Tears of Tess

by Pepper Winters

A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect. Then it all changed. I was sold.” 

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility. 

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world. 

But lusty paradise is shattered. 

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror. 

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold. 

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

Writer, reader, sometimes wife. 

An avid devourer of sexy romance and angsty New Adult. 

Nothing beats lolling in a bubble bath with her array of book boyfriends. 

Her two titles: Tears of Tess and Broken Chance are coming soon.

Ink

by Amanda Sun

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Royal Commentary

Ink by Amanda Sun was actually quite a disappointing read for me. It wasn't terrible, the writing wasn't bad, but the story was just plain disappointing. The story had amazing potential but alas Ink just fell flat for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as others, but it could have also been because of my high expectations. 

Katie Greene has recently moved to her Aunty's home in Japan when her Mother passed away. In a strange land, with no friends and no knowledge of the language…can life get any worse for teenager Katie Greene? Tomo is the school's Kendo team star, local unobtainable bad boy with attitude but an artist behind the scenes. Something tragic and scary stopped him from drawing in public. Can Katie break through Tomo's barriers? 

After reading the above paragraph can we all guess where this story is going? If you can't, then you mustn't have read YA novels lately because this seems to be the recipe that Authors are following lately. An outcasted good girl, and the local bad boy and then their forbidden love. I'm really baffled that Amanda Sun went the route that she did with this story. The surrounding elements behind Ink is just brilliant, and so I'm not quite sure why Amanda Sun wrote the story how she did. The strong elements of set in Japan, moving sketches that come to life and become dangerous with Japanese mythology thrown into the mix, how can you seriously go wrong, but Amanda took the elements she created and then went back to the normal recipe of YA novels, so despite having interesting and original elements, the story of Ink went back to just being another YA book with unoriginal story lines and characters. 

However, I still liked some parts of Ink, most especially Amanda Sun's description of Japanese life, explaining the connections to Japanese mythology, although I had wished she had touched on this a bit more, and she may very well do in the sequel. Amanda Sun's knowledge of Japan and the lifestyle in Japan is astounding and I really enjoyed getting lost in the surrounding that she created. 

Ink by Amanda Sun is a well loved idea, but the story itself and the characters fell disappointingly flat for me. I was looking forward to reading Ink and maybe my high expectation was to blame for my disappointment but after reading the book description, what I expected from Ink is totally what I didn't get out of it, not even close. However, Amanda's writing is good, beautiful even, but the plot line was just bland considering the elements she had to work with, she could have done so much more with this story. I will still be picking up the novella and sequel, just to give this series another chance, because like I said, I love the idea behind this novel, and I am hoping that the execution and story itself gets better.

About The Author

Megan Curd

When not writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She loves to snowboard and travel to new places, and doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play xBox with her brother and friends when it presents itself. Megan currently resides in Stanton, Kentucky with her husband, son, and Great Dane named Dozer.

Five Things About Megan Curd

1.) I collect Starbucks mugs. Like…a lot of them. :) I collect what's called the Global Icon Series, which is the mug that has a city, state, or country on the mug and features something from that area. Each one has a special story about how I got it or traded for it, and I drink out of a different one each night I write. I have over 100 different ones, and my husband is getting a bit terrified. He might have valid reason for concern, haha!

2.) I snowboard. I learned how to snowboard while in college, and I absolutely love it! I love the winter, and I'm hoping to get my son on a snowboard this season if we can find a place near us in Kentucky.

5 Things You Don't Know About Steel Lily

Steel Lily 

by Megan Curd

Some secrets are better left concealed, but humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything...including the fate of your world.

Excerpt

~ Giveaway ~

Sunday Post is a weekly feature hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reviewer. It's main purpose is similar to that of a Sunday newspaper; recap of the week gone by, additions to your library and what is going on in the book blogging community.

Addition to my Library 

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eARCs

Blog Recap

Reviews

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Around The Blogosphere 

Here's my participation link for Bout of Books 8.0. To sign up click on the button above.

Authors Are Rockstars is a month long event. Each hosting blog has chosen one Author to host. Check out the blog listing and the Authors they are hosting by clicking on the button above. It's a fantastic event and you get to learn so much more about your favourite Authors or you may even find a new Author to be a fan of. 

Something Strange & Deadly Read-along/Book Club Read is being co-hosted by Author, Susan Dennard and Epic Reads. Click on the button above to be directed to Susan's Book Club Intro Post or click here to view Epic Reads Discussions. 

So if you haven't read Something Strange & Deadly, or would like to re-read it before reading A Darkness Strange & Lovely, this is the perfect time and opportunity to read-along with your fellow bloggers and online readers. 

Last but certainly not least, the creator of The Sunday Post, Kimba the Caffeinated Reviewer is having her 2 year Blogoversary. Show your thanks by hopping over there to greet her a Happy Blogoversary and whilst your there enter the fantastic giveaway she's got happening to celebrate this memorable event!

Were you a born bookworm or somebody got you into the habit of reading?

• You MUST follow BOTH hosts Rachel @ Parajunkee and Alison @ Alison Can Read
• You MUST follow BOTH Featured Blogs of the week (linked below)
• Do your own Feature & Follow Friday post answering the question of the week and link to it at the bottom of this post 
• Follow and comment on other participants Feature & Follow Friday posts! 

About The Book

No Reverse

by Marion Croslydon

A girl who needs to undo the past. 

A boy who wants to forget it. 

In love, there’s no way back. 

At high school in Steep Hill, Kansas, Cassie O’Malley and Josh MacBride were the poster couple for quarterback/cheerleader romance until they starred in their own tale of teen pregnancy. No need to say: their shotgun wedding was low-key. But when there was no baby anymore, they went their separate ways.  Five years later, Josh has breezed through Georgetown and is about to finish his post-grad degree at Oxford University. He is set to join a lobbying group on Capitol Hill, owned by his new fiancée’s father. For Josh, the sky is now the limit… only he must first take care of a tiny legal matter: technically, he’s still married to the girl who broke his heart. 

Meanwhile, Cassie has been waiting tables in Steep Hill to pay for her sick grandmother’s care. On the day of the old lady’s funeral, Cassie is served with two sets of papers. Josh is asking for a divorce. Her heart squeezes, but, well, he moved on a long time ago. But the second envelope shakes Cassie to the core. So, for the first time, she leaves Kansas and heads to good ol’ England. 

There, Cassie finds that Josh has not just “moved on,” he’s freakin’ engaged to some blue-blooded heiress. The feelings Cassie had buried deep rush back to her. But no matter if he keeps thrusting the divorce papers under her nose, she needs him to save the only person she loves more than Josh, more than life itself…

Royal Commentary by Paperback Princess

No Reverse is a story of unconditional love and sacrifices. Marion Croslydon told this story in a brilliant way, alternating point of views between the two main characters, and also alternating the timelines from past to present, it takes an excellent writer to be able to do this without confusing the readers. No Reverse is a thought provoking tale, that makes it's readers question what they would do in such a situation. This is an emotional roller coaster ride novel, so definitely not for the faint hearted, prepare to feel!

I absolutely adored this book and it was a fast paced story that I devoured quite obligingly within a few sittings. This is not the type of book I normally read but the drama and the spice within this novel was really a very engaging read, I think I'll definitely be picking more New Adult Contemporary Romance from now on, if they are anything like No Reverse.

What I loved about No Reverse is the realistic situation in this story, it could have happened to anyone, and this is where it provokes the readers to think, "what would I do if I had been in that situation?" It's really quite a hard answer and seeing the characters as they made choices, whether it was the right or wrong ones really made the readers invested in the story. You cheer for a happy ending for all involved. 

The main characters all had their faults and this added to the realism of the situation, which is definitely what I love about the novel, it read like a true life event, as if it had happened to yourself personally. Marion also writes the novel so well that the emotions that the characters felt jumps off the pages at it's readers and it makes you feel the way they are feeling. This book really makes the readers very involved emotionally. 

No Reverse is immersed in drama, and the characters are likeable but real, the emotions are felt through it's pages, and it's definitely not ones for the faint hearted who wants to be detached from the story they read. This book will include you and drag you into it's arms, you will be holding your breath as if each decision taken involves you, it's a thought provoking and very involving book.

About The Author

Marion Croslydon

About The Author

Ari Harper

About The Book

Witchling 

by Ari Harper

Nera is a normal teenage girl living in Ireland-or so she thought. Her world is forever changed when she discovers that she is descended from a long line of witches. To her horror she finds she is the one that is supposed to stop the curse that has taken the life of every girl before her. As if that isn't enough, she must learn to use magic and her trainer is a man named Bones. He is the son of Mari, Queen of the Witches, and a god. It is Bones that has been entrusted to teach her the skills she needs to stay alive, which wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have an uncanny knack for pushing her buttons. Can Nera learn what she needs while staying immune to the charms of the man that gets under her skin at every opportunity?

Scavenger Hunt Hint #3

What convinced Nera she must do the tasks ahead? 

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School Spirits

by Rachel Hawkins

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

Royal Commentary by Paperback Princess 

The Brannicks are descendants from generations and generations of monster hunters, but when Isolde (Izzy) Brannick is nearly drained at a routine vampire vanquishing, Momma Brannick comes to the rescue and puts Izzy in easy ghost hunting duties. Izzy must now go undercover as a normal teen to investigate the ghost activities in a local high school.

School Spirits is like all other Rachel Hawkin stories; ight, funny and certainly entertaining with strong and loveable characters. Izzy is the main character in School Spirits, she's defiant, sarcastic, witty, but she's also strong, respectful of her mother and despite the shell she portrays of strength, after all, she is one of the last standing Brannick woman, she also has feelings of vulnerability like most teens.

The whole researching method for seeing how "normal teens" lived was through watching teen reality drama on DVD, this was absolutely hilarious and I really liked the way that Hawkins interweaved it through Izzy's life, referencing it when relevant. Little things like this is what makes me like Hawkins books. Whilst many may not think this is a relevant point in the story, the originality of the method is what wins points for me.

I absolutely loved the PMS…yes you read right, the Paranormal Management Society. Consisting of Romy, Anderson and Dex, they're the official paranormal investigators at the school. Izzy originally joins their club to investigate the ghost sightings that the PMS was also investigating albeit unsuccessfully with their online-bought "ghost" machines and detectors. Oh my…I just fell in love with this foursome. The interactions and the friendships that bloomed from this group was sweet and genuine and I couldn't help but want to be part of their club, just for the friendship alone. The interaction, dialogue and chemistry between the foursome was definitely a huge highlight for School Spirits. School Spirits is more a character driven novel and whilst the plot had predictable elements, the ending still came as a surprise.

School Spirits is a light, enjoyable and entertaining read. All Rachel Hawkins fan won't be disappointed and whilst this is a spin-off the Hex Hall series, reading the latter series is not a pre-requisite.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the Publishers free in exchange for an honest review. No monetary incentive was given for a positive review.