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Saturday, May 30, 2015

Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, Bought Borrowed and Bagged


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews,  check it out and sign up  here
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged is a weekly meme, hosted by TalkSupe, where I share with you the books I have bought, borrowed, or bagged. Link up with me here.


Currently reading:
Between Us and the Moon
source: Harper Teen via edelweiss
Emmy & Oliver
source: Harper Teen via edelweiss
Storm Born (Dark Swan, #1)
source: library
Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit
source: bought
Last Year's Mistake
source: Simon Pulse via edelweiss
Dancing with Molly
source: Simon Pulse via edelweiss


From my mailbox:
Alive
Thank you Disney-Hyperion!!!

 Thank you for sweet personal note and swag Trisha 

I loved the book, for reals, here is a teaser and buy links if you want in on the amazing:
"Obsession. It starts with a spark. A flicker. At the strike of a match. Lying dormant in most of us, obsession feasts on the fumes, breathes in the smoky scent, curling around and in on itself. Building.
We pet it, nurse it into existence. It is ours. All ours. A coveted perfection.
And when it refuses to be ignored, it rages. It roars to life. A blazing inferno. Consuming.
We are but pawns to its deceptive power. Though we attempt to guide it, caress it tenderly into a loving beauty, it cannot be controlled. It’s a haunted, vengeful lover." ~UNSUB
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1zSZNnNiTunes: http://apple.co/1PEaiglB&N: http://bit.ly/1dIJ2BsGoogle Play: http://bit.ly/1PkTHxGKobo: http://bit.ly/1KJXFPO

What I read:
The Heir (The Selection, #4)
source: library

Last Week on the blog:

Wicked (A Wicked Saga, #1)
Source: bought
Dime
Source: Simon via Edelweiss
Extraordinary Means
Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss
New giveaways exclusive to my blog:
Exclusive  and  $10 Amazon or Paypal Giftcard and Nothing But Your Memories by H. B. Clementine ends 6/15 INT

Check out my guest post!


What are you reading? Any of my books new to you or have you read any of my books? If so, what did you think?
Also, feel free to link up your blog and mailbox post.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Review: Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Wicked (A Wicked Saga #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.
Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.
Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.
But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.


”add

Publishes in US: December 8th 2014
Genre: na paranormal -- fae
Source: bought
Series? A Wicked Saga #1

Buy it:  Amazon Kindle Nook iBookstore AudioBooks

Author stalk away: Site Blog Twitter Facebook

 

   I wanted to read this one because Jennifer is on my auto- read/buy list. Her sense of humor, addictive writing and swoon worthy guys have won my heart over, and I know that I will get a good one when I open up something she has written. 

   Wicked is no exception. We get to meet the main character Ivy who is taking classes, and working for the Order, an organization she grew up a part of based in New Orleans. She is strong and courageous in the face of what she fights day in and out. She is also a survivor, as she has lost her family and a boy she loved all due to what the Order is up against, but she is still functioning and very much a part of fighting the fae in disguise who love the city of New Orleans because weird stuff can go down and hardly anyone will even blink an eye. 

   Ren comes on the scene pretty early, and you can feel the chemistry and tension between them. Ivy is afraid to open her heart though because of all the losses she suffered. The synopsis also lets us know that there is something about Ren that will open her eyes to things about the Order she didn't know, and will make her question what she thinks she knows. 

    Tink amused me to no end. He is sort of a houseguest, and I love the conversations he and Ivy have. He is sarcastic, loves sugar, loves HP and Twilight and says he's watching for research. 

   The romance got very hot, and I loved every second. I was thinking it could be ya for a while, and then I was very pleased to realize it heated up to very NA or adult levels. It made me sigh for Ren and want my toes to curl. 

    I was beginning to expect one of the twists at the end but it didn't take away from my enjoyment. Can't wait for more in the series. 


Bottom Line: Great hot start to a series I am excited about.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Ever been to New Orleans?

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Review: Dime by E.R. Frank


Dime by E.R. Frank
The realities of teen prostitution are revealed in this eye-opening, heartbreaking story from the author of America, which Booklist called "a piercing, unforgettable novel" and Kirkus Reviews deemed "a work of sublime humanity."
As a teen girl in Newark, New Jersey, lost in the foster care system, Dime just wants someone to care about her, to love her. A family. And that is exactly what she gets-a daddy and two "wifeys." So what if she has to go out and earn some coins to keep her place? It seems a fair enough exchange for love.
Dime never meant to become a prostitute. It happened so gradually, she pretty much didn't realize it was happening until it was too late.
But when a new "wifey" joins the family and Dime finds out that Daddy doesn't love her the way she thought he did, will Dime have the strength to leave? And will Daddy let her?

Publishes in US: May 26th 2015 by Atheneum
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Simon via Edelweiss
Series? no

Buy it: Amazon  IndieBound Book Depository

Author stalk away: ~site


   I wanted to read Dime because tough contemporaries appeal to me and Dime fits that bill, focusing on teen prostitution. 

   The set up is familiar for this sort of read-- a teen who ending up with a pimp. I think they even called him Daddy as well. There was the set up with the main character being second in rank, a younger one who is innocent in ways that breaks your heart and the older girl, or one who has been in the business longer. 

   I think that one reason it took me a bit to connect to the main character because I didn't know her before and that is totally on me, a personal preference. But we see her right in the middle of her stint into prostitution with clues of her past in memories. We can tell from the synopsis that she will get more self awareness of her situation and see that she needs to find a way out in order for her to grow and change as a person. 




Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday, WoW


Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I also feature books that may have already released, but I am anxiously waiting to read.

This week, I'm featuring:
In a World Just Right

High school senior Jonathan Aubrey creates worlds at will. In Kylie-Simms-is-my-girlfriend, he’s given himself everything he doesn’t have in real life-–the track team, passing grades, and his dream girl–-until one day he confuses his worlds and almost kisses the real Kylie Simms. Now his girlfriend Kylie and the real Kylie are changing, and Jonathan must solve the mystery of his own life to save his love from a gruesome fate.

Releases: April 28th 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Review: Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider


Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
From the author of The Beginning of Everything: two teens with a deadly disease fall in love on the brink of a cure.
At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French.
There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out of bounds his whole life. And as he gradually becomes one of them, Sadie shows him their secrets: how to steal internet, how to sneak into town, and how to disable the med sensors they must wear at all times.
But there are consequences to having secrets, particularly at Latham House. And as Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love and their group begins to fall sicker, their insular world threatens to come crashing down. Told in alternating points of view, Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about doomed friendships, first love, and the rare miracle of second chances.

”add

Publishes in US:  May 26th 2015 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss
Series? no

Buy it: Indiebound HERE * Amazon HERE * Barnes & Noble Book Depository

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter


   I wanted to read Extraordinary Means because the subject of teens dealing with illnesses always catches my eye. The idea of that diseases can resurface and be resistant to treatment is a nightmare but one that I would love to see explored in a story. 

   The two main characters Lane and Sadie actually knew each other before they ended up in Latham House, a place for teens to be quarantined until they are no longer contagious or until they pass. But there is a huge misunderstanding between the two. They met at a camp in middle school and Sadie has a different idea of who Lane is because of some events that we find out hurt her pretty badly. 

   I liked them both and knew that there was plenty of room for character development. Lane is smart and very driven, he has goals for Stanford and finding out he was sick and then getting off track because the academics at Latham House are nothing like what he was used to. 

    Sadie is more introverted because she was picked on some in middle school. She lets a few people in and they are all artists or dreamers, like her. She loves to photograph and play with photoshop, and always has a project going on. 

   The medical aspect was pretty scary. They were resistant to treatment that used to work, but are away from normal society because it is contagious. They wear sensors that help the medical staff to monitor them with the least amount of contact possible. While some end up no longer contagious and sent home, there are also the kids that get really ill, and some who die. It is pretty sad how it becomes almost commonplace when they are locked out of their dorms because they are cleaning out a room of a classmate who passed. 

    I liked the secondary characters as well, especially Nick, Charlie and Marina. They all became a tight circle of friends. They complemented Sadie and Lane well and made a good dynamic. Maybe they never would have been friends outside of Latham but that is one of the themes of the book. That Latham is a step back from the real world, helping a lot of teens to get perspective and to slow down their lives. Lane realized a lot about his ambition and how much he was rushing through his life, always trying to get to the next step, and never really living in the moment. 

    One thing that I expected in some ways, but wished that it didn't happen the way it did was the ending. When I heard the comparisons to other novels I knew with almost certainty what would happen, I just hoped it would have just been a secondary instead of that plus a main.  But it was foreshadowed a lot and although I wish more for the hea rather than how it played out, I can understand why. 

Bottom Line: Great premise and characters, wish differently for ending.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
How possible do you think it is that diseases from the past that may resurface and be resistant to treatment?

Monday, May 25, 2015

Exclusive $10 Amazon or Paypal Giftcard and Interview: Nothing But Your Memories by H. B. Clementine (sponsored by Booklogixs)


Nothing But Your Memories by H. B. Clementine

"I knew it. As I lie on a white bed in a white room with white light filtering in through the shade on the window, I know it has finally happened. The Shift is complete."
The radically new lifestyle of the Alternation of Generation world has more flaws than it may seem. A young woman named Mira Cobbleson has awoken for the first time in her new "body" with a feeling of unease. The Fisk, the city she is assigned to, seems too perfect to be real, but can it be any worse than the overcrowded cities and cramped apartments of life before the Shift? She stumbles upon others who feel it is worse, and they want to escape. Mira joins forces with them, and, together, they work to find a way to freedom---but their plan may be as flawed as the city they are trapped in.


--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

Nothing But Your Memories-overpopulation leads to The Alternation of Generation society in which both bodies and time are shared.


--How did you get the idea for the story?

I have been writing about alternate worlds since I was in elementary school, which caused me to contemplate big issues, such as sharing time and bodies, in these unfamiliar societies. When I penned Nothing But Your Memories, I used ideas and concepts that I had begun to formulate in fourth and fifth grade.


--Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates?

I have actually finished a second novel and have outlined a series of six books. It's the same world, but it has different characters and posed fifty years later. The complexities of social realities and mental stress of sharing time and bodies is further exposed as the society evolves. The challenges and unique social relationships the characters face in the Alternation of Generation society becomes more twisted and complex as time goes on, with no end or death in sight. The characters in the first novel are not carried through to the second, but the characters within the second novel and the story are carried throughout the six book series.

Bio: 

H. B. Clementine won the BookLogix Young Writers Contest for Nothing But Your Memories at age fourteen while attending Asheville Christian Academy. Now a junior at the nationally recognized North Carolina School of Science and Math, she enjoys writing, playing soccer, and goofing off with family and friends. H. B. Clementine is now creating a series that lights the unsettling path of the Alternation of Generation universe introduced in Nothing But Your Memories.





Giveaway is for: Nothing But Your Memories ebook and a $10 Amazon gift card or Paypal cash (Int)
If under 18, must have parent's permission.
No Purchase Necessary
Open: 5/25-6/15
The Sponsor: BookLogix
Winners will be chosen by giveaway host and notified by email. They will have 48 hours to respond.
Email addresses or physical addresses or any personal information will not be sold
Liability: Brandi Breathes Books is not responsible for lost or stolen packages
Brandi Breathes Books Giveaways are hosted in Holly Springs, NC USA
Void where prohibited by law
-If you win a review on your blog and/or amazon is appreciated but not required.

*If, for whatever reason, the Rafflecopter widget does not appear, you can click on the link where it says rafflecopter giveaway and it will show up, sorry for the inconvenience.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Saturday, May 23, 2015

Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, Bought Borrowed and Bagged


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews,  check it out and sign up  here
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged is a weekly meme, hosted by TalkSupe, where I share with you the books I have bought, borrowed, or bagged. Link up with me here.


Currently reading:
Legend (Legend, #1)
Source: library

What I read:
Dancing with Molly
source: simon via edelweiss
Fall with Me (Wait for You, #4)
source: bought

Last Week on the blog:
With Visions of Red
Source: publicist
Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road, #1)
Source: Harlequin Teen via Netgalley
An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)
Source: Penguin via Goodreads First Reads
Review
My week: Good, my youngest has had swin lessons and the older had her last dance class of season. I think we are going to the pool today and neighborhood memorial day block party tomorrow,


What are you reading? Any of my books new to you or have you read any of my books? If so, what did you think?
Also, feel free to link up your blog and mailbox post.