Category: Event (Page 23 of 42)

Item: Strange the Dreamer
Author: Chelsea

GIVEAWAY-Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

April 26, 2017 / Chelsea / 3 Comments

I am so honored to be hosting a giveaway for one of the most highly anticipated reads of 2017! Check out below to see exclusive content, videos introducing the characters and the world, and an awesome giveaway! I hope you guys enjoy the post-make sure to follow the link to enter our two week giveaway ending on 5/10. Good luck! 🙂 <3

GIVEAWAY-Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1)
by Laini Taylor
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A new epic fantasy by National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around--and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries--including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? and if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

In this sweeping and breathtaking new novel by National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, author of the New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, the shadow of the past is as real as the ghosts who haunt the citadel of murdered gods. Fall into a mythical world of dread and wonder, moths and nightmares, love and carnage.

Welcome to Weep.

Dreams are crazy things; Most tend to be obscure, unearthly images that leave you baffled upon waking. Or, you know, you simply forget the moment you wake. The star(s) of my dreams tend to be random instances from years ago, drawing upon old relationships that have long since been terminated and I have no desire to rekindle-old friendships where it ended badly, yet you have no clue what you did wrong. I dream about old best friends so much it’s unsettling. I tend to let dead horses lie, so why do these old friends pop in my head so much? Is that a saying? I probably phrased it wrong. My point is-dreams are odd and they come from your subconscious out of absolutely nowhere…and leave you a bit disturbed after, no matter how realistic they may seem. And then there are those dreams where you are in a totally normal-ish situation, yet in a totally unexpected, ODD, creepy place. Those are my most common dreams-these dreams? I’m more than happy to leave behind.

But I think dreams more often refer to what you want out of your life, what you wish and pine for-what you work so hard for. And I’ll admit, I’ve had plenty of dreams-Too many to count. But, until recently, they haven’t come to fruition.

Just last month my biggest dream (after being married to my high school sweetheart) came true-I had a little baby girl and she is literally the light of my life. My husband and I are over the moon. And it’s crazy…because this was my dream-not his. He always agreed to my dream, but he dragged his feet-but come last July, he finally agreed and we were so happy to begin trying…except, you know…we got pregnant literally the first try.

I was shocked, elated. There are no words for the amount of happiness I felt. But I was equally terrified to tell my husband-after all, it was literally the first attempt and I couldn’t be sure how he’d take the news. Turns out? He was beyond words ecstatic-we stayed up all night talking about it. He guessed it was a girl, I guessed a boy. Wouldn’t you know it, he was right.

So here we are, 10 months later-and it’s not nearly as terrifying as I had imagined it would be (9 months is a looooong time to fret about being a bad mother). She sleeps through the night, eats great, and is one of the strongest babies ever-she lifted her head right after being born! And she has a beautiful, full head of brown hair. Did I mention that literally all I do is brag about her? Yeah. Well, I imagine that won’t end any time soon!

My dream came true….but there are so many more now. I think that’s how dreams work. My dreams kept being fulfilled (husband, house…now baby), yet I always want more. Now I dream of our next baby (a sister or brother) and everything I plan to do for our current baby girl. Nothing will ever be good enough for our girl-and God help the boy(s) that tries to win her heart-Dad will have NO part of that.

My dreams may not be in line with everyone else’s, nor would I say they are conventional for this day and age where career comes before self…but that’s me and it has always been me-I refuse to change. I have everything I’ve ever dreamed for-and more.

What are your dreams? What do you dream about? Are they odd, crazy, weird….do they make you wonder where in the world they came from? Or, have any of your real life dreams come true? Sound off below in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

ONCE UPON A DREAM: Keep the nightmares at bay with this dreamy prize pack! (Re-tweet and follow to enter giveaway! here )

One (1) winner receives:

copy of Strange the Dreamer
sleep-mask and aromatherapy pillow sleep mist
and a luna moth enamel pin to watch over your dreams!

Giveaway open to US addresses only.

Prizing and samples provided by Little, Brown & Co.

Visit the Official Site

Follow @TheNovl on Twitter and Instagram

Follow @LainiTaylor on Twitter

Hashtag #StrangetheDreamer

Check out a sneak peek here:

Read the Prologue on EW

Read Chapter 1 on Mashable

Read an Excerpt on TheNovl

Bonus Content!

Which Godspawn are you? Take the quiz!

Download a variety of quote-art here.

About the Author

Laini Taylor is a New York Times bestselling author and a National Book Award finalist. She is the author of the global sensation the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight, andDreams of Gods & Monsters, and the companion e-novella, Night of Cake & Puppets. She is also the author of the Dreamdark books Blackbringer and Silksinger, and the highly acclaimed Lips Touch: Three Times. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, and their daughter Clementine.

So….is Strange the Dreamer on your MUST READ list for 2017?? Or perhaps you’ve already read it (and hopefully loved it). Share below! I know I cannot WAIT to try this one out-I’d love to hear your thoughts on Strange!

“I partnered with Little, Brown to share this giveaway.”

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A Temporary Hiatus – Jen

March 31, 2017 / Jen / 18 Comments

These last few weeks have been completely brutal. And because of what happened, I’m going to be stepping away from the blog for a while. I’ll definitely be back, but for the next I’m-not-sure-how-long I need to spend it with family. While these thoughts may seem out of left field, my surgery was the catalyst. I had complications from surgery, and I had allergic reactions to almost every drug I was given. I’ve never experienced that before, and I WAS TERRIFIED. Drugs I never had problems with in the past caused hives, inability to be woken up for periods of time, breathing problems etc. And new drugs caused me to be violently ill, my eyes to almost swell shut, double vision etc. While I was stuck in the hospital and now in bed and on the couch at home, I spent a lot of time thinking about how for the foreseeable future, I just want to spend every minute with my family.

Now I’m counting the days until I can be an active participant in my family’s life. Because I’m currently 17 days post-op and I’m SO far from where I want to be. I’m stuck on the couch, for a good portion of the day, and it’s breaking my heart that I can’t play or drive my little boys to all of their activities. My mom, thank goodness for her, has been here taking care of them for me. But I’m looking forward to the next week or so when I can start living and enjoying life with them again!

So thank you so much to everyone out there who has become my friend, has trusted me with reading their ARCs, and for all of the beautiful blogging memories. I’ll definitely be back, but till then you can always come find me and chat with me on Goodreads. Goodreads takes not even a few minutes of my time, so that’s the medium I’ll keep using in the meantime. But thank you so much again for all of your friendships, and I will miss you all dearly during my hiatus.

💜Jen

PS I do have two more post that are scheduled for April, they are both ARCs. One is my favorite Lauren Layne book so far about polar opposites who have the most amazing banter and chemistry. And the other is a soulful, emotional book by Brigid Kemmerer. 🙂

A Special Welcome To Our Newest Star-Crossed Lady!

March 14, 2017 / Chelsea / 3 Comments

Hi Guys!

I hope all is well. As you all know, my posts have been far and few between-It’s been torture for me to know I am reading all these amazing books but am just TOO TIRED to write the reviews they all deserve. But, as you all ALSO know, here soon it will all be worth it-Our baby girl is due March 28th and I couldn’t be more excited-so just stick with me guys, I WILL be back!

But this post isn’t about me…it’s about an amazing reviewer I met on Goodreads last year! Her name is Brittney and she is one of the sweetest, most sincere girls I’ve ever met. We text almost every day and she never ceases to make me laugh-even on my worst days. Her reviews are fun, thoughtful, and you can really tell just how much she loves reading all the books we know and love-and then some! Her passion shines through, both in person and on her reviews, and I couldn’t be happier that she wanted to contribute to making this blog the best it can be.

As you can see on her bio, she loves losing herself in the fantasy world-princes and castles and snarky men….I mean, it’s like she’s my long lost sister! But, even better than that, she LOVES a good bad boy. Seriously. More than once I will make her read a favorite series of mine that she has yet to devour, and I’ll think she will choose my guy…but almost always she picks that damned bad boy that I forget even exists….she’s quirky like that. 😛

So, without further adieu, I introduce the beautiful, Brittney!! I think you are all going to ADORE her.

Until another time, my lovelies <3

–Chelsea

TRAILER – Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout

January 30, 2017 / Jen / 8 Comments

If you have followed me for a while, you’ll know that I am obsessed with Jennifer L. Armentrout. It doesn’t matter what genre the book is, I always fall in love with the storyline and the characters she creates. This one sounds beyond amazing and I am patiently waiting for the release date! So till then, we can check out the trailer below. Enjoy!

TRAILER – Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout

TRAILER – Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
In New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s gripping new novel, a young woman comes home to reclaim her life—even as a murderer plots to end it. . .

It’s been ten years since Sasha Keaton left her West Virginia hometown . . . since she escaped the twisted serial killer known as the Groom. Returning to help run her family inn means being whole again, except for one missing piece. The piece that falls into place when Sasha’s threatened—and FBI agent Cole Landis vows to protect her the way he couldn’t a decade ago.

First one woman disappears; then another, and all the while, disturbing calling cards are left for the sole survivor of the Groom’s reign of terror. Cole’s never forgiven himself for not being there when Sasha was taken, but he intends to make up for it now . . . because under the quirky sexiness Cole first fell for is a steely strength that only makes him love Sasha more.

But someone is watching. Waiting. And Sasha’s first mistake could be her last.

Trailer:

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About The Author:

Jennifer Armentrout JLA_Author-photo

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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TOP TEN TUESDAY – Underrated/Hidden Gem Books We’ve Read

January 17, 2017 / Jen / 18 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday.13

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
This week is – Underrated/Hidden Gem Books We’ve Read. These are books we love that have less than 1,500 Ratings on Goodreads. So we hope you’ll want to discover them too!

(Jen’s Choice – Review)

1. Xenophobia by S.B. Roozenboom
This story was unique, so much fun and I can’t wait to see where this series goes! Plus I adored Tevire, the things Tevire did to protect Ness was gut wrenching, sweaty palm inducing and entirely swoon worthy.

2. The Union (The Union #1) by T.H. Hernandez
This series is an epic journey that had me devouring the pages as fast as possible! It contains a sigh inducing book boyfriend, friendships that are deep and meaningful, a heroine I adore and even a character I love to hate. I love this series!

(Jen’s Choice – Review)

3. Infinity (The Infinity Division #1) by Jus Accardo
Infinity haunted my dreams and interrupted my thoughts throughout the day. I couldn’t stop thinking about this book. I loved getting swept away by the action, adventure and the unknown.

4. Stay With Me (Come Back to Me #2) by Mila Gray
The characters easily worked their way into my emotions. I couldn’t help but feel everything they did. And the sexual tension and angst left me longing to read the pages as fast as possible while also slowing down so I could savor every sexy moment.

(Jen’s Choice – Review)

(Chelsea’s Choice)

5. Rebel Wing (Rebel Wing #1) by Tracy Banghart
Rebel Wing was spellbinding, intricately crafted, and I found myself being pulled in by the moments of hope, betrayal, torture, alliances, and friendships.

6. Deep in the Heart by Sharon Sala
An oldie but goodie…Sharon Sala’s tale of lost romance and found again will want your heart. It was my first ‘adult’ contemporary.

(Jen’s Choice – Review)

(Chelsea’s Choice – Review)

7. Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1) by Brenda Drake
The pages were filled with friendship, laughter, tears, betrayal, love and trust. And I happily found myself addicted, since the characters continually pulled at my emotions.

8. Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake
Sweet, heartbreaking, and about finding yourself and believing in others…I’m shocked this isn’t more popular!

(Jen’s Choice – Review)

9. Broken Skies (Broken Skies #1) by Theresa Kay
Broken Skies gripped me to the core and was truly outstanding. The story continually built and became more intricate, causing me to become obsessed with this book. The pages were scattered with hardships and butterfly inducing moments that were breathtaking. I never wanted this book to end.

10. Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts
Playing the Player was beyond adorable. I couldn’t stop smiling or keep the laughter contained that kept bubbling out of me.

So these are the Underrated/Hidden Gem Books We’ve Read and loved. Have you read any of these books or do you have them on your tbr? What Underrated/Hidden Gem Books do you love?

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