Heart in a Box Review + #Giveaway

Heart in a Box

Catherine Stine

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: December 20, 2015

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

ISBN: 978-1939590633

ASIN: B017VM7250

eBook Pages: 207

Paperback Pages: 270

Goodreads Rating: 4.71

My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

Each heartbeat leads Joss closer a shocking truth that will change everything.

Joss Olstad wins the fight to switch from her private school to a public high to “find her pieces” she lost when the Indian artist father she never knew died. There, Joss struggles with a slutty friend, who flirts with her new love; Indian Culture Club girls who press her on her past, as well as her stoner mother’s lies back at home. Armed only with her handmade heart boxes that hold private messages, Joss’s search for identity leads her to a scary industrial section of Queens, and a shocking family secret that changes everything.

My Take on the Book:

That was so stinking cute, I don’t even know what to do with myself right now!

This was a lovely coming of age story that completely exceeded my expectations. It is nothing at all what one expects and the author almost seems to go out of her way to make things go differently than the expected norm.

Joss is a great lead, stumbling through life trying to find out who she is all while managing her first real relationship and a new school. Will is also a great smolder-y lead male that perfectly complements Joss and always seems to have the right words to help her make her own way.

The dynamics in this story are a lot more complex than they first appear and I find that really refreshing. Honestly none of the characters acted the way I expected and everything I thought would happen didn’t. That alone made this a fresh new read for me because it was literally an unexpected journey.

5 Quills

I really enjoyed this book and I think it’s a great read for everyone, but I do plan on purchasing 2 copies in the near future. One copy will be for myself and the other for my niece who is just starting to find her place in the world.

Give this one a try, I’m almost positive its time well spent and I’ pretty darn sure that you’ll love it as much as I did.

BAM | IndieBound | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

About The Author

               

Catherine Stine writes YA and romance. Her novels span the range from futuristic to supernatural to contemporary. Her YA sci-fi thrillers Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire are Amazon bestsellers and indie award winners. Her YA, Dorianna won Best Horror Book in the Kindle Hub Awards. She also writes romance as Kitsy Clare. Her Art of Love series includes Model Position and Private Internship. She suspects her love of dark fantasy came from her father reading Edgar Allen Poe to her as a child, and her love of contemporary fiction comes from being a jubilant realist. Visit her at catherinestine.com and subscribe to her newsletter for news of releases, workshops and appearances.

Website | Newsletter | Blog | Pinterest

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Enter The Giveaway Here

A $40 gift card, 2 hand-painted heart-boxes with secret treasure inside, a signed paperback of Dorianna by Catherine Stine, a signed paperback of Heart in a Box by Catherine Stine, a great YA ebook pack of novels: Tiger Lily by Wende Dikec, When Sorrows Come by Katie M John, and Time Runs Away with Her by Christine Potter.

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The Star Catcher Book Blitz Excerpt + #Giveaway

The Star Catcher
The Star Child Series
Book #3 
Stephanie Keyes 

Release Date: November 10, 2013 

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing 

Pages: 421 

Synopsis:

Magick and destiny intertwine as he fights to save his kingdom and the goddess he loves.

Her kiss…the feel of her skin…the beat of her heart…For seventeen-year-old Kellen St. James, each memory is marred by a single sentence on a lone strip of paper.

Cali has been taken…

Armed with an amulet that channels the ultimate power of Faerie, Kellen searches for his love. However, control of the amulet’s energy comes with a price, and Kellen soon learns that Cali’s captor has plans for the stone. With the threat of the Star Catcher’s evil looming above Kellen and his kingdom, he’ll have to free the Heart of Faerie and break the curse the binds the Children of Danu to the darkness. But before that, he has to find his real father, the king. No pressure, right?

Kellen and Cali will battle bewitched armies and unknown foes as they fight to stay together. Will Kellen embrace his immortal destiny? Or will his world, and the man he is fated to become, be destroyed by The Star Catcher?

Grab it: 

Book Trailer

Check out the trailer by Kristen Kress of Brain Fry Productions.

Star Catcher Book Trailer from Brain Fry Productions on Vimeo.

An Excerpt from The Star Catcher

“Right.” Automatically, I turned to go right, my usual default.

Don’t use your brain, K. Cast out your senses and search for your father that way. Logic won’t find him.

“You have a point.” Mortal folklore and beliefs had gotten us this far, but from here on out, I’d need to use my gut. Closing my eyes, I focused on the hallway where I stood, reaching out. My mind crept like a thief, snaking into each open space. Yet no one was there. Otherwise, I would have sensed something. Changing tactics, I shifted my attention to the corridor on my left. Immediately, I received an emotion back—complete and utter happiness—a sensation of fulfillment that went   far beyond what most people experience. Soundlessly, I moved down the hallway, drawn toward the sensation of contentment.

What is it?

Someone’s happy, I answered with my mind, not wanting to speak the words out loud and give myself away. I could sense the close proximity of the feelings I’d picked up on.

Be careful. It could be a trap.

But as I wandered forward, I got the feeling it wasn’t. I needed to walk this corridor. I’d been waiting my entire life for it. The closer I came to the happiness, filling up the place like a cloud, the more I considered never leaving, staying in this place forever. What could the outside world possibly have to offer? What? Wait a minute. What was that I’d been thinking? Cali was waiting for me. I had to get back to Cali. I pushed forward.

“Willock, is that you?”

I froze. That voice. It was my father’s voice,   not the evil tone I’d become used to over the years with the fake Stephen. Instead, this voice sounded pleasant, welcoming. I had just reached the doorframe when I paused. I had two more steps to take, and I would see my father.

Author Bio

Stephanie Keyes has been addicted to Fantasy since she discovered T.H. White as a child and started drumming up incredible journeys in her head. Today, she's still doing the same thing, except now she gets to share those ideas with readers!

When she's not writing, Stephanie is also a graphic designer, international speaker, teacher, musician, avid reader, and Mom to two little boys who constantly keep her on her toes. In addition, she's best friend to her incredible husband of eleven years.

Mrs. Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Business and Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University and a M.Ed. from Duquesne University. She is a member of the Society For Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), as well as a featured author in the global group of writers, Love a Happy Ending.com.

Keyes is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Star Child, which currently includes The Star Child (September 2012) and The Fallen Stars (April 2013), both released by Inkspell Publishing. She is currently hard at work on the third book in the trilogy, The Star Catcher.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Enter The Giveaway Here

-1 Complete E-book Set of the Entire Star Child Series (INT)

-Multiple e-book Copies of The Star Catcher (INT)

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The Cheesecake Queen Review and Giveaway!

The Cheesecake Queen

Miranda Koerner

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: November 21, 2013

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

ISBN: 978-1939590237

ASIN: B00GSQWMYC

Pages: 143

Goodreads Rating:  4

My Rating: 4

Follow the tour HERE

Book Description:

Sugar Rule 1: Christmas is the perfect time for cheesecake.

Sugar Rule 2: Men are as useful as burnt cookies.

After losing her reporting job to layoffs at the local paper, Caeleah Turner’s pity party at the airport is interrupted by a woman claiming to know the location of the world’s best cheesecake. Intrigued, Caeleah trades plane tickets with the woman and finds herself in Chestnut, Colorado, a tiny town hiding a woman known as the Cheesecake Queen. The Cheesecake Queen not only bakes the best cheesecakes in the country, but her cheesecake is known to cure everything from infertility to baldness—one woman even loses 100 pounds on it! There is a thick batter of secrets behind The Cheesecake Queen and her two sisters, who operate all the bakeries in town.

But as the mayor’s efforts to shut down the Sugar sisters before Christmas gear up, Caeleah finds herself wanting to sample his own treats.

There’s a bigger secret than love to Cinnamon’s cheesecakes. And Caeleah is determined to find out what it is.

My Take On The Book:

I’m not sure if I should add or deduct quills based on the cover alone. The cover look so deliciously yummy that I wanted cheesecake every time I looked at the cover and writing this review is no different. I’m pretty sure I gained an extra 5 lbs. I’m going to have to diet extra hard this holiday season lol.

I absolutely adored the intro/chapter 1 of this book. It was just enough to peak my interest. I was giggling as I turned to the next chapter and I love books that hook you from the beginning.

It wasn’t too long of a read but then again I devoured this book so I might be a bit off on that calculation. Even so, it felt like the right length for this type of book.

The Great (Pros):

• The Actual Story. This book was deliciously good. It reminded me of those Halmark/ABC Family Holiday Movies that I adore.

•  The Character. There is something gratifying about a book that has strongly developed characters. I loved each character in this book. They each had their own type of charisma that shines through on each page.

•  The Sugar Sisters/Names. Omg, the names of these ladies were just too perfect. Who but a baker with the last name Sugar would name their children Cinnamon, Ginger and Nutmeg.

•  Romance. I loved the romance woven into the grander scheme of things. Throughout the book I found myself rooting for the leading lady and her man, even if said man made me want to smash a pie in his face. It was a cute little love story that if anything ties everything together and keeps the story moving.

The Not So Great (Cons):

• Inconctencies. I have a pet peeve with these alond with repeation. And while there weren’t many of these in the story, there were a few that left you scratching your head and re-reading those lines.

•  Ginger’s story. While her backstory was really well constructed, I just felt bad for the girl. She looked like she needed a hug. It was one of the plot points that turned me off from the story a bit.

4 Quills

This book was great. I would recommend it to anyone that loves romance. Well romance and food. It was oddly remincent of the holiday movies ‘Matchmaker Santa’ and ‘Recipe for a Perfect Christmas’. It’s got that perfect touch of holiday magic. Now to quote the book “Christmas is the perfect time for cheesecake” and I am off to find some!

About The Author

Miranda Koerner is a writer living in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and two Chihuahuas. A former children’s magazine editor and reporter for Prime Time Newspapers and the Express-News, Miranda has written for The Current, Taste, Chicken Soup for the Soul and many other publications. Her YA novel The Butterfly Dress was published by Girl E books and is available through Amazon.com and Smashwords. She is anticipating her next novel, Blue Mermaid, with Turquoise Morning Press in April 2013.

Author Links:

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3 ebook copies of The Cheesecake Queen (INT)

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“I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.”