Book Blitz: We Are Made of Stardust - Mimi Strong + Giveaway

Synopsis
Peaches Monroe, age 22, is the sassy, plus-sized manager of a bookstore in the small town of Beaverdale, Washington.

One Saturday afternoon, she's balancing precariously on a chair, in a bridesmaid dress, when a handsome dark-haired man comes running into the bookstore. He knocks Peaches over, she lands in his muscular arms. They lock gazes, and ...

She recognizes him.

As the sexy vampire heartthrob she watches on TV every week.

Peaches and Dalton Deangelo are completely wrong for each other. He's only in town temporarily, working on an indie movie. She should stay away. He should stay away, too.

But they're drawn to each other. Dalton claims it's because they're made from the same stardust.

Author Bio

Mimi Strong writes chick-lit, erotic romance, sex comedy, and new adult contemporary romance. Most of her characters have a strong sense of humor.

Here's what she has to say:

I've always had a lot of sides. Sometimes I'm vulnerable, and sometimes I go after what I want without a single doubt.

My favorite person is my husband. If I can crack him up and see his eyes crinkle at the corners, my day is made. In fact, I love making everyone around me laugh.

I've always enjoyed empowering stories about kick-butt women who don't hold back and the awesome men who are smart enough to love them. Now that I'm writing these stories, I couldn't be happier. I hope you enjoy them too!

 

Extra

Author: Mimi Strong 
Publication date: June 28th 2013
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

 

Author links:

• Website 
• Goodreads
• Facebook

Book links:

• Goodreads
• Amazon
• B&N

Excerpt
We were standing near the bar, he with a light beer and me with a glass of sparkling white wine, plus

the giddy sensation one gets at her first family function where she’s legally allowed to drink.

“Don’t tease,” I said.

“You say that now…”

I sipped my wine as he tore my dress off with his gaze. I know you’re supposed to hate your bridesmaid dress and complain bitterly about having to wear it, but I liked mine. The bodice was cut to frame my chest demurely, with just a hint of naughty cleavage—or at least that’s how it started out. The heat of my body had loosened up the fabric on the straps somehow, and now the front was dipping down, anything but demure.

“Stop teasing me,” I said softly, almost whispering.

His eyes locked onto my cleavage. “Speaking of teasing, a guy could drink champagne from there.”

I snorted and tugged the bodice up. “Don’t be silly. It would drain right through.”

“Only one way to find out.” He turned back toward the bar and raised his fingers to call for the bartender. “Bottle of your best champ—”

I grabbed him by the arm and hauled him away from the bar before he created a huge spectacle.

 

Q & A

 

Q. Is sexy, smooth Dalton Deangelo based on a certain real actor who plays a vampire on TV?

A. Yes and no. It's based on the mile-high girlie crush one of my friends has on the actor Ian Somerhalder, and the hypnotic hold he seems to have on this grown, married woman, much to my amusement! She blushes when she talks about him.

Q. Where did the idea for We are Made of Stardust come from?

A. My favorite romantic movie is Notting Hill, and I think any of us who've worked a retail job have fantasized about our favorite actor walking through the door! I think this story has been in my head for years. Most people would get so nervous, they wouldn't even speak to the actor, so I needed a girl who could hold her own and then some. Along came Peaches. She doesn't see herself as a fun girl, but oh boy is she fun.

 

Q. How long does it take you to write a novel?

A. I wish I was one of those speedy authors who can write a full-length novel in one week, but it takes me about 5 weeks to complete a first draft of something as long and involved as We are Made of Stardust. Then I still have to do research and editing. I think the second novel in the series will go faster, as I know the characters better. I'm always working hard so my readers don't have to wait long.

 

Q. What kind of music do you listen to when you write?

A. The band that lives below me. But! Not anymore, because I've just moved. Me, Mr. Strong, and our two handsome kitties are now in a quieter neighborhood. Actually, We are Made of Stardust is the reason we moved. All that writing about quaint, quiet small town life in Beaverdale gave me a ferocious craving to move. So, in the middle of writing the book, we gave notice and started looking for a new place! I uploaded the book to Amazon about 8 hours before the movers showed up.

Q. Is the Peaches Monroe series going to be long? Is it a love triangle? Will every book end on a brutal cliffhanger?

A. I've never written a long, multi-book series. I hope that you readers will guide me. Please post reviews and talk about the book. Tell me what you'd like to see happen. I have some big, big plans, but nothing is locked in until it's published.

 

Q. Why do you self-publish?

A. I started self-publishing in 2011 when I couldn't find a publisher for my first novel, Charlie. (Written under my YA pen name, Dalya Moon.) That's when I first discovered the amazing indie community, with book bloggers and other fun authors such as the folks who hang out in the Kboards' Writers' Cafe. From then, there was no stopping me! Stardust is book #15 for me, and I'm having a lot of fun. Oh, it's stressful at times, and there are low moments, but those times are when you find out what you're made of. I think what keeps me grounded are the great friends I've made, and giving back to the indie community.

Giveaway

 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

El

Someday, Someday, Maybe - Lauren Graham

Synopsis
Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates-Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material-and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works.

Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.

- Goodreads

Opinion

Many people picked up the book because the author, Lauren Graham, is apparently a famous actress from Gilmore Girls. But I never really watched this series so I didn’t know her. I picked up this book because the synopsis looked interesting and it looked as this book could be funny. And I was right this book was great and it made me laugh. Another great thing about this book is that you can see from the inside how young actresses and other people in the film/showbiz struggle to get their first job. The book wasn’t an autobiography, but even then I’m pretty sure that almost all actresses and actor have endured the whole process of many rejections before they got a part in a series or a movie that led them to the recognition they have now.

Franny the protagonist was easy to like, she’s smart  and funny but also insecure especially about her talent as actress and about her looks. But these insecurities are what make her a realistic character.   And then you got the two guys James and Dan. James is the successful actor with the good looks and Dan is the writer who is struggling to make a career as a screenwriter.  Most of the time I hate a love triangle, but this time it was a good one. It was there, but it didn’t overwhelm the plotline, which I liked. Last but not least you got Jane, Franny’s best friend, if you put Jane an Franny together than fun is guaranteed!

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending. Did she get together with that one guy or not? Did she get a job that job she auditioned for or not? And did she become a respected actress or not? I don’t like it if I have still so many questions after finishing a book. But don’t let this stop you because this book was great!

Extra:
Author: Lauren Graham
Publisher: Ballatine Books
Pages: 344 (Hardback)
Publishing date: April 30th 2013

El

Waiting on Wednesday #11: Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

 

 

Can true love be built on lies? A teen on the run seeks relief and redemption in this gripping, romantic read.Leah Kurtz has finally found a place to call home, a town where she and baby Addy can live in peace, far from the drug-infested place she grew up. Chris is one of the best parts of her new life, the only person who’s ever made her feel safe. And now that she’s found him, there’s no way she can tell the truth:

Her real name is Faith, not Leah. She’s seventeen, not nineteen. And the baby isn’t hers—Faith kidnapped her.

Faith’s history catches up with her when a cop starts asking questions and Chris’s aunt spots her picture in the newspaper. She knows it’s time to run again, but if Faith leaves, she’ll lose Chris. If Chris is in love with a lie, though, did Faith ever really have him in the first place?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why I can't wait: I like it when the characters in a book have a lot of bagage from the past, because it only means that they can grow throughout the book. And this book sounds like a great and powerful read.

 

Publication date: September 3rd 2013

 

El

Cover Reveal: My Own Mr. Darcy - Karey White

After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough.

Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.

Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.

She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Excerpt 1

Janessa folded her arms and looked at me for so long I started to squirm. “What?”
“I wish you’d look at yourself. You’re ruining your life with this stupid obsession.”

“I’m not obsessed.” I stood up quickly, nearly tipping my chair over. I rinsed my plate and put it in the dishwasher. I could feel Janessa’s eyes on me the entire time, but I refused to look at her. “And just because I’m not interested in this guy doesn’t mean my life is ruined.”

“Let me guess. Was he blond?”

“Knock it off.”

“Too short?”

“He wasn’t short. I’ve got to go.” I left the kitchen with Janessa on my heels.

“Was he too cheerful?”

“Oh brother. I’m not having this conversation with you.”

Janessa grabbed my arm and turned me toward her. “Yes, you are.”

“I’m going to be late for work.”

“Then we’d better talk fast.”

“I don’t have anything to say,” I said.

“Then I’ll talk. You listen. You have to start giving these guys a chance.”

I folded my arms tightly. “I give them a chance.”

“You give them one date, two at the most. But you’re not really giving them a chance because your mind’s already made up before you even go out.”

I was getting annoyed. “I don’t have time for this conversation again.” Janessa was practically reciting word for word what she’d said after my last date. And the one before that.

“Lizzie. If you don’t want to have the same conversation, do something different. Shake things up a little.” She smiled and did a little shimmy. I refused to smile no matter how silly she looked.

“How do you suggest I do that?”

“If this guy… What’s his name?”

“Chad.”

“If Chad calls you back, go out with him again.”

“I don’t see the point.”

“Did you get a serial killer vibe from him?”

“No, I got a nice-guy-that-doesn’t-deserve-to-be-led-on vibe from him.”

“Nice guys are good. So you’ll say yes, right?”

“If I’m not interested, it wouldn’t be fair to say yes.”

“Oh knock off the baloney. You haven’t been fair to a guy since high school. You’re just afraid if you get to know a guy, you might like him. And wouldn’t that be awful? Was Chad funny?”

“Yes, he was funny.”

“Handsome?”

I sighed. “I don’t know if I’d call him handsome, but he was cute.”

“Cute is good. Especially if he was funny. So go out with him again.”

“You act like it’s all up to me.” I walked to the closet and collected my purse. Like a tiger leaping on her prey, Janessa pounced at the bowl on the entry table and grabbed my car keys. “This isn’t funny, Janessa. I’m going to be late for work.”

“Then let’s make a deal. You agree to go out with him ten times before you toss him aside and I’ll give you your keys.”

“Ten times? No way.”

“That’ll give you time to get to know him.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I’m serious, Lizzie. Ten is a good number. In that amount of time, you can make a real decision. Instead of one based on a stupid movie.”

Now Janessa was skipping through a minefield. “It’s not a stupid movie and I’ve got to go.”

“It’s the stupidest movie in the world if it ruins your life.”

“Nothing’s ruining my life and I’m going to be late. Give me my keys and we’ll talk about this later.” A little tussle ensued as I tried to rescue my keys from her clutches. I almost had them when she darted to the bathroom and shut the door hard and fast, locking it behind her. “This is real mature.”

“I don’t care about mature. You’re my best friend, Lizzie.  I love you and I’m trying to save you from yourself.”

I banged on the door. “Give me the keys. Now.” My voice had become shrieky.

“I’ll give you the keys as soon as you promise you’ll go out with him ten times.”

“I doubt he’ll ask me out again.”

“Why? Were you a jerk?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

I hesitated, knowing I hadn’t been very good company. “I’m pretty sure.”

“If he doesn’t ask you out, you have to ask him.”

“No way am I asking out a guy ten times. No way!”

“You just have to ask him out once. If he doesn’t return the favor you can move on. But you have to be nice to him and give him a reason to want to ask you out again.”

“This is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”

“Listen Liz, I’m doing this for you. Give a guy a chance before you give him the old heave-ho.”

I leaned my head on the door. “Just give me the keys. Please.” Now I was whining.

“You’re the one keeping yourself from your keys. And probably true love.”

I looked at my watch. Now I’d have to risk a speeding ticket or get to work five minutes late. I wasn’t sure which was worse—a ticket from a police officer or a tongue-lashing from Delia.

“Fine. I’ll go out with him again if he asks me.”

“And?”

“If he doesn’t ask me, I’ll ask him?”

“Right. And how many times will you go out with him?”

“Way too many,” I said under my breath.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Ten times. If he asks me.”

The door cracked open. “And you’ll be nice to him?”

“Whatever you say. Now give me the keys.”

Janessa emerged from the bathroom and triumphantly dropped my keys into my outstretched hand.

“You’re an idiot,” I said.

“An idiot that loves you and wants you to be happy,” she said. She turned and headed down the hall. “Someday you’ll thank me,” she sang.

“If I don’t kill you first.” I slammed the door behind me.

Excerpt 2

It was a busy Monday morning. I was looking out at the line of waiting customers when he walked in. I gasped, shut my thumb in my cash drawer, and then tried not to cry while Mr. Sandoval from a hearing aid store asked me if I was okay.

When I finished Mr. Sandoval’s transaction, I looked at him again. He was taller than anyone in the room. Of course. His hair was dark and a little disheveled. It was hard to see from where I was, but his eyes looked like they were blue. And best of all, he didn’t smile. He looked gorgeously unpleasant and impatient. He looked around the room and his eyes met mine. Still he didn’t smile. My heart was racing. He looked perfect.

I did my best to time it so I’d be his teller. I went a little too fast with one customer and accidentally shorted her a twenty dollar bill. I tried to concentrate as I corrected the transaction. I slowed way down on the next customer, but just when I thought I was finished and would be able to help him next, my customer asked me to break a ten into change. He walked up to Courtney’s window while I counted out nickels and dimes. Furious, I stomped my foot. Not too loudly but enough to release a little of my frustration.

I listened closely as Courtney helped him to see if I could learn anything, but he hardly spoke. He gave a terse nod when Courtney thanked him for coming in and turned on his heel and left. He had excellent posture and a nice, confident stride.

I finished with my customer, and then before anyone else could step forward, I picked up the phone and dialed Courtney’s extension. She glanced at her phone’s display and looked over at me curiously.
            “Who was that?” I whispered when she picked up the receiver.

“Elizabeth, look how many customers there are.”

“I know. Just tell me who that was.” I watched as Courtney picked up her last transaction slip.

“His name is Matt Dawson.”

“Is he married?”

“I have no idea,” Courtney said.

“Was he wearing a ring?”

“I didn’t look. What’s going on, Lizzie?”

“I just need to know about him.”

“Well, I don’t know anything about him and Delia’s watching us. I’ve gotta go.”

Matt Dawson. Matt. Matthew. Like Matthew Macfadyen. Dawson. It was pretty close to Darcy. The only way it could be better is if his name was Fitzwilliam but I’d never met a Fitzwilliam in my life.

Matt Dawson.

This had to be a sign.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is : Top Ten books I've read so far in 2013.

  

 

 

    

 

 

El

Cover Reveal: Life, Love & Lemons - Magan Vernon

 

When life hands you lemons, sometimes you have to say screw the lemons and bail.

Seventeen-year-old Bentley Evans had it all. Then her Dad got laid off.

Now she has to move across town to a small apartment and leave her life of luxury for public school and a job at the local burger place. Just when her world seems like it's crumbling she finds solace in the unlikely punk boy next door, Kai Rowe. But as their relationship blossoms, a  jealous ex-girlfriend and a secret to tell that threatens to bring disaster back into Bentley’s life.

 

 

Author bio

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman.

 

Extra

Links:

• Author Links: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
• Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17940365-life-love-lemons?ac=1

Book info:

• Author: Magan Vernon 
• Publication date: August 2013 
• Genre: YA Contemporary

El

The Fairest Beauty - Melanie Dickerson

Synopsis

A daring rescue.
A difficult choice.
Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl's inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother's future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what.

When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.

Opinion

Normally I don’t read many Christian books, but I like fairytale retellings so I decided to give this one a try. And I’m glad I did because all in all I did like it. I mean of course there were many religious aspects in it, but they didn’t bother me that much as they normally do (note: I have nothing against Catholicism or any other religion). And I liked how this retelling kept close to the original version, but how it was different because of the two different points of view. That of Sophie and the prince Gabe . Both characters developed a lot throughout this book. Sophie started as a young girl who accepted what happened to her and didn’t think that her life could change in a better way. But nonetheless she always respected herself and the people who were good to her. But at the end of the book she dared to speak up for herself to others to achieve her own happiness. Gabe was a selfish boy until he decided to rescue Sophie, which was actually also a selfish act. As the story continued he changed into a young men who did everything to protect the one he loved. I also loved the ‘dwarfs’ and the evil stepmother was just well… evil.

So I really liked this book and I’m definitely going to try another book by this author.

Extra
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Pages: 323
Publisher: Zondervan
Publishing date: January 8th 2013

El

The Rose Throne - Mette Ivie Harrison

Synopsis
Richly-imagined fantasy romance from the author of Princess and the Hound, a tale of two princesses--one with magic, one with none--who dare seek love in a world where real choice can never be theirs. For fans of Megan Whalen Turner, Catherine Fisher, and Cassandra Clare. 
Ailsbet loves nothing more than music; tall and red-haired, she's impatient with the artifice and ceremony of her father's court. Marissa adores the world of her island home and feels she has much to offer when she finally inherits the throne from her wise, good-tempered father. The trouble is that neither princess has the power--or the magic--to rule alone, and if the kingdoms can be united, which princess will end up ruling the joint land? For both, the only goal would seem to be a strategic marriage to a man who can bring his own brand of power to the throne. But will either girl be able to marry for love? And can either of these two princesses, rivals though they have never met, afford to let the other live?

Opinion
When I started to read this book I had no idea what I could expect of it. But after a couple of pages it really got me hooked. The only thing I had problems with were the two sorts of magical powers that the author used in this book. it took me a chapter or two to finally figure out what they exactly meant. But the idea of it is great neweyr is the magic that brings life to things, that can heal and is used by women while taweyr is the magic of death and is used by men. All who is born with the wrong magic, women with taweyr or men with neweyr are not excepted in the land of Rurik as it’s against nature. I also liked that it was explained how the two kinds of magic came to exist.

The book is written in two different points of view. Ailsbet the princess of Rurik and Marlissa the princess of weirland to countries that live on that balance between war and peace for ages. In the beginning the two of them have never met, but as the story continues they meet. I really liked both characters Marlissa was the sweet one, the one you can easily befriend. While Ailsbet was harder to get at some points, but that didn’t make her less interesting on the contrary everything with her was interesting. You never knew how she was going to act next.  The huge difference between these two lead characters maid it also more interesting to read, ‘cause you can see how they think and feel about the same circumstances. As final main character you got Kellin. A young lord of Rurik, as Ailsbet it’s hard to understand his motives at first but when you do than it’s impossible to dislike him. But I would have loved to hear more of the background of some of the side characters, like Ailsbet dad, the king of Rurik. It’s clear that he’s cruel, but why? But maybe we get to know more about that in the next book.

All in all I really liked this book and it took me away for hours to a different world. And I'm definitely going to read the next book in this series.

Extra
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison

Pages: 400
Publisher: Egmont USA
Publishing date: March 14th 2013
Other books:

• Young Haikor (The Rose Throne #0.5)
• E for Ekhono (The Rose Throne #1.1)
• Kedor's Match (The Rose Throne #1.5)

El