My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century

Author: Rachel Harris
Format: eARC
Print Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: Sept. 18, 2012

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

My Thoughts

I received this book via the publishers through NetGalley. That in no way influenced my review.

When your momma is Caterina Angeli, there is little doubt that you grow up wary of love.  Being cynical of anyone who enters her world is just a part of who Cat is.  So when her daddy agrees to a sweet sixteen party for her by the urging of her step-witch-in training (best phrase ever used to refer to someone’s future step-momma) he knows he has to sweeten the pot.  Knowing Cat the way he does, he takes her and his fiancé to Italy.  While exploring the city, Cat comes across a gypsy tent.  The talented gypsy sends her to the Renaissance, so learn a lesson.  This is where Cat meets Alessandra and Cipariano, her cousins.  Cipariano has an adonis for a best friend- Lorenzo.  Cat sees him for what his is- a gorgeous face that knows he is hot.  With indifference she does treat him, causing him to become intrigued with her.  Unfortunately, her uncle agrees to a match with a much older man- Niccolo.

Upon meeting Cat, you cannot help but like her.  Cynical in an endearing way, she will make you smile.  Her daddy letting her walk the streets of Florence, Italy by herself for a few hours seemed a little unbelievable to me.   Her lack of panic over being swept away to the sixteenth century also seemed a little hard to swallow.  Although, the author does pull it off very well.  With all of her social mistakes, one cannot help but wonder why no one else questions her actions. 

The best thing about this book is all the historical references.  From the description of the meadows to the lack of swimming in the river, one could not help but feel as if they were swept away.  Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the romance.  I just was not feeling it from Lorenzo.  Maybe it was his inherent sweetness but I could not help but feel that he was only in her because she did not fall at his feet like most gals.  I also felt like Cat kinda invited Niccolo to become one of her suitors.  I get that she was from our times, but seriously she does something that could have been mistaken for a declaration.

A charming tale, that reads smoothly and effortlessly.  You can curl up on your front porch with a class of sweet tea and this book to race the hot Georgia  sun away.  Harris ends the story on a bit of a cliffhanger, one in which I am very excited about. 

My Rating 3 out of 5 stars

Other Characters

Alessandra- Distant cousin of Cat’s, amazingly observant

Cipriano- Cat’s protective distant cousin, Lorenzo’s best friend

Niccolo- Much older business associate of Cat’s uncle, kinda a sleaze ball

Lucia- Cat’s maid in the sixteenth century, there is something about her that just speaks of common sense.

Whispers at Moonrise

“It’s not often that I love a series as much as Shadow Falls. I find myself thinking of nothing else!  This has been one of my favorite series of all time.” –Open Book Society

 

Shadow Falls Camp is back in session with the most explosive installment yet.  A shocking new threat will rock Shadow Falls—changing it forever and altering Kylie’s journey in ways she never imagined.

 

Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.

 

As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.

 

Releases- Oct. 2, 2012

 

Cover Reveal: Fireblood

Fireblood: Fireblood #1

By Trisha Wolfe

Release Date: 2013

From Spencer Hill Press

Book Description from Goodreads:

To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

Add Fireblood to your Goodreads shelf!

 

About the Author

I’m the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, November 2013. My published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. I’ve written four books in the past two years, and I’m currently working on a new YA Sci-Fi project.

I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre. Also a proud member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies.

And I’m also a business owner, partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.

Check out my website TrishaWolfe.com for more on my books and short stories. Follow me on Twitter @TrishWolfehttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15841140-fireblood

Swoon Thursday (11)

The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme. Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! I want to know & so do the gals at YABound!

His lips were full and soft and he nibbled softly against my bottom lip before lightly stroking the tip of his tongue over the bites to sooth.  I shivered, electricity coursing through my body and settling into an ache in the pit of my stomach.

The One by Heather Self Kindle Location 3673

Goodness, does Heather know how to write a scene or what? 

Cover Reveal: REAPING ME SOFTLY

 AToMR Tours as is proud to announce the newest novel by Kate Evangelista

 

 

 

Book description:

Ever since a near-death-experience on the operating table, seventeen-year-old Arianne Wilson can see dead people. Just as she’s learned to accept her new-found talents, she discovers that the boy she’s had a crush on since freshman year, Niko Clark, is a Reaper.

At last they have something in common, but that doesn’t mean life is getting any easier. All while facing merciless bullying from the most powerful girl in school, Arianne’s world is turned upside down after Niko accidentally reaps the soul of someone she loves. This sends them both into a spiral that threatens to end Arianne’s life. But will Niko break his own Reaper’s code to save her? And what would the consequences be if he did?

 

Releasing Oct. 30, 2012

 
I am a huge Kate fan- my review of her first book Taste was in June.  Since then I have been waiting for the release date of her next book.  Very excited that it is next month! 

Teaser Tuesday (11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

While it’s unlikely that paparazzi followed my family to Italy, the unfortunate truth is you just never know.  They’re like an infectious rash you can’t get rid of.

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris Kindle location 113

For some reason these two sentences had me rolling on the couch for a good five minutes.  Maybe it is because of all those magazines I look at in the supermarket.  But seriously, can you imagine- miniature people that you keep scratching having a party on your arm?

More

Author: T.M. Frankling
Format: eARC
Print Length: Unsure- Kindle location ends at 2617
Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House
Published: Oct. 4, 2012

Ava Michaels used to think she was special.

As a child, she fantasized about having magical powers . . . making things happen. But Ava grew up and eventually accepted the fact that her childish dreams were just that, and maybe a normal life wasn't so bad after all.

Now a young college student, Ava meets Caleb Foster, a brilliant and mysterious man who’s supposed to help her pass Physics, but in reality has another mission in mind. What he shows Ava challenges her view of the world, shaking it to its very core.

Because Caleb isn't quite what he seems. In fact, he's not entirely human, and he's not the only one.

Together, the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bound to protect humans, but only after protecting their own secrets—secrets they fear Ava may expose. Fighting to survive, Ava soon learns she's not actually normal . . . she's not even just special.

She's a little bit more.

My Thoughts

I received this book via the publishers through NetGalley.  That in no way influenced my review.

An enjoyable read, More is a good start to what will be a fantastic series.  Ava along with Caleb, her tutor, embarks on a danger-filled journey of self-discovery.  The strength of character that Ava will show is stunning.  Caleb’s sense of protection for her is equally compelling. 

Ava is young, a freshman in college, idealistic, yet understanding responsibility more than others her age.  She unlike many college freshmen is actually focused on her school work and not boys.  I think that this alone is what made me like her right off the back.  She is so unlike her quirky roommate, Lucy who is the exact opposite.  It is because of her school work that she meets Caleb, her new physics tutor.  Ava does not take an instant liking to him, which is nice.  They were not mean or snarky to each other which was oddly refreshing.  They were positively normal.  The romance remains hidden in the background for much of the book. This in part is due to Caleb’s desire to keep Ava safe and knowing that any romantic entanglements with her could lead to their deaths.

Anyone who knows me knows that it is usually the best friend that ends up being my favorite character of any book.  Unfortunately that is not the case here.  The story almost completely focuses on the two main characters, making it hard for the reader to connect with the supporting cast- although Caleb’s mother does do a nice job of pulling off the parental unit in a tough position act.  I would have liked to have gotten to know Tiernan better, as well as Rafe.  I feared that the introduction of Katherine would lead to a love triangle but surprisingly it does not.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one in the series.

My Rating 3 out of 5 stars

Other Characters

Tiernan- a Protector, ordered to bring Ava to the council
Katherine- Tiernan’s sister, a Protector, ordered to bring Ava to the council
Madeleine- Head of the Ruling Council, also Caleb’s mom, which means she has to be hard on him
Rafe- Council member, maybe the only one on Caleb’s side

Spark - The Elemental Series - Brigid Kemmerer

SupaGurl Books: Heather Self Week Day 6 *Book 2 Cover/Prologue*

SupaGurl Books: Heather Self Week Day 6 *Book 2 Cover/Prologue*: Day 6 and I have AWESOMENESS for you... well , I've had it all week what with Uno's Interview, The boys Interview, All about Evy... the...

Swoon Thursday (10)

The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme. Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! I want to know & so do the gals at YABound!

He looked into her eyes.  “But what’s important to me isn’t what’s up here.”  He touched her forehead.  “It’s what’s in here.”  He rested his hand on her chest on the upper swell of her right breast.

She felt her heart race.  His touch hadn’t been meant to be intimate, but it felt that way.

“You mesmerized me from the moment I first saw you when we were kids.  I didn’t know what you were, and yes, I hoped you were werewolf, but it didn’t matter.  You ensnared me.”

Whispers at Moonrise by CC Hunter pg 233

Oh my....to have ensared a guy like him... sigh

Whispers at Moonrise

Author: C.C. Hunter
Format: ARC
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Published: Oct. 2, 2012

The breathtaking new installment of the New York Times bestselling Shadow Falls series from author C. C. Hunter...Whispers at Moonrise.

At a camp filled with vampires, werewolves, and fairies, Kylie Galen has always struggled to figure out what she is. Now she finally knows the truth—but she's left with more questions than answers. She doesn’t have a clue what her heritage means or how to harness her newfound powers. All she knows is that she needs to sort out her feelings for Derek, the sexy half-Fae who just confessed his love, and Lucas, her werewolf boyfriend who seems more committed to his pack than to their relationship. All the while, Kylie's dealing with a group of underground rogues who want her dead and a mysterious grandfather who makes it clear he doesn’t trust the FRU... or Shadow Falls. Soon Kylie will have to choose: Will she stay with the new family she’s formed at Shadow Falls, or will she leave with her grandfather and embrace her destiny.

My Thoughts

As a member of the Shadow Falls street team, I received an advance copy of this book.

If you do not realize that this is the fourth book in a series, stop reading now.  Otherwise you will be getting into spoilers that will ruin the Shadow Falls experience for you.

When we left Kylie at the end of Taken at Dawn, Kylie is waiting for her biological grandfather to show up.  Her daddy had just told her that she was a chameleon, which she did not understand. Derek told her, that he was in love with her.  But wait there is more- a ghost shows up looking like someone extremely close to her.  All of this happens in chapter 38.  Holy cowzers, does CC Hunter know how to end a book.  The readers had to wait forever for the next installment.  Satisfying themselves with re-reading the series; once, twice maybe three times during the wait.  In reality, it was only six months.  But man, did it seem like a long six months.

Whispers at Moonrise starts off minutes after Derek leaves Kylie alone on the porch, with the newest ghost.  Instead of turning to her mentor Holiday, she instead is pulled towards the forest.  Where, not so surprising, Derek finds her again.  Man, being in tuned with one emotionally has got to suck.  Having a boyfriend slightly jealous of the person so in tuned to you has to well, make a gal feel kinda good.

The first three books in the series were filled with more action and more danger. Whispers, on the other hand focused more on Kylie’s emotional attachments. Kylie becomes more acceptant of herself, and her friends.  She understands that they are who they are in part because of what type of supernatural being they are.  This is brought home more often than not in this book due to Kylie being a chameleon.  Which no one really believes, because who really could be a lizard?  Besides, wouldn’t the FRU know about chameleons if there was one? 

Kylie’s relationship with Lucas is strained due to him trying to get on the were council.  To be honest, his family helps to add strain to the relationship.  Darn family members, sticking their snouts where it does not belong.  Kylie’s interactions with her roommates, Della and Miranda, are some of the best scenes in the book.  It is surprising how willing they are to walk head first into trouble if any one of them even suspects that something is not right.  More surprising is how accepting of everything Derek is- loving Kylie, knowing he cannot have her, her speaking to ghosts.  The ghost, who is the exact replica of someone Kylie loves very much, keeps telling her that someone will be murdered.  Kylie, of course, has to stop this from happening.

Kylie begins a strained relationship with her biological grandfather.  He wants her to leave Shadow falls and all that she loves to move into a chameleon community.  He believes this will be the only way that she can be safe.  It does not help that the FRU keeps trying to get permission to test her.  Holiday and Kylie both refuse to allow testing to be done on her.  So the FRU tries to go through Kylie’s mom and step-dad.  Now, one of the most fun scenes to read is between these two individuals.  Let’s just leave it at Kylie’s step-dad realizes he was a douche bag.

With an ending that will leave you with tears in your eyes, mouth wide open and breathing heavy, Whispers at Moonrise is an emotional rollercoaster ride.  One cannot help but wonder if CC Hunter enjoys having her readers on the edge of their seats already counting down until the next book is published.  Regardless one thing is for sure- CC Hunter has written another best seller!

My Rating 5 out of 5 stars

Other Characters

Holly- Director of Shadow Falls, Kylie’s mentor-almost an older sister role.
Miranda- Kylie’s roommate, a dyslexic witch- has a sweet nature about her.
Della- Kylie’s roommate, a newly formed vampire- tough exterior, but loyal.
Burnett- FRU (Fallen Research Unit) agent, liaison- happens to be in love with Holly.

Teaser Tuesday (10)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

His expression tightened.  “I don’t agree with everything the FRU does, but without the FRU, the world would be chaos.  The races would all be against each other, killing and maiming each other.  The human race would be viewed as a food source.”

Whispers at Moonrise (ARC) by CC Hunter pg 56

I am not sure about y'all but for some reason I am a little grateful for the FRU.  Even if some of them are meanies.  What are you teasing this week?