Posts Tagged: blog tour

Slayers Blog Tour

07 Oct, 2011 by in monster slayers Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is happy to announce the official blog tour for Slayers by C.J.Hill which will run October 24th-3oth. Each blog participating will be giving away one copy of the book so stay tuned!

Slayers
by C.J. Hill
304 pages
Published September 27th 2011
by Feiwel & Friends
ISBN0312614144

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

The Official Slayers Blog Tour Schedule

Monday October 24th- Fire and Ice kick off

Tuesday October 25th- I’m A Reader Not A Writer

Wednesday October 26th- Books Complete Me

Thursday Ocotber 27th-Bookalicio.us

Friday October 28th- Cari’s Book Blog

Saturday October 29th- Rachael Renee Anderson

Sunday October 30th- Tales of a Ravenous Reader

The Radleys Blog Tour and Giveaway

29 Sep, 2011 by in matt haig, radleys, simon schuster 17 comments

Fire and Ice is thrilled to be today’s stop on The Radley’s Blog Tour! Read an excerpt below and be sure to enter to win their giveaway for a copy of THE RADLEYS in both hardcover and paperback signed by author Matt Haig and some blood-red hot chocolate by commenting on this post!

The Radleys
by Matt Haig
Paperback, 384 pages
Published June 7th 2011
by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
ISBN 1451610335

Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives.

One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking—and disturbingly satisfying—act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara’s trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten the Radleys’ marriage.

The Radleys is a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting, iridescent bonds of family love. Read it and ask what we grow into when we grow up, and what we gain—and lose—when we deny our appetites.

About the author : Matt Haig is the author of The Last Family in England, a UK bestseller narrated by a Labrador; The Dead Fathers Club, a widely acclaimed update of Hamlet featuring an eleven-year-old boy; and The Possession of Mr. Cave, a horror story about an overprotective father. His work has been translated into twenty-four languages. He lives in York, England, with the writer Andrea Semple and their two children.

Giveaway: Each Friday, we will select one person who commented on all participating blogs for that week to win a prize. The winner will be announced each Monday on Helen and Rowan’s twitter accounts @Helen_Radley and @rowanradley and in the next Monday’s blogger’s post.

The prize will be a copy of THE RADLEYS in both hardcover and paperback signed by author Matt Haig and some blood-red hot chocolate.

This Week’s Blog Tour Stops for the Radley’s

Monday September 26.
Sara @ http://www.novelnovice.com/
Tuesday September 27.
Tirzah @ http://www.thecompulsivereader.com/
Wednesday September 28.
Noa @ http://www.paperbackdolls.com/
Thursday September 29.
Heather @ http://www.fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/
Friday September 30.
Heidi @ http://www.yabibliophile.com/

Watch The Radleys book trailer
Follow Helen and Rowan’s twitter accounts: @Helen_Radley and @rowanradley
Visit the Radley’s webpage including a great quiz to find out: ARE YOU A RADLEY?

The Radleys by Matt Haig

Comment here and on each of the blog tour stops this week to enter win the huge prize pack! Visit the blog tour page for a list of all the blogs participating and more chances to win next week.

Hang ‘Em High Blog Tour

28 Sep, 2011 by in tristi pinkston 8 comments

Hang’em High
by Tristi Pinkston
Paperback, 258 pages
Published July 1st 2011
by Walnut Springs Press
ISBN 1599928000
4.5 stars

When Ida Mae Babbitt receives an invitation to visit her son Keith’s dude ranch in Montana, she¹s excited to mend their broken relationship, but not so excited about spending time with cows. Arlette and Tansy go along with her, ready to take a vacation that does not involve dead bodies or mysteries of any sort – one must have a break from time to time. But it seems a no-good scoundrel has moseyed into Dodge City and is bent on causing all sorts of trouble for the ranch. Unable to keep her curiosity in check – especially when it seems her own son is the most likely culprit – Ida Mae decides to investigate. Can she lasso the varmint and get him to the sheriff in time?

Hang ‘Em High is my favorite in the Secret Sisters series so far. It’s an easy clean read with a refreshing moral and plenty of laugh out loud moments as Ida Mae Babbitt and her geriatric crew are out to solve another mystery. Set in Billings, Montana, this cozy focuses on the estranged relationship between Ida Mae and her adult son Keith. It explores the family dynamics of alcoholism and teenage pregnancy as well as forgiveness and giving up control as a “smother”.

I absolutely ate this book up. I only wish I knew all the of side characters a little better and am oh so curious as to how things are going to end up between Eden, Ren and Kevin. Guess I’ll have to read the rest of the series to find out!

I would definitely recommend Hang ‘Em High to all readers as a good, clean book that will bring a smile to your face. Thanks to Tristi Pinkston and Walnut Springs Press for the chance to be on the blog tour!

About the Author:
Tristi Pinkston can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write. Her first poem was penned at the age of five, as was her first book about a little puppy with big dreams, Sue the Dog. It was quite a journey from Sue to Tristi’s first published novel, but a journey she loved taking. When she’s not homeschooling her children, ignoring her dishes, contemplating grocery shopping, or procrastinating the laundry, Tristi works as a freelance editor and online writing instructor.

She is a popular presenter at the annual LDStorymakers Writers Conference, and she finds some of her greatest joy in helping authors realize their true potential. She also enjoys blogging, reviewing books, watching good movies and taking really long naps every Sunday afternoon. Hang ‘Em High is the third Secret Sister mystery series, and Tristi’s eighth published book. Visit Tristi on her website and blog.

Purchase Hang ‘Em High at Deseret Book or Amazon.


To celebrate the release of Tristi’s eighth book, she’s holding a contest! If you leave a comment on this review, you will be entered into a drawing for a free manuscript evaluation, done by Tristi Pinkston Editing http://www.tristipinkstonediting.blogspot.com/ In fact, you can leave comments on all the blogs participating in this virtual book tour!

Go to Tristi Pinkston’s blog at http://www.tristipinkston.blogspot.com/ for a list. The deadline is October 5th at midnight MST. If you win and you’re not a writer, you can give this evaluation to a friend. Good luck!

Crosroads Blog Tour and Signed Book Giveaway

23 Sep, 2011 by in mary ting 15 comments


Fire and Ice is proud to be one of the stops on the Crossroads Blog Tour hosted by Late Bloomer Online

Crossroadsby Mary Ting
Paperback, 315 pages
Published July 29th 2011
by World Castle
ISBN 9781937085
Claudia Emerson has a good friend who shares the same first name and last name. That friend unfortunately dies in a tragic accident during homecoming dance. Claudia is distraught at the loss of her friend, but is even more disturbed by her dreams, which seem to take her to another place called Crossroads. Unknown to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and earth. It is where the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may wander. Where, Claudia meets Michael, a nephilim, a half angel, half human, whom she often meets in her dreams. It turns out that this isn’t her first visit to Crossroads, which is an enigma for no human can ever travel there until Claudia.

Now the fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special and it is up to Michael and the other nephilims to protect her. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed, about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most. Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should?

Claudia Emerson keeps having strange dreams which pull her to a place she’s seen before and faces that are familiar yet foreign. Then she’s awakened by a phone call form her best friends asking if she’s still alive. Quickly her life is turned upside down as dream meets reality and she’s introduced to a class of half human/half angels called Alkin. Pulled into an age old battle between good and evil Claudia has a new guardian angel named Michael and it’s all she can do to stay away from the attraction she feels. Their love is forbidden and Michael ‘s role becomes blurred as he starts to fall for Claudia. Can the two of them fight off the fallen who are after her and can they satisfy eh Royal Council who want some answers about who Claudia really is?

Crossroads will appeal to readers who like books full of angel lore and YA romance. While I was intrigued there were a few things I struggled with like connecting to Claudia’s character and voice. With references to Guess jeans and Honda’s being cool the teen scene seemed to be trapped back in the 90’s. And why can’t Claudia ever fight for herself? Michael I really enjoyed but his change from brash and rude to automatically in love doting boyfriend was quite abrupt. I’m thinking the bad guy Aden was far too easily defeated and he’ll be back. I am also hoping we learn more about Austin in book two. He is up to no good I tell ya!

My favorite character was Davin- he’s much more down to earth and real and kept the story going for me. I’d love to see him in an even more central role. With poetic writing and beautiful scenery you’ll get wrapped up in Crossroads. I think Mary has a wonderful idea and am curious to see where she goes with it for the rest of the series.

Content: There was quite a lot of heavy handed romance and kissing scenes so I’d recommend this one for only older teens. (It was a little too much for my taste) There is also moderate violence as angels fight the fallen.
Thanks so much to Late Bloomer Online and Mary Ting for letting us be a part of the tour!
About the Author: Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing Crossroads was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother. It was inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl.

Find Mary Ting on
Facebook
Twitter
Blog
Website
Goodreads

Fire and Ice is giving away one author signed paperback copy of Crossroads to our readers. Open to US readers ages 16 and older. Giveaway ends October 14, 2011. To enter to win fill out this form.

Indelible Blog Tour Stop and Book Review

20 Sep, 2011 by in ARC tour, pendrell 12 comments

Fire and Ice is happy to be participating in the Indelible Blog Tour hosted by Once upon a Twilight and Lani Woodland. Today we are sharing our review of
The Yara Silva Trilogy #2
Indelibleby Lani Woodland
Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: September 27th 2011
by Pendrell Publishing
ISBN 0982729723
4 stars
Yara is beginning to understand just how much her life will change now that her Waker abilities have emerged. She has come to terms with the fact that seeing ghosts is part of her life, but she isn’t ready to let being a Waker dictate her choices. All she wants is a ghost-free senior year with her boyfriend, Brent, and her best friend, Cherie. But Yara soon discovers that there are more dark secrets in her school’s history than just the curse she broke. While an angry ghost makes Yara question everything she thought she knew about spirits, she and Brent learn that there are long reaching consequences to last year’s adventures. As new enemies emerge and old ghosts resurface, Yara finds herself in the center of another deadly mystery, and this time she has to contend with the living as well as the dead.

Book one of the Yara Silva series, Intrinsical was one of my very favorite reads of last year, so of course I jumped on the chance to read the second book in the series. Lani does a wonderful job of creating suspenseful horror and historical ghost stories. Indelible picks up with Yara having returned to Pendrell Academy after spending the summer in Brazil with her grandmother and the matriarca of the Wakers, Vovo. Things swing into full motion quickly as she and Brent are pulled into yet another creepy mystery–this time involving the wife of Pendrell’s founder, the long red haired Sophia. And let me tell you….this ghost has a nasty temper!

Weaving historical facts from the local area into the storyline Lani Woodland introduces us to a mysterious group called “The Clutch” and the residual murder mystery that still haunts the alumni house. Meanwhile, Brent is fighting some demons of his own and he and Yara have to weather more than one storm physically and emotionally. We are introduced to a new character DJ who annoyingly calls Yara “cupcake” and are graced once again with the supernatural sleuth skills of Christy and Steve. There are layers upon layers of things going on in Indelible . It is one fast paced little ride.

I love that Lani gave Trader Joe’s a cameo appearance and I’m sure hoping we learn more about the American Waker Yara spotted there in book three. I won’t miss Inevitable which is set to come out next year. Thanks so much to Yara from Once Upon A Twilight and author Lani Woodland for giving us a sneak peek and inviting us to be a part of the Idelible blog tour. My suggestion: read this one with the light on and far away from a pool!

Content: Moderate violence, some blood and horror, making out. No swearing or sex. Recommended for teens 16 and older.

About the Author: Lani Woodland has been an avid reader since elementary school when she first discovered the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins series. In sixth grade she began writing plays and recruiting (with force when necessary) her friends to act them out. Most of these early works were inspired by She-Ra, the epitome of girl power to her young self.

She graduated from BYU with a BS in Family Science. Lani has always loved scary stories, and has a hard time enjoying any book without at least a little romance in it. She lives in Southern California with her husband, their two children and a large collection of board games. She has worked as a spot-welder, babysitter, janitor, photographer, gymnastics coach, and movie extra. She enjoys bonfires at the beach, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, speed talking, chocolate as a cure-all, and the word “precisely”.

Visit Lani at her Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

We have a couple of Intrinsical/ Indelible bookmarks to give away courtesy of the author, Lani Woodland. Simply comment below to enter. Open Internationally. Ends October 20, 2011.


Fall Blog Tour & Giveaway

30 Aug, 2011 by in Uncategorized 2 comments

Fall by Jennifer Hurst
Paperback, 298 pages
Published July 26th 2011
by CreateSpace
ISBN 1463632770

Women and construction shouldn’t mix. At least, that is what the client, Mr. Blackwell, thinks when Twenty-one year old Julia D. Halstead is promoted to project manager to remodel a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse into a bed and breakfast. However, the schoolhouse contains a dark secret that has been hidden for nearly a hundred years. A secret that will unleash the furies of Hell and cause the Angels in Heaven to weep as ethereal brothers, Matthew and Nathan, battle over Julia’s very soul

JD Halstead is a young woman bound and determined to make her way as a woman into an almost all male field of construction. When she lands her first big project in Torrey, Utah things are supposed to run smoothly. But all hell literally breaks loose as a handsome demolition man Matt saunters onto the site and discovers a mysterious box full of secrets inside the building. JD finds herself drawn to the new member of the crew and begins to act impulsively as she become swept up in his allure. What she doesn’t know is that there are consequences far more severe than losing her job wrapped up in the whirlwind attraction. In a full battle between good and evil, the historical town of Torrey is about to be turned upside down.

Jennifer Hurst does a wonderful job of creating memorable characters. My only wish is that each one of the side people would get some what of an introduction and preface before they pop up in the story. There were a few grammatical errors in my ARC which I hope were fixed before final release. But overall, Fall was an engaging paranormal romance that stuck with me and made me want to read the sequel. It has lessons of not acting impulsively, choosing your life path and the redemption of a soul from evil to good. Thanks so much to Jennifer for the book and Tristi Pinkston blog tours for selecting Fire and Ice as a stop on the Fall tour.

Content: one swear word, sex between the main two characters, some violence and dark themes. Recommended for adults.

The Giveaway: In conjunction with this blog tour, Jennifer is holding a contest. It will involve any of the blogs that Jennifer visits or where her book is featured and will close on December 31st, 2011. The entrants have to answer three questions about the book they’ve read (bought, borrowed, or stolen – shame on you) and post a link to Jennifer’s website on their Twitter, Facebook, or blog (need link for verification).

Then the names will be entered in a random name picker generator and announced on Jennifer’s website on January 31st, 2012. The winner will receive a gift certificate for a night’s stay at the actual bed and breakfast where the story takes place.

Other prizes include an autographed copy of FALL, and she will randomly select 3 contestants’ names to use in the sequel to FALL. Plus, they will receive a free copy of that book when it is published.

Each blog that Jennifer Hurst visits will have a different set of questions people can answer, and they may enter as many times as they want – but they can enter once per blog site that they visit. So the more sites you visit, the more you can enter your name, thus increasing your chances of winning the gift certificate, a copy of the book FALL, and your name in the sequel.
Get the book, read the book, and then read over the questions below. Once you have your answers, e-mail them to fall.jenniferhurst@gmail.com

Your privacy is respected and your email address will NOT be used for anything but the contest. Once the contest is over – your email address will be deleted from the database.

Here are the questions for you to answer: What color was the original bell?
What is the number of the highway that runs through Torrey?
What kind of jam did JD buy at the 4th of July fair?

If you would like to visit the other sites, Click here to see all 34 blog stops. Entrants have to include a link to where they placed a link to my blog from their twitter, facebook, blog, etc. Good luck!

Witch Song Blog Tour

29 Aug, 2011 by in witch song 1 comment


Fire and Ice was happy to be selected as stop number two today on the Witch Song blog tour hosted by Mundie Moms.

By Amber Argyle

Published by Rhemalda Publishing

To Be Released September 1st, 2011

The world is changing. For thousands of years, witch song has controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons. But not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by the dark Witch, Espen.

As the last echoes of witch song fade, Espen grows stronger as winter and summer come within the space of a day. Now she’s coming for the one she missed—a shy, untrained girl of fifteen named Brusenna. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find Espen. Fight her. Defeat her. Or there won’t be anything left to save. Amber Argyle’s debut, Witch Song, is a classic fantasy for young adults. It will be released Sept 1st 2011.

The Tour:

8/28th- Page Turners, Witch Song Chapter 1

8/29- Fire & Ice, Witch Song Chapter 2

8/30- Once Upon A Twilight, Witch Song Chapter 3

8/31- We Fancy Books, Witch Song Chapter 4

9/1- Mundie Moms, Witch Song Chapter 5

Click here to read Chapter 2 of Witch Song

Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure Blog Tour

25 Aug, 2011 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is happy to announce we are today’s stop on the Huber Hill and The Dead Man’s Treasure blog tour! We have an exclusive interview below with author B. K. Bostick and several giveaways to go along with the tour. Here’s a little about the book…

Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure
by B.K. Bostick
Paperback, 256 pages
Expected publication: October 28th 2011
by Bonneville Books
ISBN 1599559110
When his grandfather dies, Huber Hill is devastated—until he opens Grandpa Nick’s mysterious box. An old gold coin and directions to a hidden Spanish treasure send him and his friends off on an mind-blowing adventure, but he’s not the only one on the hunt. Filled with dangerous animals and cryptic puzzles, this book will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page

Author Interview: Tell us a little book about your book and what inspired it. My own grandpa definitely inspired the story. He would always share tales about Spanish treasure hidden up in the mountains nearby where we lived. I always imagined going on these wild adventures to find treasure. As I grew older, I realized that the real treasures were the stories my grandpa told me. I’ll always remember those days sitting at his side listening as he showed old maps, books, and artifacts. If there’s one theme to the story, it’s that relationships with friends and family are invaluable- of much more worth than any kind of money.

Where is it set? And what kind of research went into it? The story takes place in the mountain community of Carbondale, Colorado. The stories about Spanish gold in the Rockies are mostly folktales and oral histories. I read a couple of books in particular on the subject- Footprints in the Wilderness and Lost Gold of the Uintahs both by Gale Rhoades.

As a child and an adult what were your favorite books? As a child, I loved the Goosebumps series, but my all time favorite was RedWall by Brian Jacques. As an adult, I’ve grown nerdier- I love history books. My favorite for now is Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Who is your personal hero? I truly admire Lincoln. His tenacity, wit, and resilience are inspiring to me.

Any new works in progress? Right now I’m working on Huber Hill and the Brotherhood of Coronado (Oct. 2012). This is the follow up to Dead Man’s Treasure and will take place in Spain.

What has been the most rewarding part about being an author so far? There have been a few kids who have read the book so far and hearing that they enjoyed it makes all of it worthwhile.

Which fictional character do you most Identify with? I see a bit of myself in Huber in terms of the relationship he had with his Grandpa and becoming best friends with someone he never expected.

About the Author:
B.K. Bostick, author of Dead Man’s Treasure, resides among the magnificent Rocky Mountains. In addition to writing, he has spent his career in education. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Utah and his Masters in Psychology from Utah State University. He has worked as a teacher, after school program coordinator, junior high school counselor, and most recently as a teacher mentor for a University. He loves spending time with his lovely wife and two dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys eating cheetos and watching old episodes of the Twilight Zone.

The Fundraiser: Alyssa, my neighbor, was diagnosed with a Meningioma brain tumor on December 5th, 2010. The only way to get it out was through surgery. It took four surgeries to get out as much of the tumor as they could and now she’s almost finished with her radiation treatments. Alyssa is an inspiration to me. Her positive outlook and attitude while facing something so terrible is truly remarkable. Because of the inspiration she’s given me, I am trying to give back. I will be donating 100% of profits from all pre orders of Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure along with sales during the first two weeks of launch (Oct. 1-16) to Alyssa and her family. Visit http://www.treasureforalyssa.com/

The Website:
http://www.deadmanstreasure.com/

The Giveaway: Fire and Ice is giving away one ARC of Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure to our readers. Follow us on twitter @fireicephotos and tweet “I want to win an ARC of Dead Man’s Treasure from Fire and Ice” to enter… hashtag #huberhill. Giveaway ends September 8, 2011 and is open internationally.

Giveaway from the author: I’ll also be giving away a replicated gold coin/bookmark to each reader who goes to my author page on facebook and clicks the “like” button. Go to: http://www.facebook.com/bkbostickauthorpage.


The Trailer:

Populazzi Blog Tour

22 Aug, 2011 by in populazzi Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is the stop today on the blog tour for

Populazzi by Elise Allen
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: August 1st 2011
by Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN 0547481535
3.5 stars
Cara has never been one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi.

Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

What most of us wouldn’t give to have a chance to go back to High School and change some of the things we didn’t like, or even to pick a new crowd to hang out with? Unfortunately for the majority, the reputation we get early on sticks… and for Cara, an unfortunate day in elementary school marks her social status for life. The good news is that she meets her best friend Claudia, and the two become inseparable. That is, up until their junior year when Cara moves to a new school.

While Cara is thinking a fresh start, her best friend is thinking opportunity awaits for her BFF to climb the social ladder all the way to the top. Claudia is out to make Cara supreme Populazzi…and she is not about to give up with her plan until Cara sees it all the way through. Things aren’t looking too hot when upon arrival to school, Cara’s first two friends are part of the Happy Hopeless and Cubby Crew cliques. There’s Robert who knows his Star Wars backwards and forwards, even wearing a cape to school and Archer the theater geek who wants to get to know Cara via play ping pong. As the weeks go on Cara develops feelings for Archer. Could she have found a boy who respects her and makes her laugh or will she succumb to the pressure of Claudia’s plan to become penultimate popular?

You guessed it! She makes the same mistake many teens make in trying to figure out who they are. As Cara starts climbing her way to the top she discover there is power in popularity. She changes her self for others and as a result there are consequences.

Watching her slide into risky behaviors and become a chameleon based on which boy she was with was painful only because it is so common with the teenage crowd. Author Elise Allen uses humor to deal with bullying, bulimia and social pressure. Similar to the movie Mean Girls, Populazzi shows that so many of us think only of the immediate future instead of the long-term track our choices will take us down.

I loved loved the main male character Archer an the advice he gives to Cara about her parents, especially the step-father who “disowns ” her repeatedly. Archer is wise beyond his years and I wish we could have seen more of him. The characters were well fleshed out and multi-faceted, the writing very creative. I would, however, not recommend this book to younger teens as it has underage drug and repeated alcohol use as well as loads of detailed talk about sexuality.

Populazzi was a fun read with a good ending about being true to who you are. As well, it is an eye opener about what may be a reality in some popular crowds. Thanks so much to Harcourt Children’s books for the ARC and for choosing our site as a stop for the blog tour.

To learn more about the author visit EliseAllen.com which “is the personal and professional web presence of Elise Allen, writer of Young Adult and Childrens’ fiction, as well as television, features, and internet programming.”

Double Deceit Blog Tour

16 Aug, 2011 by in stephanie humphreys, walnut springs press 6 comments

Double Deceit

by Stephanie Humphreys

Paperback, 292 pages

Published May 28th 2011

by Walnut Springs Press

ISBN 1935217941

4.5 stars

Someone is watching . . .

As a young widow, all Elaina Bryant wants is a fresh start. Determined to put ten painful years behind her, she returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister, Natalie. Elaina soon accepts a job working at a small bookstore owned by the handsome Ryan Hill and his mother. Despite her reluctance to become romantically involved with anyone, she is drawn to Ryan and finds herself falling in love.

But someone isn’t happy with Elaina’s new life and is watching her every move. Her tormenter seems determined to destroy her sanity and her future, but Elaina can’t convince anyone the threat is real. Natalie is preoccupied with her own blossoming romance, and their friend Peter, a police officer, seems to believe the threat has been manufactured in Elaina’s own mind as a result of her guilt and grief.

Now Elaina’s plans for a new start are crashing down around her. She knows she will have to find the answers before she can overcome the past and enjoy love and happiness again. But how can she protect those she loves when she doesn’t know whom to trust?

This one’s a page turner! I picked up Double Deceit on vacation and couldn’t put it down until I found out how it all ended. You hear stories all the time about creepy stalker situations, but to become immersed in one as a reader was so fascinating.

Elaina has lost everything she loves in life except one younger sister. As a 19 year old she eloped and left home never to return. Then in a tragic turn of events, she loses her husband and infant daughter in a car accident. Alone and jobless, Elaina decides to return to her hometown to look for a fresh start. Her childhood home should be a welcoming place to heal and become a new person, but soon after her arrival things turn scary. She receives weird letters as well as phone calls warning her she needs to be alone. Elaina has isolated herself in the past and trusted no one. So opening up to her best friend Peter and a new man in town Ryan, to tell them what is unfolding proves difficult. Meanwhile things are heating up fast between her younger sister and her new boyfriend Chad giving Elaina bad flashbacks of her own mistakes.

Can Elaina, her sister and the two men get to the bottom of the mystery behind her strange follower before time runs out and they are all in danger?

I loved that the two main characters of Double Deceit meet and work at a book store.

Main love interest Ryan! He is the perfect gentleman and so supportive despite the fact that Elaina’s world is falling apart around her. With mysterious prank calls, hearing voices and disappearing evidence he could have easily chalked her up as crazy.

That Elaina comes into who she is as a person and uses therapy and a journal as well as a support system to help her grieve and change. So often in life and literature counseling is not discussed as an open and valuable tool.

I had a hard time with the last three chapters…talk about intense!

With suspension of disbelief about who her stalker was. I can’t give anything away but you’ll be kept guessing.

Content: domestic violence, kidnapping, no swearing or sexual content. Recommended for readers 17 and up.

In a sentence: Double Deceit was a well crafted suspenseful romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat and checking your locks.

I’m excited I’ve found Stephanie and am going to buy her other book, Finding Rose now that I know how talented she is.

You might also like: Rebound by Heather Justesen, Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin or Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards.

The author, Stephanie Humphreys, is giving away a huge prize pack as part of the Double Deceit Blog Tour. Make sure to stop by each blog and come back to her site every day for chances to win prizes. The tour for Double Deceit starts Monday August 15 and runs through September 2.

She will be giving away a prize package each week.

Week 1 – Wild Irish Rose by Deborah L. Weikel, a beaded bookmark, and chocolate.

Week 2 – Running on Empty by J.Burns Alsto, a beaded bookmark, and chocolate.

Week 3 – $25 amazon gift card

There will also be a grand prize. This will include both of her books, Double Deceit and Finding Rose, a beaded bookmark, and of course chocolate. Here are the ways you can enter to win the prizes.

Become a follower of her blog.

Comment on any post or comment on any reviewer’s post.

Blog about the contest or the book tour

Mention the book on Facebook or Twitter

Leave a review of either of Stephanie Humphreys books on Goodreads, Amazon, etc.

Good luck and here’s a list of the 15 bloggers participating in the tour so you have lots of chances to win…

August 15 – Maria Hoagland

August 16 – Heather Gardner

August 17 – Rachelle Christensen

August 18 – Jane Still

August 19 – Deborah Davis

August 22 – Renae Mackley

August 23 – Cindy Hogan

August 24 – Matthew Tandy

August 25 – Taffy Lovell

August 26 – Kathy Habel

August 29 – Don Carey

August 30 – Teri Rodeman

August 31 – Cathy Witbeck

Sept. 1 – Shelly Seele

Sept. 2 – Tristi Pinkston