12 Days of Christmas Book Blogmas: Day 2

 

 I"M BACK! WHEW I thought that semester was never going to end!!!!!! 

So I'm desperately behind on a lot of things, but let's start by Parajunkee's 12 Days Book Blogmas Challenge!!!!!

Since I can't do Day one and Day two I need to share with you my creative side of what it mean to have a really great Christmas card made by me and no I'm not exaggerating.

 

I still have this one because I couldn't part with it. And if you want to see more (this year's cards probably won't make it on my pinterest board until much later like after Christmas later because I'm still working on them) Yes I know I'm late but I have a really good excuse for it. 

Here's my Pinterest board link: Card Designs 

Stay tune for Day three post!!!!

 

Kitty Blitz: Insprie

 

We are so incredibly excited to be able to bring you the Release Day Launch for Cora Carmack's INSPIRE! INSPIRE is a New Adult Paranormal Romance novel and the first book in her new Muse Series!! Holy canoli, y'all. Go out and get this today!

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

About INSPIRE: 

Kalliope lives with one purpose. 

To inspire. 

As an immortal muse, she doesn’t have any other choice. It’s part of how she was made. Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She’s spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she’s ready for something real. 

Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence. And most importantly… he’s not an artist. He doesn’t want her for her ability. But she can’t turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It’s happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal. 

Her presence may inspire genius. 

But it breeds madness, too.   

 

Excerpt: 

I can feel Wilder’s breath against my lips. More than that, I can see it. The sun has set and the temperature has dropped, and air fogs between us. There’s something about actually seeing it, like our lips are touching, we are touching, despite the distance between. And as we sway from side to side, my heart gradually begins to pick up speed.

The strains of guitar music flowing out from the restaurant are nearly indecipherable over the heavy heartbeat in my ears. But Wilder must hear it. His hands are strong on my body, guiding my movements, and I’m practically clay in his palms.

We dance, eyes on eyes, lips nearly on lips, and there is lightning beneath my skin each time his body brushes against mine in a new way. His touch is firm, but gentle, never pushing or pressuring, though I can tell from the dark look in his eyes that he’s just as affected as I am. The music shifts, building to a crescendo, and he spins us. My chest pushes tight against his, and I bite back a gasp. I don’t know if it’s the cold or him or some combination of both, but the tips of my breasts are painfully tight. Just the pressure of my bra is enough to rub them raw.

I remember the night at his apartment, the way he’d taken his time learning my body. I think of the heat of his mouth on my skin, and the memory alone is enough to make me shiver and clench.

He’s back to being business, grown-up Wilder tonight in his button down and glasses. Only now that I know him, it doesn’t seem like such a stark difference. He is neither the straight-laced man nor the tattooed bad boy. Or perhaps he’s both. Regardless of what he’s wearing, Wilder is caring and loyal and strong and so sexy that I’m having trouble remembering why I shouldn’t push him into the backseat of his SUV and crawl on top of him.

About Cora Carmack: Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.      

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads ** INSPIRE Goodreads

 

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Kitty Blitz: Breaking The Rules

 

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day launch for Katie McGarry's BREAKING THE RULES! BREAKING THE RULES is a Young Adult contemporary romance published by Harlequin Teen, and is the follow-up book to Katie's PUSHING THE LIMITS. You do not want to miss Noah and Echo's story! Grab it today!

 

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** Books-A-Million ** Kobo ** iBooks ** Google Play

BREAKING THE RULES Synopsis: 

A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry. For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so . . . different. 

It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who's never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything--except the one thing Echo's just not ready for. 

But when the source of Echo's constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants--even as foster kid Noah's search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves. 

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn . . . seriously epic. 

And don’t forget to read the first books in the Pushing the Limits Series…

PUSHING THE LIMITS

CROSSING THE LINE

DARE YOU TO

CRASH INTO YOU

TAKE ME ON

    

Excerpt 

From Echo’s POV

There’s nothing like the rush of being chased by the great Noah Hutchins…

I hold my breath and strain to listen past the late-day birds singing in the branches above. The fine hair on the back of my neck rises as if Noah has appeared behind me and deliciously blown over my skin. I close my eyes. He’s so near I can imagine his body wrapped around mine.

Noah is wily and good at seeking, but I’m crafty and better at hiding. I edge to the side again and in painfully slow movements look behind me and…

“Gotcha.”

I scream. Loudly. My heart ramming through my chest. Birds’ wings beat together as dozens of them take to the sky. The moment I spot the laughter in Noah’s chocolate-brown eyes, my scream quickly morphs into a fit of giggles. He reaches for me, but I stumble back from the solid arm attempting to sneak around my back.

“You’re not getting away this time.” Noah’s deep voice vibrates down to my soul.

Noah’s arm slides one way and in a maneuver so slick it seems choreographed, I slip to the side, once again barely dodging his grasp.

“You’re too slow,” I taunt as I gain traction and sprint for the field of untamed wildflowers. The white-and-yellow daisies brush against my legs as I push forward. My skirt swishes against my thighs, and I love how the smooth material grazes my skin. Clean air fills my lungs, and my blood beats manically in my veins. Never in my life have I felt so alive. So high that I’m soaring.

“I’m letting you win,” he calls out.

“You are not.” I slow and pivot to watch as he struts behind me. The tall grass and flowers reach his jean-covered legs. For once, his dark hair doesn’t hide his eyes, and I love the spark of naughtiness in them. “You’re sore that you’re losing.”

He flashes the type of grin that encourages tingles. “You’re becoming cocky, Echo.”

I laugh, and the sound causes his smile to widen. Even though he’s slow in his approach, his wide gait closes the distance between us faster than I’d like. I steadily walk backward, unable to tear my eyes off the fluid way he moves. “Now, now. Out of the two of us, we both know you own that title.”

“Own it, wear it, I am it. I’ve never claimed differently.”

Nope, he never has. Noah is exactly who I see. A few months away from Kentucky, away from home, the rough foster kid is evolving into a man.

“Hey, Echo.” Noah gestures with his chin that he has something important to say, and I stall, watching as his gaze falls to my midriff. “Your tank rode up.”

I peer down and in a heartbeat realize my mistake when grass rustles and Noah grabs my waist. In a dizzying circle, my arms wrap around his neck and somehow we both end up on the ground. Me on top. Noah on the bottom. As always, Noah becomes my safe place to land.

With a wink, Noah rolls us, reversing our positions, but I don’t complain. I dream of his body over me. The heavy sensation is familiar and addictive. Noah skims his nose along the side of my neck, and the pleasing tickle causes me to suck in air.

“I won,” he whispers against my skin.

I find myself in a waking dream as I savor his caresses. “Did not.”

Noah presses a kiss to that sensitive spot behind my ear. A stream of warmth floods my body. Longing for more, I twist to expose my neck.

“Did, too.” His hands roam, sliding to my side. I melt and tense at the same time. We’re in the wide open, but I can’t stop the way my body molds to his. My fingers bunch the material of his shirt as I play with the idea of removing it. We’re far from the walking trail, far from the campsite. How many people, besides Noah and me, allow themselves to wander to the point of being lost?

“You said you could find me in five minutes,” I say softly. “That was longer than five minutes.”

“Echo,” he says as he raises his head. His fingers begin this little dance. Moving up then slowly down. Each down is slightly lower and promises very wicked things.

“Yes?”

“I’ve got you beneath me and not a person in sight. That’s winning.”

A peacefulness unfurls within me. I have to agree. That is winning.

 

About Katie McGarry: Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Website | Twitter @KatieMcGarry | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram

 

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Catty chat: Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award Nominees

This sounds fun and I want to kind of peek out from my long long nap a.k.a. Hiatus. 

Lyn from Great Imagination was nominate for Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award, and admittedly said that she's horrible at tagging and made it open to anyone.  So she asked ten questions that I have to answer . . . 

http://great-imaginations.com/2014/11/imaginative-discussions-sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award/

 

1. Book friend: do a 100 word intro about yourself.

• My love for books didn't occurred until after I read Twilight, YES I know but now I'm beyond Twilight.  
• I am a college student and by the end of this year I am switching programs and hopefully this next program will be what I want to pursue. 
• I can almost name a lot of characters by actor's name in a movie and then trying to rely the actors name I get the weird look because they have no idea who I'm talking about. 
• I like to make annual Christmas Cards and is trying to catch up for the limited time I could only get this year, I'm also dabbling in jewelry making.
• I am a writer, yes I have at least four different WIP in mind and is planning to get one of those WIP published in the next year or two. (It's a really great book, in my mind) 
• I love to bowl, I've been bowling for as long as I can remember my average is 160. 
• I have one cat, Buddy and I'm an only child . . . I've been told that I resemble Kate Hudson which is a great compliment.

2. What is the best bookish thing to happen to you this year?

This year? As in 2014? God it seem like this year has gone by so fast! Well I say my most awesome bookish thing was attending UtopYA in Nashivlle. I met so many people that I've connected over facebook and really couldn't believe that it taken years to finally meet them! I think my blog name took off really well although I had hardly anything to brand it and I'm going to be working on that for the future bookish events I might attend to. 

3. If you were to write your own novel, and you had all the time and money to do it, what would you write about? Fiction or non-fiction? YA or adult? Genre?

Well I do write now, I pretty much write urban fantasy adult, paranormal/suspense adult, a few YA if I could write a teenager's mind and I would love to try getting into New Adult but having the darnest time figuring out a story and what would happen in this particular age group the characters are in.  

4. Your favorite place to read is:

My bed . . . Simple 

5. Did you discover any awesome writers this year? Did you have any big book shocks for 2014?

Yes! And really too many to count. Well I can't really say since I've been not reading a whole lot but I think when I do the Christmas end of the year blogging challenge that Rachel of fiktshun does every year gives us time to reflect on the books we read. 

6. What bookish goal would you like to accomplish for 2015?

Ha! I had a goal this year, read only series books, snorts failed badly on that. I kept my goal at 50 and I will not be reaching that this year which is not a big deal because I'd simply didn't have time to read. I'm not sure what goals I want to set for myself in bookish related things 

7. Do you live a double life? Would people be shocked to know you run a book blog? Do you keep your identity a secret?

Um no, I'm pretty straight forward but if I could, I would wear something or carry something that screams SassyCat's Books Review (I might be taking out books in the future in my title). 

8. Your book soulmate is:

Mmm book soulmate, can I get back to you on that? 

9. What book would make the next big blockbuster (please help out here, The Hunger Games is over next year).

Aside from The 5th (or is it 4th) wave being made into a movie but I haven't read it nor own it. If you're asking for what book I want to be the next big blockbuster? I would say the Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout. The series is done and almost anyone can pick it up right away (no waiting for next book!)  

10. A picture of your favorite bookshelf.

This is what I started with when stacking books as well crates, now I have two other bookshelves that had helped me sort some books as won books or series books or my favorite authors/books section. 

So Now I have to nominate some people!

Kara of Great Imaginations

Lola's Review

Smiling Ina

Jessica of Review From a Book Loving Mom 

My questions are

1. What books would you want to be turn into either a movie or TV series?

2. What YA world would you want to be physically in?

3. Your Favorite Book Boyfriend

4. Do you read other genre beside YA?

5. If you were only allow to read one book for a whole year, what would it be?

6. Dual POV, Multiple POV or One POV?

7. Tell us something about your blog

8. What would be your book rec to others?

9. Ebooks or Physical books

10. What hobby do you like to do aside from reading/blogging

Hide & Seek: Lying, Cheating Heart

Holy smokes this cover!! We are so excited to bring you the Cover Reveal for Mindy Ruiz’s LYING CHEATING HEART! LYING, CHEATING HEART is the second novel in Mindy’s upper YA/NA crossover fantasy Game of Hearts Series. The first book in the series, ENCHANTED HEART is available for a limited time for just $.99!

 

Cover designed by Regina at Mae I Design.

Amazon ** LYING, CHEATING HEART on Goodreads

LYING, CHEATING HEART Synopsis:

No More Lies!

Cassie Vera thought the biggest threat to her life disappeared the night her boyfriend, A.J. Vasillios, used his one-time-use power and saved her from certain death.

She was wrong.

The mythological hit list she was on is nothing compared to her freshman year at the University of Las Vegas. Rooming with Vegas’s future female royalty has pushed her estrogen tolerance to its limit. Worse, Cassie must take place in a time-honored tradition that tests her faith, while her boyfriend’s new job threatens to shatter her heart.

When age-old traditions change …

Cassie’s school year is interrupted when the future queens are ordered to represent their houses in an annual high-stakes competition. While at her ancestral home in Malaga, Spain, Cassie discovers the Greek gods have gifted her with new abilities. Cassie takes matters of righting an eighteen-year-old wrong into her hands. However, actions have consequences, and Cassie’s may very well end up costing her and the House of Hearts everything.

With her family’s future at stake and the love of her life choosing sides, Cassie must cheat death one more time.

When duty requires you to do the unthinkable, where will your loyalties lie?

Only a Cheating Heart Knows.

Here's the Back 

 

Read ENCHANTED HEART, the first book in the Game of Hearts series while you wait...

 

ENCHANTED HEART Goodreads ** Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** Kobo

About ENCHANTED HEART: 

Cassandra Vera never ever breaks the rules. Ever! She’s also had a nonexistent social life since her best friend moved to Vegas. Armed with a new set of resolutions, the promise of a hot date, and her adoptive parents out of town, Cassandra agrees an overnight road trip to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday is the perfect way to ring in the New Year. After all, it's Vegas, the city where secrets are meant to stay hidden. Little does Cassandra know the secrets of her own pastare buried there, as well. In the shadows of the glitz and gaudy lights of Vegas lies a power struggle centuries old. One wrong step and Cassandra could destroy the delicate web of secrets. Now an enemy she never knew existed is after her and the one boy who may be the missing piece to the puzzle —and her heart— is the one person she can’t afford to trust.    

About Mindy Ruiz: Mindy Ruiz lives in a sleepy Beach Town in Southern California. When she’s not writing, she spends her time chasing after three boys, making flirty eyes at her hunky husband, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, and hanging out at the beach with her very large and loud Italian family. Her career in publishing started in the 4th grade with a story about a magic, museum-hopping, chair. Now, Mindy writes young adult, new adult, and adult paranormal romance. Her books always include tormented heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of swoon-y moments that will put a smile on your face or make your heart race. Mindy is the lover of a good romance, the underdog and John Hugh’s 80′s teen movies. When her toes aren’t in the sand or her mind isn’t in the clouds, Mindy loves hearing from readers.  

Facebook ** Twitter ** Instagram ** Author Goodreads ** Pinterest

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The Cat's Meow: Christmas Wishlist

Well I know we all survive the big snow typhoon that coming from Alaska . . . So yes its only November but let's discuss Christmas Wishlist

I'm actually trying to limit my number of books since I actually get a better deal after Christmas but I'll pick out a few that my parents can buy me as a gift.

A lot of the book I picked were books that were released early this year or last year, but I've also notice a theme . . . I'm trying out Science-Fiction and some Crime/Suspense type of books because that is what I'm feeling to read and that is what is drawing me.

Here are some of my picks that will be on my Christimas List
The Taking By Kimberly Derting

  The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

My next thing on my List is Hallmark Ornaments . . .
I'm a crazy-obsessed Ornament girl, its almost as addicting to having a boatload of books but more expensive.






Next I'm on the hunt for the perfect NEW Iphone 4 case, my old one is wearing out and I'm also in a need of a new Ipad case. Now I'm not sure what direction I want to go for covers case for my Ipad. My current one is a Zebra cover and I've been seeing those bookish theme covers so you never know.

Then I want a Zebra heated blanket!!! I just saw this on one of my friend's FB.

I'm not really sure what else I really want or what my parents can think of to buy me . . . I'm hoping to do a big thing for my birthday if I can because I'm determine to do this theme I have in mind.

So what about you? What's on your Christmas Wishlist 

Hide & Seek: Salt & Stone

Are you ready to see the official cover of Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott? I am! But you'll have to wait just a couple secons longer. First let's introduce what's Victoria's first book of her series Fire and Blood, also the title of the first book is Fire and Blood

Time is slipping away....

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Victoria Scott's breathtaking novel grabs readers by the throat and doesn't let go.

Firs and Blood was released in February 24th, 2014

and Fire and Blood marked the first time I have ever gotten an physical ARC from a publisher. 

You can find my Review here, I should also say that Fire and Blood was one of my top favorite of 2014

Now Fire and Blood is being re-released into a paperback format

Now there's a different theme for the paperpack as well the cover reveal of Salt and Stone. 

What the propsed cover of Salt and Stone was this . . . A very blue theme which made sense with where the characters were going.

What would you do to save someone you love?

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

 Salt and Stone is to be Released on the very day that Fire and Blood released in 2015. Now the new cover and the offical cover of Salt and Stone is . . . . 

Here's are the link to Salt and Stone as well a giveaway!!!

Amazon pre-order link 
Goodreads link 

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