blog tour

Review: Fall For You by Cecilia Gray Blog Tour

July 20, 2012 by Sana

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Title: Fall For You (The Jane Austen Academy Series, #1)
Author: Cecilia Gray
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 10 February 2012
Pages: 70 (eARC)

Synopsis

To say Lizzie and Dante are polar opposites is the understatement of the century. He’s a snooty Exeter transfer with more money than Google. She’s a driven study-a-holic barely keeping up with tuition. It’s obvious that Dante thinks he’s way too good for Lizzie. And Lizzie knows Dante is a snob with a gift for pushing her buttons.

But things are changing fast this year at the Academy. And when Lizzie’s quest to stop those changes blows up in her face, taking her oldest friendship with it, she has nowhere else to turn but to Dante, with his killer blue eyes, his crazy-sexy smile, and his secrets… Secrets Lizzie can’t seem to leave alone, no matter how hard she tries…

My Rating

* * *

The Review

Fall For You is a quick read which offers just what it promises to the reader. The book opens in the middle of a crisis brewing. For Lizzie, that is. Everything she has known as home in Jasta (that would be her beloved Jane Austen Academy) is being wrenched away from her. But she might have a chance of saving Jasta from the indifference of the new owners and the cunningness of Headmistress Berg. And you can be sure she is going to take that chance.

Tired of her life in Chicago where her parents are always busy and the non-existent friends, Lizzie is more than glad to be back at Jasta for her junior year. But things have taken a turn for the worse unbeknownst to Lizzie.

Lizzie takes up the position of Gazette‘s managing director and becomes Anne’s (her nemesis) room mate in exchange for withdrawing her request for rooming with Ellie, her best friend. Lizzie actually wants to halt whatever improvements Headmistress Berg is preparing for. As if it wasn’t enough to admit boys in Jasta and to give up the privacy of their single rooms.

Now all Lizzie has to do is help Anne throw a fabulous Welcome Back dance and find out who the new owners of Jasta are at the cost of her friendship with Ellie whose finding a new close friend in Emma. Then Dante literally falls into her unwilling lap because she has to feature the children of the parents in the Trust. Can she trust him or he’s being helpful for his own selfish gain?

As Fall For You is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are reflected in Lizze and Dante. For Lizze, it is about being quick-witted and adept when it comes to news while for Dante, prejudices can often end up being well, not accurate.

The plot was a little unrelateable for my liking but Fall For You is fast-paced and the motivation of Lizzie in saving Jasta made me want to go on reading it to find out her next step. Fall For You is the first book in a six story series. I enjoyed reading it and it is definitely a new spin to the usual offered in stories set in high school.

Best Quote:

“She turned to leave, her heart pounding. But even as she felt the fear of what she’d done, it was eclipsed by the joy of being back on her own two feet, on her own terms again.”

About the Author

Cecilia Gray lives in Oakland where she reads, writes and breaks for food. She also pens her biographies in the third person. Like this. As if to trick you into thinking someone else wrote it because she is important. Alas, this is not the case.

Cecilia has been praised for “instilling a warmth and weight into her characters” (Romancing The Book Reviews) and her books have been praised for being “well-written, original, realistic and witty” (Quills & Zebras Reviews).

Several of her titles – including A Delightful Arrangement (The Gentlemen Next Door #1) and An Illicit Engagement (The Gentlemen Next Door #2) – have spent, in her view, a shocking amount of time on bestseller lists for romance, historical romance and regency romance in the US, UK, Italy and Spain.

She’s rather enamored of being contacted by readers and hopes you’ll oblige.

Cecilia Gray can be found at

| Amazon (Kindle) | B&N | Smashwords |

Thanks to Cecilia Gray and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Fall For You for review.

Review: The Dream Slayer by Jill Cooper Blog Tour + Giveaway

July 15, 2012 by Sana

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Title: The Dream Slayer (The Dreamer Slayer Series, #1)
Author: Jill Cooper
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 25 June 2012
Pages: 312 (eARC)

Synopsis

When your dreams come true, sometimes you get more than you bargained for…

Natalie Johnson has always dreamed she’s someone else; calm, beautiful, in control. A chosen warrior with a maniacal arch nemesis and a dreamy boyfriend, the type that can make your knees melt and your heart quiver.

Real life is much different. She’s tormented by a bully and endures the sharp tongue of her father, but finds solace in her dreams.

When her bully ends up dead, de ja vu from a dream hits her hard as everything around her begins to fall apart.

Whatever killed Sarah in her dreams is now in reality, hunting her from the shadows. And it wants her dead.

Somehow as the lines between reality and nightmare blur, Natalie must discover hidden strength to pull her friends and family back from the brink of madness.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

Jill Cooper takes the paranormal genre to another level in The Dream Slayer. Natalie Johnson’s life sucks; bullied by Sarah the cheerleader, a parent who is always drunk and the other a bearer of the outcomes. It seems like apart from Tristan, the one BFF she hasn’t managed to lose to the social abyss that is high school (insert Michelle, captain of the cheerleading team), life is at its worst. The escape? Dreams. Only if that weren’t so complicated what with Natalie’s dreams now crossing over to the reality and the constant onslaught of déjà vus. What’s a girl to do?

Natalie is a loser and a scared little mouse, nobody pays her any attention except to laugh at her when she’s being bullied. She hates it, Tristan hates it; but she knows it will only get worse if she does anything to resist the bullying. Except it does in her dream because Sarah becomes possessed and throws herself over the window of the high school building. Talk about a dramatic death and on the night of the pep rally no less. Only Natalie has seen that already, in her dream.

It all really started when a portal opened and the Patricians escaped through it. It happened in her dream but the horror of it spilling over to the reality was only the beginning. It’s a good thing that Natalie’s alter ego is a kick-butt, strong, fearless demon slayer with a hot boyfriend, Damien. Mark is her custodian in dreams but in reality, it is Charles. Oh and the demon master, Morach is a big, fat nuisance to just everybody included.

As much as Natalie has to now embrace her fate of being a paladin, she needs all the strong-wiliness she can muster and she does. She rises above and beyond the pitiful feelings of being scared and pushed over all the time. She pulls out of it a stronger, kick-butt, magic-wielding heroine. How she does it is a sure treat to read and a very enjoyable and engrossing one at that.

The Dream Slayer is an action-packed, chock full of one hell of a great storyline debut by Jill Cooper. The cover is mesmerizing and the paranormal aspect of the story mixed with the dreams is like a breath of fresh air. For Natalie, it is somewhat of a coming of age story as well and it was a novel thing to see an average, fat girl with chunky fingers get transformed into a strong character in her dreams and then some. I will recommend The Dream Slayers to the lovers of the paranormal genre. This is a thrilling start to an awesome series.

Best Quote:

“The feeling of being more than human—more than Natalie—overtook her and replaced every feeling of self-loathing and doubt she’d ever had. Natalie felt awake for the first time. Every emotion was stronger and more vibrant than before. She never wanted to give this up. Never.”

About the Author

Jill Cooper loves tea more than coffee and is obsessed over finding that perfect recipe. She lives in Danvers, MA with two cats, a toddler, a husband, and a 1964 yellow taxi. Her life is chaotic, but fun.

She is currently working on a new Sci-fi thriller and the sequel to The Dream Slayer.

Jill Cooper can be found at

| Amazon | Amazon (Kindle) | B&N |

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of The Dream Slayer and the blog tour, Jill Cooper is going to wrap up all up with a grand finale Kindle Fire give away!

Enter to win, some entries are allowed more than once, just come back every day! The winner will be chosen by random at the end of the contest on August 1st.

Step 1 – Purchase The Dream Slayer for less than a cup of coffee.

Step 2 – Enter to win it.

Go here to enter via the Rafflecopter widget and earn up to 36 entries.

Thanks to Jill Cooper and Supa Gurl for providing me a copy of The Dream Slayer for review.

Review: Silent Song by Ron C. Nieto Blog Tour

July 2, 2012 by Sana

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Title: Silent Song
Author: Ron C. Nieto
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 1 July 2012
Pages: 290 (eARC)

Synopsis

The princess of the school, Alice, is keeping a secret that could strip her of her high school fame. She is obsessed with the school’s outcast, Keith, but not just him – his music.

Since the inspiration for the song hit, Keith can’t get it out of his mind. The song must be played; it demands to be played. He knows the music is changing him, but he is unable to stop it.

Music has the ability to move you, enlighten you, and take you to places you have never dreamed of. And this particular piece? It has a life of its own and makes you forget who you really are.

As Keith and Alice learn of one another to the notes of that one perfect tune, they can overlook their roles and discover who they could be together. But they also discover someone else is listening and intends on keeping Keith to herself, possibly for an eternity.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

Some books are hard to review because they are too dull or drab while others because they are too bloody brilliant. Silent Song falls in the latter category. It made me feel a range of emotions strengthening my connection to the story. Silent Song made me smile in contentment, gulp in horror and it pricked my senses. A beautifully written book, I immensely enjoyed reading it from the get go.

Alice is the girl in high school, she’s in the popular crowd. In other words, a princess whose reputation will be tarnished if she so much as speaks with one of the outsiders. But she has a secret which might just ruin her reputation for good. She listens to his music as he plays his guitar crouching under his bedroom’s window. She used to know him, Keith, but he moved away and when he came back to town well, things were too different for them reconnect. So Alice ignored him and he became ‘Dracula in Drag’ with silver-streaked hair and black-painted nails.

Silent Song is all about music and I love books which focus on music all around. The way Ron described Keith’s compositions, the crescendos and decrescendos and most of all how Keith emotions lay bare for Alice. They could never be anything but Alice needs to listen to his music. However, things change when her Lit class veers into a totally different direction for the annual play. From playing Jane Austen’s Romeo and Juliet for the last couple of years, to the school board giving them the green light for Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. A very unusual choice at the least.

The class decides to take it a step further and compose an original soundtrack for the play. Lena, another of the in crowd, suggests that they ask Keith to do that. Alice feels happy because now she gets to listen more of Keith’s songs. Keith composes a spectacular piece for the play which helps sets the ambiance for the emotions behind the story. As Lady Windermere, Alice gets to spend time with Keith and listen to his music to perform and give the best rendition of her life. She decides that she would like to befriend Keith which doesn’t sit well with her gang. Then The Incident happens which forces Alice, her BFF Anna and Dave to go their own way away from Lena and the others.

However, that is a minor glitch compared to what’s in store with Keith playing an almost unpleasant song and being unable to stop physically. As much as all of this is out of Alice’s league, she is falling for Keith and cannot see him break down like this over a song. They do some research and what they find is beyond the petty jealousy and hate Lena feels toward Alice.

Silent Song is a story that made me think long after I finished reading it. It is about breaking away from life as you know it so you can go on to grasp what you are really meant for. The feeling of rightness takes but a moment to surface. Silent Song was definitely an unpredictable read for me and I was almost of my chair thinking what would happen next. Beatrice is definitely a character I won’t be forgetting for a long time. Read Silent Song, it is a a very well-written debut by Ron C. Nieto.

Thank you, Ron for writing Silent Song and embracing what you’ve always wanted to be. I knew from the way you write your reviews that you would make one awesome author and Silent Song proves that. I am really proud of you. For my readers, knowing Ron as one of my best blogger friends have not affected my review of Silent Song at all.

Best Quote:

“After a while, the song didn’t end as any other song would. It exhausted its emotions and died out, like a candle without air, and became flat and unresponsive before it shifted, swelling and starting over again. This time it broadcast a mixture of tenderness, loneliness, and pain.”

About the Author

Ron C. Nieto is a fantasy and romance author who has been writing in her secluded fortress for the longest time. Recently, she had a talk with her cat and decided that she should share her creations, because it was selfish to hoard them all for herself.

If you would like to know more about her, please visit her website.

Ron C. Nieto can be found at

Review: Knee Deep by Jolene Perry Blog Tour

June 16, 2012 by Sana

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Title: Knee Deep
Author: Jolene Perry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Tribute Books
Release Date: 1 May 2012
Pages: 239 (eBook)

Synopsis

Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He’s her soul mate. He’s more uptight every day, but it’s not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she’s adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he’ll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.

Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He’s the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she’s playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.

Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

Knee Deep is all about immersing oneself more than one can take and there is only one driving force behind it: the fear of letting go. When I started reading Knee Deep, I never thought it would be such an emotional ride for Ronnie, Shawn and Luke. To see Ronnie mature emotionally was a very unlikely experience for me as it gave me insight into the reason for staying in relationships that end up bringing one down.

It’s hard to break out of one’s comfortable zone and Ronnie taught me how difficult it could be. Not that I didn’t get the urge to shake some sense into her. Ronnie is an insecure and confused character in the book. She is so desperate to keep things with Shawn at peace that she keeps stepping on her wishes time and again.

Ever since Shawn came back after the summer, he has been tight-lipped, moody and gets easily upset. So much that Ronnie and they end up arguing every other day. But Ronnie knows that things at home are not alright with Shawn. She knows that she is just adding to the list of problems rather than helping him come out of the funk.

To make matters more perplexing, Ronnie gets the role of Juliet’s understudy but end up playing her role opposite Luke. Now she has to keep her growing attraction towards Luke under wraps by convincing herself what she feels for Luke is due to Juliet, not herself. She knows she is treading on dangerous ground here but Shawn is her soul mate and all of this will blow over once the play is over.

But Shawn’s behavior is making Ronnie more and more afraid of him but unable to do anything about it, she takes the next best option: she bears the physical pain because it is definitely a small episode. However, things only take a turn for worse. Especially after the play when Luke comes clean about his feelings and Shawn is waiting outside for Ronnie so that they could be alright again.

Knee Deep kept me on my toes towards the end and I can only say how much I appreciated Jolene Perry for pointing out the importance that sometimes not being in a relationship is good for a person. Not saying how it ended though. On a side note, I really liked the dressing sense of Ronnie and her wedge heels, too. Knee Deep is a roller-coaster ride of emotions and I highly recommend it to the readers of contemporary YA.

Best Quote:

“Why is it that I can sit there and listen to their stories and know exactly what they should have done, but had no idea what to do in my own story? My story that’s my LIFE. If it’s so important, why didn’t I know what to do?”

About the Author

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.

Jolene Perry can be found at

| Amazon (Kindle) | B&N | Payloadz (pdf) | Smashwords

Thanks to Tribute Books for providing me a copy of Knee Deep for review.

Review: Black Satin by Rae Hachton Blog Tour + Giveaway

June 9, 2012 by Sana

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Click here to read my review of Pretty In Black (Pretty In Black, #1)

Title: Black Satin (Pretty In Black, #2)

Author: Rae Hachton

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Publisher: Teen Pulse

Release Date: 28 May 2012

Pages: 303 (eARC)

Synopsis

Marcus Marble has disappeared from Ellie’s life, and she needs answers to questions and he’s the only one who can answer them. How is her sister back from the dead, and why is Ellie still alive?

When Ellie realizes Marcus isn’t coming back, she is forced to move on with her life the best way she can, in hopes of finding the answers herself, but when people at school begin to be viciously murdered, and Giles reveals to her a life changing secret, she decides to investigate the possible truth of it.

What she discovers is more than she thought she would. The only time Ellie feels normal is when she’s around Walter, the new guy at school. And normal is how she wants to feel, now that Marcus is gone from her life. But Walter may not be all that he seems, either, and she just might spiral in to an even more dark world, she never thought possible. And when it occurs to her that Marcus has made the decision to pass on through to the afterlife, during the Risorgimento, she races against time to stop him, while knowing she has feelings for Walter, too.

Will she make it in time to stop Marcus from passing through, and if she does, what will she tell Walter? Her heart will have to make the final decision. But will the choice be worth dying for

My Rating

* * *

The Review

As it usually is with sequels, Black Satin delves deeper into the world of Nevermore: the Evermores, the Corvidae hunters and the Gargoyles. It explored more despite being more fast paced and with more action. Ellie gets to know more of her past; meets people who know more about the land of Nevermore and the Land of the Naught (Gargoyle’s residence) and uncover the mystery surrounding her life.

Ellie, being a mature protagonist, knows that she has to move on somehow now that Marcus has disappeared from her life. But she also knows that despite having her family the way it was before everything turned ugly will never be enough. She tries anyway.

Enter Walter, the new student, who is instantly attracted to Ellie, is devastatingly good looking and have an air of mystery surrounding him. This is where the story gets off-track. I personally think the story could have easily moved forward even without Walter. It just complicated things and as for the role Walter played, that could have been fulfilled by Fifi. The reason I am saying this is because being as feisty and smart as Ellie is, the more quickly Walter fell for Ellie. In fact, it was insta-love for them. I think it made Black Satin a somewhat ordinary story.

However, I saw Ellie grow in Black Satin even though she seemed to neglect her family for Marcus which is understandable but not to the extent that Ellie went to. The dream sequence scene where Ellie dreams of clocks is visually simulating scene and I was entranced. Walter, on the other hand, is a character who is capable of competing with Marcus for Ellie; he has that factor.

Marcus was absent from most of Black Satin. At the start of the book, there is a chapter that narrates the scene from Marcus’ point of view when Ellie and Marcus first meet in the cemetery. I found it to be a pleasant addition as it provided me with a much needed insight on the character of Marcus.

In all, Black Satin is an interesting read and I would be continuing the story to its last quartet. The rituals of the Nevermores, the journey of Ellie to the Land of the Naught and finally, the race against time to get to Marcus before he passes over during the Risorgimento ceremony is what Black Satin is all about. The spunk Ellie has is very likable and I look forward to reading more from Rae Hachton.

Best Quote:

“Snow flakes fell from the majestic sky above us, wrapping us in a haunting globe, both tragic and beautiful.”

About the Author

Rae Hachton [pronounced H-ton] is the nom de plume of author Desirae Hennington. She is the Indie Author of the Gothic Romance series Pretty in Black. She is twenty-three years old and lives with her Muse and her Ghost. When she is not composing new novels, she is working on her cinematography studies, and devouring YA books. Her favorite band is The Raveonettes, and she is a major fan of Edgar Allan Poe and Ravens and Crows.

Although she is writing Gothic Fiction at the moment, her favorite genre of all time is Contemporary YA. Favorite contemporary book: tie between Forever by Judy Blume and the Summer I turned Pretty series by Jenny Han. Favorite author: David Levithan. If Rae Hachton wasn’t writing, she’d give it one last shot at being kewl, and probably start a band.

Rae Hachton can be found at

Buy Black Satin (Pretty In Black, #2)

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The Giveaway

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Thanks to Rae Hachton and Supa Gurl for providing me a copy of Black Satin for review.

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