Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Release Day Party ~ Devil and the Deep by Megan Tayte

I'm so excited to be a part of this book release tour! It's the conclusion of a series, so maybe you've read the other books or maybe this is totally new! Either way, you should definitely enter the giveaway!

 

Blurb
 
STORM CLOUDS ARE GATHERING, AND THEY WILL RAIN BLOOD. Scarlett is living her happy-ever-after, back in the real world. Only the ‘happy’ part is proving problematic. For starters, there’s the isolation. Being a Cerulean among humans is fraught with risk, so her time with people can only be fleeting. Which means being with Luke but not being with Luke. Then there’s her Cerulean light, her power over life and death. Less awesome talent, as it turns out, and more overwhelming responsibility. And it comes with rules – rules that are increasingly difficult to obey. But what’s really pushing Scarlett to the precipice is something much bigger than herself, than her life in the cove. A force to be reckoned with: Blood. When long-buried truths are exposed, will Scarlett keep her head above water – or will she drown in the blood-dimmed tide that is unleashed?

Excerpt
It began with screaming. Shrill, ear-piercing, horrified screaming.
 
A girl shrieked, ‘Blood! Look, look – it’s everywhere!’ and pressed her hand to her mouth.
 
A man shouted, ‘Good grief!’ and another, ‘Great Scott!’
 
An old lady swooned gracefully and would have tipped over the balustrade of the riverboat had a lanky lad not caught her.
 
The cause of the excitement – a woman lying slumped on the long table on deck, cheek on her bread plate, headdress in the butter dish – twitched a little.
 
‘She’s alive!’ cried a lad beside her delightedly. ‘She moved!’
 
‘Did not,’ argued another.
 
‘Did too!’
 
‘Gentlemen,’ interjected a short, portly man with a twirly black moustache, ‘if you will forgive my intrusion, it must be noted that this woman has a bullet hole in her head and is logically, therefore, quite definitely deceased.’
 
Another old dear folded to the deck with a prolonged ‘Ohhhhhh’ and her husband grabbed a feathered fan and began wafting cool evening air in her face while calling, ‘Smelling salts – does anyone have any?’
 
I tried to keep a straight face. Really I did. I bit my bottom lip until I tasted my cherry-red lipstick. I pinched my leg through the cream satin of my gown. I dug my long cigarette holder into the sensitive flesh of my arm.
 
But it was no good.
 
The ‘What ho, chaps’ posh accents.
 
The buxom woman sagging in the arms of an elephant hunter wearing Converse All Stars.
 
The production of smelling salts in a bottle whose label read Pepto-Bismol.
 
The corners of the little round man’s moustache coming looser with his every word.
 
The fast-pooling puddle of pinkish blood on the bread plate, buffeted by the steady in-and-out breaths of the corpse.
 
Take it from a girl who’s really died – death on the River Dart, Devon, is hilarious.
 
‘Dear me, Ms Robson here appears to be quite overcome with shock,’ said the guy at my side suddenly, and he slipped an arm around me and turned me away. ‘Come, madam. Let us get some air.’
 
I smiled at him. Then grinned. Then choked back a guffaw. Thankfully, by the time full-scale hilarity hit me I’d been led to the rear of the boat, away from the rest of our party, and could bury my face in the bloke’s chest and shake mutely with laughter.
 
The gallant gentleman rubbed my back soothingly as I let it all out and said loudly, for the benefit of any onlookers, ‘There there, pignsey, there there.’
 
‘Pigsney?’ It was the final straw. My high-heeled sandals gave way and I melted into a puddle of mirth on the deck.
 
‘I’ll have you know, Scarlett Blake,’ hissed Luke, my boyfriend a.k.a. gallant gent, hoiking up his too-tight corduroy trousers so he could squat down beside me, ‘I Googled “old-fashioned terms of endearment” and pigsney’s a classic.’
 
I wiped tears from my eyes, dislodging a false eyelash in the process, and tried to catch my hiccupping breath as Luke went on.
 
‘Means pig’s eye. No idea why that’s appealing, but apparently in the seventeenth century, calling a lady pigsney was the very height of courting.’
 
Through his fake specs Luke’s blue eyes fixed me with a stare so earnest I almost managed to stop laughing.
 
‘But this is a Death on the Nile-Stroke-Dart murder mystery night, Luke,’ I managed to get out. ‘Set in the nineteen thirties, not the seventeen thirties.’
 
‘Ah,’ he said, ‘but my character tonight, Mr Fijawaddle, is a historical fiction writer, isn’t he? So as well as dressing like a brainy recluse – and I’m warning you now, I won’t hear another slur against this tweed jacket – he’d know all kinds of obscure terms. Like ginglyform and jargogle and nudiustertian and bromopnea and farctate and quagswag and philosophunculist.’
 
His showing off sobered me just enough to control the giggles. ‘You made those words up,’ I accused, poking a crimson talon into his mustard-yellow shirtfront.
 
He blinked at me innocently. ‘Did not. I told you before we left the house, I did my homework.’
 
I narrowed my eyes. ‘All right then, Mr Fijawaddle, what does that last word you said mean?’
 
‘Philosophunculist?’
 
‘Yes, that.’
 
‘Er…’ Luke gave me a sheepish grin.
 
‘Spill it,’ I said menacingly. As menacingly as a girl dressed up as a vintage Hollywood starlet with cute little pin curls and rouge aplenty can be, that is.
 
‘Philosophunculist,’ recited Luke. ‘Noun. A person who pretends to know more than they do in order to impress others.’
 
I threw my head back and laughed. ‘Busted!’
 
Luke slipped an arm around me and pulled me close. Really close. ‘Bet you like it when I use long words,’ he said huskily, eyes fixed on my too-red lips.
 
‘Bet you like it when I wear a clingy nightgown as a dress,’ I replied, eyes fixed on his too-kissable lips.
 
‘Brazen hussy,’ he growled at me.
 
‘Randy boffin,’ I murmured back.
 
Then neither of us said another word for quite some time.
  
Where to Buy
 

Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Author Bio
Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. ‘Write, Megan,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Megan is a professional writer and published author by day, and an indie novelist by night. Her fiction – young adult romance with soul – recently earned her the SPR’s Independent Woman Author of the Year award.

Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in Robin Hood's county, Nottinghamshire. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a palaeontologist; and her baby daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she's not writing, you'll find her walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.


Where to Find Her

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #33: Books to Read if You Like Sarah J. Maas

 
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
 
This Week's Topic:
Ten Books to Read if You Like Sarah J. Maas
1.
Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly, #1)
Reason: Other half of Team Sarusan. Plus it has an amazing female protagonist who learns how to kick butt. review
2.
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)
Reason: Fairytale retellings of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. All feature strong girls who do whatever it takes to save those they care about. review

3.
The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen, #1)
Reason: An orphaned girl must do whatever it takes, even risk using her magic, to get back her kingdom that was attacked when she was young. review
4.
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
Reason: Fantastic world full of magic and strange creatures where a meek girl finds that she holds a great power within her that she never knew existed. review

5.
Incarnate (Newsoul, #1)
Reason: A magical world full of lies and hidden secrets that no one remembers, and only one girl can uncover the truth. review
 
6.
The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)
Reason: A girl finds herself in the middle of a rebellion after buying a slave from the enemy country her people conquered. review
 
7.
Splintered (Splintered, #1)
Reason: A terrifyingly creepy retelling of Alice in Wonderland where a teenage girl finds out she's Wonderland's only chance of survival. review
 
8.
Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)
Reason: Three arguing kingdoms find themselves in the middle of a war after the murder of a young man, and four teens are thrust into the roles of saving themselves and their kingdoms. review
 
9.
The Gathering Storm (Katerina, #1)
Reason: In Imperial Russia, a girl must hide her necromancing abilities from those around her, especially from the Tsar and his family, until she accidentally reveals it. review
 
10.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
Reason: After agreeing to stay with a polar bear for a year, she must save him from a troll princess who plans to marry him. Also, this is one of the stories that ACOTAR pulls elements from. review
 
Most of these have elements similar to ToG or ACOTAR, whether it be a retelling, fantasy, or magic. I highly recommend all of them!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Blog Ahead Challenge

Blog Ahead 2015
Blog Ahead Challenge October 1st to October 31st
Let’s face it blogging can be stressful, particularly during the holiday season. So we are challenging you to schedule posts ahead and build a cushion to de-stress blogging, get through the holidays and help you manage your blog time. Join Anna @ herding cats & burning soup and myself Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer for the Blog Ahead 2015 Challenge and cut the stress of blogging!

Blog Ahead 2015
~Purpose: Increase the number of scheduled blog posts you have ready to publish by 31 posts during the month of October. (You can set your own goal) All post will be scheduled from November 1st or later.
~Who Can Join: Any blogger or author can join. Brand new, been around for years. Blogger, WordPress or other platform. Any heat level, genre or theme, etc. If you blog…you’re welcome to join!
~Types of Posts that Count: Any finished posts count! Meme, review, guest post, interview, discussion. Top Ten Posts, Favorites posts, Shopping Guide Posts, Cooking posts, pet posts, photo posts, etc. Posts do NOT have to be book related.
~Required: The post must be complete and scheduled from November 1, 2015 onward. (So not just blurb, buy links, etc for a review post. The review needs to be complete for the post to count.)

My Goal:
For this challenge, I know that they suggest 31 posts, but I'm going to lower that to 10 to 15 posts. I have no clue how busy October might be, and I don't know if I'll be given more homework or less. We'll just have to wait and see!

Posts Scheduled:

Review ~ "Siege and Storm" by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2)Title: "Siege and Storm"
Series: The Grisha, #2
Author: Leigh Bardugo

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Tumblr ~ Instagram

Published: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 435
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Review ~ "Ensnared" by A.G. Howard

Ensnared (Splintered, #3)Title: "Ensnared"
Series: Splintered, #3
Author: A.G. Howard

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Tumblr ~ YouTube

Published: January 6, 2015
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Genres: Young Adult, Retelling, Paranormal
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library 

Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 
 
After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She’s determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world—-a parallel dimension filled with mutated and sadistic netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that’s gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But even if everyone succeeds and comes out alive, can they all truly have their happily ever after?


Saturday, September 26, 2015

Stacking the Shelves #16

 
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews
 
Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks.

Books I Got From the Library:
None (I'm learning how to control myself!)

Books I Plan to Finish:
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Hourglass by Claudia Gray
 
Books I Plan to Start:
Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
 
Books I Finished:
This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
 
Books I Reviewed:
Wait for You by J. Lynn review
Fairest by Marissa Meyer review
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes review
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski review
The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski review
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas review
 
Books I Plan to Review:
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Ensnared by A.G. Howard
Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout
White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
 
Books I Bought:
I'm working on finishing my Lux collection, so I got Obsidian. Now all I need is Consequences: Opal and Origin!
I also got Air Awakens because the cover is so pretty and I've heard such great things! Sadly, Amazon gave me a bent copy! Boo!
 

 
I've hardly read anything this month! I blame it on trying to put more time into my blog, which I think I'm going to redesign, even though I made changes only a couple of months ago. Bloggiesta has gotten me in the mood to change everything. I'm starting to not like it so much. But I've gotten better at getting more reviews out! YAY!
 
What have you gotten recently?