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:

Book Review + Book Playlist: 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: TOMORROW!!! (March 4th, 2014)

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

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

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.

Goodness gracious you guys, I freaking loved the guts out of this book. Chelsea Fine has a way of crafting a story that is as honest as it is beautiful, as heartbreaking as it is hopeful, and as snort-inducing as it is tear-creating. In the pages of this book I fell in love with the characters, their past, their present, and everything else in between

When it comes to main characters, Pixie was as perfectly imperfect as they come. Her personality was so freaking realistic that I kept hoping she were a real person so I could be best friends with her. It was easy to see from the first few chapters that Pixie had faced something tragic making her a little more closed off than normal. Her heartbreak was evident for sure but what I loved most is that Chelsea made her a fun and enjoyable character despite all the sadness that surrounds Pixie and her past. She would go off on these long and rambly tangents when she was stressed or embarrassed, the little quirks she thought to herself or even spoke out loud were hilarious, her way of interacting with Levi (i.e. blowing the fuse while he was doing something) had me laughing the whole time, and the way she carries herself was just so very enjoyable and made her one of my all-time favorite female MC’s.

When it comes to Levi, I loved him just as much as Pixie but for different reasons. While Pixie has this hilarious, quirky personality that helps to hide the pain she carries, Levi wears his pain and guilt like someone would wear their clothes. My heart went out to this guy because I could tell just how broken he was over what happened between him and Pixie in the past. Like Pixie though, Chelsea wrote Levi has an incredibly enjoyable character despite the darkness and sadness that surrounds him. I love that he was such a guy in this book. He was territorial and protective of Pixie but not in a creepy way, more of a “I really, really, REALLY care about you” way. He was also very sweet and caring even if it didn’t always come across that way. Seeing the way he took care of Pixie in the past and the subtle ways he tries to do the same for her in the present made me realize just how great of a guy he truly was.

The book would be pretty great if it was ONLY about Pixie and Levi but Chelsea added in characters like Jenna, Pixie’s best friend, Zack, Levi’s best friend, and Ellen, Pixie’s aunt who happens to be hers and Levi’s boss, and this book went from pretty great, to absolutely, positively AMAZING. If you know anything at all about me, you know I lurrrve me some fantastically written secondary characters who could pretty much have a book written all about them. Well it is my pleasure to tell you that Best Kind of Broken is chop-full of them. Jenna is this feisty, hard-ass, but also super supportive best friend and I absolutely love the fact that she is there for Pixie but also doesn’t push Pixie to share about her past until she’s ready. And then there’s Zack who I absolutely ADORED. Chelsea, if you are reading this, could you please make a book, a novella, even just a teaser devoted entirely to him? Zack was really freaking hilarious but not in a in-your-face-cracking-jokes-non-stop way but more in a wacky-and-quirky-where-does-he-come-up-with-this-shizz way. He is definitely the humor that Levi needs in his life and I loved that he pushed him to be more than his past. And then we get to Ellen who, you guessed it, I LOVED. Pixie and Levi are each lost after the tragedy that occurred in their past but Ellen and her Inn soon become their safe haven, their new home, the place they reconnect. I love Ellen for her constant strength and the support she offers each character. For different reasons, Levi and Pixie are missing a mother figure in their lives at the moment and Ellen fills that void for them.

So what’s better than a book full of ah-freaking-mazing characters? A book that has great writing to connect all of these characters. You guys, if these characters don’t draw you in (which they undoubtedly will, BTW), then Chelsea’s writing will do the trick. It was flawless, beautiful, hilarious, heartbreaking, and genuine. I felt like the characters were real-life people dealing with real-life situations. I felt like the past these characters had together and the way Chelsea wove it with the things that are happening during the present was done seamlessly. And finally, Pixie and Levi’s story while it has it moments of tragedy and heartbreak, definitely left me with a happy, tingly, gushy, I-want-to-hug-the-guts-out-of-both-of-them feeling.

If you read any NA book this year, do yourself a favor and make sure it’s Best Kind of Broken.

BOOK PLAYLIST:

I was really excited to make up a playlist for this book. Sometimes I am just struck with inspiration and I certainly got that for Best Kind of Broken. I have the playlist below and I would love it if you checked it out! Each song is on there for different reasons; either they remind me of a certain character, a scene in the book, or the story in general. Take a listen and let me know what you think of it!

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

Sneak Peek: Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

You guys, I am so freaking excited to be a part of this sneak peek blast for the absolutely wonderful and talented Chelsea Fine! I have been a fan of her for almost as long as I’ve had this blog (which is a long time!).  I’ve had her upcoming New Adult novel, Best Kind of Broken, on pre-order for a long time now and I am (im)patiently awaiting it’s release on March 4th. When an email came through to be a part of the excerpt blast, I jumped at the chance for completely selfish reasons. Like I said, I have been waiting for this book for what seems like forever so if I get a quick glance at even just a snippet of it, then I’ll take it. The fact that you guys get to read the awesome excerpt as well is only icing on the cake! Before we jump ahead to the sneak peek though, let’s learn a little bit about what this book is about!

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

Author: Chelsea Fine

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (An Imprint of Hachette)

Release Date: 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.

SNEAK PEEK:

“I will pee on your bed.” This is my big, scary threat.

Levi used all the hot water again this morning, so I marched into his room in a rage.

I never go into Levi’s room. It’s a personal rule of mine. Our relationship—if you can even call it that—works because it’s simple. We never talk about the past. We sometimes argue. And we always stay out of each other’s business.

But here I am, in the business of Levi’s room, gripping my towel as cold, wet hair drips down my back. I haven’t had a hot shower for four days. Four days. This nonsense has got to stop.

“You seem stressed.” Levi, whose jeans are so low on his bare hips that I can tell he’s going commando, tilts his head. “You know what you need? A nice hot shower…oh wait.” He gives me an impish smile.

I might just pee on his bed right now.

“Joke all you want, Levi. But the next time you’re out fixing a broken window or a fire alarm, I will sneak into your room and pee on your bed.”

I’m dead serious here. And yes, I know it’s completely childish for a nineteen year-old to threaten such a thing, but I’m fresh out of maturity this morning. If I don’t get a hot shower tomorrow, I really will pee on his bed. Or at least find a cat to come pee on his bed. But either way, there will be urine on his sheets and I won’t feel bad about it.

The impish smile grows. “I can think of better things for you to do in my bed, Pix.”

Silence.

If his plan was to make me uncomfortable by flirting with me, it totally backfired. Because the second those words left Levi’s mouth, his body stiffened in awareness and the space between us became electric. So now we’re staring at each other’s lips and we’re both breathing heavier than necessary, and neither of us is really dressed.

I shift in my towel and feel the material slip a bit as I pull my eyes from his mouth and try to coax my face into a look of something less come-and-get-me and more ew-you’re-pathetic.

I’m gearing up for my comeback—which will be brilliant and kick-ass as soon as I nail it down—when his eyes drop to my chest, and all the air leaves the room.

He’s not looking at my cleavage.

He’s looking at the raised red scar peeking out from the top of my towel. The scar that cuts diagonally across my torso, running from my left hip bone to the top of my right breast. The scar I normally keep hidden under strategic shirts and dresses.

It’s hideous and jagged, but I don’t hide my scar because it’s ugly. I hide it because it’s a reminder of pain and loss. And Levi’s eyes are fixated on it.

Pain. Loss.

My heart starts to pound and I no longer care that my shower was cold or that we have weird sexual tension. I don’t care about Levi’s forearm muscles or the way the bathroom smells like his soap.

I care about my scar and what it means. It hurts me. It hurts him.

It’s the only thing we still have in common, the only thing we absolutely avoid, and now it’s glaring at us; marked on my skin in permanent red; rising along with each of my breaths.

The horror in his eyes has me hollowed out and helpless, and I have no words. I numbly turn and head down the hall to my room, shutting myself inside a millisecond before my body starts to shake. I lean against the door and try to take a deep breath.

I’m fine.

I’m fine.

I hear Levi’s bedroom door slam closed with a heavy thud and the vibration runs down the wall and shakes against my back.

He’s not fine.

I’m not fine.

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

HOSTED BY:

In My Mailbox (57)

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!

I picked up a few AWESOME books over the past couple of weeks! I am so excited to read all the new pretties. Now I just need work and school to disappear so I actually have time to read them all!

For Review/Gifted:

Forged In Grace by Jordan E. Rosenfeld (e-book)

A special thank you to Stephanie Parent for hosting the giveaway and Jordan for the book!

Make It Last by Bethany Lopez (e-book)

Thank you so much to Sab The Book Eater for hosting the giveaway and Bethany for the book!

In Too Deep by Coert Voorhees (e-book from Netgalley)

Thank you so much Disney Hyperion!

Girls Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer (e-book)

A special thank you to Anne for sending along an e-copy of this book. I’ve really enjoyed her previous books and cannot wait to read this one!

Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase (e-book)

A big thank you to Kelly at InkSlinger & Nichole for allowing me to be part of the blog tour for this book!

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

A ginormous thank you to the lovely Jennifer Echols for being so generous and sending a copy my way!

When We Wuz Famous by Greg Takoudes

Thanks to the wonderful people at Macmillan for allowing Debut Author Challenge ARC Tours to host a tour for this 2013 debut!

Bought:

Ten Days of Perfect by Andrea Randall (e-book)

Drip Drop Teardrop by Samantha Young (e-book)

Heartbeat by Faith Sullivan (e-book)

One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy (e-book)

Shattered Promises by Jessica Sorensen (e-book)

Trouble In Mudbug by Jana Deleon (e-book)

Champagne Toast by Melissa Brown (e-book)

The Baby Bargain by Jennifer Apodaca (e-book)

Awry by Chelsea Fine (e-book)

The Misadventures of Daria Pigwidgeon by Amy Lunderman (e-book)

Forever My Lady by Jeff Rivera (e-book)

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

The Best of 2012!

2012 was an absolutely AWESOME year of books for me! I had such good look with many of the books I read. This past year I really branched out of my comfort zone as far as my reading taste goes. I slowly started to get more into the mature YA and NA books that were popping up like crazy. After having awesome luck with a few, I read as many as I could fit in. I also began seeing some of my blogging friends dipping their toes into the world of adult books and since I trust their opinions with my bookish life, I decided to give it a try. Some positive reviews led me to purchase a few and falling in love with those few led me to purchasing a whole lot more and boy am I glad that I did! Out of the 85 books I was able to squeeze into 2012, I gave 5 stars to nearly 40 of those books, crazy I know!!!! Below are all the books that I loved & adored with all of my heart in 2012. Clicking the picture will lead you to the Goodreads page of that particular book unless I had the chance to review it on the blog, if so, the picture will lead you to the review!

In no certain order, the best books of 2012:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

Did you get a chance to read any of these titles in 2012? Did you love them as much as I did? Are there any books you would recommend to me for 2013?

Happy Halloween + Giveaway!

Happy Halloween to all of you! This is one of my favorite holidays for a number of reasons all of which make me seem like a legit 5-year old.

-First up is the costumes. I LOVE dressing up so very much! Even though my friends and I are completely lame and do not get invited to any parties (Sidenote: What is up with this? I know we are obnoxious, annoying, and slightly loud sometimes but we attempt to be amusing sometimes…), we still love to dress up in crazy/silly/funny costumes and go trick-or-treating in them (Sidenote: Since we are past the acceptable age of trick-or-treating, we like to hand out the candy now using the following philosophy: one for them, two for me.)

-Second is the candy! I was born with not one but ten sweet teeth. I am a picky eater but sugar is the one food group I eat with practically no complaints.

-Next is the classic Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus, Casper, The Adams Family, and The Goonies. Even though I’ve seen each of these movies more times than I can count, I still get all giddy every time ABC Family plays them on their 13 Nights of Halloween!

-And last but not least, there are the spooky stories! I am a HUGE baby so I make sure the books I read aren’t that freaky but I still manage to come across a few that remind me of Halloween. Over the past couple of years, this blog has led me to a number of great books. There have been books about demons, witches, werewolves, ghosts, vampires, and everything in between!

So in honor of my favorite holiday I am giving away one of my favorite spook-tastic books! Below you will find a list of books that while they may not be super scary, they help put me in the mood for Halloween time!

     

     

   

Giveaway Details:

-This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you

-Giveaway ends on 11/7

-Winner will receive their choice of one of the books listed above

Click this link to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

TGIF (51)

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:

Issue Books:

Which books have you found to be very rewarding when it comes to tackling tougher issues?

Over the past couple of years I have read such a wide variety of books. Most are fun, light-hearted books but every now and then I come across a book that makes me think, a book that tears my heart apart only to put it back together, and in the end it makes me feel completely different, it makes me completely different. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

This book is all about life and death. It’s about being faced with a premature expiration date and there being nothing you can do about it. This book is also about finding love when you least expect it. Reading this book was not easy, it broke my heart and made me ugly cry hardcore but in the end it was so worth it!

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

I love this book soooo much! Like the book listed above, this one is about death, a girl losing her father. This was not an easy read at all, yet another book that made me full-out cry ugly tears and stain the last 30 pages of my book with lots of tears. I love that this book was very hard to take at some points but it was also filled with enough heart-warming moments to make me feel somewhat better in the end.

Sophie and Carter by Chelsea Fine

This book is a bit unconventional when it comes to tougher issues. It deals with just about the most dysfunctional families I have ever heard of. Nothing comes easy for the main characters but Chelsea does such a fabulous job of tearing their lives apart and then piecing them back together again in a not so perfect way but definitely in a way that makes you feel okay about their futures.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Let’s be blunt here, this book is about rape. This issue is not a fun one to read about and I cringe every time I even hear the word. BUT Sarah wrote this story in such a way that you were able to learn about and cope with the issue without it all being thrown in your face. Even though this book is about something I really don’t like hearing about, it still ends up being one of my all-time favorite books.

This week on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (5/25-6/1):

TGIF (50)

Life As Kate (17)

Help An Author Out!

Tune In Tuesday (61)

The Soul Saver’s Book Tour + Guest Post + Giveaway!

TGIF (48)

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:

Supporting Characters:

We tend to gush over those main characters the most, but what about those supporting roles? Who are some of your favorites?

There is no doubt in my mind and in the minds of people who know me best that I am a HUUUUGGGGEEE sucker for a side character that is done well. In nearly every review that I write up, I make sure  I mention at least one supporting character and what I liked or didn’t like about them. I mean they can make or break a book! They are the ones that push a main character to act, think, do things a certain way. They can make readers laugh, cry, get upset, or swoon just as much if not more than the main character.

So in preparation of this very important post of very important characters, I looked through my “read” list on Goodreads. But instead of being helpful/productive,  it turned into a walk down memory lane. I was recalling great supporting characters, some of my favorite scenes they were involved in, and creating a list that was far too long for a simple TGIF post. That being said, I tried to pick only a few of my favorite supporting characters but the list turned out to be rather long and then upon further inspection it turned into more of a list of supporting characters that I would want to makeout ummm I mean read more about. I am well aware that a supporting character can be in the form of a parental figure, sibling, best friend, enemy, boyfriend, best friend that wants to become a boyfriend, etc. but let’s just face it, some of our favorite supporting characters are the guys that steal our heart and threaten to never let them go (well until the next great guy comes along).

If the supporting character could potentially have a book all about them or in the case of a hot guy, they make me swoon like no other, then you know they are something special! A few of my very favorites are (after some very intensive research):

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green: Augustus Waters

This book was just as much his as it was Hazel’s. Hazel’s story captured my attention and Augustus’ personality made sure it stayed in my heart. He added so much to this story. My life will never be the same after reading about those two.

The Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty: Marcus Flutie

This boy makes my heart flutter every time his name is mentioned…which is quite often…which I do NOT mind in the slightest…because he is MARCUS FREAKING FLUTIE!

Divergent by Veronica Roth: Four

He is strong, pushes Tris to be just as strong, he has his own deep dark secrets that I loved figuring out, and he is oh so swoon-worthy.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: Basically every character that isn’t the main character

This whole book is filled to the very brim with vibrant, mesmerizing characters. Each character holds a very special place in the story and in my heart. I could read about each one’s own story and never get bored with it.

Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout: Syd & Kali

I loved the adorableness of this book so much. Syd and Kali were very much a part of the main character’s story from start to finish. They had such entertaining personalities and I LOVE that the authors continued on with another story from Kali’s point of view (Trade Secrets).

Anew by Chelsea Fine: The Archer Brothers

These two boys, oh my! They helped to create the most amazing, heartbreaking, breathtaking love triangle I have ever seen.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen: Basically every character that isn’t the main character

Oh this story…<3 I love Macy’s mom’s craziness, heartbreak and all; I loved Delia and how loving and supporting she was no questions asked; I loved Bert whose nerdiness added so much laughter to this book; I adore Kristy and Monica who befriended Macy without a second thought; and last but not least, I LOVE Wes, just for him being who he is and how he helps Macy to find out who she is.

Miscellaneous: All the swoon-worthy, drool-inducing, heart palpitation-causing boys

This one is for all the guys I am too tired to think of at this very moment. The ones that make me say “aww”, the ones I dream about, the ones that the very real and very alive guys are now compared to. They bring love and sweetness to the pages of many books <3

Miscellaneous: All the crazy, goofy, interesting, fun, fabulous best friends

They are in a TON of books, we may not always remember exactly why we loved them but it is safe to say the best friend character is filled with someone who brings humor to the story, is always there for our main character, the one that reminds us of a friend or someone we know in real life. They are the ones that add so much extra little awesomeness to the story.

Miscellaneous: Everyone else I am forgetting

The evil villains that make your skin crawl but fascinate you at the same time, the grandma/grandpa that smells of old person but is really sweet and can teach you important life lessons, the pet that loves you unconditionally, the moms and dads that are either uberly crappy or utterly overbearing, the moms and dads that are there and supporting their children (because those types of parents DO and SHOULD exist in books), ALL of these characters are important. They may not have a whole book centered around them but they deeply affect the main character and help to shape the story into something that we love, adore, and gush endlessly about!

This week on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (5/4-5/11):

TGIF (47)

Awry by Chelsea Fine + Cover Reveal + Giveaway!

Tune In Tuesday (58)

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Awry by Chelsea Fine

Title: Awry (The Archers of Avalon #2)

Author: Chelsea Fine

Expected Publication: June 2012

Three curses. Two brothers. One love triangle.
Sometimes love is meant to be. But sometimes love…is the death of you.

Seventeen-year-old Scarlet has just died. Only, dying isn’t unusual for a girl under a centuries old curse that left her semi-immortal.

This time, though, she comes back to her current life instead of awaking in a new one, and she realizes the curse is changing. Together with the immortal Archer brothers, Scarlet must piece together her life and try to break the curse before her impending death comes again.

Chelsea Fine’s much anticipated second book of her paranormal trilogy, The Archers of Avalon, is the story of one girl’s trials with heartbreak, romance, and destiny.

So what do you guys think of that GORGEOUS cover???? I think the cover depicts the characters so well! Scarlet with her unnatural blue eyes, Tristan with his unnatural hotness (I mean look at him! If I didn’t adore Scarlet to pieces, I would so call dibs on that), all of it just screams THE ARCHERS OF AVALON! I can tell you this, Chelsea STUNNED me with the first book of the series, Anew, and I have been dying to get my hands on this book! And now, as luck would have it, one of YOU gets a bright, new, shiny copy of Awry!

GIVEAWAY:

-Must live in the U.S.

-Must comment on this post telling me what you think of the cover and/or series

-For +1 point, follow Chelsea on Twitter (must tell me in the comment)

-For +1 point, follow Katelyn on Twitter (must tell me in the comment)

-For +3 points, tweet the following, “I want to win Awry by @ChelseaFine! You can enter to win on @KatelynTorrey’s blog: http://wp.me/p11Ruq-ZZ” (Must leave link in the comment)

-Contest will run until May 21st

Also, make sure you check out the website for this series, The Archers of Avalon!

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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:

Book Moments:

What has been your favorite moment (scene) in a book that you’ve read so far in 2012? Please be kind & not include spoilers.

I have read some pretty AMAZING books since the start of 2012 and I think there are a ton of great moments in each and every one of them but my head hurts when I try to think of all of them so I narrowed it down to 3 books.  I really tried to resist a bit so you guys can discover them for yourselves just how brilliant these three books are. And yes, I did try to be spoiler free as much as possible!

Awkward by Marni Bates

I think my very favorite moment of this whole book, is when Mackenzie goes on the Ellen Show! First, I adore Ellen so very much (the woman is a comical genius!) and second, it shows how much confidence Mackenzie gains throughout the book while still managing to hang on to her super endearing awkwardness!

Ellen listened. I think that’s why she’s so good at her job. She really knows how to listen.

“You don’t have to be anyone but yourself.”

I stifled a groan. “I know! I mean, that’s what people keep telling me. But it’s not that easy is it? Because what if myself is just boring?”

She shrugged. “Do you think you’re boring?”

I laughed and looked back at the mic. “Not at the moment.”

Anew by Chelsea Fine

This book is so full of romantic, sweet moments (especially with Gabriel), but I think all of my favorite moments are with Tristan; Tristan when he is moody, grumpy, or even when he is being flat-out rude, you just know there is something extra sweet hiding right beneath the surface….swoooon <3

She hated that she was, essentially, trapped in the woods with Tristan.

Sure, he was beautiful and enticing in an inexplicable way.

But he was also a jerk.

The One That I Wantby Jennifer Echols

I haven’t reviewed this one quite yet but just a fair warning, I have some major love for this book! My all-time favorite moment is when Gemma finally realizes she is made of awesome and doesn’t need evil people telling her otherwise. That moment she comes out of her shell and isn’t afraid, well it just made my heart so very happy!

“Seriously, I don’t say that to be mean, or to get back at you, or to hurt your feelings. But you have hurt my feelings over and over again, for six years. I read insults into everything you say, even when you’re trying to be nice.” If she ever really was. “That makes me angry, and I do mean things to you in response. I don’t like the person I become when I’m around you.”

And since I have been a busy little bee in my “real” life the past couple of weeks….

The past 2 weeks on Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands (2/17-3/2):

Welcome To The Book Blogger Love-A-Thon!

TGIF (38) Book Blogger Pride

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon Mini Challenge #1 A Thank You Letter

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon Mini Challenge #2 New Blogs

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon Mini Challenge #3 Book Blogging Experience

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon Love Letter

Book Blogger Love-A-Thon End Post + Giveaway + Survey

A Touch Awesome Blog Tour: Week Five- Top ALL-TIME favorite moments

A Touch Awesome Blog Tour: Twitter Party

Tune In Tuesday (48) Paradise Fears

Before Leonora Wakes by Lee Thompson + Guest Post + 10 e-book GIVEAWAY!

Tune In Tuesday (49) End of the World Tour