RELEASE PARTY & GIVEAWAY: Keeping Secrets in Seattle by Brooke Moss

*Release Party organized by Entangled Publishing*

Synopsis:

Seattle hairstylist Violet Murphy always knew the day would come when her best friend Gabe Parker would want to settle down. She'd secretly wished it would be with her, but now that he's chosen someone else -- the prim, perfect Alicia -- he wants Vi to be his best man. 

Healing her broken heart isn't easy, but when Violet meets Landon Harlow, a man who isn't fazed by her funky style and less-than-delicate attitude, she takes a step in the right direction. Until Gabe's fiancee's gorgeous facade begins to crack, and Violet's disturbing past comes back to haunt her, that is. Vi now finds herself armed with a series of lies that would break Gabe's heart -- and his engagement -- if he knew the truth, and a secret from their childhood that could change everything. 

With the wedding looming, her relationships unraveling, and the bachelor party of the century to plan, Violet must choose between a fresh start with Landon, or confronting her painful past and risking it all for a chance at a future with Gabe. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brooke Moss lives in beautiful eastern Washington with her handsome nerd and five darling, wicked children. When she isn't spinning tales, she spends her time collecting tacky owl decor, changing the color of her hair, and watching too much reality television. 

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Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

(Caster Chronicles, book 1)
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I have to admit, there was only one reason why I found myself reading this book – the movie trailer. I heard of the series for the first time about a year or so ago, but I steered clear of it. Why? I heard soooo many people compare it to Twilight; I am not a Twilight fan. The books were just okay, and the movies were horrendous – but that’s another rant for another day. Back to Beautiful Creatures; I saw the movie trailer and immediately bought the book…and holy smacks, I am so glad I did. I fell in love with Lena and Ethan (and Link), and became enthralled with the Caster world in a completely unexpected way.

Just to clarify: this book is nothing like Twilight. The only reason why I can even assume people are making a comparison is strictly because it is a paranormal romance. Lena is a Caster (which is basically just a badass name for a witch) and Ethan is a mortal...well…sort of.  After realizing that Lena is the girl he has been dreaming about (literally), he makes every attempt to spend more time with her. There’s only one problem: Lena’s sixteenth birthday is approaching and with her life as a good or bad Caster hanging in the balance, she’s afraid to let Ethan get too close. Little does she know, having him close just might be what saves her.

I love that this is written from Ethan’s POV, not Lena’s. It’s super rare to read a romance that is solely from the male’s POV; it was a welcome change and not at all expected. While it does start off a little slow, and take a little while to really delve into the story line, I really enjoyed this novel. The unexpected plot twists made my jaw drop, and kept me on my toes right up until the very end. The strong character traits in Lena and Ethan are admirable and make you root for them even more – and while obstacles are thrown at them left and right, it kind of breaks your heart a little, too. 

My best friend and I went to see the movie after we both read the book, but unfortunately, I can’t give you feedback on that yet…because we only saw about 2 minutes. The stupid fire alarm went off and they herded everybody out like freaking cattle. I’ll definitely give y’all feedback on it when I have time to go see it again, but until then, if you haven’t read the book yet I highly recommend it. If you enjoy paranormal/sci-fi, romance, and little dashes of comedy, this is a perfect read for you. I can’t wait to start the second book in the series, and see where it takes Lena and Ethan. 

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AND THE WINNER IS...........

THE WINNER OF THE BOOK BOYFRIEND VALENTINE'S GIVEAWAY IS......

PERNILLE PEDERSEN!!!! 

CONGRATULATIONS! I'll send you an email to confirm where to send the ebooks! :)

Thank y'all so much for entering, and I hope each of you has a chocolate covered, grope filled, Valentine's Day! 

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COVER REVEAL: Chosen by Paulina Ulrich

Title: Chosen 

Release Date: Spring 2013

Genre: Mature YA/NA Paranormal Romance

Series: Fighting Fate, book 1



Synopsis: 

Nothing can stand in the way of outspoken, rule-breaker-extraordinaire, Kaddy Richston...except destiny. Born with wildly colored hair and piercing gray eyes, Kaddy knew she was different, but she set her sights on her ambitious dreams of being in a rock band and leaving her small town along with the painful memories of her past. 

But destiny has other plans for her. 

When the calm, cool, and always collected Cole Huntington enters her life he takes a strange interest in her, his striking blue eyes never wandering far from her every move. Despite her efforts to push him away, he plans on unraveling every single one of Kaddy's dark secrets even though he has some of his own. 

Despising each other from the start, Kaddy is determined to undermine whatever intentions he has until she learns of a destiny she never asked for. The fate of the world lies in her hands as she learns how different she really is. The only person she can turn to for answers is the last person she'd want help from: Cole Huntington who seems to dislike her rule-beraking as much as she dislikes his rule-following. 

Sometimes destiny sucks. 

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About the Author

Paulina Ulrich has always loved writing, telling stories, and the idea of dreaming big. An English major with an emphasis in Creative Writing, she is now a full-time author and has a very fluffy cat Juey to keep her company while she writes. Not to mention she always has a full glass of iced tea nearby and music blaring in the background. Paulina is the author of the Flightless Bird series and the Fighting Fate series. When she's not writing, she's out buying way too many cute shoes...

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The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

(The Coincidence series, book 1)

There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems hi life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.

You know how sometimes you build something up so much in your mind that no matter how good it really is, it isn’t as good as you thought it would be?? I think maybe that’s the case with The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden; maybe. I read so many reviews just absolutely raving about how amazing it this novel was and I amped it up in my head as, “THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BE FREAKING AMAZING!!!!”

And it just wasn’t to me.

I loved the idea of this story – two broken people trying to save each other. I freaking devour those kinds of books at the same speed that a fat kid inhales more than their fair share of cake; so imagine my surprise when I finished this novel, and I wasn’t retching with pain for these characters or immediately trying to figure out if the sequel has a release date yet or swearing Jessica Sorensen for leaving me hanging – I didn’t really feel any of that. I didn’t really feel anything, to be honest. I wasn’t surprised by the ending, nor did it have the effect on me that it had on the majority of the readers whose (spoiler free) reviews I’ve read so far. I saw it coming – maybe that’s why I wasn’t devastated that it ended there.

I just felt like I was constantly waiting for some big moment that would just blow me away and make me fall in love with these two; some moment that would skyrocket this book to a 5 star rating; that moment never came for me. I was left waiting for something amazing that never happened. I’m sure I’ll still read the sequel when it’s released, and maybe it will make me see what everyone else saw in this story.

It’s not a bad novel, but it’s just not great either. I wanted something more for these characters, something to make me invested in them. Sure, I felt bad for them and the hands they had been dealt, but that’s not enough to make me fall in love with them as a couple. I can’t put my finger on it, but I just felt like something was missing. I’m in the minority with my opinion, so maybe I’m missing something. I don’t know. I went into this expecting a knock my socks off story, and walked away with my socks and shoes still very much on…unfortunately. 

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COVER REVEAL: Give Me Something by Elizabeth Lee

BA-BOOM! Here is the cover for Elizabeth Lee's newest novel, Give Me Something. 

Synopsis:

Here's the deal...I learned a long time ago that sometimes you have to use what you've got to make things happen. What I happen to have is a pretty smile, long legs and the ability to make men believe anything I say. Before you get on your high horse and start judging me, can you honestly say you've never batted your lashes at some guy for a free drink at a bar? That's what I thought. 

Keep that in mind as I tell you my story of how I took it one step further. My story of lies, deceit, manipulation, and love. Yeah, love. Believe me, it fits. Especially, when you factor in Nick and Tucker - one had my heart and the other one wanted it all for himself. Which one? Well, I can't tell you that. It would defeat the purpose of the story. If I'm going to fill you in about me, Lila Garrison, and my life as a con artist you're going to need to know all the facts, including the ones about the two guys who made me want to give up the life of fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, fast cars, and easy money. Because sometimes, one person can give you something that's more valuable than all of that. 

If you're still interested, stick around. Just remember, I'm pretty good at convincing people to do what I want, so if by the end of this whole thing you feel worked over, don't say I didn't warn you.

Expected Publication Date: March 2013

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About the Author

Born and raised in the middle of a Midwestern cornfield (not literally, that would be weird), I've spent my entire life imagining stories. Stories where the right guy always gets the right girl, first kisses are as magical as they are on the big screen and anything is completely possible if you believe. 

Although this journey began years ago, it recently took on a whole new life. After years of devouring hundreds of romance, YA and New Adult novels, I had an epiphany...I should write a book. And I did it! My first YA/New Adult novel is out now!

If I'm not reading, writing, enjoying drinks with my amazing group of girlfriends or chasing around a sarcastically funny one-year-old, I'm probably watching television shows that were created for teenagers, while my husband teases that I'm too old to watch them. 

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Waiting on Wednesday (13)

*This is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine. "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.*

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Unbeautifully by Madeline Sheehan

(Undeniable series #2)

Expected Publication Date: 2013

Synopsis from Goodreads:

*Warning: This book contains several aspects of the uglier side of life; it is not for everyone*

The story of Ripper and Danny.

The first time I fell in love it was with a pair of blue eyes and a wide dimpled grin. 

"Your old man loves ya, Danny girl," he whispered. "You never ever forget that yeah?"

I never did. And I never thought I could ever love any man as much as I loved my father. But as we grow, we change, we begin to make our own decisions and thus become independent and self sufficient and start turning away from our parents and turning to others. We form friendships, strong bonds and ties and begin experiencing life outside the bubble we grew up inside of. 

And we fall in love...a second time. 

The second time I fell in love it was with a badly scarred face, the stuff of nightmares; the sort of disfigurement that mothers steer their children away from. Ugly, jagged slashes marred the skin from the top of this skull, down over his right eye, an eye that had been dug out of his face with a serrated blade. The scares continued across his cheek, over his lips, and down his neck, ending at the top of his shoulder. His chest was a hundred times worse; scar tissue as far as the eye could see. 

"Baby," he said gruffly, "Man like me got no business with a girl like you. You're nothin' but fuckin' beauty and I'm a whole lot of fuckin' ugly who's already halfway to hell."

But he was wrong. 

Everything has beauty. Even the ugly. Especially the ugly.

Because without ugly there would be no beauty. 

Because without beauty we would not survive our pain, our sorrow, our suffering. 

And in the world I lived in, the world he lived in, a secret world within the world, a world of constant crime and cruel, cold, death, there was almost nothing but suffering. 

"You may not be beautiful the way you were before," I whispered, cupping his ruined cheek. "But you're still beautiful. To me."