Review, Interview & Giveaway~ Snap Decision: Maybe Tonight? by Bridie Clark

Today I'm excited to have author Bridie Clark on the blog for a short interview, and then you can read my short review and then enter to win a fantastic prize package of goodies!

Bridie, thanks so much for stopping by today!

1. Your previous books seem to be aimed at adults, what made you decide to write something for the YA
audience?

Some of the most positive feedback I got from my first two novels was from younger readers. There’s so

much crossover between chick lit and YA audiences that it felt very natural and familiar to me to write YA. More than anything, I got excited about creating a series that puts the reader in the driver’s seat and lets her direct where the plot should go.


2. I know the book is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type of concept. Can you tell us a bit about that?

I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid. In Snap Decision, it’s really about social decision-making. I was also inspired by all the quizzes I loved growing up – the ones in magazines that tell you what kind of person or friend you are. I thought it’d be fun to create a book series that did the same thing – that gives a little insight into the reader’s nature. My other hope is to give readers the vicarious thrill of seeing where different decisions bring them. The paths are at times unpredictable; I tried to keep it as true to life as possible.


3. You live in NYC, a very noisy and crazy place. Where do you write your best? Do you need peace and quiet or can you write in a busy cafe? {Clearly where I got my info is not up to date!}

I live in Connecticut, with three very young and boisterous children. I used to work in a café in the West Village and that’s where I wrote my first two novels. It seemed bustling at the time, but everything is relative – now it would seem incredibly tranquil. I try to sneak out as much as I can to work at our local library.


4. If you could travel any place and in any time where would you go, and why?

You’ve put the West Village on my mind, so I would say my old apartment at 95 Christopher Street. But I’d like to be there in the 1950s, when Dawn Powell would have been my neighbor.

Snap Decision: Maybe Tonight? by Bridie Clark

Paperback, 224 pages

Published: August 6th, 2013 by Roaring Brook Press

Source: Big Honcho Media/ Publisher

Maybe Tonight? opens as the reader is getting ready for the most exciting party of the year—Midwinter’s Night Dream, set in the frosty woods just off campus—with her roommates and best friends Annabel Snow, Spider Harris, and Libby Monroe. Choices unfold quickly and the reader must decide which risks to take in pursuit of social status, adventure, success, and love.

Maybe Tonight? is a very quick read (seriously, I read it in under an hour) because you jump around and skip so much.  It's a choose your own adventure type of deal, but goes a little like this.  You have a decision whether to open the door for someone, if you do your night goes one way, if you don't, your night goes another way.  You skip to another chapter based on your decision and then at the end it gives you another choice, will you drink alcohol, or just say no? That obviously changes the night more and you skip to the chapter (page) it tells you to based on your decision.

You are the main character in the book.  This was weird at first, reading in 2nd person, but it ended up not really being an issue.  The way it's told, it works.

I can't really review the content of the story too much because it's going to be different for everyone.  I actually got lost a couple times somehow cause I'd come to the end of a chapter and there wouldn't be anything to give me a choice. I had to backtrack a bit.  This was annoying but I'm not sure it's me or if there was some mis-prints in the ARC.   This did give me a chance to try out a couple different scenarios just for fun though.

I would say this is a good book for reluctant readers.  It was a bit short for me and seemed a bit too easy.  I mean, there wasn't really much depth to it.  But that's just the kind of book it is so I wouldn't say it's a negative.  I think that younger YA readers would like this concept but there are situations in it that are for more mature readers (drinking, etc) so I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers for that reason.

Overall it was a pretty fun read and I enjoyed it while I read it.  If you need to get a book for a teen who's a reluctant reader, this would be a good choice.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes, all opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

About the author:

Bridie Clark has worked as a book and magazine editor and written for the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and New York magazine. Her novels Because She Can and The Overnight Socialite have been published in nineteen countries and featured in dozens of magazines and newspapers, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Glamour UK. She was born in West Hartford, Connecticut and currently lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Learn more about the book at http://www.macteenbooks.com/books/spring2013/maybetonight.php
Learn more about the author at http://www.bridieclark.com/
Follow Macmillan and Bridie Clark on Twitter and join the conversation using #MaybeTonight

Snap Decision: Are you going out or staying in tonight?

One (1) winner receives:

·         Copy of Snap Decision: Maybe Tonight? and winner’s choice: Either a $15 Fandango gift card for a night out or a $15 iTunes gift card for a night in

 
Open to US only
Must be 13 or older to enter
Ends August 8th
Fill out the rafflecopter to enter

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Vacation Recap (Part 2) Pic Heavy!

Last week I shared the first part of my trip, the train ride and our time in ND.  You can check out that post HERE.  This is a continuation of that post

After a few days in ND we rode with my mom down to Spearfish, SD where she lives.  I grew up in Sturgis (and a short time in Rapid City) but my mom now lives in Spearfish.  I also have a sister and brother in law who just moved back there from Alaska.  They have baby twins and a 4 year old and 2 year old.  I was just SO excited to see them because it had been nearly 4 years.  I needed some sister time with her!  I also have two brothers and their wives and children but most time spent with them was at my one brothers house because they have 4 very busy children (all under 4!).  But my other sister and I went to the fish hatchery our first day together.  Going to the fish hatchery was something we did often when I was kid, so it was nice to bring back those memories.  Most of my good pictures are with kids in them and to protect their privacy I'm not posting them.  This is hard to do cause they are so freaking adorable!  I want to show them off, but I'm not sure my brother-in-law would be okay with that.

 The next day we all went to the lake (which is more like a pond, it's so small). It was really hot and the kids had fun in the water but the sun gives me a headache so we didn't stay real long.

Iron Creek Lake

 One day we went to Reptile Gardens.  Anyone whose gone to Mt. Rushmore has driven right by it.  As a kid we went every year.  I even celebrated my 12 birthday here.  This was my daughters favorite place we went.

Giant Tortoises

Baby Alligator

Python

Prairie Dog Town

Turtle Pond

In the dome with birds, lizards, snakes and more

Some of the lizards in the dome

This picture is taken at a creek near my moms house.  I thought it was really interesting that this old car or truck is actually in-bedded in the bank.

 One day we went to Storybook Island.  This is another place we went often as kids.  It's free to get in and is basically a big ol' play ground with story themed play areas.  Here's a few of the pictures.  I have WAY too many to share and most have my nieces and nephews in them so I left those out, but this gives you an idea of how awesome that place is.

 And then, that was it!  Time to travel home.  So we all packed up in my moms van and took off down the road.  We took a brief stop in Sheridan WY to say hi to grandma and loads of aunts and uncles then we drove on to Butte where we stayed for the night and the next day made the rest of the trek home.  

These pictures all take place between Sheridan WY and Portland OR, they are in the order they were taken, but I'm not for sure I know where they all were taken, except the last one, which was just a couple hours out from home.  When we start seeing those windmills we know we're almost there!

Young Adult Audiobook Review: Stormbringers by Philippa Gregory

Order of Darkness Book Two: Stormbringers by Philippa Gregory

Audiobook

Published: June 4th, 2013 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Source: Publisher

The second book in a YA quartet filled with intrigue, mystery, and romance, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory.Italy, 1453. Luca and Isolde grow more and more attracted to each other as they continue their journey to unravel the mysteries throughout Christendom. But their travels are delayed by the uprising of an intense religious crusade that threatens the balance of the civilized world. Death lingers in the air as war ravages on, but this religious conflict is nothing compared to the arrival of an intense and deadly storm.

Caught in the midst of unimaginable chaos, Luca and Isolde must rely on one another in order to survive.

The second in Philippa Gregory’s four-book series delves further into a forbidden romance and an epic quest. And the tension builds as secrets about The Order of Darkness are finally revealed...

I'll be honest, I'm quite sure I enjoyed this more as an audio book than I would have had I read it myself.  It was quite slow paced at times and while it didn't bother me so much as an audio, it may have bored me to death had I been reading it.  The thing is, so much of the story is fascinating to me.  They don't have the knowledge we have about science and they just see everything as a sign from God, or from the devil.  It's quite interesting watching these events unfold and how they try to figure out how and why these particular things happen.  Even I feel myself nearly convinced that some event might be that of God but once the scientific reason come to light, it's like duh, I should have known that! {BTW, I know that God may have caused this particular thing to happen which lead to this other thing, but there's an actual explanation, and that's what I mean.}

Isolde overreacted a bit about some things and this led me to like her a tad less.  She seemed more like a spoiled noble, than the girl she had been in the previous book.  But she had less time on the page and so it never became a big issue for me.  Luca is shaping up to be a great character.  I think that he's more open minded than many others in the time period.  And his friend and servant, Frieze, helps keep him that way.  Firenze is my favorite character of all of them as he keeps things lighter in tone and brings out plenty of laughs.  Overall I found myself pretty satisfied with the cast of characters.

The plot is certainly intriguing but it got a bit lengthy at times, as I mentioned before.  There's a lot to discuss but at times it felt like things were repeated.  Overall it was very satisfying and I find myself eager not only for more books in the series, but to learn more about similar events in history.

The audio was great!  The narrator managed to do all the voices perfectly.  Each character was easy to differentiate and she did so well I sometimes wondered if there was another person there because her voice changed so much for each one.  I also like when it's someone with a British accent reading fantasy or historical fiction.  I know it doesn't actually fit since they are in/from Italy, but really it doesn't matter, to me the British accent makes it seem more realistic.  I give 5 stars for the narration portion of the story.

The rest of it I give 4 stars to.  Though it was slow paced, it wasn't something that bothered me much since I was just busy doing my own thing as I listened.  Overall the story itself was fascinating.  The end was a bit killer, with lots of new mysteries popping up, little threads coming together and just making us wonder about things that aren't clear just yet.

Disclosure: I received this audiobook for review purposes, all opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Middle Grade Review: Juniper Berry M.P. Kozlowsky

Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky

Paperback, 227 pages

Published: April 26th, 2011 by Walden Pond Press

Source: Publisher

Juniper's parents have not been themselves lately. In fact, they have been cold, disinterested and cruel. And lonely Juniper Berry, and her equally beset friend, Giles, are determined to figure out why.

On a cold and rainy night Juniper follows her parents as they sneak out of the house and enter the woods. What she discovers is an underworld filled with contradictions: one that is terrifying and enticing, lorded over by a creature both sinister and seductive, who can sell you all the world's secrets in a simple red balloon. For the first time, Juniper and Giles have a choice to make. And it will be up to them to confront their own fears in order to save the ones who couldn't.

M.P. Kozlowsky's debut novel is a modern-day fairy tale of terror, temptation, and ways in which it is our choices that make us who we are.

I read Juniper Berry to myself instead of to my daughter (8) because she's a bit of a chicken and I heard this is creepy and a tad scary.  And it certainly is!  Wow, it was really creepy actually!  But I liked it a lot.  It was a bit dark but very beautifully written.  It was incredibly easy to picture everything, though the gorgeous illustrations (just a few scattered throughout) helped.

Juniper is such a great character.  You see her love for her parents even though they aren't themselves, and then you see how smart she is and her curious nature as well as her strong desire to have friends and get out of her home.  She then meets Giles, who becomes her first friend and his parents aren't quite right either.  Together they set out to figure out what's going on and what they find out is just downright scary.  But Juniper is very, very brave and always does the right thing.  There's lots of temptation though, it's not always easy, but she's so strong and so smart that she figures things out much better than apparently even some adults.

This book has a sweet HEA, and I enjoyed the journey to get there.  I would definitely read something else by this author in the future!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Saturday Situation: Link Up Your Reviews & Giveaways!

Saturday Situation is hosted by both Lori at Pure Imagination and myself. It's a linky for you to link your book related Giveaways and Reviews (and whatever neglected posts you may have). You'll find the same linky's at Pure Imagination, so don't enter them twice! Keep in mind that you can add your links through the entire week. You can find the newest Saturday Situation posts by the tab at the top of my blog labeled Saturday Situation.

Also, just a reminder folks, don't forget to sign up to host a stop on The Last Hurrah Giveaway Hop!  The sign up page is HERE.  {The button is right over there --> to the right -->)
 

Cover Reveal Sign Up: The Vampire's Hourglass by Shayne Leighton August 1st, 2nd and 3rd

This reveal is now over.

I'm excited to bring a cover reveal for the third book in the Of Light and Darkness series by Shayne Leighton, called The Vampire's Hourglass. The Vampire's Hourglass is published by Decadent Publishing and is scheduled to release later this year or early next year.  This cover reveal is to take place August 1-3, to lend some availability to bloggers. There will be an excerpt as well as an international tour wide giveaway.  All who sign up will receive an email from me with the HTML code so you can easily copy and paste into a post.  I will also include everything not in HTML if you have troubles. 

The Of Light and Darkness series is New Adult paranormal romance and has most recently been recognized on multiple category bestseller lists on Amazon.

Here's the first two books, covers and descriptions (just so you have an idea):

The Vampire's Daughter (Of Light and Darkness #1)

When one human stands before an army of impossible obstacles, the likelihood of overcoming them in this coming-of-age modern fairytale may result in war between light and darkness.

Abandoned as an infant in Prague, naive and strong-willed Charlotte Ruzikova was raised by one of the last Vampires left alive. As a human, she knows no other home than the one nestled deep in the woods of Eastern Europe, where Witches drew spells of enchantment, Phasers threw tea parties, and Elves are the closest in kin. Charlotte has lived her life in the dark with her Guardian, content to having him to herself and reveling in his attention, until she's realizes she wants more...

Resident medical doctor and Vampire, Valek Ruzik fears the day his ward would come of age and blossom into a fine woman, and he is forced to confront his own motives as time is of the essence once his past catches up to him, and their lives become endangered...

As genocide and war threatens their secret society, the dictator in power is ready to wipe out Valek's race, but Charlotte will not allow that to happen. Fighting for the only one she's ever loved and truly believed in, she will do whatever it takes to save their love...before the sun comes up and light takes over.

The Vampire's Reflection (Of Light and Darkness #2)

Months after their brutal victory over Aiden and his hierarchy of Wizards, Charlotte and Valek have returned from Prague to their home in the Bohemian Occult City. However, this time, they are joined by their new band of misfit, magical friends. In the light of day, all seems to be at peace now that the Regime has been toppled, and the coven of rogue monsters has finally found their freedom. But Charlotte soon discovers that much like her adopted Vampire family, she has developed a strange addiction of her own. Her new disease is destroying her from the inside out, and Valek finds himself at a loss as he defies all odds to save her life. Danger continues to lurk around every corner and they realize that their happily-ever-after has not ended so happily after all, in this highly anticipated sequel of the Of Light and Darkness series.

 Check them out on Amazon | Goodreads



Author Bio:
In Shayne's first year out of high school she penned, co-directed, and starred in the feature film 'The Incubus', a paranormal romance, which obtained distribution and screened in over fifteen theaters across South Florida among major theater chains such as Regal, AMC, and Cinemark. 'The Incubus' has also obtained a passionate fanbase of over 100,000 girls online and has garnered the attention of reporters from the Miami Herald, CBS News, and NPR Radio. Leighton also starred alongside Scream Queen, Tara Cardinal, in the film 'Legend of the Red Reaper' which made its world debut at the 2012 AFM in Los Angeles. Twenty-Two-year-old Leighton is excited to release her debut young adult novel series, 'Of Light and Darkness', set in contemporary Prague, as well as developing the film adaptation of the novel series. Recently released songs can now be heard on ReverbNation.com with a full-length album in the works. Leighton is currently named #35 on the pop charts in Miami, FL. Named #26 in Boca Magazine's "Top 100 'It' People" for 2011. Shayne Leighton lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL with her husband and key inspiration, Frank and travels back and forth to the Czech Republic often. Find out more about Shayne at: www.ShayneLeighton.com

Blog Tour: Guest Post by Leigh Evans, Review & Giveaway!

Today I'm excited to invite author Leigh Evans to the blog to celebrate the release of her second book, The Thing About Weres.  Let's welcome her to the blog!

You’re Wrong, Mr. Shakespeare

The man was full of crap. Why do I say this? Because Shakespeare is the guy responsible for this line: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” For those of you who managed to miss your teacher’s aching, slow dissection of Romeo & Juliette that statement can be reduced to this: names mean squat, it’s what you’re made of that truly matters.

Again, bullshit.

Names matter. If you doubt me, try to warm  up to the idea of calling Chris Hemsworth by the less tempting moniker of Clarence Hamsterface.  Can you see yourself moaning “Oh, Clarence!” into your pillow?

If you can, nice to know you. Please don’t email me.

If you can’t then you’re like me. You think names matter. Which is why I spent several days coming up with a name for the Mystwalker series’ male lead.  I had plenty of false starts, and in the end his final name is directly related to the fact that my boy was paying more attention to killing zombies than me. When I called from the other room,  “How about “Something-or-other Trowbridge?”  my darling son only partially heard me. But he liked what he thought he heard enough to pause the relentless slaughter on the video screen to say, “Robson Trowbridge is great!”

There you go. That’s how Robson “Bridge” Trowbridge was born.

But let’s face it. The girl protagonist’s name is a bigger deal, isn’t it?. The book’s written in first person. It’s intensely first person. Obviously, her name required extra-special effort. It had to be both unique and tied to her back story.

Brace yourself for a reveal—my heroine’s first name was stolen from the 1940’s pin-up girl Hedy Lamarr. Except I couldn’t remember how to spell it. But really, correct spelling is over-rated isn’t it? (A rose by any other name..) And besides, Hedi looked more interesting than Hedy. To my eye, harder and more forceful. Now, you may ask yourself...does my Hedi resemble that semi-famous screen strumpet?

No. Not even remotely.

But as it happens, back in the day when Faes snuck through the Gates of Merenwyn for a little slumming with the humans, Hedi’s mom was very fond of the cinema. Her favorite star was Hedy Lamarr.

See? That’s a piece of back story that never made it into the books. As was the fact that her last name came from the side of a decorator’s truck: Peacock Designs.

Tadah. After much thought and mulling, I had a unique name.

Hedi Peacock.

Half Fae. Half Were.

All Trouble

Who falls in love with her One True Thing

Robson Trowbridge.

All Were.

Equal Trouble.

I thought it was damn near bullet proof in terms of originality until my husband called her “Heidi” one night. I stared at him for a long, silent moment. He said, “Whaaaat?”

I said, “Did I ever once mention the Swiss Alps or lederhosen?”

He took a sip of his coffee, then shook his head. “Nope.”

I’m still not convinced he got it. (We’re not talking Shirley Temple here, folks). Still, he can be forgiven. Though the man is smarter than Stephen Hawkings, he’s only read two pieces of fiction in his life and neither of mine were one of them:-)

If you’d like to meet Hedi Peacock—a rose with several thorns--and your tastes run toward some snark, seasoned with a little dark, go find the second book in the Mystwalker series—THE THING ABOUT WOLVES!

 The Trouble With Fate (Mystwalker #1) by Leigh Evans

Meet Hedi Peacock. She's half Fae. Half Were. And all trouble…

I Have Two Words For Werewolves:

My name is Hedi Peacock and I have a secret. I’m not human, and I have the pointy Fae ears and Were inner-bitch to prove it. As fairy tales go, my childhood was damn near perfect, all fur and magic until a werewolf killed my father and the Fae executed my mother. I’ve never forgiven either side. Especially Robson Trowbridge. He was a part-time werewolf, a full-time bastard, and the first and only boy I ever loved. That is, until he became the prime suspect in my father’s death…

Bite Me.

Today I’m a half-breed barista working at a fancy coffee house, living with my loopy Aunt Lou and a temperamental amulet named Merry, and wondering where in the world I’m going in life. A pretty normal existence, considering. But when a pack of Weres decides to kidnap my aunt and force me to steal another amulet, the only one who can help me is the last person I ever thought I’d turn to: Robson Trowbridge. And he’s as annoyingly beautiful as I remember. That’s the trouble with fate: Sometimes it barks. Other times it bites. And the rest of the time it just breaks your heart. Again…

The Trouble With Fate is a unique urban fantasy with plenty of things to make it stand out from other UF's out there.  It's hard to find something truly different, but luckily this book had those elements that made it stand out from others.  Some of these are the fae ways,world and rules; Hedi is half fae and half werewolf and that Hedi has an amulet around her neck called Merry and it's a living being inside that communications by changing colors and wiggling around (like pointing and stuff).

Hedi is a strong willed woman, though she's not always strong and has often taken the shortcuts and easy way in life.  But almost straight away there's an abrupt major change in Hedi's life and from then on she's not so much about the easy way, but more about the right way.  It is a bit of a journey for her, finding her way and discovering what she may really want in life and that she doesn't want to just survive, but also wants some meaning in her life.  Not to mention, revenge.

It's clear and her and Robson Trowbridge are going to cross paths and I was pretty certain there was a romance waiting to happen there.  It was just a matter of how and when.  Luckily this was a romance that worked pretty well for me.  Time wise it happened quickly, but they had lots of life or death moments together first and there's the whole thing that Hedi has been like, in love with him since she was a child.  Trowbridge did some jerky things a few times that had me concerned he was going to turnout to be an a$$hat, but luckily it led to discussions which cleared things up for them so they could progress.  He ended up being a great character.  He's been dealt a hard hand like Hedi and I think they'll be good for each other.  I think they really need each other and can understand the other better than anyone else could.  And Trowbridge definitely has a sweet side, he just keeps it hidden.

Parts of the book felt a bit slow to me, but I never really felt bored either. I was anxious to see where things would go, but I never felt a pressing urgency to find out more.  The end does have a cliffhanger and for that reason I'm very glad I waited to read it cause now I can dive into the 2nd book very soon!

I'd give this one 3.5 stars but am rounding up to 4.

Disclosure: I received this book from the author for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

 The Thing About Weres (Mystwalker #2) by Leigh Evans

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER

In the never-ending saga that is my love-hate relationship with Robson Trowbridge, I, half-Were Hedi Peacock, have had a change of heart. Ever since I shoved Trowbridge through the Gates of Merenwyn, I’ve been the leader of the pack—hard to believe, right? The thing is: I’m half-Fae. So even though my Were side is ready to heed the call of the wild, the other part of me is desperate to take flight. And much as it pains me to admit it, life without Trowbridge is really starting to were me down…

I AM WERE, HEAR ME ROAR.

To make matters worse, the wolves of Creemore want my blood—and the North American Council of Weres wants me dead. So I’m just counting the days until Trowbridge returns from the other realm…and comes to my brave rescue…and becomes my alpha mate. Wishful thinking? Of course it is. But given all the mess I’ve been through already, what’s the harm in doing a little bit of daisy-plucking? Besides, Trowbridge owes me bigtime. A girl can dream.

About this author

: I was born in Montreal, Quebec but now live in Southern Ontario with my husband. I’ve raised two kids, mothered three dogs, and herded a few cats. Other than that, my life was fairly routine until I hit the age of 50. Some women get tattoos. I decided to write a book. A little tardy, but then again, Mum always said I was a late bloomer.

This giveaway is not sponsored by me.  The winner will not be selected by me and will be contacted by the author or tour coordinator, Sarah.  I am not responsible for anything regarding the giveaway and do not have access to the entries.

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