Merch Girl Review and Giveaway

Title: Merch Girl
Author: Rebecca Lewis
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Music
Source: I got this book as part of a review tour, which in no way affected my review
Rating: Bison

THE PREMISE

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Kind doesn’t have the guts to talk to cute boys, isn’t a size two, and would rather stay home and listen to music than go to a party. But in the summer before her first year of college, she ends up thousands of miles away from home, in the back of a tour bus, underneath the half-naked body of the hottest teen rock star in the country.

When Lacey and her best friend Trina sneak into a Boston nightclub to see their favorite band, they not only get to watch their rock gods perform for the first time, but score a chance to meet the band too. Lacey’s heart races as she comes face-to-face with her idol, nineteen-year-old lead singer, Logan Shire.

The girls charm their way into being hired to sell merchandise on Lansdowne’s first summer tour. As “merch girls” Lacey and Trina quickly find themselves transported from their ordinary, suburban life to an exhilarating few months on the road. But they soon realize that life on the road isn’t always a smooth ride...

MY THOUGHTS
Merch Girl was one of those books that I easily fell into and could not put down. It's one of those fluffy books that maybe if you have a hard time accepting events that would most likely never happen in real life, then you would probably have a hard time getting through it.
Personally I absolutely loved reading about Lacey and her adventures as she attempted to sell merchandise for her favorite band. I thought Lacey was a great character and watching her navigate her way through the mass amounts of fans and getting the guy she wanted was hilarious!

On a separate note though, I was not a fan of Trina... At all. To me she seemed like a terrible friend and I was so surprised when Lacey kept forgiving her for acting like a complete idiot. I get that maybe Lacey didn't want to just drop her like that, but the fact that Trina repeatedly made such stupid decisions got on my nerves. Maybe this is just me, but having a best friend like that would just annoy the heck out of me.
BUT... The good thing was that I absolutely adored Devin, a girl that Lacey met on the tour who helped her out so much selling the merch. Not only was she a great addition to the characters, I loved her humor and whenever she was there I thought the book was so much better. She was by far my favorite character from the book and I had such a great time reading about her quirks! (I mean come on, she's a fangirl blogger, who is following the band around because she loves them so much. It doesn't get much better than that!) I guess she's also the other reason why I disliked Trina so much. I mean, whenever possible Trina was nasty to her I just wanted to throw my kindle across the room. Devin really helped to make the book for me and I do think that without her I might not have enjoyed it nearly as much.

And now onto the love interest. Logan was adorable. I loved him and Lacey together and

watching their relationship progress was great. He clearly cared about Lacey and I loved that.

I also really liked the little problems that arose throughout the book. Clearly the book was meant to be a romance with some showing of the characters growing up throughout the summer. There was also little events spread throughout the book meant to entertain the reader. I really enjoyed reading about each problem as it came up.

I did think that things wrapped up a bit too easily, but I guess that I've been feeling that happen a lot more recently. So I guess that it's not really a bad thing, just not an amazing aspect of the book.

In all I felt that this book was an enjoyable read. I do believe that Trina should just go fall in the hole and even as I wrote this review and reread some parts with her being completely nasty, I just couldn't stop thinking that. She is definitely not my favorite character and I really don't think she underwent any character growth. I did really like Lacey and Devin, so that more than made up for it. I would definitely recommend this book to those in need a cute, fluffy, light read!

BISON=FOUR STARS

Purchase links: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Kobo | iBooks

Rebecca Lewis is the author of the Young Adult novel, Merch Girl, and a lover of all things music! She's been writing stories since middle school and penned her first fanfic about a semi-popular boyband in 1997. Her passion for music and writing brought her to Boston University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Communication. During her college career, she interned for various record labels in Boston and New York City, sold merch for local bands, worked at record stores, and did a whole lot of grassroots marketing. She currently resides in Florida with her husband and puppy.

Blog: http://rebeccajlewis.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rebecca_Writes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-Lewis-Author/408824785861600

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/RebeccaLewis

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rebeccalauthor

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The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Series: Stand-alone
Content: Kissing
Rating: Bison

So I went into this book not expecting to like it. I mean really I just wanted a quick light read and this was the Amazon teen deal of the day. So then I was like why not, it's gotten some amazing reviews and I loved the title. Yeah I know a lot of people thought it was too long, but I thought it had a nice ring to it. So I read it and well I REALLY LIKED IT. So I don't believe at love at first sight. Well except for dogs, I can totally love a dog at first sight, but people, UMMMMM, nope, not possible. People are way to complex. So I was a bit skeptical when it was talking about love at first sight, well anyways here's my breakdown.
THE PREMISE
Hadley just missed her flight by FOUR minutes. And she's not too happy about. Well if she thought that maybe she could get out of her father's wedding this way, then that would be great, but she knows everyone will just get more upset. So then she meets Oliver, who goes to Yale and is from Great Britain, which makes everything a bit better. So they talk a lot and then the book sort of takes off from there.
THE PROS
1. I loved the characters. Hadley and Oliver were just awesome and all of the other characters were pretty cool too.
2. Character development. I love how even in the course of 24 hours people can change and develop. Normally I'd see this as a bad thing because how can someone change so dramatically in 24 hours, but this felt realistic.
3. The concept. I love the whole meeting in an airport thing; I mean that's just a great idea.
4. The writing. I loved this authors writing style. Like it is REALLY good!!
THE CONS
1. There was no solid ending. I am a big fan of solid endings, like epilogues, so unless there is another book planned, I WANT AN EPILOGUE!!!I really love epilogues, even if it's like a one paragraph thing.
OVERALL
I really liked this book and it was definitely worth my time and effort to read. I plan to read other books by this author, too.
WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: YES
WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: YEP
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: WITHOUT A DOUBT
WOULD I READ OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR: YES!!!(She has a book called This is What Happy Looks Like, and it sounds awesome.)

BISON=FOUR STARS

Racing Savannah: A definite surprise (in a good way!)

Title: Racing Savannah
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance, Sports
Series: Hundred Oaks #4 (Can be read as stand-alone as I did)
Rating: Owl

THE PREMISE
They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…
(Summary from Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS
To tell you the truth I disliked Kenneally's first in this series, Catching Jordan and I realize I'm one of the odd ones out about this. Most people loved it. So to say I had fears about this book is a bit of an understatement, yet I still picked up because it sounded fantastic.

And fantastic it was. 

Kenneally has crafted a beautiful story about a girl struggling to find her place in the world. She doesn't really have any goals for herself (except to get a job that pays ABOVE minimum wage.) 

Savannah is a character that I can relate to so well. She's not quite sure about how the rest of her life will play out and she doesn't really fit into the world she's in with the gap between the rich and the poor. 

This difference between the rich and the poor was one of the main things I wanted to talk about. People say that that gap is exaggerated that people don't really care about whether your rich or poor. People say that it doesn't matter, but I beg to differ. I think that most of the time people can grow to overlook that gap, but there are times that there are difference in wealth and they effect people's perceptions.  

On a personal note I read this book right at a time when I've been dealing with some.... Let's say way more upper class people from upper class schools who just think they're better than everyone else because... Well... They're upper class. So reading this book I was far more sympathetic to Savannah's dilemma than others might be. (Literally though, I dealt with nasty people all day who wanted to have insanely high prices for this really stupid event that my family has to go to.... No... Just NO!) 

Also... HORSES! I loved the hot wracking aspect of this book! I'm not in any way and avid horse race watcher, but I always like to watch the Triple Crown and I love Secretariat! (Have you seen that movie? It's AMAZING!) Personally I loved reading about Savannah and her story. 

On that note: LOVE THAT COVER! I actually got a physical copy of the book and the cover is gorgeous. It's so simple and yet it fits the book precisely! The colors are phenomenal and it's so eye catching!  

On to the romance. I personally loved it! Jack was super sweet and I loved how he and Savannah were friends first. I also loved how he really pushed her to take control of her life and was always there to support her no matter what was happening between them. He had faith that she could make something of herself and that she could become a jockey. This book definitely had some of the best aspects of YA romance right now. 

The characters in this book were amazing. Vanessa and Rory were both great and added so much extra humor to the books! I absolutely loved Star and his influence on Savannah. (FYI Star is the horse) 

Kenneally managed to paint Savannah's character evolution in the best possible way. She started off extremely close minded but slowly began to accept different ideas. This was one of my favorite parts to see!

One more negative comment about the book was how I found Savannah's dad and his girlfriend so annoying. They just didn't seem to understand her and it made me really mad. Maybe this is just me but more and more recently I've been having major problems with parents in books and this book was just the most recent I've read so I wanted to vent. I don't think this really took away from the book but it sure was annoying! 

In all I am so happy that I gave this book a chance. After my bad experience with Catching Jordan I felt so unsure about whether these books were really for me. I'm so glad this book was able to make me fall in love with Kenneally's writing style and characters and I think I'll be giving more of her books the chance. (In Catching Jordan I think it was the love triangle thing that really annoyed the heck out of me.) Anyhow I would definitely recommend you reading this book!

WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: YESSS!!!!!
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: YEP!
WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: OF COURSE! (Especially the paperback! Love the colors!)
WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR: I'll leave it at maybe. It depends on what other topics her books are on! (I believe the next in this series is about a marathon runner! I am so THERE!)

OWL=FIVE STARS

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Title: Scarlet
Author: A.C. Gaughen
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Action, Adventure, Romance
Series: Scarlet #1 (No idea when the next book is coming out)
Rating: Owl
Other books you might enjoy: Robin: Lady of Legend, The Agency Series, Cross my Heart, Venom

Let me start out with this. Robin Hood is my absolute favorite myth/legend/fable/whatever else it may be called. I’ve read one other Robin Hood book (Robin: Lady of Legend) which was really good. So going into this book I was worried the author might butcher the story. Well the good news is that she didn’t. There were things that I didn’t like so much, but there was so much that I ADORED!! So here’s my breakdown:
THE PREMISE
Scarlet is one of Robin Hood’s Merry Men. (In the original tale she is known as Will Scarlet) The thing is she is neither a man nor is she merry. She has a very mysterious background and is pretty awesome with knives. She and the others are working to undermine the Sheriff. (Obviously) She is also a thief and a good one at that. When the Thief Taker, Guy of Gisbourne, comes to town in search of Robin Hood, she must face her past.
THE PROS
1. Ummmm, it’s a retelling of Robin Hood. Need I say more?
2. Scarlet=awesomeness. I loved her because any character that can fend for herself, steal, and throw knives is A-okay in my book! On top of that I love that she was so complex. She had a good reason for all of her actions.
3. The twist!! Okay I saw it coming, but my mom didn’t. But, I still loved it. I thought it was fantastic and the author built up a great suspense for it and then BAM. Really, Really, Really good.
4. The language. At first I was worried I was going to be distracted by the way the author chose to write the book, but in the end I LOVED IT. The only other book I think the writing compares to is Blood Red Road. (Which I really want to read)
5. Robin Hood. I loved Robin. He really is just fantastic. He cares about all of the townspeople and his men, too.
6. Little John. He was great and I just really liked him. The portrayal of him really fit who I always thought he would be.
7. I absolutely loved Much and how the author wrote him. I just thought he was great!!
THE CONS
1. Scarlet kind of played both John and Robin. I get that she didn’t really know her own feelings, but I still felt bad for John, although he was kind of a player.
2. Robin annoyed me at points, when he got all mad a Scarlet, I just couldn’t figure out why he didn’t let her at least explain herself.
3. The end. Not the end, end, but the close to the end part. It made me a bit angry, though it makes sense why the author chose to write it that way so she could continue the series.
4. I never understood what was mysterious about Scarlet’s eyes. Were they a funny color, shape, or like what? I just don’t get it.
OVERALL
Scarlet was really good. The kind of good that makes you want to smile all day. The kind of good that makes you not be able to fall asleep until you have read and soaked in. (A problem which seems hereditary in my family because both my mom and I stayed up until two or three in the morning to finish it.) Well, you probably get my point, about how good this book is. Let’s face it, Robin Hood is a really good story and deserves to be read about. This book lived up to my hopes (and dreams) and was simply INCREDIBLE!!
WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: YES!!!
WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK:YEP!!!
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: NO DOUBT ABOUT IT
WILL I READ THE NEXT BOOK: YES!!!(No, idea when it will come out though.) WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR: YES

OWL=FIVE STARS

The Elite: There was so much potential

Title: The Elite

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: YA, Dystopia, Romance
Series: The Selection #2
Rating: Starfish

THE PREMISE
The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.
 MY THOUGHTS

My first thought after reading this book:

No human being can be this indecisive.... Can they? 

According to America, people are this way on an almost hourly basis. 

The author clearly knows how to write, that much is clear, but the characters..... There were definitely a few problems I had with them. Shockingly I did enjoy the first book. I din't love it, but I didn't hate it. Yet throughout this book I was a little bit blown away by my complete 180 in my feelings about the series.

What stuck out to me the most was that America is constantly falling into the arms of either Aspen or Maxon and declaring them to be her rock.... The one person who she can always lean on... Seconds later the exact same thing happens... Just with the other guy. 

I kid you not. 

America also has some... How should I put it nicely.... dependency issues. 

To give you an idea of what I mean, imagine this scenario: 

A parent drops their child off at day care. The child cries and cries thinking that the world is going to end and they will be alone forever. That all the other (pretend all children in this day care are perfectly nice) kids were out to get her....

To me that was America. If she was left alone for even a second, she nearly had a nervous break down. Maxon and Aspen were like the parent she was constantly crying for them... 

Do you see some of my problem with this book, yet? 

There was this one point in the book I was so sure that maybe something exciting would happen. Maybe she would be captured by the  rebels or maybe she would fall down a dark hole and realize that in order to make her country better she would have to start a revolution.... Instead the guards managed to find her (hugging a tree of course) and they carried her to safety..... Literally. 

I was so not happy. 

Now about that "handsome, loving, 100% AMAZING"  Maxon..... I don't like him. 

I mean I didn't hate him, but jeez for the life of me I can't see whatever America sees in him. 

There was this point where he did something very mean to America.... Instead of having a semi rational explanation he rambles on about who knows what (seriously who knows? I think I skimmed that part...) and then the author pulls out the dreaded sympathy ploy....yeah you know the one perfectly designed to get readers everywhere sobbing for the character. Telling him to be strong and that it's not his fault.... I've read books where the sympathy ploy is pulled off to perfection! (Crash by Lisa McMann!!! I love that book! *sigh*) in this book I just wanted to rip my hair out in my extreme state of annoyance. 

Grrrrr.....

And Aspen was no better.... He was getting a little blood thirsty sounding... Perhaps a bit power hungry? I felt like he was also absent for a lot of the book.... Not that it really mattered because be was always there when America needed to fall into his arms and declare her love and use him as a stabilizer only to minutes later feel wrong about it and love Maxon. 

So here's what I'm saying:

This book is based on the romance. There was no where's near enough world building or plot or anything to keep the story afloat. Take out the love interests and what do you get? A very needy, very self centered girl. And a couple of other self centered brats.... 

So with that I would like to declare my team. (You know those teams picking which love interest they like?) 

I declare my allegiance to team America. I say that the author kills off Maxon and then Aspen joins the rebels (whoever these rebels may be...) and then America learns to fight and kicks some serious rebel butts. Or maybe she joins with them to overthrow the (evil) monarchy and set up a democracy.... What are the chances of this?

My calculations say slim to none. 

I figured. 

But still I shall wave my flag for team America!! *picture me waving a flag* 

Wait did I mention the near to the end part? (No spoilers! Don't worry!) 

So this is another moment where I was feeling so proud of America. And then she failed me again!  *sheds tear in a very unladylike manner*  (this book also claimed at one section that shedding a tear was unladylike...darn... guess I'm not a good lady then... Crying can help me to relieve stress!) she put loads of effort into this big project. She felt so proud. And then the king asks her how she will carry it out.... Guess how she responds! Seriously guess. 

"Oh... I don't know." 

Congratulations America for being so stupid. She clearly deserves a reward. 

Okay. Enough complaints. Good things now. 

I did enjoy the bit of world building that was done! (Shocking I know.) the diaries were a very nice touch and learning about America's country's formation was very interesting. 

I liked America's dad and thought he was a great addition into the story. He was also one of the only characters I liked. 

I also liked Marlee. She was very strong in this book. 

.

.

.

.

Yeah.... That's about it. 

My main problem was the main characters and their stupidity. Also the romance. (I'm still all for the kill off the love interests approach.) 

This book had some great potential but it was killed by love triangle and the needy lead.

So my recommendation is that this book isn't worth your time. 

WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: HIGHLY UNLIKELY

WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: NOPE

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: NOOOOO

WILL I READ THE NEXT ONE: I'LL PROBABLY END UP ENSNARED IN ITS GOOD BLURB AND PRETTY COVER.

WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR: MAYBE, I LIKE HER STYLE. 

STARFISH=TWO STARS

Mutilate My Heart: Review

Title: Mutilate My Heart
Author: Emily Godwin
Genre: YA, Romance, Paranormal
Series: Mutilated #1
Rating: Owl

THE PREMISE
Punk rock band Mutilated Arteries has been seventeen-year-old Becca's world (aka obsession) for the last year. When the band schedules a concert in her hometown, she and her best friend Carli are the first ones in line to buy tickets. The night is everything she expects it to be and more, especially after making friends with the new super-cute bassist, Sketch.

Becca's mom warns her not to fall for a rock star because rock stars are always on the road - or they die in a plane crash, like her mom's favorite band did twenty-something years ago. But after the band's tour bus breaks down and they're stuck hanging out in Roizen Hills for a week, it's hard for Becca not to fall for Sketch and his caricature drawings and toxic green eyes.

Becca knows Sketch is leaving as soon as the bus is fixed, and she can't be his fan-turned-girlfriend anyway because of the lead singer's "No Girlfriends" rule. Plus, there's something strange about the guys that Becca can't quite decipher... like how they won't reveal their real names, their always-changing odd appearances, and the guitarist's obsession with blood and zombies. Still, Becca wants nothing more than for Sketch to mutilate her heart...but it just might not be in a way she expects.


MY THOUGHTS

I think one of the things that really pulled me into reading this book, was the relationship this author has with her sister. Her sister wrote two books that I absolutely adore, A Girl on Saturn and Chasing Forever Down, and during the course of reading A Girl on Saturn, the author had included several shout outs to the band featured in this book, which really got me curious. So when I had the chance, I decided to go with it and immediately dove into the book.

I'm happy to say I have no regrets.

This book had the perfect mix of a sweet romance, distinctive and memorable characters, and a mystery that really kept you guessing. And I LOVED it!

Emily Godwin has crafted an amazing romance with some of the best aspects of the more, how should I put it, paranormal world... I don't want to give any spoilers!

Another thing that I loved is that the author had a very distinct voice. It really fit so well with the novel and made me love the book even more. What she chose to do and the twists she chose to take kept me guessing and truthfully I can't wait for the next book. I feel like there is so much promise with this series, and if it keeps going at the way it is I have high hopes that it could turn out to be one of my favorite series!

I also really liked Becca and Carli's relationship. They had a great bond of friendship which is great to see in young adult! Plus on top of this awesomeness, I just want to bring up how the cover actually connected to the book! To me being able to discover why the cover looks the way it does is a big achievement and it was no different in this book! There was a section that made me write down, "OH! Now I understand the cover!" And since I don't want to spoil it for you, you should definitely read the book to find out why it fits!

One last comment: The character names were fantastic! The band members all had these great names, that really kept me laughing especially towards the end!

I have nothing bad to say about this book, at all! The story is super sweet and so much fun to read! I flew through it! I would not hesitate to recommend this book to readers looking for a light, sweet romance, with an epic twist! At any rate there is no doubt in my mind that February is WAY to far away! I don't want to wait that long!

On a completely different note, on a matter that in no way effected my review, I just wanted to say how awesome it is that their were mentions of Spaceships around Saturn scattered throughout the book! It is so cool to see the support between two amazing authors and the fact that they care so much about each others work! Coming across those references made me laugh! And I really feel like it added even more background to the book!

Purchase links: Amazon | B&N

OWL=FIVE STARS

Emily Godwin is a Young Adult author. She enjoys writing, painting, and sewing her own line of non-evil voodoo dolls. She's a Slytherin, trying to disguise herself as a Hufflepuff, and wishes she could read herself into books.

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Run for the Roses: Review

Title: Run for the Roses

Author: Rachel Schieffelbein
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Series: None
Rating: Bison= 4 Stars


THE PREMISE

       Abigail Conrad has spent her whole life training for one goal: to win the roses at the Arabian Youth Nationals. She’s given up friends, a social life, and doesn’t have time to even think about guys -- much less date!

    Now that she’s headed off to college in the fall, it’s her last chance to be a Youth National Champion, and she won’t let anything distract her from that dream.
        Except maybe Chase, the older brother of Abigail's biggest rival. He’s charming, funny, and possibly Abigail's biggest problem. How can she focus on riding when her mind keeps wandering to Chase’s green eyes and confident smile?
     With her dream on the line, Abigail had better learn to fight her growing attraction to Chase, or she might end up losing the roses and the guy.

MY THOUGHTS

I have to admit I was super excited to read this novella! I have always loved horses and have always read books that involved horses. And recently I've realized I've been straying away from that. And it's not a bad thing.... I've found so many other fantastic books, but sometimes it's great to go back and read topics that got you interested in reading in the first place! As was the case with this delightful novella. 

Basically it's about a girl who is trying to do the best she can in her horse completion. She's insanely driven and never makes time for anything else. She's also extremely competitive and views everyone else as if they are acting the same way she does. 

The main focus was the romance but it was also about a girl growing up and realizing that free time is just as important as being driven and succeeding in everything you do. (Something I can totally sympathize with. I get so caught up and stressed about school and sometimes I just need to take a step back.)

I could picture the events in this book happening in real life and I love the author's portrayal of what it's like to do what Abigail is doing. 

The romance was seriously cute and overall this was an extremely enjoyable read. And on top of that it was a quick read! 

WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: Yes!

WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: Yes!

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: to those looking for a cute romance and you don't even have to like horses to enjoy it!

WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR: I fully intend to! I can't wait to see what else she comes up with!

 

 

Rachel grew up in a tiny town in Minnesota. She still lives there, with her husband and their four kids. She coaches high school speech and theater, rides Arabian horses, reads as much as she can, and writes stories.

 

***Author Links***
http://rachelmarybean-writingonthewall.blogspot.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044030.Rachel_Schieffelbein
http://www.twitter.com/RMSchieffelbein
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Schieffelbein-author/495759520488755

 

***GIVEAWAY***
1 - $10 iTunes Gift Card & ebook of Run For the Roses (INT)
3 – ebook of Run For the Roses (INT)

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Doon: Review

Title: Doon
Author: Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon
Series: Doon #1
Genre: YA, Romance, Fantasy, Retellings
Rating: Starfish

THE PREMISE
DOON…

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

DOON is loosely based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon, with permission from the ALan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation. Follow the journey at http://www.DoonSeries.com

~Destiny awaits!
(Summary form Goodreads) 

MY THOUGHTS
What really captured my attention with this book was the fantastic idea. I mean who doesn't want to read about a fantasy world set within our own IN SCOTLAND? Okay more importantly who doesn't want to read a book set IN SCOTLAND?

And to say I was excited about this book was an understatement....but sadly this book just didn't live up to my expectations.

MY PROBLEMS
1.) The book alternates between two points of view, MacKenna and Veronica, the two main female characters. And personally I COULD NOT tell the difference between the two points of view. Truthfully if there had not been the names at the top of each POV change I would have been beyond confused.
What makes it worse is the fact that I think the characters were each written by a different author and I couldn't even distinguish the styles of each...
Wait I lied I could totally tell the two apart as long as one of the prince guys were around because then they were fawning over one  or the over....

2.) Have I ever expressed my dislike for characters who sleep a lot or who in general like talking about sleep? Well I felt like many of the characters enjoyed sleeping and when that happens me=bored. MacKenna really liked to call Vee Sleeping Beauty too....

3.) Perhaps that biggest problem I had with this book was the idea of beauty.
Here's what you need to know:
Vee thinks that she is ugly, but Mackenna is GORGEOUS
Mackenna thinks she is ugly, Vee is BEAUTIFUL.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
Also they really enjoy complimenting each other and drawing attention to the others features.

"More than fine-she was flawless, even asleep.Dark sleek hair framed her heart-shaped face. Black, fluttery lashes-the kind you only see in mascara ads-daintily rested against the  the curve of her cheeks. Vee was petite, too, with porcelain skin. Stuff all that into a size-too-small cheer skirt and she was a teen dream. She practically screamed popularity, while I was an ex-goth, theater geek Amazon voted most likely to have ketchup on my boobs, But I guess that's what made the friendship unbreakable-counterbalance, not ketchup."~Mackenna
"Vee's eyelids fluttered open to reveal her confused, yet brilliantly dazzling, turquoise eyes.
She bolted to her feet, brushing silken strands of dark hair away from her face. How did she get it to look so shiny? Even in the midst of night terrors, she still looked like she'd stepped off the cover of Teen Vogue. I on the other hand, was in jeopardy of being mistaken for an iconic hamburger clown."~MacKenna
(Note this was found ALL in ONE chapter within just a few pages... BUT there are MANY more examples.)
"Her {speaking about MacKenna} figure was perfectly suited for the moss-green, fitted bodice and the plaid skirt were identical to mine. She looked curvy in all the right places. Me, on the other hand-not so much."~Veronica

So my biggest problem was how they were CONSTANTLY putting themselves down. Also how is it possible to look good at all times of the day? Even when you're having AWFUL nightmares... Maybe this is just me, but I totally can't relate to characters like this. I mean, I'm not ugly, but looking good all the time.... yeah that would be pretty unusual for me...

I also hate the fact that MacKenna thought they had a strong friendship because they were complete opposites in the beauty department. Because that's the grounds for a good friendship? Right now I am completely mindblown.... I don't know about you guys, but personally I value having friends who are equal to me... I mean sure they're going to be better at things and I'll be better at things then them, but I would prefer to not feel like I had to put myself down because they are oh so much better than me....

Moving on now...

4.) After reading this book I would prefer to not read anymore Dinnas or verras..... This book had some annoying writing when the authors were trying to write in a Scottish accent.... It felt so weird...
Also the fact that Veronica was always being called Verranica, annoyed me.... If people get my name completely wrong, yeah, I'm probably going to correct them. (And if I don't correct them someone else will... My classmates love telling the substitutes that they pronounce my name completely wrong,..)   Also she was only called Verranica by ONE person.... so I feel like it wasn't really an accent thing... It was just something that annoyed me...

5.) First Mackenna was Mackenna then she was Kenna and then she was Ken. When they first called her Ken I was so confused! I couldn't figure out WHO that was... Then I realized that it was actually Kenna. Pick a name and stick with it!

6.) The love interests... So there were to princes and two girls. Kenna liked Prince Duncan and Vee like Prince Jamie. Prince Jamie was annoying and extremely confusing and also a pretty big idiot who I really didn't like. Prince Duncan was a sexist idiot, who guess what! I ALSO DIDN'T LIKE! Fun isn't it? This whole book was full of oh I like you, but you hate me. Oh, now we can't be together even though we've finally fallen in deep, deep love. Oh wait, NOW I HATE YOU. Now you're teasing me. We LIKE each other again! Strike that, In TWO weeks we are deeply in love!That is my summary of the book....

7.) Vee clearly has jaw problem and should consider seeing a dentist or doctor.
"Pain shot up my jaw and I unclenched my teeth."
I don't know, but for me this doesn't happen and I LOVE clenching my teeth. She seems to do this a lot unconsciously (This really didn't happen only once... it was reoccurring...) Maybe she has jaw problems. (Note: Clenching teeth is is sign of stress.. what does this indicate?)

8.) Wasn't Kenna's dad worried when he hadn't heard from her? It's not like she could call him and they seemed kind of close...

9.) Okay so I admit the main focus of the book was Vee, EVEN though Kenna had a partial POV. But really I would have preferred this to have a nice solid ending. Instead there will be another book involving Kenna and her problems... and if there is another book after that, then I'm just done...
But I guess Kenna's story sounds interesting, so maybe I'll check it out.


The things I liked:
1.) The whole fantasy aspect was pretty interesting. I liked how there was another world set within our own. I liked how the portal only opens every 100 years in our world. I LOVED how cultural diffusion was brought in as an important aspect in the progress of Doon.

2.) The before the ending part, was fantastic! I have to admit I did NOT see the bad guy coming AT ALL! And the whole show down was pretty epic! I didn't really expect any of it to play out the way that it did! I was without a doubt pretty impressed!

3.) The characters liked food, which in my book makes me like them a BIT more.

So Basically:
I didn't really enjoy Doon. I thought that the love interests were kind of creepy and were really hot and cold throughout the entire book. Vee and Kenna had no self-confidence and always thought that the other was better, yet they never really tried voicing their thoughts about what they thought about each other. The ending was action packed and fast paced, yet managed to lose momentum AND my interest when the authors left it at a bit of a cliffhanger. I would probably not recommend this book to many. Yes the idea was fascinating, but the execution of it all was really lacking. With any luck the authors might be able to redeem themselves in the next book as they having a good set up, yet I'm not sure I'm going to stick around for it.

WOULD I BUY THIS BOOK: NO
WOULD I READ THIS BOOK: PROBABLY NOT
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT: NO
WILL I READ THE NEXT BOOK: Maybe, I'm really on the fence about this.
WILL I READ MORE BY THE AUTHORS: Yes. I didn't have many problems with their writing styles and maybe writing separately would make them better.

STARFISH=TWO STARS

Rush

Title: Rush
Author: Eve Silver
Series: The Game #1
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Romance, Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Rating: Horse

THE PREMISE

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

MY THOUGHTS
I went into Rush knowing absolutely NOTHING about it... Literally, I didn't even know the main characters name.

Yeah.... I am very good at totally avoiding things...

So when I realized there were aliens I was really surprised. Truthfully I was beyond surprised. I was shocked. But at the same time I was SUPER happy! I mean come on, I LOVE ALIENS!

That's the thing though, I love everything about aliens.... when I know lots about them.
I'm going to put it out there, I think the unknown is super interesting, but at the same time it can without a doubt be scary! (Come on, you can admit it. Thinking that you are smaller than a speck of dust in the Universe is pretty freaky... and then let's not get started on multiverses and the edge of the universe and all that.)
And the book explained A LOT about the aliens to me.
So book, I appreciate that, but that's kind of the high point of you.

After reading the WHOLE book, WHAT IS THE FREAKING POINT OF THE GAME?
I GET IT TO KILL ALIENS, GREAT!
How do you work?
How do you function?

I DON'T FREAKING UNDERSTAND!!

How are they transported to fight these aliens?
Why are they using points???
WHY NOT JUST LET EVERYONE LIVE????

I don't know, OKAY?
Maybe it was the authors intention to leave me with more questions than answers. Because if it was then she can check that off her list. I know there's going to be another book (maybe even a book after that) but I just feel so, so....

I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE WORD FOR WHAT I FEEL!!!!!

It just felt SO POINTLESS!

There were so many opportunities to slip in some information, BUT INSTEAD I WAS CONFUSED FOR HALF THE BOOK AND THEN EVEN MORE SO IN THE SECOND HALF!

GAH!

Okay, I am taking a deep breath now.

Moving on.

ANOTHER PROBLEM
Darn this problem is a spoiler, but the need to vent wins out. Below if you don't care about spoilers or have already read the book highlight the black.

So both Miki and Jackson are descended from aliens.... Why do they both have SUCH strong genes? THe chances of that actually happening are one in a million! I just feel like the author did that because they felt forced to. As if there was no other option that forced the main characters together!

Yeah.... you see the problem?

Next problem.
After reading this WHOLE book, beginning to end, I still don't understand hoe the people are picked for the game or how on Earth they bump out of their "reality" and into something else... I seriously don't understand the whole time-lapsy thing either. Is this just me? I mean I've always been really good in science, but I just couldn't wrap my brain around that whole aspect! (So if someone could explain it to me, I'd really appreciate it!)

AND ANOTHER PROBLEM!
Insta-love.
I'm not going to say who Miki ends up with or rather who she declares her undying love for. (Even though I thought it was pretty obvious!) At the end they literally declared their love for each other and I just wasn't feeling it! I got that hey MAYBE they were in the beginning stages of like, BUT LOVE? Ummmm.... Nopeity nope, nope, nope!

Okay enough of that aggravation! Let me talk about some of the stuff I liked!

Rush was set in Rochester, New York! Which is fantastic! I feel like so many places in New York are completely ignored, purely because of the all powerful New York City found in the southern part of the great state.
For me personally, I will always prefer hearing about upstate NY far more than I will about NYC.... Although that may just be because I live further upstate. (Seriously though, if I tell people (especially book bloggers) that I'm from NY in general, they always assume NYC.... There are OTHER places in NY TOO, ya know!)

I also really liked Miki! She was a strong character, that really was believable! There weren't many parts where I thought that what she was doing or thinking was something beyond what a teenager would do or think! I also LOVED that Miki was a runner and she was shown as a believable runner! She talks about the feeling of running and kind of what it means to her and truthfully I could totally get what she was saying! That whole part felt REAL and something I could agree with. Some days she just didn't want to run, but then she had those days where she just needed to.

"I know what he's feeling: endorphins racing through him. Runner's high. Crack of dawn five days a week I'm there, in my zone, alone with my music and the rush I get as my feet slap the ground."
To me that quote describes running so well! so mega props to the author for that!

I didn't really like her friends at all, but I think that a lot of people do have friends like them, so I definitely got why the author portrayed her friends as such! (I mean, I know I definitely have friends like the ones she has!) They were a little bit BOY CRAZY though.... which really got annoying! (Thankfully they didn't seem to be around too much!)

Can I just say that this book had the most FANTASTIC ALIENS! I kid you not!
Reasons:
1.) THEY DIDN'T LOOK HUMAN! Just thank you so much for this! When we finally meet alien lifeforms and if they look like us I WILL BE BLOWN AWAY! There is no way that we could evolve the same way as other species.... It's practically impossible. While I respect authors that do portray aliens as humans, it's nice to see an author take a different approach.
2.) THEY WEREN'T SUPERIOR! So many times aliens are shown to be far superior in all ways than us. Which seems impractical. So while the aliens had better technology the other aspects about them were different! (Like they didn't learn from their mistakes!)
3.) The aliens had a way to blend in! I loved how the author talked about the differences in appearance but gave a way for them to blend into society! I could totally imagine this happening!

I was in all extremely satisfied with how the aliens were shown!

Last but not least, the end went out with a bang! I was expecting it, yet I was still impressed with how the author chose to leave it at such an interesting cliffhanger!

IN A NUTSHELL
Many aspects of this novel were extremely weak and lacked the full explanations I needed to better understand what is happening. While I did enjoy the book and plan to read the next one, I really wish that the game was a bit more fleshed out. I really enjoyed the aliens in the book! Not only were they unique, they had interesting motivations and helped to separate Rush from the other alien books I've come across! There was a lot about this book that needed work, but I found it to be enjoyable, entertaining, and distracting! I would give this book three stars and I definitely can't wait to see what the author does with the next one!

HORSE=THREE STARS

Ethereal Fury: Gemini Rising #1: Review

Title: Ethereal Fury
Author: Jessica O'Gorek
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi
Series: Gemini Rising #1
Rating: Whale

THE PREMISE

Angry at the human race and its methodical destruction of her resources, Mother Earth recruits souls who have just left their bodies to serve Her, and turns them against humanity. A powerful, rising force proceeds to carry out Mother Nature’s plan to systematically destroy towns, cities, states… and eventually, the world. Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship between a human girl, Violette, and Onyx, a lead Gemini, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world.

MY THOUGHTS

Without a doubt Gemini Rising was a unique read. I can seriously say that I don't think I've read anything else quite like it. 

The good thing was that yes, it may have been incredibly unique, but it was also pretty enjoyable. 

I a first had a very hard time attempting to settle in with the writing style. Some of it just find seem to flow together. And truthfully I think that for me, it was one of my biggest problems with the book. The style seemed somewhat as if it was talking down to me. As if it was trying to explain everything that was taking place like I was a little kid. After a while I did get over it, and I was able to ignore it for the most part, but I definitely struggled with that aspect of the book. 

The only other negative thing for me was the complete confusion I suffered in the beginning. While it did feel like the author was trying to explain it to the reader there was just so much going on. Within the first couple of chapters someone died got brought back to life in a way, another person was stabbed, an old man was feeling annoyed and then fatherly towards a girl (who was a main character, Violette) and then there was Mother Earth and they were above Earth and below Earth. They were just everywhere all the time. 

Can you understand my confusion? Like the writing style though I was able to get by it and I did begin to really enjoy AND understand the story. 

One of m favorite things about the book was Mother Earth! I love how she was an actual sentient being. Instead of being something that people just referred to as Mother Earth she was REAL! This was an IDE. That really proves the uniqueness of this book! 

Another great part of the book were the Gemini. These Gemini are celestial beings who can take over the bodies of humans. Sighing the first two chapters already it's easy to tell exactly how Mother Earth and the Gemini feel about humans! I LOVED this aspect! 

On to the characters. 

So these characters are without a doubt interesting.... But I did have some major problems with them. Truthfully I though the Onyx and Violette's relationship was kind of weird.... But then again it might just be me. I just had the hardest time getting over the fact that originally Onyx was a middle age guy who died and was brought back to life and Violette who is waaayyyy younger. (The guy was middle age when he died and then it's now years after that.... So in spirit he's pretty old....) I really was just a little bit weirded out. 

Beyond that the characters were fantastic!  They were unique and really helped to make the book! 

So with that I would give this book three and a half stars! I thought it was a really interesting book and I can't wait to see what else the author has in store and also if there will be much improvement between this book and the next! 

WHALE=THREE AND A HALF STARS

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Gemini-Rising-Ethereal-Jessica-OGorek/dp/0925776254

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gemini-rising-jessica-ogorek/1116142763?ean=9780925776259 

 I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia on April 19th, 1979. I was raised within the American Indian religion and was taught great respect for the earth and all its living beings. Powwows, sweat lodges, vision quests, you name it, I’ve done it. I was the weird kid who would confront kids on the playground in elementary school when they squished a bug. I would very sincerely tell them what they were doing was morally wrong and then I would pray for the bug to come back as a butterfly in its next life.

​I grew up admiring my father, Barry Weinstock, as an author. He took me around the country to different places so he could research and write his Wilderness Survival books. One of his greatest works, “The Path of Power,” was written with a great medicine man, Sunbear. When I was twelve I started
hand writing novels. My first one was two thousand pages. My dad always encouraged me and would rave about my writing. He gave me the confidence I needed to keep writing and follow my dream. My daughter, who is twelve, is currently working on her first novel. I hope to continue the legacy.

Website: http://1geminirising.wix.com/geminirising                                

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-OGorek/306913389429972      

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeminiRising1                                                                       

Blog: http://geminirising1.blogspot.com                                                           

Any Others: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17738490-ethereal-fury      

More than Jamie Baker: It only gets better

Title: More than Jamie Baker

Author: Kelly Oram

Series: Being Jamie Baker #2

Genre: YA, Romance, Fantasy

Rating: OWL

THE PREMISE

Jamie Baker, the only girl in the world with superpowers, has now accepted who she is and learned to control her power. Not to mention she has the best boyfriend on the planet. Life is finally looking good. But the day she witnesses an accident and decides not to save the guy out of fear of being exposed, she realizes that simply being Jamie Baker isn't enough.

After seeing Jamie so wrecked with guilt, the ever-helpful Ryan Miller decides it's time to make all of his fantasies about turning his girlfriend into an honest-to-goodness superhero become a reality.Of course, coming up with a decent Super Name and fending off all of Ryan's attempts to get her into spandex aren't the only problems Jamie faces. The more her alter ego starts to make headlines, the harder it becomes for Jamie to hide her extracurricular activities from her best friend, the government, radical scientists, and the mysterious new guy who is determined to steal her from her boyfriend


                                 MY THOUGHTS
So unless you live under a rock (in which case I am sure you would be completely flattened unless it was just a teeny tiny rock) or if you have never been on my blog before, or maybe if you're oblivious to the world, then maybe, JUST maybe, you haven't heard of my complete undying love for Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here, but already I'm kind of apprehensive about you.
I mean, I'm the kind of fan where if I could create a fan club for this book I would. I would do it in an instant! In fact, I believe I shall start a Jamie Baker fandom. Better yet, I'm going to make a Goodreads group about this book.

Trust me on this, guys, Jamie is a superhero and I am her super fan.

This is a book that I can say without a doubt, I LOVE and ADORE IT!

I got to revisit some of my favorite characters.
There were resolutions that I needed.
New mysteries opened up.
I got to see more of my favorite couple.
I got to see Jamie grow as a character.
And by the end my heart was shattered into a thousand little tiny pieces.

Here's the thing, I CAN'T TELL YOU MUCH!
I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't read the first, or more likely those who have yet to have read the second!

I can say that this book was amazing.
Ryan Miller STILL ROCKS!
Jamie was a fantastic character!
The love triangle isn't really a love triangle... but it is super duper important to the whole book.
And after you finish this one... If you don't end up in a catatonic state in desperate need of the next book, then YOU ARE A HEARTLESS THING and I'm not quite sure we can be friends! (Kidding...sort of...)

If you've read Being Jamie Baker and you loved it, then I'm pretty sure you'll like this one just as much!

And if you've yet to pick up the first one, GET ON THAT!!!!! NOW!!!!


Below are some of my reactions for the book that I just happened to write down!

*Notr: The big sections of silence mean I was to into the book to even  consider updating!*

OWL=FIVE STARS









 And if you haven't seen the trailer for Being Jamie Baker... WATCH IT!! SOOOO GOOD!