Promotional Event: Narvla's Celtic New Year

Narvla's Celtic New Year by Therese Gilardi
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: April 6, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Narvla’s life is as precisely choreographed as the routines that have made her a national step-dancing champion. She has a loyal best friend, a devoted boyfriend, and a lock on admission to her dream college, the University of Notre Dame - until her mother is named U.S. 

Ambassador to Ireland, and her life unravels. First Narvla receives a disturbing picture of her boyfriend and her best friend. Then she struggles to qualify for the Irish elite step-dancing squad, and her grades plummet.

But the biggest obstacle in Narvla’s new life is Dublin Boy, a cheeky musician with a disdain for academics and a distrust of Americans. 

Although Narvla is upset when she’s paired with Dublin Boy for the most important semester of her life, her real concern is the growing attraction she feels toward him. As the Celtic New Year unfolds, Narvla is pushed to abandon her lifelong need for control and embrace the charm of the unexpected.

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Excerpt:

The plane hits the ground so hard I’m not sure the pilot’s going to be able to stick the landing. As my seatbelt cuts into my stomach, he says, “Cead mile failte. A hundred thousand welcomes to Ireland”. Everyone around me claps.

On the edge of the runway the limousine the embassy sent is waiting for us. My mother is the new U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. That’s why I’m here in Dublin instead of back home in Connecticut, hanging out with Derek and Gabby when I’m not practicing for another step dancing competition. I follow Mom to the limo.

I stretch out across the leather seats as we ride along narrow, curvy roads, past tiny pubs and squat houses whose front doors open onto the sidewalk. Every few minutes our driver stops at a traffic light, and people peer into the car. Mom opens her window and waves. Most people wave back or smile, although a few just stare. Finally we arrive at an enormous park in the middle of the city, where we pass under an archway, through a black iron gate, and up a long driveway.

The U.S. Ambassador’s Residence looks like The White House. Tall French windows open onto a long terrace and a lawn that could double as a golf course. There are lots of chimneys, which I hope means lots of fireplaces, and dozens of rose bushes in large white planters. I wonder if I’m going to need a map to find my way around, since the house is the type of building that doesn’t just have floors, it has wings. An American flag so big it can probably be seen from the United States flutters on the roof.

Review: Day 21 (The Hundred #2)

Day 21 (The Hundred #2) by Kass Morgan
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopia, Science Fiction
Release Date: September 16, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. 

Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan's The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.

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I’m speechless.

I am absolutely loving The 100 series by Kass Morgan. Day 21 was the perfect follow up to book one. I loved learning more about the earthbounds. Sasha has me smitten. I find her to be refreshing and playful and I absolutely love the side of Wells that she brings out.

But before I get all “ship” happy, which by the way I totally am with this book, there are so many plot filled things to mention. Day 21 was super-sized on the plot. We learn so much about the characters in this book that my head is spinning.

I kind of wish I wasn’t currently at work so I could start book three because oh my god, drama! I wasn’t Wells’ biggest fan in book one. But I liked him a lot more in this story. I also liked learning more about what things were like for him on the Colony and how his past is tangled with the other characters.

Book Blitz: Rock You (Fallen Star #1)

Rock You (Fallen Star #1) by Candy J. Starr
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: April 8, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Working for a cranky, old hermit in an isolated house sounds like Ruby’s idea of heaven – but her boss isn't quite what she expects.

Tex is a fugitive from the rock and roll world – a tragedy abruptly halted his career. No one knows why he quit, no one knows where he is.

The two of them live in the same house, avoiding each other, until Tex screws up, endangering their lives and forcing them to move into close quarters. 

Suddenly, the idea of human contact seems more appealing, if only with each other. The sanctuary they have built is enough for Ruby -- the man she grows to love is Tex the hermit, not Tex the rock star -- but the outside world encroaches.

She thinks their fledgling love can’t shine brighter than the rock dream but can Ruby bare to let Tex go?

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Excerpt:

A man stood in the middle of the kitchen who most definitely had to be a burglar. He wore a hoodie and stubble covered half his face. He looked like he hadn’t bathed in a while. He wasn’t a ghost but he was scary.

“Stop right there, buddy,” I said.

I tried to sound tough but my heart pounded like a wild thing. He had a look of desperate danger in his eyes and looked like he hadn’t been outside much. Maybe because he’d been in prison.

He really did seem like he might have killed a man once. Maybe more than once. Bits of broken crockery splayed around his feet – those plates I’d spent all day cleaning.

I lunged at him, even shocking myself with my bravery. I was the head bitch of this house and no low life was stepping on my turf. I’d spent the day cleaning that kitchen and he was NOT going to trash it. The rush of adrenalin overruled my brain. He obviously wasn’t a guy to be messed with but he was near my phone. I had some pretty damn personal stuff on that phone. No way was he stealing it.

Book Blitz: Love At First Flight

Love At First Flight by Tess Woods
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 1, 2015
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Looking back on it now, I can see it was instant. The second we locked eyes. Boom. Just like that. The me I had spent a lifetime perfecting began its disintegration from that moment. And despite the carnage it brought to all our lives, I still don’t regret it.

What would you risk to be with the love of your life? And what if your soul mate is the one who will destroy you?

Mel is living the dream. She’s a successful GP, married to a charming anaesthetist and raising a beautiful family in their plush home in Perth. But when she boards a flight to Melbourne, she meets Matt and her picture perfect Stepford life unravels as she falls in love for the first time ever.

What begins as a flirty conversation between strangers quickly develops into a hot and obsessive affair with disastrous consequences neither Mel nor Matt could have ever seen coming. Mel’s dream life turns into her worst nightmare.

Love at First Flight will take everything you believe about what true love is and spin it on its head.

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What inspired you to write Love at First Flight?

I've always been inspired by the tragic love story, the story of great love that just can't be. My favourite book The Bridges of Madison County stayed with me years after reading it and played on my mind. Then I read Twilight and out of nowhere I had to write my own book. Before this I had never entertained the idea of writing.

But the longing in Twilight and the knowing that the one you love is the one that is dangerous for you resonated with me and I just had to write about that. So with the themes of desire and danger, I wrote a book about a married mother, because I wanted to write of what I know. I wanted to bring the great love story into the world of the typical suburban mum who is chasing after kids, working and running a home. I wanted her to have that Romeo and Juliet moment. So I wrote 'Love at First Flight'.

Did you use real events/people from your own life as inspiration when writing Love at First Flight?

Hell yes! I really do believe you write what you know. Of course the novel is a novel, not a biography, and I credit my imagination for it, but I have definitely taken inspiration from events and people in my life.

It is no coincidence that Mel has long black hair and is a health professional who falls for a tall, dark, handsome and broody, moody physio. That’s me and my husband! But the great thing about writing is that I get to make Mel as hot as I like and morph her into someone as sexy as Angelina Jolie - hey, it’s my prerogative isn’t it? Matt’s parents are very much inspired by own mother and father in-law who lived out in the country on a sprawling property where we used to go to wind down from the city with them.

Book Blitz: Mental

Mental by Justice Serai
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Hope is an illusion meant to convince the broken to keep on living. That’s me. Broken.

My father pays heaps of money for doctors at the Norfolk Psychiatric Center to fix me. I’ve spent six months of my prime teenage years at this residential facility – a place for teenagers who’ve gone mental.

That’s me. Mental.

Just when I begin to feel myself fade away, a boy with a wolfish smile and mischievous eyes reels me in. Julian is broken too, but he believes in me enough for the both of us. Through him, I begin to experience this thing called hope. Doctors can’t fix me, my parents can’t either, but maybe it’s not me who needs fixing.

After all, mental is only a state of mind. It all depends on who’s doing the thinking.

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Excerpt:

He puts out his hand and says, “Come with me.”

I stare at it for a moment then, in an uncharacteristic move, I put my palm in his. Smiling, he pulls me up from my chair and we run. Daring a glance back, I see the teacher handing the kid a tissue while speaking angrily into the phone.

Julian will get in trouble – we both will – but I don’t care. Right now, as we run down the hallway, hands clasped together, I feel free. He leads me around a corner then stops in front of each door in an administrative hallway, looking for somewhere safe to hide. Most of the rooms have someone typing away at a computer. They look curious but mostly ignore us.

Finally, we come across a janitor’s closet. He yanks me in then slams the door shut.

It’s cramped and smells like bleach but still somehow romantic. Julian kicks the mop bucket to the side and we stare at each other, grinning and panting.

Book Blitz: For All to See (Bureau #1)

For All to See (Bureau #1) by Megan Mitcham
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: April 1, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Pristine waters and purified evil.

Two by two, dark-haired beauties vanish only to reappear as hanging, plundered corpses. The Virgin Islands boast diamond-white beaches, lush green mountains, a rich cultural heritage—and a brutal killer.

Three years on the “Field-Dresser” case and Special Agent Nathan Brewer is days away from catching the bastard—if he can convince a certain brunette to trust him. Only the woman is more likely to take a casual stroll on the surface of the sun.

After fleeing her troubles in the United States for the quiet life of a school teacher on the island of Tortola, Madelyn Garrett never imagined she’d be fixated upon by pure evil.

In a fight for her life—with a dwindling number of friends—she must rely on her cunning and Nathan’s skills for survival.

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Excerpt:

The tough-as-titanium woman placed her hand in his as though she were as fragile as fine China. A primal need to shield her from harm thrashed its way to life, annihilating every reserve he’d clung to over the past few days. Some things weren’t worth fighting. Fighting the need to possess Madelyn was like wrestling a hurricane.

He battened down and dug in the best he could. When that didn’t work he ran like hell. But one gust knocked him flat on his ass. One wave swept away the world he’d known. And he was done fighting the one woman who could rearrange his priorities.

Hand on the grip of his gun and the other wrapped around something far more dangerous, Nathan led the way to her Jeep. They rode in silence for a while. The echoes of their argument rang in his ears. He’d pushed her, but no further than she could handle. But now her head sagged against the leather rest. “I’m—”

Review: The 100 (The Hundred #1)

The 100 (The Hundred #1) by Kass Morgan
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Release Date: March 18, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries -- until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope.

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As a fan of the TV show The 100, it was only a matter of time before I picked up the books and boy am I glad I did. The 100 by Kass Morgan is turning out to be one of my favorite books series so far. Getting able to see where my favorite characters derived from has probably been one of my favorite things about starting the series of books. I’m almost sorry I didn’t read them first.

The 100 follows Clarke, Bellamy, Wells, and Glass as they navigate through a post nuclear war society where humanity has lived in spaceships above earth’s radioactive atmosphere for decades. At the beginning of the book 100 juvenile delinquents from the colony are being sent to earth in hopes of finding out if it’s survivable due to the fact that the colony is running out of air. With their hopes of survival resting on the shoulders of the 100, the chancellor ships them off to earth in the dropship hoping for positive feedback and if nothing else at least some extra time with the 100 gone and no longer using oxygen on the ship.