Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Lady Reader's Blog Tours Present League Of Elder Stenibelle By Ren Garcia Review Tour Stop


About The Book:
STENIBELLE by Ren Garcia Pages: 184 Date published: July 18, 2015 Publisher: Loconeal

THE 3rd TURN OF THE SHADOW TECH GODDESS The quest of Paymaster Stenstrom spans the planes, taking a bizarre turn in the 3rd universe, as there he is not an affluent man but a woman in desperate circumstances.

 Lady Stenibelle is imprisoned for her role in the Seeker Affair, is penniless, and her House of Belmont-South Tyrol is on the verge of extinction. Her spirit broken, Stenibelle is resigned to perform her sentence without fuss, do as she is told, and fade away in obscurity. 

 However, fate is not yet finished with her. Stenibelle is in the gaze of hidden benefactors with ulterior motives. People claiming to be her dear friends come forward, yet she does not know them. 

The Quests of the Shadow tech Goddess proceed, and she must discover the hero that lies within or face total oblivion. The disgraced 30th daughter of the House of Belmont will either be the final stake driven into its dying heart, or the ray of light that comes to save it and all else that follows.



Review:

Okay where to start with this book.... I loved it so much that I can't wrap my mind around the story and the characters. Not only was the writing great but the drawings in the story had me staring at them time and time again. 

This is a unique read for me because I usually don't read fantasy but my best friend asked me to read it and I said yes I would. To say that I am glad she had me read it is an understatement. There is so much adventure and twists and turns that at first I was like what the heck is going on but as I continued reading I realized that the main character had a special gift.

With this gift came a lot of different things and she soon learns that her gift causes her to become different people and she has done different things. As you are reading the story you become so captivated by the story and the drawings you can't help but want to turn the page to learn what is going to happen next.

If you love or even like fantasy this is the book for you. If you have never read fantasy this is your first must read fantasy book.

About The Author:


Ren Garcia is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author and Texas native who grew up in western Ohio.

 He has been writing since before he could write, often scribbling alien lingo on any available wall or floor with assorted crayons. 

He attended The Ohio State University and majored in English Literature. 

Ren has been an avid lover of anything surreal since childhood; he also has a passion for caving, urban archaeology and architecture. 

His books are published by Loconeal. 

He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, and their three dogs.


Follow The Tour:

September 21st – Christine Abee – Review 

September 21st – Marian Allen – Guest Post 

September 22nd – Melissa Martin's Reading List – Review

September 23rd – TBA

September 24th – Cabin Goddess – Recipe & Review 

September 25th – Room With Books – Playlist 

September 28th – Atomic Pirate Girl's Book Worm Booty – Review 

September 29th – The Renegade Zombie Reviews – Review 

September 30th – A Diary Of A Book Addict – Review 

September 30th – Triple A Book Blog – Review 

October 1st – Heather Ann's Book Reviews – Review

October 1st – Leigh Anderson Romance – Guest Post 

October 2nd – Karin Baker – Review

October 2nd – Pixie Vixen Book Reviews – Review

Giveaway:
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Saturday, September 19, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young Early Review


Synopsis:

Stay Tonight. Stay Forever.

When Audrey Casella arrives for an unplanned stay at the grand Hotel Ruby, she’s grateful for the detour. Just months after their mother’s death, Audrey and her brother, Daniel, are on their way to live with their grandmother, dumped on the doorstep of a DNA-matched stranger because their father is drowning in his grief.

Audrey and her family only plan to stay the night, but life in the Ruby can be intoxicating, extending their stay as it provides endless distractions—including handsome guest Elias Lange, who sends Audrey’s pulse racing. However, the hotel proves to be as strange as it is beautiful. Nightly fancy affairs in the ballroom are invitation only, and Audrey seems to be the one guest who doesn't have an invite. Instead, she joins the hotel staff on the rooftop, catching whispers about the hotel’s dark past.

The more Audrey learns about the new people she's met, the more her curiosity grows. She’s torn in different directions—the pull of her past with its overwhelming loss, the promise of a future that holds little joy, and an in-between life in a place that is so much more than it seems…

Welcome to the Ruby. 


Goodreads:

Review:

I loved this story right from the start. I live in Massachusetts where there are several asylums and hotels and houses haunted. I was hooked right from page one and continued on reading through the night to see what happened.

This is a story about Audrey Casella and her family. She has just recently lost her mother and her father just simply can't handle life anymore. So he sends the Audrey and her brother Daniel to live with a grandmother they have never met. They stop to spend one night at the Ruby Hotel and this is where things weird things start to happen.

As she spends time in the hotel she starts to think there is something funny going on. She sees things and hears the gossip from the staff about the hotel but is it true or is it just rumors? Then she meets the handsome guest Elias Lange that makes her heart race because he is so gorgeous and she starts to forget her worries and fears and starts to think that maybe staying at the hotel isn't so bad after all.

Like the synopsis last sentence says Welcome To The Ruby...... will she stay or will she go.............. 


About The Author:

Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program series. Originally from Utica, NY, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not always in that order.

Suzanne is the author of several bestselling books, including THE PROGRAM, THE TREATMENT, THE REMEDY, THE EPIDEMIC, and HOTEL RUBY.

Learn more about Suzanne at: 

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Lady Reader's Bookstuff Tours Presents Into The Dangerous World By Julie Chibbaro Review Tour


About The Book:

Into The Dangerous World By: Julie Chibbaro 

Artwork By: JM Superville Sovak 

Release Date: August 18, 2015 

Publisher: Viking/Penguin Pages: 352

Ror lives to draw—to her, it’s like breathing; it’s how she understands life. Raised on a Staten Island commune, she’s never attended a day of school, and knows little of the outside world. When her paranoid father burns down the commune with himself inside, Ror, her mother, and sister end up in a homeless residence in Manhattan. There, she runs into trouble—and love—with Trey, the leader of Noise Ink, a graffiti crew. 

 On the city’s streets, and in its museums and galleries, Ror finds herself pulled in different directions. Her father wanted her to make classic art. Noise Ink insists she stay within their lines. Her art teacher urges her to go to college.

 But what does she want?

 Ror’s soul-searching—expressed in remarkable drawings and sharp-edged prose, set in the gritty Manhattan of 1984—is cinematic in its scope, and its seamless blend of text and art makes Into the Dangerous World a groundbreaking event in young adult fiction.


Review:

First off I have to say that I love Graffiti. I mean it takes balls of steal to draw something in your heart somewhere you know your not supposed to. I live in Boston and I swear I could spend all day looking at all the great graffiti we have here. So when I saw this book was about graffiti and one girls journey I knew I had to read it. The only thing I wanted more of from this book is what happened to my girl Aurora AKA Ror.

Ror loves art and drawing. She spends her days and nights drawing things and painting things. She has no idea what the real world holds because she lives on a commune with her parents and sister. Her father is the leader of the commune and tells Ror to always remember her gift and keep on painting and drawing. Then one day something tragic happens and Ror and her mother and sister leave the commune and flee to Manhattan.

When they arrive in Manhattan they go to a shelter to stay until they can get an apartment. Ror definitely is out of her element as she has never been in the real world. It is here she will have to go to school and see graffiti every where. She loves it because the museums and art galleries show her so much more than she could have ever imagined. It was funny reading about her first day at school and what she thought of the other kids and how she felt being somewhere new.

Then she meets a bad boy you know the one your mother told you to stay away from well this is Trey. Lord he is such a bad boy plus he is the leader of Noise Ink a graffiti crew. She starts to graffiti with them and she soon finds herself in trouble. She is now faced with many options. She could follow her teachers advice and go to college or she could continue on her destructive path with Trey and the crew or she could listen to her father and follow the classics who are in the art museum. 

What will my girl Aurora do?

About The Authors:


Julie Chibbaro and Jean-Marc Superville Sovak are the husband and wife duo behind Into the Dangerous World (Viking 2015).

Julie Chibbaro was born into a family of artists, and also married one. She grew up in NYC during the explosion of graffiti art. She has written two historical novels, Redemption, which won the American Book Award, and Deadly, which won the National Jewish Book Award. JM Superville Sovak is half-Trini, half-Czech, half-Canadian. His fourth half is spent making art, for which he earned his M.F.A. from Bard College in NY. 

They both live in Beacon, NY.


Bonus:

For those of you that purchase a copy of INTO THE DANGEROUS WORLD any time during the official book tour (August 18-September 30) will receive a one of a kind #IntoTheDangerousWorld pack filled with lots of goodies. 

(While supplies last)

To qualify you must send proof of purchase to amydelrosso(at)gmail(dot)com.

Follow The Tour:

August 20th– Reads All The Books – Review 

August 20th– Anything But Vanilla Book Blog – Top5/10 List 

August 20th– Handbags, Books...Whatever – Guest Post 

August 24th– Bookish – Review 

August 25th– Heather Ann's Book Reviews – Review 

August 26th– Fangirlish – Review/Author Interview 

August 27th– Ramblings of a Perpetual New Girl – Review 

September 3rd– Bookish Lifestyle – Review / Character Interview

September 7th– Christine Abee – Review 

September 14th– Triple T Tots tweens and teens – Review 

September 15th– Melissa Martin's Reading List – Review / Interview 

September 16th– Journeys & Life – Review 

September 17th– The Power of Three Readers – Review 

September 18th– My Reading Reality – Review

September 18th– Miranda's Book Blog – Guest Post

September 19th– Actin' Up with Books – Review 

September 19th– A Life Bound By Books – Guest Post

September 21st – Cabin Goddess – Review & Recipe

September 26th – Karin Baker – Review 

Join The Tour

Want to be part of the tour? Fill out this form.. http://goo.gl/forms/lrNSkPc6m0

Giveaway:
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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson


Synopsis:

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety?

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research. 

Goodreads:

Review:

Walk On Earth is an amazing story that has American History of the gold mines with a dash of mystery and suspense in it. I do have to say that this book cover is kick arse. From the moment I started reading it I could not put it down. It brought me right back to the mining and coaling of the olden days.

This is a story about Leah "Lee" Westfall. She is living the american dream for a young girl but she holds a secret. She knows she has to hold her secret tight because her town does not like Native Americans or African Americans and they made it clear that they would not except difference or oddities from the town members. 

Lee's secret might be exposed because a man in the town wants her. He knows she possesses something special and he wants her to be his bride. So her family has decided to get her out of town. She dresses up as a boy and begins the long journey across the country. She is on the way to California where they have discovered gold. 

Lee has a special gift and this special gift could make her or break her. See she is a gold seer. She can sense gold. With this kind of gift she has to keep it secret or else everyone will be gunning for her and want her for their own use.

What will happen to Lee? Will she make it to California?


About The Author:

Short version:

 I’m a nerd. I write young adult novels full-time. I live in Arizona with my writer husband and two naughty kitties.

Reeeally Long Version: 

When I was three I was moved to tears by the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I felt so bad for Rudolph that I went through the picture book and scratched out his bright red nose to make him like all the other reindeer. It would be years before I realized that physical conformity was not the answer to my social problems.

When I was eight I cut my first class. I pretended I needed to use the bathroom and snuck over to the library to check out another Nancy Drew book. I lost track of time, got back to class late, and made up a story about being constipated.

I’ve been making up stories ever since. And it was sometime during my third grade year that I first told my parents I wanted to be a writer. They told me it was wonderful idea, but I needed to have a Plan B.

We moved a lot; I have attended nine schools. Some kids who move a lot learn to make friends fast, to be adaptable and flexible and brave. I wasn’t one of those. I entered middle school a very frightened little girl. It didn’t help that I developed a raging case of acne for the other kids to mock, or that I thought the best way to defend myself from social attack was to perfect a scathing offense. I was just like Rudolph, except meaner.

When seventh grade rolled around, I decided I’d had enough. I would figure out how to be cool or die trying. So, I tried out for the cheerleading squad.

I was clumsy and awkward. I had to work harder than everyone else to master the most basic moves. At the tryout, though, we could get extra points for making up the words to our own cheer. I knew I had to take advantage of this, my only possible strength. So while the other girls were yelling, “Go, Dolphins!” I started off with “United we stand, divided we fall!” I squeaked onto the team. At the time, I was convinced it was my moving and poetical cheer that clinched it for me.

Cheerleading changed my life. Seriously.

I learned how to be unafraid in front of the entire school. I learned how thrilling it was to entertain others. And I learned—very gradually and with a lot of messing up—that a little kindness goes a long way when you’re trying to work as a team.

I started off the worst cheerleader who ever lived. Because in addition to being bossy and uncooperative, I was taller than everyone else on my squad. So I got stuck in the back and on the end for most of our formations. Turns out, this provides a wonderful vantage for watching your team lose. And it turns out that when you are wrapped up in team play, you tend to miss a lot of cheerleading cues. So I was out of step with everyone most of the time.

But to this day, I love watching sports, particularly college football and basketball. (Go Ohio State Buckeyes!)

College was a huge improvement. I loved being surrounded by peers who valued thinking and introspection. I learned that you can be a hardcore academic and still paint the town on weekends. I had my first real boyfriend, and I was able to accept the rather stunning fact that I had swanned into something kind of nice. I highly recommend college.

During this time I traded in my pom-pons for a football. I played in the women’s flag league for four years. The first year, I broke three bones and my team tied for last place. The third year, we won the championship.

I was amazed at how even clumsy, unathletic women like us could make such improvements with nothing but hard work and the carefree attitude that if we were going to fail, we were going to do it spectacularly. I overcame my depth perception issues and learned to catch a long-bomb pass in the end zone with seconds left to play, for instance. I blame football for the fact that I tend to write about young women who overcome physical inadequacies to find the hero within.

I graduated college with a degree in Social Science–which qualified me to flip burgers–and a mound of education debt. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up.

Well, that’s not true. I did know. I wanted to be a novelist. But that just wasn’t practical, and I had to come up with something else. I had to have a Plan B. So I tried bank tellering, secretarial work, customer service, inside sales, substitute teaching, data entry, logistics, and even machine shop-ing. I didn’t enjoy any of it.

In 2004, after quitting a very high paying job in a very toxic atmosphere, I decided to get serious about writing. It was the only thing I kept coming back to, the one thing that had held my interest over time and distance and lots of life change. So I joined the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror where I met my future best friends, my future husband, and my calling.

I spent the next few years happily writing awful stuff. During this time, I got to know C.C. Finlay online, and after going on three real-life dates, I moved from California to Ohio to marry him. The writing became a lot less awful, and eventually I sold my first novel to Greenwillow/HarperCollins.

Hindsight is easy, I know, and writing about the awkwardness of adolescence is way easier than living it. But I can say unequivocally that although growing up is hard, it’s totally worth it. It’s possible to become your better self. And dreams, no matter how impractical, are made to be pursued.