Blog Tour: Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis

Gathering Frost (Once Upon A Curse #1) 
By: Kaitlyn Davis 
Release Date: 02/17/15

Summary from Goodreads: 

Will his kiss be enough to revive her frozen heart? 

Once Upon A Time meets La Femme Nikita in GATHERING FROST, a dystopian romance from bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis that reimagines the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty.

Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.

Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care...even to love. Working as a member of the queen's guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen's runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Jade is tasked with an unusual mission--to let the Prince capture her, to make him trust her, and then to betray his secrets to the crown. In return, she'll earn her freedom. But life outside the queen's realm is more than Jade bargained for. Under Asher's relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she's ever known--and, more importantly, whose side she's really on.

Buy Links:

Amazon

My Review:

Initial Thoughts: I absolutely loved it! I love retellings and I love a wonderful plot and characters. I was completely into the story and had such a hard time pulling away from this beauty. I can't stop saying enough how much I enjoyed Gathering Frost.

The Characters: I really loved Jade. For some reason, I just connected with her from the start which I thought would be hard because she is emotionless, but nope, not the case. Maybe it was because I just knew she would be a good person with a kind heart which she is. She's a great fighter as well as a really caring person even though she doesn't see herself with high regard. Jade felt completely genuine and I adored her for that.

Asher. Well swoon is all I can say! He's probably my favorite part of the story! Probably because he's the type of guy I like to see in books. He's really sweet, smart, and willingly to give his life up for others. I also loved how he helped Jade through her transition from the Queen's spell and was always kind and loving to her. He was perfect!

"You were so beautiful, but so hard, so cold. When I looked at you, I saw caged fire. Your spark was almost gone. It was smothered, slowly dying. And all I wanted to do was set you free." ~ Asher

The Story: The book starts off with Jade as a little girl in New York as the modern world and a older, magical world cross over and combine. The Queen from this older world takes over and anyone put under her spell is emotionless and Jade was one of the first be put under. Years later, Jade a trained fighter and still emotionless, goes out to check on some explosion that was triggered by the perimeter and that is where she meets Asher, the Queen's son who had ran away as a little boy and was never seen of again. Of course she goes to the Queen and tells her she saw his son and the Queen wants Jade to do something about this. Now I'll leave the rest of the story for you to find out but believe me, it's full of love and intrigue and mystery and absolutely wonderful!

The Romance: Jade and Asher's romance starts slow because well, Jade is emotionless and it's hard to love when you don't feel anything. When she does start getting her emotions back, their interactions are just so cute and love how they work together even though they still have secrets that they hide. So their relationship develops over the course of the book and Jade and Asher are so wonderful together. I love them soooo much. Everyone needs an Asher in their lives.

End Thoughts: Loved it! It's a great retelling and I think everyone can and should read Gathering Frost. Read it. It's an amazing story and I loved it. 5 stars.

Teaser Pic:

About the Author: I've always been a writer. I grew up duct taping my novels together, started writing complete manuscripts in high school and studied creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. Upon graduating, I decided it was finally time to actually give my dream career a chance. So, of course, I started writing a young adult paranormal romance series -- and no, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. I've been a true paranormal supporter for my entire life! I blame my obsession almost completely on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my all-time favorite television show. And, before you ask: Yes, I own every season... even the post WB ones! I especially challenge anyone to watch the first three seasons and not fall in love with Angel, securing a lifelong love of vampires! Other culprits of my paranormal obsession are some of my favorite authors: JK Rowling, Raymond Feist, Meg Cabot, Richelle Mead, Lynne Ewing and Tamora Pierce.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Pinterest│Wattpad│Youtube│Amazon

Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking The Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is about sharing the books that you have received during the past week! The books can be print, digital, borrowed, won, or anything else imaginable!

So last week was pretty slow book wise. I only got a few books but I think this week will be a lot better because I've tons of books on their way from the library and I'm so excited for them to come!! I still have plenty of reviews to post as well - 4 of them to be exact and if this week goes as planned they will all get published. There is also a blog tour tomorrow so stop by for that as well!! Happy Reading.

eBooks I Bought 

Books I Got From The Library

(ebooks)

(physical)

Books I Received For Review

Lots of thanks to: Catherine Green!!

ARC Review: Soul Crossed by Lisa Gail Green

Summary: One Demon.

One Angel.

One Soul.

Josh lived a reckless, selfish life, so upon his death, escaping the eternal torments of Hell by assuming the role of a powerful, soul-corrupting demon is an easy choice. His first soul assignment doesn’t seem too hard: the mortal Camden is already obsessed with weapons, pain, and torture. If only Josh wasn’t distracted by Cam's beautiful friend, Grace.

Grace never expected to die violently at age sixteen, but now she’s an Angel, responsible for saving a soul. She can already see past Camden’s earthly flaws, so the job should be be easy. If only that handsome, playboy Josh would stop getting in the way.

It’s forbidden for an Angel to be with a Demon, so if Josh and Grace stop resisting each other, the results would be disastrous.

And only one can claim Cam’s soul.

***

"Perhaps she meant for me to save the boy behind him."

Initial Thoughts: I've always had a thing for forbidden romances. I mean, who wouldn't? I know for the most part that they end in HEAs but I love reading about the journey to get to that end, and I really enjoyed following Grace and Josh's journey.

The Characters & Story: Grace and Josh both die and end up in Heaven and Hell respectively. Josh decides to become a demon and Grace and angel. Their first task to save or damn a certain person's soul and that person is Cam, also known as the Anti-Christ. He just hasn't quite reached that point yet.

The short chapters alternate between Grace and Josh's point of view and it was interesting and funny sometimes too being able to see each others side and the different characters on each side and their roles. A really wonderful part of the book I thought, was that there is great character development. These characters had depth and for the case with Cam. It was utterly fascinating how he was able to act so differently with Grace and be sweet and light yet around Josh be scary and dark. *shudders* Great development I tell you. Not to mention great change too in people, like Josh who's completely full of himself in the start.

"I wait until she catches my eye, then wink. It was inevitable she'd look over eventually. I mean, I am sitting right behind the dork and I mean, I'm me."

Well that's Josh for you but the great part of books is that we get to see characters change and develop! Yay, now you must read it to see how this happens for Josh and Grace and just everyone in Soul Crossed.

Now, I'll just add that the romance isn't the complete focus of the story. Saving, or guess damning too, Cam's soul is a huge part. But I think both aspects of the story worked well together to create a fast moving plot with twists and revelations and mystery along the way.

End Thoughts: There is great character development as well as many surprises throughout Soul Crossed. The short chapters did take me awhile to get used to but they did make they story feel like it was speeding by, in a good way. And of course there is forbidden romance and it was hard to stop because I just wanted to see how everything would work out! Soul Crossed is a really easy, fun, and thoughtful book. 4 stars.

Release Day Launch: The Hidden Library by Heather Lyons

Hey y'all, I missed this post on Thursday and haven't been near a computer Friday or Saturday so I'm finally able to get this up. Sorry for the mess up!

Summary: Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .

Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.

On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.

Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.

Amazon ** Amazon UK ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo

Don’t miss the first book in this series, THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY!

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks** Kobo

 Excerpt:

We are about to open the conference room door and enter the hallway when he stops. He turns to me, his lovely eyes achingly sincere. “I want to take you on a date when all of this craziness is over. A real one. We’ve kind of gone about this all backwards, haven’t we?”

One corner of my mouth lifts up. “Are you saying you’d like to court me?”

There is no playfulness to his face, no quirk to his own lips. My heart flutters at his seriousness. “Yes.”

He wants to court me.

Too many emotions rush around in a caucus race throughout my body. I have no doubts of Huckleberry Finn Van Brunt’s feelings toward me. I understood them two minutes ago just as well as I did this morning when I woke up and from the night before and from the day in Wonderland where he said, in not so many words, that he was falling in love with me.

I told him he was my north star, and meant it. He countered we are binaries.

He and I . . . We’ve never said those words, though, not the ones that truly spell out fragile, deep secrets of a heart and soul. Words so easily and yet unfortunately uttered by many, be it to express their appreciation of fried bits of potatoes to sports teams on the television. Words offered so frivolously about a variety of subjects and yet can be the most difficult, most painful, most meaningful, most cherished syllables we gift another person.

I have said these words before, to another man. Another man I still love. One I know, in the deepest confines of my heart, that I will love until the last breath escapes my body. A man who courted me in secret and then publicly in the face of astonishment, disapproval, confusion, and, in the end, prophesies.

I have willingly given the man in front of me my heart, though, whether he knows it or not. He now holds it in his hands, and while I pray he is my future, there is still a part of me that bucks in conflicted confusion and delight by this declaration of his.

He wants to court me.

And yet, as sweet and romantic as such a gesture might be, I require no such formalities. My affections for Finn Van Brunt have already solidified into something real and wonderful and meaningful.

Teaser Pic: 

About Heather Lyons:

Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.

Links:

Website: http://www.heatherlyons.net

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/heatherlyons

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hymheather

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherlyonsbooks?fref=ts

THE HIDDEN LIBRARY Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24017512-the-hidden-library 

Giveaway:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This is a day late because for the blog tour post, that had to be the top post of the day, so I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal posting it a day later. Anyways, this week I'm waiting for Red by Alyxandra Harvey. I've seen it around a few places and decided to look into it and I'm intrigued by it as well as excited! Good thing it comes out soon, that's always a great surprise! Happy Reading.

Publication: March 10th, 2015
Summary: Bad girls burn hot…

Red is the color of Kia Alcott's hair.
It's her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble.
And it's the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them.

When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It's an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.

Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries.

But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn't stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…

Blog Tour: Soul Crossed by Lisa Gail Green

Soul Crossed (Of Demons and Angels, #1)

by Lisa Gail Green 

Release Date: 02/25/15

252 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

"A wickedly romantic story that will have you cheering for Lisa Gail Green’s addictive storytelling. SOUL CROSSED is devilishly delicious!" — Martina Boone, author of COMPULSION and the Heirs of Watson Island trilogy

"Soul Crossed blurs the lines between good and evil with addictive characters and plot that will have you eagerly turning the pages." ~Kelly Hashway, author of the Touch of Death series.

One Demon.

One Angel.

One Soul.

Josh lived a reckless, selfish life, so upon his death, escaping the eternal torments of Hell by assuming the role of a powerful, soul-corrupting demon is an easy choice. His first soul assignment doesn’t seem too hard: the mortal Camden is already obsessed with weapons, pain, and torture. If only Josh wasn’t distracted by Cam's beautiful friend, Grace.

Grace never expected to die violently at age sixteen, but now she’s an Angel, responsible for saving a soul. She can already see past Camden’s earthly flaws, so the job should be be easy. If only that handsome, playboy Josh would stop getting in the way.

It’s forbidden for an Angel to be with a Demon, so if Josh and Grace stop resisting each other, the results would be disastrous.

And only one can claim Cam’s soul.

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

My Review: 

"Perhaps she meant for me to save the boy behind him."

Initial Thoughts: I've always had a thing for forbidden romances. I mean, who wouldn't? I know for the most part that they end in HEAs but I love reading about the journey to get to that end, and I really enjoyed following Grace and Josh's journey.

The Characters & Story: Grace and Josh both die and end up in Heaven and Hell respectively. Josh decides to become a demon and Grace and angel. Their first task to save or damn a certain person's soul and that person is Cam, also known as the Anti-Christ. He just hasn't quite reached that point yet.

The short chapters alternate between Grace and Josh's point of view and it was interesting and funny sometimes too being able to see each others side and the different characters on each side and their roles. A really wonderful part of the book I thought, was that there is great character development. These characters had depth and for the case with Cam. It was utterly fascinating how he was able to act so differently with Grace and be sweet and light yet around Josh be scary and dark. *shudders* Great development I tell you. Not to mention great change too in people, like Josh who's completely full of himself in the start.

"I wait until she catches my eye, then wink. It was inevitable she'd look over eventually. I mean, I am sitting right behind the dork and I mean, I'm me."

Well that's Josh for you but the great part of books is that we get to see characters change and develop! Yay, now you must read it to see how this happens for Josh and Grace and just everyone in Soul Crossed.

Now, I'll just add that the romance isn't the complete focus of the story. Saving, or guess damning too, Cam's soul is a huge part. But I think both aspects of the story worked well together to create a fast moving plot with twists and revelations and mystery along the way.

End Thoughts: There is great character development as well as many surprises throughout Soul Crossed. The short chapters did take me awhile to get used to but they did make they story feel like it was speeding by, in a good way. And of course there is forbidden romance and it was hard to stop because I just wanted to see how everything would work out! Soul Crossed is a really easy, fun, and thoughtful book. 4 stars.

About the Author

Lisa Gail Green lives with her husband the rocket scientist and their three junior mad scientists in Southern California. She writes books so she can have an excuse to live in the fantasy world in her head. She likes to share these with readers so she's represented by the lovely Melissa Nasson of Rubin Pfeffer Content. She has a parrot but would most definitely get a werewolf for a pet if she weren't allergic. 

Lisa loves YA. She believes with all her heart that teen readers are ready and willing to experience things that some adults have closed their minds to, that books are the safest way to explore, learn, and escape, and that imagination is the key to just about everything. 

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Review: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Summary: Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

***

Initial Thoughts: Oh. my. gosh. I loved it! I had great world building, lots of action, and amazing characters. It’s a sci-fi twist to Snow White yet it’s still a completely unique story. It is definitely a favorite book of mine.

The Characters: Meet Essie, or ya know, Princess Snow. She is one awesome, kickbutt, take no crap person. She’s a mechanic, a fighter (literally), and she’s really smart. I loved how she handled situations, wouldn’t back down, and would keep on fighting her way through life and all the hardships she’s gone through. She’s a great example of a strong, well developed character!

Dane. Sigh… he’s pretty amazing. Though I just knew he was up to something when he met Essie. The little jerk. Anyways, Dane has great character development as well and ugh! I can’t spoil things but he’s smart, caring, and a really great friend to Essie and other people.

The Story: Essie is living on Thanda which is a really super cold planet. It actually reminded me of where I live because it’s basically cold seven/eight months of the year. Bleh. While on Thanda she’s a super smart mechanic and fights to get money too. She also has these robots that are hilarious and named after certain characteristics; there’s dimwit, cusser, zippy and so on. One day, Dane crashes near her house and upon finding him, finds out he’s treasure hunting, for stories.

“So why are you here?”

“You’ll laugh.”

Unlikely. I told him so without a word.

“I’m treasure hunting.”

And so their story begins. There are lots of secrets from everyone, suspence, action, planets to see and people to visit, people to avoid, and people you out right wish were dead. There was also this one thing that I suspect from the start and when it was confirmed, just aw! evil, evil people. Also, what’s a scifi story without some characters having some pretty cool abilities?

The Romance: Essie and Dane’s realtionship that starts off as tolerant of each other, then friends, then frenemies, then tolerant, then friends again, and then in a relationship which I absolutely adore. They just work so well together! I love them. You’ll have to read to find out all the in-betweens of their journey!

End Thoughts: It’s snow white combined with scifi, I think much more needs to be said… besides the fact that I love it and it is now a favorite of mine. 5 stars.