Sunday 30 November 2014

November Recap

Read:













Favourites:









Reviews:


http://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-heir-of-fire-throne-of-glass-3.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-lies-we-tell-ourselves-by-robin.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-some-boys-by-patty-blount.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-by-my-side-by-wendy-lou-jones.html


http://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-rain-paper-gods-2-by-amanda-sun.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-frozen-heart-of-dread-1-by.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-queen-of-someday-stolen-empire-1.htmlhttp://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/review-drowned-drowned-1-by-nichola.html




Showcase Sunday #13


Showcase Sunday is a feature created and hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea.




My Week:

Not much happened this week but I saw Mockingjay Part 1!


I really did not like the book but I quite enjoyed the movie.
Catching Fire is definitely my favourite though.




Read:

Queen of Someday (Stolen Empire, #1) by Sherry D. Ficklin


2.5/5 stars

Read my review here.





Drowned (Drowned, #1) by Nichola Reilly


2/5 stars

Read my review here.





Borrowed:







Bought:

Lila Shortcuts by Sarah Alderson (Kindle copy, £0.99)
Tormenting Lila (Lila, #2.5 ) by Sarah Alderson (Kindle copy, £0.99)



I don't know why I haven't bought these sooner seeing as I loved the first two books.




For Review:


Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ)!




Currently Reading:

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick




Thursday 27 November 2014

Review - Drowned (Drowned, #1) by Nichola Reilly




Title: Drowned (Drowned, #1)
Author: Nichola Reilly
Pages: 304
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release date: 24th June 2014

Blurb from Goodreads: 
 
Coe is one of the few remaining teenagers on the island of Tides. Deformed and weak, she is constantly reminded that in a world where dry land dwindles at every high tide, she is not welcome.
The only bright spot in her harsh and difficult life is the strong, capable Tiam—but love has long ago been forgotten by her society. The only priority is survival.
Until the day their King falls ill, leaving no male heir to take his place. Unrest grows, and for reasons Coe cannot comprehend, she is invited into the privileged circle of royal aides. She soon learns that the dying royal is keeping a secret that will change their world forever.
Is there an escape from the horrific nightmare that their island home has become? Coe must race to find the answers and save the people she cares about, before their world and everything they know is lost to the waters.








My Review:


*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Harlequin TEEN and NetGalley*

2/5 stars
   
In a future Earth that is now mostly covered in water, Coe lives on an island called Tides which is slowly being taken over by the ocean. The other inhabitants shun Coe who lost a hand from a scribbler attack.
Her life changes when the King falls ill and Coe becomes Princess Star's hand maiden.
With no male heir who will replace the King when he dies?
Can the people of Tides escape the ocean?


From the blurb I was excited to read this but unfortunately I couldn't connect to the storyline or the characters.
For me the world Drowned is set in is a strange world that I felt like a lot went unexplained.
One thing that I didn't understand was that the hotel that serves as the palace on Tides is supposed to be on a mountain, so surely it wouldn't be on the absolute top and therefore the peaks would be seen from Tides? But no peaks or scenery apart from the sea were mentioned. I also found the scribblers - killer swordfish (?) that like to bury themselves under sand - very odd.
Coe was an okay character and it was different that she only had one hand. I felt sorry for her but I didn't really connect with her. I didn't warm to any of the other characters very much.
The plot was alright but I found it dull in places and nothing that happened surprised me.


Overall this was an okay read but I found it disappointing.




Book Blitz + Giveaway - December Rain by A.L. Goulden




December Rain by A.L. Goulden
(August Fog #2)
Publication date: November 25th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Romance

Synopsis:

Monica and Alex Waters have spent that last few months working to repair a broken marriage and rekindle their passion. Just as they start finding their spark, Quinn Matthews and his escalating career resurfaces, but this time Alex makes the decision to let Monica go.

The devastation of losing her high school sweetheart, her home, and even her dog twists Monica down a destructive path that alienates her from her closest friends and lands her on Quinn’s couch. Despite her efforts to resist jumping into his arms again, the spark between them reignites and sweeps her away on a whirlwind holiday adventure. She finds that falling in love with Quinn’s family and lifestyle is as easy as falling for his ocean colored eyes. The problem is that it’s all too easy, and when she sees that Quinn’s reinvented life has completely shifted towards her dreams, she starts to question whether he’s too good to be true.

Quinn has a secret that was never meant to be kept this long, but will Monica be able to trust another man who’s lied? And now that Quinn’s got his happily ever after in sight, he’s not about to let her go or share her with another man.





Book trailer:




Purchase:










AUTHOR BIO

I'm a designer, author, wife and dog-lover living in the South Pasadena area of California. I got my BFA in Film Production from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, but my love of a good story came way before college. I remember writing my first full story in fifth grade on a typewriter. I cut and pasted it into a book, complete with cardboard cover and taped binding. Things have changed a lot since then. With the magnificent digital age I can produce books and give them to the world without a sticky mess.

In college numerous instructors and peers praised my dialogue pushed me to hone my storytelling skills. Of course the need to cut and paste was still there, so I went into the world of Production Design and Art Direction for films and television. It gave me the ability to connect design to storytelling in a way that no other career can. The past 18 years have spun a unique perspective on visually emotional tales of relationships and the thread that ties all things together. Now I'm shifting focus on the driving force that brought me here... stories. I hope that I can share a unique perspective on life, love and the pursuit in all of the above.

 
Author links:









Blitz-wide giveaway

Open internationally






Wednesday 26 November 2014

Book Blitz + Giveaway - Moonlight in Winter Park by Samantha Chase




Moonlight in Winter Park by Samantha Chase
Publication date: November 24th 2014 
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

“Moonlight in Winter Park” – A modern-day Beauty and the Beast style Christmas. 

All Hope Cooper needed this year was to have the kind of Christmas her family always cherished. But with her parents gone and her only brother having to work, it doesn’t look like it’s going to work out for her. There’s nothing she can do about her parents, but she most certainly can voice her annoyance at her brother’s boss for making him work out of town all through the holidays.

Beckett James hates the holidays and everything that goes with them. They were important at one time, but now the only thing that mattered was his company and it’s continued growth and anyone who worked for him better feel the same way. If not, then they could find employment elsewhere and good riddance. With a major expansion deal on the line, Beckett needs to focus. What he doesn’t need is Hope to come barging into his mountain retreat demanding that her brother come home immediately due to an emergency.

Suddenly it’s two alone in a snowstorm. Two alone for Christmas. And two alone to fight an attraction that had been there all along. Hope soon begins to realize she may have misjudged Beckett while he comes to see that there really is something special and magical about Christmas. But once they leave their private winter wonderland and return to their normal lives, will the magic still be there?





Purchase:







Excerpt:

He stood there in front of her, looking all kinds of handsome.  His dark hair slightly mussed, a gray wool scarf around his neck and a black wool jacket covering his muscular build.  It wasn’t fair that he could look so good all the damn time – so calm and completely in control – when her life was spinning in the complete opposite direction. 
“I…I really need to go,” she said finally and then forced herself to look up and meet his eyes.  Damn.  They were so dark, so intense and it would be so easy to just look into them forever.  A sigh escaped before she could stop it.  “Merry Christmas, Beckett,” she said with a bit of a forced smile. 
“You too, Hope.”
“And I guess a Happy New Year, too,” she added and turned to climb into her car when his hand on her arm stopped her again.  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what he wanted, but suddenly his lips were on hers and Hope had to remember how to breathe.
 His lips were gentle at first but once she seemed to overcome her shock and relax, Beckett’s hands came up and cupped her face, caressed her cheeks.  Hope sighed as her own hands crept up and clutched the front of his coat. It was so unexpected, such a complete surprise to her that Hope needed to keep herself anchored to something or her knees would surely give out and she’d be in a puddle on the ground.
After Beckett seemed satisfied with introducing himself to her through his kiss, he deepened it.  His hand traveled up and into the riotous curls on her head as he moved closer to her.  The feel of his lean body pressed up against hers sent Hope’s own body into overdrive.  Over and over he slanted his lips over hers, his tongue teased hers, his breath mingled with hers.  It was glorious and all-consuming and yet all she could do was purr against him.
Long moments later when Beckett finally lifted his head from hers, he stared down into her face.  “Happy New Year, Hope,” he said, his voice slightly rough and gravelly.  His hand trailed down her cheek to her chin before he let her go and stepped back.
And walked away.
 






AUTHOR BIO

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan's Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40's to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

When she's not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.


Author links:









Blitz-wide giveaway

Open internationally







Tuesday 25 November 2014

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR


Top Ten Tuesday is a feature created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.



This week the topic is Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR.



Here are my choices:










And, because who doesn't like some harmless self-promotion... :)