Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine. A spin-off of the meme called "Can't Wait Wednesday" is now hosted at Wishful Endings. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Hummingbird Dagger

by Cindy Anstey

hitting shelves April 16th 2019  

from Swoon Reads

A brother and sister are caught up in a deadly mystery after they take in a young woman who lost her memory in a near-fatal carriage accident in this YA thriller from the author of Love, Lies and Spies.

1833. After young Lord James Ellerby witnesses a near-fatal carriage accident on the outskirts of his estate, he doesn't think twice about bringing the young woman injured in the wreck to his family's manor to recuperate. But then she finally regains consciousness only to find that she has no memory of who she is or where she belongs. Her only clue to her identity is a gruesome recurring nightmare about a hummingbird dripping blood from its steel beak.

With the help of James and his sister Caroline, Beth—as she takes to calling herself—slowly begins to unravel the mystery behind her identity and the nefarious circumstances that brought her to their door. But the dangerous secrets they discover in doing so could have deadly ramifications reaching the highest tiers of London society.

My thoughts:  Oh, I know this one is ridiculously far off, but I'm already crazy with anticipation! Love the sounds of the creepy Victorian London mystery and I have to admit that I was first drawn to this one by it's gorgeous cover---it gives me some major Jackaby feels! I can't wait to immerse into all the danger and lost memories and nightmares...this sounds incredible!

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius {review+giveaway}

Love Charms and Other Catastrophes
by Kim Karalius
♦publisher: Swoon Reads
♦release date: May 17th, 2016
♦paperback, 384 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Grimbaud, book 2
  review of book 1: Love Fortunes and Other Disasters
♦source: ARC from publisher for honest review

Sometimes love comes gift-wrapped…literally.

Aspiring love-charm maker Hijiri Kitamura was excited to come back to Grimbaud for her sophomore year—until she learned about the upcoming charm-making competition. She, along with her friends and fellow rebels, had worked too hard to free the town from Zita’s tyrannical love fortunes to allow some other charm maker to move in and take over. The only solution is for Hijiri to win the contest herself.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, especially when Love itself has decided to meddle in Hijiri’s life. Concerned that its favorite charm maker has given up on finding a love of her own, Love delivers a very special gift—the perfect boyfriend, specially crafted just for her. 

Review: After venturing into the world of Grimbaud for the first time in Love Fortunes and Other Disasters last year, I must say I couldn't wait for a return visit.  I missed all of these characters and this incredibly quirky town. I don't think they're any better word for it. The world building is thorough and impeccable, but absolutely kooky and quirky in the best way.  

This time around, the focus is on the shy and quiet Hijiri. She's a love charm maker whose never been in love. She suffers from social anxiety and absentee parents, so I really felt for her when she has to really put herself out there for very public scrutiny and also when Love throws her a very bizarre curveball to put her to the test. The really slow-building romance in this one is, without a doubt, like nothing I've ever read before. It's odd and unsure and she is very rightfully hesitant to fall for Ken's adoration of her, considering the bizarre way he pops into her life. He's still quite the awkward charmer though, so it was fun to see it all unfold, but also frustrating that no matter how he tried to prove himself, she held him at arm's length with her need to "solve" him.  His bit of backstory also took me quite by surprise! I also loved how Hijiri's relationship with her parents and her need for something solid and reliable affected her ability to really let herself love. 

The competition added a fun spin to the story and I loved the magic and how each charm was created. It added a whole slew of new and interesting players to the story! It's a very twisty plot, as much as if not more so that the first book.  Karalius definitely loves to throw in those really crazy plot turns that take the story in a whole new direction. There were definitely some moments that I felt were a bit draggy and I felt like other than Fallon and the twins, we don't get quite enough of the rest of the wonderful characters (please can we have a Nico-centric book?? LOL), but overall, the story is great fun, shot through with some really heart-tugging surprises.  I'm not sure if there will be more, but if there is, I'm definitely there for them!

Lastly, I have to mention this quote! This was the first time in a long time that a book quote made me stop and read it again and again before my heart would let me go on! :D

To change lives and get to the root of love, there must be tears. There must be anger, jealousy, and hopelessness, she thought. Use them sparingly, but use them. Those are the feelings that invite change, whether we like them or not. 

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kimberly Karalius is the author of "Love Fortunes and Other Disasters" and its sequel, "Love Charms and Other Catastrophes". She holds an MFA in fiction from the University of South Florida and has been sharing stories on Figment.com with a strong following of enthusiastic readers since the site s inception. Although Kimberly lives in sunny Florida, she prefers to stay indoors and sometimes buys a scarf in the hopes of snow. She loves watching really old cartoons and silent films. Being in Florida certainly has one big perk: going to Disney World. Which she does. Frequently. 

Kimberly holds an MFA in fiction from the University of South Florida. Her fiction has appeared in literary journals such as Luna Station Quarterly, The Medulla Review, andHogglepot. Her chapbook, Pocket Forest, was published by Deathless Press in August 2013.

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •  INSTAGRAM

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

GIVEAWAY!

I want to spread the love!!
Guys these fun books are all about love, in all it's crazy shapes and forms. So I want to give one person out there a copy of both books in this series! One winner will get a finished copies of Love Fortunes and Other Disasters and Love Charms and Other Catastrophes!
Open internationally! :)
Enter below by August 5th, 2016

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Traveler

by L.E. DeLano

hitting shelves February 7, 2017

from Swoon Reads

Jessa has spent her life dreaming of other worlds and writing down stories more interesting than her own, until the day her favorite character, Finn, suddenly shows up and invites her out for coffee. After the requisite nervous breakdown, Jessa learns that she and Finn are Travelers, born with the ability to slide through reflections and dreams into alternate realities.

But it’s not all steampunk pirates and fantasy lifestyles…Jessa is dying over and over again, in every reality, and Finn is determined that this time, he’s going to stop it… this Jessa is going to live.

My thoughts:  Sorry, people, I tried to wait a little closer to publication to pick this one, but I loooove that cover and I need to have the loveliness gracing my blog! ♥.♥  Not to mention the story sounds fantastic. Oh, it's not all steampunk pirates and fantasy?? Because I would have read it just for that. :)  My only sadness is that Swoon Reads only publish in paperback--because this beauty definitely deserves hardcover glory. 

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Love Charms and Other Catastrophes

by Kimberly Karalius

hitting shelves May 17th, 2016

from Swoon Reads

Aspiring love charm maker Hijiri Kitamura was excited to come back to Grimbaud for her sophomore year-until she learns about the upcoming charm making competition. Grimbaud has just started to recover from the tyranny of Zita's love fortunes and it would be too easy for the winning charm maker to take Zita's place. The only solution is for Hijiri, with the support of her friends and fellow rebels, to win the contest herself.

Unfortunately, that's easier said than done, especially when Love itself has decided to meddle in Hijiri's life. Concerned that it's favorite charm maker has given up on finding a boyfriend of her own, Love takes matters into its own hands and delivers the perfect boyfriend to her in a giftwrapped box...literally.

Get ready to be charmed by this magical, quirky sequel to Love Fortunes and Other Disasters.

My thoughts: Check out my review of Love Fortunes and other Disasters and you'll see why I'm so eager to get back to the world of Grimbaud!!  So excited to see this one focuses on Hijiri! :D

Love Fortunes and Other Disasters : Blog Tour Review & Giveaway!

Today I am thrilled to kick off the blog tour for Love Fortunes and Other Disasters!  This book is super adorable, both inside and out (the cover!! So perfect) so you definitely don't want to miss out on this one! My review is below and also a giveaway for your own copy!

Love Fortunes and Other Disasters
by Kimberly Karalius
♦publisher: Swoon Reads
♦release date: May 15th, 2015
♦paperback, 368 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone

Love is real in the town of Grimbaud, and Fallon Dupree has dreamed of attending high school there for years. After all, generations of Duprees have successfully followed the (100% accurate!) love fortunes from Zita’s famous Love Charms Shop to happily marry their high school sweethearts. It’s a tradition. So she is both stunned and devastated when her fortune states that she will NEVER find love.

Fortunately, Fallon isn’t the only student with a terrible love fortune, and a rebellion is brewing. Fallon is determined to take control of her own fate—even if it means working with a notorious heartbreaker like Sebastian.

Will Fallon and Sebastian be able to overthrow Zita’s tyranny and fall in love?

Review: Fallon Dupree lives in a town where Love rules the hearts, superstitions, and lives of its people.  Every person puts all their faith in Zita’s love fortunes, good or bad. But when Fallon is doomed with the fortune of a completely loveless life, she is brought into a small secret group of others with bad fortunes and they start the wheels turning on a revolution against the fates they’ve been dealt.

This was such a fun read!  I was completely surprised by the amount of magical realism here as I admit I was expecting something a little more straight-forward contemporary.  The writing style was a little hard to get used to at first, but once I settled in, I loved the unique and quirky style and found it suited the story and its characters so well.  A sweet and slow burning love story builds as Fallon sorts out her reluctant feelings for Sebastian, a boy she only knows previously from the string of crying girls he leaves in his wake.  He’s hesitant to reveal his fortune and why he has joined the rebellion, but as they grow closer and the truth comes out, their mission to overthrow Zita becomes a dangerous matter of life or death.

There is an absolute heap of interesting characters wound into this story, and a wonderful array of different love stories among Fallon and her friends. I think my favorite was the story of Nico and Martin---the story of how he first started crushing on him was the most swoon-worthy of all!  I also loved how they even reached out to the group of spinsters and bachelors who gave in the fortunes they’d been dealt long ago---and sparked something in them as well!

This one is such a charmer. Magic and mystery, danger, deception, and love---this was not the light fluffy love story I thought I was getting into it—it’s better!

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

If you gave her a wish bone, Kimberly would wish fervently for snow in Florida. Her love for 90s cartoons (or any cartoons, really) knows no bounds. She might be the only person you know who can be completely engrossed in watching silent films. Being in Florida certainly has one big perk: going to Disney World. Which she does. Frequently. 

Kimberly holds an MFA in fiction from the University of South Florida. Her fiction has appeared in literary journals such as Luna Station Quarterly, The Medulla Review, and Hogglepot. Her chapbook, POCKET FOREST, was published by Deathless Press in August 2013.

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •  INSTAGRAM

GIVEAWAY!
The awesome people at Swoon Reads are letting me spread the love!
Enter the giveaway to get your own lovely copy! :D
•US mailing addresses only please.
•Ends  May 15th, 2015

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget to pop around to the rest of the tour stops! 

5/1: Stories and Sweeties

5/4: Endlessly Reading & Word Spelunking

5/5: Lost in Literature

5/6: The Escapist

5/7: Jasmine Pearl Reads

5/8: Book Rook Reviews

5/11: Bumbles and Fairytales

               5/12: Books & Cleverness

Save Me by Jenny Elliott {guest review}

Save Me
by Jenny Elliott
♦publisher: Swoon Reads
♦release date: January 6, 2015
♦paperback, 309 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦source: from publisher for honest review
♦review by: Amy

Something strange is going on in the tiny coastal town of Liberty, Oregon. Cara has never seen a whale swim close enough for her to touch it—let alone knock her into the freezing water. Fortunately, cute newcomer David is there to save her, and the rescue leads to a bond deeper than Cara ever imagined.

But then she learns something about David that changes everything, and Cara is devastated. She turns to her best friend for support, but Rachel has changed. She’s suddenly into witchcraft, and is becoming dangerously obsessed with her new boyfriend….

Cara has lost her best friend, discovered that her soul mate is off limits, and has attracted the attention of a stalker. But she’s not completely alone. Her mysterious, gorgeous new friend Garren is there to support her. But is Garren possibly too perfect?

Review: Fall in love with the beauty of the sea, forbidden love, and paranormal mystery. Cara’s life is surrounded by that of which she loves the most, the gray whales, off the Oregon coast. For Cara, on one fateful day, her life takes a drastic turn, when separate accidents bestow two guys into her life.

Cara usually spends her days whale watching and working for Liberty Charters, but the day David arrives for a tour, her life is never the same again. Cara can’t believe her luck, having a cute guy on board, and even more amazing, she is finally able to touch a gray whale when it swims port side. Then, before she knows, Cara is overboard swimming for her life. By chance, David is there to save her, instantly forming a connection between the two of them, as if they are meant to be.  With her thoughts spinning over the day, Cara never expected to back out of the parking lot and hit a stranger named Garren, throwing yet, another beautiful guy into her life.

Cara never expected, to see both the guys, on the first day of school, spiraling her world out of control. Now, brimming with the choice between two affections, one guy, both mysterious and beautiful; and the other, gorgeous and even providential, yet completely off limits.
Needing her best friend now more than ever before, Cara turns to Rachel for help, only to discover she has developed an overnight infatuation with another boy. With nowhere else to turn, Cara opens her heart and her friendship to Garren, who always seems to be there at the right time, with all the right answers.

Quickly, Cara’s world turns for the worse, as Rachel becomes withdrawn from their friendship. Solace can’t be found anywhere and all Cara can think about is having David’s arms around her. However, discovering the truth behind the turn of events threatens Cara’s life, throwing her life into a deadly mix of witchcraft, curses, forbidden love, and danger. Garren might be the only one who can save her, but is it their love that is meant to be, or the love she that felt with David?

With a paranormal twist on fate and love, Jenny Elliott captures the heart ache of a love that is found too soon, along with the dangers of dabbling in curses and witchcraft. Save Me, takes readers into a fast paced, thrilling ride on land, as well as on the water.

While the book captivated me at first, the quick turn to demonic entities, possession and witchcraft, took the story on many twists and turns, ultimately leaving me wishing for Cara to be able to stand for herself. Jealousy and revenge, find a way to rear their ugly head, as the theme quickly changes to sabotage and possession, taking the faced paced storyline, down a dark and slippery slope.

Find Jenny Elliott online:   Twitter  •  Facebook

Puchase Save Me: Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Save Me

by Jenny Elliot

hitting shelves January 15, 2015 from Swoon Reads

description: Witches, stalkers, a forbidden soul mate—even her guardian angel might have trouble saving Cara in this thrilling Swoon Reads romance!

Something strange is going on in the tiny coastal town of Liberty, Oregon. Cara has never seen a whale swim close enough for her to touch it—let alone knock her into the freezing water. Fortunately, cute newcomer David is there to save her, and the rescue leads to a bond deeper than Cara ever imagined.

But then she learns something about David that changes everything, and Cara is devastated. She turns to her best friend for support, but Rachel has changed. She’s suddenly into witchcraft, and is becoming dangerously obsessed with her new boyfriend.

Cara has lost her best friend, discovered that her soul mate is off limits, and has attracted the attention of a stalker. But she’s not completely alone. Her mysterious, gorgeous new friend Garren is there to support her. But is Garren possibly too perfect?

My thoughts: From the vibe in the description, I can't decide if this will be cool and creepy, or a little on the fluffy side but still a fun read!  :) Either way, this is definitely going on my tbr. And OH, look at that gorgeous cover.