Echoes of Winter: SOARING by @KKAllen_Author [Anthology + Giveaway]

About The Book:

Thirteen never before seen YA short stories just in time for the holidays!

Title: Echoes of Winter: A Wintery YA Short Story Collection
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Fantasy / YA
Pages: 913
Published: November 27, 2015
Publisher: BrixBaxter Publishing

On an Alaskan cruise in the dead of winter, Emma and Luke find each other under the aurora borealis, a phenomenon that bonds them in the most unlikely of ways.

While Luke teaches Emma what it means to soar, she gives him a reason to stay grounded, but as their journey nears its end memories of a forgotten past surfaces, challenging their future—if a future for them still exists.

Goodreads | Amazon

About The Author:

K.K. Allen is the Contemporary Fantasy author of stories inspired by nature, magic and love.  

She loves manatees, learned to swim for the mere purpose of pretending she was a mermaid, and adores the beach so much she promises to one day live on one (in a tent if she has to) in Hawaii and serve snow cones on the side of the road. 

K.K.'s Summer Solstice Series includes The Summer Solstice Enchanted, The Equinox, and The Descendants.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

From the other Authors:

Book 1: Twelve Days to Christmas by L.A. Starkey

Book 2: Christmas Seasoning by DB Nielsen

Book 3: Merry Chris Witch by CK Dawn

Book 4: Wrapped in the Past by Chess Desalls

Book 5: Butterflies in the Snow by D.E.L. Connor

Book 6: The Darkest Night of the Year by Tim Hemlin

Book 7: Cold Hearth by Kelly Hall

Book 8: Code X by W.J. May

Book 9: Good Saint Nick by Lu J Whitley

Book 10: Soaring by K.K. Allen

Book 11: A Spirit’s Last Gift by Kathy-Lynn Cross

Book 12: Winter Trials by K.S. Marsden

Book 13: The Edge by Fleur Camacho

The Giveaway:

Click on image to enter giveaway.

Event posted by:

Happy Holidays!

Waiting on Wednesday #4 @simonschuster @SimonTeenCA

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Amy's Pick

Genre:	YA, Contemporary
Publication Date:	February 23, 2016
Pages:	368
Published By:	Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

“Was this story written about me?”
I shrugged.
“Yes or no?”
I shrugged again, finally earning a little scowl, which somehow made the girl even more pretty.
“It’s very rude not to answer simple questions,” she said.
I gestured for my journal, but she still wouldn’t give it to me. So I took out my pen and wrote on my palm.
I can’t, I wrote. Then, in tiny letters below it: Now don’t you feel like a jerk?

Parker Santé hasn’t spoken a word in five years. While his classmates plan for bright futures, he skips school to hang out in hotels, killing time by watching the guests. But when he meets a silver-haired girl named Zelda Toth, a girl who claims to be quite a bit older than she looks, he’ll discover there just might be a few things left worth living for.

From the celebrated author of We All Looked Up comes a unique story of first and last loves.

Why I'm Waiting

  This is a book with a strong storyline, characters that make the pages come alive as if you were inside the story with them. This is an authors that writes books with meaning and full of heart. One would be definitely missing out not to pick up anything by Tommy!

Tiffany's Pick

Genre:	YA, Retelling, Historical Fiction
Publication Date:	February 9, 2016
Pages:	320
Published By:	Simon Pulse

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything. This is their story.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

Why I'm Waiting

When it comes to a retelling or a twist on a tale, I just can't help myself. They call to me, they beg to be read. To be honest they have become somewhat of an addiction lately, and I will not complain about one more coming out to add to my list. What I love about this is that I don't believe I have ever read a retelling on anything to do with Blackbeard (though he has been mentioned in other books). I believe that this book has all of the elements needed to be AWESOME!! That is why this book is on my MUST HAVE list for 2016.

What are you waiting on this week? We would love to hear it!
Make sure you link up your post as well so we can stop by.

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors We're Thankful For...

Welcome to Lady Reader's Bookstuff's Top Ten Tuesday!!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week we got a freebie!! A Thanksgiving Themed freebie that is...  Amy & I are going to give you 10 Authors (total) that we are thankful for, because let’s face it without them where would we be?!

Authors Tiffany's Thankful for

Ali Cross is a ninja novelist with a black belt in awesome. She lives in Utah with her kickin' husband, two sparring sons, one ninja cat, one sumo dog and four zen turtles.

Ali writes middle grade fiction under the pen name Alex Banks.

  Ali helped give me the courage to blog.  Without her I may very well not be here today...  Plus she is a strong woman that I admire.  No matter how long we go without chatting, I know she is there.

 I'm a dreamer, believer in the unbelievable, and author of The Merworld Water Wars series: FINNED (Wave One), OVERFALLS (Wave Two), and RIFTED (Wave Three), with two more 'waves' to follow. 

Hook (pun totally intended): "Take a fish-phobic girl, divide her by one hot merman, add a splash of his crazy ex-merbitch, and you get one stinky school year."

I'm a handbag-loving gal who LOVES to watch sports--football, baseball, basketball, NASCAR, you name it. I take being a fan very seriously. ;)

One thing I love most is trying to make people smile, even if it means making a fool out of myself (trust me, my inner idiot is bound to make multiple appearances).

I have a completely irrational fear of grasshoppers, worry that piranha may secretly lurk in lakes, and try to find the bright side in everything, even if I annoy myself doing so.

  Sutton Shields is honestly a light in my life.  She has made it a life goal of mine to meet her and own everything she ever writes (probably even her grocery list), because she is so full of smiles and quirks <3

D.T. Dyllin is a bestselling author who writes both paranormal and contemporary romance. Anything with a love story is her kryptonite. Her obsession with affairs-of-the-heart is what first drove her to begin twisting her own tales of scorching romance.

D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband and two spoiled German Shepherds.

This woman is all kinds of awesome!  There is not one book of hers that I could/would put down willingly.  She writes these amazing romance novels that EVERYONE should own!! Plus I've been with her since Hidden Gates was Enemy Through the Gates.  I am thankful for not only Dara but every single one of her books!

Julie Anne Nelson... She is an honest to goodness inspiration and I adore her and her work. Julie has a writing style that is nothing short of beautiful and I clear my schedule before picking her work up :) This woman never gives up, even when things are at their most difficult and her hard work shows.

Authors Amy's Thankful For 

Andrew Smith is the award-winning author of several Young Adult novels, including the critically acclaimed Winger (Starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness—an Amazon “Best of the Year”) and The Marbury Lens (A YALSA BFYA, and Starred reviews and Best of the Year in both Publishers Weekly and Booklist).

He is a native-born Californian who spent most of his formative years traveling the world. His university studies focused on Political Science, Journalism, and Literature. He has published numerous short stories and articles. He lives in Southern California. Find more at http://www.authorandrewsmith.com. 

A.S. King is the author of the highly-acclaimed GLORY O'BRIEN'S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE, REALITY BOY, 2013 LA Times Book Prize winner ASK THE PASSENGERS, 2012 ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS, and 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ. She is also the author of the ALA Best Books for Young Adults THE DUST OF 100 DOGS as well as a collection of award-winning short stories for adults, MONICA NEVER SHUTS UP.

Look for Amy's work in anthologies DEAR BULLY, BREAK THESE RULES, ONE DEATH NINE STORIES, and LOSING IT. (And brace yourself for 2015's novel, I CRAWL THROUGH IT.) Find more at www.as-king.com.

Ann Marie ("Annie") Frohoff grew up in sunny Southern California. As a teen and young adult she spent her time frequenting and living in nearly every beachside city up and down the coast. She settled in Hollywood at 19 working in film and TV. Soon her itch to keep moving took over again, taking her to Hawaii for a time and then back to LA. She’s now settled in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Her wanderlust and propensity to live life out loud has brought her many life experiences so many of us only dream about. Always the storyteller, it would be of no surprise to those who grew up with Annie, that she made the transition into a book and screenplay author. You could say that she woke up one day and had an epiphany, deciding to go to school for screenwriting. It’s with this inner fire she set out to write her first screenplay. Soon after, such work made it into the hands of an agency creative executive who challenged her to write a novel to support the complex cast of characters she’d created. Thus, after only a couple of years and many hours on the road immersing herself in her subject matter; her edgy modern day "Walk The Line" meets John Hughes Classics, Heavy Influence series is on it's way!

The first installment in her Heavy Influence Series, FIRST KISS(#1) released in 2013, FEVER PITCH(#1.5) 2013 and BROKEN NOTES (#2) in Dec. 2014. ~

The series is a story of young, reckless love between a rising rock star and his younger muse, spanning 10 years of their tumultuous and passionate relationship. An original soundtrack has been written and recorded for this series, of which the lyrics appear in the pages of the books. (Alternative Rock Genre).

Annie has now also delved into the supernatural fantasy world with her writing partners Shaun Barger and songwriter/musician Matthew Reich. Taking inspiration directly from song lyrics and building an entire realm of vastly complex characters and plot lines; weaving history, fantasy and heavy doses of romance together. You will be kept turning the pages of “The Zodiac Wars" and “Precious Metal: The Prince and the Gypsy” book series. Both series of books are currently in development. 

Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/authoramfrohoff/.

Ellen Hopkins is the New York Times bestselling author of Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical, Tricks, Fallout, Perfect, Triangles, Tilt, and Collateral.

Ellen lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband and son. Hopkin's Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest pages get thousands of hits from teens that claim Hopkins is the "only one who understands me", and she can be visited at 

ellenhopkins.com.

Shaun David Hutchinson is a major geek and all about nerdy shenanigans. Shaun Hutchinson is the author of The Deathday Letter, FML, The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley, the forthcoming book We Are the Ants (Spring 2016), and editor of the anthology, Violent Ends (Fall 2015).

He can be reached at 

shaun@shaundavidhutchinson.com.

He currently lives in South Florida with his partner and dog and watches way too much Doctor Who.

S. Chris Shirley is an award-winning writer/director and former President of the Board of Lambda Literary. His debut novel, PLAYING BY THE BOOK, was the first coming out novel to win a National IPPY Medal in religious fiction. He directed Roger Kuhn’s music video, “What’s Your Name,” which aired nationally in the US and made the annual MTV-Logo Top 10.  He also wrote/directed “Plus,” an award-winning short film that played at film festivals internationally.

Chris graduated from Auburn University where he served as photo editor of The Auburn Plainsman. He later received a graduate degree from Columbia University and studied filmmaking at New York University. He was born and raised in Greenville, Alabama and now resides in Manhattan.

Contact him at chris@schrisshirley.com.

These people are all more than just authors.  They're my friends.   Such good friends that I find myself considering them family, and each one is important to me in their own way.

  Are there any authors that you are thankful for this Thanksgiving?  What types of Bookish things are you thankful for?  Let us know in the comments or link us up because we want to hear.

The Deep East by Julie Anne Nelson (Review) @literaryjules

Genre:	YA, Paranormal, Fantasy
Released:	December 10, 2015
Pages:	392
Published By:	Young Mountain Publishing
Website	Julie Anne Nelson Goodreads
Review Copy:	Gifted from Author

Buy it: 
Amazon ~ B&N 

Synopsis

Cecily thought her fighting days were over. She’d surrendered to her fate. She’d left her home, her family, her love, and her sister sevens. She’d given everything, but nothing in her life prepared her for what she’d find in the Source. And for those she left behind, a greater darkness emerges, and their success or failure carries the fates of all.

Quotes

  I stared up at the sky; only it wasn't the real sky, certainly not the sky I knew when I was just a girl in Dunlowe, dreaming of living in a world less cruel.  In the real clouds that danced across the real sky above my old home, I'd dreamed of the possibility of life and love with no Pastor Rowe and his hateful words, no sevens who were feared since the day they were born, and no cages.

  The cold infected Dusty and he shivered, grateful for the wolf's warm fur.  "I used to believe in something, in everything.  Now I know there is nothing left to believe in.  Not any more."

  He turned back just as the army reached them and let out a battle cry that Zoe was proud to join.  A fight.  Another fight.  And another.  And the people of Dunlowe would still never surrender.

  Maybe the ship held more enemies, but Abigail chose to hope for better, because a false hope was better than no hope at all.

My Thoughts

  You will not find writing like Julie Anne Nelson's very often.  This is an author that has such a beautiful written word, and such a powerful voice that you will not be able to resist falling for her books.  With each book, each twist and each loss, my attachment to the characters, and the story that's being told only grows stronger.   The Deep East proved to be a difficult chapter to process, with so many twists blind siding me but it also proved Nelson's talent as an artist.  There was not one moment, one twist (no matter how wicked) that I didn't devour but that isn't unusual for an author of this calliper.

  Like with the previous two novels, Nelson chose to write The Deep East with multiple narratives.  This is actually one of the things that I love the most about these books and their creator.  Each character has their own clear voice, and despite hearing from each of the sevens and a couple of other characters, I never get lost or confused.  What you end up getting is a story that has more depth and makes you turn the pages faster to find out what happened to that character.  This also gives you a chance to see all of the strings that are being pulled and how they all are connected.  How one coming undone can strengthen others, even if this means losing something you didn't think the team could go on without.  

  Each and every one of the sevens seems to be on their own journey now.  They each have a purpose that they need to live up to or accept, and I would be lying if I said this was easy to process.  The Deep East is the first book in which the sevens were not one, and though I love everyone's individual growth, I also miss the strength that came in numbers.  This being said, each girl is coming into their own strength or showing their true colors.  Some girls, my heart soared for because I couldn't wish more for them and was proud that despite it being difficult they accepted their fate... Embraced it actually.  While there were moments that my heart sank and I couldn't believe that one of the sister sevens would stray so far from those that had loved and supported them when no one else did.  Sadly, I do accept this as part of the progression of both the story and characters, but that doesn't mean my heart is not bleeding a little.

  I also really enjoyed all of the relationships and how they are there, but never overtake the journey that each character is on.  However, there was once again loss with each gain.  Some lost more than others and my heart twisted for them.  It was like the people that really deserved that spark of love, of happiness in their lives were the ones that had it ripped away from them.  This is just another way that Nelson keeps you invested.  Many people have conflicted feelings when loosing a character that they have grown to love (and you will grow to love these characters), but Nelson does it in such a way that your heart will break but there is also acceptance.  Acceptance is an odd way to describe not only the loss of a character but the destruction of a true love.  The thing is that with these books you know that there is a reason.  There is a reason for every moment of joy and every moment of pain, you just have to wait and find out what it is.  

  The Deep East made me question so many things that I thought I knew about this series.  That being said it also changed my mind and heart about certain characters, and twisted it with others.  There is no way to guess where things are going to go, because at any moment what you thought was true could be found to be a lie, and the people that you believed could only carry a good heart, actually have a taint that you could never have imagined.  Julie Anne Nelson is an inspiration as an independently published author and will always remain one of my most treasured authors.  If you haven't started The Seven's series I can't stress enough that you are missing out.  From The Wild Wood to The Deep East you will fall in love with the characters, the plot, the adventures and without a doubt the author and her beautiful writing.

Posted by Tiffany

EPIC GIVEAWAY!!! 10 SIGNED Books + MORE!!! @Creativeindie

  If you are a book lover you NEED to enter this giveaway!! We are talking 10 SIGNED books, a $200 Amazon gift card and.... A vintage typewriter!! OMG, you need to see it because it's all kinds of beautiful.  The books...  Well, check out the graphic below to see some of the amazing signed books that are up for grabs:

(click on either of the images to enter or the link at the bottom of the post)

  One of the best parts is that it's so simple to enter!! You need to answer a multiple choice question (which you can answer if you have read, seen or ever heard of Twilight), enter your email address and BAM you have entered and have a chance to win this EPIC GIVEAWAY!

Basically (from an email I recieved):

You can share on Twitter, Facebook, add it to your blog or Tumblr, or share on Instagram and put the link in your profile. You can also share it in any forums, reading groups, or places where other YA readers hang out.

So enter and share away guys!!! I wish you all the best of luck and...

  And may the odds be ever in your favor!!

You can enter HERE

The Descendants by @KKAllen_Author (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Mythology
Publication Date:	November 17, 2015
Pages:	426
Published By:	Author
Website	K.K. Allen Website
My review copy:	ARC for honest review

Buy it: 
Amazon 

Synopsis

Winter in Apollo Beach is anything but a wonderland for Kat and her friends as their Enchanted community comes face to face with Erebus and his latest act of evil that strikes close to the heart. There's no turning back. Erebus has his sights set on Kat and using her to access the mysterious energy source. Kat will do anything to keep her friends and family safe . . . even if it means surrendering herself to the God of Darkness.

Meanwhile, Kat is finally picking up the pieces of her broken heart and moving on until all goes awry at the Arctic Winter Masquerade Ball. Everything she's worked for is shattered when she lands in the arms of someone who will divert her path . . . and heart . . . once again.

Quotes

  What is it with the Summer family and tragic fires?  My grandfather died in a house fire, I was almost killed by a bonfire, and my poor dad survived a chemical explosion.

  I was so selfish when it came to Alec.  I wasn't ready to be with him, but I didn't want anyone else to have him.  If I had just been honest with myself, and with him, none of this would be happening right now.

  Nothing could have prepared me for this moment because this moment was never supposed to come.  I'd accepted the possibility of Erebus claiming my body as his, but I never imagined he could take her.

My Thoughts

  Allen really outdid herself with this one. It's hard going into a third book with expectations and no way of knowing if you will be happy with how it all ends.  This also makes reviewing this book super hard on me because there is so much that I would like to share that I just can't without ruining all three books.  Even my quotes remained diverse in order to protect the amazing twists and turns that this book took, in order to ensure you get the best possible experience. 

  

  I mentally divided this book up.  The first half, and then the second half.  Saying this may be a waste of breath as many people do it, but I found a clear line with The Descendants.  The first half seemed set to really pulling out Katrina and her relationships.  I wont say with who but it wasn't just the romance part, but also family.  This is also where Allen caught us up on the year that had passed between books (flashbacks included).  The second half was where all of the action happened, and we really saw the what and why.  However, I don't want you to mistake my words and believe that any part of this was a slow read.  Allen does things in such a way that you are drawn to each page, and desire to know what happens on the next one.  I have never had a complaint about pacing with these novels and this was no different.  I just found that Allen made sure the needed relationships and mystery was added before she tore into the juicy bits of all of the secrets.

  What we all really want  to see as we read and come to love a character is their growth.  Katrina grows in each book.  Sometimes she gets more depth in an area she already showed improvement on, and other times she just takes that next step towards becoming something greater.  Katrina has the sensibility to question things before she leaps, but she is also human and sometimes makes decisions based on what her heart says, not her head.  She also has this beautiful ability to forgive people and see past the hurt that has been caused, and accepting that sometimes people make the wrong decision but find their way back to the right.  I love that she is both strong willed, devoted to those around her and had developed a sense of community for a place she was learning was really home.  Katrina is a character that I would love to read more of, or maybe see where life takes her when she's older...

  I was happy how everything turned out romantically in this one.  There were moments that I though I might not enjoy the romance, then some irritation built, but that wasn't so much Katrina and being indecisive but more the circumstances.  With much of the start of this one often coming back to the romance and how Katrina was going to handle things, I had a lot of time to decide how I wanted them to turn out.  There were times that my heart went out to one person or the other, and other times that I thought Katrina was going to lose more than it was worth.  Thankfully I was often wrong, but that is another kudos to this author, or maybe it's due to my reading anxiety when I really want things to go the way I want them to....

  The Descendants was worth the wait.  With an ending that wrapped everything up but left things wide open for another book, I am sure that I am only one of many that will eagerly await more from this author.  These books created a place that I would love to see and characters that will not be easily forgotten.  I have no problem recommending these books to people that enjoy mythology and want something different.  Being honest I would just recommend them to anyone that wants a good read, and something that steps out of the norm (oh and still wants a stunning cover).

Posted by Tiffany

Waiting on Wednesday #3 @GreenwillowBook @harperteen @epicreads

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Amy's Pick

Genre:	YA, Contemporary, GLBT
Publication Date:	February 2, 2016
Pages:	270
Published By:	Greenwillow Books

Westing is not your typical school. For starters, you have to have one very important quality in order to be admitted—you have to be dying. Every student at Westing has been diagnosed with PPV, or the Peter Pan Virus. No one is expected to live to graduation.

What do you do when you go to a school where no one has a future? Noah Falls, his girlfriend Alice, and his best friend Marty spend their time drinking, making out, and playing video games on awaywego.com. But when an older boy named Zach (who Noah may or may not be in love with) invites Noah and Marty to join his secret Polo Club, the lives of both boys change as they struggle to find meaning in their shortened existence.

With an innovative format that includes interstitial documents, such as flyers, postcards, and handwritten notes, Away We Go is a funny, honest look at first love and tragic heartbreak. For fans of Grasshopper Jungle and Noggin.

Why I'm Waiting

  This is a book with a strong storyline, characters that make the pages come alive as if you were inside the story with them. This is an authors that writes books with meaning and full of heart.  The kind of book that has you hooked from the first page, and doesn't let go until the last. One would be definitely missing out not to pick up anything by Emil!

Tiffany's Pick

Genre:	YA, Dystopia
Publication Date:	May 3, 2016
Pages:	352
Published By:	Harper Teen

In The Heir, a new era dawned in the world of The Selection. Twenty years have passed since America Singer and Prince Maxon fell in love, and their daughter is the first princess to hold a Selection of her own.

Eadlyn didn’t think she would find a real partner among the Selection’s thirty-five suitors, let alone true love. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and now Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more difficult—and more important—than she ever expected.

Why I'm Waiting

Well...  Where do I start with this?  This series had me from the first book.  I loved everything the cover, the plot and that it was a easy read for me.  What really kept me going was the need to know.  Doesn't hurt that the covers are beyond stunning and I basically want to stare at them all day long.  With The Crown I am eagerly waiting because I want to believe that Eadlyn is becoming someone that I don't want to smack.  I'm not a quitter and hope that this conclusion is everything that I loved about The One and America and Maxon's story.  This is a pre-order must for me! 

What are you waiting on this week? We would love to hear it!
Make sure you link up your post as well so we can stop by.

Top Ten Tuesday: Quotes

Welcome to Lady Reader's Bookstuff's Top Ten Tuesday!!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

This week we were asked about the 10 ten quotes we loved this year.  I went back through posts and picked some out.  This being said there were so many more that aren't here that I wish were...

Quotes I loved this year

I will not drown tonight.

I will not drown ever.

I am the desert. I am the desert. I am stone.

Isadora: The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

He sat there, cursing himself for letting his emotions escape their locks.  Feelings were messy.  Irritating.  Uncontrollable.  They swept through him like a god damn tornado, leaving destruction in its wake.  And pain. 

Reid: His Touch by Patty Blount

  I might have saved myself from all my wasted spite.  Anyone can hold onto revenge, because hate is easy.  That's what makes love so extraordinary.

Selinne: Keeping Merminia by Emm Cole

  I would never be a norm.  I just didn't know how to act.  I was a girl raised by fucking hyenas, an uncivilized creature who didn't know how to talk to real people.

Ror: Into the Dangerous World by Julie Chibbaro

  Love is a strange creature one thinks one has a grasp on and understanding of, only to discover later that it was only the barest taste of the real thing.  And there were so many different kinds of love   that much I knew   

Layla: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 When his lips finally touch mine it's as if my entire body has been set on fire.  He's lit every sensation in me.  Every feeling.

Katrina: The Equinox by K.K. Allen

  My coven likes to say we were born enchanted, but that's just pretty speak for dysfunctional with a touch of magic.

Callie: The Short Life of Sparrows by Emm Cole

  "The bodies we wear," he says.  "They're not the ones we always want.  They get damaged.  Used.  It's who we are on the inside that counts.  The person waiting to jump free."

Chael: The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts

Whenever I felt men's eyes on me, I met their stares with the full force of my gaze.  It was impossible to mistake it for flirtation.  When I did it, I stepped into the feathered skin of the kestrel, small but bold, and looked at them as if they were my lawful prey, free to live or doomed to die by my decision.

Maeve: Deceptions Princess by Ester Friensner

and last but not least the lines that made liquid come out my nose (read the book you will get it)

  Call it gut instinct, an ounce of good luck buried within a pit of bad, I don't know... but I intuitively peel myself away from Ben's lips a second before a nights worth of margaritas rushes up my throat and shoots out of my mouth.
  All over the front of Ben's red shirt,
  Oh my god.  Did that just happen?

Reese: Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker

  These are just a few of the quotes that I found memorable, made me laugh or maybe made my heart speed up a little.  What are some of your favorite quotes from this year?  Link me up if you have a post and if not I would LOVE to hear them in the comments <3

Posted by Tiffany

My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Mystery
Publication Date:	October 6, 2015
Pages:	320
Published By:	Sourcebooks Fire
Website	Natalie D. Richards Goodreads
My review copy:	ARC for honest review

Buy it: 
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Synopsis

Emmie's had a crush on her best friend's brother forever. Deacon is the town bad boy who's always in trouble, but she sees his soft side when he volunteers with her at the local animal shelter. She doesn't think he's dangerous…until he shows up in her bedroom with blood on his hands.

Deacon's father has been violently assaulted and Deacon is suspect number one. Emmie's smart enough to know how this looks, but she also knows Deacon's biggest secret—he's paralyzed by the sight of blood. She's sure he didn't do this. Or did he? Because even Deacon's own sister thinks he's guilty…

Quotes

It's getting clearer every day that Perry isn't investigating anything.  This case begins and ends with Deacon for him   but not for me.

It's all as sunny as the kitchen itself.  I pretend I didn't hear them talking about me, and they pretend they are still married.  We're all very good at this game.

I love him so much in this second that it physically hurts.  Because I don't know what to do, but he still believes in me.

My Thoughts

  I fell for Richards knack for spinning a mystery last year, when I had the pleasure of picking up Six Months Later.  I had so much hope for My Secret to Tell and though I enjoyed the read, it was far more different than expected.   This stirred up different emotions both good and bad, but that is what kept me with reading this one.  What's a book without a little bit of internal conflict...

    There is no way I could even begin to deny that the second I start any book with mystery, that I start guessing who is at the bottom of it all.  My Secret to Tell was no exception.  There was mystery and intrigue, characters that each played their own part, and a plot that carried its own mysteries.  Though I would be lying to say the mystery wasn't the main focus; there was so much going on in little sub plots that I felt I may miss something.  Though I guessed right with some things, I have to say there were others that I just didn't.  Richards did a great job of twisting this mystery up into something that made it hard for me to guess who was really at the bottom of it all.  The pacing was well done rather than a few spots that I felt everything lagging a little.  Basically, I enjoyed how this was written but wished that there was less focus on how everything was falling apart around Emmie, and more on the what was going on with the mystery itself.  

  I think my main problem fell with Emmie.  It isn't that she wasn't well developed, because she was.  Emmie is the good girl that is reliable and predictable, with a crush on her best friends older bad boy brother.  This wasn't a problem for me as even though it is not uncommon, characters have their own quirks that make the situation unique.  However, Emmie's quirks never really felt solid to me, and that could quite possibly be just me.  Emmie seemed to have OCD, everything had to be clean and she noticed every little detail when it came down to it, but this never really seemed to play a real part in the book (once again probably something I missed).  With all of this being said Emmie also grew throughout the book.  She learned that you cannot just live for what others expect of you.  I loved that she stuck by Deacon even when his own family wouldn't, even if it was because of her heart not her head.  Though Emmie wasn't for me I think she will be someone that many people enjoy.

  When it came to the supporting characters, I felt conflicted.  Richards really played with my feelings when it came down each character.  Deacon for being the love interest, but I never really knew if he was playing Emmie or if he had feelings he didn't want to share.  This being said he was well developed and I did like him, he had depth and something that helped him feel more human.  My problem was I believed him, but his actions contradicted his words.  With Deacon comes Chelsea, his sister and Emmie's best friend.  Now her...  Well lets just say she is the girl that I both love and want to smack.  The smack feelings came early on too.  For someone that is supposed to be a best friend with no secrets... Well, she just sucks and lets not get started on the attitude she gave out.  However, there were times that I realized it was circumstance doing this to her and inside she was a good friend and person, but this didn't stop the irritation.  Basically these two were both a source of happiness and pain for Emmie, and created the same feeling for me.

  My Secret to Tell was not as riveting of a read as I had expected, but I will not be detoured from picking up other books by Richards because I do love her writing.  This is a solid read that I feel many people that enjoy mystery and contemporary will really enjoy.  I can say that the next book this author brings out, I will pick up because of the fact that she is a reliable author for me.  Pick this one up if you can handle a busy book, with good characters and missing a love triangle.  

Posted by Tiffany