BLOG TOUR Shattered Promises by Jessica Sorensen

SHATTERED PROMISED BY JESSICA SORENSEN

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content. (A re-imagining of The Fallen Star told as a New Adult Paranormal)

For twenty-one year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. She knows nothing about her past and has been haunted by the same monsters in her nightmares for the last few months. Unemotional and numb to life, she feels disconnected from everyone. Until the very first day she cries. After that, nothing in her life is the same.
Her emotions slowly surface and she starts experiencing love, happiness, and anger, feelings she never knew existed. But they leave her confused and she doesn’t know whether to embrace them or run away from them.
Her life only gets more complicated when she meets Alex. Sexy, arrogant, and secretive, Alex can get under Gemma’s skin like no one can. Yet she’s drawn to him by an invisible connection she has no control over. She’s also seen him before. In her nightmares.
Every part of Gemma’s mind is screaming at her to stay away from Alex, but every other part of her is begging to get close to him. But the closer she gets, the more she realizes Alex knows more about her than he originally let on.
As secrets about her past unravel, Gemma’s life becomes threatened. She needs to figure out what’s going on, before she winds up dead. But the only person she can turn to for answers is the one person she isn’t sure she can trust.

HERE'S WHAT I THOUGHT
I'll start of by saying The Fallen Star was the very first book I read by Jessica Sorensen and I have been a huge fan of hers ever since. When I heard that she was re-writing The Fallen Star into a NA series, I may have jumped up and down and clapped like the silly little fan girl I am. And then I waited....and waited...and then I begged for an ARC. And then I got it and I read it that day. Because, like I said, I'm a fan girl. And I fell so much more in love with all the characters I already knew so well! So I'm going to try and write this review without too much comparing between the two, but I can't promise anything.

You should know that you most definitely can read this book without reading The Fallen Star! You won't be missing out on anything(other than another great book) if you read this before or don't read the other at all.

Gemma has always known a life without the loving family and emotions that everyone else seemed to get. In fact, she doesn't ever remember crying. But one day, she does, and she begins to experience every emotion that she had never felt before. Happy, sad, tired, frustrated, hurt, and even lust, all coming at her hard and fast, leaving her little time to processes everything. On top of it, she meets Alex and she can't shake him out of her mind. But Alex is arrogant and downright rude to her, which may or may not only fuel her desire to be around him more. What Gemma doesn't know is the secrets that Alex holds might undo her entire outlook on her world, and his as well.

As Gemma starts to learn of a word full of Keepers, Witches, Foreseers,Vampires, Death Walks, Faeries, and so much more, so do you. You feel as if you're Gemma learning everything for the very first time, fitting together the missing pieces of the puzzle that is her life.

I loved Gemma in this book. She was much different than in The Fallen Star. Now Gemma is a women and despite her unemotional upbringing, she doesn't let that phase her when it comes to her new emotions. She knows what she wants and what she needs and she'll do what it takes to get it. She doesn't back down and cower when new situations present themselves, and I admire that in a female character.

Alex was just as big a butthole in this book than in The Fallen Star, but he is still a favorite of mine. He has a mission is is sent to do when it comes to Gemma, but there's a pull that draws him to her. He breaks the rules, regrets it, and then does it again. It's a vicious cycle that he doesn't know how to fix. You can really identify with him throughout the book. You can't help but cheer him on to make the right decisions!

There's a few other characters that will capture your heart. Aislin is Alex's sister who is gorgeous and smart but with supernatural talents of her own. And then there's Laylen, who is by far my favorite character. He has a scene in the beginning when you first meet him that just confirmed everything I thought about him before. He embraces what he is in Shattered Promises  instead of being ashamed of it in The Fallen Star, which makes him even more appealing and loveable.

I need book two to be out already because I can't wait to see what is in store with this grown up Gemma and Alex. They're so much more compatible in this book and I loved every minutes of it!

I GAVE SHATTERED PROMISES

FIVE CUPCAKES

CHECK IT OUT, YO!

You can find Shattered Promises on Goodreads and Amazon.

You can find Jessica Sorensen on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.

 

I RECEIVED A  COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST OPINION.

BLOG TOUR & TOP FIVE Wolf Spell by M.R. Polish

WOLF SPELL BY M.R. POLISH

With a death starts a new beginning...

Eighteen-year-old Esmerelda thinks she’s just a normal girl, but all of that changes the day of her mom’s funeral, when a warlock, intent on using her special powers, kidnaps her. Powers she didn’t know existed. Thrown in the middle of a magical battle, Es struggles to learn her magic while fleeing both vampires and warlocks, at the same time, hunting for the witches that can help defeat her adversary. The only problem is that they are dead.

Thankfully, she has the help of Jarak—her Guardian—who quickly captures her heart, but she wonders if she can win his? Just when she thinks Jarak is the one for her, Ian appears with daggers drawn to save Es from a vampire attack. Ian is cocky and rude, but there is something magnetic about him—something that attracts her to him. With her heart torn between two men, she faces the foes that are out for her blood. Can Es do the unthinkable and awaken them from their graves before time runs out?

HERE'S WHAT I THOUGHT
Witches, Vampires, Guardians and spirit wolves - OH MY. I've read a lot of paranormal books with all these types of characters in them, and I have to say, this storyline is still very unique! I felt like I was learning about a whole new world(can I telleport there, please?) and it sucked me in. I was up until 5 AM to finish reading!

Esmerelda lead a normal life growing up. It wasn't until her mom passes away that her life goes haywire. And it's not because of normal events that follow the death of a parent. It's the fact that she learns she's a very powerful witch and has a very important role to play in a world she knows nothing about.

Esmerelda immediately captured my heart. She was so naive and sweet. I wanted to hug her and make her my BFF. But as her adventure progressed, she matured so much. I loved that she still held onto that innocent eighteen-year-old heart, but she was more confident and really grew into who she was.

There was also a really great love triangle, which we all know I can't resist. I had tweeted M.R. that I was all about Jarak, Es's Guardian. He's so protective of her as he gets drawn to her more and more. They are both so sweet about it, lusting after each other but not knowing how to react to their feelings. And then comes Ian, Jarak's brother, and I jumped ships. I'm a total bad boy lover and he got me with his splash of sweetness, too. How lucky is Es to have two awesome Guardians pinning after you? I may have been a little jealous.

 In all, I'm itching for the next one. We were going full speed ahead and I want to know what happens! We are left with so many possibilities to ponder and it's killing me. But that just makes me love Wolf Spell that much more!

 

I GAVE WOLF SPELL

 FIVE CUPCAKES

TOP FIVE WITH M.R. POLISH

I got to ask the lovely M.R. Polish what her Top Five Guilty Pleasures were. I think we would get along just fine with some of these answers! Chocolate, half naked men, and dancing. Sign me up!

1. Symphony Milk Chocolate Bars

2. Historical Native American Romances... You know the ones with super hot throbbing, bare chested warriors that kidnap the white woman and they fall in love? Ya, those.... *Swoon

3. Love Michael Jackson songs. I turn them up and sing along every time.

4. Total Twilight fan =)

5. Dancing in the house (usually when no one can watch lol)

CHECK IT OUT, YO!

You can find Wolf Spell on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads.
You can find M.R. Polish on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.

I RECEIVED A  COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST OPINION. 

REVIEW Here by Ella James

HERE BY ELLA JAMES

Milo Mitchell's life used to be charmed, but that was before her family dissolved, she went a little crazy, and her best friends started acting more like strangers. Spending Saturday morning in a treehouse with a stun gun for company and a herd of deer for friends is the only exciting thing in her life...until she shoots a fawn and finds her dart stuck in a guy.

Her gorgeous victim is dressed in a Brioni tux and armed with a hanky. He has no idea who or where he is. Afraid her dart caused his amnesia, Milo takes him in, names him Nick, and vows to help him solve his mystery. Soon the pair find Nick's face in a newspaper obituary, and Nick beings to have strange, ethereal memories of Milo--who is sure she's never met him. Suddenly Nick knows things he shouldn't know and is doing things he shouldn't do. When the Department of Defense shows up, Nick and Milo run--toward a shocking conclusion that could destroy both their worlds.

HERE'S WHAT I THOUGHT

Let me take a second to show this cover some love. It's simple, it's black and white, and it's magnificent. Seriously, how could you not be drawn to this cover and the guy with the awesome bone structure and perfectly quaffed hair?

We start off by meeting a giggling group of teen girls. Among them is Milo, who loves her three friends very much, but is starting to feel disconnected from them as their lives start taking different paths. Since I was once a teenager(not so long ago it seems), I could relate to her very much in that sense! Finding true self in high school when you have more than one friend is a struggle at times, especially when you've gone through some traumatic events such as Milo. 

She really struck me as awesome when you find out she's continued her Dad's deer tracking research and she lives out in the boondocks where they produce and sell natural energy from their turbines. Basically, Milo was who I wanted to be when I was younger! How cool would it be to grow up like that? Maybe it's just my hippie self that thinks that, but I'm already pretty jealous of her.

But her life gets about ten times more confusing when she aims for a fawn, and in its place, a handsome young man appears in a suit and tie. She handles it much better than I would have, if I would have shot someone with a dart gun. The boy doesn't remember anything prior to the moment he wakes up and sees Milo's face. She dubs him Nick, and together they set out to try and solve the mystery of his past.

I like that we get to see into glimpse of Nick's mind. He's a mystery to us and of course, I was always craving to learn more about him, but how could we when he didn't even know about himself? The connection between Milo and Nick can be seen right from the start, and I really enjoyed the innocent lust that you feel between the two of them. It was sweet and a testament to young love, one which I'm sure all of us have felt at one point or another.

My favorite part in Here was when the action finally kicked in. Nick and Milo are chased by FBI agents and Nick's 'powers' are starting to come out in full swing. I felt like I was hanging onto the back of the motorcycle with them and experiencing being hunted as well. Once they are in the underground building, I knew the book was ending, and I wasn't ready for that to happen. I wanted to know more! I need to know more! However, even though I was disappointed it ended, I wasn't disappointed in the ending, especially since I know Trapped, book two, is coming out so soon! 

I GAVE HERE

FOUR CUPCAKES 

CHECK OUT IT OUT, YO!

You can check out Here on Amazon and Goodreads!

You can check out Ella James on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog! 

 I RECEIVED A  COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST OPINION.

REVIEW The Conduit (Gryphon #1) by Stacey Rourke

THE CONDUIT (GRYPHON #1) BY STACEY ROURKE

All 18-year-old Celeste Garrett wants is to head off to college and make those fun, yet ill-advised, choices college kids are known for. And maybe to spend some time with the hot cameraman she just met. Instead, because of a pact her ancestors made in the 17th century with a mythical creature, she has to save the world.

While normal kids are slamming energy drinks and cramming for exams, Celeste will get her adrenaline rush fighting a fire breathing dragon. She wants to meet friends in the quad to exchange lecture notes, but first she must exchange blows with a shapeshifting demon on the rooftop. Life isn’t always fair for a superhero, but at least she doesn’t have to do it alone. With her brother and sister as sidekicks, they alternate between saving lives and getting on each others’ nerves. Together the trio encounters unspeakable odds, mystical forces and comes face-to-face with an image that will haunt them forever—their grandmother in a leopard print bikini.

HERE'S WHAT I THOUGHT

As always, let's start with the cover. The cover intrigued me as it's very different from covers I am used to seeing with a photograph of a person in them. This one has a drawing on some type of parchment! And a spooky drawing  of a shadow person, at that! I wanted to know who this creepy shadow-y person/creature was! 

The characters right away touched my heart. Celeste, Gabe, and Kendall are siblings who are forced to move in with their grandma in a different state due to the declining safety in their hometown. I immediately enjoyed the ease of which their family was. All three of them were fun, quirky, all around loving siblings. 

Celeste, from the start, seems to be the glue that holds everyone together, and she definitely proves that role to be true throughout the entire book. She's a quiet observer though, only  laying down the law when necessary. That all changes when she becomes somewhat of a superwomen when her and her siblings come into magical powers so-to-speak. You watch her transform from wallflower to kick-butt hero! I loved that about her. I'm a sucker for strong female characters, what can I say?

The plot and action were very easy to follow but wasn't lacking in the interest department. I always wanted to know more about the magical world that they were kicking butt to save. It was a breath of fresh air reading this light hearted, funny, but action packed story! Stacey Rourke has a way with words that makes everything flow together easily and sucks you into the story. I can't wait to read Embrace (Gryphon #2) next! 

I GAVE THE CONDUIT

FOUR CUPCAKES

CHECK IT OUT

You can find The Conduit by Stacey Rourke on Amazon and Goodreads.

Visit Stacey Rourke and like her on Facebook.

I RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST OPINION.

UtopYA 2013 Reading Challenge

I am super pleased, excited, nervous and very privileged to announce that I am co-hosting my very first challenge, the UtopYA 2013 Reading Challenge! In case you don't know what UtopYA Conference is, you can check them out on their blog! When I first heard about the conference in Nashville, which is just an hour away from me, I couldn't believe something so big was happening so close to me! I had silently made it a goal of mine to read as many of the attending authors and panelists books as I could for 2013. Tess over at My Pathway to Books had this great idea, too, and went above and beyond and issued a challenge! Then she so graciously took me under her wing and asked me to co-host!

HERE'S THE SKINNY ON HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS.

*NOTE: you do not have to be attending UtopYA con to be a part of the reading challenge*

*this is an unofficial challenge and not affiliated with UtopYA*

The challenge is to reach your set goal.  There are 6 different levels to choose from.

Levels
5- Gnome
10- Fairy
15- Mermaid
20- Werewolf
25- Vampire
30- Angel

Challenge Rules
1. The books must be written by an author that is a panelist, exhibitor or attendee of UtopYA Con 2013.
2. The challenge will start on January 1, 2013 and end December 31, 2013 but you may join at anytime.
3. You don't have to have a blog to participate.  Just join in on the fun somehow! P.S. that means authors please participate too! We would love to have you.
4. The books can be in any format (ebooks, paperback, scroll, etc.)
5. To join the challenge
if your a blogger, make a blogpost with the challenge button and tell us what level you've picked and link your post to the linky. Everyone else, tweet/facebook/pin/goodreads etc. what level you picked with a link to this post and link the direct link to the linky.

Prizes (prizes are to be determined but they will be awesome)
1. The person that reads the most books by UtopYA authors (books read before the Con will count x2, so if you read 15 books before the Con it will count as a score of 30)
2. Everyone that reaches their goal will be entered to win a prize
3. there will be UtopYA challenges throughout the year so be looking out for those!

UtopYA Authors
If you're a panelist, exhibitor, or attendee of the 2013 UtopYA Con and you're an author, I would love to do a promotion with the reading challenge!  Please fill out this google doc if you're interested!

You can find the list of UtopYA author books on this GOODREADS SHELF.
*this list is subject to change due to additions to panelists and attendees*
Also come by and check out the UtopYA GOODREADS GROUP!

GRAB THE BUTTON FOR YOUR SIDEBAR!

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SIGN UP AND JOIN ALL THE FUN!

HERE'S MY GOAL FOR THE 2013 UTOPYA READING CHALLENGE: 

I've reaching for the stars! I'm going to go for Angel status! That's 30 books read from UtopYA authors. I know I won't be disappointed since this years line up is beyond amazeballs. Yes, this calls for the adjective amazeballs. Can't wait to see every one's updates along the way!