Year: 2017

Review/ Paper Hearts by Ali Novak

Review/ Paper Hearts by Ali Novak

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ Paper Hearts by Ali NovakPaper Hearts (The Heartbreakers Chronicles, #2) by Ali Novak
Format: Paperback
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on July 4th 2017
Pages: 384
Goodreads

“I’m sorry,” he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. “It’s just…I didn’t want you to think of me any differently.”
Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn’t accept that he was the person looking down at me.
“My real name is Alec.”
Felicity has her entire future planned. Ever since her older sister ran away, she’s had the full weight of her mother’s expectations on her shoulders. So she works hard to get straight As and save for college.
Except sometimes the best things in life are unplanned—like when Felicity meets a handsome, masked stranger while she is volunteering at a charity masquerade ball. She never thought he’d flirt with her. And she certainly never thought he’d turn out to be a member of the world-famous band the Heartbreakers.
Then Felicity uncovers a shocking family secret. Suddenly, she, Alec, and her two best friends are off on a road trip to find Felicity’s missing sister. And she’s about to discover that unexpected turns have a peculiar way of landing her right where she needs to be…

This is the second book in The Heartbreaker Chronicles. The third book called Heartstrings is currently in the works and no release date has been said yet.

Paper Hearts can be read as a stand alone since its not a continuous story line. I did read this right after I read The Heartbreakers.

If you read my previous review then you know that The Heartbreakers are a band and each book focuses on a different band member/couple. Stella and Oliver do make appearances in the book but if you were to read it as a stand alone it would be fine. They don’t play a major role in the story line.

Paper Hearts focuses on Alec and Felicity. I have to say that right now Alec is one of my favorite band member, he is quiet and private. I think Felicity compliments him well even though she has gone through more then any person should. Her life is like a soap opera with all the drama but through it all she sticks with it and plows ahead.

Felicity uncovers a secret that has been hidden and the truth wasn’t told so she is determined to find her sister and Alec is there every step of the way to help her find her even if it means a road trip. She even brings along her BFF’s Aisha and Boomer. She soon realizes that this trip is more then she bargained for with all the hidden secrets coming out. Can she handle the truth or will it be too much?

This was another super quick read and I can’t wait to continue this series.

 

 

Review/ The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

Review/ The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ The Heartbreakers by Ali NovakThe Heartbreakers (The Heartbreakers Chronicles, #1) by Ali Novak
Published by Sourcebooks on August 4th 2015
Pages: 336
Goodreads

When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for the Heartbreakers.
And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music.
Stella will do anything for her sister—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD…for three hours. At least she met a cute boy at the Starbucks beforehand. A blue-eyed boy who looks an awful lot like…
Oliver Perry. Of course Starbucks guy is the lead singer for her least favorite band. Thanks, universe. But there may be more to Oliver than his world-famous charm, because even after she insults his music—to his face—he still gives her his number. Seriously, what is her life?
But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver—dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band—when her sister could be dying of cancer?

This past summer I was cleaning up my book shelves to get ready for summer, so that I could figure out what I wanted to read and I stumbled up The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak and I am embarrassed to say that this has been sitting in my TBR since I picked it up at BEA in 2015. Yes I do still have a few books sitting on my shelf that I picked up at BEA.

This is the first book in The Heartbreakers Chronicles and it was a fairly quick read,

Our main character is Stella Samuel, who is a high school graduate with a passion for photography. Stella is also a triplet. She has a sister Cara who has cancer and is a cheerleader and a brother, Drew who is the joke of the family.

When Cara has diagnosed with cancer, Stella puts her life on hold and stops pursuing her passion of going to college in NYC. Cara is obsessed with a boy band called The Heartbreakers, a band that neither Stella or Drew share the same passion for.  Cara basically lives and breathes this band and fears that she will never get to see them perform live.

Stella and Drew come up with an idea of traveling from Minnesota to Chicago to obtain the bands autograph as a surprise gift to Cara. You can tell how much the siblings love each other and what they are willing to do to make their sister happy.

Finally arriving in Chicago. Stella makes a pit stop into Starbucks for her morning coffee, she bumps into a cute guy, Oliver, who buys her coffee,  thinking nothing of it she goes about her way because she has no clue what the boys in the band look like until she bumps into them at the hotel. Stella makes it well known that she doesn’t like the band or their music but still Oliver gives her his number and he slowly picks away at her until she starts to like the music and the boy.

Little did Stella realize but this trip was so much more then just getting an autograph for her sister its also making her realize that she needs to move on with her life and do things she wants to do but will she do it or will she remain behind to take care of Cara?

I loved how Oliver was able to get through to Stella and watching their relationship develop was cute. This was a fun read to break up the normal reading routine.

So after attempting to write my review I discovered that this is suppose to be a four book series and each boy in the band will have his own book and encounters with love. I have to say that as cheesy as these books are i want to read them and live my teenage life over again when I used to crush of a boy band and wish I was dating one of the members. Didn’t we all do that?

 

 

Review/ Daughter 4254

Review/ Daughter 4254

Posted on by Cindy

About The Book
Title: DAUGHTER 4254
Author: Leigh Statham
Pub. Date: December 5, 2017
Publisher: Owl Hollow Press
Pages: 286
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Amazon, iBooks, The Kings English (exclusive signed copies), Goodreads

Daughter4254 used to think life in a community where art, music and names are outlawed would suffocate her creative spirit. Now that she’s rotting in a prison cell, she’s not sure her dying mother made the right choice when she entrusted her with the secrets of rebellion. Prison has given her plenty of time to relive every mistake and lose all hope.

Then she meets Thomas, a fellow inmate, who tells her stories of the mythical mountain colonies where people have names and the arts thrive. Together they plot an escape, knowing if they fail, they will die. Or worse, their consciousness will be taken by the MindWipe, leaving their bodies free for the government to use. When nothing goes as planned, Daughter4254 must choose between using her mother’s secret to better the world she hates, or following Thomas to the quiet life of freedom she has always craved.

Before beginning my review I just quickly want to thank Rockstar Book tours for allowing me to be on this tour and for sending me the book to read and review for my post.

I am a little late in getting this posted because as some of you may know I fell and sprained my ankle well I had to go to the clinic because it was still sore and tender. I admit I was a little worried that it could have been something else. So I spent the entire day at the clinic and I had x-rays done. It is indeed badly sprained and will take time to heal so for the next few weeks I am in a boot. Thanks Jaime for being so understanding and now onto my review.

It seems like its been forever since I have read a really good young adult dystopian novel. I have to admit I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book so much so that I wanted to read it and I am happy that I did because I really enjoyed this. It was a fairly quick read and I managed to read it almost in a day. The advantage of having to rest a sprained ankle right?

The book takes place in the year 2134 (after the great war) and all forms of art (movies, music, books etc) have all been banned by the government. Can you imagine living in a world where all forms of art have been banned? I don’t think I could live in a world like that. I would be lost with all of it.

In this new society there are two classes of people the neuroadvanced (these are the group who can conceal their emotions and do what they are told and come off robot like) and then the neurodeficient (who can’t conceal their emotions or feelings and you would think they are more human). Daughter 4254 is the neurodeficient one.

The book is told in a before and after sequence which I have to say isn’t usually my cup of two but I really enjoyed it this time around because you get to know more about our main character Daughter 4254 of her life before she was sent to prison and while she is in prison. At first you don’t know why she is in prison but as the book progress you get little clues as to why. My heart literally was breaking for her as you read her story.

The government runs this century and they seem to do it with an iron fist and the control everyone and everything. In this new world no one has names and they all go by numbers and this is because names are useless in this world. Here you get the basics in life nothing more nothing less and basically you are kept around just as long as you can be used. Then when you reach a certain age you are cut off from the basics of life and you are left to suffer and no one cares and thats due to all forms of emotions being banned. You can even be punished for showing emotion.

After her mother dies she receives a letter that is contraband from her uncle that her mother wrote telling her to enroll in this secondary school  and to find a certain professor who will help her. She figures she has nothing to loss so she applies and passes the test with flying colors. When she arrives she is given new clothes and clean ups to look like the other kids. She is happy and makes friends. For once she feels like she can her who she is. She finally meets the professor and he is not what she thought he would be.

It was basically from this point of the book that I sat and literally could not put the book down because I had to know what was happening.

One thing I have to say is I wish there could have been more to the book to explain why everyone had numbers for names except a boy Daughter 4254 met in prison, why did Daughter 4254 brother hate her so much, and so much more. These were all things that I was hoping would have been uncovered.

This is a fantastic debut novel and I really hope that there is a book two because I would love to see where this could go.

 

Book Spotlight/ Daughter 4254

Book Spotlight/ Daughter 4254

Posted on by Cindy

About The Book
Title: DAUGHTER 4254
Author: Leigh Statham
Pub. Date: December 5, 2017
Publisher: Owl Hollow Press
Pages: 286
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Amazon, iBooks, The Kings English (exclusive signed copies), Goodreads

Daughter4254 used to think life in a community where art, music and names are outlawed would suffocate her creative spirit. Now that she’s rotting in a prison cell, she’s not sure her dying mother made the right choice when she entrusted her with the secrets of rebellion. Prison has given her plenty of time to relive every mistake and lose all hope.

Then she meets Thomas, a fellow inmate, who tells her stories of the mythical mountain colonies where people have names and the arts thrive. Together they plot an escape, knowing if they fail, they will die. Or worse, their consciousness will be taken by the MindWipe, leaving their bodies free for the government to use. When nothing goes as planned, Daughter4254 must choose between using her mother’s secret to better the world she hates, or following Thomas to the quiet life of freedom she has always craved.

About Leigh: 
Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho but found her heart in New York City. She worked at many interesting jobs before settling in as a mother and writer.

She now resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, eight chickens, a fluffy dog, and two suspected serial killer cats.

Leigh is currently working on an MFA, has written countless short stories, and is the author of lots of mediocre poetry. She is also the winner of the 2016 Southeast Review Narrative Nonfiction Prize for her short story “The Ditch Bank and the Fenceline.”

Website |Twitter |Instagram | Facebook | Wattpad|  Goodreads

Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card, US Only.
2 winners will receive a finished copy of DAUGHTER 4254, US only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/25/2017- BookHounds YA– Interview

10/25/2017- Fan-Girl-Tabulous– Review

 

10/26/2017- Reese’s Reviews– Excerpt

10/26/2017- Caffeine and Composition– Review

 

10/27/2017- Hooked To Books– Guest Post

10/27/2017- YA Obsessed– Review

 

Week Two:

10/30/2017- Maddie.TV– Interview

10/30/2017- The Desert Bibliophile– Review

 

10/31/2017- Wandering Bark Books– Excerpt

10/31/2017- Kindle and Me– Review

 

11/1/2017- Wishful Endings– Interview

11/1/2017- Jena Brown Writes– Review

 

11/2/2017- Stuffed Shelves– Review

11/2/2017- Life of A Simple Reader– Review

 

11/3/2017- Books, Vertigo and Tea– Excerpt

11/3/2017- Savings in Seconds– Review

 

Week Three:

11/6/2017- Two Chicks on Books– Interview

11/6/2017- Cindy’s Love of Books– Review

 

11/7/2017- Captivated Reading– Review

11/7/2017- Bookalicious– Review

 

Review/ Beyond Love

Review/ Beyond Love

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ Beyond LoveBeyond Love (Beyond, #2) by D.D. Marx
Published by Beyond Dreams Publishing Group on November 7th 2017
Pages: 184
Goodreads

After trusting in her beloved friend Dan’s guidance from above, Olivia is finally on the path to realizing her destiny. Staring at a blank canvas after ditching her raucous corporate life and meeting the love of her life, Finn McDaniels, a hot, widowed, celebrity chef, she is ready to begin anew. When she arrives back home to tie up the loose ends in Chicago, she receives more frightening news further delaying her journey with Finn. Unable to control the outcome, she begins questioning her trust and faith in Dan once again. She distracts herself the only way she knows how, by diving head first into a new project. What seemed like a time killer may actually be the thing that saves her and catapults her into a world she never dreamed of.

When Olivia and Finn finally reunite, a deep dark secret is uncovered threatening to ruin the relationship she has waited for her entire life. Olivia is forced to decide whether to tell Finn or let it live in the past forever. Is their relationship strong enough to weather the storm or will it cause them to part ways for good?

I quickly want to thank Laura from iReadBookTours for allowing me to be a part of the tour for this series and for sending me copies of the book to read for my honest and sincere review.

This is the second book in the series and it picks up where Beyond Believing ended. You can click HERE to read my review of that book.

Once again the book is told in two points of view and that is of Olivia and Finn. I was excited to start this because I wanted to know what our lovely couple was up to. This book did not disappoint and I should warn you in advance this is another one that you should have tissues on hand because there were a few moments I was crying a bit.

This was also a super quick read and I have to thank spraining my ankle last week for allowing me to read this pretty much in one sitting. It felt strange being able to curl up on the couch and read during the day. Its been awhile since I have done that.

I should say that I wouldn’t read this as a book on its own and that you really should read the first book to get the full story line. I am excited to see where the third book will go with this.

Anyways back to the book. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil it and because its the second book in the series. But what I will say is that Olivia and Finn have decided to move in together so she is in the process of selling her condo so that she can move to  California.

One her way back from being with Finn she is on the airplane and discovers that her seat mate is related to one of her best friends from college and before long they are all hanging out. This makes you realize how small the world really is.

Beyond Love comes with all kinds of twists and turns. Just when you think you are living the life and things are going good you are suddenly reminded that its not all a bed of roses. Thats exactly what happens once Olivia gets back to Chicago. Without going into to much detail she gets some bad news that literally shakes up her world and leaves her questioning things and Dan. Whenever there was a problem or situation that came up she turned to Dan for guidance and he would some how convoy the message that things will be okay but with everything that is happening she is questioning if Dan is really there for her. Questioning why he would send her someone only  to have him possibly taken away from her.

When Olivia and Finn are finally able to reunite things seem good but then a secret from Olivia’s past has come to surface and she is struggling about what to do. Does she keep it hidden? Or does she come clean and possibly risking her future with Finn?

I can’t wait to read the third and finally book, Beyond Forever to see what happens to Olivia and Finn. Be sure to come back in early December to read my review of that. I am actually just about ready to curl back up on the couch to read it now.

 

Blog Tour/ Beyond Love

Posted on by Cindy

Book Details:

Book Title: Beyond Love (Book #2)
Author: D.D. Marx
Category: Adult Fiction; 184 pages
Genre: Chick-Lit
Publisher: Beyond Dreams Publishing
Release date: November 2017
Tour dates: Oct 16 to Dec 22, 2017
Content Rating: PG 13 (Light sex scenes/not explicit; language (couple f bombs)

Book Description:

After trusting in her beloved friend Dan’s guidance from the beyond, Olivia is finally on the path to realizing her destiny. Staring at a blank canvas after ditching her raucous corporate life and meeting the love of her life, Finn McDaniels, a hot, widowed celebrity chef, she is ready to begin anew.

Arriving back in Chicago, she receives more frightening news further delaying her future journey with Finn. Unable to control the outcome, she begins questioning her trust and faith in Dan once again. She distracts herself the only way she knows how, by diving head first into a new project. What seemed like a time-killer may actually be the thing that saves her and catapults her into a world she never dreamed of.

When Olivia and Finn finally reunite, a looming secret is uncovered threatening to ruin the relationship she has waited for her entire life. Olivia is forced to decide whether to tell Finn or let it live in the past forever. Is their relationship strong enough to weather the storm or will it cause them to part ways for good?

To read more reviews, please visit D.D. Marx’s page on iRead Book Tours.

Buy Beyond Love:


Watch the trailer:


 
Meet the Author:
D.D. Marx is a contemporary romantic fiction writer and blogger, as well as a lover of all things social. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton, as well as the Second City program in Chicago, where she currently resides. A proud aunt and self-described hopeless romantic, Marx has always had a knack for humorous and engaging storytelling. Her pen name is a dedication to her beloved friend Dan, who continues to guide and inspire her in her daily life.Connect with the Author: Website  ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest

 

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Ends Dec 28

 

 


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8th Annual Broke & Bookish Secret Santa

Posted on by Cindy

I just have to take a moment to do a happy dance because for the third year in a row I have actually remembered the Broke & Bookish Secret Santa in advance and I’m not just slidding at the last minute to sign up. Although I really have to thank the app TimeHop because my post from last year came up on it.

Its hard to believe that this is the 8th annual secret Santa. I have been lucky enough to take part in 6 of these. I had to go back and check previous posts to be sure that I actually ended up missing two years and its true that I did miss them. I did 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The Broke & Bookish Secret Santa has been one of my favorite secret Santa’s to take part in. We are teamed up with fellow bloggers and I have to say that I have been very lucky with my partners. I was very lucky to meet up with two of my fellow Canadian swap partners. You can read about it here and I also I have meet Jenn several times at BEA.

Sign up for the Broke & Bookish Secret Santa is until November 10th, 2017 and all you have to do is click on the above graphic to take you to the site so you know how to take part if you want too.

I plan on taking part once again and I hope you will too.