Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant


Hardcover328 pages
Published April 4th 2017 by Kids Can Press
ISBN: 1771387920




The more I touch someone, the more I can see and understand, and the more I think I can help. But that’s my mistake. I can’t help. You can’t fix people like you can solve a math problem.

Math genius. Freak of nature. Loner.


Eva Walker has literally one friend—if you don’t count her quadruplet three-year-old-siblings—and it’s not even because she’s a math nerd. No, Eva is a loner out of necessity, because everyone and everything around her is an emotional minefield. All she has to do is touch someone, or their shirt, or their cell phone, and she can read all their secrets, their insecurities, their fears.

Sure, Eva’s “gift” comes in handy when she’s tutoring math and she can learn where people are struggling just by touching their calculators. For the most part, though, it’s safer to keep her hands to herself. Until she meets six-foot-three, cute-without-trying Zenn Bennett, who makes that nearly impossible.

Zenn’s jacket gives Eva such a dark and violent vision that you’d think not touching him would be easy. But sometimes you have to take a risk…






Zenn Diagram was such a charming and adorable love story! I was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable this book was! 

Eva, the main character, was a funny, smart, dedicated, and family-oriented person. At the beginning of the book, Eva was quite judgmental. She seemed to thrive on the fact that she "wasn't like other girls" and seemed to think she was better than every other girl because she didn't wear makeup. Eva also wasn't very accepting of the relationship her best friend got in, which was ridiculous considering there was no reason for Eva to not support her friend. Thankfully, Eva grew as a person, learned from her mistakes, and became less judgmental. I was so happy that Eva had a change of heart. That character development made her more likable. I ended up loving Eva!

The main male character, Zenn, was precious. From the first time he was introduced, I knew I was going to fall in love with him. Zenn was sweet, considerate, charming, thoughtful, hard-working, and responsible. Zenn is a dream man for me. I WANT MY OWN ZENN! I volunteer to be his wife forever. 




This book had a slow start, and things started to feel a little repetitive. However, once the ball starting rolling, I was HOOKED! The plot got a lot more interesting and became extremely unique. There were twists and turns that I did not expect! I thought the author did a great job at keeping me guessing. Also, the romance in this book was so adorable. I thought the romance was well paced, believable, and extremely swoon worthy. 


Zenn Diagram was a light, quick, and cute read! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a YA romantic contemporary that will put a smile on your face! 

4 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. * 

Beautiful Mistake by Vi Keeland

The #1 New York Times Bestselling author Vi Keeland is back with a brand new standalone, Beautiful Mistake releasing on July 17th and we have the amazing cover for you today!



Title: Beautiful Mistake
Author: Vi Keeland
Release Date: July 17, 2017
Model: Lucas Barbosa Gil
Photographer: Chuando & Frey
Cover designer: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative



The first time I met Caine West was in a bar.
He noticed me looking his way and mistakenly read my scowling as checking him out.
When he attempted to talk to me, I set him straight—telling him what I thought of his lying, cheating, egomaniacal ass.
You see, the gorgeous jerk had wined and dined my best friend--smooth talking her into his bed, all along failing to mention that he was married. 
He deserved every bit of my tongue-lashing and more for what he'd done.
Especially when that lazy smile graced his perfect face in response to my rant.
Only it turned out, the man I'd just told off wasn't the right guy. 
Oops. My mistake.
Embarrassed, I slunk out without an apology. 
I was never going to see the handsome stranger again anyway, right?
That’s what I thought…until I walked into class the next morning.
Well, hello Professor West, I’m your new teaching assistant. 
I’ll be working under you…figuratively speaking. 
Although the literal interpretation might not be such a bad thing—working under Professor West.
This was going to be interesting…





Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author. With more than 1.5 million books sold, her titles have appeared in over eighty Bestseller lists and are currently translated in sixteen languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.


Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Shacking Up by Helena Hunting



SHACKING UP by Helena Hunting
SMP Swerve
Publication Date: May 30, 2017


Ruby Scott is months behind on rent and can’t seem to land a steady job. She has one chance to turn things around with a big audition. But instead of getting her big break, she gets sick as a dog and completely bombs it in the most humiliating fashion. All thanks to a mysterious, gorgeous guy who kissed—and then coughed on—her at a party the night before.



Luckily, her best friend might have found the perfect opportunity; a job staying at the lavish penthouse apartment of hotel magnate Bancroft Mills while he’s out of town, taking care of his exotic pets. But when the newly-evicted Ruby arrives to meet her new employer, it turns out Bane is the same guy who got her sick.


Seeing his role in Ruby’s dilemma, Bane offers her a permanent job as his live-in pet sitter until she can get back on her feet. Filled with hilariously awkward encounters and enough sexual tension to heat a New York City block, Shacking Up, from NYT and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting, is sure to keep you laughing and swooning all night long.








Shacking Up Blog Tour: Author Q&A


  1. Describe Shacking Up using no more than 140 characters (a la Twitter).
Sexy, quirky, with enough sexual tension to light your underwear on fire.

  1. Where did you get inspiration for the character’s names, particularly Bancroft aka Bane?
Once I met a police officer (I wasn’t doing anything illegal) who introduced himself as Bancroft. I thought that was his last name, so I sassily introduced myself by my last name as well. Then he corrected me, telling me that his first name was Bancroft, and I felt obviously ridiculous. He was a mammoth man. He practically had to duck through doorways, so I put that one in the name bank for a rainy day. I also thought it was rather hilarious that it could be shortened to Bane—as in the bane of my existence, which we know Bancroft certainly is not. Ruby is a spunky name and I thought reflected the heroine’s fiery personality.
  1. Shacking Up is hilarious! How easily does the banter between the characters come for you? Do you ever struggle writing the humor in your books?
With Ruby and Bane the banter came easily because there weren’t a lot of social constraints or limitations for them. At the beginning they’re working under the premise of a business arrangement, so the pressure is off and Ruby isn’t really one to hold back,. Neither is Bane for that matter. I have such a fun time creating off the wall, sometimes sexually tense scenes, especially with these two.
  1. Do you ever make yourself laugh when writing a scene?
Yes. I feel weird saying that, but there are times when I’m imagining what is happening as I’m writing and thinking “this is just ridiculous”. My hope is that if I think it’s ridiculous, so will other people, and it will inspire the same reaction. Francesca certainly helped make it a lot easier to fit in fun, light-hearted situations.
  1. What inspired Bane’s exotic choice in pets?
Ferrets are freaking adorable, but they are menaces if they’re left to their own devices. They’re also a lot like dogs and cats, but they require a different kind of care, the fact that they’re illegal in NYC also helped. As for Tiny—I think a lot of people would be reluctant to take care of a giant spider, no matter how cool they are as pets. I felt like both of them would be lend for some funny situations.
  1. The heroes in your Pucked series are all hockey stars, and Bane in Shacking Up is an ex-rugby player. Is it safe to say you have a thing for athletes?
I guess you could say I have a fascination with athletes. That level of physical fitness takes an extraordinary amount of discipline, plus STAMINA!!! More than just being an athlete, I have an affinity for heroes who show loyalty and determination and who are just as much about brain as brawn.
  1. Ruby is a bit of a rebel, defying her family to go after her dreams. What do you love most about her?
I love that despite things not always going her way, she refuses to take the easy way out. Our paths are not always linear and Ruby is very willing to make concessions where she needs to in order to prove to herself and her family that she can attain her goals.
  1. Why are Bane and Ruby so perfect for each other?
They’re both very goal oriented people with the same core values. Ruby is a firecracker and Bane needs someone with that level of sass to challenge him. For Ruby, Bane is an inherent caretaker, BUT he tries not to force that care on her which is something she can appreciate.
  1. Are there any books or authors you’re really excited about right now?
I’m excited for Ann Marie Walkers BLACK TIE OPTIONAL. I recently devoured Jana Aston’s Grind Me Series and Debra Anastasia is writing the most awesome book right now, and I can’t wait until it’s ready for public consumption.


Helena Hunting delivers another funny, sexy, and engaging read with Shacking Up! I'm always in the mood for light hearted romantic comedy and Hunting managed to leave me completely satiated. 

I was hooked from the very first chapter and right away loved Ruby's fiery attitude. She's trying to deal with all the stuffy well-to-do people at her best friend Amie's engagement party and doesn't expect to end up in a lip lock with one of the guests until it happens! Bancroft is sick and can't be held responsible for his actions, but that doesn't stop him from feeling guilty abut what happened especially after he officially meets Ruby. 

I love the chemistry between Bane and Ruby! There is so much tension and even though they are thousands of miles away from each other a friendship/relationship seems to grow. I actually preferred it that way because I liked how they were able to get to know each other during that time instead of it being completely insta-love. But that doesn't mean it was any less sexy! And when they were finally in the same room...boom...dynamite! They were so silly and flirty with each other, it was perfection! 

"Okay. Bye, Bancroft." "You know, you can call me Bane." "Like the bane of my existence?"

Shacking Up is a quick and completely engaging read. It has all the components I love in a romance story, and kept me excited to turn the next page! I wouldn't mind at all if this turned into a companion novel series, I will devour them all! 


4/5 Fangs

*A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She's writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.




Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts





Hardcover352 pages
Expected publication: May 30th 2017 by Disney-Hyperion
ISBN: 1484767659

Goodreads


Entertainment Weekly’s “35 Most Anticipated YA Novels of 2017”

Goodreads “Most Popular Books Published In May 2017”

Bustle’s “The Most Anticipated Young Adult Debuts of 2017—From February to June”

Brightly’s “17 of the Most Exciting YA Books to Read in 2017”

Culturess’s “12 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2017”

B&N Teen Blog’s “Your 2017 2017 YA Pre-Order Guide”

“This is one of those rare books that had me laughing and crying within a paragraph.”
—Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Realms series

“We cannot wait for this high-stakes, edge of your seat fantasy.”
—Bustle

“Adventure-loving fantasy readers will eat it up.”
Kirkus Reviews

First in a planned series, Shvarts’s action-packed debut champions diversity, counsels perseverance,
and highlights the human cost of war.”

Publishers Weekly


Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.

At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.

Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.

Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey . . .
 






Royal Bastards had everything I wanted in a middle-grade/YA fantasy. There was magic, political intrigue, action, and world development. The plot of this book kept me entertained, and this book left me excited to read more from this author!

As the book progressed, the book got darker, grittier, and more addicting. There was plenty of action and adventure that constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. 

One issue I had with this book was that the author used a very modern language, which was a little hard to get used to. It sometimes took me out of the book because I couldn't understand why there was such a modern language in this fantasy historical world. 

There were a lot of characters in this book, and I grew to love all of them. Each character was unique and memorable. I thought the author did a great job at developing them throughout the story. I am hoping there will be a sequel to this book so we can see the characters grow more and more. 

Sometimes the characters would annoy me, but that happens with most books. Tilla actually annoyed me the most because she was so rude to some of the other characters. However, I liked how the author had the characters realize their wrongs and learn from that. I also adored all the different relationships that developed through this story. This book had a lot of strong female friendships and I was LIVING for it. 

Overall, this was a captivating, exciting, humorous, and interesting novel. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good fantasy book! 

4 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. * 

Scandal of the Season by Liana LeFey

SotS Blitz 

Happy Release Day to Scandal of the Season by Liana LeFey!


Paperback300 pages
Expected publication: May 30th 2017 by Entangled: Select
ISBN: 1633757021



Five years ago, Lord Sorin Latham fled England’s shores to avoid heartbreak and scandal in the form of one Lady Eleanor Cramley. On returning home, he finds the young miss he used to scold for lack of decorum is now a stunning woman who fires his blood. But he must resist temptation or risk losing his honor as a gentleman and the friendship of those he holds dear, including Eleanor. 

Lady Eleanor is determined to be the paragon of propriety Sorin urged her to become. But now that he’s back, the man she once thought of as an older brother makes her long to be anything but proper. She must make Sorin see her as worthy of his heart and his desire without losing his good opinion, or her Season will end in disgrace. 







Liana loves to weave incendiary tales that capture the heart and the imagination, taking the reader out of the now and into another world. The glory and splendor of the 18th Century provides a lush, glittering backdrop for her fairy tale romances. It’s a time of sensuous lovers, passionate music, lavish royal courts and deadly intrigues. 

Liana lives in Texas with her own dashing hero of nearly twenty years, their delightful progeny, one spoiled-rotten feline overlord, and several tanks of tropical fish. She’s been devouring historical romances since her early teens and is now delighted to be writing them for fellow enthusiasts. 








 
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Spectacle (Menagerie #2)
by Rachel Vincent


Paperback432 pages
Expected publication: May 30th 2017 by Harlequin MIRA
ISBN: 0778318206




In this riveting sequel to New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent's acclaimed novel Menagerie, Delilah Marlow will discover that there is no crueler cage than the confines of the human mind…

When their coup of Metzger's Menagerie is discovered, Delilah and her fellow cryptids find their newly won freedom brutally stripped away as they are sold into The Savage Spectacle, a private collection of "exotic wildlife." Specializing in ruthless cryptid cage matches, safari-style creature hunts and living party favors, the Spectacle's owner, Willem Vandekamp, caters to the forbidden fetishes of the wealthy and powerful. At the Spectacle, any wish can be granted—for the right price. 

But Vandekamp's closely guarded client list isn't the only secret being kept at the Spectacle. Beneath the beauty and brutality of life in the collection lie much darker truths, and no one is more determined than Delilah to strip the masks from the human monsters and drag all dark things into the light.






After really enjoying Menagerie, I was really excited to read this book. I thought Menagerie was a standout book for me, and I was DYING to read more about this world. While I liked this book, I didn't like it as much as the first book. What bothered me about this book was I felt like I was reading the first book all over again. 

This book's main plot dealt with the same things that were presented in the first book: captivity, basic human rights, and the desire to escape. Even though this book had a new setting and some new characters, I couldn't help feeling like I re-read Menagerie. I did like getting to meet some new characters, even though we didn't get to know them all that well, I still really liked them. 

Even though I did feel like this book was a rehash of Menagerie, there were some smaller plot points that were different and extremely interesting. Some really surprising things happened, especially to Delilah, in this book that kept me glued to the pages. I am intrigued to see how the author will develop some of those plot lines in the next book. 

Delilah was still a great main character in this book. I loved how dedicated, smart, kind, and inspirational she was. Delilah is a character I could never get tired of reading about. A lot of things happened to her in this book, and I just wanted to give her a hug. I cannot wait to see what badass things she is going to do in the next book. 

This book was terrifying, mysterious, and exhilarating. Even though I liked this book, I still wish the general plot of this book wouldn't have felt so similar to the first book. That being said, I am looking forward to reading the next book! 

3 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. * 

Monday, May 29, 2017

Bad Penny by Staci Hart



Bad Penny, an all-new romantic comedy standalone from Staci Hart is coming June 15th!

Title: Bad Penny
Author: Staci Hart
Cover Designer: Quirkybird Designs
Photographer: Lauren Watson Perry


Nothing good comes after the third date.

See, date three is the crucial point when things get real, which is exactly why I bounce out the door, twiddling my fingers at whatever poor boy I’ve left behind. Because if I stick around, one of three things will happen: he’ll profess his undying love, he gets weird and stalky, or I’ll go crazy. Like, Sid and Nancy crazy. Like, chase-him-through-the-streets-begging-him-to-love-me crazy.

Seriously, it’s better for everyone this way.

So when I meet Bodie, I figure it’ll be the same as it ever was. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t put a single string on me. Doesn’t matter that he’s funny and smart and jacked and can play my body like a grand piano. Because even though I’m built for love, love has only carved me up like a Christmas ham.

Resistance is something I can only hang on to for so long, and he has persistence in spades. But my heart isn’t as safe as I want to believe, and neither is his. And the second I ignore my cardinal rule is the second I stand to lose him forever.



Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey.
From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.


Join Her Reader Group Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stacihart/