The Impossible Vastness of Us, Samantha Young – Blog Tour

June 27, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Blog Tours, Reviews 1 Comment

From New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young comes a story of friendship, identity, and acceptance that will break your heart—and make it whole again. Order your copy of THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US today!

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About THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US:

“I know how to watch my back. I’m the only one that ever has.”

India Maxwell hasn’t just moved across the country—she’s plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It’s taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she’s living in one of Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods with her mom’s fiancé and his daughter, Eloise. Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister’s clique of friends, including Eloise’s gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.

But India’s not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school’s golden couple, aren’t all they seem to be. In fact, everyone’s life is infinitely more complex than it first appears. And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what’s left are truths that are brutal, beautiful, and big enough to change them forever…

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*ARC received as a part of a blog tour. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

The Impossible Vastness of Us follows the story of three teenagers – India, Finn & Eloise – and their journey of growing up. India is uprooted from her home to move to live with her mom and her high society fiance. She has to leave everything behind, everything she worked so hard for – her friends, her school, but mostly her stellar reputation on the top of the high school food chain that she spent years building. And then, it’s a new world for her because her stepdad is loaded and she’s never had so much money and because suddenly, she’s at the bottom of the high school food chain, with her stepsister, Eloise, and her boyfriend, Finn, at the top. She doesn’t particularly like Eloise and she starts to develop feelings for Finn, but as she spends more time in her new home and school, she learns that not everything is as perfect as it is being portrayed and she’s not the only one with life changing secrets.

What I like about India is that she is so resilient and strong. She’s been dealt a shitty hand and she makes the best of it. She stands up in the face of adversity and I love how strong she is. I admire her for being able to get up and do daily, mundane things such as going to school in face of what has happened to her. I don’t want to get into it a whole lot because I think it’s better read than said. I really, really, really liked reading about her. She’s an amazing MC.

Then, there’s Finn – the broody, mysterious guy, who also happens to be her step sister’s boyfriend. But, Finn & India fall for each other and of course, Finn has a secret too. His life isn’t as perfect as he’d like people to believe. His story is as heartbreaking as India’s and I’m really glad they had each other through the story. I mean, they’re such an adorable couple! I ship them, okay? I ship them hard. They’re amazing together. I love it.

The themes in this book were so on point. Not everyone has a perfect life and there’s so many bad things and obstacles. I love that. All the characters were multi faceted and there was so much to everyone’s story than what was on the surface. They were all complicated and flawed. Some characters I loved and some I hated, but they were all amazingly written and I loved how they were portrayed. Young has done an incredible job with that. Kudos to her.

Yes, the drama got a little too much for me at times, but I still loved the story and I was so hooked on knowing what was happening and why it was happening. So, points for being a page turner.

What I love about this is the open ending. It wasn’t all wrapped in a present with an HEA and the characters had a long way to go still, but they had changed so much from the beginning of the story and I love that. I mean, it was completely fitting to end the story on that note. I would have liked a more definitive ending in terms of the romance, but there are no guarantees in life and I was pretty okay with it.

All in all, this was a great coming of age story and I really enjoyed the journey these characters took.

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“This is Jay,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest in defiance at the stern look on her face.

I hated when she acted like she gave a crap.

“I don’t care who he is.” Hayley tried to fry his ass with her eyes. “You can leave.”

Jay stared back at her with as much defiance as I did, making me like him more. He turned to me and pressed a slow, intimate kiss to the corner of my mouth. “See you at school, babe.”

He laughed at the mischief in my eyes.

I waited until he’d brushed by Hayley without a word and I heard the front door close behind him. “Nice. Thanks.”

Hayley’s dark eyes narrowed into slits. “Don’t talk to me like that. I’m tired, it’s been a long day and now I come home and find my daughter being mauled by some walking hormone. Am I supposed to be happy that you’re dating some guy who looks like he’s seen the inside of prison more than once?”

“We’re not dating. We’re just fooling around.”

“Oh, well, then, why am I so upset?” She threw her hands up in exasperation.

“Hayley.”

She flinched, like she always flinched when I called her by her name (so she flinched a lot). “Don’t ‘Hayley’ me. I have a right to be upset about this.”

“Don’t be. I’m not serious about him. And I’m not getting pregnant. Anyway, you’re home early.”

“They put me on a shorter flight.” She dumped her purse on the couch as she moved farther into the room. “We’ll discuss Jay later. I need to tell you something.”

I tensed. “Yeah?”

She stared pensively at me for a few seconds before finally taking a seat by my side. “I’ve met someone.”

Dread instantly filled me.

Scrutinizing me for a reaction and getting none, Hayley smiled reassuringly. “He’s wonderful. His name is Theo and he has a daughter who’s actually your age. He lives in Boston. We met on one of my flights out there.”

My stomach churned. “How long?”

“Several months ago.”

“I knew something was going on,” I muttered.

“I’m sorry I kept it from you for so long… I just wanted to make sure it was real between us.”

“And is it?”

“Very much so. We’ve fallen in love.”

“That’s some long-distance relationship.”

“I stay with him when I fly out there. I see him as often as possible.”

I snorted. “And you think he’s faithful all the times you’re not around?”

“Don’t.” She cut a hand through the air. “Those are your trust issues, India. Not mine.”

My blood boiled with indignation. She was completely naïve if she thought for one second this guy wasn’t’ a loser. She had chosen badly before, after all. I had a right to the dread that was making me feel sick.

“I just wanted to give you a heads-up that it’s serious.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means that if this is going where I think it’s going, then that might mean a big life change for us.”

Oh, hell.

I stared at her in horror.

Hayley sighed wearily at the expression I wasn’t even trying to conceal. “I’m going to make a cup of tea. I’m tired so we’ll talk about Jay another time.” She turned but then stopped to stare at me sadly. “Thanks for being so happy for me, by the way.”

That didn’t even deserve a response.

There was a time Hayley couldn’t give a damn about my happiness. I felt it only fair that I feel apathetic now about hers.

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Samantha Young’s THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US – Review & Excerpt Tour

June 19^th

BookWorm221 – Review & Excerpt

Clare’s Mad About Books – Review & Excerpt

Joyful Shimmy – Review & Excerpt

Little Red’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Naturally Nerdy Books – Review & Excerpt

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book Boyfriends – Review & Excerpt

June 20^th

Beware Of The Reader – Review & Excerpt

Books For The Living – Review

Kindle and Me – Review & Excerpt

Melissa’s Book Obsession – Review

The Color Project, Sierra Abrams – Blog Tour

June 26, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Blog Tours, Reviews 1 Comment

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Bernice Aurora Wescott has one thing she doesn’t want anyone to know: her name. That is, until Bee meets Levi, the local golden boy who runs a charity organization called The Color Project.

Levi is not at all shy about attempting to guess Bee’s real name; his persistence is one of the many reasons why Bee falls for him. But while Levi is everything she never knew she needed, giving up her name would feel like a stamp on forever. And that terrifies her.

When unexpected news of an illness in the family drains Bee’s summer of everything bright, she is pushed to the breaking point. Losing herself in The Color Project—a world of weddings, funerals, cancer patients, and hopeful families that the charity funds—is no longer enough. Bee must hold up the weight of her family, but to do that, she needs Levi. She’ll have to give up her name and let him in completely or lose the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

For fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson, THE COLOR PROJECT is a story about the three great loves of life—family, friendship, and romance—and the bonds that withstand tragedy.

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Such A Good Girl, Amanda K. Morgan – Blog Tour

June 25, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Blog Tours, Reviews 2 Comments

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Things to know about Riley Stone:

Riley Stone is just about perfect. (Ask anyone.)
She has a crush on her French teacher, Alex Belrose. (And she suspects he likes her, too.)
Riley has her entire life planned out. (The plan is nonnegotiable.)
She’s never had a secret she couldn’t keep. (Not ever.)
Riley is sure that her life is on the right track. (And nothing will change that.)
She’s nothing like a regular teenager. (But she doesn’t have any problem admitting that.)
Riley doesn’t usually play games. (But when she does, shealways wins.)

She thinks a game is about to start…
But Riley always has a plan…
And she always wins.

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Read, Write, Love at Seaside, Addison Cole – Blog Tour

June 21, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Blog Tours, Reviews 4 Comments

Start reading FREE with Read, Write, Love at Seaside!

READ, WRITE, LOVE AT SEASIDE

Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers #1

Addison Cole

Releasing June 14th, 2017

Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers features a group of fun, flirty, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re sassy, flawed, and so easy to relate to, you’ll be begging to enter their circle of friends! Start reading FREE with Read, Write, Love at Seaside!

In READ, WRITE, LOVE at SEASIDE…
Bestselling author Kurt Remington lives to write. He spends twelve hours a day in front of his computer, rarely leaving the seclusion of his beach-front property, where he’s come to finish his latest thriller — that is, until free-spirited Leanna Bray nearly drowns in the ocean trying to save her dog. Kurt’s best-laid plans are shot to hell when he comes to their rescue. Kurt’s as irritated as he is intrigued by the sexy, hot mess of a woman who lives life on a whim, forgets everything, and doesn’t even know the definition of the word organized.Leanna’s come to the Cape hoping to find a fulfilling career in the jam-making business, and until she figures out her own life, a man is not on the menu. But Leanna can’t get the six-two, deliciously muscled and tragically neat Kurt out of her mind. She tells herself she’s just stopping by to say thank you, but the heart-warming afternoon sparks an emotional and unexpectedly sweet ride as Kurt and Leanna test the powers of Chemistry 101: Opposites Attract.

*Read, Write, Love at Seaside by Addison Cole is the sweet edition of New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster’s steamy romance novel Read, Write, Love. The stories and characters remain the same, and convey all of the passion you expect between two people in love, without any explicit scenes or harsh language.

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Read, Write, Love at Seaside is a sweet, toned down romance of the story Read, Write, Love by Melissa Foster. It features Kurt Remington, a mystery writer and Leanne Bray, an up and coming entrepreneur who makes her living by selling jams and jellies.

Kurt is visiting Cape Cod for the summer to his writing retreat so that he can finish his latest manuscript. There, he meets Leanne and the two quickly fall for each other. But, when the summer ends, Kurt has to go back to his life in New York and an amazing business opportunity is keeping Leanne on the island. So, will they able to work it through?

I loved this story. So much. I actually breezed through it in about 2.5 hours just before I sat down to review it. I absolutely adore Melissa Foster’s writing, so it was an amazing afternoon with me and my book and this amazing story! ❤

I really adore Kurt. He’s so sweet with Leanne and her friends. He’s all smiles and charm and is always helping them out with stuff and just hanging out with them so that Leanne doesn’t have chose between him and her friends, who are also visiting the island for the summer. I like that. He is also very thoughtful with Leanne’s dog, Pepper. It’s so cute to watch them. Leanne, Kurt & Pepper became this cute little family that I adored b the end of the story. They’re so freaking perfect together. I love how Kurt is always there for Leanne and how he’s proud of all her accomplishments with the business. He always supports her in all her endeavours and is helpful without being condescending. So, yes, I adore him.

And, then, there’s Leanne. She’s an outgoing free spirited girl who’s a walking chaos unlike Kurt who likes to keep his life organized to the tee. She’s smart and charming and driven. She’s a little unsure when it comes to her newfound business, but only because everything is new, but she isn’t hesitant to take the reigns and just give it her everything. I love how she makes time for her friends even though she’s in a new relationship. I mean, in all these novels we see how the main leads don’t spend anytime with their friends once they start dating and it was nice to see that that was not the case here.

All in all, this book was a fun read that I absolutely adored. The romance was so well written, the characters were amazing and the plot was believable. You should definitely pick it up if you’re a romance fan! 😀

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Leanna Bray was wet, cold, and floundering. Literally. She’d been floundering for twenty-eight years, so this was nothing new, but being pummeled by rain, wind, and waves, chasing a dog that never listened? That was new.

“Pepp—” A wave knocked her off her feet and she went under the water, taking a mouthful of saltwater along with her. She tumbled head down beneath the surface.

Now Pepper and I will both drown. Freaking perfect.

Something grabbed her arm, and she reflexively fought against it, sucking in another mouthful of salty water as she broke through the surface, arms flailing, choking, and pushing against the powerful hand that yanked her to her feet.

“You okay?” A deep, annoyed voice carried over the din of the crashing waves.

Cough. Cough. “Yeah. I—” Cough. Cough. “My dog.” She blinked and blinked, trying to clear the saltwater and rain from her eyes. The man’s mop of wet, dark hair came into focus. He held tightly to her arm while scanning the water in the direction of where she’d last seen Pepper. His clothes stuck to his body like a second skin, riding the ripples of his impressive chest and arms as he held her above the surface with one arm around her ribs.

“Come on.” She coughed as he plowed through the pounding surf with her clutched against his side. She slid down his body, and he lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her like he might carry a child, pressing her to his chest as he fought against the waves.

She pushed against his chest, feeling ridiculous and helpless…and maybe a little thankful, but she was ignoring that emotion in order to save Pepper.

“My dog! I need to get my dog!” she hollered.

Mr. Big, Tall, and Stoic didn’t say a word. He set her on the wet sand and tossed her a rain-soaked towel. “It was dry.” He pointed behind her to a wooden staircase. “Go up to the deck.”

She dropped the towel and plowed past him toward the water. “I gotta get my dog.”

He snagged her by the arm and glared at her with the brightest blue eyes she’d ever seen—and a stare so dark she swallowed her voice.

“Go.” He pointed to the stairs again. “I’ll get your dog.” He took a step toward the water, and she pushed past him again.

“You don’t have t—”

He scooped her into his arms again and carried her to the stairs.

Addison Cole is the sweet alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She writes humorous and emotional sweet contemporary romance. Her books do not include explicit sex scenes or harsh language. Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay.

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Breathe Again, Sydney Logan – Book Review

June 19, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Reviews Leave a comment

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Carrie Malone has seen enough heartbreak to last a lifetime.

Her family’s demons gave Carrie the courage to move away from home and leave her past behind. Now a college senior, she stays busy with her classes and her job at the diner. It may sound boring to some, but to Carrie, the very best thing about her new life is that every day is calm and blissfully uneventful.

That all changes the night Josh Bennett walks into her diner.

With his dirty designer suit and mud-caked shoes, Carrie’s not sure what to think about the broken man sitting at her counter. She’s even more confused when he doesn’t touch his coffee . . . and leaves his Rolex watch as a tip.

Josh Bennett has nothing to live for.

Starved for affection and deep in despair, he’s looking for a tender touch. A kind word. A giving heart.

A shattered and broken Josh finds himself standing on a city bridge, looking down into the freezing river that will undoubtedly bring an end to his pain.

He’s prepared to jump.

He’s prepared to die.

He’s not prepared for the pretty waitress who finds him there by the water’s edge.

When two lost souls find each other in the dark of the night, can they give each other a reason to breathe again?

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*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

This story. Just this story. *sighs*

I have cried like a baby in this. God, so much sadness and heartache. Both Carrie and Josh have lost so much in their lives and they’re just trying to put it all behind in the past, but God! Their loss is terrible and I don’t even know how they got past it. I mean, how can someone get over such momentous grief? It becomes a part of them, following them everywhere. Just like it’s shown in the story.

But, I love how brave Carrie is in the face of adversity. She’s actually, genuinely, honest to God trying to move forward with her life and leave her past behind. I commend her for that. And despite everything, she is such a kind, thoughtful person. So, I like her for that even more. I mean, she has so many reasons to be bitter and cruel, but she doesn’t let those reasons win. She fights them and tries to be the best person she can be. I admire her strength and her courage. I admire how she’s so understanding and such a pillar of support to Josh, helping him get his life back after he breaks. It’s beautiful to read.

And, then, Josh. His story made me cry. So bad. What he’s lost, what he’s gone through, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. It just makes my heart ache so bad, seeing how he is now, how he’s going through motions after the one incident tore his life apart. I wanted to go inside the story and give him a huge tight hug. I wanted to hug him and never let him go. It was a treat to see how he got his life back in order after Carrie came into it and how she was there for him every step of the way. I loved seeing Josh transform from a broken man with no will to live into this amazing, caring person who was full of love and gratitude.

This book is so well written and so beautiful. I adore it. I have a lot of feels for it. It’s amazing, beautiful and just the best thing ever. I adore this book a whole lot and all fans of romance out there must go and read this pronto!

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The Star Touched Queen, Roshani Chokshi – Book Review

June 18, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog #TheLateLateReviews, Reviews 3 Comments

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

The Star Touched Queen is the story of Maya. Maya, a princess of Bharata, has a terrible horoscope which states that her marriage will result in death and destruction. Because of this, she is shunned in the palace. All the bad things that happen around her are blamed on Maya’s horoscope, stating that her presence was the bad omen which made bad things happen. Maya just wants people to stop treating her the way they do. She dreams of being a scholar, because she knows that after knowing her horoscope, no one will want to marry her and she couldn’t descend to the throne as she is a girl. But, her life changes when her father arranges for a swayamvara, for her to chose a groom for herself from a platoon of princes, for a political alliance. Maya choses Amar and starts to fall for him, but he has his own secrets, which cause a rift between them and leave Maya in a place where she is fighting, not only for her own life, but for that of the world.

What I absolutely loved about the story was the writing. It was lush and beautiful, full of imagery and context and simile. The narrative is captivating and you can’t help but love it. Yes, the extreme amount of ‘purple prose’ used got on my nerves in places, but it was such a refreshing change to read something like this. A feast for the eyes. This book is extremely well written with SO MANY PRETTY WORDS. I adore that!

The plot is basic and simple. I think that is the beauty of it. The motivation of characters to act the way they do is simple – love, jealousy, revenge. It shows how far a person can go to just extract revenge for something they believe is the fault of someone else. The whole book revolved around the revenge plot of one woman who felt that Amar had wronged her.

I liked Maya, the MC, an okay amount. She started as this headstrong girl who wanted to break free of the patriarchy and carve her own path herself. I really admired that about her. But, halfway through, she did such a stupid and naive thing. I mean, I couldn’t believe she did it. Her character arc for the first half had shown that she was reluctant to trust anyone, but then, suddenly, she’s blindly trusting this one person, just because she saw one memory of the two of them together. I didn’t like that part. I mean, Amar had been trying to gain her trust for half the book and she didn’t trust him, was quick to write him off, but she trusted this person within seconds of meeting them. It didn’t make any sense to me. Especially since the story started moving forward only from there.

And then, there’s Amar. He was an enigma and mystery in the beginning of the story and he stayed that way till the end. Literally. By the end of the story, all I knew about Amar was what job he had and that he loved Maya unconditionally. That is it. Amar and Maya had maybe 10 complete, meaningful conversations in the story and more than half of them were before Amar could tell Maya anything about him and his kingdom. I would have liked to know more about Amar, about who he is as a person. Is he kind, smart, charming? Or is he villainous and cruel? I don’t know. I wish I did.

The worst disappointment about this book is how stilted the romance is. Maya and Amar both are prima facie great characters and they had amazing chemistry in the beginning. Their relationship could have been beautiful, but, it was not explored in the story. I wish they had interacted more, spent more time together, gotten to know each other. Amar appears after 5 – 6 chapters in the story and the second half is virtually free of him. He only appears in the last 30 pages. So, yes, he didn’t have much screen time, but what time they had together is glossed over, just saying that Amar was showing Maya around the palace and all its intricacies. They could have been a great couple and I wish that their relationship had been given more screen time. I really do.

What I absolutely adored about this book was all the references to Indian Mythology that were scattered throughout the book. Some of them wove into the main theme beautifully and some were mentioned in the passing as stories and folk tales, but I loved them all. It felt so good to read about them.

I felt that this book could have been so much more beautiful if the author had explored Amar’s character more. There were good things and bad things, but overall, reading TSTQ was a beautiful journey and I enjoyed it, for the most part.

Roshani grew up in Georgia, where she acquired a Southern accent but does not use it unless under duress. She has a luck dragon that looks suspiciously like a Great Pyrenees dog. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Uncanny Magazine, Shimmer, and Book Smugglers. She is the 2016 finalist for the Andre Norton Award, and a 2016 Locus finalist for Best First Novel. Her short story, The Star Maiden, was longlisted for the British Fantasy Science Award.

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Internet Famous, Danika Stone – Blog Tour

June 15, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Blog Tours, Reviews Leave a comment

Internet Famous

by Danika Stone

Publisher: Swoon Reads

Release Date: June 6, 2017

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

High school senior and internet sensation Madison Nakama seems to have it all: a happy family, good grades, and a massive online following for her pop-culture blog. But when her mother suddenly abandons the family, Madi finds herself struggling to keep up with all of her commitments.Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.

Oh, I had so much fun reading this one! It is such a cute, adorable read!

Internet Famous is the story of Madi, a blogger, and her romance with Laurent, who is an ardent follower of her blog. Yes, dream story right there, ladies and gentlemen! I mean, all of us here who blog can relate to so many things in this story. The pressure of posting, the need for good content and the trolls. All of it. Which is what I loved about this. I identified with a lot of stuff that was happening in Madi’s life. But, I’m nowhere near as famous as she is (she is Internet Famous, after all. She has like, 60000 followers and innumerable hits on all her posts.)

I like how Madi, despite her internet fame, is a shy, reserved girl who doesn’t boast of her follower count to anyone who will listen. With huge following she has and all the fan merch she sells, it would be easy to slip and become condescending, but she isn’t like that. In fact, she is so baffled that people follow her blog. I really like that about her. And I love how she takes care of her sister, Sarah. Sarah plays a huge role in the book. She has special needs and gets thrown off when her schedule changes even by a minute. Her life is meticulously planned and Madi is a huge part of this meticulous life. So, she’s always there for her sister and I adore how much effort she puts into her relationship with Sarah. It is endearing. She is such a great MC. I like how she has no airs and she behaves like a normal teenager. Simple stuff aggravates her and she is moody and short tempered at times. She feels like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. It’s great to read about her because I was exactly like her when I was 18.

And, then, there’s Laurent! He’s such an adorkable little cinnamon roll. I adore him so much. He’s always there when Madi needs him. He’s a great boyfriend and an even better friend. He’s supportive and a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, whenever Madi has issues. He’s just… He’s amazing. I adore him. I love how he goes out of his way to make sure that Madi is okay and how he’s always reassuring her with all the drama going on in her life. He just makes it so easy to love him.

I love how family centric this is. Sarah is always mention atleast once every two pages and her parents are always there in the background. She has a conversation with her father every so often and he takes an active interest in the life of both his daughters. I don’t particularly like Madi’s mom. She assumes too much and comes off as really selfish in majority of the book. It feels as though she believes that Sarah is a responsibility and not a kid. I felt that she just pawned off all her responsibility on Madi and her husband so that she could go follow her dreams. Yes, following your dreams is important, but she had responsibilities and it felt as though she just shunned them. She always runs away from conflict, so it feels as though she can’t stand up for anyone. Sarah’s issues are highlighted regularly, but it isn’t like the author is forcing it out of the blue. It’s always there, humming in the background, making it’s presence known in subtle ways. I especially love how that is handled in the book. Kudos to Danika for doing it so well.

All in all, Internet Famous is an enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it to others!

Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both teens (All the Feels and Internet Famous) adults (Edge of Wild and Intaglio). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.

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Roar, Cora Carmack – Release Day Review

June 13, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Blog Tours, Reviews Leave a comment

From New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack comes her debut young adult fantasy, ROAR! Now available, ROAR takes readers on an adventure filled with charismatic characters in an enthralling world sure to keep them turning the pages. Grab your copy today!

About ROAR (Stormheart #1):

New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack’s young adult debut: Roar.

In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.
She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.

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Kiss Me, Kill You, Larissa C. Hardesty – Book Review

June 12, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Reviews Leave a comment

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First kisses should be legendary—not deadly.

Emmy Duivel believes in true love: heart-stopping kisses, candlelight dinners, and a connection that lasts forever. But not the kind of kisses that land your date in the hospital. Emmy always knew she was different, but not in the supernatural sense. Not in the succubus sense.

Paul Andinn had only one job: watch over Emmy and make sure she doesn’t expose the supernatural world. It should have been easy, but the moment he looked away, she kissed that boy, and everything changed.

He should be more upset. But he can’t. Not when he’s falling hard for her.

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*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

Kiss Me, Kill You is the story of Emmy and how she comes into her succubus inheritance. Emmy is a normal teenager who’s world changes when a boy she kisses ends up in a coma. It is then that she learns that she and her best friend are succubi and she needs to understand who she is so she can live her life.

I like Emma’s character. She behaves like a proper sixteen year old where everything seems like the end of the world. She is sweet and smart and a nice person. She is quirky and awkward and I like that. Not all girls are prim and proper and cheerleaders. Yes, she was very whiny in parts but I think that that was a given for a girl her age. In fact, that made me relate to her character as a teenager even more because I remember whining about every little thing when I was that age.

The romance in this book is forbidden and cute. Paul is Emmy’s bodyguard and an incubus. So, of course, when she first asks him out, he turns her down. But, he can’t stay away from her because he’s her bodyguard. And, surprise, surprise. He has feelings for her too. Though it seemed like insta love, it was not because these two had crushes on each other since before the story even began. I would have liked to see how their feelings came to be, but just as well. They were really cute together.

What I don’t understand is why Emmy’s mom never told her about this. It seems stupid. She should have known from the get go. That way, she could have been careful and not brought harm upon others. Did her mom really think she wouldn’t even kiss someone before she was 16? Seems far fetched. It seems even more stupid when you look at the fact that Emmy’s best friend, who is also a succubus, has known forever.

It was a cute book, but nothing to drive home about. I enjoyed it a decent amount, but it wasn’t all that great.

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Immortal Fire, Annette Marie – Book Review

June 11, 2017Prags @ The Inked In Book Blog Reviews Leave a comment

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Once, Emi believed the heavenly gods were righteous and wise, while the earthly yokai spirits were bloodthirsty and evil. But with a traitorous deity poised to destroy her world, and the yokaistanding as humanity’s only defense, the lies of her upbringing have toppled to reveal a far more terrifying reality.

Despite the looming threat, Emi can’t escape her greatest distraction: Shiro, the fox yokai who has so deftly claimed her heart for his own. Soon—too soon—she will have to break the curse that binds his magic and memories. And once the ancient power inside him awakens, the yokai she loves will be changed forever.

As the earthly gods gather to wage war against the heavens, Emi and Shiro must gamble everything to turn the tide against their immortal, all-powerful foes. Together, they will find a way to save her world—even if it means losing each other.

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*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts are entirely my own and in no way biased.*

Okay. Okay. Okay. Breathe in, breathe out. It is over. Starts crying all over again. I have A LOT OF FEELS FOR THIS, OKAY? A LOT OF FEELS. IT IS OVER AND MY POOR LITTLE HEART CANNOT COPE.

I LOVED IT SO MUCH. SO MUCH. SO MUCH. GOD, SO GOOD. I LOVE IT.

First of all, so much cover love. I mean, it’s purple! And so good. I adore the cover. It’s just amazing. How can you not like it? I think it’s impossible to not like this cover.

And then, the story itself. I loved it. I absolutely adored how Marie wrapped the entire story up. It was so satisfying after everything that went down. I loved Shiro. Obviously, I did. I really, really love him. He’s just so amazing. I have liked him since the first book and then I fell for him in the second and the third one just gave me all the feels because Shiro is my baby and I adore him so very much. His character arc was just as interesting as Dark Tempest. His memories are returning and that is causing strain on his relationship with Emi, but they soldier through it all. And I like that. Yes, Shiro comes off as too overprotective in places, but if you overlook that, he is just so good. I adore him and love him. Did I mention that I absolutely adore him? Cause I do!

And, then, Emi. She has grown so much since the first book and I love all the growth her character has undergone. She is timid and demure but a fierce warrior all the same and she takes charge of the situation. She makes the best of what is available to her and she just gives me goals. She’s such a relatable heroine. I really like her a lot. She is a great main character.

As always, the relationship between Shiro and Emi is adorable. I love how much they love and support each other and how they’re always there for each other and just being there makes it better. They don’t hold each other back, in fact, they nurture each other. I love seeing them together.

The story is action packed and all those scenes are so amazingly written. The plot is simple but it kept me engaged. It predictably slowed a little somewhere in the middle, but I love it nonetheless.

All in all, an amazing ending to the story and a very satisfying conclusion! Go read this series!

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Goodreads | Amazon

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Annette Marie is the author of the Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, which includes the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award nominee Yield the Night. Her first love is fantasy, a limitless realm of creativity where she can break all the boring rules of real life, but fast-paced urban fantasy, bold heroines, and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She proudly admits she has a thing for dragons, and her editor has politely inquired as to whether she intends to include them in every single book.

Annette lives in the frozen winter wasteland of northern Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad). She shares her life with her remarkably patient, comparatively sensible husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.

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Monthly Archives: June 2017

The Impossible Vastness of Us, Samantha Young – Blog Tour

From New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young comes a story of friendship, identity, and acceptance that will break your heart—and make it whole again. Order your copy of THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US today!

About THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US:

“I know how to watch my back. I’m the only one that ever has.”

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The Color Project, Sierra Abrams – Blog Tour

Such A Good Girl, Amanda K. Morgan – Blog Tour

Read, Write, Love at Seaside, Addison Cole – Blog Tour

Breathe Again, Sydney Logan – Book Review

The Star Touched Queen, Roshani Chokshi – Book Review

Internet Famous, Danika Stone – Blog Tour

Roar, Cora Carmack – Release Day Review

From New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack comes her debut young adult fantasy, ROAR! Now available, ROAR takes readers on an adventure filled with charismatic characters in an enthralling world sure to keep them turning the pages. Grab your copy today!

Kiss Me, Kill You, Larissa C. Hardesty – Book Review

Immortal Fire, Annette Marie – Book Review