WHOLLY BOOKS!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday (58)

1:18 AM | Posted by Ashley G. |

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!

Ten Characters I Would Want with Me on a Deserted Island

1. Katniss (The Hunger Games)- Pretty sure she would be on almost everyone's list. I mean why would't you want her there with you??

2. Elizabeth Bennett(Pride and Prejudice)- I think Lizzie and I would really hit it off and I would become besties!

3. Adrian Ivashkov (Vampire Academy/Bloodlines)- Adrian is my book soulmate and I know if we were stranded on a deserted island he would realize it too!

4. Josh Bennett (The Sea of Tranquility)- In case Adrian doesn't realize it, it's always good to have a back up plan. Plus, then I would have the same last name as my bestie! It would be almost like we were sisters!

5, 6, 7. Ash, Meghan, and Puck (The Iron Fey)- These three would be great to have around for both practical purposes and entertainment purposes.

8, 9. Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)- Again, these two would be great to have around for practical and entertainment purposes.

10. Merit (Chicagoland Vampires)- All of her snark would be perfect for this group!

Now, when can we make this happen??

Labels:Top Ten Tuesday | 2 comments

Monday, July 21, 2014

Review: The Half Life of Molly Pierce

12:56 AM | Posted by Ashley G. |

Title: The Half Life of Molly Pierce
Author: Katrina Leno
Release Date: July 8, 204
Pages: 256
Publisher: Harper Teen
Rating: 5 Cows

Goodreads Description:

You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now—now I am remembering.

For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is an interesting read. I loved the concept. It was something different and I liked the way the author told the story.

The description on the back of the ARC gives aways some of the plot. I was happy to find that the description on Goodreads is different and doesn't give away as much. Despite this fact, I still felt there was a bit of mystery in the story. I had an idea of how the story was going to go but I still wasn't able to figure out exactly how everything was going to come together. I kept finding myself coming up with different theories on what was going to happen but still found myself surprised at how things ended up.

Molly was an extremely complex character. She had a lot going on. It was almost like a mystery or paranormal novel except it ends up being something else entirely. Why can't Molly remember parts of her life? Why does this strange guy know her name but she doesn't know his? Slowly, the missing pieces start showing up one by one. Molly has to solve the puzzle and put all the pieces together. She doesn't know who to trust and if she can even trust herself.

I loved Leno's writing style. The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a very easy to read book. It pulls you in from the start and the way that the book is written keeps you hooked. It's one of those books that feel as if you just picked it up but look down and you're already 100 pages in. It's a short book and it's completely feasible to read it in one sitting. I pretty much did.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is an excellent book. I loved the mystery, intrigue, concept and writing style. There really wasn't anything I didn't love. I highly reccommend this book to pretty much anyone!

Labels:5 cows,Review | 0 comments

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Review: The Things You Kiss Goodbye

11:20 PM | Posted by Ashley G. |

Title: The Things You Kiss Goodbye

Author: Leslie Conner

Pages: 368

Format: ARC

Release Date: June 24, 2014

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Rating: 4 Cows

Goodreads Description:

Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when basketball star Brady Cullen asks her out, and she just about faints when her strict father actually approves of him.

But when school starts up again, Brady changes. What happened to the sweet boy she fell in love with? Then she meets a smoldering guy in his twenties, and this “cowboy” is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina.

Bettina knows that breaking up with Brady would mean giving up her freedom—and that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between her and Cowboy. Still, she can’t help that she longs for the scent of his auto shop whenever she’s anywhere else.

When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.

Leslie Connor has written a lyrical, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about family, romance, and the immense power of love.

I must say this book genuinely surprised me. I really didn't pay too much attention to the description so I didn't really know what to expect. What I got wasn't what I was expecting but I'm okay with that.

I found Bettina to be a very interesting character due to her family heritage and the way she changed as a character. Bettina grew up in a strict household with strict rules. No dating. No staying after school. But after she meets Brady, things begin to change and as the rules change Bettina does as well. I could relate somewhat to Bettina. My dad was pretty strict growing up, not nearly as strict as Bettina's but strict enough. I may or may not have snuck out every now and then or told a few lies about where I was going and who with. I did get a little frustrated with Bettina when Brady started treating her badly. But I did enjoy seeing her family dynamic and her interactions with Cowboy. I also loved that she had no idea she was basically rich. She wasn't a spoiled rich kid and I loved that.

I liked Brady in the beginning. I thought he was a sweet, shy guy but somewhere along the way he became a complete jerk. I was taken off guard by his drastic change. I wanted to punch him several times and if I had been Bettina I would have.

Cowboy was lovable. He had a great personality and treated Bettina so well. I did find the way they met and talked to be a bit unusual but overall I enjoyed their relationship.

The Things You Kiss Goodbye was a relatively quick read for me. It's an average size book at 368 pages but I went through quickly. The pacing was good and held my attention throughout but really picked up at the end. The tragedy caught me completely off guard. I knew something was going to happen but I was surprised by what did.

The Things You Kiss Goodbye is a story about first love, first loss, finding yourself, and loving your family even when they make it impossibly difficult. An entertaining read!

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Chapter Excerpt: Faded by Chloe Miles

11:38 PM | Posted by Ashley G. |

Hey y'all! Today, I have a chapter excerpt from Faded (The Faded Trilogy, Book 1) by Chloe Miles. Also, be sure to enter the giveaway at the end!

Hope y'all enjoy!!

Chapter Excerpt - Faded (The Faded Trilogy, Book 1)

It was just as stunning out there as it was inside the hall. A string of lights adorned the fancy stone railing, and little square trees formed a hedge along the inside of it.

Hunter walked out into the middle and took a bow before he extended his hand to her. “Our own private dance floor.”

Savannah obligingly placed her hand in his. She couldn’t hold his hand like she could have in spirit form—she couldn’t take the risk in case somebody had seen her go out there—but Hunter could still hold hers all the same.

“It’s bad enough that I can’t be your proper date that everybody else can see you with,” he said as he twirled her around and then gently pulled her in closer, “but I didn’t want you to miss out on this part as well.”

“What do you mean a proper date?” she asked him. “Hunter, you’re still here to me. You’ve just faded a little, that’s all.”

A light dusting of snow had started falling above their heads, and Savannah lifted her eyes to see tiny romantic snowflakes falling only on them like their own little winter snow globe scene.

“I noticed their dance floor in there had a snow machine,” Hunter said as he watched the snowflakes fall above their heads before he let his eyes drift back down to hers. “I can do better than that.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Savannah caught a tiny snowflake as it landed gently on her hand. It might not have been really snowing like how Madison had wanted it to, but it was still romantic.

“This night is perfect,” she whispered as she placed her arms around his transparent shoulders, “because you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” he said. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me, and I knew how important this was to you.”

Savannah looked back up at the falling snow.

“You know how you said that I should forget about everything else and just be a normal girl tonight?” She shook her head to disagree before she had even said the words. “Normal is overrated. None of those other girls in there have real snow,” she whispered, “or you.”

Hunter gently twirled her around again before she held both her hands up to his. Their hands were barely touching, but that was good enough for her. Hunter was hers. She didn’t need anybody else to be able to see him to know that.

“Those other guys in there may be alive and have youth on their side,” he whispered as his eyes drifted to her lips, “but I’m the luckiest guy here tonight.”

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Monday, July 14, 2014

Lover, Divine Blog Tour: Spotlight & Giveaway

7:00 AM | Posted by Ashley G. |

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for LOVER, DIVINE by A. Star

July 8th Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace REVIEW

July 9th Rose’s Book Corner 10 RANDOM THINGS

July 10th Blissful Book Reviews REVIEW

July 11th TMBA Corbett Writes REVIEW

July 13th Coffee, Books and Art THIS OR THAT

July 14th Wholly Books SPOTLIGHT

July 15th Annette the Wicked BOOK EXCERPT

July 16th Simplistic Reviews REVIEW

July 17th Me, My Shelf and I REVIEW
July 18th Jean Book Nerd TENS LIST

LOVER, DIVINE

Mythos: Gods & Lovers #1
Author A. Star

For fans of the Oracle of Delphi series…and for those who aren’t…

Born into one of the wealthiest families in Ireland, Siobhan Law has status, privilege, and a secret: The Greek gods of Olympus and their kingdom in the clouds are real, and her family acts as one of their agents on Earth.

When the beautiful immortal celeste Liam Argyros shows up claiming to have come to Earth to deal in the affairs of the divine, Siobhan finds herself unable to resist his charms. New to the game of passion and seduction, she quickly ends up in over her head, sinking deeper with every attempt Liam makes to win her over.

But Liam’s divine mission is far more complex than she ever imagined and nothing is truly as it seems. Because Liam has a secret of his own: He is Apollo, Olympian god of the Sun, and his mission will never be complete until he has claimed Siobhan’s heart forever.

WARNING: For readers 18+ only. Contains adult language and sexual situations.

Amazon | Barnes&Noble

PRAISE FOR LOVER, DIVINE

Lisa at My Favorite Things – 4 STARS “The story is a steamy tale of the unconventional relationship between two destined lovers and the repercussions of divine love.” Read more…

Stephanie at Bookfever – 5 STARS “Surprising, funny, sexy, amazing…there aren’t enough words to sum up Lover,Divine.” Read more…

Carrie at The Mad Reviewer – 5 STARS “The best part of the whole book was that it was completely character-driven.” Read more…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A. Star is a fan of dirty passion. She likes to read it, and she damn sure likes to write it. Her first adult romance/fantasy novella is called Invasion, an alien romance about sacrifice. Lover, Divine is the first release from the Mythos: Gods and Loversseries. Future releases under A. Star include, King, Desired (Mythos: Gods and Lovers #2), the Love & Steampunk series, the Purr, Inc. stories, and more.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

One winner will get an amazing prize pack from author A. Star, including:
- Copies of LOVER, DIVINE and PROPHECY OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
- A Swag Pack
- $10.00 Starbucks Gift Card
- and book related jewelry!

Must be 18+ to enter | Ships in US only

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Earthquake Blog Tour: Ten Even More Random Things about Aprilynne

7:00 AM | Posted by Ashley G. |

EARTHQUAKE
Earthbound #2
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: July 8th 2014

SYNOPSIS

Tavia Michaels has discovered that she’s an Earthbound—a fallen goddess with the power to remake the Earth—and that a rival faction of Earthbounds, the Reduciata, has created a virus that is literally wiping swaths of the planet out of existence.

Tavia is captured and imprisoned before she can act on this information, along with her eternal lover, Logan. Huddled in a claustrophobic cell, they lose track of the days, their attempts to escape proving as ephemeral as Tavia’s newly gestating powers. But then Tavia and Logan are mysteriously rescued. . . .

They’re brought to the underground headquarters of the Curatoria, another group of Earthbounds that Tavia doesn’t fully trust. There, she’s told that she can save the Earth before it disappears. She agrees.

Tavia quickly realizes that she isn’t like other Earthbound, and as her abilities continue to awaken, they begin to threaten her centuries-long relationship with Logan. When Benson—Tavia’s former best friend and romantic interest—appears at Curatoria headquarters, Tavia will again have to make a choice about who to be with even as she tries to stop the virus that is destroying the world and uncover the truth about the two Earthbound organizations that have her tangled up in their webs.

Goodreads I Amazon I B&N

10 Even More Random Things About Aprilynne Pike

1.) I started wearing glasses when I was five. Coke bottle glasses. People often gasp when they find out what my prescription is. (-8.5) Related, I started wearing contact lenses when I was twelve. I still happily wear them now.:)

2.) I used to be a gymnast. Sadly, my parents moved to a tiny town in Idaho when I was a freshman in high school and no gymnastics studios existed there. At all. Still don’t, as far as I know.

3.) I hate going to the dentists. Hate it, hate, it hate it! In fact, I hate even the idea of anyone touching my teeth. Bleh!

4.) I sucked my thumb till I was eight. Oddly, not a single one of my children ever sucked their thumbs. Not even as babies.

5.) People love my very, very straight hair that doesn’t misbehave even in heavy humidity, but the truth is, the more kids I had, the less it would hold a curl and it barely even curls under these days. I wish I had wavy hair.

6.) I don’t like to wear patterns. I wear all solid colors and have to frequently remind myself to buy something other than black. I blame Neil Gaiman.;)

7.) I am terrible with names. Even people I am relatedto I will sometimes hesitate and think desperately, “What is their name? What is their name?” I forget my characters’ names in books, and the phrase,“Whatsherface” is frequent in my conversations. I’m excellent at remembering faces. Names? No.

8.) I am a seriously carnivore; my husband is a borderline vegetarian. When we go out to eat out server frequently swaps our meals. “No, no, the steak is mine, the salad is his.”

9.) I like either super milk chocolate, or 90% dark chocolate. I’m not much of a fan of anything in the middle.

10.) The fastest I’ve ever finished a book is thirty-eight days. The slowest is six and a half years. Most of my books fall somewhere in the middle.

About The Author:

Aprilynne Pike has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Utah, and dreams of warmer climates. Aprilynne Pike’s #1 New York Times best-selling debut, WINGS, is the first of four books about a seemingly ordinary girl with a not-so-ordinary destiny. In this tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever…

Aprilynne’s Facebook page I Website

Labels:blog tour | 1 comments

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday (57)

10:49 AM | Posted by Ashley G. |

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!

My Blogging Confessions

1. I am horrible about commenting on other blogs. I do try to read several blogs regularly and I do visit other posts that seem interesting that I follow or subscribe to but I rarely comment. I keep trying to get better at it but just can’t seem to.

2. I am socially awkward. I’m not talking about IRL but on social media. I want to talk to people on twitter and facebook but a lot of times I don’t because I’m scared they won’t reply. Also, I rarely have anything interesting to post. I see all of these interesting tweets by other people but I can’t seem to get the hang of it.

3. I don’t request many ARCs. Seriously, I think I have requested four physical ARCs this year and two of them I requested just yesterday and the other two were books by the same author. I have found when I have a lot of books that I feel like I have to read it makes me not want to read at all. I’m trying to get over but it’s a slow process. I do get some ARCs through blog tours, conferences, giveaways or netgalley but I don’t request many from the publisher.

4. I am terrible about answering emails. I read all of them and most of the time I fully intend to reply but usually I am on my phone when I read them and I hate my phone because it acts stupid whenever I try to type (or do anything on it for that matter) then I forget about it. I feel really bad about it.

5. The number of books I listen to has surpassed the number of books I actually read these days. I have cut way back on my reading and amped up the number of audiobooks I listen to. I love audiobooks because I can do that while I am doing other things (usually driving or chores around the house).

6. Sometimes, I am a lazy blogger. There are a lot of days that I just don’t feel like putting forth the effort to create a post. I wanted to have a post everyday and stressed out when I didn’t but finally decided that I didn’t need to. I finally realized that if I don’t feeling like posting something then I don’t have to. As long as I post what I have committed to posting then I am fine.

7. I am amazed at how much time a lot of bloggers spend on their blogs. I look at certain blogs and how many posts they do and am completely amazed. I have no idea where they get the time and energy to do all of it.

8. I don’t have a calendar. I know a lot of bloggers use a calendar to keep up with what they need to post and when but I don’t. I tried to for a while but I never could get the hang of it so I stopped.

9. I am rarely have posts scheduled more than a day or two in advance. I have heard certain bloggers say that they have a month of posts scheduled but that’s not me. I am so jealous of those bloggers!!

10. I have thought about quitting. There have been several times where I thought about quitting. In the end I just loved reading and sharing my love for books too much to actually quit.

There are my confessions!! What are some of yours?

Labels:Top Ten Tuesday | 3 comments