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Love You Dead by Peter James: Giveaway and Promo!

Friday, September 30, 2016

An ugly duckling as a child, Jodie Bentley had two dreams in life - to be beautiful and rich. She's achieved the first, with a little help from a plastic surgeon, and now she's working hard on the second. Her philosophy on money is simple: you can either earn it or marry it. Marrying is easy, it's getting rid of the husband afterwards that's harder, that takes real skill. But hey, practice makes perfect . . .
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is feeling the pressure from his superiors, his previous case is still giving him sleepless nights, there have been major developments with his missing wife Sandy, and an old adversary is back. But worse than all of this, he now believes a Black Widow is operating in his city. One with a venomous mind . . . and venomous skills. Soon Grace comes to the frightening realization that he may have underestimated just how dangerous this lady is.
Love You Dead is the gripping twelfth book in Peter James' Roy Grace series.

Goodreads Summary

Mandatory to be entered in the giveaway:
Bonus points opportunities:
  • Subscribe to PJTV on YouTube (4 points) In October, we will also be officially launching Peter’s new YouTube channel, PJTV, which will feature exclusive videos like interviews with other huge authors such as Paula Hawkins, author of Girl on the Train, Lee Child, author of the upcoming Night School, and RL Stine, award winning author of the Goosebumps series. You can get a sneak peek of the site now in beta before the launch when you sign up.
  • Send Peter James a question, which he will answer on a YouTube video at a later date, at this email address:pjfanvideos@gmail.com (3 points)
  • Like Peter James on Facebook (1 point):
  • Follow Peter on Instagram (1 point)

Enter Here


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Take the Bible Challenge with Odyssey Adventure Club

How much do you know about the Bible and its influence on our culture, history–and the whole world? Focus on the Family and Bring Your Bible have teamed up to create a quiz to test how much you and your kids know about the Bible. Take the quiz to find out!

Don't forget to mark your calendars to celebrate religious freedom with other students across the U.S. on October 6—Bring Your Bible to School Day! Students from kindergarten to college will be bringing their Bibles to school and sharing God with their friends in just a few short weeks. Sign up to be a part of the movement to protect religious freedom for future generations.

bybts-signup-sidebar 

By signing up, you’ll receive a free guide with tips, downloadable posters, sticker and T-shirt designs, information on your legal rights, and other fun, interactive activities.

You’ll also be automatically entered for a chance to win a free trip for four to hear the Newsboys, an award-winning Christian music band, in Dallas!

Plus Bring Your Bible to School Comes to Adventures in Odyssey

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Getting used to a new school isn’t easy, especially for someone as paranoid as Buddy Norman. In “A Predicament of Biblical Proportions” he envisions wacky worst-case encounters with townsfolk who seem like mobsters, snoops and fairy-tale tyrants—until he gets to know them. He’s also a little confused about Bring Your Bible to School Day. What’s it about? Should he participate? See Odyssey through Buddy’s eyes in this witty celebration of religious freedom.

Listen to this story through a two-week trial only on the Odyssey Adventure Club. SOCIAL MEDIA: SEPTEMBER 29–OCTOBER 5 Tweets and Facebook Posts How well do you and your kids know the Bible? Take the quiz with #BringYourBible and @FocusFamily! #OAClub [YOUR BLOG POST LINK] Take the Bible Challenge with @FocusFamily and #BringYourBible (plus a free #OAClub trial for your kids): [YOUR BLOG POST LINK] This fall invest in your children’s faith with a free #OAClub two-week trial! [YOUR BLOG POST LINK] This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Exciting News from Avon Books!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016
 Tessa Dare will be holding her launch party for DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL (on sale tomorrow) thisSunday, Oct 2, 4 p.m. at The Ripped Bodice! She’ll be streaming a portion of the event via Facebook Live, so keep an eye on www.facebook.com/TessaDareAuthor or www.facebook.com/avonromance! If you can’t make it to the event, but would still like a signed copy of DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL, you can order it from The Ripped Bodice here: http://www.therippedbodicela.com/product/tessa-dare-do-you-want-start-scandal-signed-available-preorder
Event date: 
Sunday, October 2, 2016 - 4:00pm
Event address: 
3806 Main St
Culver City, CA 90232


October 28, 2016
Avon 75th Anniversary Event at Book Culture in Manhattan
450 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024
Featuring: Eloisa JamesSarah MacLeanMegan FramptonTessa Bailey and Sara Jane Stone.

November 10, 2016
KissCon Cleveland

Hosted by the Cuyahoga County Public Library, South-Euclid Branch
(1876 S Green Rd, South Euclid, OH 44121)
Featuring: Katharine AsheToni BlakeShelley Shepard GrayLinda Howard, Linda JonesSusan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Ryan and Jill Shalvis.
For more information, or to reserve your ticket, visithttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/kisscon-cleveland-vip-reception-tickets-27776928541




This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven


From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are.
Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone. 
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.
Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are—and seeing them right back.
 

Goodreads Summary

When I first started this book I felt that everything bad that happened to Libby was horrible.  I can't imagine having a mother pass away (though my own mom's mommy did). Libby has horrible weight issues and had to be lifted from her house by a crane. When she returns to school with a vastly different body and outlook in life, she meets Jack, a boy suffering from facial recognition issues. The two develop a friendship that has the potential to turn into a romance. Jack represented a completely different part of the social strata than Libby. Although the two were social opposites, they were friends and eventually something more. 

I loved Libby's character. She was strong, intelligent, hard-working, and kind. She had such a determination to persevere no matter the obstacle hurled at her. This book would have been perfect if Libby had been the only main character. However, I did enjoy Jack. As a Neuroscience major, his condition is something my professors were always horrified about (it makes identifying even your own child difficult). I thought the author did a great job acknowledging the difficulties Jack experienced and how his condition related to his friendship with Libby. 

5 Star

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

In-Between Days by Vikki Wakefield

Thursday, September 22, 2016
Seventeen-year-old Jacklin Bates believes the only way to soar beyond her life is to drop out of school and move in with her free-spirited sister, Trudy. But Jack quickly discovers her sister isn’t the same person she used to be. And when Jack loses her job and the boy she loves breaks her heart, she’s desperate for distractions.

She strikes up an unlikely friendship with Pope, a lost soul camping in the forest behind her house, and begins a fragile relationship with Jeremiah, the boy next door. Together, over an endless summer, they fix up the abandoned drive-in theater at the edge of town.

Deep down, Jack knows she can’t stay in limbo forever. But sometimes the hardest part of starting over isn’t choosing a path…it’s figuring out how to take that first step forward.

Goodreads Summary

Although I hated the character (Jacklin), I really enjoyed the plot. I never really thought about what actually happened to high school drop-outs. Jacklin drops out of high school to go live with her sister who, as the story goes, ran away to Europe before returning to their small town. Their relationship is far from perfect, but it works in a sisterly way. The descriptions that Jacklin has for her sister, her town, her life, etc...are so intriguing. I could literally feel what she was feeling through her descriptions. She meets an old high school friend who might turn into something more despite her confusing feelings for her old boyfriend. She also meets Pope and worries about him since he is camping in a forest where many go to commit suicide. Throughout most of the book, she mostly meanders through life. There are quite a few times where she is given choices, but often remains stagnant. I really did enjoy the ending.

Jacklin was definitely not one of my favorite characters. She was slovenly, rude, and didn't seem to care much about other people or even her older dog until it was too late. She isolated herself and alienated nearly everyone around her at one point or another in the novel. She literally dropped out of high school for no real reason to take a job that didn't even have enough money to pay her (and she soon lost that job). It was almost like watching someone just spiral all the way down and then remain in a constant loop. I was able to guess what was going to happen at the end so it wasn't really a huge surprise. I think I liked the simplicity of the book despite Jacklin. It was a small town with a bunch of characters and the author had a way of truly making me feel as if I was really in that little town of Mobius. I really enjoyed how the author turned simple events into something that I found worth reading.

4 Stars



This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards: Excerpt and Giveaway!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016



Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Are they labels or a warning? The answer could cost Sera everything.

While on a mandatory senior field trip, a flash flood cuts off Sera and three classmates from their group with no way to call for help. But they’re not as alone as they thought…

Someone is stalking them through the woods. Someone who drugged them, stole their supplies, and wrote on their skin. Is it a judgement? A warning? If Sera doesn’t uncover the truth, it’s only a matter of time before the hunter finds her.


After years as a professional paper-pusher, NATALIE D. RICHARDS decided to trade in reality for a life writing YA fiction. She lives in Ohio (Go Bucks!) with her husband, three children, and a ridiculously furry dog named Yeti. This is her third novel. Visit her on Twitter @natdrichards or at nataliedrichards.com.

Twitter: @NatDRichards
Instagram: @NatDRichards



Excerpt:


I shriek as the frigid water laps up my thighs. Then—Snap! Pop!—off to my right. Dread spikes through me. Something’s coming downstream. I have to go. Right now.
“Come on, Sera,” Mr. Walker says, sounding breathless.
I rush, feet lurching. Almost there. So close now. I stumble. Lucas grabs my pack and hauls me up, and then I’m snarling at him—“Don’t touch me!”—while Mr. Walker snags one of my straps and half drags me out. Water pours down my pant legs. I’m soaked and freezing.
I take a soggy step, and my boot slips on the muddy bank. Lucas is out too, swearing and scrambling up while Mr. Walker stares across at the girls, hands in his hair, eyes wide with terror.
My knees are buckling, but I grab branches and exposed roots and, finally, Jude’s smooth, dark hand. Once I’m up, I follow him past brambles that snag my poncho. My hair.
“Over here.” Jude points to a vantage point near the path. No earbuds now. He’s wide-eyed and utterly focused on the stream fifteen feet below us. Emily and Lucas are beside him, both shaking.
There’s a tree wedged across the stream. That must have been what I heard. The water is rushing under and over it, pushing it harder and harder. And then it’s loose. I hold my breath as it rolls with the mud-brown river, snapping any­thing in its path.
“The others,” Emily says softly.
They’re lined up on the other side, mud-spattered and white with fear as the log hurtles past, ripping its way through the streambed and releasing a wall of sludgy brown water in its wake. The current surges up the banks behind it, littered with smaller branches and clumps of vegetation. Madison’s eyes track us across the water, finding Lucas and then me.
“They’re stuck over there.” I know it’s obvious, but I say it anyway.
Mr. Walker barks instructions at the edge of the stream. Ms. Brighton nods along, one arm wrapped around each girl, her dark braid coiled around her pale neck like a snake.
“What’s he going to do?” Jude asks.
“Nothing, rich boy,” Lucas says. “There’s not a damn thing he can do tonight. Can’t even call for help because there’s no signal anywhere with this rain.”
“What will happen to them?” I ask.
“If they listen to Mr. Walker, they’ll go set up camp on that ridge. We’ll stay here for the night, probably farther up the path. Us here, them there. Regroup in the morning if we can.”
I whirl on Lucas. “What do you mean if?”
“You expect us to believe he’s just going to leave them?” Jude asks.
“That flood isn’t going anywhere soon. And I don’t give a shit what you believe,” Lucas says to him. “Since someone has to set up our tent again, I need to find a clearing.”
Lucas storms away, and my eyes drag back to the stream. Three girls with arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders. The river gushes along, a monstrous evolution of what I just crossed, swallowing the bridge inch by inch.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Not like this at all.



 Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life by Jeffrey Marsh: Review and Giveaway!

Monday, September 19, 2016
This book is about how to finally give up on feeling bad about ourselves and discover the best person we can be.

An interactive experience, How to Be You invites you to make the book your own through activities such as coloring in charts, answering questions about how you do the things you do, and discovering patterns in your lives that may be holding you back. Through Jeffrey's own story of "growing up fabulous in a small farming town"--along with the stories of hero/ines who have transcended the stereotypes of race, age, and gender--you will discover that you are not alone, can deepen your relationship with yourself, and find the courage to take a leap that will change your life.
 

Goodreads Summary

I am never sure about self-help books. I have picked a few up and didn't necessarily think the advice was something different than what I had already thought of. However, Jeffrey Marsh's book is interactive and fun! I loved the coloring and I have always enjoyed answering questions. Some parts of the book didn't necessarily apply to me, but I found them interesting anyway. There were scattered pictures/art throughout the book that I found cute and vibrant. I always appreciate other peoples' stories because I find the best advice comes from those who have already lived through the mistake. This book is not aimed at any particular audience; I felt like I could have been significantly older or younger and still enjoyed reading through it and participating in the activities. The author remained so upbeat and positive throughout the book that even during a particularly intense worry it was distracting. It was also pointed out to me by the publisher that the author only uses gender neutral pronouns. 

4 Stars

GIVEAWAY:

Please leave a comment with your email and whether or not you enjoy self-help books for a chance to win a copy of this book. (USA)

Author’s website: http://jeffreymarsh.com/
 Author’s Twitter: @thejeffreymarsh
 Author’s Vine: https://vine.co/jeffreymarsh


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Ella's Will by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

Friday, September 16, 2016
Will Hawkins is just a mere stable boy. How can he ever think to woo Ella, his once-wealthy childhood friend who is stubbornly independent, especially when his competition is the prince? Without any magic or fairy godmothers, Will must show Ella that he is her true prince charming in this perspective twist of the Cinderella story.

Goodreads Summary

I wasn't sure I would like the book when I learned that Will, who was in love with Ella, was going to help her win her prince despite loving her himself. However, Will's own character redeemed the plot for me. He was kind, genuine, and caring...a true friend. Ella needs a prince in her life and Will thinks that she deserves the best. Through obstacles and plot twists, he helps her carry out her plans and fulfill her role as "Cinderella."  

I didn't read the other book from Ella's point of view, but Will's point of view was often heart-breaking. He truly loved Ella and wanted the best for her. The ending was not entirely surprising and it didn't make me too sad. I liked how Ella and Will were such good friends. They didn't experience "insta-love" or jump into any physical relationship. This would be a fun read for teens and young adults.

4 Stars



This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Goodreads Summary

I debated even putting this review on my site...especially when I looked at the average rating on Goodreads. This review will contain slight spoilers so stop reading if you don't want to see any! Fallon and Ben meet by accident when Ben decides to be her "one day boyfriend" to make Fallon's judgmental dad angry. They're clearly meant to be, though they both don't seem to see that, and Fallon is leaving for New York that night. They decide to meet for the next five years on November 9th. Fallon and Ben's story will help Ben write his book. It sounded like such a great novel and it started out pretty nicely, but it went horribly wrong in the end.

Nearly every cliche and trope that Fallon herself says she hates happens in this book. They are in insta-love and though they see each other once a week that doesn't make it any less of a fact. Ben acts like a tortured fool for someone who really committed an illegal act and knew full well that Fallon was victimized by it. Fallon let her burn scars rule her life, but it takes Ben telling her she's beautiful to heal. This annoyed the heck out of me that she needed some boy's opinion to think better of herself (never mind her mom, friends, her own opinion, etc...). 

Then we come to the part that made me put the book down and skim the rest of the book. Fallon finds out that Ben's brother has died and Jordyn, his wife, is pregnant. Instead of letting Ben come to New York to be with her, she commits the noble (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice) act of telling Ben she doesn't want to love him and is leaving. So he ends up screwing around with his sister-in-law. Yep...that part killed it. Then he finds out she lied and ends his relationship with his brother's wife and decides to love her child (his nephew) from a different house. I don't understand when people lie to people to supposedly save them from themselves or help someone else. It makes no real sense. It's not altruistic, it does not make things better for either party, and it does not make you a nicer person. It does, however, make me angry. They then go through the whole cliched "it turns out I moved here to be with you and lied to you" and "I still love you despite you sleeping with your nephew's mother" and "we'll be together forever." I just don't understand the appeal for this book and this plot and I never will. The whole plot was overly dramatic and heavily romanticized. The characters were plain stupid and he was ruled by a part that wasn't his brain. Overall, I'm glad I checked this out from the library. 

1 Star



This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

The Storm by Virginia Bergin: Excerpt and Giveaway!

Saturday, September 10, 2016

The Storm
By Virginia Bergin
September 6, 2016; Tradepaper, ISBN 9781492621003
Book Info:
Title: The Storm
Author: Virginia Bergin
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Summary:

Some people walk in the rain. Some people die.

Ninety-seven percent of the population is dead. And the killer rain keeps falling. Ruby’s not sure she can make it on her own much longer. So when a chance encounter leads her to a camp with the last boy she may ever kiss (it’s not easy to date during an apocalypse), Ruby gratefully accepts the army’s protection.
But safety comes with a price: If Ruby wants to stay, she must keep her eyes—and her mouth—shut.

Except Ruby stumbles across a secret she can’t possibly keep. Horrified, she flips out and fights back—only to make the most shocking discovery of all…


Goodreads Link:

Buy Links:
Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/Oxn8303ZJDM
BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/c5un303ZJK9

About the Author:

VIRGINIA BERGIN works as a writer for TV, eLearning, and corporate projects. Most recently, she has been working in online education, creating interactive courses for The Open University. She lives in Bristol, England. Visit her atwww.virginiabergin.com.

Social Media Links:
Twitter: @VeeBergin

Excerpt from The Storm by Virginia Bergin:
From Chapter 7
At this point in time, there are a number of things I don’t really get. But these are only the things I know I don’t get, and not the things I don’t know I don’t get, which are, unfortunately, to be revealed.
I dragged Saskia into that ice-­cream van myself. No one helped. No one tried to stop me. Crying, dog tired (don’t think about dogs)—­no, dead tired (don’t think about death)—­very (that’s OK) tired, very hungover, very ill, and very aching-­all-­over, I drove that stupid ice-cream van toward the army base. It was the only place I could think of where there would be medical help, and I took the only route I knew to get to it: highway, turn right at Swindon.
I was on the same highway I’d once driven along with the Spratt, when we sang and played silly games—­as you do when you’re trying to take your mind off an apocalypse-­type situation. And I realized a dreadful thing. That journey? It was the last time I’d laughed. I had smiled since. I had smiled pretty hard last night. Grinned witchy grins. But that journey? It was the last time I had laughed.
In an attempt to block out thoughts about the disappearance of my own laugh, I tried to find other things to think about—­but I didn’t much want to think about a single thing. Except…why had Saskia even turned up looking for me in the first place? Why would she—­why would anyone?—­leave the Camp of the Useful: the army camp where you’d be protected and taken care of? Where everything was surely…tickety-­boo, as my grandma would have said.
It was the one thing I probably should have asked her about, and now I couldn’t ask her about it, and no explanation I could come up with seemed remotely plausible:
EXPLANATION #1: Saskia is a kindhearted girl who really likes me and was so worried about whether I was OK she left the army camp.
Comments:
EXPLANATION #2: Saskia had ditched the Spratt, and she had come to beg my forgiveness.
Comments:
EXPLANATION #3: The Spratt had ditched Saskia, and she had nowhere else to go.
Comments:
EXPLANATION #4: Ruby, she kept trying to tell you something and maybe you wouldn’t have to be dreaming up explanations if you’d listened.
Comments:
There are no comments because I have nothing to say about any of my own explanations. It was almost enough to make me want to stop the ice-cream ambulance and go and shake Saskia back to consciousness for just long enough to get the truth out of her, but only a monster would do such a thing—­and I am not a monster. Thinking bad thoughts is not the same as doing bad things, and plenty of people who think they think GOOD thoughts do TERRIBLE things. (They used to call it “politics” or “religion” or “teaching mathematics.”) All I do is drive an ice-cream van.
When we finally arrive at the gates to the army base, there is a camp of useless people, like me. There are cars; there are caravans—­fires burning, people sitting out under tarps…people wrapped in blankets and duvets that tumble from their shoulders as they rise to their feet, laughing and…hooting, jeering, and cheering.
I remember that I am a witch-­fairy driving an ice-cream van.
Ahead of me, at the gates, electric lights in the dusk burn so brightly, I am blinded, and I stop long before I have to, blinking, dazzled. My head hurts.
I am getting into this base. I am getting Saskia into this base.
THUMP!
A fist against my window. I see a face—­a woman’s face.

Also by Virginia Bergin:

H2O

Summary:

.27 is a number Ruby hates.

It’s a number that marks the percentage of the population that has survived. It’s a number that means she’s one of the “lucky” few still standing. And it’s a number that says her father is probably dead.

Against all odds, Ruby has survived the catastrophic onset of the killer rain. Two weeks after the radio started broadcasting the warning, “It’s in the rain. It’s fatal and there’s no cure,” the drinkable water is running out. Ruby’s left with two options: persevere on her own, or embark on a treacherous journey across the country to find her father—if he’s even still alive.

Buy Links:
Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/7a2y303ZLYq
BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/tWMj303ZMbR

Rafflecopter Giveaway Link for 1 Copy of H2O and back-pack/survival kit
Runs September 6-September 19 (US & Canada only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

Creed by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie

Three went in. Three came out. None even a shadow of who they once were.

When their car breaks down, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike walk through a winter storm to take refuge in a nearby town called Purity Springs. When they arrive, the emergency sirens are blaring and the small farming town seems abandoned. With no other shelter, they spend the night in an empty house.

But they soon discover that not everything in Purity Springs is as it seems. When the town's inhabitants suddenly appear the next morning, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves at the mercy of the charismatic leader, Elijah Hawkins, who plans to make Dee his new wife. Elijah's son, Joseph, offers to help them escape . . . but the price of his help may be more than Dee and her friends can bear.

Goodreads Summary

I love horror movies and horror books, but a good horror book is hard to find. I don't know if this qualifies in the top ten best horror books I've read, but I do think that the ending, unfortunately, was fairly realistic in who died and who lived. When Dee, Luke, and Mike have their car break down, the only nearby town is creepily abandoned. They traverse the streets and eventually enter houses. In the houses, they find horrible ways and amounts of punishing children and living life a certain way. Eventually, they meet a boy named Joseph, who takes their lives on an awful turn.

I liked Dee's character though (for anyone who read this book) I think she's an idiot for focusing so much on Eden, Joseph's sister. There is only so much you can do to help people and many people simply do not want to be helped. Mike's volatile nature fit perfectly in with the novel. I wish Luke had been a little tougher, though I don't know if that would have mattered in the end. I absolutely hated and despised Joseph. I have a feeling other readers will echo that sentiment. The ending wasn't entirely surprising, the death toll was right on track for realistic, but the entirety of the ending seemed a little fishy.

3 Stars


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill: Review and Giveaway!

Friday, September 9, 2016


ABOUT THE CAT KING OF HAVANA:
Rick Gutierrez is . . . the Cat King of Havana! A cat-video tycoon turned salsa-dancer extraordinaire, he’ll take Cuba by storm, romance the girl of his dreams, and ignite a lolcat revolution!

At least that’s the plan.

It all starts when his girlfriend dumps Rick on his sixteenth birthday for uploading cat videos from his bedroom when he should be out experiencing the real world. Known as “That Cat Guy” at school, Rick isn’t cool and he knows it. He realizes it’s time for a change.

Rick decides joining a salsa class is the answer . . . because of a girl, of course. Ana Cabrera is smart, friendly, and smooth on the dance floor. Rick might be half-Cuban, but he dances like a drunk hippo. Desperate to impress Ana, he invites her to spend the summer in Havana. The official reason: learning to dance. The hidden agenda: romance under the palm trees.

Except Cuba isn’t all sun, salsa, and music. There’s a darker side to the island. As Rick and Ana meet his family and investigate the reason why his mother left Cuba decades ago, they learn that politics isn’t just something that happens to other people. And when they find romance, it’s got sharp edges.
 

LINKS: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | iBooks

REVIEW:

Rick knows he's not exactly the coolest guy in the world. So when his girlfriend ditches him, he decides to become an accomplished salsa dancer (which isn't exactly easy). He joined partly because of an attractive girl who just so happens to be an amazing dancer herself. He didn't think it entirely through though; his goofy moves and seeming lack of flexibility are more humorous than endearing. When the pair end up spending the summer together they not only get to know each other, but they get to know the reason Rick's mom's left Cuba.

This novel was hilarious. Rick was a riot and I loved his personality. He reminded me of a fun-loving, goofy, lovable puppy sometimes. I thought his crush on Ana was cute. She was a pretty good secondary character and love interest. I liked learning more about salsa and the Cuban culture. The real reason behind Rick's mother's departure was interesting and I wasn't totally surprised. This would be a great beach read or rainy weekend read.

4 Stars


ABOUT TOM CROSSHILL:
Tom Crosshill's fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award (thrice) as well as the Latvian Annual Literature Award. His stories have appeared in venues such as Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Lightspeed. In 2009, he won the Writers of the Future contest. After some years spent in Oregon and New York, he currently lives in his native Latvia. In the past, he has operated a nuclear reactor, translated books and worked in a zinc mine, among other things. 

Tom's young adult novel "The Cat King of Havana" is forthcoming from Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins) in 2016.

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