’s Embrace line on March 24!

Representation: Courtney Miller-Callihan at SJGA.

Website // Twitter // Facebook // Goodreads

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY:

1 If Only Swag Pack -An “I love you from here to Scotland” print, Ahava pendent, A pack each of Much Ado about Nothing and A Room With a View confetti, Much Ado about Nothing travel mug and A Room With a View Blu-ray (a $25 Amazon gift card will be substituted if winner is outside the US)

Click here to enter the giveaway!

TOUR SCHEDULE:

Week One:

3/24/2014- Auggie-Talk– Review

3/24/2014- Ticket to Anywhere– Guest Post

3/25/2014- Taking It One Book at a Time– Review

3/25/2014- Curling Up With A Good Book- Excerpt

3/26/2014- Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, and Romance– Review

3/26/2014- Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands– Guest Post

3/27/2014- Lovin’ Los Libros– Review

3/27/2014- FicWishes– Guest Post

3/28/2014- Reviews By Molly– Review

3/28/2014- YA Story Teller– Interview

Week Two:

3/31/2014- Allodoxophobia: The Fear of Opinions– Review

3/31/2014- Bibliojunkies– Excerpt

4/1/2014- LeAnn’s Book Reviews– Review

4/1/2014- Step Into Fiction– Excerpt

4/2/2014- The Phantom Paragrapher– Review

4/2/2014- Michelle4Laughs: It’s in the Details– Excerpt

4/3/2014- Books and Swoons– Review

4/3/2014- Creating Serenity– Guest Post

4/4/2014- Kindle and Me– Review

4/4/2014- Burning Impossibly Bright– Guest Post

Blog Tour + Guest Post + Giveaway: The Forest’s Heir by Ley Hayley

Title: The Forest’s Heir

Author: Ley Hayley

Seventeen year old Rosalind Rowan was born a princess, the apple of her father’s eye. She loves the thick forests and lush meadows of the Forested Land. She is sometimes selfish and reckless, but she is also kind and loves fearlessly. Rosalind—who is known to everyone but the Queen as Rose—is desperately in love with Gavin Ashford, the dashing and intriguing son of an important lord. She wants nothing more than to marry Gavin and live in a country manor, far away from court. Because once her older sister marries, Rosalind must take up the position of Regent of the Forested Land.

But things aren’t always simple. When Rosalind uncovers abilities she should never have and sickness tears through the kingdom, the ordered world Rosalind thought she knew threatens to crash around her.

I am so excited to have Ley and her book featured here on the blog today! She has come up with a super fun, awesome guest post that I just know you guys are going to love! Take a read, check out where you can find Ley and her book, and by all means, leave a comment letting us know what you think down below! Oh and also, there’s a giveaway you may or may not want to check out *wink, wink*

GUEST POST:

Growing up, my favorite things were fairy tales. I still love them. And I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a sucker for a Disney princess. If there’s a new Disney/Pixar movie out with a princess in it, chances are that I’m in line at the cinema to go see it. It isn’t just animated or fictional princesses and princes that I love, though. I’m a big fan of the real life ones too.

When it comes to Disney/Pixar films, my two favorite princesses are Belle and Merida. I loved Belle as a kid because she loved to read. She was odd and never quite fit in, a lot like me. People realized that she was strange and not quite “right,” but they didn’t care. Sure, some of it was because of her beauty, but she was kind. And that mattered to me. When she was locked away by the Beast and kept in the magical castle, I loved how she began to open everyone in the castle up (even stuffy old Cogsworth). I always wanted to be Belle. I used to pretend to be her, carrying around a basket and a book and dressed in a little blue dress.

I haven’t stopped loving Belle, but I love Merida from Brave too.  Merida is a fantastic character! She’s so headstrong and funny. I loved watching her movie and seeing her character at Disney World because she’s just so very unique. Maybe it’s the hair (because I’ve secretly always wanted to have curly red hair). Maybe it’s the accent (because I’ve always wanted to be able to speak with a Scottish accent). All I know is that I adore Merida because of her strength and the way that she grew to realize that her mother loved her, even when they didn’t agree on everything.

As far as real princes and princesses go, I’d have to say my favorite is Edward the Black Prince. He lived in England during the 14^th century and fought during the Hundred Years’ War. He was a brave soldier who started going into battle when he was in his early teens. He got his nickname because of the black armor and great black warhorse he used to take into battle with him. He was an amazing military mind and won a lot of decisive battles. And he was also one of the first “modern” British monarchs to marry for love rather than political gain. And that’s just amazingly romantic.

Who wouldn’t be a sucker for strong princesses who are unique and brave and beautiful? Or princes who are brave and romantic? I love history, particularly those parts of history that are riddled with princes and princesses. I could go on forever about the royals that I find fascinating, but I’d probably bore you all to tears! I’ll spare you that, I promise!

I can’t wait for the next princess to come along, the next prince. Who knows, maybe one day my Rose will be on someone’s favorites list.

WHERE TO FIND THE AUTHOR:

Website // Book Blog // Facebook // Twitter

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY:

Click here to enter the giveaway

Giveaway: Entangled Embrace

Hi there everyone! I am so excited to be bringing you this giveaway today! You all know I love New Adult and you also know I love Entangled. The reason I love this giveaway so much is because it includes BOTH! Embrace, Entangled’s NA imprint, is full of awesome books. Take a look at what the imprint has to offer below (at an awesome price!) and also be sure to enter the giveaway to win one e-book of an Entangled Embrace title. Full details concerning the giveaway are below. Thanks in advance for participating and best of luck!

Do you love the Bad Boy, or are you more into the Boy Next Door? Either way, Embrace, Entangled’s New Adult imprint, has you covered. With swoon-worthy heroes, kick-butt heroines, contemporary issues, intrigue, fantasy, and so much more, there’s something for everyone.

As part of their March Madness extravaganza, Entangled is having a massive sale on all their New Adult books.  Each one is only 99¢ throughout the month of March!

So go on, pick your hero, and discover New Adult fiction you won’t be able to forget.

Not only is Entangled slashing prices, but they’re also giving away 1 book to 1 lucky winner at each participating website.

To enter to win 1 of the New Adult books in the poster above, leave a comment here. Tell us who your ultimate “Bad Boy” or “Boy Next Door” is, or let us know how many romance books you read each month.
Discover Embrace and endless possibilities.

_______________________________________________________________

Open to: Anyone. You have until midnight tomorrow to enter to win. The giveaway at this site is open for 48 hours. This giveaway is for 1 ebook of the winner’s choice from above. Books will be delivered shortly after the contest is over.

**Prizes sponsored by Entangled Publishing, LLC. No cash value. No purchase required. Sorry, but Entangled Publishing contracted workers, employees, and their family members are not eligible to enter. Entrants must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to qualify.

Blog Tour + Book Review + Sneak Peek + Giveaway: He Belongs With Me by Sarah Darlington

Title: He Belongs With Me

Author: Sarah Darlington

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Source: I received this book in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review

Two girls. One Leo.

Identical twins, Maggie and Clara Ryder, both grew up with Leo Maddox, billionaire playboy, apparent alcoholic, and heir to his grandfather’s world-famous Maddox hotel empire. Their roles were cemented long ago: Maggie, as his best friend and Clara as his childhood nemesis.

But when a simple twist of fate changes everything and both girls start to fall for the lean, mean, ridiculously sexy and seemingly spoiled Leo… which girl will win his heart?

Throw in a little mischief, drama, and one smoking-hot bartender and lines are sure to blur. But one thing’s for certain, neither good-girl Maggie nor rebellious Clara will be satisfied until they each figure out where they belong.

He Belongs With Me was a book that ended up surprising me. It was funnier than I first expected, sweeter than I could have imagined it being, and the characters had me in a constant state of indecision when it came to picking a favorite.

I appreciated that this book was written in dual points of view. First off, I simply love dual POV’s when they are done right and secondly, this book is about twins so it really allowed me to get to know both Maggie and Clara. They may be twins but they are incredibly different girls with totally different sides of the story. It was actually really fun thinking I knew all about one character and then learned something very different when the POV changed.

At the beginning, I loved Maggie. She is a hard worker, a good daughter, responsible, and always doing the right thing. My heart went out to her because from the very beginning we learned that she’s had her heart-broken by a sucky ex-boyfriend and her twin sister, the one person she is supposed to be closest with. Luckily Maggie has her best friend to confide in. Leo is one of those guys every girl wants for a best friend (or perhaps more!) He is super attractive, yes, but he is also kind, fiercely protective, and always there when you need him. He may have his share of problems, but he seems like a genuinely nice guy…unless your name is Cora.

Cora was a character I told myself I was going to hate. After hearing what she did to Maggie, I couldn’t help but feeling that way towards her. However, things in this book aren’t always as they seem and as the story went on, Cora very quickly became my very favorite. She turned out to be more complex and layered than any other character in the book. She is a little wild and a little crazy yes, but in her own way, she is also thoughtful and almost sort of sweet. She is just a little lost and lonely and a lot misunderstood but I so enjoyed watching her grow and learning more and more about her throughout this book.

Because of her actions towards Maggie, Leo is actually pretty mean to her. But since things in this story are never quite what you think they are, I soon found out Leo’s bitterness towards Cora is just a cover. Like Cora, Leo is a character I enjoyed more and more as the story went on. He definitely seemed like a different person around Maggie than he did Cora and it was a bit hard to get a grasp on the “true” Leo but I can say that at the end of the story, I was really happy with who the real Leo turned out to be.

While I enjoyed a lot about this book there were a few things that I wish were a bit different. I think in this story Cora and Leo really stole the show. Perhaps that’s the way it was supposed to go but I just didn’t find myself loving Maggie and Dean as much. They weren’t as well-rounded as Cora & Leo and their relationship just seemed off to me. I kept hoping there would redeem themselves for me by the end of the book but when I finished reading, my feelings were just so/so on the couple.

I liked that this book was full of surprises! I loved that neither Cora nor Leo was quite what they seemed! The direction this story took, who ended up with who, and the overall happy feeling of the book was unexpected, but unexpected in a good way! It is definitely worth the read if you are looking for a fun, quick romance!

If this book had a song, it would be….

Somebody to Love by Queen

I had fun picking the song for this book! You have four 20-something year olds all trying to find someone to love, all thinking they know who they should love and I guess sometimes it just doesn’t work out how you think it will.

SNEAK PEEK:

“Clara?” His eyes searched my face, screaming with unexpected vulnerability and fear. He seemed genuinely worried about me. “What’s going on? Say something, please. Are you okay?”

I nearly lost my nerve. How easy it would have been to kiss him and fall into his arms all over again? A big piece of me wanted to do just that, but one moment of weakness was all I was going to allow myself for the day. “Am I okay?” I asked him, trying to sound indifferent and not angry. “What’s that annoying code word you and Maggie used to say all the time? The two of you probably thought I was too dumb to crack that little language you created to use against me. Oh yeah, I remember now. Peaches. I’m just totally peaches.”

Standing tall, I reached my arm above his head and slowly poured the remaining contents of my beer on top of him. A shocked breath left his lips, but he didn’t budge and took the beer shower like a man. “Real mature, Clara,” he grunted, glaring a shitload of hate-fire my way as the liquid coated his hair, face, and clothes. Angry as hell and soaking wet was a good look on him.

“That’s for making me care,” I told him, setting my empty glass back down on the table. Then my hand swung hard and made stinging contact with his wet face. “That’s for being a jerk to me since we were kids. And this…” I stood up on my tiptoes, grabbed hold of his handsome, shocked face, and planted one firm kiss on his wet lips. “That’s so you know I’m not fucking around.” I held onto him for another moment. “Prove it to me,” I whispered. “Prove to me you aren’t an ass and I’m all yours.”

Then I pulled away, turned on my heel, and left Leo standing there, soaking wet and stunned.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Darlington is obsessive by nature. When she gets an idea in her mind, it becomes impossible to shake. Take her debut novel, HE BELONGS WITH ME, for example. Before deciding to write New Adult Romance, she wrote three different versions of the same Young Adult Novel where her main characters were teenage superheros from an alternative universe. It never worked.  It drove her crazy. Then she dropped the superhero bit, added some spice, and suddenly everything started to click. She found her niche. And if it hadn’t been for her obsessive nature she never would have learned how to write in the process.

Sarah lives in Virginia, is married to her high school sweetheart, and is currently spending her days chasing around a very active toddler. When she gets a chance to breathe, she writes.

Website // Facebook // Twitter // Goodreads

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads // Amazon // Amazon UK // Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY:

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Release Day Launch + Sneak Peek + Giveaway: Flawed Perfection by Cassandra Giovanni

Title: Flawed Perfection (Beautifully Flawed #1)

Author: Cassandra Giovanni

Release Day: TODAY!!! (March 7th)

Bobby Beckerson was the American All-Star hockey player–he was the spitting image of perfection to his family. Goofy, sweet and undeniably gorgeous, he had everything but the one girl he wanted: River Ahlers.

River Ahlers is successful in everything but love. She’s been in love with Adam Beckerson since they were kids. Worst of all she’s stuck right in the middle of the brother’s dueling over everything and anything, and she doesn’t even know she’s the ultimate prize.

Adam Beckerson was a boy with a guitar, a smile that sunk girl’s hearts and a stone wall around his own. He was anything but perfect, and no matter how hard he tried he was nothing compared to Bobby. Sweet, damaged, with boyish good-looks, nobody thought Adam loved anyone but himself.

Bobby loved River, River loved Adam and Adam only loved himself–or so everyone thought. Then one night everything changes, and as it threatens to destroy everyone involved a tragedy strikes that will break them all…

Today is the official release day for Cassandra’s New Adult Contemporary Romance novel, Flawed Perfection!! I am so excited for this series so it makes me all sorts of thrilled to be able to share it with you today. There’s lots of fun stuff to check out regarding this book including an awesome book trailer and a super hot sneak peek that will leave you dying for more! Make sure to sit back, relax, and enjoy!

BOOK TRAILER:

SNEAK PEEK:

I nodded my head and watched as Adam’s hand lingered on the neck of the Ibanez™ before he picked it back up and slipped the strap over his shoulder.

I sat on the edge of the bed as he began to play without an amplifier.

The noise was tinny without the electric part hooked up but that didn’t matter. Adam’s fingers moved effortlessly from fret to fret as he strummed the guitar. His head nodded ever so slightly to the beat and his bare foot tapped the floor as he closed his eyes and a smile formed on his lips.

I stood and placed my hands around his neck, yet he continued to play, nod his head and tap his foot with eyes closed. The only change was on his lips as they crept into the seductive grin.

I leaned into him, letting my hands comb through the hair on the back of his head as my breath washed over his lips.

Still nothing. The guitar continued to hum with his talent.

I let my lips hover over his, then let them wander over the soft skin of his neck and up the stubble of his chin. The beat remained smooth, undisturbed as the strings squealed and he deepened the riff.

I paused as my lips reached his again, lingering at the corner of his mouth where the cold metal of his lip ring teased me just as much as his fingers on the guitar.

I let my mouth run over the metal until it caught in my teeth and I sucked it in.

Finally, his body reacted tensing as he groaned—but his playing didn’t cease, didn’t change. He still resisted, hand strumming a tease over the strings next to the skin of my belly.

His mouth responded to mine as I let the ring and his lip slowly slip away from me. That was it— the guitar spun to his back and he yanked my hips to his own.

“I need you to play me like that guitar,” I gasped as his hand tilted my head and his tongue ran over my trembling neck.

His other hand drifted down my torso.

“Good, because I wasn’t done with my song,” he growled into my ear.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and the Amazon bestselling thriller, Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children’s novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra released her first New Adult novel, Love Exactly, which became an Amazon Bestseller overnight in June of 2013. She’s currently working on her new New Adult Contemporary Romance, Beautifully Flawed. The first novel in the series, Flawed Perfection is scheduled to be published on March 7, 2014.

Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios Photography and Gio Design Studios Publication Marketing . She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Facebook // Goodreads // Twitter

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes & Noble (Link will be added once it is available) // Kobo // Google Play // Signed Paperback

GIVEAWAY:

1 International eBook & Paper Swag Pack

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Release Day Launch + Sneak Peek + Giveaway: Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

Title: Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate #1)

Author: Chelsea Fine

Publisher: Forever, and imprint of Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: TODAY!!! (March 4th, 2014)

Pixie and Levi haven’t spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working―and living―at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are… awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But now that they’re forced to share a bathroom, and therefore a shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy. It’s going to be a long summer.

I am so very excited that today is the official release date for Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine! I had the absolute pleasure of reading this book a few weeks ago, and seriously people, it is not one you want to miss. It is beautiful, heartbreaking, hilarious, and genuine. It gave me all the feels and I just know it will do the same for you!

I did get the chance to review the book yesterday on the blog and I also shared the book playlist I made up for the book. I hope you get a chance to check it out and if you do, let me know what you think! (My review + book playlist)

In celebration of the book’s release, I’ve got some AWESOME teasers for you today as well as a fantastic giveaway! Be sure to check out all of the amazingness down below!

WHAT BRILLIANT AUTHORS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS BRILLIANT BOOK:

“By turns humorous and heartbreaking, Best Kind Of Broken has become one of my favorites!”
— CORA CARMACK, New York Times bestselling author of Losing It

“You’ll fall for Pixie and Levi, just like I did!”
— JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT (J. Lynn), #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wait For You

“Tangled with friendship, history and heartbreak–not to mention a huge dose of
humor–Chelsea Fine’s New Adult novel is not to be missed! Beyond an
incredibly HOT read, Pixie and Levi’s longing for each other will have
you rooting for them till the very end.”
— JAY CROWNOVER, New York Times bestselling author of Rule

“This book destroyed me. Tore me into little tiny pieces. But somehow with
lots of laughs and some very steamy times, Chelsea put me back together
again! Chelsea Fine’s style is witty, visceral and fresh. All I wanted
to do was crawl inside this book and live with the characters. And now
all I want is MORE.”
— CHELSEA M. CAMERON, New York Times bestselling author of My Favorite Mistake

“Sandwiched between laugh out loud moments and some serious heat, Best Kind of Broken is an unforgettable story of loss and forgiveness that will leave your heart aching.”
— LISA DESROCHERS, USA Today bestselling author of A Little Too Far

SNEAK PEEK:

Levi is so distracting. His arms are all raised, and his shoulders are all broad, and he’s fixing crap, and it’s just…it’s just…annoying.

With a huff and a puff and some choice words in my head, I grab my sliced bell peppers and force my feet to the stove. I throw the vegetables into a frying pan, grab a wooden spoon, and ignore Levi’s close proximity.

My body hums.

I ignore that too.

I steal a glance in his direction and watch as the corded muscles in his forearm flex as he unscrews something on the fire alarm box. Why does he have so many muscles in his forearm? That can’t be healthy.

I drop my eyes to the frying pan and focus on bell peppers, because bell peppers are interesting and they don’t have backs the size of Alaska or copious amounts of forearm muscles.

The forearm muscles that I’m not thinking about lightly brush my shoulder and the humming inside my body knots together and zips around like a bumblebee on crack.

I casually turn down the heat on the stove, like that’s the reason I’m suddenly a human vibrator, and go back to stirring. Levi goes back to screwing.

Bell peppers.

I’m thinking about bell peppers.

He brushes against me again, except this time his forearm grazes my breast and my body immediately goes wild like I’m some love-starved teenager and the humming dives low in my belly and the stove gets hotter and my breaths get shallow and suddenly bell peppers are the sexiest vegetable on earth.

From the corner of my eye, I catch his Adam’s apple bobbing with a nervous swallow, which can only mean one thing. The boob brush was an accident.

Well crap.

If he had been trying to cop a feel with his Hulkish forearm, I could have responded with some kind of snarky “you’re a pervert” comment. But it wasn’t on purpose and somehow that makes it sexier and now the cracked-out bumblebee is buzzing in my nether regions and my hands are starting to tingle and why the HELL is this stove so hot?

I turn the burner down another notch and take a slow, deep breath. I have a boyfriend. A great boyfriend. So this sexual frustration I feel around Levi is nothing to get my bee-loving panties in a bunch about. I just need to calm down.

Levi lowers his arm for a moment, his eyes still on the alarm, and stretches his neck.

Ah, the neck stretch. The universal sign of stress. Well at least I’m not alone in my frustration. My hot, distracting, pants-are-so-inconvenient frustration.

Wait, what?

Who said anything about pants? I am NOT thinking about pants—or lack thereof. Damn you, bell peppers!

I toss the wooden spoon to the side and move back to the counter where the threat of being turned on by a handyman or, you know, a sautéed vegetable is much less severe.

I bite back a groan. What was I thinking, living under the same roof as Levi? There’s no way I’ll survive the summer.

Hell, I can barely survive breakfast.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She’s ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.

Website // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Instagram // Goodreads

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY:

Be sure to enter the giveaway of awesomesauce by clicking the link below!

Click here! DO IT! You know you want to!

HOSTED BY:

Release Day Launch: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout!

I am so excited to be participating in the Release Day Launch for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s White Hot Kiss!

*On a side note, I totally had this set to go live this morning and that obviously didn’t happen. But as they say, better late than never!*

*On another side note, I am so freaking excited for this book! I have heard absolutely AMAZING things about this book!*

Title: White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: TODAY!! (2/25/2014)

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she’s anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she’s crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she’s not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn’t an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she’s the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

SNEAK PEEK:

“I don’t think of Zayne that way!”

She laughed. “What man-parts-loving female in this world doesn’t think of Zayne that way? I can barely keep myself breathing when I see him. All the guys in school have squishy waists. I can tell Zayne doesn’t. He’s the awesome sauce with extra sauce.”

That he was and he so didn’t have a squishy waist, but I tuned Stacey out at that point. I really did need to cram for this test and I also didn’t want my fantasies involving Zayne to occupy my mind right now. Especially after I’d woken up this morning, carefully tucked under the covers. The bed had smelled like him: sandalwood and crisp linen.

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus in a manger,” Stacey murmured.

I clenched my jaw, cupping my hands over my ears.

She jabbed me in the side with her elbow. At this rate I’d be covered in bruises before lunchtime. “Our bio class just got a billion times more interesting. And hotter, lots and lots hotter. Holy mother, I want to have his babies. Not now of course, but definitely later. But I’d like to start practicing soon.”

The cell wall is a thick and rigid layer covering the plasma something, something plant cells…

Stacey stiffened all of a sudden. “Oh my God, he’s coming—”

Composed of fat and sugar—

Something slender and shiny fell from who knew where, landing in the middle of Sam’s notes. Blinking tightly, it took me a couple of seconds to recognize the faded and half peeled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sticker covering the back of the silver cell phone.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Gripping the edges of the notebook, I slowly lifted my gaze. Unnaturally beautiful golden eyes met mine.

“You forgot this last night.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website // Twitter // Facebook // Goodreads

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Series Website // Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Kobo // iTunes

GIVEAWAY:

Now that you have a taste for this fabulous new series, here are the details for the AMAZING international giveaway!!! Harlequin Teen is giving away a large Harlequin Teen Tote.

Tote Includes:

Harlequin TEEN branded tote

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (trade)

Pawn by Aimee Carter (hard cover)

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (hard cover)

Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter (hard cover)

2 copies of White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

1 pair of black harlequin branded socks (they are so comfy!)

Click here to enter the giveaway!!

Giveaway: I Want To Hold Your Hand by Stephanie Blackburn

Title: I Want To Hold Your Hand

Author: Stephanie Blackburn

On a frigid February night in New Hampshire the car Penny is riding in loses control and crashes passenger-side first into a tree. When she wakes up the next morning she can’t understand why her mother and sister are ignoring her, until she accidentally sticks her hand through her mother and remembers the night before.

A town away, Will is going about his senior year of high school on autopilot. He can’t work up the courage to tell his overbearing father that he doesn’t want to go to Boston College and study Business, his ex-girlfriend doesn’t understand the concept of being broken up, and he’s tired of feeling like his life is all an act.

Thinking she’s dead and wishing for a respite from her family’s grief, Penny is drawn to a house party where she meets Will, who miraculously can see her though no one else can. In the off-limits living room at the back of the house, with music thumping and their peers making fools of themselves nearby, Penny and Will begin a relationship that will make both of them question the decisions that have brought them to where they are and force them to jointly take a leap of faith.

Hi there everyone! I have an awesome giveaway for you here today so I hope you are all sorts of excited for it! YA author Stephanie Blackburn is oh so graciously offering up 3 prizes today. Two runner-ups will receive an e-copy of her book I Want To Hold Your Hand (International) and since the book takes place in New England, one grand prize winner will win a “New England Winter Essentials” gift basket that includes a signed copy of the book (US only)!! See, I told you it was awesome!! Now be sure to click the link below that will lead you to the Rafflecopter form and also make sure to check out all the places you can find Stephanie and her book at the bottom of this post! Thanks in advance for participating!

(Giveaway runs from today, 2/23 until 3/3 at 12:00 A.M.)

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stephanie Blackburn grew up in a small town outside of Boston where she spent a good deal of time daydreaming about adventures. She spent her childhood shuffling between soccer practices, dance classes, horseback riding, and clarinet lessons. It wasn’t until high school when she took a writing class that she realized her passion and decided to pursue it.

While home on summer vacation from college Stephanie was bored with reading romance novels and decided to write her own. In the process of writing she realized that the relationships, both romantic and non, were really the essence of the book and it wasn’t simply about a teenage romance any longer. College got in the way of the book’s completion and it wasn’t until after graduation from Ithaca College Stephanie finished Summer At Nineteen.

She currently resides in Boston with her two cats, Bug and Beans.

Website // Goodreads // Twitter // Facebook

WHERE TO FIND THE BOOK:

Goodreads // Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Smashwords