Follow Friday 16

How important is good writing to you? In an ideal world, a book would be beautifully written AND have great character development, plot, etc. But in the real world, which do you prefer: (1) Great characters and plot with lousy writing or (2) Middling character development and plot but gorgeous writing

This is hard as I would like the perfect book like in the question. If I had to choose it would be great characters. If I can't connect with the character the book just doesn't work for me. How did you answer this question?

Blog Tour: Color of Danger (Secrets of Rios Azules Series) by Alexa Verde

@Bunnitaz #giveaway #worthreadingit #blogtour

Color of Danger
Secrets of Rios Azules Series
By: Alexa Verde
Rating 4 stars (3.6)

Blurb
Former runaway Mari Del Lobo works hard to save her struggling restaurant and to trust people again. Dallas surgeon Dr. Luke Goodman turns her world upside down with terrifying news. A recent murder has her late brother's - aka the Smiling Killer - signature and MO. When attacks on her escalate, Mari fights her growing attraction to the good doctor as fiercely as she fights for her life. To rescue herself and those she loves, will she be able to stop the murderer before he strikes again?
Luke couldn't save his fiancée from the Smiling Killer, but he'll do anything to prevent more murders, even ask help from the serial killer's sister. Finding a kindred tortured soul and the perpetrator's next target in Mari, Luke is determined to protect the stubborn ex-rebel. But Mari would rather face danger than risk the safety of the man she comes to love.

Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2014/03/now-booking-tasty-review-tour-for-color.html

Buy Links

Amazon:

B&N: not available at time of this post

Kobo: not available at time of this post

My Review:
First thing first, book covers matter. If I was doing my regular book search where I only read the summary if I like the cover. This cover looks like it belongs to a cheesy romance novel. Needless to say, this story surprised me. It is a romance novel but it is also a murder mystery.

Mari has experience abuse for as long as she can remember. She blames herself for not figuring out that her brother was a serial killer. Luke fiancee was killed by the Smiling Killer. He blames himself for not being able to protect her. So he surprises himself starts falling for the serial killer sister.

From the moment you start reading, the novel holds your attention. There is suspense in this story since you don't know who the killer is until the end. Usually I don't like suspense because it seems as though the author is struggling to draw events out. Color of Danger is not like that. Everything is constantly building. While the love story was a good side note the main issue of the murders is always present.

Should you read this? Yes. Who should read it? Anyone who likes a murder mystery with romance added in. Because this deal with murder some may not necessarily call it clean. But I do. The murder details are not explicit and romance is Mr.Clean type of clean.


Author Info
Alexa Verde fell in love with writing at age eight when she penned her first poem. After publishing 200 short stories, poems, and articles in the five languages she speaks, Alexa has turned her creative passion to writing novels. Her 2014 debut inspirational romantic suspense, COLOR OF DANGER, is the first in her Secrets of Rios Azules series, set in a fictional small Texas town where rivers and emotions run deep and the richest family in town has a fine taste for food, jewelry, and murder. Part of the proceeds from the book will go to Brenda Novak's Auction for Diabetes Research at brendanovak.auctionanything.com

Author Links https://www.facebook.com/alexaverdeauthor http://www.alexaverde.com/index.html

*this is an ARC review
**most links are affiliate links. if you make a purchase this blog with receive a small percentage for the referral. Thanks

Rafflecopter Giveaway ($20.00 Amazon Gift Card and FIVE Digital Copies of COLOR OF DANGER)
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Book Blitz: Blood Oath (The Secret of the Halflings #1) by Samantha Coville

Blood Oath (The Secret of the Halflings #1)

by Samantha Coville

Release Date: 04/29/14

Summary from Goodreads:

Raya Sarian has always known she was different. The water calls to her in a way that isn't human. She has seen things that would scar anyone for life. And her father has been non existent in her childhood.

Because he is a Siren.

A blood drinker.

A monster.

And now she must live with him in a world populated with enemies and dangerous friends. Can she survive the year?

  

About the Author

Samantha Coville is an editor and literary critic at her website, Sammy the Bookworm. She’s been writing short stories for six years and has appeared in magazines, both in print and online. When she’s not doing something book related, she is singing in her church choir or enjoying one of the theme parks in her home state of Florida.

Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Book Review: Othello (Shakespeare for Everyone Else, #2) by C.E. Wilson

@Bunnitaz #ARCreview #worthreadingit 

Rating 2 stars (2.4)

Summary from Goodreads:
Shakespeare’s work features some of the most memorable stories and characters ever created, yet for too many curious readers the combination of ultra-dense dialogue and unfamiliar historical settings make tackling the Bard’s work something between a tedious chore and a confusing mess of bird-bolts and quondam carpet-mongers.

While it’s nearly impossible to replicate or improve on these works, it is (thanks to their timeless nature) possible to make them more accessible to a wider audience.


In this Young Adult retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s most memorable plays, join C.E. Wilson as she breathes new life into Othello, the second book in her series Shakespeare for Everyone Else.

Purchase

About the Author
C.E. Wilson is currently living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and her two dogs and two cats. They are all the loves of her life. When she’s not writing young adult fantasy novels, she enjoys writing short stories on her Deviant Art page. She loves to write stories involving giants and little people (also known as GT) and nothing helps her to write more than Coca-Cola 

My Review:

This is a Y.A. retelling of Othello. I liked that it was written in everyday language that we use today. It makes for a faster reading that the original. I liked the story in general. She didn't stray away from the theme of Othello. I think that the Y.A. high school setting did not fit the story. It may have been more plausible if it was New Adult Contemporary. The way the teenagers switched from everyday language to a mature way of speaking just wasn't believable. For example, the way Archer speak of women and sex is just not the way a teenager would express it.

Now this review will be as if I have never read the original.

Orion I felt was gullible and ashamed of being African. He was worried about how others saw him so he was easily manipulated by Archer. Also it was never made clear whether Orion like Devony because she was beautiful or that she was beautiful because she was white. His references to her beautiful pale skin leads to the reader to believe the latter.

Devony claims to love Orion and not at all ashamed of him. Yet she lies to her father about her true relationship with Orion. She may not have cared but she knew that her father liked African Orion as long as he kept to his own.

Then there is Archer. Self centered, entitled, and insecure. His jealous of Orion was one of the reasons why he went after him. Orion had the love of one of the most prettiest girls in school. Then said girl helps him beat Archer out of student body president. Instead of sucking it up, he decides to take him down. Even as things take a turn for the worse, Archer has no remorse for the chaos and destruction he caused.

The tragedy of the story is that it didn't have to end the way that it did. Orion could have asked himself logically questions. He could have been more suspicious of someone you didn't speak that much too all of a sudden being your closet confidant. He could have believe the girl he said he loved so much. In the end, the story is about choices. Each character made choices that ended tragically.

Should you read this? Yes, I think you will like it. Is it something you should run out and get this very moment? Not really. Put it on your list and read when you are in the moody to read a retelling. it's not mind blowing. It's not written poetically but I don't think it was supposed to be. Who should read this? Anyone who wants a more fast paced verison of Othello. Someone who has already read the original and is going about comparing retellings. Maybe a lazy junior high or high school student who read it but didn't understand the basics of the story. Hey, kid that doesn't mean you shouldn't read the original though!

Happy Reading

*This an ARC review
**Most links are affiliate links meaning that if you make a purchase this blog receives a small percentage of the sale. Thank you in advance.
***Reviews are my honest opinion. You don't see many reviews under 3 stars ratings because I rarely pick a book that I know I won't like. I mean really...why would I read something I know I won't like.

Wishlist Wednesday 23

@Bunnitaz #wishlistwednesday

So what do you need to do to join in wishlist fun?
 •Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
 •Please consider adding the blog hop button to your blog somewhere, so others can find it easily and join in too! Help spread the word! The code will be at the bottom of the post under the linky.
 •Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
 •Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
 •Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of this post.
 •Put a link back to pen to paper (http://www.pentopaperblog.com) somewhere in your post, and a note saying that Pen to Paper is the host of the meme.
 •Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

From Book:

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption.



From Kobo:
Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital—and more brutal—than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

Set in the harsh but often beautiful world of Veronica Rossi's "unforgettable" Under the Never Sky (Examiner.com), this captivating prequel novella stands on its own for new readers and offers series fans a fascinating look into the character of Roar. Poignant and powerful, Roar and Liv is a love story that will "capture your imagination and your heart." (Justine on Under the Never Sky)

Book Blitz: Crane by Stacey Rourke

 @Bunnitaz #worthreadingit #bookblitz

Crane by Stacey Rourke
Publication date: May 26th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Synopsis:

The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.

Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.

What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?

Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.

But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?

Purchase:

AUTHOR BIO

RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel
Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013

Stacey Rourke lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction  and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. Mark your calendars! Her latest literary adventure, Crane, will release May 26, 2014. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this thrilling Legends Saga, as well as other literary projects.

Visit her at 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This is a promotional post. 

Blog Tour: Don't Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein

Don't Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein
Release Date: 2014 Swoon Romance
Rating 3 stars


Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Buy Links

My Review:
I am happy to be kicking of this tour. When I read the summary that this was a retelling of Rapunzel I knew I had to read it. I'm always up for a good retelling. This is a sweet love story about two teenagers who meet at a library. Their whole relationship happens at the library because it is the only place Anya is allowed to go. Zander not really understanding why things are the way the are wants more. Anya has to decide if she is really to do what she hasn't been able to do her whole life...upset her mom. Or is she willing to continue to be locked away with the library being her only glimpse of the outside world.

The negative I have with this is that we never find out what happened to Lauren. She was the reason behind everything but nothing was explained. So you are left wondering just what the hell happened to make mommy so freaking paranoid! Should you read it? Yes. Who should read it? Anyone who likes clean romance but as stated above the ending leaves you with an unanswered question. Happy Reading

About the Author
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.

Author Links:
http://rachelmarybean-writingonthewall.blogspot.com/ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044030.Rachel_Schieffelbein http://www.twitter.com/RMSchieffelbein
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Schieffelbein-author/495759520488755


PUBLISHER LINKS
www.myswoonromance.com
@swoonromance
Facebook.com/SwoonRomance

*this is an ARC review

**most links are affiliate links. the blog will receive a small percentage of the sale. Thanks for your support.

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

Blog Blitz: Vengeance is Mine by Harry James Krebs

Driven by a traumatic, violent event in his teenage years, Benjamin Tucker, bestselling true crime author, is obsessed with helping authorities solve savage crimes near his home turf of Holly Springs, North Carolina. When a series of decapitated female victims is found in neighboring communities, he is helplessly drawn in to the investigation to help bring the killer to justice. But in a bizarre twist of events, the psychopathic murderer becomes fascinated with Tucker and stalks him, presenting him with unimaginable, grotesque gifts. The hunt for the killer turns personal and Tucker isn’t sure if he’s become the killer’s idol or his next victim.

Vengeance is Mine, a gripping thriller with a healthy dose of droll humor, is a tale of sadistic revenge guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.

You can purchase Vengeance is Mine at the following Retailers:

   

About Harry James Krebs
Website
  

After receiving his BA in applied physics from Aurora University in Illinois, Harry spent thirty-seven years with United States Department of Energy Contractors as a senior mechanical engineer. He designed, built, maintained, and operated large experimental detectors for high-energy physics experiments at national laboratories such as the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the Superconducting Super Collider, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University.

Krebs always wanted to write mystery novels, but his engineering career left him little time to write until now. His first novel, Fractured Persona, is based on a recurring dream where he would wake up in someone else’s body and life.

The author and his wife currently live in Raleigh, North Carolina with their Chihuahua, Lucille.

Click HERE for Peak City Publishing

GIVEAWAY
1 Winner will receive Autographed Print Copies of Fractured Persona and Vengeance is Mine
+ $20.00 Amazon Gift Card.
Must be 13+ to Enter
International Giveaway

*Book Nerd Tours is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Mail Box*