Hannah Fielding's February Fiesta - Blog Tour + Giveaway!

Introducing… Hannah Fielding

Hannah Fielding is an incurable romantic. The seeds for her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came to an
agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now. Today, she lives the dream: writing full time at her homes in Kent, England, and the South of France, where she dreams up romances overlooking breath-taking views of the Mediterranean. To date, Hannah has published four passionate, evocative novels: Burning Embers, a ‘romance like Hollywood used to make’, set in Kenya; the award-winning Echoes of Love, ‘an epic love story that is beautifully told’, set in Italy; and books 1 and 2 of the Andalusian Nights trilogy, set in sultry Spain, entitled Indiscretion and Masquerade. She is currently working on her fifth book, Legacy, which will publish this spring.

A glimpse of Indiscretion 

Alexandra felt a riot of emotions skittering along the surface of her skin, which was reacting to his touch in a way she couldn’t seem to control. A warm breeze blew a couple of locks of hair that had slipped over her brow. It played caressingly around her neck, and for a split second she found herself fantasising that it was Salvador’s fingers stroking her.

He stopped and looked down at her, still holding her hand tightly. Had he felt her tension? Their eyes locked, as if he knew all about the tumult going on inside her body.

‘Por Dios, by God, if they were jewels, those green eyes of yours would be worth a fortune strung on gold,’ and, bending his head, he leaned closer. Mesmerised by her mouth, he paused a breath away from her, then took her lips in a slow-moving kiss. Her entire body flashed with heat, and all the while his fingers were twining between hers. The heady masculine scent of him filled her head as the smooth texture of his lips finally lifted their pressure, brushing over hers as lightly as a feather. 

Quickly, but gently, he pulled away. Alexandra’s cheeks burned, not only because all her senses were crying out for more, but also with the thought that they might have been seen from above. Reading her mind, Salvador shook his dark head reassuringly, but his ardent stare, ocean-deep, remained a few seconds more on her face before they resumed their climb.

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Book Review: I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson

I Hate Myselfie by Shane Dawson
Goodreads Summary: The book that more than 12 million YouTube subscribers have been waiting for! Shane Dawson’s memoir features twenty original essays—uncensored yet surprisingly sweet.
From his first vlog back in 2008 to his full-length film directorial debut Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and Internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can't get a date to save your life.
In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life Internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who by observing the strange world around him developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done.

Rating(1-10): 9.5

Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Goodreads Summary: Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed. With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers.

Rate(1-10): 8

An Update

Hello friends. Just an update. I'm sorry I've been AWOL for the past, well, six months! If any of you are regular readers you might have noticed that my 'currently reading' book keeps changing... although I think it's been Paper Valentine for a while. But anyways, now it's not. Now it's Mortal Heart, and I've been reading that at a very slow pace.

The reason for that is probably what you can only expect from a high school senior: college apps. College apps and just catching up with senior year have been tough, as expected. So I've been putting reading to the side. But I'm still alive, and updating! So hello, it's me. I was wondering if after all these [months] you'd like to [see me post more reviews].

I guess this is kind of a hello from the other side. Because a lot has been going on, and now I'm finally updating again. I never really post personal things on this blog, but I think me being AWOL from this blog for six months really needs an explanation. I'll go ahead and post that on my author blog.

I hope you guys enjoy my book review for Jane Eyre, which will be up in about an hour from now! And I just finished listening to Shane Dawson's I Hate Myselfie WHICH WAS AMAZING. That review will be up next Sunday. Stay tuned!

For now, don't forget to be happy and thanks for stopping by!

Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley

 Proves the healing power of family . . .

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves.

Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control.

 In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward.

Book Review: Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
Goodreads Synopsis: Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, discovers it during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with, "My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together." For Garrett, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Challenged by the mystery, and driven to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together either by chance or something more powerful, Theresa and Garrett's lives come together in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding everlasting love. Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks's storytelling, here is an achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most.

Rate(1-10): 6

Death Wish by Megan Tayte

Blurb

IN SEARCH OF THE MEANING OF DEATH, SHE’LL FIND THE MEANING OF LIFE. 

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense. 

Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to the isolated cove of Twycombe, Devon, with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need. 

As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power. 

What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death. 

To believe the impossible. 

Book Review: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Goodreads: Of all the contenders for the title of The Great American Novel, none has a better claim than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Intended at first as a simple story of a boy's adventures in the Mississippi Valley - a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - the book grew and matured under Twain's hand into a work of immeasurable richness and complexity. More than a century after its publication, the critical debate over the symbolic significance of Huck's and Jim's voyage is still fresh, and it remains a major work that can be enjoyed at many levels: as an incomparable adventure story and as a classic of American humor.

Rate(1-10): 8

Excerpt: 12 Hours by Hannah Harvey

12 Hours
(Novella)
Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

About the book:
Two months ago, Ivy was heartbroken when her boyfriend of almost a year, James, broke up with her on her graduation day, and then left town without saying goodbye.
She hasn't heard from him since that day. Until now.
Now it's two months on. It's midnight, and she's just received a message from him.
I'm outside. I need you.
Three little words she's never been able to resist from him. Over the next twelve hours, follow Ivy on an emotional journey, as she tries to work out why he's back. If he's staying and what she wants now that he's back in her life again.

I wrote a book!

Hello friends! After one month of hard work, I've managed to write a book: Slow Down and Smell the Roses: A Guide for Surviving High School (Sort Of). Although it's only about 100 pages, it took so much dedication and effort, and I'm so glad and pretty proud of myself that I did this all this on my own.

Furthermore, I've managed (after hours and hours of torture and dedication) to design the entire cover and self-publish. I am so incredibly excited to have finally finished this project, and I am so excited to be able to share this with y'all.

The idea of writing a high school "survival guide" came to me a long time ago, but it's only now that I actually wrote one. It's geared toward high school freshmen and sophomores, and it's the compilation of the things I've learned so far in my high school career. Actually, this book is more of an accumulation of what I wish I could tell my 9th grade self.

I finished writing the book last Tuesday, and now the proof copy is on its way. Meanwhile, it IS up on Lulu, so if anyone is interested in getting a hardcover... *wink* I'm still working on getting the e-book up, but it'll be soon that this book is publicized and available on all book-selling websites, in digital form and hardcover! But if anyone is interested in getting a review copy, just let me know! I would be glad to send over an e-book. 

I will start updating an author blog, lianachau.blogspot.com. There, I'll talk more about the book and this time-consuming journey of writing a book as a teen author.

For now, this is it. Thanks so much for reading and supporting my blog, you guys make the blogosphere an amazing place!

Guest Post by Author Jonathan L. Ferrara

Guest Post:Some of the first stories my mom ever read to me were ones found in the Bible. I found each of them very interesting, but the ones that fascinated me the most were the stories about angels and demons. At a very young age I asked questions that most children wouldn’t even think of, “What made a soul worthy for either Heaven or Hell?” The whole concept of Hell terrified me. I couldn’t seem to understand why Lucifer: God’s most beloved angel, would rather rot in Hell than be celebrated in Heaven. It didn’t make sense to me. Neither did Hell. What exactly is it? Every description I was ever told didn’t explain much. There was no answer, but that Hell is a horrible pit of sorrow. Lucifer was a half-written villain to me that I couldn’t seem to understand. I began writing “The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin” as a way to give me the answers I sought out when I was that little boy. I wanted to convey the aspect of Good and Evil, and a boy who was heading down a wicked path, but journeying to find the light of God.

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Summary: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Rate(1-10): 9.5

Book Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Summary: One boy . . . One dragon . . . A world of adventure. When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.

Rate(1-10): 7

Book Review: The Awakening by Kate Chopin

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Book Summary: This story of a woman's struggle with oppressive social structures received much public contempt at its first release; put aside because of initial controversy, the novel gained popularity in the 1960s, some six decades after its first publication, and has since remained a favorite of many readers. Chopin's depiction of a married woman, bound to her family and with no way to assert a fulfilling life of her own, has become a foundation for feminism and a classic account of gender crises in the late Victorian era.

Rating(1-10): 7

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Shifter's Heart by Desiree Williams

Shifter’s Heart – Heart Song Trilogy Book 2 Blurb

As the flames of Varkadon spread, war rips through the Shifter Territory…

With the Aldonnian kingdom celebrating the news of her brother’s soul bonding, Laelynn seizes every opportunity to drive herself to the brink of exhaustion. If her body is worn, then her brain would be too tired to dream. Laelynn knew the men who’d captured her were gone from this world, but that didn’t stop the haunting images from plaguing her mind. Not even the pesky thorn-in-her-side Shifter Prince could keep the dreams at bay. Though Dustan’s commentary through their mental bond had kept a lingering smile on her lips, despite the battles that rage within her.

Discussion #21: Audiobooks

For the longest time, I was iffy about audiobooks. First of all, because I don't have a car, and we all know that the best place and time to listen to an audiobook is on a long road trip. Recently, I've started listening to audiobooks more in an effort to get into reading again. I would recommend this for anyone, actually. Audiobooks are quite interesting, unless the reader's voice is really faint and soft-- you want to find a really good voice, because when you're listening to an audiobook, it's not your voice in your head, but someone else's voice.

I've noticed that I'm listening to books that I don't have any motivation to finish on my own. It helps. It's kind of slow sometimes, especially if you try to read along, but it's an interesting experience. What do you guys think about audiobooks?

I just signed up on audible.com -- you guys can get your first book for free!

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Goodreads Synopsis: The terrifyingly prophetic novel of a post-literate future. Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books. The classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, Fahrenheit 451 stands alongside Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity. Bradbury’s powerful and poetic prose combines with uncanny insight into the potential of technology to create a novel which, decades on from first publication, still has the power to dazzle and shock.

Rate(1-10): 7.5

Book Review: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Book Summary: Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the public and the private selves. Publicly disgraced and ostracized, Hester Prynne draws on her inner strength and certainty of spirit to emerge as the first true heroine of American fiction. Arthur Dimmesdale, trapped by the rules of society, stands as a classic study of a self divided.

Rate(1-10): 7

Laekan Kemp: The Boy In Her Dreams; Blog Tour & Giveaway

Bryn Reyes is a real life sleeping beauty. Afflicted with Klein-Levin Syndrome, she suffers episodes of prolonged sleep that steal weeks, and sometimes even months, from her life. But unlike most KLS patients, she doesn’t spend each episode in a catatonic state or wake up with no recollection of the time she’s missed. Instead, Bryn spends half her life in an alternate reality made up of her memories. For Bryn, the past is a place, until one day a boy she’s never met before washes up on the illusory beach of her dreams with no memory of who he is.

But the appearance of this strange boy isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Bryn’s symptoms are worsening, her body weakening as she’s plagued by hallucinations even while awake. Her only hope of finding a cure is to undergo experimental treatment created by a German specialist. But when Dr. Banz reveals that he knows more about her strange symptoms than he originally let on, Bryn learns that the boy in her head might actually be the key to understanding what’s happening to her, and worse, that if she doesn’t find out his identity before it’s too late, they both may not survive.


BOOK 1: The Girl In Between (FREE!)

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-girl-in-between

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-girl-in-between-laekan-zea-kemp/1120421881?ean=2940046377927

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Between-Book-ebook/dp/B00NQL0LRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412089147&sr=8-1&keywords=laekan+zea+kemp

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/479396

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Laekan_Zea_Kemp_The_Girl_In_Between?id=3-8hBQAAQBAJ

BOOK 2: The Boy In Her Dreams

Smashwords link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/483635

Goodreads link for book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23316911-the-boy-in-her-dreams
Purchase link for book 2: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ODETOCY

GIVEAWAY:

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GUEST POST:
Laekan Kemp

 The Importance of Daily Declarations

When it comes to writing, and more importantly finishing, momentum is everything. Like they always say, an object in motion tends to stay in motion while in object at rest tends to stay at rest. It’s pure science, ya’ll. Another universally known scientific fact? Procrastination is a disease. The good news? It’s not incurable.

Without my routine I’m like a buoy in the breeze, my direction and motivation constantly changing according to my emotions, my circumstances, and whatever interesting website I happen to stumble upon on the internet. It’s a dangerous environment and while “freedom” is, in so many people’s minds, synonymous with creativity and inspiration, the truth is the muse must be harnessed like every other beast of burden. The muse should work when we say it’s going to work and not the other way around but the only way to accomplish this is to stop making excuses and start cracking the whip. This means that setting crystal clear and achievable expectations is a must. But not just for each story or each draft but for every minute of every day.

Holidays always have a tendency to derail my focus and sometimes it takes me weeks to find my motivation again. But just because something’s been displaced doesn’t mean it’s been lost. In my opinion, finding your focus is all about the preparation. Every day I sit down at my desk and I know everything I’m going to accomplish that day and in what order. Lists and plans don’t wok for everyone but having a clear direction is crucial. But not only do I know what I’m going to accomplish and when, I also know how long I’m going to spend on each task. In the mornings I give myself an hour and a half to write 1k-2k on my contemporary romance and then after lunch I give myself four hours to write 3k-4k on my YA series. If I don’t reach my goal in time, I leave it be. But what I’ve realized after setting these benchmarks for myself, is that after a while I tend to rise to my own expectations. When I’m out of practice it would take me up to six hours to write three thousand words but after getting used to my routine and my self-imposed obligations, I’m cranking it out in half the time.

But maintaining a routine isn’t just about showing up every day and doing the work, it’s also about finding balance. Some days the internet swallows me like a black hole and when I finally find my way back out, the laundry’s turned sour in the washer and my lunch has calcified. It’s a dangerous place, and as temperamental Creatives who are constantly looking for an excuse not to do the one thing we love most in the world (Can you believe how messed up we are?) it’s imperative that we learn how to navigate every distraction in a healthy way.

When we find ourselves getting easily distracted, or seeking out any excuse to avoid writing, it usually means one thing–that we’re lacking balance. Everyone’s heard the expression “work hard, play hard” but in the context of creative work, these lines can sometimes get blurred. When I’ve hit my writing stride, I can hibernate for days with a story, typing until my fingertips are raw and forgetting to engage in even the most basic necessities such as eating and sleeping. And I think a lot of us find ourselves working in this same pattern of extremes. When the writing really gets going we gorge ourselves on words and the second we hit a roadblock, we starve ourselves to death. But no one can survive like this. It’s not natural and if you keep telling yourself that this is “just the way I am” or this is “just how my muse works” I’ve got news for you. You’re wrong. So wrong.

When it comes to your life and your creativity, you make the rules. And whatever rules you set, the muse will adhere to as long as you’re stringent about the consequences if you falter. So set deadlines. Schedule every hour of every day, and not just your writing time, but also the amount of time you’ll spend reading or watching TV or surfing the internet. For every forty-five minutes I work, I spend fifteen reading weird news stories on the Huffington post–just enough time to give my brain a break, but not enough to break my stride. I know it may sound counter-intuitive but when it comes to creativity rules are crucial and boundaries are everything. So don’t be afraid to set out every day with a plan, to make a schedule, to create boundaries, and to set expectations. Because who knows? After making them a part of your daily declaration and creating a solid plan of attack, you just might actually reach them.

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Book Review: What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Goodreads synopsis: Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

Rate(1-10): 6