Book Blitz: Delayed Departure

About the Book:
Title: Delayed Departure (Passports and Promises, #2)
Author: Abigail Drake
Publication date: August 16th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis: 

When Bethany Beaumont finds a book about life in the sultan’s harem, she discovers it’s actually a guide to the lost art of seduction. Just what she needs as she departs on a study abroad trip to exotic Istanbul. She’s struggling to get over her ex, and the book of dirty little secrets might be just the thing to help…if only she could find someone to practice on.
Half-Turkish and full of Australian swagger, teaching assistant Adam Kent seems to fit the bill. They decide to become lovers for the duration of the trip, and then part ways. Forever.
But not every lesson can be found in a book, and sometimes falling in love changes everything. When Bethany is forced to confront her past, and the promises she made to someone else, will it really be as easy as she thought to let Adam go?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

My mother insisted on purchasing two of the largest suitcases possible, Louis Vuitton rolling cases in an easily recognizable and slightly obnoxious shade of bright pink. She’d spent more on my luggage than some people did on a car, and they were heavy. I’d loaded them up with my precious books and far too many pairs of shoes before I left. The porter stumbled, losing his grip on the first suitcase, and nearly fell.
I rushed to help, but someone else beat me to it, a tall, mountain of a man. I stopped in my tracks and stared. I may have been drooling. He was, for lack of a better word, beautiful.
Broad chest. Long legs. Strong, muscular arms. Golden, glowing skin. Chestnut hair flowing in riotous curls around his face and down to his shoulders. Eyes in a warm shade of brown. The edge of a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve of his shirt.
Something unexpected curled in my chest. Was it…lust? I hadn’t felt it in so long I almost didn’t recognize it. But I wasn’t the only person staring at the bronzed god in from of me.
“Heavens to Betsy,” said Hilary under her breath. “I’ve never seen anything so pretty this close up.”
He was pretty, and he was also pissed off, most likely at the owner of the two enormous and ridiculously heavy pink suitcases. Me.

Author Bio:

Abigail Drake has spent her life traveling the world, and collecting stories wherever she visited. She majored in Japanese and International Economics in college and worked in import/export and as an ESL teacher before she committed herself full time to writing. She writes in several romance genres, and her books are quirky, light, fun, and sexy.
Abigail is a trekkie, a book hoarder, the master of the Nespresso machine, a red wine addict, and the mother of three sons (probably the main reason for her red wine addiction). A puppy named Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left.
She is a member of Pennwriters, RWA, Three Rivers Romance Writers, Mindful Writers, Women's Fiction Writers, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She teaches writing to children through the Young Writers' Institute and at local libraries.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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~Cassie

Book Blitz: So Near the Horizon

About the Book:
Title: So Near the Horizon
Author: Jessica Koch
Publication date: September 6, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis: 

From the moment she crosses paths with Danny, Jessica is fascinated. The dashing, confident twenty-year-old has everything she dreams of—looks, success, independence, money—and his kind, infinitely cheerful nature is spellbinding.
Yet Jessica sees something else lingering underneath Danny’s perfect facade. Bit by bit, she manages to pick it apart, unveiling harrowing truths about a deeply traumatic childhood that has left more than just emotional scars. Now, far away from his home and family, he is fighting to build a normal life for himself—even though he may be destined for a future as dark as his past.
Despite all adversity and against all reason, a deep and intimate love develops between Danny and Jessica. But soon they find themselves confronting the harsh realities of a superficial world, battling against prejudice and exclusion at every turn… and, worst of all, racing against time…

Goodreads / Amazon

Jessica Koch’s dramatic debut novel, Dem Horizont so nah (So Near the Horizon), broke every record when it hit stores in Germany 2016. Released through a small, independent publishing house, the e-book was an instant success, selling over 250,000 copies in just a few months and topping the Amazon bestseller list for more than six weeks – which made it the number-one bestselling German-language e-book of the year 2016!

Since then, one of Germany’s largest publishing houses has purchased the rights to this riveting and highly emotional memoir. The foreign rights have been picked up in numerous countries, and the feature film is scheduled to arrive in theaters at the end of 2018.

And now, for the first time ever, So Near the Horizon will be available in English! So Near the Horizon will hit online retailers in September 2017 – again as an independent publication, again without a huge marketing budget, but again with infinite passion for an unbelievable but true story that the world needs to hear.

—

EXCERPT:

As soon as I turned the corner, I saw him. In jeans and a royal-blue hoodie, he was leaning casually against a gleaming, black, thirty-foot limousine—a Lincoln Town Car—his arms folded. As always, his hair was sticking out in every direction. When he saw me, his face broke out into a radiant smile. A man dressed in black was standing at the front of the car, eyes downcast.
Chauffeur and everything? This is crazy…
My knees were threatening to give out, and my brain switched into offline mode again.
As I walked toward Danny, gaping in astonishment, he straightened and held out his hands. I took them, and his fingers closed briefly around mine. Once again, it was like he’d hit me with an electric shock.
“W-wow,” I stammered. “What’s all this for?”
“Because I’m falling in love,” he said quietly.
For a moment, the world stood still.
In love?
I was too stunned to react.
The chauffeur opened the car door, revealing an interior bathed in dim violet light. Still reeling a little, I settled onto the cream-colored leather upholstery that stretched across the entire length of the limousine, and Danny climbed in after me. The long marble-topped table in the center held a chilled bottle of champagne and two flutes already filled.
Danny handed me one of them, and we clinked our glasses together.
“I thought you didn’t drink,” I said shyly.
“Exceptions prove the rule,” Danny replied and took the first sip as the vehicle began rolling slowly out of the parking lot.
“How can you afford this kind of thing as a personal trainer?” I had no idea what it actually cost, but it surely wasn’t cheap.
He suppressed a grin. “I earn good money in my side job.”
“I knew it! You steal cars and sell them in other countries.”
“Um, no.” He looked genuinely perplexed.
“So you do the grandson scam? Knock on confused old ladies’ doors and make big eyes at them, and cry about how the Mafia is after you, and beg for money?”
He stared at me in surprise. Apparently, he hadn’t pegged me as someone with that much imagination. “It’s a lot less spectacular than that. Pretty boring by comparison, really. I just pose.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“For photos,” he clarified. “For a fashion label.”
“You model?” I shrieked at him. So he didn’t just look like a glossy-magazine model, he actually was one.
What the hell did this guy want with me?
In love, he said…
“Yeah,” he replied easily. “It’s nothing to scream about. They’re just photos. Ads, clothes, the usual. The pay’s good.”
“So that’s why you didn’t go to college?”
His expression turned grim. “No. That was for other reasons. Personal reasons.”
There it was again, that darkness in his eyes.
“Aren’t you afraid the modeling work will dry up someday when you’re old and ugly?” My curiosity knew no bounds.
“No, I’m not worried about that.” Then why did his voice sound so melancholy?
My champagne glass was empty by that point, but I felt awkward about refilling it, since Danny hadn’t taken his eyes off me. “There’s something I really don’t understand,” I began, emboldened by the champagne. “Why did you try to warn me away from you? Do you chop little girls up into pieces and bury them in the forest?”
The violet light gleamed in his hair as he tilted his head and regarded me. “I make drugs in my basement,” he said. “I have to be careful. Can’t let anyone find out.”
I regarded him skeptically. The problem with Danny’s dry humor was that you never knew whether he was joking.
He laughed quietly to himself when he realized I was trying to decide whether to believe him.
“Sarcasm is the sword of the intellectual,” he finally said. But then, all at once, his relaxed demeanor shifted again. “Seriously,” he said, “the fact is my life is one giant catastrophe. I don’t want anyone else to get sucked into it.”
Half relieved drugs weren’t involved, I shook my head. “Hey, I’ve never met a catastrophe I couldn’t handle!”
“I’m not joking,” he insisted. “If you have an ounce of sense in your head, you’ll walk away and never look back.”
“Sense was never my strong suit. I’m told teenagers aren’t sensible people.”
He sighed deeply. “Okay,” he said theatrically. “I’ll give you three choices, since you were kind enough to do so for me. All right?”
I nodded, a smile creeping onto my face.
“Then come on down, you’re the next contestant!” he said in his best TV-announcer voice. “Here are your options! One: A happy, worry-free life as a single woman. Two: Me. Three: You find a guy who’s right for you and live happily ever after. Pick a door, any door!”
“Door number two, please,” I announced, playing along.
“I’m serious!” Danny protested.
“So am I!” But I couldn’t help giggling. “It’s just hard not to laugh. You’re really funny!”
He raised a questioning eyebrow. “Funny ha-ha or funny strange?”
“Both.”
“Is it at least an equal mix?”
“No. One more so than the other.” I turned to look out the window, at the pedestrians watching with interest as our limo pulled into the movie theater parking lot.

Author Bio:

Jessica Koch (born in Ludwigsburg, Germany) began writing short stories when she was still in high school, but never submitted her work to publishers. In late 1999, shortly after beginning her studies to become an architectural drafter, she met Danny, a German-American dual national. Her experiences with him eventually formed the basis for So Near the Horizon, though it was nearly thirteen years before she felt ready to bring the manuscript to the public.
The author describes a life lived somewhere between hope and fear, between optimism and despair. She reflects on events from her own past with raw honesty, confronting more than one difficult subject along the way.
Jessica Koch lives near the city of Heilbronn with her husband, their son, and two dogs. The second and third books in the trilogy, So Near the Abyss and So Near the Ocean, are already best-sellers in Germany as well.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook

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~Cassie

Cover Reveal: Deadly Sweet

About the Book:
Title: Deadly Sweet (Spellwork Syndicate, #1)
Author: Lola Dodge
Published by: Ink Monster LLC
Publication date: January 16th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis: 

For fans of Hex Hall, The Magicians, Practical Magic, and Food Wars!

Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spellbooks in blissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Too bad one wants witchcraft on their campus. Anise’s dream of attending pastry school crumbles with rejection letter after rejection letter.

Desperate to escape her dead-end future, Anise contacts the long-lost relative she’s not supposed to know about. Great Aunt Agatha owns the only magic bakery in the US, and she suddenly needs a new apprentice. Anise is so excited she books it to New Mexico without thinking to ask what happened to the last girl.
The Spellwork Syndicate rules the local witches in Taos, but as “accidents” turn into full-out attacks on Anise’s life, their promises to keep her safe are less and less reassuring. Her cranky bodyguard is doing his best, but it’s hard to fight back when she has no idea who’s the enemy. Or why she became their target.
If Anise can’t find and stop whoever wants her dead, she’ll be more toasted than a crème brûlée.

Who knew baking cakes could be so life or death?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Author Bio:

Lola Dodge is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University--and hasn't stopped moving since. When she's not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can't melt her, writing or bingeing on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

~Cassie

Waiting on Wednesday #114

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Cassie's Waiting On: 

The Glass Spare (The Glass Spare #1) by Lauren DeStefano 

Publication Date: October 24th, 2017


Synopsis:

A banished princess.
A deadly curse.
A kingdom at war.

Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever? 

I have not read anything by Ms. DeStefano before, but I'm excited to start with this novel.  I think this sounds incredibly unique and unlike anything I have ever read before! Spies, destructive powers, cursed princes? What more can you want from a book? 
Jocelyn's Waiting On: 

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum 
Publication Date: October 31st, 2017 

Synopsis:

The Wicker King is a psychological young adult thriller that follows two friends struggling as one spirals into madness.

When August learns that his best friend, Jack, shows signs of degenerative hallucinatory disorder, he is determined to help Jack cope. Jack’s vivid and long-term visions take the form of an elaborate fantasy world layered over our own—a world ruled by the Wicker King. As Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy in this alternate world, even August begins to question what is real or not.

August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth. 

This synopsis reminds me so much of Challenger Deep, one of my all time favorite novels about mental health. I'm not sure if this book is also grounded in the structure of mental health, but it sounds like it! I can't wait to read this novel and learn more about Jack and his trials with The Wicker King. 

Book Review: Off the Ice (Juniper Falls #1)

About the Book:
Title: Off the Ice (Juniper Falls #1)
Author: Julie Cross
Pub. Date: February 28, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 320
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis:

All is fair in love and hockey…

Claire O’Connor is back in Juniper Falls, but that doesn’t mean she wants to be. One semester off, that’s what she promised herself. Just long enough to take care of her father and keep the family business—a hockey bar beside the ice rink—afloat. After that, she’s getting the hell out. Again.

Enter Tate Tanley. What happened between them the night before she left town resurfaces the second they lay eyes on each other. But the guy she remembers has been replaced by a total hottie. When Tate is unexpectedly called in to take over for the hockey team’s star goalie, suddenly he’s in the spotlight and on his way to becoming just another egotistical varsity hockey player. And Claire’s sworn off Juniper Falls hockey players for good.

It’s the absolute worst time to fall in love.

For Tate and Claire, hockey isn’t just a game. And they both might not survive a body check to the heart.

Review:

Romance mixed with hockey? I'm definitely down for that!! This was a great new story from Julie Cross and I can't wait for the rest of the series. I have been a fan of Julie Cross since picking up The Tempest, and this book was a good start to the new Juniper Falls series. With complex characters and the perfect balance of sports and romance, this is a definite must read for any contemporary romance/NA fan. There were a couple things that made me lower my rating, but all in all this was the perfect rainy day read. 

The story follows Tate and Claire who were both very well-developed right from the start. I truly connected with each one of the characters and it made me love the story even more. Both characters were easy to relate to and both had some secrets that only the other one knew. The story was very gritty and real at times, and it definitely wasn't what I had initially expected from the novel. But it was a nice change. There is some tough subject matter featured, but Julie Cross does an excellent job at portraying everything in a realistic light. There are many scenes that are, at their core, raw and stripped to the bone. Ms. Cross handles the horrors that Tate faces to the sadness that Claire deals with every day with the perfect writing hand and delivers an emotional and gripping story.

I was rooting for Claire and Tate from the very beginning and I loved watching their relationship progress. However, there were many times their relationship got down right frustrating to me. There was a little too much back and forth between them. They kept building their walls higher and higher and not letting the other in, and even when both Tate and Claire are fighting for the other, it was almost as if no progress was being made. Obviously, this slowed the plot down significantly...especially in the first part of the book. If I were rating this book based on the first part, I would have probably give it 2.5 stars due to the pacing. It was incredibly slow and tedious, and it made me enjoy the book less. Honestly, I felt like you could cut out a large portion of the first part of this book and it wouldn't have made a difference plot-wise. What it would have done though is sped the book up and allowed the reader to get to the heart of the story much faster. 

I will say though, after the first half of this book, the story was very different. So don't give up based on that first half because you will wind up missing out on an excellent story. The second half of this book is fast-paced and wonderfully written. I do think that perhaps the reason the first part was slow is because there needed to be some set up down, but still, once you get past that first half, you will find yourself enjoying the book much more.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series, and I'm interested to see who it will be about. There are many side characters that I loved and would be excited to read more about, so we will have to wait and see! Add this to your TBR pile now!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Book Review: The Struggle (Titan #3)

About the Book:
Title: The Struggle (Titan #3)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pub. Date: March 20, 2017
Publisher: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pages: 368
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

A bloody path has been chosen… 

The war against the Titans continues, and they remain determined to wreak havoc on the world, but Seth has become something all gods fear. Now the most dangerous, most absolute power no longer resides in those who have been freed from their tombs. 

The Great War fought by the few is coming… 

All may doubt and fear what Seth has become. All except the one woman who might be his final chance at redemption. Josie will do anything to prove that Seth is on their side, but fate has a nasty way of changing lives, of changing people. 

In the end, the sun will fall… 

The only way they can save the future and save themselves is by facing the unknown together. It will take more than trust and faith. It will take love and the kind of strength not easily broken. No matter what, their lives will never be the same. 

For what the gods have feared has come to pass. The end of the old is here and the beginning of the new has been ushered in…

Review:

I hope there never comes a day when I stop getting excited over a Jennifer Armentrout book. The Struggle was absolutely amazing and if I could give this book a thousand stars, I would. I could honestly gush for years about this book and this series, but I'll try to sum it up in a short review. Every single sentence of this book was pure magic and I honestly never wanted the story to end. All of the characters have a special place in my heart and I don't know how I will ever say goodbye to them (I know the end is coming but I need to live in denial for a little bit longer). I don't think I need to tell anyone how extraordinary Jen's writing is, but in case you missed the memo a long time ago...this woman knows how to write! She is one of the few authors that I don't need to read the synopsis to know that I'll enjoy the story and suffer a major book hangover from. And this book was certainly no exception to that! 

After the explosive ending (literally) of the last book, I had to read this book as soon as possible. There is not a single thing that I didn't love in this story. The direction the story took, the crazy amounts of action, the romance...I could go on and on. But everything is written perfectly and the pacing is fantastic. I could not put this book down because I was desperate to find out what was going to happen. There were so many twists and turns in this novel that no one will see coming, and even though you don't think the characters could be developed any more...guess again!

When I first started reading this series, Josie wasn't my favorite...especially when compared to Alex. However, Josie has grown into this wonderful character that I love a great deal. She is tough, fierce, and feisty (a winning combination if you ask me). Seth does a great deal of growing in this novel and while he's still the cocky guy we all know and love, certain circumstances change him and he realizes he needs to step up to the plate. There is no denying the love Seth and Josie have for each other, and it's even sweeter in this book. Their banter is priceless and I love how much Seth cares for Josie. He will go to the ends of the Earth for her and I loved every single second of it. I will say, there was one scene towards the end of the book where Seth takes a HUGE risk. My heart was in my throat and I almost didn't want to read the scene for fears that something bad was going to happen (especially since this was literally the end of the book and we all know how JLA loves her cliffhangers). But carry on I did, and things worked out...until we (and Josie) realize something major about her powers and the future. And at that point, I really wish we never learned the truth about Josie's powers because my heart broke. 

Aiden, Alex, Deacon, Luke, Apollo, and everyone else is back and better than ever! Honestly, I love Aiden and Alex so much and I'm glad they have roles in this story. It wouldn't feel like this world without them in the story somehow. However, the one thing that blew my mind was Aiden and Seth starting to actually agree with each other and work well together. And you know what? It's even better than I imagined it to be. Their banter is still epic and hilarious, and they kinda still hate each other, but they have made great strides in their friendship and I can't wait to see where it goes from here. Apollo obviously still isn't winning any Father-Of-The-Year awards, and there's obviously something major brewing behind the scenes that the readers are not yet privy to. 

The cliffhanger of a ending in The Struggle isn't as bad as The Power, but it's still bad nonetheless. All fans of this series and of JLA need to check this book out as soon as possible. It's going to be one heck of a wait until the fourth book in the series, but I can't wait to find out what is going to happen next!! 

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Waiting on Wednesday #113

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Cassie's Waiting On: 


Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress #1) by Julie C. Dao
Publication Date: October 10th, 2017 

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

This is supposed to be an East Asian spin on The Evil Queen legend and I am here for it! This has been on my TBR for a long time (like since last year haha), so to say I'm excited for this one is an understatement.  I really hope this is as amazing as it sounds!



Jocelyn's Waiting On: 

Vanilla by Billy Merrell 
Publication Date: October 10th, 2017 

Synopsis:

A bold, groundbreaking novel about coming out, coming into your own, and coming apart. 

Hunter and Van become boyfriends before they're even teenagers, and stay a couple even when adolescence intervenes. But in high school, conflict arises -- mostly because Hunter is much more comfortable with the sex part of sexual identity. As the two boys start to realize that loving someone doesn't guarantee they will always be with you, they find out more about their own identities -- with Hunter striking out on his own while Van begins to understand his own asexuality.

In poems that are romantic and poems that are heartbreaking, Vanilla explores all the flavors of the spectrum -- and how romance and love aren't always the same thing.

I love LGBT novels. I think they are amazing in the way that, for me, they not only entertain but they also inform. I love learning about different lifestyles and it helps me as a psychologist recognize some of the issues that people go through as they are coming out.