August TBR and Upcoming Blog Tours

August 2, 2018 karenjo462 Comments

Hello loves! I can’t believe it’s already AUGUST… This year is just going by way too fast. Pretty soon it’ll be Fall, Halloween and then the Holidays!! Anyway, I posted my JULY MONTHLY WRAP-UP yesterday (if you want to check it out), so today I’ll be sharing my August TBR and the blog tours I joined for this month.

I’m challenging myself to read more this month since my puppy kind of has a normal routine/schedule. I’m still spending most of my time entertaining her and you know being a good fur mama, but I do have a little bit more time to read since she knocks out after her walk and dinner. Crossing my fingers I get through most or all of these books.

So without further ado, here are all the books I plan and want to read this month and all the confirmed Blog Tours I’ll be doing.

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In addition to the books I’ll be reading and reviewing for some blog tours, I also plan on reading these books. Wish me luck lovelies!!!

I’m planning on binging this before the movie. Rereading the first two and FINALLY reading the last book.

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Some of these, I was personally asked by the author to check out their books and review if it’s something I would enjoy. I’ve never heard of some of these before, but they sounded really interesting so I’m really looking forward to reading them.

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Blog Tour Stop – August 2, 2018 That’s today so Click HERE to read my review.

Published June 14, 2018

KISS THE BOYS AND MAKE THEM CRY…

THE GODS ARE GONE.

THE PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN THEM.

BUT SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD RACHEL PATEL CAN’T FORGET – THE GODS CONTROL HER LIFE, OR MORE SPECIFICALLY, HER LOVE LIFE.

BEING A HEDONESS, ONE OF A STRONG GROUP OF WOMEN DESCENDED FROM GREEK GOD EROS, MAKES TRUE LOVE IMPOSSIBLE FOR RACHEL. SHE WIELDS THE POWER OF THAT MAGICAL GOLDEN ARROW, AND WITH IT, THE PROMISE TO TAKE THE WILL OF ANY BOY SHE KISSES. BUT THE LAST THING RACHEL WANTS IS TO FORCE SOMEONE TO LOVE HER . . .

WHEN SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD BENJAMIN BLAKE’S DISAPPEARANCE LINKS BACK TO THE HEDONESSES, RACHEL’S WORLD COLLIDES WITH HIS, AND HER BIGGEST FEAR BECOMES A TERRIFYING REALITY. SHE’S FALLING FOR HIM – A MESSY, MAGNETIC, ARROW-OVER-FEET TYPE OF FALL.

RACHEL DISTANCES HERSELF, STRUGGLING TO RESIST THE GROWING ATTRACTION, BUT WHEN HE GIVES UP HIS DREAM TO HELP HER EVADE ARREST, DISTANCE BECOMES AN INSURMOUNTABLE TASK. WITH THE POLICE HOT ON THEIR TRAIL, RACHEL SOON REALIZES THERE ARE DARKER FORCES HUNTING THEM – A GROUP OF MORTALS RECRUITED BY THE GODS WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO PRESERVE THE POWER OF THE HEDONESSES – NOT TO MENTION EROS HIMSELF, WHO IS DESPERATE TO REVERSE THE CURSE . . .

RACHEL MUST LEARN TO DO WHAT NO HEDONESS HAS DONE BEFORE – TO RESIST HER GIFT – OR SHE’LL TURN THE PERSON SHE’S GROWN TO LOVE INTO A SHADOW OF HIMSELF … FOR EVER.

courtingcarlyn

Blog Tour Stop – August 7, 2018

aboutthebook2 Expected Publication August 6, 2018

Vaughn Yarborough is ready to trade the fame and glory of the international junior pro tennis circuit for college and a more settled life. First stop: spearhead a summer camp for underprivileged kids. The girl who’s agreed to run it with him has Vaughn more intrigued by the minute, but with the strict no-fraternizing rules, he’s got to figure out how not to fall for her.

When the boy Carlyn Sadowski has crushed on for years asks her to work with him for the summer, she has to pinch herself. When his world-famed coach offers her training for free, she can’t believe her luck. He could actually help her follow in her mother’s footsteps by playing college tennis. But when she finds out the catch is she’s got to convince Vaughn to go pro, Carlyn will have to decide between her dreams and the boy currently stealing her heart.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book features a super-hot sports star, the shy girl looking to grow her confidence on and off the court, and late-night shenanigans that would make your camp counselor blush.

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Review Stop – August 8, 2018

aboutthebook2 Expected Publication August 6, 2018

Aspen Cove, Colorado, isn’t on Lydia Nichols’s wish list when she finishes her residency at Denver General Hospital, but life delivered several surprising blows. Her long-time boyfriend, who was also her boss, moved on with a nurse and took Lydia’s job with him. No boyfriend. No job. No options. As a favor to her sister, she arrives in the small mountain town for a temporary job as the clinic doctor. Her first question when she gets there is ‘how fast can I leave?’ That is, until sinfully sexy Wes Covington comes into the clinic seeking care. With him around, Lydia may have found a reason to stay—for now.

Wes Covington left his demons in Denver. Working for his family’s architectural firm, he was tired of being almost—almost good enough, almost rich enough, almost loveable enough. He abandoned his penthouse, his high-paying position and his Porsche for simple, small-town life. All he wants is to restore his ancestral home and find a good woman who’ll love him for who he is and not what he’s worth. When Wes meets Dr. Lydia Nichols, he likens her to a hellion with a halo. She’s the perfect mix of sassy and sweet, cunning and compassion, but she’ll never be his unless he can convince her to stay.

Love blooms when the timing is right, but will Lydia surrender her chance at love or can Wes convince her that everything she’ll ever want or need is right in Aspen Cove?

BLOG TOUR STOP – AUGUST 15, 2018

aboutthebook2

Published March 31st 2018

The Uprising Series tells the story of three freedom fighters and their friends in high — and low — places that come together to overthrow a vainglorious Emperor and his militaristic Cabal to restore the city, and the way of life, they once knew and loved.

In The Gathering, Jamie Ryan has defected from the Cabal and has joined his former brothers-in-arms — Basile Perrinault and Kanoa Shinomura — to form a collective known as The Uprising. When an explosion leads to him crossing paths with Evanora Cunningham — a product of Jamie’s past — he discovers that The Uprising is bigger, and more important, than he thought.

BLOG TOUR STOP – AUGUST 17, 2018

aboutthebook2

Expected publication: August 14th 2018 by Swoon Reads

Seventeen-year-old Claire Collins has a plan: get into college and leave North Carolina behind. What she doesn’t have is an idea for how to get rid of the local football star and womanizer extraordinaire—Adam Meade, who she can’t even avoid (despite many efforts), because Claire’s dad is the high school football coach.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Meade never fails. He always gets what he wants… until he meets Claire, the new girl who leaves him unnerved, pissed off, and confused. But there’s something about her that he just can’t resist…

With the bite of lemon meringue pie and the sugar of sweet tea, Surviving Adam Meade is a sexy and compelling young adult novel about two strong-willed people who think they know what they want but have no idea what they need.

bloodcure

Review Stop – August 21, 2018

aboutthebook2 Expected Publication August 21, 2018

The stunning conclusion to the Blood Type series finds the world in chaos and turmoil with one final battle left to determine who will survive—humans or vampires.

She had the world on her shoulders. Now she has nothing.

Reyna Carpenter was twenty-one when she became a live-in blood escort for the ruthless and darkly handsome vampire Beckham Anderson. She thought this was just a small price to pay for feeding her brothers back home.

But nothing went as planned. Not even her tumultuous relationship with Beckham. And now she wonders if anything will ever be the same again.

As she finds herself in the midst of a losing rebellion, she and her trusted friends must flee from a city conquered by the vampire elite. With their plans blown to pieces and everything they knew and loved gone, their future hangs in the balance.

Despite all she has lost, Reyna must rise from the ashes, reclaim the life that was stolen—and complete her mission, once and for all.

BLOG TOUR STOP – AUGUST 28, 2018

Excerpt Only. Not Reading or Reviewing at the moment

aboutthebook2 Published July 3, 2018

Death is just the beginning.

After dying in a terrible car accident, Rhett awakens in the afterlife and is recruited to join the crew of the Harbinger, a colossal seafaring vessel tasked with ferrying the souls of the dead. To where exactly, no one knows. But the crew must get the souls there, and along the way protect them from vicious soul-eating monsters that will stop at nothing to take the ship and all of its occupants.

Rhett and his new friends have a hard enough time fighting back the monsters that grow bolder and more ferocious every day. But then a new threat emerges, a demon who wants something that Rhett has. And if she gets it, it could mean the end of everything… for both the living and the dead.

StormoftheGodsTourBanner

BLOG TOUR STOP – AUGUST 30, 2018

Excerpt Only. Not Reading or Reviewing at the moment

aboutthebook2 Expected Publication August 28, 2018

Thirty years ago, the gods of Greek legend returned to the world. Their return restored their powers, which had been spent in a cataclysmic battle with the Titans. With the ancient deities imprisoned in Tartarus, the Olympians now reside in Néo Vasíleio, formerly known as California.

Twenty-four-year-old Derek Aerios is a war scion, a descendent of Ares, the God of War. He and his brother, eighteen-year-old Liam, capture mythological creatures and rogue scions as part of Ares’s elite military force. As he struggles to cope with his violent powers and the scars of a traumatic childhood, Derek tries to keep the two vows he has made: protect his brother, and never kill a human again.

But when Ares forces him to hunt and kill four rogue scions under Athena’s control—by threatening Liam’s life—Derek chooses to go after the scions in order to save his brother and keep his promise to himself.

Yet the closer Derek gets to the scions, the more he realizes that his orders are part of a deeper conspiracy that put him at odds with his mission and his conscience. Athena may not be the enemy, a traitor could be in their midst, and the Titans could be closer to freedom than ever before.

Have you read any of these? Any of them on your TBR? Let me know in the comments.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. Have a great rest of the day loves!

Blog Tour – The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman Review + Giveaway

July 31, 2018August 1, 2018 karenjo466 Comments

Hello bookish friends and welcome to my blog tour stop for The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. I am so thrilled to be part of this tour and I cannot wait for you to fall in love and swoon over Elise and Mati. aboutthebook2

The Impossibility of Us
Katy Upperman
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: July 31st 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

The last thing Elise wants is to start her senior year in a new town. But after her brother’s death in Afghanistan, she and her mother move from San Francisco to a sleepy coastal village.

When Elise meets Mati, they quickly discover how much they have in common. Mati is new to town too, visiting the U.S. with his family. Over the course of the summer, their relationship begins to blossom, and what starts out as a friendship becomes so much more.

But as Elise and Mati grow closer, her family becomes more and more uncomfortable with their relationship, and their concerns all center on one fact—Mati is Afghan.

Beautifully written, utterly compelling, and ultimately hopeful, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US asks—how brave can you be when your relationship is questioned by everyone you love?

purchaselinks Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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5hearts

A Remarkably Timeless, Touching and Achingly Beautiful Tale

About Family, Friendship, Love, Acceptance and Hope

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Katy Upperman’s debut novel, Kissing Max Holden, was one of my Top Ten Favorite Reads in 2017. It was deeply moving, deliciously swoony and so full of heart. I couldn’t wait to read The Impossibility of Us, and now that I have, I can honestly say that I’m a forever fan of Upperman’s gorgeous writing — breathtakingly emotional, amazingly realistic, and wonderfully affecting.

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. The Impossibility of Us undeniably captured my heart, completely consumed my thoughts, and had me wiping away my tears... many many tears. (It was really bad too cause I read most of the book while I was at work so I had to pretend I was sneezing and having allergies… that was embarrassingly not fun, but I just could not stop reading… it was that good!!). Even now, I’m still thinking about Elise and Mati and everything that happened. I think I even dreamed about them once during the weekend. This beautiful story just made me FEEL so much and the FEELS were absolutely the worst and the best!

I loved the heart melting slow burn and forbidden romance. Elise and Mati had this complicated and impossible situation to deal with, but they fit so well together that I couldn’t help but root for them. Not to mention, the unimaginable attraction between them was so swoony and intense it had me holding my breath the entire time. I could FEEL their anticipation and burning desire to be with each other. Every time they were apart, I felt just as uneasy and anxious as they did. It certainly made me reminisce the times I felt that way during my teenage years and it was a really good nostalgic feeling. I can’t say this enough — Upperman, without a doubt, knows how to create sweet romantic relationships that are not only swoontastic, but also genuine and so relatable.

As I’ve already mentioned, I love Upperman’s gorgeous writing. It’s incredibly touching, compelling, and heartfelt. The FEELS in this book overwhelmed and completely wrecked me, but in the loveliest ways possible. Upperman simply takes my breath away with her beautiful words. She writes with so much emotion and realness it’s sometimes painful, but it’s also an absolute delight getting sucked into her stories that I honestly cannot get enough.

I also really enjoyed the alternating POVs, but I have to admit… I’m hopelessly in love with Mati’s chapters. They’re written in creative poetic verses and were some of favorite parts of this book that I’ve actually reread some of them quite a few times just so I can experience the FEELS again.

The plot was engaging, insightful, and realistic. I loved how Upperman perfectly balanced the good and the bad, the ups and downs, and the ugliness and the beauty of what it truly means to be human. The racial tension, harassment, hatred, and utter lack of compassion was terribly upsetting. Some dialogues and scenes even angered me while other circumstances had me in tears. My heart hurt and felt so heavy and at times it was too much… But, aside from all the tears and aches, Upperman also included plenty of HEART and uplifting moments that will make you smile, give you hope, and fill you with love. And that’s what I love most about Upperman’s stories.

The characters were really great. Elise was such an easy character to like. She’s smart, caring, open-minded, and brave. I admired her strength for always trying to be more understanding and standing up for herself and her own beliefs. Then there’s sweet Mati. He’s artistic, kind, gentle, and compassionate. Mati can also be playful and funny. He just had this beautiful and warm personality that you can’t help but fall for him. I certainly did and swooned so much.

Adored the side characters too like Ryan, Xavier, and Mati’s Baba. They were all charming and lovable. Janie, Elise’s niece, and Bambi, Elise’s dog, were so cute and provided some lighthearted fun moments. I really did like all the characters in this book and rooted for them all to have happy endings… yes even the adults who infuriated me at times. These characters just felt so real to me that I sympathized and cared about them as if they were my close friends.

Whew!! This review went longer than I expected, but in short, this book is simply wonderful. With writing that is utterly captivating, an emotionally engaging plot, and complex but relatable characters, Upperman created a remarkably timeless, touching, and achingly beautiful story about family, friendship, love, and acceptance. This book may have shattered my heart quite a few times, but it also pieced it back together with so much warmth, happiness, and hope reminding me that while there’s so much negativity in this world, there are plenty of good and kindness. Just remember — “Don’t walk through life blind.”

If you love walks on the beach, cookies, adorable dogs, to die for kisses, and stories that will keep you up late at night smiling like a dork, clutching your heart, crying till your eyes hurt and swooning over and over, then this book is absolutely perfect for you.

Hands down one of the BEST books I’ve read in 2018!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, Swoon Reads, and Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest and fair review. All thoughts, opinions, tears and swoons are my own.

favequotes There are so many amazing quotes in this book and I highlighted my kindle like crazy. Here are some of them… okay actually maybe like almost half of them cause I just couldn’t choose, but Be Warned!! — They do spoil some of the swoons and fun, so if you don’t want that, then keep scrolling down for the giveaway.

“Lissy, with that attitude, you’ll never find love.”

“I don’t want to find love — I want it to find me. I want it to crash into me. Knock me down. Seize me.”

“Okay, now I’m uncomfortable. But like, wonderfully, gloriously, amazingly uncomfortable.”

“I feel his stare, physically in the depths of me. I feel it in the way my flesh tingles and my heart skips and my cheeks warm.”

“They’re issues rooted in fear, in grief, but that doesn’t make them any less offensive.”

“I believe two people, two souls, can know each other instantaneously, and recognize how each longs to spend a lifetime devoted to the other. Like when you hear a song and feel its lyrics profoundly, as if they were inscribed on your heart and yours alone. It’s a connection that eludes explanation, and defies logic. It seems impossible, until it happens.”

“It’s innocent, his touch, and it’s everything but; stirring and sensual and suggestive. My breath comes rapidly and I’m hot everywhere, tingling from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet.”

“I absolutely do not understand — will never understand how he can be so rational, so selfless, so composed in the face of gross inequality — I can appreciate how different his experience is from mine. I’ve never walked in his shoes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stroll beside him. That doesn’t mean I can’t learn from his perspective and offer support in all the ways I know how.”

“We kiss for eternies, and oh God, it’s perfect. The sort of perfect I’m not likely to forget. The sort of perfect no other boy will live up to in a lifetime of kisses.”

“It was hard, but all the challenges, all the pain? Worth it. I guess that’s my point: Somtimes you have to trudge through heartache to figure out which path to take.”

“Whenever I think of him, for the rest of my life, my heart will hurt. Neither time nor distance will change that. You won’t either. I love him and I don’t care if you approve. I will never care if you approve.”

“I don’t have to stop modeling acceptance. I don’t have to stop believing that someday, she’ll come around.”

authorbio2

Katy Upperman is a graduate of Washington State University, a former elementary school teacher, and an insatiable reader. When not writing for young adults, Katy can be found whipping up batches of chocolate chip cookies or exploring the country with her husband and daughter. KISSING MAX HOLDEN is her debut novel; her sophomore novel, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US, will be available summer, 2018.

followtheauthor2 Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter