ARC Review: Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement Moore

Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement Moore
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers
Book Format: ARC
Number of Pages: 304
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Synopsis: Daisy Goodnight can speak to the dead. It’s not the result of a head injury or some near-death experience. She was just born that way. And she’s really good at it. Good enough to help the police solve the occasional homicide.

But helping the local authorities clear cold cases is one thing. Being whisked out of chemistry class by the FBI and flown to the scene of a murder/kidnapping in Minnesota? That’s the real deal.

Before the promotion can go to Daisy’s head, she’s up to her neck in trouble. The spirits are talking, and they’re terrified. There’s a real living girl in danger. And when Daisy is kidnapped by a crime boss with no scruples about using magic—and Daisy—to get what he wants, it looks like hers is the next soul on the line.

My Review:

I bought Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore off of Random Buzzers with my buzz bucks, and this is my honest review.

Before I even started the book I knew I was going to love it. I mean come on, the main character Daisy can talk to the dead and she helps them basically crossover. I’ve always been interested in those kind of plots, ghosts just interest me I’m not sure why. In the story we follow Daisy on her journey to helping the F.B.I. find a missing girl, and this is right where the story starts.

I enjoyed a lot of the elements of this story. One of my favorite parts was all the action. No matter what chapter we were in there was some type of action involving Daisy and probably a ghost and it always entertained me no matter what. Something that I didn’t quite love was how long it took for the romance to develop. There was two guys in the book and I was a little confused on which one of them was supposed to be the love interest, I’m thinking that was what the author was trying to do but either way I didn’t like the way the whole romance was planned out, but I must say that I did enjoy the ending.

Lets talk about characters when we met Daisy I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. I knew that she could talk to the dead and I thought that was just awesome but, I wasn’t sure if she was like a tough fighter chick or if she was some weakling who has powers but still relies on guys to protect her. The next character we met was Agent Taylor, and I must say I was very happy to meet him. Even though he was a little bit older then Daisy I liked how his personality was described. He really looked out for Daisy and that was great.

I haven’t told you about Carson yet have I? This is the other “love interest” and I was like in love with his character as well. I honestly think that the suspense of are they going to kiss ever or not? Was what kept me thinking about these two characters and I have to say the author did a great job keeping that suspense alive! I couldn’t stop reading until something happened.

This story was very unique because it took place a good amount of the book in different museums and I’ve never seen that in a book before, so I enjoyed it. Overall the book gets a 4 out 5 stars because even though the romance was very drawn out and I didn’t love it the book still kept my interest in many other ways.

The Photo Traveler Tour: Review + Giveaway

It's Tuesday! and Comfort Books is participating in the, The Photo Traveler by Arthur J. Gonzalez tour hosted by Xpresso Reads! I'm so excited to share my review with you guys the book was so good.

The Photo Traveler by Arthur J. Gonzalez

Publication Date: February 20, 2013

Genre: YA Paranormal/Time Travel

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone is resigned to being miserable for the rest of his life. Left alone in the world after his parents died in a fire when he was four, he was placed in foster care, which for him meant ending up in an abusive home with an alcoholic adoptive father.

Gavin’s only escape is in taking and creating images. His camera is his refuge from the unending torture and isolation of daily life in his  “family.”

Until he learns by accident that he isn’t alone in the world after all. His father’s parents are still alive and living in Washington DC.

When he takes the plunge and travels 3,000 miles to find his grandparents, he learns that they—and he—are part of something much bigger, and more dangerous, than he could ever have imagined. Something that has always put his family at risk and that will now threaten his own life, while forever changing it. 

He learns that he is one of the last descendants of a small group of Photo Travelers—people who can travel through time and space through images. But his initial excitement turns to fear, when he soon discovers that he and his grandparents are being pursued by the fierce remnants of a radical European Photo Traveler cult, the Peace Hunters. What Gavin has, they want!

His adventure will take him to past eras, like The Great Depression and the Salem Witch Trials. Gavin will have to discover who he really is and must make choices that spell the difference between life and death for himself, for the relatives he now knows and loves, and for the girl he will come to love.

For Gavin Hillstone, life will never be the same.

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Meet The Author:

My name is Arthur J Gonzalez.  I’m 28 years old, born and raised in Miami, FL.  I graduated from the University of Florida.  I am currently   releasing my debut novel, The Photo Traveler.  The premise surrounds 17 – year old Gavin, who discovers he is part of a small group, called Photo Travelers, who can time travel through photos and images. 

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My Review:

I received The Photo Traveler by Arthur J. Gonzalez for review and this is my honest opinion.

First I will start off by saying I did enjoy this book, but the story near the end drove me throw crazy big loops. The Photo Traveler is about a boy named Gavin who one day after escaping his awful life living with his adopted dad finds out that he is a photo traveler. I bet you're wondering what that is, well he can basically take any picture that is based on something realistic and can travel to wherever that picture is in a matter of seconds. As many of you know I loved time travel books and this one makes my life grow even fonder!

I’m not exactly sure why I love time traveling books so much but I think just the suspense of being able to go the past but having to be extra careful not to change anything or else! it just intrigues me. During the course of this book the main character travels to many different places but the most interesting place he traveled too was a trial that was happening during the time of the Salem Witch Trials and I loved every second of that chapter despite what happened. Gavin took us on many great adventures so that is definitely a huge reason why you should pick this book up!

Gavin is a pretty cool character, he’s been through crazy things in his life from both of his parents dying in a fire when he was 4, to having his foster/adopted father beat the crap out of him for years after his foster/adopted mother dies. But even after all that he is able to be a good person and just make a good life for himself outside of his old one. I enjoy how much he cares about his grandparents, not many people are as crazy about their grandparents as Gavin is about his and it’s just so sweet.

The only thing about the book that kind of annoyed me was that the ending kind of felt rushed. Like Gavin did what he needed to do with the “bad guys” and then all this other random stuff was smooshed in where it did not need to go at the end. I’m thinking the author did that to make there need for the second book, because without all of that there wouldn’t necessarily be need for another book but still I didn’t like how the ending was written.

So overall the book gets a 4 out of 5 stars because even though the ending irked me I still very much loved all of the time traveling!

Giveaway:

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Lost and Found Tour: Guest Post

It's Monday! and Comfort Books is participating in the Lost & Found by Nicole Williams tour. Which is hosted by AToMR Tours! Let's get started.

Lost & Found by Nicole Williams

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Synopsis:  

There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.

When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself.

Find the book:

Goodreads

Meet The Author:

I'm a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I'm still writing because I love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings. Here's to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* . . . care to join me? 

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Guest Post:

Interesting Facts About Lost and Found

By Nicole Williams

• I’ve been bucked off a horse, bitten by a horse, stepped on by a horse . . . and I still love their spry little hearts. Always have. Always will. Jesse’s horse, Sunny, is inspired by a “special” horse from my past.

• Of all eleven of my books, LOST AND FOUND is the one I’m most proud of. It felt like it ripped my soul out, stomped on it, then picked it up and gave it a big ol’ hug before putting it back. It was equally heart wrenching and warming.

• Josie’s name was originally Rachael, but I changed it after I finished writing the book because the character just wasn’t a “Rachael” to me.

• The two songs I listened to most while writing L&F were THE DANCE by Garth Brooks and FIX YOU by Coldplay. Kind of on opposite sides of the spectrum, which pretty much fits when it comes to Jesse and Rowen’s relationship.

• The truck Jesse drives, Old Bessie, in L&F was inspired by an old truck of my grandpa’s that “went out to pasture” on my parent’s land. A decade later, someone bought it and fixed it up.

• Rose, Jesse’s mom, still has Jesse’s first pair of cowboy boots tucked away to hopefully pass down to his son one day

Giveawaay:

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Of Silver and Beasts Book Blitz

Good morning everybody! It is Sunday and Comfort Books is participating in the Book Blitz hosted by YA Bound for Of Silver and Beasts by Trisha Wolfe!

***Excerpt***

“What’s your rank, baby blue eyes?” the guy asks, pushing off his cot and stalking toward the prince. Everything in me screams to act, but I don’t want to declare alliances this early on. Not without understanding the dynamic of placements and bonds already formed among these people. But I’ll not let this hulk of a man harm the prince. I brace my heel against the wall, ready to push off and lunge. Prince Caben rises to his feet, slowly turning to face him. He straightens his spine, squaring his shoulders. “I don’t have one. And my name is Payne. Not ‘baby blue eyes’, meathead.” Big guy laughs, his husky voice bounces off the rock walls. “I’m Crew”—he beats his chest hard once, like a barbarian—“and I’ve won three fights. I’ll win the next two and be the one awarded the freedom ring.” He leans down toward Prince Caben, leveling their faces. “So don’t even think about you or your princess over there walking out of here. I’m ranked as a Colossal. The strongest Colossal in Bax’s league.” Princess? I nearly scoff. Then I realize what the problem with Crew is: he feels threatened by Prince Caben. That revelation almost makes me laugh out right. What does a big stack of muscles like Crew have to fear from the prince? The other prisons slowly circle around the stand-off in the center of the cell. Tension thickens the musty air. It coils around my spine, tightening my muscles. If I allow the fight to continue without interruption, will the guards stop it? They’d want their fighters in pristine shape, wouldn’t they? Prince Caben doesn’t back away from Crew. Instead, he moves into his space. I roll my eyes. Stupid, conceited man. “Freedom ring?” the prince questions. “As in, there’s a chance to leave?” He rubs his chin, and I notice the dark shadow of facial hair that has darkened his features overnight. “Is there a season that has to be won, or can someone gain five wins during their entire imprisonment?” Crew’s eyebrows pinch together. He’s clearly despondent that he hasn’t succeeded in intimidating the prince. “We’re in a season right now, you weakling. If you don’t win—you’re dead. Which by the looks of you, will happen in your first match.” Prince Caben nods, as if he’s simply piecing together a jigsaw puzzle and not being told of his demise. “What is the cuff for?” He points to the iron clamp around Crew’s wrist. “It’s our biometric monitor.” Crew shoves the cuff up close to the prince’s face. “See those three blue lights? Those are my wins. When the fifth lights up, I’m outta’ here.” “Has anyone ever won the freedom ring before?” Prince Caben asks. Crew’s massive arms tremble. “No,” he grinds out. “But I will.” He cocks his cuffed hand back, then sends a blow to Prince Caben’s chin. Hell. I’m up and racing across the cell before the prince hits the ground. Crew spots me from his peripheral. He turns and swipes the air. I duck, roll, and come up behind him. I jump on the cot and leap onto his back. “You squirrely little ...” he mumbles, trying to reach over his shoulders to get a hold on me. Tightening my arms around his thick neck, I squeeze. He gasps for air, and rams my back into the wall. I wheeze as the air whooshes from my lungs, pain splintering through my already bruised chest. But I hold tight, bearing down harder, and cut off his supply of oxygen. Finally, I feel Crew weaken beneath my hold. He drops to his knees, and I only release him once I’m sure he’s knocked out. Stepping around the now limp Crew, I glance at all the wide eyes studying me, and meet the prince’s. Fury ignites his stormy blue irises. He picks himself off the floor and heads toward one of the side chambers, throwing the tattered material aside as he stalks inside. I follow after him. When I step inside the tiny, dank room, my eyes trail Prince Caben as he paces. He reaches each side of the small chamber with three quick strides. Back and forth. On his third round, I open my mouth and get out a single syllable before he holds up a hand, halting me. He drives his hand through his dark hair. “Thank you for making me look like a spineless jerk.” He shakes his head and faces me. Taken aback, I say, “This is my duty to protect—” “No. In your country it was your duty to guard me. In my world and here”—he opens his arms wide—“a man fights his own battles. He does not depend on a woman to fight them for him. You just disgraced me.” Fire simmers in my core. “I’m still assigned as your protector no matter what realm we inhabit, Your High—” I stop myself before addressing him by title out of habit. “Your pride is polluting your reasoning.” He laughs. “Yes, well. Thanks to your show out there, I no longer have my pride to worry about.”

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***GIVEAWAY***

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Book Blitz organized by:

In My Mailbox 72 + Weekly Wrap Up

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme created by Kristi over at The Story Siren, and is now hosted by  Gabrielle over at The Mod Podge Bookshelf.

For Review: 
The Lake House by Marci Nault

Giveaway: 
Storm of Arranon by R.E. Sheahan
Fire and Ice by R.E. Sheahan


Weekly Wrap Up:

Reviews:
None

Memes/Posts:
None

Blog Tours/Hops:
Cover Reveal: Follow The White Rabbit
Cover Reveal: Beauty From Surrender
Cover Reveal: Catching Liam
Cover Reveal: Geoducks Are For Lovers

Giveaways: 
None

Cover Reveal: Geoducks Are For Lovers by Daisy Prescott

Another cover reveal for Comfort Books today! Hosted by AToMR Tours I am presenting you with the cover for Geoducks Are For Lovers by Daisy Prescott. Here's the cover!

Geoducks Are For Lovers by Daisy Prescott

Release Date: May 15, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women's Fiction

Age Group: Adult

Cover Design: Okay Creations

Synopsis: Food writer Maggie Marrion is just getting back on her feet after a horrible year, or two, or three. With their twentieth reunion approaching, she invites four of her closest friends from college for a weekend at her beach cabin. What she doesn’t expect is her best friends, artist Quinn Dayton and part-time erotica novelist, Selah Elmore, to play matchmaker. The two plot a surprise that will make the weekend, and her life, a lot more interesting.

Gil Morrow, former grunge musician turned history professor, joins them as Selah’s date for the weekend. After coming face to face with the one who got away, he decides he's waited long enough to get the girl. With the support of old friends, a few wishing rocks, the world’s largest burrowing clam, and a hot lumberjack thrown into the mix, Gil reminds Maggie that forty-something isn’t too old for second chances.

Can we learn to love the life we have and let go of who we expected to be? What happens when the generation from The Breakfast Club and Reality Bites meets The Big Chill? Come spend a weekend with these Generation X-ers as they share laughter, tears, life’s ups and downs, old stories, and new beginnings.

Goodreads

Meet The Author:

Before writing full time as a freelance content creator, Daisy worked in the world of art, auctions, antiques, and home decor. She earned her degree in Art History and endured a brief stint as a film theory graduate student. Baker, art educator, antiques dealer, blue ribbon pie baker, fangirl, content wrangler, gardener, wife, and pet mom are a few of the titles she’s acquired over the years.

Daisy and her husband (aka SO) currently live in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with their rescue dog, Hubbell, and an imaginary house goat. Geoducks are for Lovers is her first novel. She is currently at work on her second novel set in Ghana.

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Cover Reveal: Catching Liam by Sophia Bleu

Comfort Books is participating in another cover reveal! This will be the third one in a row! This cover reveal was put together by Xpresso Book Tours! Here's the cover.

Catching Liam by Sophia Bleu

Publication Date: Summer 2013

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Synopsis: Twenty-one year-old Jillian Nichols only has one rule when it comes to boys: catch and release. Boy-catching isn't just a game for Jillian and her friends, it's a lifestyle. After all, boys might be good for a dance or a drink and certainly a little under-cover action of the scandalous variety, but expect much else and you're bound for heart ache.

So when her best friends and fellow boy catchers start dropping like flies junior year, Jillian is determined to keep boys in her bedroom and out of her heart. Until she meets Liam McAvoy, the kind of guy that sticks around to make waffles and who can't—or perhaps won't—take a hint. 

Study abroad student Liam doesn't want to be another notch on Jillian's bedpost. Actually he has much more interesting ideas for Jillian and her bedposts, but his student visa's set expiration date means he can't promise her forever. That doesn't mean he's going to walk away from the challenge of discovering why Jillian is hell-bent at keeping people at a distance.

Before long, neither is sure who is catching who—or if they're playing for keeps. Jillian knows one thing though: falling in love will not only break the only rule of boy-catching, it could also break her heart.

Goodreads

Meet The Author:

Sophia Bleu is a secret identity where I can write about fantasies and falling in love and all the smexiness in between.  In real life, I'm likely catching a plane, chasing kids, or making out with the love of my life—all 6 ft 3 inches of hotness that he is.  Life is pretty good.

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