tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42260118158010688432024-03-13T10:06:38.272-04:00Will Read For CoffeeThe random thoughts that make it out of my head about books and my life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-65325273018224388572015-01-27T17:56:00.002-05:002015-02-05T00:08:37.187-05:00Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17788403-maybe-someday" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Maybe Someday (Maybe, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420992313m/17788403.jpg" width="128" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17788403-maybe-someday">Maybe Someday</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5430144.Colleen_Hoover">Colleen Hoover</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1175562435">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a
passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
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At twenty-two years
old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love
with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori.
But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is
left trying to decide what to do next.</span><br />
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Sydney becomes
captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him
or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out
on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore,
either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves
needing each other in more ways than one...<br />
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Original music
created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through
the website listed in the ebook and paperback.</div>
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I read this book in a day. I stayed up all night, pretended to be a functional human being for a few hours, while reading in any spare moment I had, then came home, ignored everything to finish the book then I took a nap. <br />
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This was such a beautifully written, completely engaging story! I literally couldn't put it down, I even considered not coming home to finish my book, in peace, a Starbucks but I decided my dogs would love to sit and read with me :). <br />
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Urgh! Soooo good! I only starting reading this story to break up all the fantasy YA I'm reading, the stories where starting to blur together but this was the perfect Palate cleanser. It's such a wonderfully different love story with such vivid charters that I'm a little sad they are only fictional. <br />
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I didn't download to whole album but I must admit that it was great to hear the music that the characters where to passionate about! There are some parts of the book that where made by the music. Paring music and reading was like the best idea EVER :)<br />
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You should totally read this book!!
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17248059-michaela">View all my reviews on Goodreads</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-48953300380193139522014-09-18T09:11:00.000-04:002014-09-18T09:12:26.731-04:00One, Two, Three Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QQF-Fi0vvX0/VBq-9mUGfYI/AAAAAAAADIw/SRk9U7kPBJ0/s1600/OneTwoThreeTourBanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QQF-Fi0vvX0/VBq-9mUGfYI/AAAAAAAADIw/SRk9U7kPBJ0/s1600/OneTwoThreeTourBanner.png" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZV-I_Pwx8g/VBrAA2EGz7I/AAAAAAAADI8/EUtg1WTDonU/s1600/OneTwoThree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZV-I_Pwx8g/VBrAA2EGz7I/AAAAAAAADI8/EUtg1WTDonU/s1600/OneTwoThree.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>Title:One, Two, Three…<br />
Author Elodie Nowodazkij<br />
Publication date: June 26th 2014<br />
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21863930-one-two-three?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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<i>When seventeen-year-old Natalya’s dreams of being a ballerina are killed in a car accident along with her father, she must choose: shut down—like her mother—or open up to love.</i><br />
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Last year, Natalya was attending the School of Performing Arts in New York City. Last year, she was well on her way to becoming a professional ballerina. Last year, her father was still alive.<br />
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But a car crash changed all that—and Natalya can’t stop blaming herself. Now, she goes to a regular high school in New Jersey; lives with her onetime prima ballerina, now alcoholic mother; and has no hope of a dance career.<br />
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At her new school, however, sexy soccer player Antonio sees a brighter future for Natalya, or at least a more pleasant present, and his patient charms eventually draw her out of her shell.<br />
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But when upsetting secrets come to light and Tonio’s own problems draw her in, Natalya shuts down again, this time turning to alcohol herself.<br />
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Can Natalya learn to trust Antonio before she loses him—and destroys herself?</div>
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One, Two, Three is an emotionally rooted story of an injured
ballerina’s recovery, grief and relationships after a horrific accident kills
her father and shatters her dreams. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Natalya has always wanted to be prima ballerina and she’s
well on her way to achieving her dream when she and her father get into a
terrible car accident. Not only does her father not make it but she is also
left with such extensive injuries that it is unlikely she will be able to dance
again, not that such news will keep her from trying. Nataly and her mother,
Katya, move into her grandmother’s house, a place Natalya used to spend her
summers. Katya, who has always had a drinking problem, is overcome with grief
and seeks escape through drinking non-stop. Natalya is dealing with a lot but
she is making it through until a huge secret is revealed and she turns to her
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I really loved how the author allows Natalya to put it all
out there, she does not gloss over or sugar coat alcoholism. Natalya has so
much dumped on her at one time that you can see where she was headed but that doesn’t
take away from the story at all. It’s all part of her experience and it feels
like you are right there with her. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Antonio is the love interest of the story, although he
starts off as more of an annoyance. He turns out to be right what Natalya needs
and even thought their relationship isn’t prefect, you can see why it works. I
do wish there was more about his past. I felt like there is a lot more to
Antonio than what is in this book, but since this is only the first book in the
series, I can only hope that we will get to know a lot more about him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are a lot of wonderful secondary characters in this
story, each one serves a wonderful purpose for Natalya. Each character is
interesting in their own way and, again, I hope to see a lot more of them as
the series continues. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The beginning of this book is a little slow and repetitive.
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beginning that could have been cut
down in order to move the story along. Once the story picks up the pacing is
just right and it’s hard to stop reading. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This being only book number one, it does have an open ended
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If you are in the mood for an emotional romance with a
marred heroine that you can’t help but to root for, you will enjoy One, Two,
Three.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Two-Three-Elodie-Nowodazkij/dp/149531961X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403543032&sr=8-1&keywords=Elodie+Nowodazkij" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-two-three-ms-elodie-nowodazkij/1119819780?ean=9781495319617" target="_blank">B&N</a> |<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id889729288" target="_blank"> iTunes</a> | <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/one-two-three-5" target="_blank">Kobo</a></h2>
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Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master's degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Germany with her husband and their cat (who doesn't seem to realize he's not human), and uses her commuting time to write the stories swirling in her head. She's also a serial smiley user.<br />
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<b><a href="http://elodienowodazkij.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> </b>| <b><a href="https://twitter.com/commutinggirl" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </b>| <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/elodienowodazkij" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </b>| <b><a href="http://elodienowodazkij.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4fe2ebb3f95df52e0954e0044&id=f404024751" target="_blank">Newsletter Signup</a></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-42618130747985228662014-09-05T06:00:00.000-04:002014-09-05T06:00:04.313-04:00For the Love of DeathRelease Day Book Blitz + #Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For the Love of Death </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">(Death #7) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Tamara Rose Blodgett </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Publication date: September 5,2014</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Genres: Adult, Dystopia</span>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21465725-for-the-love-of-death" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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The year is 2049 and in the new dystopian order, the Randoms have risen to the top like cream. Earth faces dire consequences because of the Helix Complex and their illicit use of mass-sterilization. Many who could have children, were made into mules from the virulent Zondorae concoction of 2030.<br />
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Now middle-aged, Death’s children do their best to move forward in a world where technology and paranormal powers collide in a mix of tragedy and circumstance. Zombies have been raised for the slave trade by those Randoms in power.<br />
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Paxton Hart and Parker’s twin girls are grown and on the radar for those that understand how critical they are for the future. The tight-knit circle of friends continues to network for solutions to the depravity that has taken hold.<br />
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Can the original group right a tremendous wrong? Will the new generation of Randoms find a solution for propagation, or will their power base cannibalize those who choose harmony instead of greed?<br />
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“Mom—no. Brother,”
I rake a hand through my hair, on the look out for the BS bots. <o:p></o:p></div>
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They swarm inside the toxic fog of smoke, everything all
screwed up by noise and odd pulse tech gone haywire. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Two ram together, fall on their mechanical asses and
stumble to get up. They knock heads and fall again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The parents watch them crash into each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Not very bright,” Dad remarks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>God, Dad.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Right, listen... you guys we need to get to Pax. He's
taken off to find Deegan and he's the blinker in the group and we don't want to
be stuck with them.” I sweep my hand out and they take in the idiot bots.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“They appear to ignore mundanes and focus on the
paranormal.” Dad is sliding into the default Scientific Observation Mode.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Great.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“Yeah, they're juiced about everyone but Organics.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Caleb,” Mom says, her voice a shadow of the strident
Nazi-word queen of my youth, “I think we need to go wherever we're going—right
now.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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A bot advances, its circuitry is buzzing, some of the
lightweight flesh of whatever alloy they've used in the manufacture torn away
like a flap of scalped skin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Instantly, I think of the Skopamish. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I repress a hysterical chuckle, the crooked mouth rising
like a Phoenix. Don't think the parents will dig the humor. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“I think this one is a little brighter than the rest,
son.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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It shambles forward like a metal zombie. I notice it has
been soundly torched but whatever covers its body has shielded it from the
blanket of my bungled torch episode. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Cripes.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<b>Zombie Romance; Death-Style<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>Did you read that title? <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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No one could love a zombie.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well,<i> I do.</i> And so do a bunch of other peeps,
apparently. Zombie fiction isn't all post-apocalyptic, disease carrying,
mindless brain eaters. (Some of my zombies do get distracted by a tidy meal of
brains. But that's for another guest post.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I write this, FOR the LOVE of DEATH is getting ready to
blow up on Amazon for all the hordes of readers to descend and devour.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I'm all for that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Is the Death Series about zombie love? <i>Oh yes.</i> But
it's a bunch of other things too. It's dystopian. Dark fantasy ( a soft sort of
horror, but horror nonetheless). Death is also suspenseful, witty and
coming-of-age. My main demographic of readers is females ages 25-34. After
that? It's post-60. Isn't that something? I never thought a teen male-POV would
interest anyone except... you got it: a teen male-POV. Then Death got its teeth
in the readers. Guys discovered it, middle-aged women (I'm one of those so no
diss there, girls), teens and older people. Yes, I said elderly. They read and
everything. (That's tongue in cheek, lest I get hate mail.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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What makes Death different? For starters, it's male POV.
And there's just not much lit out there that is. There's even less from a teen
boy's POV. I didn't know any better. I have four sons who complained endlessly
about all the “drivel” of chicks who thought they could <i>write</i> like a guy
<i>thought</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So <i>this</i> chick thought: <i>why not? </i>It's
certainly harder to speak from a teen girl's POV as there aren't any of them
galloping around the house. I went for it, and the rest is history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I thought I'd “grow” the teens through high school and be
done at book six. But they kept talking, and readers kept asking for Death (I
love how that sounds). Now they're all grown up with some kids of their own.
It's a futuristic setting so I've taken liberties with some of the characters
as you'll see if you begin the Death odyssey. I know it's a little weird, but
my fave character is the MC's grandpa, “Gramps.” You ever meet anyone that
knows who they are to the marrow? And they're simply indifferent to change or
compromise? Filter-less? Yes, that's Mac O'Brien. And I simply can't seem to
“retire” him. I also adore the MC zombie, Clyde. He died in a post-depression
America and has not let his principles slide. He and Mac get along great. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I threw romance in Death #7, parallel earths, horror,
action, comedic dialog, agony, drama and suspense. The pace is fierce (I guess
I'm not terrific at slow pacing), and some resolution takes place, along with
questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Does Deegan's zombie survive? Will Paxton save his Gram?
Is Brad Thompson and his dad going to corrupt another earth through Zombie
slaving? It's a new earth with the same problems. Where there's power, there is
also greed. I had a terrific time writing Death. So much so, I'm already
devising a Death 8. Since Death 7 is a spin-off; a case of the “stales” shall
not be had. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Book one, <i>Death Whispers</i>, is currently in audio
production and I have to say, it was in the top ten surreal experiences of my
life to listen to my own words. What I really got out of listening is how
mature DW is in some respects. It captures the changes teens experience on the
chasm of near-adulthood. Death began as a YA crossover series and is now firmly
in the new adult/adult genre. Fans of dystopian, hard sci-fi, paranormal
romance, fantasy and action with snappy dialog should dig death.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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If you're looking for a unique narrative, jam-packed with
action and fast pacing, Death just might be for you. Especially for if you have
a crush on zombies....</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;">Tamara Rose Blodgett is the author of forty titles, including her NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling novel, A Terrible Love. Tamara writes a variety of dark fiction in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, romance and erotica. She lives in South Dakota with her family and is an ardent reader who enjoys interacting with her readers.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-10289707774843509502014-09-04T05:30:00.000-04:002014-09-04T05:30:02.386-04:00The Winter People Blog Tour: #Review + #Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt;">The Winter People<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt;">by</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4615084.Rebekah_L_Purdy"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rebekah L. Purdy</span></a></span><span style="background: white; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt;">Release Date: 09/02/14</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt;">Entangled Teen</span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18630479-the-winter-people?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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<i><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt;">An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin
Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.<br />
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Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all,
the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images
of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their
warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter
woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health
takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their
estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the
back of the property.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho'; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho'; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
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Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid.
At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds
trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of
the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new
direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton,
who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed
bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy
backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Winter People was a wonderful read.
Even though Salome was terrified of the winter, it was made in to a magical
season in this book, full of whispering creatures and handsome, mysterious
boys! <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I really enjoyed the magical realism of
this story. Salome falls into a magical world that completely crashes with
reality. She honestly believes, probably because her mom tells her, that she is
going crazy. That the voices she hears are all in her heard and that her
horrific fear of winter is PTSD from her fall in her lake. This winter is
different, Salome’s grandparents have to go away for the winter and her mother
is in a cast so Salome is forced to face her fears and take care of her grandparent’s
property for the winter. Her task include filling the bird feeders, leaving a
charm/gift in an old tree, and above all keeping the gate the property shut.
Salome may think that her grandmother’s ways are odd but she loves her
grandparents and will do what they ask. When the voices start coming back and
weird things start happening, Salome finds that there may be more to her
Grandmother’s strange way than old superstition and her reasons may be the key
to saving Salome’s life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This ends up being an extremely important winter for Salome!
There’s so much going on, so many new
guys in her life and so much she has to figure out. I think that is why this
book in a little confusing at times. I think it’s supposed to be confusing because
Salome know almost nothing about what is going on around and the more she
slowly starts to learn, the more questions she ends up with. This story is like
a big frustrating puzzle, at times I just had to walk about and process all the
pieces I’d been given before I could keep reading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Despite all of the confusion, Salome is a really great main
character. I feel like this a great book
about learning to trust yourself and your own instincts, even when everyone is
telling you otherwise. At first I found Salome a little annoying but I really
felt like she learned to stand on her own two feet as the book went on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salome has not one, not two, but three gentlemen to choose
from and they all have a role in the mystery of the winter. Colton is the
Salome’s long time crush. He comes off as an all American boy at first but
Salome soon learns that there is much more to him than she ever saw. Nevin just
shows up on her grandmother’s property on day. He claims to know Salome and her
grandmother and as weird as it is, he’s seems to be the first person Salome
feels like she can open up to. But Nevin has secrets he’s not willing to share.
How can Salome feel so close to someone she hardly knows anything about and
what will she do when she finds out the truth? Then there is Gareth who always
seems to be there when Salome needs someone the most. Does he just have good
timing or is there more to him as well? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now you can see why this could all get a little confusing
but despite all the chaos, The Winter People is a wonderful, magical story! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My only complaint is the pacing. I felt like this could a
have been a much shorter story. There where parts that just didn’t seem necessary
which made the book drag on at times. I ended up gloss over some parts to get
to the good stuff and I don’t feel like I missed anything important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you are a fan of magical realism and the wonders of
winter, The Winter People will be fun read for you! </span><span style="font-family: Handlee;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOFY_8bwzXg/VAfzE8I8bWI/AAAAAAAADF8/mQ0Xux3cI3w/s1600/rebecca%2Bpurdy.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOFY_8bwzXg/VAfzE8I8bWI/AAAAAAAADF8/mQ0Xux3cI3w/s1600/rebecca%2Bpurdy.PNG" height="200" width="138" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rebekah Purdy
grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book
and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her
stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping,
playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable
like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story
material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her
childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with
anything chocolate…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://rebekahlpurdy.wordpress.com/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">WordPress</a></span><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">/</span><b style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4615084.Rebekah_L_Purdy" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">/</span><b style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rebekahlpurdyauthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a></b><span style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">/</span><b style="font-family: Handlee; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/RebekahLPurdy" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2348b9db316/" id="rc-2348b9db316" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-33633217240491413482014-09-02T01:16:00.002-04:002014-09-02T01:16:49.544-04:00The Winter People Release Day Giveaway! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rseGLVYsH-A/VATK5RKfDCI/AAAAAAAALdQ/SaYGz9qyY1s/s1600/TWP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rseGLVYsH-A/VATK5RKfDCI/AAAAAAAALdQ/SaYGz9qyY1s/s1600/TWP.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Today
is release day for THE WINTER PEOPLE by Rebekah Purdy we’re here to celebrate
with a giveaway and an excerpt! Help us celebrate the release of this amazing
book and enter to win a Winter Emergency Kit!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eYZnbrqip3U/VATK_2BFYWI/AAAAAAAALdY/DQr6OHv8CsU/s1600/TheWinterPeople500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eYZnbrqip3U/VATK_2BFYWI/AAAAAAAALdY/DQr6OHv8CsU/s1600/TheWinterPeople500.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">THE WINTER PEOPLE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Author: Rebekah Purdy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Release Date: September 2, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Pages: 320<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068787-the-winter-people">Goodreads</a></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">/</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winter-People-Entangled-Teen/dp/1622663683/ref=la_B004MBLWGO_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385239381&sr=1-2">Amazon</a></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">/</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-winter-people-rebekah-l-purdy/1117058087?ean=9781622663682">Barnes
& Noble</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn’t forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she’ll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cB3uLgBOsBc/VAVRaB6x7OI/AAAAAAAADEw/ZcEhzwpdQAU/s1600/excerpt2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cB3uLgBOsBc/VAVRaB6x7OI/AAAAAAAADEw/ZcEhzwpdQAU/s1600/excerpt2.png" height="57" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">Exclusive
Excerpt!</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The
pond water rippled while the trees bent beneath the strong gusts. Soon,
everything became so white I couldn’t see the house. In the distance a strange
tinkling sounded, like dozens of wind chimes. Not the chimes. Not the chimes.
Not the chimes, I repeated over and over in my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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had the shrink told me to do?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ten,
nine, eight. Breathe. Seven, six, five. Shit! I held my head in my hands for a
long moment. Get it together.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Panic
stole my thoughts and I raised my head, backing away from the pond as the
flurries swirled toward me. Chasing me.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I
bumped into something—something that felt quite human. A firm chest, arms,
hands. Not something, someone. A shriek tumbled from my lips and I spun around
to face my captor.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“It’s
okay. I won’t hurt you,” a soft masculine voice said, pale hands clinging to my
arms as he kept me from falling.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My
gaze followed those long fingers, then up black leather sleeves, to the most
gorgeous face I’d ever seen. My breath caught in my throat. I was gawking. But
I couldn’t help it. His raven hair was shot with strands of blue, his face was
pale and perfect, like an ice sculptor had chiseled it into existence. His
eyes—oh God, his eyes. They were the palest blue I’d ever seen. Glacial. He had
to be over six feet tall, muscles evident through the tight shirt he wore
beneath his unzipped leather jacket.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">His
mouth turned up at the corners as if enjoying my scrutiny. A cocky grin that
made my cheeks warm and my whole body buzz. “You’re trespassing.” I tried to
keep the tremble from my voice. “This is private property, or can’t you read
the signs?” Bravo. I’d scare him off with my bitchiness. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">He chuckled. And it
sounded like the low song of chimes. “Doris doesn’t mind me coming around. In
fact, I’ve met you before, Salome.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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name on his lips made my knees go buttery. I groaned inwardly.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">About
Rebekah: </span></b></div>
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An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.
Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn’t forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she’ll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Rebekah was born and raised in Michigan (just look for the mitten-shaped state
on the map). She’s lived there most of her life other than the few years she
spent in the U.S. Army. At which time she got a chance to experience MO,
KS, SC, and CA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">She
works full time for the court system and in her free time she writes YA
stories. Pretty much any genre within the YA realm is game for her, but her favorites
are fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, thrillers, light sci-fi, and
some time travel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">She
also has a big family–she like to considers them the modern day Brady Bunch.
When her hubby and her met and got married, he had 3 children from a previous
marriage, she had 2 and have 1
together. It’s a lot of fun though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And
she can’t forget her other family members–yep, they’ve got some pets: 4
dogs, 3 cats, and 1 turtle. Everyone in the family has one…she won’t
bore you all with their names (unless you really want to know). Okay, you
talked her into it! Jack, Pearl, Grr…(yes that’s her dog’s name), Callie,
Shadow, Mooshoo, Grouchy, and Sorbert. Other than writing some of her other
hobbies include: reading (mostly YA of course), singing, swimming, football,
soccer, running, camping, sledding, church, hanging with her kids, and
traveling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">She
belong to a fabulous writing group called YA Fiction Fantatics (YAFF) and you
guessed it they all write YA!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">REPPED by Jennifer Mishler and
Frances Black of Literary Counsel.</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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that’s her in a big ‘ol nutshell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://rebekahlpurdy.wordpress.com/">Website</a></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> /</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://twitter.com/RebekahLPurdy">Twitter</a></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">/</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rebekahlpurdyauthor">Facebook</a>/<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4615084.Rebekah_L_Purdy">Goodreads</a></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-32084906885927544332014-08-23T06:00:00.000-04:002014-08-23T06:00:02.085-04:00Book Blitz: Lost To Me by Jamie Blair <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lost To Me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40639.Jamie_Blair">Jamie Blair</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Release Date: 08/19/14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lauren Kelling’s prom night is a memory she’ll never forget—in her nightmares. She had the dress, the hair, and romantic first time plans with her boyfriend, Kolton Seidel. But what should have been the best night of her life bleeds into terror when she’s brutally attacked.</span></i></div>
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<i style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></i></i><i style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, Lauren relives the events leading up to prom, unraveling the clues that should have warned her of the trauma to come. Like Kolton ’s malicious ex-girlfriend, who’ll do anything to rip them apart. Or Kolton’s mentally unstable brother.</span></i></i><br />
<i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></i></i><i><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After the tragedy, Lauren wants to hide, disfigured inside and out, while Kolton drowns in a sea of guilt. Only together can the two of them lay rest to the past and heal each other, through a love too strong to break.</span></span></i></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jamie Blair lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, their two kids and a cat that broke into their house and refused to leave. She won a young author's contest in third grade, but it probably shouldn't count since her mom wrote most of her entry. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17299264-leap-of-faith?ac=1" target="_blank">LEAP OF FAITH </a>is her first novel. She promises her mom didn't write one word of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-40120423354974333082014-08-22T06:00:00.000-04:002014-08-22T06:00:03.454-04:00Book Blitz Giveaway: Come Back to Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gIGmjZQR6Hw/U_a64bJm54I/AAAAAAAAC_4/89FuNzNOo18/s1600/ComeBackToTexasBlitzBanner1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gIGmjZQR6Hw/U_a64bJm54I/AAAAAAAAC_4/89FuNzNOo18/s1600/ComeBackToTexasBlitzBanner1.png" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Come Back To Texas <br />
(Twelve Beats In A Bar #1) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">K.K. Hendin<br />
Publication date: August 18th 2014<br />
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult</span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22694662-come-back-to-texas?ac=1" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">Everyone thought we’d be the ones
who made it through high school. The ones who’d get married and stay married
forever. The example of how young love can work.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">We thought so, too.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">Too bad life had other plans.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">It’s been three years since
Hayley and Nate broke each other’s hearts. Three years, and a lot has changed.
Hayley’s a freshman in Bushwick University, and the only things keeping her
sane are stress baking, and her a cappella group, Twelve Beats in a Bar.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">Nate’s a Marine, stationed in
Afghanistan. The only thing that’s keeping him sane is the last picture he has
of him and Hayley, and the hope that maybe when the hell of deployment is over,
he can find her again and apologize.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">One explosion will change
everything.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">When a bomb kills all of Nate’s
unit, leaving him missing a leg and eyesight in one eye, he’s sent back home to
Texas. Texas, where he loved Hayley more than he could possibly imagine ever
loving anyone else.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">With seemingly endless amounts of
free time and needing something to distract himself, Nate starts making YouTube
videos, imploring Hayley to come back to him, and come back to Texas.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">Hayley’s life is wrapped around
the Beats, making sure she doesn’t flunk out of biology class, and babysitting
Ohio’s smallest monster, Brandon. She doesn’t want to admit it, but she misses
Nate more than anything.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Give You Glory";">It’s too bad she doesn’t know
just how much he misses her, too…</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TbVwMosEYN8/U_bC_pfQVEI/AAAAAAAADAw/V1hCkflBans/s1600/Q%26A.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TbVwMosEYN8/U_bC_pfQVEI/AAAAAAAADAw/V1hCkflBans/s1600/Q%26A.png" height="87" width="320" /></a><br />
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<u><b>In Which KK Interviews Herself For A Blog But She’s Not Sure
Which One…</b></u><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Congratulations on your new book, KK!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Thank you!</div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: So, a twelve book series? Are you crazy?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Apparently.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Wow. Good luck with that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Gee, thanks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Where did you get the idea for COME BACK TO
TEXAS from? Was it a dream? Were you drunk? Did it really happen? Or did
someone give you the idea and you wrote it and now you’re going to split the profits?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Well, there are a few different parts of the
story, and they all came to me at different times. While I was awake. And
sober. From my own imagination <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>
The first part of the story that came to me was Nate and Hayley’s story, and
that was inspired by Bowling For Soup’s song Come Back To Texas. (HEYYYY… WAIT
A SECOND.) I loved the idea of a guy using everything but himself to entice a
girl to come back to him, and I loved that it was Texas, because Texas. And as
usual, the idea kind of started spiraling… and then Nate and Hayley talking ice
cream showed up, and there was that. The series concept came while I was
watching the Sing-Off. I love a cappella, and I’ve always wanted to write about
an a cappella group. When everything clicked into place…. Well, let’s just say
I happy danced so much I probably traumatized my neighbors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: So, did you have the Bowling For Soup song
stuck in your head the whole time?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Not the *whole* time, but a fair amount of it. I
listened to a lot of a cappella music and country music while writing CBTT, so
some of those songs got stuck in my head. There are worse things that could
happen <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Country music? Really?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: I actively like country music. And when I find
country a cappella music, my head about explodes with happiness. I’ve been
listening to country music for quite some time, so getting to drop different
song references throughout the book was a lot of fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: It’s all just trucks and cows and your girl
leaving you, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Nope. Well, there are some songs like that, but
not all of them. There’s quite a range of music within country music. And even
more of a range in a cappella music. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Well, I’m glad you had a good playlist for
this book. I know those are important to you. What was your favorite scene?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: WHY MUST YOU ASK HARD QUESTIONS???<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: I *could* have asked you what your favorite
book is. You’re lucky I’m asking you easy questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Geez. I hate you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: That’s professional of you, dear.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Phoof.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: You didn’t answer the question.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Fine. I don’t have only one though, I have a
few. The period scene, the work study scene, and the end. I’m really fond of
the end <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Okay, real talk—are we going to cry while
reading CBTT?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Maybe? I actually cried while editing it. Not
while writing it, but editing. And I didn’t cry while writing or editing HEART
BREATHS or ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG, so I don’t know what that means.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I<b>nterviewer KK</b>: So, what’s up next with you?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: More books! And vacation in which I will write
all the words!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Well, that does sound fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: It will be!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Interviewer KK</b>: Well, thanks for answering all my questions,
KK!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Regular KK</b>: Anytime, Interviewer KK!</div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/come-back-to-texas-kk-hendin/1120158350?ean=2940150676152" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u0GEc9LITKY/U_a-P661Z_I/AAAAAAAADAY/H5NKLLoNkwc/s1600/Barnes%2Band%2BNoble.png" height="48" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Come-Back-Texas-Twelve-Beats-ebook/dp/B00MT79B2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408678902&sr=8-1&keywords=Come+Back+To+Texas+Hendin" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ysO8SpOa23U/U_a-PmUK1GI/AAAAAAAADAU/A_WUWQTGOBI/s1600/Amazon.png" height="48" width="200" /></a></div>
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KK
Hendin's real life ambition is to become a pink fluffy unicorn who dances with
rainbows. But the schooling for that is all sorts of complicated, so until that
gets sorted out, she'll just write. Preferably things with angst and love. And
things that require chocolate.<br />
She spends way too much time on Twitter (@kkhendin), and rambles on occasion
over at <a href="http://www.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com/">www.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/KK-Hendin/425268687590642?ref=tn_tnmn" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P9CbXBgJp5k/U_bFcJmetyI/AAAAAAAADBQ/8WzJm-x9A94/s1600/facebook%2Bsoft.png" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7231267.K_K_Hendin" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IX9uz7xBGLE/U_bFcZo_bmI/AAAAAAAADBU/9cntHlcX2OA/s1600/good%2Breads%2Bsoft.png" /></a><a href="https://twitter.com/kkhendin" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GaVpWNfQrgE/U_bFcadGeLI/AAAAAAAADBc/tpB5tDd2sw8/s1600/twitter%2Bsoft.png" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-30200664131854653122014-08-22T05:00:00.000-04:002014-08-22T06:12:45.722-04:00Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uzJHPXEQqfQ/U_bR_QwgUbI/AAAAAAAADB8/BeqIAp4dIno/s1600/Grave%2BMercy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uzJHPXEQqfQ/U_bR_QwgUbI/AAAAAAAADB8/BeqIAp4dIno/s1600/Grave%2BMercy.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Title: Grave Mercy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Series: His Fair Assassin 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Author: Robin LaFevers <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Publication Date: April 3<sup>rd</sup> 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9565548-grave-mercy?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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<em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">Why be the sheep,
when you can be the wolf?</span></em><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<br />
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the
brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St.
Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that
the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts</span><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">—</span><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">and a violent destiny.
If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and
serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the
lives of others.</span><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Pea Ashlee Renee"; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-color: #f8e0f9; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Ismae’s most important assignment takes her
straight into the high court of Brittany</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">—</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">where she finds herself woefully under
prepared</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">—</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">not
only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible
choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">’</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">s vengeance upon a
target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?</span>?<span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">So I finally dived into this series and I am so glad that I did. This
was such a wonderful book, even if the language was a little weird at times. I
still have a hard time accepting mayhap as a word. The history of the story was
amazingly vivid and completely enthralling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Ismae is a wonderful heroin! She’s strong and a fighter. She comes
from a terrible past where she never felt wanted or loved but she doesn’t let
that break her sprit. She escapes her terrible life to be thrust into a whole
new world of religion and death. She’s throws everything she has into her new
life, learning every way there is to kill a man</span><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">…</span><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;"> among other
things. Ismae not only finds a purpose but she also finds a family in the
sisters and the other girls in the covenant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Ismae’s first assignment start a chain of events that lead her
straight into the high court of Brittany. Even with all her training she feels
unprepared for this high class and overly policital world where doing her duty
to St. Mortain becomes more complicated than she was taught. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Her patron and possible enemy, Duval doesn’t make her life any easier.
She knows that she can trust no one but the more time they spent together the
harder she is finding it to keep her eye on the goals the convent set before
her. Ismae even begins to wonder how well informed the sisters who guide her
hand are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Again I just loved Ismae! She’s such a strong heroin and it was just
wonderful to read about her relationships with all of the characters she comes
across on her mission. She and Duval have a very interesting relationship from
the very beginning. Not knowing if she can trust him or not, and her sorted
history with the other men in her life make getting to know him difficult at
best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Duval is a very interesting character. You don’t really know whether
to love him or hate him. His extremely intelligent but it’s hard to peg is he
is using that for good or for evil. He’s unswervingly loyal and that ends up
being his redeemable quality. He also challenges Ismae in a good way, she hates
it of course but he helps her learn to think for herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">I loved the court of Brittany! It was like reading about the Tudors
court without the tyrant king and the killing of many wives. I even loved the
way the clothing was described, even though Ismae wasn’t a fan. I had no
problem envisioning every step of Ismae’s journey from her humble beginnings on
a turnip farm to the grandiose court of Brittany. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">All in all Grave Mercy is a wonderful historical fiction novel with an
awesome assassin’s twist! This book has everything I love about historical
fiction, the old tradition, religious and monarchy with the intrigue of James
Blond</span><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">…</span><span style="font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;"> haha. This is book on in the His Fair
Assassin’s series, book two and three are about Ismae’s friends from the convent
of St. Mortain and I cannot wait to read their stories as well. <span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Robin LaFevers was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales, Bulfinch’s mythology, and 19th century poetry. It is not surprising she grew up to be a hopeless romantic.<br />
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Though she has never trained as an assassin or joined a convent, she did attend Catholic school for three years, which instilled in her a deep fascination with sacred rituals and the concept of the Divine. She has been on a search for answers to life’s mysteries ever since.</div>
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While many of those answers still elude her, she was lucky enough to find her one true love, and is living happily ever after with him in the foothills of southern California.</div>
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In addition to writing about teen assassin nuns in medieval Brittany, she writes books for middle grade readers, including the Theodosia books and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. You can learn more about those books at <a href="http://www.rllafevers.com/" style="color: #7d8a6c; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">www.rllafevers.com</a>.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-64062535206029850752014-08-20T06:00:00.000-04:002014-08-22T00:28:42.928-04:00Blog Tour: Lore!! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlqWSaApATo/U_QKfzzuQTI/AAAAAAAAC98/mnWKJLrQnXY/s1600/LoreTourBanner1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlqWSaApATo/U_QKfzzuQTI/AAAAAAAAC98/mnWKJLrQnXY/s1600/LoreTourBanner1.png" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Buda; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Title: Lore: Tales of Myth
and Legend Retold<br />
Authors: Brinda Berry, Cate Dean, Jayne A. Knolls, Karen Y.
Bynum, Laura Diamond, Theresa DaLayne<br />
(Anthology)<br />
Publication date: March 2014<br />
Genres: Young Adult<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20804029-lore?ac=1" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Buda;">A collection of six folklore
retellings that will twist your mind and claim your heart.<br />
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SHIMMER: A heartbroken boy rescues a mermaid</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…</span><span style="font-family: Buda;"> but is it
too late to save her?<br />
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BETWEEN is about a girl, a genie, and a ton of bad decisions.<br />
<br />
SUNSET MOON: Eloise doesn</span><span style="font-family: Buda; mso-bidi-font-family: Buda;">’</span><span style="font-family: Buda;">t believe in Native American magic</span><span style="font-family: Buda; mso-bidi-font-family: Buda;">–</span><span style="font-family: Buda;">until the dreamcatcher spiders spin her down an
unknown path.<br />
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THE MAKER: An incapacitated young man bent on revenge builds a creature to do
it for him.<br />
<br />
A BEAUTIFUL MOURNING: The story of a Maya goddess torn between duty and
love, and the ultimate sacrifice she must make to achieve true happiness.<br />
<br />
THE BARRICADES: When a human girl risks everything to save the life of an
Eternal prince, will their feelings for each other change the world
they know, or tear it apart?</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Buda;">Shimmer</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Buda;">
– Growing up knowing all of the songs in the movie The Little Mermaid, I have
come to expect a lot from my mermaids. This was definitely a totally different
take on the mer-people but it was good. I really enjoy the almost love story
but it was so good that I was totally bummed when the story ended. This short
story seemed more like the few chapters of a good book!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Buda;">Between</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Buda;">-I
like the genie and the supporting cast of this story more than I like the main
character. I found Lucy to be frustrating and a lot of decisions where
confusing. I it would have been easier to connect with her more if we had more
time with Lucy but as short stories go, the ending came all too soon and I was
left feeling confused and conflicted about this whole story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Buda;">Sunset Moon</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Buda;">-I really enjoyed this story. I was totally into Eloise’s story and the
Indian myths entwined within. This is an instance story that I wanted more of
once I was done! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Buda;">The Maker</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Buda;">-This
was a totally vengeance driven storyline. It was a little too negative for my
taste but it made sense for the story to play out the way it did. The mythology
in this story was awesome I plot just wasn't to my taste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Buda;">The Beautiful Morning</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Buda;">- Oh the ending! I was in pieces! This was a great
story. The characters were great, even the not so nice ones. This is just a
beautifully sweet story that I really enjoyed reading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Buda;">The Barricades</span></u></b><span style="font-family: Buda;">- This story was really exceptional story that left me wanting more! The
world that is created in this fable is just enthralling and the story is just
as captivating! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Buda;">All and all I really enjoyed
the stories in this books. Most of the stories I really didn’t want to end,
Sunset Moon and A Beautiful Mourning should be made into full length books that
would make me very happy. Each story is a small twist on folk lore most readers
will be somewhat familiar with. From mermaids to goddesses, this book has it
all. It’s reminiscent of the Grimm Fairy Tales and reminded of me the TV show
once. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-78522821389249244122014-08-16T06:00:00.000-04:002014-08-16T06:00:00.844-04:00Review + Giveaway - Blog Tour: The Artful <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Amanda\0027s Hand"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Title: The Artful<br />
Series: Shadows of the City #1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Amanda\0027s Hand"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Author: Wilbert Stanton<br />
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press<br />
Publication date: May 27th 2014<br />
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22019704-the-artful?ac=1" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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New
York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now
a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and
the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the
world.<br />
<br />
Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and
underground tunnels – their playground. They aren’t heroes. They just
like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to
the poor is their golden ticket.<br />
<br />
On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square
between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor
of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of
their putrefying world.</div>
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Wilbert
Stanton was born and raised in New York City. From an early age, Wilbert
decided he would either write books or take over the
world; everything else was just a precursor to his end game.<br />
<br />
Along the way, he has studied Psychology, English, and Computer Science.
He’s held jobs in a wide range of fields and met people from all walks
of life. Wilbert is constantly learning and growing as a person, in
order to solidify his dreams.<br />
<br />
In the end world domination was a bit tedious, so he decided to focus on
writing books.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-42609293302684944482014-08-16T00:59:00.003-04:002014-08-16T22:31:31.996-04:00Cover Reveal: Palace Hills by <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Just Me Again Down Here"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Title: Palace Hills </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Just Me Again Down Here"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Author: Briones Lim<br />
Published by: Limitless Publishing<br />
Publication date: September 9th 2014<br />
Genres: New Adult, Romance</span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22913745-palace-hills" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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<em>Palace Hills</em>. The very name struck shivers down the spine of the
affluent city of Goldendale.<o:p></o:p><br />
Unfortunately, eighteen-year-old Nina Sharman has no choice but to call the
poverty-stricken neighborhood her new home.<o:p></o:p><br />
Life seems bleak until a chance meeting with Conner Hale changes her mind
and captures her heart, leading her to believe that maybe Palace Hills wasn’t
so bad after all.<o:p></o:p><br />
However, one tragic case of mistaken identity changes everything and leads
to an event so horrifying that Nina believes she could never recover.<o:p></o:p><br />
Choosing to leave Conner behind, Nina vows never to return to Palace Hills
again.<o:p></o:p><br />
Five years later, Nina has a new home, a new boyfriend and a new life. Yet,
still haunted by the ghosts of her past, Nina finds she must return to Palace
Hills to put an end to a nightmare, which has haunted her for years.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Upon her return, one vital slip in judgement threatens to bring the life she
had worked so hard to build to come crashing down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
Thanks to her Mom's unwavering devotion to read a bedtime story to her every
single night throughout her childhood years, S. BRIONES LIM's love for books
began before she could even speak. Author of the Life Force Trilogy, S. Briones
Lim's other obsessions include time with family, POPCORN, sketching, movies and
her pug, Tobi. She currently lives on the East Coast with her husband and
continues to write everyday.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-35965271880263822642014-08-15T18:08:00.002-04:002014-08-15T18:13:25.836-04:00Blog Tour: Not Quite Dead Review+Giveaway! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC";">Title: Not Quite
Dead by Lyla Payne<br />Series: A Lowcountry Ghost Story<br />
Publication date: April 1st 2014<br />
Genres: Mystery, New Adult, Paranormal</span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20824605-not-quite-dead?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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A
broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with
her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town
too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking
problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental
picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best
friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the
town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status.<br />
<br />
When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a
near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she
never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.<br />
<br />
Her brand new “I don’t give a crap” attitude makes it easy to dismiss the
mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information
on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie
knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant,
reeking companion.<br />
<br />
If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse,
she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with
her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit
find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t
move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the
other way around.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quite-Dead-Lowcountry-Ghost-Story/dp/1497319935/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400169187&sr=8-1&keywords=Not+Quite+Dead" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MaS1_yjCVbQ/U-5swdUUNDI/AAAAAAAAC0M/jpyJF8CCyt0/s1600/amazon.png" height="49" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/not-quite-dead-lyla-payne/1119006258?ean=9781497319936" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UsgoRK9PIUc/U-5swdnVGPI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/CWLGBhkj-JM/s1600/Barnes-and-Noble-Buy-Button.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Just Me Again Down Here";">Not
Quite Dead is an emotional roller-coaster that I didn’t want to stop riding! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Just Me Again Down Here";">In the beginning
it was a little hard to deal with Graciela’s incessant pity party over how her
life is currently going, but I really did feel for her and I could empathize
with her situation. Having to return to the small town where she spent her
summers as a child, to take care of her ailing grandfather and to escape from
her world of a cheating fiancé and friends who know about his sexcapades and
never said a world. Graciela spends the most of the start of this story in a
depressive fog with the help of loads of alcohol. This doesn’t make her very
popular in her old stomping grounds. Graciela is, understandably, hurting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Just Me Again Down Here";">This
story is not about Graciela’s sadness, it’s about her pulling herself and her
life back together. Once she starts to get her head together she’s a great protagonist.
She’s spunky and funny! The new mayor Beau is exactly what she needed, even if
it takes her a while to realize it. Their relationship grows throughout the
story and it’s wonderful to read about. Graciela is also forced to face some
past demons that she would rather just not deal with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Just Me Again Down Here";">This is
a paranormal story although it’s more like a love story with a little bit of paranormal
mixed it. Anne Bonny’s ghost keeps showing up with some mysterious and
dangerous task for Graciela that takes the reader deeper into the history of Heron
Creek which was really interesting to learn about. And I think these themes
will move into the rest of the series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Just Me Again Down Here";">This is
a great guilty pleasure read, perfect for a vacation or a rainy-day. The plot
is a little slow throughout so I’m giving Not Quite Dead 3.5 stars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Amanda\'s Hand';">Lyla Payne has been publishing New Adult romance
novels for a little over a year, starting with Broken at Love and
continuing with the rest of the Whitman University series. She loves
telling stories, discovering the little reasons people fall in love, and
uncovering hidden truths in the world around us - past and present.
In her spare time she cuddles her two dogs, pretends to enjoy exercising
so that she can eat as much Chipotle as she wants, and harbors a deep
and abiding hope that Zac Efron likes older women. She loves reading, of
course, along with movies, traveling, and Irish whiskey. Lyla's hard
at work, ALWAYS, and hopes to bring you more Whitman University antics and
at least one more Lowcountry ghost tale before the end of the year.</span><span style="font-family: 'Amanda\'s Hand';"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Lyla
Payne is represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">If you
want to know more, please visit her at </span></span><span style="font-family: "Amanda\0027s Hand";"><a href="http://lylapayne.com/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">http://lylapayne.com</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">If you're
a fan of Young Adult fiction--science fiction or otherwise--please check
out her work that's published under the name Trisha Leigh. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://trishaleigh.com/">http://trishaleigh.com</a></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-6751734246681324722014-07-18T04:01:00.000-04:002014-07-18T04:01:49.482-04:00Revolutionary Blog Tour!! Review + Giveaway!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">Title:
Revolutionary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">Series:
Anomaly #3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">Author:
Krista McGee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">Publication
Date: July 15, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">Publisher: Thomas Nelson </span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua, serif;">Publishers</span></div>
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18806299-revolutionary" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><br /><i>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.<br /><br />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?<br /><br />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 aboveground will be lost once and for all.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "The Girl Next Door";">I have had Anomaly
sitting on my e-reader for a while without ever creaking it open. When the blog
tour for Revolutionary showed up I thought this was a great opportunity to whip
out that old copy of the first book and read the whole series in one swift go!
I had no idea what I was getting myself into, it was three straight days of “Go
away! I have to finish this series!” Nothing got done around my house and I am
still catching up on laundry but it was TOTALLY WORTH IT! Revolutionary was a
marvelous ending to this electrifying series! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "The Girl Next Door";">Since I got
to read all three books straight through, I felt like I really go to watch the
evolution of the protagonist, Thalli. She really blooms throughout the series
leading up the conclusion of the series. She learns to trust, love and most of
all have faith. Her growth through her struggles made her that much more believable
and made for some really great reading. Thalli is the kind of character you can’t
help but get behind, her struggle is real and difficult and the writing allows
the reader to go through every emotion and difficult decision with Thalli. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "The Girl Next Door";">I read
through some of the reviews of the first book before I started reading it and
there were a lot of negative comments just because the series has a religious
basis. Thalli’s journey is propelled by her faith and belief in “The Designer”.
A lot of readers didn’t like that the author chose to add religion to her story
but I felt like it really added to the story over all. In a world where people
are taught to use logic and not to have or show feelings, I think it makes perfect
sense that Thalli and her friends would need something/someone to believe in
order to push against what they have been taught is abnormal. I think is
logical to think that people who only use their brains would forgot how
powerful faith can be. I actually like that the author chose to have the
characters believe in The Designer as not to associate the story with any
particular real-world religion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "The Girl Next Door";">Thalli is involved
with a lot of wonderful characters. Alex and Berk, probably heading up the
group. I enjoyed the love triangle between Thalli and the boys but I also
appreciated that Thalli understood how important her end goal was and that her
love life was not the highest priority. It was refreshing to read a story with
a teenager who could see the bigger picture, not that love in not important but
sometimes it has to take a second seat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "The Girl Next Door";">Revolutionary
does not let up on the action from the first two books in the series. The whole
story kept me on the edge. The action was electrifying! There were some
wonderfully unexpected twist and turns throughout this book. Although I knew
how I wanted things to end, I was never really sure exactly where the story was
ultimately headed. There were times I was rereading passages because I didn’t believe
what I just read. I loved that! There is nothing worse than figuring out the
ending half-way through the series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "The Girl Next Door";">The world
that Krista McGee was able to create is incredible. I have a clear picture of New
Hope, Athens and the State. In every place Thalli was, I was right there with
her. The creativity and detail kept me completely engaged in this story! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "The Girl Next Door";">This was just
a phenomenal end to a marvelous series! If you love deeply rich dystopian
worlds, you will love Revolutionary and the rest of the Anomaly series! Krista McGee has written a wonderful story
full of action, love, logic and faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0px;">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.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-87183476584475079272014-07-01T09:00:00.000-04:002014-07-01T09:00:08.051-04:00Release Day Book Blitz!!! GIVEAWAY: Perfected by Kate Jarvick Birch <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Baroque Script';">Title:Perfected</span><span style="font-family: 'Baroque Script'; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baroque Script';">Author: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7159349.Kate_Jarvik_Birch">Kate
Jarvik Birch</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Baroque Script'; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baroque Script';">Release
Date: 07/01/14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Baroque Script';">Publisher:
Entangled Teen</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Perfection comes at a price.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows…and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">But when Ella is kidnapped and thrust into the dark underworld lurking beneath her pampered life, she’s faced with an unthinkable choice. Because the only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn’s family is leaving…and if she’s unsuccessful, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">For fans of Keira Cass’s <i>Selection</i> series and Lauren DeStefano’s <i>Chemical Garden</i> series, <i>Perfected</i> is a chilling look at what it means to be human, and a stunning celebration of the power of love to set us free, wrapped in a glamorous—and dangerous—bow.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Praise for <i>Perfected</i>:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Compelling, imaginative, and unique. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">— Mary Lindsey, author of </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shattered Souls</i></div>
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Available from:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Perfected-Entangled-Teen-Jarvik-Birch-ebook/dp/B00H0V0534?tag=entangpublis-20&link_code=ur2&creative=9325&camp=211189" target="_blank">Amazon</a> * <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perfected-kate-jarvik-birch/1118612252" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> * <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/perfected" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Kobo Books</a><br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chapter One</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Remember… You’ll never be one of them,” Miss Gellner said, repositioning each of us on our divans in the sitting room so our gowns draped elegantly around our crossed ankles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She stepped back and gazed at the group of us, her face pinched and stern like always, but I spotted a tiny glimmer of pride behind her rheumy eyes. Twenty girls: lovely, demure, quiet. She was pleased with us, even if she wouldn’t say it out loud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Miss Gellner blinked, as if bringing herself back to the moment. “Things won’t change once you leave here,” she went on. “Simply because you’ll be pampered and spoiled, your life’s mission won’t suddenly be any different. Remember that. Your <i>sole purpose</i> is to enrich the lives of your new owners.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As she said this, she lightly tapped her bamboo training stick against my back, not a hard whack the way she had done relentlessly when we first transferred from the Greenwich Kennel to the training center, where she and her staff could cultivate us into the sort of girls we were bred to be. This was just a warning tap, reminding me to sit so that my spine was a stem, and I was the flower resting atop it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a pose we’d practiced daily for the past four years; during music and etiquette and dining, even during our nightly baths. But the fluttering in my stomach distracted me, drawing me down into myself. My whole body felt fluttery: my hands, my feet, even my eyes. I worried that the moment the two grand doors leading to the reception room swung open, I might flap away; a feather caught on the wind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next to me, Seven bit nervously at her bottom lip. It was weird to think that by tonight she’d have a new name, a real one. The breeders at Greenwich assigned us numbers as names at conception: One through Twenty, since twenty was the maximum number of girls they were allowed to have each year. I was Eight, but not for much longer. By tonight, I could be anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Across the room, Miss Gellner took a few steps towards the grand wooden doors, resting her hand lightly on the knob before she turned to face us one last time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"I want you to keep your composure when they come in. I've spent four years preparing you for this moment.” She thumped her training stick on the ground for emphasis. “Four years. Don’t waste them. Each move that you make, every turn of your head and pout of your lip speaks to my effectiveness as a trainer and I won’t have that work tarnished. When I open these doors, I expect you to remember all the things I've taught you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The stiff lining of my dress rubbed against my rib cage and I ached to shift to a more comfortable position, but I held still, staring straight ahead at Miss Gellner with a soft smile placed carefully on my lips. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Be sure to hold your tongues,” she went on. “<i>You</i> are not doing the selecting. Do not ask questions. Speak if spoken to, but keep your answers brief. We don't want to scare away a potential buyer with a girl who has too forward a notion of who’s in charge."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Beside me, the other girls were sitting silently. We were perfectly trained, all of us. And lovely, too. In our new dresses, we looked like royalty. Miss Gellner had picked out a different shade of gown for each of us, our first piece of clothing that was distinctly ours. She’d deliberated long and hard on the color choices. She wanted us each to look different. It wouldn't do for the customers to think they were getting cloned girls even though there were plenty of differences between us to set us apart. Yes, we all had large eyes, spaced perfectly on our heart shaped faces. We all had small noses, long, thin necks, and rose petal lips. But we each had distinct coloring. Seven’s hair was nearly black. Sixteen’s eyes were green, the color of fresh summer grass, and Twenty’s skin was the same warm brown of the toasted bread that we were rewarded with on Sunday mornings. We were unique. One of a kind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was happy with the dress Miss Gellner had chosen for me. It was the palest shade of blue, hardly a color at all. These dresses would be the only item that would accompany us to our new homes. Our new owners would provide everything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"We’re lucky to have a number of congressmen and senators here today," Miss Gellner went on. "Power, prestige, wealth, you'll be surrounded by the best, which is why it is important that you <i>be</i> the best." Miss Gellner sighed, nodding her head once. “All right girls. It’s time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> She turned and threw open the doors. “Ladies… Gentlemen…” her voice boomed as she glided into the next room. “If you’ll kindly follow me, I’ll show you to the sitting room. You’ll have a chance to look over each of the girls before you make your decision. As I told each of you over the phone, the number on your tag will determine the order of selection.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A moment later a stream of bodies and voices flowed into the room. I drew a breath and held it, trying to compose myself, but the fluttering inside me only grew worse. My vision blurred as the men and women pressed closer, talking loudly to one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh my! They’re so little,” a woman cooed “They look like twelve-year-olds.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I can assure you, they’re sixteen,” Miss Gellner said. “They’re fully grown; all measuring in at exactly five feet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">An older man grabbed a lock of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “Like corn silk,” he said to the woman next to him. “Did you say you were hoping for a blond or a red head? This one almost seems like a mix of the two.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“And it does have beautiful eyes. Look, they’re practically turquoise,” she crooned. “But, I was hoping for a real red head. There’s an auburn one over there we should look at.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I didn’t dare turn my head to watch them walk across the room to look at Ten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A middle-aged couple finished looking at Seven and circled around me. I blinked a few times, finally bringing my eyes back into focus as the man’s dark eyes skated over me. He was obviously quite a bit older than me, but his jaw was much stronger than the other men I’d seen so far and his eyes were bright. A sprinkling of gray hairs dusted the dark hair at his temples. The woman beside him had probably been a beauty when she was younger, but now she was a different sort of beautiful: regal and refined. She was tall, even taller than Miss Gellner, with high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and long arched brows perched overtop piercing blue eyes. Even though she had lines around her eyes and mouth, her hair was almost as dark as Seven’s, without a hint of gray. Everything about her intimidated me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Now this has some promise,” the man said, looking into my eyes. “Do you like this one?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh, John, do we really need to do this?” The woman sighed, her eyes drifting around the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Do what, Darling?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You can cut it with the ‘Darling’, too. It’s not like anyone’s listening. They’re busy choosing their own pets,” she said, gesturing towards the rest of the people in the room with an elegant sweep of her arm. “And you can stop pretending I have any say in your precious little project. You know I couldn’t care less about getting her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her husband stepped forward, so close their bodies almost touched. “You know how it looks for us not to have one, don’t you? After all the time I spent getting this bill to pass. People are saying things. You don’t want them to think—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She took a step away from him, eyeing an old man who had turned his attention to their conversation. “Whatever you say, <i>Dear</i>,” she interrupted. “I’m merely along for the ride.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You can’t argue that Ruby needs this,” the man said. “We agreed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her face softened. “I know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He took a deep breath, and when he turned back to me, it was as if he’d flipped a switch, changing his face back to the same well-groomed look of prominence and stature I’d seen on it to begin with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Stand up and give us a little whirl, Love,” he said to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hadn’t anticipated the weakness in my legs, but I stood and turned slowly, the way I learned in my Poise lessons. I kept my chin up, neck elongated, my arms held out ever so slightly from my sides as if my hands were brushing the skirt of a tutu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man smiled once I faced him again. “And what are your talents? The Kennel Trainer said that you each specialized in two.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“My talents are piano, dance, and singing. Although my vocal range is not as diverse as some.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">His forehead creased, his eyes narrowing, and my stomach flipped. If Miss Gellner had been standing next to me, she would have lashed me with her stick. We’d practiced our lines over and over and still I said it wrong. There hadn’t been any need for me to point out my faults so blatantly. I should have only mentioned the piano and dance and not said anything about the singing. I was trying too hard to impress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Three talents?” he asked. “Marvelous. I suppose We’d be getting a little bit more bang for the buck if we go with you then, isn’t that right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man’s phrasing confused me and I lowered my eyes to the ground and smiled softly the way we’d been taught to do if we ever didn’t know how to answer a question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“So which is your favorite?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Favorite?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Which one do you like the most?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m quite good at all three as long as the song I’m singing is written for a mezzo soprano.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“But certainly you have a favorite?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My mind raced, trying to think over all the scenarios we’d spoken about like this one in our Conversation class, but I drew a blank. Those classes were meant to help us understand our new owner better, not to help <i>them</i> understand <i>us</i>. I couldn’t come right out and tell him that I had a favorite. Miss Gellner would be outraged. Maybe I could try to change the subject? But then he might realize I was doing it to avoid his question, and he would know that I really did have a favorite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was too complicated an interaction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The woman smiled slyly. “Maybe she doesn’t understand your question John. Sure, she’s pretty, but they weren’t bred for brains.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I thought you said you wanted to stay out of this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She raised her hands and took a step back without saying another word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man tried again. “What I mean to say is: which one of your talents do you prefer? Is there one that makes you particularly happy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I swallowed, hoping to push down the rock that had lodged itself in my throat. “Well sir, if there’s one that <i>you</i> prefer, I’m sure I’d be delighted to perform for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man sighed and shook his head. “Never mind. Why don’t you sit back down?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I smiled once more and sank back onto the divan, trying to hold my head high even though my eyes burned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the next hour, the groups of men and women circled around the room. They were all so much bigger than I’d imagined they’d be, not only in their physical stature, but their presence, as if the room couldn’t contain them. They gobbled up the air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Finally Miss Gellner moved us into the concert room. We’d each been assigned one talent to demonstrate to give the clients a better taste of what they’d be buying. Four and Five would each be performing an adagio en pointe, a few girls were playing the flute and the cello, but the majority of us would be playing the piano or singing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Maybe it should have bothered me that I wouldn’t stand out, but all I could think about as we sat down in the velvet seats arranged along the edges of the room was Debussy’s First Arabesque in E major, the song Miss Gellner had chosen for me to play. It wasn’t an elaborate song. I could play solos that were so much more difficult like the piece by Prokofiev that I learned last year, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but I was glad she hadn’t chosen that one. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to show off my finger work playing the First Arabesque, but that didn’t matter. I could already feel the notes of the song moving up through my fingers and arms, a soft vibration that settled somewhere at the base of my neck like the warm hand of a friend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We moved in order: One, Two, Three, Four, on and on until finally it was my turn. As I climbed the stairs to the small stage at the front of the room and sat on the tufted cushion of the piano bench, it was as if a white curtain had been drawn down between the crowd and me. I took a deep breath, savoring the moment before I placed my hands on the keys and started to play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My fingers floated over the ivories for only a short four minutes, but my heart and mind quieted. I didn’t know if the other girls felt this way when they were playing, as if they were all alone and the rest of the world melted away leaving the air awash in soft color. I’d always been too embarrassed to ask. What if it meant that I had something wrong with me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Those four minutes didn’t last long enough and before I knew it my fingers had stopped, hovering over the keys as the last notes died away. A polite spattering of applause brought me back to the room full of strangers. As I stood, I glanced out into the audience, allowing myself to imagine which of these people might be my future owner. Toward the back of the room I spotted the man with the salt and pepper hair and his wife. Neither of them was clapping, but for just a second he held my gaze and nodded ever so slightly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That small gesture made my face burn with shame. He knew that I lied to him before when he’d asked me which one of my talents was my favorite. Of course it was piano, but I could never say it out loud. I was supposed to bring pleasure to my new masters, not to find pleasure for myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A cold sweat broke out across my back and I shivered, sitting back down on my chair to watch the remainder of the performances. If he could read me so easily, maybe everyone else could, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Remember… You’ll never be one of them,” Miss Gellner said, repositioning each of us on our divans in the sitting room so our gowns draped elegantly around our crossed ankles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She stepped back and gazed at the group of us, her face pinched and stern like always, but I spotted a tiny glimmer of pride behind her rheumy eyes. Twenty girls: lovely, demure, quiet. She was pleased with us, even if she wouldn’t say it out loud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Miss Gellner blinked, as if bringing herself back to the moment. “Things won’t change once you leave here,” she went on. “Simply because you’ll be pampered and spoiled, your life’s mission won’t suddenly be any different. Remember that. Your <i>sole purpose</i> is to enrich the lives of your new owners.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As she said this, she lightly tapped her bamboo training stick against my back, not a hard whack the way she had done relentlessly when we first transferred from the Greenwich Kennel to the training center, where she and her staff could cultivate us into the sort of girls we were bred to be. This was just a warning tap, reminding me to sit so that my spine was a stem, and I was the flower resting atop it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a pose we’d practiced daily for the past four years; during music and etiquette and dining, even during our nightly baths. But the fluttering in my stomach distracted me, drawing me down into myself. My whole body felt fluttery: my hands, my feet, even my eyes. I worried that the moment the two grand doors leading to the reception room swung open, I might flap away; a feather caught on the wind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next to me, Seven bit nervously at her bottom lip. It was weird to think that by tonight she’d have a new name, a real one. The breeders at Greenwich assigned us numbers as names at conception: One through Twenty, since twenty was the maximum number of girls they were allowed to have each year. I was Eight, but not for much longer. By tonight, I could be anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Across the room, Miss Gellner took a few steps towards the grand wooden doors, resting her hand lightly on the knob before she turned to face us one last time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"I want you to keep your composure when they come in. I've spent four years preparing you for this moment.” She thumped her training stick on the ground for emphasis. “Four years. Don’t waste them. Each move that you make, every turn of your head and pout of your lip speaks to my effectiveness as a trainer and I won’t have that work tarnished. When I open these doors, I expect you to remember all the things I've taught you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The stiff lining of my dress rubbed against my rib cage and I ached to shift to a more comfortable position, but I held still, staring straight ahead at Miss Gellner with a soft smile placed carefully on my lips. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Be sure to hold your tongues,” she went on. “<i>You</i> are not doing the selecting. Do not ask questions. Speak if spoken to, but keep your answers brief. We don't want to scare away a potential buyer with a girl who has too forward a notion of who’s in charge."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Beside me, the other girls were sitting silently. We were perfectly trained, all of us. And lovely, too. In our new dresses, we looked like royalty. Miss Gellner had picked out a different shade of gown for each of us, our first piece of clothing that was distinctly ours. She’d deliberated long and hard on the color choices. She wanted us each to look different. It wouldn't do for the customers to think they were getting cloned girls even though there were plenty of differences between us to set us apart. Yes, we all had large eyes, spaced perfectly on our heart shaped faces. We all had small noses, long, thin necks, and rose petal lips. But we each had distinct coloring. Seven’s hair was nearly black. Sixteen’s eyes were green, the color of fresh summer grass, and Twenty’s skin was the same warm brown of the toasted bread that we were rewarded with on Sunday mornings. We were unique. One of a kind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was happy with the dress Miss Gellner had chosen for me. It was the palest shade of blue, hardly a color at all. These dresses would be the only item that would accompany us to our new homes. Our new owners would provide everything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"We’re lucky to have a number of congressmen and senators here today," Miss Gellner went on. "Power, prestige, wealth, you'll be surrounded by the best, which is why it is important that you <i>be</i> the best." Miss Gellner sighed, nodding her head once. “All right girls. It’s time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> She turned and threw open the doors. “Ladies… Gentlemen…” her voice boomed as she glided into the next room. “If you’ll kindly follow me, I’ll show you to the sitting room. You’ll have a chance to look over each of the girls before you make your decision. As I told each of you over the phone, the number on your tag will determine the order of selection.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A moment later a stream of bodies and voices flowed into the room. I drew a breath and held it, trying to compose myself, but the fluttering inside me only grew worse. My vision blurred as the men and women pressed closer, talking loudly to one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh my! They’re so little,” a woman cooed “They look like twelve-year-olds.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I can assure you, they’re sixteen,” Miss Gellner said. “They’re fully grown; all measuring in at exactly five feet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">An older man grabbed a lock of my hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “Like corn silk,” he said to the woman next to him. “Did you say you were hoping for a blond or a red head? This one almost seems like a mix of the two.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“And it does have beautiful eyes. Look, they’re practically turquoise,” she crooned. “But, I was hoping for a real red head. There’s an auburn one over there we should look at.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I didn’t dare turn my head to watch them walk across the room to look at Ten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A middle-aged couple finished looking at Seven and circled around me. I blinked a few times, finally bringing my eyes back into focus as the man’s dark eyes skated over me. He was obviously quite a bit older than me, but his jaw was much stronger than the other men I’d seen so far and his eyes were bright. A sprinkling of gray hairs dusted the dark hair at his temples. The woman beside him had probably been a beauty when she was younger, but now she was a different sort of beautiful: regal and refined. She was tall, even taller than Miss Gellner, with high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and long arched brows perched overtop piercing blue eyes. Even though she had lines around her eyes and mouth, her hair was almost as dark as Seven’s, without a hint of gray. Everything about her intimidated me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Now this has some promise,” the man said, looking into my eyes. “Do you like this one?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Oh, John, do we really need to do this?” The woman sighed, her eyes drifting around the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Do what, Darling?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You can cut it with the ‘Darling’, too. It’s not like anyone’s listening. They’re busy choosing their own pets,” she said, gesturing towards the rest of the people in the room with an elegant sweep of her arm. “And you can stop pretending I have any say in your precious little project. You know I couldn’t care less about getting her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her husband stepped forward, so close their bodies almost touched. “You know how it looks for us not to have one, don’t you? After all the time I spent getting this bill to pass. People are saying things. You don’t want them to think—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She took a step away from him, eyeing an old man who had turned his attention to their conversation. “Whatever you say, <i>Dear</i>,” she interrupted. “I’m merely along for the ride.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You can’t argue that Ruby needs this,” the man said. “We agreed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her face softened. “I know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He took a deep breath, and when he turned back to me, it was as if he’d flipped a switch, changing his face back to the same well-groomed look of prominence and stature I’d seen on it to begin with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Stand up and give us a little whirl, Love,” he said to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hadn’t anticipated the weakness in my legs, but I stood and turned slowly, the way I learned in my Poise lessons. I kept my chin up, neck elongated, my arms held out ever so slightly from my sides as if my hands were brushing the skirt of a tutu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man smiled once I faced him again. “And what are your talents? The Kennel Trainer said that you each specialized in two.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“My talents are piano, dance, and singing. Although my vocal range is not as diverse as some.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">His forehead creased, his eyes narrowing, and my stomach flipped. If Miss Gellner had been standing next to me, she would have lashed me with her stick. We’d practiced our lines over and over and still I said it wrong. There hadn’t been any need for me to point out my faults so blatantly. I should have only mentioned the piano and dance and not said anything about the singing. I was trying too hard to impress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Three talents?” he asked. “Marvelous. I suppose We’d be getting a little bit more bang for the buck if we go with you then, isn’t that right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man’s phrasing confused me and I lowered my eyes to the ground and smiled softly the way we’d been taught to do if we ever didn’t know how to answer a question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“So which is your favorite?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Favorite?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Which one do you like the most?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m quite good at all three as long as the song I’m singing is written for a mezzo soprano.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“But certainly you have a favorite?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My mind raced, trying to think over all the scenarios we’d spoken about like this one in our Conversation class, but I drew a blank. Those classes were meant to help us understand our new owner better, not to help <i>them</i> understand <i>us</i>. I couldn’t come right out and tell him that I had a favorite. Miss Gellner would be outraged. Maybe I could try to change the subject? But then he might realize I was doing it to avoid his question, and he would know that I really did have a favorite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was too complicated an interaction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The woman smiled slyly. “Maybe she doesn’t understand your question John. Sure, she’s pretty, but they weren’t bred for brains.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I thought you said you wanted to stay out of this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She raised her hands and took a step back without saying another word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man tried again. “What I mean to say is: which one of your talents do you prefer? Is there one that makes you particularly happy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I swallowed, hoping to push down the rock that had lodged itself in my throat. “Well sir, if there’s one that <i>you</i> prefer, I’m sure I’d be delighted to perform for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The man sighed and shook his head. “Never mind. Why don’t you sit back down?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I smiled once more and sank back onto the divan, trying to hold my head high even though my eyes burned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the next hour, the groups of men and women circled around the room. They were all so much bigger than I’d imagined they’d be, not only in their physical stature, but their presence, as if the room couldn’t contain them. They gobbled up the air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Finally Miss Gellner moved us into the concert room. We’d each been assigned one talent to demonstrate to give the clients a better taste of what they’d be buying. Four and Five would each be performing an adagio en pointe, a few girls were playing the flute and the cello, but the majority of us would be playing the piano or singing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Maybe it should have bothered me that I wouldn’t stand out, but all I could think about as we sat down in the velvet seats arranged along the edges of the room was Debussy’s First Arabesque in E major, the song Miss Gellner had chosen for me to play. It wasn’t an elaborate song. I could play solos that were so much more difficult like the piece by Prokofiev that I learned last year, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but I was glad she hadn’t chosen that one. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to show off my finger work playing the First Arabesque, but that didn’t matter. I could already feel the notes of the song moving up through my fingers and arms, a soft vibration that settled somewhere at the base of my neck like the warm hand of a friend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We moved in order: One, Two, Three, Four, on and on until finally it was my turn. As I climbed the stairs to the small stage at the front of the room and sat on the tufted cushion of the piano bench, it was as if a white curtain had been drawn down between the crowd and me. I took a deep breath, savoring the moment before I placed my hands on the keys and started to play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">My fingers floated over the ivories for only a short four minutes, but my heart and mind quieted. I didn’t know if the other girls felt this way when they were playing, as if they were all alone and the rest of the world melted away leaving the air awash in soft color. I’d always been too embarrassed to ask. What if it meant that I had something wrong with me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Those four minutes didn’t last long enough and before I knew it my fingers had stopped, hovering over the keys as the last notes died away. A polite spattering of applause brought me back to the room full of strangers. As I stood, I glanced out into the audience, allowing myself to imagine which of these people might be my future owner. Toward the back of the room I spotted the man with the salt and pepper hair and his wife. Neither of them was clapping, but for just a second he held my gaze and nodded ever so slightly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That small gesture made my face burn with shame. He knew that I lied to him before when he’d asked me which one of my talents was my favorite. Of course it was piano, but I could never say it out loud. I was supposed to bring pleasure to my new masters, not to find pleasure for myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A cold sweat broke out across my back and I shivered, sitting back down on my chair to watch the remainder of the performances. If he could read me so easily, maybe everyone else could, too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including <i>Indiana Review</i> and <i>Saint Ann’s Review</i>. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. To learn more visit <u><a href="http://www.katejarvikbirch.com/" target="_blank">www.katejarvikbirch.com</a>.</u><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-1075777559184525132014-07-01T05:30:00.000-04:002014-07-01T05:30:02.195-04:00Blog Tour: Kundalis by Frances Pauli REVIEW + GIVEAWAY <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Title: Storm Dragon</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Series: Kundalis</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Author: Frances Pauli</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publisher: Zharmae</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Release Date: June 19, 2014</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genre: NA, Urban Fantasy</span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21802651-kundalis" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Karin knows she’s gone completely insane—nuts—absolutely batshit crazy, when she spots an insidious blue dragon twining through the trees at a rest stop in the Cascade Mountains. Despite agreeing to join her roommate at a psychic fair, she’s never believed in anything metaphysical. She’s pretty sure the Reiki treatment she succumbed to has brought on a frighteningly realistic hallucination—until they roll their mini-van in the middle of I-90, and she is rescued from the vehicle by the same monstrous blue figment of her imagination. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She awakens to find that she’s been delivered to a cabin high in the mountains instead of to a proper hospital. The “doctor” looking out for her is more of a new-ager than a physician, and the people who own the house, including the urban highlander version of Fabio, don’t have any intention of letting her leave.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faced with the unimaginable, and strapped to an all-too-real dragon, Karin must decide how to tame the beast or risk losing herself to it forever</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frances Pauli was born and raised in Washington State. She grew up with a love of reading and storytelling, and was introduced to Science Fiction and Fantasy at an early age through the books kept and read by her father.Though she always held aspirations to be a writer, she chose to obtain her Bachelor's degree in visual arts. The stories, however, had other plans for her. By the time she entered her thirties, they were no longer content existing solely in her head. Compelled to free them, she set aside her easel and began to write in earnest.Her original love of Speculative fiction led her into the realms of Urban Fantasy and either romantic or humorous Science Fiction, where she finds herself quite comfortable. Her tales feature fairies, aliens, alternate dimensions, and the wonders of space, usually with at least a touch of romance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frances currently resides smack in the center of Washington with her husband and two children. When not writing she dabbles in insane things like puppetry, belly dance and playing the ukulele. She collects rocks, and is a firm believer in good wine, fine chocolate and dangerous men.More information on Frances and her writing can be found at www.francespauli.com</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.3in;">The black cat crossed my
path on purpose. I scowled down at it. Would it still count as bad luck if the
beast was just messing with me? Amber eyes blinked up from the sidewalk. The
kitty had been lounging beside the car in the next parking space, but when I
tried to open my door it had stood, sauntered directly into my path and laid
down there instead. Did it count if kitty wore a cutesy red bandanna and
matching harness?</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Are you coming, Karin?”
Steph already stood outside the driver’s door. <i>She’d</i> managed to leave the vehicle without supernatural
interference, and now she leaned back in through the window, her auburn hair
glinting in the last rays of August sunshine. Her round face crinkled into a
grimace. “I have to pee.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
I watched my roommate bound away and cringed. I had to go too. We’d been in the
car for over an hour and I’d polished off my water bottle a few miles back. Outside
my window, the cat yawned, exposing needle teeth and a scratchy pink tongue.
“Hey there, kitty.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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I pulled the lever on the
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cat. It yawned again then blinked and stared. Ridiculous. A cat on a leash had
trapped me in the car at the only rest stop for another twenty minutes easy. I’d
never make it that far. Too much water and road behind me. I sighed and made a
soft hissing noise through the opening. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The cat didn’t budge, but
the sound got its owner’s attention. A skinny redhead wearing yoga pants held
the other end of the cat’s leash. She stood as far away as possible, chatting
with the man in the car on the far side of her Volvo. When I hissed, she turned
my way and the flat crystal around her neck sparkled. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We’d probably been at the
same event. Everything about the cat’s owner looked like she’d fit in at a psychic
fair far better than I had. This was my punishment for going, sitting here
until my bladder exploded while psychic kitty and his mommy held me hostage.
The woman smiled at me, then dropped her eyes to the sidewalk and frowned,
tugging the cat’s leash gently and making a similar noise to tempt His Majesty
away from Steph’s mini-van. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The black coat shimmered
when he finally stood up. He wasn’t finished torturing me, though. His spine
curved and he reached out for a nice long stretch, staring at me with his huge
eyes and laughing his internal, kitty laugh while I fidgeted against the seat.
At last, when he’d tired of my torment, he turned and walked as slowly as
possible away from my door. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I popped out of the vehicle
like a cork and sidled between the van and the woman’s Volvo. A second black
cat stared out from the front seat. This one wore a pink collar and a tiny,
feminine bow around her neck. Unbelievable. We’d stopped at the rest area version
of the Twilight Zone in the middle of Washington State. Somehow, the Seattle psychic
fair had knocked us through a metaphysical vortex and the weirdness had tried
to follow me home.<br />
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><script http:="" load.js="" src="//</span><a href=" style="text-decoration: none;" widget.rafflecopter.com=""><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"></script></span>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">Blog Tour Schedule:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;">6/19: <a href="http://www.daniellecromero.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Coffee and Characters</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">6/20: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://puretextuality.com/" target="_blank">Pure Textuality </a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">6/21: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://musingsinficitonalley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Musings in Fiction Alley</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">6/22: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://paranormalbookfairy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Indy Book Fairy </a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">6/23: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Seeing Night Reviews </a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">6/26: <a href="http://imaginecreatewrite.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://imaginecreatewrite.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1109222911"></span>Imagine! Create! Write!</a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1109222912"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">6/27: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.workadayreads.com/" target="_blank">Workaday Reads </a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">6/28: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://deborahjayauthor.com/" target="_blank">Deborah Jay </a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">7/1: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.willreadforcoffee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Will Read for Coffee</a> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia; mso-highlight: white;">7/2: </span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://madhatterreads.com/" target="_blank">Mad Hatter Reads</a> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-75902071762039318932014-06-13T03:45:00.000-04:002014-06-13T03:45:24.573-04:00Review: Parasite by Mira Grant <a href="http://s911.photobucket.com/user/micstang6315/media/MICHAELA-PC/photobucket/From%20internet%20blog%20stuff/Parasite_zps725c8124.jpg.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Parasite_zps725c8124.jpg" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/photobucket/From%20internet%20blog%20stuff/Parasite_zps725c8124.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Bad Script';">Title: Parasite</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Bad Script";">Author: Mira Grant <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bad Script";">Series: Parasitology
#1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bad Script";">Publisher: Orbit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bad Script";">Publication Date:
October 29, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bad Script";">Format: Hardcover<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bad Script";">Pages: 512</span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13641105-parasite?ac=1" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">A decade in the future, humanity
thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
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We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a
genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen
Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our
immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the
scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a
SymboGen tapeworm living within them.<br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But these parasites are getting restless. They
want their own lives...and will do anything to get them</span><span style="font-family: Bad Script;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">My very first
thought when I finished Parasite was “It’s over?! That’s how it end?!” I was a
little annoyed with ending because things where getting juicy! Now I have to
wait until the next book comes out to find out what happens next.. urgh!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">But to be honest
if the story had gone on much longer it would have been and Harry Potter number
seven sort of situation, I have no problem reading a one thousand page book but
they do get a bit clunky to carry around. Maybe that’s way these series go on
and on, that the money and fandom you can get out of a long series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Anywho, I LOVED
this book! Love love loved it! This was such a different take on the zombie
apocalypse. The thought that a company makes a lab grown parasite that will cure
<i>all</i> human aliments is just plain
brilliant. It seems like exactly the thing that would become more about the
business than the science very quickly which seems to be exactly what happens
in the first book of the Parasitology duology, Parasite. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Sally Mitchell is
a living legend for reason’s she honestly can’t remember. She was in a car
accident that lead to her being clinically brain dead and in, literally, the
last hour she awoke from her coma with no recollection of who she was, where
she was or even how to speak. Sally had to relearn everything and she is not
the Sally that her family remembers. She even goes by Sal now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">It is thought
that her SymboGen tapeworm saved her life, which has helped solidify SymboGen’s
tapeworm in the eye of the public. SymboGen has taken a special interest in Sal
and have taken her medical care into their own hands. Even if Sal isn’t a huge
fan of being an on call lab rat, there isn’t much she can do about it since
they are saving her family tons of money by taking care of all of her medical
expenses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This is a large
book so that’s all I can really say without giving this awesome story away. I
loved the subtle scariness of the “walking sleep”, as it was called in the
book. There is a slow building up to the panic and we get a tiny bit of
information at a time as to what might be causing this strange illness and what
this all has to do with Sal. Maris Grant knows how to do scary because honestly
is not the in your face kind of stuff that is super scary, it’s the not knowing
that gets to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">At many different
stages of the book there are pieces of articles and studies that go along with
the progression of research and development of the SymboGen parasite. I loved
these little sections and looked forward to them. I almost went though and read
them all but I am glad I stopped myself because I would have ruined the story.
It’s so cool that Grant was able to come up with such a complete and medically
comprehensive back story. It was great and made the whole story make so much
sense and seem totally passable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">If you are a fan
of “zombies” novels this the book for you! It is a great twist to the zombie
apocalypse and it will make you never want to follow modern medical trends,
just in cases they could turn you into a zombie. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.979999542236328px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; line-height: 14.979999542236328px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Series</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; line-height: 14.979999542236328px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></span></div>
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<img alt="13641105" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362417533l/13641105.jpg" width="129" /><img alt="13641108" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393586567l/13641108.jpg" width="129" /></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallenged.</span><br />
<br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.</span><br />
<br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Mira sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests that you do the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Mira also writes as </span><a href="http://www.seananmcguire.com/" style="color: #666600; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Seanan McGuire</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-56308058675513876092014-06-11T11:41:00.000-04:002014-06-11T11:45:07.906-04:00Book Blitz: The Artful Excerpt + Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--_FSts2AcTw/U5aSJBwiZbI/AAAAAAAACU0/1Nf5t29eblA/s1600/TheArtfulBlitzBanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--_FSts2AcTw/U5aSJBwiZbI/AAAAAAAACU0/1Nf5t29eblA/s1600/TheArtfulBlitzBanner.png" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
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Title: The Artful<br />
Author: Wilbert Stanton<br />
Series : Shadows of the City #1<br />
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press<br />
Publication date: May 27th 2014<br />
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult<br />
<a href="http://s911.photobucket.com/user/micstang6315/media/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.<br />
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Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels – their playground. They aren’t heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.<br />
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On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Artful Guide to
the City</b></u></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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New York
City 2025 isn’t the place of glitz and glam that it used to be. The city that
never sleeps is pretty much the city that never breaths. No more tourists
blocking up Times Square, taking pictures of God knows what. No longer are the
trains filled with both late passengers and uncomfortable smells. There’s no
more hustle and bustle… there’s rarely a bustle. But most noticeable is the
silence, the silence that fill the city streets is quite unsettling. That being
said, if you, dear reader should still choose to visit New York City, here is a
handy guide of things to avoid and sites to see… before you die of sickness, or
scavenger attack.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Grand Central: Grand Central was once a busy station where
people came in and out of the city. Travelling on business or pleasure, it didn’t
matter, this was a mecca of diversity and you could see it all here; people
from all walks of life as they travelled about their day. Now, Grand Central is
a shanty town made up of people who were lucky enough to find its safe
dwellings. Only accessible from the subway stations and treacherous tunnels of
the underground, it offers a great sense of security. It is also said to be
where the Gutter Punks make their home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Central Park: What was once a beautiful park situated in the
center of the city is now a wild land. Over grown with unkempt vegetation and
reckless abandonment the park is not what it once was. It is overrun by the
ferocious beasts that were once confined to cages of the Central Park Zoo, but
now prowl the shadows looking for a human feast. The park is also the home of
the Runts, a group of feral children who live like a pack of wolves. Their
alpha, a boy named Peter, is said to be a child prodigy who protects his cubs,
not with strength but intellect. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Union Square: It was
where all the artistic people hung out. Skaters, artists, people competing in
games of chess while street entertainers played instruments behind their hungry
tip jars. Now it is home to The Tribe, modern day hippies, who flock to the
flag of their leader Red, a woman who can wield a sword as easily as a smile.
The Tribe spends their days passed out in drunken heaps while their nights are
filled with paryting, music and storytelling. They are a fun bunch but when the
call to war is upon them they will easily pick up arms and protect their own.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Cathedral of Eden: The vast cathedral takes up a number
of city blocks; the place of worship is now host to the Sons of Adam, a
religious cult that follows their leaders Adam and Eve with a sick ferocity.
Followers of the faith are known as Angels, mostly reformed criminals seeking
salvation during the end of times. This is a place one must steer clear at all
costs. If you are not quickly indoctrinated and seen as a follower, your death
will not be pleasant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beyond the Brooklyn Bridge: There are many rumors as to what
waits in Brooklyn. Lord Chrysler rules the borough with an iron fist. The well-to-do
live at its center but to get there you must first pass through savage lands
run by Skinlickers, heavily pierced and tattooed men and women who relish the
taste of human flesh. If you should be so lucky to make it past them, you’ll
have to deal with the Slavers who make sport of catching errant men, women and
children to sell into slavery or for unwilling contestants in the Barclay Center
arena. Once you have made it past them, what waits is a land of beauty and
wealth. A land not seen by many who live outside of Brooklyn.<o:p></o:p></div>
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These are only some of the places that await you in New York
City. Tread lightly though, because there is danger around every corner. And if
you should be so lucky, perhaps you might run into the Gutter Punks. These
modern day Robin Hoods who steal from the rich and give to the poor are wise
cracking, quick witted and brave boys, who are making a difference. Know their
names well, because their names will one day go down in history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Inside was the Great Hall.
Yellow light danced across the walls, lit candles decorated the expanse of the
immense chapel. Beautifully pillars held up a ceiling that was arched so high,
it was hard to make out the paintings that adorned it. Most of the sculptures
and art work were fading. Yet still it all seemed impressive, majestic, a tomb
that preserved time as best as it could. Rows of pews lined the left and right
side, all leading toward a dais, where a crooked cross hung low, illuminated by
the light of a candle chandelier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Most noticeable were the two
recliners that faced the pews and rows of praying Angels, heads held low in a
placating manner. On the recliners sat the two figures I would have to sway.
The two children who walked this same path so many years ago were now older,
and seemingly bored. Adam leaned heavily in his chair, leg draped over the arm
rest. Eve leaned in close on her knees, staring at me with a hunger that turned
my blood to ice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">He was pale as porcelain,
just as delicate. His hair was braided in long dreads threaded with different
colored yarn. He was topless except for the bullet proof vest he wore, dented
from failed attempts at his life. He casually sighed, cleaning lint from his
finely pressed slacks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Her red hair was cut short
and tussled like she just woke up, glitter shining around her wide, dark eyes.
Her lips glowed a glossy ruby red. She wore no protection, just a simple white
dress, and it, too, was finely cared for. The contrast between the two was
striking. She had an air of innocence about her, meanwhile he clearly tried to
hide an edge. He caught my eye and sat up, frowning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“Eyes to the floor,” David
nudged me. “Sorry, forgot to tell you the etiquette. Don’t be rude.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“Sorry.” I looked down. The
tiled floors were beautifully shined. <i>I
would like to see her face again</i>. She was breathtaking; there was something
enchanting about her. Like a fairy from the stories we were told as children…
magical, yet dangerous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“Praise be the Son of Adam
and Daughter of Eve!” David and Michael both said. There was silence, another
nudge from David.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“Oh,” I said. “Praise be the
Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“Who is this?” Adam asked
pompously. Had I not known, I would have assumed he was a Tower Baby. “Most
importantly, why do you bring him before us?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“He seems delicious.” Eve
sounded sweet, just as I imagined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Adam took a deep breath.
“Really, Eve? Can you not?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“What?” Eve leaned forward,
eyeing me up and down. “Look at him… he’s perfect.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“Can you let me work without
interrupting for once?” Adam pleaded. “And maybe, use your inside voice?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“My inside voice is the voice
of God; my outside voice is the voice of my heart,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“And back to David.” Adam
held up a hand to silence Eve. “Who is this?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">“We found him on patrol. He’s
traveled a long way to meet you. He seeks salvation. Verge of death, he was,
when we found him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Wilbert Stanton was born and raised in New York City. From an early age, Wilbert decided he would either write books or take over the world; everything else was just a precursor to his end game.<br />
<br />
Along the way, he has studied Psychology, English, and Computer Science. He’s held jobs in a wide range of fields and met people from all walks of life. Wilbert is constantly learning and growing as a person, in order to solidify his dreams.<br />
<br />
In the end world domination was a bit tedious, so he decided to focus on writing books.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://twitter.com/Wilbert_stanton" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo twittersoft_zps839964e0.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/twittersoft_zps839964e0.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorwilbertstanton" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo facebooksoft_zps165a3370.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/facebooksoft_zps165a3370.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7857459.Wilbert_Stanton" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreadssoft_zpsdd3295a6.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/goodreadssoft_zpsdd3295a6.png" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-54851069903348434652014-06-11T09:44:00.002-04:002014-06-11T09:49:45.485-04:00WoW: Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a>! </div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Title: Mortal Danger <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Author: Ann Aguirree<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Expected Publication Date: August 5th 2014</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Publisher: Feiwel & Friends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19561925-mortal-danger" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Revenge is a dish best served cold.</span><br />
<br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn’t imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She’s not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he’s impossible to forget. </span><br />
<br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">In one short summer, her entire life changes and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly . . . bad things are happening. It’s a head rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil’s bargains, she isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind.</span></div>
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I love the less is more mentality of this cover and the synopsis sounds pretty awesome as well :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-55578554538343085342014-05-14T17:00:00.000-04:002014-05-14T17:00:04.889-04:00Review: Ember X by Jessica Sorensen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lmh-YQdlxZQ/U3PCzN3EdsI/AAAAAAAACG0/OtsbiC_t2VU/s1600/Ember+X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lmh-YQdlxZQ/U3PCzN3EdsI/AAAAAAAACG0/OtsbiC_t2VU/s1600/Ember+X.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Title:
Ember X<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Series:
Death Collectors #1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Author:
Jessica Sorensen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Publisher:
self-published<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Publication
Date: November 16<sup>th</sup> 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Format:
Kindle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Pages:370</span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15924677-ember-x" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: red;">**Mature Content
Advisory**</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><span style="color: red;"><br />
Recommended for readers 17+ due to sexual
situations and language.<br />
</span><br />
For nineteen-year-old Ember, life has always
been about death. With a simple touch, she can see when someone will die. It’s
her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person
that knows her secret is her best friend Raven.<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
But that changes when she meets Asher Morgan.
He’s gorgeous and mysterious and is the only person Ember can't sense death
from. The silence he instills in her mind and body allows her to feel things
she’s never been able to before, so despite her initial reservations, Ember
lets Asher into her life and lets herself to get close to him. But the closer
they get, the more Ember realizes that Asher is keeping secrets from her.<br />
<br />
When unexplained deaths begin to surface in her
town, Ember questions why she can’t see Asher's death and what it is he’s
hiding from her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: buda; line-height: 107%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">I
stared of reading the YA version of this book and then switched to the NA
version just to see what was different. In my opinion it makes more sense as a
NA book. The characters being just a little bit older makes a lot of the
situation more plausible… at least to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Pros:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">This
is a much darker less….mushy take on good vs bad angles than most books that I
have read in the past. I really liked have good and evil weren’t so cut and dry
because in reality it’s not always so easy to distinguish between to two. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Ember
is a strong protagonist that has had a crap life and fought back very well.
Seeing a person’s death if you touch them would make a lesser person completely
lose it. Not to mention all the other crappy stuff that is going on in her
life. Ember doesn’t let that stop her from being who she is and she doesn’t let
that stop her from living, which I found extremely admirable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">Cons:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">I
found this to be sort of confusing. Some of the things that were happening
didn’t totally make sense even once they were sort of explained. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">I
felt like the way story moved and the way the characters acted didn’t always
match up but I am still left wondering if it was meant to be that way and if it
was then why? Lol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">I
think my biggest confusion was Ember’s relationships with the boys. Although
they were great to read about, for someone so used to be so shut off from people,
it all happened really fast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">I
also felt the both guys story was confusing as well. How they became so involved
in Ember life just never really made sense but I think that might have been
done on purpose so that we can find out more about them in the next books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";">On
the whole I really did like Ember X. Even though I found it confusing, I am
hoping that it will all become clearer in the next book. Part of me feels like
maybe the reader is supposed to be confused because this is all so new and
confusing for Ember. I guess we will have to see in Cinder X! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook","serif";"><u><b>My Rating</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mFR1Tl0Ut_U/U3PEUIEGEHI/AAAAAAAACHE/qqaZTgjhTmQ/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mFR1Tl0Ut_U/U3PEUIEGEHI/AAAAAAAACHE/qqaZTgjhTmQ/s1600/3.png" height="90" width="200" /></a></div>
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<u>The Series</u></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18054373-cinder-x" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo cinderx_zpseb8cac12.jpg" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/photobucket/From%20internet%20blog%20stuff/cinderx_zpseb8cac12.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18811613-spark-x" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo SparkX_zps301de420.jpg" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/photobucket/From%20internet%20blog%20stuff/SparkX_zps301de420.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LSPrqZ874Jo/U3PJW-bJ0RI/AAAAAAAACHM/wYeamTrjZyE/s1600/about+the+author2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LSPrqZ874Jo/U3PJW-bJ0RI/AAAAAAAACHM/wYeamTrjZyE/s1600/about+the+author2.png" height="59" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://s911.photobucket.com/user/micstang6315/media/MICHAELA-PC/photobucket/From%20internet%20blog%20stuff/JessicaSorensen_zpsfb944158.jpg.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo JessicaSorensen_zpsfb944158.jpg" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/photobucket/From%20internet%20blog%20stuff/JessicaSorensen_zpsfb944158.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4226011815801068843" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: buda; line-height: 107%;">Jessica Sorensen is the author of The New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers, The Secret of Ella and Micha, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden, and Breaking Nova, which are New Adult Contemporary novels. She also writes Paranormal series, including the Fallen Star Series, Shattered Promises, Darkness Falls, and the Death Collectors. She loves writing and reading and is an avid watcher of TV series The Vampire Diaries and Modern Family. An immense music lover, Jessica immerses herself in her music as she writes. She has a broad taste in music, and a list of favorite songs that goes on for miles! A few of her current favorite bands are Chevelle, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Flight 409, and Nirvana. Some of Jessica’s favorite “watch it over, and over again” movies include Anywhere but Here, Juno, Pride and Prejudice, The Hangover, and Bad Teacher.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Sorensen/165335743524509" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo facebooksoft_zps165a3370.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/facebooksoft_zps165a3370.png" /></a><a href="http://jessicasorensen.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo rsssoft_zps81bfd5ee.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/rsssoft_zps81bfd5ee.png" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4601855.Jessica_Sorensen?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreadssoft_zpsdd3295a6.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/goodreadssoft_zpsdd3295a6.png" /></a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-77934044621357236162014-05-14T02:38:00.003-04:002014-05-14T02:38:36.356-04:00WoW: Brazen by Katherine Longshore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ESpQS-5q8vs/U3MLlfeXcTI/AAAAAAAACGc/ABBpQbBjHsY/s1600/waint+on+wed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ESpQS-5q8vs/U3MLlfeXcTI/AAAAAAAACGc/ABBpQbBjHsY/s1600/waint+on+wed.png" height="265" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Lusitana, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: 'emilys candy'; font-size: small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #462917; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><b><span style="border: 0px; font-family: 'emilys candy'; font-size: small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Breaking the Spine</span></b></a><span style="border: 0px; font-family: 'emilys candy'; font-size: small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, that spotlights upcoming </span></span><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Throw My Hands Up in the Air'; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: 'emilys candy'; font-size: small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Throw My Hands Up in the Air'; font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: 'emilys candy'; font-size: small; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t-5Az4IO-Fc/U3ML4-XOt8I/AAAAAAAACGk/N0gl2cXKBYw/s1600/Brazen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t-5Az4IO-Fc/U3ML4-XOt8I/AAAAAAAACGk/N0gl2cXKBYw/s1600/Brazen.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Title: Brazen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Author: Katherine Longshore</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Expected Publication Date: June 10</span><sup style="color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">
2014</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Publisher: Viking Juvenile</span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18668016-brazen?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Handlee; line-height: 107%;">Mary Howard has always lived in the
shadow of her powerful family. But when she’s married off to Henry Fitzroy,
King Henry VIII’s illegitimate son, she rockets into the Tudor court’s inner
circle. Mary and “Fitz” join a tight clique of rebels who test the boundaries
of court’s strict rules with their games, dares, and flirtations. The more Mary
gets to know Fitz, the harder she falls for him, but is forbidden from seeing
him alone. The rules of court were made to be pushed…but pushing them too far
means certain death. Is true love worth dying for?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Handlee;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.980000495910645px;">Love the cover! Love the sound of the book! Added to my TBR list :) </span></span><div>
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<span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Handlee; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.980000495910645px;">What are you waiting on today!</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-56515083302956853822014-05-07T04:00:00.000-04:002014-05-07T04:00:08.867-04:00WoW: Graduation Day<a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo waintonwed_zps8594a0ec.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/Blog/waintonwed_zps8594a0ec.png" height="264" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: emilys candy; font-size: medium;">"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: emilys candy; font-size: medium;">Breaking the Spine</span></b></a><span style="font-family: emilys candy; font-size: medium;">, that spotlights upcoming </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Throw My Hands Up in the Air'; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: emilys candy; font-size: medium;">releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: emilys candy; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: emilys candy;">Title: Graduation Day</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: emilys candy; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: emilys candy;">Author: Joelle Charbonneau </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: emilys candy; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: emilys candy;">Series: The Testing #3</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: emilys candy;"><span style="font-family: emilys candy;">Expected Release</span>: June 17, 2014</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222699-graduation-day?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">In book three of the Testing series, the United Commonwealth wants to eliminate the rebel alliance fighting to destroy The Testing for good. Cia is ready to lead the charge, but will her lethal classmates follow her into battle?</span><br style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';" /><strong style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">She wants to put an end to the Testing</strong><br style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';" /><span style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor, Cia Vale, vows to fight.</span><br style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';" /><strong style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">But she can't do it alone.</strong><br style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';" /><span style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves--and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.</span><br style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';" /><strong style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">Who can Cia trust?</strong><br style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';" /><span style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">The stakes are higher than ever-lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope--in the electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau's epic Testing trilogy. Ready or not…it's Graduation Day.</span><br style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';" /><span style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">The Final Test is the Deadliest!</span></div>
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I got the first book in this series on a whim and LOVED it! I still need to read the second book but I have heard nothing but wonderful things and I will absolutely be read it before the final book comes out. It's such a wonderful series!! </div>
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<u>The Series</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13326831-the-testing" target="_blank"><img alt="13326831" border="0" height="166" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363452191l/13326831.jpg" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="110" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17165932-independent-study"><img alt="independent study" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-E4dVgXhBAGk/U2c3VDK4R0I/AAAAAAAAB_w/YMhfvZjQKyk/independent%252520study%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="165" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="independent study" width="111" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-di8KvtU_d1U/U2c3V_5pUhI/AAAAAAAAB_4/vVjE0dmFhh4/s1600-h/JoelleCharbonneau%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="JoelleCharbonneau" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Z6qTXTdOWYg/U2c3WZq8S9I/AAAAAAAACAA/HaIqjyBHVuY/JoelleCharbonneau_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="244" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="JoelleCharbonneau" width="163" /></a></div>
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Ever since I can remember I loved telling stories. As I grew up, I started performing those stories on the stage. Creating vivid characters and singing wonderfully complex songs were my passion. I graduated from Millikin University with a Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance and then continued onto DePaul University for my Masters Degree in Opera Performance. From there I went onto perform across the Chicagoland area in a variety of Operas, Operettas and Musicals. I also started teaching acting classes and private voice lessons to pass my passion along to the next generation.<br />
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Not exactly the path you’d expect a writer to take.<br />
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I’d never dreamed of writing a novel. But I loved to read. Then one day I had an idea and I started to write. I found my passion for creating characters lived on the page as well as the stage. It is my hope that the characters I’ve created resonate with you and make you smile.<br />
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I still teach voice lessons and sing for the occasional professional event. But the rest of my time is spent with my husband and son while dreaming up new and interesting stories. I hope that someday I hear yours. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-67582062376336290472014-05-06T05:00:00.000-04:002014-05-06T05:00:07.944-04:00Review: Break Out by Nina Croft<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aSF6z15XrsU/U2dLNRSouhI/AAAAAAAACCs/gdbUaSxsYKw/s1600-h/break%252520out%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="break out" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IPXtZteq5ac/U2dLPQA3OmI/AAAAAAAACCw/alr4BTaQi04/break%252520out_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" height="244" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="break out" width="161" /></a><span style="font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow;">Title: The Gathering <o:p></o:p></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow;">Author: Kelly Armstrong<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">Series: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/48481-darkness-rising" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow;">Darkness Rising #1<o:p></o:p></span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">Publisher: </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">HarperCollins</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow;">Publication Date: April 12<sup>th</sup> 2011<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">Format: library e-book</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">Pages: 373</span></span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11829006-break-out?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/MICHAELA-PC/goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47_zpsa5d19327.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: buda; line-height: 107%;">The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they've discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they're called, rule the universe.<br />Two-thousand-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can't resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective's maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has never been so dangerous—or so fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Break Out is a refreshing take in sci-fi and supernatural worlds. A vampire in space, it makes perfect sense, but it’s not something you come across often. Once I got through the book I was excited to find that it is just the first book in a series because Croft integrated a lot of really interesting characters into Rico and Skylar’s story that I want to know more about. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a fan of Firefly, and just about everything else Joss Whedon, I loved that this story takes place in space. Since Rico is a vampire this allows the reader to share a lot of idioms and colloquialisms that are totally foreign to the rest of the characters. It was a nice little chuckle everything Rico said something and the rest of the crew was clueless. He also speaks Spanish, which is a lost language in the year 3048, who knew? All of these little phrases and things are just nicely woven into this adventure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since a good part of the story takes place on a ship, you really learn about the world through the different crew members. It’s a great way to learn about this intergalactic universe and really made for some very interesting characters that I cannot wait to read about in the other books. The world building is wonderful. Having the crew in space and on different planets is really fun to read about because each place is different, especially compared to their ship. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The romance between Rico and Skylar in almost immediately intense but still manages to build as the story moves along. Partly because Skylar has a job to do and isn’t trying extremely hard not to let the lines blur. Mostly because Rico wants Skylar and he is very well known for getting what he wants from women, but there is something different about Skylar that makes him step back when he would usually charge forward. The latter keeps the story intriguing and doesn’t let the relationship between the two of them take away from the adventure they find themselves on together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you like the sound of an action- adventure, supernatural, sci-fi, romance then this is the book for you </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17px;">I grew up in the north of England, and after training as an accountant, I spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left me with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. I then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but have now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds.<br />I share the farm with my husband, four dogs, three cats, a horse, two goats, a three-legged Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, and a handful of chickens. It’s a perfect place to indulge my two great passions, reading and writing.<br />I write lots of different things, but mainly paranormal and science-fiction, usually with a strong element of romance..<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span> <br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: buda; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17px;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><u><b>Connect with Kelly</b></u></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Nina_Croft" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo twittersoft_zps839964e0.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/twittersoft_zps839964e0.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Nina.Croft.author" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo facebooksoft_zps165a3370.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/facebooksoft_zps165a3370.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.ninacroft.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo rsssoft_zps81bfd5ee.png" border="0" src="http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac319/micstang6315/rsssoft_zps81bfd5ee.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/3378320.Nina_Croft"><img alt="good reads soft" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0f-1vGuF6qk/U2dLTZ4P3FI/AAAAAAAACDo/euLfrXTDmoA/good%252520reads%252520soft%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="45" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="good reads soft" width="45" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-17788333117805570542014-05-05T04:01:00.001-04:002014-05-05T04:01:42.932-04:00Year Long Reading Challenge Updates<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">I have not been a good reader or a good blogger lately. Many changes in medication mixed with the general lack of attention from my brain have left me either to sleepy to function or to ADD to complete anything. But I am getting better and feeling better so I should be back in the game!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">Also I’ve been helping with these babies which wont be able to go home until the beginning of June. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">I love new puppies!!!! They are one of my favorite things about my life! I have also been watching and training this guy, until he finds his forever home. His name is Benji and he is 5months old. He’s such a sweet puppy, I am going to be sad to see him go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Emilys Candy";">So here is where I am in my Year Long Challenges : <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: yellow; color: #674ea7; font-family: 'Emilys Candy'; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Goal: 21-30 First Kiss</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>1. </s><s>Dare You To </s>(</span><a href="http://willreadforcoffee.blogspot.com/2014/03/review-dare-you-to.html"><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">my review</span></a><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">)<s></s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>2. </s><s>Daughter of Smoke and Bone </s>(</span><a href="http://willreadforcoffee.blogspot.com/2014/02/review-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by.html"><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">my review</span></a><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">)<s></s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>3. </s><s>Princess of the Midnight Ball </s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>4. </s><s>Defy </s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>5. </s><s>Beautiful Creatures </s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>6. </s><s>Deeper</s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">7. Pure</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">8. Cornerstone</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">9. Hidden</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">10. Asylum </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">11. Perfect Ruin </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>12. </s><s>Ember X </s><s></s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>13. </s><s>Break Out </s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">14. Crash into You </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">15. Parasite </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">16. Unravel Me</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">17. The Girl of Fire and Thorns</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">18. The Princess in the Opal Mask</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">19. Before I Fall </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">20. Wake</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">21. Grave Mercy</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">22. Need</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">23. Divergent</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">24. The Fault in Our Stars</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">25. Teardrop</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">26. The White Queen</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">27. Someday, Someday, Maybe</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">28. The 5<sup>th</sup> Wave</span> <br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-arAPL0dhXOI/U2dEfxdV27I/AAAAAAAACBs/4MmKMGMpd6M/s1600-h/coffee%252520bean%25255B8%25255D.png"><img alt="coffee bean" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-u1Qu1VhOBDw/U2dEgMwjB2I/AAAAAAAACB0/HSYPvSzqBmU/coffee%252520bean_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="23" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="coffee bean" width="434" /></a> <br />
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<tr> <td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: yellow; color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Emilys Candy'; line-height: 27px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Goal: 11-20 Journeyman</span></span><span style="background-color: yellow; color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Emilys Candy'; font-size: medium; line-height: 27px;"> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>1. </s><s>Defy by Sara B. Larson</s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>2. </s><s>Hold on Tight by Nicola Haken </s></span><a href="http://willreadforcoffee.blogspot.com/2014/01/blog-tour-hold-on-tight-by-nicola-haken.html"><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">(my review)</span></a><s></s> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">3. <s>Take My Hand by Nicola Haken </s>(</span><a href="http://willreadforcoffee.blogspot.com/2014/04/express-o-reviews.html"><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">my review</span></a><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">)</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">4. <s>An Imperfect Circle by R.J. Sable </s>(</span><a href="http://willreadforcoffee.blogspot.com/search?q=an+imperfect+circle+&submit=Search"><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">my review</span></a><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">) </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>5. </s><s>Deeper by Robin York</s>(</span><a href="http://willreadforcoffee.blogspot.com/search?q=deeper&submit=Search"><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">my review</span></a><span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">)<s></s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">6. Still Live With Bread Crumbs</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">7. Bellman and Black </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">8. Becoming Alpha</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">9. The Shadow Queen </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">10. The Lost Sisterhood</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">11. Hush</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">12. Happy Endings Bookclub</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">13. The Signature of All Things </span> <br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3FqOCvWvw8A/U2dEgtsKa6I/AAAAAAAACCA/tdIlG31Z-Pk/s1600-h/coffee%252520bean%25255B4%25255D.png"><img alt="coffee bean" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9si9RxvHrM8/U2dEgynJOxI/AAAAAAAACCE/1PE88rr6LGE/coffee%252520bean_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="31" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="coffee bean" width="434" /></a> <br />
<a href="http://s911.photobucket.com/user/micstang6315/media/Series-Challenge-Button-take2_zps20cbb32d.png.html"><img alt=" photo Series-Challenge-Button-take2_zps20cbb32d.png" border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/zwg8tjf4EZsa9ZPJmE6WHOQg0eu3VrzQtjb6kORC_VXHPxCVDSeWeUtyLwUSFdXkw4LWHiRB9eDJ710T1LfYFYckrxWX1x3O676y2EiqCFxtaTdU-DAsXvyU6EIdUa0_1uf-gxm_d0-YwcX45X_kussYuagGWBE" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="186" /></a> <br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Emilys Candy;">Goal: 7-11 Gold Badge</span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone - 1/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">2. Pushing the Limits - 2/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">3. Darkness Rising - 1/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;"><s>4. </s><s>Take My Hand – 4/4</s></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">5. Shatter Me- 1/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">6. Matched- 1/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">7. Delirium- 1/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">8. The Selection- 2/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">9. Under the Never Sky- 2/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">10. Casual Enchantments- 1/4</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">11. White Rabbit Chronicles- 1/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">Extra:</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">1. Divergent 0/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">2. Legend 0/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">3. The Taker 0/3</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Emilys Candy;">4. The Mortal Instruments 0/6</span>
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<a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2014/04/clean-sweep-arc-challenge-may-2014-join-fun.html" target="_blank" title="Clean Sweep ARC Challenge May 2014"><img alt="Clean Sweep ARC Challenge May 2014" src="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa411/kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer/6e4bde16-a635-4cd5-b5cb-09c0571df446_zps203ffe86.jpg" style="border-style: none;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Buda;">It is past time to get some of these ARC’s read!!
You know you have them, those Netgalley books you just couldn’t say no too even
though your TRB pile is already taking over your desk and you have already got
more ARCs than you have time to read</span>……<span style="font-family: Buda;"> or is that just me? Either way, it</span><span style="font-family: Buda;">’</span><span style="font-family: Buda;">s time to get some ARC</span><span style="font-family: Buda;">’</span><span style="font-family: Buda;">s read! Even if they are
not necessarily ARCs anymore<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>.
Click the picture to link up and see the official rules.</span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Buda;">Here’s my list I want to
read 5 ARC but I am going to list more than 5 because I like to change my mind</span>…<span style="font-family: Buda;"> I am a girl after all:</span><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17934444-the-furies?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1305020563"></span><img alt="17934444" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1375932466l/17934444.jpg" width="158" /><span id="goog_1305020564"></span></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18144112-the-collector-of-dying-breaths?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1305020558"></span><img alt="18144112" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1381121249l/18144112.jpg" width="160" /><span id="goog_1305020559"></span></a><span id="goog_1305020549"></span><span id="goog_1305020552"></span><span id="goog_1305020555"></span><img alt="19171004" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386141299l/19171004.jpg" width="160" /><span id="goog_1305020556"></span><span id="goog_1305020553"></span><span id="goog_1305020550"></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15845648-torn-away?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1305020569"></span><img alt="15845648" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386102919l/15845648.jpg" width="159" /><span id="goog_1305020570"></span></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12989100-me-since-you?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt="12989100" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359151218l/12989100.jpg" width="160" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18211018-pandemic?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1305020572"></span><img alt="18211018" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1389222669l/18211018.jpg" width="162" /><span id="goog_1305020573"></span></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18242896-the-here-and-now?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img alt="18242896" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1377012204l/18242896.jpg" width="158" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068341-the-truth-about-alice?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1305020566"></span><img alt="16068341" height="240" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1391607111l/16068341.jpg" width="159" /><span id="goog_1305020567"></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: #9c85c0; font-family: Emilys Candy;">All books are linked to Goodreads.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #9c85c0; font-family: Emilys Candy; font-size: large;">Happy Reading Friends!!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4226011815801068843.post-41187511659950250122014-04-26T12:00:00.000-04:002014-04-26T12:00:04.105-04:00Episodes in Non-Fiction: Physical VS Electronic Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DSRyrLpUt5c/U1iqvnXRlwI/AAAAAAAABo0/_8jl72qne-I/s1600/ficepi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DSRyrLpUt5c/U1iqvnXRlwI/AAAAAAAABo0/_8jl72qne-I/s1600/ficepi.png" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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I know it has been way to long since I posted one of these. I think I was over thinking what I should write about so I finally just wrote what I was thinking......</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Emilys Candy';">I just finished
Beautiful Creatures by Kamie Garcia. It took me a few months to finish the
book. As readers, we know that this is a loooong time to spend on one book.
Especially a good book, which Beautiful Creatures definitely is. So you are
probably wondering why it took me so long to read this one book. You are not
the only one, I was wondering too! I had to really sit down and think about it
and this is what I came up with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Emilys Candy";">Lately I have been
having a hard time finishing, or even really getting into quite a few books. I
have determined that it’s not the books’ fault but it’s the simple fact that
they are physical copies. So why is this a problem? There is absolutely nothing
wrong with a physical book and sometimes it’s nice to hold a real book in your
hands instead some gadget with a million distractions on it. Then there’s the
smell, there is nothing like the smell of a book and you cannot get that smell
from any sort of e-reader. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Emilys Candy";">Unfortunately I can't seem to get time to sit down with my print books and just read, like I want to.
I have found it so much easier to pull up a book in my phone or iPad to read in
stolen moments than I have found the time to sit down with my physical books. I
have also noticed that people will not bother you when you are reading on your
phone or checking emails or playing games but having an actual book in front of
you means that you aren't busy and it is totally ok to strike up a conversation!
Which I think is so insane because the chances that someone is doing something
other than checking their Facebook on their phone are minimal. I have even
caught my husband striking up conversations with me when I am reading a book
and not saying a word when I am playing Candy Crush on my phone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Emilys Candy";">Don’t get me wrong,
I love it when people ask about that book that I am reading and it’s much
easier to do that when I have an actual book in my hands, but this should be a
short and sweet sort of conversation because I AM READING! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Emilys Candy";"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-size: large;">So this whole rant
leads to a question, do you find it easier to read physical books or read
electronically? Which one would you say you read more of? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Emilys Candy";"><span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-size: large;">Just
because I am curious. </span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12014430176230340159noreply@blogger.com0