Friday, May 31, 2013

Review - Holding On and Letting Go by Lucy Kelly

Title and Author: Holding On and Letting Go by Lucy Kelly
Publisher: K. Coleman
Publication Date: March 20th, 2013
Paperback/Hardcover: 186
Genre: Young Adult,
Find it at: Goodreads /


Summary:
Is there a way to describe the ties that bind us together? What happens when one of those ties is unexpectedly severed? Can everything else remain the same? Will the other ties hold strong?
Two years after her little brother's death, sixteen year old Emerson Caulfield returns to a home that she spent the last two years missing. In theory, everything should be the same. Her best friend, Matt, still lives next door. Her house is in the exact same condition as they left it. The scenery and hallways haven't changed, yet for Emerson, everything is completely different. The place may be the same, but Emerson is most certainly not. She returns home hurt, angry, and miles away from the girl she once was.
The 60,000 word novel alternates between the perspectives of Emerson, who is struggling to keep breathing on a daily basis, and Matt, who wants to have his old best friend back so badly that he is willing to overlook the fact that she has completely changed. Though their friendship and relationship is a major part of the story, it takes backseat to the unique bonds between siblings, what happens when your worst enemy is in fact yourself, and the hardships that come with growing up and changing.
  
Review:
I have received this book from the author in exchange of an honest review as a part of a book tour.
Holding on and Letting Go is an emotional read with great characters and an interesting story.
I really liked the characters in this book. Emerson is the main character and she grows a lot as the story develops. After losing her brother she has to learn to move on and to ask for help. She’s a strong and interesting character.
Matty is a great character as well. He helps Emerson while being patient, sweet and understanding.
As I said this is an emotional story. It is very well-written and has the ability to make the reader tear up.
One thing I really enjoyed about the book was that it deals with an important topic – the process of learning how to move on after the death of someone you love. The author did a wonderful job describing Emerson’s feelings and the ups and downs of her life.
All in all, Holding On and Letting Go is a wonderful book with complex characters and a powerful story and message.
If you enjoy a well-written and emotional read you should definitely give Holding on and Letting Go a try. You won’t regret it.

Rating: Somewhere between worth your time and must read (4 ½ Stars)




Cover Reveal - Speak Easy by Melanie Harlow

  Cover Reveal - Speak Easy by Melanie Harlow


Title: Speak Easy
Author: Melanie Harlow
Expected release date: July 22, 2013 Genre: Historical
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Designed by: Tom Barnes Design
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July, 1923. The ‘20s are roaring, and twenty-year-old Tiny O’Mara is desperate for a little anything-goes excitement. But when her father is kidnapped by a mobster in Detroit's exploding organized crime scene, she’s shocked to find herself caught up in the bootlegging wars of Prohibition—and torn between two gorgeous gangsters on opposite sides. To save her father’s life, she’ll have to choose between them. But deciding whom to trust isn’t easy in a world where everyone wants something—be it booze, money, power, or sex—and no one cares what it takes to get it. Temptation is everywhere.    


About the Author:

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Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. SPEAK EASY was inspired by her cocktail-culture obsession, her affection for good gin, and the view from the end of her street. She lifts her glass to NA readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI.  



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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Blog Tour: Bitter Angel by Megan Hand - Interview + Giveaway

Blog Tour: Bitter Angel by Megan Hand - Interview + Giveaway


Title: Bitter Angel

Author: Megan Hand

Release date: April 1, 2013

Age Group: Mature Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary/Thriller







Torn between two realities.
A choice that will mean life or death.
She won’t know anything… until she wakes up.

College sophomore, Lila Spencer lived Friday night twice. She doesn’t know how or why, just that she did. As if she split in half and went in two different directions.
Out clubbing with her friends, Heather and Nilah, the girls rock it out and party hard. What begins as an innocent night will lead to a deadly fight for their lives, and Lila might be their only chance for survival.

In bed with her boyfriend, Jay, Lila is safe and warm as she drifts to sleep in the arms of the man she loves. Until she is sucked into a horrifying nightmare of her friends’ deaths.

As the sunlight warms her face on Saturday morning, the two scenarios collide. But there can be only one outcome. Will she wake up in her warm bed with Jay by her side, devastated and grieving for her friends? Or was she there to save them?

The answer is just the beginning.


Interview with Megan Hand
Author of Bitter Angel

Q: Do you remember how/when your interest in writing started?

I was eleven when I started writing short stories and poems. Being the grand dreamer/thinker that I was, I decided when I was twelve that I wanted to write a book. At that age, though, I didn’t have a fancy laptop or even a computer to write on. I started, wrote a couple chapters that ended up looking like they were murdered by the time I was done red-penning them, then I quit. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties and going through a quarter life crisis—it exists! I looked it up—that my sister convinced me to try to write some of these crazy stories that were still rampant in my brain. 

Q: What were the challenges in bringing this story or characters to life?

This story is very different from any of my others in that it is a mostly plot driven story. The fact that it takes place over such a short period of time actually made it very easy for me, but I had to be careful that Lila was a full-fleshed girl. Because you only get a couple of days with her, I needed readers to get to know her still.

Q: What was the easiest part of writing BITTER ANGEL?

Everything else! LOL. I began this story while still writing another book (which I never, ever do). But because it was supposed to be a short story, I made an exception. I had no idea it would turn into a book. It wasn’t until I was a few chapters in that I realized I couldn’t end it where I had planned. It got put on the backburner for a little while, then when I picked it back up, it has been the easiest story I have written so far. Lila’s voice came very naturally to me, and the story evolved from there.

Q: What is your favorite scene or was your favorite to write? Don’t forget to tell us why.

This is a toughy, because my absolute favorite scene also happens to be one of the biggest twists in the story. Which I can’t talk about. Because that would be silly of me. But I can say why I love this scene. It occurs after Lila has woken up. When this scene is coming up, I love how it starts out as a quiet, beautiful, and tender moment, then it quickly turns heartbreaking and slightly dark. Lila does not see what’s coming until it’s too late, and the perpetrator in this scene will be someone she would have never guessed.

Q: What’s next for you writing wise that you can share with us?

My next book is set to release in November. I am extremely excited about this one. It has been a labor of love for many years. It’s about a girl named Kate. She’s in her early twenties when she travels to Brazil. Something disastrous happens, and she’ll spend the next year putting the pieces of her life back together, while also putting together the pieces of what happened that day. It’s a story about guilt and grief, life and love, letting go and forgiving yourself. I can’t wait to share it!


About the Author

At twelve, Megan decided to write a novel. A month later, she quit. A reading junkie by nature, she started writing again in her twenties as a way to get the voices out, because who wouldn't want to create a Real Living Person out of thin air? Megan also plays the piano and sings. She teaches little kids and takes pictures of pretty butterflies. She eats way too much chocolate, is sort of a mad scientist with her blender, and spends an unhealthy amount of time LOLing on Facebook and Twitter. She lives in Ohio with her husband and very smiley son. Bitter Angel is her first published novel.


Social Media links:

Twitter – @MeganHandWrites; https://twitter.com/MeganHandWrites






To see other stops on the tour for reviews, excerpts, and guest posts, click here or the tour button below.



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