Today I am posting the review of BEFORE & AFTER by Nazarea Andrews. This book is a New Adult contemporary romance. Be sure to check out the giveaway below for a beautiful necklace and signed copy.
Rike and Peyton fell in love in college.
A boy from the wrong side of the tracks, covered in ink and crooning in a bar is the last person a straight laced girl with a art major should fall for, but his rough edges made her jagged, alive, shaving away the coddled southern princess and revealing a soul wild and brilliant.
They fell in love, despite her family and his past and all the reasons why it wouldn't work--and with their best friends, they made a life. Everyone was supposed to live happily ever after.
They, more than anyone, knows that life doesn't go according to plan.
Rike and Peyton fell in love in college. A boy with a guitar, and a poet's heart, and a girl with freckles dusted over her nose, a perfect fucking fairy tale.
But what happens when the fairy tale doesn't fall apart--but is forgotten?
I received an ARC in excange for an honest review. I was surprised to
see that Nazarea Andrews wrote a college contemporary novel! Since it's a
stand alone I took the chance, especially after I saw that colorful,
beautiful cover!
The story goes back and forth, changing between
the POVs of Pey and Rike, giving a mystery on how their relationship was
formed and what happened inbetween. I won't spoil you since this is the
best part of the story but I must say that I never expected the twist.
The best part? There's no insta-love; many will think that because it's a standalone the main characters met and fell in love. But no; there is a slow building and when it explodes it's truly sweet and heartbreaking.
I loved it and I believe that "Before & After" is from the few novels which should be more well known.
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binging watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.
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Question of the Week:
If you could get an ARC of any book, already published, or not yet, what would it be? - Suggested by Words I Write Crazy
My answer:
Since it's really, REALLY hard to pick both from my 2015 and 2016 and so on lists I decided to settle on my best two, which will be published soon. (click the covers for more details and to pre-order!)
Today we are celebrating the release of BEFORE & AFTER by Nazarea Andrews. This book is a New Adult contemporary romance. Be sure to check out the giveaway below for a beautiful necklace and signed copy.
Rike and Peyton fell in love in college.
A boy from the wrong side of the tracks, covered in ink and crooning in a bar is the last person a straight laced girl with a art major should fall for, but his rough edges made her jagged, alive, shaving away the coddled southern princess and revealing a soul wild and brilliant.
They fell in love, despite her family and his past and all the reasons why it wouldn't work--and with their best friends, they made a life. Everyone was supposed to live happily ever after.
They, more than anyone, knows that life doesn't go according to plan.
Rike and Peyton fell in love in college. A boy with a guitar, and a poet's heart, and a girl with freckles dusted over her nose, a perfect fucking fairy tale.
But what happens when the fairy tale doesn't fall apart--but is forgotten?
Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binging watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.
Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.
Don't miss the conclusion to this stunning Young Adult Paranormal series filled with danger and romance published by HarlequinTEEN.
EVERY LAST BREATH Synopsis:Some loves will last ‘til your dying breath
Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.
Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.
Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…
“Armentrout is a major talent…I just can’t stop reading!”
--New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter
“Armentrout works her magic with swoon-worthy guys and a twist you never see coming.”
--#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines on White Hot Kiss
EXCREPT
“Oh my God!” This time my hand
connected with his arm. “You’re going to be in so much trouble, Roth! So much
trouble.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Defended
myself.”
“Defended myself.” I mimicked him,
bopping my head back and forth. “You can’t just go around killing Alphas,
Roth!”
“You killed those angels?” Stacey
asked, so I guessed she did remember them.
He sent her an innocent grin.
“Well, I didn’t, but…”
“Roth!” I shouted, backing away
before I started choking the ever-loving life out of him. “This is not a joke.
You—”
He was damn fast when he wanted to
be. One second he was several feet away from me and the next he was there,
clasping the sides of my face. He lowered his head so he was eye level with me.
“There are rules, Shortie.”
“But—”
“Rules that even the Alphas have to
abide by. They cannot attack me without physical
provocation. If they do, they tick the Boss off, and then the Boss retaliates
in a way that makes what the Lilin could do look like child’s play. I’m not
just some random demon. I’m the Crown Prince. They took a swing at me, and I
defended myself. End of story.”
But he had provoked them—maybe not
physically, but he wasn’t an innocent bystander in this. As the shock ebbed,
there was a different kind of bitter pill to swallow. What if Roth had gotten
his rules wrong? What if more Alphas were even now on the way to avenge their
brethren?
“I’m going to be okay.” His eyes
held mine as he stepped closer, lining his booted feet up with mine. “Nothing
is going to happen to me. I promise.”
“You can’t make that promise,” I
whispered, searching his gaze intently. “None of us can.”
His hands slid back and he curled
his fingers in my loose hair. “I can.”
Those two words were like throwing
down a gauntlet to the whole universe. I lowered my gaze as he dragged my hair
back, tucking both sides behind my ears. It was then, as he slowly withdrew his
hands, that I remembered we were not alone.
I jerked back and my gaze collided
with Zayne’s. For a moment, I let myself really see Zayne. I hadn’t almost
killed him. I had almost done something much, much worse than that. When a
Warden lost their soul, they turned into a horrific creature. I knew that for a
fact, because I’d seen what had happened to a Warden after their soul had been
taken from them. I’d almost done that
to Zayne, and he was still here, standing by my side.
A hole opened up in my chest as I
saw the keen wariness in his stare. My stomach twisted something awful and I
opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say. My heart and head were suddenly
tearing in two very different directions. Fortunately, I didn’t get the chance
to say anything.
“I leave you alone for a few hours,
and you let Thumper fry and eat an Alpha.”
Yelping, I spun around as Stacey
screamed. Cayman stood in the center of the destroyed living room. He’d come
out of nowhere. Poof. There. He wore dark trousers and a white dress shirt he
appeared to have gotten bored with when it came to buttoning it up, and his
blond hair was loose around his angular face. When it came to the demon pecking
order, Roth had once explained that as an Infernal Ruler, Cayman was middle
management. He was kind of like the demon-of-all-trades, and I had a feeling he
was more than just a…um, coworker of Roth’s. Whether Roth claimed it or not,
they were friends.
“That was quick,” Roth commented,
folding his arms across his chest.
Cayman shrugged. “It’s a sign of
the times, man. It’ll probably be on some Alpha’s Facebook wall within the
hour.”
Alphas had Facebook accounts?
REVIEW
How do I express my feelings for the final book of a trilogy I adored?
Maybe with dancing?
Or fainting?
Jennifer
Armentrout did it again! She delivered a story rich in emotion, funny,
sexy and heart-breaking moments and of course Layl;a got to chose the
ONE for her! Truth to be told I expected the choice. If you follow
the groups about the book on Facebook then you'll know my opinions about
who Layla had to choose. Luckily the love triangle ends soon, at the
beginning of the book and after that Layla must focus on how to destroy
the Lilin. Although I didn't expect some tunrs towards the ending of the
book, I was surprised in a good way; Danika proves to be strong, Layla
get a cute familiar of her own and Thumper along with the kitties are
very, very sweet!
I don't know how I will survive until the next
release from the author's amazing books, but I will keep close tabs to
every word Jennifer will say about her books! The ending was worth the
wait and I couldn't be happier with the conclusion in this amazing
series!
And don’t miss the first titles in the Dark Elements Series!
About Jennifer L. Armentrout:
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.
She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
Welcome to the blog tour for the sequel of Fred's adventures! Don't miss fun moments with a not so usual vampire!
The sequel to the Amazon bestseller THE UTTERLY UNINTERESTING AND UNADVENTUROUS TALES OF FRED, THE VAMPIRE ACCOUNTANT.
After
discovering just how filled with magic, intrigue, and adventure the
parahuman world of being an Undead American can be, Fredrick Frankford
Fletcher did exactly what was expected--he became a certified parahuman
accountant. Myths and legends, as it turns out, are not so great at
taking appropriate deductions and keeping their receipts, and Fred is
more than happy to return to a life others view as woefully dull,
expanding his accounting business to cater to various monsters and their
respective financial needs.
Said monsters are, unfortunately,
still spectacular at pulling Fred into trouble, though. And despite
merely wanting to stick with simple paperwork, Fred once again finds he
is going to have to deal with enchanted weaponry, government agents,
possessed houses, and one enigmatic dragon’s interest. In the parahuman
world, any business can turn deadly, even one as mundane as accounting.
BUY ON AMAZON!
Author Bio:
Drew Hayes is an aspiring author from Texas who
has written several books and found the gumption to publish a few (so
far). He graduated from Texas Tech with a B.A. in English, because
evidently he’s not familiar with what the term “employable” means. Drew
has been called one of the most profound, prolific, and talented authors
of his generation, but a table full of drunks will say almost anything
when offered a round of free shots. Drew feels kind of like a D-bag
writing about himself in the third person like this. He does appreciate
that you’re still reading, though.
Drew would like to sit down
and have a beer with you. Or a cocktail. He’s not here to judge your
preferences. Drew is terrible at being serious, and has no real idea
what a snippet biography is meant to convey anyway. Drew thinks you are
awesome just the way you are. That part, he meant. Drew is off to go
high-five random people, because who doesn’t love a good high-five? No
one, that’s who. See Drew talk about himself in first person on his
website and twitter.
Welcome to my blog tour stop for "Deceptive Cadence" by Katie Hamstead! This was one of the most emotional reads I've read on 2015! I recommend it because it belongs into a slight different genre: magical realism!
About Deceptive Cadence:
Cadence Anderson has the perfect definition of happily ever after . . .
Until
she doesn't. A freak earthquake shatters her life as surely as her
home, taking away everything she holds dear. She wakes in a hospital to
find that her beloved husband and infant daughter have been killed,
crushed by the earthquake's wrath. Disoriented, injured, and alone,
Cadence refuses to accept the loss. So when a man claiming to be her
guardian angel appears and offers her a chance to go back in time to
save her family, she doesn't need to give it a second thought. She
accepts.
Thrust back eleven years, she now faces the
ordeal of high school all over again. But this time, she's armed with
all the knowledge of her adult life and the determined to do everything
better, from preventing the loss of her best friend to avoiding her
original, drama-inducing boyfriends. She's focused solely on Austin, her
future husband, and is content to bide her time until she meets him
again.
But then James Gordon crosses her path. Cadence
wants to remain single, but James has his sights set. He is determined
to win her over, and he's very hard to resist. As Cadence starts to
develop unwanted feelings for him, she realizes he threatens to disrupt
everything, changing the future and distracting her from her original
goal. Now, Cadence must choose: deny the unpredictable and exciting path
James offers her, or stay true to the life she had and is trying
desperately to resurrect. Second chances are more complicated than they
seem.
Deceptive Cadence combines the soaring emotion of a
heartfelt romance with the innovative storytelling of magical realism,
crafting a uniquely moving, intricate tale about love and loss that
asks: what would you do if given the chance to right all your wrongs?
I always liked the idea of adding time travel in a novel. But in the
case of "Deceptive Cadence" time travel comes as a part of an angel's
powers who offers a chance for living your life again.
In order to
save her future Cadence travels to the past, in the body of her 14 years
old; she'll have to deal with high school, mostly hormones and in many
cases bullying.
As her choices bring James closer to her, she'll have to choose if she really wants to change her future.
I
liked the fact that the story was ste on Australia! This was my very
first novel set in this part of the world and in a way it was fun to
read about ice skting in the summer months! The story spans for three to
four years and Cadence takes the chance to be stronger and wiser.
Thanks
to her choices she is able to fix her relationships with her family,
help her friends and see her second life through new eyes.
The angel also has a vital role, as he helps her remember her first life and advise her for her future.
The
only part I didn't like much was how overprotective Cadence's father
was; well it almost reached the point of madness but in some cases it
was funny!
I really enjoyed the book and I hope to see a sequel soon!
About Katie Hamstead:
Born
and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the
“bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired
her passion for writing.
After graduating High School,
she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who
several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her
husband, daughter and their dogs.
She has a diploma in
travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. Katie loves to out
sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother.
She now works as an Acquisitions Editor to help support her family. She
loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on
her novels.
Find Katie Hamstead on twitter, facebook, and her website.
From the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky comes a new adult novel about a young woman who becomes a nanny in Capri and falls for her charges’ bad-boy brother.
When I’m traveling, I feel like the secret to my life, to myself, to really becoming, is one step ahead. It’s in the next destination, the next town I get lost in, the next stranger I talk to. It’s always next but never here . . .
After six months of backpacking and soul-searching across the world, Amber MacLean is flat broke. There are worse places for a twentysomething to be stuck than the Amalfi Coast, but the only way she can earn enough money for a plane ticket home to California is to teach English to two of the brattiest children she has ever met.
It doesn’t help that the children are under the care of their brooding older brother, ex-motorcycle racer Desiderio Larosa. Darkly handsome and oh-so-mysterious, the young master of the crumbling villa tests Amber’s patience and will at every turn—not to mention her hormones.
When her position turns into a full-time nanny gig, Amber grows dangerously closer to the enigmatic recluse. But can she give up the certainty of home for someone whose closely guarded heart feels a world apart from her own?
With
her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central
Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success
with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true
example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her
love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and
strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible.
Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor
of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and
photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn
and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of
British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her
fiancé and rescue pup.
The road to power...is paved with blood and magic.
Cleois now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people. Magnusstands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister, Lucia. Luciais haunted by the outcome of the breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms. Jonaswatched at the palace gates a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius.
After a bloody siege, Auranos has been defeated, its young queen orphaned and dethroned. The three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But the allure of ancient, dangerous magic beckons still, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the whole world over....
At the heart of the fray are four brave young people grappling for that magic and the power it promises. For Cleo, the magic would enable her to reclaim her royal seat. In Jonas's hands, it frees his nation, and in Lucia's, it fulfills the ancient prophecy of her destiny. And if the magic were Magnus's, he would finally prove his worth in the eyes of his cruel and scheming father, King Gaius, who rules Mytica with a punishing hand.
When Gaius begins to build a road into the Forbidden Mountains to physically link all of Mytica, he sparks a long-smoking fire in the hearts of the people that will forever change the face of this land. For Gaius's road is paved with blood, and its construction will have cosmic consequences. BUY ON AMAZON (click the covers for affliate links)
"FALLING KINGDOMS" Spin-off
REVIEW
I really enjoyed the sequel of "Falling Kingdoms"! I still believe that this series is a much better set for a YA "Game of thrones" ;)
As the plot thickens and slowly the mystery behind the Kindered unravels, feelings ignite, friendships are tested and yes, characters die.
I felt bad for the secondary characters who had to die in order for the protagonists to move on and in a way become stronger. On the other hand, I wanted more of Lucia's POV. Since she is the key in all this I belive we'll see more of her soon. The Watchers also have their own agenda and when a mysterious prince appears, well we are going on a ride on the next novels!
I only hope Magnus will soon find a chance and kill his Father. That King is pissing me off.
There are many kings on many books I read this yead who I wish them dead. And I am sure you know them. From "Winner's Curse", "Throne of Glass", "The Defiance" series and I am sure there are more.
The ending wasn't a cliffhanger (thank God) which left me with the NEED to read the rest! :)
About the author:
Morgan Rhodes lives in Ontario, Canada. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess -- the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, reality TV, and is an extremely picky, yet voracious reader of all kinds of books. Under another pen name, she’s a national bestselling author of many paranormal novels. Falling Kingdoms is her first high fantasy.
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