Review- His Runaway Royal Bride by Tanu Jain

Summary-

When Maharaj Vidyamann Veer Singh of Samogpur's beautiful young wife vanished three years ago everyone assumed she was dead. When Veer discovers she's actually alive and well he's determined to bring her back home to do her duty...

Meethi loved Veer passionately but felt shackled in the role of his wife. Will they overcome the obstacles to find happiness in marriage?

Review-

His Runaway Royal Bride by Tanu Jain is the story of Veer and Meethi. I really liked His Runaway Royal Bride much more than I expected to. As you get to know Veer and Meethi and the reasons behind their actions you can't help but hope for their happy ending.

When Veer's wife Meethi disappeared three years ago he was devastated. But now he's found her and he won't stop till he gets his revenge from her for breaking his heart. Veer was a typical cold Mills and Boon hero. He had his ego and pride and the one time he decided to trust his heart it got trampled upon. I liked Veer after we find out his back story. It really makes you understand his behavior.

Then we have Meethi. Meethi never wanted to marry Veer at such a young age but she was charmed by Veer himself. She couldn't help but fall for him. I really liked Meethi. You'd think that because Veer and Meethi share a nine year age difference Meethi would be immature and spoiled. But that was so not the case. Meethi has had to face hardships of her own and there were very good reasons behind her wanting to get away from Veer.

Veer and Meethi's love story goes in the present but we do get flashbacks from the past when they first met. I think that really helped in understanding their situation. Veer and Meethi both clearly love each other but they have a hard time expressing it. They both also had a ton of individual issues to work through. But they finally do find their way to each other through all the misunderstandings.

His Runaway Royal Bride is filled with angst and drama. But there are happy times as well. It was a bit cliched but I didn't mind. I was happy to see Veer and Meethi finally get what they deserve. His Runaway Royal Bride was a good read.

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

Waiting on Wednesday #96

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Every Time I Think of You by Tracey Garvis- Graves

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Summary-

Thirty-year-old Daisy DiStefano has two people she holds dear: the grandmother who raised her, and her three-year-old son, Elliott. But when Daisy’s grandmother is killed in a seemingly random act of violence, Daisy must take steps to protect herself and her child. 

Despite a thriving career in San Francisco, thirty-six-year-old Brooks McClain has returned home to spend what little time his mother has left before she succumbs to the deadly disease that is ravaging her. The seasoned investigative reporter has taken a position with the local newspaper and been on the job less than twenty-four hours when he’s summoned to cover the death of Pauline Thorpe. 

Brooks is all business, but the more time he spends with Daisy DiStefano, the more invested he becomes; there’s something about a single mother, a defenseless child, and an unsolved crime that has stirred Brooks’s protective instincts like nothing ever has before. 

And when the unthinkable happens, Brooks will do whatever it takes to clear the name of the woman he’s fallen for and the child he’ll protect at any cost. 

Romantic and suspenseful, Every Time I Think of You shows how far two people will go to fight for the ones they love, and the life they’ve always imagined.

I haven't read anything by this author yet but Every Time I Think of You sounds amazing!

What are you waiting on? :)

Top Ten Tuesday #34

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Today's topics is: 

top ten authors we own the most books of

Here's my list: 

1) J.K. Rowling: Well, of course I own all the books she's written so far. You name it, and I have it. 

2) Khaled Hosseini: Again people, you name it, and I have it. 

3) Meg Cabot: I don't have all of her books, but I do own two or three of her series and I thoroughly enjoy having them. 

4) Dan Brown: Well, almost everyone in my family has read some or the other book of his, so we make sure to buy all of his books. 

5) Chetan Bhagat: Once again guys, I have all his books. Yes, all. Or the ones he's written so far at least. 

6) Colleen Hoover: I shopped for her books like mad when the bookstores here had a sale and they had Colleen's books! 

7) Jamie McGuire: Honestly, I don't have all of her books. But, I have the Beautiful series and that includes not one, but two copies (and different editions at that) of Walking Disaster! 

8) John Green: I. Cannot. Resist. Buying. (And reading.) His. Books. 

9) Jodi Picoult: Every time there's a Jodi Picoult book on discount, I buy it. Simple as that. I have three so far. 

10) Stephenie Meyer: Yes, I grew up, but I still keep my Twilight saga. 

What authors made it to your lists? Let me know in the comments below and if you participated and made your post, link me up to it. Happy Tuesday and happy reading, everyone! 

Book Blitz Week 2: Guest Post- Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Hi, guys! Just last week we had a post up as part of the book blitz for author Adi Alsaid's book, Let's Get Lost. Seeing as I'm super excited about the book and this blitz is looking super duper interesting, I thought I'd post during week two as well. With much ado, let's get on to see what the cool peeps at YA bound have in store this time around. 

Let's Get Lost

by Adi Alsaid

Release Date: 07/29/14

Harlequin Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Available now! 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indie Bound * Harlequin

Early Praise:

“Reminiscent of John Green’s Paper Towns and road trip novels that feature a teen paving the way to adulthood, Alsaid’s debut is a gem among contemporary YA novels.” – School Library Journal

“Five love stories, beautifully woven together by a special girl in search of adventure, hope, and full appreciation of life’s simple pleasures. A do-not-miss.  ” – Justine Magazine

“Moving and poignant.”  - Glitter Magazine

“An entertaining and romantic road-trip debut.” – Kirkus

"Leila's quest to find the Northern Lights takes readers on a captivating cross-country journey, where four strangers' adventures collide into one riveting tale of finding yourself." ―YABooksCentral.com

“This will likely be a popular summer hit, especially for older teen about to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery.” –Booklist

About the Author:

Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, then studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it's no surprise that after graduating, he did not go into business world but rather packed up his apartment into his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer. He's now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats or cooks as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he's lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas, and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him more places will eventually be added to the list. Let's Get Lost is his YA debut.  

Let's Get Lost Website!

Author Links:

   

GUEST POST: 

My Writing Process

What’s my writing process? It’s easy. Like Hemingway said, I just sit at a typewriter and bleed. Except I do the modern version, which is I go to a coffee shop, open my computer, and stare.

My typical writing day is broken up this way: Two to three hours of writing in the morning, usually beginning at around 10. Then a break for coaching basketball, or if school’s out I’ll go have lunch, do some reading, walk around until all the coffee I drank in the morning has settled. Then I write for another two to three hours, or until I’m done with my goal, which varies. At my typical non-hurried pace, that’s about 1,000 words a day. When inspired or on a shorter deadline, I aim for somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000, or a chapter every two days or so.

I grew up as a basketball player, and the training I did as a teen helped to discipline me to keep a consistent schedule for writing. Especially on first drafts, I write every single day, with very few exceptions made; special events, travel, uninspired days where it’s useless to try to churn something out (note, on these days, I’ll still sit there and stare for a few hours until I admit to myself it’s just not happening).

I prefer working in public, since staring is just more interesting out and about in the world than in my living room. Like everything else, I make exceptions to this, too. Sometimes I just feel like making a pot of coffee and blasting music as I write, rather than listening through headphones. Sometimes the Mexico City rainy season makes me feel like protesting the weather by staying in (I’m not someone who thrives or finds inspiration in rainy days—give me sun and warmth), sometimes I feel like my wallet needs a break from all the coffee shop excursions.

There are also the occasional manic bursts of productivity, where no matter where I am or what the situation is, the writing is coming, and it’s best to let it out until it runs dry. This happens sometimes on flights, at late night outings, or, recently, at five in the morning after a night of board games with friends.

My main guideline is easy: To write well, do it often.

***GIVEAWAY***

1 signed hard cover copy of Let’s Get Lost

1 Let’s Get Lost luggage tag

1 Harlequin TEEN notebook

1 Let’s Get Lost sachel

1 Harlequin TEEN tote bag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Thank you so much for stopping by and happy reading! 

Guest Post- Ten Random Facts about the Starlight Saga by Sherry Soule

Hi guys! Once again, we're hosting the awesome Sherry Soule and her book. Let's see what awesomeness is in line for you today. 

Ten Random Facts about the Starlight Saga

Today author, Sherry Soule has some exciting news to share with us! She will be publishing a brand new Upper YA / Sci-Fi romance series: the “Starlight Saga” on June 26, 2014.

To help promote this interstellar love story, “LOST IN STARLIGHT,” Sherry is doing this fun guest post to share the news with fellow booklovers.

1.) I believe in the paranormal genre that aliens and science fiction type stories are going to be the next big thing. Add a little romance…even better. Vampires had their time, werewolves are overworked, and even though zombies are still going strong, I think extraterrestrials need some much needed love, too.

2.) My new YA / SyFy Romance novel, LOST IN STARLIGHT, is considered “soft” science fiction, and the storyline revolves more around the two main characters trying to overcome major obstacles to be together. It’s like an intergalactic version of Romeo and Juliet, with scorching-hot character chemistry right from the beginning.

3.) From the very first draft, I wanted to add something a little unique and special to Sloane’s character. Thus, FRIGHT NIGHT BABBLE, her online newspaper column was born. I think it adds a fun, lighthearted element to the narrative. My last few books were so angst-ridden and dark that I wanted to write something lighter and more romantic.

4.) The island that the characters live on is actually a real place within the San Francisco Bay Area. Although the name Winter Haven is fictional, the actual island is named Alameda, and it’s a really lovely city to visit. I would love to live there! “Winter Haven” (Alameda) is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to and west of Oakland and in East Bay.

5.) LOST IN STARLIGHT is the fastest book that I’ve ever written. It took me only about four months to write and do revisions. I had the idea in the back of my mind for about a year now, but it wasn’t until a short-lived TV show called Star-Crossed convinced me that alien love stories were super hot right now. And I was extremely lucky and blessed to have worked with some very talented writers that really helped me to shape the book into the thrilling storyline it is now.

6.) The Starlight Saga will be a trilogy; unless of course, it goes viral and readers clamor for more Sloane and Hayden adventures. Then I’ll happily keep writing more novels featuring this quirky and lovable cast of characters.

7.) Sloane is by far my favorite character. Most authors admit that a little bit of themselves goes into each protagonist, but Sloane is near and dear to my heart. If a headstrong, gutsy, and imperfect heroine with an eccentric fashion sense appeals to you, then you'll love Sloane, too. 

8.) In LOST IN STARLIGHT, there isn’t the insta-love or love triangle that is popular in so many YA books nowadays. This is the real deal. The book is meant for older YA readers and does contain some mild language. The characters are all eighteen years old, except for Sloane who is only seventeen in this first book. Hayden and Sloane share a strong attraction and mutual interest in one another and become best friends, which make the best love stories in my humble opinion.

9.) The names of the two main characters came to me instantly. They just seemed to fit perfectly. Some of the secondary characters had a few name changes during rewrites, but Sloane and Hayden’s never varied.

10.) One day, I was browsing images on a stock photo site and as soon as I saw the image of that purpled-haired girl, I knew I’d found my “Sloane.” This image just inspired me to write “her” story and make her different from most YA heroines. Hayden’s image, featured on the front cover beside his darker haired younger brother, seemed to fit the character I had envisioned, too.

Please mark your calendars to buy your copy of LOST IN STARLIGHT on June 26^th 2014!

Read the first five chapters for free on Wattpad

VOLUME ONE: Starlight Saga

High school reporter Sloane Masterson knows she has one helluva story when she witnesses hottie Hayden Lancaster bending forks with his mind.

Like any good journalist, Sloane sets out to uncover the truth, even if it includes a little stalking. When the superhuman feats start to pile up and the undeniable heat rises between them, Hayden has no choice but to reveal his secret: he’s an alien hybrid.

They’re as different as night and day—she’s a curvy, purple-haired, horror junkie and he’s a smoking hot, antisocial, brainiac—yet the intense fascination between them refuses to go away. Even at Hayden’s insistence that dating each other is “off limits” and crazy dangerous, their fiery attraction threatens to go supernova.

Now Sloane’s dealing with creepy government agents, über snobby extraterrestrials, and a psycho alien ex-girlfriend out for revenge. After a crash course on the rules of interstellar dating, Sloane must decide if their star-crossed romance is worth risking her own life....

Buy LOST IN STARLIGHT (Volume 1)

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

All Romance

Book Blitz: Guest Post- Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Hi, everyone! I am super excited to be a part of the book blitz week for author Adi Alsaid's Let's Get Lost. This book was my Waiting on Wednesday pick sometime back and I am still pretty eager to read it since it sounds super interesting. I hope it is just as good as it looks and sounds. The blitz is hosted by YA Bound and they have some absolutely great stuff planned.  Let's see what's in store for you today on our blog. 

Let's Get Lost

by Adi Alsaid

Release Date: 07/29/14

Harlequin Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Pre-Order Today!

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indie Bound * Harlequin

Early Praise:

“Reminiscent of John Green’s Paper Towns and road trip novels that feature a teen paving the way to adulthood, Alsaid’s debut is a gem among contemporary YA novels.” – School Library Journal

“Five love stories, beautifully woven together by a special girl in search of adventure, hope, and full appreciation of life’s simple pleasures. A do-not-miss.  ” – Justine Magazine

“Moving and poignant.”  - Glitter Magazine

“An entertaining and romantic road-trip debut.” – Kirkus

"Leila's quest to find the Northern Lights takes readers on a captivating cross-country journey, where four strangers' adventures collide into one riveting tale of finding yourself." ―YABooksCentral.com

“This will likely be a popular summer hit, especially for older teen about to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery.” –Booklist

About the Author:

Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City, then studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in class, he mostly read fiction and continuously failed to fill out crossword puzzles, so it's no surprise that after graduating, he did not go into business world but rather packed up his apartment into his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer. He's now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches high school and elementary basketball, and has perfected the art of making every dish he eats or cooks as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he's lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas, and Monterey, California. A tingly feeling in his feet tells him more places will eventually be added to the list. Let's Get Lost is his YA debut.  

Let's Get Lost Website!

Author Links:

   

GUEST POST: 

Why Airports are Great for Writers

One of my ultimate go-tos for inspiration is people-watching, and there’s no greater place than an airport to people watch. The sheer mass and diversity of people, the potential for imagined stories. I could sit at an airport and watch for hours even if I didn’t have a flight. I have done that, actually. When I lived in Vegas, sometimes I’d go to the airport baggage claim with a friend and some coffee and we’d try to guess where everyone was coming from, try to decipher airport codes we weren’t familiar with.

Airports offer the freedom to observe. You have a few hours before your flight boards to do nothing but see all sorts of people gathered together, to imagine whatever you want about them, even if you are wildly wrong. Grab some coffee and sit at your gate, take a seat at the overpriced bar or at a restaurant that faces out at the terminal, put a book in front of you in case traffic slows down, a notebook next to that, keep an ear perked for eavesdropping some conversation. Watch the material come to you.

And if you’re the type of writer that gets inspiration from other people’s lives, stealing away their details for later creative use (aren’t we all that kind of writer?), just start talking to someone. Even with the walking-on-eggshells feeling that airports sometimes have these days, where your bags must be with you at all times and suspicious behavior might be defined as not getting any cream cheese with your bagel, people are still extremely open to each other at airports. The fact that everyone is just passing through opens people up to conversation, I’ve found. Seatmates in particular, but at bookstores and restaurants and anywhere else you might find yourself sitting next to someone at an airport. If they find you annoying and don’t want to talk, they’ll let you know by answering only in grunts and continuing to read their magazine. But sometimes they’ll unload their stories on you, like the flight attendant for Air Force Two whom I met and had traveled the world (something like 87 countries?). Or the poor diplomat from Ecuador whose flight from New York to Mexico to Ecuador turned into a five-stop 24-hour+ nightmare.

Attractive people you’ll never see again, groups of teens dreaming of adventures, escapes, reunions, dreading the leaving of them. So many little scenes from daily life, on display for a much larger audience. Mothers trying to place a fast food order for a family of six, a couple already reminiscing about their trip, siblings ignoring each other with headphones. Businessmen on phone calls, working on their computers with a cup of coffee in hand, unwinding at the corner seat of the bar.

Where there are people there are stories, simply put.

***GIVEAWAY***

1 signed hard cover copy of Let’s Get Lost

1 Let’s Get Lost luggage tag

1 Harlequin TEEN notebook

1 Let’s Get Lost sachel

1 Harlequin TEEN tote bag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

I hope you enjoyed reading this post just as much as I did and I sure hope that you, like me, are looking forward to reading the book. Thank you to YA Bound for this fantastic opportunity. We'd like to wish Adi all the best and thank him for writing and sharing such a wonderful post with us. And yes, readers, thank you for stopping by. Happy reading! 

Review- The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Summary-

Kelsea Glynn is the sole heir to the throne of Tearling but has been raised in secret by foster parents after her mother - Queen Elyssa, as vain as she was stupid - was murdered for ruining her kingdom. For 18 years, the Tearling has been ruled by Kelsea's uncle in the role of Regent however he is but the debauched puppet of the Red Queen, the sorceress-tyrant of neighbouring realm of Mortmesme. On Kelsea's 19th birthday, the tattered remnants of her mother's guard - each pledged to defend the queen to the death - arrive to bring this most un-regal young woman out of hiding...

And so begins her journey back to her kingdom's heart, to claim the throne, earn the loyalty of her people, overturn her mother's legacy and redeem the Tearling from the forces of corruption and dark magic that are threatening to destroy it. But Kelsea's story is not just about her learning the true nature of her inheritance - it's about a heroine who must learn to acknowledge and live with the realities of coming of age in all its insecurities and attractions, alongside the ethical dilemmas of ruling justly and fairly while simply trying to stay alive...

Review-

I had read of the hype surrounding The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen and the whole movie deal thing before picking it up. It definitely made me curious about it. So while I did like a few things about the book I had a ton of issues with it as well. And I think the bad outweighs the good for me in this case.

Lets get the bad over with. I hated Kelsea, our protagonist. She was annoying to the nth degree. She was supposed to have all these queen like qualities ingrained in her but all I found her to be was a spoiled child who was bothered about nothing but looks. I mean, I appreciate a hot guy standing next to me just as much as you do but going on and on about it all the time while calling yourself and most women surrounding you ugly was just too much. Kelsea was a really shallow character in my opinion.

Then we have Kelsea's guard who is supposed to protect her come what may. I did find a few of her guards to be okay but I did not like the way they looked at The Mace in a god like way. The Mace was supposed to be this warrior of unbeatable strength and intelligence but from what I could see he screwed up all the time. I found it to be very pretentious. 

But I did like the world Erika Johansen created. It is supposed to be dystopian but the feel to it was very historical in a way. It was quite unique but there were some similarities to the best selling dystopian novels out there. The only character whom I found to be remotely interesting was The Fetch. He was a total grey character who had intentions of his own. I really would have liked to know more about him.

The Queen of the Tearling goes from the third person's point of view in which we get mostly Kelsea's side of the story. If Kelsea wasn't so irritating I would have liked it more. We also get a few more povs but I felt they were very boring. So, after all the mixed thoughts I'd conclude by saying that The Queen of the Tearling was an okay read.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Random House India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.