Retired

Hey guys,

As you may have guessed, we have retired this blog for the time being. 

We may dig it up again at some point but for right now we're retiring it.

Feel free to catch up with us on our individual websites, and I will continue writing about books, cooking etc with Sara on our blog The Perfect Storm. Feel free to stop on by and give us a hello!

:)

I appreciate every one of you for your support of this page. You guys are flat awesome.

Thanks everyone!

-Hannah

Review: Pie in the Sky by Jane Smiley

Pie in the Sky

Jane Smiley
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction/Children's

Expected Publication: September 11, 2012

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

ISBN: 0375869689

Buy It!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Description:

Abby Lovitt doesn't realize how unprepared she is when she takes her beloved horse, True Blue, to a clinic led by the most famous equestrian anyone knows. The biggest surprise, though, is that Sophia, the girl who never makes a mistake, suddenly makes so many that she stops riding. Who will ride her horse? Abby's dad seems to think it will be Abby. Pie in the Sky is the most expensive horse Abby has ever ridden. But he is proud and irritable, and he takes Abby's attention away from the continuing mystery that is True Blue.

And then there's high school—Abby finds new friends, but also new challenges, and a larger world that sometimes seems strange and intimidating. She begins to wonder if there is another way to look at horses, people, and life itself.

Accompanied by the beautiful imagery of 1960s Northern California, Abby's charming mix of innocence and wisdom guide us through Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley's latest middle-grade horse novel.

Review:

Rating:

I recently read Pie in the Sky by Jane Smiley. I thought it was a very good book. In Pie in the Sky Abby has a has a horse named Blue. He is not very good at jumping so she takes him to a clinic. The man who does the clinic does not like Blue very well. A girl in Abby's class quits riding for an unknown reason. She askes Abby to ride her horse named Pie in the Sky. Abby and Pie in the Sky help his owner get back her confidence to ride. God gave Abby a chance to help Pie's owner. Anyone who likes horses and learning about God would like this book. I really liked reading about the different horses in the story. Pie in the Sky was a great read and I hope Jane Smiley writes another book

I didn't read the whole thing. I am trying to get this schoolwork under control. It is killing me. I thought that what I read was well written. It seemed fast paced with lots of descriptions of horses. Abby liked that it was a Christian book and talked about God. She liked all of the different horses that the author talked about.

*The Book Blogging Beauties  received a copy of this book from Random House Children's Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We were not compensated for this review.

Quarter Life Crisis by Diana-Ashley Krach Free to BBB Readers!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to post about an exciting opportunity for all of our wonderful readers.

The author of Quarter Life Crisis, Diana-Ashley Krach is offering up a code to download her book for FREE. Woohoo!!

To get the free book, simply go here, and use the following code at checkout:

QW78F 

The code is valid until 12/21

First Look: ReAwakened by Ada Adams Excerpt!!

Here's a first look at Ada Adams' new book ReAwakened, the next book in the Angel Creek series.

You get to meet the very intriguing character, Razor.

I can't WAIT to read the book and find out more about him.

Hubba Hubba!

:]

“Meeting Razor” - “ReAwakened”

Ada Adams

 

My two-story fall was cushioned by the intruder’s body. He—a vampire, I realized—groaned as I landed on top of him, forcing his body into the muddy ground. I reached for my dagger, but he was quicker. Before I had a chance to pull it out, he slipped out from underneath me, flipping me over so that he was on top. His firm, muscular body pressed tightly against mine as his hands pinned my wrists to either side of my head. His face was covered by shadows, but I could make out a mischievous smirk dancing across perfectly-shaped full lips.

“You’re quite feisty, aren’t you?” he chuckled, bending forward to examine me. Deep, charcoal eyes overflowed with amusement.

He was actually enjoying this.

“I don’t wanna hurt you,” he whispered in a deep, throaty voice. “I’m gonna release you now. Don’t do anything stupid.”

He lifted his arm, removing his right hand from my left wrist. The moment I felt some freedom, I leaped forward, attempting a left hook at his jaw. He blocked my hand, once again pushing it toward the ground.

“I said I wasn’t going to hurt you!” he growled, pinning me even further into the soft, wet earth.

“Yes, but I never said I wouldn’t hurt you,” I snapped.

He brought his face toward mine. “I’d like to see you try,” he whispered.

Challenge accepted.

I raised my head—the only part of my body that wasn't restrained by the stranger’s body—inching my lips closer to his. He tensed for a moment, his eyes searching mine, as if surprised by my sudden change in behavior. Drops of rainwater slid down his chiseled jaw, pausing briefly on his lips before they plummeted onto mine. Then, a slow, smug smile spread across his face. I felt his body relax and he leaned even closer. His breath caressed my skin as his lips drew near.

It was exactly what I needed. Summoning all my strength, I twisted my hips to the side, shooting them up and out, then launching my legs from the ground. Thrown off-balance, my captor groaned and released one of my arms to brace for the fall, giving me the perfect opportunity to reach for my dagger. In one smooth move I darted behind him, placing him in a secure headlock—the blade of my weapon aimed directly at his heart.

“Who are you?” I demanded when I was certain he couldn’t escape my grip.

“I’m a twenty-four-year-old Taurus who enjoys long walks on the beach.” Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel his arrogant grin.

“You have ten seconds to explain yourself,” I ordered. “And then I’m really going to hurt you.”

“Oh, come on! Can’t we get back to kissing? You can’t tease a guy like that.”

“Ten, nine…” I pressed the dagger deeper into him, nicking the leather of his jacket.

“Hey! Watch it!”

“Eight…”
“Oh, alright. You’re no fun,” he sighed. “My name is Razor.”
“What kind of a name is that?”
“It’s a nickname.”
“What kind of a nickname is that?”

“Spike, Blade, Fang—all the good, pointy objects were already taken by fictional characters. It was the best I could do.”

Fire on the Island by J. K. Hogan Review, Excerpt & Giveaway!!

Fire on the Island

J.K. Hogan

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: August 2, 2012

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing

ISBN: B008RO8BZM

Buy It!

Amazon -Only $3.99!!!

Description:

“She who wields the mark is the barrier between man and monster.

She is the daughter of gods, the mother of man, protector of all.

Vigilati Usque Ad Mortem”

All Isla Macallen wanted was a simple existence on her little Scottish island, free from her

mother's insanity and the prying eyes of neighbors. What she got was embroiled in a war for the

souls of mankind. A war of good versus evil, of witches versus demons, and Isla learns that she

alone can end it.

Dr. Jeremiah Rousseau was a self-proclaimed nomad, traveling the world researching

paranormal phenomena. He doesn't expect his research to lead him to Scotland, and to the

woman who will turn his world upside down.

Together with a facetious shapeshifting animal spirit guide, Jeremiah and Isla discover that she is

part of an ancient bloodline bred to protect the gateways between the human world and the spirit

world, to keep evil demons from destroying them. They must find the key to defeating Alastore,

the demon king, and closing the gate before Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is lifted.

Alastore does everything in his power to eliminate them but, unbeknownst to all of them, Isla is

the only one with the ability to stop him for good.

Review

Rating:

‘Fire On The Island’ was a very deep story about a woman who experienced a very tragic childhood that left her alone and unsure of where she came from or what she was for that matter. On the island that she lives on, the natives began spreading rumors about her, saying that she’s a witch. Those rumors are what catch Jeremiah’s attention. Jeremiah has spent his life working on studying and following paranormal activity and has come across a book he is trying to translate about a group of ancient witches he believes to be from the same island where these rumors have surfaced from. 
So when his editor insists he take a vacation the island is his chosen spot. There he meets Isla she runs Expeditions a place that runs outdoor activities, hikes, kayak tours, and such.
Jeremiah and Isla begin to see each other and Jeremiah discovers Isla is the woman the natives believe is a witch. 
It turns out Isla is a witch and she has no idea but horrible things begin to happen and Isla has to tap into her powers to stop them. 
‘Fire On The Island’ was such a unique story. It was a paranormal tale of witches and demons. However there was also an underlying story about family problems and not knowing who you are or where you came from. I really loved Isla’s character she was so strong, unique, and funny. She was everything you usually hope to find in a main character.
I enjoyed the plot because I really felt like it was fresh and new. I finished this book very quickly; it kept my attention from the very first page. Something intriguing was always happening. ‘Fire On The Island’ is a definite page turner.
I love when paranormal books have that family element to it. Where the whole group bands together to fight the evil force and that’s what happened here.
I would recommend this book for any paranormal fans.

Author Bio:

J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them.

J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives on a farm with her husband and their three horses, one miniature donkey, one cat, and two champion agility dogs.

In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading! Please feel free to visit J.K.’s contact page—she’d love to hear from you!

Excerpt:

Curious about this great book? Check out an excerpt here 

:)

Giveaway!

As a part of this sweet blog tour, we are giving away a copy of Fire on the Island!

Woohoo!

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below!

Good luck!!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

The Fire of Dawn Blog Tour : Review, Excerpt & Giveaway!! 7/24

The Fire of Dawn

V.V. AKU

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: April 1st 2012

Publisher: VA Publications

ISBN: 9789081877114

Buy It!

Amazon -Only $2.99!!!
Smashwords
Createspace

Description:

It’s the last day of the summer holiday in The Hague when Leah Koopmans’s carefree life as a teen is brutally flipped upside down. Her pale skin turns a dazzling gold, her senses heighten, and her muscles possess an uncanny strength. But with these exhilarating new powers comes a thirst that can only be quenched by one thing: human blood.

While her body craves for fresh victims and her heart drowns in guilt, she meets inhumanly handsome Max Machiavelli, who claims that Leah is an immortal like him. Infatuation ignites into blistering passion when Leah joins his coven in Amsterdam. But as the mysteries shrouding her sudden change to immortality unravel, she quickly learns that her aversion to taking life isn’t the only thing that sets her apart from this group of herculean strangers.

From the picturesque canals of Amsterdam to Corsica’s limestone cliffs and the untamed Siberian wilderness; from first loves to fierce battles, The Fire of Dawn is an extraordinary tale packed with romance, betrayal, and bloodsucking suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very last page.

Review

Rating:

When I first began’ The Fire of Dawn’ I thought it was going to be another cheesy vampire novel about some girl who becomes a vampire and has to save the world while falling madly in love with a bad boy vampire. The same story we’ve been told oh so many times. However I was happily surprised by this intensely detailed portrayal of immortals trying to rebuilds their covens after being separated and suffering a loss from an attack from their enemy, The Brotherhood. 

Leah is the key to getting the covens back together and she possesses a great amount of powers. The question is will she use her influence to help get revenge on The Brotherhood?

I really enjoyed this book; it was fresh and had a good story line. Yes it hinted at the characters being vampires but they stated that they are simply immortals, which is in my opinion something new. It was a nice difference for me to read a book about a new paranormal group not vampires. I did think the book started out a bit slow and it really took me a while to get into it. At one point I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get into it honestly, but I kept with it and read some more. I finally got pulled into the story and really got hooked onto the plot and I was not disappointed. 

I really loved the plot and the characters; I think they really made the story for me. I like how they regarded one another as family and not just friends or members of the same coven. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Fire of Dawn’ and the writing was great. It was a very thrilling story. 

Author Bio:

V.V. Aku has always believed in beautiful stories. She found the man of her dreams and her way in complex China, and wrote a fairytale of her own: The Fire of Dawn－a scintillating tale about strength, self-discovery, and a girl who dared to follow her heart.

Born and raised in The Netherlands, V.V. Aku (Veerle Ackerstaff) soon discovered that the world was a place worth exploring. After graduating high school, she set out to travel the globe until she finally touched down in China. On the border of Tibet she met Anzi Aku, a wild, Black Yi man who lives at the foot of the Himalayas. She joined his clan and tries to find her place
among the tribe and its shamans. When she’s not researching the clan’s mythology on vampires, she shamelessly gives in to the compulsion to write about the countless characters that haunt her dreams.

V.V. Aku is the author of The Fire of Dawn and Black Dusk. She has been the creator of stories since the age of three, and has a Post-Graduate Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults from The University of Cambridge ESOL. After nearly a decade of working as an English language teacher and TEFL trainer in China,Thailand, The Netherlands, and the UK, she
now devotes all her time to writing, her family, and practicing Kung Fu. The Fire of Dawn is her debut novel.

Excerpt:

Curious about this great book? Check out an excerpt here & here!

:)

Giveaway!

As a part of this sweet blog tour, we are giving away a copy of Fire of Dawn!

Woohoo!

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below!

Good luck!!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Chasity recieved this book from the author in exchange for any honest review. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We were not compensated for this review.

Review: Imperfect Bliss by Susan Fales-Hill

Imperfect Bliss

Susan Fales-Hill

Genre: Chick Lit/Comedy

Publication Date: July 3, 2012

Publisher: Atria Books

ISBN:1451623828

Buy It!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Description:

Jane Austen meets the Bachelorette in this twenty-first-century comedy of manners about a suburban family, their four eligible daughters, and what happens when reality TV comes to town.With her acclaimed first novel, One Flight Up, author Susan Fales-Hill is on a roll, already leaving her chick-lit predecessors “in the dust,” as the New York Post put it. Now, in Imperfect Bliss, she offers up a hilarious take on genteel family life with a cast of irresistibly eccentric characters. Meet the Harcourts of Chevy Chase, Maryland. A respectable middle class, middle-aged, mixed-race couple, Harold and Forsythia have four eminently marriageable daughters—or so their mother believes. Forsythia named her girls after Windsor royals in the hopes that one day each would find her true prince. But princes are far from the mind of their second-born daughter, Elizabeth (AKA Bliss), who, in the aftermath of a messy divorce, has moved back home and thrown herself into earning her Ph.D. All that changes when aBachelorette-style reality television show called The Virgin takes Bliss’s younger sister, Diana, as its star. Though she fights it at first, Bliss can’t help but be drawn into the romantic drama that ensues, forcing her to reconsider everything she thought she knew about love, her family, and herself.

Review

Rating:

This was a really great, light, funny and refreshing read. Yes, the plot was very predictable, but nevertheless I enjoyed the story immensely. As I said, it was kind of a light read, but I also found myself taking some of the issues talked about in the book, and things that the characters were involved in, and thinking about them more. So even though this was a pretty light, I think there is definitely some deeper meaning behind it, and will leave you with something to think about. Especially in today's society with our fixation on reality t.v., sex etc. 

The heroine (or fairy tale princess) was African American, which I really liked because it doesn't seem to be all that common in books, especially chick lit. I also like some of the issues that the character Bliss brought up, being African American. It added that deeper element to the story definitely.

I also loved the sense of humor of the writer! Like, no, really.

I thought that this book was pretty darn hilarious. The crazy mom, the easy sister, everyone. They were all perfect for the story and I immediately fell in love with them.

Overall this was a great book and I would totally recommend it to fans of funny, chick lit, and definitely satires. 

No kidding folks, this book was pretty funny.

It's sure to make you smile like a fool.

:)

*The BBB's received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We were not compensated for this review.

Review: The Stone Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

The Stone Girl

Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Genre: YA

Expected Publication: August 28, 2012

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

ISBN: 0375870806

Buy It!

Amazon   

Barnes & Noble

Description:

She feels like a creature out of a fairy tale; a girl who discovers that her bones are really made out of stone, that her skin is really as thin as glass, that her hair is brittle as straw, that her tears have dried up so that she cries only salt. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t hurt when she presses hard enough to begin bleeding: it doesn’t hurt, because she’s not real anymore.

Sethie Weiss is hungry, a mean, angry kind of hunger that feels like a piece of glass in her belly. She’s managed to get down to 111 pounds and knows that with a little more hard work—a few more meals skipped, a few more snacks vomited away—she can force the number on the scale even lower. She will work on her body the same way she worked to get her perfect grades, to finish her college applications early, to get her first kiss from Shaw, the boy she loves, the boy who isn’t quite her boyfriend.

Sethie will not allow herself one slip, not one bad day, not one break in concentration. Her body is there for her to work on when everything and everyone else—her best friend, her schoolwork, and Shaw—are gone.

Review:

Rating:

This book is a pass. It reads as though it glorifies eating disorders. A character saying every girl goes through that stage, which just isn’t true. Somewhat reads as a how too manual while no graphic details are given it does cover a character being obsessed with her weight and vomiting, restricting calories and being happy about it. This is the nature of eating disorders. It did accurately portray a person so deep in the disease that nothing else matters. The ending leaves much more to be desired. No real fall out ever comes from her dramatic weight loss which may send the wrong message to some. 

While you are reading this book you keep waiting for the other foot to drop and something to happen it just never does. It is written very monotone with nothing to pull the reader into the story. This is one book to pass on. 

*The Book Blogging Beauties  received a copy of this book from  Random House Children's Books  in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We were not compensated for this review.

Review: Faith and Other Flat Tires: Searching for God on the Rough Road of Doubt by Andrea Palpant Dilley

Faith and Other Flat Tires: Searching for God on the Rough Road of Doubt

Andrea Palpant Dilley

Genre: Religious/Memoir

Publication Date: February 14, 2012

Publisher: Zondervan

ISBN:031032551X

Buy It!

Amazon
 Barnes & Noble

Description:

At age twenty-one, Andrea Palpant Dilley stripped the Christian fish decal off her car bumper in a symbolic act of departure from her religious childhood. At twenty-three, she left the church and went searching for refugein the company of men who left her lonely and friends who pushed the boundaries of what she once held sacred. In this deeply personal memoir, Andrea navigates the doubts that plague believers and skeptics alike: Why does a good God allow suffering? Why is God so silent, distant, and uninvolved? And why does the church seem so dysfunctional? Yet amid her skepticism, she begins to ask new questions: Could doubting be a form of faith? Might our doubts be a longing for God that leads to a faith we can ultimately live with?

Review

Rating:

I actually really liked this book, which, surprised me because I usually am not that much of a fan of memoirs, but I wanted to give this one a go. 

I thought that a lot of the authors stories, points of view, etc were great. As a sort of agnostic myself I can relate to her stories because quite honestly, I've pretty much been there 1000 and one times. I grew up in church my whole life, much like she did so I know exactly what she's talking about.

Overall this is a great book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has doubts about their faith, believing in God, or have just ever felt like things didn't make sense with religion, God, and the human condition.

*The BBB's received a copy of this book for review purposes only. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We were not compensated for this review.

Getting Married And Other Mistakes by Barbara Slate

Getting Married and Other Mistakes

Barbara Slate

Genre: Chick Lit, Graphic Novel

Publication Date: June 12, 2012

Publisher: Other Press

ISBN:1590515358

Buy It!

Amazon 

  Barnes & Noble

Description:

After having been a good girl and following her mother’s advice to snag a husband before she became a twenty-something spinster, Barbara Slate realized that her Mr. Right was actually Mr. Wrong and that she was living her life according to everyone’s rules but her own. After twelve years of an unblissful marriage, she made her escape.
   Now this accomplished comic artist lets it all out in a savagely funny and emotionally honest fictional narrative. Jo, her stand-in protagonist, is a successful wedding photographer (of all things) who has been dumped by her husband and desperately needs to get on with her life. She follows her friends’ advice to get laid, see a shrink, go out more, and live a little. Nothing works. Eventually she realizes that she must stop listening to what everybody else tells her and follow her own voice instead.
   Jo’s struggle with female guilt and her quest for self-awareness, told in a series of hilarious panels, is the perfect book for any woman needing to take back control of her life, or remembering when she did.

Review

Rating:

Super cute comic book for adult women. The stories in it are funny and many will be able to relate. It is the kind of book you can throw in your purse and read when you just have a few mins though you will probably read it in one sitting.

*The Book Blogging Beauties received a copy of this book for review from Other Press. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We were not compensated for this review.

Review: Paula Takes A Risk by Randi M. Sherman

Paula Takes A Risk

Randi M. Sherman

Genre: Chick Lit

Publication Date: January 30, 2012

Publisher: Friesan Press

ISBN: 1770971564

Buy It!

Amazon
  Barnes & Noble

Description:

After thirty-four years of just letting life happen to her, Paula Tenenbaum’s mundane existence was suddenly interrupted. It was bad enough to be fired from her job because she was “average”, but on that same day, her boyfriend also dumped her for being “un-dynamic.” Somehow, someway Paula needed to make a change. But before she could figure out what her first step should be, her scheming neighbor Larry tapped into her silent desperation and dreams and challenged everything that she believed about herself.
At first Paula was skeptical and scared, but quickly, she realized that she had nothing to lose, as she donned the persona of the successful, and vibrant individual that she had always dreamed of being, navigating thru business, colorful personalities and the people that she had idolized from afar.
Written with sharp humor, and huge personality, Paula Takes A Risk is the hilarious story about the metamorphosis of Paula Tenenbaum, who naively enters into an adventure that changes her life. This is a story certain to strike a chord in anyone who secretly desires change, but is afraid to make it.

Review

Rating:

First the pluses, this book is a quick easy read. That's really the only upside. Overall the book was lacking substance. To use the authors words the book was as undynamic as Paula. Paula the main character lacks any substance she just follows others, she loses her job and boyfriend in the same day only to fall for another mans scheme. To me it just made her look weak. Maybe if there was more to the story it reads like someone's brief overview of what happened there are no real details to it. No meat to the story.

*The Book Blogging Beauties received a copy of this book for review from Friesen Press. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We were not compensated for this review.