Head Stuck In A Book: (ARC) Book Review (502): November 9 - Colleen Hoover

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November 9

by Colleen Hoover

Publication: 10th November 2015

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 320

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: New Adult

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

My Thoughts.

I've read many of Colleen's books, I know enough by now to also believe that every book of hers should start with this disclaimer on the first page:

DANGER WARNING LABEL
READING THIS BOOK WILL RESULT IN HIGH CHANCES OF UGLY CRYING, YANKING OF THE HEART-STRINGS AND AN INABILITY TO FUNCTION PROPERLY AFTER HAVING YOUR HEART BROKEN (IN SOME INSTANCES NUMEROUS TIMES THROUGHOUT THE SAME BOOK), PROCEED WITH CAUTION AND A BOX OF TISSUES!

I think this is only fair, I try not to read Colleen's books in public for this very reason.

Like every story Coleen has ever written, November 9 has a twist, one that you'll never see coming, one that will shock you to realise that she's done it again, and you know that there will be more tears flowing, if the FOURTH NOVEMBER 9 section wasn't bad enough and hadn't already broken my heart, she had to cause even more grief, I have been an absolute mess reading this book, thanks Colleen!

I don't want to give anything away, the beauty of this book besides the relationship between Fallon and Ben is the incredible story and exceptional writing skills that keep me coming back time and time again to her books, they're like crack, addictive and will leave you wanting more!

November 9 would have to be up there with my favorite Colleen Hoover books, and it is for sure one of the best books of 2015, highly recommended, just be prepared for a bit of heartbreak and you should be fine!

I give this 5/5/ stars.

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven novels and one novella. Hoover's novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult categories. Hoover published her first novel, Slammed, in January 2012.Wikipedia

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Blog Tour: (ARC) Book Review (501) & Giveaway: Until We Meet Again - Renee Collins

Hosted By Rockstar Book Tours.

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/26/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

10/27/2015- Cindy's Love of Books- Review

10/28/2015- Gone with the Words- Guest Post

10/29/2015- Seeing Double In Neverland- Interview

10/30/2015- Wishful Endings- Review

Week Two:

11/2/2015- My So-Called Book Reviews- Review

11/3/2015- The Cover Contessa- Guest Post

11/4/2015- Head Stuck In A Book- Review

11/5/2015- Fictitious Delicious- Interview

11/6/2015- Fiction Fare- Review

Until We Meet Again

by Renee Collins

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Pages: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

They exist in two different centuries, but their love defies time

Cassandra craves drama and adventure, so the last thing she wants is to spend her summer marooned with her mother and stepfather in a snooty Massachusetts shore town. But when a dreamy stranger shows up on their private beach claiming it's his own—and that the year is 1925—she is swept into a mystery a hundred years in the making.

As she searches for answers in the present, Cassandra discovers a truth that puts their growing love—and Lawrence's life—into jeopardy. Desperate to save him, Cassandra must find a way to change history…or risk losing Lawrence forever.

My Thoughts.

Wow, was my first thought after finishing this book, through the tears and the heartbreaking ending which I'd hoped wasn't going to happen but in hindsight was inevitable, I came to realise just how beautiful and intense Until We Meet Again is, filled with mystery and intrigue this is one book that will stick with me for quite some time to come.

I'm a sucker for stories that feature characters out of time, through some unexplainable occurence the past and the present collide, in this case Lawrence from 1925 and Cassandra from 2015, both living in the same house at the same time decades apart, until they find each other on the private beach connected to the house, it's there that they fall in love, despite the fact that in the back of their minds they know they'll have to say goodbye at some point, knowing they'll never see one another ever again.

I don't want too say much so I don't spoil the story, because there is another plotline to do with these two that isn't mentioned in the synopsis which is better for the reader to find out themselves, it adds a bit extra to the story that will have you biting your nails anxiously awaiting the outcome.

All in all there is nothing bad that I can say about this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it, from the gorgeous cover to the very well written story there is a lot to love, I enjoyed the characters immensely, the plot was fast paced and extremely enjoyable, aside from the ending which I can understand was written the way it was but none the less had me crying this book was perfect.

One of my favorite books of the year, definitely add Until We Meet Again to your TBR, you won't be sorry.

I give this 5/5 stars.

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About Renee:

I'm a YA writer who loves historical settings, magic, and semi-tragic romance. I'm represented by the amazing Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary + Media.

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(ARC) Book Review (500): Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)

by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 

Publication: 20th October 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers

Pages: 600

Genre: Science Fiction

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: AMAZON • BARNES & NOBLE • BOOK DEPOSITORY • 

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

My Thoughts.

I'm sure if you looked up the word EPIC in the dictionary you would find a picture of  Illuminae, this book was amazingly brilliant and such a joy and pleasure to read.

The way the story is told through interviews, emails, documents, military files and IM messages provide such a unique and interesting sci-fi adventure, is made even better by the amazing characters that makes Illuminae a story you won't forget in a hurry.

In a way this book reminded me of the Terminator movies and the Skynet storyline, where the computers become aware (those who've read this book and seen the movies will understand what I'm talking about) and I loved that.

It's intimidating when you first see this book, at 600 pages it's a chunker of a novel, but I managed to read this in just over 12 hours, it's so hard to put down, from the very first page I was captivated and I knew I was in for something really special.

I'm really excited to see what the next book is going to give us, Amie and Jay are sure to give us another rip-roaring adventure sure to entertain and delight.

I can't put into words how amazing this book really is, whether you enjoy sci-fi or not give it a go, you may find yourself a new favourite.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of the award-winning Starbound trilogy (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World) and The Illuminae Files trilogy (Illuminae). Her work has been published in fifteen countries, won the Aurealis Award for Best YA Novel, been named the Huffington Post’s best YA novel of the year, shortlisted for the Gold Inky Award and is in development for TV.

Amie had the good fortune to be raised just one block from her local library, and took full advantage of that fact growing up. She and her sister spent their childhood summers re-creating their favourite books by camping in the back yard, mapping their neighbourhood, climbing trees, stepping through magical doors and sailing the local seas. Raised in Australia and Ireland, she has kissed the Blarney stone six times, thoroughly cementing her gift of the gab.

As she grew older (but not up), she continued her education, and graduated with honors degrees in history, literature and law, and a master’s degree in conflict resolution. After working as a mediator for seven years, these days she’s a full time writer, working from her home in Melbourne when she’s not on the road in the US, Europe and Asia. A few of her top travel moments include camping in the Sahara overnight, climbing a mountain in Vietnam, standing on the Great Wall of China and cycling the Loire Valley, but she has a huge list left to cover.

Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and their very quirky rescue dog, Jack. She’s a huge fan of chocolate and naps, has an enormous music collection, and an entire room of her house is devoted to her library. She still sails, and though she climbs fewer trees, she remains partial to investigating the occasional magical door.

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Jay Kristoff is a tragic nerd, but has spent the last ten years dumping expeez into his Intimidation stat, with the result that nobody is brave enough to say it to his face. He grew up in the second most isolated capital city on earth and fled at his earliest convenience, although he’s been known to trek back for weddings of the particularly nice and funerals of the particularly wealthy. He spent most of his formative years locked in his bedroom with piles of books, or gathered around dimly-lit tables rolling polyhedral dice. Being the holder of an Arts degree, he has no education to speak of.

His first trilogy, THE LOTUS WAR, is set to be published in over a dozen countries. The first installment, STORMDANCER, was critically acclaimed in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, shortlisted for the Aurealis Award, and nominated for the David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards. The Lotus War novella THE LAST STORMDANCER won the 2014 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Fiction. Jay’s new series, the SciFi thriller ILLUMINAE, which he co-authored with Amie Kaufman, is due for publication by Random House in October 2015. A new fantasy series, THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, commences with book 1, NEVERNIGHT, from St Martins Press/Thomas Dunne Books in 2016. He is as surprised about all this as you are. He is represented byMatt Bialer and Lindsay Ribar at Sanford J Greenburger Associates.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

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(ARC) Book Review (499): Becoming Darkness (Haven #1) - Lindsay Francis Brambles

Becoming Darkness

by Lindsay Francis Brambles

Publication: 1st October 2015

Publisher: Switch Press

Pages: 496

Genre: Paranormal, Dystopian

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Like everyone else living in Haven, seventeen-year-old Sophie Harkness is an Immune--a carrier of the genetic mutation that protects her from the virus Hitler unleashed upon the world more than half a century ago. A virus that wiped out most of humanity and turned two-hundred million people into vamps. But after her best friend is brutally murdered and several attempts are made on her own life, Sophie becomes determined to find answers to what seems to be a conspiracy running generations deep. And when she questions the peace treaty that keeps her small community protected, Sophie begins to discover terrible truths about herself and what it means to be human in a world ruled by darkness.

Lindsay Brambles' debut young adult novel is a story of an alternate universe: Hitler won the war, our modern technologies never evolved, and the Nazis' terrifying reign still continues. This fast-paced novel will appeal to readers who guzzle up genre mashups and are looking for a fresh hybrid to sweep them away. 

My Thoughts.

The synopsis of Becoming Darkness ticked off all of the boxes when it comes to what I enjoy reading, I thoroughly adore the paranormal genre, with vampires being my favourite supernatural beings of choice, add to that the historical element and the horrifying yet intriguing notion of a world where Hitler was never defeated and instead rules the whole world, the twist is what sets this book apart from so many others, the virus Gomorrah was released and turned most of the worlds population that were non-immune into vampires, with the sole remaining humans residing in Haven in America, the only dwelling of the humans immune to the disease, and that's where we meet our heroine Sophie who unbeknownst to her will find herself a part of the conspiracy surrounding Haven and the Third Reich that will change her life forever in ways she could never have imagined.

There's so much to love with this story, when I first got my hands on a copy I was a little surprised by the long length of the book, I of course had reservations that maybe with so many pages that this book would be slow and would subsequently drag a bit, but I was so wrong, I wasn't bored even once which I was so happy about, Lindsay knows how to write a story which is captivating, tense, heartbreaking and full of mystery and intrigue, from the concept through to the execution which was pretty much flawless, I am beyond anxious to read the next book, and while I know it's beyond impossible I wish that a certain character who sadly died during the Eva Braun airship crash would somehow miraculously appear, I was none too happy with the early exit, especially as this series is going to be a trilogy, but that was my only real complaint, everything else about this book was fantastic.

I give this a very well deserved 5/5 stars.

Lindsay Brambles is represented by Kelly Sonnack of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. He was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1959. In ‘68 his father, an electrical engineer, signed on for a job overseas. This led to a decade of living and traveling in countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and Tanzania.

After grade three, Lindsay’s formal education was largely through the Ontario Ministry of Education correspondence course. He has spent most of his post-academic life in a variety of unrelated jobs, ranging from construction to childcare, all while pursuing a vocation as an artist.

When not engaged in the literary arts, painting, or earning money in less creative pursuits, Lindsay enjoys anything fitness related (especially cycling), collecting Gold Key comics and motion picture soundtracks, tinkering with computers, and just about anything that will expand his awareness of the world around him. Passionate about science and technology, he is especially interested in astronomy, cosmology, and quantum mechanics.

Lindsay is at present busily working on several books, not least of which are the sequel and final novel in the Haven trilogy (of which Becoming Darkness is the first in the series).

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Book Review (498): Once Upon A Zombie (The Color Of Fear #1) - Billy Phillips & Jenny Nissenson

Once Upon a Zombie (The Color Of Fear #1)

by Billy Phillips, Jenny Nissenson

Publication: 1st October 2015

Publisher: The Toon Studio Press

Pages: 368

Genre: Fairytale Retellings, Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble

Unexplainablenews.com is reporting strange phenomena in cemeteries in Scotland, Germany, Italy, and America. Only one individual knows what's happening - and why! This person also knows the one girl who can prevent an unspeakable and imminent catastrophe from taking place. But will she? When Caitlin Fletcher's mom disappeared (or left?) four years ago, Caitlin began suffering from breathless bouts of anxiety. Her new move to London, with her Dad and her brainiac sister, threatens to lead to more situations that will trigger panic. Now, she's having anxiety over the possibility of having anxiety! Caitlin's life takes a turn for the bizarre when she's tricked into climbing down a "rabbit hole", landing in a wondrous fairy tale universe - except it's crawling with savage, starving blood-eyed zombies. But what's scarier - a blood thirsty zombie, a panic attack....or the painful truth?!

My Thoughts.

I know I've said this numerous times over the years while blogging and reviewing but I absolutely adore fairytale retellings, so when I discovered this book and realised that not only does it feature every fairytale character you can think of like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty And The Beast and characters from Wizard Of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, Peter Pan, I could go on and on, but there's a big twist they're all Zombies, that's right that's the angle this story took on and boy did it turn out well.

The integration of these characters of popular culture has brought to life a world and story that's certainly unique and hard to tear yourself away from, I loved the imagery of the characters and the world that they're living in, the storyline is intriguing and so full of adventure that there's never a dull moment, the way that we as readers come to discover and meet these colorful characters was so unexpected but totally cool and creepy at the same time.

I don't want to give too much away because I believe the fun in reading this is discovering everything yourself, but the quick version is a curse bestowed upon the fairytale lands by The Queen Of Hearts which has turned everyone Zombie, and only one person can reverse this curse otherwise they'll be left as Zombies forever, and so it's up to a human girl Caitlin Fletcher to save the Kingdoms and it's folk, I like the way they've set up the series for the next book, I cannot wait, this book was so enjoyable I just want to get my hands on the next one.

I can't recommend this book enough, for those who like a twist on their favorite fairytales then this is the series for you!

Plus kudos for the fantastic cover.

I give this 5/5 stars.

About the Authors

Billy Phillips is a writer, creative director and producer. He has ghost-written thirteen best selling non-fiction books, some of which surpassed a million copies sold. This is his debut novel. He owns a large vintage collection of fairy tale books and art and lives in sunny and all-too-dry Southern California.

Jenny Nissenson is a writer, producer and entertainer. She has written for Nickelodeon and lives in Hollywood, California with 1009 puppets and her twenty-five year old pet tortoise.

http://www.onceuponazombie.com/

Blog Tour: Spotlight & Giveaway: An Inheritance Of Ashes - Leah Bobet

Brought To You By Rockstar Book Tours.

Title: AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES

Author: Leah Bobet

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Pages: 400

Publisher: Clarion Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes & Noble | iBooks

The strange war down south—with its rumors of gods and monsters—is over. And while sixteen-year-old Hallie and her sister wait to see who will return from the distant battlefield, they struggle to maintain their family farm.

When Hallie hires a veteran to help them, the war comes home in ways no one could have imagined, and soon Hallie is taking dangerous risks—and keeping desperate secrets. But even as she slowly learns more about the war and the men who fought it, ugly truths about Hallie’s own family are emerging. And while monsters and armies are converging on the small farm, the greatest threat to her home may be Hallie herself.

About Leah:

Leah Bobet is a bookseller, publisher, and editor as well as a Pushcart-Prize nominated author. She lives in Toronto. www.leahbobet.com

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Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES. US Only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/28/2015- Literary Meanderings- Interview

9/29/2015- MEREADALOT- Review

9/30/2015- Moonlight Gleam Reviews- Guest Post

10/1/2015- Nerdophiles- Review

10/2/2015- Stories & Sweeties- Excerpt

Week Two:

10/5/2015- Falling For YA- Review

10/6/2015- A Dream Within A Dream- Guest Post

10/7/2015- Head Stuck In A Book- Review

10/8/2015- Once Upon a Twilight- Interview

10/9/2015- Book Briefs- Review