Blog Tour: By Blood by Tracy E. Banghart (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Title: By Blood
Author: Tracy E. Banghart
Released: February 18th 2013
Pages: 368 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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For 17-year-old Emma Wong, spending a summer in England should be a dream come true. Gorgeous scenery? Check. Lots of hot guys with accents? Yes, please. 

Throw in an estranged mom, annoying new stepdad, and drooling baby half-brother, and it’s a disaster even her favorite cherry red leather jacket can’t fix. Even worse, there’s (hot) live-in research assistant Josh to contend with. The only thing more embarrassing than   drunk-kissing him hours after they meet? Knowing he’ll be witness to her family’s dysfunction all. summer. long.

But when Emma meets a mysterious girl who happens to be a Druid, her vacation suddenly promises to be far more intriguing than she  anticipated. Powerful rituals, new friends, an intoxicating sense of freedom...and Simon, the sexy foreign stranger she was hoping for. It’s all a perfect distraction from dirty diapers and awkward family dinners.

Trouble is, intriguing doesn’t often mean simple. And Emma is about to discover just how not simple her life really is.

By Blood is a novel about the ways that blood can bind us to others – or tear us apart.

About The Author

Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.

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Excerpt
We reached a main street with a pink-washed pub on the corner. I paused, but Ash kept walking.
When she turned again, I had a flashback to lunch and the dim stairs leading to the Wisteria Café. Here we were at another dark passageway. Excitement shivered through me. We walked down a narrow alley between two buildings; my shoes wobbled on the cobblestones and Josh put a polite hand on my back to steady me. The path was lit by old-fashioned sconces built into the walls. Faintly, I heard voices, an occasional burst of laughter. We ducked through a low archway and the space opened before us.

Cover Reveal (#14)

I think Cass has left the best till last! The cover for The One, the last installment in The Selection trilogy, has finally - finally! - been revealed - and damn if it isn't gorgeous!

Despite the fact that this trilogy and I have a love-hate relationship, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the covers. Actually, if I based my favourite reads not on the content but on the covers, then these three would definitely be in my top ten! Just look at how they all match up, and how incredibly pretty they are! Gah, I want it already *grabby hands*

I've got to admit, I have high hopes for The One. The previous two books were good, but I've always had difficulty both with the love triangle and with the main protagonist, America. Since the series is coming to it's climax, I've got my fingers crossed for Cass to give it all she's got and maybe give us the happily-ever-after we've all been dying. Watch this space, guys! Watch this space...

The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray

Title: The Dollhouse Asylum
Author: Mary Gray
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 296 (Paperback)
Pre-Order: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

I feel like I have been waiting for this since forever! (Alright, it was only since April - but my point still stands!) So when I got it in the post, I literally shrieked with excitement - and I mean full-on, wave-your-hands-in-the-air excitement. Dystopian fiction has been my favourite genre for well over two years now, but despite my love for it, the same initial idea has been done over and over again, so much so that I'm getting kind of sick of it. The best thing about The Dollhouse Asylum is that Gray's idea is completely fresh - I haven't come across another book quite like it.

Blog Tour: Quantum Entanglement by Liesel K. Hill (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Title: Quantum Entanglement
Author: Liesel K. Hill
Publisher: Create Space
Released: September 17th 2013
Pages: 400 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

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Five months after traveling to a post-apocalyptic future where collectives reign supreme and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper was returned to her own time until the threat to her life could be neutralized. She thought Marcus and the others would return for her within a few weeks, and now she’s beginning to worry. 

When travelers from the future finally show up to collect her, it’s not who she expected. With the return of her memories, she wants more than ever to see Marcus again, but a snake-like woman whose abilities are a perfect match for Maggie’s, an injured Traveler, and decades of civil unrest to wade through all stand in the way of their reunion.

Meanwhile, Marcus and Karl traipse through the countryside, trying to neutralize Colin, who’s promised to brutalize and murder Maggie if he can get his hands on her. When a collective woman is left for dead, Marcus heals her, hoping she’ll be the key to killing Colin and bringing Maggie back. But she may prove as much a hindrance as a help.

The team struggles to get their bearings, but things happen faster than they know. The collectives are coalescing, power is shifting, and the one called B is putting sinister plans into action. If the team can’t reunite and get a handle on the situation, their freedom and individuality—perhaps their very identity—will be ripped away before they can catch their breath.

Hello Wonderful Readers! I’m here to promote Quantum Entanglement, the newest book in my Interchron series. Special thanks to Nina for hosting me here today. She asked me to stop by and post about either 10 things you may not know about me or 10 things you may not know about the Interchron series. I decided to do both.

Top Ten Tuesday (#11)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten... Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

Blog Tour: Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader (Character Spotlight + Giveaway)

Title: Escape from Eden 

Author: Elizabeth Nader

Publisher: Merit Press

Released: July 18th 2013

Pages: 272 (eBook)

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

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Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape.

But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound’s façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend’s paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who’s only concerned about his own secrets?

About The Author

Hi. I’m Elisa. I like cheese and reading and TV show marathons. Writing is scary, but not as scary as, say, Civil War amputations. I’m an Aquarius. Uh… let’s see… I’m not very good at writing my own biography. Or autobiography. I guess this is reading more like a slightly incoherent personal ad.

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Character Spotlight

I effing hate Edenton. I can’t believe my parents brought me to this hell hole. Well, I can believe it, I just don’t understand it. What do they expect me to do here? Repent for my sins? What’s done is done. I can’t take back what I did, not matter how much I want to. Maybe this is my punishment?

Book Blitz: Kinetic by S. K. Anthony (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Title: Kinetic
Author: S. K. Anthony
Released: September 20thh 2013
Pages: 336 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.

Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding.

A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything...

About The Author
S. K. Anthony is a writer, a reader and a make-stuff-up-er who lives in New York with her husband and toddler twins. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders…she is convinced they are out to get her!

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Excerpt
I knew what I had to do. Orders were clear… KILL ON CONTACT.

The thing is, it was Nick.

Before I knew what I was doing, I'd released my hold. He got up and rubbed his mouth.

“What did I tell you about giving second chances?”

Blog Tour: Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz (Review)

About The Author

Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot. When she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure. On leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from her kitchen window. Lisa has been a professor of graphic design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.

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Review

Title: Breaking Glass
Author: Lisa Amowitz
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Released: July 9th 2013
Pages: 297 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depository / B&N
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On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he's not sure whether they're real or if he's losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.

I finished this book well over a week ago, yet I'm only just getting around to writing this review. Why? Breaking Glass left me utterly speechless. I don't think I'll ever be able to find words accurate enough to describe just how amazing and suspenseful this book really is.

Top Ten Tuesday (#10)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten... Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List

Blog Tour: Gargoyle Addiction by Livia Olteano (Review)

About The Author
Livia lives in Europe where she listens to obscene amounts of music and devours every reading material in sight. When she’s not doing either of the two, she fiddles with anything remotely customizable within reach.

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Review

Title: Gargoyle Addiction
Author: Livia Olteano
Publisher: Self
Pages: 240 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Summonari don’t trust. Under their command, they summon any number of creatures from the Otherwolds—but never trust them outside of the summoning.

Gargoyles don’t love. Fierce descendants of dragons, they function on power and fear—never love.
Karla isn’t the happily-ever-after type of girl. No territory-hungry guy is going to stick flags all over her unclaimed grounds.

Kann’s world is death and betrayal. As Dar Primus of Haus Varis, he’s expected to follow tradition but he’s not your regular gargoyle. In fact, he’s anything but. 

One fateful Friday night, Otherworlds collide. Stuck together in one world or another, Karla and Kann face everything from Awakenings and turbulent love to Festnavals and bloodthirsty scorned suitors.

If there’s one thing they can’t escape, it’s the addiction to each other. And they’ve got it bad.

I only had to see the word 'gargoyle' to know that I wanted to read this book. I love the paranormal genre as a rule, and I read a lot of it. However, I had never come across gargoyles before - well, not outside of the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame - so naturally I was intrigued. For my first book on gargoyles, Gargoyle Addiction was amazing, and I can tell you that I am now in love with this sub-genre!

Top Ten Tuesday (#9)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten...Top Ten Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show (set in a perfect world...in which movies don't butcher the books we love)

15 Minutes by Jill Cooper (Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

About The Author

Jill loves to blend horror, comedy, the supernatural, and love, through her novels. A fan of genre blending, her work strives to cross boundaries, but most of all strives to entertain. She loves soft cuddly cats, warm blankets, and paranormal romances. Jill resides in Massachusetts, is constantly renovating her home that she shares with her husband, young daughter, and two skittish cats.

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Review

Title: 15 Minutes

Author: Jill Cooper

Publisher: Self

Released: June 15th 2013

Pages: 236 (eBook)

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

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I have 15 minutes to save my mother’s life….

15 minutes is all the Rewind Agency gives you in the past, but for Lara Crane it’s enough time to race through the city, find her mother, and stop her from being killed in a mugging that happened over ten years ago.

But that’s not how it happened. The story she’s been told all her life is a lie and when Lara takes a bullet meant for her mother, her future changes forever.

The love of her life acts like a stranger. Her simple life is replaced with a giant house, glamorous clothes and a new boyfriend. 

Except someone knows her secret. And he will try to stop her at every turn as she races against the clock to unravel a dangerous conspiracy.

Science fiction stories featuring time travel can either go really, really well, or really, really badly. With an electrifying plot, an amazing concept and likeable characters, 15 Minutes is one of the best I've read yet.

Cover Reveal (#13) + Giveaway

I'm trying not to shriek with excitement (because lets face it, no one wants me deafening them, do they?) I've followed the Tragic trilogy from the first blog tour, and it's my pleasure to reveal the cover for the last instalment, Panic.

Rook is chasing her dream—film school and a chance at a life beyond the one she left behind six months ago. But before she can become the girl she wants to be, she must deal with the girl she left behind.

Ronin is also chasing his dream—a family of his own and a life away from erotic modeling. And he too, has a past he’s trying to forget. A past that makes Rook question everything about their life together.

Lies, secrets, and shocking truths will rock the foundation Rook and Ronin have built. Can they put the past behind them and move forward together? Or is this just another too good to be true relationship that will crash and burn in the end?

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Released: February 9th 2010
Pages: 291 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history - and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Being a fan of Carter's Gallagher Girl series, when I saw Heist Society, I knew I had to read it. Yeah, I'd seen a few negative reviews here and there - but her writing isn't for everyone. Turns out that statement can't be more true, and now it seems that her writing just isn't for me anymore.

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: September 25th 2012
Pages: 416 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

This is not a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I feel like maybe this statement is the first thing that should be on the synopsis? A lot of the low-rating reviews I have come across are from disappointed readers who expected a book-version of the video-game Alice - the only thing Alice in Zombieland has in common with these other franchises is a main character called Alice and a rabbit-shaped cloud. However, that certainly doesn't mean that this book isn't good - on the contrary, it is actually amazing. If I wasn't a fan of Showalter's before, then I definitely am now.

Follow Friday (#32)

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

Question of the Week: Bookshelf Tour. Give us a tour of your bookshelf.

Okay, so for the Christmas of 2011, I decided I wanted two new bookshelves - Nerd Problems 101. 

This is the first bookcase. The top shelf holds my classics and a range of other random books (and my Captain America mini-figure, which is adorable!)


The second shelf mainly holds my series...and then a bunch of other random books (see a theme here?)

I probably shouldn't complain about lack of shelf-space considering I've dedicated this last shelf to DVDs...but where else was I supposed to put them?






Now this is my second bookcase. I probably shouldn't favour one over the other, but for some completely odd reason, this is my favourite. That may be because the top shelf is dedicated to my most favourite of reads - Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Divergent, John Green, The Perks of Being a Wallflower...you get the picture. It also holds my HP DVDs.


The second shelf is, you've guessed it, random books! It's got my HoN series on it, as well as Game of Thrones and The Maze Runner, with a bit of JLA next to my Supernatural John Winchester journal.

Now the very last shelf is my review copy shelf. All of these are my review books, aside from the ones on the left which are books I've borrowed.

And last but not least, by my bookshelf is a little pile of books I've borrowed from the library (*tries not to fangirl over the Black Dagger Brotherhood*)










So that's it for the bookshelf tour, folks! Now it's your turn. Leave a link in a comment below, and I'll come and check out all your shelves!

Witchstruck by Victoria Lamb

Title: Witchstruck
Author: Victoria Lamb
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: July 5th 2013
Pages: 320 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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If she sink, she be no witch and shall be drowned.

If she float, she be a witch and must be hanged.

Meg Lytton has always known she is different--that she bears a dark and powerful gift. But in 1554 England, in service at Woodstock Palace to the banished Tudor princess Elizabeth, it has never been more dangerous to practise witchcraft. Meg knows she must guard her secret carefully from the many suspicious eyes watching over the princess and her companions. One wrong move could mean her life, and the life of Elizabeth, rightful heir to the English throne.

With witchfinder Marcus Dent determined to have Meg's hand in marriage, and Meg's own family conspiring against the English queen, there isn't a single person Meg can trust. Certainly not the enigmatic young Spanish priest Alejandro de Castillo, despite her undeniable feelings. But when all the world turns against her, Meg must open her heart to a dangerous choice.

I don't really know what I was expecting, to be honest. I like historical novels - there's something educational but equally fascinating about them - and as the Tudor period is one of my favourites to study, I thought this would be right up my street. Turns out that it wasn't what I had been expecting.

Top Ten Tuesday (#8)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish, where bloggers get together and list the top ten things related to that week's topic.

Top Ten...Contemporary Books That Would Be Great Paired With A Required Reading Book / Books That You Wish Were Taught In Schools

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Title: Crewel
Author: Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Released: October 4th 2012
Pages: 360 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Incapable. Awkward. Artless. 
That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. 

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

I went into Crewel expecting to enjoy it - I came out of Crewel wondering what the heck I had just read. THIS. IS. AMAZING. I have spent the last few days reeling from this book and avoiding writing a review because what the heck am I supposed to say? In my eyes, Crewel just got better and better with each page; it is addictive, imaginative, and full to the brim with suspense.

Two-Year Blogaversary Giveaway Winners! (what a mouthful)

So after two months, the giveaway is finally over! Before I announce the winners, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who took part and to everyone who has supported this blog! If I had an infinite amount of money, I would send out books to each and every one of you because, as cliché as it sounds, none of this would be possible without you.

Anyway: the winners! Since the blog reached over 200 followers on Bloglovin' (squee!), I added another winner, hence the plural. So who are these lucky two? Entry #148 Samantha, and entry #2 Sunny! Samantha has chosen Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and Sunny has chosen Pivot Point by Kasie West.

So once more, thank you to everyone who entered the competition, and congratulations to Samantha and Sunny! I'm already planning the next competition, so keep your eyes peeled, folks!

Book of the Month: August

I was actually quite worried this month, because for the majority of it, I hadn't rated any book five stars! Wanting to read at least one book that I knew I would enjoy, I fell back onto my safety series: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Naturally, I adored Shadow Kiss and predicted that it would be my book of the month. However, what I hadn't been banking on was Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick. Although I love the VA series, this book left room for no contest.

You know those books that change the reader as a person? Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is definitely one of them. Sure, I was intrigued by the synopsis, but I didn't realise how much Leonard's story would actually affect me, fictional or otherwise. There are people out there who experience feelings similar to his, and my heart really goes out to them. So if you're looking for a book that will tear your heart out, go for this. It is one of my favourite reads this year.