01 Sunday Mar 2015
As promised, this post is to announce the winner of the giveaway for the author signed copy of Black Ice, by Becca Fitzpatrick
~ Drum roll ~
CONGRATULATIONS!
Sherry
Tosses copious mounts of confetti!
I’ll email you to get an address where I can mail the book.
22 Sunday Feb 2015
Posted in Books, Giveaway, YA, Young Adult
Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.
Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there…and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.
But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?
Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous… [Jacketflap Synopsis]
Honesty Hour: I got this book last Fall when Becca Fitzpatrick visited Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, CA. It took me this long to read it, because psychological thrillers scare me more than anything else. That’s because they’re so real.
Needless to say, I shouldn’t have waited so long to read this amazing story. Once I was brave enough to read the first line, I was hooked. From then on, I kept turning the pages until I was done. Black Ice is expertly written with well-developed characters I could identify with, and plot twists I never saw coming. That’s all I’m going to say. Watch the trailer below, and then enter to win a signed copy of this book. If you dare…
Beware if what you can’t see. -Becca Fitzpatrick
NOTE: The FREE giveaway of an author copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.
Here’s how to enter:
I’ll tally the entries and pick a winner that I’ll announce on this blog Sunday, March 1st.
13 Thursday Nov 2014
Posted in Books, Fiction, Giveaway, Magic, Young Adult
Tags
Books, Elizabeth Fais, Epic Read, Fiction, Giveaway, Illusions of Fate, Kepler's Books, Kiersten White, Magic, Young Adult
The people of Albion are different from anyone Jessamin has ever known: harsh, upright, and obsessed with wealth and rank. Jessamin knew as much when she left her sun-drenched island home to attend school in their gray, dreary country.
But she had no idea how different they truly were.
She never thought she would discover a house with door that open onto a hundred corners of the city or a book that spends its days as a bird. She certainly never expected to become a pawn in a political and magical power struggle between the sinister Lord Downpike and the handsome, charming Finn Ackerly. And she never so much as imagined she’d win Finn’s affections—or that one day his shadow would follow her every step.
Fortunately for Jessamin, fate has other ideas… (jacketflap)
If I had stayed on the thoroughfare that day, not taken the alley, I would never have met him. … I sit, defeated, and shuffle the cards for the hundredth time. I cut the deck, close my eyes, and draw a card at random. FATE. I always draw fate.
Jessamin swept me into her fictional 19th century world and immediately won me over with her sharp wit and strength of character. At the age of sixteen she left her tropical island home for a distant country, so she could better herself with an education she helped earn working as a servant in a hotel.
Jessamin’s meager finances put her at the bottom of Albion’s high-society caste. To make matters worse, her darker skin label her as a foreigner, making her even more of an outcast. Jessamin works hard to be the best in her classes,and getting little recognition. Still, she’s proud of holding her own. That is, until the fateful day Albion’s magical forces catch her up in their vicious snare. Strong spirited Jessamin fights back, battling her wits against evil magic, proving her island moxie is something to be reckoned with.
ILLUSIONS OF FATE is flat-out fun–Witty dialog and scenes crafted with style and polished prose. I highly recommend this beguiling story to any young adult, or adult who is young at heart.
Here’s a few reasons why this book is so awesome:
NOTE: The FREE giveaway of an author copy of this book is open to residents of the United 
States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.
Here’s how to enter to win:
I’ll announce the winner on this blog Saturday, November 22nd.
[Photo of Kiersten White taken at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, CA by moi]
21 Tuesday Jan 2014
Posted in Book Reviews, Giveaway, YAppiest, Young Adult
Tags
Elizabeth Fais, Gretchen McNeil, Jessica Brody, Ten, Unremembered, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway
The LAST BLAST YAppiest Giveaway! is for
Ten, by Gretchen McNeil and
Unremembered by Jessica Brody.
Ten teens. Three days. One killer.
The only thing worse than forgetting her past … is remembering it.
… Drum roll …
~oOo~
Faith McLaughlin
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
*** Tosses copious amounts of sparkly confetti! ***
~oOo~
I’ll contact you via email in case you miss this post.
For a complete list of all the YAppiest Giveaways, go here.
08 Sunday Dec 2013
Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Giveaway, Winner!, YAppiest, Young Adult
The 15th YAppiest Giveaway! is for Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth.
Mia’s a lightning strike addict with the power to end the world. Unfortunately for her, two warring religious cults know her secret and aim to claim her power for their own ends, any way they can.
… Drum roll …
~oOo~
bn100
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
*** Tosses buckets of confetti! ***
~oOo~
I’ll contact you via email in case you miss this post.
The LAST BLAST YAppiest Giveaway! for two awesome reads: Ten by Gretchen McNeil and Unremembered by Jessica Brody, so…
For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.
25 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in Giveaway, Winner!, YAppiest, Young Adult
Tags
Book Review, Chris Howard, Dystopian, Elizabeth Fais, Environmental Crisis, Post-Apocalyptic, Rootless, Trees, YA, YAppiest, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult
The 14th YAppiest Giveaway! is for Rootless, by Chris Howard. A gripping dystopian story where … Banyan makes shocking discoveries about his family, his past, and how far people will go to bring back the trees.
… Drum roll …
~oOo~
Tami
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
*** Tosses buckets of confetti! ***
~oOo~
I’ll contact you via email in case you miss this post.
The 15th YAppiest Giveaway! for Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth is just around the corner, so…
For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.
15 Friday Nov 2013
Posted in Book Reviews, Giveaway, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult
Tags
Book Review, Chris Howard, Dystopian, Elizabeth Fais, Giveaways, Rootless, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway
17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!
If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.
This is the 14th YAppiest Giveaway! for Rootless, by Chris Howard. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.
17-year-old Banyan is a tree builder. Using scrap metal and salvaged junk, he creates forests for rich patrons who seek a reprieve from the desolate landscape. Although Banyan’s never seen a real tree—they were destroyed more than a century ago—his father used to tell him stories about the Old World. But that was before his father was taken . . .
Everything changes when Banyan meets a woman with a strange tattoo—a clue to the whereabouts of the last living trees on earth, and he sets off across a wasteland from which few return. Those who make it past the pirates and poachers can’t escape the locusts—the locusts that now feed on human flesh.
But Banyan isn’t the only one looking for the trees, and he’s running out of time. Unsure of whom to trust, he’s forced to make an uneasy alliance with Alpha, an alluring, dangerous pirate with an agenda of her own. As they race towards a promised land that might only be a myth, Banyan makes shocking discoveries about his family, his past, and how far people will go to bring back the trees. [Synopsis]
Banyan’s post-apocalyptic world is as brutal as it is desolate. The people who survived the Darkness, and later the flesh eating locust, are desperate and borderline feral. So when Banyan loses his father in a dust storm, he is driven to search for him; the only family he’s ever known. Luckily, serendipity is in his favor. Banyan takes on a construction project for a despicable man that uncovers secrets to the location of the last living trees on earth, and evidence that his father is there. If he’s still alive.
Banyan’s harrowing journey to find his father and the last living trees on earth, throws him together with unlikely comrades who prove their worth as friends when the going gets ugly. And trust me, “ugly” is an understatement. Howard doesn’t pull any punches with this fully realized view of what our world could become. The characters are drawn with realistic brush strokes as well, revealing the harshness of their flaws. This is not a “light” read. But the ugliness of the world makes the threads of hope and humanity woven through the main characters shine all the brighter. I can’t tell you much more about the plot without spoiling this monumental story for you.
What continues to resonate with me long after finishing the last page of Rootless, are its thematic questions: “What defines family?” and “Where do you draw the morality line?”
But that’s just my interpretation. Which is what’s great about a good story — it touches each of us on a personal level. Here’s what Chris Howard says about Rootless on his blog:
In ROOTLESS I tried to draw an analogy between human creativity with the forces of nature and the cycle of life.
Rootless is the first book in a series. For more information about Chris Howard and the upcoming books in this series, visit his web site: chrishowardbooks.com
NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.
I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Monday, November 25th. Good luck!
02 Saturday Nov 2013
Tags
7th Inning Stretch, Baseball, Book Reviews, Chris Howard, Elizabeth Fais, Gretchen McNeil, Jennifer Bosworth, Jessica Brody, Rootless, Struck, Ten, Unremembered, YAppiest Giveaway, YAppy Dance
Ball games and shows have breaks, whether it’s half-time, intermission, or whatever.
The YAppiest Giveaways have been rolling out like clockwork at two a month since April. So far, that’s 13 YAppiest Giveaways! Which is awesome, but it seemed like a good time to give everyone a little bit of a breather.
Kind of like baseball’s 7th inning stretch…
So get down with your YAppiest dance. We want you in true YAppy form for the final four (yes, 4!) YAppiest Giveaways! [image from morguefile.com]
Rootless, by Chris Howard
Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth
Ten, by Gretchen McNeil
Unremembered, by Jessica Brody
The 14th YAppiest Giveaway — Rootless by Chris Howard — will be coming your way on November 15th!
22 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Winner!, YAppiest, Young Adult
Tags
Cat Patrick, Elizabeth Fais, Revived, Romance, Thriller, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway
The 13th YAppiest Giveaway! is for Revived, by Cat Patrick. A story of love and friendship, and the girl who must choose between having it all or keeping the secret of a high-security government experiment she’s been involved with for years. This book is so awesome there are two winners!
… Drum roll …
~oOo~
Dalene Kolb
&
bn100
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
*** Tosses copious amounts of sparkly confetti! ***
~oOo~
I’ll contact you via email in case you miss this post.
The 14th YAppiest Giveaway! for Rootless, by Chris Howard is just around the corner, so…
For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.
15 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Romance, Thriller, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult
Tags
Cat Patrick, Elizabeth Fais, Forgotten, Revived, Romance, suspense, The Originals, Thriller, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult
17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!
If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.
This is the LUCKY 13th YAppiest Giveaway! for Revived, by Cat Patrick. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.
Daisy Appleby died in a bus crash when she was four. Then her undercover life began. She was brought back to life, along with nineteen other children on that bus, as part a covert government program for a drug called Revive.
Daisy barely remembers the fatal bus crash. Even so, now at fifteen Daisy has died and been Revived five times. She’s not exactly an expert at avoiding life-threatening accidents, her last being an allergic reaction to a bee sting.
To keep Revive a secret, each time Daisy dies and is revived it means a new name, a new city, a new identity. Daisy accepts her gypsy lifestyle without attachments … until they move Omaha and meets Matt and Audrey McKean. Audrey quickly becomes Daisy’s first real friend outside of “the program”, and then she falls for Audrey’s brother Matt. Hard.
For the first time, Daisy wants a normal life. She wants someone outside “the program” to know who she really is, including her secret. Daisy soon discovers that the Revive experiment is more sinister than she ever imagined, and her sharing her secret with Matt could very well cost him his life.
The heart of this story is wrapped in Daisy’s relationships; how she deals with her first friendship outside the program, and then a romance with and outsider. People she isn’t “supposed to” get close to, because they can’t know her secret about Revive.
The mystery simmers beneath the surface, building tension as it slowly unravels with Daisy’s deepening friendship with Audrey and her romantic relationship with Matt. Daisy can’t ignore the signs. Something isn’t quite right with the program, but she can’t put her finger on it. That is, until she uncovers disturbing information she wasn’t supposed to find. Daisy is conflicted about sharing her secret with Matt, and after she does she discovers her indiscretion has endangered his life.
Cat Patrick is a master at creating authentic characters with believable strengths and weaknesses. The supporting characters—Mason, Cassie, and Megan—are as interesting and well-rounded as Daisy, Audrey, and Matt. The author is also adept at weaving suspense throughout, hinting at what’s just out of sight until the final climax. Like a horror movie where what’s lurking in the shadows is never shown. What we don’t see is more terrifying.
I can’t tell you any more without spoiling the edge-of-your-seat ending. You’ll have to read the book to find out if Daisy can out run the Revive program after uncovering its darkest secret.
I loved this book. So much so that I immediately picked up Forgotten, Cat Patrick’s debut novel, and devoured it just as quickly. Now I can’t wait to read The Originals, Cat Patrick’s most recent release, and Just Like Fate, which she co-authored with Suzanne Young.
NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.
I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Tuesday, October 22nd. Good luck!
Elizabeth Fais 