30. lip 2014.

ARC: Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

Pre-order at 
Author's 

Book summary: 
Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs. But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.
Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.
When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.
         When Livia Blackburne approached me last year and asked me to read the prequel to this story, Poison Dance, I jumped to it. Assassins are always my favorite bunch to hang out with and luckily it turned out for the best. Ever since then I've been frantically checking NetGalley for Midnight Thief and finally it is here. 

        First I'd want to start this review by saying that you should read Poison Dance before reading this book (it's free on Amazon so go and grab it) because you'll be able to understand this world a little bit better and what is most you will understand James better. When I first saw him in this book I was taken aback. Everything seemed the same only he was older, wiser and with what happened before changed his way of thinking. When it comes to Kyra she was one of those characters I assume many (together with me) will love. She is brave and extremely resourceful because life tough her that. Then in came Tristam, whom I didn't expect, but like any real knight he swept me off my feet. Even though romance is not main focus in this story it was sweet and slow.

       Now, we're getting to the my favorite detail in the story. It's that you never know who is in fact good and who is bad here. The rolls switch every now and then and mostly villains are in facts heroes in their own minds. It's so easy to see every Kyra's doubt as you never know whom to trust. It kept me on edge throughout the whole book and I enjoyed it so much. Also there is clash of different worlds here and it was a puzzle to put all of them on the right sides. Still is to me. 

        That being said, I must add that I enjoyed the plot here which was full of unexpected twists and turns, with great characters - both main and supporting, who are all portrayed realistically, with dose of magic which I enjoyed. 

       Only thing I wish to have here was a map. I can imagine it but sometimes it was hard to follow all the places. I really hope that the finished copy will have one. 

Rating: 5 stars. 

Until the next time, 
*Copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Disney-Hyperion. Thank you.
I'm not paid to write this review - I do it as a lover of written word. All opinions are personal. 

29. lip 2014.

Sunday Post (#13)

Hello all. Well, as some of you know Sundays are always reserved for Sunday Post which is a meme created by lovely Kim @Caffeinated Book Reviews!

The exams are officially over! Yes my dear friends, that means you'll see me around all the time as of the next week. Hopefully Glass will find some time to be around more too. You'll never get rid of us ;) Needless to say your comments and chats and support are amazing. Thank you so much for understanding. 
As of our blog. We kind of reached 1000 followers! You ALL are so AMAZING! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We promise to treat you with something nice soon. 

  • The Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne (ARC Review)
  • Bookish Problems: Why translations are never good enough?
  • Waiting on Wednesday (#102)
  • Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen (ARC Review)
  • Cover Reveal (don't know the details yet)
  • Cry No More by Linda Howard
Tanja's haul

Until the next time, 

28. lip 2014.

Cover Reveal: Just as You Are by June Stevens

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We are excited to share the cover for June Stevens' upcoming New Adult Novel, Just As You Are. Just As You Are is the #3 book in the Oak Hollow series and the first in the new adult series Oak Hollow College. The two series' will overlap with common characters and settings, but the Oak Hollow College series will consist exclusively of New Adult novels
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JUST AS YOU ARE BY JUNE STEVENS

OAK HOLLOW #3 and OAK HOLLOW COLLEGE #1

Book summary: 
When you've gone through your whole life being told you aren't good enough, you learn to accept love with conditions...and never expect anything better... The not-so-shy fat girl... Layla Harper has no problem with who she is. She'll never be a beauty queen, but she doesn't care. She does have a problem with guys who think she is easy because she’s fat. And drop-your-panties-sexy Alden Cortland just became her #1 problem. All Layla wants to do is keep her head down, get her computer science degree, and get as far away from Tennessee and her past as she can. She certainly has no intentions of getting mixed up with another smooth talking rich boy, no matter how much he tells her she is sexy. The rich boy with a secret... Alden is the disgrace of his family. Which is why he has been sent to a small college in the backwoods of Tennessee, out of the media spotlight, out of mind. He is completely focused on getting his degree and taking off to start his career on the other side of the camera. Until he lays eyes on Layla Harper. She has no clue how beautiful she is, but he is determined to help her find out. Unfortunately she won't give him the time of day. He wants to prove to her he isn't the kind of guy she thinks he is…or does he? Getting close to Layla means letting her in on his darkest secret. And that would mean losing her.
goodreads-badge-add-plus-d700d4d3e3c0b346066731ac07b7fe47

DJ Westerfield Writing As June Stevens

DJ Westerfield is a wife, step-mom, sister, auntie, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, friend, and Mommy to three adorable and mischievous four-legged babies.
She writes non-fiction, blogs, and co-hosts an internet radio show as DJ Westerfield and uses the pseudonym June Stevens to write fiction in a variety of genres including contemporary romance, romantic suspense, romantic fantasy, paranormal romance, urban fantasy. You can find out more about her and WHY she uses both of her names on her website.
Author's 
Love of reading
Until the next time,

27. lip 2014.

Cover Reveal: A Murder of Magpies by Sarah Bromley – Guest Post and Giveaway

M9B-Friday-Reveal
Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

A Murder of Magpies by Sarah Bromley

presented by Month9Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Guest-Post
A MURDER OF MAGPIES cover art
Besides the dream of seeing your book in print, one thing so many authors daydream about is what the cover will look like. I come from an artistic background. My grandmother was a watercolorist, and I actually spent time in college as an art major before switching first to forensic pathology (don’t ask—it obviously didn’t last) and eventually English. As someone who’s visual, I was excited and, to be honest, nervous for what Month9Books would come up with as the design for the cover of A MURDER OF MAGPIES.
Georgia McBride asked for my input, which I know is rare because so often authors don’t get much say, if any, in their cover art, but I still didn’t know what to expect. Yet when I saw it, I adored my cover. How could there be any other cover for A MURDER OF MAGPIES? The design brings in details like the cobblestone roads of the book’s setting, Black Orchard, Wisconsin. I could imagine walking down that road in the fog and knowing someone was watching. The antique-style light plays off Vayda’s family’s business in the antiques trade as well as her ability to take emotion and turn it into electricity. Then the bird . . . I love the bird’s position as it is hunched over to peck at the ground as if uncovering a secret, and this is a story where everyone has secrets.
FINAL_ A Murder of Magpies_Bromley
Winter in Black Orchard, Wisconsin, is long and dark, and sixteen-year-old Vayda Silver prays the snow will keep the truth and secrecy of the last two years buried. Hiding from the past with her father and twin brother, Vayda knows the rules: never return to the town of her mother’s murder, and never work a Mind Game where someone might see.
No one can know the toll emotions take on Vayda, how emotion becomes energy in her hands, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it's not long before her powers can no longer be contained. The truth is dangerously close to being exposed, placing Vayda and her family at risk.
Until someone quiets the chaos inside her.
Unwanted. That's all Ward Ravenscroft has ever been. To cope, he numbs the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Vayda stirs something in him. He can't explain the hold she has on him--inspiring him with both hope and fear. He claims not to scare easily, except he doesn't know what her powers can do. Yet.
Just as Vadya and Ward draw closer, she finds the past isn't so easily buried. And when it follows the Silvers to Black Orchard, it has murder in mind.
add to goodreads
Title: A Murder of Magpies
Publication date: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Sarah Bromley
Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author
Sarah BromleySarah Bromley lives near St. Louis with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She likes the quiet hours of morning when she can drink coffee in peace, stare into the woods behind her house, and wonder what monsters live there. When she's not writing or wrangling small children, she can be found volunteering at a stable for disabled riders.
Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
(Winners will receive their book on release day)
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Until the next time, 

26. lip 2014.

I Have Nothing To Read...


      Every girl (and a few guys) at least once in their lives found themselves in this situation - you need to get ready for the night out. You open your closet, barely surviving the process because T-shirts, pants, skirts and various other items have decided to attack you by falling out  - or there simply isn't enough space for all your things. You put your hands on your hips, take a deep, desperate breath and say: "I have nothing to wear!"

      Now, what does this have in common with the bookworms? Only difference is that bookworms are getting read for the cozy night chilling in their favorite reading space (if they are feeling adventurous, they might even go outside to read) and instead of clothes, they are looking for that perfect book. But choosing a perfect book can be a tricky business.

      Having fifty paperbacks on your (nearest) bookshelf and over 200 books on your Kindle can make your head hurt like crazy. Or you will simply take a deep breath,  sigh dramatically and whisper: "F**k my life, I have nothing to read!", because in that moment nothing appeals to your current mood.  

Help your fellow bookworms and tell us what is your cure for this serious bookish illness.

   

Until next time,

25. lip 2014.

Waiting on Wednesday (#101)


You know the story. This is a meme created by Breaking the Spine and every week we pick books we're waiting for. Here are our picks for this week.

Glass' pick

The conclusion to Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, this gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier is a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures and Anna Dressed in Blood.

Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world.
But then, the Devil once told me that it's easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry.
The problem with River West Redding was that he'd done both to me.

The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet's life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River's other brother, are left to worry—until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, witch hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. It isn't long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own . . .

Expected publication: August 1st, 2014

Tanja's pick

"Every child knows how the story ends. The wicked pirate captain is flung overboard, caught in the jaws of the monster crocodile who drags him down to a watery grave. But it was not yet my time to die. It's my fate to be trapped here forever, in a nightmare of childhood fancy, with that infernal, eternal boy."

Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan’s rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.

With Stella’s knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook’s last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their neverending game. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen is a beautifully and romantically written adult fairy tale perfect for fans of Gregory Maguire and Paula Brackston.



Expected publication: July 8th , 2014

We'd love to see your picks so feel free to link them up.

Until the next time,

24. lip 2014.

Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

Buy the book at 
Author's 

Book summary: 
Orphan Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings pain: Her dying mother made a bargain with the evil, all-powerful ruler of their world that anyone who hurt her beloved daughter would be punished; her new stepmother went mad with grief when Maia's father died; and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, yet she always spurns them. And though her family has turned her into a despised servant, Maia must always pretend to be happy, or else they'll all be struck dead by the curse.
Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. What's the point of pretending to fall in love with a girl just so she'll pretend to fall in love with him back? But when his father invites all the suitable girls in the kingdom to a masked ball, Anax must finally give in and select a wife.
As fate would have it, the preparations for the masquerade bring him Maia, who was asked by her eldest stepsister to deliver letters to Anax. Despite a prickly first encounter, he is charmed and intrigued by this mysterious girl who doesn't believe in love. Anax can't help wishing to see her again—and when he does, he can't help falling in love with her. Against her will, Maia starts to fall in love with him too. But how can she be with him when every moment his life is in danger from her mother's deadly bargain?
         You may have heard of Rosamund's story called Cruel Beauty. If you have then you probably know that how people mostly describe that story is magical and with beautiful writing. With short-stories I'm always afraid that one part of that beautiful writing will disappear, but it seems to me that regardless of form Rosamund cannot write anyhow but beautifully.

          This story is set in the same universe as Cruel Beauty, but it can be read on its own. Though, I highly recommend you to read that one too. This story is actually a retelling of Cinderella, where our main character Maia is an orphan but living in a world where love is not what they describe in fairy tales. She is cursed and her mother is still protecting her even though dead. On the other hand we have Anax who is also disappointed in love, because he is often loved because of his title. What neither of them cannot influence is fate, which decides to brings them together. Now they are thrown into something bigger than them.

          Once again it was hard not to be captivated by this story. It has the basic elements of Cinderella, but this story is much darker and somehow more real. It's not all pink and fluffy but rather gray and hunting. It was really great to see how this story developed even though it's not too long. I really liked all the characters and somehow I feel like all of them played their role neatly.

          It was amazing to be captured in this world again and I hope I'll go back to it someday, but only thing I regret is the length of the story. I wish it was a full novel!

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,

23. lip 2014.

Goodbye Strange Chemistry

Hello all. I'm not sure if you all have heard the sad news but Strange Chemistry is no more. Angry Robots decided to close Strange Chemistry (their YA imprint) and Exhibit A (Crime imprint) due to market saturation. You can read the full statement on their website.

I'm really sad about this as Strange Chemistry was probably my favorite imprint. I have worked with them and read some of their books and most of them ended up at my favorite shelf. I have said this while reviewing one of SC books that they really published books according to my taste. It's not only books, but those amazing authors I worked with. But still I'm sure that I'll work with them again and like I told them Ja čitam, a ti? will always be open for them.

This is just my small tribute to those amazing books and authors. So thank you amazing people for your kindness and professionalism. Thank you also for sending me and approving me for all those ARCs and with you I learned so much about blogging.

Dear authors Kat Ross, Danielle L. Jansen, Amelie Howard, Eliza Crawe, Rosie Best, Ingrid Jonach and Cassandra Rose Clark thank you so much. I had that pleasure of working with you and I really hope to work with you again in the future. Don't give up as your books are the best pieces I have read. You have the true talent and it shows! Also to all those other authors I haven't had a chance to work with, I really hope we'll work together in the future.

Thank you all who worked on giving us the best books and organizing the best tours. You truly are amazing. But most of all thank you to Caroline and Jonathan - it was amazing to work with you and I know that our paths will cross again!

Best of luck to all of you! 

Until the next time,

22. lip 2014.

Sunday Post (#12)

Hello all. Well, as some of you know Sundays are always reserved for Sunday Post which is a meme created by lovely Kim @Caffeinated Book Reviews!

Hello darlings. It's the end of anther busy week for us, so let's see what happened. I'm still dealing with my exams. I aced three out of six and the next week I have the remaining three. So fingers crossed people! Glass is back from the family gathering and she had a blast there. Now back to the daily duties. 
About the World Cup we sadly lost against Argentina but we played really good. The next game was last night but this post will go up by the time the game is over.
Now onto happenings on our blog. Last week again we didn't have that much time to comment on your blogs. Once again we really apologize but as soon as we catch some time we'll be around more. Thank you again for your comments. They mean world to us! 
Happy Summer people!!
Tanja's haul 
Cracked by Eliza Crewe - Won (thank you Lee @ She-Wolf Reads)
Thank you: Juliet Pierce, Flux, Hachette and NetGalley! 

Until the next time,

21. lip 2014.

Quote of the Week: Unravel by Calia Read


This is yet another book which I have decided not to write a review for. Reasons are simple: a) Glass has already done it and b) I have no idea how to do so. Instead I'll try to persuade you with some quotes I've found really inspiring and wonderful. Hope you'll enjoy them!

But with the right person, everything will align perfectly. The world stops turning on its axis, time slows and you realize that while you're losing a piece of yourself, you're also gaining something in return. What they give you fits you just right. 

And another one

Tomorrow, I'll accept that in order to unravel my story, I'll be destroyed first. Like the frozen water drop, its inevitable that I break.




Until the next time,

20. lip 2014.

Cover Reveal: Lifer by Beck Nicholas

M9B-Friday-Reveal
Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Lifer by Beck Nicholas

presented by Month9Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
BNicholas_M9B_Lifer_1800x2700
Asher is a Lifer, a slave aboard the spaceship Pelican. A member of the lowest rung of society, she must serve the ship’s Officials and Astronauts as punishment for her grandparents' crimes back on Earth. The one thing that made life bearable was her illicit relationship with Samuai, a Fishie boy, but he died alongside her brother in a freak training accident.
Still grieving for the loss of her loved ones, Asher is summoned to the upper levels to wait on Lady, the head Official’s wife and Samuai’s mother. It is the perfect opportunity to gather intel for the Lifer’s brewing rebellion. There’s just one problem—the last girl who went to the upper levels never came back.
On the other side of the universe, an alien attack has left Earth in shambles and a group called The Company has taken control. Blank wakes up in a pond completely naked and with no memory, not even his real name. So when a hot girl named Megs invites him to a black-market gaming warehouse where winning means information, he doesn’t think twice about playing. But sometimes the past is better left buried.
As Asher and Blank’s worlds collide, the truth comes out—everyone has been lied to. Bourne Identity meets Under the Never Sky in this intergalactic tale of love and deception from debut novelist Beck Nicholas.
add to goodreads
Title: LIFER
Publication date: December 16, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Beck Nicholas
Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
(Winners will receive their book on release day)

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