Good Morning Lovelies! I have some really exciting news that I felt the need to share with you. As you all know, I was chosen to be an ambassador for the Into The Dark trilogy by Bree Despain. In the middle of writing this series her publisher, EgmontUSA shut down. In the mist of this all of her fans have been wondering, what is going on with book 3! Well Bree has given us the green light to share with you her news. The following post was given to us by Bree to put on our blogs! Enjoy :)
My big news: Yes, there will be a third book in the Into The Dark series! Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Books, will be publishing Book 3 (most likely in Fall 2016). That means Haden and Daphne will get the ending to their story that I always envisioned!
I cannot tell you how excited I am!!! So to show you, I am celebrating with a contest . . .
One lucky winner will receive the Grand Prize: Have a character named after you in Into The Dark Book 3.
A Cupid's Arrow Ring.
And because Daphne and Haden love music so much: a $25 iTunes giftcard.
Three runners up will win:
A Cupid's Arrow Ring and an Into The Dark swag pack.
All you have to do to enter is solve the following anagram and then use the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.
A SHARE UNTOLD
Hints:
3 words
Reading THE ETERNITY KEY will help you solve the puzzle.
Daphne's gifts.
Rules:
U.S. Residents only.
The contest is open for two weeks (so if you need a little help solving the puzzle, you have enough time to read THE ETERNITY KEY).
The winners names will be posted here on the blog on May 28th. Winners will have 30 days to claim their prize or else their prize will be forfeit.
The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain Publisher: EgmontUSA Release Date: April 14, 2015 Book Format: Paperback # of Pages: 512 Synopsis: From Bree Despain, the
fan-favorite author of The Dark Divine trilogy, comes her highly
anticipated second young adult series: a contemporary adventure inspired
by the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades.
Haden Lord, the
disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world
for six months in order to convince Daphne Raines to return with him to
the land of the dead.
The best way to do this, Haden is told, is
to get Daphne to fall in love with him. But getting a teenage girl to
fall in love with you isn't easy, especially when Haden's life and more
depends on the success of his quest. Little does he know that the
tenuous peace between the Greek god of the Underrealm and the Greek god
of the Sky is breaking and war is imminent.
If Haden succeeds, his honor and standing will be restored in the royal court, and Daphne will be sacrificed to save us all.
The complication he didn't see coming: he's the one who falls in love.
Now
Haden must choose to either fulfill his sacred duty or to follow his
heart and find a way to rewrite his and Daphne's destinies.
My Review:
I
received The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain as a part of an ambassador
program to promote this new series. This is my honest review.
The
Shadow Prince is about a young prince named Haden who is tasked to
leave his home in the underworld to find a girl he refers to as his
“boon” in the real world and bring her back to his realm. According to
his father, King Ren she is the cypher and she is needed to help them
keep the underworld in working order.
Daphne Raines, the young
girl Haden is looking for live with her mom in a little place called
Ellis, not for long though. Soon her estranged, rock star father Joe
showed up and whisked her off to his home Olympus Hills where she could
attend a music school that has always been her dream. What she did not
know is that her father just put her right into Haden’s path.
I
have always been interested in mythology, but I have never had the time
to actually sit down and decode mythology books so as of right now I
rely on books like these to help me learn about myths. I have loved all
of Bree Despain’s books so far and this one is no exception. There was a
great mixture of action along with other things like friendship, and
some romance as well. Despain did a good job keeping things exciting, I
almost never wanted to put the book down.
The characters were on
point as well. There were many times where things that Haden said;
because he is from the underworld rather than our world, that made me
laugh a lot. I also love that Daphne did not just let Haden into her
life willingly, he had to fight for her trust and boy did he. In the end
I loved the first book in the Into The Dark Series and I can’t wait to
dive into book two.
I loved you once. A love I thought irrevocable. A love I
mistakenly believed could transcend both time and circumstance. Under the
influence of my dimwitted, naïve, traitorous heart, I became intoxicated with
what I now know was simply a figment of my self-indulgent imagination. So drunk
on the feeling, I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. So foolishly
enamored, I blindly followed my heart into the depths of an emotion that would
ravage me.
Years later, I know now what I wish I knew then. I am
stronger. Smarter. Tougher. I will not allow myself to be broken again.
I loved you.
I raged for you.
I wept for you.
And now, I’m letting you go.
Author’s Note: Under
the Influence is the journey of two childhood friends that spans the course of
five pivotal years in their lives. It is a story about their discovery of true
friendship as it blossoms into first love, their experience of crucial sacrifice
and ultimate betrayal, and their endurance of agonizing heartbreak on the way
to finding lasting redemption.
Dalton POV:
All that remains is
the orange in the sky and the sweet scent of the angel lying next to me.
Nothing else.
We watch in silence
as we always do until the sun finally sets, then both breathe out a long sigh
before I turn to face her. “I have something for you. It’s not much, but I
saw it and thought of you.”
Her eyes widen with
excitement as an equally joyful smile spreads across her beautiful features. I
reach into my pocket and pull out the item I spied just a couple of days ago,
buying it as a gift for her birthday, but it turns out I really suck at
surprises. Who knew?
Dangling the long
strand of black beads in her face, an unexpected rush of anxiety races through
my system. I’ve never given anyone anything. Ever. I find it extremely unnerving.
Her grin widens
further as she extends her hand, uncurling her fingers and exposing her palm. I
lower the bracelet and watch as it coils into her grasp. My eyes rise to meet hers and I swallow
deeply, trying to rid the nerves constricting my throat. “It’s uh …They’re onyx—the beads. I read
that they offer protection for the person who wears them. I just…”I clear my throat. “I wanted you to be
protected even when I’m not around.”
Her smile is
hindered as her teeth graze her bottom lip. I fight the urge to take that pouty
lip in between mine, breaking my stare from her mouth and bringing it back to
the bracelet before glancing back to her sky blue eyes.
She turns to fully
face me, the bracelet still secure in her clenched hand. Her expression timid,
she inquires, “Put it on me?”
I nod and slowly
uncurl her grip, allowing my touch to linger on the soft pads of her fingers
with each one drawn away. She shivers in response and I breathe a light chuckle
through my nose, still amazed each time I elicit those involuntary reactions
from her. Once the bracelet is pinched between my fingers, she turns her wrist
and waits patiently as I hook the ends together. Releasing it, I watch as it
slides gracefully along the skin of her arm to land across the bones of her
wrist. My hand instinctively rises and my fingers trace its traveled path,
raking over the bracelet as I clench her hand in mine and press a soft kiss in
the center of her palm.
Her breath shudders
before she whispers, “I love it, Dalton. It’s…perfect. Thank you.”
I feel my face warm
with her compliment, so break my eyes away from her to focus on the stars.
After a couple of moments of peace-filled silence, I inquire, “If you were a
color, what color would you be?”
Taking her eyes
away from the bracelet, she giggles and twists to look at me. “What color would
I be?”
I nod. “Yeah…”I stall, stunned
with my need for honesty. “It’s just, sometimes I feel like a
chameleon, you know? Forced to change my colors based on where I am in my life.”
I release a
weighted breath. “Lately it feels as though I change them so often, I’m nothing more than
a fucked-up version of an impressionist painting.”
Glancing to the
side, my heart lurches as she crinkles her nose in confusion, my absolute
favorite of her expressions. My eyes linger the light scattering of freckles on
the bridge of her nose before once again seeking comfort in the obscurity of
the night sky. “To those far away, I project a solid, recognizable image. But in
reality, I’m comprised of nothing but a series of angry, incoherent brush strokes
in every color imaginable. Disjointed.”
I twist my neck and
pin her with my stare. “Broken.”
Her mouth dips at
the corners before she turns on her side and tucks her hands under her cheek,
her blue eyes sincere. “Do you think Renoir and Monet didn’t know what they were doing? That they
didn’t purposely place
each stroke of their paintbrush in order to create their envisioned
masterpiece?”
She tightens her
gaze. “You are a work of
art, Dalton. Your own masterpiece, regardless if you choose to
acknowledge it or not. Every experience that paints your picture is a stroke
made just for you. Each one of them is essential in order for you to grow, to
learn, and to teach.”
She shrugs her
shoulders. “You ask me what color I would be? Well, I would be every single color
I could because to me, those colors are emotions. Feelings. And life would mean
absolutely nothing without the many colors that surround us. The many …experiences
we live through that propel us forward into the people we are meant to become.”
Make sure to sign-up HERE for L. B Simmons newsletter for exclusive teasers.
L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and
holds a degree in Biomedical Science.
She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years. She lives with her husband and three
daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets.
Good morning Lovelies! I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on my recent vacation at The Summit Hill Resort in Laconia, NH. Normally this blog is just based on books, but I thought I might change it up a little bit and talk about what is going on in my life.
My grandparents currently own a time share at the Steele Hill Resort in, Sanborton, NH but there were some technical difficulties there with the pool the week that we were supposed to go so they gave us a suite at the Summit Resort for the week. I have to say this is pretty nice of them.
My family and I arrived at a beautiful two bedroom suite with a huge living room and kitchen, and very spacious bathrooms. I should have taken pictures, but in the moment of things I was too excited to eat and get to the pool. (shown above)
There is not much to do at this resort rather than play pool, and go to the pool. This place is better to spend time with family and friends rather than having things to do everyday. The arcade room is sort of old looking the arcade games are pretty dusty, and you have to plug them in if you want to use them. As well as the board games, which my cousins and I would have liked to play, but they were all young kids games or just really old.
The overall experience of this place was nice I liked being able to spend time with my family and relax. I was even able to finish 3 books! I'll put a wrap up of that later :)
YOLO Juliet by William Shakespeare & Brett Wright Publisher: Random House Books For Young Readers Release Date: May 26, 2015
Book Format: Hardcover
# of Pages: 112
Synopsis: Romeo and Juliet, one of the greatest love stories ever told . . . in texts?!
Imagine: What if those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet had
smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one
of Shakespeare’s most famous plays! Two families at war. A boy and a girl in love. A secret marriage gone oh-so-wrong.
and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;) tl;dr A
Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis,
checking in at certain locations, and updating their relationship
statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.
A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read. My Review: I received a copy of YOLO Juliet from the publisher and this is my honest review.
I
read Romeo and Juliet when I was a freshman in high school about 5
years ago. Being that young it was kind of hard trying to read through
and understand everything because it was in old english, but now I'm
pretty clear on what the story is all about. Its a tragic love story and
I loved it even though the ending was sad.
There have been so
many different versions of the Romeo and Juliet story but this one by
far is the cutest and most entertaining. I love what the author decided
to write the story of Romeo and Juliet through text messages. I think it
really connects with the young people who live off of their phones
today while still telling the famous story by Shakespeare.
I
read this extremely quickly and enjoyed reading all of the texting
slang, it got a few laughs out of me which was cool too. I would
definitely read something like this again in the future.
Monica's Match by Katya Armock (Perry Grove Novel #1) Release Date: April 15, 2015 Book Format: e-book Synopsis: Monica has the ability to see a guy’s aura light up the first time he touches his soul mate, but she’s kept it a secret since her parents shamed her as a child. Still, she decides to start her own matchmaking company—even if she doesn’t advertise her unique ability. Business is so-so until she gets a call to find matches for the singles of the small town of Perry Grove. She’s not looking for love herself but has an immediate attraction to one of her clients. Too bad another woman lit up his aura.
Hunky dairy farmer Jeremiah wants nothing to do with his grandpa’s hare-brained matchmaking scheme but agrees to play along to appease the man who raised him. But when he meets the sexy matchmaker, he starts to rethink his single status. Too bad she’s intent on pairing him up with another woman. If there’s one thing he knows, though, it’s how to be stubborn.
From The Author: I like books that are funny and fun to read, but also make me think or look at the world in a new way. These days you’ll find me living my happily ever after in the Midwestern U.S. with my husband, dog and cats. I love to hear from readers, so please come find me on the Internet.
I received Monica’s Match from the publisher for a review tour and this is my honest review.
I
signed up to review Monica’s Match after reading the synopsis and
learning that it was a book based off of a psychic ability, and love. I
am crazy about psychic abilities I have always been interested in it and
incorporating it with matchmaking and love was interesting.
My
initial reaction to Monica was that she is a strong girl who can take
care of herself and I liked that. But as we got farther into the book
she did start to drive me crazy with her attitude toward Jeremiah. Now
it is well known that Jeremiah was a little bit of a smart ass, but near
the end he was starting to come around and Monica just was not having
it. She was making me so mad with how rude she was to him sometimes.
I
feel that many people first hearing what this book was about would be
put off by the premise because it seems so fake, but I believe that the
author pulled it off well. Monica pretty much kept her secret under
wraps from everyone but the few people that she cared about and went
about her business helping people find their soul mates.
There
were so many cute moments between Monica and Jeremiah even when she was
giving him the cold shoulder there were moments. For example, on their
second date when she had a panic attack and Jeremiah helped her through
it, I thought that was really sweet. I also loved Jeremiah’s
grandparents they were the sweetest people ever too.
I am
extremely glad that I picked to review this book. It was fun to read and
very enjoyable, I hope to read more of this authors work in the future.
Good Morning Lovelies! As all of you know I have chosen to be an ambassador for Bree Despains new series, Into The Dark Series! It is about a teenager named Daphne whom is chosen by the underworld to be taken as a young princes "boon." I am almost finished with book one and I am loving it! :) Check out this trailer created by the author and her family! :)
My name is Paige and I am 21 years old. I have also graduated from Salem High School, and I am currently studying Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. But don't let that fool you I will definitely keep Comfort Books up to date because it is my baby and there is never a time when I won't be reading!
