Had To Be You by Juliet Chatham Blog Tour & Book Review + Win the Book and a Amazon.com Gift Card!

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

After college, Rory Finn left behind the familiarity of her quiet, picturesque hometown to pursue a professional career in the city. With her sights firmly on the future, Rory pressed on in hopes of forgetting the past until a jarring bit of unwelcome news forces her to confront it. 

Her first love, the one she'd tried so hard to forget, is about to marry someone else. That pang Rory feels isn't envy, it's not even regret. It's love. But Rory can't be that girl. She won't. But if she doesn't, she'll never know what could have been. She'll never have another chance to tell him how she feels. 

As she embarks on an impulsive, desperate bid to win him back, her mission turns into an unexpected and emotional journey of rediscovery. Had To be You explores a history of love from its tentative beginnings to what may just turn out to be its final bittersweet end, as Rory ignores her head and follows her heart. 

About the book-

I think anyone who hasn't married the first person they fell in love with, which is probably the majority of people, have given a thought or two to their first love. I think it is why stories like this are so swoon worthy and easy to read. It is fun to root for unrequited love. The further on in this story I got, the more I wanted to scream at Rory that she didn't deserve Matt. There were so many chances he gave her and she broke his heart over and over and here she is showing up at his wedding because she can't let him go. Why couldn't she figure that out before he is about to get married? The further on I read, I did begin to feel a little sympathetic toward Rory, as we find out some of the reasons she is the way she is, but still! Her constantly sabotaging the relationship she has with Matt drives me batty. This book is in kind of the same vein as one of my favorite books of all time Love, Rosie by Cecilia Ahern. The story in both of these books begins in childhood and grows into adulthood. It is really cool to watch a relationship, even if it is fictional, grow over so many years and through so many different stages of life. I will warn some of my more conservative readers that there is some explicit language and dialogue, but I would recommend Had To Be You to anyone who enjoys a romance or loves reminiscing about first loves.

Had To Be You is available on Amazon.com.

About the Juliet Chatham-

Juliet Chatham is a life long New Englander who divides her time between the North Shore and Cape Cod. Her favorite things are beaches, boats, books, bars, the Boston Red Sox and boys, but not necessarily in that order.

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Revolutionary (Anomaly #3) by Krista McGee Blog Tour & Book Review + Enter to Win All 3 Books in the Series!

Disclosure- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book- 

All her life Thalli thought she was an anomaly. Now she must use her gifts to fulfill the role she was called to play: Revolutionary. Back in the underground State against her will, Thalli is no longer the anomaly she was before. She has proven herself to be a powerful leader aboveground and returns with information that Dr. Loudin needs to complete his plan of uniting the world under one leader: himself. But he, too, has information. A secret he has kept from Thalli her entire life. A secret that, once revealed, changes everything about the person Thalli thought she was. Hoping to help Thalli rise up against the Scientists, both Berk and Alex join her underground, but their presence only brings more trouble for her. Now Dr. Loudin knows just the leverage to use on his captive, and she is forced to choose between the two of them. Is her first love her true love? Or does Alex ultimately claim her heart? Unsure of everything around her, including her own identity, Thalli doesn't know where to turn. She knows she needs the Designer, but he seems further away than ever. What she does know, though, is that if she doesn't do something to stop Loudin, the fragile world above ground will be lost once and for all.

Revolutionary is the 3rd book in the Anomaly trilogy. Check out my review for the first two books by clicking on the titles- Anomaly #1, Luminary #2. You will want to read the first two books before you set out to read Revolutionary.

My thoughts-

Revolutionary picks up right where Luminary left off. We found out what has become of Thalli and her friends and some intense action scenes take place throughout this book. Thalli is still trying to figure out how she feels about both Alex and Berk in the midst of trying to figure out what she can do to fix the dystopian world that she lives in. There is a great plot twist involving Dr. Loudin and Thalli and Thalli also gets to know James better. Throughout the book I wonder which side James is on, Mcgee definitely keeps us guessing where his heart lies. As it's two predecessors, this novel is centered around faith in God. I enjoyed this aspect of the novel and thought it was a different take on a dystopian trilogy. It was done well. I was just as into this novel as I was the first two books in the trilogy. Revolutionary was definitely edge of your seat reading. I was left wondering many times who might get out alive and if Thalli and company would be able to stop the evil Dr. Loudin. As far as this book ending the trilogy, I was left somehow feeling a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, this was a great book and everything was concluded and wrapped up nicely, but I felt like something was missing. I guess I expected the book to go out with a bigger bang since it was the end to a series, but I would absolutely still recommend the Anomaly trilogy to anyone who is interested in dystopian fiction, christian fiction or ya fiction.


About the author-

Krista writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Her current hometown is Tampa, FL.

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Revolutionary is now available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books & The Book Depository

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Escape From Eden by Elisa Nader Book Review and Blog Tour + Win A Prize Pack

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

Advanced praise for Escape From Eden:

"Nader has done something amazing: written a really original novel, one full of characters you’ll care about; smart, witty dialog; and plenty of shocks and thrills. A wonderful balance of light and dark." —Michael Grant, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Gone Series  

Summary from Goodreads: 

Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape.

But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound’s façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend’s paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who’s only concerned about his own secrets?

My thoughts: 

I wanted to read this story because I thought the premise was different from most other young adult novels. I expected there to be plenty of action and suspense and I was not disappointed. Immediately at the beginning of the novel it is apparent that 16 year old Mia does not feel like she belongs in the cult that her mother has brought she and her 6 year old brother Max into. Mia does not even know any of the terrible things that are truly going on with the "Reverend" and his associates, but the horrible reality of what is really happening is about to be revealed to Mia. She and the mysterious new older new guy Gabriel who wants to leave Edenton from the second he arrives, have to fight hard as they try to escape and as they discover the evil surrounding them, they have to make some tough decisions. I enjoyed the action packed into this book and was eagerly turning page after page to find out what would happen to Mia and Gabriel. This was an interesting take on cults disguised as "utopia" while just controlling everyone. It is heartbreaking to think that, while this is fiction, there are places and people like this that truly do exist. Some of the scenes were gory, there was quite a bit of violence and there was some suggestive dialog between Mia and Gabriel, so I would not recommend this book to the faint of heart. I think the mature subject matter is best suited to actual adults than young adults and I would say consider reading it yourself if your have a teen that might be interesting in reading it so you could have a discussion. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a good, suspenseful novel.

About the author: Escape From Eden is Elise Nader's first novel.

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Enter to win an Escape From Eden Prize Pack! The winner will receive 2 Sets of Moleskine Sketchbook, set of Le Pen colored fine tip pens, a copy of Otherkin and Othermoon by Elisa’s crit partner Nina Berry, and a personalized copy of Escape from Eden! Enter to win below via the Rafflecopter!

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Waiting for Dusk by Nancy Pennick Blog Tour and Book Review + Win an E-copy of the Book

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

Summary from Goodreads:
 

Read a book.
Fall asleep.
Meet a boy.
Is it real or just a dream?
Katie’s everyday life suddenly turns exciting when she travels back in time and meets the boy of her dreams. Thinking of nothing else, willing to leave the real world behind, she’s determined to find out if it’s all a dream or not. Returning again and again, Katie almost has her answers until one day her precious book goes missing.

My thoughts:

Time travel books are so fascinating to me. I want to be in this one. These characters are easy to relate to and who wouldn't want to travel to another time period? The interactions of several different characters in both time periods is interesting. There are even some characters in the present that are actually from the past! I especially enjoyed the parts in the past when Katie is interacting with her own family members, making good friends and, of course, falling in love. I would have loved to see Katie and Drew interact more in the book because I really enjoyed their relationship and felt like I didn't get enough of it. I would have been happy to have more scenes in the past with any of the characters really. I love how Pennick tied the past to the present through a friend Katie made that she happens to come across in her present day as well. Although I really liked this book, I do have to say that I found the scenes with Ty rather grating. I felt bad for the character because he started out as a nice guy and then the author turned him into a terrible, terrible person and the progression into that didn't make any sense to me other than that the author wanted us to root for Drew. I am pretty sure we would have all been rooting for Katie to be with Drew anyway. I enjoyed this book and love that the whole idea behind it leaves it open for sequels which I certainly hope happen. I was not ready to leave behind these characters and would love to see other characters introduced in subsequent stories as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted romance or to anyone intersted in time travel or just different time periods in general.

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Dark Halo (Angel Eyes #3) by Shannon Dittemore Blog Tour & Book Review + Win a Kindle Fire!

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary e-ARC Of Dark Halo from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

Welcome to my stop on the Dark Halo blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours.  Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

Dark Halo (Angel Eyes Trilogy #3)

by Shannon Dittemore

Release Date: August 20, 2013

320 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

One halo brought sight to Brielle. Another offers sweet relief from what she sees.
Brielle can’t help but see the Celestial realm. Even without the halo, it’s everywhere she looks. And with the heavens above Stratus ravaged by war, Brielle wishes for another gift, any gift. Because Jake is gone. The only boy she’s ever loved has been taken by the demon, Damien—and she knows if she ever wants to see him again, she must fight.
But fighting is so hard when everything you see makes you afraid.
When she receives instructions from the Throne Room leading her to Jake, she unknowingly walks into a diabolical and heartbreaking trap. Then the Prince of Darkness himself offers Brielle a halo of his own making. With the dark halo, she won’t have to see the fear and brokenness that surround her. She’ll be free of that unbearable burden. And it comes with a promise: the guarantee of a life with Jake.
When confusing details about Jake’s past emerge, and the battle above reaches a fever pitch, Brielle is forced to make a choice. Will she choose the dark halo and the ignorance that comes with it, or will she choose to live with her eyes wide open and trust the Creator’s design—even if it means a future without Jake?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16124151-dark-halo?ac=1

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15869682-broken-wings

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11836562-angel-eyes

My thoughts: From the moment I picked up Angel Eyes, I knew I would be hooked on this trilogy and need to follow through until the end. Angel Eyes was a great book on it's own, Broken Wings (the second in the trilogy) did what many middle books can not do, it held my attention and wasn't just filler in the middle, the book was full of action, suspense and, of course, romance. I love books that leave me on the edge of my seat, especially when they have subsequent books for me to continue on the journey with the characters. Dark Halo picked up where Broken Wings left off. There were questions to be answered and I think the novel did a great job of tying everything together. Dittemore has a lovely way with words and is great at putting a story together and telling it in a way that will make you want to keep turning the pages. You get attached to these characters and you want the best for them. I was rooting for Brielle and Jake when things seemed to be against them. There is a good amount of action in this book, Brielle even comes face to face with the devil and has to make a huge decision. There is a huge battle and people that you might not have previously expected to step up to the plate do. This was an action packed young adult novel that I think many people would enjoy. I am pretty sure I said this when I review both of the previous books, but I would love to see this trilogy come to life in movie form. I think that the strong characters and world Dittemore has created in the Angel Eyes Series would make a great movie trilogy! I recommend the Angel Eyes trilogy to anyone who enjoys novels in the young adult, Christian fiction or paranormal romance genres. I would caution those that have trouble reading stories with violence about reading these novels, but I think overall most people would enjoy the Angel Eyes trilogy.

Available from:

   

My review of Angel Eyes

My review of Broken Wings

About the Author:

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes Trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California.

ANGEL EYES was Shannon’s debut novel and the launch of a young adult supernatural trilogy. It was published in the summer of 2012 by Thomas Nelson. The sequel BROKEN WINGS hit shelves in February, 2013 and the final novel in the trilogy, DARK HALO, will be available today, August 20, 2013.

**Win a Kindle Fire HD or other prizes!** 

Shannon Dittemore is having a Live Twitter Chat August 27th at 6pm (Pacific) where she will be giving away a Kindle Fire HD and other prizes!  

Enter here: http://shannondittemore.com/win-a-kindle-fire/

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***ANGEL EYES GIVEAWAY***

 Win on of 5-sets of the Angel Eyes Trilogy including Angel Eyes, Broken Wings and Dark Halo. US only. Enter via the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win.

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