Monday, October 31, 2016

Review- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe on Goodreads

Hi, everyone! As this book is LGBT, I'm putting it under The Literary Others: An LGBT Reading Event, hosted by the lovely Adam @ Roof Beam Reader


 BOOK SUMMARY:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.


Release date: February 21st 2012
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
Page numbers: 359

REVIEW: 


I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe as part of The Literary Others: An LGBT Reading Event 2016, hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader. I'm so glad I saved this book for last, because it ended up being an absolutely incredible read that I devoured thoroughly. In spite of me being in my twenties and Aristotle and Dante being teens, I could relate to them so well that they now seem more like my friends than characters in a book.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe goes from Aristotle's point of view and his voice was both deep and innocent at the same time. Author Benjamin Alire Saenz's writing is so unique, poetic and velvety in the sense that it was so smooth and simple. I adore short chapters and small sentences because I feel those are the most difficult to write and magical to experience and easy to understand, which is why I loved the writing in this one.

Aristotle was an adorable boy, who reminded me of myself far more than I care to admit. He just seemed so real and raw that I couldn't help but go back to myself a few years ago and remember feeling the same. He was confused, damaged, lost, angry, kind and decent, and these qualities are so real and they made me love him so much. When he meets Dante, his life is turned completely and it makes him more acceptable of himself.

Speaking of Dante, he seemed too unreal to be true, but he was such a unique and one in a million type of guy. Dante, unlike Aristotle, always seemed sure of himself, but deep down there, there lay a lovely boy who wanted nothing but happiness for himself and others and who kept trying. Dante is one of those characters that stay with you forever because of his individualism. Even though I loved Ari more, it was difficult not to appreciate, accept and adore Dante.

Overall, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was an incredible read about two boys who could very well be you and I for they are so real and true. Not only did I love reading the book, but I also had a lovely experience doing it because it was truly unputdownable because of the catchy writing and capturing storytelling. An absolutely magical read, this book demands to be read for its way too adorable to be missed.


Buy the book: AMAZON/ FLIPKART

Friday, October 28, 2016

Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway- Kistishi Island by Jordan Elizabeth

KISTISHI ISLAND

A young adult novel about what happens when your imaginary friends aren’t so imaginary after all.


Serena Cole can kick serious butt thanks to young women only she can see. School bullies aren’t her only problem. To shield Serena from a dark secret, her family tries to convince her that her friends are imaginary. 


Fleeing her distrustful aunt, Serena joins her mother on an archeological dig at Kistishi Island. There, Serena discovers an ancient scroll and realizes her invisible friends are goddesses native to the island, and they are in danger of enslavement for their abilities. Only Serena can save her friends if she can discover the past her family has hidden her entire life – the reason why only she can see the goddesses.

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KISTISHI ISLAND is now available on Amazon from Clean Reads.
Check out early reviews on GoodReads!

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Check out Chapter 1:

“How are your imaginary friends?” Serena read aloud from the black marker scrawled on her locker. Her dry lips stuck together with each word as the sarcasm stung her mind. The janitor might scrub the permanent marker, but it would always remain a faint reminder of how much people ridiculed her. The washed out marks from last week, “Schizo,” “Fake,” and “Your imaginary friends hate you,” still showed up against the brown metal.
“Aw, someone cares about my day.” Krieg hovered behind, picking fuzz off her dress. “You should answer them. Write ‘Krieg says hi’ underneath.”
The last thing she needed was people knowing how much she still communicated with Krieg. Serena glanced down the hallway, but the students strolling by didn’t look her way. Who could have written the graffiti? Roxanne? Her hand trembling, Serena spun the combination on her lock and jerked open the dented locker door. The hinges rattled.
Did it hurt them if she had an invisible friend? As she exchanged a textbook for her social studies notes, someone bumped her butt. She lost her balance, flinging out her hand to grab the locker.
“Whoops,” a boy said and snickered.
Serena’s cheeks burned as she stuffed her supplies into her messenger bag. One more hour of high school and she could go home. Tomorrow she would bring another marker to scribble out the words that branded her.

Krieg leaned in close enough for Serena to smell her peppermint bubble gum, and said, “Bludgeon them. It’s the only way to get them to shut up.”
“No one’s talking about me right now.” Serena’s sneakers squeaked against the tile floor as she ducked into the classroom. Afternoon sunlight reflected off faded Holocaust posters on the off-white walls.
“It’s annoying when you allow the little rodents to torment you.” Krieg stuck her tongue out at the few students settling into their seats. “Where are the beheadings and crocodile pits? How about some maiming? I want to hear screaming and bones crunching.”
“This is the suburbs in the twenty-first century. People don’t do that stuff here.” Serena took her favorite seat in the back near the globe and opened her messenger bag to remove her notebook. Glancing around the room at the few students, she smiled. Since the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, she could grab a few minutes to work on her novel. Hopefully, the story would be done by her mother’s next visit. Look what I did, Mom!
“Whatcha doing?” Krieg leaned her hip against the desk and rearranged the pleated folds of her silk stola. Beneath the sleeveless dress, she wore a turquoise tunic. A thin silver belt fastened beneath her breasts, and another clasped around her narrow waist.
 “I’ve got an idea for chapter seven of my Jennifer Erik story.” Serena pressed her pen to a clean page. “Jennifer’s going to be caught by a gargoyle.”
 Roxanne stalked from two rows over and blinked her glittered eyelids at Serena. “Did you just call me a gargoyle?”
Serena tightened her fist around her pen. “No.” Her throat constricted. Why does Roxanne always have to single me out?
Roxanne yanked Serena’s black notebook from the desk; the metal spirals scraped against the hard surface. Serena’s pen slipped from her hand and struck the tile floor, the sound eerily loud.
 Fail. She hadn’t made it through that last hour of the school day. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Who were you talking to? Your imaginary friends?” Roxanne bent the notebook, her biceps flexing beneath the short sleeves of her skull-and-crossbones T-shirt.
Serena cringed. Even though she would still be able to read the words, her stomach twisted into a knot. It wouldn’t be the same as having the pages crisp, new.
“I told you to bludgeon everyone before they could start on you.” Krieg rubbed her knuckles together.
“Forget to do your homework again?” Roxanne asked.
“It’s not my homework—”
“Maybe they should put you in Special Ed.”
Blood drained from Serena’s head, her heartbeat ringing in her ears. Classmates stopped getting out supplies from their backpacks to stare. Of course Roxanne would have to bring that up.
Serena toyed with her nose ring to calm her nerves. I will not fight back.
Krieg flounced across the room to push Roxanne’s baseball cap off her desk and jumped aside when a boy almost walked into her. He stopped to pick up the hat, and Krieg pointed at his bottom as he bent. She lifted her foot in a mock kick. “You know you want to.”
Serena drew a deep breath, dragging her gaze away from Krieg and back to Roxanne. “Please give my notebook back.”
One, two, three… uno, dos, tres… Her last psychiatrist promised counting in foreign languages would help her calm down faster because it took more conscious thinking to do it.
Her pulse still pounded.
Serena wouldn’t react. She knew better. It was just a spiral notebook.
Roxanne, standing over Serena’s desk, thumbed through the pages, tearing the college-ruled paper with her thick fingers. “Your handwriting sucks.” Needles scraped across Serena’s skin with each rip.
“Do something.” Krieg punched her fist into her palm.
Four, five, six… no, Serena would not talk back. Seven, eight, nine… she wouldn’t say anything this time. Ten, eleven, twelve… maybe she could still make it through the final hour.
“What is this crap?” Roxanne ripped out a page. Smirking, she crumpled the paper and tossed it at the garbage can in the back of the room.
“Don’t let her ruin your story.” Disgust coated Krieg’s words; she spat them out as if they were spoiled milk. Eyes narrowed, Krieg brushed her hand across Serena’s shoulder. Electricity shot through her body, arching her back.
“Give it back!” Serena launched to her feet. No, not again. She grabbed the notebook with two hands while she jammed her shoulder into Roxanne’s sternum. The force knocked Roxanne backward, but she clung to the notebook, dragging Serena with her as she hit the floor. Roxanne rolled until her muscled frame pressed against Serena’s ribs, forcing the breath from her lungs. Serena squirmed to get away, bumping her leg against a desk. She wouldn’t fight, didn’t want to, couldn’t, not here, not again…
Krieg’s voice echoed in her mind. Squelch her. Tie her to the rack.
“Cool. A fight.” A girl sitting across the aisle from Serena laughed.
I don’t want to fight. Krieg’s electricity still burned Serena’s veins, muting her urge for peace. Even if Serena didn’t win, she wouldn’t let Roxanne walk away without a few bruises. Maybe Roxanne would finally quit bullying her. Then Serena would never have to fight again, no matter how much the urge overtook her.
“You think you’re better than the rest of us?” Roxanne bared her teeth. “All alone back here, just because your mom was in National Geographic?”
She wrapped her legs around Serena’s, and they rolled. Serena’s back hit another desk leg. Pain flared along her nerves. A few quick twists of her hands on Roxanne’s head, and Serena could have broken her neck the way Krieg had taught her, but she stilled. Perspiration broke out across her forehead as she forced herself not to move.
“Fry her.” Bloodlust tainted Krieg’s voice. Her unbound hair hid her face, purple eyes peeking out.
“You gotta see this,” a girl said from the other side of the classroom into her cell phone. “Roxanne took on Serena!” 
Roxanne didn’t have to antagonize her, but if she wanted a fight, so be it. Serena slapped Roxanne’s huge, red face. Roxanne seized Serena’s wrist. Serena tried to squirm away, but Roxanne pinned her down and grabbed the edge of her sweater, yanking it up to reveal Serena’s bare chest.
Serena gasped. Cheeks burning, she ripped the fabric away and tugged her sweater back down. “I…I can’t…” My aunt thinks I’m still ten and only buys me undershirts sounded pathetic, even if it was the truth.
“Bras only get in the way,” Krieg yelled from Serena’s desk. “Real women go nude.”
Serena’s classmates hooted laughter and her cheeks burned. A few people lifted their cameras as if to take a photo. Fantastic, just what she needed—a compromising picture of her flashing through the school. Maybe she should rip off Roxanne’s shirt to see what their classmates would do then.
Mr. Clayton walked into his classroom, his beer belly straining against the front of his green button-up shirt. “The copier got jammed and I had to—” He dropped his papers. “Roxanne Bynes! Serena Cole!”  
The chill of the tile floor bit through Serena’s clothes. A growing ache pulsed in the back of her head. She gritted her teeth. At least the fight was over.
Krieg clapped her hands. “Who cares if Mr. Clayton’s here? Kill her already.”
“Roxanne Bynes, are you going to let her up or do I have to pull you off?” Mr. Clayton rubbed the bridge of his nose.  
Roxanne rolled off and wiped her cheek on her forearm. Serena remained on the floor with one hand over her head and the other resting on her stomach, eyes squeezed shut so tight they hurt.
“Serena, please, I thought we discussed this before.” Mr. Clayton sighed. “Get off the floor. Both of you, head to the office. Now.” He snorted. “I’m sure your aunt will be interested in hearing about your newest escapade.”
Now Aunt Nikki will have to promise the principal and the teachers, again, how I’ll behave better in school. Maybe I should have gone along with the school when they wanted to put me in Special Ed. Someone there might also have a friend like Krieg – a friend who wanted her to off people.
“I’m waiting, Serena.”
“Come on.” Krieg danced behind Mr. Clayton and fluttered her eyelashes. “Even you can take him on. He’s just a teacher. I doubt he’s ever been to a gym.”
“I’m not fighting the teacher.” Serena opened one eye to glare at her invisible friend.
“Hmm?” Mr. Clayton tapped his foot. Krieg puckered her lips at his back, making kissy sounds.
Groaning, Serena stood up. Roxanne glared at Serena before she grabbed a tissue off the teacher’s desk, pressed it to her wounded cheek, and stomped from the room.
“You started it,” Serena muttered. She dragged her fingers through her tangled hair before Krieg approached to tuck it behind her ears. Maybe Krieg was right, a few little twists and Serena would never have to worry about Roxanne again. Tension beat through her tight muscles. She wanted to punch a hole through the classroom wall and give Mr. Clayton something to punish her for. The thought made her snicker. Maybe she should become the delinquent everyone believed her to be and succumb to Krieg’s instigations without trying to resist.
“Pick up your things and head to the office,” Mr. Clayton said. He picked up the phone near the door and dialed four numbers. “Yes, this is Clayton. I’m sending Roxanne Bynes and Serena Cole down for fighting in my classroom.” He paused. “Roxanne is on her way and Serena will leave shortly. I don’t want anything starting in the hall.”
Serena snatched her notebook and slipped the ruined pages into her black bag. Blood thrummed in her ears. A few students whispered from their seats, staring at her. She wanted to wave her notebook at them and ask, “How does this make me the weirdo? I’m the victim.”
Krieg leaned against Serena’s desk. “You could’ve beaten him.”
Serena picked up her pen from the floor and blew on it.
“Roxanne, too.” Krieg grinned. Some of her thick black hair fell over her face. “Clayton’s old. Roxanne would’ve been a little tougher, but I know you could’ve done it. It’s like they say on that box thing.”
Serena stared ahead at the Smart Board. She hated it when Krieg pretended to forget English words. “Television?”
“Yes, that.” Krieg tucked her wild tresses behind her elfin ears. “If you put your heart into it, you can do anything. Why don’t you believe in yourself?”
“I do,” Serena whispered. I could’ve killed Roxanne. Is that what you want, Krieg? To see me behind bars with blood on my hands? What kind of imaginary friend are you?

****
Serena sat in a hard chair near the door to the principal’s office. She peered at the clock on the wall. Five after three. She wished she could go home already, but the principal was still lecturing Roxanne. Soon it would be her turn. Silhouettes danced through the frosted glass of the office door. Principal Reed gestured out the window and Roxanne had her arms folded, shaking her head.
Krieg dropped cross-legged onto the floor beside Serena. The white stola rode up over her knees. “What if we put super glue on her chair? Then Roxanne will be stuck.” Krieg giggled.
“That’s immature.” Serena groaned from behind her hand. The secretary glanced over, then returned to the files on her desk, just like last time Serena visited. She could almost read the secretary’s thoughts: Serena Cole, back with another issue.
“So? It’ll be funny.” Krieg held her knees and rocked. Then she bounced to her feet, pranced to the secretary’s desk, and swiped her arm across a stack of papers to knock them onto the floor.
The secretary jumped to her feet. “What was that?”
“Let me help.” Serena rose, picking up an attendance form that had landed near her foot.
“It’s fine. I’ll do it, but thanks.” The secretary frowned at the closed office window before accepting the form and starting on the other papers. “What a mess.”
“Mayhem is fun.” Krieg returned to Serena’s side.
I wish I could travel with Mom. Then I could have tutors. Serena unfastened her nose ring and dropped it into the zippered side compartment of her bag before Aunt Nikki saw she still wore it. “What do you think my dad would say if he was still alive?”
“Get out your notebook,” Krieg said, “and we’ll find out.”

****
Dear Dad,
Maybe up in Heaven, you’ll be able to read this. I’m going to burn it, and maybe you can find the ashes. Krieg told me it’s a good way to speak to the dead.
 I wish you were here. I wish I could’ve met you. There’s always so much I want to say. So much I want to do with you, and sometimes I pretend you’re with me. It never feels right, though. You’re never as solid as my other imaginary friends are.
Maybe it’s because you’re not imaginary. You’re dead.
Krieg talks about death a lot. What do you think, Dad? Should I listen to her and fight? It feels so good.
Love,
Your daughter down here on Earth,
Serena Stymerya Cole

****
Serena shut the notebook. Maybe Dad’s spirit will convince Mom to take me away from New York.


Jordan Elizabeth is known for her odd sense of humor and her outrageous outfits.  Surrounded by bookshelves, she can often be found pounding away at her keyboard – she’s known for breaking keyboards, too.  Jordan’s young adult novels include ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, COGLING, TREASURE DARKLY, BORN OF TREASURE, GOAT CHILDREN, VICTORIAN, and RUNNERS AND RIDERS.  KISTISHI ISLANDis her first novel with Clean Reads.  Check out her website for bonus scenes and contests. 

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Giveaway runs from October 27 through November 10.

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Thursday, October 27, 2016

Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway- Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign


Opaque

Genre: YA Scifi/Fantasy
Release Date: October 22nd 2016


Summary from Goodreads:

Highly controversial debut novel by Cālix Leigh-Reign is taking the nation by storm! For those who've been craving an untapped damsel-in-distress-less Sci-Fi niche - Opaque delivers in this gripping page-turner involving mutated Limbal rings, biokenretic anomalies, mental dysfunction, perplexing Russian ancestry & romance. Cālix takes us on an adventure that begins when 16 year old misanthropic Adam Caspian unknowingly reaches biokenretic puberty, and his supernatural abilities awaken to save him from his murderous intentions. His every thought revolves around the extinction of the human race until mysterious Afro-Russian Carly Wit stumbles into his English class one morning. Adam notices something otherworldly about her immediately but denies the bio-synch taking place inside of him. As he resists their blossoming love, he battles with unnatural thoughts of his mother. Discovering his origin isn't what he'd thought, he becomes determined to peel back the layers of his lineage and unmasks a multitude of mind-bending secrets along the way.



Buy Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Excerpt: 

Excerpt from Chapter 15 [The Descendants]

       Yesterday, I would’ve laughed at any of this being a possibility. I mean, come on. Biokenreyis, pyrokinreyis, aerokinreyis — ANTYHING-kinreyis! Secret locations hidden underground in Minnesota where mutated people roam around like there’s no world upstairs. I’m just trying to control my facial expressions here.
       Then nearly being choked to death by my girlfriend’s mother in a bio-sensory corridor? Okay, I had that one coming but still. Nobody in their right mind would ever believe any of this exists. They barely believe the weatherman when he says it’ll rain on Tuesday.
I absorb my surroundings. This facility seems massive. There are multiple levels — each containing rooms. Some with regular wooden doors, some with thick metal and some with glass. But there are no knobs on any of the doors. They’ve even built a simulated playground for the kids.
I continue scanning as Carly and her mother reappear at a distance. Seeing them together is actually pretty amazing. They’re still conversing and their bond becomes more evident. Even their movements are in sync. Her mother is, by leaps and bounds, the second most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on. Only second to Carly. But Carly is a duplicate beige copy of her.
       Dauma’s physical features are reminiscent of an Egyptian Goddess! Perfect, translucent honey-golden skin, not a wrinkle on her, cotton candy lips coated in caramel, a figure that seems to have been sculpted by the Gods, slanted bronze eyes, long, glossy raven tresses, a spellbinding walk and distinct vigor that no man could resist. Hell, she earned my respect in record time.
       As they approach, my core pings on Carly’s heart enveloped in sadness. Something is wrong. I see where Carly inherits her calm nature from because neither of their faces reveal anything. It’s just that I can feel Carly because we are connected. Carly immediately takes both of my hands and kisses me. Dauma speaks up.
“Okay. We all must speak now. Galina, please inform the elders to assemble in the conference room for an emergency meeting.”
Galina nods and scurries off. Carly and I follow Dauma into a dorm room. She closes the door behind us.
“Please, sit.”
I do as instructed without hesitation and Carly joins me.
“I know you have many questions and I will try to answer them all as quickly as I can. Once I am done, I too will have questions for you.”
I nod to indicate my acknowledgement and Dauma begins.
“So I know first question is —”
“Where are we?” I blurt out, interrupting her. Dauma’s eyes turn dark. Carly lowers her head and sizzles my hand. I then remember that she warned me never to interrupt her mother while she’s speaking.
“I apologize, ma’am. Please, continue.”
Her eyes return to their copper hue, and she resumes in her sultry fractured English.
            “So, we are currently in location that shall remain secret location. But, I’m sure you’re more interested in what, and not where, yes?”
I nod to concur.
“This is safe house headquarters for descendants of the seven families. It is called Afrax. Carly has informed me that she’s versed you on some of our history already. But not all, I imagine. Some prefer to live normal lives out in the world. Some prefer to remain here where they feel most safe. The Iksha is known for silently locating, capturing and killing descendants. This I’m sure you know.”
“But what you don’t know is that not all descendants are killed once captured. The most powerful are given chance to live if they join the Iksha.”
My heart rate increases and now I understand why the descendants hide from these scientists. It’s because the scientists have recruited and armed themselves with the most powerful bio-weaponry in existence. Other descendants. 

About the Author:


Cālix is the published author of the Russian-mutant, psychological Sci-Fi fantasy novel, Opaque. She's a certified paralegal and has studied creative writing under English teacher, script writer and published author Larry Strauss. Her earliest literary inspirations include Alice Walker, Larry Strauss, VC Andrews and Stephen King. She spent a majority of her childhood in libraries and developed an intense relationship with words. She's a member of YARWA and RWA and is currently serving as a judge for YARWA's 2016 Rosemary Contest. She enjoys prayer, discovering the minds of those who rebel against social programming, listening to music, a great cup of coffee, exquisite ethnic cuisine, spending time with family & friends, attending movie premieres, traveling and the arts. She spends her free time in the gym, fantasizing about story plots and different ways of changing the world.

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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Blog Tour: Promo Post: Cease & Desist Stephen David Hurley


Cease & Desist
Genre: YA Thriller
Release Date: October 10th 2016


Summary from Goodreads:

What if the secret to being charismatic were actually a gene you could inherit, and pass along to your children. What if this "X-factor" could make you a star? Welcome to the world of Cease de Menich, a sixteen-year-old actress in New York City who gets cast as Joan-of-Arc in a reality-drama, only to discover her "acting gift" has been passed down through her bloodline for almost six-hundred-years. Cease finds the plot of the drama reveals dark secrets from her past--an abusive mother, a brother who committed suicide--and the reader must decide if she's a reliable narrator or a terrified girl who's succumb to the pressure of fame and the abuse of her past.

Cease & Desist is a dark, contemporary YA thriller with a supernatural twist. Readers of books like I Let You Go and The Girl on the Train will enjoy this coming-of-age story, which struggles with the realities of sexuality, violence as entertainment, and mental illness. Cease & Desist has excellent crossover potential into the adult marketplace.



Buy Links: Amazon

About the Author:
Stephen David Hurley teaches middle school and blogs about fiction, faith and young people. You can find his blog at—you guessed it—fictionfaithandyoungpeople.com

Author Links:


Blog Tour Organized by:











Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Blog Tour: Promo Post- The Lost Eye of the Serpent by Jeremy Phillips


The Lost Eye of the Serpent

Genre: YA Mystery
Release Date: August 6th 2016
Limitless Publishing


Summary from Goodreads:

It may sound crazy, but Jonathan Delacroix is certain his sister Rose really is Sherlock Holmes...

Girls are not detectives. But in the summer of 1893, in the small western town of Hope Springs, Rose Delacroix is bound and determined to prove them wrong. When the famous Emerald Serpent Jewels are stolen from the Delacroix family hotel and the blame lands solely on her older brother Bill, Rose recruits Jonathan as her Watson-like counterpart to solve the case.

Proving your brother innocent is difficult when the evidence keeps stacking up against him...

Before Rose and Jonathan can properly start their investigation, another robbery is committed. The rusty revolver purported to have once belonged to Wild Bill Hickock has been stolen from the general store and found hidden amongst her brother's belongings. With Bill in jail, and the owner of the Serpent Jewels planning to sue the Delacroix hotel, Rose knows she has to find a lead, and soon.



About the Author:


My first novel will be available on September 8th, 2015. It's a Young Adult fiction story called: My Buddhist Christmas.

Author Links: GoodreadsTwitterFacebook

Book Tour Organized by:


Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway- To Love and to Cherish by Lauren Layne


After 8 years of waiting...he's got 1 month to make her his.


TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH
The Wedding Belles #3
Lauren Layne
Releasing Oct 18th, 2016
Pocket Books


Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, a contemporary and witty romance series about three high-powered New York City women who can plan any wedding—but their own.

Alexis Morgan has spent the past six years devoted to turning her tiny start-up into Manhattan’s premiere wedding planning company, The Wedding Belles. Now that her business is thriving, it’s time to turn towards her much neglected personal life, and Alexis approaches her relationships like she does everything else: with a plan. Not a part of that plan is Logan Harris, the silent partner in the Belles, and the one person who’s been there for her since the very beginning. But Alexis needs someone fun, and Logan’s all business, all the time—except when a late night at the office ends with an unexpected kiss that leaves the usually cool and together Alexis reeling.


Logan has lusted after Alexis since the day he walked into the tiny Harlem apartment that used to double as her office. But the ambitious wedding planner has always been untouchable...until now. Alexis has made it clear that she’s on the dating market—and equally clear that he’s not in the running. But when Alexis finds herself in need of a date for her sister’s last minute wedding in Florida, Logan knows it’s the perfect time to show Alexis that there’s more to him than numbers and spreadsheets—and beneath the pinstripes and glasses lies a hot-blooded heartthrob. As Florida’s sultry days turn into even hotter nights, Logan’s out to convince Alexis that the fling of a lifetime could just maybe turn into forever...


BUY NOW
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REVIEW-


Okay so I'm a huge Lauren Layne fan and To Love and to Cherish was easily one of my most awaited reads in the entire Wedding Belles series. After falling head over heels for Josh and Heather in For Better or Worse I had high hopes for To Love and to Cherish but sadly all my expectations were not met. It was obviously not a bad read by any means. It was just that I didn't end up loving Alexis and Logan as much as I thought I would. It all felt a bit anti climatic to me. 

So let's start with Alexis. Alexis has worked day and night to make the Wedding Belles a success. She's had to make sacrifices for it but she knows she always has her work to go back to. There is security in that. When Alexis decides to date again she cannot see that Logan is right there for her. I liked Alexis. She's had to deal with betrayals which affected her more than she thought. But it was frustrating to watch her when Logan was right there all along. She just had to open her eyes.

Then let's move on to Logan. Logan is originally from England and has a thriving family business there. He's in the US working as an accountant while heading many businesses. Alexis and Logan have always had each others backs. Logan is a silent partner in the Wedding Belles and all he wants is to be Alexis's partner in life too. I liked Logan but as the book spans over a few weeks I felt he suddenly got way too impatient. I mean he waited 8 freaking years for Alexis without making a move. I don't know how he expected her to get on board in a few days when she was completely clueless.

Alexis and Logan made a good pair. They were one of those couples who were a couple without even realising it. Alexis obviously had issues to deal with and I could see that she was very stubborn. Logan was the perfect guy on paper but for some reason I didn't end up falling for him like I did Josh. I felt his impatience and frustration at times and I just wanted him to understand Alexis' side a bit more. Its safe to say there is a miscommunication between these two.

Lauren Layne's writing was impeccable as always. We get a wide cast of characters who are relevant to the situation. I also loved seeing Josh and Heather again. Seth and Brooke were sweet too. Considering this is the last book in the series I expected a broader epilogue containing all the couples. But that did not happen. All in all this was a good read but definitely not my favourite in the Wedding Belle series.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.


Don't Miss Any of the Wedding Belles Novels

    





Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband (who was her high school sweetheart--cute, right?!) and plus-sized Pomeranian. 
In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.

In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books. 

For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!