Sunday, June 30, 2013

MY BIG MOVE :-)



Hey y'all, I will no longer be adding new posts to this site as of today. The official launch for the joint book review blog with my girls Erica and Tessa is MONDAY, JULY 1ST. I will be posting all reviews, cover reveals, blog tour posts, etc. on the new site. I seriously can't thank y'all enough for your support and feedback on my reviews, recommendations, and for guiding me to some pretty incredible books. 

I hope y'all will follow me over to Gutter Girls and you'll be getting reviews from two amazing girls in addition to mine...so really you're gaining from this move, too! :-)

Here's the link to the new page: www.guttergirlsbookreviews.com

You can like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, too! 

AGAIN...THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! 

XOXO - Ash

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Synopsis Reveal: In Control by Crystal Serowka

Here is the official synopsis reveal for In Control, the second book in The City series!


Seriously, is this not the most creative synopsis reveal ever?! I love it!

Purchase In the Air, book one in The City series on Amazon!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

BLOG TOUR: Watch Over Me by Tara Sivec





Synopsis & My Review:

Addison Snow is your typical teenager. She has a family that loves her, friends that make her laugh, and she’s wrapped up in the excitement of graduating high school and going off to college to pursue her dream of becoming an author. When her mother, who also happens to be Addison’s best friend, dies unexpectedly, her world comes to a crashing halt.

Death changes everyone…

To make the pain go away, Addison and her father travel down separate, dark paths. She chooses to end her grief forever, while he drowns his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle. How do you learn to live again when the most important person in your life is gone?

Addison struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. Instead of getting back to being the carefree teenager she once was, she’s stuck handling all of the responsibilities that should have been her father’s. She has no time to grieve, no time for emotions, and no time for happiness…until Zander Reinhardt walks in. All it takes is one little handwritten note on a napkin to kick-start her back to life and help her realize that maybe there’s more to that life than pain.

But can it really be that simple? Can she really trust this man who makes her feel alive again for the first time in a year?

Addison and Zander both have secrets they aren’t ready to share. When the truth finally comes out, is it enough to tear them apart or has something bigger than themselves always been watching over them, pushing them together, making sure they both get their happily ever after?


This book wasn’t what I expected. It isn’t a typical young adult novel.
It’s…deeper than that. It’s dark and depressing and Jesus, is it frustrating at times; but while you’re swimming through the darkness and living in Addison’s world full of pain, loss, heartache, and loneliness – there’s an overlying sense of warmth, a quite calm. It’s that superimposing aspect of comfort that blankets you while you turn page after page and makes you want to follow Addison into the darkness…and eventually, into the light again.

I can’t lie, this book started out average for me. It wasn’t until I hit around the 40% mark that I just absolutely couldn’t put it down. The first half wasn’t bad by any means, but it was just a little slow. Now, after having finished it (with tears streaming down my face, of course) I can appreciate the pace. It was necessary. I needed to know the back story involving certain conversations with her mom, I needed to see just how close they were, I needed to understand just how broken she was in order to appreciate her journey to happiness. The flashbacks and therapy sessions that I kind of “trudged” through in the first third of this book became crucial to me.

As far as characters go, I liked both Addison and Zander. Some of the things Addison did frustrated the hell out of me, but every time I found myself cursing her I took a step back and thought to myself, what would you do if you were in her position? Now, I can’t answer that with certainty because I don’t know what I would do. I’ve never been in her shoes. But what I can say is that taking that second to step back allowed me to put her actions into perspective. I still didn’t agree or even like some of the things she did, but I could understand why she was behaving that way, even if I didn’t care for it. Now, onto Zander… *sigh*. I liked him, but I just wish we would have gotten more from him. Maybe more background, more…well, I don’t know what I wanted more of but I just felt a little shorted. That aside, the napkin notes – I DIE. I don’t know if it gets any more adorable than that, I really don’t. He was so wonderfully funny and charming and compassionate that it was impossible not to fall in love with him.

I did have a couple issues that prevented me from giving this a 5 star rating, the main one being Addison’s attitude towards her dad which was upsetting to me. Like I said, I’ve never had to deal with that type of situation so I don’t know how I would handle it…but it’s incredibly hard for me to imagine giving up on my dad, regardless of the circumstance.

Watch Over Me is clearly a very personal story for Tara and it’s one that will tug at your heartstrings. This isn’t a novel that centers on the romance – that is just an added bonus. It’s about a girl struggling with the loss of her mother and her journey to find happiness again when it never seemed possible. It’s very different from Tara’s previous novels, but her incredible writing style remains the same. This story will make you cry, make you laugh, and take you on an incredibly emotional journey; a journey that left me reaching for my phone to call my mom almost immediately after I read the words, The End. 




Enter to win a signed paperback copy of 
Watch Over Me here!

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About the Author

T.E. Sivec is the pen name for Tara Sivec. Under T.E. Sivec, she delves into a more serious genre that is her absolute favorite to read -- romantic suspense. She loves reading a book and feeling her heart speed up with anticipation and wanted to be able to give that feeling to her fans. 

T.E. lives in Ohio with her husband and two children, living the dream of being a full-time writer. 







Blog Tour organized by:

COVER REVEAL: Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee



Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee

Release Date: July 30, 2013


Synopsis:

All she wanted to do was forget. Forget the memory of walking in on her boyfriend in the middle of, well, another girl. Forget how she had her entire life planned out. And, forget about being perfect all the time. Unfortunately, she was Whitney Vandaveer and despite the fact that she moved to the middle of nowhere -- she couldn't. 

He always knew he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no future. Cole Pritchett had accepted the fact that he would always be the screw up and he was okay with that. Until he met her. 

Here's the thing they quickly found out -- sometimes we all need a little help escaping who we think we are. 



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About the Author

When I'm not writing or playing the part of wife and mother, you can find me dancing back-up for Beyonce, singing back-up for Miranda, or sunning myself on the beach with a drink in my hand. Here's the thing about being born and raised in a small town -- you have a very vivid imagination! Now, I channel it all to create stories where the girl always ends up with the right guy, first kisses are magical, and a happy ending is just that! 









Cover Reveal organized by:


Thursday, June 13, 2013

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: Watch Over Me by Tara Sivec



RELEASE DAY BLITZ!


Synopsis:

Addison Snow is your typical teenager. She has a family that loves her, friends that make her laugh, and she's wrapped up in the excitement of graduating high school and going off to college to pursue her dream of becoming an author. When her mother, who also happens to be Addison's best friend, dies unexpectedly, her world comes to a crashing halt. 

Death changes everyone...

To make the pain go away, Addison and her father travel down separate, dark paths. She chooses to end her grief forever, while he drowns his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle. How do you learn to live again when the most important person in your life is gone?

Addison struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. Instead of getting back to being the carefree teenager she once was, she's stuck handling all the responsibilities that should have been her father's. She has no time to grieve, no time for emotions, and no time for happiness...until Zander Reinhardt walks in. All it takes is one little handwritten note on a napkin to kick-start her back to life and help her realize that maybe there's more to life than pain. 

But can it really be that simple? Can she really trust this man who makes her feel alive again for the first time in a year? 

Addison and Zander both have secrets they aren't ready to share. When the truth finally comes out, is it enough to tear them apart or has something bigger than themselves always been watching over them, pushing them together, making sure they both get their happily ever after?


Purchase on Amazon Kindle
Purchase from Barnes and Noble

*Note: purchase links aren't available as this post was created prior to the release date. I will post them as soon as I can!*


Listen to the WATCH OVER ME playlist on Spotify!

Enter the GIVEAWAY for a signed WATCH OVER ME paperback!

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About the Author

T.E. Sivec is the pen name for Tara Sivec. Under T.E. Sivec, she delves into a more serious genre that is her absolute favorite to read - romantic suspense. She loves reading a book and feeling her heart speed up with anticipation and wanted to be able to give that feeling to her fans. 

T.E. lives in Ohio with her husband and two children, living the dream of being a full-time writer.








Wednesday, June 12, 2013

COVER REVEAL: Perfect Regret by A. Meredith Walters


Synopsis

Riley Walker makes all the right decisions and knows exactly where her life is headed. 

Riley Walker does not make mistakes. 

Riley Walker certainly doesn't make spontaneous decisions. 

But then Riley Walker got dumped. 

Spectacularly, gut-wrenching, stomp all over her heart dumped. And she is feeling more than a little angry. And a whole lot bitter. And suddenly the girl who has always done everything right feels like doing something completely wrong. 

Garrett Bellows, lead guitarist for the local band, Generation Rejects, is going through life without a plan. Trying not to think past the next gig or the next party, he has worked hard to not become too attached to anyone or anything. So he is shocked to find himself drawn to the snarky girl with a chip on her shoulder. She pisses him off and puts him down. He knows she's nothing more than a self-entitled college brat who thinks she's better than the townie boy without a future. 

Alcohol and a hefty dose of lust leads to a night Riley and Garrett immediately regret. Her embarrassment, his pride and the weight of rumors and misconceptions convince Riley and Garrett that their one-time indiscretion will never be repeated. Particularly when their harshest critics are each other. 

But how do you reconcile a head that wants to let go with a hear that keeps holding on?

And what happens when your biggest regret begins to seem almost perfect?


Perfect Regret will be released in 2013

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About the Author

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance including the Find You in the Dark series, Bad Rep and its upcoming sequel. 

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing. 

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly 6 year old daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two. 



Monday, June 10, 2013

Review/Reading Hiatus

I posted the following message regarding a reading/reviewing hiatus on my Facebook page today, but I figured I might as well post it here as well for those who don't have Facebook, and for any authors or publishers with potential review submissions.....

As of today, I am not accepting new submissions for review until further notice. There are some things going on in my personal life that could, and probably would, have a negative effect towards my view of certain characters, relationships, and/or situations. To me, that's just not fair to the author. I will honor my commitments to any blog tour, release blitz, promo post, etc. that I have signed up for, and I will do my absolute best to put my personal stuff aside for any blog tour reviews I have agreed to post in the near future. 

Hopefully I'll be able to start accepting review submissions again soon, but I won't do it until I am sure I can be objective in my opinions. I may still let y'all know about new releases, books on sale, etc. but my posts will probably be few and far between for now. I just know that reading the kind of books I typically gravitate towards would be painful for me right now, and as much as I love reading, I can't do that to myself. I'm sorry; I hope y'all understand and to everyone who reached out to me, I really appreciate it. Y'all are wonderful and I'll be okay - it's just going to take some time. 

Happy Reading and hopefully I'll talk to y'all soon. 
xo Ash