Friday Finds #7


Friday Finds is a weekly post the tells you lovelies about some of the books I've found this week. Whether it be an ARC, a classic or anything in between; these are books I've discovered over the past 7 days.


My Last Kiss
by Bethany Neal


Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss--the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died--is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn't a suicide as everyone assumes. She can't remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she's worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend. 
If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she'll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made--good and bad--that led to her last kiss.
Bethany Neal's suspenseful debut novel is about the power of first love and the haunting lies that threaten to tear it apart


Illusions of Fate
by Kiersten White


Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.


Atlantia
by Ally Condie


For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.
Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.


Ghostwritten
by Isobel Wolff


A childhood mistake. A lifetime of regrets.
Jenni is a ‘ghost’: she writes the lives of other people. It’s a job that suits her well: still haunted by a childhood tragedy, she finds it easier to take refuge in the memories of others rather than dwell on her own.
Jenni has an exciting new commission, and is delighted to start working on the memoirs of a Dutchwoman, Klara. As a child in the Second World War, Klara was interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation – she has an extraordinary story of survival to tell.
But as Jenni and Klara begin to get to know each other, Jenni begins to do much more than shed light on a neglected part of history. She is being forced to examine her own devastating memories, too. But with Klara’s help, perhaps this is finally the moment where she will be able to lay the ghosts of her own past to rest?
Gripping, poignant and beautifully researched, Ghostwritten is a story of survival and love, of memory and hope.



Thoughts

From pretty covers to inspirational authors to epic story lines. This week I managed to discover a whole hoard of books I need to get my hands on and this is why... 

Firstly there's My Last Kiss which sounds right up my street. I've only heard good things about this from all my blogging buddies and I can't wait for it to finally hit the shelves so I can get my hands on a copy. Also, just look at the cover!! 

Then we have Illusions of Fate which looks AMAZING! I saw this on someones Waiting on Wednesday post and it instantly got added to my TBR list. It also doesn't hurt that it sounds like it has a pretty exciting book boyfriend for us all to fall in love with.

Next is Ally Condie's new book and I don't know about you but I've been dying for something Condie since Reached came out! This is exciting. Breathe! 

Lastly we have Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff. Now I adore this woman, and her book A Vintage Affair is one of my all time favourites. I discovered this when noseying around Reviewed The Book's blog and I NEED to read this. Like... NOW! 

What did you find this week?



Tour Post: Don't Fall


Today we're taking part in the YA Bound book tour for Rachel Schieffelbein's Rapunzel retelling, Don't Fall. There's also a giveaway for don't forget to enter! Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think by leaving a comment. 


DON'T FALL
by Rachel Schieffelbein




Summary


In this contemporary retelling of Rapunzel, seventeen-year-old Anya leads a secluded life in a house on the edge of town with her adopted mother. She doesn't go to public school, doesn't even have a best friend. But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams and would do anything to please her mom.Until one day at the library, the only place Anya is allowed to go alone, she takes a picture of a beautiful boy. Before long she's lying to her mom, and sneaking out to meet Zander. But Zander wants more than a secret romance. If Anya wants to be with the boy of her dreams, she's going to have to risk her relationship with the only other person she's ever cared about.



Review


Instead of a tower we have a small house overlooking the forest. Instead of a Princesses we have Anya with her long golden hair and camera happy personality. And instead of a Prince we have an unbelievably adorable English Major called Zander. We also have cupcakes! 

The story itself follows seventeen-year-old Anya, who has spent the last fifteen years of her life constricted by her over protective mother and all her rules. She's not allowed to go to public school, she's not actually allowed to go anywhere but the library and even then she has to text her mum to tell her she got there safely. But the rule that affects her most of all in this story is the fact she's not allowed to date. Which is a big problem once she meets Zander. Zander - who by the way is the cutest damn thing I think I've ever read - is unbelievably romantic and falls hard for Anya. He wants to make her the centre of his world but its these same suffocating rules that constrict Anya that threaten to tear them apart.

The book is told through a dual narrative, with each chapter split in two. I really liked that fact that as a reader we got equal amounts of both Zander and Anya because in a lot of books where the point of view is split it tends to focus on one particular character. Which as I said, wasn't the case with this this book. Don't Fall is a super cute and completely unputdownable.  

I'm not going to lie it was a bit of a slow starter and it wasn't until around 25% that I really got into it but there are a couple of story lines within the book that have your stomach in knots just waiting for the final piece of the puzzle. I didn't like her mother though. I know you were meant to feel something resembling sympathy towards her by the end but I just couldn't. Although, I'm not sure if that's a flaw in the writing or maybe I'm just some kind of emotionless cyborg. 

Okay, this book isn't going to change your life and it's not going to make you question everything you know or anything like that. What it is going to do though it put a smile on your face. It's a short book (so no dragging along half the library with you) that's easy to read and a great story to escape into. It's vivid and well written, with every setting and character easy to picture. And did I mention, cupcakes? 

Overall it was good, a little heavy on the romance maybe, but an enjoyable read non the less. I would recommend this to most YA readers, but I think that it's more suited to a teenage audience. Which I know is technically what YA is, but I also know what a lot of you lovely lot are no longer in your teens - myself included. But as I've said, overall definitely worth adding to your TBR lists. 


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**I received this book as an ARC from YA Bound Book Tours to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**



About Rachel

Rachel grew up in a tiny town in Minnesota. She still lives there, with her husband and their four kids. She coaches high school speech and theater, rides Arabian horses, reads as much as she can, and writes stories.

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WoW #8


Four
by Veronica Roth


Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: July 8th 2014
Language: English
ISBN: 0062285688

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.
Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.
Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling divergent series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, and The Traitor—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the Divergent trilogy.




Why I'm waiting...

I'm having Four withdrawals! Something is seriously wrong with me, I haven't even seen the movie yet!!! I read the first of these short stories back in November and I've been waiting patiently for the rest to come out and for me to have a little more Four in my life. I loved the last book in the Divergent series, although I didn't like the addition of Four's POV because it seemed random as the other books were all Tris. That being said though I'm super excited to have stories told exclusively from Four's POV. For us as readers to get to know him a little better. 

What are you waiting for this fine Wednesday?

RELEASE DAY: Intercepting Love



Intercepting Love
A Second Chance standalone novel # 5
Genre - Contemporary/Romantic Suspense
Cover Designed by - Regina Wamba with Mae I Design and Photography
Publication Date- May 26th, 2014

Both have what she wants … but only one has what she needs.

Working with professional athletes and helping them recover from their injuries has always been Kate Townsend’s dream, but after an accident left her scarred and heartbroken years ago she refuses to let what happened in her past happen again. Staying focused is the key, as well as not letting her feelings interfere with her job … no matter the circumstances. All of that is easier said than done when not only one, but two men crave her healing touch, igniting every single desire she’s denied herself for so long.

Cooper Davis, NFL’s star quarterback and most eligible bachelor, packs up and leaves his home to move across the states to the East Coast after an injury results in the embarrassing trade to another team. Bitter from the pain, he deals with his problems through drugs and alcohol—almost ruining his football career—until he meets the one woman who makes him want to feel; the same woman who refuses to give up on him no matter how many times he screws up. He has to have her, and he’s not going to stop until he makes her his. Especially, now that someone else threatens to take her away.

Motocross champion and local bad boy Luke Collins never takes no for an answer. For the past four months he’s used his charms to get what he wants, and now he’s so close to getting the girl of his dreams … if she’ll give in just once. One time is all he needs, and he’s never been known to fail, but he’s also never had to fight for a woman’s affections. Only one man will win their way into Kate’s heart, but which one will intercept the other and take what they want? Which one will she choose?

     
On Sale NOW for 99 cents!! Limited Time ONLY!! 

MAY Book of the Month


by Melissa de la Cruz


Publishing Date: April 1st 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
ISBN: 9781423157427 

    

Summary (via Goodreads)


Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.
To see my review of The Ring & The Crown 


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About Melissa

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.
She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.
Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).
She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.


**EXCERPT**

Don't Fall Blitz


Today I have a little release day blitz for you lovely lot! Don't Fall is a really cute little retelling of Rapunzel and I have a review coming your way TOMORROW. But for now here's everything you need to know :)

Don't Fall
by Rachel Schieffelbein


Release Date: 2014
Swoon Romance


Summary

In which a teenage girl endures the over-protective love of her adoptive mother until she falls for a boy who has her wanting to spread her wings, pitched as a contemporary retelling of RAPUNZEL.Seventeen-year-old Anya leads a very secluded life in a house on the edge of town with her adopted mother. She doesn't go to school, but instead has a private tutor. Her over-protective mom keeps her so sheltered that she doesn't even have a best friend. But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams, and would do anything to please her mom. Until one day at the library, the only place she's allowed to go, she takes a picture of a beautiful boy.Before long she's lying to her mom, and sneaking out late at night to meet Zander. But Zander wants more than a secret romance. If Anya wants to be with the boy of her dreams, she will have to risk her relationship with the only other person she's ever cared about.



About Rachel

Rachel grew up in a tiny town in Minnesota. She still lives there, with her husband and their four kids. She coaches high school speech and theater, rides Arabian horses, reads as much as she can, and writes stories.




***GIVEAWAY***
1 ebook of Don’t Fall + $10 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
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