Blog Tour & Giveaway: Blind Spot by Laura Ellen

Welcome to the next stop on the Blind Spot blog tour. Thanks so much for hosting, Shari.

What? I am so thrilled to have you here on my blog! Thank you so much for including me in this tour.

Readers, I've got to tell you Blind Spot is a great book, and I will be posting my thoughts of it here on My Neurotic Book Affair tomorrow as soon as my life calms down and my routine is somewhat returned to normal.

In honor of Halloween, we are interviewing Blind Spot's main character, Roz today -- only these

aren't your typical interview questions! If you've been over to the Winter Haven Books blog site

today, you've seen the Halloween-themed questions they are asking authors (including me!) so

we thought we'd do something similar here. We even borrowed a few questions from Winter

Haven Books (with their permission, of course.)

First a little about the book:

In Blind Spot, Roswell ‘Roz’ Hart is a 16-year-old with a visual impairment who is desperate to

prove she is ‘normal’. But when her desperation leads to stupid choices, she finds herself in the

middle of a murder investigation. Roz must figure out what happened that fatal night – a night

she can’t remember – to find the truth, even if that truth means she was involved.

Well we know from the synopsis that Roz is 16 and has a visual impairment. Who else is she?

Let’s find out:

Roz, you have a strange collection of photos on your bedroom ceiling. Can you tell the

readers what they are?

My dad is an ufologist and travels all over the place investigating UFO sightings. He sends

me copies of the alleged sightings sometimes. I like the way my vision blends all those photos

together in a blurred black and grey mass on my ceiling. To me, they sort of look like a sky full of

stars.

Ufologist? Wow! So does that mean you believe aliens exist?

I don't know really. It’s more about the pursuit to find the truth, the proof one way or another for

me and I think for my dad too. But also keeping my mind open to the idea seems a lot less scary

than not believing. If I think there is no way they exist, and then one day they arrive to take over

the planet, I’ll be standing there dumbfounded and frozen, rather than ready to mobilize and kick

some alien butt.

Does that mean you believe in other strange things too, like ghosts and werewolves?

Ghosts, yes. My favorite shows are when ghost hunters go into haunted places to either find

proof or debunk the rumors. Werewolves, no - that whole shape-shifter thing makes for good

stories, but I know enough about anatomy to know it isn't possible to switch forms like that.

Doesn’t mean there isn’t some strange species of man-wolf out there we haven’t discovered yet

– I just don’t think there are people living among us by day and then shape-shifting at night. But

I do believe in the possibility of things like Big Foot or other creatures and species we just don’t

have proof exist yet. Look at the oceans, scientists are discovering tons of new species every day

that no one knew existed.

Ghost hunting, huh? Have you ever been? And if you were to go ghost hunting, which

would you rather investigate a graveyard or haunted mansion?

Oh, I've never been but would love to. Both would be fun, but if I had to choose, I’d say haunted

mansion. According to all the ghost hunting shows I've seen, ghosts who haunt houses have

unresolved issues, that's why they’re still there. As freaky as it would be, I think I’d have more

paranormal experience in a haunted house.

While we are talking freaky experiences, which would you rather hug: a zombie or

vampire?

I'd hug a zombie, Rob Zombie! :) Love him! But seriously, zombie for sure, as long as I had

something sharp in my hand.

Which of these is the scariest sound to you...owl hooting, wolf howling, or Psycho theme

music?

I'd have to say the wind blowing. I live in Alaska and in the winter there's nothing scarier than

standing alone in the dark, snow-covered woods and hearing the wind whispering and rattling

through the sharp, naked branches.

Which scares you more...scary book or scary movie?

The print is too small in books and I hate listening to them on tape, so I prefer movies anyway -

- but I'd still say movies. Sounds can be so creepy, and I love the way movies up the scare-factor

with the music too. Eew, once I was watching this old movie called The Fly and the guy turning

into a fly was puking on his food – I shut my eyes to take the visual part away, but that sound.

Yuck! Way worse than the visual!

Sounds pretty gross! How about clowns...hug'em, kick'em, or run away?

Oh definitely not hug. Clowns are SO creepy. I mean they wear masks – painted on masks –

hello, only bad guys wear masks! I'd say kick'em though, right in the you-know-what and then

run away!

(my son is super creeped out by clowns too)

What’s your costume going to be this year?

I don't really like dressing up. My mom does - she lives for Halloween parties and stuff like that.

But I get too embarrassed and hate anything that calls attention to me. Missy, my ex-best friend

and I used to always dress up the same, and that was cool because we were doing it together,

but we don't talk anymore. I'm too old anyway for dressing up. I'll probably just hand out candy

since Mom will be out. But I do think it’d be fun to dress up like a zombie – you know if someone

else was dressing up with me.

I hear you are a bit of an academic, so here’s a fun one for our last question. Pumpkins…is

it a fruit or vegetable?

Hmmm. My friend Greg is much smarter. He’d not only know this, but he'd probably also rattle

off the entire history of pumpkins in America and have some quote from TS Elliot to go along

with it! I think I remember learning somewhere that fruits have seeds, though, so I will guess

fruit?

There you have it - a little Halloween-style peek into the life and mind of Roz Hart, main

character of Blind Spot.

Wait!

Yes, Roz?

Which is it? Fruit or vegetable?

I’ll let you google that while people enter to win the bag of Blind Spot swag in the rafflecopter

below. Also be sure to enter to win one of two signed hardcover copies of Blind Spot at

www.lauraellenbooks.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One last thing: the Blogger Love giveaway winner!

Congratulations! Lizzy of www.read-a-holicz.blogspot.com , you've won a huge bag of swag from a bunch of debut authors and your choice

of either a blog button/badge designed exclusively for you by Giselle at Xpresso Design ($15

value) or a book of your choice ($15 value)! I’ll be contacting you shortly.

Thanks again Shari for hosting this stop of the Blind Spot blog tour Tomorrow, come by

Alluring Reads to view the reader nominees for a Blind Spot Dream Cast.
Anytime Laura!!!!

  

Blog Tour: Shallow Review and Author Guest Post

Shallow
Going Under Series Book 2
By Georgia Cates

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Formats available: ebook

Cover Artist: Georgia Cates

Book Description:

Nick Hawke likes his car fast and his girls even
faster. He blows through females quicker than his
muscle car races down the drag strip in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any
other way. Determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure
in the aftermath of his mother leaving, he believes there is no room in his life or
his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in
things that won’t let him down...fast cars, parties and one night stands. To his
absolute dismay, all of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend
and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than one
night. There’s only one catch...she is completely immune to him and his smooth
talking ways.

Payton Archer is looking for what Claire has with Jessie, but she has given up on
finding it...at least until she leaves for college in the Fall because she is certain that
is where she will find the perfect guy to fit into her perfect world. She plans on
Summer being nothing but three uneventful months of fun, but it turns out to be
anything but ordinary when Payton is introduced to Nick Hawke, one of Jessie’s
old Collinsville friends. She is shocked by her immediate and intense attraction
for “Hawke” because nothing about him is what Payton is looking for. Sure, he’s
hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list
of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed because he is
exciting and dangerous, but his fast car and the dangerous chances he takes isn’t
what scares Payton the most...it’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time
he looks at her. Can Payton find that moment of total fearlessness and make the
decision to leave the safe, shallow end of love to risk going under completely?

My Thoughts:
As a fan of Going Under I was really excited to read Shallow by Georgia Cates. While Going Under was about Claire and Jesse, Shallow is about Claire's best friend Payton and bad boy Nick Hawke. Cates does a great job of writing novels with wonderfully flawed characters that make you fall in love with them despite those flaws.

Payton Archer has to be the most sarcastic character I have ever had the pleasure to read, and Nick Hawke ate it up and dished it out just as fast. The banter between the two in the first half of the story is so much fun and really kept me laughing. While I really enjoyed the chemistry between Payton and Nick I felt like their relationship progressed way to quickly. I would have loved a bit more of a chase between the two.

Plot: A slightly predictable romance that follows the standard romance novel formula 

Characters: The best part of this novel, the characters definitely deliver

Writing: fun, feisty and entertaining

Ending: sweet and then a prologue

Mature Content: This one is definitely for the older young adult crowd. Lots of sexy times and while it's not overly graphic it's not tame either

Overall: I enjoyed Shallow. It was an easy read that kept me entertained. If you liked Jesse and Claire's story in Going Under you'll probably enjoy Shallow as well. 

About the Author:

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her

wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two

beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years

as a labor and delivery nurse before she

decided to pursue her dream of becoming an

author.

Blood of Anteros, Book One in The Vampire

Agápe Series, was her first novel and it was

released in September 2011. She decided to

briefly step away from the paranormal genre

to try her hand at a young adult

contemporary romance when she wrote

Going Under, but returned to the paranormal

romance platform to complete the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series,

Blood Jewel.

Her current works in progress are Shallow (A Going Under Novel) which will

release on September 27th and Blood Doll (The Vampire Agápe Series #3), to be

released in January 2013.

Georgia Cates Blog

Georgia Cates on Facebook

Georgia Cates on Twitter

Shallow on Goodreads

Guest Post by Georgia Cates

Thank you for having me as a guest today. My name is Georgia Cates and I’m the

author of Blood of Anteros, Blood Jewel, Going Under and Shallow. Today, I’m going to

talk a little about what constitutes romantic chemistry between characters.

Characters can be very similar in nature and love the same things, but that doesn’t

make for interesting fictional chemistry. “Conflict. Push and Pull. Desire and

Obstacle.” Do you hear what I’m screaming? Call it what you like, but these are the

basics that make romantic chemistry pop.

There’s always an underlying attraction beyond the hurdle the hero and heroine

must jump. They may believe they hate one another, but the reader knows better and

we can’t wait for the characters to realize it. It’s what we crave, what we need and we’re

just plain pissed when the characters are too ignorant to see what we see, but that’s

what excites us. It’s why we read and root for our characters to fall in love.

For me, the best chemistry is the unwanted kind...the friendship that somehow turns

into more, enemies finding themselves not hating one another as much as they thought

or falling for the bad boy when you know you should choose the good guy. There’s very

little I enjoy more than a relationship with unwanted chemistry. What can I say? It’s my

guilty pleasure.

Whether I’m reading or writing, my choices in heroes tend to lean more toward the

bad boy side. Not everyone would call my bad boy characters “bad” so maybe the

word “troubled” is a more suitable term. I love a tortured hero and who could be a better

match for him than a heroine that can make it all better. Of course, that’s not what he

wants, but I don’t care because I want my chemistry. I want her to have the power to

save him from himself.

Romantic chemistry is attraction that the hero and heroine can’t ignore, hard as they

may try. The harder they try, the more the readers enjoy the chase but in the end, we

want characters that will “fix” one another and find happiness. Otherwise, it becomes a

tragedy.

Cover Reveal: The Dollhouse Asylum

 

Title: The Dollhouse Asylum

Author: Mary Gray

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any images, text, links, etc. from our website.

ISBN: 978-1-937053-64-2

Release Date: October 22, 2013

Formats: Paper, e-book 

The Dollhouse Asylum

   A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when seventeen-year-old Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

   At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

   The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

   If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

   But if they play it wrong, they'll die. 

 

 

Review: The Truth About Faking

The Truth About Faking

By: Leigh Talbert Moore

Release Date: 09/01/12

Paperback/e-book

328 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Jason just wants a date with Harley.
Harley just wants a date with Trent.
Trent's still getting over Stephanie.

When Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of deceptions. Trent's got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets from her dreams with Trent.

Worst of all, Harley's mom is getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley's Reverend Dad can't fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks finally come off, can everyone handle the real truth?

Wife and mom by day, writer by day, editor by day, reader when time permits, chocoholic, lover of contemporary romance, lover of YA, lover of great books, beach bum, occasionally I sleep.

"The Truth about Faking" is my debut young adult romance. It's just a light, happy book with a hot guy and a little message tucked inside. My first adult romance "Rouge" will be published in December 2012 by Pocket Books. It's neither light nor happy. Sorry. (But it does have a hot guy!)

Visit Leigh's website here

My Review:

The Truth About Faking is such a cute, sweet read that will leaving you feeling uplifted and happy. Full of young love, unrequited crushes, lessons in doing the right thing no matter what, and wonderful caring parents (as a parent I love it when YA books include good parents). 

Jason is so adorably cute I could barely stand it. He is sensitive without seeming overly so and he really puts up with a lot from a supremely confused Harley. Oh, and did I happen to mention that he is super adorable? 

Harley has been crushing on Trent for so long that she doesn't know how to stop even when she starts to realize that he may not be the one she wants to be with after all, and it's really stressing her out.  Add to that she is convinced that her mother's massage student is trying to steal her mother away from her father. Certain gossipy women have started to notice all the time that her mom and said student are spending together and want to cause trouble for her father, the reverend. Plus her best friend isn't acting very best friend like. All this adds up to massive stress for poor Harley. 

While at times a bit predictable The Truth About Faking really packs in the fun, romance and lessons in love. A wonderfully light quick read for those that enjoy reading about young love. 

PLOT:Wonderfully sweet and loveable but maybe a tad bit predictable.

CHARACTERS:  The characters were my absolute favorite part of The Truth About Faking.  My favorite characters being Jason and Harley's amazing parents. 

WRITING: Fun, easy and quick to read. You'll be absorbed till the end.

ENDING: Just what I was hoping for!

MATURE CONTENT: There are mentions of making out and some kissing and occasionally Jason let's a small "bad" word escape, but is quickly chastised by Harley to watch it.  Also there is one scene where wine coolers are consumed by the youngsters.

OVERALL:One of those books that are perfect to read while curled up with a blanket, a hot cup of tea,and few hours to lose yourself. 

Review: Time Out by Leah Spiegel

Time Out (Foolish Games book 2)
Author: Leah Spiegel
Release Date: September 22, 2012
Genre: YA/New Adult Romance
Published By: Kindle Edition

Summary from Goodreads:
Joie and her friends are continuing to follow the Grimm Brother’s Band across their countrywide tour. They thought the worst was behind them but they had no idea that things were just getting started. Terrorists’ bombings call for all entertainment venues to be on high alert. With all of the new staff and crew members, the band finds it hard to know who to trust. Meanwhile things begin to heat up between Joie and Hawkins in and out of the bedroom when an ex-fiancé suddenly shows up on the scene but the real surprise has yet to come. If the band wants to continue on the tour, they must figure out who is really behind it all before time runs out…

You can get a copy and you should here

My Review:
warning: this review has a lot of potential for supreme fan girl gushing

Leah Spiegel has become one of my most favorite authors with her Foolish Games YA/New Adult books. I'm pretty sure that I loved Time Out even more than Foolish Games. Right away I was yelling "no! no, no, no! Joie and Hawkins don't need any more complications!!!" I guess I was wrong though because the complications were vast and I loved every minute of it. Really, I'm not exaggerating. Every. Single. Minute.

Time Out pretty much starts off right where Foolish Games ends so we've gotten to know all of the characters and have already fallen in love with them. This allowed for the story to get right to it and  to quickly suck you in. Luckily I started this book on my vacation because there was no way I could put it down once I started reading.

I love how Spiegel writes a book that has it all. Drama, Romance, Mystery, and Suspense! Hawkins and Joie's sexual tensions are as hot as ever. Joie is such a great female protagonist, she's tough, snarky, and loyal to a fault. Hawkins, Hawkins, Hawkins, oh what can I say about sexy sexy Hawkins, I'm so totally in love with Hawkins! Yeah, he makes some dumb decisions but he always seems to make them in the name of love. How can you not love a guy that just wants his girl to be safe. Sexy Sigh!

Another thing that I love about the Foolish Games books are the amazing side characters. The building romance between Riley and a certain someone (no spoilers) is a great addition to the story and I really hope we get to see more of it in the next book. Yep, you heard me, I heard from a very reliable source that there will indeed be another book! Squeal!!!! Lizzie's character was toned down a bit and I'm not sure if I'm glad of that or not but I'm looking forward to where the story is heading for her as well. Obviously I can't wait to read book 3!

Plot: Contemporary perfection

Characters: Perfectly flawed and wonderfully written
Writing: So much fun to get totally lost in
Ending: Wraps up the current situation while setting things up for future wonderfulness
Overall: Really, what else can I possibly gush on about. Spiegel writes a gripping romantic tale with hot rock stars, a beautiful gay best friend, and suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Yeah, ok it's official  I've definitely gushed enough about this one.
Mature Content:The characters in this book are out of high school so the situations are definitely a bit older than the average YA contemporary. However, the sexual scenes while hot are not graphic at all.

Recommendation: If you are loving the New Adult contemporaries the way I am then I highly recommend The Foolish Games books.

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles Book 1) Review and Blog Tour

Flight
By Alyssa Rose Ivy
The Crescent Chronicles, Book 1

Genre: Mature YA/New Adult
Paranormal Romance
Number of pages: 250

Book Description:

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly
what Allie needs before starting college.
Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at
his hotel offers an escape from her ex-
boyfriend and the chance to spend the
summer with her best friend. Meeting a
guy is the last thing on her mind—until
she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet
alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced
to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that
might just save her.

Author Bio:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North
Carolina with her husband and two
young children. Although raised in
the New York area, she fell in love
with the South after moving to New
Orleans for college. After years as a
perpetual student, she turned back
to her creative side and decided to
write.

http://www.alyssaroseivy.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/alyssaroseivy

https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5047249.Alyssa_Rose_Ivy

My Review:
I absolutely love love love the idea behind Flight! Finally, a paranormal plot that is original and unique. Alyssa Rose Ivy took the paranormal romance formula and twisted it around to be new and exciting. I loved her spin on the different shifters. The writing is fast paced and fun to read and never let's you become bored or uninterested.
I could have been completely in love with Flight if not for two problems I had. First, the ending. This book ended so abruptly that I had to go searching on the internet to make sure I wasn't missing part of the book. The second problem for me was the romance part of Flight. I felt like there was no build up to the falling in love between Allie and Levi. I wanted to have more of a spark and passion and I don't know....more.
Once Levi stopped acting like such a player I really started to like him, and his friend Owen was totally awesome. I'm really hoping for more Owen in the next book. For some reason though I had a really hard time connecting to Allie. I felt like she was cold and distant throughout most of the book and I had a hard time seeing why Levi developed such intense feelings for her.

Plot: Fresh new idea
Characters: Some were great others were meh
Writing: Easy to get caught up in
Ending: UGH! I really hated where this book ended, it didn't feel like an ending
Mature Content: There is mentions of drinking and and some non graphic sexy times
Overall: I liked Flight and I will definitely be checking out book 2 (Focus, coming January 2013) to find out what will happen with Levi and Allie and the entire New Orleans paranormal community.
Recommendation: If you are a fan of paranormal and you want something different then you should definitely check out Flight. Even though I felt like this book wasn't perfect it was still worth reading.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Perfect Game by J. Sterling

Author: J. Sterling
Expected Release Date: October 12, 2012
Publisher: J. Sterling

Summary:
He's a game she never intended to play. 
And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.

The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day. 


Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful...

This is a MATURE YOUNG ADULT/NEW ADULT novel
Suitable for ages 17+ 
Contains strong language, sexual situations and references

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we (bloggers) are anxiously awaiting. So what book are you excited about right now?

Introducing Down To You by M. Leighton PLUS The Wild Ones Giveaway!!!

Title: Down to You

Genre and Age Group: Adult Contemporary Romance (Mature/New Adult ages, too)

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance- Please be advised that this book is NOT YA friendly, not even in a New Adult category! 

Author: M. Leighton

Release date: September 23, 2012

Links: http://mleightonbooks.blogspot.com

Amazon

Book Description:

The scorching tale of one girl, two brothers and a love triangle…that’s not.

Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return

home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to

abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain

and simple. Black and white.

But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins.

Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his

bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good

for her.

Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate.

But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop

Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why

they can never be together.

Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something

that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved.

And in love. With both of them.

Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire.

She wants them both.

And they want her.

How will she ever choose between them?

Excerpt From Down To You

My first thought upon waking is of Cash. Licking my stomach. Tonguing my navel. And then looking so
hard into my eyes.

God, I could’ve devoured him right then and there!

Damn the bad boys!

I blame everything on my inherent weakness for them, because my head tells me I should be looking for
someone much more suitable. Someone like Nash.

Nash.

In my head, I even sigh over his name. He’s every bit as delicious as his brother. Obviously. They’re
twins. And even though he’s got less of the edge that seems to draw me in like a bee to honey, he’s got
so many other things I love.

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