tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36345017762937921122024-03-18T05:11:24.355-04:00The Eater of Books!Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.comBlogger3075125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-88559202597149673362021-06-02T00:00:00.001-04:002021-06-02T00:00:00.442-04:00Review: The Wolf & The Woodsman by Ava Reid<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnBb00J2g-DtDXP51KFAZCKuGZcXiEE5La3DQ5x398M5yArrUFDhPh_9T7f7Ss_UFo456LOb-z_wUMyqvpEYHitIWO0ee28GLdCBmwW72Lr5sEb83717Blzy04oZ_nb7xwU9bbpV0b1M/s475/Wolf.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnBb00J2g-DtDXP51KFAZCKuGZcXiEE5La3DQ5x398M5yArrUFDhPh_9T7f7Ss_UFo456LOb-z_wUMyqvpEYHitIWO0ee28GLdCBmwW72Lr5sEb83717Blzy04oZ_nb7xwU9bbpV0b1M/s320/Wolf.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Wolf & The Woodsman</i> by Ava Reid</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Harper Voyager</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: June 8, 2021</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5 stars</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Summary (from Goodreads):</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller </i>Spinning Silver<i> and Katherine Arden’s national bestseller </i>The Bear and the Nightingale<i>, this unforgettable debut— inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology—follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i>But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i>As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What I Liked:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">You know that feeling when you see a book's cover, read the synopsis, and just KNOW that this will be something you'll love? I got that feeling when I heard about this book a year ago, and that feeling did not lead my astray. This story was absolutely exquisite. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Wolf & The Woodsman</i> is an adult fantasy novel based on Jewish folklore and Hungarian history. There are many major themes in this book that the author explored, including cultural genocide, antisemitism, and ethnic cleansing. I want to note that I do not have Hungarian heritage and I am not Jewish, so I will not have the best perspective on certain aspects of the book. Nevertheless, I know how hard the author worked to put every ounce of herself, her culture, her religion, and her history into this book. As an "outsider", I can appreciate how well-written the story is, how fantastic the world-building is, and how powerful the messages are.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please note: there is body horror, abuse by elders, mutilation, torture, and other potential triggers in this story. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the story of Évike, a woman without power in her small pagan village. She is despised by many in her village, and abused for her powerlessness, as well as her mixed heritage (her father is a Yehuli man). When the Woodsmen arrive to take another pagan girl with seer power, the villagers conspire to send Évike. Évike is taken to the nation's capital, where she must serve the king and his treasonous son. Gáspár, one of the Woodsmen charged with bringing Évike to the king, is the king's other son. He knows what it is like to be despised for who he is. Together, Évike and Gáspár must work together to to stop Gáspár's traitorous brother from overthrowing the king, slaughtering the Yehuli, and changing the landscape and the history of the nation forever.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is so much more to this story than what I briefly summarized. The magic system, the politics, the scheming, the romance... this standalone novel is filled with just about everything that makes a fantasy novel amazing. But it's even more than a "usual fantasy novel" - Reid makes this novel her own by weaving Jewish history, lore, and life into this book. This book parallels Hungarian history in the Yehuli's imminent expulsion from the capital, the blatant discrimination, the way they are used and discarded by the government. I need to reread this novel to analyze and engulf myself in the political machinations and the Yehuli trials - Reid has written these aspects so, so well, and with such power and purpose.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I do want to talk about the romance - I love a good slowburn, hate to love romance. Évike is a feisty, hurt, tough young woman, and Gáspár is a quiet, hurt, tough young man. They should be on opposite sides of the war, with Évike being a pagan "wolf-girl" of mixed heritage, and Gáspár being a royal prince of mixed heritage. But they are like fire and ice or a moth and a flame - they are magnetic, and I love this pairing. I love Évike's headstrong quality and Gáspár's quiet, less assertive nature. Such a sweet, yet volatile romance!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Évike isn't just a strong young woman - she's a fighter and a survivor. She has been abused by her village and her Yehuli family doesn't know she exists. She's tired, hurt, and broken down, but she is a fighter. She takes matters into her own hands - particularly her "powerlessness". Here is where the body horror aspect comes into play - I won't say much more than that. Évike wasn't just on a journey to the capital, or a journey to find this fantastical magical creature - she was on a journey that led to her discovering more about her Yehuli heritage. I really appreciate Reid's commentary on heritage, and the diaspora.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is a standalone, and the story feels very full and complete by the time I reached the end. I would love to read more books in this universe, but I feel as though Évike and Gáspár's "chapter" is over. The ending is one that I enjoyed - no spoilers, of course! The author wraps up all the loose ends but also leaves the future slightly open... I wouldn't mind seeing Évike and Gáspár make cameo appearances in companion novels set within the same universe. If that is something that the author is considering!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I truly enjoyed this wonderful, powerful, thought-provoking novel. The cover is gorgeous and so is the beautiful story!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">What I Did Not Like:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I can't think of anything I did not like! Perhaps that the story pacing dragged a little in the middle, but I also read this book over several days, so keep that in mind. The pacing overall is very engaging, but I hit a snag in the middle. But things pick up quickly in the capital! You'll have to read the book to know what I mean. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><b>Would I Recommend It:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy novels. This is NOT a fairy tale retelling - don't be fooled. This IS an adult fiction novel though, so don't confuse this book with Young Adult (YA) novels. The book can be read by YA readers, but the content of the book is certainly meant for adults. (Graphic violence, sexual content, etc.) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 stars. Thank you so much to the publishing team for letting me read this book ahead of the publication. I have been lending my early copy to friends and family and screaming about this book on social media. I have been struggling to read anything in the last year (oh, pandemic), but this book was exactly what I needed - immersive, intriguing, and thought-provoking. I can't wait to read more by Ava Reid!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48915408-the-wolf-and-the-woodsman" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Woodsman-Novel-Ava-Reid/dp/0062973126/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wolf-and-the-woodsman-ava-reid/1137460126?ean=9780062973122" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Wolf-and-the-Woodsman-Ava-Reid/9781529100730" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.harpervoyagerbooks.com/book/9780062973146/the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/" target="_blank">Harper Voyager</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Follow the Author:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://avasreid.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19757734.Ava_Reid" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/avasreid/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</b></span></div></div>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-48897530523416856712021-03-01T00:00:00.040-05:002021-03-01T00:00:06.550-05:00Unboxing: FairyLoot Deluxe Set of The Ember Quartet by Sabaa Tahir<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Hello, bibliovories! I'm back with an unboxing post! In the last year and a half, I've subscribed to three book subscription boxes - Illumicrate, The Bookish Box, and FairyLoot. One day I'll write a whole post on each company and what I like and dislike about them. Maybe I'll start posting unboxings of the monthly boxes for each company. But today, I'd like to share my unboxing of the first special edition set of books that I've bought from one of the many book subscription boxes - the signed Ember Quartet by Sabaa Tahir, created and sold by FairyLoot!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's the box!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFxy2nv-YMfrUeYGTn_v8treGE9Ho0uZlS21bzsXJe6evFpN_MjA7PeLe0_Z3v4mbnW15XIBuOuqrDWAMLJ1gK2c99ojVj8pSjmGP_fNKFr7EmMzibRJFIVJcBdWXRqZgBtMizw8FkdE/s4032/PXL_20210227_201831592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFxy2nv-YMfrUeYGTn_v8treGE9Ho0uZlS21bzsXJe6evFpN_MjA7PeLe0_Z3v4mbnW15XIBuOuqrDWAMLJ1gK2c99ojVj8pSjmGP_fNKFr7EmMzibRJFIVJcBdWXRqZgBtMizw8FkdE/w300-h400/PXL_20210227_201831592.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Time to open...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeMPdEfFsqGTWz37ugktPINN8SjUe5N1QPIZlziEKzLvOOhbzb0r7ePwv2fHYlnJamlkiTD__QJor1d-nk5pNnLRfou7KesentUFdhkKJY6QdyhIgemojuv0-bj0AqFFPlDHH1KfAwRE/s4032/PXL_20210227_202058056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeMPdEfFsqGTWz37ugktPINN8SjUe5N1QPIZlziEKzLvOOhbzb0r7ePwv2fHYlnJamlkiTD__QJor1d-nk5pNnLRfou7KesentUFdhkKJY6QdyhIgemojuv0-bj0AqFFPlDHH1KfAwRE/w300-h400/PXL_20210227_202058056.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">What's the print on the top?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnWKVotdkGLGgOMNKygtDzSrCcnrEJr7DQinFfhu-JHxao0sVAkpAc47IER4x0C_LeneKMzm2o9jIm90HIa6H2WTMx0aBO4TsPFILEt_9Zs15ysB67Xe-E3dFi1P4POibhH9ixu2YSJg/s4032/PXL_20210227_202119961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnWKVotdkGLGgOMNKygtDzSrCcnrEJr7DQinFfhu-JHxao0sVAkpAc47IER4x0C_LeneKMzm2o9jIm90HIa6H2WTMx0aBO4TsPFILEt_9Zs15ysB67Xe-E3dFi1P4POibhH9ixu2YSJg/w300-h400/PXL_20210227_202119961.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">This is beautiful! Gold foil is one of my favorite designs. And all of the major characters of the book are here. I love that Elias and Laia are prominent.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4zC5vuAf2srtOeZax-thjwkG7NQy_Hjy9cwK2WERRGSDJCGC9gWCHckqcaneIDdFWTjp4qZHUcyDLhei9sBVWBDQaF9kPup6Eyarqx33ITcHkjMSsmCKdRhecnKyT32IhFtHYyhh1GE/s4032/PXL_20210227_202322995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4zC5vuAf2srtOeZax-thjwkG7NQy_Hjy9cwK2WERRGSDJCGC9gWCHckqcaneIDdFWTjp4qZHUcyDLhei9sBVWBDQaF9kPup6Eyarqx33ITcHkjMSsmCKdRhecnKyT32IhFtHYyhh1GE/w400-h300/PXL_20210227_202322995.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here is the set! Orange, blue, green, and purple. I love the animal symbols are the bottom of each spine.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KKJNG2lc1M9JUeToqyTzJvOLBh64s6vv8PBcTWGJp5ecYcFoCRxOgdjoz8Elr4J90ogYofA-ahPjMZ7_nroxppR5ONDItXMFmPRLTAkLiR9gpv4YBxrMO6JE_w2-E5l9R5Jlq2h4Lxc/s4032/PXL_20210227_202347940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KKJNG2lc1M9JUeToqyTzJvOLBh64s6vv8PBcTWGJp5ecYcFoCRxOgdjoz8Elr4J90ogYofA-ahPjMZ7_nroxppR5ONDItXMFmPRLTAkLiR9gpv4YBxrMO6JE_w2-E5l9R5Jlq2h4Lxc/w400-h300/PXL_20210227_202347940.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pretty sprayed spines!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJx-ZzgQYALmhpHeqC8E0TJ0ZqPL65IAgZA3sgEMxCt9RSpwfBGOdL7mMGk6JwmMXBhcnBbyc7JwF5tstl55byXmxTgCKVkAByJGiNBg7marY0H2wwRSh_PkcAdycQEJxmiyreD3lIKI/s4032/PXL_20210227_202406649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJx-ZzgQYALmhpHeqC8E0TJ0ZqPL65IAgZA3sgEMxCt9RSpwfBGOdL7mMGk6JwmMXBhcnBbyc7JwF5tstl55byXmxTgCKVkAByJGiNBg7marY0H2wwRSh_PkcAdycQEJxmiyreD3lIKI/w400-h300/PXL_20210227_202406649.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">More pretty spines!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_zCHEzlfaBmQfvELhhk8DRcDu-im2stYc1gXL0vYCHMuFg8a1QJS_imW0TcAX3U8aQysJPc3Uf4qc94jL6XYeEzgAmUmYIcMvX_JwPh11qAnCnIEFP-Eh91BB48IAsm9z7iFjaZ0zAM/s4032/PXL_20210227_202400008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_zCHEzlfaBmQfvELhhk8DRcDu-im2stYc1gXL0vYCHMuFg8a1QJS_imW0TcAX3U8aQysJPc3Uf4qc94jL6XYeEzgAmUmYIcMvX_JwPh11qAnCnIEFP-Eh91BB48IAsm9z7iFjaZ0zAM/w400-h300/PXL_20210227_202400008.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The gorgeous stenciled design! So beautiful!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6eEobNS8oHhGQp7DQM8IeIesVxZjYvONHz7uZX83Qp8H_VvCF7aA0DkPDEvvLQb59dh4y5WEKqVbNW7qRHGcueMjV37DDoXQwx4Jr0O8LpP6ZaU-HheJha04V2ZXGTBHnI7eJEYBZ4E/s4032/PXL_20210301_013211728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6eEobNS8oHhGQp7DQM8IeIesVxZjYvONHz7uZX83Qp8H_VvCF7aA0DkPDEvvLQb59dh4y5WEKqVbNW7qRHGcueMjV37DDoXQwx4Jr0O8LpP6ZaU-HheJha04V2ZXGTBHnI7eJEYBZ4E/w300-h400/PXL_20210301_013211728.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">You thought I was done? Above is the hidden cover of <i>Ember</i>.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdmf2ZZqmCUJLpRTMpH7h2PMzfXY7zMp1F8wYxEk4L1qAWGgooUhTojTDerjqZyjze6jxYFuRWUbJpiC1VEYuFotQSW821WTL8SAtoGXPeywMI9wUBb7iW3lQnyQAVbNqGq1z9DjhKwU/s4032/PXL_20210301_012934592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdmf2ZZqmCUJLpRTMpH7h2PMzfXY7zMp1F8wYxEk4L1qAWGgooUhTojTDerjqZyjze6jxYFuRWUbJpiC1VEYuFotQSW821WTL8SAtoGXPeywMI9wUBb7iW3lQnyQAVbNqGq1z9DjhKwU/w300-h400/PXL_20210301_012934592.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And <i>Torch</i>...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYftSrSFfc-ttNG9d5bD-5DFpu537sxLcpqCWDmXEjkFrUILau9NJS1X0JYmuwNjpTt3-67QNhGGGrlay7BxJf2H9KlGdnWzxkWOqiJZXOYVbxfYCk9Q84-MBv7-RcXtWYQXrUp5WMuo/s4032/PXL_20210301_012902923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYftSrSFfc-ttNG9d5bD-5DFpu537sxLcpqCWDmXEjkFrUILau9NJS1X0JYmuwNjpTt3-67QNhGGGrlay7BxJf2H9KlGdnWzxkWOqiJZXOYVbxfYCk9Q84-MBv7-RcXtWYQXrUp5WMuo/w300-h400/PXL_20210301_012902923.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">How about <i>Reaper</i>...</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yQK8WNL38sFnY7uyQ4dyFD3oM2bedOqh3sOl5PjjUCH0ddTAvt4CN7gWA4mbuAl-zQnA5FdcKgMOWE8nILOWvqjrHJKK2iWsqoGQFiNlL-DteRxQ7sd-6s_5bDhqEFpAn5UmjbtCLac/s4032/PXL_20210301_013007507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yQK8WNL38sFnY7uyQ4dyFD3oM2bedOqh3sOl5PjjUCH0ddTAvt4CN7gWA4mbuAl-zQnA5FdcKgMOWE8nILOWvqjrHJKK2iWsqoGQFiNlL-DteRxQ7sd-6s_5bDhqEFpAn5UmjbtCLac/w300-h400/PXL_20210301_013007507.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And <i>Sky</i>!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Did I mention that the books are signed?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuJUefuUQ2dpoDjb0DRm2nzF0sCE_crDmB1GIaBFTseN7230TYsx5snIlskJNExtGe0zbMjifcdVKi3IPUOwO4xDgRVeQSCJOdv-MhMAEpQwKvtafIHdhlkrC5VBfbRv8eLcecCzPMNo/s4032/PXL_20210301_025528240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuJUefuUQ2dpoDjb0DRm2nzF0sCE_crDmB1GIaBFTseN7230TYsx5snIlskJNExtGe0zbMjifcdVKi3IPUOwO4xDgRVeQSCJOdv-MhMAEpQwKvtafIHdhlkrC5VBfbRv8eLcecCzPMNo/w300-h400/PXL_20210301_025528240.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And altogether:</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaL12cs3koG-bXuPpFckHE-z5uET9U6IHsSll4dimq1v3tYUyE-SL2X0_DD3HPWXKrt969FhQd7i0IyCo-9yTB_HuMfedKahDiKhjO91fd0gPXAm0FGVJW_s5B4Ysgi0U-iyFBWYtEks0/s4032/PXL_20210227_202936052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaL12cs3koG-bXuPpFckHE-z5uET9U6IHsSll4dimq1v3tYUyE-SL2X0_DD3HPWXKrt969FhQd7i0IyCo-9yTB_HuMfedKahDiKhjO91fd0gPXAm0FGVJW_s5B4Ysgi0U-iyFBWYtEks0/w300-h400/PXL_20210227_202936052.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And that's the set! It was a pretty penny, but absolutely worth it. I love this series so much, and I love this deluxe exclusive set so much. Many thanks to FairyLoot and Sabaa Tahir, for making this set available to readers for purchase!</span></div>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-51269962405672852662021-02-24T00:00:00.002-05:002021-02-24T00:00:06.411-05:00Review: Namesake by Adrienne Young<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqPDkhPlPyIApzuBpoca7Boq4BmxulEOGg7FGrjPMukftZEE9Zg3L6J8bhqZRa-F83As7V0QXmXlAxydurA0jVcfFoHq2qGanc5G8aLP5AvmQS30Y94jJGJ0Rog_KXp_O91UuVxpWFJ8/s1000/Namesake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="652" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqPDkhPlPyIApzuBpoca7Boq4BmxulEOGg7FGrjPMukftZEE9Zg3L6J8bhqZRa-F83As7V0QXmXlAxydurA0jVcfFoHq2qGanc5G8aLP5AvmQS30Y94jJGJ0Rog_KXp_O91UuVxpWFJ8/w209-h320/Namesake.jpg" width="209" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Namesake </i>by Adrienne Young</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the <i>Fable </i>series</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Wednesday Books</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: March 16, 2021</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5 stars</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: Copy provided by the publisher</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Summary (from Goodreads):</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Trader. Fighter. Survivor.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>With the Marigold ship free of her father, Fable and its crew were set to start over. That freedom is short-lived when she becomes a pawn in a notorious thug’s scheme. In order to get to her intended destination she must help him to secure a partnership with Holland, a powerful gem trader who is more than she seems.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>As Fable descends deeper into a world of betrayal and deception she learns that her mother was keeping secrets, and those secrets are now putting the people Fable cares about in danger. If Fable is going to save them then she must risk everything, including the boy she loves and the home she has finally found.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Filled with action, emotion, and lyrical writing, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with </i>Namesake<i>, the final book in the captivating </i>Fable <i>duology.</i></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What I Liked:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">I read <i>Fable </i>in early 2020, and I knew it would be a hit. I loved the book; it pulled me right out of the reading slump that I had been in, since my father passed away in 2019. <i>Fable</i> hit me at the right time. I received <i>Namesake</i> to read in Fall 2020 and I dove right back into the intriguing, mysterious world of the Narrows. <i>Namesake</i> is the conclusion to the <i>Fable </i>duology, and it's easily one of the best conclusion novels I've ever read.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Namesake</i> picks up pretty much right where <i>Fable </i>left off, which, if you remember where <i>Fable</i> left off, you remember being pretty upset. (I was, anyway.) I won't state too much about that, since <i>Fable</i> published only six months ago, and I will try not to spoil anything regarding <i>Namesake</i> as well. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">The world of <i>Fable</i> becomes so much larger in this book. Adrienne Young expands the world, the schemes, the politics, the characters. A wider cast of characters is brought into play, and even more political machinations, deals, risks, and revelations. Some characters who were briefly mentioned in <i>Fable</i> become critical players in <i>Namesake</i>. No specifics, but believe me, the plot thickens! I love the Pirates of the Caribbean vibe of this series. That alone was enough to make me pick up <i>Fable</i>, but the excellent writing, fascinating characters, and slow-burn, tension-filled romance made me fall in love with the books.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">One thing I will say vaguely is that a giant Easter egg in <i>Fable</i> manifests in <i>Namesake</i>. I was pretty sure I knew what the Easter egg was when I was reading <i>Fable</i>, but I wasn't quite right. It's not exactly what you'd expect. Adrienne Young is so sneaky, she had us thinking one thing, when in fact it was a completely different thing! I have listened to so many of her virtual tour events and Instagram live events, and she was SO sneaky about this Easter egg. Several months after reading <i>Namesake</i> (I'm writing this review in February 2021), I'm still delighted by the Easter egg.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let's talk about the romance! Fable and West are such an adorable, heartbreakingly beautiful pair. I love the romance of this book, and series. This series - actually, this book (<i>Namesake</i>) has the most romance on page of any of Young's books. I love the slow-burn in <i>Fable</i>, and the pure yearning in <i>Namesake</i>. The romance of this series is one of my all-time favorites of the Young Adult books I've read.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Other relationships are just as important as the romance between Fable and West; for example, Fable's relationship with her father, Saint. But also, Fable's relationship with her mother, Isolde. I can't say anything more about that but... while <i>Fable</i> (book one) was more so about Fable and her father, <i>Namesake </i>is about Fable and her mother. In a way, but not in the way you think. You'll see!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">I truly love the characters that Adrienne Young has written. Fable, a smart, brave young woman. West, a selfless, mysterious man with a heart of gold. Saint, a trickster father who keeps his cards close. And the crew of the Marigold, who is the family that Fable never knew she needed. I love the characters of this book, even the "villains", who have such compelling backstories.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tropes: slow-burn romance, a hint of enemies-to-lovers romance (kind of? between West and Fable), found family, "chosen one"... kind of. You'll see what I mean.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">I won't say anything else because I don't want to spoil the book, but I will say that the book ended really well. The series wraps up wonderfully. Adrienne Young proves that you don't need mass chaos and bloodshed to end a series (I'm looking at you, Game of Thrones). I'm not saying there is NO violence at the end, but, the ending is really good. My heart was full, after reading this book. This book is absolutely worth the (short) wait, the marathon binge-read, or however you'll read this series. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What I Did Not Like:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have no complaints! This book was such an excellent follow-up to <i>Fable</i>, and an amazing conclusion. I feel like I can't wait always say that about sequels or conclusion novels. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Would I Recommend It:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you read <i>Fable</i>, you HAVE to finish this series. <i>Namesake</i> is so easy to read - I finished it quickly, once I started getting into the story. I didn't want to put the book down. This series is such a riveting fantasy series, and it has good crossover appeal to young adult readers and adults. It's a favorite for sure - the series is a favorite in general!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 stars. There was no doubt in my mind that <i>Namesake</i> would be just as incredible as <i>Fable</i>, if not more. Adrienne Young has not disappointed me yet; I can't wait to see what she publishes next!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53138025-namesake" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250254396/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/namesake-adrienne-young/1136846403" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Namesake-Adrienne-Young/9781250254399" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250254399" target="_blank">Macmillan</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Follow the Author:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.adrienneyoungbooks.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16640489.Adrienne_Young" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adrienneyoungbooks/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Read my review of <i>Fable </i><a href="https://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/2020/08/review-fable-by-adrienne-young.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</span></b></div></div>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-82770751499009257502020-10-16T00:00:00.002-04:002020-10-16T00:00:04.007-04:00Review: National Geographic Almanac 2021<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjem8kMP1HIHhAnPGm5THG9qJrK8ZZGfs1ZhlWprHkHBnPo4SMRw1uopCyQ6DUgdtlwkKmGBfn6KYP3nawB9TMFEoAqZOUa_F7Y4NrrOcP0kRxdQhwMvJ6pYPNntw7y4qfn3NiCA43JFNc/s400/NatGeo+Almanac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjem8kMP1HIHhAnPGm5THG9qJrK8ZZGfs1ZhlWprHkHBnPo4SMRw1uopCyQ6DUgdtlwkKmGBfn6KYP3nawB9TMFEoAqZOUa_F7Y4NrrOcP0kRxdQhwMvJ6pYPNntw7y4qfn3NiCA43JFNc/s320/NatGeo+Almanac.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Review: <i>National Geographic Almanac 2021</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: National Geographic</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: September 22, 2020</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5 stars</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: eARC from Edelweiss</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The essential annual for the 21st century, this high-energy almanac is packed with facts, photos, infographics, time lines, and maps--the perfect stocking stuffer and book to browse all year long. A guide to the world like no other, this vivid and comprehensive book offers the best of National Geographic and more: science, nature, history, world cultures, geography, and the environment, illustrated with amazing photography, fascinating infographics, and maps created by expert cartographers. Highlights this year include the James Webb telescope, launching in 2021; a brand-new wildflower guide; a guided tour of the moons of our solar system; a beautiful infographic on jellyfish; and a feature on lithium, central to the work of recent Nobel prize-winning chemistry. Divided into lively chapters including Exploration & Adventure, Life on Earth, and The Science of Us, this year's almanac features top photos from National Geographic's celebrated Instagram account and geniuses past and present including Jane Goodall, Amelia Earhart, and acclaimed conservationist Kris Tompkins, dedicated to preserving much of Patagonia. With new discoveries on every page, this cutting-edge book--called a "category buster" by Booklist--brings you, as Publishers Weekly puts it, "all the things that National Geographic does best."</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What I Liked:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This review is a little different, because I'm reviewing a nonfiction novel, instead of a fiction novel (which is my usual). Since I was a little girl in elementary school, I have loved checking out the new National Geographic Almanacs, year after year. I had the opportunity to read and review the 2021 almanac early, and I'm pleased to say that the almanac is just as wonderful and informative as ever (if not more so).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's so important that people learn more about how the world works, both past and present. National Geographic always does an excellent job of producing a mix of good information that shares more about the world's past, present, and future. I'm a huge environmental nerd so I always go straight for the sections about environmental science. I think everyone should invest a little time to read about a current world issue, whether environmental or otherwise. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was introduced to National Geographic when I was a child, and these almanacs certainly are extremely useful for children. There are fun fact quizzes, and plenty of visuals besides the gorgeous photographs. But these almanacs are so valuable to adults and children alike. The text is suitable for any range, so it's perfect for a parent reading to their child, or a curious child (like I was!), or an adult looking for some light reading. There are so many different sections and it's nice that you don't have to commit to reading the entire book all at once (like you would a fiction novel).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not going to go through every section, but I wanted to touch on my favorites. I always love reading through any environmental section, particularly the ones on ocean life. "Of the Sea" is the section on ocean life in this particular almanac, and it has a great subsection on octopus. Another subsection that I found really cool is "Disappearing Languages". I have been learning a new language during this COVID-19 induced quarantine, and I loved reading about different languages that are fading. The world is going to lose about 7000 languages by 2100. Isn't that terrible? The whole section on culture is pretty cool.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I highly recommend checking out this new National Geographic Almanac, or any of the past ones. The book is filled with beautiful photography, interesting facts, and a lot of priceless knowledge that expands one's world view. This is a great coffee table book, but more importantly, it's a great source of knowledge for anyone around the world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What I Did Not Like:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is nothing to hate about this almanac! Read it!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Would I Recommend It:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyone and everyone should pick up a National Geographic almanac in their lifetime. I was introduced to these almanacs at a young age, but I encourage anyone, whether young or old, to check out the books. They're a great resource to have, with such varying and diverse content. You won't b disappointed!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">5 stars. I personally want to be better about reading nonfiction books, and I can always count on these almanacs. National Geographic is a fount of knowledge, full of researched niche topics, incredible diversity, and stunning photography. I think everyone should read National Geographic's work, particularly the yearly almanacs.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49194299-national-geographic-almanac-2021" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/142622155X/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/national-geographic-almanac-2021-national-geographic/1137838714" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9781426221552" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</span></b></div>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-44489292540696683822020-10-12T00:00:00.024-04:002020-10-12T00:00:05.069-04:00Blog Tour: A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroGulTviSfxx1fEB73qSLbn8zh2CQ9rJsopCLkkp-bvAkJlvUA8ZzUOirapWYJitMwkSAx9KE23ILe1IviXE96UpInQEseKe7pHQfIHY_4z2gmsYZ-F5R6sHjRMnJiqQ1kt_mQHK4BEU/s1640/A+Golden+Fury_Blog+Tour+Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1640" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroGulTviSfxx1fEB73qSLbn8zh2CQ9rJsopCLkkp-bvAkJlvUA8ZzUOirapWYJitMwkSAx9KE23ILe1IviXE96UpInQEseKe7pHQfIHY_4z2gmsYZ-F5R6sHjRMnJiqQ1kt_mQHK4BEU/w400-h153/A+Golden+Fury_Blog+Tour+Banner.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Monday! I'm back with a blog tour post about an exciting new Young Adult debut novel - <i>A Golden Fury </i>by Samantha Cohoe. I loooooove historical fiction, and this book caught my eye right away. <i>A Golden Fury</i> is available TOMORROW - check it out below!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Book:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ugJlUw6cQDgMB69yHrI4IaDil7XnkbY9Nm6Rbwo_5E96pUv7DIH1gO76IgPW-EO0Vd_mL6iyvPow6UVCM1Kv5T9_RmUZgMXg7G97nZbsGYAanFmQpZvy1IYsCybXqmTNd7AFxVxx39A/s2048/A+Golden+Fury_COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1340" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ugJlUw6cQDgMB69yHrI4IaDil7XnkbY9Nm6Rbwo_5E96pUv7DIH1gO76IgPW-EO0Vd_mL6iyvPow6UVCM1Kv5T9_RmUZgMXg7G97nZbsGYAanFmQpZvy1IYsCybXqmTNd7AFxVxx39A/w261-h400/A+Golden+Fury_COVER.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>A Golden Fury</i> by Samantha Cohoe</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Wednesday Books:<br />Publication Date: October 13, 2020</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Official Summary:</span></b></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Set in eighteenth century England, Samantha Cohoe’s debut novel, A GOLDEN FURY (Wednesday Books; October 13, 2020), follows a young alchemist as she tries to save the people she loves from the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone. The streets of London and Oxford come to life as this historical fantasy unravels. Weaving together an alluring story of magic and danger, Samantha’s debut has her heroine making messy decisions as she toes the line between good and evil while it becomes blurred.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A GOLDEN FURY and the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41187447-a-golden-fury" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Fury-Novel-Samantha-Cohoe/dp/1250220408/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-golden-fury-samantha-cohoe/1135426714" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Golden-Fury-Samantha-Cohoe/9781250220400" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://read.macmillan.com/lp/a-golden-fury/" target="_blank">Macmillan</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OjhkTCJ9uDvJEE1gL-d1x4wmwTK5Ny8WXnuGGD84jdN7jKpX0b91sC9rGt1Zn2IhV_EyLDoelReVLo1aZGrR3W782QX4_llQmWvplxmK6XVQJ1w8ua7IpeF-OYyRqw4xBrY8ywicfMU/s648/Samantha+Cohoe_Credit+Alison+McQuain+of+Alison+McQuain+Photography.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OjhkTCJ9uDvJEE1gL-d1x4wmwTK5Ny8WXnuGGD84jdN7jKpX0b91sC9rGt1Zn2IhV_EyLDoelReVLo1aZGrR3W782QX4_llQmWvplxmK6XVQJ1w8ua7IpeF-OYyRqw4xBrY8ywicfMU/s320/Samantha+Cohoe_Credit+Alison+McQuain+of+Alison+McQuain+Photography.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Samantha Cohoe writes historically-inspired young adult fantasy. She was raised in San Luis Obispo, California, where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood of beach trips, omnivorous reading, and writing stories brimming with adverbs. She currently lives in Denver with her family and divides her time among teaching Latin, mothering, writing, reading, and deleting adverbs. <i>A Golden Fury</i> is her debut novel.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.samanthacohoe.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18313531.Samantha_Cohoe" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/smcohoe" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/samanthacohoe/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Follow Wednesday Books:</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/wednesdaybooks" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wednesdaybooks/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Early Praise for <i>A Golden Fury</i>:</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Sharply written with a crackling, compassionately determined heroine, A Golden Fury is a vivid ride through eighteenth century Europe with darkness and dread creeping at its corners. Utterly enchanting.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of <i>Wicked Saints</i></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"An engaging concoction of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction." <b>- Booklist</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Cohoe situates the supernatural among the historical, referencing the French Revolution and the Enlightenment while...keeping a sense of urgency as Thea struggles with the magical, demonic pull of the Stone."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"The attention to detail in the story is excellent. Thea herself is a confident lead with a strong voice. A solid fantasy to flesh out the world of alchemy that most readers know only from 'Harry Potter.'"<b> - School Library Journal</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Cohoe transmutes the legend of the Philosopher's Stone into a dark, intoxicating tale of ambition, obsession, and sacrifice. Prepare for a magic that will consume you.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- Rosamund Hodge, New York Times bestselling author of <i>Cruel Beauty</i> and <i>Bright Smoke, Cold Fire</i></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Steeped in mystery and magic, Samantha Cohoe’s <i>A Golden Fury </i>immerses readers in beautifully rendered world where magic and science mix, and where the intoxication of power can be deadly. Whip-smart Thea is a heroine readers will root for.” </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- Lisa Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author of <i>The Last Magician</i></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Excerpt:</span></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6851344736268096514" itemprop="" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; text-align: start; width: 616px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><center><div style="height: 500px; overflow: auto; width: 515px;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">My mother was screaming at the Comte. Again.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I slammed the front doors behind me and walked down the carriageway, under the dappled shade of the poplars that lined it. A hundred paces away, I still heard her, though at least I could no longer hear the Comte’s frantic endearments and low, rapid pleading. He should know by now that wasn’t the way. Perhaps I should tell him. Adrien was the first of my mother’s patrons I had ever liked, and I did not want to leave Normandy just as spring was breaking. Just as we were beginning to make progress.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Though perhaps we were not. Mother would not be screaming at the Comte if the work were going well. She would not take the time. Alchemy was a demanding science, even if some scoffed and called it charlatanry or magic. It required total concentration. If the work were going well, the Comte would scarcely exist to her, nor <span style="text-align: start;">would I, now that she would not let me be of use. The composition must have broken again. This was about when it had, last round. I could not be certain, since she had taken away my key to the laboratory. She could hardly have de- vised a worse insult than that if she had tried, and lately she did seem to be trying. The laboratory was mine as much as it was hers. If she did succeed in producing the White Elixir—which turned all metals into silver—then it was only because of my help. She had found Jābir’s text languishing in a Spanish monastery, but it had been I who translated it when her Arabic wasn’t nearly up to the job. I had labored for months over the calcinary furnace to make the philosophic mercury the text took as its starting point. I had the scars on my hands and arms to prove it. And now that success might be close, she wished to shut me out and deny my part, and claim it for herself alone.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">But if she was acting ill and cross, it meant she had failed. A low, smug hum of satisfaction warmed me. I didn’t want the work to fail, but I didn’t want her to succeed without me, either.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">A distant smashing sound rang out from the chateau. My mother shattering something against the wall, no doubt.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I sighed and shifted my letter box to the crook of my other arm.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I knew what this meant. Another move. Another man. The Comte had lasted longer than the rest. Over two years, long enough that I had begun to hope I would not have to do it all again. I hated the uncertainty of those first weeks, before I knew what was expected of me, whether Mother’s new patron had a temper and what might set it off, whether he liked children to speak or be silent. Though I was no <span style="text-align: start;">longer a child, and that might bring its own problems. A chill passed over me, despite the warm afternoon sunshine. God only knew what the next one would be like. My mother had already run through so many of them. And with the recent changes in France, there were fewer rich men than ever looking to give patronage to an expensive alchemist, even one as beautiful and famous as Marguerite Hope.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I veered off the carriageway, into the soft spring grass, dotted here and there with the first of the lavender anemones. I sat by the stream, under the plum tree.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">There was no screaming here, no pleading, no signs that my life was about to change for the worse. I inhaled the soft, sweet scent of plum blossoms and opened my letter box. If this was to be my last spring in Normandy, I wanted to re- member it like this. Springtime in Normandy was soft and sweet, sun shining brightly and so many things blossoming that the very air was perfumed with promise. Everything was coming extravagantly to life, bursting out of the dead ground and bare trees with so much energy other impossible things seemed likely, too. I had always been hopeful in Normandy when it was spring. Especially last spring, when Will was still here. When we sat under this very tree, drank both bottles of champagne he had stolen from the cellars, and spun tales of everything we could achieve.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I took out his last letter, dated two months ago.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Dear Bee,</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">This is my address now—as you see I’ve left Prussia. It turns out that everything they say about the Prussians is quite true. I’ve never met a more unbending man than my patron <span style="text-align: start;">there. One day past the appointed date and he tried to throw me in prison for breach of contract! He thinks alchemy can be held to the same strict schedule as his serfs.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Laws against false alchemists were very harsh in Germany, as Will knew full well when he sought patronage there. I had begged him to go somewhere else, though he had few enough choices. He was my mother’s apprentice, with no achievements of his own to make his reputation. His training had been cut abruptly short when Mother found us together under this plum tree, watching the sun- rise with clasped hands and two empty bottles of champagne. She’d seen to it that Will was gone by noon. It was no use telling her that all we’d done was talk through the night, or that the one kiss we’d shared had been our first, and had gone no further. He had behaved with perfect respect for me, but she wouldn’t believe it. My mother had imagined a whole path laid before my feet in that moment, and scorched it from the earth with Greek fire.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I turned to the next page.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I blame myself, of course, Bee, for not heeding your advice. I can picture your face now, wondering what I expected. It would almost be worth all the trouble I’ve caused myself if I could come to you and see your expression. You must be the only woman in the world who is never lovelier than when you’ve been proven right.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The keen thrill of pleasure those words had brought me when I first read them had faded now, and left me feeling uncertain. Should I write back knowingly, teasing him for his recklessness? I had tried this, and was sure I sounded like a scold no matter what he said about my loveliness when proven right. I took out my latest draft, which struck a more sincere tone. I read the lines over, saying how I worried for him, how I missed him. I crumpled it in my hand halfway through. Too much emotion. It didn’t do to show such dependence on a man. My mother had shown me that. I didn’t wish to emulate her in everything, but I would be a fool to deny her skill at winning masculine devotion. I tried again.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Dear Will,</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I am sitting under the plum tree where we had our last picnic. I know how you feel about nostalgia, but I hope you will forgive me this one instance. I fear this will be our last spring in Normandy—perhaps even in France. Many of my mother’s friends have left already, and though you may well condemn</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: large;">them as reactionaries, the fact remains that there are very few good Republicans with the ready cash to pay for our pursuits.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I sighed again and crumpled the page. Somehow I could never seem to write to him about the Revolution without a touch of irony creeping in. I didn’t want that. Will had put his hopes for a better world in the new order, and even though I was less hopeful than he, I loved him for it. At least he wanted a better world. Most alchemists simply wanted better metals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I tried to imagine he was here. It wouldn’t be difficult then. He was so good at setting me at ease. His admiration was as intoxicating as wine, but unlike wine it sharpened my wits instead of dulling them. I was never cleverer than when Will was there to laugh with me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">My chest constricted at the memory of Will’s laugh. I didn’t know anyone who laughed like him. The Parisian aristocrats I had known all had so much consciousness of the sound they made when they did it. The Comte wasn’t like them, but he was a serious man and laughed rarely. My mother didn’t laugh at all.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">But Will. He laughed like it came from the loud, bursting core of him. Like he couldn’t have kept it in if he wanted to, and why would he want to? And when he was done laughing, he would look at me like no one else ever had. Like he saw only me, not as an accessory to my mother, but as myself. And not as an odd girl whose sharp edges would need to be softened. Will liked the edges. The sharper they cut, the more they delighted him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“Thea!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I threw my letters into the letter box and snapped it shut. I looked around for somewhere to hide the box, and noticed too late that one of my crumpled drafts had blown toward the stream. My mother appeared on the hill above me, the late afternoon sun lighting up her golden hair like an unearned halo. She walked down the hill with measured steps and stopped a few yards above me, I assumed because she wished to enjoy the experi- ence of being taller than me again for a few moments. Her eye moved to the crumpled paper. I ran to it and stuffed it into my pocket before she could take it, though <span style="text-align: start;">my haste in hiding the failed letter told her all I didn’t wish her to know.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“Oh dear,” said my mother. “I do hope you haven’t been wasting your afternoon trying to find the right words to say to that boy.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">My mother was tolerant of my letter writing these days, perhaps because she was confident I would never see Will again. She had smiled when she heard of Will’s contract in Prussia. <i>He won’t find it so easy to charm his way past the Prussian alchemy laws. In Germany, one must deliver results, not pretty smiles, or end in prison.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“I wouldn’t have an afternoon to waste if you would let me into the laboratory,” I said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“Don’t be pitiful, Thea,” said my mother. “Surely you can think of something worthwhile to do when I don’t happen to need your assistance.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I clenched my teeth so tight that my jaw ached. Shutting me out of the laboratory, our laboratory, was the greatest injustice she had ever committed against me. Worse than all the moving about, worse than sending Will away, worse than any insult she could think to level at me. Before she had done that, I believed we were together in alchemy at least, even if nothing else. That she had raised and trained me not simply to be of use to her, but to be her partner. Her equal, one day. Throwing me out of the lab- oratory just when we might achieve what we had worked for told me that Will was right. She would never let me claim credit for my part of the work. She would never accept me as an alchemist in my own right.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">And yet she described it as though she had simply let me off my chores. As if I were no more necessary than a <span style="text-align: start;">servant. There was no point in arguing with her, but even so I could not let it stand.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“I am not your assistant,” I said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“Oh?” she asked. “Do you have news, then? Have you found a patron on your own merits? Do you intend to strike out on your own?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“Perhaps I will,” I said, my face growing hot. “Perhaps I will stay here when you are finally finished tormenting the poor Comte.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">My mother had a perfect, deceptively sweet beauty: golden blond and blue-eyed with a round, doll-like face. It made the venom that sometimes twisted her expression hard to quite believe in. Many men simply didn’t. They preferred to ignore the evidence of their minds for the evidence of their senses. I, of course, knew her better than they did. I tensed, preparing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">But instead of lashing out, my mother turned aside, a hand to her chest. A tremor passed over her; she bowed her head against it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Mother had been strangely unwell for weeks. At first I responded to her illness as she had taught me to, with distaste and disapproval, as though falling sick were an ill-considered pastime of those with insufficient moral fortitude. But if she noticed how unpleasant it was to receive so little sympathy when unwell, she did not show it. She had locked herself away in the laboratory every day until late at night, ignoring my silence as much as she ignored the Comte’s pleas that she rest. I had not thought much of it until this moment. Any pain great enough to turn her from chastising me for thinking I could do alchemy with- out her must be serious indeed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“Mother?” I asked.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“You will go where I tell you.” Her voice was low and breathless, almost a gasp. “For now, that is to dinner. Wear the green taffeta.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“The robe à la française?” I asked, perplexed. I hadn’t worn that dress since before the Estates General met. Its style was the hallmark of the ancien régime: wide pan- niered hips, structured bodice, and elaborate flounces. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“But it’s out of fashion.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“So is our guest,” said my mother.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">She went up the hill again, then turned back to me at the top.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“Thea,” she said, all the sharpness gone from her voice. “I know you do not believe it any longer, but everything I do is for you.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">It was the sort of thing she always said. Before this year, I had always believed it, more or less. At least, everything she did was for the both of us. She had considered me an extension of herself, so that doing things for me was no different than doing them for herself. Why else take so much care to train me, to see to it that I had the tutors I needed to learn every language necessary—more even than she knew? To take me with her in all her travels to seek out manuscripts? She was an impatient teacher at times, but a good one. A thorough one. And in turn I was a good student. The best.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Until we were close to our goal. Then, suddenly, I was a rival. And my mother did not tolerate rivals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“You are right, Mother,” I said. “I don’t believe that any longer.”</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></center></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Doesn't this book sound awesome? Let me know of your thoughts in the comments!</span></p>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-18215422459785584332020-08-25T00:00:00.014-04:002020-08-25T00:00:07.835-04:00Review: Fable by Adrienne Young<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgup5bsKqX0NG5d8ZSKGVcCiD9MVJj9Rtkp9mgBgV65CYJXLXOVLqfzFKkAnKR9VeRNbuHxLVGIb04-529rebCF3a1hYcgsd6kqW_QsWdtnWbCSf_eJwoNeUYehxbwn08wRvjygm535Q/s1000/Fable.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgup5bsKqX0NG5d8ZSKGVcCiD9MVJj9Rtkp9mgBgV65CYJXLXOVLqfzFKkAnKR9VeRNbuHxLVGIb04-529rebCF3a1hYcgsd6kqW_QsWdtnWbCSf_eJwoNeUYehxbwn08wRvjygm535Q/w214-h328/Fable.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Fable</i> by Adrienne Young</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the <i>Fable </i>series</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Wednesday Books</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: September 1, 2020</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5 stars</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: Copy provided by the publisher</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Summary (from Goodreads):</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Filled with all of the action, emotion, and lyrical writing that brought readers to </i>Sky in the Deep<i>, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with </i>Fable<i>, the first book in this new captivating duology.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fable <i>takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue and adventure.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>What I Liked:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">It has certainly been a while since I reviewed a book. But there was no way I wasn't going to write a review for <i>Fable</i>. I've been reading - no, savoring - <i>Fable </i>for months. This book was exactly what I needed to pull me out of a deep reading slump. This novel is full of high risks, adventure, friendship, found family, and a swoony slow-burn romance.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fable is the daughter of a powerful trader (Saint), who abandoned her on a dangerous island just hours after her mother drowned during a storm at sea. Surviving on this treacherous island hasn't been easy, but Fable has been honing her skills as a deep-sea dredger to collect precious stones and gems to trade for money, so she can get off the island. But circumstances can change at the turn of the tide, and Fable finds herself in a desperate situation to get off the island. With the reluctant help of a trader, West, Fable gets off the island, and she is determined to find her father and demand her rightful place on his ship. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I had a feeling that I would love this book before I picked it up because the summary is so intriguing, but I also had read other books by Adrienne Young and I was expecting another excellent story. Young absolutely delivered on this. This story gave me Pirates of the Caribbean vibes in the summary, and I definitely got that feeling as I was reading. The atmosphere is exciting, but also eerie/threatening/dangerous, in a sense. I love the undercurrent of danger that runs through the story, and ratchets up at the climax. One thing Young does so well is building that tension throughout the story.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">From the first page, I really liked Fable. She is a heroine that is easy to like and relate to (even if you aren't in a situation like she is - most of us aren't!). She is such a strong young woman who has been put in an incredibly difficult do-or-die situation for most of her life. She is so resilient - but she isn't perfect. Her own mistakes lead her to scrambling off the island, which leads to more problems. Fable "enters" this story as a clever, tough, determined individual, but she becomes even more so as the story progresses. She opens her heart to the strangers of the Marigold, which could be a big mistake. In doing so, she finds a family that she has never had, even when her parents were in her life.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">You won't just fall in love with Fable - you'll love West, and the rest of the Marigold crew. West is such a mysterious character with so many layers of backstory and tragedy. I am terribly fond of characters who aren't who they seem, and who don't trust anyone, and who have had to make awful decisions in the past. Both West and Fable are this type of character. The other members of the crew are mistrustful of Fable at first - especially Willa - and with good reason.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There is slow-burn, sweet romance in this book, and I love it so much. I shipped this couple from their initial interaction of the book, and I want them to get a happy ending so badly. There is also another romance between secondary characters which I loved. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The ending of this book is a pretty intense cliffhanger, so be prepared to be screaming for book two when you get to the last page. I personally hate cliffhangers and I appreciate the heads-up, so that I can binge-read the series when it is published, but I read this book so early (back in January) and had no idea about the cliffhanger. The good thing is, <i>Namesake </i>publishes in March!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fable is one of those stories that lingers in my mind, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I am so happy that the book has lived up to its predecessors and the hype, and I can't wait to read the conclusion to the series. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>What I Did Not Like:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Like I said, I personally don't like cliffhangers. Even in a series, I love it when the author wraps up each book, but perhaps the "big picture" plot hasn't been quite wrapped up, or something like that. I understand the need to "hook" the reader, but cliffhangers are so mean (especially when a series gets cancelled or more books are never published, for whatever reason!). As far as cliffhangers go, this is a pretty intense one, so it's a great type of cliffhanger but readers are going to be upset that <i>Namesake </i>isn't available yet. Hang in there!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Would I Recommend It:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I absolutely would recommend this book - especially as someone who has been in a months-long reading slump. If you're looking for action/adventure with a slow-burn romance in the background, this is a great book to read. It has crossover appeal so I would say that adults, young adults, and maybe even upper middle grade readers could read and love this book. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Rating:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">5 stars. I will read anything Adrienne Young writes. <i>Fable </i>has cemented that. I can't wait to read <i>Namesake</i>!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44012880-fable" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250254361/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fable-adrienne-young/1135426597?ean=9781250254368" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Fable-Adrienne-Young/9781250254368" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250254368" target="_blank">Macmillan</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-large;">Follow the Author:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.adrienneyoungbooks.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16640489.Adrienne_Young" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adrienneyoungbooks/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><b>Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</b></span></div></div>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-47054106996378355392020-08-24T00:00:00.140-04:002020-08-24T00:00:11.461-04:00Blog Tour: Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRxcojnMm0wzIwLgfzNxDKGq6Mf7qVXUT8xlM2-doG8ph5VfcVV_iDguK07Lhg8zw-G_JzF9nVPnebRGveaghc_xxIR1aHlhsFA3jssACrtaMvdRS8F3ZXFZhfQsT31XjIBjcpTkJtKI/s828/Blog+Tour+Banner_Use+before+8.25.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="828" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRxcojnMm0wzIwLgfzNxDKGq6Mf7qVXUT8xlM2-doG8ph5VfcVV_iDguK07Lhg8zw-G_JzF9nVPnebRGveaghc_xxIR1aHlhsFA3jssACrtaMvdRS8F3ZXFZhfQsT31XjIBjcpTkJtKI/w512-h194/Blog+Tour+Banner_Use+before+8.25.png" width="512" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Good morning and happy Monday, bibliovores! I've got a post for you today! I'm so excited to share an excerpt of Janella Angeles's upcoming debut novel, <i>Where Dreams Descend.</i> Check it out below - and if you are planning on preordering this book, today is your last day to do so!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><b>About the Book:</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37z3IWHnOu7JPCfryqsqtKvVadCmbyEPEkNBUuQKTUNH31Dp13rNouzPQXM5dclhClib1rUMds7oeQHdyOvBxXOACUvtkzBaa8ZYMjF-j-s9I50K1eDE6VI7fXsA3ioTGEmBBiWa-X6c/s2048/Where+Dreams+Descend_Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1347" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37z3IWHnOu7JPCfryqsqtKvVadCmbyEPEkNBUuQKTUNH31Dp13rNouzPQXM5dclhClib1rUMds7oeQHdyOvBxXOACUvtkzBaa8ZYMjF-j-s9I50K1eDE6VI7fXsA3ioTGEmBBiWa-X6c/w216-h328/Where+Dreams+Descend_Cover.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Where Dreams Descend</i> by Janella Angeles</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the Kingdom of Cards series</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Wednesday Books</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: August 25, 2020</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Official Summary:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.</i></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40144224-where-dreams-descend" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Where-Dreams-Descend-Novel-Kingdom/dp/1250204356/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/where-dreams-descend-janella-angeles/1132911590" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Where-Dreams-Descend-Janella-Angeles/9781250204356" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://read.macmillan.com/lp/where-dreams-descend/" target="_blank">Macmillan</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXt4u4n1AMkUZk6HWC8TCxRFxNLvFxowDYXr7V4w1yLmn_cGYHoZlXtM8jh68-OoGbrHUyV1Utd5VqPCfSH9r2b44bOUWrGpjua5LdnQIlV9SYxNoQ8nVwW6kvIqiMpbaDFamUb9CDGQ/s2048/Mei+Lin+Barral+Photography_Janella+Angeles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXt4u4n1AMkUZk6HWC8TCxRFxNLvFxowDYXr7V4w1yLmn_cGYHoZlXtM8jh68-OoGbrHUyV1Utd5VqPCfSH9r2b44bOUWrGpjua5LdnQIlV9SYxNoQ8nVwW6kvIqiMpbaDFamUb9CDGQ/w219-h328/Mei+Lin+Barral+Photography_Janella+Angeles.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo by: Mei Lin Barral Photography</div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">JANELLA ANGELES is a Filipino-American author who got her start in writing through consuming glorious amounts of fanfiction at a young age—which eventually led to penning a few of her own, and later on, creating original stories from her imagination. A lifelong lover of books, she's lucky enough to be working in the business of publishing them on top of writing them. She currently resides in Massachusetts, where she's most likely to be found listening to musicals on repeat and daydreaming too much for her own good. <i>Where Dreams Descend </i>is her first book.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://janellaangeles.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18036462.Janella_Angeles" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://janellaangeles.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8298b5f5c2ad10ad0e2b4f3b5&id=11ab719afd" target="_blank">Newsletter</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/janella_angeles" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/janella_angeles/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-large;">Early Praise for <i>Where Dreams Descend</i>:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">"Janella Angeles steals the 2020 show with her fiercely imagined debut starring larger than life characters, a dangerous world alive with magic, and a dizzying dose of grab-a-fainting-couch-and-swoon-away romance!" - Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of <i>The Gilded Wolves</i></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">"<i>Where Dreams Descend</i> is a glamorous dark gem of a tale, sparkling with romance, magic, and intrigue. Readers will be captivated by prima donna Kallia as the mystery is slowly unmasked. Bravissima!" - Julie C. Dao, author of <i>Forest of a Thousand Lanterns</i></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">“Lavish and opulent in a way that feels warmly familiar yet demands your attention. There are secrets upon secrets, a girl who’s boldly ambitious, and truly riveting stage magic. I didn’t want the show to stop.” - Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of <i>Wicked Saints</i></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">"Vibrant imagery, jaw-dropping set pieces, sizzling romantic tension, and unstoppable heroine Kallia bring this ambitious debut novel to spectacular life. Fans of <i>Caraval </i>and <i>The Night Circus</i> will be delighted!" - Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of <i>Furyborn </i></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">"[A] spellbinding melody of a book, and the true magic is how Angeles puts all the best parts of an enrapturing theatrical performance onto paper and ink. From the gripping twists in the first pages all the way to the final, heartbreaking crescendo, Where Dreams Descend will surge you to your feet in a standing ovation.” – Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of the <i>Snow Like Ashes</i> trilogy</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: xx-large;">Preorder Campaign:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today is your LAST DAY to submit your receipt to receive an art print illustrated by Alexis Castellanos! The campaign ends on 08/24 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to USA/CAN.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><img height="298" src="https://d827xgdhgqbnd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/07121634/WDD-Art-Print-Sweeps-smaller.png" width="418" /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://read.macmillan.com/promo/wheredreamsdescendpreorder/" target="_blank">HERE </a></b>is the link!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-large;">The Excerpt:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Never come to Hellfire House without wearing a mask.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">It was one of the rare rules in a joint without any. The only rule the master of the club did not mind following. He blended in with the sea of suits and white masks that arrived every other night, switching appearances from crowd to crowd. A bartender one moment, a dealer at the card tables the next.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Only his face remained the same, half-masked and haunting. Like a prince who relished the bloody crown on his head, and the ghosts that came with it. A face almost hardened by beauty, though glints of youth ran deep beneath soft black eyes. It always shocked new guests, to see him. The master of the House was rumored to be a dragon of a man. A monster. A magician who had no mercy for fools.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Only those who dared slur the word <i>boy </i>in his face understood how true those rumors were.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">To the rest, he played the devil on all shoulders, leading patrons to his bar and game tables, guiding them toward his enchanted smoke lounge to drown in curated memories. The warmth of first love, the heady rush of triumph, the immense joy of dreams come true. The master kept a selection of sensations, and one hit of the pipes delivered magic the people came crawling to his house to taste.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">They had no idea the show that was in store for them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The master of the House sipped his short glass of scarlet whiskey in peace, tapping along the wide black strip over his brass knuckles. He’d long since manipulated his attire, sitting casually at a card table and savoring the mayhem. Raucous cheers erupted from the next table as dice rolled out across the surface. Smiling Hellfire girls in black blazers and masks of lace denied patrons begging for a dance. Loudest of all, the dealer’s crisp shuffling of the black cards with teeth-white numbers before she doled out hands to players at the table.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“No, no more,” one moaned. “I can’t.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Sure you can, chap.” A young man in a white thorn-edged mask cheerfully pressed him back in his seat. “We can’t leave. Haven’t even finished your drink, yet.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">His drunken friend’s mouth puckered under another gulp. “Think it’s true, the drink? <i>Magician’s Blood</i>, the menu said.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Think you have power, now?” Thorn Mask laughed, leaning back to appraise the club. “Here, you take your magic where you can get it. You wear a mask. You flip a card, smoke a memory. Or you look up . . . at her.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The master’s fingers tightened around his glass, just as the lights dimmed. Dancers cleared the floor under the hush of music, shifting from smooth, steady beats to a racing rhythm loud as thunderous applause.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Right on cue.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The band’s worth of instruments he’d charmed for the night started up a wild entry tune of drums, the thick trill of trumpets. Chatter ceased and backs straightened as a beam of light speared toward the ceiling. A panel slid open over the dance floor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">And the chandelier descended.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Strings of crystals dangled along tiered rims of rose gold, cutting sharply into a jewel-set swing where a masked showgirl sat. A throne of glittering jewels, casting luminous lace across the walls and the ground and the audience taking her in. Her brown skin glowed against her corset, red as her gem-studded mask. Arms stretched out, she crossed and extended her legs in smooth lines all the way down, until her heels touched the lacquered black dancefloor. With the hint of a smile, she rose from her throne and stalked forward, thrusting a hand up with a snap.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Darkness engulfed the room.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hoots and hollers rang at the drop of the beat, before a glimmer of her form reappeared in the shadows. The room pulsed at her command, matching the spike of heartbeats the master sensed throughout the club.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The smirk on his lips matched the girl’s as she arched her back to the raw stretch of the melody. She thrived under the attention, like a wildflower under the sun. A star finding the night.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">His star.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“I’ll be damned.” The drunk at the card table breathed in awe, as the girl’s palms began brightening with a molten glow. “Nothing like an academy girl.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Worth the trip, right?” His friend clapped a hand on his shoulder.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“I didn’t know they could be magicians like . . . <i>this</i>.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The master smothered a dark scoff under a sip of whiskey. The girl showed off good tricks—improvised and bettered from his basic crowd-pleasers. Treating the ceiling like a sky and showering comets from it, casting an elaborate shadow show of dancing shades over the floor, shifting every candlelight in the room to different colors to the beat of the music.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">But always the performer, she preferred to be front and center. Teasing her power just enough to make the audience want more of her magic, more of her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">He wet his lips as flames shot from her hands, arcing over her head and around her body. The fire’s melody bent to her every movement, and she gave everything to it. If she wasn’t careful, she’d overexert herself like she did most nights, never knowing when to stop. How to pull back.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Careful never was her strongest suit.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sparks fell before her, sizzling on the ground. Unafraid, she sauntered down her stage of flames with slow swaying hips and a firelit smile.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Magicians like this are best kept a secret,” Thorn Mask went on. “And besides, the work is far too scandalous for a lady. Only clubs will take them.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“What a shame. Imagine going up against the likes of her at the competition.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The master paused, drawing his gaze back to his glass.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Not this again. That flyer was nothing but a joke.” Thorn Mask slapped the table with a groaning laugh. “A prank.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The drunk sloppily patted around his coat, pulling from his breast pocket a dirty, scrunched ball of paper. “It’s real. They’re all over the academies, in Deque and New Crown and—”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“A <i>prank</i>,” repeated Thorn Mask, unfolding the flyer anyway. “It has to be. No one’s been to that city in ages, it would never open itself to such games.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“That makes it all the more interesting, don’t you think?” As another roar of cheers erupted around them, the friend sipped his drink smugly. “Imagine if she entered, the city might implode.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Right. As if that would ever happen.” Thorn Mask leered. “Competition would eat a creature like her alive.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Because she’s . . . ?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">With an impish lift of his brow, the man in the thorny mask flicked the flyer off the table and returned to his forgotten spread of cards. “Let’s get on with the game, shall we?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Before he could gesture at the dealer, the master suddenly appeared at their table, snatching the young man’s wrist in a biting grip. The man yelped as the force knocked over his drink, and sent a stream of hidden cards spilling out from his sleeves.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“What’s this?” The master bent toward the ground and picked up a couple, entirely too calm. “Cheating in <i>my </i>house?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The man froze, recognition dawning at the brass knuckles alone. “Where did you—I-I mean,” he sputtered, patting frantically at his sleeve. “That’s impossible. Those aren’t mine, I swear.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Then where did they come from?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sweat dripped from his temple, his face paler than the white of his mask. “I emptied my pockets at the door. Honest.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Honest</i>. That was the best he could do? The master almost laughed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“You want to know the price cheaters pay in my joint?” His question offered no mercy. Only deliverance, served on ice. “Memories.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“No, please!” The man’s lip trembled. “I didn’t, I-I’ll do whatever you want!”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“This <i>is </i>what I want.” The master rose from the table with the jerk of his wrist. The cheat flew to the ground in a gasp as he gripped at the invisible chain-like weight around his neck. Sharp, staccato breaths followed the master as he dragged his prisoner toward the smoke dens.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The man screamed, but no one heard him. No one saw, no one cared. All eyes fell on the star of the show as she searched for a dance partner to join her. The drunken friend, noticing nothing amiss, raised his half-full glass of Magician’s Blood to his lips before waving his hand high like the others. The man thrashed harder, only to feel his cries smothered and deeper in his throat. His form, invisible at the sweep of the master’s hand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">With a disdainful glance, the master chuckled. “You’re only making this more difficult for yourself. One memory won’t kill you.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">At once, he paused. The lights blinked around them, the air grown still. Dim and hazy, as though locked in a dream.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">He thought nothing of it until he caught the movements of the patrons—their arms raised and waving slowly, increment by increment. Their cheers dulled and stretched into low, gravelly roars, as if the sound were wading through heavier air. Against time itself.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Where do you think <i>you’re </i>going?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The sound of her voice slithered around him, stopping the master in his tracks. The man quieted. Sweat soaked his pale face, his chest heaving. The showgirl stood in their path, every stare in the room still locked on the spotlit floor where she’d been. As though she’d never left.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Impressive.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Her red corset glinted as she cocked her hip and pointed at the man on the floor. “I choose him.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">She could never let things be easy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Kallia,” he growled, warning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">She smiled. “Jack.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“Pick another. He’s a cheater.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Her lips pursed into a dubious line. “Then let me teach him a lesson. He’ll no doubt prefer it more.” She swung a leg over the man’s prone form so she stood directly above him. Invitation dripped from the crook of her fingers. “The music calls, darling. Let’s have ourselves a grand time.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The man’s terror turned swiftly into awe, and he looked at her as if ready to kiss the ground she walked on. As soon as he took her beckoning hand, the room resumed its lively rhythm—a song snapped back in full swing. The cheers and hollers returned to their normal speed, exploding in delight as patrons found their lovely entertainer in their midst, her chosen dance partner in tow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">She bypassed the master, pressing a casual hand on his chest to move him. It lingered, he noticed. Unafraid, unlike most. Their gazes locked for a moment, their masked faces inches apart.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">No one ever dared to get this close. To him, to her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Only each other.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">At the next round of cheers and whistles, she pushed him away, smug as a cat. Tugging the man close behind her, she sent fires onto the ground that illuminated her path and warded others from trying to follow them to the stage. Never once looking back at the master, even as he watched on after her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">His fist tightened, full of the cards from his earlier trick. They disappeared into mist, having served their purpose. Along with the flyer he managed to grab.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">He didn’t even bother giving it a read. It died in the fire caged by his palm. Tendrils of smoke rose between his brass knuckles, and when he opened his fingers, nothing but ash fell to the ground.</span></div></div></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I'm so excited for this book to be published! Here is a photo of me and Janella, when I met her at ALAMW in January. She is super sweet!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIDu1lsZhWMR1K_HgOXBPZban-GuAbeIx-fQ61gFfwQgjMxGQvVz5SUysTkVKQ7F5DbZD4gcX0BhR_IytbJ-8pswjiCj6vaGouGuoRuw0GHWJu5qU8Qq1bD062iWaOMtVTV073CTKyI0/s4032/IMG_20200125_103254_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmIDu1lsZhWMR1K_HgOXBPZban-GuAbeIx-fQ61gFfwQgjMxGQvVz5SUysTkVKQ7F5DbZD4gcX0BhR_IytbJ-8pswjiCj6vaGouGuoRuw0GHWJu5qU8Qq1bD062iWaOMtVTV073CTKyI0/w308-h410/IMG_20200125_103254_1.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Are you excited about <i>Where Dreams Descend</i>? Have you read books similar to this, like <i>Caraval</i> or <i>The Night Circus</i>?</span></div>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-77653346931117796312019-12-25T17:00:00.000-05:002019-12-25T17:00:02.335-05:00Happy Holidays!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;">Readers, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;">Happy holidays! I want to wish everyone the best holiday season. For those who celebrate, Merry Christmas! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and I'm enjoying the time with my family. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;">The new year is coming up, and hopefully, changes to The Eater of Books! -- so, stay tuned. Until then, happy New Year!</span></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-38730097247244465792019-10-15T08:00:00.000-04:002019-10-15T08:00:03.229-04:00Blog Tour Double Review: Collateral & Damage by Natasha Knight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUznClTWwCr0D1VHXDxaY-dlZ5LVH0BUfUojQ_P8_Ie7_JUCUTJVQThfkythdUyyxAMZnafXu5qd0OznQukCw4AlIXfZLekWZE-mPQnjNeUkRYQZOdSwX1ZVQDtYNbpNR2SHKy-Nhi9Q/s1600/Damge+RB+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1570" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUznClTWwCr0D1VHXDxaY-dlZ5LVH0BUfUojQ_P8_Ie7_JUCUTJVQThfkythdUyyxAMZnafXu5qd0OznQukCw4AlIXfZLekWZE-mPQnjNeUkRYQZOdSwX1ZVQDtYNbpNR2SHKy-Nhi9Q/s400/Damge+RB+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Tuesday! Today is the publication date of <i>Damage</i> by Natasha Knight, the second and final novel in the <i>Collateral Damage</i> duology. I'm sharing my review of both <i>Collateral </i>and <i>Damage</i>. I hope you enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review of <i>Damage</i>:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Damage </i>by Natasha Knight</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book Two of the <i>Collateral Damage</i> series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: October 15, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 4 stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: eARC sent by the publicist</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Official Summary:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>We’re a match made in hell, Stefan and I.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>He took me to exact his revenge. I went from being a pawn to my father to being a pawn to Stefan. The only difference is I have a ring the size of a boulder on my finger and a husband I don’t want.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And the hardest part is I thought he was different. I thought I was falling in love.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I guess my father was right. I’m not a very smart girl.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Stefan is a powerful man. He doesn’t play nice, not if you’re his enemy. But I’ve learned one thing about my husband.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>He takes care of what’s his.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And I am his.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>His enemies have become my enemies, but he’ll never let anyone hurt me. He’s fiercely protective. It’s the predator inside that scares me.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What I Liked:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'll keep this review somewhat short, since this is a conclusion novel and I want to avoid spoilers. We met Stefan and Gabriela in <i>Collateral</i>, and what a dynamic, passionate, intense couple they are. Their love story is incredibly dark, and not your typical romance. There is push and pull, give and take. Their relationship is incredibly difficult, heartbreaking, and angst-ridden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This book picks up pretty much where <i>Collateral</i> left off. Things are in motion from the start, and the action doesn't slow down until the very last page. I really don't want to spoil anything for anyone, so I won't say any specifics. But I will say that Stefan and Gabriela clash and collide very soon after this book starts, in a sweet and powerful way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The romance in general is not sweet. It's not a cute, slow-burn romance. It's a slow-burn romance that is filled with pain, passion, and tug-of-way. I didn't always like Stefan's actions; I didn't always like Gabriela's compromises. But I did like how they slowly found their way into their relationship, together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is no love triangle in this book! One thing that I truly liked was how the two main characters were together, whether they liked it or not, from the start, and never strayed from their engagement (or marriage).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This book ends with a bang - but also a HEA! And that is all I will say. I enjoyed this novel, and I definitely enjoyed the ending. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What I Did Not Like:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I will say that I did not always like Stefan's actions. I understand his mind, and his regret, but I didn't like how he conducted himself at times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also wanted a little more development of their relationship at the very end. The author seemed to want to put a neat bow on the ending, and tie everything up quickly. But Stefan and Gabriela's relationship issues couldn't just be fixed so quickly, with one or two hurdles out of the way. I wanted to see a little more development. But on the other hand, I was really happy about the HEA!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Would I Recommend It:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you like dark romances, then this is a good one. It is not sweet - it is intense and dark and not super romantic. But I liked the painful, tortured level of the romance. It's definitely not for everyone though. I am so glad that an author friend recommended <i>Collateral</i> to me - I loved this series!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4 stars. I am pretty pleased with this duology and so glad I gave it a chance. I'll definitely be on the lookout for new books by this author!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47194876-damage" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VQNM3JZ/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/damage-natasha-knight/1132504729?ean=2940156568659" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/damage-38" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://apple.co/2n99QFi" target="_blank">iBooks</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Review of <i>Collateral</i>:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Collateral </i>by Natasha Knight</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the<i> Collateral Damage</i> series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: September 23, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: Purchased ebook copy</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Gabriela</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Stefan Sabbioni showed up uninvited in my bedroom on my sixteenth birthday. He stood in the shadows smelling of whiskey and death and wrapped a broken, blood-crusted necklace around my neck. I thought he'd strangle me with it.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">That night, he left a message for my father. He said he'd be back to take something precious.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">I never delivered that message, though. I wonder if things would be different if I had because now, two years later, he's back. And he's not hiding in any shadows.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">He's come to make good on his promise.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">He's back to take that something precious.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Me.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Stefan</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Marchese is the manipulator of my family's tragedy. I won't just bring him to his knees. I'll bury him for what he did.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Taking his daughter is only the beginning. I'll do it knowing I'm starting a war. I'll do it knowing my enemies will become his allies. They'll stop at nothing to destroy me and he'll stop at nothing to get her back.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">I've never shied away from war, though. I'm not one to play nice and I don't share my toys. I'll demolish you if you touch what's mine.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">And she is most definitely mine.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What I Liked:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I started reading this book on a complete whim. A friend on social media shared one of the author's promotional posts, on the publication day, and it piqued my interest. This friend has had excellent recommendations so I decided to check out the book. I picked it up... and two hours later I found myself at the end. When was the last time that happened? I cannot remember the last time I read a book in one sitting. I was hooked from page one. Realistically, I was hooked from the premise!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a dark mafia romance story, featuring Stefan, the heir of the Sabbioni mafia family, and Gabriela, the heir of the Marchese mafia family. Stefan is out for blood, after his brother Antonio is brutally murdered. He has good reason to believe that the Marchese family was behind the murder. Two years after the murder, he comes after the Marchese family by blackmailing Gabriela's father into signing her into a marriage contract with him (Stefan). Gabriela knows nothing of Antonio's murder, or her father's mafia dealings. She was a pawn of her father and she is now a pawn of Stefan. But Stefan is more than the cold man that he appears, and her father isn't all that he appears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love mafia romances. One of my favorite romance novels is The Marriage Contract by Katee Robert. All of the books in that series are fantastic, but that one in particular is my favorite. So when I saw this book, also featuring an arranged marriage, and hate-to-love romance (and slow-burn, at that), I figured I would love this. And I did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gabriela seems like a spoiled brat at first, but she isn't. She is a pawn, always used by someone. She has lived her life surrounded by bloodshed and violence - it's no wonder she hates Stefan Sabbioni on the spot. From one dangerous man to another - she knows she is powerless in any situation. But she's the type that won't go down without a fight. She fought her father constantly and was punished every time. When Stefan takes her away, she doesn't allow him to bully her. (Or she tries!) Her situation is so heartbreaking all around, but she is so tough and resilient.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stefan appears a cold, heartless man. He forces Gabriela to become engaged to him, and to marry him within a month. He has rules for her and he expects her to follow them without question. He's a hard, clever, alpha male, which should have made me dislike (and I did at first). But the author digs deep into his character and slowly shows layers of him. I warmed up to him after a little. He didn't have any patience with Gabriela at first, and I hated him for that, but I started to understand him and see him differently as the book went on - especially when he himself started to soften and change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For a romance novel, this book was actually sparse on the romance, in a way. There's very little physical romance in this book, and the softer feelings aren't totally developed. But the tension was so well-written. The tension and chemistry between Stefan and Gabriela is thick enough to slice with a knife. They have volatile, passionate chemistry, and I have no doubt that there will be some heavy, complex, intense scenes in the next book. I actually really like how this is set up. The author split the story into two books, and did not rush the romance OR the chemistry. The chemistry is built up slowly but very surely, and the romance (the emotional side) starts in this book but there are no declarations of love (heck, I don't think these two characters love each other - yet).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stefan and Gabriela do not have an easy journey, and their relationship is nothing but difficult. They don't trust each other, they have their own baggage, and they don't get along. But you can see things changing as the book goes on. I really like the how the author paced this story. I am so vexed that I have to wait for another book BUT it appears to be very much worth it. Please don't disappoint, Damage!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The ending is a cliffhanger, beware! Book two (the final book) publishes in two weeks, so the wait isn't too bad, but the cliffhanger is a lot to handle! Just keep that in mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I really liked this book. I am hoping that <i>Damage </i>will be even better, especially with so much unresolved between Stefan and Gabriela (gah! I need more kissing!), and so much about her father that needs to be uncovered... I'm ready!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What I Did Not Like:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a scene, in the beginning of the book, that I did not like. It bothered me when I initially read it, and know that I've finished the book, it's still bothering me. Now that I've finished the book, I can look at the entire story, and that scene almost seems out of place in the story. I can't say what the scene is, but it was something involving Stefan and Gabriela, early on. Stefan had no patience with her at first,and I'm not excusing his initial behavior. This is a dark romance novel, and neither of them saw each other as human beings at first, but this scene stuck out to me. That's my own notable negative about this book. It probably wouldn't even bother most people!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That, and Clara. An unnecessary relative. Very unnecessary.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Would I Recommend It:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you like dark romances, or mafia romances, then this is a great book for you! Note that the romance isn't fully fleshed out in this book, so there aren't many physical romance scenes, but I expect Damage will be different. Plus, the tension is fantastic, and the pacing is really well-written. It's a slow-burn romance story, and very worth it!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars. I read this book in one sitting and was a tiny bit disappointed when I realized I couldn't one-click book two and start reading! But two weeks is not too long to wait. I'm excited!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48209195-collateral" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y1R8V3G/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/collateral-natasha-knight/1132501563?ean=2940156503506" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/collateral-13" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/collateral/id1473013185" target="_blank">iBooks</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, Natasha Knight specializes in dark, tortured heroes. Happily-Ever-Afters are guaranteed, but she likes to put her characters through hell to get them there. She’s evil like that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://natasha-knight.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6478732.Natasha_Knight" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/natashaknightauthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/NatashaKnight13" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natashaknight13/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-71117811183303812782019-10-01T08:00:00.000-04:002019-10-01T08:00:01.517-04:00Cover Reveal: Damage by Natasha Knight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EAK3lGRQOmqaCzWukHlQ3g9Ao91ZooZOLckg2rV7adVrQHAkMYKoBZn_TqerFfwcEcJM0vIu9eEhkqHm57oVSShVWo3_sVVtcRGZbOIS-Upb3CFSCpFZzBL2N_7m0qc4aeo9ZA0KAbI/s1600/DAMAGE+CR+BANNER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1570" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EAK3lGRQOmqaCzWukHlQ3g9Ao91ZooZOLckg2rV7adVrQHAkMYKoBZn_TqerFfwcEcJM0vIu9eEhkqHm57oVSShVWo3_sVVtcRGZbOIS-Upb3CFSCpFZzBL2N_7m0qc4aeo9ZA0KAbI/s400/DAMAGE+CR+BANNER.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hello and happy Tuesday! I'm so excited to help reveal the cover of <i>Damage</i>, the second and final book of the Collateral Damage series. I just read <i>Collateral</i> last week and I LOVED it. Book two (<i>Damage</i>) is publishing in two weeks - get ready! If you liked Katee Robert's <i>The Marriage Contract</i>, you won't want to miss this series!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's the cover of <i>Damage</i>!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNgT-REINgAngPu5OctK_h-91EHc_lh3vkiW7MtpRqz0NflqX1scMDtH7ckP6E7YnJX4tVuvMBmGLnQ-dVS1YYSQCdXBAlRQlYnHsPdOMnOus6mF_XmH94u-JfrnacdDC2zaUY9cf6o0/s1600/Damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="426" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNgT-REINgAngPu5OctK_h-91EHc_lh3vkiW7MtpRqz0NflqX1scMDtH7ckP6E7YnJX4tVuvMBmGLnQ-dVS1YYSQCdXBAlRQlYnHsPdOMnOus6mF_XmH94u-JfrnacdDC2zaUY9cf6o0/s640/Damage.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Damage</i> by Natasha Knight</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book Two of the Collateral Damage duology</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: October 15, 2019</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Official Summary:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>We’re a match made in hell, Stefan and I.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>He took me to exact his revenge. I went from being a pawn to my father to being a pawn to Stefan. The only difference is I have a ring the size of a boulder on my finger and a husband I don’t want.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And the hardest part is I thought he was different. I thought I was falling in love.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I guess my father was right. I’m not a very smart girl.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Stefan is a powerful man. He doesn’t play nice, not if you’re his enemy. But I’ve learned one thing about my husband.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>He takes care of what’s his.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And I am his.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>His enemies have become my enemies, but he’ll never let anyone hurt me. He’s fiercely protective. It’s the predator inside that scares me.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47194876-damage" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VQNM3JZ/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/damage-natasha-knight/1132504729?ean=2940156568659" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/damage-38" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://apple.co/2n99QFi" target="_blank">iBooks</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, Natasha Knight specializes in dark, tortured heroes. Happily-Ever-Afters are guaranteed, but she likes to put her characters through hell to get them there. She’s evil like that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://natasha-knight.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6478732.Natasha_Knight" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/natashaknightauthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/NatashaKnight13" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natashaknight13/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">You can read my review of <i>Collateral </i>on Goodreads. I'll be posting it on my blog in two weeks, with my review of <i>Damage</i>. Get excited!</span></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-44419217063110260412019-09-19T00:00:00.000-04:002019-09-19T00:00:04.369-04:00Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Welcome to the blog tour for<i> The Beautiful</i> by Renée Ahdieh! I'm thrilled and honored to be a part of this wonderful promotion! Check out my interview with Renée below - and be sure to come back to my blog on October 4th for a huge giveaway!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Meet Renée!</b></span></div>
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(I have, in person, twice. She's amazing!)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alyssa</b>: Arjun Desai" is an Indian name (represent!). Was there a specific inspiration for the name?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Renée</b>: One of my closest friends from college is originally from Mumbai, and my husband and I have visited him four times since we graduated. His name is not Arjun, but so much of Arjun’s character is informed by these amazing experiences we got to share with his family in his world. I chose “Arjun” for this character’s names because it means “bright, shining,” and I think this word most aptly describes his personality. He is often a light in the darkness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alyssa</b>: What was something about Arjun that you struggled to write or come up with?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Renée</b>: Arjun was a character that came to mind almost fully formed, which is such a rare treat for me as a writer. I think it was because I channeled so many of my own experiences with our close friend, as well as understanding what Arjun wanted and needed early on in the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alyssa</b>: What is a quality or trait or Arjun that you also share?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Renée</b>: This is a bit of a spoiler for later, as it’s not immediately apparent in <i>The Beautiful</i>, but Arjun loves to cook. He’s also a vegetarian, and his passion for the cuisine of his country will become much more obvious in subsequent books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alyssa</b>: What is one message or truth that Arjun would want everyone to know?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Renée</b>: Arjun is a character with a lot of anger in his family, and it taught him at an early age how destructive anger can be, especially with those to whom you are closest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alyssa</b>: What would Arjun's favorite Bollywood movie be?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Renée</b>: Arjun is both a softie and a lover of good comedy, so either "Devdas" or "Dostana"! But he also enjoys a good cricket match, so perhaps even "Lagaan"? There are too many to choose from!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Alyssa</b>: Excellent choices. Thanks so much, Renée! I'll see you in D.C. in a few weeks!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Renée Ahdieh is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling <i>The Wrath and the Dawn </i>and <i>The Rose and the Dagger</i>. In her spare time, she likes to dance salsa and collect shoes. She is passionate about all kinds of curry, rescue dogs, and college basketball. The first few years of her life were spent in a high-rise in South Korea; consequently, Renée enjoys having her head in the clouds. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and their tiny overlord of a dog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://reneeahdieh.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4600197.Renee_Ahdieh" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ReneeAhdiehAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/rahdieh" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reneeahdieh/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Book:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdL0f-UwhPCgCFU2OuCBxjHmB7Jyo6dxm74725b_ZJCSw3Q4hB294xIWUrixSDq_lGwlIaqpgnsuRr0NWV621evJd8M8tIKLvZE-nb8qVW0IwlnChbNgJ6gfyVtoLp0B_4mEP-GINWFM/s1600/Beautiful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdL0f-UwhPCgCFU2OuCBxjHmB7Jyo6dxm74725b_ZJCSw3Q4hB294xIWUrixSDq_lGwlIaqpgnsuRr0NWV621evJd8M8tIKLvZE-nb8qVW0IwlnChbNgJ6gfyVtoLp0B_4mEP-GINWFM/s320/Beautiful.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Beautiful</i> by Renée Ahdieh</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of <i>The Beautiful</i> series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: October 8, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: </i>The Beautiful<i>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42265183-the-beautiful" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1524738174/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beautiful-ren-e-ahdieh/1130202241" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Beautiful-Renee-Ahdieh/9781524738174" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9781524738174" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Are you excited about Renée's new book? How about vampires making a comeback? What is something you hope to see Renée write in the future?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Be sure to stop by on October 4th to enter a very cool giveaway related to <i>The Beautiful</i>! Right now, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/296298-the-beautiful" target="_blank">you can enter to win one of five ARCs of <i>The Beautiful</i>!</a></span></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-45240695800068903562019-06-17T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-17T00:00:05.982-04:00Blog Tour: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Good morning and happy Monday, book fans! I'm dusting off my blog to share my love for <i>Sorcery of Thorns</i>, Margaret Rogerson's latest novel with Simon & Schuster. I adored this book and hope you all will too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Sorcery of Thorns</i> by Margaret Rogerson</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: June 4, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5 stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: ARC provided by the publisher</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Official Summary:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>From the New York Times bestselling author of </i>An Enchantment of Ravens<i> comes an imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What I Liked:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Sorcery of Thorns</i> is one of those books that has just as beautiful a story as its cover. I remember seeing the cover reveal post and thinking, wow, I'm entranced already. I loved Rogerson's debut novel, a standalone called <i>An Enchantment of Ravens</i>, so I had high expectations for this new standalone. I'm so happy to say that I loved this book!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story follows Elisabeth, an orphan raised in one of the many Great Libraries, surrounded by grimoires and librarians. She has always known that she wanted to be among books for the rest of her life. But a curious and deadly set of events leads to her being thrown out of the Library and running for her life. She finds herself working together with a sorcerer, Nathaniel Thorn, in order to expose a powerful sorcerer who is behind the sabotage, the destruction of grimoires, and impending end of the human world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the strongest aspects of this book is the writing style. I love Rogerson's writing. She has amazing prose and lovely descriptions, but she also sets the scene beautifully. She has a way of wrapping the story and the world-building around the reader, so you're immersed without consciously realizing it. I hadn't picked up a book in months, and wasn't quite in the mood for reading, but when I started reading this one, I didn't realize just how drawn in I was. I couldn't stop reading.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And of course, that's also attributed to the story itself. This book is about 500 pages but it doesn't feel like that, because the story is so intriguing. Once events start rolling, the action never stops. Get past the first two or three chapters and you'll be hooked (if you weren't already, from page one). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elisabeth is an easy character to love. She's quiet and inquisitive, but also fiery and decisive. She is an intelligent and has good instincts. Her foil is Nathaniel, who is charming and good-natured, with a sense of humor that hide great pain. I loved Nathaniel, for her charm, his selflessness, and his strength. And then there's Silas, a demon that has served Nathaniel and his family for years. Silas is a an interesting character; he is the family's demon, but he is Nathaniel's friend nonetheless. He is loyal and as kind as a demon could possibly be. I liked Silas and honestly could not see the story without him in it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There's a little romance! No love triangle. Nathaniel and Elisabeth are an adorable pair that have a hard-earned, slow-burn romance. I am a fan!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a lovely fantasy standalone novel that I will definitely be reading again. It is one of the few books I've read this year, and it makes sense why it captured my attention. It's so well-written and a joy to read. There are high stakes but there are fun times, great characters, and a wonderful ending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I can't think of anything specific that I didn't like. I really enjoyed this book!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you love fantasy, and/or if you love standalone novels, this is one you should try. I am a huge fan of standalone novels because of the low commitment and less waiting (I'm terrible with series), so I will recommend standalones nine times out of ten. This is a really good one - and there's a HEA!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5 stars. I loved <i>Sorcery of Thorns</i>! I can't wait to see what Margaret Rogerson comes up with next. Hopefully another beautiful fantasy standalone with a gorgeous illustrated cover. I will freely admit that illustrated covers are an easy way to my heart!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201395-sorcery-of-thorns" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481497618/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sorcery-of-thorns-margaret-rogerson/1129709333" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Sorcery-of-Thorns-Margaret-Rogerson/9781481497619" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9781481497619" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLhauJvQZa7ssoC3sJK0nEzsP1v30xMTfKaM0Dhqtt9oahuoxRKre_N-F5bj2sH0hZYKNBxfQo-uMKzZJPM3SM6hXE78aSrJHNL6GspYNYHcTwZsSf5s2PEC68kH2FuUio2OhfkmOuMc/s1600/Margaret+Rogerson_hr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLhauJvQZa7ssoC3sJK0nEzsP1v30xMTfKaM0Dhqtt9oahuoxRKre_N-F5bj2sH0hZYKNBxfQo-uMKzZJPM3SM6hXE78aSrJHNL6GspYNYHcTwZsSf5s2PEC68kH2FuUio2OhfkmOuMc/s320/Margaret+Rogerson_hr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Margaret Rogerson is the author of the New York Times bestseller <i>An Enchantment of Ravens </i>and <i>Sorcery of Thorns</i>. She has a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Miami University. When not reading or writing she enjoys sketching, gaming, making pudding, and watching more documentaries than is socially acceptable (according to some). She lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, beside a garden full of hummingbirds and roses. Visit her at MargaretRogerson.com.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://margaretrogerson.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/51907982-margaret-rogerson" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/MarRogerson" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/margaret_rogerson/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mood Board:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Blog Tour Schedule:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday, May 27 – <a href="http://www.alexalovesbooks.com/" target="_blank">Alexa Loves Books</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday, May 28 – <a href="https://www.novelknight.com/" target="_blank">The Novel Knight</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday, May 29 – <a href="https://www.toofondofbooks.com/" target="_blank">Adventures of a Book Junkie</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thursday, May 30 – <a href="http://bookworm716.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Awkwordly Emma</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Friday, May 31 – <a href="https://meltotheany.com/" target="_blank">Mel to the Any</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday, June 3 – <a href="https://skizzles22hu.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Fox’s Hideaway</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday, June 4 – <a href="http://starryeyedrevue.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Starry-Eyed Revue</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday, June 5 – <a href="https://thebookishbeagle.com/" target="_blank">The Bookish Beagle</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thursday, June 6 – <a href="https://www.superspacechick.com/" target="_blank">Super Space Chick</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Friday, June 7 – <a href="https://flyingpaperbacks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Flying Paperbacks</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday, June 10 – <a href="https://www.bookshelvesandpaperbacks.com/" target="_blank">Bookshelves & Paperbacks</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday, June 11 – <a href="https://nightlyreading.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Nightly Reading</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday, June 12 – <a href="http://novelheartbeat.com/" target="_blank">Novel Heartbeat</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thursday, June 13 – <a href="https://hammockofbooks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Hammock of Books</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Friday, June 14 – <a href="https://theeverlastinglibrary.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Everlasting Library</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday, June 17 – <a href="http://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Eater of Books!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday, June 18 – <a href="http://bewareofthereader.com/" target="_blank">Beware of the Reader</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday, June 19 – <a href="https://thisdarkmaterial.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">This Dark Material</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thursday, June 20 – <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Friday, June 21 – <a href="http://simplyallytea.com/" target="_blank">SimplyAlly Tea</a></span></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-85390429190219150082019-04-15T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-15T00:00:04.887-04:00Mini Reviews: Contemporary Romance Edition<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Monday, book lovers! Today I'm posting REVIEWS! It has certainly been a while since I've reviewed anything. That being said, I'm writing three reviews in this post, so they're going to be shorter than my norm. The good thing is, I loved all of these books and could gush for days!</span></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1532485807l/33979520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="99 Percent Mine" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1532485807l/33979520.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>99 Percent Mine </i>by Sally Thorne</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: January 29, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 4 stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: eARC from Edelweiss</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Summary (from Goodreads):</b></span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Crush: a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach…<br /><br />Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She’s travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that Darcy’s twin brother Jamie saw him first and claimed him forever as his best friend. Despite Darcy’s best efforts, Tom’s off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. That’s the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty—ever since, she’s had to learn to settle for good enough.</i></span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they’re left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom’s arrived, he’s bearing power tools, and he’s single for the first time in almost a decade.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Suddenly Darcy’s considering sticking around to make sure her twin doesn’t ruin the cottage’s inherent magic with his penchant for grey and chrome. She’s definitely not staying because of her new business partner’s tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that's inspiring her to pick up her camera again. Soon sparks are flying—and it’s not the faulty wiring. It turns out one percent of Tom’s heart might not be enough for Darcy anymore. This time around, she’s switching things up. She’s going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Review:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I really enjoyed this book! It was my first read by Sally Thorne - I still haven't read <i>The Hating Game</i> - and I liked it a lot. I thought I wouldn't like Darcy because I'd heard from other bloggers and reviewers that she was not easy to like. But I adored her! She's prickly and tough, sometimes blunt and rude, but very much "real" and very strong. She's probably classified as an unlikable heroine, though I could be wrong. But I liked her. She had hard edges and many imperfections, but she was very honest and straightforward, even when she was hiding vulnerabilities. I also wasn't sure if I'd like this best-friends-turned-lovers story, because there seemed to be a good deal of emotional baggage involved in this friendship, but I enjoyed the progression of the romance! Tom is very dreamy, and very much a good idea. He and Darcy are complete opposites, but they work well as a pair. The progression of the romance is fairly slow, but very sizzling. I read this one very quickly, on a 2+ hour flight to Florida. It was enjoyable, funny, sweet, angsty, and it had a great HEA. I highly recommend the book to readers of adult contemporary romance, and you best believe I will be reading <i>The Hating Game</i>! (It's unrelated to this book, and published several years ago.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33979520-99-percent-mine" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062439618/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/99-percent-mine-sally-thorne/1127754906" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9780062439611" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Pan</i> by Gina L. Maxwell</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the Neverland series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication: January 22, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5 stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: eARC sent by the author</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>From NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Gina L. Maxwell, comes a brand new series with a fresh twist on an old classic.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Once upon a time, in Neverland, North Carolina--I fell in love.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I was twelve when Peter first climbed up to my balcony.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thirteen when I sneaked out to see him at the School for Lost Boys.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Seventeen when his touch made me fly,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And eighteen when his words made me cry.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>We were magnetic, drawn to each other from that very first night, and what I thought would be forever. But when it came time for me to leave, he wouldn't come with, so I left town with a map for my future and a shattered heart.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Ten years later, I've returned to Neverland, hoping to find a man in place of the boy.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Peter was partially right, growing up is no fun. After quitting my fancy career that sucked the magic out of life, I'm now organizing the fundraiser of the year. In a move that could make or break the event and my new company, I've hired Peter, master mechanic and owner of LB Automotive, to help me pull this off--trusting him to rebuild a classic car for the auction that could help hundreds of foster kids in need.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I thought I was prepared, but the boy who refused to leave is now a man hell-bent on getting me to stay, and as sparks fly between us, that undeniable fire flares back to life, deeper and hotter than ever.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>But that ripped body doesn't mean Peter's matured enough to make us or this event work, and not everyone in Neverland is happy about my return.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Not every wound heals.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Not every heart can be fixed.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Not every boy grows up.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And after all this time, the love we found might be lost to us again...this time, forever.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Review:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've never read or watched Peter Pan, but I know of the story vaguely, so I was pretty excited to hear about this modern-day contemporary romance retelling of the story. I've read books by Gina L. Maxwell and I've enjoyed them - always steamy, heartwarming, and fun. Did I mention steamy? This book was NO different. Peter and Wendy were scorching together! Usually I'm not big on second-chance romances, but I liked this one a lot. They had some really great chemistry and no heavy baggage between them. This was a fun and sweet second-chance romance to follow. Peter is a hard, tough guy with a soft heart, and Wendy is a soft, sweet girl with a strong heart. They are such a cute pair - you all know how much of a sucker I am for the "bad-boy-and-innocent-girl" trope. (Yes, I know, I am so outdated with that trope.) I don't know the specifics of Peter Pan but the parallels are very clear, from the supporting cast (Tink! Captain Hook! Lost Boys!) to parts of the plot. This book was so much fun to read, and very steamy. It's a M/F romance. I highly recommend it! This was my read on a 2+ hour flight and the pages zipped by!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43094164-pan" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L35GZSX/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Team Player</i> by Julianna Keyes</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the Charleston Thrashers series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication: March 28, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Rating: 5 stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Source: eARC from NetGalley</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Summary (from Goodreads):</b><br /><i>Don’t hate the player…</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">BOTTOM NINE</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Gwen Scott wants to love her job with the Charleston Thrashers, the MLB team she’s worshiped since she was a kid, but she can’t. Hateful colleagues and mind-numbing work make her days unbearable—until her head for baseball gets her exclusive access to the Thrashers’ clubhouse and she comes face-to-face with Tyler Ashe, the team’s sexy shortstop and baseball’s most ineligible bachelor.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">BASES LOADED</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Ty has sworn off relationships in order to focus on his all-star career, but with his best friend gone, his team struggling, and the press blaming him for every loss, the most recognizable man in the majors is in a slump. Until he starts spending his time off the field with a stern blonde who recites baseball stats for kicks and sees through his arrogant façade.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">TWO OUT</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">As the Thrashers’ season gets into full swing and Gwen adjusts to her new job, their fun banter and friendly teasing turns into stolen kisses and countless steamy nights. The team’s strict policy against player-staff relationships throws a curve ball into the mix, but they can’t hide from their feelings any more than the most famous man in baseball can hide from the spotlight…</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Review:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was the first book I read in about two months. 2019 has been off to a rough start for me for personal reasons, so I haven't been feeling like reading. I had no idea that Julianna Keyes had written and was publishing a new book, so when I saw promo for this book, I felt lost! I am a HUGE fan of Keyes' books since <i>Time Served</i>, and I've loved her books since that one. <i>Team Player</i> came out at a good time for me honest - I was in such a reading slump, and this book pulled me right out. I LOVED the book. I'm not a huge baseball fan, but this is the type of book that would make you want to be a fan. Tyler Ashe is all kiiiiiinds of swoony, but adorable too. He's hot but also occasionally a little nervous around Gwen which is adorable. Gwen is a hard-worker and very smart especially when it comes to the Thrashers, and she knows better than to dally with one of the players. But she and Ty have this instant connection that Keyes writes so <i>well</i>. Ty and Gwen's chemistry just <i>clicks</i>, and it gets better and better as the story progresses. I love how their relationship grew, how the tension built, and I especially love the forbidden romance aspect.This book is fun, sweet, scorching, and it has a lovely HEA. Regardless of if you're a baseball fan, or even a sports romance fan, you should pick up <i>Team Player</i>! I can't wait for the next book in this series. Trust me, you'll fall in love with the entire team by the end of the book, and you'll be wanting more too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43887632-team-player" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NDSVLM4/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130528103?ean=2940156347780" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/team-player-6" target="_blank">Kobo</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!</span></b></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com88tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-4694502787674259552019-03-29T00:00:00.000-04:002019-03-29T00:00:04.898-04:00Blog Tour: Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdI5k1L4MRQ3RonhyphenhyphenffltwGk5uLk6HO5zfcHRB94dTHJX4zNz5PlmwrdqeHoRRitUVbSuyjHXNlccxEos2anmjYbp8Gke6aZvLywpse17_ttDpJem6vs_UMdRytodP1I0sgfMq7mz9XYs/s1600/WickedSaints_BlogTourBanner_BEFORE+4.2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="900" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdI5k1L4MRQ3RonhyphenhyphenffltwGk5uLk6HO5zfcHRB94dTHJX4zNz5PlmwrdqeHoRRitUVbSuyjHXNlccxEos2anmjYbp8Gke6aZvLywpse17_ttDpJem6vs_UMdRytodP1I0sgfMq7mz9XYs/s400/WickedSaints_BlogTourBanner_BEFORE+4.2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Friday! Today I'm participating in the blog tour for <i>Wicked Saints</i>, debut novel by Emily A. Duncan. You'll find an excerpt at the bottom of this post!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>About the Book:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqaofuP6FpWE-BNk7L0ounS7XXr7nPRpCF7YxGwA29YmIrUTm7jljr2lqFyFWRNJA0uFT0CcUcewXC8wXFN_wJv16bs-uHFgI_3eb3Ij3T13LMLSZAGh81t02_S3df3yFyDoSc4N2Bj8/s1600/Wicked+Saints_Cover+FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1053" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqaofuP6FpWE-BNk7L0ounS7XXr7nPRpCF7YxGwA29YmIrUTm7jljr2lqFyFWRNJA0uFT0CcUcewXC8wXFN_wJv16bs-uHFgI_3eb3Ij3T13LMLSZAGh81t02_S3df3yFyDoSc4N2Bj8/s320/Wicked+Saints_Cover+FINAL.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Wicked Saints</i> by Emily A. Duncan</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the Something Dark and Holy series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Wednesday Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: April 2, 2019</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">A prince in danger must decide who to trust.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36118682-wicked-saints" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250195667/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-saints-emily-duncan/1129285381" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Wicked-Saints-Emily--Duncan/9781250195661" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9781250195661" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ9x9MeIQfzepXVOvRB9PankwGUUzD6s_qKPsctnsxV9U1t3eFUA1Ysa-AEvFxYeA0ZIV7cdSNQWI7pM6ggKIRyAfM7-wUu-U0V6UQp8j-QU_839FdoHJUelfz1RUFNt4eD-2R7XAXRc/s1600/Emily+A.+Duncan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ9x9MeIQfzepXVOvRB9PankwGUUzD6s_qKPsctnsxV9U1t3eFUA1Ysa-AEvFxYeA0ZIV7cdSNQWI7pM6ggKIRyAfM7-wUu-U0V6UQp8j-QU_839FdoHJUelfz1RUFNt4eD-2R7XAXRc/s320/Emily+A.+Duncan.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">EMILY A. DUNCAN works as a youth services librarian. She received a Master’s degree in library science from Kent State University, which mostly taught her how to find obscure Slavic folklore texts through interlibrary loan systems. When not reading or writing, she enjoys playing copious amounts of video games and dungeons and dragons. <i>Wicked Saints </i>is her first book. She lives in Ohio.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://eaduncan.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15600590.Emily_A_Duncan" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/glitzandshadows" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/glitzandshadows/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://glitzandshadows.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Excerpt:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">N A D E Z H D A</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">L A P T E V A </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Horz stole the stars and the heavens out from underneath Myesta’s control, and for that she has never forgiven him. For where can the moons rest if not the heavens?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">“It’s certainly not my fault you chose a child who sleeps so deeply. If she dies it will very much be your fault, not mine.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Startled by bickering gods was not Nadya’s preferred method of being woken up. She rolled to her feet in the dark, moving automatically. It took her eyes a few seconds to catch up with the rest of her body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Shut up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It wasn’t wise to tell the gods to shut up, but it was too late now. A feeling of amused disdain flowed through her, but neither of the gods spoke again. She realized it was Horz, the god of the heavens and the stars, who had <span style="text-align: start;">woken her. He had a tendency to be obnoxious but generally left Nadya alone, as a rule.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Usually only a single god communed with their chosen cleric. There once had been a cleric named Kseniya Mirokhina who was gifted with unnatural marksmanship by Devonya, the goddess of the hunt. And Veceslav had chosen a cleric of his own, long ago, but their name was lost to history, and he re- fused to talk about them. The recorded histories never spoke of clerics who could hear more than one god. That Nadya communed with the entire pantheon was a rarity the priests who trained her could not explain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a chance older, more primordial gods existed, ones that had long since given up watch of the world and left it in the care of the others. But no one knew for sure. Of the twenty known gods, however, carvings and paintings depicted their human forms, though no one knew what they actually looked like. No cleric throughout history had ever looked upon the faces of the gods. No saint, nor priest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each had their own power and magic they could bestow upon Nadya, and while some were forthcoming, others were not. She had never spoken to the goddess of the moons, Myesta. She wasn’t even sure what manner of power the goddess would give, if she so chose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And though she could commune with many gods, it was impossible to forget just who had chosen her for this fate: Marzenya, the goddess of death and magic, who expected complete dedication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Indistinct voices murmured in the dark. She and Anna had found a secluded place within a copse of thick pine trees to set up their tent, but it no longer felt safe. Nadya slid a <i>voryen </i>from underneath her bedroll and nudged Anna awake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She moved to the mouth of the tent, grasping at her beads, <span style="text-align: start;">a prayer already forming on her lips, smoky symbols trailing from her mouth. She could see the blurry impressions of figures in the darkness, far off in the distance. It was hard to judge the number, two? Five? Ten? Her heart sped at the possibility that a company of Tranavians were already on her trail.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anna drew up beside her. Nadya’s grip on her <i>voryen </i>tightened, but she kept still. If they hadn’t seen their tent yet, she could keep them from noticing it entirely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But Anna’s hand clasped her forearm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Wait,” she whispered, her breath frosting out before her in the cold. She pointed to a dark spot just off to the side of the group.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nadya pressed her thumb against Bozidarka’s bead and her eyesight sharpened until she could see as clearly as if it were day. It took effort to shove aside the immediate, paralyzing fear as her suspicions were confirmed and Tranavian uniforms be- came clear. It wasn’t a full company. In fact, they looked rather ragged. Perhaps they had split off and lost their way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">More interesting, though, was the boy with a crossbow silently aiming into the heart of the group.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“We can get away before they notice,” Anna said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nadya almost agreed, almost slipped her <i>voryen </i>back into its sheath, but just then, the boy fired and the trees erupted into chaos. Nadya wasn’t willing to use an innocent’s life as a distraction for her own cowardice. Not <i>again</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even as Anna protested, Nadya let a prayer form fully in her mind, hand clutching at Horz’s bead on her necklace and its constellation of stars. Symbols fell from her lips like glowing glimmers of smoke and every star in the sky winked out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Well, that was more extreme than I intended,</i> Nadya thought with a wince. <i>I should’ve known better than to ask Horz for anything.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: start;">She could hear cursing as the world plunged into darkness. </span><span style="text-align: start;">Anna sighed in exasperation beside her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Just stay back,” she hissed as she moved confidently through the dark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Nadya . . .” Anna’s groan was soft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It took more focus to send a third prayer to Bozetjeh. It was hard to catch Bozetjeh on a good day; the god of speed was notoriously slow to answer prayers. But she managed to snag his attention and received a spell allowing her to move as fast as the vicious Kalyazin wind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Her initial count had been wrong; there were six Tranavians now scattering into the forest. The boy dropped his crossbow with a bewildered look up into the sky, startling when Nadya touched his shoulder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was no way he could see in this darkness, but she could. When he whirled, a curved sword in his hand, Nadya sidestepped. His swing went wide and she shoved him in the direction of a fleeing Tranavian, anticipating their collision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>“Find the rest,”</i> Marzenya hissed. <i>“Kill them all.” </i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Complete and total dedication.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She caught up to one of the figures, stabbing her <i>voryen </i>into his skull just underneath his ear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Not so difficult this time, </i>she thought. But the knowledge was a distant thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Blood sprayed, splattering a second Tranavian, who cried out in alarm. Before the second man could figure out what had happened to his companion, she lashed out her heel, catching him squarely on the jaw and knocking him off his feet. She slit his throat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three more. They couldn’t have moved far. Nadya took up Bozidarka’s bead again. The goddess of vision revealed where <span style="text-align: start;">the last Tranavians were located. The boy with the sword had managed to kill two in the dark. Nadya couldn’t actually see the last one, just felt him nearby, very much alive.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Something slammed into Nadya’s back and suddenly the chilling bite of a blade was pressed against her throat. The boy appeared in front of her, his crossbow back in his hands, thank- fully not pointed at Nadya. It was clear he could only barely see her. He wasn’t Kalyazi, but Akolan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A fair number of Akolans had taken advantage of the war between their neighbors, hiring out their swords for profit on both sides. They were known for favoring Tranavia simply because of the warmer climate. It was rare to find a creature of the desert willingly stumbling through Kalyazin’s snow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nadya only knew the three primary languages of Kalyazin and passing Tranavian. If she wasn’t going to be able to communicate with them . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The boy said something else and Nadya heard the girl sigh before she felt the blade slip away. “What’s a little Kalyazi assassin doing out in the middle of the mountains?” he asked, switching to perfect Kalyazi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nadya was very aware of the boy’s friend at her back. “I could ask the same of you.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What do you think? Be sure to check out this book on April 2nd!</span></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-54645903858847134692019-03-28T00:00:00.000-04:002019-03-28T08:31:24.785-04:00Release Day Giveaway & Swoon Thursday (#315): Team Player by Julianna Keyes<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Thursday, my friends! Today is the publication day of <i>Team Player</i>, a new book by Julianna Keyes. I ADORE Julianna Keyes' books, and I'm really enjoying this one. Get ready for the baseball season with this new sizzling romance!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>About the Book:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Team Player</i> by Julianna Keyes</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the Charleston Thrashers series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: March 28, 2019</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">BOTTOM NINE </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Gwen Scott wants to love her job with the Charleston Thrashers, the MLB team she’s worshiped since she was a kid, but she can’t. Hateful colleagues and mind-numbing work make her days unbearable—until her head for baseball gets her exclusive access to the Thrashers’ clubhouse and she comes face-to-face with Tyler Ashe, the team’s sexy shortstop and baseball’s most ineligible bachelor. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">BASES LOADED </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Ty has sworn off relationships in order to focus on his all-star career, but with his best friend gone, his team struggling, and the press blaming him for every loss, the most recognizable man in the majors is in a slump. Until he starts spending his time off the field with a stern blonde who recites baseball stats for kicks and sees through his arrogant façade. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">TWO OUT </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">As the Thrashers’ season gets into full swing and Gwen adjusts to her new job, their fun banter and friendly teasing turns into stolen kisses and countless steamy nights. The team’s strict policy against player-staff relationships throws a curve ball into the mix, but they can’t hide from their feelings any more than the most famous man in baseball can hide from the spotlight…</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43887632-team-player" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NDSVLM4/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130528103?ean=2940156347780" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/team-player-6" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Julianna_Keyes_Team_Player?id=LQSHDwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Follow Julianna Keyes:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://juliannakeyes.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7254943.Julianna_Keyes" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/juliannakeyesauthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JuliannaKeyes" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Swoon Thursday Excerpt:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He smiled, then hesitated and said, “Your parents weren’t around at that age. Did kids bother you about it?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gwen shrugged. “A few times. And I’d never win in a fight, but Marge was intimidating. She once got arrested at a Thrashers game and her picture was on the front page of the paper. After that, everyone was very respectful.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“She was. When I first got here, I cried every night. Then she started to come into my room and read Thrashers stats to put me to sleep. I still recite them to relax sometimes. 158, 620, 122, 184, 41, 123.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ty’s jaw dropped. “Those are my numbers from three years ago.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I knew you memorized your stats.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Well, yeah, when they’re that impressive.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She laughed. “Don’t get big-headed. I know everybody’s. I can’t help it.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Gwen, I’m a superstar athlete with five major endorsement deals—why would I be big-headed?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She laughed again, and now so did he, the laughter fading when the commercial ended and the show returned. Ty reached for the remote and paused it. “Speaking of feelings…” he said, turning more fully to face her. “Are you still nervous?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gwen swallowed. “Me? Nervous?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He smiled, not fooled. “We can just binge watch the show if you want. Hang out. I’ll go home when Todd dies.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She managed to shake her head. “That’s not how this show works, and I don’t want you to go home.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“You sure?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Positive.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Anything you do want me to do?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gwen finished her wine. Liquid courage. “Whatever you did on the golf course. And in the arcade. And whenever we’re within ten feet of each other.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“That’s me? I thought it was you and your feminine wiles.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I don’t have any feminine wiles, Ty.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He put down his glass and somehow slid closer, until there were just inches between them. Until she was sure he could hear her heart pounding against her rib cage, like it was trying to beat through her chest and toss itself into his hands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think you do, Gwen.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I don’t even know what wiles are, actually—”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Shh,” he said. “It’s working.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Then he kissed her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>As with both times before, she forgot everything but the kiss. The world around them blurred and faded until it was just her and Ty, lips and tongues and heated breath. The world took her nerves with it when it left and all that remained was the fire in her belly, the one stoked by each glance of his tongue, his fingers cupping her jaw, his lips murmuring nonsense against the soft skin of her throat and making her shudder with each word.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His hair was impossibly soft, his lips more so, a sharp contrast to the strength and tension he radiated. It was impossible to decide where to touch, his hair, his biceps, her fingers slipping between his shoulder blades and holding on. They fell backward on the couch, her legs sliding open and Ty filling the space between them. The hem of her dress rode high enough that she could feel the fabric of his pants on her inner thighs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He felt incredible. He tasted amazing. He smelled fantastic. Everything about him was so much <i>more </i>than any fantasy her mind could have conjured, and in recent weeks she’d done plenty of ill-advised dreaming. There was no way to describe how <i>much </i>he was, how big, how hot, how hard. How much <i>better</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His hand inched its way down her body, stroking over her breast lightly so she arched into the touch, wanting more. She was not meant for eight months of celibacy, no matter what she told herself. And neither, if the erection pressing against her belly was any indication, was Ty. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She moaned and he kissed her and dropped his hand lower, covering her over her panties, the contact so combustible she almost came on the spot, and nearly cried when he stopped. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“We have to get away from the window,” he said, breathing hard. “I’m used to crowds, but…not for this.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gwen’s eyes flew open and she twisted her head to see. There was no one lurking outside, but she knew what he meant. With the curtains open and the late afternoon sun pouring in, anyone scrutinizing her horrible garden would find a much better show happening on the other side of the glass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“My room,” she said, nudging him so she could get up. “We’ll go—”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“No need to stop,” Ty interrupted, standing and scooping her so her legs fit around his waist, their new natural habitat. “Just point the way.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She considered protesting about the weight, but it was obvious he not only didn’t mind, but didn’t care. And, when he settled her more tightly against him, quite liked it. She opened her mouth to give directions—straight down the hall and to the left and anywhere is fine, really—but he was already moving, so she gave a half-hearted wave of her hand and kissed him instead. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He smiled against her lips, and with each step he bumped right between her legs. She was ready to explode by the time they reached her room and he lowered her onto the bed. Lying there, looking up at not just the sexiest man she’d ever been with, but, according to one magazine, one of the sexist men <i>alive</i>, it was tempting to give herself a quick pinch to make sure it wasn’t actually a dream. And then, when he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged out of it, she really did pinch herself, because there was no way that six-pack was real. Until he crawled up the length of the bed to straddle her hips, and what she was feeling was very much real. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What do you all think? Be sure to pick up this book TODAY!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Giveaway:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to Julianna Keyes, I have a paperback copy of <i>Team Player</i> to give away! Open internationally, ends on April 11th. Good luck!</span></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-40685889705502154512019-03-13T00:00:00.000-04:002019-03-13T00:00:03.320-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (#321): The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOE4BxDq2bYLZPH1FclIDhtvJKH2AJH2qHZgF9O2OjcI0WkjqYKsvqhweF-C2YbxJkG-KaAfFO5CRssPNewi54YvWMzRkNTpyQTZ3uHz4lkKMrEm6vbtTTtKh_aJRUohsQ_jNWcSXzWM/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" /></div>
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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This week, I'm featuring:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Girl the Sea Gave Back </i>by Adrienne Young</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Wednesday Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: September 3, 2019</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of </i>Sky in the Deep<i>.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://adrienneyoungbooks.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42867937-the-girl-the-sea-gave-back" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250168481/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-girl-the-sea-gave-back-adrienne-young/1129913053" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9781250168481" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I loved <i>Sky in the Deep</i>! This new book by Adrienne Young is not related to <i>Sky in the Deep</i>, but I'm sure it will be just as amazing. I can't wait!</span></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-8262671736086291202019-03-09T00:00:00.000-05:002019-03-09T00:00:14.153-05:00Stacking the Shelves (#322)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELKqRsPoWSwfW3w7fweB7428Sn5RdA12MsP8ijyo195da4cjlElFcBIVXuAQ9gz8L9OSxoBinzKI-scdf1t8n1nCVX7vIRZaGPsjrVuP9kQ9M0jr6cXsiTy9uP6Kti1sz4BrkWxtIoUc/s1600/STS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELKqRsPoWSwfW3w7fweB7428Sn5RdA12MsP8ijyo195da4cjlElFcBIVXuAQ9gz8L9OSxoBinzKI-scdf1t8n1nCVX7vIRZaGPsjrVuP9kQ9M0jr6cXsiTy9uP6Kti1sz4BrkWxtIoUc/s1600/STS.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://tyngasreviews.com/v" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a>, in which bloggers share the books and swag they've received in the past week!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">So, what did I get in the week of Sunday, March 3rd to Saturday, March 9th?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">(Realistically, it has been three weeks, so this is three weeks worth of books!)</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">In the mail:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyereq7-B7yLYWAGglhosFcREudI_0gzP_CzdWrOs8MW5baFxSpokEIRRWcIrI-Zl-MpNPiU1NxNkR0KuZ3WCh_fmQZoUTwMjokL3C5A8Hzk5W7kMhfpTsAsCOQ9xl0JxE3kjZ33kQ2yg/s1600/IMG_20190308_222559069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyereq7-B7yLYWAGglhosFcREudI_0gzP_CzdWrOs8MW5baFxSpokEIRRWcIrI-Zl-MpNPiU1NxNkR0KuZ3WCh_fmQZoUTwMjokL3C5A8Hzk5W7kMhfpTsAsCOQ9xl0JxE3kjZ33kQ2yg/s400/IMG_20190308_222559069.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">Preorder swag for <i>The Weight of Our Sky</i> by Hanna Alkaf</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">Thank you, S&S! I love the pin especially.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamGHGTTAnC8rL14D0hZ2hiTzqerAEUfXme3ZXusH1fiCByuwBIssrc_rvtJGXdEBx9dykcUzPZhEbUoDpeufSuN87s6ZmKidfNnDzyqgsuAzFBGJJaxQAnM25KoyMMsz_eG5dD2Lh4EA/s1600/IMG_20190308_223003111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamGHGTTAnC8rL14D0hZ2hiTzqerAEUfXme3ZXusH1fiCByuwBIssrc_rvtJGXdEBx9dykcUzPZhEbUoDpeufSuN87s6ZmKidfNnDzyqgsuAzFBGJJaxQAnM25KoyMMsz_eG5dD2Lh4EA/s400/IMG_20190308_223003111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><i>This Savage Song</i> book sleeve and <i>The Last Namsara</i> pouch</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">Thank you for the trade, Caitlin!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3Bg15OUQnHSRjKguq8s_J397EnlUjCjgBWanKYME2CifyBm_ChtFw_-7zGgZgFMUcbFfC57AN0iLipuAUyDDTuFFMBiWZdVfluN87wide6rn_iJnGHM4-J4g7h-9hKHgGIkwoBOx7SQ/s1600/IMG_20190308_223143775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3Bg15OUQnHSRjKguq8s_J397EnlUjCjgBWanKYME2CifyBm_ChtFw_-7zGgZgFMUcbFfC57AN0iLipuAUyDDTuFFMBiWZdVfluN87wide6rn_iJnGHM4-J4g7h-9hKHgGIkwoBOx7SQ/s400/IMG_20190308_223143775.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">A hardcover copy of <i>Treason</i> by Rick Campbell</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">A hardcover copy of <i>Cold Day in the Sun</i> by Sara Biren</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">A hardcover copy of <i>Voices: The Final Hours of of Joan of Arc</i> by David Elliott</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">A hardcover copy of <i>White Rose</i> by Kip Wilson</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">An ARC of <i>Call It What You Want</i> by Brigid Kemmerer</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">An ARC of <i>Rules We're Meant to Break</i> by Natalie Williamson</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">An ARC of <i>All Our Broken Pieces</i> by L.D. Crichton</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">A paperback copy of <i>The Haunting of Tram Car 015 </i>by P. Djèlí Clark</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">That looks like a lot, but I haven't posted a Stacking the Shelves post in three weeks, so it'll seem that way. Y'all, I'm not in good shape, blogging-wise. Most of you saw my post on Twitter about my dad. For those who didn't: my father passed away very suddenly, three weeks ago today. It was quick, senseless, and not health-related. He was 57, and I lived with him (I live with my parents). I'm still in shock. I'm still grieving. I am not processing it well. Please be patient with me as I try to get back on my feet, in terms of blogging. I really want to be back, but it's taking energy that I don't have. I love you all for still being here. Thank you for everything. 💜💜💜</span></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-12271167838860519732019-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-26T00:00:06.208-05:00Blog Tour: Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNC1OvephYA6QwPe1lF63G5VHv6HTxuFEwSkjseVG1gKHzIbStMauIyABISpdF0jx56_X9g6Ifmph-MipRWa1NkRQcr1shXYZuANDwlwfd0I1vIBsDGvYISRtU-XG7iM8Z0caiSVnJMg/s1600/Tour+Banner+-+Devil%2527s+Daughter+by+Lisa+Kleypas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="1000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNC1OvephYA6QwPe1lF63G5VHv6HTxuFEwSkjseVG1gKHzIbStMauIyABISpdF0jx56_X9g6Ifmph-MipRWa1NkRQcr1shXYZuANDwlwfd0I1vIBsDGvYISRtU-XG7iM8Z0caiSVnJMg/s400/Tour+Banner+-+Devil%2527s+Daughter+by+Lisa+Kleypas.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hey y'all! I'm celebrating the recent publication of <i>Devil's Daughter</i>, Lisa Kleypas's latest novel in the Ravenels series. See more below!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Book:</span></b></div>
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<img alt="Devil's Daughter: The Ravenels meet The Wallflowers by [Kleypas, Lisa]" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51XsNLaD9LL._SY346_.jpg" width="211" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Devil's Daughter</i> by Lisa Kleypas</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book Five of the Ravenels series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Avon Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: February 19, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Official Summary:</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he’s a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband’s life a misery, and she’ll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself...as none other than West Ravenel.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire...not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn’t bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She’s the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past?</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Only the devil’s daughter knows…</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40404706-devil-s-daughter" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Daughter-Ravenels-meet-Wallflowers/dp/0062890700/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devils-daughter-lisa-kleypas/1129241246#/" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Devils-Daughter-Lisa-Kleypas/9780062371935" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9780062371935" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB_6DdbEHtA0YscoPJmOFKsumPfeCx49PXD6E_c-3ciLSryzXwmyGGueGm_NAzz6ViXubKlz9NyCjDZaNkBeC85ydKI_7wePy28d0S2CzEJWK6cPPATPoJfAlc08YQxOitbeM4KgvAPs/s1600/Author+Pic+-+Lisa+Kleypas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB_6DdbEHtA0YscoPJmOFKsumPfeCx49PXD6E_c-3ciLSryzXwmyGGueGm_NAzz6ViXubKlz9NyCjDZaNkBeC85ydKI_7wePy28d0S2CzEJWK6cPPATPoJfAlc08YQxOitbeM4KgvAPs/s320/Author+Pic+-+Lisa+Kleypas.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">New York Times bestselling author LISA KLEYPAS graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. She is a RITA® Award-winning author of both historical romance and contemporary women's fiction. Her novels are published in twenty-eight different languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband Gregory and their two children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lisakleypas.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27847.Lisa_Kleypas" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/lisakleypas" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lisakleypas" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Excerpt:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“If you have any misguided thoughts about taking me into your bed, you would find it a vastly mediocre experience. I’d be on you like a crazed rabbit, and half a minute later the whole thing would be over. I used to be a proficient lover, but now I’m a burnt-out libertine whose only remaining pleasure is breakfast food. Speaking of which—”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Phoebe reached for him, brought herself up hard against him, and interrupted him with her mouth. West flinched as if scalded and held very still in the manner of a man trying to withstand torture. Undeterred, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as passionately as she could, touching her tongue to his stiff lips. The feel and taste of him was exhilarating. Suddenly he responded with a primitive grunt and his mouth clamped on hers, wringing sensation from her with demanding pressure. Forcing her lips apart, he searched her with his tongue the way she remembered, and it felt so good, she thought she might faint. A whimper rose from her throat, and he licked and bit gently at the sound and sealed their mouths together in a deep, insatiable kiss that involved his lips, breath, hands, body, soul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whatever it might be like to go to bed with this man . . . it would be anything but mediocre.</span></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-23772239926644009222019-02-21T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-25T13:15:49.322-05:00Reread Campaign and Giveaway: The Triumphant by Lesley Livingston<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Thursday, book fam! Unfortunately I dropped the ball with this post - it's late, but I figured, better late than never. My father passed away unexpectedly on February 16th, and I've not been able to think about my blog since then. So I'm creating this post on February 25th and backdating it. The giveaway is still active!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out <i>The Triumphant</i>!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40192705-the-triumphant" target="_blank"><img alt="The Triumphant (Valiant, #3)" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1532381210l/40192705.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Triumphant</i> by Lesley Livingston</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book Three of <i>The Defiant</i> series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Razorbill</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: February 12, 2019</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The final book in the Valiant series takes Fallon and her warrior sisters on an epic journey from the corrupt Roman Republic to the wonder of the ancient world: Alexandria, Egypt.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>“You are from a world, Fallon, that values honor over everything else. Rome is not that world.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>In the wake of their victorious fight to win back the Ludus Achillea, Fallon and her gladiatrix sisters have become the toast of the Republic. Only for Fallon, glory turns to ashes when she learns that Cai has been stripped of his Decurion rank and declared infamia, cast down to serve as one of Caesar’s gladiators. All because he chose his love for her over the life of his treacherous father during the ludus uprising.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>But treachery in Rome runs far deeper than Fallon ever suspected. While she is fighting for Cai’s freedom, the unthinkable happens and the Republic begins to tear itself apart at the seams. In the chaos that follows, the Achillea gladiatrices lose any protection they might have had once and for all. They’re not the only ones. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>When Fallon discovers that Cleopatra is in grave danger, she and her sister Sorcha rally their war band in an attempt to spirit the Queen of Aegypt out of Rome, embarking on a remarkable journey that will take them to Alexandria—the wonder of the ancient world—and beyond. Far beyond. Along the way, Fallon will have to decide where her heart truly lies, as well as what—and who—she is willing to sacrifice to get there.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40192705-the-triumphant" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451480686/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-triumphant-lesley-livingston/1128688758#/" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Triumphant-Lesley-Livingston/9780451480682" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9780451480682" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Check out the series:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30375703-the-valiant" target="_blank"><img alt="The Valiant (The Valiant, #1)" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469204120l/30375703.jpg" width="211" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34032775-the-defiant" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc4wfhvki7DsmNQkWa303wDpZ4hF5FxMioaW1HVIDTvBTrca1PkxIGj0iwMYqgA1nJauMYeWy70ALYiQ-OfW21t3FA5b3NH9s6wlEInO9ATXBAXU2FHViPm57tZiZGtZwheFcFEDLqfM/s320/Defiant.jpg" /></a></div>
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(Click on the covers to go to Goodreads!)</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lesley Livingston is the author of <i>Once Every Never</i>, winner of the inaugural Copper Cylinder Award and shortlisted for the CLA Young Adult Book Award and the BC Stellar Book Award. She is also the author of the Wondrous Strange and Starling trilogies. She lives in Toronto.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lesleylivingston.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1312879.Lesley_Livingston" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LesleyLivingstonAuthor/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/leslivingston" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lesley's Top Five Moments of <i>The Triumphant</i>:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My top five moments while writing <i>The Triumphant</i>... in chronological order! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First? Getting the gig! I knew I wanted Fallon’s story to be a trilogy and when my fabulous editrix Jessica at Razorbill agreed, I was thrilled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Second, sitting down in front of my trusty laptop, opening up a new document and typing the title page. That moment, truthfully, is always a mix of elation, anticipation... and sheer bloody-minded terror. Fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Third, writing the ultimate fate of a certain character that I’d known about since well before I’d even started writing the series. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fourth: choreography! Or, figuring out that one particular perfect moment in a fight sequence (and that one particular perfect moment in a kissing sequence...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fifth... getting to take Fallon and her friends and family (and foes!) all the way to the end of this journey. And knowing that they would have a fantastic loyal war band of readers coming with us along the way!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Giveaway:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to Penguin Teen, I've got a paperback copy of <i>The Valiant </i>and <i>The Defiant </i>for one lucky winner! This will be open to USA only. Ends on 02/28, 11:59 PM EST. Good luck!</span></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="0968911c223" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0968911c223/" id="rcwidget_arbevkiq" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-68281050398780670732019-02-16T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-16T00:00:02.199-05:00Stacking the Shelves (#321)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELKqRsPoWSwfW3w7fweB7428Sn5RdA12MsP8ijyo195da4cjlElFcBIVXuAQ9gz8L9OSxoBinzKI-scdf1t8n1nCVX7vIRZaGPsjrVuP9kQ9M0jr6cXsiTy9uP6Kti1sz4BrkWxtIoUc/s1600/STS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELKqRsPoWSwfW3w7fweB7428Sn5RdA12MsP8ijyo195da4cjlElFcBIVXuAQ9gz8L9OSxoBinzKI-scdf1t8n1nCVX7vIRZaGPsjrVuP9kQ9M0jr6cXsiTy9uP6Kti1sz4BrkWxtIoUc/s1600/STS.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://tyngasreviews.com/v" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a>, in which bloggers share the books and swag they've received in the past week!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">So, what did I get in the week of Sunday, February 10th to Saturday, February 16th?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;"><b>In the mail:</b></span></div>
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<img alt="Bloodwitch (The Witchlands, #3)" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1537551594l/39863277.jpg" width="210" /> <img alt="Call It What You Want" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1540470013l/40653162.jpg" width="212" /></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863277-bloodwitch" target="_blank">My preordered hardcover of <i>Bloodwitch</i> by Susan Dennard</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40653162-call-it-what-you-want" target="_blank">An ARC of <i>Call It What You Want </i>by Brigid Kemmerer</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">YAY, my preorder arrived! And an ARC of Brigid Kemmerer's next book with Bloomsbury. Thank you, Bloomsbury!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;">That's all I've got for this week! I posted two new giveaways. You can win a hardcover of <i>Bloodwitch</i> (I ended up with several hardcovers!), or a <i>Sightwitch</i> poster. I also posted my New Release Giveaway for February!</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/theeaterofbooks/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqFYDQ4-Jdb16vhBnf7SF5Fwn0CkfYU4_BiMe1_40HwVAeZ2gGbjg9Q_t3O0GenOE4cwQVsUUiHKHhDIZNYXjn1MnuZxl9IE52dp7LCgE1Lq-52Jbj_6FA2XV5rnCdVnMJzWEaYrlnIk/s320/IMG_20190211_202951217.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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(Enter on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theeaterofbooks/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>!)</div>
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<a href="http://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/2019/02/february-2019-new-release-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKY9K9JLQPLu6xjOW-xm2Kr_YLmtzF-qSWissvs13E_PeCvbdmTRN-qFWBa7dS0FE2Folwsa_u3nMllUcXzfD9LiHiir_Z06ghiHtPBgHHUA77t1Q4mRZe7mUd-cJMf8It7NTawQFNWjo/s320/Feb2019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-9767849070820322962019-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-15T00:00:07.826-05:00February 2019 New Release Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjS0UGMRe88c8EPV2UWZERZJ-P-16d49-AhLoYC3UGAcBM9v4EIEc02SQEwrccTfUYt1t0RgqTaIkVdaCjdK5eFb7raBg5pNJfAE5ErHN5Yw-xEqYjP4l3h5-NjoaDJD37EPFNRG2bG8/s1600/Feb2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjS0UGMRe88c8EPV2UWZERZJ-P-16d49-AhLoYC3UGAcBM9v4EIEc02SQEwrccTfUYt1t0RgqTaIkVdaCjdK5eFb7raBg5pNJfAE5ErHN5Yw-xEqYjP4l3h5-NjoaDJD37EPFNRG2bG8/s320/Feb2019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Welcome to the February New Release Giveaway Hop! The February New Release Giveaway hop is hosted by <a href="https://itstartsatmidnight.com/" target="_blank">It Starts At Midnight</a> and <a href="http://reviews.flylef.com/" target="_blank">FLYLēF</a>. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This month, I'm giving a February '19 book of your choice! Here are some examples:</span></div>
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(You are not limited to these below!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0fxJjfTJPqUMlWFsUiQ_1ydLHLFGIN-vpg0R6orvEdJfW09-7MxWLEDVJWxkRpanRGP9rdg2I6zBe1vpi_luavZFMNvHNF3TZfCH2XtwvcCP6Ph4-fM-n6eWcZd9pFMdqkfPjVd-9qQ/s1600/Courting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0fxJjfTJPqUMlWFsUiQ_1ydLHLFGIN-vpg0R6orvEdJfW09-7MxWLEDVJWxkRpanRGP9rdg2I6zBe1vpi_luavZFMNvHNF3TZfCH2XtwvcCP6Ph4-fM-n6eWcZd9pFMdqkfPjVd-9qQ/s200/Courting.jpg" width="129" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNSp7gu2D0uRg-3zGtWCR_vO87rRoOTY1LPd_oJHWOIf6dm0fcsqT1xM_LrAHFbInoml9wMckSrUCW8YXvV2z6tjOE4a96JMo2n4e0AL0VTn1N8Xj2bz4ufDDpOwyHn2c7JJTIgBo-vg/s1600/Triumphant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNSp7gu2D0uRg-3zGtWCR_vO87rRoOTY1LPd_oJHWOIf6dm0fcsqT1xM_LrAHFbInoml9wMckSrUCW8YXvV2z6tjOE4a96JMo2n4e0AL0VTn1N8Xj2bz4ufDDpOwyHn2c7JJTIgBo-vg/s200/Triumphant.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp06yKr7B8m3slmSb3NceZG46pWhHxBA2LcESv5w5098LNtvvqdUnV6Hrf4ZHkCpahSHRIWs7HGk3LBEVH0CHGk_JW5nnDYs6YGq2srrfHaXrA8ETf4nMIZHFaLhSNfSsdrQZjMyG704I/s1600/Deceivers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp06yKr7B8m3slmSb3NceZG46pWhHxBA2LcESv5w5098LNtvvqdUnV6Hrf4ZHkCpahSHRIWs7HGk3LBEVH0CHGk_JW5nnDYs6YGq2srrfHaXrA8ETf4nMIZHFaLhSNfSsdrQZjMyG704I/s200/Deceivers.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Giveaway:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Win a February book of your choice! Winner has 48 hours to respond to my email. The usual Giveaways rules apply.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Open INTERNATIONALLY! Good luck!</span></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-40325785663111330672019-02-14T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-14T00:00:09.541-05:00Reread Campaign and Giveaway: The Defiant by Lesley Livingston<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Thursday, fellow book lovers! It's another reread campaign day, this time for <i>The Defiant</i>! Plus, I've got a giveaway for you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out <i>The Defiant</i>!</span></div>
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<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc4wfhvki7DsmNQkWa303wDpZ4hF5FxMioaW1HVIDTvBTrca1PkxIGj0iwMYqgA1nJauMYeWy70ALYiQ-OfW21t3FA5b3NH9s6wlEInO9ATXBAXU2FHViPm57tZiZGtZwheFcFEDLqfM/s320/Defiant.jpg" width="212" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>The Defiant</i> by Lesley Livingston</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book Two of <i>The Valiant</i> series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Razorbill</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: January 23, 2018</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Gladiator Fallon and her warrior sisters must face off against a rival gladiator academy in this lush sequel to the highly anticipated historical fantasy The Valiant.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">They call her "Victrix" now. Victory.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">But winning the highest honor ever bestowed upon a gladiatrix in Rome has earned Fallon more deadly enemies outside the arena than she ever faced within it. And it is those dearest to Fallon who will pay the price for her success. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Now, Fallon and her warrior sisters are thrust into a vicious conflict with a rival gladiator academy, one that will threaten not only Fallon's heart - and her love for Roman soldier Cai - but the very heart of the Roman Empire.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35209814-the-defiant" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0448494728/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-defiant-lesley-livingston/1126404855" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Defiant-Lesley-Livingston/9780448494722" target="_blank">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="http://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9780448494722" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out the series:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30375703-the-valiant" target="_blank"><img alt="The Valiant (The Valiant, #1)" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469204120l/30375703.jpg" width="211" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40192705-the-triumphant" target="_blank"><img alt="The Triumphant (Valiant, #3)" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1532381210l/40192705.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lesley Livingston is the author of <i>Once Every Never</i>, winner of the inaugural Copper Cylinder Award and shortlisted for the CLA Young Adult Book Award and the BC Stellar Book Award. She is also the author of the Wondrous Strange and Starling trilogies. She lives in Toronto.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lesleylivingston.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1312879.Lesley_Livingston" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LesleyLivingstonAuthor/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/leslivingston" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>My Top Five Moments of <i>The Defiant</i>:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Female friendships. This is a huge part of the series in general. Feminism is so important, in a bold yet subtle way. Fallon and her gal pals are so fierce!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Gladiator battles. I'll admit, some of them got pretty gore-y. Just a heads-up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Secondary characters' romance. Elka and Quint! Love love love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Political intrigue. Betrayals abound! I personally love it when books delve deep into politics, so this was pretty cool, especially given the time period.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Caius and Fallon. I SHIP THEM SO HARD! The romance in <i>The Valiant</i> was lovely, and the romance in <i>The Defiant</i> is too. (Also, hurray for no love triangle - not that there was one hinted, but it's always nice when none appears at all.) Read a swoon from <i>The Defiant</i> <b><a href="http://eaterofbooks.blogspot.com/2018/01/swoon-thursday-261-defiant-by-lesley.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Giveaway:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to Penguin Teen, I've got a paperback copy of <i>The Valiant</i> and <i>The Defiant</i> for one lucky winner! This will be open to USA only. Ends on 02/28, 11:59 PM EST. Good luck!</span></div>
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Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-86772800245284557912019-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-13T00:00:08.869-05:00Waiting on Wednesday (#320): Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOE4BxDq2bYLZPH1FclIDhtvJKH2AJH2qHZgF9O2OjcI0WkjqYKsvqhweF-C2YbxJkG-KaAfFO5CRssPNewi54YvWMzRkNTpyQTZ3uHz4lkKMrEm6vbtTTtKh_aJRUohsQ_jNWcSXzWM/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOE4BxDq2bYLZPH1FclIDhtvJKH2AJH2qHZgF9O2OjcI0WkjqYKsvqhweF-C2YbxJkG-KaAfFO5CRssPNewi54YvWMzRkNTpyQTZ3uHz4lkKMrEm6vbtTTtKh_aJRUohsQ_jNWcSXzWM/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" /></a></div>
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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This week, I'm featuring:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZT6gWBkJoRNZkesiRbNs9XoRbNVQbkOZyQjG13OLTyF1hODgNk2Ub-KzKXNRVHkMfnJvya0oOCqG_JCvjLnXFCAd9c9VKfaOqx-a1oAmmms0QA5zf52Smnjr93fR5-AdH9u_WemLvJQ/s1600/Serpent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZT6gWBkJoRNZkesiRbNs9XoRbNVQbkOZyQjG13OLTyF1hODgNk2Ub-KzKXNRVHkMfnJvya0oOCqG_JCvjLnXFCAd9c9VKfaOqx-a1oAmmms0QA5zf52Smnjr93fR5-AdH9u_WemLvJQ/s320/Serpent.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Serpent & Dove</i> by Shelby Mahurin</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book One of the <i>Serpent & Dove</i> series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: HarperTeen</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: September 3, 2019</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Summary (from Goodreads):</span></b></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">For her sixteenth birthday, Louise le Blanc’s mother gave her three things: a sacrificial altar, a ritual knife, and a wicked scar.</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Lou’s death would have ended the ancient war between the Church and witches, but Lou refuses to become a martyr. Forsaking her coven, she escapes to the gloomy city of Cesarine and hides her magic as a thief in the criminal underworld. But life in Cesarine has its own dangers. Huntsmen roam the city revered as holy men. Witches burn without trial. And the Archbishop, the Church’s austere patriarch, revels in violence.</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">As a huntsman, Reid Diggory lives by one verse: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. </span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">He's devoted his entire life to eradicating the occult and making his surrogate father, the Archbishop, proud. Finally given the chance to capture a witch of his own, Reid is devastated when a foul-mouthed thief thwarts him—and doubly devastated when she too disappears. Hell-bent on bringing her to justice, Reid vows she won't escape again. But when Lou tricks him into public scandal trying to avoid capture, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Marriage to a huntsman could provide real protection from the witches—if Lou can convince Reid she isn’t one herself. The secret proves difficult to keep as Lou begins practicing magic in secret within the heart of the Church, determined to prepare for her mother’s inevitable return. As time passes, however, Lou discovers yet another danger lurking: her own growing feelings for her husband. But Reid is still dangerous. He’s just as likely to tie her to the stake as defend her if he learns her true identity. With enemies closing in—and more than her own life at stake—Lou must decide who she can trust before it's too late…and she's not the only one with a secret.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.shelbymahurin.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40024139-serpent-dove" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062878026/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/serpent-dove-shelby-mahurin/1129349278" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9780062878021" target="_blank">The Ivy Bookshop</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This sounds fantastic! And with a gorgeous cover, no less! I'm excited. =)</span></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-31373731783685754332019-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-12T00:00:02.224-05:00Top Ten Tuesday (38)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWI_x8pGqFfzDyM_n-KWri6wb5fsnj8p8aFt-RirrDi9bdDvzQbV60l7-tCGqY5OgLcXy37TSJoZSwVR5UlYd8Xz6Q-Kpzjt0FXxsHDf5t20z55vE6a99zBxv4nOoNDzRKv6TdsGJBmbs/s1600/TTT-Big2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWI_x8pGqFfzDyM_n-KWri6wb5fsnj8p8aFt-RirrDi9bdDvzQbV60l7-tCGqY5OgLcXy37TSJoZSwVR5UlYd8Xz6Q-Kpzjt0FXxsHDf5t20z55vE6a99zBxv4nOoNDzRKv6TdsGJBmbs/s400/TTT-Big2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happy Tuesday! Today I've decided to participate in Top Ten Tuesday, formerly hosted by Jamie at <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>, now hosted by Jana at <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Favorite Couples In Books</u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRSdWF16cT8pK5jOnBnc9swCVAy7mGoNd2iHxx6PV1r29HlXlXfzm4ckI7Lr7eSNvQoZwcYSJgYyZVuGVG1j60vQK1-yaDicJQwNbimSndL88eJELSQyoOjMGNJqYgAO2WN3AbSzq3Pw/s1600/Fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRSdWF16cT8pK5jOnBnc9swCVAy7mGoNd2iHxx6PV1r29HlXlXfzm4ckI7Lr7eSNvQoZwcYSJgYyZVuGVG1j60vQK1-yaDicJQwNbimSndL88eJELSQyoOjMGNJqYgAO2WN3AbSzq3Pw/s320/Fire.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brigan & Fire -- these two will always be my favorite</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WRlP2yjs5eKA2XYQwsS2xrBqRmcX87wY_aFWl3tcNd0jHbcCGtulj0yRciwsKrP7OuCXIxlcNhqESI_delpP1a_pmNgYkdCUKpG1q1su9cFkKFCtmVvA0-47bXOOU53NYoZd5DERzgI/s1600/Rebel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WRlP2yjs5eKA2XYQwsS2xrBqRmcX87wY_aFWl3tcNd0jHbcCGtulj0yRciwsKrP7OuCXIxlcNhqESI_delpP1a_pmNgYkdCUKpG1q1su9cFkKFCtmVvA0-47bXOOU53NYoZd5DERzgI/s320/Rebel.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jin & Amani -- I love their chemistry!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGyPTWWY72jaqPE36L5MTrBp9LN2Hz9eb-J0AQJh92oqdvVcMioJ52ccN6nYnxxTfh74KRzZNo95W4gmKC-_Gkf_-Sey_SmqwcxR4D33-UBVHExQ6RjnthSOoJbifCWkHi_VdawwFlUg/s1600/Rook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGyPTWWY72jaqPE36L5MTrBp9LN2Hz9eb-J0AQJh92oqdvVcMioJ52ccN6nYnxxTfh74KRzZNo95W4gmKC-_Gkf_-Sey_SmqwcxR4D33-UBVHExQ6RjnthSOoJbifCWkHi_VdawwFlUg/s320/Rook.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rene and Sophia -- one of my favorite hate-to-love romances ever!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDKzFPwvb7e3eRAqsIj72NVZ91djOjTV4gCqQGVPey07E0wjemcQ9cIU2fMD2Pigaf3RXlZWNvDzCoffVRt8fteltvshzrGQS7kwLOKzJRXPE3sVWEJ9KTkpUB8ZkDBGIJLqbhER4ES0/s1600/alienated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDKzFPwvb7e3eRAqsIj72NVZ91djOjTV4gCqQGVPey07E0wjemcQ9cIU2fMD2Pigaf3RXlZWNvDzCoffVRt8fteltvshzrGQS7kwLOKzJRXPE3sVWEJ9KTkpUB8ZkDBGIJLqbhER4ES0/s320/alienated.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aelyx & Cara -- another great hate-to-love romance!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYa4zIsgfBsOqwCEp2t7ixZPJt3IZAB2blKRAJrUXIyQ7jedJScjG63vm07qClUcgX3YNUM2lEfv0R32FODy-yLA5XHgVB9avL0tJ9yzUEsnxWgVhYk-J9-ccqbws8m-rHPmJ5Ugmi4E/s1600/Deep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYa4zIsgfBsOqwCEp2t7ixZPJt3IZAB2blKRAJrUXIyQ7jedJScjG63vm07qClUcgX3YNUM2lEfv0R32FODy-yLA5XHgVB9avL0tJ9yzUEsnxWgVhYk-J9-ccqbws8m-rHPmJ5Ugmi4E/s320/Deep.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fiske & Aelyn -- SUCH a great hate-to-love romance.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYjSX8AsayYHA6I2lvsh9jb3LOtKfJLg6juy7xFSdkvh5TQ4Jo_SOarxmcjLFK5XDFjXmmJZaVKU9__S_uZ7qCZIXBVPkrtQvQaPrfkHkX-WrKXPvmChcDEPzDaE5Is2PH8Ke9Z3YZR0/s1600/Sand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYjSX8AsayYHA6I2lvsh9jb3LOtKfJLg6juy7xFSdkvh5TQ4Jo_SOarxmcjLFK5XDFjXmmJZaVKU9__S_uZ7qCZIXBVPkrtQvQaPrfkHkX-WrKXPvmChcDEPzDaE5Is2PH8Ke9Z3YZR0/s320/Sand.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Xanthus & Attia -- a beautiful slow-burn romance.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVUjAz_Nuq74-GL9QFhEAX4RTNCLNNdKz44sqNRvQVW-0emSBJy2vq8Coug7CqekigUB9Pp29Kdr2G0s9pMHJYl8LPKfY6fuQitu8eblELZBdQJ4xSe5X04LfNYEKwOrN7yKExBcs5eI/s1600/wrath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVUjAz_Nuq74-GL9QFhEAX4RTNCLNNdKz44sqNRvQVW-0emSBJy2vq8Coug7CqekigUB9Pp29Kdr2G0s9pMHJYl8LPKfY6fuQitu8eblELZBdQJ4xSe5X04LfNYEKwOrN7yKExBcs5eI/s320/wrath.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Khalid & Shahrzad -- hate-to-love, slow-burn, combustible romance at its finest.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzklmha8C1x73saXYw4AfItJmDOLbpCnubhYZqc8Uqm2Dp9-g1lCaZvZeSlVuJnGCFizlgS6hpzI-rcz-cJpcn8I0uYn_zR2O-RjGHJ3s6oq4ZVPfziEYD9V5rGuU168kG1QwKPnueSk/s1600/My+Life+Next+Door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzklmha8C1x73saXYw4AfItJmDOLbpCnubhYZqc8Uqm2Dp9-g1lCaZvZeSlVuJnGCFizlgS6hpzI-rcz-cJpcn8I0uYn_zR2O-RjGHJ3s6oq4ZVPfziEYD9V5rGuU168kG1QwKPnueSk/s320/My+Life+Next+Door.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jase & Sam -- these two are so cute with such sweet chemistry!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6R2zhMa-MyEpl0Apj_wFf4PrR3uRgcNLkj7eY8jLpi6r1KNe8NpLq1pOL0-7hw26T_oRu4etVVVUgUcXdgxbvENVRnm9a39SaWU4UfSeo2lLVAqP26KlNc8ONbSiR__dCtSTCqk68kA/s1600/Woven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6R2zhMa-MyEpl0Apj_wFf4PrR3uRgcNLkj7eY8jLpi6r1KNe8NpLq1pOL0-7hw26T_oRu4etVVVUgUcXdgxbvENVRnm9a39SaWU4UfSeo2lLVAqP26KlNc8ONbSiR__dCtSTCqk68kA/s320/Woven.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">North & Sydelle -- super great hate-to-love, slow-burn romance!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA74lcuVl2tLdg2H6bFY6dVi2B_XyEtZ-j64GzrntYGswlFkc8pyZSJOprkfoFnRqpGC8hV1rlW5iXzKJTivaFPHSVnPNPa1Nro5Qnk_P5YUg2Ugk17MY-sIt-ssAGK3-q3rAXr5SmhI/s1600/Grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA74lcuVl2tLdg2H6bFY6dVi2B_XyEtZ-j64GzrntYGswlFkc8pyZSJOprkfoFnRqpGC8hV1rlW5iXzKJTivaFPHSVnPNPa1Nro5Qnk_P5YUg2Ugk17MY-sIt-ssAGK3-q3rAXr5SmhI/s320/Grave.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Duval & Ismae -- again, a great hate-to-love, slow-burn romance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What does this post tell you? That I love hate-to-love, slow-burn romances!</span></div>
Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00128004483437247740noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3634501776293792112.post-65032774657310431882019-02-11T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-11T00:00:03.902-05:00Blog Tour and Giveaway: Romancing His Rival by Jennifer Shirk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://puretextualitypr.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="1000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9hTqLixVGjILa7osEEcZU8KytoyvW7zGLUe53d8k6TEohIn-SXKnucc0A0dm-4Y_ywn82951pqjhAhcjfAy9PB4QKU_W0LNuS2NT5AG3Y49Q1WfrPtpT4dtAYP6bSWKNPUob5JF9Q1I/s400/Tour+Banner+-+Romancing+His+Rival+by+Jennifer+Shirk.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hello, book friends! Happy Monday! (Are Mondays ever happy though?) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Today, I'm promoting <i>Romancing His Rival</i> by Jennifer Shirk, a new book published by Entangled Publishing! This is new to me, but it looks like the cutest romance novel, and it's perfect for this week. Happy early Valentine's day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>About the Book:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24739qlTUwSD3J5zJ3tz8R114Orm0Ep3Eh98yEncc1HX43opblgdzLFHQwL-4hsb2av8Zjc8VkqpTnPzo13fKkAKNph5gWBHP0VoMxBDbj_IyFFhM0txGVnDP6pOsEz_q6lxO6VrYsDc/s1600/Book+Cover+-+Romancing+His+Rival+by+Jennifer+Shirk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24739qlTUwSD3J5zJ3tz8R114Orm0Ep3Eh98yEncc1HX43opblgdzLFHQwL-4hsb2av8Zjc8VkqpTnPzo13fKkAKNph5gWBHP0VoMxBDbj_IyFFhM0txGVnDP6pOsEz_q6lxO6VrYsDc/s320/Book+Cover+-+Romancing+His+Rival+by+Jennifer+Shirk.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Romancing His Rival</i> by Jennifer Shirk</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book Three of the Accidentally Yours series</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publisher: Entangled Publishing</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Publication Date: February 11, 2019</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Official Summary:</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Hopeless romantic Elena Mason doesn’t often hate people, but she hates her ex-fiancé’s insufferable best man, Lucas Albright III. She just knows Lucas is the one who talked her ex out of getting married—so Lucas is clearly the cause of all her problems. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">And now she’s expected to work with him? Oh, heck no.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Lucas Albright wants nothing more than to make partner at his advertising firm, and he knows he works best alone. But then Elena ends up as his partner on an account that could win him a promotion. He had a great reason to end her engagement, not that she’d ever believe him. Still, he’s willing to try working as a team. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, his new “partner” wants him dead.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Elena knows she’s going to have to give in and work with her nemesis, though nobody said it had to be easy for him. But what happens when fighting starts feeling a whole lot like falling in love?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Goodreads | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYXGRTN" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/romancing-his-rival-jennifer-shirk/1130335740" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://entangledpublishing.com/romancing-his-rival.html" target="_blank">Entangled</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/romancing-his-rival" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/romancing-his-rival/id1450181748?mt=11" target="_blank">iBooks</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">USA TODAY bestselling author, JENNIFER SHIRK, has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations. She writes sweet romances (some even funny!) and won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her first book, The Role of a Lifetime. Recently, her novel Sunny Days for Sam won the 2013 Golden Quill Published Authors Contest for Best Traditional Romance. She's a board member for Straight Ahead Ministries, an organization involved in helping spread the gospel and aiding medical and pharmacy students in Russia. She's also a board member of the Ocean City Library Board of Trustees. She resides in a beach resort in NJ, and when she's not involved in all the above, she's taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter, guinea pig (Rocco), puppy (Sox) and four hermit crabs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.jennifershirk.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3112488.Jennifer_Shirk" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorjennifershirk" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jennifershirk" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://amzn.to/2TAKgUO" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Excerpt:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Chapter One</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After dashing through the snow in a three-hour car ride up the mountains with “Feliz Navidad” playing in what seemed like a continuous loop on the radio, Elena Mason was officially done with Christmas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And it was only December first.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She finally pulled into the condo parking lot, and of course, there were no spots near her unit. The lot was most likely jam-packed with would-be skiers, so she had to park two rows away. Good thing she planned ahead and wore her snow boots.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Her good friend and wedding planner, Arden Roberts, had just organized a wedding for a woman who was on her way to Aruba this week on her honeymoon. In thanks, she had given Arden full access to her condo in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains. Arden had meant well, granting Elena the use of the condo because she knew she needed a getaway. Or at least, she’d <i>insisted </i>Elena needed one. Elena wasn’t so sure. Right now, she was ready to just go home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But then again, she wasn’t the type to look a gift condo in the mouth, so she pulled on her mittens and readied herself for a hike through the snow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At least Elena had brought her sketch pad to help her relax. Arden had suggested she try ice skating (not likely) or do some skiing (even less likely) or just simply relax to get her mind off her canceled wedding, which would have been December twenty-first (still working on that one).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seven months and fifteen days ago, her fiancé, Scott, had suddenly called off their wedding. It still tore Elena up to think about it. She and Scott were so good together. She’d been so happy. And why wouldn’t she have been happy? She was finally going to have the kind of perfect marriage her parents had. Scott was handsome, caring, and a financial planner just like her dad had been. He even proposed in the same way her dad had proposed to her mom: on top of the Empire State Building.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Coincidence? She thought not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Scott was the perfect man. Actually, <i>everything </i>had been perfect. Right down to her dress, reception, and home they were going to buy together. Until the best man—Lucas Albright III—and his big fat opinionated mouth had to go and ruin her life. The cad. If she never saw him again in her lifetime, it’d be way too soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lucas had planted some kind of crazy notion in Scott’s head that she wouldn’t make a good “executive wife.” He trusted Lucas more than anyone, which was why Lucas had Scott all of a sudden questioning their compatibility and then eventually their engagement. So what if she didn’t have a college degree or couldn’t talk finance?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The wind stung her cheeks as she lugged her belongings across the parking lot and up to the icy doorstep. Snow was still falling pretty hard, which made the trek all the more precarious with her hands full. Once she reached the door, she set down her bags and pulled the house keys from her pocket, double-checking the address written on the keychain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was the place all right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hmm…not bad. But based on the “Happy Easter” wreath adorning the door, she assumed the condo hadn’t been used in quite a while. She prayed the heater worked. Not quite the vacation getaway she or her friends envisioned, but a lot of her money was still tied up in down payments she’d placed for her wedding, so she didn’t have a lot of options as far as vacations went this year. Unfortunately, she still held onto hope that Scott would realize how much he couldn’t live without her, which was why she hadn’t been fighting too hard yet to get her money back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She took a deep breath then nudged the door open, bracing herself for what she’d find inside. <i>Whew</i>. At least it didn’t smell funky. Tossing her belongings into the foyer, she then shook the snow from her boots before walking into the living room and having a look around. And for the first time in almost eight months, Elena actually wanted to smile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The place was charming. A large comfy-looking sectional with lots of furry throw pillows filled the sitting area. A wall of windows offered a lovely view of the snow-covered ski slopes and—bonus!—there were two built-in bookshelves overflowing with books. Elena quickly noted a few written by Nora Roberts on the shelf and decided that maybe this little getaway was turning out much better than she’d anticipated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before she could check out the other rooms, her cell phone rang and she raced to the foyer to answer it. <i>Maybe Scott has finally changed his mind!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No such luck. But she still smiled when she saw Arden’s picture pop up on the screen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Oh, I’m so glad you answered,” Arden rushed out. “Kinsley and I have been worried sick about you traveling in this weather. We heard there’s a winter storm warning in effect.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elena unwound the scarf from around her neck as she spoke. “Aw, you two are so sweet. I’m perfectly fine, but it sure is nice to be worried about nowadays.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sad, but true. At this point in her life, she’d never felt so alone. With both her parents gone, being an only child, no fiancé, and now the holidays rolling in, getting through the month that should have been her honeymoon was going to be a complete bear. Thank goodness she had her friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Hush, girl. We’re <i>always </i>concerned about you. And not just because of what Scott did. You’re a wonderful, beautiful person who will find love again. You just need to be patient.”</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Mm-hmm. Says the woman who recently married her high school crush.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elena shook her head, even though she knew her newly married and completely over-the-moon-in-love friend was trying to be supportive and upbeat. “I don’t want to find love again. I already found love. And quite frankly, I just want it back.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oops. She’d said it out loud.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, poor, pathetic Elena was still in love with and wanted the man back who, without warning, had broken her heart along with their engagement. But it was the truth. She desperately wanted Scott back. She wanted that part of her life back. She hadn’t been truly happy since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Arden let out a sigh. “Honey, it’s been a while. I don’t think you and Scott—”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Anyway, I don’t really want to talk about it right now,” she said, carrying the grocery bag of food she’d brought with her into the kitchen. It was depressing to hear the pitying tone in her friend’s voice. But the truth was, Arden didn’t understand. None of her friends did. They hadn’t grown up in a household of love like hers with such wonderful and nurturing parents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Was it wrong to want that kind of life for herself?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She hadn’t realized how happy her life had been—until they’d been in a terrible parasailing accident while they were on vacation. She was left utterly alone at the young age of twenty-two, and her life had begun to head in a downward spiral of depression and emptiness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until six months later, when she’d met Scott. A time in her life when she needed him most, so because of that, she’d always think of him as her savior.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Scott Coban had come to town for a coworker’s anniversary party. And he just so happened to be staying the weekend at the Harbor Light where she worked. Before that moment, love at first sight was just something she’d read about in her romance books. But it was real. She had experienced it firsthand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Scott had charmed her and asked for her number right away. That night he’d ended up leaving the party early and immediately called her to meet him for a drink which she’d readily accepted. And the rest was history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Until<i> she </i>became history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No thanks to Scott’s friend and would-be best man, Lucas Albright.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I’m sorry,” Arden said, breaking into Elena’s morose thoughts. “I just don’t want you getting your hopes up for no real tangible reason, that’s all.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I’m not getting my hopes up.” <i>My hopes are </i>already <i>up.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I mean, sure, I guess it’s possible you two could get back together. But, honey, the reason we wanted you to take this vacation was to get your mind <i>off </i>Scott. You know, like a <i>Scottcation</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elena pulled out a bottle of red wine, then another for good measure, and nodded. If that failed, she had plenty of chocolate and tequila as a backup. “I will try my best.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Great! And while you’re at it, try not to think of that Lucas Albright either.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The wine almost slipped from Elena’s hand. “Now why on earth did you have to go and mention <i>his </i>name?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Oops, sorry. It’s just that…well, I didn’t want to mention this before, but the condo you’re staying in kind of belongs to his sister, Michelle.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elena sat on the nearest chair, fearing her legs would give way. Of all the places she could have gone, it would have to be tied to a man she wanted nothing to do with ever again in her life. “You were smart not to mention that to me before. I would have never come.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Before you go torching the place in a fit of vengeance,” Arden lectured, “please just try to remember that his sister happens to be a very good client of mine and a sweet person.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She snorted. “Yeah, too bad she’s related to the Spawn of Voldemort,” she grumbled back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Honestly, Elena, I’ve met Lucas, too, at her wedding, and I have to say, I can’t imagine him being the kind of person to break up anyone’s engagement.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Well, he did. Scott told me so himself. And whose side are you on anyway?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Yours! Always yours. I’m just playing devil’s advocate.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Are you finished playing?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I suppose so.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Good,” she said, ripping open the bag of marshmallows she’d brought and popping one in her mouth. “Because let me tell you something about Lucas Albright III. I don’t know what kind of snow job he laid on you, but I know for a fact that he is a cold, insensitive man and a liar—not to mention a terrible friend. And you can rest assured that nothing and no one could ever possibly change my opinion about him.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lucas’s life motto could easily be summed up like this: when a person gets stressed, that person gets to skiing. Which was how he found himself traveling late at night in the middle of a snowstorm to his sister’s condo up in the mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although the weather wasn’t doing anything to calm his nerves, it did manage to make him forget he was past due on his marketing deadline at work. The advertising campaign he’d been assigned was supposed to have been completed before Halloween. Two extensions later and they were still way behind on the Christmas ad season. His only saving grace was that a bulk of the marketing could be done online and would be rolled out rather quickly once he had the design and slogan down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The problem was he had nothing yet. Nada. Zilch. And if he didn’t come up with an idea fast, he’d also have no job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lucas turned up the heater in his SUV and breathed in slowly. He could do this. He had to do this. Relax and focus. Once he got to the condo, he’d start a fire, grab a beer, and get to work. His sister’s place had always been like a balm to him. Even after his divorce, he found a lot of comfort in the brisk mountain air and its remoteness. A man could do a lot of life thinking and prioritizing up there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now, he hoped, a lot of creating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He pulled into the parking lot and noted that most of ski buffs already had the same idea as him, knowing there were going to be great conditions with all the new snow predicted to fall. It was accumulating quickly, and it looked as if the snow plows couldn’t keep up, since the snow already reached his shins as he made his way across the street.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just a few lights were on in the buildings. It was late. Almost eleven o’clock, but he was wired enough from the drive to be able to fit in a few hours of work. He couldn’t spare the time anyway. He <i>had </i>to bring <i>something </i>to his clients by Monday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lugging his two bags, he reached the doorstep. He stuck his spare key into the door, but realized rather quickly that it wasn’t necessary. The door was already unlocked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Weird</i>. And very unlike Michelle. His senses went on alert. Had someone broken in? He carefully turned the knob and nudged the door open, but waited a few beats before taking a step in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One light in the living room was on, and everything appeared neat and tidy. He quietly placed his bags on the floor and glanced around. No evidence of a robbery or a break-in. But something seemed off. He took a step forward and sniffed the air, smelling something that resembled…<i>burnt marshmallows?</i> Again, weird. His sister was on her honeymoon, and his parents were still in Cape Harmony. That’s when it hit him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Literally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He stumbled back as something spongey yet firm smacked up against his face again. His head shot back and it slammed against the wall. Pain shot through his skull. He raised his arms to protect himself and cracked one eye open, then caught a glimpse of his assailant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Surprise and relief struck him at once. Thank God. Not exactly a friendly face, but much better than a robber.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Elena,” he said, holding his palms up in surrender, “it’s me, Lucas Albright.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before he could regain his balance, he was hit with another swipe to the face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Hey!” He rubbed his jaw. Damn, that hit packed an even stronger punch. What kind of woman knew how to use a pillow as a weapon? “Elena, stop. I said it’s me, Lucas.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unsmiling, Elena slowly lowered the pillow. “I heard you.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Jeez, then why’d you still hit me?” he asked, moving his jaw and checking for loose teeth. Did she have a crowbar wedged in the stuffing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She gave a small shrug. “Sorry. My hands must have slipped.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He narrowed his eyes. <i>Yeah. Right. </i>Obviously, Elena Mason held a small grudge against him. Not that he totally blamed her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“What are you doing here?” he asked, hiding a grin as he took in her pink pajama bottoms that had pictures of chocolate chip cookies and the words “Tough Cookie” all over them. Otherwise, she would have made an intimidating figure for sure with her long brown hair spilling over her shoulders, cheeks flushed, and brown eyes blazing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I was invited.” She walked back into the living room and tossed the pillow onto the couch. “What are <i>you </i>doing here? You gave me a heart attack, sneaking in like you did.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I didn’t sneak in. The door was open and I walked in. And—<i>you were invited?”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elena whipped her hair off her shoulders like a regal debutante and nodded. “That’s right. Invited. And I was specifically told I would be <i>alone</i>. So you better run along now.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He cracked a half smile as he began unbuttoning his coat. He didn’t remember Elena being this feisty when she was engaged to Scott. But damn, if she didn’t wear her temper extremely well. And damn, if that didn’t make him want to stir it even more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I’m not running along anywhere,” he told her matter-of-factly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“What? But you can’t stay here. Not with me, anyway.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I can and I will. With you. This is my sister’s condo, and she lets me use it whenever I choose. And I happen to choose <i>now</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my gosh, after everything you’ve done to me, I can’t believe you have the nerve.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Everything <i>I’ve</i> done?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Don’t play dumb, Lucas. Scott told me everything you said about me.” Her breath caught and she paused. “You know, just because I don’t have a college degree doesn’t mean I’m not executive wife material. I…I have a lot going for myself.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although her words lacked the confidence to be effective, Lucas still didn’t doubt that for one minute, which was why he had never said a single one of those things to Scott about her. Scott had created that reasoning all by himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Truthfully, from the several times Lucas had spent in her company while she’d been engaged to his friend, he’d found her to be smart, engaging, trusting, and loyal. Not to mention incredibly pretty. And, if he were being even <i>more </i>honest, incredibly sexy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not that Scott or Elena would appreciate hearing that last bit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He hung up his coat and slipped out of his snow boots. “Look, Elena—”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Oh, no, don’t get comfortable,” she said, pointing to his socked feet. “You’re not staying.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He sighed. “I know you’re not thrilled to see me right now. I get that. But I only pointed out things to Scott about my own marriage that he already knew. As his best man, I owed him that. If Scott happened to take that information and form his own opinions on what does or doesn’t make a great relationship, well, I can’t be held responsible. Maybe what it comes down to is that you and Scott really weren’t meant for each other.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She gasped. “How can you say that? Who made you the Be-All-End-All Relationship Guru? Just because <i>your </i>marriage didn’t end well doesn’t mean my and Scott’s marriage would have ended poorly too. He loves me.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I don’t doubt that he cares for you or even loved you, but that doesn’t always hold a marriage together. Trust me, I know.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He sure did know. Once upon a time he’d thought his marriage to Catherine was one for the romance textbooks. Everything he’d thought a good, loving relationship should be. At least on paper. They even had the house in the suburbs of North Jersey with the yard meant for a dog and several children. But after a few years, Catherine missed city living and the entertainment New York could bring and often traveled into the city to shop or meet friends for lunch. He’d learned later that one of her <i>friends </i>had been a male coworker from her old job—and more importantly, that they weren’t just meeting for lunch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was his own fault, he knew now. He wasn’t meant for marriage. In fact, when he was born, he should have been slapped with a “does not play well with others” label.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Still, failures hurt, which was why succeeding in his career felt like a balm for his soul. He could “win” at something, at least.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Save it, Lucas,” Elena spat, folding her arms defiantly. “Don’t even try to pretend you had my best interests at heart when you convinced Scott not to marry me. You’re… You’re… You’re deplorable.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He banked down his own frustration. He’d hardly convinced anyone to do anything. But he’d admit he was glad of the outcome. She and Scott never really made sense to him. She obviously was hurting, though, and Scott still seemed confused about his feelings. So, better she think Lucas was the villain in this situation. After all, he’d probably never see her again after this weekend anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I am sorry,” he offered. He truly was. <i>Sort of.</i> Scott was a decent guy, but a little selfish in the relationship department. While Elena deserved… She needed a man like…</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hell, what did he know what kind of man she should be with? But to be honest, he really couldn’t picture her with anyone specific.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She turned away, but not before he’d seen the tears in her eyes. “Just go. If you are sorry, then the best thing you could do for me is leave. Please.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As soon as he saw the tears, his chest felt as if a gorilla had collapsed on it. But the whispered <i>please </i>she’d tacked on at the end nearly brought him to his knees. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry. In fact, he’d been trying to save her from heartbreak. How did this get so complicated? “I…I can’t go anywhere.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Her shoulders stiffened, then she glanced back. “Well, then<i> I’ll </i>leave.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But before she could storm away, he took hold of her arm. It was a knee-jerk reaction. He wasn’t thinking beyond the fact that he couldn’t let her go out there alone in that weather. But touching her like that had him immediately pulling back and standing stock-still as if his fingers had been seared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He cleared his throat. “I don’t think you understand. You’re not going anywhere either.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“What? Why?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He guided her to the nearest window and raised the shade. “That’s why.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Oh my gosh!” She pressed her nose up against the glass and blinked at the thick white flakes swirling from the night sky like a shaken snow globe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Yeah, it’s really coming down,” he told her. “I was lucky to make it here when I did. There’s no way you’d go fifty yards before getting stuck in that mess. I heard on the radio there’s a special storm warning in effect from midnight until five in the morning.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elena backed away from the window and looked at him in horror. “So, what are you saying?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“I’m saying what you’re not willing to hear. Like it or not, sweetheart, it seems we’re stuck with each other for the night.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Giveaway:</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <i>Romancing His Rival</i>, Entangled Publishing is giving away for a $25 Amazon gift card! Enter Here → <a href="https://bit.ly/2Sb8Ejb" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2Sb8Ejb</a></span><br />
<br />
Open internationally. One winner will be chosen to receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Entangled Publishing. Giveaway ends 2/15/2019 @ 11:59pm EST. Entangled Publishing will send one winning prize, Pure Textuality PR will deliver the other. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address. Duplicates will be deleted.</div>
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