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Analiese Rising Excerpt Tour

Hey everyone!

Today is my stop on the Excerpt Tour for Analiese Rising by Brenda Drake! Be sure to check out the other blogs to read more excerpts, and of course preorder now or pick up a copy of Analiese Rising on January 8th! Here’s my excerpt:


I press the doorbell and wait.

And wait.

I press it again.

When no one answers, I turn to leave but then pause. A faint bass comes from around the corner of the house. The stone pavers on the lawn lead me to the front of the garage.

The doors are open, and a guy about my age works a tattered punching bag hanging by a chain attached to the ceiling. He’s shirtless, and his shorts are slung low on his hips. Tall, with dark, wavy hair, the boy isn’t bad to look at.

With each throw of his fist or kick, his muscles flex then go slack. The way he’s hitting the bag, he’s definitely letting off steam. Maybe I should come back later when he’s calmer.

This is a bad idea. I could just leave the bag at the front door. But then I won’t find out why my name is on that list. Or why the man crossed my parents off that same list. The guy needs some cooling down. I can go find a coffee shop somewhere and come back when he’s less angry and more dressed.

His music is so loud, he hasn’t noticed my approach, so I ease around and head back the way I came.

“Hey,” he shouts.

Crap. He spotted me. I turn back around.

He’s walking my way. His bare chest rises and falls with heavy breaths. A nautical star medallion with a silver chain rests just below his collarbone. “You need something?”


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American Gods meets the Da Vinci Code in ANALIESE RISING (Entangled; 01/08/19), a suspense-filled novel by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Drake. This first book in a new fantasy series offers a new take on the paranormal romance genre—with a mythological spin. Gone are vampires and werewolves; in are descendants of the God of Death.

Brenda Drake is known for creating addictive, entertaining series with strong female characters (Library Jumpers and The Fated) and her fans will not be disappointed.

ABOUT ANALIESE RISING: When a stranger gives Analiese Jordan a list of names before he dies, the last thing she expects to see is her own on it. Not. Cool. Her search for answers leads to the man’s grandson, Marek, who has dangerous secrets of his own. Both are determined to unlock the mystery of the list.

But the truth is deadly. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, known as a Riser, with the power to raise the dead and control them. Finding out she has hidden powers? Cool. Finding out she turns corpses into killers? No, thank you.

Now the trail plants her and Marek in the middle of a war between gods who apparently want to raise an army of the Risen, and Analiese must figure out how to save the world—from herself.

Brenda Drake Author Photo

ABOUT BRENDA DRAKE: Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

Beat The Back to School Blues With Entangled Teen! SALE and GIVEAWAY!

Summer may be winding down and the school year is kicking off soon. Beat those back to school blues with some of these great steals.

15 amazing YA reads on sale for just 99¢ each!



Fantasy, mystery, contemporary, paranormal and more! No matter what you are in the mood for you will find it here.


 

GIVEAWAY

Enter to win the Beat the Back to School Blues Prize Pack

 

TV Shows I Watch

Hey everyone!

I don’t have too much book content to share this week, as I’m busy with a few personal things, so I figured that I’d share some of my favorite things other than books with you all. I just started season two of Stranger Things over the weekend, so today’s post is going to be about TV shows I’m actively watching right now, or I’m waiting on the new season. I watch shows exactly like I read, so I sporadically watch a few episodes of different shows here and there, with the occasional binge. With that said, it’s time to jump in.

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Wolves and Roses Promo Tour – Get Fun Swag!

Hey everyone! I’ve teamed up with Monster House Books and Christina Bauer to help spread the word about the book tour for Christina’s upcoming book WOLVES AND ROSES! I’ll be sharing my review on this awesome new title later this month, but for now keep reading and find out what you can do to get your hands on some sweet swag!

WOLVES AND ROSES is the new young adult shifter fairy tale by best-selling author Christina Bauer which “blends magical fantasy, swooning romance, and a bucketful of teenage sass” (Booklist) and is “a fun romp for Twilight fans” (School Library Journal).

And now they’re having a bookstore tour where you can get your copy of WOLVES AND ROSES signed, meet characters from the novel, and even take home a swag bag full of goodies… including a themed t-shirt! Bottom line? You don’t want to miss the WOLVES AND ROSES book launch tour.

Be sure to RSVP today and arrive early to the event (links down below) — there’s only a limited amount of swag bags given out on a first-come, first served basis to folks who purchase a new copy of WOLVES AND ROSES.

Tour Dates

BOSTON, MA AREA

Barnes & Noble, Prudential Center, Boston MA
Wednesday, November 1st, 5:00 PM EST
REGISTER NOW

Barnes & Noble, Framingham, MA
Thursday, November 2nd, 7:00 PM EST
REGISTER NOW

NEW YORK CITY, NY

Bluestockings, Manhattan
Friday, November 3rd, 7:00 PM EST
REGISTER NOW

SAN FRANCISCO, CA AREA

Barnes & Noble, Corte Madera, CA
Saturday, November 4th, 12:00 NOON PST
REGISTER NOW

COMING SOON: San Jose, CA

CHICAGO, IL AREA

Barnes & Noble, Oakbrook IL
Wednesday, November 7th, 7:00 PM
REGISTER NOW

The Book Cellar, Chicago, IL
Wednesday, November 8th, 7:00 PM CST
REGISTER NOW

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My Personal Library/Reading Room Set Up

There comes a time when you know that your book collection has gotten to the point where it needs it’s own dedicated space. Mine had reached that point long before it was possible, so when my husband agreed to allow me to take the second bedroom in our new home as a library, I knew my time had come. Since we moved into this house in October, I’ve been working to get my library set up. Fast forward to now, I have finally replaced the last shelf that broke in the move, and I think I’m set up enough to share with you guys. I love seeing other people’s collections, so I figured why not show mine? Keep in mind these pictures are from my iPhone, so the quality isn’t awesome.

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The Truth

To be perfectly honest, I’ve been sitting here, staring at the screen for about twenty minutes, and I’m still not entirely sure of what I want to say. I’m not even 100% what the point of this post is going to be, but if you’re up for some random personal rantings, you’re in luck.

When I started this blog, I was posting all the time. I was so enthusiastic about reading and reviewing and everything in between. Flash forward a year or so, and I only post once every few months. I feel like I need to provide an explanation, if not for anyone reading this, but for myself.

The truth is, I’ve been struggling with myself a bit. There are days when simply getting up and doing something like taking the dog out or feeding the cat feels monumental. It’s not like I’ve lost interest in everything, because I still feel myself drawn towards reading. There are days when I desperately want to sit down and read something, but for whatever reason, I just *couldn’t*. Reading started to feel like a chore, and in turn, so did running the blog.

I’ve decided that I’m going to try and pick up blogging again. It might be sporadic at first, and it might be a complete and total failure, but I want to try. If anyone has stuck around long enough to read this, thank you. Even getting one view on a post makes me feel like I’ve got some kind of purpose doing this. I’ve met some awesome people through running this blog, and I hope to meet many more.

Review: The Cloud by Taylor Hohulin (Spoiler Free)

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Title: The Cloud (The Marian #3)

Author: Taylor Hohulin

Genre: YA Steampunk Adventure (with pirates!)

Publication Date: October 21, 2016

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

When the bomb dropped, everything changed.

Even worse than the mountains of salt where oceans used to be, worse than the armies of mercenaries, worse than HydroSystems Worldwide’s rise to power, was the Cloud.

In the area closest to the bomb’s blast, the very fabric of reality was damaged. The air there can steal a person’s humanity, even as it gives great power. The Cloud is home to a deadly cult and nightmarish creatures, and it is fifteen-year-old Ethan Denby’s only hope of survival. If he ever wants to make it home, he’ll have to go where he always knew his journey would end. He will have to go into the heart of the Cloud.

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Update // I Haven’t Been Reading?

I haven’t been posting much at all in the past few months. I know that, you guys know that. The only reviews I’ve posted are books that I received through NetGalley, and I figured it’s gotten to the point where I should probably explain why I’ve barely been posting at all.

The truth is, I haven’t been reading much at all lately. It’s not because I don’t want to, or that I’ve lost my passion for reading, though. Some of you may recall that I got married in October. Well, a month or two before that, we finally found a house to rent. We were told that it needed work before we could move in, but it really wouldn’t take too long. The wedding came and went, and our house wasn’t ready. Thanksgiving came and went. The house wasn’t ready. Christmas passed. The house still wasn’t ready. I’m sitting here writing this at the end of February. Our house still isn’t ready.

Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with my reading. When we were told that the house shouldn’t take too long, I began to slowly pack up my things. I knew that my books would take the longest to pack, so I packed them up early, thinking that it wouldn’t be too long until I was able to unpack them in my new home.

Obviously, that hasn’t happened. You can now see my issue. My books have been in cardboard box prison for months. It seems like our house has hit delay after delay, and the project has taken much longer than expected. Hopefully, we will be moving in soon, and I’ll be able to get back on a normal schedule. Not being able to just grab one of my books off the shelf is driving me nuts. If you’re still here and actually still reading my posts when they sporadically appear, thank you so much. It’s been a stressful time for me, and to know that I still have people who are interested in what I have to say (even though I don’t say it often!) really helps. I love you all, and I hope to be back on a normal schedule soon. Thank you for being so understanding.

Sharing My Surprise

Hey everyone!

It’s been a while, but I just had to share something really exciting that happened to me the other day! The day after Christmas, I woke up to a package from Harper Collins. I hadn’t requested anything from them, so I was really confused. It was clearly something pretty big, so I immediately ripped it open.

Let me tell ya, I screamed. Loudly. Inside the bubble mailer was this beauty:

Glass Sword ARC

I loved Red Queen, so I am so excited to have been one of the 150 members of the Scarlet Guard selected to receive this gorgeous box + ARC. My phone has a really crappy camera, otherwise I’d have better pictures!

I just had to share this with you guys. I am so excited to start reading this one! Did anyone else have any exciting Christmas surprises? Did you get any books? Let me know in the comments! ❤

Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly (Spoiler Free)

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Title: These Shallow Graves

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Genre: YA Historical Mystery/Romance

Publication Date: October 27, 2015

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I received this book through NetGalley.

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.

The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

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