[Release Day Blitz] Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Read Chapters 1-5 of QUEEN OF SHADOWS HERE! 

Title: Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
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Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Goodreads

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

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[Release Day Launch: Excerpt + Giveaway] All Broke Down by Cora Carmack

Title: All Broke Down (Rusk University #2)
Author: Cora Carmack
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Release Date: October 28, 2014
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Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians you name it, she's probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He's in for a different kind of fighting. And though he's arrogant and infuriating, she can't help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it's trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He's met girls like her before fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn't think he's broken, and he definitely doesn't need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about: his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all

EXCERPT:

I think I get it then. That decision I saw in her eyes back in the kitchen. That’s what this, what I’m about for her, too. I’m just another part of whatever rebellion she started earlier today. About doing what she wants, not what’s expected of her.

“We’re not talking about me, though,” she says. “So you went to meet your friend, and then what happened?”

She keeps her eyes down as she picks up the gauze and begins winding it snugly around the knuckles of one hand, and then the other.

“He said the wrong thing.”

“Which was?”

“Dylan.” Now it’s her that’s pushing too hard. I didn’t want to talk about things with my friends, and I won’t talk about them with her, either, no matter how gorgeous she is.

“I’ll guess. You were mad about what he did, and he wasn’t sorry.”

“This isn’t middle school, Pickle. He didn’t hurt my feelings. He said some shit he had no business saying, and it pissed me off. The end.”

“But you don’t think some of that anger stems from what you feel is a betrayal of your friendship?”

She finishes taping down the last of the gauze, but doesn’t let go of my hand.

“I think you’re analyzing me again. Making things more complicated than they are.”

“And I think you’re just a guy who doesn’t like to admit he has feelings.” She drags out the word, teasing me with some goofy smile on her face. I turn my hand over so I can clutch her wrist. I curlmy other bandaged hand around her waist and pull her closer.

“I feel plenty of things.”

The teasing stops. She swallows.

“I wasn’t talking about that kind of feeling.”

With her standing and me sitting, I’m eye level with her chest. I see the sharp rise and fall as she sucks in a breath. I want her in my lap again, straddling me this time.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t talk about that kind of feeling. Or experiment with it.”

“Is that Stella girl an ex?”

I cough, surprised. My throat twists uncomfortably, and it takes me a couple of solid breaths to get a hold on myself.

“Ah, no. Stella and I have never dated.”

“Have you—”

“Do you ever run out of questions?”

“Not ever.” She turns playful again, and I’m done doing this the careful way. If she wants a rebellion, I’ll be the one to give it to her. I want her against me, and I’m tired of waiting.

I pull her forward, insinuating my knees between hers, and her body naturally follows, settling across my thighs. Her lips part, but she catches herself before she gasps this time. I keep her steady with my hands at her waist and say, “I’ll make you a deal. A question for a kiss.”

Tentatively, she lays her palms against my shoulders. They rest there, her grip light and casual. She ponders my offer for a moment, and it drives me mad that she can do that while our hips are inches away from alignment.

“Okay then. Are you—”

I cut her off. “Not so fast, Dylan Brenner. I’ve already answered one question. We’ve got to settle up first.”

I wrap her braid around my hand like I’ve been waiting to do all night, and I use it to pull her head back just enough that I can crush my mouth against hers.

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[Release Day Launch + Giveaway] Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee

 

Title: Escaping Me
Author: Elizabeth Lee
Release Date: July 30, 2013

Goodreads

All she wanted to do was forget. Forget the memory of walking in on her boyfriend in the middle of, well, another girl. Forget how she had her entire life planned out. And, forget about being perfect all the time. Unfortunately, she was Whitney Vandaveer and despite the fact that she moved to the middle of nowhere – she couldn't.

He always knew he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no future. Cole Pritchett had accepted the fact that he would always be the screw up and he was okay with it. Until he met her.

Here's the thing they quickly found out – sometimes we all need a little help escaping who we think we are.

THOUGHTS:

If you were to ask me point blank what I liked the most about Escaping Me, my answer would be very simple and straightforward - it's realistic, and not far-fetched at the very least. I can actually see some parts of it happening either to me or someone I'm close to, and this is not something I can say about most New Adult Contemporary novels about nowadays. Wait wait, you may say, novels aren't supposed to be realistic - they're supposed to distract you from your real, boring everyday life! Well, you do have a point, but for this particular genre, I prefer realistic situations and relatable characters because I firmly believe that that's what New Adult is all about. Through this genre, new adults in the legal sense should get an idea of what they can come to expect in this new chapter of their lives, and Escaping me did just that for me. This book is what New Adult is all about.

I found it amazing how ridiculously relatable both main characters are. Whitney, after finding out that her long-term boyfriend has been cheating on her, fled to her mother and sister's home in the country to try to forget and to ultimately escape, even just for a little while. A child of divorced parents, this was be the first time Whitney would spend a long stretch of time with both her mother and sister after choosing to live with her father after the divorce. Not only does Whitney have to come to terms with the fact that this boy she thought she was going to marry had no problem screwing other people behind her back, she also has to find out where she stands in this family she never had the chance to know.

Honestly, I found everything about Whitney's situation plausible. Her actions even feel a wee bit familiar, because I can picture myself going through the same motions! More and more children these days are products of divorce, and I'm sure that Whitney's filial situation will surely strike a chord is some reader's hearts. Moreover, I've always reckoned that it's basic instinct to run when you discover that people you love have wronged you so callously, and I can't blame Whitney for choosing to behave that way - I would have done so too! As a matter of fact, I'm sure that a lot of people share the exact same sentiment. I love how Lee explored Whitney's character - here's a privileged girl who has had everything she could ever need, and yet she has no idea what she wants. All her life her actions have been dictated by those around her, and it's only now that she's actually living and doing things just for the heck of it. Lee made Whitney so relatable, and as I have mentioned, familiar. I'm sure every girl has experienced feeling lost at some point in their lives.

The true can be said about Cole. I was a bit apprehensive about his character at first simply because he had those telltale bad boy looks (and we all know how some New Adult novels these days are all about bad boys who sadly don't have enough depth) but he quickly proved me wrong - this is one character that definitely has depth. I found myself relating to him quickly enough too! Everyone - from his brother to Whitney's father - expects so little of him that he just can't get this idea  out of his head that he will never be good enough for Whitney. I'm sure everyone has experienced those feelings of unworthiness like Cole has.

I liked how Lee explored Whitney and Cole's relationship. It's not all about sex - you get to read about them having serious conversations about their past and their future, and that's something that I particularly enjoyed. There were no secrets between these two characters - nothing about their relationship was built on anything resembling a lie. They were honest with each other from the get go. Sure, they had their moments of acting prematurely, or judging each other quickly, but then again, what couple doesn't do that?

Lee really impressed me with this novel. Parts of the novel could have been stronger, and there were scenes that didn't transition well, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Lee did a great job in exploring her characters, and I don't think I can say this enough but I loved how everything was so realistic!

Rating: 4 Stars

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[Release Day Launch: Giveaway] Subject to Change by Alessandra Thomas

Title: Subject to Change

Author: Alessandra Thomas
Release Date: June 25, 2013

Goodreads / Author's Twitter / Author's Goodreads

Joey made her dad a deathbed promise that she would become a doctor, and dedicate herself to fighting the very cancer that took his life. There’s just one problem -three years into her pre-med classes, she's struggling to stay on top of the curve, let alone prove she's dazzling enough to earn a spot in an Ivy League medical school. In a Hail Mary move, she throws a basic Business 101 class into her semester schedule, banking on a perfect score to boost her GPA.

That is, until she’s paired for a final project with Hawk, the bartending, motorbike-riding, gorgeously bedheaded loser who falls asleep in class and communicates in one-word sentences.

Hawk does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, which sets Joey on edge – in every possible way. As they get to know each other, her urge to scream at him is curbed only by her fantasies of tearing his clothes off. Soon those fantasies become reality, and Joey realizes Hawk makes her feel more fully herself than any of the rich boys her mother and sorority sisters approve of.

But the promise to her father hangs over her head, and the harder Joey tries to succeed in her chosen career, the faster everything falls into a hopeless tailspin of bad grades, broken promises and guilt. It doesn't help to have Hawk sitting like a devil on her shoulder, insisting she should be free to live however she wants to live - like he does.

The only thing Joey knows is that her neatly organized life is crushing her - and Hawk's bad attitude might be the only thing that can save her.

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Release Day Launch: Game.Set.Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli

 

 (Check out the rest of the stops HERE.)

 

Title: Game. Set. Match. (Outer Banks Tennis Academy #1)

Author: Jennifer Iacopelli
Release Date: May 1, 2013

Published by: Coliloquy, LLC

Goodreads  / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Nestled along the coastline of North Carolina, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the best elite tennis training facility in the world. Head Coach, Dominic Kingston has assembled some of the finest talent in the sport. From the game's biggest stars to athletes scraping and clawing to achieve their dreams, OBX is full of ego, drama and romance. Only the strong survive in this pressure cooker of competition, on and off the court.

Penny Harrison, the biggest rising star in tennis, is determined to win the French Open and beat her rival, the world’s number one player, Zina Lutrova. There’s just one problem, the only person who’s ever been able to shake her laser-like focus is her new training partner. Alex Russell, tennis’s resident bad boy, is at OBX recovering from a knee injury suffered after he crashed his motorcycle (with an Aussie supermodel on the back). He's hoping to regain his former place at the top of men’s tennis and Penny’s heart, while he’s at it.

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. Her parents have seven Grand Slam championships between them and she’s desperate to live up to their legacy. Her best friend is Teddy Harrison, Penny’s twin brother, and that’s all they’ve ever been, friends. Then one stupid, alcohol-laced kiss makes everything super awkward just as she as she starts prepping for the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.

The Classic is what draws Indiana Gaffney out of the hole she crawled into after her mom’s death. Even though she’s new to OBX, a win at the Classic is definitely possible. She has a big serve and killer forehand, but the rest of her game isn’t quite up to scratch and it doesn’t help that Jasmine Randazzo and her little minions are stuck-up bitches or that Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and oldest brother, is too hot for words, not to mention way too old for her.

Who will rise? Who will fall?

THOUGHTS:

As a huge sports fan (and I do mean huge - I follow a LOT of sports), I remember being incredibly delighted when I chanced upon this novel. I've read  heaps of books about both American and European football, swimming, hockey, and figure skating even, but this would be my very first look into the world of professional tennis as told through a Young Adult or a New Adult novel. You should have heard my shriek when I received my ARC, and it took me next to nothing to finish it.  Let me cut to the chase - Iacopelli's debut novel - the first of this series - didn't disappoint. I would even go as far as to say that it blew my socks off (you know, if I were actually wearing any... but you get my drift).

What impressed me the most about Game.Set.Match. is definitely the writing. Though the novel switched between the POVs of the three MCs, I'm happy to note that Iacopelli was able to establish her characters successfully. None of them sounded alike, and they each had their quirks and habits that made them relateable heroines. I had no trouble distinguishing between their voices, thoughts, and characteristics. Moreover, Iacopelli somehow made all three similar (given the fact that they are all serious athletes) yet so individually unique. Usually, having multiple POVs in a single novel is a tough feat for an author to overcome, but Iacopelli had no problems whatsoever. It was so apparent just how attuned she is to her characters - I never felt like I was simply reading through an author's printed words. I honestly felt like I was reading through the throughts of three young women. They almost seemed like my friends, in a way.

It was so obvious to me that Iacopelli is a huge fan of tennis. Not only is this book impeccably researched, I could feel her love for tennis through her characters. I loved reading the different parts in the novels where the different matches take place - Iacopelli struck the perfect balance between keeping things technical but still making sure that she can capture the excitement of her readers (both those who are and who are not fans of the sport). My heart was pounding like crazy during the more intense moments of the matches - Iacopelli had no problem recreating the atmosphere of tennis' most exciting duels.

In recent memory, I have never quite liked a female MC as much as liked Indy, Jasmine, and Penny. (Yes, I actually loved reading about three of them!) I loved how serious they were about their sport, and reading about their lives outside the sport was pretty interesting as well. Sure, there were moments when I rolled my eyes at their antics and their choices, or I just wanted to scream at their hard-headedness, but ultimately, everything the three did contributed to the growth and development of their characters. Nothing felt forced. Nothing felt out of place. I didn't think it was possible but I ended up loving all three characters more at the end of the book.

All in all, Game.Set.Match. is the perfect example of what New Adult should be about. We have strong, relateable main characters, for one. We also have perfectly paced love stories (Ugh I adore Jack!). Moreover, even though it deals with more mature topics, it's still realistic (because plot twists that come out of nowhere simply don't make sense most of the time), yet it also tells of a story we don't see everyday. I can't wait to see where Iacopelli will take her story next!

Rating: 5 Stars


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[Review + Giveaway] If You Stay by Courtney Cole

 

(Check out the rest of the blogs participating in the release day launch HERE!)

 
Title: If You Stay (Beautifully Broken #1)

Author: Courtney Cole
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Lakehouse Press

Goodreads / Amazon

24-year old Pax Tate is an asshole.

Seriously.

He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad-boy with a bad attitude to match.

But he’s got his reasons.

His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with guilt although he doesn’t understand why. What he does know is that he and his dad are left alone and with more issues than they can count.

As Pax grew up, he tried to be the kid his father always wanted; the perfect golden boy, but it didn’t work. His dad couldn’t overcome his grief long enough to notice and Pax couldn’t keep up the impossible perfect façade.

So he slipped far, far from it.

Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the ugliness, the black void that he doesn’t want to deal with. If he pretends that the emptiness isn’t there, then it isn’t, right?

Wrong.

And it’s never more apparent than when he meets Mila.

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air to his hardened frown, the beauty to his ugly heart. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her, but he quickly realizes that he’s got to figure it out because he needs her to breathe.

When memories of his mother’s death resurface from where he’s repressed them for so long, Mila is there to catch him when the guilt starts making sense. Mila is the one…the one who can save him from his broken troubled heart; from his issues, from the emptiness.

But only if he can stop being an asshole long enough to allow it.

He knows that. And he’s working on it.

But is that enough to make her stay?

THOUGHTS:

Honestly, I don't have words for how much I enjoyed this book. I've been sitting here for a while now, trying to find the words, but I really can't adequately describe just how much I adore this novel with every fiber of my being. (Before you think it, no, I am not exaggerating! I thoroughly loved this book!) I loved every aspect of it - the characters, the plot, the writing... - every single thing was just perfect. Courtney Cole showed her talent as a writer in this novel, simply put. I found myself gripped from the first page alone, and my interest in Cole's characters didn't fade well after the last page. After finishing reading If You Stay, the first thing that came to my mind was that I haven't been this excited for how a New Adult novel will be received since the wildly popular and critically acclaimed Easy!

First and foremost, I'd just like to applaud Cole for the most original first meeting between the two characters, Pax and Mila - seriously, I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it! I really can't blame Mila for not being able to get Pax off her mind. If it were me, I would have reacted the exact same way! Moreover, I again would like to laud Cole for writing about a thoroughly engaging and realistic story about two people who couldn't be more different in taking a chance with each other. The chemistry between Pax and Mila is off the charts but while the intense attraction between the two of them is indeed palpable, nothing about their story screams insta-love. Their relationship had a proper build-up, I'm happy to note.

Secondly, the characters make it impossible for me not to be engrossed in this novel. In one word, Pax is broken. Damaged. Scarred. Alone. (Okay, I might have taken the one-word descriptions too far...) He thinks he has no one - his father and grandfather essentially left him to pick up the pieces of his life after his mother's death. It would initially seem that's he a Grade-A asshole, but the dual POVs help shine a light on how Pax sees and feels about his life. We then find out that because he can't escape his past no matter what he does, and he's resorted to vices - alcohol, drugs, and sex - to numb the pain of the unknown. In Mila, he finds something of an answer to his problems. He honest to God cares about her well-being. Furthermore, she makes him want to try; she makes him want to be a better man, and all this in the short time that they have known each other. Pax had me invested in his character - from the first chapter alone, I knew that I had to know how his story ended.

Mila, meanwhile, is like a sunshine against the darkness that is Pax. While she is going through her own set of problems, she isn't as closed off to happiness as Pax is, and that ultimately is the difference between the two of them. Pax is initially portrayed as someone who has given up, but Mila is depicted as someone who is fighting tooth and nail to overcome her troubles from the very beginning. Moreover, I love how Mila, while showing Pax that she is by his side for good and for worse, refused to be his doormat when times get tough. She does love Pax yes, I couldn't be more convinced of that, but she has a healthy respect for herself, and I just LOVE that. Too many heroines in YA/NA novels these days are wholly content to be treated like garbage by their boyfriends, and that's NOT RIGHT.

What I loved most about If I Stay is that while Mila was the catalyst in Pax wanting to face his problems, everything didn't begin and end with Mila. While Pax did want to be better for Mila, it was still apparent to me that Pax wholeheartedly wanted to be better for himself the most. He wanted to find out about the secrets of the past for himself; moreover, he wanted to start the long, perilous journey on recovering from his troubles for himself. Simply put, Pax WANTS to recover. Also, in contemporary novels dealing with real-life issues, I've come to find out that the problems the characters are going through are often put in the backseat to the romance, but that couldn't be further from the truth in this novel. Pax's mental and emotional troubles were never ignored by Cole, and I'm completely impressed at how well she wrote about them. They weren't merely plot devices or anything like that - Pax actually faces his demons!

I know that this review is a tad too long, but I couldn't help myself, so give me a break! Anyway, not only is Cole spot on with how Mila handled herself around Pax, how Pax faced his problems, how the two main characters went about their relationship, her writing is also astonishingly tremendous. She has a real knack for writing gritty, heartwrenching scenes - the scene wherein Pax finds out all the sordid details from the past completely broke my heart, as did its aftermath.

All in all, If You Stay is a MUST READ. (I hope I've emphasized that enough!) This is one of the best novels I've read in the past few years, and easily the best NA novel I've read, along with Easy. Cole did a mind-blowingly good job in telling the story of these people whose paths crossed after a night of close calls and how they helped each other build their lives back up. I highly encourage you to go grab a copy - you won't regret it!

Rating: 5 Stars

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