tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56600506688299819972024-03-14T07:31:04.973-07:00Escape Under the CoverAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-69622356164253069842015-11-29T10:24:00.000-08:002015-11-29T10:24:28.561-08:00Guest of the Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This month, I decided to participate in Emily's Guest of the Month Blog (http://www.emilyreadseverything.com) and was paired with the wonderful Wren! So without further ado, here is the amazing and wonderful Wren!<br />
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5 reasons that prove that I am the most awkward person ever when I'm not blogging <div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px;">
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<br /><br />You may or may not know me. I'm Wren. I'd like to think I'm the coolest person ever, but that's a total lie. It's nice to meet you, stranger. Let's talk about my favorite subject (not!): me.<br /><br /><br />You probably think I have no life outside of blogging. Haha, yes. Kidding kidding. I do have somewhat of a life. I take taekwondo (green belt at last!) I watch anime and have quite a fun time fangirling about it. I also quite like eating dessert. And I like crime shows. (Limitless and Castle being two of my favorites currently.) <br />You might think this is normal, but, in fact, I'm am the most awkward human being ever outside of blogging. <br />This is why:<br /><br /><br />1) I have the tendency to use odd, Wren-made phrases. <br />For example: "Magic bonanza", "Holy pizzacake", and "You are being summoned."<br />Yes. I do say these things in reality.<br /><br /><br />2) I might seem all funny and suave, but in real life, it takes me minutes for a good comeback. Or perhaps I remember it later. <br />For example: I might walk away from an argument all huffy. Pretend we were talking about the importance of books in one's life. I might, weeks later, be thinking about this argument and suddenly have a great comeback. It might be, "I'd rather read than talk to you!" or whatnot. Again, weeks later. <br /><br /><br />3) My timing is god-awful. <br />For example: I might be having a good laugh with my friends. A joke happens, and we all laugh. A few minutes later, I might burst out laughing at nothing in particular. Just me remembering the joke and inappropriately laughing once more. <br /><br /><br />4) I sit alone even when I'm with many people. (And even if I know them.) <br />For example: During almost any social event I attend, I always choose a seat near the corner and quietly read. Even when everyone else is talking and strangers are socializing. The only exceptions is when I'm with close friends. Simply put, I don't talk unless someone talks to me. <br /><br /><br />5) I talk to myself. Constantly<br />For example: Between classes or during lunch, I will be doing something mundane (eating or studying) and talk to myself. "Gosh. That's a stupid move." Or "JUST KISS HER ALREADY!" And not just when I'm alone. I do it as I walk about or when I'm practicing taekwondo. Yes, I'm weird. <br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Wren<br /><br /><br />So there you have it. Wren is just absolutely fantastic and wonderful and if you haven't had a chance to talk to her already you definitely should. <br /><br /><br />You can find her blog here: Books in My Suitcase<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px;"> (</span><a href="http://booksinmysuitcase.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px;" target="_blank">booksinmysuitcase.blogspot.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px;">.)</span></div>
Twitter: @TheReadingBirdAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-29330805178088781172015-11-22T12:05:00.000-08:002015-11-22T12:05:57.809-08:00Getting Ready for that Truthwitch Hype!So Truthwitch by Susan Dennard is really taking over twitter! I feel like everywhere I go I'm always seeing stuff about Truthwitch and how amazing it is or just general hype about its release date on January 5th this coming year. So as of today, that means that we have 44 days until it finally hits stores! Now I have not been one of the lucky ones to receive an ARC of this book nor have I gotten onto a street team for it. However, that does not mean that I am not insanely excited for this book or that I have not come up with my own ways to show my excitement and support for it.<br />
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I am a part of the Clanless clan on Twitter, which basically consists of some amazing fellow book people who are not officially a part of the Truthwitch Street Team but yet are still hopefuls to become a part of it. We are hoping to do something to show our love and support of Truthwitch as a group and while we are still figuring out ideas of what we want to do, I figured a blog post was in order on my end of things.<br />
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I know that there are quite a few of us who have not received a Truthwitch ARC and are patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for the book to release so we can devour it! But what do we do in the mean time? How do we fill that gap?<br />
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Well, with other books of course! So I thought I would post a list of books that have been filling that gap for me.<br />
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So there you have it. These are the books that have been keeping me company in some way to help tide me over until that January 5th Truthwitch publication! Some are books that I've already begun reading and others are next up on my list to read to help keep me going.<br />
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What books are you currently reading to tide you over until Truthwitch launches? Do you see any on my list that you have yet to read or have read?<br />
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Also don't forget to go and pre-order your copy of Truthwitch today! And if you do pre-order, don't forget to head over to thewitchlands.com to claim your pre-order swag!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-52257048230514095892015-11-13T18:51:00.000-08:002015-11-13T18:51:58.672-08:00Pocket Letter Tutorial and GiveawaySo thanks to the wonderful <b>Andi (@andiABCs) at Andi's ABCS,</b> I have attempted my first ever pocket letter and I've fallen in love! Andi started up a project for bloggers to get together and send some pocket letter love to each other. I absolutely love making cards and sometimes even doing scrapbook pages but had yet to attempt a pocket letter. So when I saw the sign-ups for this project I just knew that I had to be a part of it. One of the requirements for this project, is that at least 2 of the pockets need to be book related. This can really equate to anything, a quote, a picture of the book cover, a book related drawing, etc. Anything so long as 2 of the pockets are related to books.<br />
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I got paired with the awesome <b>Stefani (@StefaniSloma)</b>and began trying to think of different ways that I could go about this pocket letter. I went on pintrest and pinned as much as I could find for different ways to design the pockets as well as different goodies to include in it. And slowly, I began working on my first ever pocket letter. I knew that this first one was not going to be the one I would send out to Stefani, but rather one for me to start with and get an idea of how I might work with these nine small pockets.<br />
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Once I was finished, I asked around on Twitter to see if anyone would be interested in this tutorial and was so happy to see that quite a few people would love to see me post my pocket letter tutorial. So here I am with pictures and all ready to describe my process and some things that might help you with your own pocket letter!<br />
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<b>At the bottom of this post, you can find out how you can enter to win this pocket letter!
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To start things off, I figured out which papers I wanted to use for the background of each pocket. I wanted to make sure that each pocket had a different designer paper as the background and that each paper still worked together as a whole. Since I do a lot of card making, I have a bunch of different designer papers laying around so it was pretty easy for me to find ones that would go together. I get a lot of my papers from Michael's or from Stamping Up, the papers in this pocket letter are from Stamping Up.<br />
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Each piece of designer paper was cut down to 2.5 inches wide x 3.5 inches long and then placed on top of the section I was planning to use them. I did take some time and rearrange the papers to make sure that one side wasn't heavy in a certain color and others completely lacking in it. I also tried to make sure that papers that were heavy in a certain color weren't right next to each other.<br />
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After I found a placement I liked for each paper, I then began placing some of the items I knew I wanted to include in this pocket letter. As you can see, on the top middle section and the bottom left hand section, I included a bracket. At this time, I knew that these were the two sections I was planning to write a quote on. I also already had the middle left hand pocket planned out for some embellishments that went along with the paper I decided to use and I already had some corner pieces on the middle right hand pocket in mind to possibly hold down my letter component.<br />
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Now something that you might not be able to notice in this picture, is that the middle section of this pocket letter is already completed. What looks like just a simple piece of designer paper, is actually a small pocket sized notebook! I found the idea on pintrest and thought that it was an amazing idea. At the moment, I can't remember the persons name, however I do recall that they had found the idea from someone else. So either way, a huge shout out to the amazing person who came up with this idea.<br />
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So what I did for this small notebook, is instead of cutting out this piece of paper in the 2.5 x 3.5 dimensions, I actually cut it at 5 inches wide x 3.5 inches long. That way, when it is folded in half, it would be the same size as all of the other pieces of paper. The paper inside is slightly smaller in size and was instead cut at 4.75 inches wide x 3.25 inches long. For the inside paper, I just used one of my old notebooks and cut the paper out of that. This allowed me to still have lined paper for the small notebook. However, you could easily use regular printer paper or even graphing paper if you wish.<br />
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Then, you just fold the cut out notebook paper in half as well as the cover paper. I did these two papers separately so I could make sure that the notebook paper would be centered and that they wouldn't end up getting folded in an odd way. Then you place your folded notebook paper into the cover paper. From here, you want to open the notebook up so that you can staple through to the middle of the notebook. Using a stapler, staple on the fold. Make sure that you have the designer paper face up when you staple so the clasps will be in the middle of the book.
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For this next section, I decided to do a section pocket filled with some embellishments. To go with the theme of flowers and birds, I decided to use one of my new stamp sets and stamped out some butterflies with ink to match the colors in the designer paper. Again the ink pads used were from Stamping Up, allowing me to match the colors of their designer paper. The stamp set I used, also came with some die cuts so I was able to easily get the butterfly cutouts without any hassle. The butterflies were cut out by using a sizzix machine. Here is a picture of the stamp set I used:
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As you can see, between this picture and the last one, I completed a few more steps and also added in a few more items to the pockets I had already established.<br />
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To start with, I added in a sample of some different post-it note flags that I found in the Target dollar section. Seriously that section is absolutely amazing when it comes to stuff like this. If you have not already dug around in that section now would be a good time to do so. I have found glitter, post-it notes and flags, pens and pencils, ribbon, string, and other embellishments that work wonders for projects like this.<br />
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Next, I added in a few more embellishments in the two pockets. In the pocket with the butterflies, I added in some samples of the "bling on a roll". I had plain silver ones as well as some fun colored flowers that I thought fit the theme of this pocket letter rather well and decided to add them both to spice up the pocket a bit more. I also added in a few more of the paper cut outs that came with the designer paper to the first embellishment pocket.
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Next up, I decided to add in my first quote! At first, I wasn't sure which direction that I wanted to take the quotes for this pocket letter. There were a few different ways that I was thinking, including going with the theme of birds or flowers. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do some fun bookish quotes and while I could find bookish quotes on birds and flowers, they just weren't what I was looking for. Then I decided to go with the theme of friendship. And then I found a quote by one of my favorite authors, Sarah Dessen, and I knew that was it.<br />
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So the quote I went with for this first section was: Life is an awful, ugly place to not have a best friend. This quote is taken from Someone Like You.
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Then came my second quote which I found at the same time as the first one. This one is also from a book that I greatly enjoyed (even though I have yet to finish the series) Matched by Ally Condie! The quote is: Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that.<br />
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Now I was down to just three sections left, one of which I already had planned for my letter.<br />
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I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do for this section of the pocket letter and I sat for some time trying to contemplate all of my options but I just kept going back to washi tape. The only problem with this, is that I don't have any (yet). So what was I going to do?<br />
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And then it came to me. While I don't have any washi tape to add to this pocket letter, I do have quite a bit of ribbon, so surely I must have something that could go along with my theme. So I went and dug through all of my ribbon and at first, I was really disappointed because everything I was coming up with just wasn't working for me. And then I remembered that I had gotten some lace ribbon not too long ago and quickly pulled that out. I also decided on a bit of silver sparkly ribbon with white edges to go along with the two different blue ribbon.<br />
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But now that I had my ribbon picked out, I had a completely different problem, what was I going to put the ribbon on to get it in the pocket letter? A lot of times, you will see that people use some sort of clear plastic to put their washi samples on but I didn't have anything like that on hand to use. And of course, I didn't want to just use another piece of paper and lose the designer paper behind it. So the answer was a bit simple in the end, I just decided to wrap the ribbon around the designer paper I was using for that section. And in order to keep the ribbon on the paper, I used a few paperclips to clip the ribbons together.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJcp_mJGgIGUI0pYEoeMAimgiSUpB2DeQedz_GZs3SHxgxX6pLON-KrHxdA9xGuQ1DaStqVw3elahHIyTzqWKs-7Uy83IkFGAIKunP5IffMUyYeWOHUtvCqw3B23KZ_jXoHoT8rLyWtE/s1600/20151111_211850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJcp_mJGgIGUI0pYEoeMAimgiSUpB2DeQedz_GZs3SHxgxX6pLON-KrHxdA9xGuQ1DaStqVw3elahHIyTzqWKs-7Uy83IkFGAIKunP5IffMUyYeWOHUtvCqw3B23KZ_jXoHoT8rLyWtE/s320/20151111_211850.jpg" /></a></div>
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Next up is the letter. For this section, I already had an idea in mind but I wasn't sure if it was going to work out and luckily, it did! What I did for this section, was to use some of the corner embellishments that I had and use pop dots to raise them up off of the paper. I put the corner pieces in place and then grabbed a blank sheet of notebook paper.<br />
<br />
I didn't know how big I needed the paper so I decided to begin folding it in half until it looked to be the size I would need. Once I got it to size, I knew that it was too thick to fit into the corner pieces so I unfolded the paper and cut it in half. I refolded it and checked to make sure that it was small enough to fit into the corner pieces. Once I determined that it was small enough to fit, I took the paper out and then stamped a saying onto the outside of the paper.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ8aZnk0KoTRdKoGuVxx6qi5R42HJP7HT3A-h7_mbbsVbgohqjnMQbOzrljllVdRxh2FvuoYsJQhL7t-NGElrEZOUb5adPK8Kn6Qg5ptDx_0DAPsrLdBL-ffzMHKVyBZA3ob_MAeHto4/s1600/20151113_183256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ8aZnk0KoTRdKoGuVxx6qi5R42HJP7HT3A-h7_mbbsVbgohqjnMQbOzrljllVdRxh2FvuoYsJQhL7t-NGElrEZOUb5adPK8Kn6Qg5ptDx_0DAPsrLdBL-ffzMHKVyBZA3ob_MAeHto4/s320/20151113_183256.jpg" /></a></div>
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This last section of the pocket letter was a bit difficult for me to decide on at first, but after seeing the finished idea for the letter, I decided to bring that component to this section as well. And unknowingly, this also added in a bit more balance to the pocket letter as a whole. I was now going to end up with two sections of embellishments, 2 sections for quotes, and now 2 sections for letters.<br />
<br />
For this last letter component, I decided to go with "Boredom Busters". I actually got this idea off of a pin I found on pintrest and really loved the idea of it and decided to incorporate that into this pocket letter. However, since finishing this, I thought that another idea that would be fun to incorporate would be an "Open When..." style letter.<br />
<br />
So that's it. A lot of thought went into making this pocket letter but it was so much fun to make!<br />
<br />
I also thought it would be fun to include a list of ideas that you may want to include in your own pocket letters so here they are:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Things that I have seen often in examples:</b><br />
Letters/cards<br />
Bookmarks<br />
Buttons<br />
Pins<br />
Mini Pens<br />
Glitter<br />
Stickers: there are many ways that you can even create your own stickers to include in pocket letters<br />
Post-it Notes and Flags<br />
Mini chocolate bars or little bags of candy<br />
Sticks of gum<br />
Extra letter/Open When letter<br />
Other embellishments: tags, fabric flowers, stamp cutouts<br />
Washi samples<br />
String, twine, ribbon samples<br />
Mini notebooks<br />
Quotes<br />
Paperclips<br />
Fabric or paper feathers<br />
Gift cards<br />
Birthday Cake candles<br />
Tea samples<br />
<br />
<b>Some things I haven't seen/don't see very often</b><br />
a mini masquerade mask (or something similar that you make out of glue pens)<br />
Drawings<br />
a bracelet or necklace<br />
Business cards for your favorite book bloggers<br />
Recipe cards<br />
Beads<br />
Nail decals<br />
a set for the recipiant to make their own pocket letter sized card<br />
An Ebook! You could easily print off the cover of the ebook you are sending the person and on the back (or inside as you could create a mini book for it) include the code or other information the person needs to get their copy of the book<br />
<br />
So there you have it, a list of things you could include in a pocket letter. Of course this isn't everything you can include. The sky is the limit and I would love to see your ideas so feel free to leave a comment with your own ideas.<br />
<br />
<b>Speaking of leaving comments, its time to announce the giveaway. </b><br />
<br />
The giveaway will be for the pocket letter shown for example (and who knows, there might be a small surprise along with it).<br />
<br />
In order to be considered for this giveaway, you <b>MUST</b> comment on this blog post! Tell me what you thought of this tutorial, let me know of other ideas you might have to include in a pocket letter, send me a link of your completed pocket letter. Anything counts so long as you leave a comment!<br />
<br />
<b>I will pick a winner on November 21st!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-48521125689906736912015-11-03T18:56:00.000-08:002015-11-03T18:56:05.973-08:00Seven Nights to Surrender Launch Day Blitz Seven Nights to Surrender Launch Day Blitz<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">About the Book:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-5cirEmNKM8jrD4ly2iOqTFV8FEH4cRKc4MQqhfzuHdI9hbHEj_0HggeRuAJFTcAWIlagLNuj8bL4IIbdiuZQ62K_7KyWbmegj8VaTxnFMR7raYxu-YnGsKj9HddzYHfFTRLFctiy5I/s1600/Grey_Seven+Nights+to+Surrender_TP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-5cirEmNKM8jrD4ly2iOqTFV8FEH4cRKc4MQqhfzuHdI9hbHEj_0HggeRuAJFTcAWIlagLNuj8bL4IIbdiuZQ62K_7KyWbmegj8VaTxnFMR7raYxu-YnGsKj9HddzYHfFTRLFctiy5I/s320/Grey_Seven+Nights+to+Surrender_TP.jpg" width="209" /></a> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
<b style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">SEVEN NIGHTS TO SURRENDER by Jeanette Grey (November 3, 2015; Forever Trade Paperback; Art of Passion #1)</b><br />
<span id="ecxOLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.88px;"><div style="line-height: 19.88px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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<div class="ecxcover-wrap-small" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 19.88px;">
<i style="line-height: 19.88px;">By day, he'll show her a side of Paris not found in any guidebook. By night, he'll introduce her to a passion beyond her wildest dreams. In this sensuous story of indulgence and desire, Jeanette Grey delivers one of the most romantic reads of the year and proves why she is fast becoming a must-read star.</i><br style="line-height: 19.88px;" /><br style="line-height: 19.88px;" /><b style="line-height: 19.88px;">SEVEN NIGHTS TO SURRENDER</b><br style="line-height: 19.88px;" />Kate arrives in Paris hoping to find inspiration. Instead she finds Rylan. In a swirl of stolen kisses and hot, tangled sheets, Kate is quickly swept away by the sexy stranger, longing to surrender to his expert touch. With Rylan, nothing is forbidden-except the truth.<br style="line-height: 19.88px;" /><br style="line-height: 19.88px;" />An American ex-pat worth millions, Rylan never flaunts his fortune. Rather, he guards his identity from everyone, especially women. No strings, no commitments, no complications. But the second his lips taste Kate's soft, sweet skin, everything changes. For the first time, Rylan has found someone to share his every want and need. Yet he knows that secrets stand between them. To keep her, he'll need to confess the truth before it's too late . . . even if doing so could mean losing Kate forever.</div>
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.88px;">
<span style="line-height: 19.88px;"><b style="line-height: 19.88px;">Buy the book!</b></span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway from Seven Nights of Surrender by Jeanette Grey! </span><br />
<br />
Kate stayed firmly planted in her seat as he offered to help her up. Trying her best to appear unaffected, she arched one eyebrow. "Does this usually work for you?"<br />
The guy didn't pull his hand back or in any other way appear to alter his strategy, and Kate had to give him points for that. "Yes, actually."<br />
"Interesting."<br />
The sad truth was, his offer was beyond tempting. The attention was nice, especially after her self-esteem had been beaten down the way it had in the past year. Hell, in the past twenty-two. It wouldn't hurt to have someone who spoke fluent French showing her around, either. That he was as attractive as he was just made the deal sweeter.<br />
"Not working so well on you, then?" he asked as she considered him.<br />
"Not so far."<br />
His smile only widened. "Good. I like a girl who's hard to crack." Standing up straighter, he held his palms out at his sides. "Come on, what have you got to lose?"<br />
"I'd say my wallet, but that's already gone."<br />
"See? Low stakes. Listen, you don't trust me." That was an understatement. Was there a man left on Earth that she did? "I don't blame you. Devilishly handsome man wanders into a café and buys you a drink without asking? Offers to show you around town? Very suspicious."<br />
"Very."<br />
"So let's make this safe. You said you wanted to see the Louvre? Let's go to the Louvre. I'll show you all my favorites, and then if I haven't murdered you by supper time, you let me take you someplace special. Someplace no guide book in the world would<br />
ever recommend."<br />
She was really running out of reasons to say no. It was a good plan, this one. They'd be in a public place. She'd have time to feel him out a little more. And if he wasn't too much of a psycho, well, everyone had to eat, didn't they?<br />
Still, she kept up her air of skepticism. She rather liked all his efforts to convince her. "I don't even know your name."<br />
The way his dimples shone when he lifted up one corner of his mouth was completely unfair. Extending his hand again, he offered, "Rylan. Pleased to make your acquaintance."<br />
Rylan. That was unusual. She liked it.<br />
"Kate," she volunteered in return, and with no more real excuse not to, she accepted the handshake, slipping her palm into his. Warm fingers curled around hers, his thumb stroking the side of her hand, and oh. The rake. He bent forward as he tugged on her hand, twisting ever so slightly so he could press his lips to the back of her palm.<br />
"Charmed."<br />
"I'll bet you are." But her pulse was racing faster, and the kiss felt like it seared all the way to her spine.<br />
This man was dangerous.<br />
He straightened up but he didn't let go. Sweeping his other arm toward the door, he asked, "So?"<br />
She hummed to herself as she gazed up at him, as if there was any question of what she was going to do. His blue eyes sparkled, like he already knew her answer, too.<br />
"Well." She rose from her seat, feeling taller than usual. More powerful. Maybe it<br />
was all the flattery of a guy like this hitting on her. Maybe it was the headiness of making this kind of a decision. Either way, it made her straighten her shoulders and insert a little sway into the movement of her hips.<br />
"Well?"<br />
"Lead on," she said.<br />
He didn't let go of her hand. "That's what I was hoping you'd say." With a squeeze of her fingers, he took a step toward the door. "Let's go look at some art."<br />
External pressures aside, she had come to Paris to be inspired by beauty. She could find it on the walls of a famous museum. And she could find it in the lines of this man's shoulders and throat. The latter might not have been what she'd had in mind when she'd set out, but what was a little bit of a diversion?<br />
You couldn't find yourself without taking a couple of side trips, after all.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">About the Author: </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyQnwNilAddOHzUAIcvXZkp5_Et7KPMe9yFhmcjL2BIe8ifYDNCu191fOaq_16Aixj121FPNiJphCRQFcPcuWQfKf12cDDSpkBgMTWnKj-XSPhfuAdosMVVxZY83EWY645HvY75BjarA/s1600/Jeanette+Grey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyQnwNilAddOHzUAIcvXZkp5_Et7KPMe9yFhmcjL2BIe8ifYDNCu191fOaq_16Aixj121FPNiJphCRQFcPcuWQfKf12cDDSpkBgMTWnKj-XSPhfuAdosMVVxZY83EWY645HvY75BjarA/s320/Jeanette+Grey.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px;">
<span style="line-height: 21.3px;">Jeanette Grey started out with degrees in physics and painting, which she dutifully applied to stunted careers in teaching, technical support, and advertising. When she isn't writing, Jeanette enjoys making pottery, playing board games, and spending time with her husband and her pet frog. She lives, loves, and writes in upstate New York.</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 19.88px;">Social Media Links:</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.sararichardson.net/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.88px;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://shannonrichard.net/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.88px;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.jeanettegrey.com/" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.88px;" target="_blank">Website</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31035765-sara-richardson" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.88px;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6911833.Shannon_Richard" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.88px;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4507045.Jeanette_Grey" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.88px;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Giveaway! </span></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-66517204207833268722015-10-04T15:52:00.002-07:002015-10-04T15:52:53.068-07:00Where Have I Been?So if you've been following my blog at all, you will have realized that I basically dropped off of the face of the Earth pretty much two months ago. Where exactly have I been during this time? To be honest, I've been at home. The catch, my computer is on its way out the door so I've been pretty afraid of even going on it for a few minutes as the few times that I have tried my computer has either frozen on me or has shut down during use. So to save myself from the headache of losing anything off of my computer before I can get it backed up, I have only been using my phone data for the past two months. However, I am looking at getting a new computer so I should be back to posting reviews here soon. In the meantime, I'm going to do a post with short book reviews for the books that I have read in the time since I've been active.<br />
<br />
What books can you expect to see reviews for?<br />
<br />
Blightborn<br />
As White As Snow<br />
As Red As Blood<br />
A Darker Shade of Magic<br />
Stirred with Love<br />
The Indigo Spell<br />
<br />
<br />
What books Have I gotten recently?<br />
<br />
Thanks to my amazing #otspsecretsister I am now the proud owner of The Scorpio Races and A Court of Thorns and Roses both of which I have started reading because I can't resist them!<br />
<br />
I also won a copy of A Curious Tale of the In-between and have started reading this book as well.<br />
<br />
And thanks to Netgalley, Booktrope Publishing, Penner Publishing, St. Martin's Press, Harmony Ink Press, and Random House Publishing Group. I have also gotten copies of The Scam, Mad About the Hatter, Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, Firsts, Crystallum, and Mind of the Phoenix.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-83342899913356584502015-08-16T18:08:00.002-07:002015-08-18T18:38:52.092-07:00#ARCAugust Week 2 RecapWell, I sort of fail at this. Two weeks have come and gone, and not much activity can really be seen by me. But never the less, I am here to recap my past two weeks of reading.<br />
<br />
To start with, I have managed to finish two books so far this month! Although, neither of the books I have finished are actually ARC copies, I'm hoping that throughout this month I can knock out at least a few of the Netgalley reads that I have.<br />
<br />
So here is what I have read this month:<br />
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And a list of my Current Reads:</div>
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And now for the list I hope to read:</div>
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Alright so there is a list of all that I have read this month, and what I hope to accomplish throughout the rest of the month. Here's to hoping the other half of ARCAugust is much more productive. </div>
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Also you can now follow my blog on bloglovin: </div>
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14378829/?claim=scwa3pjr4pt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-6984015247646616082015-08-15T15:17:00.003-07:002015-08-15T15:18:37.209-07:00Secret Stash Saturday #1So it's taken me a while to get around to my first post of Secret Stash Saturday but never the less, I am here and boy do I have some goodies for you! Of course, because I'm such a huge Harry Potter nerd I figured for this first Secret Stash Saturday, I would show you some of the amazing Harry Potter merchandise that I have come across.<br />
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But before I can do that, I want to mention that this idea was actually inspired by Katie at <a href="http://katiesbookblog.com/">Katie's Book Blog</a> She does a section for her Etsy obsessions and thought it was a really cool idea. Definitely go and check out her blog if you haven't already done so. She has a lot of awesome reviews as well as cool Etsy items to put on your Wish List!<br />
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To start things off, I've found some amazing House themed notebooks over on Etsy that pretty much any Potter fan would be excited to own. (And you can bet they are high on my list of things I want as well). Of course I love notebooks and probably own way too many (though I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as owning too many notebooks).<br />
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I'm completely in awe over these beautiful blank notebooks and definitely have my eye on that Hufflepuff one. The covers are so gorgeous and I am in complete envy over the massive amount of talent displayed here. </div>
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If you would like to find these notebooks and other amazing items you can go <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/240232503/hogwarts-house-a6-notebooks-hufflepuff?ref=favs_view_20">HERE</a>. SushiStudios has a bunch of other cool nerd related items. </div>
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Next on my list are some beautiful watercolor paintings from a couple of different Etsy shops. </div>
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These two paintings and many others can be found at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/digitalaquamarine?ref=l2-shopheader-name">digitalauqamarine</a> This shop is filled with so many different beautiful watercolor paintings that can be bought for a digital download. The colors are all so stunning together and the designs are just beautiful. You can get watercolor paintings of many different Disney characters and other popular items such lego men, superheros, and even locations. You should definitely give this shop a look. </div>
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Then we have the wonderful watercolor paintings by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LACOTEDESIGN?ref=l2-shopheader-name">LACOTEDESIGN</a> </div>
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I am seriously completely blown away by these paintings. All of the detail and time that it must take is just so amazing. In particular that middle one just has me riveted. I just wanted to sit and stare at its beauty. They have lots of other amazing designs in their shop and you should definitely check them out if you haven't already! </div>
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Last up for this weeks Secret Stash Saturday are some stunning bookmarks. Before I even show them, I will say that these bookmarks are at the absolute top of my Etsy wishlist. They are so beautiful and amazing and of course Harry Potter so completely right up my alley. </div>
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Are you ready for them? </div>
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Aren't they just amazing? I really love Luna, Hermione, Bellatrix, Draco, and Snape. I think they are just absolutely perfect. You can find these bookmarks at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SillyLunastorta?ref=l2-shopheader-name">SillyLunastorta</a> and if she doesn't already have something up that speaks to you, you can place a custom order. She also has some really cute Doctor Who ones that I'm coveting as well. </div>
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So that's a wrap for this weeks Secret Stash Saturday! I hope you enjoyed my picks for this week! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-45229617890451760922015-07-18T15:59:00.002-07:002015-07-18T15:59:22.051-07:00Burn, Re-Write, Re-ReadAlright so I've seen this going around on Twitter a lot lately, and I thought why not give it a shot. And because I'm a glutton for punishment I'm going to do ten different rounds. Yes that's right, ten rounds of book burning, re-writing, and re-reading! However, I will be breaking it up into two separate posts. So lets get to it!<br />
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<b>Round One: Recent Reads</b><br />
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Burn: The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith<br />
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Unfortunately, this was one of the weakest books that I have read recently which was a bit disappointing. The idea behind the book seemed really interesting but when it came down to it, I was dragging just trying to get through it. </div>
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Re-write: Ashes to Ashes by Melissa C. Walker</div>
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Overall, this book was really good but I definitely felt like the beginning dragged on a bit too much for my liking and the characters could use a bit more fine-tuning to really make them stand out to me. </div>
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Re-read: Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs</div>
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This book completely took me by surprise. It was a fast and fun read and the ending left me wanting more. I sadly have to wait until next year for the next book in the series but I can begin re-reading this one whenever I want. </div>
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<b>Round 2: Contemporary </b></div>
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Burn: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks</div>
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This one is a bit of a default as the other two books I could most definitely not burn at all. I did enjoy this book greatly, however at times, it can drag on a bit. </div>
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Re-write: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green</div>
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Because that ending is not Okay. And no Okay is not going to be my always (but of course I love that quote and everything about it).</div>
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Re-read: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen</div>
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Because everything about this book is absolutely amazing! I love the way the pieces all fit together and the story that is told. It has just the right amounts of drama, romance, friendships, family. </div>
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<b>Round 3: Vampires! Round 1</b></div>
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Burn: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer</div>
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I'll admit that I enjoyed this book and still do. However, this book is pretty low on my list of books. I think that there are a lot of things that could be improved. </div>
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Re-write: Evernight by Claudia Gray</div>
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I very much enjoyed this book. It was original to me at the time and I loved the characters. I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't like the other books in the series but I did enjoy this first book a lot. </div>
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Re-read: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead</div>
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I love this series so much! It is definitely among the very top of my favorite books/series about Vampires as well as just general series. There is action, adventure, and romance. This is definitely a series to give a try. </div>
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<b>Round 4: Vampires! Round 2</b></div>
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Burn: Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber</div>
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This book is fairly good, but pretty week in its own right. There isn't much to them and they do leave a lot to be desired. </div>
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Re-write: Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz</div>
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I love this series, and sort of reminds me of Gossip Girl. If I were to rewrite this series, I would probably add a bit more to it. The books are all pretty small and easy to get through so I would love to add in a bit more description and foreshadowing. </div>
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Re-read: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead</div>
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So this series even tops Vampire Academy which I wasn't even sure was possible. I love Sydney and Adrian and right now they are the couple to top! I feel like I need to start re-reading these books like now! </div>
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<b>Round 5: Sarah Dessen Showdown!</b></div>
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Burn: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen</div>
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So this was actually the first Sarah Dessen book that I picked up, and I love it dearly. However, I have ended up loving the other books I have read by her just a little bit more. </div>
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Re-write: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen</div>
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I think if I had to change one thing about this book, I think I would change her father. I really wish that the relationship between Auden and her father was a closer one. But of course, this is a really minor thing and adds in the right amount of drama into the story as well. </div>
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Re-read: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen</div>
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This one is at the absolute top of my favorites list! I love that she deals with hard hitting topics and does them justice. Everything about this book is perfect! </div>
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So that's it for this post of Burn, Re-Write, or Re-Read! What did you think? Any books that I burned that you think shouldn't have been. Or have other books that you would have put on the list instead? Let me know in the comments below.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-81313452933166324582015-07-13T16:32:00.001-07:002015-07-13T16:32:39.518-07:00Maniac Monday #3<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">#otspsecretsister, Camp NaNoWriMo, and more!</span></div>
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Welcome back to another Maniac Monday! This week, I'm going to talk about the #otspsecretsister tag, my progress with Camp NaNoWriMo, and a few other things!<br />
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So to start with, I want to go over this amazing thing that is happening over on Twitter that goes by the #otspsecretsister tag! What exactly is it, you wonder? Well, it's this amazing thing that Brittany, Amy, and Alyssa started that pretty much runs like a six month long Secret Santa event, except it's for book lovers!<br />
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What exactly do you do for this Secret Sister event? You would need to head over to any of their blog pages and read over the FAQs first, after doing that and making sure that its something that you have the commitment for, check out their blog page for the Round 3 sign ups and send them an email with the required information. Please note that they must know you in order to be able to sign up for this event. If this sounds like something you might like to do, but don't yet know any of these three lovely ladies, start using the #otspsecretsister tag, talk to them, and get to know them. They are a pretty fun group and not at all scary so don't be shy!<br />
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If you want to check out any of their blog pages or check them out on Twitter, you can find them here:<br />
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Brittany:<br />
Twitter: @bookaddictguide<br />
blog: http://www.bookaddictsguide.com/<br />
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Amy:<br />
Twitter: @trippingbooks<br />
blog: http://www.trippingoverbooks.com/<br />
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Alyssa:<br />
Twitter: @WithTheBanned<br />
blog: http://bookstakeyouplaces.com/<br />
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Now I realize, I still really haven't answered what exactly one can expect from joining #otspsecretsister so here it is. By joining #otspsecretsister you get to make new friends who love books just as much as you do. So by signing up for this event, you will get your own secret sister as well as be someones secret sister. Throughout a span of six months, you will send your sister sister goodies, cards, pick me ups, and basically anything else that you can think of. When you sign up, you pick a price range that works best for you, and each month you should be sending your secret sister some goodies that will equate to that amount. However, while its fun to send and receive cool items and books, this event is really about getting to know other people and sending cheerful notes. So definitely remember to send those thoughtful letters/cards/etc to your secret sister just to let them know you are thinking about them! So that is what #otspsecretsister is all about. Sending another book lover some cheer and letting them know that you are thinking about them! It's going to be great fun and I seriously can't wait until I get my Secret Sister!<br />
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Camp NaNoWriMo:<br />
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This month I'm attempting to work on Camp NaNoWriMo with a goal of writing 50,000 words during this month. However, at day 13, I'm so far behind its not even funny. But I'm not going to give up. Even if I don't make it to 50,000 words written this month, I will have written more words than I originally had so that is still very much a win for me.<br />
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I've been mostly working on my Original Fiction novel for this goal, but the other night I hit a small snag and decided to begin working on my Harry Potter Fanfiction novel again. I was pleasantly surprised when a section that I've been hung up on for quite some time began working itself out and suddenly the chapter was almost done! Tonight, I'm hoping to work on my stories a bit more, maybe finish off that chapter I was working on last night and maybe see if I can get my Original Fiction story to play nicely.<br />
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Book Update:<br />
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So the other day, my boyfriend surprised me and decided to take me out for lunch and then we were going to go hang out at the zoo and just have an "us" day. However, after lunch, we decided that it was much to warm and gross outside to spend a lot of time out so we decided to hit the Mall of America and just wander around. To make this better, I got to stop into Barnes and Noble, talk about a lucky girl!<br />
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Of course, its extremely tempting walking through the many rows of books and even worse when I make it into the YA section. I was only going to buy one book since I still have so many sitting around my house, waiting for me to pick them up, but then I ended up with a dilemma between which book I should get. So I wandered up and down the YA section, picking up a bunch of books (that I still so badly want), but then I came to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and after all of the hype and excitement and amazing things that I've heard about it from my Twitter friends, I knew that this had to be the next book for me.<br />
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But of course, things can't be quite that easy because then I see The Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski and I suddenly couldn't decide! I've heard great things about both of them and they were both really high on my wish list of books and I just didn't know which one to get. So then my boyfriend finally comes up to me and sees me with both books in my hand and asks me how much they are. I tell him, and was completely expecting him to tell me to only get the cheaper one, but instead, he surprised me and told me to get both! I am now the extremely happy owner of both Throne of Glass and The Winners Curse and I can't wait to begin reading them!<br />
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Anyways, I think this is where I'm going to leave it for this Maniac Monday post! If you have any questions at all, want to tell me how amazing these books are, send some words of encouragement for Camp NaNo, or just talk, feel free to leave a comment! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-90018446167577362752015-07-12T12:42:00.000-07:002015-07-12T12:44:33.218-07:00Under the Empyrean Sky by Chuck Wendig<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369037255l/17817631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369037255l/17817631.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Image and Summary taken from goodreads.com</span></div>
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<b>Book: </b>Under the Empyrean Sky (Heartland Trilogy #1)</div>
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<b>Author: </b>Chuck Wendig</div>
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<b>Summary: </b><span id="freeText8443441758458720594" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Corn is king in the Heartland, and Cael McAvoy has had enough of it. It's the only crop the Empyrean government allows the people of the Heartland to grow? And the genetically modified strain is so aggressive that it takes everything the Heartlanders have just to control it. As captain of the Big Sky Scavengers, Cael and his crew sail their rickety ship over the corn day after day, scavenging for valuables, trying to earn much-needed ace notes for their families. But Cael's tired of surviving life on the ground while the Empyrean elite drift by above in their extravagant sky flotillas. He's sick of the mayor's son besting Cael's crew in the scavenging game. And he's worried about losing Gwennie? his first mate and the love of his life? forever when their government-chosen spouses are revealed. But most of all, Cael is angry? angry that their lot in life will never get better and that his father doesn't seem upset about any of it. Cael's ready to make his own luck . . . even if it means bringing down the wrath of the Empyrean elite and changing life in the Heartland forever.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></div>
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<b>Release Date: </b>July 30, 2013</div>
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<b>Rating: </b>3/5</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px;">I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I first began reading this book. I was really unsure if I was going to like it. The story seemed to drag on with not much really going on in it and it really just wasn't pulling me in. However, I really wanted to give this series a try and the more that I continued reading the more I did find myself actually getting interested in the plot line. </span><br />
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<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">I love how things are sort of coming full circle in this story. Events that happened to </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">Cael's father are happening to him and his father completely takes him by surprise and finding out that they actually have a bit more in common. The concepts in this story are original and unique but I do feel like a little bit less of world building would have helped to </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">pull me in quicker. I felt like in the beginning I was biting off way more than I could </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">chew with this story and if it hadn't been for the unique ideas I would have put the book </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">down.
That being said, I actually did enjoy reading this story. Once I got to the meat of the </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">story, it did pull me in. I was interested to find out how the events were going to play </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">our for our characters and thought that things took an interesting turn with the garden. I found the characters slightly hard to relate to but overall not completely out of the way </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">that I couldn't understand the emotions that they were going through. The ending held </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">enough interest and left it at a slight cliffhanger making me wonder what is going to </pre>
<pre class="review-body-display display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 600px; word-break: normal; word-wrap: normal;">happen to the characters in the rest of the series.</pre>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-75114699530560739502015-07-07T19:09:00.002-07:002015-07-07T19:09:21.954-07:00To Be Read Tuesday #2Welcome to the second To Be Read Tuesday! This week I'm going to discuss the series that won as the next series I need to read, The Raven Boys.<br />
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So I've ever only heard great things about this book and I've contemplated it before, but I have always put it aside for some other book. Now after the urging of a few different friends, this book and the others in this series have found their way to the top of my To Be Read list. So what am I thinking about this book?</div>
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One, that cover! Like seriously though, whoever designed this book cover knew exactly what they were doing. It's eye catching and intriguing. Everything about this cover really screams out to me. From the wisps to the large Raven and what looks like eyes on it wings, I don't have a single fault against this cover. It definitely hints towards a darker book, with some intrigue, and some mysterious aspects to the book. I feel like this book will have some surprises in store for me. </div>
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Two, the summary. The concept of this book is just fantastic. I love that a group of soon-to-be dead people walk by and that the main character has never seen them before, but this time, she does. And in doing so, it attaches her to four boys she never would have originally found herself hanging with. From there, we get to know a little bit about the four boys that I feel like are each going to take a piece of me with them. But really the thing that gets me most from the summary, is that we know that something is wrong, and that our main character is either the killer or has found her one true love in the boy she sees as the soon-to-be dead. So much is left open and I'm really not sure what I should expect for this book other than the fact that I'm sure its going to be a great read. </div>
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And three, four boys means four times the heartache and possibly falling for each of them in their own way. Like seriously, how is my heart supposed to handle this? </div>
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So there you have it, my thoughts about The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-85990444724103415342015-07-07T18:24:00.003-07:002015-07-07T18:24:58.932-07:00Ashes to Ashes by Melissa C. Walker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413747124l/22960598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413747124l/22960598.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b>Book: </b>Ashes to Ashes</div>
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<b>Author: </b>Melissa Walker</div>
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<b>Summary: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A timeless and romantic ghost story that will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When Callie's life is cut short by a tragic accident in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, her spirit travels to another dimension called the Prism. Here she meets a striking and mysterious ghost named Thatcher, who guides her as she learns how to bring peace to those she left behind. But Callie soon uncovers a dark secret about the spirit world: some of the souls in it are angry, and they desperately want revenge. These souls are willing to do whatever it takes to stay on Earth, threatening the existence of everyone she ever cared about.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Perfect for fans of Gayle Forman's </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">If I Stay</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> and Lauren Oliver's </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Before I Fall</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">, this thoughtful and suspenseful novel will have readers eager to read the sequel, </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Dust to Dust</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<b>Release Date: </b>May 5, 2015</div>
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<b>Rating: </b>4/5</div>
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<a name='more'></a>I received this book through Goodreads first read in exchange for an honest review.<br />
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I was really unsure of what I was going to think of this book, the thought of a ghost romance was a very strange idea and not one that I was sure that I could be sold on. However, I was excited to give this book a try and see where it might take me. </div>
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Things start off with our main character still alive and gives us a bit of an idea about how she lives her life, with a thirst for thrill seeking. Between her boyfriend and her best friend, Callie seems to have a pretty good life but unfortunately, things on Earth get cut short for her. Callie soon finds herself in the Prism, a place where ghosts go to do their haunting. There, Callie meets Thatcher, her guide to haunting. Things of course don't go as smoothly in the afterlife as she would think and Callie finds that some ghosts can not be trusted but is Thatcher one of them? </div>
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Things were interesting to start with, but I didn't really get pulled into the book until after 100 pages. But from there on out, the book definitely delivered. It slowly provides readers with enough information to keep us going and give us some foreshadowing for future events. And while the story plot never really took me by surprise, I still found the events to be rather enjoyable. </div>
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My favorite part about this book, was the characters. They were each their own unique person with different backgrounds and events and when considered together, they made a nice cast. There were characters I fell in love with, Thatcher and Carson, characters I hated, Leo and his group of friends, and also characters that took me by surprise, Nick. I also really loved that this book touches on the fact that each person handles death differently, there is no one way to grieve over the loss of someone you love and I also really enjoyed the concept of haunting that this book gives. I felt like it was a somewhat unique take on what haunting actually means and also an interesting concept on the idea of what an afterlife would look like. </div>
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The ending was a bit predictable, but I feel like that is mainly due to all of the foreshadowing given throughout the book. However, I did enjoy the ending. I felt like it tied up all of the events in this first book rather nicely, but still left plenty of questions to make the reader want to continue reading onto the next book. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the second book in this series, Dust to Dust. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-78420933752358011832015-07-06T16:12:00.001-07:002015-07-06T16:12:34.272-07:00Maniac Monday #2So this weekend, I sort of failed at posting anything on my blog. I would love to blame the holiday on this, but sadly that doesn't even come close. I spent my holiday on my computer at home so really I shouldn't have any excuse however, I do have a few good ones. One, its Camp NaNoWriMo and I seriously need to get going on it, even after spending the majority of my day working on it on Saturday. And two, I spent all day Sunday doing stuff for another website that I'm on. It was a lot of fun and I wouldn't have changed it for the world, but doing that meant I didn't write my blog entry. Oh well, I'm here today and that's all that counts.<br />
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What are some things I'm looking forward to this week? Well, I've got some fun posts coming up, including, The Raven Boys, my top ten summer reads, and my favorite book to movie, as well as some other fun topics so keep your eyes out for that.<br />
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Other non-blog related news, I will be spending a good portion of my time writing for Camp NaNo and hopefully catching up on word count since I'm currently sitting about 10K behind but I know that I can do it, I just have to remember that a first draft doesn't have to be good... the words just need to get on paper. That's probably one of the biggest things I struggle with. I want it to sound perfect right away even though that's not always possible so I just have to take things slowly and forget about the need to be perfect and just let it all flow out.<br />
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In reading news, I'm currently making my way through Ashes to Ashes by Melissa Walker as well as reading Under the Empyrean Sky by Chuck Wendig and they both seem to be taking me by surprise a bit so I'm really looking forward to finishing them up soon. I'm also really excited because I was able to talk my boyfriend into watching The Maze Runner with me this weekend, and we both actually liked it, even though he had told me he wasn't going to watch it. So I was a bit surprised when the next day, he came home from work with the rest of the books in the series (I already had The Maze Runner, just haven't read it yet). And things get even better that he actually wants to read the series, but he wants to wait until I've finished reading them. Guess this means I need to put time aside soon and get to those books so he doesn't have to wait too long for them.<br />
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What is currently on your reading list? Have any of them taken you by surprise yet?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-80643595481564491852015-07-03T16:05:00.005-07:002015-07-03T16:05:50.971-07:00July To Be Read List and June Wrap UpJune was an exciting month for me! I got more active over on Twitter and met a bunch of lovely bloggers. I came up with theme days for my blog and even read and reviewed a few extra books than I had originally planned on. So lets take a look at what I had managed to do during the month of June.<br />
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For book reviews:<br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/cinder-by-marissa-meyer.html">Cinder by Marissa Meyer</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/wicked-appetite-by-janet-evanovich.html">Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/scarlet-by-marissa-meyer.html">Scarlet by Marissa Meyer</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/wicked-business-by-janet-evanovich.html">Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-shadow-revolution-by-clay-griffith.html">The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith</a><br />
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And a list of my non-book review posts:<br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/my-favorite-pairings.html">My Favorite Pairings</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/ten-book-series-you-should-read-if-you.html">Ten Book Series You Should Read if you Haven't Already</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/theme-days.html">My Announcement for Theme Days</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/series-sunday-1.html">Series Sunday #1- Harry Potter</a><br />
<a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/06/maniac-monday-1.html">Maniac Monday #1</a><br />
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So altogether, I would say that June was a really successful month for me! I had a lot of fun reading and reviewing new books and also coming up with some fun new things to do with my blog.<br />
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Now onto my hopes for July!<br />
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I have a lot of books that I'm looking forward to reading this month and I've already managed to get one done! You can check out my book review for the newly released Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton <a href="http://escapeunderthecover.blogspot.com/2015/07/wicked-charms-by-janet-evanovich.html">here</a>! So what other books I'm I hoping to read this month?<br />
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A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab<br />
Under the Empyrean Sky by Chuck Wendig<br />
Blightborn by Chuck Wendig<br />
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume<br />
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I also have a bunch of others that I would like to read as well, but my main focus will be to get through those four books. Beyond the reading and reviewing aspect of my blog, I would like to maintain my daily themes throughout the month and have a new post everyday! This shouldn't be too hard to do as I've already got the topics figured out for each day.<br />
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Have you read any of the books on my to-read list? What did you think of them? Also, do any of you have any fun posts or book reviews planned for July?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-60186327822903328062015-07-03T11:12:00.000-07:002015-07-03T11:12:19.787-07:00Favorite Friday #1As a big reader, there is nothing like finding that amazing spot to just hangout with a good book and maybe a drink or two. That is why, for my first Favorite Friday, I am going to talk about my favorite places to read!<br />
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I just moved a few months ago, actually, it will be a year in October, and I'm still learning each day of different places in the house and outside that make nice reading spots. Of course, laying in my bed and curling up with a book before I go to sleep is always a wonderful feeling, but someday's, it just doesn't work for me. I get tired out from just laying there all day, or I get restless and can't get comfortable. So recently, I've taken upon myself to find better places to read during the day when my bed just doesn't do it for me. So far, I have found a few new wonderful places to hangout and read.<br />
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The first place, is the lovely library I have in my house. <br />
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Yes, that's right, I said I have a library in my house. Granted its not very big but it more than serves its purpose! And to make it even better, it has one of those sliding ladders like on Beauty and the Beast! Yep talk about a long time dream come true! I'm going to hate leaving it that's for sure. But for now, I love sitting in my rocking chair, surrounded by all of my books (and movies, and craft supplies, and our games) and getting sucked into a different world.<br />
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Second, is the front porch. On a nice summer day nothing quite beats being able to hang out outside in the beautiful sun with a light breeze going by and a book in your hand. It's not very often that I sit out on the front porch, but when I have, its been very enjoyable and relaxing. Plus it gives me time away from my roommates and I can get completely lost in the book I'm reading, rather than dealing with the noise and chatter from the others in the house.<br />
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And third, I enjoy hanging out on the couch in our game room. Someday's, the quiet just wont do it for me, the silence ends up being too loud and makes it hard to concentrate. So on those days, I go into our game room and hang out with the guys while they play their video games and I lay back on the couch and read. Yes when I read here I do tend to get interrupted much more than the other places, however someday's, I really need this interaction to just keep me going. And on the days that I don't or I get interrupted too much, I just go hide away in one of my other reading places.<br />
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So there you have it, three of my favorite places to read. What are your favorite places to curl up with a good book?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-14881363736730241712015-07-02T17:29:00.000-07:002015-07-02T17:29:06.514-07:00Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book: </b>Wicked Charms</div>
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<b>Author: </b>Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton</div>
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<b>Summary: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Murdered and mummified more than ninety years ago, bootlegger Collier “Peg Leg” Dazzle once found and re-hid a famous pirate’s treasure somewhere along the coast of New England. A vast collection of gold and silver coins and precious gems, the bounty also contains the Stone of Avarice — the very item reluctant treasure seeker, Lizzy Tucker, and her partner, Diesel, have been enlisted to find. While Lizzy would just like to live a quiet, semi-normal life, Diesel is all about the hunt. And this hunt is going to require a genuine treasure map and a ship worthy of sailing the seven seas . . . or at least getting them from Salem Harbor to Maine.</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Greed is eternal and insatiable, and Lizzy and Diesel aren’t the only ones searching for the lost pirate’s chest. There are people who have dedicated their entire lives to finding it, and are willing to commit murder or make a deal with the devil, just to hold the fortune in their hands. One of those people may even be Wulf, Diesel’s deceptively charming and enigmatic cousin. Wulf desires the Stone of Avarice. He also desires Lizzy. It’s hard to say how far he’s willing to go to gain either one.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It’s a swashbuckling adventure full of raiders, monkeys, minions, and mayhem. Lizzy and Diesel are going to have to do everything they can to keep their heads above water and hope they are living a charmed life.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<b>Release Date: </b>June 23, 2015</div>
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<b>Rating: </b>3.5/5</div>
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This book was received though NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. In no way does this influence my thoughts on the book. </div>
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After reading the first two books in this series, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this one, after all, it seemed like they followed a general plot path and didn't shake things up much. However, I was pleasantly surprised from the beginning of the book. </div>
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From the very start of the book, I could already tell that I was going to like this one <b>more</b> than I had the previous two. Granted, its still getting a 3.5 rating from me, but I definitely did find this one more enjoyable than the other two. Why did I like this one more than the others, well it actually came down to a few different things. </div>
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The first reason I liked this one more than the others, was the writing. From the very first page, the writing seemed different, not a big change in the writing style or anything, but just the way it came across to me was much stronger than the others. Maybe that is in part that this one had a co-writer and the small change in the writing is from them, but whatever the case may be, I felt that this one came across much better than Wicked Appetite and Wicked Business. </div>
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The second, was the plot. I really felt like I had the general plot line for these books pegged down, but then come half way through the book and still so much more to go, I was finding that this book definitely was not following the same pattern as the others. And I loved it! The changes were a nice touch and really added some interesting elements to the story. It kept me guessing for the rest of the book and really made me wonder what could happen for our cast of characters next. </div>
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And as it was for Wicked Business, I really enjoyed the new characters we were introduced to. They all had a purpose to the story line but yet they were just fun to read about in general. I love the cast of characters (both main and minor) and love how they all sort of come and go throughout the book. Some of them you can pin down right away where their role is going to take them, and others take you by surprise. It was really fun to predict things and find myself completely wrong about them too. </div>
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Altogether, this book was a fun ride. The writing seemed more mature, the plot line less predictable, and the quirky cast of characters a lot of fun. This is definitely a fun series and worth a read. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-19607819465132665482015-07-02T16:01:00.002-07:002015-07-02T16:01:45.390-07:00Top Ten Thursday #1Today we are going to look at the <b>top ten books I'm looking forward to being released later this year</b>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(that was a mouthful)</span><br />
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So without further ado, here are the top ten I'm looking forward to!<br />
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10. Beyond the Kingdoms- Chris Colfer<br />
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I'm pretty excited for this new book to come out. Of course I watched Chris Colfer on Glee so I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that he was writing books as well. And while I still have yet to actually read this series, it is high on my list of To Read books!</div>
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9. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith<br />
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I have recently began reading the first book in the Cormoran Strike series and have been enjoying it thus far. Between this cover and the summary, this one definitely sounds like a book I need to read. </div>
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8. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich</div>
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Ah, the Stephanie Plum series. There is just something about this series that I love. It may be a bit predictable at times, but that doesn't stop my love or interest in this series at all. Of course, it also helps that the two main male characters both have moments that make me hope for them to get with Stephanie.</div>
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7. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith</div>
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This book looks absolutely beautiful. I love everything about this cover and I think the summary sounds really interesting. Pair that with some wonderful reviews about this book and there you have it.</div>
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6. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo<br />
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I have never read a book by this author, but I hear wonderful things about this book and every time I turn around on Twitter (or else where) I end up seeing this book. So of course, this book has made its way onto my top ten list.</div>
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5. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan<br />
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Because who doesn't need another fun and interesting series by Rick Riordan to read? Seriously, I love his books! Each time I pick up a new series by him, I wonder if I will enjoy it as much as I have the last. And each time I get completely sucked into the series, so this time I'm saving myself a step and I already know that this book will be a great read!</div>
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4. The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick</div>
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I've only just recently heard about this book, but the things that I have heard about it are fantastic. I love the concept of the book and I really look forward to seeing how this author takes it. Between the cover and the summary, its definitely doing something right to catch readers interest (or at least mine).</div>
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3. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon</div>
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What is it about this book that has caught my interest, well, Everything, Everything. The concept is unique and interesting. and the artwork on the cover is really grabbing and memorable. I'm so interested to see how this book is going play out. </div>
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2. Winter by Marissa Meyer</div>
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I'm so sad that this is going to be the last book in The Lunar Chronicles especially since I've only just gotten into the series. However, this last book looks like its going to do the series justice and I can't wait to get a hold of this book. The cover is absolutely stunning and it really makes me wish that this book was out already!</div>
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1. Soundless by Richelle Mead</div>
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Richelle Mead is among my favorite authors, so when I found out that another book was coming out by her, I immediately began looking up as much as I could. This book seems like its going to be a very unique read and I know after reading the Vampire Academy series and the Bloodlines series that Richelle Mead has what it takes to really sell any book to me. The cover is grabbing enough but pair it with its summary and it was a done deal for me. </div>
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So there you have it, my top ten! Are there any books on this list that took you by surprise? Did I leave out a book that you think will be more exciting than the ones I've got listed? Let me know what your top ten or even the top few books you are looking forward to this year!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-63528308930359239402015-07-01T19:05:00.002-07:002015-07-01T19:05:47.940-07:00Waiting on Wednesday #1For my first Waiting on Wednesday, I thought it only appropriate, that I talk about the one book that I'm most excited for, Soundless by Richelle Mead!<br />
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*Image and Summary taken from Goodreads</div>
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Summary: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></div>
<span id="freeText10603722462538314647" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br />When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.<br /><br />But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.<br /><br />Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">So its no secret that Richelle Mead is among my favorite authors so to see another book by her is fantastic news (of course I would be freaking out even more if it was another Vampire Academy series but still). This book is at the absolute top of my Wishlist. The cover is beautiful and the summary is intriguing. Everything about this book screams for me to read it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I think the one thing I'm most looking forward to this book, is to see how Richelle Mead tackles this subject. Its very much different from the world of Vampires but yet it still has the promise of action that I have come to know and love from the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. The next thing I'm most looking forward to, is this unlikely romance that will change Fei's life forever. Can you say new book boyfriend? Although, I don't think I'm quite ready to give up Adrian yet, so this new one will have some large shoes to fill to make me fall harder than I did for Adrian. </span></span></div>
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Are you excited to read Soundless by Richelle Mead coming out November 10, 2015? What are some of the things that you are most looking forward to with this book? </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-86654299338740178762015-07-01T18:44:00.001-07:002015-07-01T18:44:32.182-07:00To Be Read Tuesday #1This week on To Be Read Tuesday, I'm going to talk about <b>Those Secrets We Keep </b>by Emily Liebert.<br />
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Summary: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">On the surface, Sloane has the perfect life—an adoring husband, a precocious daughter, and enough financial security to be a stay-at-home mom. Still, she can’t help but feel as though something—or someone—is missing....</span></div>
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This book is actually one that I found out about through the Goodreads First Read but ended up getting an ebook through NetGalley and I can't wait to be able to sit down and read this!<br />
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Between that amazing book cover, and the summary, this book completely had me from the first time I saw it. It was a book that I felt like I would enjoy and even if I had not gotten a copy through NetGalley, I feel like I still would have sought out this book in other ways. I love books that have both touching and sad moments, and I feel like this book is going to bring that and then some. And of course, the fact that this book is all about secrets and trying to keep them and finding out that you can't keep your secrets forever is really interesting to me.<br />
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This book also has some pretty high ratings on Goodreads, and is currently sitting at an overall rating of 3.66 so I think that this book definitely wont disappoint. I have never read a book by this author before, and I'm very much looking forward to jumping in with this book.<br />
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Have you read this book already, what did you think of it? If you haven't, did the book cover and summary grab you like it grabbed me? Let me know!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-21037569426745063952015-06-29T16:23:00.003-07:002015-06-29T16:23:44.572-07:00The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book: </b>The Shadow Revolution: Crown and Key</div>
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<b>Author: </b>Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith</div>
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<b>Summary: </b><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver.</em></div>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After a lycanthrope targets Ka</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">te’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickl</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">y discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined.</span><div>
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<b>Release Date: </b>06/02/15</div>
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<b>Rating: </b>2/5</div>
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The Shadow Revolution had an interesting concept and I really looked forward to diving into this book and seeing how these two authors worked it out. However, once I began reading it, I had such a hard time keeping my eyes open. It wasn't for lack of action, the book starts with action and it continues at a fast pace throughout the rest of the book, but rather it just didn't grab me until about the 11th chapter. Even after the actual plot of the book began to pull me in, I still struggled to continue reading. I always felt like I was almost choking on the words. Sentences were filled with extras that weren't really needed to get the point across and stretched it unnecessarily.</div>
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I do wish that this book would have given more information about the key that it refers to. I felt like its part in the book came and went much too quickly for my liking, especially with it being a part of the title. In total, the key was probably mentioned in only ten pages and yet we still didn't know much about it by the end of the book. Had there been a bit more about the key and its importance and maybe some research done on it, this book might have gotten a slightly higher rating from me.</div>
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That being said, there were somethings about this book that I did enjoy. For one, I really liked the descriptions. There were many creatures and characters being introduced throughout the book and I felt like the authors did a great job describing them for their readers. I also enjoyed the many different relationships shown throughout the book. Each relationship had its own complex nature and details and that really made them feel more life-like and helped me understand where the characters might be coming from. And not only did each relationship have a life-like feel, but the characters did as well. Of all of the characters, I would say that Penny and the young werewolf girl, whose name escapes me at the moment, were my favorites. I loved the young innocence and vivacious nature of the two.</div>
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Overall, the plot was interesting and the characters were realistic. However, it all came down to the fact that I just couldn't get into this book and struggled to finish reading it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-7696627669509028962015-06-28T17:09:00.001-07:002015-06-29T11:29:35.522-07:00Maniac Monday #1Today is all about plotting. Starting on July 1st, I will be going through the amazing journey that is Camp NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a month long goal to try and write 50,000 words which equates to about 1,667 words a day! It's a lot of fun and has helped me to get my ideas flowing and the words onto paper. <div><br></div><div>There are two different ways that people generally go about it, plotting or pantsing. I have found over the past few years that I have participated in NaNo that I tend to do much better when I plot ahead of time rather than pantsing or mostly pantsing the month. The only problem with this, is that camp starts in less than 2 days time and I am still plotless. I guess I have really vague general ideas for my story but the gaps of unknown are vast. So that is why today is going to be spent plotting out my novel. I am determined to fill in these vast areas of unknown and pull together a plot to work on for the month of July. </div><div><br></div><div>As for what you can expect out of me for the rest of this week, tomorrow I will discuss Those Secrets We Keep, Wednesday we look at the novel im most excited for, Soundless. On Thursday, I'll count down my top ten books I'm looking forward to being released later this year. Friday will cover my favorite place to read. And on Saturday, I will discuss some cool book related merchandise, although I'm still deciding what that will be. You can also keep your eyes on the look out for at least 2 new book review posts this week, The Shadow Revolution, and Wicked Charms!</div><div><br></div><div>So there you have it, my week laid out for you. But before you go, I have a few questions for you!</div><div><br></div><div>Are you going to participate in Camp NaNo? If so what are you hoping to accomplish in July? </div><div><br></div><div>What are you most looking forward to on my blog this week? </div><div><br></div><div>Also don't forget to help me pick out the next book series I should begin reading. To do so, either comment here or on my top ten series list! </div><div><br></div><div>And I'm still looking for cool book related merchandise so if you know of any awesome etsy shops, or you make stuff and would like to be featured, email me at escapeunderthecover@outlook.com. Thank you for reading!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-30903968986145222602015-06-28T11:49:00.002-07:002015-06-28T12:15:39.075-07:00Series Sunday #1<div style="text-align: center;">
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Welcome to my first Series Sunday post! Today, I want to discuss a series that is very near and dear to me, one that has recently had some exciting news come about. What series might that be? It is the wonderful, magical, series of Harry Potter!<br />
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Now I know that pretty much everyone who doesn't live under a rock knows at least a little bit about this series but either way, I thought that this would be a wonderful series to cover for my first Series Sunday. Why do I think this will be a good series to cover?<br />
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<b>One:</b> Because Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone just celebrated its 18th birthday! It was originally published on June 26, 1997!<br />
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<b>Two:</b> Because even though its been 8 years since the last novel in this series was published and almost 4 years since the last movie was released, this fandom still remains strong<br />
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<b>Three:</b> Because Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be coming to movie theaters November 18, 2016 and us Potterheads are extremely excited to be immersed in this world once more.</div>
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<b>Four:</b> Because we now know that there is going to be a play called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is most definitely <b>NOT</b> a prequel that will open in London next year. </div>
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And we all know that my reaction to the last two points looked something like this:</div>
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So what was it about the Harry Potter series that just did it for me? Well, I will be 100% honest and tell you that I hated reading. Yep, there I said it, I absolutely hated reading when I was younger. I found no interest in it at all and hated when teachers made us read for school. Then sixth grade came about and the first movie was in theaters. The movie really hadn't even been on my radar much, but as a family, we decided to go out for dinner, bowling, and a movie and what did we see, but Harry Potter. So sitting there in the theater with my family, things just really clicked for me. I saw Hermione, this smart and amazing girl who read books all the time, and for some reason, I wanted that for myself. I saw this whole entire world get brought to life right in front of my eyes and I realized that books have so much to offer me. There are so many worlds out there, just waiting for me and all I have to do, is open up the book and begin reading. For this, I will always be grateful of the Harry Potter series and all that it gave to me. </div>
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By that point, I was already completely hooked. I needed to read more, and suddenly that's just what I was doing. I was reading so much, and not just the Harry Potter series, but I also began reading Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High, and so many others. </div>
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So a few things to address: </div>
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J. K. Rowling, I'm still waiting for my acceptance letter... its only 14 years late, but I'll forgive them</div>
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The friendships in this series are amazing! They are completely realistic and not without their flaws:</div>
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Because even though these pairings may not be my One True Pairing, I still can't deny them</div>
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And of course, all of the feelings EVER!</div>
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And because even with just ONE word our hearts are hit with all of the feelings</div>
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So do I think you should read/watch this series? Most definitely. This is one journey that I will never be sad that I went on. It filled me with so much happiness and sadness over the years and I really owe so much to it. Yes the movies don't always get it right, and yes it did make me mad sometimes, but they are still so amazing and beautiful and touching. </div>
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What are you waiting for, go and pick up the Harry Potter series now! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Until next Sunday:</b></span></div>
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<b>To the brightest star in the sky- you are gone, but never forgotten</b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-28500061209881754702015-06-27T17:26:00.000-07:002015-06-27T17:26:56.192-07:00Theme Days!<div style="text-align: center;">
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So I've been thinking a bit about some fun different things that I can do with my blog. I mean I will of course still be doing the book reviewing and (hopefully soon) some giveaways. But I want to make this blog as fun for you guys as it is for me. So I decided, why not do a different theme each day to keep things interesting and allow me to get to know you guys and you guys to get to know me better. </div>
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Below you will find a list of each day of the week, and what exactly that theme will mean. </div>
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<b>Series Sunday</b>: For Series Sunday, I will pick one series to discuss. Maybe its a series that I want to pick up but haven't yet, or maybe its a series that I have read and loved but either way we will talk about the series and my thoughts towards it.<br />
<b>ALSO</b> there will be some Sundays called <b>Surprise Sunday's</b> because you'll never know exactly when they are coming. On these Sunday's, we will discuss a book that surprised me in one way or another. Maybe it was one that got generally low ratings from others but completely took me by surprise, or maybe the book had some awesome twists that I never expected. Either way you should be ready for a nice surprise.<br />
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<b>Maniac Monday</b>: Maniac Monday's are going to comprise of a post detailing a bit more about what you can expect for the week, maybe some teasers (both from my blog posts or even a book that I'm reading). I might talk about some things that I'm looking forward to outside of book reviewing, such as Camp NaNoWriMo, which is totally just around the corner and I still don't have a plot set in stone. Basically, its a bit open as to what it will consist of each week.</div>
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<b>To Be Read Tuesday</b>: On To Be Read Tuesday's, I'm going to pick one book off of my To Be Read list and explain why it is there, what I'm most looking forward to with this book (if anything), and maybe some predictions of what will happen. </div>
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<b>Waiting on Wednesday</b>: I actually got this idea from Nichol, so thanks to you for this fantastic idea. Basically this one is going to Run much like my To Be Read Tuesday posts except that this will be for a book that has yet to be released. It might be a book that I have gotten as an arc and can't wait to do some gushing about or just a book that I'm really excited for it to come out. </div>
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<b>Top Ten Thursday</b>: For Top Ten Thursday's, I will make up a list of my Top Ten. It could be for anything such as the ones I've already posted, Top Ten Pairings and Top Ten Series You Should Read. </div>
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<b>Favorite Friday</b>: Favorite Friday will be a post detailing some of my favorite things, I might talk about my favorite Author or new series, or it could even be something like favorite place to read. Whatever it is, you can be sure that its at the top of my list.</div>
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<b>Secret Stash Saturday</b>: This one is partly inspired by katiesbookblog and her awesome new etsy feature. If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should because it is so awesome. Anyways, Secret Stash Saturday, is going to be all about that book swag. Anything and everything that is book related could be featured here. Could be t-shirts, jewelry, bags, etc. If its inspired by a book then it will count. </div>
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So there you have it, my daily themes. What do you think? Is there any day in particular that you are looking forward to? Also if you know of any cool book related items, doesn't matter if its from a store such as Hot Topic or someone's website like Etsy, feel free to mention them or send me an email at escapeunderthecover@outlook.com and I'll take a look!<br />
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Series Sunday will kick off tomorrow!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-57265062174386502762015-06-27T11:50:00.001-07:002015-06-27T11:51:18.221-07:00Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Image and Summary taken from goodreads.com</span></div>
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<b>Book: </b>Wicked Business</div>
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<b>Author: </b>Janet Evanovich</div>
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<b>Summary: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4;">Lizzy Tucker's once normal life as a pastry chef in Salem, Massachusetts, turns upside down as she battles both sinister forces and an inconvenient attraction to her unnaturally talented but off-limits partner, Diesel.</span></div>
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When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences. On their way they'll leave behind a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and general mayhem.</div>
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Diesel's black sheep cousin, Gerwulf Grimoire, also wants the Stone. His motives are far from pure, and what he plans on doing with the treasure, no one knows...but Lizzy Tucker fears she's in his crosshairs. Never far and always watching, Grimoire has a growing, vested interest in the cupcake-baker-turned-finder-of-lost-things. As does another dangerous and dark opponent in the hunt - a devotee of lawlessness and chaos, known only as Anarchy.</div>
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Treasures will be sought, and the power of lust will be unmistakable as Lizzy and Diesel attempt to stay ahead of Anarchy, Grimoire, and his medieval minion, Hatchet, in this ancient game of twisted riddles and high-stakes hide-and-seek.</div>
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<b>Release Date: </b>06/19/12 by Bantam</div>
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<b>Rating: </b>3.5/5</div>
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Wicked Business is the second book in the Lizzy and Diesel series.</div>
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This book continues a few months after Wicked Appetite and delivers the same feeling as the first. It was a nice, light and easy read with plenty of adventure and humor to tide you over throughout the book. The sexual tension between Diesel and Lizzy create some interesting moments between the pair and make up a good majority of the driving factor for me to continue reading the book and series. </div>
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Among some of my favorite parts in the book, are the many nods to Harry Potter. Each mention left me as giddy as a school girl with a crush and I felt like I was in on some kind of secret. Not only that, but the small nods were done in a tasteful way. It wasn't as if the characters were just mentioning the Harry Potter series just to mention it, but rather the conversation flows naturally and makes sense where it is placed.<br />
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I also greatly enjoy Glo's character. She is one who is filled with a lot of hope. Hope to find "the one", hope to have magical abilities, and hope to save the world. She is just such a fun character and really lights up the pages that she is featured on. I find myself laughing at her magical antics and also at the fact that each guy she meets, she begins to wonder if he might be "the one". Her relationship with Lizzy is also very much realistic. They both clearly have their own lives but they still talk and hangout like close friends would do.<br />
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We were also introduced to a new character in this book, Sandman. Having this older gentleman who can talk people to sleep and then steals their stuff is very interesting. And not only that, but he was super proud of the fact that he could bend three spoons at one time so of course, when he ends up with a chance to prove his magical worth, he definitely delivers. I loved the fact that he kept leaving his sons house and would go to the park so he could get free bologna sandwiches (which actually really made me want to eat some) because his son would not let him have any. This character definitely added some more comedic moments, and I do hope to see him again in the future, even if its a passing mention. <br />
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Wicked Business I felt also had a much better adventure than Wicked Appetite. It was much more reminiscent of a treasure hunt than the previous book had and the clues were expertly placed but also not such a huge stretch that I was left miles behind the characters trying to figure out how they solved each clue. And of course, the next day when I went by a church and saw their bells, all I could think about was this book.<br />
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What could I have used more of in this book? I just felt like things went by much too quickly. Clues were found and solved with relative ease and I would have loved to see them a bit more drawn out and maybe even some dead end clues. I'm also not a huge fan of the way things are becoming a bit more like a love triangle. I was actually pretty excited that things were kept between Diesel and Lizzy in the first book but now events are beginning to make things seem like Wulf is interested in Lizzy too. Hopefully, this is just a passing mention and nothing major will come about from it.<br />
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That being said though, I did enjoy the book, and I do look forward to reading the next in the series. If you enjoy the Stephanie Plum series, the odds are that you will also enjoy this series. Wicked Business is a great second book in the series and definitely delivers for its fans. The third book in the series, <b>Wicked Charms</b>, is now available for purchase so go check it out!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660050668829981997.post-76024620875043528512015-06-26T16:40:00.001-07:002015-06-26T16:41:22.367-07:00Ten Book Series You Should Read If You Haven't Already<div style="text-align: center;">
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Are you looking for a new series to dive into but don't know where to start? Below, I've compiled a list of 10 (actually 14) different series that I believe you should try if you haven't already.</div>
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So lets get started!<br />
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10: The Selection Class Series<br />
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9: The Mortal Instruments Series</div>
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8: Stephanie Plum Series</div>
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7: Percy Jackson Series/Heroes of Olympus Series/Kane Chronicles</div>
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6: Dark Hunters Series (Adult)/ Nick Chronicles</div>
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5: Divergent Series</div>
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4: The Hunger Games Series</div>
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3: The Lunar Chronicles</div>
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2: Harry Potter Series</div>
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1: Vampire Academy/Bloodlines Series</div>
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So there you have it, the top series that I believe you should read if you haven't already! What do you think? Am I missing some series? What is your number one book series that you believe people should read?</div>
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And now is the time for you to help me figure out what series I should begin reading next! Should I read:</div>
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The Raven Boys</div>
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Ruby Red</div>
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The Kiss of Deception</div>
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Pawn</div>
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The Winner's Curse</div>
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Or do you have a different book series you think I should start reading?</div>
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Let me know in the comments below!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825813195169813725noreply@blogger.com2