Sep 29, 2015

Blog Tour & Review: Forever With You by Jennifer L. Armentrout



Review:
No one packs an emotional gut-punch quite like my girl Jen Armentrout. Readers met Steph back in the beginning of the series, and I'll admit that I was a bit surprised myself when I saw she was getting her own book, but guys, I am fully #TeamSteph now.

The connection between Steph and Nick is undeniable. Armentrout can write sizzling chemistry between a tomato and a cucumber, but this book felt extra hot and touching to me. Maybe because both characters were so much alike and my heart was rooting for them the whole time.

I'm sucker for happily ever after, what can I say?

Fans of the Wait For You series will love this book and the chance to catch up with past characters. If you're new to the series, start here with Steph. I promise you'll be hooked immediately.



Praise for FOREVER WITH YOU:

“Armentrout packs a powerful emotional punch in her fifth Wait for You new adult contemporary (after Fall with Me)... Armentrout tugs at the heartstrings while delivering an intense, gripping tale.” –Publishers Weekly

“Armentrout presents an emotional installment in her Wait for You series…[she] does it again, presenting a fast-paced tearjerker that fans will devour.” -Booklist

FOREVER WITH YOU Synopsis:

In the irresistibly sexy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout, two free spirits find their lives changed by a one-night stand…

Some things you just believe in, even if you've never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It's out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she's got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph's eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away.

Nick's self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he's knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she's building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can't walk away. Not when she's the only one who's ever made him wish for forever . . .

BUY LINKS:

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo


And don’t miss the previous titles in the Wait for You Series!

WAIT FOR YOU (Wait for You #1)

TRUST IN ME (Wait for You #1.5)

BE WITH ME (Wait for You #2)

STAY WITH ME (Wait for You #3)

FALL WITH ME (Wait for You #4)

DREAM OF YOU (Wait for You #4.5)


About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Links:




REVIEW TOUR SCHEDULE:

Forever With You Review Tour
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 23
September 24
September 25
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30
October 1
October 2

Sep 22, 2015

Blog Tour: 5 Hottest Book Couples w/Emma Mills

Hey y'all! I am so excited to have Emma Mills, author of the new YA contemporary FIRST & THEN here to talk about our favorite book couples!


EMMA: Top 5 Hottest Couples in Fiction

1) Elizabeth and Darcy – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

I mean, for the nineteenth century, this was pretty darn hot. You can practically 

feel the sparks fly when they’re at odds!

2) Claire and Jamie, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

A passionate and intense romance, but definitely not for the faint of heart!

3) Amy and Richard – The Pink Carnation, Lauren Willig 

A super cute couple—when they finally get their act together! I love couples who 


just can’t stop snarking at each other.

4) Sookie and Bill— Southern Vampire Mysteries, Charlaine Harris

When it’s good between them, it’s so, so good. 

5) Tessa and Will – Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare

They’ve got chemistry—intense Victorian chemistry!

Hannah: Top 5 Hottest Couples in Fiction

1) Emma and Brendan--Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Of course I'm kicking it off with my #1 book couple ever. 

2) Daemon and Katy--The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

These two are the perfect blend of sugar, spice, sarcasm, and sexy. 

3) Jay and Violet--The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting

J&V are my hands down favorite YA couple. They're amazing.

4) Emmy and Oliver--Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

These two just .... Sigh. They make my heart sing.

5) Drew and Constance--A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist

Most of you have probably never heard of these two, but this book is one of my all-time favorite because of their romance.

Giveaway:
Leave a comment below with your favorite book couple & email address to win a finished copy of FIRST & THEN!

Sep 19, 2015

Review: Crosstown Crush by Cara McKenna

Title: Crosstown Crush
Author: Cara McKenna
Publisher: Signet
Genre: Adult, Explicit, Contemporary, Kink
Series: Sins in the City #1
Source:  Finished copy from publisher

Rating: 3 ½ Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):
The first in a new series from the “wicked-hot”* author of Hard Time and Give It All explores the fantasies of a daring married couple—and those of a stranger invited to play along in their scandalous little games… When he’s working, Mike Heyer is all business—every inch the alpha male, with the hard, capable body to back up his persona. But at home he can be a different man entirely, harboring appetites only his wife gets to glimpse…

When Samira first learned of her husband’s fantasies, she was reluctant, even alarmed. But after witnessing the way they set him on fire, she yielded, and happily indulged. As their games have intensified, so has the rush. And now so has the risk—they’re poised to take Mike’s indecent desires to the next level, by opening their bed to a sexy, brazen stranger. A man seeming custom-made to grant every last one of Mike and Samira’s sinful wishes.

Welcoming someone new into their lives was always a dangerous proposition, but the couple imagined if anything was at stake, it was their privacy…not their hearts.

Review:

You know when you have that one book friend whose opinions are eerily similar to your own so when they say, "READ THIS" you do if for no other reason than you trust their judgement? That's what happened with CROSSTOWN CRUSH. Jessica, the publicist whose judgement I trust implicitly, sent me an email and said I should read this.

I immediately grabbed it as my next book and what followed was one of the strangest, hottest, weirdest books that still has me all twisted up and turned around.

I get kink. I get fetish. I know that some people fall on the blander than vanilla side of the sex spectrum while others are off the charts the other way. As long as the adults are being safe, rational, and all consenting ... It's your life. Cuckolding was not a kink I had really seen before in a book. I've never given it much thought, but I tried to keep an open mind reading this.

Samira and Mike have been playing this game for awhile now where she pretends to cheat on him (the first paragraph is her walking into Sephora and splashing on some men's cologne to give her husband the impression she was with another guy). She comes home, an argument ensues that by now is more of a well choreographed dance between them. It ultimately ends with Sam telling Mike he isn't man enough to satisfy her and him proving he is. Cue hot sex and adorable post-coital pillow talk. For reasons that are made clear early on, Mike is always in controlled Alpha mode and this is the only way he knows how to release his inner anxiety. I get it. It do. I understand that on a clinical level.

When they decide to take it to the next level and find someone for Sam to "cheat" on Mike with (Mike watches the whole time either hiding somewhere or via video), Bern enters the picture. Yes, his name is Bern. Yes, I hate his name, too.

Bern is a great guy and what follows is 3 people exploring all their kinks and fantasies together. Lots of steamy, smexy times. Some a bit stranger than others, but as a whole it worked.

But (and you knew there was a "but" didn't you?) things inevitably start to fall apart. What I love is how strong and rational Sam stays throughout all of this. She's wonderfully accepting and giving, but she's no pushover. She's a great female character.

I can't exactly say where or why things fall apart and what the outcome is. I recommend reading this book for yourself if you want to know. But if you're not familiar with this kink (or the world of kink and fetish - even in books, if not real life), make sure you go into it with an open mind. No, these people are not crazy. No, they are not brainwashed. Yes, this does happen in real life. If you're not comfortable with kink, that's totally OK. But I wouldn't recommend grabbing this book.

Sep 18, 2015

Letter to the Author: Sweet Temptation Blog Tour

Dear Wendy,

While most people are writing about their eternal love for Kai and why they adore him and the series so, I wanted to take a second to say why I adore you, Wendy Higgins.

Your book career started when I had barely been blogging for a year. I remember the first time I ever noticed SWEET EVIL. It was during a Waiting on Wednesday post that I tumbled across this book. The cover is what grabbed my attention first - that blood red dress and creepy vibe. I loved it. It gave me the best shivers. So I did what any responsible book blogger would do - I added it to my TBR and followed you on Goodreads.

But then ... you followed me back. 

I was somewhat new to this world and the idea of an author following me was thrilling. We interacted a few times and I remember thinking, "This is a cool lady. I like her."

But, oddly enough, I never actually read SWEET EVIL. I purchased it. I intended to read it. But something kept dragging my attention away. A year later when SWEET PERIL came out, I planned to binge read both books to catch up. I bought book 2, but ... Well, it never happened.

But that's all right! Because by now I had met you and knew how awesome you were. You were always full of smiles and light. When SWEET RECKONING came out, I had it pre-ordered. No, I still hadn't read the series, but I intended to.

Then you posted about SWEET TEMPTATION and needed a beta reader who hadn't read any of the SWEET books to weigh in, and I jumped all over that. It was like fate. 

During the time I was reading SWEET TEMPTATION, I fell in love with your writing. But I realized I had already fallen in love with Wendy, the person. (Not like in love in love. But like, friend love ... You know what I mean!) At every event, with every hug and acknowledgement, with every single time I watched you interact with one of your numerous fans, I was able to see the woman behind the pages and that has been the best part of knowing you.

Yes, Wendy Higgins is a fantastic writer with a gift for words and characters. But the heart and soul of the person creating the book magic is the person I'm so proud to call my friend.

                                                    Love, 

ABOUT SWEET TEMPTATION:
Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it. 

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve. 

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.


ABOUT WENDY HIGGINS:
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, I taught high school English until becoming a mommy. I've always had a heart for teens, and writing YA stories gives me the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal years before adulthood.

I live in Virginia with my husband, daughter, son and doggie Rue.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


TOUR SCHEDULE:

Sep 17, 2015

Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 9.1.2015
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Illness
Series: N/A
Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the world.I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black--black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Review:
I finished reading EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING months ago and I’m still having a hard time figuring out exactly how I feel about this book. Nicola Yoon managed to intrigue, confound, and amuse me in one fell swoop, and even know, I’m trying to puzzle my thoughts into a review that makes any sort of sense.

Let’s talk about what worked: Madeline is a character you can’t help but love. With the odds severely stacked against her, you have to love how she still keeps her sense of humor and wonder of the world around her despite the entire world seemingly trying to kill her via an allergic reaction.

Madeline’s journey of self-discovery and refusing to let the terms of her illness dictate her life is what I found so inspiring. She was never ready to give up and always looked for hope. She didn’t let her illness define her as a person.


That being said, there a few instances where all reason is completely thrown out the window and it made me roll my eyes a bit. Those bizarre instances aside, EVERYTHING EVERYTHING is a book that will inspire and plant hope in your heart. I expect great things from Nicola Yoon in the future. 

Sep 16, 2015

Cover Reveal: Oblivion by Jennifer L. Armentrout

MY TURN! MY TURN! Here's your second piece of the OBLIVION puzzle:




OBLIVION Synopsis:

Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

Cover Reveal Schedule:

8am EST             Reading Teen
9am EST             The Irish Banana Review
10am EST           Jenuine Cupcakes
11am EST           Paranormal Book Club
12pm EST           Mundie Moms
1pm EST             Stuck in Books
2pm EST             Kimberlyfaye Reads
3pm EST             Nose Stuck in a Book
4pm EST             Vilma’s Book Blog
5pm EST             Hypable.com

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

And don’t miss the first books in the LUX Series!


LUX: Beginnings

LUX: Consequences

OPPOSITION

Amazon ** Barnes and Noble 

Jennifer L. Armentrout Bio:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

OBLIVION Pre-Order Links:

Links:

Sep 14, 2015

Cover Reveal: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

When Kasie sent me a message to ask if I would help with the cover reveal for her newest contemporary YA novel with Scholastic, I jumped all over it because it's Kasie. I love her, I love her books, I love it all. So I am so excited to share with you not only the cover, but also some bonus content from The Fill-In Boyfriend and a giveaway!

You ready for this?

Let's do it, Kasie:


Hello!! Kasie West here! Thank you Hannah for hosting me today and thank you readers for wanting to see my cover! You’ve probably already scrolled down to look at it, but hopefully you’ll come back up here and read this too because I’d love to tell you about what else you’ll find in this blog post.
  1. The cover (of course)
  2. A summary of the book
  3. An extended scene from THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND (not found in the book!)
  4. A raffle! You can win an ARC of PS I LIKE YOU (I don’t have ARCs yet, but as soon as I do, I will award this prize)
  5. And remember to visit all the blogs participating in the cover reveal today because each blog has a different number 3! And if you leave a comment on each blog that counts as another entry for the ARC.

And here she is……..the cover!
 

Summary:
 Signed, sealed, delivered . . .

While zoning out in Chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk, and added a message to her. 

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters— sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only who is he?  As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery, and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out . . .

Kasie West brings irresistible wit, warmth, and sparkle to this swoon-worthy story of love showing up when you least expect it. 

I hope you’re as excited to read this book, as I am to publish it. I can’t give you any more of PS I LIKE YOU right now, but I’d love to share an extended scene from a previous book.

The Fill-In Boyfriend
Parking lot prom scene—Hayden’s POV

“For someone who claims not to care about prom, you sure are taking forever to get ready.” I leaned against Bec’s doorframe. It had been a long time since I’d seen my sister in minimal make up. She looked younger, softer.
            “Shut up.” Okay maybe not softer.
            I knew it wasn’t prom she was worried about. “Does Nate know you like him?”
            She nodded toward my shirt. “Does the world know you think Colin Baker was the best Doctor?”
“Funny.”
She laughed. “I should also tweet that you’re happy there’s only one season of Firefly.”
“Now you’re just being vindictive.”
She threw a hair tie at me. “Go away.”
“Just hurry, okay? I can’t be your taxi all night. I have school stuff to do.” I’d promised Meredith we could practice the scene we would be performing on Monday in class and considering I’d put it off for two weeks, I needed to do it.
“Fine. Get out. I’ll be ready when you leave.”

‘Ready when you leave’ apparently meant another thirty minutes. By the time we were in the car, her date picked up, and on the way to the school gym, I was twenty minutes late to Meredith’s. She’d already texted me twice. I felt the phone in my pocket buzz again.
            The parking lot was full of cars but no people. Bec was more than fashionably late.  I turned into a parking spot, my headlights sweeping over a form in front of me. I was wrong. There were people in the lot. A couple hugging.
            “Out.” I didn’t need to watch a show and I was already late.
            “You know you love me,” Bec said. “I’ll text you when I’m done.”
            “Have fun.”
            Bec got out first and as Nate slid toward her open door I said, “Treat her right.”
            “Yes, sir,” he said before shutting the door.
            I grabbed my phone and shot off a text to Meredith then reached to shift the car into gear, checking to make sure the couple hadn’t moved into my path. That’s when I saw the guy push the girl away from him. He was a big guy and the action made me freeze, worried she might be in trouble. I turned off the lights and engine of my car, pretending to park and grabbed a book off the passenger seat.
            Muffled screaming between the two had me weighing my options. I couldn’t beat the guy up, he was Captain America size. I’d been known to talk down a hot head or two. I could call the cops. Just as I thought I’d have to make a decision sooner than later, he walked away, got in his car, and drove off. I could’ve probably beaten him up if I’d needed to.
            The girl leaned against a truck, putting a hand to her forehead. That jerk left her with no way home, I realized. She looked miserable. Alone…no…lonely. Her head snapped up and met my stare. She stood straight, throwing her shoulders back, her face becoming a mask. I dropped my eyes to the book I held. Hopefully she’d go inside now, find some friends or something, and I could leave.
            A shadow passed across the side of my car, in front of the lights shining from the gym, then there was a tap on my window. She stood there, staring at me, her look almost as hard as my sister’s. It was probably time to drive away. Against my better judgment, I rolled down the window.
            “Hi,” she said.
            “Hey.”
            “Do you go here?”
            “What?”
            Do you go to school here?”
            “No. We just moved here, but I’m finishing out the year at my old school.”
            “You’re here dropping off your brother?”
            She thought Nate was my brother? Did she know Nate? I was so confused at why we were still talking. “Sister.”
            “Perfect.”
            I raised my eyebrows. What did she need?
            “You get to be my date.”
            I had not seen that coming. “Uh…”
            “Do you live close? Because you can’t go in there in jeans and a T-shirt. Especially one with a telephone booth on it.”
            Bec would crucify her if she heard that. “A telephone booth? Seriously?”
            “Do you at least have some dark pants and a button-down shirt? Maybe a tie? A teal tie would be awesome to match me but I’m not holding my breath about that.” She tilted her head assessing me. Did she honestly think I was going to be her date? “And do you happen to own contacts and some hair product?”
            “I’m just going to roll up my window now.”
            “No. Please.” She put her hand on top of the window, preventing me from closing it. Her guard came down again. The confident air dissolved into desperation, sadness. Her brown eyes pleaded with me. I was weakening. It was obvious this girl didn’t need a savior. She seemed the type that got her way often enough. Hold strong.
            “My boyfriend just broke up with me. I’m sure you saw. And I really don’t want to walk into my senior prom alone. Plus my friends didn’t think he existed. Long story, but I need you to be him. Two hours. That’s all I’m asking for. Besides, you’re just sitting here anyway waiting for you sister. It will be way more fun than sitting in a parking lot.”
            It took a minute to detangle her words, figure out what she was asking. Then it hit me. “You want me to pretend to be Captain America?”
            “They’ve never met him, so they have no idea what he looks like. Besides you’re…”
            She paused and I wondered how she was going to finish that. If she watched better shows she might have some references.
            “I can pay you,” she spit out instead.
            I raised my eyebrows. “I’m sure there are services for that. Maybe you can try calling 1-800-HOOKERS or something?”
            She rolled her eyes but smiled her first smile. It helped. “You know that number well?”
            The joke caught me off guard and I laughed. She did have some spunk in there.
            “Fine. If you feel weird about taking money, I’ll owe you.”
            “Owe me what?”
            “I don’t know…If you’re ever in need of a fake date, I’ll be there for you.”
            Right. Like my friends would believe a girl like this would go out with a guy like me. This girl was…well…she was hot. I wasn’t going to say that though. “I’m not exactly in the habit of requiring fake dates.”
            “Well, fine. I’m glad you can get a real date whenever you want, but I can’t. Well, I mean, I usually can, but obviously not right now in the middle of an empty parking lot.”
            Why did she have to look so lonely? “Fine.”
            “Fine?” Her eyes widened. I wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. She seemed like she was going to talk until I said yes.
            “Yes. I live six blocks from here. I’ll go change into something more prom worthy.” I rolled up the window and mumbled, “I don’t believe she just talked me into this with those brown eyes and smile.” This was the last thing she’d be able to talk me into. Ever.


That was a long scene. If you actually read the whole thing, you’re awesome and I love you. If you didn’t and just really want to enter the raffle, I still love you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you stop by and visit the other blogs for more chances to win: