Posts Categorized: Giveaway

Monday, May 28, 2012

Angel Eyes Tour Stop: Review + Giveaway

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Angel Eyes
Shannon Dittemore
Series: Angel Eyes Trilogy, #1
Release date: May 29th, 2012
by Thomas Nelson Fiction

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Once you’ve seen, you can’t unsee. Everything changes when you’ve looked at the world through . . .

ANGEL EYES

Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.

Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.

*A copy was provided by Thomas Nelson for review purposes*
Angel books are not a rarity nowadays. I have read my share and even though this one didn’t absolutely wow me, I enjoyed it for the most part. It starts to feel long, plot-wise, after a bit, but the characters are engaging and the angel lore is enticing.

My immediate thought was that this was going to be the same old – full of clichés – kind of story. We have Brielle moving back to her old town, starting school and meeting the gorgeous new guy who, to her surprise, seems to be into her. Sounds familiar? It’s not a very unique start, but as the story progresses it does get a lot more original with some surprising elements and, amazingly, no love triangle. I was also quite surprised by the direction of the heroine herself. I had imagined the usual cookie cutter plot where the protagonist finds out she’s really an angel, so I was happy to get a different sort of twist that kept this story fresh. Brielle is a well-rendered character with raw emotions. I found her easily relatable as she’s an average Joe but with a heavy, mysterious past that I was kept captivated by. The story itself alternates from a few different POVs, including the villain’s which I always find intriguing as we get the anticipation of seeing their plans unfolding. I did find it sometimes got distracting, however, especially at the beginning where I felt flopped around from side characters I wasn’t connecting with. But It does leave us with a deeper understanding of their whole world.

Jake could be seen as Brielle’s savior. In him she finds a companion to whom she is able to open up to and move on from a place of sorrow and grief. It’s a sweet, natural relationship that I would simply call nice. It’s not filled with pulse pounding chemistry, nor is it monotonous, it’s the kind of relationship where they just fit, balancing one another. It’s not swoon worthy but it’s satisfying.

Struggling with the death of her best friend, Brielle is questioning her faith and the existence of God. From someone who is not religious I wasn’t too enthused by the strong religious undertone in this novel. Nevertheless I understand the importance of its addition in the story; it serves its purpose. Obviously, being an angel book I was expecting it, but this one can get particularly heavy in that department. I also appreciated that it doesn’t force any belief system on the reader. It’s merely commonly asked questions and reflections by someone who has been through such a devastating loss like Brielle.

There’s not a whole lot that you can do to make angel lore original while keeping it inside common beliefs. Dittemore does stray from the usual notions, but by re-imagining, not necessarily recreating. The realms, the spiritual warfare, the angel’s purpose, and my personal favorite – the halo, all have the common assumptions at their core, but with an added creative flair to leave it mysterious with some exciting twists. I thought it was all wonderfully described, keeping me fascinated – which has not been accomplished by many angel books to be honest. The pacing itself could have been better, especially at the beginning and end. It takes a while before we start getting some answers, then the ending feels overly prolonged. Otherwise, though, it flows nicely.

An enjoyable addition to its genre, Angel Eyes delivers beautiful angel lore with three-dimensional characters. Even though it didn’t absolutely enchant me, fans of Angel stories will most likely find this one surprisingly up to par with the most recent popular angel titles today. 

3 Hot Espressos
This review is a part of: 

Giveaway
As part of the blog tour, an ebook copy of Angel Eyes was donated for giveaway to one of my readers.

Open internationally
Giveaway ends June 8th, 2012
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My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century Exclusive!

Posted by on 05/21/2012 • 64 Comments

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century Rachel HarrisRelease date: September 11th 2012 by Entangled Publishing

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On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the…

Until I Die Tour Stop

Posted by on 05/08/2012 • 38 Comments

Today I’m happy to be a part of the blog  tour for Until I Die, the second book in the Revenants series which is a great paranormal series set in beautiful Paris, plus they have the most gorgeous covers. So  today I have Amy here for a guest post, then I have a couple of giveaways for you, but first we’ve got my review:

Until I DieAmy PlumSeries: Revenants, #2Release date: May 8th, 2012by HarperCollins

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Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll…

Spring Fling Giveaway Hop

Posted by on 04/30/2012 • 31 Comments

I haven’t done a giveaway hop in a long while but with all these awesome releases lately and 10% off The Book Depository, my affiliate account (aka everyone’s shopping sprees) is allowing me to participate in the Spring Fling giveaway hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Eve’s Fan Garden! There are close to 200 blogs participating, so lots of chances to win!

What’s up for grabs? One book of choice at The Book Depository up to a value of 10$.  Open Internationally as long as TBD ships to you (is your country on the list? Click here) Giveaway ends on May 7th, 2012 Use the Rafflecopter below to enter.

Make sure to hop along the other participants for more chances to win!Click here for…

Giveaway: Something Strange and Deadly

Posted by on 04/27/2012 • 54 Comments

Something Strange and DeadlySusan DennardRelease date: July 24th, 2012by HarperTeen

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There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces….

Giveaway – Revived by Cat Patrick (US/Can)

Posted by on 04/20/2012 • 26 Comments

RevivedCat PatrickRelease date: May 8th, 2012by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger—and more…

Untouched Tour Stop – Interview & Giveaway

Posted by on 04/18/2012 • 26 Comments

UntouchedJus AccardoSeries: Denazen, #1.5Release date: March 28th, 2012by Entangled Publishing

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Until he met Dez, Kale’s days were filled with violence and death. He was used as a weapon of destruction by the power hungry men of Denazen. He’s a Six. A person with an abnormal ability. Some people call them gifts, but not Kale. Kale’s touch means instant death.

But now there’s Dez, the girl he can touch, and they’re hunting down Sixes and warning them about Denazen. Kale is learning about the world outside captivity and trying to put his dark past behind him. But they underestimated how badly Denazen wanted him back.

When Dez sacrifices herself to save the new Six they’d rescued from falling into the corp’s hands, Kale is lost. Denazen has brought…

Interview & Giveaway with Brigid Kemmerer

Posted by on 04/11/2012 • 26 Comments

Today is full of hotness at Xpresso Reads; I’m sure you’ve all heard of STORM by Brigid Kemmerer and most of you are probably highly anticipating it – for good reason! So I’m excited to have Brigid over today for a great interview, and guess what? She’s giving away a signed copy!

StormBrigid KemmererSeries: Elementals, #1Release date: April 24th, 2012by Kensington

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Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn’t want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth….