Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Blog Tour: Stitch - Samantha Durante, Guest Post & Book Review (150).



Genre/Keywords: Paranormal Romance, Ghost, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, New Adult
Length: 75,000 words (314 pages)
Sample chapters: Ch1-5 (38 pages) http://www.samanthadurante.com/stitch/sample-chapters/
Release date: August 1st, 2012
Blog tour dates: August 15th – October 31st, 2012

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.
Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.
Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…
The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.
My Thoughts...
WOW! This book was amazing, after reading the extremely intriguing synopsis I jumped at the chance to participate in this blog tour, and I'm so glad I did.
Not only did I love the characters and the setting of this book but the way Durante has the talent to draw you in and to keep you constantly guessing, I lost count of the number of different theories I had about what was going on, and I didn't guess it, Durante is just that good that I sat there gobsmacked when the twist was finally revealed, and it's a huge one!
Alessa is a student at college, since her parents died a year earlier she has closed off from everyone, from being the popular girl at her previous school to being somewhat of a loner at college her only friend is Janie who was new the same day as Alessa, she starts to see the ghost of a boy who keeps reappearing in her room, but only for a few seconds at a time, no one else has seen him and Janie is sceptical about Alessa's story, especially when it starts to impact in a major way in Alessa's studies and general well-being, she becomes obsessed and investigates the history of the sorority house she's in and finds out the tragic story of the ghost Isaac's life.
Alessa has the sense that she knows him but since he died in 1917 she knows that can't be, and then one time he appears he finally notices her and that's when the story starts, I don't want to say anything more because that would ruin the experience for everyone who has yet to read it.
And read it you must, it starts off as a paranormal book then as the story goes on we get dystopian and sci-fi and it all works so well together.
And that teaser for the sequel at the end of the kindle book edition? Well if I hadn't of been sitting in the tea room at work eating lunch I would have shouted out some very unladylike words and chucked a hissy fit!
I'm definitely seeking out a paperback copy to add to my keeper shelf, and I hope that the next book will be released a.s.a.p.
A fantastic start to a brilliant series!
I give this a huge 5/5.

Guest Post (Character Interview)....


“This or That” With Janie from Stitch

Samantha: Hi everyone!  Samantha Durante, author of Stitch here, with one of the stars of the book, Janie!

Janie: Hey guys!!  So excited to be here at Head Stuck in a Book today!

Samantha: Very excited to have you!  So are you ready to jump in?  We’re going to play a little game called This or That – I’ll name two things, you pick one and tell me why.

Janie: Sounds like fun!

Samantha: Okay, here we go.  Action movie or rom com?

Janie: Action!  I just can’t get into that romance stuff – cooties.

Samantha: Haha, you’re ridiculous.  What is this, third grade? 

Janie: (shrugs)

Samantha: (laughs) Okay, next one.  String cheese: string it or eat it in bites?

Janie: STRING IT!  Oh my God, it drives me NUTS when people just bite into it!!  String cheese is practically a delicacy!  You’re supposed to savor it!

Samantha: (laughing) I knew that one would get you going…

Janie: (frustrated sighs) You all just take string cheese for granted!  Where I come from it’s impossible to find – if you’re lucky enough to get some, it deserves the time and attention of being stringed. (exasperated puff)

Samantha: Haha, okay Janie… Before people start asking where you come from that string cheese is a delicacy (you’ll have to read Stitch to find out!), let’s move on to the next question.  Older or younger?

Janie: Older or younger what?

Samantha: Interpret as you may.

Janie: That’s not fair!  That could mean anything.

Samantha: Exactly.

Janie: (smirks, then in her best Jurassic Park imitation) Clever girl…

Samantha: (laughing)

Janie: Okay, fine, I’m interpreting this as younger or older sibling and since I’m the youngest, we’ll go with younger!

Samantha: Do I detect a little bitterness in your voice…?

Janie: No!  I’m not bitter – I get to be the fun-loving, spunky one.  And I’m way funnier.

Samantha: Interesting how that always seems to work out that way…

Janie: Yeah, younger is awesome.  (considering)  But I guess it is kind of annoying to always be in the shadow of A–

Samantha: No spoilers!

Janie: Oh!  Sorry.  What I meant to say was, it can be difficult to be in my older sibling’s shadow my whole life, especially when she’s super overprotective and won’t let me do anything cool, like help with the rebellion, even when she’s doing it… (grumbles)

Samantha: Hmm, well, I’m an oldest sibling so I don’t know if I really empathize – she’s trying to keep you safe, after all.  But I read – well, wrote – the book, so I know you’re super capable regardless of what your sister may think!  And I know she knows that too, even if she’s always trying to protect you anyway.

Janie: (smiles sheepishly) Thanks.

Samantha: You’re welcome.  Okay, last question!  Dystopia or utopia?

Janie: (raises an eyebrow) Do you even have to ask?  I’ve lived through a dystopia – which evolved from a failed attempt at starting a utopia – so I know from experience that this is a trick question.  Obviously no one would pick dystopia, and there’s no such thing as a utopia in the real world.  So I choose neither – give me a normal, “non-topia” world any day.

Samantha: Sharp as always!  Great answer, Janie.

Janie: (grins)

Samantha: Well that’s all the time we have for today! 

Janie: (pouts) Boo!

Samantha: Check out the other stops on the tour to hear more from Janie and her friends from Stitch!  (Full schedule here.)

Janie: Thanks so much for having us, Sarah!!
Stitch Purchase Links
Amazon (print $9.99 & Kindle $2.99): http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Trilogy-Book-1/dp/0985804602/
Smashwords (multiple e-book formats $2.99): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/208278
Barnes & Noble (Nook $2.99): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stitch-samantha-durante/1112193442Also available in the iTunes store ($2.99 e-book)


Samantha Durante lives in New York City with her fiancé, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.
Social Media Links
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Monday, 8 October 2012

Happily Ever After Giveaway Hop.



Welcome To My Stop In The Happily Ever After Giveaway Hop Hosted By I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Murphy's Library.

 This Stop Features Books That Are Fairytale Retellings and Happily Ever Afters.
Winner Gets To Pick A Book From Below.







a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Mailbox Tuesday.

Tuesday's Mailbox.
I've decided that I will stop participating in In My Mailbox, the reason being I seem to get a lot of books every week and it takes me forever to put them all together in one post and link them up.
So I will be doing Mailbox Mon-Fri every week.
Nothing In The Mailbox Today, Which Is Definitely A Good Thing, I'm Struggling To Even Make A Dent In My Review And Personal Tbr Piles A Fight Which I'm Rapidly Losing!
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Sunday, 7 October 2012

Mailbox Monday.

Monday's Mailbox.
I've decided that I will stop participating in In My Mailbox, the reason being I seem to get a lot of books every week and it takes me forever to put them all together in one post and link them up.
So I will be doing Mailbox Mon-Fri every week.

 Review...
Hidden (House Of Night #10) - P.C Cast & Kristin Cast (Hachette Australia)
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Book Review (149): Spark - Brigid Kemmerer


Spark (Elemental #2)


The fuse is lit…
My Thoughts...
Can Brigid Kemmerer do no wrong?
After reading this latest instalment in the Elemental series I'm seriously thinking she can't, anyone who can imagine and bring to life the Merrick brothers deserves a medal and people worshipping at her feet!
After having read all the books including the novellas I'm no closer to figuring out which brother I like more, maybe I can just have them all?
What I loved about this book is the fact that we get to see what's behind the snark, sarcasm and anger and I love that, and I love Gabriel even more now to know what's going on in his head.
Gabriel is having a tough time, he still blames himself for the injury that Nick received in the previous book, he can't control his Element of fire, and it seems Nick is spending more time with his new girlfriend instead of him.
What makes it worse is his new maths teacher has figured out that whenever there's a test Gabriel has Nick take his place, she gives him an ultimatum if he can't improve and pass a re-test then he is off the basketball team, and while he's studying he's not allowed to play at all either.
Enter Layne, she's the brain in the maths class and has liked Gabriel for quite a while, she offers to help him with his maths and he slowly sees her as more than a nerd and even comes to befriend her deaf brother who is a victim of constant bullying.
But through all this there is an arsonist setting fires to houses nearly every night, all his brothers think that Gabriel is responsible but he's not, however he shows up at the fires and rescues the people left inside that the firemen can't get out.
I love how Hunter was helping him with this, but after the revelation towards the end I'm a little shattered, they made a good team and seemed great friends.
There's nothing I can really say that can give this series or this author the credit she deservedly owes, I hope she'll be writing for a very long time, and I pray that there will be books for both Michael and Nick, and that we won't be left with just the novellas for their characters as good as they are.
I give this an outstanding 5/5.




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Saturday, 6 October 2012

Blog Tour And Giveaway: The Star Child - Stephanie Keyes


The Star Child


The world is about to be cloaked in darkness. Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.

Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?



Guest Post...
Be Yourself… Everyone Else Is Taken

Hi everyone! A special thanks to Sarah, my host for having me as a guest today!

Yesterday in the car, I passed a furniture store. At least, I think they sell furniture. Admittedly, I’m not sure what they’re known for!

Product confusion aside, what everyone in the area knows them for is their quirky sign. Every week some new saying, joke, or quote is posted on the board. Since I’m frequently in the area, I usually get to see it. The one from last month was “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”

At first pass, it doesn’t really seem like much of anything. Put that baby up to a magnifying glass and you’ll see layers upon layers within that one statement. If you believe in fate, that we’re all pre-destined for something on this Earth, think about that for a moment.

As a people, many of us strive to conform to the standards of others, the way others look, our cultural mores, etc. from the moment that we begin to notice those around us. As infants, we watch how others talk and act. We watch and learn.

It gets more intense as we get older and move into our teens. Many of us just want to be “like everybody else”. But what if what we’re supposed to be is the opposite of “everybody else”, whoever “everybody else” is. You aren’t supposed to be anyone but yourself. Pretty deep, huh?

I didn’t intend to go down a philosophical path today, but I can’t help but think about Kellen St. James in The Star Child when I consider that line. Here’s a character with no special skills other than his mind and his courage. He saves the world just by being himself.

Come to think of it, I didn’t see the quote on that building sign at all. It was on a middle school sign. That goes to show that it’s not the source of the message that matters, it’s that you get the message in the first place.

Thanks very much for having me as a guest blogger today! Check out The Star Child below for some information on my debut novel!
Giveaway...a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Book
The world is about to be cloaked in darkness. 
Only one can stop the night.

Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning
tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.

Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?
Paperback
E-Book

About the Author
Stephanie Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems as well as a Master's in Education. A seasoned, facilitator, Mrs. Keyes worked in Training and Development for an international telecommunications corporation for twelve years; spending the first eight years of her career as a Software Trainer and Technical Writer and the last four working in Human Resources and Employee Development.
In May of 2012, Mrs. Keyes left the corporate world to focus on her family and her writing full-time. She also operates a freelance graphic and instructional design business, Sycamore Road Design.
Inkspell Publishing will release her first novel, The Star Child, on September 21, 2012. She is now currently at work on the second book in The Star Child Trilogy, The Fallen Stars.
Keyes lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, and Riley the dog.






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Friday, 5 October 2012

Mailbox Friday.

Friday's Mailbox.
I've decided that I will stop participating in In My Mailbox, the reason being I seem to get a lot of books every week and it takes me forever to put them all together in one post and link them up.
So I will be doing Mailbox Mon-Fri every week.

 Review...
Lo' Life: Romeo Spikes - Joanne Reay (Titan Books UK)

Brought...
The Casual Vacancy - J.K Rowling
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