The Sweet Dead Life Blog Tour and Review

My Review:

The Sweet Dead Life is told from the point of view of an 8^th grade girl named Jenna Samuels. Jenna’s family is falling apart and she is too sick to do anything about it. Her father left five years earlier with nothing more than a short note and a coupon to a Mexican restaurant to explain his absence. Her brother, Casey, is left picking up the pieces as Jenna has a mysterious illness that no doctor can explain and his mother never leaves the house and is slowly losing her memory. After a car accident, everything changes. Casey didn’t live through the accident and was sent back to earth to figure out what is happening to his family. The story revolves around Jenna’s illness and what really happened to their father five years earlier.

                The voice of Jenna is very believable throughout the story. The way she acts, talks, and behaves is exactly as a real 8^th grade girl would act. She is tough but vulnerable as well. I loved seeing the characters’ transformations throughout the book. Casey goes from being a total stoner to a guy his family can count on, while Jenna learns to forgive and move on with her life. There are many humorous scenes throughout the story where you can’t help but laugh at the situations they are going through. I also enjoyed the character of the mysterious Amber Velasco and see the transformation in Jenna as she slowly comes to accept Amber as a part of her life. The coolest part of the story, in my opinion, was the mystery that is being investigated throughout the whole book. Casey, Jenna, and Amber have to figure out what is happening to Jenna and her mother and how their father is involved in everything that is happening around them. In the beginning the plot was a little slow moving but overall I really enjoyed the story. It has a little bit of everything. There is fantasy, mystery, and teenage angst all rolled into one Texas tall story that will have readers enamored.

-The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble

Published May 14, 2013 by Soho Teen

THE SWEET DEAD LIFE if now available for order! Amazon, B&N, IndieBound, GoodReads

Learn about the Author, Joy Preble!

Joy Preble is the author of the popular and highly acclaimed Dreaming

Anastasia series. A former English teacher, Joy grew up in Chicago and is a

graduate of Northwestern University. She is now a full time writer and lives with

her family in Texas, where she has learned to say "y'all" without any hint of irony.

A tireless advocate for literacy and great books, she is at the center of the allimportant Texas YA scene.

Joy Preble Social Media and Website

http://www.joypreble.com/

https://twitter.com/joypreble

Now, to everyone's favorite part! The giveaway! Please enter below and good luck! The winner will be contacted through email once the giveaway is over.

Unfortunately, the giveaway is only open to those in the United States and Canada.

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Maid of Secrets Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway

I am so excited to be one of the stops on the Maid of Secrets blog tour, hosted by Sel from Bookcase to Heaven. I was extremely excited to read this book because it sounded so interesting, and I was not disappointed. Continue reading to see my review and enter the giveaway!

Blurb via Goodreads:

My Review: 

Maid of Secrets is a story full of excitement, mystery and action. I loved this book and I believe that Jennifer McGowan did a magnificent job in developing the characters and the relationships in this book. Queen Elizabeth has just taken the throne and she is faced with people, foreign and close, who wish to see her off the throne. In order to uncover the truth of what is happening and to keep her crown safe, she has contracted five maids to be her spies. Meg is employed as the eyes and ears of the queen and is to report on anything she overhears, but she is not only responding on the queen, but is asked to spy on her as well. As Meg goes through her time as a spy she is forced to do things that go against her conscience, betray her friends, and she falls for an unlikely courtier. I loved the development of the plot, how the mystery was mixed in and the excitement of trying to figure out what comes next. The book is lengthy, but there is never a dull moment. It was nice to have a book so well detailed and explained that I couldn't put it down until I finished the last page. I also enjoyed learning the pasts of a few of the maids and to see how it brought them all together. Maid of Secrets is a fresh new tale in the young adult literature world and I think it will be met with a great response!

- Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

Buy It Now: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | IndieBound | The Book Depository

Learn a little about the Author, Jennifer McGowan 

Author Bio via Goodreads:

Jennifer McGowan writes Young Adult romance full of swash and buckle. Her first novel, MAID OF SECRETS, debuts in Spring, 2013 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Age: Royal Secret

Came From: A small town in northern Ohio

Became a Maid of Honor: After bringing her tale of spygirls to the noble city, and winning the favor of the great house of Simon (& Schuster).

Special Skill: Matrix-like reflexes, superior strength, fabulous wit… okay, ah – we’ll get back to you on that.

http://www.jennifermcgowan.com/ | @Jenn_McGowan

Now, Time for the Giveaway! Make sure to enter and good luck :-)

  

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WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble

I am a huge fan of Joy's Dreaming Anastasia trilogy and I cannot wait to finish her newest book!

 

What did you recently finish reading?                                                                                                                   

I just finished reading Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan. This book was extremely addicting! I loved the pacing, the characters, and the different relationships that were formed. Check back on May 12 for my review!


What do you think you'll read next?

Up next for me will be Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris, book two in the Unraveling series. I loved the first book and have been impatiently awaiting the sequel and it's finally here!

Check out my review of Unraveling

What book are you waiting on??

Review: Call of the Vampire

Call of the Vampire is a refreshing new take on the creatures of the night. Aurora meets gorgeous, gray eyed Jessie and is mistaken for a past love and she feels an immediate attraction to him that she doesn't understand.  As the story progresses a mystery unfolds that links Jessie and Aurora in a way they never thought was possible. I loved the characters and I feel in love with Jessie and all of his mysterious flaws. He's the big bad vampire who just wants to be considered anything but evil. The book moved along rather quickly and had a little of everything in it, evil lurking waiting to take away anything that would make Jessie happy, a mystery of their pasts, a friendship tested, and a forbidden romance. If that doesn't have the making of a great book, I'm not sure what does.

-Call of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Castle Series: Book 1) by Gayla Twist

Published March 19, 2013. Be on the lookout for Book 2 in the Vanderlind Castle Series, coming soon! :-)

Buy it now onyour Kindle for only $2.99!

Want to know more about the author, Gayla Twist? Check out her website, Goodreads author page, Call of the Vampire Goodreads page, Facebook, and Twitter.  

Review: A Shade of Vampire

First of all, this cover is captivating! If the summary doesn't draw you in, the cover definitely will! I absolutely loved this book and I could not put it down until the very end (and it was difficult to put down even then because I did not want to wait to read more...). Make sure to read my review below and then go read the book for yourself! You can read an excerpt if Bella Forrest's A Shade of Vampire here.

Review: 

A Shade of Vampire was great! It was extremely fast paced, interesting, and exciting. I loved the characters and the idea of there being an unknown kingdom of vampires just hiding away on an island somewhere. I loved reading about the different dynamics between the different characters and how the author was able to show how different some people really are from each other. Even siblings are never alike. This book was only 147 pages and that is honestly the only thing I disliked about it.  I would have loved being able to read more about Sophia and Derek, but I guess that's why she has a sequel coming out. I fell in love with this story and I cannot wait to see what happens next as Sophia’s story continues.

-A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Buy it on Amazon!

Want to know more about Bella Forrest and her upcoming projects? 

Facebook, Get personal updates, Goodreads, twitter, and the author's blog

Read it now, you won't regret it!

Review: Identified: The Maya Price Story

This quick paced story is set in the real world and in the world known as Leets. Maya Price is taken to a different dimension and told that she is a shifter, and that she is pivotal to a prophecy that could bring peace to their land.

I absolutely loved this story. I enjoyed all of the characters and all of the friendships that were forged. I enjoyed the fact that the characters were well created and relatable. The world that was created was rich and vibrant and I loved the idea of being able to control the four different elements. This story is full of action, loss, and friendship.  Maya Price is left reeling over the choices she has made and the position she has been put in based on a prophecy that was created years ago. Told through diary entries, memories from characters in the future, transcripts, and Maya’s own narrative, this story is a breath of fresh air in the young adult fantasy market. It is a quick read and is well worth your time. Read it! You don't know what you're missing!

This story is great from beginning to end without a moment of boredom.  The ending is full of shocking turns that will leave you begging for the next installment.

Buy it now on Kindle and in Paperback from Amazon. 

Get to know the author, Faith A. Rice-Mills, on Goodreads, Facebook, twitter, and her website.

Special Edition Cover Reveal "While he was Away"

 

Karen Schreck's book While he was Away has a beautiful new cover! I love how it is black and white with the slight touch of pink for the title. It's perfect!

If you have yet to read this book, the summary is below!

Want more information on While he was Away? click on the following links

Goodreads, Walmart, Amazon Paperback, Amazon Kindle Edition, and Barnes and Noble

Now, for a special treat! The author, Karen  Schreck, has written a guest post she wants to share with you! Ever looking for a bit of inspiration but not sure where to find it? She has written a post to show you how inspiration can come from anywhere you just have to be on the look out and she includes her inspiration for her story, While he was Away.

While He Was Away Walmart-Exclusive Cover Reveal

 and How Inspiration Can Come From Anywhere:

Even a Trip to the Grocery Store and a Handful of Long-Lost Photographs

By Karen Schreck

I sometimes wonder what my mother would say if she knew that her story—one of the saddest, sweetest love stories I’ve ever heard—was retold in a new way in my young adult novel, While He Was Away.

Now Sourcebooks Fire is sharing the story yet again, in a second, exclusive edition, released nation-wide at Walmart.  The fact that Sourcebooks believed enough in While He Was Away to bring it to life the first time felt like a much-needed confirmation of years of hard work.  The fact that they are standing behind my book again in this way . . . well, it feels like a miracle.  I’m truly grateful.

I wonder what my mother would say to this incredible news? I like to think she would be grateful too.  I like to think she would be happy.  She wanted her story heard after all.  So much so that it was one of the last things she told me, just before she died.

One rainy night when I was fourteen, right before cancer left her to ill to talk, let alone drive a car, my mother said, “Come with me.  We’re going shopping.”  We drove to the little local market and wandered up and down the aisles, as she threw in a can of tuna, some dishwashing soap, and other little things we didn’t need.  We paid for these little things.  She looked anxious and tired, still she hadn’t said a thing; we hadn’t spoken a word.

It was only when we were parked in our driveway again that my mother said, “I was married once before when I was very young.  He died a hero in WWII.”

And that was that.  Soon after, she died.

I thought about my mother’s mysterious love story for many years.  I talked to relatives, found long-lost photographs.  The story took seed in me.  It flowered into a novel about a young women whose boyfriend leaves for the Iraq War.  In her loneliness, she seeks out a grandmother she’s never met, whose first husband died in WWII.  She seeks out a character inspired by mother.

A late night drive, a few words spoken in the dark.  Even things as simple as this can inspire a novel.