Friday, July 31, 2015

Beach Reads In August Giveaway Hop



To me, beach reads are the fun, sexy reads.  The best fun, sexy reads I've read lately are the ones in Jamie Shaw's Mayhem series!

So I'm giving away any one book in that series!


 Click covers for Goodreads links


INT as long as The Book Depository ships to you.


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Hop along to the next blog...




Chaos by Jamie Shaw ~ Review

Follow the rest of the tour here!



Source:  Received an eBook copy from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

From the moment she saw Shawn Scarlett perform at a school talent show, Kit Larson has loved two things: the guitar, and the gorgeous, green-eyed boy who inspired her to play. But one careless night in high school shatters her hope of ever being more than a notch on his bedpost.

Six years, two bands, and one mostly-mended heart later, Kit’s about to make her rock star dreams a reality as the new guitarist for Shawn’s band, The Last Ones to Know. He may not remember their reckless night together, but Kit has never forgotten… and she’s determined to make him eat his heart out.

The release of their new album means a month cooped up on a tour bus, sleeping inches away from the ridiculously sexy musician she’s never quite gotten over. And as Kit gets to know the real Shawn—not Shawn Scarlett, the rock god, the player—their attraction becomes too hot to resist. But the past is paved with secrets, and when they finally surface, Kit could lose everything: the band, the music, her dreams… and Shawn.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23149165-chaos

http://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Mayhem-Jamie-Shaw-ebook/dp/B00N81I66Ihttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chaos-jamie-shaw/1120977542


Review...


Perhaps you know the feeling of putting your head on a guys shoulder and having him wrap his arm around you pulling you close to him?  That's the feeling I have when I think of Chaos.

I've loved both Mayhem and Riot so I was so excited to get to Chaos!  Adam.  Joel.  So love them.  I was curious about Shawn though.  He's kinda the heart of this band, taking care of things and keeping things rolling along towards their goals.  But that's not really who the angry Kit remembers from six years ago.  He wasn't a great guy then.  And now, he's trying his best to take the signals from Kit.  Both of them holding back a little and keeping truths quiet.

And Kit?  She's strong and following her dream even if it puts her so close to the guy she gave her heart to though he never noticed.  Fighting her attraction to save more heartbreak, she rocks the guitar and becomes a rock star in her own right.  Really love her strong sense of self.  The girl can rock some combat boots like no other.

I loved how these two grown to know each other.  The roof - Kits and another,  the kitchen on the bus, a certain guitar, a laundry mat, and so many more -- all draw these two together and I loved that.  Little pieces of truth that are pushed away by these two combine to make some serious misunderstandings.  And I hurt for them both.  And when things burst into the light, there was hurt on both sides.


The rocker trope combined with the characters I loved from the first two books, this one is a must for anyone who's read the series or anyone who just loves good romance!


Excerpt



It takes me an hour to drive to Mayfield. An hour of drumming my fingers against my Jeep’s steering wheel and blasting the music so loud that I can’t hear myself think. My GPS interrupts the eardrum massacre to give me directions to a club called Mayhem, and I park in the side parking lot of a massive square of a building.
With my Jeep in a spot and my ignition turned off, I drum on my steering wheel a few more times before smacking the heel of my palm against my glove compartment. It pops open, a hairbrush spills out, and I use it to tame my wind-tangled locks.
Earlier this week, the name of Shawn’s band—The Last Ones to Know—popped up on one of my favorite bands’ websites. I blinked once, twice, and then pushed my nose toward the screen to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
They were looking for a new rhythm guitarist. After doing a little digging, I found out that their old one, Cody, got kicked out of the band. The website didn’t say why, and I didn’t care. There was an opening, and everything in me told me to send an email to the email address listed at the bottom of the online flyer.
I typed the email in a daze—as if my guitar-loving fingers wanted to be in the band even more than my spaced-out brain did. I wrote that I had been in a band in college but that we broke up to go our separate ways, I sent a YouTube link to one of our songs, I asked for an audition, and I signed my name.
Less than half an hour later, I received a reply overflowing with exclamation points and an audition time, and I wasn’t sure if I should smile or cry. It was a chance to make all my dreams come true. But in order to do that, I’d have to face the dream that had already been crushed.
These past six years, I’ve tried not to think about it. I’ve tried to erase his face from my mind. But that day, with that email in front of me, it all came back in a rush.
Green eyes. Messy black hair. An intoxicating scent that seemed to linger on my skin for days, weeks.
I give my head a little shake to clear Shawn from my mind. Then I finish brushing my hair and take one last glance in my rearview mirror. Satisfied I don’t look nearly as messy as I feel, I hop onto the asphalt and haul my guitar case from the backseat.
Now or never.
After a deep breath of city air, I begin making my way around the concrete fortress casting shadow over the parking lot. Unforgiving rays of afternoon sunshine wrap themselves around my neck and send beads of sweat trickling between my shoulder blades. My combat boots hit the sidewalk step by heavy step, and I force them to keep lifting and falling, lifting and falling. It isn’t until I’m at a massive set of double doors that I finally stop long enough to let myself think.
I raise my hand. I lower it. I raise it again. I flex my fingers.
I take a deep breath.

I knock.

The series...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552579-mayhemhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22552582-riothttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23149165-chaos
 Click covers for Goodreads links



Val loves all three...




About the Author...



Born and raised in South Central Pennsylvania, Jamie Shaw earned her M.S. in Professional Writing before realizing that the creative side of writing was her calling. An incurable night-owl, she spends late hours crafting novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. She's a loyal drinker of white mochas, a fierce defender of emo music, and a passionate enthusiast of all things romance. She loves interacting with readers and always aims to add new names to their book boyfriend lists.





Giveaway...


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Final Chat Day ~ JLA Month


Make sure and find that word of the day for the giveaway!

It's the last day of JLA Month, which means it's time for our final chat...

Today is our Favorite Quotes CHAT day!

TODAY:

7/31/15 at 7PM EST on Facebook (Quotes) - Join Event


This chat will be our favorite JLA quotes!


Val has been collecting some JLA swag for our chats and participants still have a chance to win some!

Check out what will be up for grabs during the chats!


DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS!


Quotes Contest....




Today we find out the winner of this:

Winner's choice of one of these Dark Elements Bookmarks.

Zayne, the warden protector
 Roth, the demon

These bookmarks are available and made by Hebel Design


How do you win?

Pick our your favorite JLA quote and represent it some way.

You can do a graphic teaser, cut out letters and paste them together, or whatever your heart desires.

Just take a pic and email the pic to valerie @ stuckinbooks.com with the subject line JLA Quote Contest

We'll be sharing them.

And the winner will be announced at the chat TONIGHT, so be sure to get your entries in before then!

(Please follow copyright laws when representing your quote.  Quotes using pictures that are copyrighted will not be shared.  StuckInBooks is not responsible for law violations in this regard.)  


AND to get you thinking...

Here's a few Val made...




Oh, how I ADORE the one with the face in need of kisses!



Giveaway...


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Val's Burn, Rewrite, or Re-Read Tag!


Lindy from Bookish Escape tagged me in the Burn, Rewrite, or Re-Read Tag!



The Rules: there are three rounds, wherein I use a random number picker applied to my "read" shelf on Goodreads for three books, and then decide what I'll do to those three: burn, rewrite, or reread.


Round One

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22859182-rules-of-protectionhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28187.The_Lightning_Thiefhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18626680-all-the-pretty-lies
 Click covers for Goodreads links


Burn:  This one is easy.  Rules of Protection.  I didn't care for this book at all.  I didn't care for Emily at all and the romance felt forced.

Rewrite:  Though I LOVED The Lightning Thief, I'd choose this one to rewrite.  Wouldn't it be fun if this was YA instead of middle grade?  I'd like that.  Either way, I love this book.

Re-Read:  All The Pretty Lies is perfect just as it is and would love to re-read it any time.


Round Two

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9188333-raising-the-deadhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17332383-out-of-playhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429045-shatter-me 
 Click covers for Goodreads links


Burn:  Though it was okay, Rising the Dead fell flat for me so it's the one I'd Burn.

Rewrite:  Out of Play was a difficult read for me personally, but I loved every minute of it.  Though I understand why the authors did it, I'd rewrite so Bishop didn't lose that one little thing at the end cause I'm selfish like that.

Re-Read:  I loved Shatter Me.  I never finished this series, though.  I'd re-read and finish the series!


Round Three


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13421438-streamlinehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2946591-forbidden-boyhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9897164-apollyon
 Click covers for Goodreads links

Oh, this round is so much harder to decide.  I enjoyed all three of these books and it's almost impossible to choose.  If I could, I'd choose re-read for all of these books.  But that's not the game, is it.

Burn:  I choose Forbidden Boy to burn only because it's a simple summer romance story.  It's a great story and one that I read a while back but if I have to pick, it's this one.

Rewrite:   I'd rewrite Streamline into two books.  There's a clear breaking point and it's super long as it is.  But the story stays.  Loved it.

Re-read:  I'm sure no one is surprised by this one.  I'd re-read Apollyon because I love all thing JLA. 


~~~

Only the last round was hard.  I'm glad because I was so worried about having to choose between JLA books or something.  Like I could ever do that?!



I'm going to tag


&

 


Thursday, July 30, 2015

Every Last Breath (Dark Elements, #3) by Jennifer L Armentrout ~ Review


Some loves will last ’til your dying breath

Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.

Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.

Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373211147http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/every-last-breath-jennifer-l-armentrout/1120552292

 

Source: I purchased the eBook.

Review...



I stand alone.

I am a huge JLA fan.

I love this series.

I love Zayne.

I love Roth.

I like Layla.

I stayed up till midnight to read this one.

I read it straight through.

But it crushed me.  And I stand alone.

Not the story.  The story ended nicely with things being taken care of and a list being fulfilled.

Not the choice.  I expected that.

Not the surprises.  Though what the witches wanted was painful and sad.

Not the death.  I was surprised that one death upset me, though.

Not the twists.  They were classic JLA.

No it was the pain of one character that crushed me.  I wasn't expecting to be so crushed.  I guess that's a testament to how invested I was to these characters.  But I couldn't be happy for the rest after that.  I could barely hold the book and keep reading.

So why 3 stars?  Because that's the experience I had.  I wish it had been different but it is what it is.

Those of the popular team will love this ending.  Those of the other team will not.  Those that loved them both, like me, may want to take it slower than I did.





About the series...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455811-bitter-sweet-lovehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455585-white-hot-kisshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455815-stone-cold-touchhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455817-every-last-breath








End of Days by Susan Ee ~ Giveaway

Published May 12th 2015 from Skyscape



End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18500665-end-of-days

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QJ26CQYhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/end-of-days-susan-ee/1120986002


Val picked a copy up at BEA.  It was another one that was water damaged.  Not as bad a some, though.  

Want it?  Enter below.

US only 






a Rafflecopter giveaway