Thursday, November 29, 2012

Link Your Reviews

We all want to promote our reviews, don't we? This is a way of letting other people know about them. Just leave a link to your review below.


Go visit the other reviews and let people know what you think about them!
This will is weekly feature posted on Thursdays. :)

Cover Reveal - Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman

Cover Reveal - Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman



Title: Shadow of Time
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Author: Jen Minkman
Cover Designer: Jen Minkman
Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours
Expected release date:  January 1, 2013



Book Description:
All Hannah needs is a nice and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school. She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling more for him than just friendship.
But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams?
Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.



Bio:
Jen Minkman (1978) was born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she moved between The Hague, Salzburg (Austria), Brussels (Belgium) and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a secondary school in Voorburg, Holland. She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch into English for self-publication.
In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the violin. For every novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Review - The Name of the Star (Shades of London 01) by Maureen Johnson


Title and Author: The Name of the Star (Shades of London 01) by Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication Date: September 29th , 2011
Paperback/Hardcover: 372
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository


Summary:
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.
Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities
  
Review:
I’ll go ahead and confess Jack the Ripper has always fascinated me (I even did a paper about him once for my criminology class) so I definitely had to read this book. I’m glad I did read it because The Name of the Star is a fun, mysterious and interesting book.
Rory Deveaux is an American girl who moves to a boarding school in London just when a series of murders similar to the ones committed by Jack the Ripper start to happen.
As Rippermania takes over London, Rory thinks she might have seen the man who is committing the murders. The problem is, she seems to be the only one who did see him. Why is that? And why does it seem like she became the murder’s next target?
I really liked all the characters in this book and though they were very well-developed and easy to like.
Rory is the main character and she’s very determined, brave and willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep her friends safe.
Jazza is Rory’s roommate and she’s very loyal and calm. There’s also Boo who’s completely different from the other two girls and shakes their lives up a little, Jerome who’s Rory’s love interest for now, Callum and Stephen who I’m very curious about. I want to learn more about him
There’s not much romance in this book but there are some kisses shared between Rory and Jerome.
I really enjoyed this story and all its revelations, twists and turns. I kept turning pages wanting to find out what would happen next. Maureen Johnson did a great job giving us information about the murders and the legends surrounding the Ripper. She also created the perfect mysterious and a little creepy atmosphere for the murders which fits the story perfectly.
Another thing I think the author excelled on was on setting this book in London and describing it as a city full of stories, beautiful places and an interesting history.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It kept me curious, entertained and intrigued right from the start. The book is very well-written, the characters are great and the mystery very entertaining.
There’s a cliffhanger at the end that makes me happy there’s another book in this series coming out soon. I can’t wait to read it and find out what will happen to these characters I enjoyed reading about so much.
If you like a good Young Adult, Paranormal book centered on an intriguing mystery, you should definitely give this book a try.

Rating: Somewhere Between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 ½ Stars) 


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Review - I'm Yours (Bold as Love 02) by Lindsay Paige


Title and Author: I'm Yours (Bold as Love 02) by Lindsay Paige
Publisher: Kindle
Publication Date: November 30th, 2011
Paperback/Hardcover: 108
Genre: Young Adult
Find it at: Goodreads /


Summary:
After the incident with Claire, Emily encounters more problems. Conrad is back with explanations and hope. Emily wants to give him a chance to explain himself. She can't help but wonder why he left. However, Jake isn't comfortable with Emily going out to eat with an old lover.
Will things be too much for Emily to handle? Will Emily do the one thing she knows best and withdraw? Will Emily and Jake's love for one another keep them from shattering?
  
Review:
I have received this book from the author in exchange of an honest review.
I’m Yours is the second book in the Bold as Love Series and it picks up about 6 months after the first book had ended.  Jake and Emily’s relationship seems to be going strong and they’re closer than ever but when they think things are better than they have ever been they are forced to make a decision that might change their lives.
I really like the main characters in this series. It’s easy to like them and they are very relatable. Plus, the relationship between them is wonderful and real.
I’m Yours is a short book with some drama in the last few chapters that kept me entertained and interested. There are a few sex scenes but none of them is explicit.
All in all, I did enjoy this book. I’m Yours is a fast and cute read with, as I said, some drama in the mix. I really liked the main characters and thought the author did a great job writing about their relationship.
I you enjoy a cute romance with good characters, you might like this book.

Rating: Readable (3 Stars) 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Happy Holidays Giveaway

Christmas and New Year are quickly approaching so I thought this was the perfect time for another giveaway.




The Giveaway

Prizes:
One winner can choose one of the books I've read so far this year! I'll add books to the list as I read them. The giveaway will be open until the end of the year, so you'll get to choose from all the books I read until then. 
A second winner will get a bookmark with h
I've divided the books in categories to make it easier for the winner to choose:

Contemporary Romance:
 


Paranormal Romance - Erotica - Mystery (you can only choose one of the books in the erotica category if you are at least 18 years old):

 


Young Adult:



Young Adult Paranormal/Dystopia:



Bookmark:




Rules:
- Giveaway is open to everyone (as long as the book depository ships to you)
- Being a follower is not required but I really appreciate it if you are. :)
- Giveaway is open from November 25th to the 1st of January.
- Fill in the rafflecopter form below to enter. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway