Friday, 17 May 2013

{Review} Playing the Maesto by Aubrie Dionne

Playing the Maestro
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Published Feb 11, 2013
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Source: eArc (In exchange for honest review)
Buy: Kindle

Melody Mires has sworn off dating musicians, but when the sexy European conductor Wolf Braun takes over her struggling symphony, her hesitation almost flies out the window with the notes of her flute—until he opens his mouth. Wolf is arrogant, haughty, and seems to have a personal vendetta against Melody. Oh, and he’s her boss. If she wants to keep her job as principal flutist, she’ll have to impress Wolf while simultaneously keeping her undeniable attraction to herself.

Wolf came to America to get as far away from his past as possible, and to recover some of the swagger he had as one of the world’s best maestros. He never imagined being forced to reassess the entire orchestra’s talent—and potentially fire anyone who doesn’t make his cut. Dating the attractive flutist is out of the question, but as their feelings reach a fever pitch, can they risk both their careers for a chance at love?
RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
Music? Romance? Playing the Maestro has it all! The author spins an interesting story of Melody (what a fitting name for the story), who sworn of dating musicians after a series of bad experiences. Fate just had to go against her by bringing Wolf, the sexy European conductor, to be their new conductor.

Playing the Maestro has a good cast of supporting characters, who help to make the whole story more interesting, especially Melody's cute little niece. She's bubbly and I really like her! Things between Melody and Wolf were complicated due to the nature of their work and someone from Wolf's past came to make it even worse.

Playing the Maestro is a fast and enjoyable read for those who enjoy a quick romance read.


---**Good**---

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Wednesday, 15 May 2013

{Review} Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing The Limits #2
Published May 28th 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: eArc (In exchange for honest review)
Buy: Amazon, KindleBook Depository

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
I was squealing with delight when I saw this title after reading the first book Pushing The Limits. Echo and Noah's story really brought me to tears and I have high expectation for Dare You To. This time, we get to read about Beth! I must say that I'm captivated by Katie's story, again.

Beth is a really different girl. She's cool and one of a kind with that attitude of hers. Of course, we slowly get to know that she wasn't what she seemed to be. Oh boy, I really love how Beth and Ryan met. It's kind of funny actually. Ryan, on the other hand, often played dares with his friends. He never lost but soon met his match when it came to Beth. Fate brought them together again in school and he couldn't help but be drawn to her. Both characters have their own set of problems. Did the problems pull them further apart or made them ever closer? You've got to read Dare You To to find out!


Katie writes good emotional books that you can't help but feel for the characters that were brought to live by her words. If you haven't read any of her books, it'll do you some good to start soon! One advise: you probably need some tissues if you are those who are easily affected by words. Recommended to all!



---**Magnificent**---

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Tuesday, 14 May 2013

SG Book Exchange 2013


When: 18 May 2013
Time: 8.30am - 6pm
Where: The Plaza, National Library Building
How:
1. Bring your *used books (good condition) to Central Public Library 
2. Get exchange coupons
3. Bring coupons on Book Exchange Day and redeem other books!

*Adult and children's fiction and non-fiction books (e.g. cookbooks, travel guides and romance novels) in the four official languages are eligible for exchange. Used library books bought from NLB Library Book Sales are also eligible for exchange. Textbooks, magazines and audio-visual materials will not be eligible for exchange. Each person can exchange up to 50 books.

Easy?


I'll see you there if you're going!

Saturday, 11 May 2013

{Cover Reveal} Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen



By Cindi Madsen
Accidentally in love #2
ebook, 242 pages
Expected publication: June 10th 2013 by Entangled: Bliss

Summary

All’s fair in acting and amore...

Brynn McAdams isn’t the awkward drama geek she was in high school—she’s grown up and confident, or at least she likes to think so. But when her old crush, the impossibly handsome and impossibly unattainable Sawyer Raines, comes back to town to direct her community play, Brynn finds herself determined to be someone other than the girl he doesn’t even recognize. Good thing she’s an excellent actress.

After his bad breakup in NYC, the last thing Sawyer wants is to get involved with another actress. But the glamorous and beautiful Brynn draws him in, even though as her director, he knows she’s off-limits. There’s just something about the woman that feels…familiar. Like home.

As Brynn’s lies start to snowball, she struggles to stop acting and come clean. But what if Sawyer is already falling for the fake Brynn, not the Brynn she truly is?


Excerpt

“Cut, cut cut!” Sawyer stood. “Was that supposed to be more passionate? Because it sucked.”

“This is supposed to be the eighteen hundreds,” Brynn said. “It can’t be too passionate or it would seem inappropriate for the time.”

The next instant Sawyer was charging up the steps to the stage. “I’m not saying it’s got to be a kiss with tongue, I’m saying you’ve got to look at each other like you’re in love so the audience will want it to work out. Our modern audience.” Sawyer shook his head. “Take it again, from before the proposal.”

It was impossible to concentrate with Sawyer standing right there, so close she could hear every shift of his body and feel his gaze on her like a weight. All her lines were swimming together.

Leo knelt, told her she was an angel. She said her line, trying to peer into his soul like she wanted to be with him, and then Leo kissed her. And it was sloppier than usual.

She did her best to not jerk back, though it was her first instinct.

“Okay, that was just…” Sawyer moved in front of her. He looked at the playbook, then lowered it by his side and stared into her eyes. The air thickened around them and she could feel every thump of her heart. “What a perfect angel you are, Cecily.” He said it so tenderly, his smile close-lipped but full of joy.

“You dear romantic boy,” she said, all out of instinct because thoughts were getting fuzzy.

He leaned in and kissed her, a soft kiss with his lips barely parted. The pressure of his lips increased for a delicious moment, and then they were gone. A quick, simple kiss, but when his mouth left hers, she felt its absence so strongly that she couldn’t think about anything else for a couple seconds. Her breath was stuck somewhere in her lungs and her lips still tingled, living the sensation over and over again. Heat wound through her body, her hands itched to reach out and touch him. And then she remembered she was supposed to. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt the whisper of his breath on her wrist as he exhaled.

“Wow, that was good,” Wendy said from the front, breaking Brynn from her trance.

Brynn stepped back and swallowed, but her throat wasn’t working right. Sawyer’s eyes never left hers, and one corner of his mouth curved up in a smug, self-satisfied way.

“It was all right, I suppose,” Brynn said, working to keep her voice steady. She crossed her arms and shrugged. “For a first-timer, anyway.”

That only made Sawyer’s smile grow wider.

Brynn couldn’t help but watch Sawyer as he jumped off the stage. Funny how she’d dreamed of kissing him all the time in high school, but her fantasy wasn’t even close to the real thing. Her heart felt like it’d just been wrung out and shoved back in her

And her scene with Leo was better. She was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she closed her eyes and pretended it was Sawyer kissing her again.

Nope. Nothing at all.

Act Like You Love Me pre-buy links:

Falling For Her Fiance links:

About the author
Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novelsAll the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, bestselling short romance Falling for Her FiancĂ© and the women's fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

Monday, 6 May 2013

{Book Promo} The Syrenka Series by Amber Garr


I'm so excited to announce a new addition to the syrenka world. Now you can get The Syrenka Series trilogy plus three bonus short stories all in one place! So if these have been on your TBR list...you can grab all three together and enjoy an additional insight into the minds of the syrenka guys (Kain, Graham, and Brendan).


The box set includes:

Promises (Book One) - A young mermaid is forced to decide between love and duty, and when she chooses wrong, her world will change forever. - Read my review

Betrayal (Book Two) - A heartbroken Eviana returns home to find herself with the responsibility of leading her clan into war. - Read my review

Arise (Book Three) - In the series conclusion, Eviana discovers the consequences of power and sacrifice. - Read my review



Bonus short stories include-



Cold Feet - Kain witnesses Eviana’s deceit on their wedding day and is forced to deal with the consequences of her behavior.



First Impressions - Although stuck at a boring Council meeting, Graham is excited to meet Eviana and discover why she’s so important for his mentor’s plans.



The Call - Brendan struggles with his feelings for Eviana while trying to fight against the instincts tearing him away.

Buy now at Amazon or Smashwords.

And if you still can't get enough, visit The Syrenka Series website for additional short stories, the dream cast, and more!


Stalk the author: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Sunday, 5 May 2013

Book Haul #44 & Weekly Updates


- A showcase of the books I've got for the past week that's added to my reading list -

There's too many weekly book showcase on the blogosphere that I have difficulty in deciding which one to join, so I'm just going to list them all here. If you are participating in any of these, or even your own weekly haul posts, feel free to share. I'll be sure to visit your links to see what books you got.





Book Spotlight - Shudder by Samantha Durante



Reading plans for the week:
 



What did you get this week?
Be sure to leave your book haul links and I'll visit them! :)

Friday, 3 May 2013

{Spotlight} Shudder by Samantha Durante





Shudder by Samantha Durante
Publication Date: June 15th 2013
Buy: TBA
Summary:

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

bout the author

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com.

You can stalk the author at her website, Twitter and Facebook page.

Guess what? 1 lucky will be able to win a print copy of Shudder from the author herself! Just enter the contest via the rafflecopter form below. Opens internationally.
Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!

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