Blog, Interrupted

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to write a quick post today to share an update on this blog. As most of you know, work has been really busy for me the past few months, so I haven't been able to focus on the blog as much as I have over the past 5 years (I can hardly believe this is my 6th year!). The fact that my (relatively) new business venture has generated enough interest to necessitate working overtime nights and weekends is a fantastic problem to have, but it's also meant that this blog isn't the escape that it used to be when I worked in an unrelated field.

Since a lot of my clients have found me through the blog, it's become an extension of my work, and therefore something that has come to feel as such rather than something fun and different from what I did everyday. The drive to read has been steadily decreasing for me as a result, so over the past year I've dropped down from 3 reviews a week to 2 just to keep up, but even with that change I'm still having some trouble getting posts together each and every day.

Long story short (sort of?), I'm going to start posting just 4 days a week instead of 5 temporarily, giving myself Mondays off from blog responsibilities to focus more on work. Once I get caught up a bit more I'll bump it back up because I love this blog and this community, but for now I'm granting myself this small break. I'll have reviews on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a WoW meme on Wednesdays, and a Flourish post, tour stop, or interview on Fridays.

So many of you have left amazingly supportive comments when I've had to admit to not having posts prepared here and there recently, and I can't tell you how much they mean to me! I can't help but put pressure on myself to deliver content each day, but I need to cut back just a touch so I don't burn myself out entirely:)

Talk to you all tomorrow!

Review: Firstlife

FIRSTLIFE
Everlife #1
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Young Adult
480 pages
Harlequin Teen
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
ONE CHOICE.
TWO REALMS.
NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

MY THOUGHTS
Firstlife is a dark start to this new series, introducing us to Ten in the asylum of which she's a temporary resident, and we're quickly submerged in the horrors of her day to day life. Ms. Showalter doesn't pull many punches in the opening third of this tale, the physical and emotional torture (as her parents are the one ordering her "treatment") ensuring we grow attached to Ten quickly and easily if for no other reason than to be a silent support system and witness to her abuse. Ms. Showalter doesn't leave us in complete darkness however, her trademark sense of humor providing much needed moments of levity in the form of two new inmates to Prynne Asylum, and we grab hold of those fleeting moments with all our strength before Ten's capacity for pain endurance is tested once again.

The aforementioned inmates turn out to be two young men, one from Troika and one from Myriad, sent to convince Ten to sign her Everlife (or life after human death) over to their realm, and while the mention of two guys in Ten's life might send many a reader running for the hills, no love triangle forms. Archer, the representative from Troika, initially comes to Ten in the form of her female roommate in the asylum, and their bond, even when he returns to his naturally glorious male form, remains firmly in the friendship zone until it gradually deepens and becomes one that exists between family. Her romantic feelings are for Killian exclusively, though the romance between them remains in the background of the epic battle between Troika and Myriad to recruit Ten, and is deliciously slow in forming due to her understandable trust issues.

Firstlife is a thrill ride from beginning to end, the callousness with which one of the realms in particular treats a person's human life something that makes our blood boil and our loyalty shift to its enemy with far less deliberation than Ten undertakes. Her inability to pick a side is completely understandable within the context of her circumstances however, and before it becomes a source of frustration she makes it clear to us as readers who she favors, but she must continue to avoid a firm decision in order to play the political game she's unwillingly drawn into.

Overall, this first installment is a fast, enthralling read despite its length, Ten's story both brutal and uplifting as she's forced to learn what family and friendship truly mean in the most painful way possible.

Rating: 4/5

Find Gena:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

 

Thursday Flourish: A Stolen Kiss

Confession: This post was meant to go up tomorrow and be a regular Friday Flourish post, but sadly I'm way behind on all things blog related and I haven't finished the book that was supposed to be reviewed today. *hangs head* So, Thursday Flourish it is!

Author Kelsey Keating came to me through a referral from longtime client Katie Cross, and I know if Katie sends someone my way, I'm in for a design treat. Kelsey was absolutely no exception, and from the minute she submitted her artwork form I knew exactly what I wanted this cover to be. Her story is one of adventure, magic and a little romance, all woven together to form a YA Fantasy package that's a bit more on the fun side than the overly serious side.

I knew from the beginning that this book was the start of a series, so I made sure to take that into account when putting the layout together. I wanted to create something sweet and whimsical with just a hint of danger, but also something that left me with plenty of flexibility to adapt for future books.

One of the main story elements Kelsey mentioned was Fangralee Forest, a forest so dense that little to no light filters through, and once I read that description I knew instantly I wanted a design full of ominous trees that would both hint at danger as well as create a nice contrast to a cute fairy-tale feeling castle and type treatment.

I started with the type treatment since I wanted it to be a strong focal point, and then built the trees and castle around the title illustration. After a few rounds of color revisions, Kelsey and I found ourselves with a finished cover!

A stolen kiss.
An unstable curse.
One big mess in the making.

Derric Harver never expected to amount to anything more than the palace stableboy, but when Princess Maria's curse keeps her from accepting a prince's proposal, she turns to him for help, and he doesn't dare refuse.

With the help of a lady's maid and a prince, Derric and Maria embark on a dangerous adventure to find the sorceress who cast the curse. Along the way they battle deadly creatures and make new friends--all the while struggling with the undeniable chemistry between them. Reaching their destination won't be easy, but the true danger peril in the truths they've fought for years to keep hidden.

A Stolen Kiss is the first in the Stolen Royals Series--an adventure with magical creatures, dangerous lies, and being true to the power within.

Find Kelsey:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

You can check out more of my cover design work at Seedlings Design Studio!  

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Three Dark Crowns

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

THREE DARK CROWNS

Kendare Blake

YA Fantasy

Releases September 2016 from HarperTeen

From Goodreads:

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose...it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

Ummm. I feel like all I really need to say about this one is YES PLEASE! This story sounds like a fantasy Tudor court meets the Borgia family and I can't wait to dive into all the scheming and politics involved in battling for the crown. WHICH SISTER AM I GOING TO ROOT FOR? At the moment I'm leaning toward Katharine simply because she seems to be a bit of an underdog - not sure how helpful being able to withstand poisons will be unless someone is actively trying to poison her, and given her sisters are probably aware of this gift, it doesn't seem like they'd choose this method to take her down. Both Mirabella and Arsinoe seem to have more active gifts, so Katharine seems to be at the biggest disadvantage and that earns her my initial support.

Also, Kendare Blake is the author which makes adding this to the TBR list a no brainer.

Goodreads • Amazon

Review: Tell Me Three Things

TELL ME THREE THINGS
Julie Buxbaum
Contemporary Young Adult
336 pages
Delacorte Press
Available April 5th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
What if the person you need the most is someone you’ve never met?
 
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

MY THOUGHTS
Tell Me Three Things is a delightful contemporary read, mixing humor with the challenges of starting a whole new life to give us the perfect blend of sweet, silly and serious. 

Jessie feels beautifully genuine, not exaggerated for dramatic fictional effect, but rather someone who resonates from the moment her thoughts about SN's first email spill across the pages. Anyone who has ever experienced the first day at a new school will sympathize with Jessie from chapter one, her nerves something that endears her to us instantly, while her struggles to navigate her new circumstances only deepen our affection. She's adorably unsure of herself at school, hoping against hope that SN isn't some cruel prank to humiliate the new girl, but able to find humor in almost any situation despite her many ups and downs.

She handles the stereotypical mean girl extraordinarily well, never rising to her bait but never tucking tail and running either, instead moving forward with an admirable determination. Her newly-formed friendships with a pair of classmates as well as her love/hate relationship with her new stepbrother keep as as glued to the pages as her messages with SN, ensuring this story feels emotionally rich without trying too hard to hook us by the heartstrings and reel us in.

For the romance lovers like myself, the slow-burn relationship with SN is everything we could hope for, with just enough young men in her life (in a decidedly drama-less way) to keep us from being one hundred percent confident along the way in our guess as to SN's identity. When the big reveal (though really it's obvious by this time who it is since Jessie has strong feelings for a specific someone) comes it's impossible to suppress a goofy grin and not do a little happy dance, and we find ourselves on the last page with a strong desire to go back and re-read all their messages one more time.

Rating: 4.5/5

Find Julie:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

The Asset Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

Today I'm so pleased to welcome author Anna Del Mar to the blog as part of the promotional tour for the first book in her new Wounded Warrior romance series, The Asset. Those of you who are frequent visitors to this blog know what a romance lover I am, and when you add a military hero (in this case a SEAL) to the mix I basically go into meltdown mode. Must. Read. Now. Anna was nice enough to answer a few questions for me, so I hope you guys enjoy the interview! Be sure and check the bottom of the post as well for all the details on a special giveaway:)

I’m 99% sure I would last approximately 4 minutes in Navy SEAL training before I curled up in the fetal position and started crying. How long do you estimate you’d last?

Four minutes? You’re tough, girl! I don’t think I’d make it to the sixty second mark. Plus, I’d want to talk about my challenges with my instructors. I don’t know about you, but the term Hell Week? Not very appealing to me.

What are 3 small things about The Asset's wounded warrior hero, Ash Hunter, that will surely make female readers everywhere want to pick this book up immediately?

First, Ash might be wounded, but he’s by no means out of the game. He’s got the skills, training and experience that allow him to discover Lia’s secrets. This wounded warrior is about to kick some ass.

Second, there’s a lot more to Ash than meets the eye. He has access to resources Lia could only dream of and he won’t hesitate to use them. Now, if he could only win Lia’s trust, he’d clear the path to her heart.

And third, Ash recognizes Lia as a survivor. He understands that she’s a veteran of life’s most terrifying battles and that she suffers from her own version of PTSD. Most importantly, he’s patient. He will watch. He will wait. And he’ll be there when she’s ready for him.

If Lia could ask you one question about why you wrote her and Ash’s story the way you did, what would she most want to know?

Hmm. What an interesting question. I’ve never been asked that one before. I think Lia would want to know why I started with Ash being wounded in the first place. Yeah, I think she might throw that one in my face a little, not angrily, that’s not Lia for you, but she’s very protective of Ash.

I always have a soft spot for the heroes who have physical or mental wounds they’re trying to heal, so I have little doubt I’m going to fall madly in love with Ash. Who would you say are your all-time favorite romance heroes?

I’m the exact same way. I like heroes who are brave, strong, smart and sexy, but also vulnerable. I think contrast makes for the best kinds of heroes. A hero who knows suffering is a hero who values life and love. I don’t want perfection. I want my heroes to be human, like you and I, struggling, conflicted. What better way to get to know the depth of someone’s character but to watch him or her fight their way out of their weaknesses and reclaim their strengths?

As to my all-time favorite romance heroes, that would be a long list. How about I give you one that really stuck with me over the years? One of the first romance novels I ever read was Outlander, by Dianna Gabaldon. I fell in love with Jamie Frasier on the spot. I think it was precisely because he suffered from the get-go and then came back with the sort of resiliency that made him a better person and a phenomenal hero. He made my heart melt every time. To this day, when I travel to Scotland, I look around the streets of Edinburgh, wondering if Jamie is around, time-traveling and—ehem— available.

If you were to make yourself a heroine in the Wounded Warrior series, what are a few of the traits your leading man would have?

Well, I’m definitively not one of the heroines in the Wounded Warrior series, but I can say, with a measure of confidence, that I’ve had a little say about the traits of the leading men of The Asset and the Wounded Warrior series.

My leading men are leaders, brave, strong, smart, sexy, resilient, decisive, determined, skilled. But they’re also sensitive, emphatic and compassionate, because they’ve experienced suffering and struggled with survival and recovery. They’re not big talkers. That’s just not who they are. But they’re big doers. They’re going to show you what they mean with their actions. They look at life from a different perspective. They’ve been close to death. They know what’s important. This time around, they’re going to give love all they’ve got.

Thanks so much Anna!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

THE ASSET

Anna del Mar’s explosive, sexy debut novel in the Wounded Warrior series, perfect for fans of Lisa Marie Rice and Lora Leigh—the story of a woman desperate to escape her dangerous past and the navy SEAL who would lay down his life to save her

Ash Hunter knows what it is to run. A SEAL gravely injured in Afghanistan, he’s gone AWOL from the military hospital. Physically and mentally scarred, he returns home to his grandmother’s isolated cottage—and finds a beautiful, haunted stranger inside.

Like recognizes like.

Lia Stewart’s in hiding from the cartel she barely escaped alive, holed up in this small Rocky Mountain town. Surviving, but only just. Helping the wounded warrior on her doorstep is the right thing to do…it’s loving him that might get them both killed.

Soon, Ash realizes he’s not the only one tormented by the past. Pushing the limits of his broken body, testing the boundaries of her shattered soul, he’ll protect Lia until his last breath.

Amazon • B&N • GooglePlay • iBooks • Kobo • Carina Press • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

ANNA DEL MAR

Anna del Mar writes hot, smart romances that soothe the soul, challenge the mind, and satisfy the heart. Her stories focus on strong heroines struggling to find their place in the world and the brave, sexy, kickass, military heroes who defy the limits of their broken bodies to protect the women they love. She is the author of The Asset (Carina Press), the first novel of her Wounded Warrior series and three other novels scheduled for release during 2016.
 
A Georgetown University graduate, Anna enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and the sea. Writing is her addiction, her drug of choice, and what she wants to do all the time. The extraordinary men and women she met during her years as a Navy wife inspire the fabulous heroes and heroines at the center of her stories. When she stays put—which doesn’t happen very often—she lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and two very opinionated cats.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the team at Harlequin and Carina Press, one lucky winner will receive the following:

•     $25 Amazon Gift Card
•     eCopy of  The Asset
  

Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Monday, February 22nd - Books and Things Guest post
• Wednesday, Febraury 24th - Blushing Reads Review with short Guest Post
• Friday, February 26th - The Book Cellar Interview

• Monday, February 29th - Curling Up With A Good Book Guest Post
• Wednesday, March 2nd - Book Briefs Guest Post
• Friday, March 4th - Supernatural Snark Interview

• Monday, March 7th - Sassy Book Lovers Review with short Guest Post
• Wednesday, March 9th - Happy Ever After Book Reviews Review with short Guest Post
• Friday, March 11th - Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets Short Teaser