Friday, November 29, 2013

What's the Story McCoy?

Hey Everyone!

I'm so sorry I've been so terrible keeping up with my blog these past few months, my Teacher's Program is very time-consuming and much more demanding than I could have ever imagined, but rewarding nonetheless!
I will be catching up on my reading in the upcoming holiday season, and hope to have lots of good reviews to share with you in the new year. Be on the lookout in mid-December for my second BOX OF ARCs GIVEAWAY where I'll be giving away 20+ ARCs

The following are books I've accumulated over the past month or two:

Gifted/Swapped

Finished Copies and ARCs from Publisher

I bought

E-ARCs from Publisher






That's my story for the past couple months! Huge thanks to HarperTeen, HarlequinTeen, Simon and Schuster Canada, Penguin Canada and Raincoast Books for making it so epic!

What's your story?

I'll be back very soon! :)

Monday, November 18, 2013

Bad Boy Rock Star Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway


Today, I'm glad to be one of the stops on the BAD BOY ROCK STAR blog tour!


Bad Boy Rock Star
by Candy J. Starr
Release date: November 18th 2013
Bad Boy on Goodreads here.
Synopsis:
Hannah Sorrento never planned to be a band manager. She’s a princess. The toughest obstacle she’s had to face is finding shoes to match her outfit.

Then her father disappears and she’s left with only the money in her purse and a contract for the management of hot, indie rock band, STORM. She plans to sell the management company, one or another, then head back to law school with her designer wardrobe and wait for this whole mess to blow over.

But lead singer, Jack Colt, has other ideas and he’s messing with Hannah’s head. Not to mention her heart.

With the help of crazy rock chick, Angie, Hannah sets the band on their first steps to the big time and learns that poor people can have a  lot of fun.

But this isn’t some game she can escape from and soon her secrets get exposed.

He’s arrogant and infuriating but he’s the one that’s there for Hannah when her world comes crashing down. With secrets of his own, will Jack Colt save Hannah or destroy her?

Purchase Links: Amazon  

My Thoughts:
Oh boy, this is an addictive first instalment! A fun, one-sitting read!

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to relate to Hannah, but I actually found her narration fresh and her character quite likeable. 

Jack was just as infuriating throughout this novel, as he was sexy. I absolutely loved the relationship between he and Hannah, I really liked the build up, it wasn't too fast or too slow (but please let there be more sexy times in book #2) haha. A funny thing that I need to mention, while reading this new adult, I had the Katy Perry song, "Hot and Cold" stuck in my head, because it is a perfect example of these two's relationship. 

But be warned, there is a huge cliffhanger to this book, and I was so relieved to see that Jack and Hannah's story will be continuing. I know Jack will have a chance to redeem himself (but that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to spoil it ;))

Please read Bad Boy Rock Star, if you enjoy contemporary romance with a rich girl down on her luck, and sexy, guarded rock stars, then you're sure to love it!

Happy Reading!!!
About the Author:
Candy J. Starr used to be a band manager until she realised that the band she managed was
so lacking in charisma that they actually sucked the charisma out of any room they played. “Screw you,” she said, leaving them to wallow in obscurity – totally forgetting that they owed her big bucks for video equipment hire.

Candy has filmed and interviewed some big names in the rock business, and a lot of small ones. She’s seen the dirty little secrets that go on in the back rooms of band venues. She’s seen the ugly side of rock and the very pretty one.

But, of course, everything she writes is fiction.

Connect with Candy: Author Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway time!!!!! (And it's international) Good luck to all who enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Special thanks to Candy and Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to participate in this tour!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Blog Tour: Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey, Review



Attempting Elizabeth
by Jessica Grey 
Now Available!!!
Attempting Elizabeth on Goodreads here.
Synopsis:
Kelsey Edmundson is a geek and proud of it. She makes no secret of her love for TV, movies, and, most especially, books. After a bad breakup, she retreats into her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, wishing she had some of the wit and spirit of Elizabeth Bennett.

One night at a party Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.

After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?

As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B & N

My Thoughts:
Great, fresh contemporary retelling!

I really enjoyed Attempting Elizabeth, it was nice reading from Kelsey's point of view because I think she and I are in very similar positions in life, so she was a relatable character to me. Plus, my best friend is VERY similar to Tori, in her persistence to set me up haha. This was a fast read for me and it made for a great escape (it was a nice reprieve from all the heavy angst-ridden titles I've been reading lately).

One of my favourite parts of Attempting Elizabeth was the way Jessica twisted events around for Kelsey and Mark's first meeting so that Kelsey was the arrogant one, caught bad-mouthing him (it was perfect!) The progression of the relationship between these two was a bit slower than I would have liked, but I enjoyed the challenges they both posed for each other.

Mark is a fantastic leading man. I loved his confidence and easy nature. Plus who doesn't love a man with an accent? Am I right? haha :) I think the only thing that irked me about him (and this is going to sound so superficial) was that he isn't very tall, now I know this is realistic and awful for me to point out, but I must say I think tall men are sexy! haha

Overall Attempting Elizabeth is a great contemporary new adult title that is loosely based on one of Austen's classics and I would definitely recommend you give this one a shot!

Happy Reading!!!
About the Author:
Jessica Grey is an author, fairytale believer, baseball lover, and recovering Star Wars fangirl. A life-long Californian, she now lives in Montana with her husband and two children where she spends her time writing, perfecting the fine art of preschooler-wrangling, and drinking way too much caffeine.
Connect with Jessica: 

Special thanks to Jessica and Xpresso Books Tours for allowing me to participate in this tour!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Blog Tour: The Devil's Tattoo by Nicole Taylor, Review Stop


The Devil’s Tattoo
By Nicole R. Taylor
Now Available!!!The Devil's Tattoo on Goodreads here.
Synopsis:

Zoe Granger picked up her first guitar the day her heart was smashed into a billion pieces. It was a way to keep her mind off her inevitable downward spiral, but music soon became her escape. She's been burned too many times to tell and is just happy to coast through life, never putting herself out there. That's until her best friend Dee suggests they start a band and suddenly she finds herself not just a part of it, but fronting the whole outfit.

They call themselves The Devil's Tattoo and when they release their debut EP, it rockets to the top of the charts and it's like an overnight fairytale. Contracts, photo shoots, royalties and interviews are heaped onto the shy Zoe and it's like she's finally found her place. Then comes the phone call that changes everything. They've been asked to co-headline a tour with one of the hottest bands of the moment, The Stabs and Zoe will never be the same again.

Will Strickland is one fourth of the hottest indie rock band to ever grace the airwaves. He's the bass player in The Stabs, hot as hell and could have his pick of any girl that flings herself at him. But he's only got eyes for Zoe and she has no idea why he'd bother. She's got one hell of a trust issue and an attitude to boot and Will seems to be the one who wants to tame her, but is he game enough?

The Devil's Tattoo and The Stabs go on the road and it's either going to be a highway to hell or a stairway to heaven. Only time will tell who will come out on top and Zoe's determined to do it without getting her heart broken… again.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B & N

Checkout the trailer!

My Thoughts:
Loved it!

With so many Rock n' Roll New Adult picks out there right now and that I've read, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy The Devil's Tattoo. Thankfully, I adored this one. Zoe and Will are both terrific characters and narrators. I found Zoe very relatable and likeable and I really enjoyed the strong support she received from her band (I seriously wish I had a bestie guy friend like Dee!) 

Zoe's really likeable but also very fragile and defensive (she suffered a traumatic experience) and her music is her way of escaping the memories that plague her. 

Will was just so sweet, I don't want to be spoilery, but I just fell hard for him when he got Zoe something that she really couldn't afford, it was so sweet how generous he was and how much he wanted to surprise Zoe *sigh* I just loved it! And I really liked reading from his point of view. Don't get me wrong though, he's a guy, so he does screw up a few times in this book, but you never have to guess his true intentions with Zoe, well except for maybe one incident with a pesky ex-girlfriend ;).

I really enjoyed the progression of the relationship between these two, we go from tons of juicy sexual tension, right into some sexy love scenes. It wasn't too rushed, but the reader's not left waiting for the whole book for the sexy times to begin haha. 

I did have one irk about this book, and that's that towards the end, we see the revisit of a certain character in Zoe's life, and it gets a wee bit hokey, but ultimately I loved reading both Zoe and Will's story and will definitely keep my eye out for future works by Taylor :).

If you enjoy sexy New Adults with Rock God and Goddess, well than give the Devil's Tattoo and shot!

Happy Reading!!!
About the Author:
Nicole R. Taylor is an Australian born paranormal, fantasy and contemporary fiction author. She is a graduate of the University of Ballarat Professional Writing and Editing programme and is a former music memorabilia sales person and grocery merchandiser. She currently lives in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia with a two year old rescue cat named, Burger. She enjoys reading, writing (of course!), traveling and a little too much chocolate. One day she hopes to sky dive, but has to work up the courage first. The first in her new paranormal fantasy series, The Witch Hunter Saga is available in e-edition and print from March 20th 2013 Connect with the Author: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Giveaway Time!!!
Grand prize giveaway
Prizes (open internationally)

1 x Swag Pack - inc. The Devil's Tattoo band t-shirt (choice of size/either vest, men's tee or womans fitted tee), tote bag, badge, signed postcards and sticker
2 x Signed Postcard Pack and The Devil's Tattoo Band Sticker
5 x Ebook Copies of The Devil's Tattoo (mobi or epub)
Good Luck to all who enter!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Special thanks to Nicole and Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to participate in this tour!