Book Chick: February 2015

Thursday, 26 February 2015

COVER REVEAL ~ Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

ABOUT MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE:

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college, but on the heels of a disastrous breakup, she has finally returned to her hometown of Los Angeles. To celebrate her first night back, her best friend, Gabby, takes Hannah out to a bar—where she meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

It’s just past midnight when Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. Ethan quickly offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay.

Hannah hesitates.

What happens if she leaves with Gabby?

What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into surprisingly different stories with far-reaching consequences for Hannah and the people around her, raising questions like: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author and essayist from Acton, Massachusetts. She is the author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and her dog, Rabbit. You can follow her on Twitter @TJenkinsReid.

MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Atria Books/Washington Square Press Paperback | 352 pages | ISBN: 9781476776880 | July 7, 2015 | $16.00

eBook: Atria Books/Washington Square Press | 352 pages | ISBN: 9781476776897 | July 7, 2015 | $11.99

FIND TAYLOR ONLINE:

http://www.taylorjenkinsreid.com/

PRE ORDER:

Monday, 23 February 2015

Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 227
Release Date: May 13th 2014
Series: -
Where I Got It: Chapters

Synopsis
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

E. LOCKHART

E. Lockhart is the author of We Were Liars, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The Boyfriend List and several other novels.

website: www.emilylockhart.com
Liars site: www.wewereliars.com
blog: www.theboyfriendlist.com
Twitter: @elockhart

REVIEW

Oh. My. Gosh. I think I just loved this book to pieces. I feel as if I have no words to describe the many emotions that coursed through me when I read this book. Anger, romance, shock, more anger, and more shock. For those of you unaware, this book is a psychological thriller. This is what intrigued me into the book. It's psychological portion of the story is what made it all exciting and fun. I'm glad I got the chance to read this story because I was actually considering not reading it until it unexpectedly came back into my life when my book club wanted to read it. I'd heard of it, but never read it.

I like the cover, but I'm not the biggest fan of the title. I mean, yes the story was great, but who are the liars? The group of friends? They certainly never lied. I just didn't understand why the protagonist must constantly call them "my liars". They weren't liars. It just didn't make sense at all, and I must say that that is the sole reason for the 4 star rating. It isn't the writing (which was done amazing) or the characters (who could be slightly annoying) but the fact that they were liars when they really weren't. I also felt the main character has rich-girl problems. Ugh. I just tried to ignore that little piece.

I must say the author did a fantastic job writing the end scene. I found this novel to be quite poetic and I loved reading the ONCE UPON A TIME stories because every one gave you a little hint of what was happening. However, I must say that when the big "reveal" came I wasn't shocked. Within the first 10 pages of the novel, I guessed the ending. It's a gift and a curse. I didn't guess the entire ending, but I did guess little pieces. I must say though, the big reveal was a little depressing. I was expecting some sort of explosive ending or big shock (which it definitely was, but not to the extend I was expecting). But, as I said, the author did an amazing job with the writing for the end scene. Just amazing. I just need a minute to clap (clapping).

The story itself was a little weak in some spots I would say, but I loved the idea of the beach and houses. I especially loved the map at the beginning; being a visual learner has its up and downs and I'd say that the map really helped me visualize. I can't say for sure if I loved this book as much as I feel I do because it reminded me of my cottage. At my cottage, all good memories come and with that comes this feel-good feeling that I couldn't seem to shake when I was reading this book.

I highly recommend this story to all young readers.

Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 249
Release Date: 1953
Series: -
Where I Got It: Online bookstore

Synopsis
Sixty years after it's publication, Ray Bradbury's internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today it's message has grown more relevant than ever before.

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family". But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn't live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

The sixtieth-anniversary edition commemorates Ray Bradbury's masterpiece with a new introduction by Neil Gaiman; personal essays on the genesis of the novel by the author; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Nelson Algren, Harold Bloom, Margaret Atwood, and others; rare manuscript pages and sketches from Ray Bradbury's personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.

RAY BRADBURY

American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and poet, was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He graduated from a Los Angeles high school in 1938. Although his formal education ended there, h

e became a "student of life," selling newspapers on L.A. street corners from 1938 to 1942, spending his nights in the public library and his days at the typewriter. He became a full-time writer in 1943, and contributed numerous short stories to periodicals before publishing a collection of them, Dark Carnival, in 1947.

His reputation as a writer of courage and vision was established with the publication of The Martian Chroniclesin 1950, which describes the first attempts of Earth people to conquer and colonize Mars, and the unintended consequences. Next came The Illustrated Man and then, in 1953, Fahrenheit 451, which many consider to be Bradbury's masterpiece, a scathing indictment of censorship set in a future world where the written word is forbidden. In an attempt to salvage their history and culture, a group of rebels memorize entire works of literature and philosophy as their books are burned by the totalitarian state. Other works include The October Country, Dandelion Wine, A Medicine for Melancholy, Something Wicked This Way Comes, I Sing the Body Electric!, Quicker Than the Eye, and Driving Blind. In all, Bradbury has published more than thirty books, close to 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays, and plays. His short stories have appeared in more than 1,000 school curriculum "recommended reading" anthologies.

Ray Bradbury's work has been included in four Best American Short Story collections. He has been awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. In November 2000, the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters was conferred upon Mr. Bradbury at the 2000 National Book Awards Ceremony in New York City.

Ray Bradbury has never confined his vision to the purely literary. He has been nominated for an Academy Award (for his animated film Icarus Montgolfier Wright), and has won an Emmy Award (for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree). He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's Ray Bradbury Theater. He was the creative consultant on the United States Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1982 he created the interior metaphors for the Spaceship Earth display at Epcot Center, Disney World, and later contributed to the conception of the Orbitron space ride at Euro-Disney, France.

Married since 1947, Mr. Bradbury and his wife Maggie lived in Los Angeles with their numerous cats. Together, they raised four daughters and had eight grandchildren. Sadly, Maggie passed away in November of 2003.

On the occasion of his 80th birthday in August 2000, Bradbury said, "The great fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the same as it was when I was twelve. In any event, here I am, eighty years old, feeling no different, full of a great sense of joy, and glad for the long life that has been allowed me. I have good plans for the next ten or twenty years, and I hope you'll come along."

REVIEW

Unlike common belief, this book was actually a good one. And must I say, scary. Not just the fact that it is from 60 years ago, but the fact that Ray Bradbury had many of the gadgets narrowed down to a T. Earbuds? The shells. 4-screen TV? The curve TV. Digital age? Our age. The only inconsistency is the fact that you must burn books. That seems to be one of the few things out society doesn't do. Almost every other person I've talked to about this novel said there was no explanation as to why you must burn books. But there is; that tiny little piece of information from Montag's boss: it caused controversy.

Honestly, I've never been one for the digital age. In classes and work, I still write on pen and paper (shocking, I know). As I read this book, it made me so sad to realize that this is the world I'm living in. Not necessarily every part of it, but a big part of it. And that really upset me. I may be the only person to say this, but I don't have facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Vine. None of that social media crap used to waste all of your time when youthink there is nothing more for you to do.

I read. Yup, I said it. It may be a foreign word to some of you, it may be a word many of you can get comfortable with, but I read. Like I read this book.

For those of you not acquainted with this part of the world, my first thought it to ask you why you are reading my review? My next question is have you read this book? The many people I tried to discuss this with said that they decided to read SparkNotes instead, or just watch the movie. See! This is the stuff this important book is trying to tell you. You went online to read the SparkNotes edition or watched the movie. That is the message this very book in front of you is trying to convey. You used the digital age to get this message. Many years ago, you'd actually have to read the book to know what is going on.

Remember in the beginning of the review, I said this book is scary. Ray Bradbury predicted it. This is what has come of our world and if we continue to use SparkNotes and watching movies, then what will be the point of books? Us booklovers will just continue to try to get all you others who do not enjoy reading to read and it will cause controversy between the two.

An amazing novel that I couldn't put down. It will be one that will not be forgotten.

Review: Kiro's Emily by Abbi Glines

Title: Kiro's Emily
Author: Abbi Glines
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 108
Release Date: December 15th 2014
Series: Rosemary Beach #10
Where I Got It: Amazon (FREE)

Synopsis
The year is 1992, and no one on the rock music scene is hotter than Kiro Manning, the lead singer of Slacker Demon. With a multi-platinum record, total ownership of the Billboard charts, sold-out concerts, and sinful amounts of money, Kiro can have anything—and anyone—he wants.

So when a dark-haired, conservative beauty rebuffs him at a concert after-party, his first thought is, “Who the hell does she think she is?” His second thought: “How do I make her mine?” Kiro has always loved a good challenge, but not every girl wants to get involved with a rock god. Especially this girl.

He let her go that night, but he never forgot her. And when they met again, he vowed not to give up again so easily.

As the world worshipped Kiro, he came to worship the girl, who became everything he never knew he needed. The only girl he would ever love. His Emily.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines comes a heart-wrenching e-novella in the Rosemary Beach series about the star-crossed romance between Kiro and Emily, first introduced in Take a Chance. This is Abbi’s holiday gift to the devoted fans of the series.

ABBI GLINES

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. She has a new YA series coming out in the fall of 2015 titled The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

REVIEW

After reading Take a Chance and One More Chance I actually got super pumped for this book to come out. It was exciting to have a novella for Christmas as well as the fact that was about Kiro. And Kiro was the rocker that pretty much every girl in the Rosemary Beach series has seen having sex with some girl no one knew. But it was so sweet to go back and see how it was back then!

Kiro was so sweet and kind, only to Emily. But Emily put up a fight at first. I really liked Emily, but it kind of got on my nerves that she was "so good". It really bothers me when the lead heroine thinks she "isn't good enough to be here" or "no guy would ever want her from this party". And I hated Emily's cousin so much! However, past all that annoying stuff, this book caught my attention. From the minute I started it, I couldn't put it down! It gave me a book coma after reading it and right after I was done, I headed home to my bookshelf and grabbed an Abbi Glines book so that I didn't feel so hungover. It was so depressing when it was over! If you love Abbi Glines, this book will not be enough; you WILL want more because that's the amazing kind of author Abbi is.

Kiro was also a character I came to appreciate myself. I didn't think I would... but I did. In other books from Rosemary Beach I thought he was so stupid and annoying but once I read that one scene from One More Chance (you know what I'm talking about...) I was so excited to read this little novella.

Again, it was leave you wanting more and more.

Sunday, 22 February 2015

Review: Until the End by Abbi Glines

Title: Until the End

Author: Abbi Glines
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 288
Release Date: October 28th 2014
Series: Sea Breeze #9
Where I Got It: Amazon

Synopsis
The backstory that fans have been clamoring for—how Rock and Trisha fell in love—is the final installment in the Sea Breeze series from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines. And don’t miss the sizzling Epilogue, where Abbi wraps up all the Sea Breeze couples’ stories!

Trisha Corbin always knew how to hide a bruise. With her momma’s boyfriends unable to keep their hands off of her, she had no choice. And as long as it meant the guys wouldn’t go near her little brother, Krit, it was worth it. But her days of dreaming that Prince Charming would ever come rescue her are far, far in the past.

Rock Taylor always had a plan. Through football, he would rise above the life he was born into. A full ride to play for a major college team was within his reach—assuming he didn’t let anything get in his way. But scoring a date with the hottest girl in Sea Breeze was proving harder than expected. Trisha Corbin was every man’s walking fantasy, and she wouldn’t even glance his way.

When Rock finally does get Trisha in his truck, it isn’t for a date. It’s because he picks her up on the side of the road, beaten and bruised and walking to the local hospital. Before Rock knows it, football is no longer his life. Trisha Corbin is. And he’ll do anything to save her. And keep her.

In addition to Rock and Trisha’s love story, this special novel contains the wrap-up stories of all your favorite Sea Breeze couples: Sadie and Jax, Marcus and Low, Cage and Eva, Preston and Amanda, Jess and Jason, Krit and Blythe, and Dewayne and Sienna.

ABBI GLINES

REVIEW

SPOILERS MAY BE AHEAD FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NOT READ THE ENTIRE SERIES

It's over??? No! I can't believe this series has met its end! It just makes me so sad; all before there was a book for Green!

Until the End was amazing. This review will be lengthly because I will have to break it up into sections. For those of you that don't know or aren't aware, Until the End was a story of Trisha and Rock, the couple everyone has been waiting for; after that came short stories of all of the couples from the Sea Breeze series.

Rock & Trisha
I loved Rock. He was so sweet and I thought it was really fun to be able to read their story from nowadays when they are married and have children, to when they were in high school and Trisha was much more guarded and stubborn. In high school, Rock was a football player (aren't they all?) and Trisha was shy and guarded. Trisha was abused by her mother's boyfriends and her brother Krit (loved seeing him in high school) was so caring but couldn't take care of her. When Rock tried to help out, she tried to push him away, as did Krit, but soon Krit accepted him (before Trisha did). Can I just say that that is what helped make the story. Thank you Abbi Glines! I always get annoyed sometimes when authors make the little brother hate the guy until one day the girl convinces him of otherwise.
I loved Rock and Trisha together. It was so sweet seeing how Rock cared for Trisha and her wounds. I thought he was so sweet. Literally, he bought them an apartment! I could already feel myself becoming a puddle on the floor.
Their story was enjoyable and, even if you've never felt the need to read Rock and Trisha's story, it isn't one you'll want to miss, especially if you love the Sea Breeze series.

Jax & Sadie
I've never been a huge fan of Jax and Sadie, even from the beginning. I found Sadie was to naive in Breathe, but in this short story I actually didn't mind her as much. However, I felt that this short story was grasping at nonexistent straws. I mean, seriously, she kissed a band member? And somehow this photo got to Jax months later? No. It just wasn't believable.
I did enjoy getting to re-open the world of Sea Breeze and see all the characters again as well.

Marcus & Low
Awwww.... so cute! I actually did like Marcus and Low before in their novel. This was so cute when Low's cousin stays with Marcus and Willow, and seeing Marcus's mom again... and what happened with Marcus's parents... gah! So good. Their short story was sweet and interesting because it had a lot of do with Marcus's parents and it really showed how the characters grew up.

Preston & Amanda
I was actually disappointed with their short story because it was so short. I felt that, it too like Jax and Sadie's story, was grasping at straws. It almost felt like Abbi Glines ran out of ideas for Preston and Amanda which was sad for me because I loved them so much. Their story was still good though, as you got to see some of their wedding.

Jason & Jess
Jason and Jess had what I believe was the longest story of the bunch, which I was ok with because, even though I was a little disappointed with the novel Misbehaving itself, I actually really enjoyed their (not so) short story. Their story felt the most real of the bunch and I was happy with that. Jess dealt with real insecurities that women really feel. Jason was nice and sweet as always with his few really amazing moments that he saved just for Jess.

Krit & Blythe
Krit! I love Krit so much and it was so exciting to see his name flash on my kindle when I turned the electronic page. I loved this story as well, especially since Blythe is a self-employed author. I loved that little extra bit because it was something I thought was a good idea on Abbi's part. Abbi Glines started off self-employed author as well. Anyway, Krit and Blythe have always been my favourite couple, and I loved that you also got to see Green! Green has been one of my favourite guys that I've wanted to have a story for so long and he sort of got that. He had a girl, Trinity, who was Matty's cousin. That was a little fun extra piece to the story.

Dewayne & Sienna
I loved the fact that Sienna was pregnant. It was so cute to see Dewayne get even more possessive (who knew) and Sienna's son, Micha, get sort of excited himself. I still think their story has been a little strange from the beginning because of who Sienna was with in the beginning, but nonetheless, I still loved Dewayne and Sienna's short story. It was one of my favourite's because of it's simplicity.

Cage & Eva
After reading so many reviews about this amazing ending of the Sea Breeze series, I was so excited yet angry to be at the end. First, I loved Cage and Eva's story. But, my mind is still thinking about that amazing ending. For those of you who haven't read it, just leave right now and finish the series because there is still hope for me to not have a break down!

All in all: I. Loved. It.

Saturday, 14 February 2015

PAYBACK IS SWEET by KRISTY CENTENO ~ TOUR

PAYBACK IS SWEET

Book Description:

Janessa Rowe is a twenty one year old college girl with little respect for other people. She’s a rich, spoiled brat of a girl who gets her kicks out of humiliating others. When she discovers that her boyfriend of three years has in fact engaged in a physical relationship with someone else, Janessa will stop at nothing to get a little payback. Even if that means using her new rival’s disgruntled fiancée to get what she wants.

Dakota Blackwater is everything Janessa is not. He’s kind, sweet, gentle, and a stand-up guy all in all, but when his girlfriend’s betrayal hurts more than his pride, he agrees to take part in a plan that will test both their self-restraints and their feelings for one another.

Problems arise, however, when Janessa’s interest for Dakota shifts from being a pawn to achieve her ultimate goal, to potential lover. After having her heart broken in the past, the last thing she wants is to get involved in matters of the heart, but how can she follow through with her plan when the more time she spends with Dakota, the less she cares about getting payback? Sooner rather than later they are forced to confront the reality that their game has slowly transformed into something else and that what seemed like a scheme to exact revenge, now comprises both their hearts in ways neither of them anticipated.

Excerpt:

Shaking his head as if to clear it of unpleasant thoughts, Dakota gulped down the remainder of my beer. I watched as some of the liquid dribbled down his chin and though I would deny it to end if anyone asked me, I felt the sudden itch to reach up and lick the golden liquid off of his skin with my tongue. I so desperately wanted to know what his skin tasted like and the powerful urge was strong enough to force my insides to grow heated just thinking about it.

Whoa! What the hell? What am I thinking? It’s the lack of a sex life. Yeah, that has to explain my perverted thoughts.

My cheeks burning, I opted for distracting myself by looking away before I ended up embarrassing us both. Having inappropriate thoughts about my companion wasn’t going to help either or us. Sure, he was attractive in his own way. He was tall and well-built. His face was perfectly sculpted with high cheek bones, a pair of full lips, and hawk like nose, which only added to his allure. Regardless whether he was my type or not, at that moment, I found him more than just a little interesting.

He was downright hot.

Bio:

Kristy Centeno is an author of paranormal romance, young adult, new adult, horror, and contemporary romance.

She has always had a passion for books and after years of being an avid reader, she decided to transform her desire to write into a reality and thus, her first novel was born. In her journey to create memorable reads, she has delved into several genres, creating fictional characters meant to entice readers and captivate the mind.

She is currently working on finishing off the Keeper Witches series among other projects, which include sequels to her published work. When she’s not busy taking care of her five children or holding down the fort, she finds time to sit and do what she loves the most: writing.

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