Belated Book Release!

Happy belated book release to Bubblegum by Sari Taurez, which released on Monday!

Tiana is your typical pampered young blonde with a love for expensive shoes, hot guys, and murder.

After Tiana is cut off from her family’s riches, she takes advantage of her talents and becomes a killer for hire. It’s a lucrative business in her country, where a call to the police can amount to a lifetime of debt. 

Her first client: Julia, a lower-class IT genius, lesbian, and devout Catholic. When the orphanage Julia volunteers at is targeted by the infamous brothel-owner Bobby Nails, Tiana is excited to take the job. But when she discovers Bobby Nails has a full army of mercenaries at his disposal, Tiana wonders if she may be in over her head.

Tiana and Julia face an unexpected adventure as they seek vengeance against the elusive Nails. Along the way they are joined by Ruby, a pyromaniac ex-prostitute who catches Julia’s eye, and William, a mysterious acrobatic fugitive searching for his daughter.

In the end, will they be enough to stop Nails and the chaos he has created?

Check out my review and be sure to buy a copy for 99¢ on Amazon!

Book Review: Black Tiger by Sara Baysinger

Black Tiger by Sara Baysinger

Publication Date: October 6, 2016

Genres: YA - Sci-Fi - Dystopian

Find it On: Goodreads / Amazon

Synopsis:

When the fire goes out, supposedly dead, the embers still remain, tiny specks of deadwood and ash that have the capacity to start a fire large enough to burn down an entire city.

Ember Carter is a sixteen-year-old farmer’s daughter who wants nothing more than to stay close to her family in the Community Garden when Career Day approaches. Unfortunately, all farming careers are given to boys, and besides, as of the past two years, all students have been drafted to the Line of Defenders to fight in a war no one seems to know about. When she meets Forest, the mysterious stranger who seems to know a bit too much about city life and the way the government is run, she’s even less eager to leave the safe haven of the Garden.

On Career Day, the future couldn’t look brighter when Ember is the only student assigned the career of a Farmer. But all hopes come to end when she attacks a Defender to save her best friend. Suspected a rebel and sentenced to death, she’s transferred to Frankfort Prison where she will carry out her sentence.

But Frankfort is full of surprises and snotty Patricians. While in prison, Ember learns a dark secret about Forest that makes her question what little she knew about him. And then there’s Rain,the carelessly handsome boy who enjoys instigating her just a bit too much. If THAT’S not enough, the world learns something about Ember even she doesn’t know. A secret that brings her character into question, enlightens her on her mother’s true identity, and ultimately, gives her the power to affect the rise or fall of Ky.

With the handsome Forest tugging at her heart, and the rogue Rain whispering treasons into her ear, can Ember make the right decision that will redeem the corrupt government of Ky?

Trailer:

About the Author:

Sara Baysinger grew up in the heart of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador where she spent her time exploring uncharted lands and reading all things magical. She now lives among the endless cornfields of Indiana with her husband and two children.

My Review:

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for sharing, Sara. This is one heck of a book!

Ember is a common farmer in a post-plague America. When her career-assignment day comes, all she wants is to become a farmer so she can stay with her father and brother. Instead, she has her best friend taken from her and her entire life turned upside down.

Black Tiger is one of those rare gems among the dystopian genre that I find myself loving. Most books are about a revolutionary girl who wants to change the world, but Baysinger took a page from series like The Hunger Games and Chaos Walking where the main character just wants to survive and go home. Does she want to kiss that cute guy who helped her? Of course. But does she want to stay with him forever at the cost of never seeing her family? Of course not! Ember is probably what any of us would be in her scenario: a confused and distressed teenager who is just trying to play everyone's games and get by.

Besides Ember herself, I found all the characters in the novel fantastic because they somehow always subvert what you'd expect from them. Forest, the beautiful blue-eyed love interest, is honest yet in the pocket of the government and unwilling to truly shake anything up. Meanwhile, Rain, the bad-boy, is maybe a little too far off the deep end, and definitely doesn't have Ember's best interests at heart either.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of juicy love triangle goodness, but this is one of those dystopians that is about the main character and her figuring everything out while the world crumbles around her. I am 110% team Rain, but something tells me I'm also going to be team Ember-just-gets-to-be-happy-and-safe no matter how everything else plays out. 

I'm so hung up on the characters because that's what endeared me so much to Black Tiger, but the plot is one heck of a ride, too. Baysinger strings you along with twist after twist without ever losing you in the detail. Perfectly paced and always intriguing!

This one gets 4/5 stars for now, but I have high hopes for the sequel! 

Book Review: Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan

Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan 

Publication Date: September 21, 2016

Genres: Young Adult - Romance - LGBTQ+

Find it On: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Lena Newman is 17 years old and pretty satisfied with her life. Until her world is turned upside down. Juliet James is the new girl at school and very quickly manages to send Lena’s heart wild. Juliet introduced Lena to a part of herself she didn’t know was there, taking her on an emotional journey where loyalty, friendships and family relationships are tested. Juliet represents the road less traveled. Will Lena take it?

About the Author:

Lena Newman is 17 years old and pretty satisfied with her life. Until her world is turned upside down. Juliet James is the new girl at school and very quickly manages to send Lena’s heart wild. Juliet introduced Lena to a part of herself she didn’t know was there, taking her on an emotional journey where loyalty, friendships and family relationships are tested. Juliet represents the road less traveled. Will Lena take it?

My Review:

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wowza, this book was awesome!

Lena is a high school senior who has sort of drifted through life so far, unsure of what she wants to study, unsure of why she doesn't love her boyfriend, and unsure what her future looks like. But all of that is before she meets the new girl, Juliet, who makes her realize the one major way her life isn't what it seems: that she's bisexual.

What I loved about this book is that it was so real. Often, LGBT romances are either very dark or very warm and fuzzy. While those both have their places, it's something like this book that I found most important growing up because I can actually relate to the characters.

Lena was an awesome MC. Getting to explore her development of her sexuality was the main plotline of the book, but everyone around her was just as fascinating to read. Her best friend was a lovable jerk, Juliet's live-in-cousin was sassy but not a stereotype, and Juliet, oh Juliet! What a perfect romantic lead! She was an edgy, artsy, Jack-Skellington-wearing manic pixie dream girl, but isn't that exactly what we all would have fallen for back in high schoool?

Not to say that there wasn't seriousness to the story or that Lena's journey was a cake walk, but it was a refreshing change to see an LGBT book that had engaging characters and not just a political agenda. I look forward to seeing more from this author!

Book Release: The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel!

I am super psyched to have received an ARC copy of a hot new release, The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel! This book has it all - it's deep, dark, introspective, and if there's any justice in the world, it deserves to be a modern classic!

As I gear up for a review and interview with the author, I want to urge you all to check it out and order a copy which is now available today! Trust me, it's a five-star review for sure!

Buy it on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IndieBound!

Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.

Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town.

When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperature as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestle with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.