The Letting by Catherine Goldstein -Review and Giveaway

The Letting

by Cathrine Goldstein 

Release Date: 12/15/14

335 pages

 Summary from Goodreads:

What if the Devil doesn’t know he’s the Devil?

This is the question Veronica “Ronnie” Billings poses to Phoenix, her sworn enemy, the leader of the Peaceful Revolution, and the one she loves.

Kidnapped by Phoenix’s rebels, Ronnie learns how wrong she has been. She had no idea that her patriotism was wasted on a corrupt government. Ronnie was proud to be a Leader; taking hundreds of harvested girls to the Letting facility. After all, she was saving them from future Couplings and bringing them to the safety of the New World. Or so she thought…

Confused, Ronnie realizes the only way to discover the truth is to trust her heart. Together, Phoenix and Ronnie devise a plan to stop their corrupt government and preempt the dangerous rebel coup which is approaching. But when their plan goes awry, will Ronnie be strong enough to save Phoenix, her country, and herself?

 

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Jennifer's Review:

This story starts with the main character, Veronica "Ronnie"Billings, being a proud Leader (employed by the Government) at a camp for girls to prepare them for the "Letting". As a reader its really vague in the beginning what the Letting actually is - once you find out it will turn your stomach. Ronnie is well-known and praised for her role in preparing these young girls for this ritual. On the flip side she loved by the girls she is preparing and you can see that she truly loves and cares for them. She considers herself a patriot and is happy to help them get through the "letting" ritual  which afterwards they move on to their bright futures in the New World.... At least that's what she thought. When Ronnie is kidnapped by the rebels she discovers that she's been a pawn for a horrible government system and actually played a horrific role herself (unknowingly) in it.  I liked Ronnie has the female heroine -- when she believed in something, she put all of herself and heart into it, whether it was working  to do for her government and people or fighting for the children. She proved herself as clever, brave, and strong. 

The main male character was Phoenix - leader of the Peaceful Revolution. He had the same strong conviction in his ideals that Ronnie did. He believed in a peaceful revolution which was a nice change of pace in a book and in a character.

Ronnie and Phoenix were well matched, but it was too insta-love in the beginning for me. After the whole initial insta love beginning -- I felt the relationship went along at a good pace.

Farnsworth -- the leader of the New World who is using these young poor girls to preserve himself and keep others in the New World young. The whole concept of the letting and the use for the blood was so disturbing that I really couldn't think too much about it. With Farnsworth we get some glimpses into that he might actually have a heart but these glimpses disappear as quickly as they appear. I am interested in what the author will do with his character in the sequel.

The New World set up to me seemed a little like Hunger Games -- a society in this case focused on remaining young at the expense of others. This is a Dystopian novel so that wasn't surprising to find similarities. The plot was good for the most part. It took me a couple of chapters before I was fully drawn in to the story. I felt some of the back story was lacking and even the end I was left with a few questions. This book definitely ends with a all open cliffhanger.... So sequel....come FAST. :-)




 

   

About the Author
Given my love for cities and all that is gritty, my new obsession with trees really has me stumped. (Sorry.) Maybe it's because trees are the inspiration behind my new YA/NA novel, theLETTING.

Whatever the reason for my new infatuation, some things remain constant -- like my love for: coffee (although sadly, it's now decaf); yoga; Luna bars (I am petitioning for them to bring back Chocolate Raspberry!); running in my neighborhood; Hemingway; Bukowski... and, above all, my husband and my girls.

I am the author of the bestselling novel, Sleeping With Mortals: The Story of a New York Mistress, and I'm also a playwright. I have my B.A. in English and my M.A. in Theatre. 

 

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Ruination by Amanda Thome - Reveiw, Tour, & Giveaway

Ruination (Worlds Apart #1)

by Amanda Thome 

Release Date: 04/15/14

Summary from Goodreads:

What if everything came down to a single test? If your life was defined at seventeen, could you handle it? Could you accept your fate leaving the ones you love, or would you risk it all and stay?

One test stands between Vanessa and Central. One chance to make the leap across the walls to a better life. At seventeen, Central considers Vanessa an adult. Her labor role, marriage, and housing divisions will be dictated by her performance on the leap.

Dedication and unfaltering friendship has bonded Vanessa to Garrett as they fight for their chance to leap into Central. But what happens when love overtakes reason? When defiance in the name of love creates an unintentional fracture in their nation.

Without warning Vanessa is at the mercy of the nation that’s supposed to protect her. Exiled and abandoned she must fight but she find’s she’s not alone. With her heart divided she seeks her revenge, but will her stand be enough?

Ruination is the next YA dystopian trilogy that will hook you from the start! If you liked Veronica Roth's Divergent series or Suzanne Collins Hunger Games series then be prepared to get addicted to Ruination.

 

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Jennifer's Review:
 

Nessa is a teen girl in a harsh world. The book starts off with her as a young girl and the first chapter is incredibly sad. So much that I didn't know if I wanted to keep going. I am glad I did as while that chapter was heartbreaking the pace picked up and it took on its dystopian feel. Mid way (once Nessa takes her "leap test" the book takes off & you will have a hard time putting it down) If you have read Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched etc..  you will see some of those "world" qualities in this book (which of course is to be expected since they are all in the same Genre). It is different and unique enough to hold your interest without a doubt and you may find yourself (as I did) enjoying the similarities.

Everyone's future is set and decided by a one day test. Starting at the age of 6 years old they start preparing for this "test" which occurs at 16 years old (10 years of "Education"). In addition to regular school topics, they learn survival techniques.  The test will decide which region they live in, their job, who they will marry, etc... There are three regions - the outer which is the poorer neighbourhoods, the inner - middle class and the central which is the Capital and the rich upper class society. The top male and female student gets the opportunity to move to Central and live a better life. It is the dream of every teen. Nessa hopes to make it with her best friend, and romantic interest, Garrett. They have trained hard for years for this day.

There were a few chapters that were told in the guy's voices, which was nice and I would of loved to see more of their POVs.

There are hints of a "love triangle". I myself am not a fan of the love triangles. So I hope that one just falls into a friendships and the other in the love interest.

All of the characters were well written.
Nessa: Strong & Independent. good lead female character
Garret: Sweet & Charming. Nessa's best friend since they were 5 years old. Would like to see more from his POV in the next book to really understand him better.
Ty: Mysterious, loyal, fierce
 The world leaves me curious to learn more. I am eager to read the next book, especially after the cliffhanger ending this one has. Rating: 3.5 stars

About the Author
Amanda Thome is the Author of Ruination, book one in the Worlds Apart dystopian trilogy. Amanda grew up in Maine and later moved to Pennsylvania where she obtained her bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College. She later received her doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University. Amanda currently resides in San Antonio, TX with her husband Clint.

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FRAGILE REIGN (Mortal Enchantment #2) by Stacey O'Neale release day launch & Giveaway

I'm excited to take part in Stacey O'Neale's release day launch for FRAGILE REIGN! Check out the book below and be sure to enter the amazing giveaway!

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? Goodreads | Amazon

If you haven't read Stacey's Mortal Enchantment series, you can get the first book for FREE on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! The Shadow Prince won GOLD at the 2014 Readers' Favorite Book Awards in the Short Story/Novella category!

Excerpt from FRAGILE REIGN

Rowan

After Marcus left, the lack of sleep and overuse of my power had finally caught up to me. My lids were heavy, making it hard to keep my eyes open. I laid down on the nearest bed, sinking into the softness of the vanilla scented pillows. I could rest here until tomorrow, and then meet Kalin on the beach at sundown. As I closed my eyes, I imagined her in that sexy sundress with the ocean breeze wafting through her red curls. My lips tingled remembering the raspberry taste of her kisses. With all this craziness going on, she was the one thing that made sense. The only person who could make me forget about everything for a little while. Kalin was the one I wanted. The only one I needed. I shook my head. What was wrong with me? It was too soon to be thinking about this stuff, right? It had only been a few weeks. And what did I know about real feelings, anyway? Had it not been for Marcus, I would never even know what it felt like to care for someone. Love was never part of my life. My mother thought love was a weakness—a totally worthless emotion compared to power and control. But that still didn’t explain how I was feeling. Why everything seemed better when Kalin was around. Why my fingers ached to touch her. Why her pain shattered me to the core. I put my hands over my face. Or, maybe the lack of sleep was making me delusional. With a smirk, I gave in to the darkness that was overwhelming me and fell asleep.

About the Author

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

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/.

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ANOMALY By Tonya Kuper!

Anomaly (Schrodinger's Consortium #1)

by Tonya Kuper

Release Date: 11/25/14

Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Reality is only an illusion.
Except for those who can control it…

Worst. Birthday. Ever.
My first boyfriend dumped me – happy birthday, Josie!- my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…

Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.
When hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…

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Excerpt  from ANOMALY by Tonya Kuper

I approached the mat. I’d never done any extensive sparring, but I wasn’t a total newb when it came to self-defense. The tae kwon do I’d practiced for years with Eli had to count for something. I hoped.

A heavy footfall pulled my attention back to Reid.

            An arm came at me from the side. Without thinking, I ducked, punched under the incoming arm, and swung my shin at the ankles in my sights. Reid’s legs swept out from under him, and his hands shot out to catch himself. He landed on all fours.

            I gasped for a breath of air, my chest heaving. Evidently I held my breath whenever I was attacked. Reid’s eyes locked on mine. Finally some eye contact. And then he gave me a shitty smile.

            “What the hell?” I snapped. Reid stood and didn’t stop moving until he was in my face. I didn’t let myself flinch. “Just because you’re pissed at me, did you really need to try and take me out? I know you think insta-immersion works best, but maybe it doesn’t for me. Maybe, just maybe—”

            “Will you shut up?”

            I hitched my hands on my hips. “So rude.”

            “Five days, Josie.”

That shut me up in a heartbeat. What the hell was wrong with me? I hadn’t lost sight of the goal. The awards ceremony was—I glanced at the wall clock in the living room—125 hours and fourteen minutes away. Reid shouldn’t take it easy on me. He couldn’t afford to.

“I’m sorry,” I began.

“Stop.” Reid didn’t budge, but he crossed his arms, too. “I was going to give you a compliment, but you won’t stop thinking or talking long enough for me to get a word in edgewise.”

            Oh, oops. “Proceed.”

            He shook his head, closing his clear eyes for a moment. “You are a piece of work.”

            “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

            Reid barked a short laugh. “Because it wasn’t. I was going to tell you that you did a good job earlier, you know, with the whole Pushing Pictionary thing. And this?” He pointed behind him, where I’d taken him down. “How did you know what to do?”

            “My parents made us take tae kwon do. Like, for years and years. I guess it just kind of comes naturally.” A hint of pride fluttered through my muscles. And with that pride, just a smidgen of hope. Like maybe I could do this. Maybe I could actually pull this off.

            “Mmm.”

            Reid stood so close that I had to angle my head up to him. My shirt was already sticking to my sweaty stomach. And he still didn’t have a shirt on. I had to make a conscious effort not to look at his body. I could barely focus on what he’d said.

            In no way, shape, or form had I lost sight—no pun intended—of the big picture. I remained focused on the end goal. Reid was just, well, a wee bit distracting, that’s all. And perhaps that was a good thing. Yes. If I could focus around Reid, then that would only better serve me in a real-world environment, when I faced other distractions.

            Yep, that was my story. And I was sticking to it.

            “Let’s work more on hand-to-hand combat. See what comes not-so-naturally, natural.”

            Giving him a nod, I pivoted toward the mats. Feeling his presence behind me and hearing the swish of his jeans as he moved, I stopped short. I twisted, throwing a punch toward his lower jaw. He shifted out of the way, grabbed my wrist in midair, and twisted it around my back. Thank the moon of Endor I was pretty flexible.

            He yanked my arm farther up my back. His opposite arm wrapped around my waist and tugged me into him, his bare chest pressing into my back.

Pain and exhilaration shot into my nervous system. I was stuck. My heart beat wildly, but I wasn’t scared. It had to be the rush of adrenaline into my bloodstream and the fact that a half-naked guy held me in a death grip.

            Reid’s exhale tickled the back of my neck as he steadied his breath. “Nice try.” His voice came out in a rough whisper. His arm tightened around my waist again, his fingertips singeing my skin through my tank as they dug through the material, drawing me in to his body.

            “What’s the matter, Josie? Can’t move?”

A chill danced down my spine when he pulled in a deep breath and his chest expanded against my back. I should’ve been shrugging out of his hold, but I didn’t. My body had locked up in response to his presence. And it pissed me off, because even though he could be an underwear model, I would’ve rather made out with a Romulan. Similar personalities.

Random Facts About Tonya Kuper

Thank you so much for having me on your blog. I’m excited to be here! I thought instead of me answering the usual author question, readers may enjoy some absolute randomness.

So here is a list of random facts about me:

• I taught yoga for over three years. I haven’t practiced, let alone taught, in years.
• I once partied with Keith Urban’s band and road crew until four in the morning. Keith was in his room but his bald guitar player said I had the sexiest hair he’d ever seen. So that was…coo/interesting/weird.
• My kids have life threatening food allergies. My oldest son went into anaphylaxis when he was just over a year old and was gray by the time we got the ER. It seemed as if people came from the walls, appearing out of nowhere to save his life. Scariest day of my life.
• I have a reaction to a stomach medication that makes my brain think I have Parkinson’s Disease. Yeah, I found that out the hard way. My speech is slurred, my tongue presses to the roof of my mouth, my bottom jaw slides to the side. It’s pretty crazy.
• There was a movie, a biographical drama, in 2000 called The Perfect Storm, staring George Clooney and Mark Walberg and nominated for two Academy Awards. I sat next to the friend of the crew members lost at sea that served as one of the consultants for the film on the sailing/fishing elements. It was the most interesting plane ride!
• Anyone watch 24 starring Keifer Sutherland? Well, my friend and I were in NYC in 2011 and ended up at the same bar as him and Jason Patrick (his co-star in a play and Lost Boys, the vampire movie from the 80’s). And Keifer mooned us. Like, ten feet from us.
• I’m obsessed with accents. Southern drawl, East coast, Canadian, English, Irish, Scottish, whatever. So…cute men + accents = automatic points from me. It’s probably because I grew in rural Illinois then moved to Omaha, Nebraska after college, which is the call center of America because we have such a flat accent, basically no accent. It’s very…generic American.
• My family, between all four of us, is allergic to almost every mammal on Earth, therefore we have no hairy pets. We literally can’t be enclosed with most mammal dander. It’s so bad, we can’t even have the “hypo-allergenic” dogs. We had fish. They died. And they were boring. My boys wanted to interact with something – so we got a leopard gecko, a desert dweller. I had no idea they were so cute and have such personalities! I post pics and videos of Mo (short for Mo’o, the Hawaiin word for lizard/gecko) on my Instagram account every once in while.

 

About the Author

Tonya Kuper's debut, ANOMALY, the first in the Schrodinger's Consortium young adult scifi trilogy, releases November 2014 by Entangled Teen. She lives in Omaha, NE with her two rad boys and husband, is a music junkie, and a chocolate addict. Star Wars & Sherlock fan.

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The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #1) by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy (The Book of Ivy #1)

by Amy Engel

Goodreads Summary

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

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Jennifer's Review
A World where you have no choice. If you love dystopian books (like I do) & have read alot of them (like I have) then some things in this book will be predictable (destroyed world ----no choice --- the oppressed plan to fight back) but The Book of Ivy has enough other things that will keep you very intrigued & had me quickly turning the pages of this book (and losing lots of sleep). Amy Engel gives us two very strong and likeable characters - Ivy & Bishop. Their path to each other is realistic (doesn't happen too quickly -- but more of a slow, realistic & gradual build). I really liked them as a couple and you will end up rooting for them to succeed together. Amy Engels's world set up is great -- the world itself instead of being black & white like we normally see, has various shades of gray that will have you questioning things right along side Ivy. And those are the things that make a good story -- strong, likeable characters that you want to succeed in a plot that the reader is so immersed they are questioning the same things right alongside the main character. 

The Plot:
Ivy Westfall lives in a world with no choice (the story is told from her POV). Ivy is destined to marry Bishop Lattimer at her "marriage ceremony". At the age of 16 the girls from the "wrong or losing" side are matched up to marry boys from the "right/winning" side (and the same is true for girls on the right side marrying boys on the wrong side). Why? Well its in a crazy attempt to keep peace in this new world.  Who wants to goto war against their own family right? How did it all start? Mass destruction and then Ivy Westfall’s grandfather was overthrown by Bishop Lattimer’s grandfather in the War. Since that time, those that followed the losing side live in Westside and those that followed the winning side live in Eastglen. Ivy's whole life she has been taught to hate the Lattimer's and their oppressive reign. She has basically been turned into a weapon by her own family. Her mission -- to kill her future husband which will start a revolution & put her family back in power. 

Ivy finds out soon enough that Bishop isn't a bad guy, that he's genuine and caring. At every turn Bishop is surprising Ivy and shaking up her entire belief system. Bishop encourages her to speak her mind, even if it goes against everything his father stands for.  We even see her get to a understanding of why President Lattimer does what he does.
As the story unfolds, we see Ivy starting to question who is the bad guy here? Who can she trust? And how does she remain loyal to her family? Is a different way necessarily the right way?
Ivy's family: I didn't like them at all. I am thinking into book 2 we may get to see more of their side of the story but as for now -- I am not a fan :-)

When Ivy & Bishop realize they can only trust each other its too late. This books ends with a serious cliffhanger and some serious betrayal! I am anxiously awaiting the next book to see what happens with them.

 

About this author

: Amy Engel
website

http://www.amyengel.net

I was born in Kansas and after a childhood spent bouncing between countries (Iran, Taiwan) and states (Kansas, California, Missouri, Washington, D.C.), I settled in Kansas City, Missouri where I live with my husband and two kids. Before devoting myself full time to motherhood and writing, I was a criminal defense attorney, which is not quite as exciting as it looks on television. When I have a free moment, I can usually be found reading, running, or shoe shopping.