{Review} Split Second by @KasieWest {Giveaway} @harperteen @epicreads

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

› Visit Amazon's Kasie West Page

Biography

A stay-at-home mom of four children, three of them girls, ranging in age from twelve to four, Kasie West hears lots of melodramatic versions of large-than-life events. She graduated with a BA in liberal studies, with a strong focus on linguistics and psychology, from Fresno State University. She lives in Fresno, CA.

From snarky writing to wonderful characters this book two of the Pivot Point series doesn't suffer from bookitis!  Thought this entire book I was like the following!!  Its a deff must read!  Kasie West is deff one of my fav authors of 2014!  

Other things this book was a step up from book one and it was a great combo of funny, exciting and likable characters. So if you are ready to Swoon in 2014 this is deff one you need to read! 

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover Life can change in a split second. Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can't believe this is the future she chose. When Addie's dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He's a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that. Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie's memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don't want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her. As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} The First True Lie: A Novel by #MarinaMander {Giveaway} @HogarthBooks_UK

An utterly compelling, heartbreaking novel that introduces a revelatory young voice to the U.S. market.
Meet Luca, a curious young boy living with his mother, a taciturn woman who every now and then tries out a new father. Luca keeps to himself, his cat, Blue, and his favorite toys—words. One February morning his mom doesn't wake up to bring him to school, so Luca—driven by a deep fear of being an orphan—decides to pretend to the world that his mom is still alive. At first it's easy. Luca dresses himself for school, makes sure Blue gets his dinner, and manages to avoid nosy neighbors. He and Blue camp out in the living room and embark on imaginary expeditions to outer space, and Luca dreams about marrying his school crush, Antonella. Soon, however, the laundry starts piling up, the fridge emptying—and the smell of Mama's decaying body begins to permate the apartment. 

As Luca grapples with what to do, we ultimately witness something much more poignant than the morbid circumstance—a young boy's journey to the point at which he can say: “I am no longer an orphan. I am a single human being. It's a matter of words.”

About the Author

MARINA MANDER is the author of Manuale di Ipocondria Fantastica (A Fantastical Manual of Hypochondria, 2000), Catalogo degli Addii (A Catalogue of Goodbyes, 2010) and Nessundorma, 2013. This is her first U.S. publication. She lives in Milan and works in publishing.

This book although only 144 pages will grip you in its story.  Luca decides that his mother's death should be kept secret.  Through this story you begin to understand why Luca chose not to tell anyone about his mother.  This book again is only 144 page long but gives the reader a full story with ups and downs and it was just beautifully written!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Editorial Reviews Review Praise for Marina Mander's The First True Lie “If you liked Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, read The First True Lie, by Marina Mander. Mander’s English-language debut has all of Foer’s energy, despite a hard-to-stomach premise… As in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the buoyancy of the child narrator’s voice is ultimately an act of hope — hope in the face of death, darkness, and trauma.” —Cosmopolitan  “From page one I was with Luca, the adorable and witty young narrator of this brilliant and emotionally upsetting story. I lived in his words and in his head, and stayed there for a long time after I had finished the book.” —Herman Koch, author of the international bestseller The Dinner “Mander’s English-language debut is narrated by the ebullient Luca, whose voice is every bit as engaging as the best child narrators out there: imagine a blend of Oskar (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), Blue (Special Topics in Calamity Physics), and Christopher Boone (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). This slim novel smartly focuses on the cranks and gears of Luca’s imagination….[A]t its best, Luca’s original voice will break your heart. Ultimately, Luca’s story offers a buoyant picture of hope in the face of disaster, and life in the face of death.”—Publishers Weekly  "Translated from the Italian in clear, lyrical prose, always true to the child’s viewpoint, the blend of horror and innocence captures a universal nightmare….The terse survival drama of the child marooned alone, not in the wilderness but in the crowded city, will stir readers: Could it be happening on my street? How will it end?” —Booklist  “[An] elegantly carved look into the inner life of an orphaned child.” —Kirkus Reviews   “Cruel, heart-wrenching, and surprising...As all great books do, this opens a window into a world. It will not be easy for you to close that window, nor to forget that world.” —La Republica “A beautiful novel that tells a terrible story with brio and depth.” —Tiziano Scarpa

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} Peculiar Children by @ransomriggs {Giveaway} @quirkbooks

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

› Visit Amazon's Ransom Riggs Page

Biography

Ransom Riggs grew up in Florida, where he spent his formative years making silly movies with his friends in their various backyards, snorkeling, and complaining about the heat. He studied English at Kenyon College and film at the University of Southern California. He lives in Los Angeles. He makes films you can watch on his YouTube page: www.youtube.com/ransriggs. He enjoys traveling to exotic lands and complaining about the heat. He would like to thank you for reading this short biography.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#12 in Books > Teens

This book was all over the place for me. Which for this one that was great!  Fantasy, adventure, photos, and just plain creepies enchant and engage readers of all ages in this one!  It is deff a one of a kind book!  Magical, spooky, and just yummy this one will have you reading into the wee hours of the night!


"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} Bite-Sized Magic by @LittlewoodBooks {Giveaway} @Epicreads @harperteen

This third book in Kathryn Littlewood's acclaimed Bliss trilogy mixes the down-home heart-punch of Ingrid Law's Newbery Honor Book Savvy, the always-on-the-edge-of-chaos comedy of Cheaper by the Dozen, and a humorous magic all its own to create a thoroughly original confection, a delicious guilty pleasure for readers of all ages.

Rose won back her family's magical Cookery Booke in an international baking competition in A Dash of Magic, the second novel in the series. Rose is now world famous—so famous, in fact, that Mr. Butter, head of the Mostess Corporation, has kidnapped her so that she can develop new-and-improved magical recipes for his company's snack cakes. With the magically enhanced Dinkies and Moony Pies, Mr. Butter plans to take over the world.

Together with her brothers, their talking cat and mouse, and an unlikely team of bakers, Rose must overthrow Mr. Butter before he destroys civilization, one magically evil snack cake at a time.

KATHRYN LITTLEWOOD is a writer, actress, comedienne, and bon vivant who lives in New York City, works often in Los Angeles, and has a sweet tooth for pain au chocolat and sweet novels for middle-grade readers. The Bliss books are her first novels.

It never amazes me how good and thought out some middle grade books are.  From series such as My Very UnFairy Tale to Middle School Magic.  These series grab the reader at the very start and make you want to read.  Which is very good for the Middle School crowd.  I think that if schools would use books like this one for their reading classes.  They would have kids begging to read more.  This one was wonderful although I wish I would have gotten books one and two.  I will deff. be buying and reading all three all over again soon.  And I can't wait to see what the author has in store for these kids!


"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover

For Rosemary Bliss, fame is no laughing batter.
It's been two weeks since she beat her evil aunt Lily at the Gala des Gâteaux Grands baking competition. Her victory won her back her family's magical cookbook, but it also made her quite famous.
So famous, in fact, that she's been kidnapped by the Mostess Corporation. Now Mr. Butter is making Rose use her magical know-how to create new-and-improved recipes for Dinkies, Moony Pies, and Glo-Balls. Yet, as flattered as Rose is to have been given such responsibility, something's not quite right about Mr. Butter; the whole situation feels like a cupcake without frosting—Just. Plain. Wrong.
Together with an unlikely team of bakers, Rose must come up with a plan to overthrow Mr. Butter before Mostess and the International Society of the Rolling Pin take over the world, one magically evil snack cake at a time.
Blending humor and magic, and throwing in a dash of heart for sweetness, Kathryn Littlewood's third helping in the Bliss series will be a guilty pleasure for readers everywhere.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

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{Tour} {Promo} Wake (Whisper Trilogy #2) by @DanaFaletti

When 16-year-old Callie Evans learned she was more than your everyday suburban teen, everything changed. One minute she was a typical high school student, the next, a demon-slayer extraordinaire. As a newly discovered Arc angel from heaven, Callie’s destiny is to fight the Darks that prey on human teens.

But when Callie meets Romuel, one of the most powerful angels of all time, her reality is shaken once again. Romuel will force her to become what she was meant to be, but will her boyfriend, fellow Arc, Joshua, be able to set his pride aside? He doesn’t appreciate Callie’s attentiveness toward the older, wiser immortal Romuel. Joshua found her first. And he’s not willing to share. 

Is it Callie’s highly active imagination or does the Dark population seem to be multiplying exponentially in her world at an alarming rate? Newsflash: She’s not imagining things. They’re everywhere. And she’s got to find a way to stop them before it’s too late.

Join Silas, Jules, Jixer and the rest of the immortal crew in a story that will wake up the world to the war that’s been raging since the beginning of time, a war in which whispers are the deadliest weapons of all.

About the Author

Dana Faletti is the author of the Whisper series. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in a northern suburb of the city with her three wonderful daughters, her husband and a Siberian Forest cat called Fluffy G. More information about Dana and her writing can be found on her website at www.danafaletti.com. You can also connect with Dana on Facebook (www.facebook.com/authordanafaletti) and on Twitter @danafaletti.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

{Tour} {Review} He Did You a Favor by @HeDidYouAFavor {Hosted} @BookSparks

Some guy has taken a giant sledgehammer to your heart and you have to clean up the mess. You hurt, big-time. You feel alone, scraping for answers 
in the bottom of your third tub of “Chocolate Therapy” ice cream. You think you’ll never find anyone as good as he was, e-ver. 

But what if… he did you a favor? 

He Did You a Favor is an empowering, humorous, hands-on guide with straight talk and advice to help you break away from Mr. So Very Wrong and break through to the life you desire.

› Visit Amazon's Debra Rogers Page

Biography

This Queen of Breakovers is your best-girlfriend expert in the school of love. is your best girl expert in the school of love. With years of dating and breakup experience, including one crushing breakup at eight months pregnant (which evolved into a supportive divorce and loving friendship), Debra's earned her relationship MBA. She's been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

Experience is knowledge. Knowledge is power. She's here to pass the girl power onto you.

Before He Did You a Favor, Debra worked the studio circuit for years as a script analyst and Development Associate for both film and television. Her passion for story was further expanded as a writing consultant for numerous motion picture and television writers through her company Your Best Writing Now. Debra's coaching has been described as: "powerful," "insightful," "inspiring," "generous," and "a rare gift."

She also built a successful voiceover career, voicing strong, powerful women in film and television from "Streetfighter" to "Xena: Warrior Princess." Through her life experience, she discovered her own inner warrior and found that the strong heroines she'd been voicing were also within her.

Soon after this discovery, friends, sisters and mothers began to approach her, asking how they could do it too. She listened to other women's stories of breakup and heartache. That's when she knew she had to write this book, to help others who were trudging through dark emotional waters, not knowing how to find the shore.

Debra currently lives in the Los Angeles area with her amazing daughter and has finally found true love. HE DID YOU A FAVOR is her recipe for success - so you can have the life and the relationships you've always dreamed of.

Follow me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeDidYouAFavor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/hedidyouafavor/
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"He Did You a Favor" is an empowering, humorous, hands-on guide with no-nonsense advice from women who realized their breakups were the best thing to ever happen to them." - Shape magazine

If you are a woman who has recently ended a relationship then this is the book for you.  I could have used this one a few years back when I was going through a very nasty divorce. This book will show you that you are still worth something, don't blame yourself, and that you have nothing wrong with you.  It is a great self-help book and story.     "*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

{Review} All That Glows by @ryangraudin {Published} @HarperTeen

Emrys—a fiery, red-headed Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city’s draining technology, until she’s sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn’t any normal assignment—she’s sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be King. The prince’s careless ways and royal blood make him the irresistible for the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys’s magic and heart to the test.

When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through the London’s magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard’s life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

› Visit Amazon's Ryan Graudin Page
Ryan Graudin grew up in Charleston and graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Creative Writing in 2009. She is the author of All That Glows and The Walled City. She resides near Charleston with her husband and wolf-dog. You can find her online at www.ryangraudin.com.

One of the best fey books I've read since the Iron Fey via Julie Kagawa!  The romance, magic, characters, and story were just breath taking.  The setting being in England just made it even better! Ive seen some really bad 1 star reviews for this one.  But I have to say that I fell in love with all 480 pages of this fantasy.  From the cover to the last page this Fey story will leave you breathless and wanting more.  And although this one is a stand alone the ending leaves room for a second book in this I hope stand alone turned series.  Again no love triangle in this lovely.  A story of how love can find you and what you are willing to give up to have it.  I also think of it as a coming of age story not for our main fairy lady but for the prince.  He really becomes the man he was meant to be.  This one has a very strong message that was well told and fast paced. Another must read for 2014!



"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover Sparks will fly Emrys—a fiery, redheaded Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city's draining technology, until she's sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn't any normal assignment—she's sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain's notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be king. The prince's careless ways and royal blood make him irresistible to the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys's magic and heart to the test. When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through London's magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs, and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard's life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders, and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.