Light (Dream Casters, #1) Review

Light (Dream Casters, #1) by Adrienne Woods
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: May 29th, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥

Book Description:

Mr. Sandman, send me a dream, ta da da da…..Seventeen year old Chastity Blake knows the Sandman is just a silly children’s story parents tell their children to get them to sleep. At least she thought it was, until the day a mysterious, light golden sand appeared in her hands during a high school prank that went horribly wrong. A sand that has the power to send anyone it touches into a deep, sound sleep.

Fearing she had lost her mind, Chastity soon discovers the shocking truth of her heritage – she is a Dream Caster. Chastity was never supposed to be raised on the Domain, or what humans call Earth and she is forced to return to her true birth place, Revera – the world of Dreams.

However, in Revera there is no balance between good, the Light Casters, and darkness, the Shadow Casters, and Chastity is caught square in the middle. She soon learns that there is no place for anyone containing both the light and the darkness within them, and the shocking truth that if anyone in Revera ever discovered her shadow self, Chastity would be thrown into the Oblivion – the world of Nightmares.

Dreams are always more than they seem, and this time Chastity is going to discover just how different they can be.

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I'm going to start right off the bat and say that I loved the first book in Adrienne Woods' Dream Caster series, Light. You know those stories of the Sandman and how he sprinkles his magic sand in your eyes to make you fall asleep and dream? Well imagine if that was real, but instead of one Sandman, there's a world of Dream Casters who can use their sand for a lot more than dreams.

That's the world that Woods introduces us to in Light. The main character is Chastity Blake, who goes by Chas. Chas has grown up and only known of our world (or the "Domain" as Casters call it) and is thrust into Revera, the world the Dream Casters live in. It is here that she learns that she can also wield sand. However, things in Revera aren't what they used to be, and Chas is determined to fix it while also keeping a secret of her own.

Book Blitz: Out of Chances (Face the Music #4)

Out of Chances (Face the Music #4) by Shona Husk
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: November 22, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Dan Clarke knows he doesn’t have a problem, regardless of whatever his band members, his friends, his family and everyone else thinks. Drinking isn’t keeping him from doing what needs to be done, and it helps keep the anger and pain of his ex-girlfriend’s betrayal at bay. 

If only she would stay away as well, but, since the band’s return to Fremantle, she’s everywhere-on the phone, in his apartment, at his parents’ house-begging for another chance, reminding him of how good they had been together, holding him hostage to the past. It’s no wonder he needs a beer now and again.

Indigo Matthews is all about control: she trains hard, she works hard and she plays hard. Men are for fun, not forever, and she will never end up like her mother, trapped and miserable. A huge Selling the Sun fan, Indigo knows when Dan wanders into her bar that he is a conquest that she has to make. But their connection is stronger than just sex, and regardless of her credo Indigo finds herself going back for more. Then truths about Dan’s life start to emerge, and Indigo finds herself in the one position she swore she’d never find herself.

A DUI, a drunk one night stand and an ultimatum from the band bring Dan’s life to a halt. Picking up the pieces is something he can’t do alone, and there’s only one person that he trusts to give a damn. The one person that he hurt the most. Indigo.

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Excerpt:

At the man’s table she stopped, hip cocked to the side. ‘My buddy over there says that you’re no one famous. I think you are.’ He smiled, but it was cautious. ‘Who do you think I am?’

‘I have five bucks that says you’re the bass player from Selling the Sun.’ There was no money on the table, and the guy she was working with didn’t give a damn, but that didn’t stop nerves from pushing her heart harder or her hands from feeling a little slippery on the tray.

‘And if I am?’ He leaned back and his smile broadened.

‘A free beer?’ She put the one he’d ordered on the table.

He nodded. ‘I am.’

‘Prove it.’ Anyone could say that they were.

Book Blitz: Before the Dawn (The Ending #4)

Before the Dawn (The Ending #4) by Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Romance
Release Date: November 20, 2015
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

A year ago, the Virus killed off most people in the world.

A year ago, strange things started happening to those who survived. Some of them transformed into something dark and sinister, while others evolved, becoming something more, something beyond human.

A year ago, Dani and Zoe were lost. They traversed the country to find one another, losing some of the people dearest to them along the way. They fought for their right to simply live, uncovered long-buried secrets, and discovered irreversible truths. And after everything Dani and Zoe have been through—even with the battle wounds that they bear—they’re still not safe.

It’s time for the struggling to end, for survivors to take back their lives, their families, their safety. It’s time to really begin to live, and to do that, they must wait for the first rays of dawn.

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Excerpt:

For three hours, I’d been sitting at the dining room table, my sketchpad washed in the baleful color of late morning that shone through the narrow windows, overlooking what appeared to be a deserted farm. Everyone was hiding indoors, dehydrating food, wrenching, painting, and—in Annie’s case—playing with kitties, all sheltered from the sudden downpour.

Hearing the creak of the front door opening, I looked up. Tavis stepped inside, rain dripping off his coat as he leaned forward and peered into the dining room at me, his feet planted firmly on the welcome mat.

“Hey,” I said, folding my arms in front of me.

Tavis smiled, his warm, customary greeting. “Morning.” But even in his natural, easy air, there was something about the way he looked at me that made even the slightest linger of his gaze and the quickest glance seem like something more. I could’ve pried, could’ve peeked and prodded, but I was a little too hesitant to learn the reason.

Book Blitz: A Horse Named Dog

A Horse Named Dog by Theresa Oliver
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: October 21, 2015
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Book Description:

Sam is a typical twelve-year-old boy who works on his parent’s farm, but is not as interested in horses as his horse-training family. 

However, he does his best to help out until an incident when he is riding with his mother. After saving her from becoming nearly trampled, his viewpoint changes … until a strange horse comes to their farm with quirks, earning him the name Dog.

Dog likes Sam right away, but Sam wants nothing to do with him, as he is the son of Trumpeter, the horse that nearly maimed his mother for life. Sam has a hard time dealing with not only the memory of the accident, but the extra chores and responsibilities suddenly thrust upon him, one of which is training Dog.

Because his mother is out of work and people are canceling orders, money is scarce. With the Indiana Classic coming up—a local horse race with a huge purse—will Sam be able to befriend Dog and save their farm, or will Dog go back to his present owner, never to be seen again?

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Excerpt:

His father slid the reins once again on either side of Dog’s neck and then held them on the saddle horn. Once again, he stood with one foot in the stirrup and Dog paced around the corral, but soon came to a stop. “Good boy!” Frank cooed, rubbing his back just behind the saddle with his other hand in a soothing gesture. “Now, let’s try this again.”

He quickly swung himself into the saddle and got his foot into the stirrup just as Dog started bucking wildly. He held on to the saddle as he started giving him voice commands, trying to settle him down, but Dog wanted no part of it. A moment later, Frank was lying face down in the dirt again.

Dog ran toward the other side of the corral, whinnying loudly as he paced nervously along the fence row, the reins dragging along the ground behind him. Then, he looked over at Sam and looked at him as if telling him what the humans were trying to do to him.

Book Blitz: Hustle

Hustle by Ashley Claudy
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: November 19, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

South Eastern University: Where the football players are royalty and Andrew Fayden is king.

College was supposed to be Brook’s chance to escape the rumors and the harassment that plagued her at home, but she hadn’t planned on meeting Andrew Fayden.

Now, she’s finding it hard to think of anything else or anyone else. She’s determined to wipe him from her mind though because he is the definition of unavailable. He’s got an on and off again girlfriend always on the sidelines and a flood of girls willing to take over that position.

And his popularity makes it hard to keep a low profile, something she needs to do if she doesn’t want to be pulled back into the drama of her past.

Despite all the warnings, she’s finding it hard to resist– and he’s making it hard to say no.

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Excerpt:

“—But they seemed like they were fighting,” I'm trying to explain to Rose what I saw.

“And he kissed you last night,” she wraps her arm around the pillow under her head, still sleepy.

“I don't want to even think about last night,” I groan and lean against my headboard. “Especially now. He might be in a relationship with a girl I have to see almost everyday.”

“You don't know that. I've never heard that he has a girlfriend. All I hear is that he has lots of girls.” She stretches and sits up, hair a tangled mess around her head. “Chin up. You kissed one of the most sought after guys on campus in your first month at school.” Her eyebrow pops up with the corner of her mouth. “This has to be a good sign. This is going to be a bomb ass school year.”

Book Blitz: The Phoenix Born (A Dance of Dragons #3)

The Phoenix Born (A Dance of Dragons #3) by Kaitlyn Davis
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

From bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis comes the final book in the thrilling A Dance of Dragons series—perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Graceling, and Game of Thrones!

For the first time in a thousand years, the fire dragon has been awakened and Rhen is its rider. But after destroying the armies that threatened the city of Rayfort, Rhen is shown a vision in flames that changes everything. The shadow's phantom armies are coming and the dragons are the only things that might stop them.

High in the castle at the top of the Gates, Jinji has learned something of her own. Janu, her long lost twin, is alive. And just as the spirit shares her body, the shadow shares his. In the blink of an eye, her quest for vengeance against the evil that killed her family has changed to one of protection. Because she knows that if Rhen learns the truth he will do what she cannot—end the shadow, and end her brother in the process.

As the shadow grows more aggressive, Jinji and Rhen fight to find the rest of the dragon riders. But with time running out, they are forced to face the impossible decision between honor and love. Alliances are formed, promises are broken, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance…

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Excerpt:

Jinji stopped him by grabbing his cheeks and pulling his face against hers, kissing him urgently. Rhen tried to pull away, to understand why she wasn't thrilled by the news, but her hands traveled to the back of his neck, grip tight, and he couldn't break her hold.

Her lips moved fast against his, pleading with him silently. Everything about her was desperately trying to hold on to the moment, to stop time, as though she were drowning and the air from his lungs was the only thing that might save her, as though he were her tether to life.

Rhen wanted to give in. More than anything, he wanted to melt beneath her touch and forget the world, to kiss her until the sun rose the next morning, and even then maybe not stop. He could so easily get lost in the fire of her touch, the silkiness of her skin. But he couldn't let himself.