Waiting on Wednesday: Yesternight

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!

YESTERNIGHT

Cat Winters

Historical YA-ish/Paranormal

Coming October 2016 from William Morrow

From Goodreads:

In 1925, Alice Lind steps off a train in the rain-soaked coastal hamlet of Gordon Bay, Oregon. There, she expects to do nothing more difficult than administer IQ tests to a group of rural schoolchildren. A trained psychologist, Alice believes mysteries of the mind can be unlocked scientifically, but now her views are about to be challenged by one curious child.

Seven-year-old Janie O’Daire is a mathematical genius, which is surprising. But what is disturbing are the stories she tells: that her name was once Violet, she grew up in Kansas decades earlier, and she drowned at age nineteen. Alice delves into these stories, at first believing they’re no more than the product of the girl’s vast imagination.  But, slowly, Alice comes to the realization that Janie might indeed be telling a strange truth.

Alice knows the investigation may endanger her already shaky professional reputation, and as a woman in a field dominated by men she has no room for mistakes. But she is unprepared for the ways it will illuminate terrifying mysteries within her own past, and in the process, irrevocably change her life.

This cover makes me wish I could wander around in a gorgeous dress with parasol/fancy umbrella and not get the side-eye from all those I passed in the grocery store. *shakes fist at modern times* The pretty cover of course caught my eye and made me take a closer look at the synopsis, and once I did, I immediately added this to my list. I want to know what's going on with Janie/Violet. Is she an unreliable character? Or is she telling the truth? Or something in between? I NEED MORE INFORMATION! Also, I'm always rooting for a woman making her way in a male-dominated field. Show 'em what you're made of Alice!

Goodreads • Amazon 

Review: The Long Game

THE LONG GAME
The Fixer #2
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Young Adult/Political Thriller
368 Pages
Bloomsbury
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Tess Kendrick, teen fixer extraordinaire, returns in a pulse-pounding thriller about a deadly conspiracy at the heart of Washington.

For Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington D.C., fixing runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate's campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are children of politicians, even a high school election can involve life-shattering secrets.

Meanwhile, Tess's guardian has also taken on an impossible case, as a terrorist attack calls into doubt who can--and cannot--be trusted on Capitol Hill. Tess knows better than most that power is currency in D.C., but she's about to discover first-hand that power always comes with a price.

MY THOUGHTS
The Long Game is one of those reads that’s sheer entertainment, the political maneuvering and government conspiracies a bit over the top but in a fun, perfect-break-from-reality kind of way that has us flipping the pages as fast as possible to see which player on the board is going to make the next move.

Tess is easy-to-root for, a bit cocky at times thanks to her familial connections in the political arena, but she’s a Robin Hood whose currency just happens to be information, and it’s impossible not to smile when those who seek to exploit weakness get their just deserts. Though she has the same unfortunate habit of keeping certain secrets as her mother, on the whole she’s good about sharing information with those who are in the best position to help her, never running off to solve a problem on her own without first notifying someone of her plan. Her relationship with Ivy can be frustrating at times, their shared inability to give voice to the things that matter most a bit trying in this second installment, but the drama between them is never so extreme as to detract from our overall enjoyment.

As with the first book, there’s little to no romance in this second book, and while that might disappoint those readers like myself who live for a bit of swoon in whatever they read, Ms. Barnes ensures this story never feels as though it’s lacking. The life and death game-playing by political big wigs and terrorists alike keeps our attention throughout, and secondary characters like Asher with his absurdly endearing sense of humor plaster smiles on our faces in a number of very welcome moments of levity.

All in all, The Long Game is a strong follow-up to The Fixer, leaving us with an important revelation that has us looking forward to the next book without facing a brutal cliffhanger that tears the rug out from under us on the last page.

Rating: 4/5

Find Jennifer:

Website • Tumblr • Twitter • Amazon • Goodreads 

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.

 

Giveaway: Sea Spell Prize Pack!

Happy Friday Everyone!

I've been absent this week (obviously) which made me sad because I adore all of you and feel very out of the loop at the moment, but the good news is I got a lot of work done! I'm still swamped, but it's hard to be too upset about that because building my business makes me all warm and fuzzy inside:)

As promised, I'm popping in today to partner with Disney-Hyperion and bring you a very special giveaway for Sea Spell, the fourth and final book in Jennifer Donnelly's Waterfire Saga! Before we get to the giveaway though, below is a bit about the book so you know what you're getting yourself into:

Sea Spell releases June 14th from Disney-Hyperion

At the end of Dark Tide, Book 3 in the Waterfire Saga, Astrid leaves her mermaid friends to confront her ancestor, Orfeo, the evil force behind the rise of the monster Abbadon. Orfeo possesses one of the six talismans that the merls need in order to keep the monster locked up forever. But without the ability to songcast, how will Astrid be able to defeat the most powerful mage in history? 

Meanwhile, Serafina and her Black Fins train goblin troops for battle against her uncle Vallerio’s death riders. Will Sera ever see her beloved home—and her beloved Mahdi—again, or will the Volneros take over the mer realms while Orfeo takes on the gods themselves? Nothing less than the fate of the underwater world is at stake in this breathtaking finale. 

Amazon • B&N • Website

Read an excerpt here!

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JENNIFER DONNELLY

Jennifer Donnelly is an award-winning author of both adult and young adult books, including Deep Blue, Rogue Wave, and Dark Tide, the first three books in the Waterfire Saga. For adults she has written a trilogy of best-selling books that includes The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose. Her first young adult novel, A Northern Light, received many accolades, among them the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Carnegie Medal in the UK, and a Michael L. Printz Honor. Her second young adult novel, Revolution, was named a Best Book of 2010 by Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the audiobook received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley. For more information, visit www.jenniferdonnelly.com.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to my partnership with Disney-Hyperion, one lucky winner will receive a copy of Sea Spell as well as branded nail polish! Just in time for summer:) To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That Time When Work Punched My Blog In The Face

Hey Everyone!

I'm just posting quickly today to say I'm extending the long weekend into most of this week because I'm still playing catch up from being out of town for BEA, and I'm struggling to keep up with both work and this blog at the moment. This is in no way a good-bye or precursor to a good-bye, just me needing a few extra days to get work done so I can get back to reading (I'm thoroughly enjoying The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes right now)! Look at me, adulting and things:) I have a fun giveaway planned for Friday, and then it will be back to normal with reviews and tours next week.

Thanks so much for your patience guys!

Welcome, Mya!

Happy Friday Everyone!

I talk about my dogs with some frequency on this blog, more so the past year given we've lost both boxers and gained two pit bulls in that time, and today I just wanted to do one more post to welcome our newest addition!

Mya is two years old (best guess), and had the great misfortune of being sold as a puppy to a dog fighter. As a result of being beaten nearly to death, she's wary of new people in general and absolutely terrified of men in particular. When we met her at her foster's home, she was a little cautious but warmed up to both me and my husband in no time, so we figured we were in relatively good shape. That was definitely a bit naive of us because we're new to rescue (Gracie was our first and she's quite possibly the most unflappable, well-adjusted dog ever), but the dog we met at the foster is not the same dog we brought home, as her new environment has triggered all the fear behaviors I'm sure she had when she was first rescued. She has a lot of trouble with sudden movements and skitters away in fear if either of us happens to have something in our hands, and it breaks my heart every time she does it.

Mya is proving to be a bigger challenge than we were honestly prepared for, but I know it's going to be an enormously rewarding experience to watch her come out of her shell and start to feel comfortable with us. We're going to have a bumpy road at times I'm sure, and I know Kevin and I will make mistakes (we already have) because she's the first abused dog we've welcomed into our home, but she's such a sweet girl and wants so desperately to please us. Sometimes her fear just gets the better of her, so "be patient" is our new mantra. We both know she's worth waiting for!

While she's still unsure about the two of us (but I think doing amazingly well considering everything she's been through), she and Gracie are becoming the best of friends which makes me absurdly happy. I know Gracie was content on her own, but she's a social butterfly for sure, and seeing the two of them doing zoomies and playing tug of war in the backyard all day has basically had me in ugly tears the past week and a half since Mya's been here. Mya also takes a lot of her cues from Gracie, which I think will go a long way in helping her settle in and feel safe.

Below are a few pictures! They're basically twins, but Mya is the one on the left below with less white on her face and floppy ears:)

Review: How The Duke Was Won

HOW THE DUKE WAS WON
The Disgraceful Dukes #1
Lenora Bell
Historical Romance
384 pages
Avon
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The pleasure of your company is requested at Warbury Park. Four lovely ladies will arrive… but only one can become a duchess.

James, the scandalously uncivilized Duke of Harland, requires a bride with a spotless reputation for a strictly business arrangement. Lust is prohibited and love is out of the question.

Four ladies. Three days. What could go wrong?

She is not like the others…

Charlene Beckett, the unacknowledged daughter of an earl and a courtesan, has just been offered a life-altering fortune to pose as her half-sister, Lady Dorothea, and win the duke’s proposal. All she must do is:

* Be the perfect English rose [Ha!]

* Breathe, smile, and curtsy in impossibly tight gowns [blast Lady Dorothea’s sylph-like figure]

* Charm and seduce a wild duke [without appearing to try]

* Keep said duke far, far from her heart [no matter how tempting]

When secrets are revealed and passion overwhelms, James must decide if the last lady he should want is really everything he needs. And Charlene must decide if the promise of a new life is worth risking everything . . . including her heart.

MY THOUGHTS
How the Duke Was Won is a gem of a historical romance, making us swoon and laugh our way through James and Charlene's matrimonial journey until we regrettably find ourselves turning the last page.

Romances involving a mistaken identity can often be a source of stress, causing us to be so focused on the impending reveal that it's hard to get caught up in the fledgling relationship, but Ms. Bell makes this familiar trope work oh-so well. Instead of posing as her half-sister for some sort of revenge or spy-based plot, Charlene simply seeks the financial means to save herself and her sister from the courtesan life awaiting them thanks to their mother. She bears no ill-will toward James, nor is she interested in keeping tabs on him to uncover his darkest secrets and blackmail him, he's simply a job for her and one she plans to execute to the best of her ability.

Of course things become infinitely more complicated the more time they spend together, Charlene finding in him someone she never expected in a wealthy duke with a terrible reputation. Their interactions bring both a smile to our lips and heat to our cheeks, Charlene often struggling to impersonate the epitome of refinement and Societal elegance and instead slipping and calling things as she sees them. Her fellow competitors for the title of duchess also add a great deal of humor to this story, with one in particular standing out so much that we can't help but hope she gets her own book in the not-too distant future.

Overall, How the Duke Was Won is engaging from beginning to end, the perfect blend of chemistry, intimacy, and emotional connection with a side of cute banter and laugh out loud moments.

Rating: 4.5/5

Find Lenora:

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.