{Review} {Giveaway} Cipher @CindiMadsen

About the Book

Title: Cipher
Author: Cindi Madsen
Pub. Date: July 22, 2013
Publisher: Cindi Madsen
Pages: 325
Find it: Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

Summer Davis sees deaths before they happen. She attempts to live a normal life by focusing on the dance team and her quarterback boyfriend. But then the way-too-cheery Angel of Death shows up and tells her she’s a Cipher—a person chosen to help people who are going to die resolve problems with their loved ones. Ashlyn Moore, one of Summer’s classmates, is going to die, and she needs Summer’s help before that happens.

It’s nearly impossible to get through to Ashlyn, who surrounds herself with chess nerds and geeks and makes it clear she doesn’t want to be friends. Desperate to complete her Cipher task before it’s too late, Summer turns to Troy, the guy who’s always been there for her and one of the few people she can trust. With his help, she makes progress. In fact, the closer she gets to Ashlyn and her friends, the more she feels like she’s finally found where she belongs.

As the clock starts running down on Ashlyn’s life, Summer decides to change her objective. She’s going to save her new friend before it’s too late—even if it means messing with fate.

About Cindi:

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novels All the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, adult contemporary romances Falling for Her Fiancé and Act Like You love Me, and the women's fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

This is one of those jobs that you just dont really want!  Helping people deal with their problems before they die can be much harder than it seems.  And when Summer decides to change the game and instead of trying to help Ashlyn through her issues before she dies she decides to save her!  This one is a twisted story that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page!  I loved it and cant wait for book two!


"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Tour Schedule:

7/29/2013- Bibliophilia, Please                                                     Review

7/30/2013- Heather Hearts Books                             Interview

7/31/2013- Shortie Says                                                                  Review

8/1/2013- About To Read                                                  Guest Post

8/2/2013- Crossroad Reviews                                       Review

8/5/2013- Little Library Muse                                        Review

8/6/2013- Books,Coffee and Wine                              Guest Post

8/7/2013- The Cover Contessa                                      Interview

8/8/2013- The Demon Librarian                                                     Review

8/9/2013- Jenuine Cupcakes                                       Review

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{Release Day} {Giveaway} I Breathe You @clarklori

When a tragic accident leaves Rhane Evans -- lead vocalist for the rock band Fate's Crazy -- permanently unable to speak above a whisper and kills the love of her life, she moves across the state to pick up the pieces. Shattered, Rhane struggles to understand what happened the night of the accident, an accident everyone blames her for, even though she wasn't driving the car.

Enter Ian Callahan. He's the one person who may have a more tumultuous past than Rhane. Though they try hard to deny the sizzling attraction between them, it proves nearly impossible. When Ian's troubled past threatens to tear them apart, they begin to believe happiness isn't in their cards.

Because Fate's Crazy that way...

I am busy working on I Breathe You, Too (Breathe #2). Told from Ian's POV

 

About The Author

Ten things about me: 
1. I'm an only child. 
2. I love dogs! 
3. I was born in Iowa City, Iowa and lived in Iowa until January 2007. 
4. I worked as a professional psychic reader for 2 years. 
5. I'm a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising. 
6. I've written 6 books and am in the process writing a 7th. 
7. I don't look or act my age! 
8. I ran my first 1/2 marathon at age 50. 
9. I love 80's hair band music. 
10. I'm a vegetarian.
Lori’s Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Excerpt from I Breathe You

"You plan on helping me unload this thing or are you just going to bob up and down like a damn goof?" I try to punch him in the shoulder playfully but his long fingers snake around my wrist before I'm able to connect. He smirks. "Careful there, Sunshine. Don't hurt yourself."

I roll my eyes at the new nickname he's recently begun calling me. Sunshine. Rhane. Get it?

"I'm teasing. This thing probably weighs twice as much as you," as he hoists himself effortlessly up into the bed and unhooks the tailgate straps allowing it to swing freely. He pulls out two boards and sets them at an angle from the truck to the ground, creating a crude ramp of sorts.

I watch him pull on a pair of worn leather gloves and he goes to work feeding a rope through the eyelets of two large hooks threaded into the back of the doghouse. I breathe into my hands, trying to warm the fingertips left bare by my own pitiful gloves.

His eyes flicker to my hands. "When you going to get yourself some real damn gloves anyway?"

I give him a middle finger salute and childishly stick out my tongue. "Shut up," I huff.

He turns his back to me, and his shoulders shake in silent laughter. "Feisty," he mutters. My eyes slowly slide down from his broad upper back before locking on the way his tight jeans accentuate the firmness of his fine ass. I start to warm up and nerve endings all over my lower half ignite. My cheeks blossom into what I'm sure must be a brilliant scarlet.

He glances at me, doing a double take, "You cold?"

I crinkle my nose and shake my head. Hopeful he can't read just how un-cold I really am. "No why?"

"Your cheeks are red," he pulls the rope taut and threads it through the pickup bed. "You must be cold. Either that, or you're blushing." That left cheek dimple reappears, and I wonder if he's flirting with me.

I think he's figured out that he flusters the hell out of me. He's sort of cocky that way. Unfortunately for me, I've always had a thing for cocky, self-assured, slightly egotistical men. Who wants boring, when you can have a bad ass? Especially the ones everyone says to stay away from.

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{Cover Reveal} Forever @kismetbt #KarenAnnHopkins

About Forever

Release: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

Pre-Order a copy: amazon | Barnes & Nobles

Add the book to your goodreads shelf.

All I want is my happily-ever-after.

That's all I've wanted since meeting Noah Miller.

From the day we met, the world has tried to keep Noah and me from being together, but now that I'm carrying his child, no one will be able to tear us apart. Or so I hope. But Noah and I have made some mistakes along the way, and the consequences are impacting the people we love. Worse, there's a storm on the horizon, and it's sure to cause serious devastation.

If we can get through this, we'll finally be Rose and Noah; a family, forever.

But first we have to survive the road ahead. And happily-ever-after is a long way off

Author Photo:

http://www.kismetbt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Hopkins_Karen-Ann_11_colII.jpg

About Karen Ann Hopkins

Blog | Goodreads | Facebook

A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.

Info about the previous books in the series:

About Belonging

Belonging – Book 2  on Goodreads

Get a copy of Belonging : Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

I left everything I knew behind.

But it was worth it. He was worth it.

No one thought an ordinary girl like me would last two minutes living with the Amish, not even me. There are a lot more rules and a lot less freedom, and I miss my family and the life I once had. Worst of all, Noah and I aren’t even allowed to see each other. Not until I’ve proven myself.

If I can find a way to make it work, we’ll be NOAH & ROSE  together forever.

But not everybody believes this is where I belong.

About Temptation

Temptation – Book 1  on Goodreads | Facebook

Get a copy of Temptation on: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

Your heart misleads you.

That’s what my friends and family say.  

But I love Noah.

And he loves me.  

We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other’s arms.

It should be  

ROSE & NOAH  

forever, easy.

But it won’t be.

Because he’s Amish.

And I’m not. 

{Blast} Ablaze #MorganaBlack

Title: Ablaze (Fireside Series #1)

Author: Morgana Black

Genre: Erotic Romance Novella

Book Description:

*This book is not suitable for readers under the age of 18* Cheyenne is planning the perfect weekend with her partner to be Collin. But when the weather turns ugly she finds herself trapped in a cabin with dangerously attractive Luke, one of her father’s ranch hands. When the power goes out Luke and Cheyenne make the decision to keep each other warm, in more ways than one.  

  Teaser

Luke looked up from his work, his gray eyes meeting mine under his chocolate bangs, a smudge of grease underneath his chin. When our eyes met there was a magnetism there that neither of us could deny. I could stare into those gray pools for hours and that worried me. He followed my eyes to the fireplace, “Ugh, I left you here without a fire? Jesus I’m a terrible man servant.” “You’re not my servant.” If you were I’d have other things for you to do. His lips separated from my own and he moved his delectable mouth next to my ear. “You feel so good, so warm,” he whispered throatily. “I want you, all of you.”

Flames (Fireside Series Vol. 2) is being released on August 5th!

Book Description:

In the mountains of Colorado Cheyenne believes secrets can stay hidden. But now that she has a secret of her own, she's realizing it's harder than she thought. Concealing it from her father is one thing, but what about Collin, the man she's promised to? Cheyenne now to has to fight for her independence, while fighting to stay with the man she truly loves.

Luke wants nothing more than to tell Cheyenne's father in his own way, but Cheyenne is hot headed and stubborn, two qualities he admires about her. Until they get him into trouble.

The blizzard is over, but the storm is still coming.

About The Author

Morgana Black is a hair stylist by day and hottie writer by night. She walks her dogs in high heels and never leaves the house without red lipstick. She firmly believes in the power of Zen, and does Yoga freely in her backyard, in her favorite set of pumps. Links Purchase on Amazon Purchase on B&N Facebook Blog

{Review+ Interview} Skin @amazon #DonnaJoNapoli

Published Aug. 6 

My lips are white. Sixteen-year-old Sep stares into the bathroom mirror. It's not some weird lipstick (she never wears lipstick). Her lips are just ? white. In a panic, she digs up an old lipstick and smears it on her colorless lips. But soon, more and more white spots begin to bloom, spreading their chalky tendrils across her olive brown skin. Does she have a disease? Is she turning into some kind of freak? Sep is usually the one who knows all the answers. With a quicksilver mind and a supple body, she's happiest when she's delving into the mysteries of animal biology or giving herself over to sweet, hot moves in Jazz Dance Club. Unlike her best friend, Devin, she's never been in a rush to get a boyfriend. But as the white blotches spread, her dating days ? like the endangered species she studies ? seem numbered. So when Joshua, a boy she's always liked, makes a flirty advance, she wonders: why not grab pleasure while she can? Frank, funny, and full of passion, this is the empowering story of a strong gifted teen who, as her life spins out of control, desperately tries to prove to the world ? and herself ? that she is deeper than skin.

Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction. 

Donna Jo has five children. She dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist. She loves to garden and bake bread. 

At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to make the neighbors wonder. But dear dear Taxi died in 2009.

She lives outside Philadelphia. She received her BA in mathematics in 1970 and her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures in 1973, both from Harvard University, then did a postdoctoral year in Linguistics at MIT. She has since taught linguistics at Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and Swarthmore College. It was at UM that she earned tenure (in 1981) and became a full professor (in 1984). She has held visiting positions at the University of Queensland (Australia), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), and Capital Normal University of Beijing (China), as well as lectured at the University of Sydney (Australia), Macquarie University (Australia), the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa). In the area of linguistics she has authored five books (one of which is being translated into Korean), co-authored four (one of which is in Italian), edited one, and co-edited four (with a fifth in press), ranging from theoretical linguistics to practical matters in language structure and use, including matters of interest to d/Deaf people. She has held grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, and the Sloan Foundation.

This one was not what I thought it was.  I tend not to read what a book is about before I snag it lol.  Well this one although not paranormal in anyway was really good! Its about a girl whom has an illness called Vitiligo which takes the pigment out of your skin and hair.  This is a very heartwarming and wonderful book that deals with issues such as acceptance, appearance, and friendship. With a wonderful cast of characters with depth and real life issues this is one realistic fiction that will keep you reading until the last page!

 "*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Q and A with author Donna Jo Napoli thanks to Amazon.com 

Q: What inspired you to write Skin? 
A: I met a woman who had the skin condition vitiligo. It was so extreme, it took me a moment to be able to look her in the eye rather than look at her face. That bothered me, because I was worried she might have noticed the hesitation. And then I wondered whether she was born that way or at what point it had occurred. So I started reading, and I came across a lot of information about how teens deal (or don't deal) with vitiligo. Vitiligo can have strong negative effects on self-image and self-esteem, and when the onset is during the teen years, vitiligo sufferers report more nasty comments from others. Some experience severe depression; among those, risky behavior (unprotected sex, drug abuse) is not uncommon, including suicide attempts. 

Q: Why are you so passionate about this novel? A: I had a family experience that made me a pariah as a teen; people stopped talking to me, my friends weren’t allowed to spend time with me. My self-esteem tanked. So I immediately identified with someone who felt "marked" or "afflicted", as a lot of the teens I read about who have vitiligo described themselves. I made mistakes in handling my situation -- not the same mistakes Sep makes -- but serious mistakes. So I felt a strong connection to Sep's situation, and I wanted to explore the situation of a girl who makes serious mistakes in handling her problem. 

Q: The contemporary realistic style of Skin seems very different from your other YA fiction, which is often structured around the exploration of fairy tales. Why did you decide to work in this genre? What were the challenges in writing it? 
A: In most ways writing this book wasn't a different challenge from writing my other books. I had to do a lot of research, both on vitiligo and on high school culture today. Where the challenge lay was in characterization. So many books for teens are about people in extraordinary circumstances who rise to the challenge. It is exhilarating to read these things; it is comforting to believe that we might be able to rise to the challenge ourselves if we were in the main character's shoes. But not everyone rises to the challenge -- and many people spend some time hiding from the challenge before they finally face it. Sep is an ordinary girl, not a born hero. She never chose to be different. She has no interest in being the center of attention. Vitiligo is thrust upon her and she hides. She is frightened and constantly hoping that the vitiligo will stop and she'll be only "slightly" different from her old self. But eventually she realizes that she's got to deal with it. And the first step is to accept herself – a really hard task, since “herself” keeps changing. That's the real challenge in life, I think. If you understand yourself and you accept those things you cannot change about yourself, you are then free to focus on the rest of life -- on the things you can change, on the things you can do. That's when you flower as a human being. The hardest thing for me was to try to make Sep's behavior deplorable (not telling Joshua her situation is dishonest and unfair to him) while at the same time making the reader empathize with her. The things we do before we are ready to face our problems are often baffling to others. Family and friends may want to shake some sense into us. My job was to keep the reader on Sep's side even when they wanted to shake some sense into her. 

Q: Why do you think it will speak to teens? What are you hoping teens will take away from reading the book? 
A: I want very much for any reader to feel stronger after reading one of my books. With this novel, I'm hoping that teens will see that Sep really blew it -- she is a good person basically, but she messed up pretty bad. In the end, though, she did catch hold of herself. All of us make mistakes. But with a lot of hard work and determination and just a little bit of luck, we can recover from those mistakes. Sep's life is always going to be complicated by the fact that she has vitiligo. But her personal relationships do not have to be complicated by it -- and she knows that now. She's stronger now. My hope is that the reader will feel stronger along with her. I also hope that readers will develop some understanding of some of the challenges that people face when they have vitiligo or any other visually apparent "difference" -- even acne (which can get severe). We are an appearance-driven culture in so many ways. It's hard to stand up to the pressure of having to look a certain way. What happens to the people who simply cannot "look a certain way"? Maybe some of my readers will rise to the challenge of becoming a warrior for someone who is ridiculed or shunned, in the same way that some of Sep’s friends become warriors to support her. 

Q: Sep moves from having no sexual experience to daily sexual activity in a matter of weeks. Why did you rush it? 
A: I didn't rush it. Vitiligo rushed it. Sep feels she's in a race. She fears she will become repugnant. So in her mind it's "now or never". Each splotch of vitiligo urges her on. She's breathless, racing so hard she can hardly think, so she gives up on thinking and simply races. Is this realistic? I read interviews with teens who face this fear (not only people with vitiligo, but people in other situations, too) and I concluded it was. I also tested out various drafts of the story over the years on teens, and listened to their reactions and revised accordingly. (My first draft was written in 2006. I tend to work on a YA novel for many years before I feel that it's ready to be published.)