Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Rosewoods Series by Katrina Abbott


THE ROSEWOODS SERIES BY KATRINA ABBOT

Jennifer's Overall Take on this Series:
I really enjoyed this series and I will grab book #5 as soo as it comes out in October ! Katrina does a great job depicting the teenagers, their friends, their love interests in a funny and relatable way.


Taking the Reins (The Rosewoods #1)
by   
Brooklyn Prescott (if that's even her real name) is the new girl at The Rosewood Academy for Academic Excellence, now that she's moved back to the States after two years living in London. Rosewood, a boarding school for children of the rich and famous and known for its celebutantes, is missing just one element important to any junior's education: boys. But luckily for Brooklyn, and the rest of the Rosewood girls, there's a boys' boarding school, The Westwood Academy, just a few miles away. On her very first day, Brooklyn meets Will, a gorgeous and flirty boy on campus to help with move in. But is he who she thinks he is? And what about Brady, the cute stable boy? Or Jared, the former child actor with his grown-up good looks who can always make her laugh? As Brooklyn settles in at Rosewood, she's faced with new friends, new challenges and new opportunities to make herself into the girl she always wanted to be. Whoever that might be. Taking The Reins is the first installment of The Rosewoods, an exciting new Young Adult series for readers who love fun, flirty love stories. 

Jennifer's Review:
Taking the Reins was a good, light, fun book that will make you laugh out loud. My only complaint -- it is pretty short and I finished it in a couple of hours. This first book in the series revolves around Brooklyn -- a feisty but shy, young girl.  She is the new girl at the Rosewood Academy for Academic Excellence. Having moved back to the states from the London this book takes us with Brooklyn while she struggles to establish herself within a boarding school where there are already established and long standing friendships, and all the while tries not to be distracted by the Boys at Westwood Academy for boys. We follow her as she is swept into a whirlwind of events including riding at the Rosewood stables, friends, school, and cute boys: Will, Brady and Jared are three boys who capture her interest - - but who will she pick?

I got a recommendation for this book with a link to get it for free on Amazon. So I figured I would check it out. I am glad I did -- it was a good light summer read -- fun & flirty!
Taking the Reins is the first book in the Rosewood series. Brooklyn Prescott is the new girl at The Rosewood Academy for Academic Excellence. She is back in the States after being in London for a couple of years with her parents. I would say this book was all about introductions.  On her very first day, Brooklyn meets Will, a gorgeous and flirty boy on campus to help the girls move in. He is from the all boys school Westwood. As the book progresses we meet too other boys -- Brady, the cute stable boy and Jared, the former child actor.
As we follow Brooklyn as settles in at Rosewood -- she vows to take this opportunity to make herself into the girl she always wanted to be -- a little more fun, flirty, etc...

The book is pretty short and like I said I feel like it was an introductions type (no direct plot but an intro of what is to come in future books)of to the main characters and the setting. The ending is rather abrupt -- normally that would bother me but since book 2 already exists I was able to dive right into that one to satisfy my curiosity of what happens next.
The only issue I had was that there were three boys loving Brooklyn and since Brooklyn professes that she is a pretty plain, normal girl that boys had never fallen all over in the past I found that pretty hard to believe. I liked Brooklyn's personality so it was not a far stretch for one boy to fall for her and possibly even two but the third one (who had a great girlfriend) was the one that really threw me over in the believability. Not that is stopping me from moving on to book 2 :-)


 Ideal for the young reader {aged 12-16} or for those (like me) who love young adult stories that are fresh, engaging and convincing! I cannot wait to read more within the Rosewoods series that has sparked a sense of interest…


Masquerade (The Rosewoods #2)
Halloween is coming and everyone knows what that means: costume party! For Brooklyn Prescott, the best thing about being the new school liaison was supposed to be planning the Halloween dance. Who doesn't want to escape herself, even if it's just for one night? But The Rosewood School for Academic Excellence has banned costumes and now Brooklyn's faced with the possibility of her first event being a total flop. Not to mention that she's planning the dance with Dave, the sexy and neglected boyfriend of her roommate, Emmie. Awkward!

It's not like planning the dance is her only concern either. On top of classes she's got equestrian team practice, and Coach Fleming has been acting very oddly. Talked into sneaking out to collect some intel with her friends, Brooklyn may have stumbled onto a huge, juicy secret that could involve the coach in a potentially career-ending scandal. And then there's Jared, who seemed to be into her, but has suddenly disappeared without a trace - not even a text message.

Things at Rosewood are getting complicated for Brooklyn, just as she's starting to fit in. The more she tries to uncover the secrets surrounding her, the more she realizes that her friends and even the faculty are all wearing masks. Does she dare look underneath them? Or does she put on one of her own?

Jennifer's Review:
In book 2 of The Rosewoods series, Brooklyn Prescott finally finds herself as a part of the Rosewoods girls and as result is happy and secure. She is the Rosewood Academy's School Liason which puts her in the position to deal with Westwood Boys academy's Liaison quite a bit. Along with finding true friends, she also deals with the many boys in her life who got introduced to in book 1: Dave (AKA-Will), Emmie's boyfriend who clearly is off limits to Brooklyn but as we know -- they had a connection in book 1 and then are thrown together in this book as school liaison's team planning the school dances - things get tricky with this relationship and was my least fav storyline; Jared (Abe), Dave's roommate, who is a total sweetheart and Brooklyn starts dating him in this book; and finally Brady, Brooklyn's Equestrian coach, who due to him being a Coach at the school is off limits but they in my opinion have the strongest connection. So its a love square. I plus a lot of other readers may not love love triangles or squares but in this case its not a huge focus and you will definitely be rooting for just one of them -- totally Team Brady over here! The book does continue on from right where book 1 leaves us but does leave us with a MAJOR cliffhanger at the end!



Playing the Part (The Rosewoods #3)
Kaylee Bennett has never felt like she really fit in at The Rosewood Academy for Academic Excellence, but this year she feels even more like an outsider. Life has done a one-eighty for Kaylee and as she returns to the posh school for girls, she can’t bring herself to tell her secret to her friends and definitely not her long term crush, Phillip Carson. Not that Kaylee could ever imagine he would be attracted to a quiet bookworm like her anyway. But then there’s Declan Ryan, the gorgeous exchange student who seems to be interested, until Kaylee finds out his secret and why he might actually be into her, and it has nothing to do with her charm or love of English literature.
To complicate matters, Kaylee gets stuck running the school’s production of Romeo and Juliet, directing both Declan and Phillip with the help of Rosewood’s sexy first year teacher, Mr. Stratton—as if the Westwood boys weren’t enough of a distraction!
Determined to stay away from Declan and make things work with Phillip, Kaylee isolates herself from her friends and hides out in the house of cards she’s built to protect herself, but how long will it stay standing?
Playing The Part is a companion book to Taking The Reins and Masquerade, the first two books of The Rosewoods, an exciting new Young Adult series for readers who love fun, flirty love stories
 
 
Jennifer's Review:
Book 3 -- Well this was a game changer! This book is not told from Brooklyn's point of view. Its from Kaylee Bennett and seems to run parallel in time to book 2. For Kaylee, she is not new to Rosewood but coming back to Rosewood for her this year is much different than past years.  Her whole life went from being great to NOT - and its much more than financial hardship in her life. She has been allowed to return to Rosewood but on a scholarship. Since all of her friends are all rich she didn't want them to know this detail in fear that they would start to treat her differently.
 Then there are her boy troubles with Phillip, the boy who she threw up on the year before at the dance and Declan, the new handsome Irish boy who saved her from embarrassment by asking her to dance. She has always had a crush on Phillip, but Declan -- he is nice, cute, and a little mysterious. However, when she finds out something that changes her mind about him, she's not so sure about anything anymore. Along with these troubles, she also has to run the school play due to her community service assignment. With no time to spare for herself, she feels like she's going to be driven insane.
This book could of gone two ways with a complete change of point of view from a secondary character and being written in the same timeline as the previous book -- as I don't think its easy to write in a parallel time and hook the reader in addition to bringing a secondary character into the starring role. Katrina pulled it off beautifully!  Kaylee was a sideline character in the previous two books but she had mystery to her. I enjoyed being able to see more into why Kaylee acted like she did in the other books.



Reading Between the Lines (The Rosewoods #4)
   Brooklyn Prescott is starting to settle into life at The Rosewood School for Academic Excellence. Now that the masquerade ball is over and was a total success (whew!), she can return to her non-party planning life! She’s dating Jared officially now that he’s returned from Japan, and he’s even asked her to read his memoir of his life as a child actor, a great honor for Brooklyn, the wannabe journalist.

But just as things seem like they’re sliding into place, Emmie breaks up with Dave, who is suddenly showing interest in Brooklyn. More confused than ever, Brooklyn doesn’t know what to do—stay with the great guy who is obviously into her, or take a chance with the one she’s been crushing on since her first day on campus and risk alienating her friend and roommate? And what about Coach Fleming, who she has to resist every single day at equestrian practice?

One kiss starts the ball rolling and a second changes everything, causing a chain of events Brooklyn never could have imagined. As the holidays approach, Brooklyn needs to figure out who and what she is most thankful for. But then who she really is catches up with her and turkey dinners and horse shows are nothing compared to suddenly being faced with a life or death situation.

Reading Between The Lines is the fourth installment of The Rosewoods, an exciting new Young Adult series for readers who love fun, flirty love stories

Jennifer's Review:
The fourth book in the Rosewoods series continues with Brooklyn and her always changing life at Rosewood Academy. There were many things that occurred that I did not see coming at all. The first one being her brother Robert showing up on campus??? He definitely added a different element as we have focused so much before on the Westwood boys.  I actually not sure what to think of him yet but I am interested in seeing where Katrina takes his character and with who :-). Then there is what happens with Brooklyn and her array of boys; seriously, I just didn't see ANYTHING coming.  The boys: Dave, I'm not really sure what to think of their relationship, as I am totally partial to Brady. and the Brady -- what to say? Love him! 
All in all, this book was another great read by Katrina Abbott with plot twists, laugh at loud moments and that ending was not at all expected. I can't wait to see the rest of the developments in book 5 - coming in October 2014.  There are still so many questions to be answered... I think this is maybe the best book of this series. Still TEAM BRADY!


The book is an easy short read and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something light and entertaining to read :


This Point Forward (The Rosewoods #5)

 
COMING OCTOBER 24 2014









KATRINA ABBOT -- @AbbottKatrina 
About this author

A survivor of adolescence, Katrina Abbott loves writing about teens: best friends, cute boys, kissing, drama. Her main vice is romance, but she's been known to succumb to the occasional chocolate binge. She may or may not live in California with her husband, kids and several cats.

Monday, October 6, 2014

.99 cent Sale of Mortal Enchantment by Stacey O'Neale

ME-Kindle-Countdown
The prequel novella, THE SHADOW PRINCE is still FREE!!!
The Shadow PrinceSixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission:

Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king.

Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he's capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Mortal Enchantment by Stacey O'Neale - Review







Mortal Enchantment (Mortal Enchantment #1)
by

Mortal Enchantment spins a unique twist on elemental mythology. This series is not to be missed.”
Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

In Kalin Matthew's world, elementals control the forces of nature. They are divided into four courts: air, woodland, fire, and water. At sixteen she will leave the life she's built with her mortal mother. Kalin will move to Avalon to rule with her father—the elemental king of the air court. Along the way, she's attacked by a fire court assassin and saved by Rowan, a swoon-worthy elemental with a questionable past.

Worst of all, she learns her father is missing.

To rescue him, Kalin will have to work with a judgmental council and a system of courts too busy accusing each other of deceit to actually be able to help her. But, they aren’t her biggest challenge. With the Midwinter’s Ball only five days away, Kalin must take over her father’s duties, which includes shifting control of the elements—power Kalin has yet to realize.

As Rowan attempts to train her, a war looms between the four courts. If Kalin fails, her father will die and the courts will fall, but the betrayal she’s about to uncover may cost her even more.


Mortal Enchantment: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
 
Jennifer's Review:
By the end of THE SHADOW PRINCE I was hooked on this series!  I did a happy dance when this book arrived. Stacey did a great job of introducing us to Avalon, all the various elementals, the way things worked in this world (politics etc...) as well introducing us to our yummy & sexy hero Rowan in that short novella. I would definitely recommend reading The Shadow Prince prior to reading MORTAL ENCHANTMENT. (And why not the novella is FREE!)

This book was told from Kalin's POV. She has just turned 16 years old (she's young so clearly doesn't act mature all the time because she's not). She has spent her whole life in the mortal world with her mortal mom and now at the age of 16 she will go to Avalon to live with her Father and learn about her elemental powers. Her father is King Taron of the elemental court of Air. (We meet him briefly in The Shawdow Prince and he came off as a caring, fair, and good hearted) Kalin is a half-ling - half mortal/half air elemental (which is not a good thing in Avalon -- so strike one against Kalin). She arrives in Avalon to a disaster -- Her father has disappeared and the shift of power is about to occur. With her father being gone that shift of power responsibility falls on all Kalin!  Despite her young age, cluelessness of her own potential powers, the powers of others, the politics, and the world of Avalon itself Kalin is strong and never gives up. She also had a strong love for both her mother and father which was refreshing to see and she always spoke her mind! Overall a fun, strong, and witty female lead. 


Rowan - oh how I loved Rowan!  The Shadow Prince was told from Rowan's POV. I have to admit I was hoping for one chapter from his POV in this book. (Stacey -- maybe an idea for next book?? :-)). I kept holding out hope that maybe at the very end we would be able to see something through his eyes as I was dying to know what was going on in his head! His personality is awesome - snarky, a little arrogant, loyal, strong, and sweet. There were some serious laugh out loud moments with his banter and comebacks to Kalin. Their romance was slow and cautious -- going from friendship to something more as they built up trust in one another.

Rowan and Marcus had such a strong friendship in The Shadow Prince that I was kinda disappointed that Marcus entered this story so late and entered at the request of Ariel. (I thought he should of come to save his BFF Rowan)  I am hoping we see more of Marcus and Ariel in the next book as the strong friendships played a big part in what I loved about the series.

While you may be able to predict a thing or two there are some things you will never see coming so get ready for this story of the elementals. This packs in a lot opinion the 225 pages- friendship, deceit, fighting, love and adventure. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! 
Goodbye Rowan, Kalin, Marcus & Ariel for now. :-)
 






Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter.
Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing.
Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and GoodReads. You can also visit her blog at http://staceyoneale.com/.

 
GIVEAWAY Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway






COMING SOON!
 
 
FRAGILE REIGN (Mortal Enchantment #2)

 It’s been a week since all hell broke loose…

Rumors of King Taron’s weakened powers have left the air court vulnerable. Kalin is desperate to awaken her akasha powers, except she doesn’t know how. Tension within the court is at an all-time high. Pressure is mounting for her to ascend to the throne, but a halfling has never ruled over any court. To solidify her position, the council has advised her to marry Sebastian—a high ranking air elemental she’s never met and her betrothed. 



 

Will Kalin sacrifice her relationship with Rowan to strengthen her court?

 

Rowan and Marcus return to a fire court in turmoil. Liana’s death has fueled the fire elementals’ distrust against the air and woodland courts. The unbalanced elements have set off natural disasters all over the mortal world. Rowan takes the throne to restore balance, promising to unite the fire court. But not all elementals are happy with his leadership. Many are secretly loyal to Valac, which means Rowan needs to find allies for his cause.

 

Can Rowan unify the court of fire before the elements destroy the world?

 

Fragile Reign: Goodreads

 

THE SHADOW PRINCE(Mortal Enchantment #0.5)

 


Katee Robert, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author 

 

Sixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission: 

 

Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king. 

 

Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he's capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?

 


 

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Julie Cross’s WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU Trailer Reveal

6 Days Teaser  

We are so excited to bring you the Trailer Reveal for Julie Cross' WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU! WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU is a YA contemporary romance published by Entangled Teen, and is releasing on October 7th!!

  Whatever Life Throws at You  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmfG4ZOv_rQ

Amazon ** Amazon UK ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Powell’s Books

 
About WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU:
Life loves a good curveball… Seventeen-year-old Annie Lucas is too young to remember her dad’s glory days as a pitcher for the Yankees. So when her father is offered a coaching position with the Kansas City Royals, Annie is intrigued to see the baseball side of her dad. Of course, knowing he’ll be a mentor to hot young rookie pitcher, Jason Brody, certainly makes it more enticing. After an awkward first meeting with “Brody” involving very little clothing and a much-too-personal locker room interview, Annie’s convinced she knows Brody’s type: arrogant, self-involved, bossy. As her dad grows closer to the pitching phenom, the friction between Brody and Annie increases. But when opening day arrives and it looks like both her dad and Brody may lose their dream jobs, Annie steps up and offers support. She and Brody call a truce that grows into friendship—and beyond. Falling for a rising star who’s quickly reaching a level that involves rabid female fans is not what Annie would call smart, except suddenly she’s getting hints that maybe this crush isn’t one-sided after all. Could someone like Brody actually fall for a girl like her? Julie Cross Author PhotoJulie Cross Bio: Julie Cross lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She’s a former gymnast and longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former gymnastics program director with the YMCA. She’s a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of her reading and writing credentials, Julie is a committed—but not talented—long-distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar-weather survivor, and expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym-shoe addict.      

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Author Goodreads | WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT YOU Goodreads