Dirty Little Secret Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!

Title: Dirty Little Secret
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publication Date: July 16th, 2013
Genre: YA - Contemporary

"From the author of the “real page-turner” (Seventeen) Such a Rush comes an unforgettable new drama that follows friends-turned-lovers as they navigate the passions, heartbreaks, and intrigue of country music fame.
Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…" ~See it on Goodreads!

 ------------------------------------------ 

My Review:

Dirty Little Secret is the first book by Jennifer Echols that I’ve read, it’s a shame I know! I’ve been meaning to read some of her previous work but I never seemed to get around to it, but I’m really glad I finally did. It’s no secret that I’m a Contemporary lover, and this one satisfied that itch I’d been having lately to read a good Contemporary!

I really liked Bailey’s character, she was a really dedicated and talented musician. Her parents really neglected her and let her fall to the wayside in order to support her sister Julie as soon as she got signed to a record label. She had her flaws and was a nit bitter about the whole situation and how they treated her, but who wouldn’t be? I like when I can see a character change and grow/mature in a story and we definitely got to see that with Bailey. I kind of had a love/hate relationship with Sam, there’s no denying he’s pretty swoon-worthy and quite the charmer, and not to mention really dedicated to his music like Bailey. But there were times when honestly I just wanted to smack him one good time for how he was acting. As the story continues you see that he really is a good guy and a gentleman at heart but there were definitely times when it was questionable, but I think that added some realness to the story.

I really liked how Ms. Echols portrayed the Nashville setting, as a country music fan myself I thought it was realistically done and I thought the mall impersonator circuit was an interesting and unique twist on it! I think the author did a really good job of bringing that element of southern charm to the story and there was a good deal of focus on the actual musical aspect of the book and since that’s what the book is mainly based around I’m glad to say it didn’t fall short in my expectations.

This was a fun and enjoyable read and I’m really glad I got the chance to pick it up. If you love Contemporaries then Dirty Little Secret is definitely worth the read, especially if you happen to be a country music fan! I’ll definitely be picking up more books by this author in the very near future!

3.5 Stars!

 ------------------------------------------ 

About The Author:

Jennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son.

Official Links:

Website: http://jennifer-echols.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferEchols

------------------------------------------

 Also be sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win! It's tour wide and will be on every tour stop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lost Blog Tour + Giveaway!

Title: Lost
Author: Nadia Simonenko
Publication Date: March 25th, 2013
Genre: New Adult - Contemporary Romance

"Sometimes you need someone else to help you find your way.Maria's life was torn apart when she was fifteen, and for seven years she's kept her terrible secret hidden from the world. Now, in her final semester of college, she still struggles against paralyzing fear just trying to speak up in class, and the terror and helplessness linger on in her nightmares.Across campus, Owen sees his scars in the mirror every morning while he gets ready for class. They remind him of the broken home he left behind, the father he hates and fears, and the little sister he couldn't protect. Now, in his final semester of college, he's scared that he may have to return to the hell he called home after staying away for almost five years.When Owen becomes a teaching assistant for one of Maria's classes, they find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other. As the two learn each other's secrets and grow closer, they realize that although they may be lost, they're not alone anymore.This new adult contemporary romance is recommended for ages 17+ due to heavy subject matter." ~See it on Goodreads

------------------------------------------ 

About The Author:

Nadia Simonenko is a scientist and author currently living in Indianapolis with her husband, two cats and a dog. When she isn’t writing, she develops new oncolytic compounds and dreams about someday getting to take a vacation.

Official Links:

Website: nadiaromance.com

Twitter: twitter.com/NadiaSimonenko

------------------------------------------ 

Also be sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win! It's tour wide and will be on every tour stop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Nightmare Affair Blog Tour! Review + Giveaway!

Title: The Nightmare Affair
Author: Mindee Arnett
Publication Date: March 5th, 2103
Genre: YA - Paranormal - Fantasy

"Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.
Literally.
Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.
Then Eli’s dream comes true.
Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target." ~See it on Goodreads

 ----------------------------------------- 

My Thoughts..

Well I was lucky enough to be able to participate in the blog tour for The Nightmare Affair and receive an e-arc of the book for review. When I first read the blurb I was really intrigued by the storyline, so I was looking forward to reading this. 

I was also really interested by the whole concept of Nightmares and all of the other supernatural beings that are present in this story. Some of which we’re already familiar with but the author added a little bit of a twist to them and made them her own, which I thought was a nice addition. So I definitely give it some points for being unique.

I really liked Dusty’s character! She’s spunky and witty, and some of my favorite parts in the book were her responses to things. She is a tad bit naïve at times but I think that gives her a more relatable feeling because everyone has been slightly naïve at some point. Also, the scenes between her Dusty and Eli were awkward in the best possible way, which definitely makes for entertaining reading. As far as the characters go as a whole, I do wish some of the other characters had been a bit more developed because I would have liked to know more about them. But we do still have time for that in the rest of the series, so that wasn’t a huge issue for me.

There is a bit of romance in this one, and a slight love triangle. I know, I know, for a lot of readers when you see those words they have that whole “dun dun dun..” effect lol. Overall I didn’t think it was horrible to have the love triangle but at the same time it would’ve been okay without it. But that may just be my opinion, and it was resolved fairly well by the end of the book.

There were a few areas that were slightly predictable and times when the storyline moved along a bit slowly, but overall I enjoyed the story and the characters. It may not have wowed me as much as I was hoping but it was still a fun and entertaining read, with an interesting take on the paranormal creatures that we know and love.

3 Stars! 

 -----------------------------------------

Also as a little treat, here's the 

Nightmare Affair book trailer!

--------------------------------------

About The Author..

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares.

Official Links:

Twitter: twitter.com/mindeearnett

Website: www.mindeearnett.com

Also be sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win! Two lucky bloggers will win a signed copy of The Nightmare Affair! The giveaway is tour wide and will be on every tour stop, also did I mention it's international?!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Uses For Boys + Author Guest Post!

I'm really excited to be part of the Blog Tour for Erica Lorraine Scheidt's new book Uses For Boys! She kindly agreed to do a little guest post for me to share with all my lovely followers, so here you go! :)

-----------------------------------

My question: What do you love the most about YA books?

Taylor, what do I love about young adult fiction? Good question. My answer? Everything.

I tell this story pretty often: About seven years ago, I walked into a bookstore in San Francisco (Christopher’s Books on Potrero Hill) and bought two books by Francesca Lia Block for no other reason than I liked the covers. They were Echo and Violet & Claire. After I read those, I bought everything I could by Francesca Lia Block and read those and then I fell into this universe of young adult books and each was better than the last. 

I read Stargirl and then It’s a Kind of Funny Story and The Wrong Hands and The Book Thief and Looking for Alaska and How I Live Now and I couldn’t stop. I would walk out of my library with stacks and stacks of books. And more recently, Imaginary Girls and Brooklyn, Burning and Sacred and Wonder. 

These books have had such a huge influence on me. Here were all these stories, as diverse and wondrous and startling as there were kids. And it made me want to write again. I think what happened, in that first moment with Francesca Lia Block, is that I discovered whole world of writers who were curious about the interior lives of kids. And I wanted to be a part of that world.

-----------------------------------

Thanks again for doing the post Erica! :)

Now for those of you who haven't heard of her book here's all the details for ya ;)

Title: Uses For Boys

Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt 

Genre: YA/New Adult - Contemporary

Publication Date: January 15, 2013

"Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.
Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses For Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up." ~See it on Goodreads

 -----------------------------------

Be sure to check out Erica's Official Site and follow her on Twitter! Now last but definitely not least, did I 
mention that there was a giveaway? Yep, that's right! It's tour wide and all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below :D

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Greta and the Goblin King Blog Tour + Giveaway!

Title: Greta and the Goblin King
Author: Chloe Jacobs
Publication Date: November 13th, 2012
Genre: YA - Fantasy/Paranormal Fantasy

"While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse.

To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape.

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back..." ~See it on Goodreads

Here's a small excerpt from the book: 

"His smoldering look went all the way through her. Her stomach fluttered madly and she stepped back, hoping to God she wasn’t blushing. “Are you reading my mind?”
He snorted. “I’m in your mind, getting to know every part of you.”
Her face burned with embarrassment. “You’re deluding yourself if you think you can know who I am or what I want from spying on me in my dreams. Therein lies a realm of fantasy, and while it’s an interesting place to visit every once in a while, we both have to live in the real world, don’t we?”
“You can put up walls, Greta, but sooner or later, I’ll break down every last one. There won’t be any secret you can keep or any part of you I don’t know…” He leaned forward, his voice lowering to a whisper. “Intimately.”
Her knees shook at the thought. Intimacy meant weakness. Weakness that he was obviously trying to exploit. She realized it now. His appearances in her dreams…all that talk…craftily designed to subvert her defenses"

---------------------------------- 

About The Author:

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

Official Links:

Website: http://www.chloejacobs.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Jacobs_Chloe

Also be sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win! It's tour wide and will be on every tour stop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway