Blog Tour: Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins (Review & Giveaway)

 

Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins 

Release Date: October 1, 2013

Format: eARC, 268 pages

Publisher: HarlequinTEEN

Source: NetGalley

Buy It: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BAM | iTunes | Zola 

Description from Goodreads:

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated….

There are heaps of things I adore about this book. It's borderline New Adult, sweetly romantic, and has a fabulous story to hold its own behind and within the romance. I kid you not, I read this whole book straight through the same day I downloaded it, and I know for a fact it's something I'm going to read more than once. BECAUSE I HEART THIS BOOK. (Plus, I've already re-read it once and loved it all over again. It was beautiful.)

So the first awesome thing about this book is the characters. The story is told by Cami, who is trying to figure out what the eff she's going to do with her life after high school. I identified so much with that, and really enjoyed Cami's whole process throughout this book as she works through that. She's such a relatable character, and she has defining qualities that I really liked--like her love for cooking and food (I can't actually cook to save my life, but I understand loving something as much as she does), and her attitude, which I approve of, always. 

Julian, the wonderful love interest, makes me feel all happy inside. I loved watching his character evolve as well, starting out in such a terrible place just after returning wounded and then gradually showing how great of a person he really is. I love when the love interests are soldiers, which I KNOW is something I've said before. It's 100% true. I love bad boys and all that, but soldiers? I just LOVE reading about them, and Julian is added to my lovely list of those lovely guys. Actually, he's sitting darn well near the top. Close to Avi from Simone Elkeles How to Ruin books, which is a BIG DEAL. 

Another awesome thing about this book was the romance. I am such a fan of both of these characters, so then they finally got together and it was freaking great. Their relationship started with them not very much getting along, and then grew into something sweet and beautiful. I loved watching their romance grow as they each evolved themselves. And they just make me feel all warm and happy inside. I love their story.

What I love just as much as the romance is the actual STORY. This isn't just a romance, but it's a whole story of Cami and Julian and how they need to choose what to do next in their lives. They're both at a point where what they were doing before is over and they need to decide what to do now, and it was nice to see them go through that. The situation is something I find easy to identify with, which in turn pulled me into the story and these characters even more than I already was. And then we made it to the end and see what their plans are and I LOVE how that goes. They're their own people, but still...together. And that's all I'll say on the ending. I loved it. Just know that.

Overall, Stir Me Up is a beautiful story about love and big life decisions that felt very real and captured my attention from beginning to end. I adore these characters and their journey to choosing just what they want to do next while developing a relationship and love for each other. Sabrina Elkins has written a fabulous novel, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing what comes next from her! 

 About the Author 

 

I am a former journalist who worked for the Los Angeles Daily Newsand other newspapers in the greater Los Angeles area. Prior to this I worked in advertising, writing ad copy for corporate travel accounts and major motion pictures. My first job out of college was as an administrative assistant to an executive chef and a food & beverage director at a Four Seasons hotel. I also spent some time working as a prep cook for Spago in Beverly Hills.

I received my Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California. While in graduate school, I had the privilege of studying fiction writing under renowned author Hubert Selby, Jr., and comedy writing under famed comedian Shelley Berman. I am a past participant of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Summer Writing Workshop.

Raised in the woods of Vermont, I now live in the greater Los Angeles area with my husband and three children. STIR ME UP is my first novel.  

Author Links: 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 

Giveaway 

WIN 1 OF 3 STIR ME UP FUN FOODIE GIFT PACKS! COOKBOOKS-CHOCOLATES-MAGNETS

  

Cami’s Cookbook Pack 

Le Petit Paris: French Finger Food by Nathalie Benezet

500 Soups by Susannah Blake

Godiva chocolate bar

Stir Me Up magnet  

Julian’s Late-Night Pack 

George Noory’s Late-Night Snacks by George Noory

Dinner and a Movie by Katherine Bebo

Godiva chocolate bar

Stir Me Up magnet  

Sweet Desserts Pack 

Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor

Cutie Pies by Dani Cone

Godiva chocolate bar

Stir Me Up magnet

 RULES AND RESTRICTIONS: 

Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 18 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner’s name will be selected. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.  

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Hosted by:

YA Bound Book Tours

 

Cover Reveal: Dracian Legacy by Priya Kanaparti!

So I'm lucky duck enough to get to be the very first person EVER to show you the new cover for Priya Kanaparti's Dracian Legacy. 

You may or may not remember, but last Valentine's Day, Priya self-pubbed Dracian Legacy. There was a blog tour, I reviewed it, AND I did two character interviews with my boy Dean from the book. So I guess it's safe to say that I am a fan. 

SERIOUSLY. A FAN. CAN YOU EVEN GUESS HOW EXCITED I AM TO BE THE ONE TO SHARE THIS COVER RIGHT NOW?!?! 

Ahem. Anyway. Now the book is being re-released by a new pub called REUTS. Therefore, we have a new pretty cover for this fabulous story!

Okay, so now that I've said all that fun mumbo jumbo, now I'll show you the cover. The incredibly GORGEOUS cover. 

Ready?

Hmm?

Yes?

OKAY.

Release Dates: 

February 25, 2014 (in ebook)

March 11, 2014 (in print)

Blurb: 

At seventeen, Ren Pernell knows the meaning of tragedy.

 

But then, a year after losing her parents, Axel Knight walks through the door and changes everything. Strange creatures start to appear, her best friend suddenly finds her irresistible, and an undeniable, unexplainable bond with Axel threatens to drive her insane. She knows he’s the key. There’s something he’s not sharing, and she’s determined to find out.

 

Demanding answers, she finally learns the truth: everything she ever believed is an illusion. Caught in a centuries-old blood feud between races she never knew existed, Ren discovers her true destiny. She’s the chosen one, the Echo, preordained to end the bloodshed.

 

There’s just one catch--in order to save those she loves and a homeland she’s never seen, she’ll have to die.

 

With the clock running out, she’ll have to navigate a new world of betrayal, lies and deceit. If she can forgive, finding love even in the darkest places, she just might be able to escape the prophecy. But how much is she willing to sacrifice for a cause she didn’t know she was part of? And what will it take for her to be free?

Add Dracian Legacy on Goodreads! 

Priya lives in the beautiful city of Boise, ID as a full-time working mom and part-time YA Novel Author. For the past 7+ years she has worked in multiple fortune 500 companies and has recently found the passion to read and write.  The Dracian Legacy is her first YA paranormal romance series. She strongly believes that true love conquers all and that’s a common theme you’ll find within her novels.

Connect with Priya:
REUTS Author Page | Website | Twitter
Facebook | Goodreads



Learn More About REUTS:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

I think this cover is SO PRETTY. It has that magical feel that is perfect for this story, and that sword in the title font is so cool. Pretty eyes, pretty font, and a pretty cover!

What do you think of the cover?

Review: King Cave by Scarlett Dawn

King Cave by Scarlett Dawn 
Release Date: January 1, 2014
Format: eARC, 432 pages 
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Series: Forever Evermore #2
Source: NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling, award-winning King Hall: the revolution is here, but the most dangerous attack may come from within...

The safe, comfortable world of Lily Ruckler and her fellow Mystical Kings and Queens is rocked to the core by the attacks at King Hall. Not only does Lily have to kill the Commoners attacking her people, she also has to assume the mantle of leadership, and bring the surviving Mysticals to King Cave.

It should have been too much, but she is not alone. Ezra becomes her rock, her best friend, the one person who understands. As Pearl and Jack struggle with inconsolable loss, Ezra and Lily work to keep the Mys community safe in their new home, and plan a deadly retaliation.

Their friendship saves them both...but it also draws attention. Whispers. Judgment. It's not normal for Shifters and Vampires to be friends, and when a horrifying truth is revealed, their relationship morphs from unusual to unspeakable. Lily is good at keeping secrets that could get her killed. Is she willing to risk Ezra's life as well?

King Hall was one of my favorite books of 2013. The moment I read the last word, I was clamoring for King Cave. But then I had to, you know, wait until the book was ready and available for me to read the crap out of, and it ended up being my first read of 2014. I cannot think of a better way I could have kicked off my year in reading than with this book. It was a fan-freaking-tastic sequel!

I'm not even sure what I was expecting to happen in this book. I don't know what I expected the plot to be like, or how far the story of these characters would go. But SO MUCH happened in this book. The book picks up right where the first one left off and keeps rolling on until we reach the end. Reading this book was so seamless that by the end of the book, it was hard to believe so much had gone on. That all of that stuff had just freaking happened, and now I had to wait for GOODNESS KNOWS HOW LONG to find out what happens next.

But now I'm waiting. I finished the awesome that is King Cave and I WAIT.

These characters are some of my favorite ever. There IS a plot to this book, but I think I'd probably be cool with there being no plot and the book was just us watching Lily, Ezra, Jack, and Pearl in their every day life. Especially Ezra. ;) But before we get to him--LILY. She has some really defining moments in this book. She has grown and continues to grow so much as a character, it's kind of surreal to look back and see how she was at the beginning of King Hall. As her character changes and goes through things, I like her more and more.

All right, all right. My absolute favorite part of all these books now--EZRA. He's done quite a bit of growing and changing himself. All of it just makes me love the flying flip out of him even more. My crush remains strong, my friends. You don't even want to know how many letters I've written to him in my mind. Because I heart him and he's wonderful and ahhhhhhhhh. He was attractive as all get out in the last book, but trust me. He gets even BETTER in this one. For real. Just you wait ;)

The friendship between the four main lovely characters is still strong, but it's also more divided and takes something of a back seat as a couple of pairs forms and they all work through all the crap they're being dealt. And then romance...I am going to say ONE thing. Just one. I will not expand on it or anything. Okay? I was VEEEERRRRRYYYY happy with the romance in this book. VERY. *flails*

Also, random little fact: there is a character named Jessica in this one. I just found that kind of amusing. And freaking awesome. Even though she's not particularly...loved. Heh.

Overall, Scarlett Dawn wrote a sequel that exceeded my already high expectations. King Cave is definitely a sequel worth your time, my friends. Sweet, smexy, and outright fantastic, this book made me more happy than I could ever put into words. I am seriously left at this point wondering what to do with my life until I can be reunited with Ezra again. And, you know...and all the other characters too.

Hey There, 2014!

I know, I know. I'm eight days late. But I'm lazy. And I procrastinate. And I am feeling really, really sleepy. But you know. I'm here now. Writing this post. WOOT!

I thought of all kinds of ways to do this post. I considered doing a recap of 2013. I considered making some kind of video. I considered not making this post at all. And now I've DECIDED...that I'm just going to wing it. Sound good to you?

I kind of hope it does because THAT'S HOW I'M DOIN' IT. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I'm just going to tell y'all about my top three things (that I will think up and choose RIGHT NOW) that happened in 2013. May or may not be book-related.

1. Nephew #4! If you follow me on Twitter, you already know this, but my fourth nephew was born in October. He's freaking ABORBS. 

2. POW! I became Victoria Scott's assistant. This may not seem like a big deal, but it really is to me. Normally, I see that kind of thing, think "oh, yeah, I'll apply later" and then when later actually comes around, I think of some reason why I would be the worst possible choice for it, blah blah blah. But this time I applied, went through all the interviews and whatnot, and OHMYFREAKINGGOD I got it. *dies* I will never be able to thank Victoria Scott enough. I freaking love that chick. LOVE, I SAY.

3. Friendsy Friends! My first year of blogging was pretty...sheltered. I didn't interact with other bloggers a whole bunch, and I NEVER really interacted with ones from Texas. But now I am glad to say I have a bunch of friendsy friends I can randomly tweet when I want to rant about a book, and I have friends I can say HEEEEEEEEEEY to when an author or book event or whatever is happening around them. And you know what? It's freaking awesome. 
 

I already made a bunch of top ten posts, (which you can see by clicking here), but let's rehash some of the biggie, shall we?

I read 154 books in 2013. 

My favorite? Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott. I could tell you all about how awesome this book is, but really you should just read it for yourself and EXPERIENCE the greatness. It releases February 25th! Also, I'd love a Pandora. Or two. *coughs*OR THREE*coughs*

My second favorite? Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. This book makes my heart feel all kinds of happy, and I truly believe any blogger or booklover could easily relate to Cath and her story. Now if only Levi could be real...

Goodness knows that I suck at planning. Obviously, since I'm doing this post a week late. But let's just give this whole "looking ahead" thing a try, alright? 

Books I'm anticipating? A crap load of sequels. Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Warrior by Victoria Scott, Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor... And a crap ton of other things, too: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Geography of You & Me by Jennifer E. Smith, The Last Forever by Deb Caletti... 

I LIKE BOOKS, OKAY? A LOT.

As far as my blog... I actually have some stuff in mind for what to do this year. I'm thinking about some things for my blogoversary, and we'll see if any of them, aha...if any of them actually happen. I am making my blog nice and peeeertty, which makes me feel happy. My header was made by Nikki from Fiction Freak because she is wonderful and awesome and I heart her. And I'm making OTHER THINGS prettier, too. In case you hadn't, um, noticed... 

I have plans for reviews, and I have plans for mini-reviews as an effort to deal with my ever-growing pile of Netgalley books, and I have plans for re-reading books because I am always in the mood to re-read SOMETHING. 

Oh, and you may or may not have noticed from my reviews of The Offering on Tuesday and Rome yesterday, but I'm rating books on the blog now! I already did on Goodreads, so I don't think it's such a big deal to NOT rate them here anymore. I'm cool with it now. Sometime soon, I'll make a post explaining my thought processes on why I DIDN'T rate them before, and why I'm actually cool with it now. :)

So yeah. That's more of a plan than I had last year at this time, I can tell you that. 

 

Overall, 2013 was a really great year for me, and you guys were a big part of that. I'll get more in detail about that in March for my blogoversary, of course, but I just wanted to say thank you. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You guys rock, and I'm so excited for another year of shenanigans. ;)