Monday, November 26, 2012

Cover Reveal, Hanging From the Family Tree: Tobias' Story by Ali Davis

Hello all of my darlings♥

Today I have my very first cover reveal thanks to Alison Davis. She has been SO excellent in allowing me to be one of the select few to help reveal her cover! Personally, I CAN'T WAIT to read her series and much luck to her in the future!
 (that's her)

The cover in question is Hanging From the Family Tree: Tobias' Story (oooh, ominousssss). 

Blurb:
Hanging from the Family Tree: Tobias’ Story, is a Young Adult fiction novel, based in a fictional English coastal town.

Hidden letters from 1812, the British Regency, tell the story of Alexander Ventus, member of a very rich and influential local family. Besotted with a local women, Elizabeth, who is deemed beneath him, he is forced into a marriage with another woman. Distraught she throws herself from a cliff. Followed years later by Alexander, burdened by his guilt.

Alexander Ventus is Tobias’ great, great, grandfather, and there is an alarming likeness to their lives. Tobias’ Story tells of his struggle to find his place in his family and to discover what it truly means to be a Ventus.

Expected publication: December 1, 2012 by lulu.com 


ANDDD as an added bonus, she added a picture of her series covers together!

Okay my lovelies, click here to purchase  Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story & here to check up on the availability of Hanging From the Family Tree: Tobias' Story! 

Feel free to comment down below and say what you think about the cover!

Tootles,
Ali.♥

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Avalon by Lana Davison

Avalon (Avalon, #1)
Format: November, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Star Rating: ★★
The author sent me this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis: (from Goodreads.com)
Holly was forced to leave Avalon at the tender age of twelve, simply because she refused a union with her chosen one. She believes love ruins everything. Holly is sent to earth to live with her guardian family and lives on earth like any normal teenage girl, but she is different, she has a gift. In her senior school year, Holly attends boarding school in England and is introduced to a new student, Leo. She cannot understand why she is so drawn to his dark confident nature. His touch awakens a part of Holly she believed was dormant forever. All is not what it seems. What secret is Leo hiding? And is there more to Leo’s presence in her life?

Prosecution:
At times, the speech wasn't very natural and was a little stiff. I felt like the flow could get a little choppy while at other times it was flowing quite nicely.

Defense: 
Omigod. Just, wait, give me a moment. 
Okay, I'm back. Can I just say, I'm glad I read this book? Considering I'm not a huge fan of fantasy or paranormal, this was perfection. Holly acted like a teenage girl. Leo was a little creepy with his all "I NEED YOU NOW" marriage thing, but that could just be my inner fear of commitment. But yenno, Holly went along with it. The ending was just...mhmmm. c;

Verdict: 
Let's leave this short and sweet. A different kind of paranormal romance with a bit of a kick. I thoroughly enjoyed this YA novel, and I'm not even a big fan paranormal.  I MUST FIND THE NEXT ONE!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

If I Let You Go by Kyra Lennon

If I Let You Go
Read in: November, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Freebie from Amazon.com 
Star Rating: ★★

Synopsis: 
Madison is having a pretty awful few weeks. Her boss just dropped a bomb on her saying he's moving to New York..and taking his almost 6 year old daughter, Tilly, with him. Madison has been Tilly's caregiver for the past three years. Not to mention she's about to lose her house, not to mention her sanity. 

Prosecution: 
There were way too many exclamation points where there shouldn't have been. Overall, it made Madison sound more chipper than she was. 

Defense:
FINALLY, an editor for an indie author that knows how to edit. I didn't find any misspelled words or unintentional sentence fragments. The story was uplifting, a little angsty, the flow was choppy at some points but overall worked well. 

Verdict: 
A short novel perfect for those cozy winter nights. Not as angsty or emotional as Abbi Glines' novels or Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, but still could be classed as "Not an Emotional Breakdown but still worth the rollercoaster". The ending is completely predictable but still totally worth the .99 being charged on Amazon now. 

Like my review? Go "Like" it on Goodreads! c: 
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/439864846

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Easy by Tammara Webber

Read in: November, 2012
Format: ebook
Source: Bought
Star Rating: ★★
Synopsis: 
Jacqueline is a cello playing college sophomore who just had her heart broken by Kennedy. Her boyfriend of three years. Now she's failing economics and needs a tutor. In steps Landon. 

*There's a lot I left out in this synopsis, but shoot me later. I can explain. I WILL NOT SPOIL THIS BOOK. 

Prosecution: 
The story was a little predictable, which did disappoint me. I don't know why, but I likened this novel with Beautiful Disaster. No idea whyyy, but I did feel a little let down by the plot and I kind of just skimmed through a lot of it. I felt a little flustered while reading it because of all of the problems the character was handling. There were just way too many in one chapter.

Defense: 
My god, the feels. As the author wrote in her acknowledgements "The creation of good fiction begins with raw, honest emotions." She nailed it. The terror, the love, the anxiousness. I could just FEEEELLLLL it all the way through. While Jacqueline's boy drama did get irritating, I perked up during the danger zone scenes. On a personal note, I did see a lot of similarities between my relationship and Jacqueline's and Kennedy's. I'll worry about that later.

Verdict: 
I wish I could give this novel more stars, but none of the characters clicked with me and the plot was predictable. I loved the honesty in which the author wrote. However, the scenes were well described and the plot well rounded. 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Barbie Girl by Heidi Acosta

Read in: November, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Promo code given by Author
Star Rating: ★★★

Thank you Heidi Acosta for posting your Smashwords code in ♥Teen Romance♥!

Synopsis: 
Dylan wants Katie. Katie wants Tyler. Barbie just wants to leave. 

With Barbie's failing grade in math and Dylan known as a math whiz, of course she'd go to him. But Barbie, the rumored slut, is using one card she can. She can get Katie to notice him. Dylan agrees, tentatively, and Third, his best friend, is all for. 
Slowly, but surely, Dylan is finally being noticed by Katie. But is Barbie okay with that and even more so, is Dylan? 

Prosecution: 
Fire the editor. Seriously. 

Defense: 
This book is like an onion. Slowly, Barbie's and Dylan's memories and interactions are being pulled back to give a raw and in depth look into their lives. At first, Barbie is portrayed as a party girl, getting high and moving on. But as the story progresses and continues, Barbie is shown as what she is. She's just down on her luck and trying to get away from her mother, brother in tow. Dylan, I didn't connect with him as much as I did with Barbie. This was really just Barbie's story and included Dylan. I found him a little uptight and kind of annoying at times and really just seemed to be tolerating everyone in his life. He wasn't as there for Barbie as he should have.
Third was absolutely beautiful. I'm such a sucker for someone who really has a soft side while trying to hide it. Even though he's Dylan's best friend, he still takes care of Barbie. That's what a real man does and I'm more than happy that Barbie has that. 

Verdict: 
This was a surprise. I thought I would read a flippant, air headed mess of a book. I love that my opinion was changed. I loved the cover, yes, but just from reading the synopsis for it, I found it kind of flippant. No, this book is so much more than that. It covers so many different topics, from love to abuse, and even one shocking event at the end. I highly recommend it, typos and all.

I'll Be Here by Autumn Doughton

Read in: November, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
Star Rating: ★★★
Summary: 
Willow James is having a bad week. Her boyfriend of two years, Dustin, has recently broken up with her and Alex, her former crush, is now coming out of the woodwork. Willow goes through changes involving her life, her outlook, and even herself. 

Prosecution: 
I found Willow to be a little too wishy washy and Alex wasn't really explained as much as I would have liked. What made him tick, besides being jealous?

Defense: 
I loved this book. Seriously, I did. It is free on amazon, is well written, little to none grammatical errors, and a great flow. The authors flow is smooth and the story moves easily along. The characters are likable and they interact easily with each other. 

Verdict: 
I found this book to be more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The characters were cute and the entire story just worked well together. This book is an entirely worth the download. It's free and even if it wasn't, I'd still highly recommend it!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

After Adam by Katie Aleo

After Adam (A Teen Summer Romance)
Read in: November, 2012
Format: Ebook
Source: Bought from Amazon
Star Rating: ★★★

Synopsis: 
Anna is going through a tough time. A little over a year ago, her boyfriend of two years, Adam, dies. She has basically been secluded and avoided by her peers. Now, her absentee mother has decided to parent and forces Anna to get a job at the Shack. Little does she know, Camp Stellar, Adam's older brother, has decided to work there on his summer break from college.

Prosecution:
Her best friend, Hannah, is not a character I especially liked. She's bossy, selfish, annoying, self centered, and controlling. Anna is confused about her relationship with Camp, yet all Hannah can do is worry about herself. 

Defense: 
The story line was good enough. Anna was a likable character. There's really not much to say about it. It's cute and it's a great way to pass an afternoon, but there's no real sparkle to the novella. 

Verdict: 
2.5 Stars. It was likable enough, but really, it'll be forgotten in the other haze of beach reads. I'd ask the author to look for a better story line or find a better way to make her novella sparkle with an interesting detail or a plot twist. 
Which, let's be honest, After Adam was lacking in sparkle and a real plot. 
But, I enjoyed the authors writing style and for a self published author, she had a great writing voice with only a few grammar errors. Bravo, Ms. Aleo! 
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