Monday, October 14, 2013

Book Review & Giveaway: The Deepest Night by Shana Abe

The Deepest Night (The Sweetest Dark, #2)The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
Publisher: Bantam
Publish Date: August 13, 2013
Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN: 9780345531735
The Sweetest Dark #2



My Review:
I did not realize this was part of a series when I chose it from Amazon Vine. I just read the blurb and thought that sounds different and I want to read it. Boarding school, dragons, WWI, all sounded intriguing to me and also I haven't read Ms. Abe yet, but I had heard great things about her.

I picked this one up as my fourth book during the Dewey's 24-hour Read-A-Thon this past weekend and yes I started reading it around 11:30 pm and I had been reading most of the time since 8am on Saturday. However this was the perfect book to pick up right then. It didn't bog me down, and I was sucked right into the story. There is definitely some backstory I am missing, but I thought Ms. Abe did a good job getting the reader up-to-speed enough that if they accidentally jump in here with The Deepest Night that they won't feel completely lost. I didn't. However I do want to go back and read The Sweetest Dark. Somethings will be spoiled by reading them out of order but at this point I don't mind.

For characters I really enjoyed getting to know Lora (Eleanor) and Mandy (Armand). They are the only two dragons left (that they know of) and Lora began to learn her powers in the first novel, and Armand is coming into his during this one. Not knowing how much they were developed in the first novel, I can only say I think Ms. Abe did a great job continuing to develop both characters through The Deepest Night while focusing on plot and moving it along at a breakneck speed. Both characters are likeable and both characters have mystery. I loved the dragon angle, especially in a time like WWI. It was a fascinating element.

For the plot, as I mentioned, it moves along rather quickly. It's a fast easy read and I easily read 1/3 of the novel in the wee hours of the morning when I am not usually still up. Then I finished it off on Sunday. It's one of those that you can read with commotion around you, it's just flows and flows fast.

In The Deepest Night the storyline captivates, the characters grab your attention and this is not just your everyday paranormal novel. It's also not your ordinary boarding school novel as most of this novel does not happen at the boarding school, though you do get some of the typical cattiness between the girls involved around Lora such as Chloe and Sophia that fits the time frame of the early 1900s. I think Ms. Abe does a great job incorporating history, paranormal and interesting characters to make The Deepest Night a great read. I cannot wait to go back and read the first book and see what happens in the next book. Keep writing Ms. Abe!

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:
A rich portrait of post-Victorian England, The Deepest Night seamlessly blends thrilling romance with riveting history and adventure—perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Lauren Kate.

It’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast. While she’s always felt different from everyone around her, now she finally knows why: She is a drákon, a rare, enchanted being with astonishing magical abilities.

As war hits Britain’s shores, and Lora reels from an unimaginable loss, she finds that her powers come with grave and dangerous responsibilities. At the request of Armand Louis, the darkly mysterious boy whose father owns Iverson, Lora will spend her summer at his lavish estate. To help the war effort—and to keep Lora by his side—Armand turns his home into a military hospital, where Lora will serve as a nurse. For Armand is inescapably drawn to her—bound to her by heart-deep secrets and a supernatural connection that runs thicker than blood.

Yet while Lora tries to sort out her own feelings toward Armand, fate offers an unexpected surprise. Lora discovers there is another drákon, a prisoner of war being held in Germany. And that only she, with her newly honed Gifts, will be able to rescue him.

With Armand, Lora will cross enemy lines on an incredible mission—one that could bond her to Armand forever, or irrevocably tear them apart.

Beautifully written, deeply romantic, and filled with daring adventure and magic, The Deepest Night is a mesmerizing novel of the enduring pull of destiny, and the eternal strength of love.


The Trailer:




Where to Find the Author:

Website
Twitter
Facebook

Giveaway:
I have one copy of the ARC of The Deepest Night by Shana Abe to giveaway.  US only because of shipping costs.  Enter using the Rafflecopter below, ends 10/21.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


***I received this book through Amazon Vine for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Book Blitz: Crash Into Me by Tracy Wolff



Crash Into Me by Tracy Wolff

She’s totally off limits, but this rocker wants a taste…

Jamison Matthews has lusted after Ryder Montgomery since she was a preteen. But now that Ryder and her brother’s band, Shaken Dirty, has made it huge, she’s just one of many pining for the brooding lead singer. Too bad Ryder still sees her as a little sister. Not that it matters. Her brother would never allow it, and the last thing Jamison wants is to be another notch on a rock star’s bed post. Even if it’s Ryder’s.

Ryder doesn’t deserve happiness. After his fame destroyed his last girlfriend, he swore he’d never fall in love again. So when Jamison, the girl he’s been in danger of loving for years, joins the band on the road, he’ll do anything to deny the sparks between them—even after one hot night together. But Jamison is determined to show Ryder that he’s worthy of love—her love—and that she’s all grown up…and ready to play.




Connect with Tracy



Buy Links for Crash Into Me





 



Excerpt CRASH INTO ME-
            Onstage, the band launched into “Awake,” one of the power ballads that had made them famous. The crowd screamed their approval and so did she. Totally not her typical modus operandi, but she couldn’t help it. Something about listening to Ryder croon the darkly haunting lyrics had her knees trembling and her heart beating much too quickly. If she closed her eyes, she could do what all the other women in the audience were doing and pretend that he was singing straight to her.
            So much better than remembering he’d written these heartfelt words for another woman. For Carrie, who had killed herself and broken his heart so many years before. Her own heart ached at the thought. For him. Always for him. At twenty-nine, Ryder had already been through more darkness and despair than any one person should have to handle.
            “Awake” finally came to a close, the last note hanging in the air for long, tension-fueled seconds. Then the band fell silent and the audience did the same, as if they were all holding their breaths. Ryder lowered his guitar, shuffled, and stamped his feet once, twice. It was a familiar gesture, one years of experience had taught her was his way of shaking off excess emotion. Again her heart twisted. It devastated her that more than ten years after the fact he was still eaten up by what had happened. Still determined to bury it under a bunch of layers that not only insulated him from his pain but also hid the real Ryder so deep inside the public Ryder that she wondered sometimes if he even existed anymore. Or if the boy who had held her while she cried, who had let her whisper her pre-adolescent fears without ever making fun of her, had disappeared forever.
            She searched for him in that one endless moment.
            Looked for him in the obsidian eyes that arrowed to the heart of the crowd even as they barricaded his own emotions.
            Combed through her own memories and expectations in an effort to see Ryder as he really was instead of how he portrayed himself.
            And when his eyes—his crazy, beautiful eyes—met hers, she found him. Seconds passed, long, intense seconds where she lost the ability to hear or breathe or even think. All she could do was look into Ryder’s eyes, at the feral heat boiling up and out of them, and want.
            She smiled at him, waved. He snarled back. But it wasn’t a leave-me-alone snarl. No, definitely not. It was his I-want-to-fuck-you-up-against-a-wall snarl—she knew it well, had seen it directed at a lot of women through the years—and her knees gave way when she realized that this time, finally, it was directed at her. It didn’t matter that there was no sign of recognition in his eyes, no knowledge that the woman he was looking at like that was actually her. Jamison. For one moment, he wanted her the way she’d always wanted him.
            It was more than enough.



Sunday, October 13, 2013

Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon Final Post #readathon



  1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  Hour 18, my meds had kicked in and I finally started getting sleepy (I had tried to go to bed during hour 17 but I couldn't sleep).  Hour 8 or so was another toughie, but I made it through that one.
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  Novellas definitely, since they are quick reads.  Also I would suggest the Pretty Little Liars series if you haven't read them yet and you love YA mystery.
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  No, I think y'all do a great job!
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  I had a lot of fun with the mini-challenges I participated in.  I also enjoyed following the twitter feed.  The host posts were also inspiring.
  5. How many books did you read?  3
  6. What were the names of the books you read? Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan and My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? Allure by Lea Nolan
  8. Which did you enjoy least?  I had a hard time getting into My Own Miraculous at first, but it was a lot heavier material than the YA I had been reading.  Also my whole famiy was home and it was harder to concentrate, so I think it was less the book and more me and what was going on around me.  Because in the end I loved this novella.
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  No help here, but thank you Cheerleaders for all you did!
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Definitely, I tend to participate each time as long as I don't have something going on with the kids that weekend!  I will participate as a reader again and maybe next year I'll go even longer (18 hours this year had to be my record!)
Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 860
Hours Read:  11 (was involved for 18 hours, but actually read about 11 of them)



Saturday, October 12, 2013

Hour 13 Mini-Challenge: Best of 2013


The Hour 13 Mini Challenge is hosted by Lisa's World of Books.  It's a Best of 2013 challenge where she is challenging us to pick at least three categories and share our favorite book of the year and why.  So here are my choices:

Best Book of Your Reading Year
 A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers
Oh my gosh! This book is just so great on so many levels.  The characters, the plot, the sort-of-taboo.  The way things work out in the end.  I just loved every bit of it and cannot wait for the next in the series.  Lisa did it in YA and she can do it in New Adult as well.  She has a real gift for sucking you into the story and making you care.  The emotions I went through while reading this were just everywhere and that was great.

Best Romance Book of Your Reading Year

Chance of a Lifetime by Jodi Thomas
Jodi takes us back to Harmony, Texas for a new installment in this series and it seems to keep getting better.  Love the small town, love getting to know each of the characters better. Love knowing there will be side stories.  And I loved the love stories between Emily & Tannon and Rick and Trace.  Jodi creates magic with each book!
Best YA Book of Your Reading Year:
 Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
These authors just created such a new paranormal world that I could not help but be sucked in.  I loved the southern gothic element and the characters are fascinating.  I have blown through all but the last book and I'm holding out on it because I don't want the series to end!

Best New Adult Book of Your Reading Year
  Saving Grace by Christine Zolendz
I read Fall From Grace at the end of the year and this is one of my first books of the new year, but I loved this series.  The characters, the rock band, the hotness and the surprise aspect all had me hooked.  If you haven't read this series then you need to!
Best Mystery Book of Your Reading Year

Best Fiction Book of Your Reading Year
 And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry
I loved this heartfelt book of a woman's struggle of giving up a child, finding herself back near the man she ran from and possibly finding the child again.  It was riveting and emotional and based on life events.  It was just amazing.

Best Cover of Your Reading Year

 Breathe by Abbi Glines
For some reason this cover just really got me, the colors, the hot torso, the guitar.  It's everything the book is and it really draws you in.

Best Character You Love To Have of Your Reading Year
 
 Though he was a secondary character who I think will get his book in the next in the series, the one man I really fell for so far this year was Shep from Undeniable by Shannon Richard.  He just sounds hot and like such a bad boy trying to do right, I cannot wait to get to know him more!

Best Setting of Your Reading Year
 Harmony, Texas from Chance of a Lifetime by Jodi Thomas.  I hope she has more and more books set here beause I could never tire of the town's residents, whether they are longstanding or new ones and just the setting of the town itself.  I love this series!
 

Dewey's 24-hour Read-A-Thon Hour 7 Mini-Challenge: Mad Libs #readathon



The hour 7 mini-challenge is hosted by Nisaba Be Praised and it's a Mad Libs mini-challenge. It's simple, take a paragraph from the book you are reading, copy it to your blog, then remove some words and fill in with the help of a friend or from her word list on the blog.  I'm going to use the word list on the blog because I just have my kids around at the moment.

My paragraph comes from Conjure by Lea Nolan and in it's original form reads:
Cooper slams the calculus text closed, shoves it back in its spot on the case and then covers it with more heavy books.  We sprint to the door and open it just as she reaches the top of the steps.

And my mad libs version reads:
Cooper gyrates the calculus text closed, crunches it back in its love potion on the case and then reads it with more ominous books.  We quiver to the warlock and open it just as she reaches the nocturnal of the spleen.

Okay that was definitely interesting!

 



Dewey's Read-A-Thon Hour 2 Mini-Challenge: Book Tunes

Mini-Challenge from Hour 2 is hosted by River City Reading and she's asking us to pick a song that best suits our current read and why.  So I'm reading Ruthless (Pretty Little Liars #10) by Sara Shepard and I give you Backstabbers by The O'Jays:



As for the why, it should be obvious to anyone reading the series, these girls are seriously messed up and one in particular in this book is a major backstabber, not that they haven't all been at one time or the other. 

And just for the record, I am younger than this song, but love it and just thought it fit so well.  Off to read more about Backstabbers!




Dewey's Read-A-Thon Update Post


This will be my update post so my only other posts will be the mini-challenges. So this one will be updated each hour with what I have accomplished.

Updates:
Hour 1:
Currently Reading: Ruthless by Sara Shepard
Pages read last hour: 65 (Chapters 5-11)
Time read: 40 mins

Blogs visited: 5

Reading this hour: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Hour 2:
Currently Reading: Ruthless by Sara Shepard
Pages read last hour: 51 (Chapters 12-16)
Time read: 40 mins

Blogs visited: 0 (spent working on mini-challenge and fixing quick breakfast)

Time spent blogging/visiting blogs: 15 mins

Reading this hour: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Hour 3:
Currently Reading: Ruthless by Sara Shepard
Pages read last hour: 51 (Chapters 17-24)
Time read: 40 mins

Blogs visited: 0 (spent working on A Puzzling mini-challenge)

Time spent blogging/visiting blogs: 15 mins
Time spent dealing with arguing kids: 5 mins

Reading this hour: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Hour 4:
Currently Reading: Ruthless by Sara Shepard
Pages read last hour: 88 (Chapters 24-36)
Time read: 50 mins

Blogs visited: 0 (will get back to this during hour 5)
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs: 10 mins

Reading this hour: Ruthless by Sara Shepard (should finish, not sure of next book yet)

Hour 5:
Currently Reading: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan (2%)
Pages read last hour: 32, finished book, 2% of Allure
Time read: 20 mins

Blogs visited:
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter: 15 mins
Lunch prep: 15 mins
Misc crap to do: 10 mins

Where I read: my chair in living room
Food: Burrito Nachos (yum!)
Books finished: Ruthless by Sara Shepard


Reading this hour: Allure by Lea Nolan

Hour 6:
Currently Reading: Allure by Lea Nolan
Pages read last hour: 60
Time read: 45 mins

Blogs visited: 0
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter: 15 mins

Where I read: hammock on front porch

Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard


Reading this hour: Allure by Lea Nolan

Hour 7:
Currently Reading: Allure by Lea Nolan
Pages read last hour: 46
Time read: 40 mins

Blogs visited: 0
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 20 mins
Where I read: hammock on front porch
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Reading this hour: Allure by Lea Nolan

Hour 8:
Currently Reading: Allure by Lea Nolan
Pages read last hour: 27
Time read: 20 mins

Blogs visited: 0
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 5 mins
Time spent trying to settle why cell phones quit working: 30 mins
Where I read: hammock on front porch
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Reading this hour: Allure by Lea Nolan

Hour 9:
Currently Reading: Allure by Lea Nolan
Pages read last hour: 57
Time read: 45 mins

Blogs visited: 0
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 5 mins
Misc: 10 mins
Where I read: hammock on front porch
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Reading this hour: Allure by Lea Nolan

Hour 10:
Currently Reading: Allure by Lea Nolan
Pages read last hour: 45
Time read: 35 mins

Blogs visited: 0
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 5 mins
Misc: 20 mins
Where I read: hammock on front porch
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Reading this hour: Allure by Lea Nolan


Hour 11:
Currently Reading: Allure by Lea Nolan
Pages read last hour: 74
Time read: 50 mins

Blogs visited: 0
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 10 mins

Where I read: hammock on front porch (it's dark now so I must move back inside)
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard

Reading this hour:  finishing Allure by Lea Nolan and starting ??

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?
I'm fine, my eyes aren't tired and my sleepiness went away during about hour 8.
2) What have you finished reading?
I've finished Ruthless by Sara Shepard and should finish Allure by Lea Nolan this hour.
3) What is your favorite read so far?
Allure.
4) What about your favorite snacks?
Corn chips and I just had a handful of chocolate chips :)
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!
I've found some and will be a new follower and hope to find some more as the night goes on, but forgive me for not noting them now, I want to finish my book :)

Hour 12:
Currently Reading: Allure by Lea Nolan
Pages read last hour: 37
Time read: 30 mins

Blogs visited: 0
Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 10 mins
Misc (Supper prep): 20 min

Where I read: living room chair
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan

Reading this hour:  Starting My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson

Hour 13:
Taking a break this hour, visiting blogs, eating supper and watching Dexter (hey it's based on a book) with the husband.  I'll be back at it next hour.

Summary so far:
Books completed: 2
Pages:  649
Hours read: 7 hours 55 minutes

Hour 14:
Currently Reading: Starting My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson
Pages read last hour: 20
Time read: 20 mins


Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 20 mins
Misc (Supper cleanup/finish watching Dexter): 20 min

Where I read: living room chair
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan

Reading this hour:  My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson


Hour 15:
Currently Reading: Starting My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson
Pages read last hour: 38
Time read: 45 mins

Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 15 mins

Where I read: living room chair, my youngest son joined me this hour reading his book on the couch :)
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan

Reading this hour:  My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson, The Deepest Night by Shannon Abe

Hour 16:
Currently Reading: My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson, The Deepest Night by Shannon Abe
Pages read last hour: 74
Time read: 45 mins

Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 15 mins

Where I read: living room chair
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan, My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson

Reading this hour:  The Deepest Night by Shannon Abe

And with that I'm heading to bed to read a little while and then fall asleep.  I'll see everyone in the morning!

Hour 17:
Currently Reading: The Deepest Night by Shannon Abe
Pages read last hour: 32
Time read: 35 mins

Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 15 mins
Time spent trying to go to sleep: 10 mins

Where I read: in bed
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan, My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson

Reading this hour:  The Deepest Night by Shannon Abe

So I thought I was going to bed, but my body has other ideas, so I'm back up for now until my sleeping pill finally kicks in.  But I have to admit, this is the only time I ever don't mind being back up since the read-a-thon is still going!

Hour 18:
Currently Reading: The Deepest Night by Shannon Abe
Pages read last hour: 48
Time read: 40 mins

Time spent blogging/visiting blogs/twitter/mini-challenge: 10 mins

Where I read: living room chair
Books finished so far: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, Allure by Lea Nolan, My Own Miraculous by Joshilyn Jackson

Reading this hour:  I'm going to bed!  Barely kept my eyes open the last few minutes so hopefully I will sleep now.  I do think this is the latest I have ever stayed up for the read-a-thon!

Notes:
First hour passed quickly.  I set a chapter goal then a blog visiting goal and finished up the hour reading.  Onto hour 2, but first a fresh cup of coffee this hour and some breakfast!

Did the Book Tunes mini-challenge and this hour passed even faster.  Didn't get as many pages read, but the book is getting good. Slightly more predictable than the earlier ones, but then again I think this is the 9th one I've read in a row.  They are still fun though.  Ditched the coffee for Diet Dr. Pepper and had some yummy butter & honey toast (g-free bread).  Onto hour 3!

More reading & I think I have two left on A Puzzling mini-challenge.  Brief break to deal with arguing boys, such fun.  Now I think I'm ready to head outside to my hammock and read without distractions for the next hour.

Lots of reading during hour 4, didn't make it to hammock but will during next hour. It's nice outside, cloudy but comfortable, perfect for the hammock.

Crappy hour for reading, but I finished my first book!  This hour I am headed out to the hammock with hopefully no interruptions!

Yay for hammock reading hour and for Allure sucking me in from the beginning.  I loved Conjure so I can't wait for more of Emma, Jack, Cooper & Ms. Delia's adventure.  Love the hoodoo aspect and I'm working on pronouncing Beaufort the SC way, LOL (everyone pronounces the NC Beaufort, which is where I live the SC way it seems)!

Hour 7 was sabotaged by cell phone issues.   Realized I hadn't heard from hunting husband and went to text him to check on him and found the phones not working.  Ugh!

Yay for another good reading hour.  Hour 8 was spent mostly reading.  Now a quick run to the grocery store for goodies for supper and I'll be back at it!

Mini-Challenges:
Introductory Questionnaire - complete (not a challenge, but it's a read-a-thon related post)
Book Tunes Mini-challenge - complete
A Puzzling mini-challenge  - complete
Mad Libs mini-challenge - complete
Mid-Event Survey - complete - see above
Best of 2013 mini-challenge - complete
Audio Book Dream Date mini-challenge - complete
Cheap Thrills mini-challenge - complete (my choice, The Skull Ring by Scott Nicholson, $2.99)
Bookish Travels mini-challenge - complete (my choice Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran)