Saturday, February 25, 2017

In My Mailbox | Worth Any Cost

Worth Any Cost (Gaming the System #6) by Brenna Aubrey
February 2017 by Silver Griffon Associates 
343 pages
This title will be available to purchase on February 28, 2017!
Amazon + Good Reads

"You are cordially invited to the wedding of the decade.

Adam Drake and Emilia Kimberly Strong have chosen a date to solidify their love in the bonds of matrimony.

Join them on their exotic destination wedding. Visit with their friends and loved ones. But hold the champagne toast. Fate has a few last tests for our couple on their way to the altar.

Natural 20 or natural disaster?"
- Good Reads

A very special thanks to Brenna Aubrey for sending me an ARC of Worth Any Cost in exchange for my honest review! 

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Life Update

Hey, all - Alyssa here.

I've stepped largely away from YouTube and blogging just because life took such an intense turn that my hobby had to sit on the back burner. The very last, all the way in the back - back burner. For a long time, I even stopped reading.

Last year was a whirlwind for me - I graduated from school, I began my first big-girl career, I got married and had a whole slew of events that go along with marriage (bridal showers, bachelorette parties, etc., etc.). And while I wouldn't trade my 2016 for anything in the world, I let blogging and reading fall to the wayside.

But now? I'm hoping to be back. I'm settled in my new life with my husband. I've got my feet underneath me at my job. And I've begun reading again... and with that, I've reignited my love of sharing my thoughts on books with the book nerd community. I won't be back on YouTube - that part of my reviewing life has come and gone, and I'm simply not interested in what BookTube holds these days (no shade - I promise). But blogging has always come easy for me.

So, look for posts that share what I've been receiving in the mail and reviews about what I've been reading. I'm accepting ARCs again - albeit selectively. And you can always find me on Good Reads where I post updates daily on the books I'm currently devouring.

For now - let me know what you've been reading and what you've been up to, and I will see you all very soon.

-Alyssa

Monday, August 15, 2016

Spotlight | Haven




Haven (Chronicles of Warshard #1) is the 2nd place winner of World's Best Story!

Princess Haven was never meant to be Queen.

Her immortality has saved her time and time again, but when the last of her royal family dies at her feet, she is next in line to rule a nation on the brink of war. With no formal training on how to be Queen, Haven must rise to the occasion with the help of her best friends, and personal guard, or risk losing everyone she has ever loved.

With war to the West, and no escape to the East, the evil tyrant Kadia sets her sights on the six kingdoms. Haven's neighbors are quick to fall under the swords of Kadia's shadow soldiers, leaving a sea of bodies and a clear path to Haven's only home. Haven must make a choice; take her people and flee to the foreign Republic across the sea or lead a last stand against a powerful dictator.



Buy the Book:


Author's Bio:

Katherine Bogle's debut young adult novel, Haven, came second in the World's Best Story contest 2015. She currently resides in Saint John, New Brunswick with her partner in crime, and plethora of cats.

​Connect with the author: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook


Friday, July 29, 2016

Spotlight | Party With A Plan







  1. Tell us a little about yourself


I started writing all the common things people write about themselves, but I don’t want to do that here. I am a free spirited, creative, compassionate, and extroverted 56 years young man. I am the father of an amazing 11-year-old daughter who fills my life with joy. I have endured heartache and pain and ecstasy and joy. My life is full and I am never bored.
  1. Why did you write this book?


I wrote this book because in my mid 20’s I had a life altering experience that drastically changed the course of my life. I wrote this book so others could avoid the pitfalls that I fell into.


  1. Really? You’re going to leave us hanging like that? What happened? Do you mind telling us?


Not at all. I talk about it in my book so I can talk about it here. At 24 I hit bottom from my cocaine and alcohol addiction. I’ve been sober ever since. This book is my calling and the reason I went through everything I went through. In short, the book teaches people how to drink and not get in trouble with alcohol.


  1. You mean it teaches people how to drink responsibly?


Actually, that phrase is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. There’s really no such thing as “responsible drinking.” If you ask five random people to define responsible drinking, you get five completely different answers. Could you imagine driving down the road wondering what the speed limit is, only to see a sign that says, “Drive responsibly.” How fast are you supposed to go? What my book does is give people research based, concrete guidelines on how to drink and lower the risk of having problems associated with alcohol.


  1. Is the book meant for anyone who drinks?


Yes, the book is intended for anyone who chooses to drink. I do have an edition specifically for college students and another for women since both have characteristics that need to be addressed for those populations, but the generic book is for anyone who chooses to drink. Being an alcoholic is not fun and I want to help people from crossing the line into addiction. This book will do just that.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Top 3 Wednesday | Contemporary Classics by Women

Hey, all.

Every Wednesday, I'm bringing you a new feature post on my blog - "Top 3 Wednesday." I'll compile a list of suggestions or books related to a theme, and I'd love to hear your responses too! If you have any thoughts as to lists that I can make, please let me know and as always, happy reading.


-Alyssa


Today I'm bringing you three classic titles written by women. Don't worry, I won't be including Pride and Prejudice in this list... but as always, you should read it.


Monday, July 18, 2016

Spotlight | Beyond the Rising Tide

Beyond the Rising Tide
Beyond the Rising Tide by Sarah Beard

Kai met Avery only once--in the moment he died saving her life. Now when he's not using his new healing powers to help people, he watches helplessly as Avery's life is unraveled by his death. To help her, he risks everything by breaking the rules, dangerously blurring the barriers between life and death.

amazon

Praise for the Book

“Vividly imagined, this novel is the perfect mix of modern love story and literary fiction. One brimming with genuine emotion that had me re-reading passages simply because they were too beautifully written to experience just once.” --Julie N. Ford, author of With No Regrets

“This book is not only an engaging and satisfying supernatural romance, but also a beautiful story about life, death, and the gray places in between.” --E.B. Wheeler, author of The Haunting of Springett Hall
"This is one of those stories that stays with you long after the closing scene. It was beautifully imagined and vividly written and I absolutely loved it!” --Teresa Richards, author of Emerald Bound

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My mind retraces the past few months, all the conversations Tyler and I have had, the words we’ve said and haven’t said, all stemming from one incident, one day. And then I’m thrown back to that afternoon, back into the ocean and the cold, roiling waves. I feel them around me, tossing me this way and that, pounding over my head like a stampede of wild horses. I feel the salt stinging my eyes and see the abyss below me in the moment I dove under to find the boy. I saw him there, motionless and suspended in the deep, just out of reach.
Just out of reach.
My face feels hot, and I can’t breathe. But I keep my panic cloaked beneath my skin. A violent earthquake rattles my insides, but I tense my muscles, holding it in, restraining it, refusing to let it show. I dig my nails into my arm, anchoring them there, anchoring me into stillness, and I focus all my attention on the present physical pain in my arm.
Kai’s hand reaches for mine. His touch stills my insides, draws out the tremors as though they’re water and he’s a sponge.



Sarah Beard
Author Sarah Beard
Sarah Beard is the author of YA novels Porcelain Keys and Beyond the Rising Tide. She earned a degree in communications from the University of Utah and is currently pursuing an MFA in writing from VCFA. When she's not writing, she referees wrestling matches between her three boys and listens to audiobooks while folding self-replicating piles of laundry. She is a breast cancer survivor, a baker of sweets, a seeker of good love stories, a composer of melancholy music, and a traveler who wishes her travel budget was much bigger. She lives with her husband and children in the shadow of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.
Blog Tour Giveaway

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Ends 8/1/16

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