Release day Review of SPELLBINDER by C.C. Hunter

3:45 PM
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Book Blitz THE TRUTH: DIARY OF A GUTSY TWEEN

Hey Addicts, we've got a fun, lighter blitz today for Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein and her book THE TRUTH: DIARY OF A GUTSY TWEEN
This is very different from the norm for me but it's worth checking out. Read on Addicts!
~Dynomoon

The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween

by Barbara Becker Holstein

"I hate Angela and I wish she would move away tomorrow!" "I get so worried when I hear my parents fighting at night." "My mother thinks my crush is silly. I know I am in love!" "I have so many questions about growing up. Who will answer them?" "I feel so awful when Jake makes fun of me." "When I grow up I going to remember how to have fun with my kids and never look away." Growing up is tough. Adults don't always understand you (even though they were once kids), and children today face increasing pressure to be, look, or act a certain way. Written in the voice of a girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager, The Truth provides young girls with an opportunity to see how a girl, who is in many ways like themselves, handles her toughest problems and most personal thoughts. Each new page brings forth a discussion to help girls handle everyday problems: How do you survive a bully? How do you handle a crush on a boy? What can you do about relentless teasing by your peers? What really matters as you grow older?

In a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein encourages tween girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into adulthood. A great book for mothers and daughters to read together, The Truth is aimed to improve communication, understanding, and self-esteem for young girls as they enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.

EXTRAS:

Date: June 27

Dear Diary,

I can’t believe it. Today we moved, and I feel like I’m in a dream. I just keep walking around our new house and wondering when we will go home. It feels so different and strange. Everything is on one floor (that’s called a ranch house). The floors are all bare wood. My mom said our rugs would look terrible here so she let the people who bought our old house keep them. I think she was probably right. They were a dark maroon and the walls here are a light cream. I don’t think that would look good. I went to the bathroom three times since we got here and every time I used a different bathroom. I can’t believe it. Three different toilets in the same house! Only my friend Susan, my rich friend, had more than two bathrooms in her house. And four bedrooms! And a family room. I can’t believe we have this much space now.

When I look out of the windows I expect to see the shrubs and the Hudson’s house who were next to us on the left, but I don’t. Instead, I see a big open field that will probably have houses built on it by next year. That’s what my dad said anyway. And when I look out to the right I expect to see our clothesline and the Dixon’s driveway, but instead I see rose bushes and a wooden bench under a tree that the last owners said we could have.

Tonight, we had to eat supper off paper plates and use plastic forks, knives, and spoons because our boxes are still packed. My aunt made us a big picnic basket full of food and that’s what we ate for supper. It was delicious. There was fried chicken, potato salad and potato chips, cupcakes for dessert, and fruit salad. And at the bottom of the basket under the ice was a whole package of Hershey Kisses. Yum!

My brother already started to play with a kid next door who’s about a year older than he is. He’s so lucky. I have no new friends yet and that’s the truth!

Ten Things I Would Never Do Again and Why

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

1. I would never go up in a small plane for two again because it scared me to death! The windows were gigantic and I felt like I was in a free fall situation. I realize that I have spatial limitations.

2. I would never take a cruise around Hawaii again. I found it dissatisfying as we spent too little time on the islands and also it was rainy and muggy. I realize not all cruises are on track.

3. I would not travel by the back roads from Connecticut to Pittsburgh again. It was interesting, but once was enough. I realize that not all back roads are worth seeing.

4. I would never leave anyone out of a celebration that I give if I thought they would be hurt or wanted to come. I had left a few people out of one of our family celebrations years ago and they felt bad. I have never fully forgiven myself.

5. I would not turn down an invitation to a family member's wedding, no matter how inconvenient it was, unless I was sick. I did turn down an invitation years ago and still regret it. The time together with certain cousins never happened again. I realize I was the one who lost out.

6. I would not turn down an invitation to beautiful week in the countryside of Provence with some women, only one of which was a dear friend. That turn down was a big mistake. I have yet to make it to see that area of France. I realize that I should push myself harder when opportunity knocks.

7. I would not camp in New Jersey when the green flies are out and there is lots of pollen. I realize that my body has limitations and some situations are just beyond what I can handle.

8. I would not start out in a snow storm. My husband and I have made that decision a couple of times and we are lucky we are alive. Once we were snowed in to a stop on a parkway and fortunately the police stopped and took us to someone's home that we knew. The second time we always collapsed in snow drifts after we abandoned our car to walk the rest of the way home. I realize that some decisions are just the wrong decisions and we are all capable of poor judgment.

9. I would not loose touch with some friends from the past. I realize that all the people who have been in my life in significant ways are still important to me and I would have worked harder to stay in touch. I plan to still try!

10. I would not try to learn to smoke. What a stupid effort that was! The only good thing was I learned that smoking made my throat hurt and my glands swollen.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I have been a positive psychologist in private practice for the past thirty years. In the course of working with my clients, I originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED SELF(R), a positive psychology therapy where I teach people how to recognize and utilize their strengths, talents, skills and even lost potential. I have developed a number of methods, including using our memories to rediscover what is right about ourselves and our lives, rather than what went wrong, helping people to overcome adversity, experience positive emotions and live the good life!

Since developing this concept, I've been able to use many tools to bring the Enchanted Self to everyone, particularly women and girls. I've written many books, starting with THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, and then Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU! My books for girls are very popular, as they are great fictional reads and also help deal with many of the questions that trouble kids as they move into the tween and teen years. The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two books in this series.

I really love to teach and educate about happiness and how to benefit from positive psychology in ways that let us lead lives of meaning and happiness. You can find me all over the place on the web. In particular, www.enchantedself.com, www.thetruthforgirls.com, on Facebook at Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein: Psychologist & Author, on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabeckerho/ and on You Tube. Just look for me on You Tube via Barbara Becker Holstein.

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Barbara-Becker-Holstein/e/B001JXEZ8U/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/barbara-becker-holstein/2493846

7:22 AM
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Book Blitz Secret of the Sevens by Lynn Lindquist

book blitz

Hi Addicts! I've got a blitz as a part of the Blog tour for Lynn Lindquist's SECRET OF THE SEVENS. Read on, Addicts, for extras and goodies for this suspenseful series.
~Dynomoon

Secret of the Sevens

by Lynn Lindquist

Release Date: 06/2015

Flux Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

Everyone at Singer, a boarding school for underprivileged kids, knows the urban legend of the Society of Seven. Decades ago, the original members of the secret guild for elite students murdered the school's founder and then perished in the fire they lit to hide the evidence. Or so the story goes.

Talan Michaels doesn't care about Singer's past. He's too focused on his future and the fact that he'll be homeless after he graduates in May. To take his mind off it, he accepts a mysterious invitation to join a group calling itself the Sevens. He expects pranks, parties, and perks. Instead, he finds himself neck-deep in a conspiracy involving secret passages and cryptic riddles about the school's history. Even worse, he's now tangled in web of lies someone will kill to keep hidden.

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

“At the end of the day, it’s Talan and his endearing combination of bravado and vulnerability, coupled with the crackling chemistry he shares with Laney, that will keep readers turning the pages. A satisfying read for secret-society fanatics and romantics alike.” – Kirkus Reviews

EXCERPT 1

I wrap an arm around her shoulder. “I didn’t say anything about dropping out. It’ll be fine. I’ll be careful. I promise.” Without thinking, I bundle her close and kiss her forehead.

The second I do it, I’m paralyzed. Laney and I don’t have the kind of friendship where we hug or kiss. Hell, we don’t even touch when we pass the salt at dinner. My arms tense like wood around her back, and I hold my breath waiting for her reaction. I’m a mannequin trapped in a pose while my brain scrambles to come up with a joke I can crack when she pushes me away.

Only she never does.

She nestles inside my arms instead. It’s obvious she’s lost in thought about something, but she still seems pretty damn comfortable.

And so am I.

I’m not used to girls touching me. Well, not like this anyway. I’m blown away by how different this feels. Lying here all peaceful, with uptight Delaney Shanahan all soft and cuddly, snuggling me like a body pillow.

I allow myself to exhale. My hand rests on the center of her back, rising and falling with her even, steady breaths. Her body forms to mine, and I catch a whiff of that lavender stuff again. She lies in a daze with her hand resting over a scar on my chest.

“Stay right there,” I say, sitting up. “I’m cold. I’m just gonna grab a shirt real quick.”

“No.” She nudges me back against the pillow, trapping my eyes with hers. “I’ve seen them before,” she whispers. “They don’t bother me.”

She lowers her head to my chest again and rides her finger over the raised scar that sits over my heart. I reach for her fingers, but she gently nudges my hand aside. “It looks like an S,” she says.

“It is. For Superman.”

She laughs softly and traces over the scar again. “How did you get this, Talan?”

I stumble over my words. “I... I’ve told you. On a playground when I was little.”

“No,” she says quietly, without looking at me. “How did you really get it?”

I’d push her away, but it feels too good, like I’ve been starving for her touch. Her fingers glide warm and tender over my bare skin. That ticklish “S” is totally screwing with me. My nerve endings are whipped into a frenzy. I try to think of something besides her, but it’s too late. My body is painfully aware that I’m lying half-dressed and alone in my bed with Laney, her hands running over my bare chest and her warm curves molded to mine behind a locked door.

Maybe I should try that kiss again, only this time…

“Talan?”

Laney jerks her head up.

“Please tell me it was you that just said my name,” I whisper.

Terror colors her cheeks as she slowly shakes her head from side to side.

“Talan? Are you in there with Laney?” It’s Mom Shanahan.

Laney jumps up and yanks me off the bed so hard that I land on the floor with a thud.

“Yes, we’re in here!” Laney yells a little too enthusiastically. “You can come in Mom. We’re not doing anything.”

Mom jiggles the knob, but the door won’t open. “Why is this door locked?” she shouts.

“Oh fug!” Laney trips over my backpack in her rush to open it.

She reaches it about the same time I notice that the map and Sevens’ note are still spread out on my bed. I dive across the mattress, scrambling to bury the papers under my bedspread before Mom sees them.

When her mother walks in, I’m sprawled bare-chested across my bed, sweating profusely and trying to smooth out my tangled sheets and crumpled comforter. Laney stands next to the doorway, gnawing nervously on her thumbnail. Her hair is mussed and her face is redder than a sunburn.

I’m not sure what it looks like we were doing, but from the expression on Mom’s face, she isn’t giving us the benefit of the doubt anymore.

Ah shit.

Lynn Lindquist lives in a suburb of Chicago with two overly-social sons and a mutt named Slugger who wisely hides under the bed most days. The hordes of teenagers that regularly frequent her house (think Panama City Beach during spring break) provide fodder for her young adult novels and growing anxiety disorder. Ever since her sons broke the Guinness Record for Largest-Rager-Thrown-While-a-Parent-Was-Out-for-the-Night, she enjoys spending her free time at home entertaining friends, cooking, reading, and writing. Thankfully, her favorite things in life are her sons, words, and kids, so she wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is represented by Katherine Boyle at Veritas Literary Agency.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter

Book Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

3:00 AM
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Review The Siren’s Realm by Megan O’Russell

3 star

7:59 AM
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Book Blitz DEFY by Amity Hope

book blitz

4:00 AM
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Review of Descent by Tara Fuller

entangled

Hey Addicts! It's release day for DESCENT by Tara Fuller! Entangled Teen was kind enough to gift me with a ARC copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion, so here we go!

Descent (Kissed by Death #3)

by Tara A. Fuller

Easton doesn’t believe in love. He believes in Death. Darkness. Sin. As a reaper for Hell, it’s all he’s known for over four hundred years. When he gets slapped with the job of training the boss’s daughter, an angel who knows nothing but joy, he knows he’s in for a world of trouble.

Though he’s made it clear he wants nothing to do with her outside of work, Gwen would do anything to get closer to the dark and wounded reaper—even taint her angelic image and join the ranks of her father’s team of reapers. But in all her planning, she forgot to factor in one thing—how far the demons Easton doomed to hell would go to get revenge.

When the dangers of the Hell threaten Gwen, Easton will do whatever it takes to save her. But as the darkness closes in on them both, will he be able to save himself?

MY REVIEW:
I'll start by saying I haven't read the first two books in this series, which turned out to be okay because I didn't feel lost or confused by anything that happened. I love it when I'm able to pick up a book in a series and start reading it, no matter which number in the series it is.
The whole concept of this series grabs me, even though I am NOT a fan of angel books (probably comes from growing up in a strict catholic house............)
I've seen the AMAZING covers for this series and always wanted to read them, so when Entangled Teen started offering ARCs of this one I jumped. The blurb, as you saw above is like, WOW.
Gwen and Easton were some of the best characters I've read on the last few months!
She's this pure, joyful angel and he's this complex, tortured bad boy Hell reaper.
It sounds like your typical set up, but the way the romance comes down is so different. Gwen, being an angel is supposed to spread happiness and want nothing else in her life. Easton is warped and broken from spending four hundred years taking people to hell and being exposed to the tortures that go on there. He is beyond terrified of ruining Gwen with his darkness; but neither of them, despite what they are supposed to feel, can resist one another.
Yes it is insta-lov-ie but we all know I like that so..........no biggie for me.
Easton is like the perfect passionate, strong yet flawed YA hero for me. He had me swooning and fanning myself. Gwen was a lot of fun to read about and I liked her personality and how strong she was.
DESCENT was filled with tons of action and romance and many good things. The world building was great and I enjoyed the pacing and style of Tara Fuller's writing.
Then why only three stars if there was so much I liked?
I am VERY squeamish. All the scenes, the graphic descriptions of what went on in Hell.............I am still cringing just thinking about it. I had to skip over those parts all together because I just couldn't handle them.
This is NOT a book for the faint of heart or those who are squeamish or uncomfortable with dark violent things.

***Raises hand****

This definitely makes me even more interested in reading the first two books, I just hope that they don't have the same graphic content as DESCENT.
There were a few other aspects of this book that got to me, like I wanted more from Easton's other reaper friends and I would have liked to know more about Gwen's world. But at the same time I feel like if there had been more goodness, it would have taken away from the impact of the book.
Outside the disturbing visuals, I was disappointed that I had to skip over so much of the book, because I couldn't handle the content. I can't tell if it's a good thing or bad thing that I still got the story perfectly even without all the other details.........
Overall I would recommend this book to older teens and even adult YA fans. But I DO NOT recommend you let teens younger than 16 read this without the parent first reading it and deciding if it's something they want their young child reading.
Thanks Entangled Teen!
~Dynomoon

Tara Fuller writes novels. Some about grim reapers. Some about witches. All of course are delightfully full of teen angst and kissing. Tara grew up in a one stop light town in Oklahoma where once upon a time she stayed up with a flash light reading RL Stine novels and only dreamed of becoming a writer. She has a slight obsession with music and a shameless addiction for zombie fiction, Mystery Science Theater, and black and white mochas. Tara no longer lives in a one stop light town. Now she lives with her family in a slightly larger town in North Carolina where they have at least three stoplights.

website

twitter: @tara25fuller