Sunday, July 21, 2013

Fan Art #5

So... It's been a really long time since I put up some Fan Art and I'm going to change that today and display two book covers I've tried to copy redraw. 


The first is... I don't know if I can call this "Fan" Art since I'm not the biggest fan of the series but the covers of author Lauren Kate's Fallen series are super pretty and here's my drawing of the first book, Fallen. It's not well edited as you can still see some of the pencil marks here and there, but I hope you like it anyway. It's just an interpretation of sorts. Actually getting the whole cover drawn right would be really difficult since the cover is so gorgeous! 




The second one I have for you is... The cover of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This is the cover we got back then in India (we have a new one out now), so that's the only one I have. It's such a colourful and  realistic cover for Harry and Ron do take the Weasley's car Ford Angela to go to Hogwarts in their second year. Everything about this cover is special because all those minute details are both in the book and the movie. And I only hope I got it right! As you can see, I did this way back in 2009, so... Yeah, please be forgiving of any errors!



Okay folks, that's all I got for y'all. See ya around later! 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Read-long Kick-off: Left From Dhakeshwari by Kunal Sen

Hello! We are back again with another Read-along along with some of our fellow Indian book bloggers. 
This time, we'll be buddy reading Left From Dhakeshwari by author Kunal Sen. 
Our fellow hosts for this interesting read-along are- 

Ankita @ Booklok Coffee (Twitter- @Ankita 0112)
Fahima @ I Read, Ergo I Write (Twitter- @ireadergoiwrite)

Our read-along stops and schedule can be found in the fab banner below made by Ankita! 


As always, our convenient and simple schedule allows you to join us whenever you feel like it during the course of the read-along. 

BOOK LINKS:


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Goodreads Summary:

 'Left from Dhakeshwari' is a collection of nine interconnected stories dealing with lust and loneliness, death and obsession, memories and madness.

In the first story, 'We Were Writers', we meet a Bengali film actress, who after her brother’s suicide, returns to her small hometown and reflects upon the life she left behind; in ‘Bomb Church’, Aniruddha tries to piece together his mother’s identity after her mysterious departure; the only clues available in the existential whodunit being: a soap-box, a brown shoe and the statements of five witnesses; while the heartrending 'Salt Lake' recounts an unusual affair between a disfigured girl and a mime-artist with scars of his own. 

The other characters in this collection include a runaway teenage-girl, an agoraphobic writer, a masochistic cosmetic surgeon, a ghostess, identical twins and a manic-depressive housewife. And they are all in search, of a time and place they can call their own. That is perhaps why the title itself, denotes both a time and a place: a point of departure and the forbearer of journeys. 

In his first solo book, Kunal Sen infuses his women with souls of poetesses and a seductive melancholy and arms his men with child-like, romantic sadism. 'Left from Dhakeshwari' is written in a style that straddles between the tragic-dramatic and mildly surrealistic, but remains in the end a book about some remarkably original people and their depths and failings.

Nimi has made the book sound very promising to us and we look forward to reading it. We hope to see you at the read-along. Happy reading! 






Winners- Once Upon The Tracks Of Mumbai giveaway

It's time to announce the winner of another successful IN only giveaway, Once Upon the Tracks Of Mumbai by Rishi Vohra. 

The winners are- 
Rose, Shaili and Moulee

Congratulations to all the winners! 


Emails have been sent out to winners and I hope to hear back from them soon.

To the rest, thank you SO much for participating. And a big thank you to author Rishi Vohra for all his help and support! 

We have an INT e-copy giveaway going on right now and you can still win by going here to participate. 

Thank you and happy reading! 

Review- The Marriage Merger by Jennifer Probst

Summary-

Her sisters have found wedded bliss with their wealthy,
wonderful dream men, but not Julietta Conte. She’s stayed
on terra firma as top executive of the family’s corporation,
La Dolce Famiglia bakery. Work is her passion, and her
trendy Milan apartment her sanctuary . . . until Sawyer
Wells, a masculine masterpiece in a suit, lures her out of
hiding with an irresistible offer: an exclusive partnership
with his international chain of boutique hotels.

Julietta’s been burned before—and trusting her brother-in-
law’s friend, whose powerful gaze alone has her
rethinking the best use of a conference room, is the
riskiest proposition. But with a once-in-a-career chance
to take the bakery global, will she mix stone-cold business
with red-hot seduction?

Review-

The Marriage Merger is the fourth book in Jennifer Probst's Marriage To A Billionaire series. I have read and really liked all the previous books in this series so I was expecting the same with Julietta and Sawyer's story. They both seemed to have issues and pasts which no one really knew about so I was more than ready to dive into their book. The Marriage Merger turned out to be a good book.

Julietta Conte has always been focused on moving her family business forward. In a world full of males she has worked hard and made herself a valuable asset to the company but due to all this she has always been detached from her love life. Her sisters have all found wedded bliss and Julietta can't help but long for true love as well. I liked Julietta. Work was her passion and she was a strong and determined woman even though she had her insecurities.

Then we have Sawyer Wells. Julietta and Sawyer don't know each other very well but after Sawyer propositions her with a deal which could take La Dolce Famiglia to an international chain she can't help but accept it. Since the first moment Sawyer meets Julietta he doesn't know what to do with the intense attraction between them. Sawyer has a horrible past which makes him trust nothing which is good. He had a hell lot of stuff to work through.

Julietta and Sawyer had chemistry but I didn't find it explosive like Max and Carina. They just took some time to get used to. The Marriage Merger delves deeper with the elements of light BDSM and erotica. That's why I found it a bit different from the previous books. Jennifer Probst knows how to write a romance and Julietta and Sawyer's story had everything you expect in one.

There was Wolfe whom I found to be the most fascinating character in the book. I am pretty sure we'll get a book for him and I can't wait for it. We also get to meet all the characters from the previous books and that was just plain fun. Again though, the circumstances under which the marriage takes place was quite unreal. Still, I enjoyed The Marriage Merger and if you're fan of hot yet predictable romances you should give this series a try.

*Note: This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.



Friday, July 19, 2013

Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway- An Endless Summer by C.J. Duggan

Welcome to our stop on the An Endless Summer Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. You can check out the full tour schedule here. 
Before we move onto our post, I'd like to thank author C.J. Duggan and Nereyda for letting us be part of the tour! 


An Endless Summer (Summer #2)
Release Date: 07/17/13


GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study.

“Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.”

I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.”

A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”


After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:

Boarding School.

Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past.

How had her dad let it come to this?

With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.

In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy. 

BOOK LINKS (GOODREADS) :


AN ENDLESS SUMMER ON AMAZON: 


THE BOYS OF SUMMER IS ON SALE:


The Boys of Summer is on sale right now and you can get you copy for just $0.99 or .99c. Grab you copy by clicking the following Amazon button or the respective links! 



AUTHOR BIO:

C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.


AUTHOR LINKS:  photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of An Endless Summer by author C.J. Duggan in exchange for an honest review. We thank C.J for the book! 

Although I had many problems with the MC in the first book of the Summer series, The Boys Of Summer, I really enjoyed the story as it was fun and flirty- an almost perfect summer read. You can find my review of it here. 
When I started the second book, An Endless Summer, I had a feeling I won't quite enjoy it as much as the first one and I had problems with the MC here as well. However, as the book progressed, I was hoping things would go a certain way and when they did go the way I wanted them to go, I as good as fell in love with the story. The best part about this book, unlike book #1, was that there was a lot of other stuff involved other than just romance. 
In An Endless Summer, daughter of the publican Mr. Henderson, Amy, who nearly drowns herself and is saved by Sean Murphy and returns from an all girls boarding school, is back in town, only to be greeted by a rather dense and fallen Onslow Hotel. She knows how much the hotel means to the Henderson family and decides to work hard to get it back in shape without her dad knowing anything about the same. Little does Amy know about her mum's plans regarding the hotel. 
As an MC, I admit that Amy worked hard to get things back on track and she was a good enough girl as well. I did feel that she wasn't contributing a lot as compared to the others. I liked how she didn't make boys the center of her thoughts unlike Tess in the first book. Amy balanced her hotel life and love life quite well. It's just that I felt bored reading her point of view until the Onslow boys and the gang from The Boys Of Summer came along. 
It was nice to meet Sean, Tess, Toby, Stan, Chris, Adam and Ellie again. They brought in a lot of colour and cheer and took Onslow to a new level altogether with their dedication and loyalty towards it. I loved Adam in the first book as a best friend and in this one again, I loved him as a cousin brother. I really hope that the third book, That One Summer is his book. 
Amy's love interest Sean Murphy was a fab guy. I liked him a lot in the first book as well and in this one, I liked him even more. He was such kid and a gentleman at the same time and I loved getting to know him better. He and Amy had the sparks going on from the initial pages itself and I really loved how Sean tried to express his feelings. His romance was unique and quite fun as well. 
Author C.J. Duggan's writing is smooth again and has a nice flow. It's very easy to read her books as they're full of sweet things. An Endless Summer was an enjoyable read that ended in the way I hoped for it to end and it left me smiling for a long time after I'd closed the book. 

RATING:


GIVEAWAY:

Enter to win one paperback copy of either The Boys Of Summer or An Endless Summer (INT) and 5 e-copies of An Endless Summer (INT again). 


Thank you for stopping by! 


Review- An Endless Summer by C.J. Duggan

Goodreads Summary:

Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study.

“Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.”
I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.”
A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”


After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:

Boarding School.

Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past.

How had her dad let it come to this?

With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.

In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy.


REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of An Endless Summer by author C.J. Duggan in exchange for an honest review. We thank C.J for the book! 

Although I had many problems with the MC in the first book of the Summer series, The Boys Of Summer, I really enjoyed the story as it was fun and flirty- an almost perfect summer read. You can find my review of it here. 
When I started the second book, An Endless Summer, I had a feeling I won't quite enjoy it as much as the first one and I had problems with the MC here as well. However, as the book progressed, I was hoping things would go a certain way and when they did go the way I wanted them to go, I as good as fell in love with the story. The best part about this book, unlike book #1, was that there was a lot of other stuff involved other than just romance. 
In An Endless Summer, daughter of the publican Mr. Henderson, Amy, who nearly drowns herself and is saved by Sean Murphy and returns from an all girls boarding school, is back in town, only to be greeted by a rather dense and fallen Onslow Hotel. She knows how much the hotel means to the Henderson family and decides to work hard to get it back in shape without her dad knowing anything about the same. Little does Amy know about her mum's plans regarding the hotel. 
As an MC, I admit that Amy worked hard to get things back on track and she was a good enough girl as well. I did feel that she wasn't contributing a lot as compared to the others. I liked how she didn't make boys the center of her thoughts unlike Tess in the first book. Amy balanced her hotel life and love life quite well. It's just that I felt bored reading her point of view until the Onslow boys and the gang from The Boys Of Summer came along. 
It was nice to meet Sean, Tess, Toby, Stan, Chris, Adam and Ellie again. They brought in a lot of colour and cheer and took Onslow to a new level altogether with their dedication and loyalty towards it. I loved Adam in the first book as a best friend and in this one again, I loved him as a cousin brother. I really hope that the third book, That One Summer is his book. 
Amy's love interest Sean Murphy was a fab guy. I liked him a lot in the first book as well and in this one, I liked him even more. He was such kid and a gentleman at the same time and I loved getting to know him better. He and Amy had the sparks going on from the initial pages itself and I really loved how Sean tried to express his feelings. His romance was unique and quite fun as well. 
Author C.J. Duggan's writing is smooth again and has a nice flow. It's very easy to read her books as they're full of sweet things. An Endless Summer was an enjoyable read that ended in the way I hoped for it to end and it left me smiling for a long time after I'd closed the book. 

RATING:




Feature & Follow Friday #48



Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Today's question is: 

Book Vacay: Where is the best destination reading spot for you? (Where do you like to go to read other then your home)

My answer:

I am the most comfortable reading in my bed but any place which is relatively quiet works for me. I can tune people out and read but I may get distracted sometimes. So, the best destination reading spot for me would be anyplace quiet I guess. I don't have any specifics :)


What's your destination reading spot?
Follow us and we'll follow back!
Happy Friday everybody :)