{Review} Books from Simon Pulse!

Ok so these have been hiding in a back stack of books that somehow I missed when I was cleaning.  And all of them had been sent to me a while back ago before Crossroads went down and I know that the lady at Simon and Schuster is probably wondering what I did with the reviews.  So I thought I would do one group review. 

Get a double dose of realistic romance in this collection of two fan favorites from Deb Caletti.Love may or may not be all you actually need, but it’s easy to feel that it is when you’re wrapped up in one of these two stories from Deb Caletti.

In Wild Roses, Cassie is in love, but she can’t let her stepfather know. Her mom’s husband is a beloved public figure, but a private nightmare whose manic phases and paranoia are getting worse. Cassie begins to fear for the safety of her boyfriend...and herself.

In The Nature of Jade, Jade struggles with Panic Disorder. Her boyfriend is a calming influence…until she learns that he’s hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right—and what feels right.

This one is a set of two books which were wonderful.  It was a slow start for the first one. But after it got going it was very good! 4 Stars for Love is All You Need!

Rae's always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her...and the less she wants to give. 

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous. 

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU. Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves.

This one I didnt read all the way through.  With things that have been going on in my personal life this one was a little to much.  I am going to keep it around as it had a wonderful ending and I would love to know the parts in-between so I will DEFF be picking this one up at a later date.  So by no means leave it be. Read it!!

A lush, historical novel about the secretive Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall! The prettiest people often have the ugliest secrets… 

     Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. A change Lord and Lady Darlington can’t help but be grateful for.

     It’s 1912, and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just the extensive grounds to maintain. As one of Britain’s most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been…even as their carefully constructed façade rapidly comes undone.

     Maggie has a secret. And she’s not the only one…the handsome groom Michael, the beautiful new French nanny Therese, the Darlingtons’ teenage houseguests Teddy and Jessica, and even Maggie’s younger sister Lila are all hiding something. Passion, betrayal, heartache, and whispered declarations of love take place under the Darlingtons’ massive roof. And one of these secrets has the power to ruin the Darlingtons forever.

     When scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, everyone is looking over their shoulder, worrying their scandal will be next. Because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret for long.

This one is just beyond words. It is one of those books where you have to pay attention or you might miss something.  It was a solid 4 stars for me. 

{Review & Tour} PODs by Michelle Pickett

Thank you to Spencer Hill Press for allowing me to join the PODs blog tour! 

Title: PODs

Author: Michelle K. Pickett

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Date of Publication: June 4, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

Purchase from Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

About Michelle Pickett

I’m a wife, mother, author, reader, although not always in that order.  I write young adult urban fantasies, science/fiction and paranormal romances. Reading was one of my earliest passions, writing soon followed. I began writing seriously during college where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting. Why I chose a career that frowns on creativity remains a mystery.

I’m addicted to Reese’s peanut butter cups and eat way too many while I write, have an abnormal obsession with hoodies and can’t write without one, and I hate to cook, but love to watch cooking shows on television. An unabashed romantic, I love a swoon-worthy ending that will give me butterflies for days.

I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan.  I now reside in a small community outside Houston, Texas with my incredibly supportive, not to mention gorgeous, husband, three amazing school-aged children, a 125-pound lap dog, and a snooty cat.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

This one I had high hopes for!  I had wanted to read it since I seen it on Spencer Hill Press's website.  When I got it dropped everything to read it and well.  It was ok but very similar to others of its kind.  So this one I would give a solid 3 stars.  

*A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

{Promo} The Forgotten Ones by: Laura Howard

This wednesday we have non other than Laura Howard author of The Forgotten Ones!  With its release earlier this month this is a book you will want to read!  

With the Blitz that was posted we had a few hiccups!  So I thought we would run this promo and extend the giveaway for not only a Kindle Fire but also a ton of other prizes that you are sure to want to grab! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Howard lives in Ne
w Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Google+ 

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.
What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.








Here are some of the prizes that I will be giving away! 

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{#15} Tell Me Something Tuesday! Banned Books

This weeks Topic:

Let's talk banned books. 

How do you feel about book banning? 

What are some of the banned books you have read?   

O my I think that most of the books I read have been banned somewhere.  But that comes with being pagan lol.  As for other normal books I think I have a ton all the same.  From The Hunger Games to Harry Potter I have over 500 books in print and around 1000 or so in ebook. I dont think I could even make a list of how many of those have been banned.  

I feel that although books shouldnt be banned.  They do need to be regulated.  As kids shouldnt be able to check out romance books etc.  

I know a few years back some guy published a book about how to molest a child so this is another reason I think books although shouldnt banned per say they should be watched.  

One of my fav times a year is Banned Book Week!  I think this year I will be doing a massive giveaway for a ton of Banned Books.  So keep an eye out! 

{Review} @TaherehMafi Shatter Me series will leave you screaming for more!

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. 

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Set after Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me and before Unravel Me, the spellbinding sequel, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she'll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of . . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner's father, the Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son's mistakes, it's clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

tick

tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

The first in a trilogy from Harper/HarperCollins

I N  S T O R E S  N O W

Press Release | Film News | Order Now 
Barnes and Noble | BAM

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BAM

  About the Author

Tahereh Mafi is a girl.

She’s 24. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Orange County, California, where she drinks too much caffeine and finds the weather to be just a little too perfect for her taste. When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts. SHATTER ME is her first novel.

Foreign rights have sold in 22 territories to-date and film rights have been optioned by 20th Century Fox.

Ok this one I have had for sometime. I snagged a copy from the used bookstore and it pretty much sat on my shelf forever! Well after going to a book signing where the author signed my book. She was very disappointed that I hadn't read it yet. So on my way home (which was a 4 hour drive back to Lakeland from Miami) I started Shatter Me!  And well I have to say that I LOVED IT!!  It did take a little longer to get through it than normal but having a massive panic attack can do that.  (im fine)

Mafi has such a way with words that her book is almost poetry.  Without the nasty In Verse script that some author have tried to use.  Shatter Me is an unforgettable story that will stick with you well after you finish the last page.  It is sexy, scary and just plan awesome!  This being a debut is made it even better.  Mafi's writing is breathtaking with amazing writing and wonderful characters.  I dont know how anyone can be a fan of Warner I am a DEFF fan of Adam!

So now I got my friend Frishawn from WTF Are You Reading? to read it as well!  And I am not permitted to read Unravel Me until she finishes Shatter Me and Destroy Me so we can read it together lol!   Its just that good!!

As for Destroy Me I am not that big on Novellas most of the time. But, Destroy Me was so good that I just couldnt put it down!  I cant wait to read Unravel Me and I really cant wait for the next book that she has in the works!!  Here is one blogger hoping for an ARC!!!

I just finished Unravel Me and decided to just add that review to this post as well. For the fact that I just cant split up the reviews.  This series is so twisted in not only the story but, with a love triangle that I just didnt see coming!!  This series is so amazing that I am going to shatter, Destroy, Unravel and well just plain fall apart until I get to snag book three.

 *The copies of this book were purchased by me.*

{Review} Grasping at Eternity

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories. 

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her. 

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be. 

Ok Karen when you read this I AM SO SORRY!! But this one ended up being a DNF for me.  It is sibling over load!  To many people!  The POV's are find but with all of the side cast I couldnt keep everyone straight. I kept forgetting people and then having to go back to see who was talking to whom.  It was just to much. 

I will still keep the book and snag book two when it comes out of course.  And I will prob come back to it when I am alone in the house or on a long drive where I can concentrate on the book and nothing else. But for now I just cant keep all of these people in my head. 

*A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

{Blitz & Giveaway} The Forgotten Ones

<a href="http://www.witchycontessa.com/2013/04/release-day-for-forgotten-ones-with.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/witchever82/TFO-notext_zps0abc0121.jpg" width="100%" target="_blank"> UPDATE: I wanted to let everyone know that the book was released early so this is no longer a release day but just a blitz lol have fun!!! Help us welcome author Laura Howard as her first book The Forgotten Ones is out for purchase today!  This book already has a Goodreads rating of 4.20  with over 40 reviews you are sure not to forget this one!  ABOUT THE AUTHOR Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Google+ 

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.
What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.







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