Posts Categorized: Giveaway

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Here Tour Stop

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Today is my stop on the Here Blog Tour, hosted by A Tale of Many Reviews, and I’ve got my review for you as well as a fun This ‘N That interview with Denise. You also have a chance to win a copy! How’s that for a great day!? šŸ™‚

Here
Denise Grover Swank
Series: On the Otherside, #1
Release date: November 11th 2011

Goodreads / Purchase

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly heā€™s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can’t ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant sheā€™s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where heā€™s really from.

*A copy was provided by Denise Grover Swank for review purposes*

Here starts off as a sort of light contemporary romance with a glimpse of possible paranormal elements to come. I wasn’t very impressed at first, I felt it was all very clichĆ©, thus I was foreseeing another “same old” predictable paranormal romance. However, at the turn of a page, I was completely baffled by a sudden change of events which essentially transforms it into a rather dystopian/sci-fi novel. This was a very welcome change as, up to this point, I wasn’t really feeling it with this book. But boy was it interesting! I can’t say very much else without spoilers, but I can tell you that the plot becomes action packed, highly fascinating, and undoubtedly original.

After Julia’s accident – the one where her best friend died – things have been a bit off. She can now draw, she has no memory of the accident, and she’s suddenly caught the attention of the school hottie. Even though the plot at first didn’t completely captivate me, I did find a liking to Julia from the start. I liked her voice and being in her head. It’s emotional; her guilt over killing her best friend is tangible, her mindset is realistic and I understood her. This connection to her easily made the seemingly ordinary plot more engaging. Once you hit about half way, though, nothing about the plot is ordinary!

With a fair amount of romance in the story, we do have a pretty big love triangle in the mists. I wasn’t particularly fond of it as it felt as if Julia was taking advantage of the situation at one point, but I did like the characters involved. The boys are full of charm and wit; they are definitely a great part of the cast. I think we could have easily done without the current triangle’s appearance. The situation is VERY peculiar, though; I do admit that it’s thought-provoking, if nothing else.

This being the start of a series, there is more discovering and digesting, than actual world building. We could have gone deeper now that I think about it, but I was so enticed by what we were uncovering that questions only arose afterwards – which is fine since there’s more to come. I’m particularly curious about the alternate school from the first part. It sounded very ominous, but nothing came of it. I also hope we get to go back and learn what all happened once Julia’s world collapsed.

A complete and fantastic surprise, Here turned out to be extremely different than what I initially expected. We get a story that is exciting, authentic, as well as mind boggling; it makes you contemplate the ramifications of what has happened. I especially recommend it for fans of dystopians who like a deviation from the norm.

4 Hot Espressos

10 “Favorites” Interview with Denise Grover Swank

1. Favorite movie/actor/actress?Ā Hmm… this is hard. All I can think is that there is one actor I will just about always go see in a movieā€”Will Smith.

2. Favorite song/singer?Ā This changes often. Currently stuck on repeat is Relient K

3. Favorite place you would love to visit?Ā Other than Starbucks? (See below) The beach. I love the ocean.

4. One item you cannot live without?Ā  My iPhone (yes, I think that makes me pathetic.)

5. Who would you like to meet? (dead or alive)Ā Wow. Iā€™m so lucky to have some awesome people in my life. Umm… Iā€™d love to chat with Suzanne Collins about how her concept for the Hunger Games developed.

6. Favorite hobby?Ā  Reading and gardening

7. Guilty pleasure?Ā Starbucksā€”I visit too often.

8. Favorite author and/book?Ā  Sarah Addison Allen. Iā€™d love to write as beautifully as she does when I grow up. šŸ˜‰

9. Do you collect anything?Ā Other than children and dogs? No. šŸ˜‰ ( I have six kids and three dogs.)

10. Favorite color?Ā  Currently: steel blue. Ask me again tomorrow and itā€™s bound to change. Iā€™m a Gemini. Enough said. šŸ˜‰


Ā Denise’s Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Denise Grover Swank lives in Leeā€™s Summit, Missouri. She has six children, three dogs, and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with her children, reading or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning. Denise is represented by Amanda Luedeke of MacGregor Literary.

This post is a part of:
Giveaway
Denise Grover Swank is generously offering one ebook copy of Here for giveaway
Open internationally
Giveaway ends April 16th, 2012
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Review + Giveaway: Grave Mercy

Posted by on 04/02/2012 • 47 Comments

Grave MercyRobin LaFeversSeries: His Fair Assassin, #1Release date: April 3rd, 2012by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Goodreads / Purchase

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous giftsā€”and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittanyā€”where she finds herself woefully under preparedā€”not only…

Giveaway – The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Posted by on 03/26/2012 • 29 Comments

The CallingKelley ArmstrongSeries: Darkness Rising, #2 Release date: April 10th, 2012by Doubleday Canada (HarperCollins US)

Goodreads / Purchase

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is–a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing…

Giveaway – Siege by Rhiannon Frater (US/Can)

Posted by on 03/22/2012 • 23 Comments

SiegeRhiannon FraterSeries: As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy, #3Release date: April 24th, 2012by Tor Books

Goodreads / Purchase

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits.

Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juanā€”Travisā€™s righthand manā€”are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and commanding the remnants of the US military. Whatā€™s left of the US government has plans for this…

Channeler’s Choice Tour Stop

Posted by on 03/14/2012 • 33 Comments

I really enjoyed The Secret of Spruce Knoll last year, so I was happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for its sequel, Channeler’s Choice. If you haven’t checked this series out yet you really should, it’s great. I have Heather here today for a quick interview & giveaway, and you’ll have a chance to check out the series!

The Books

Ā The Secret of Spruce Knoll Heather McCorkle Release date: November 15th, 2011 by Compass Press Goodreads / Purchase

Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with an aunt sheā€™s never met. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with ā€œchannelersā€ā€”a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town…

Embrace Tour Stop

Posted by on 03/09/2012 • 26 Comments

The Embrace blog tour is dropping by the blog today and we’ve got lots of great stuff for you guys! First there’s my review *cheer*, then a fabulous guest post by Jessica Shirvington *cheer louder*, and to top it off, a fantastic giveaway for a finished copy! *the crowd goes wild*

Review

EmbraceJessica ShirvingtonRelease date: March 6th, 2012by Sourcebooks Fire

Goodreads / Purchase

It starts with a whisper: ā€œItā€™s time for you to know who you areā€¦ā€

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, itā€™s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your motherā€™s death. As if that wasnā€™t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. Thereā€™s a dark tattoo weaving its way up…

2000 Followers Celebration

Posted by on 03/07/2012 • 123 Comments

2000 followers!! I was incredibly amazed to see that number. It calls for a celebration! With you: To thank you for all of your support. If it wasn’t for my wonderful readers, this blog would not be what it is today and I’m overwhelmed at how many of you like to read what I have to say. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone I’ve met so far. I can only hope to gain even more friends from here on out. I haven’t done a follower giveaway in a long time so I have a fantastic one planned for today!

There is not 1 giveaway, 2 wasn’t even enough either, so I have THREE giveaways today to show you just how much you all mean to me! <3

GIVEAWAY 1…

Entangled: Guest Post + Giveaway

Posted by on 03/04/2012 • 108 Comments

Today I’ve got Nikki Jefford, who came to bring you behind the scenes of her recently released novel Entangled, and give you a chance to win a copy!

EntangledNikki JeffordRelease date: February 20th 2012

Goodreads / Purchase

Twin witches Graylee and Charlene Perez agree on one rule: No dating warlocks.

Not so easy when a certain rogue warlock is convinced he and Graylee belong together and will use anything, including magic, to try and impress Gray. When Charleneā€™s boyfriend dumps her, she threatens to kill either herself or the girl who stole Blake. Somehow, Gray ends up dead.

A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong:

Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in Charleneā€™s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring…