Summer Giveaway Hop!

Giveaway hops are so fun.  I'm doing back to back hops with this one.  I guess I'm going for broke.  :)  Same as usual for the giveaway.  One book of your choice, $12 or less from Book Depository if you are INT and Amazon if you are US.  Or, you can choose an ebook.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.  I hope life is amazing wherever you find yourself today.

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Count Down to Love Author Event

I'm so excited to be participating a tour for Julie Ford's Whitney-nominated novel, Count Down to Love starting on August 13th!

In conjunction with the tour, Julie is extending a special invitation to all blog readers to join her and 11 other authors in an amazing book event being held on August 1st. Check out the following invitation for all the details.

Utah Author Event

Meet the authors and support a library!

Come to the Pleasant Grove City Library at 30 E. Center Street in Pleasant Grove, Utah, at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 1st for a great book event featuring Whitney-nominated author, Julie Ford. Julie will be joined by some other amazing authors including:

• Julie Coulter Bellon
• Nichole Giles
• Angie Lofthouse
• Monique Bucheger
• H. B. Moore
• Rachelle Christensen
• Andrea Pearson
• Heather Justesen
• Loralee Evans
• Suze Reese
• L. L. Muir

Come meet these authors and check out their books! There will be prizes there on silent auction, books to be purchased, cookies to be eaten - and proceeds will go to the library. That's right - this is a book launch/fund-raiser/rockin' party!

Bring your family! Bring your friends! Come prepared to have a great time, support your local authors, and contribute to the library!

Pleasant Grove Library

30 E. Center, Pleasant Grove

Wednesday, August 1st

7 - 9 PM

Review: How to Break Up with an Alien by Magan Vernon

Face it, long distance relationships in high school are hard, especially when the other one in the relationship is an alien. Alex Bianchi may have survived an intergalactic battle, but that still doesn’t excuse her from her senior year of high school, or qualify her for any sort of scholarship. To make up for college tuition costs, she takes a job at a local coffee shop. If only coffee could solve all of her problems.

As Alex’s senior year progresses, everything changes and she can’t figure out if it is interstellar or if it is just time to break up with an alien.

First off, I love the new covers for this series, especially this one.  So pretty!  I'm really enjoying this alien series and I was super excited to get How to Break Up with an Alien in my mailbox.  After reading the first book, How to Date an Alien, I was anxious to see where things went with Alex and Ace.

Let's just agree that dating an alien is NOT normal.  Alex is torn.  She wants Ace but she also wants a sense of normal.  I would say that Alex is pretty smart.  Deep down she knows what she wants but it's hard to keep that focus when people all around her are telling her what they think she should do.  I love the moments when Alex stands up for herself.  On the other hand, I NEVER love the moments when Alex thinks Ace isn't for her.  Ace is the bomb.  Although he does have a thing or two to learn about dating a human.

This was a great follow up book.  The romance continues, the struggle continues.  Such a fun sci-fi romance.  This is some great summertime easy reading.

Content:  There was mild swearing (including a couple instances of the B word) and some sexual references.

Here is a link to Amazon where  you can find this book.  It's only $2.99 for the Kindle!

Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway Hop

Happy Summer!  I am, as we speak taking a quick break from our summer vacation playing.  I love summer.  It makes me happy.  Lazy summer days are my favorite and reading is one of my favorite lazy summer day pastimes.  


For this giveaway hop I will be giving my usual book of your choice, $12.00 or less from Amazon if you are US and Book Depository if you are INT.


Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy Hopping!

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Review: Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. This delightful book from a fan- and bookseller-favorite kicks off a brand-new series sure to become a modern classic.

If you have never read a book by Jessica Day George, you really need to.  She is such a talented writer.  I've been wanting to read this book for awhile so I'm glad I finally got around to picking it up.

I know this book is JF and meant for a younger crowd, but I loved it.  It was everything clever and magical that sparks your imagination into dreaming.  How could you not love a book about a castle that is alive?  It moves and changes and loves princess Celie.  You should read what it does to people it doesn't like!  You don't want to be on the castle's bad side.

This is such a clever book.  It's perfect for readers of all ages but especially for the younger set.  It's going to be the next book I recommend to my 9 year old.  I think she will love it.

Review & Giveaway: Florence by Ciye Cho

Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth.Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

Ciye Cho has created a beautiful underwater setting for her book, Florence.  It is filled with vivid scenery and underwater creatures.  I've always been fascinated by what lies beneath the oceans.  There are so many cool plants and animals.  Mermaids are what every little girl dreams about at some point or another, I think, so they make a good subject for writing.  I'm glad that this book wasn't too dark and that the mermaids (for the most part) are kind and happy creatures.  

The book started out really slow for me.  It was hard to get into and connect with the characters but about half way through things picked up a bit and I found myself enjoying the book a lot more.  By the end I was really rooting for Florence, Rolan and Kiren.  

The ending leaves things wide open for another book.  The Darkness is just beginning to wreak their havoc, I think.  There might just be more to Florence than meets the eye.  I'm going to be looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Content:  There is some mild swearing.

Here is a book trailer for Florence:

And now for the giveaway! Ciye has generously agreed to give away one ebook copy of her book, Florence. Just fill out the rafflecopter below. Thanks, Ciye!
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Book Blitz! Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison

Synopsis: Mormon girl Leesie has life figured out until devastated Michael lands in her small town high school. He needs her like no one has before. A rare journey into a faithful LDS teen’s intimate struggle.

Meet Leesie:
from Leesie's Most Private Chapbook, Prologue, Taken by Storm, "What does it Matter?"

What does it matter if
another jock pinches me
as I walk down the hall to Physics
and high fives Troy, celebrating
like he just scored
the season’s first touchdown?

As I stalk past Troy,
architect of my torture,
I’m frozen, a block of ice—
not a single drop melts.

All hail the Mormon Ice Queen.

What does it matter?

I know the commandment,
but I don’t even consider
turning the other cheek.

And, yes, it hurts, but
life without pain
isn’t much of a test.

This feeling can’t be lonely—
I’m not alone.

I walk with His hand on my shoulder,
His voice whispering in my soul,
His love soaring in my heart,
His suffering
my salvation.

What else could possibly matter?

"[Morrison] handles the topics of religion and premarital sex gracefully without passing judgment. The message has less to do with religion than learning to respect and cherish others while staying true to one’s own beliefs.” – Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

Brand new paperback and reformatted ebook with fully scalable fonts. Includes bonus, never-before-published scene, "Airport Good-bye!"

10 Year Anniversary

Ten years ago this week, Taken by Storm's scuba-diving hero, Michael, swam out of Angela's brain and onto her page. Join the anniversary celebration! Win your own copy of the brand new paperback!  Snag Taken by Storm's Kindleebook for only $ .99! Unbroken Connection (Book 2) and Cayman Summer (Book 3) are free on Kindle! Hurry. The promotion ends Friday, July 20th. Don't own a Kindle?  Download free Kindle apps for your laptop, tablet, iTouch, or phone. 

Angela Morrison is the award-winning YA author of Taken by Storm (Books 1-3) and Sing me to Sleep. She graduated from Brigham Young University and holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in Eastern Washington on the wheat farm where Taken by Storm is set. She's an advanced NAUI, Nitrox certified scuba diver. The hurricane that kills Michael's parents was inspired by a real-life diving accident.

After over a decade in Canada, Switzerland, and Singapore, Angela and her family are happily settled in Mesa, Arizona. She enjoys speaking to writers and readers of all ages about her craft. She has four children--mostly grown up--and the most remarkable grandson in the universe.

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Opposite poems for younger readers

Links to Buy:

Amazon Author Page

Taken By Storm

Unbroken Connection (Book 2) Cayman Summer (Book 3)