Blog Tour: A Little Too Far

I am so very, very excited to share with you guys a hot, new book from Lisa Desrochers, which is the first in a hot, new series. 

About the Book:

Have you ever gone just a little too far?

Lexie Banks has.

Yep. She just had mind-blowing sex with her stepbrother. In her defense, she was on the rebound, and it’s more of a my-dad-happened-to-marry-a-woman-with-a-super-hot-son situation. But still, he’s been her best friend and confidant for the better part of the last few years … and is so off limits. It’s a good thing she’s leaving in two days for a year abroad in Rome.

But even thousands of miles away, Lexie can’t seem to escape trouble. Raised Catholic, she goes to confession in hopes of alleviating some of her guilt … and maybe not burning in hell. Instead, she stumbles out of the confessional and right into Alessandro Moretti, a young and very easy-on-the-eyes deacon … only eight months away from becoming a priest. Lexie and Alessandro grow closer, and when Alessandro’s signals start changing despite his vow of celibacy, she doesn’t know what to think. She’s torn between falling in love with the man she shouldn’t want and the man she can’t have. And she isn’t sure how she can live with herself either way.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Publisher: William Morrow

Pub. Date: September 17, 2013

Pages: 371

Review:

I thought I had a fairly good idea of what to expect when I started this book. I was expecting a novel where a girl has a momentary brain-fart and sleeps with her step-brother and then is disgusted by her actions and runs away.

Yes, OK. I was totally pushing off what happened to Boone and Shannon from Lost here, but that was my only reference point!

What I did not expect was Trent (AKA the step-brother). The relationship he has with Lexie isn't some begrudging, we=were-forced-to-share-a-home type thing. From the start the connection between these two is electric. Maybe because Lexie gives you glimpses into their past and you see these two are more than step-siblings; they're best friends. Their being together was a natural as breathing and I loved them insantly as a couple.

Then Lexie had to go and run off to Italy for her semester abroad and meet the hot Alessandro.

I'm not going to tell you how this ends, but suffice to say, Lisa Desrochers writes ones heck of a compelling novel about a girl becoming a woman. I loved watching Lexie grow and mature as an adult. This, to me, is what the new adult genre is about: bridging that all-consuming gap where you stop being a kid and grow up.

Definitely on of my favorites. Any fan of contemporaries, new adult books, or books in general need to read this.

Rating: A

About the Author:

Lisa Desrochers lives in northern California with her husband, two very busy daughters, and Shini the tarantula. If you'd told her five years ago she'd write a book, she'd have laughed in your face. As it turns out, she'd owe you an apology. Writing has become an addiction for Lisa and A Little Too Far, courtesy of HarperCollins, is her first novel for adults. She is also the author of the young adult Personal Demons trilogy from Macmillan.

When she's not writing, she's reading, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise. Connect with her online at www.lisadwrites.com, on her blog at lisadesrochers.blogspot.com, on Twitter at @LisaDez, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LisaDesrochersAuthor. 

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour:

Sept. 3rd - Katie's Book Blog - Review

Sept. 3rd - Book Briefs - Guest Post

Sept. 4th - The Busy Bibliophile - Review

Sept. 4th - Fade Into Fantasy - Interview

Sept. 5th - The Irish Banana - Review

Sept. 5th - Emilie's Book World - Guest Post

Sept. 6th - Fic Fare - Interview

Sept. 6th - Narratively Speaking - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 7th - BookHounds YA - Review

Sept. 7th - Nocturne Romance Reads - Interview

Sept. 8th - Burning Impossibly Bright - Guest Post

Sept. 8th - Lovin' los libros - Review

Sept. 9th - Books Complete Me - Review

Sept. 9th - Always YA at Heart - Review

Sept. 10th - A Glass of Wine - Interview

Sept. 10th - In the Best Worlds - Review

Sept. 11th - Once Upon a Twilight - Review

Sept. 11th - Readers Live A Thousand Lives - Interview

Sept. 12th - The Book Cellar - Review

Sept. 12th - Book Labyrinth - Review

Sept. 13th - Lili's Reflections - Review

Sept. 13th - Stuck in YA Books - Review

Sept. 14th - A Bookish Escape - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 14th - Ramblings From This Chick - Guest Post

Sept. 15th - In Bed With Books - Review

Sept. 15th - Coffee and Characters - Guest Post

Sept. 16th - Waiting For Wentworth - Review

Sept. 16th - Michelle & Leslie's Book Pics - Review

Sept. 17th - Good Choice Reading - Review

Sept. 17th - Me, My Shelf and I - Review

Blog Tour: Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross

Welcome to the LETTERS TO NOWHERE blog tour! I am so excited to share with you guys what I thought about this awesome new contemporary from Julie Cross! 

Summary (from Goodreads):

Set in the tough world of Elite Gymnastics...

I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan--being around him, talking to him, thinking about him--makes me feel like I can finally breathe again. That's something I haven't been able to do lately. He knows what it feels like to be me right now. He knows what it's like to wonder--what now? I think about it constantly. I need answers. I need to know how to get through this. In the gym, if you're struggling, you train harder, you do drills and conditioning. How do I work hard at moving on? At being on my own? And what happens if I might be...maybe...probably falling for Jordan? I mean we live together now. That can't happen, can it? But kissing him...well, let's just say it's not an easy activity to forget.

Review:

Julie Cross made a fan of me a few years ago with her debut, Tempest, and I can say I am most assuredly still a fan now that I’ve read Letters to Nowhere.

One of the biggest pulls for me was the world of gymnastics that was hinted about in the synopsis. I realized I would never be an elite gymnast when I was five feet tall in 4^th grade. It was a hard blow, but I dealt with it.

I loved that Karen was immersed in this world. I also never felt totally out of place because sports-themed books run the risk of either bogging you down with jargon or leaving you wondering how the game is played. Cross does a fantastic job of explaining the sport without overwhelming the reader.

I loved the relationship between Karen and Jordan—who wouldn’t? Cross writes them with a chemistry is blazes off the pages. However, Jordan pulls Karen out of her downward spiral … and I have to admit, this is where I got a little disheartened (but only a little). I’m just not a fan of someone emotionally saving someone else. I think Cross was careful not to let it cross over into total need and dependency, but at times I felt like Karen clung to Jordan like a savior. Like he was the only thing keeping her afloat.

That being said, I loved Jordan so darn much I didn’t really care about that while I was reading.

This book is about the resiliency of the human spirit in times of agony. And event that should have brought Karen to her knees became the catalyst for her success. Cross doesn’t sugar-coat grief, but this book also isn’t all dark and gloom. I think it’s an accurate depiction of what happens when the unthinkable happens and you’re left to pick up the pieces.

Definitely check this one out!

Rating: B+

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

About Julie Cross:

Julie Cross is the International Bestselling author of the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, and the final installment, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the

author of Letters to Nowhere (8/13), a mature young adult romance set in the world of elite gymnastics, as well as several forthcoming young adult and new adult novels with publishers like Entangled, Sourcebooks, HarperCollins, and St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books.

Julie lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She's a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA. She's a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of her reading and writing credibility's, Julie Cross is a committed--but not talented--long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict. You can find her online via twitter, her personal website, email, facebook, Goodreads, or co-moderating the YAwriters section of reddit.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | YOUTUBE

Giveaway:

There are two tour-wide giveaways.

--GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAY to ONE Winner.

--An eBook of LETTERS TO NOWHERE to FIVE Winners.

The Grand Prize giveaway is open internationally, however international winners can only select five of the books listed due to shipping costs.

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY

AUTOGRAPHED FINISHED COPIES of...

- All 3 of Simone Elkeles' HOW TO RUIN series

- TEETH by Hannah Moskowitz

- GONE GONE GONE by Hannah Moskowitz

- LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger

-  BITTERSWEET by Sara Zarr

ARCs of OCTOBER 2013 YA RELEASES

- UNBREAKABLE by Kami Garcia

- ANYWHERE BUT HERE by

- BANG by Lisa McMann

- REALITY BOY by A.S. King

- NEVER FADE by Alexandra Bracken

-  SIX MONTHS LATER by Natalie D. Richards

ARCs of NOV 2013 - FEB 2014 YA RELEASES

- ALIENATED by Melissa Landers (Feb 2014)

- ROOMIES by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando (Dec 2013)

- AFTER EDEN by Helen Douglas (Nov 2013)

OTHER BOOK PRIZES

- Personalized signed copies of TEMPEST + VORTEX (a foreign edition if available can be swapped for the U.S. edition)

- E-copy of LETTERS TO NOWHERE by Julie Cross (if print is available at time of shipping, a print copy will be sent, too)

WINNER'S CHOICE (ONE of Following BIG prizes)

- Basic US Kindle (valued at $69.00 USD) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCCNJU/ref=sa_menu_kdptq

OR

- $50 US Amazon Gift card

OR

- $50 US Barnes and Noble gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*As some prizes may not be redeemable by international participants, alternative suggestions are welcome but not guaranteed.

Blog Tour:

Sept. 3rd - The Book Cellar - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 3rd - Reading In Twilight - Guest Post

Sept. 4th - A Backwards Story - Review

Sept. 4th - The Irish Banana - Review

Sept. 5th - Bittersweet Enchantment - Interview

Sept. 5th - Book Breather - Review

Sept. 5th - Never Too Fond of Books - Review

Sept. 6th - Curling Up With A Good Book - Guest Post

Sept. 6th - Oops! I Read A Book Again - Review

Sept. 9th - Page Turners - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 9th - Gobs and Gobs of Books - Interview

Sept. 10th - Crawling Over The Pages - Guest Post

Sept. 10th - Musings From An Addicted Reader - Review

Sept. 10th - Sweet Southern Home - Guest Post

Sept. 11th - Mom With A Kindle - Interview

Sept. 11th - Reading with ABC - Review

Sept. 12th - Gone with the Words - Review & Guest Post

Sept. 12th - About to Read - Review

Sept. 12th - Blackplume - Interview

Sept. 13th - Every Free Chance Book Reviews - Guest Post

Sept. 13th - Literary Meanderings - Review

Book Launch: Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen

BREAKING NOVA

by Jessica Sorensen

Publication Date: September 3, 2103

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult

ISBN: 9781455582723

Summary:

Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true

love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next ... until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life — too bad he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life ... but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

Amazon: http://amzn.to/14l23NJ

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/17WazX5

iTunes: http://bit.ly/15n9yUV

Author Bio:

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Sorensen, lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Blog: http://jessicasorensensblog.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessFallenStar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Sorensen/165335743524509

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4601855.Jessica_Sorensen

Book Excerpt

I get caught up in it all—in her—and suddenly I’m pressing my lips against hers. I’ve done this a lot before, as a way to distract myself from my life. But this isn’t the same. This means something, but I’m still trying to figure out what and if I want it or even deserve to get it.

At first she stiffens, but then she hooks her arms around the back of my neck and inches closer, opening her mouth to me as she spreads her legs open and my hands travel higher toward the bottom of her shorts. She tastes like beer and smells like pot. Tristan’s gone but he could come back at any moment. I should stop this. I should care enough to stop Tristan from seeing this, but my will to care about doing the right thing at this moment has died. My thoughts are blurred by the lingering high and the scent and feel of Nova. All I seem to care about is caressing her tongue with mine and feeling her skin because it’s soft and soothing and in another life I’d touch it all the time.

I’m about to pull away, because emotions are prickling inside me, when she swings her leg over me so she’s straddling my lap, then she grips the sides of my neck and pulls me closer. She kisses me fiercely, to the point where it feels like my lips are going to bruise, then she’s crushing her chest against mine as she gently rocks her hips. I dig my fingers into her waist, bringing her even closer, before I push her back, breaking the connection of our lips.

She’s panting, wild-eyed, her hair falling out of the braid. She glances to the side at Tristan’s empty chair and then looks back at me.

“We should stop,” I say, but it sounds like a lame attempt, my voice drifting off at the end.

“W-why?” She stutters a protest and I have to admit that it’s nice there are no tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to.”

I brush her hair back from her eyes and let my fingers linger on the bruise on her cheek. “You don’t even know me, Nova. I’m no good for you… you deserve so much better.” Please run away. Because I can’t seem to do it myself.

Her jaw tenses, like I struck a nerve. “I think I should get to decide that.”

“Whether I’m good enough for you?” I ask.

“Yeah, which I can only decide if I get to know you,” she says.

I motion my hand in front of myself, pressing the point. “This is pretty much it. What you see is what you get.”

“That’s never the case,” she disagrees, flattening her palms onto my bare chest right over the scar and my body goes rigid. “In fact, most of the time people hide who they really are.” Her throat bobs up and down as she swallows hard. “Most of the time you think you know someone, but you really have no clue.”

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Hey guys! Anyone interested in a $50 gift card to Amazon.com?

Yes?

The lovely folks over at AO.com (a UK appliance company) offered to sponsor a giveaway here on the Irish Banana Review. They're letting us giveaway one $50 gift card to Amazon to a resident in the US, Canada or UK.

Sound like something you'd like? Then fill out the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

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Make sure you check them out on their Website, Facebook, and Twitter!

Blog Tour: The Bone Season

Welcome to the Irish Banana Review stop for the blog tour of The Bone Season. Going into BEA we heard a ton of buzz surrounding this book and even had the chance to meet Samantha Shannon (who is beyond sweet!). Here's Gabrielle's review of this stunning debut:

Title: The Bone Season

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: 8.20.2013

Pages: 480

Genre: Fantasy, Dystopian

Series: The Bone Season #1

Source: ARC from BEA

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine—a young woman learning to harness her powers in a world where everything has been taken from her. It also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut.

Review:

Don't you love it when you read the summary of a book and think "Meh, this looks pretty good," and then you read it and your like "Why didn't I read this sooner?!" That was exactly how it went with this book.

Samantha Shannon is absolutely phenomenal in the way she has created a world that is exciting, mysterious, and full of secrets.

It is hard to believe a world such as Scion doesn't actually exist. The amount of planning, layouts, language, everything seems to have required so much thought I can't believe something so amazing isn't real. I was not left asking myself to try and picture something. It was always there. Literally watching a movie in my head.

Paige, Warden, the Seals, and even the Rephaim had enough history and detail that you weren't questioning their presence. You understand them and their motives, their hardships and lack of restraint. I loved these characters. Shannon gave you more then enough to love them,  enough to understand, and just enough to say " Ok, and they next isn't coming out 'til when?!"

My only reserve about this book is that it's going to sit alone on the shelf until the rest follow. I cannot wait until I can read more of Scion, Paige, and what happens to it all. Samantha Shannon is amazing, brilliant, and truly has a talent. The Bone Season is most definitely a must read!

Buy: Amazon

Blog Tour: Emblazoned Red

Welcome to my stop on the EMBLAZONED RED blog tour! Apparently my first post was so exciting that blogger opted to eat it, ergo my apologies for the late release. But I can assure you this book is worth the wait.

Review:

To be totally honest, I had never heard of Emblazoned Red nor Dawn McCullough prior to hearing about this tour. After a little digging I decided this seemed like a pretty good book, so why not?

Best. Decision. Ever.

First of all let me just commend McCullough on throwing in so many genres into one story. I was a bit apprehensive about this, but she did it surprsingly well. I will admit that I did, occasionally, get lost. There was a lot going on, but McCullough is careful to never let her reader get too far off track.

Ilka was a great character. I embraced her from the start and I loved going on this journey with her. McCullough wrote a compelling character that I believe a lot of people will identify with. She's strong and witty and amusing all at once.

One of the best things about blog tour is being exposed to authors and books I might usually pass by. I'm sad to say I would have passed by this book and I would have missed out. I definitely recommend all fan of adventure and paranormal books check this one out. It's most assuredly worth your time.

About The Emblazoned Red - Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

Once, in another world—a dark world, the world of Faetta—there lived paladins and pirates, tyrants and scallywags, vampires and the undead. In this world a revolution is brewing. The royalty of Sieunes are in chains, and those priests and paladins who follow the holy word of the gods are under attack. In the west, the kingdom of Kellerhald receives the fleeing priests in their temples of the paladins of Silvius, god of the Sky.

Here, a young woman has just passed her tests to become a paladin. A pirate crew raids along the Azez Sea. An undead creature, wielding great power, roams the graveyard of Yetta. And a lost soul, crying out from beyond the veil, seeks out a pure hearted warrior to hear its plea.

Amid the turmoil of the revolution, Ilka’s mettle is tested. Rescued by pirates, she ends up with an unlikely ally: the pirate captain himself. The newly trained paladin finds herself collaborating with the undead, working with a vampire, and worst of all, longing for revenge against the man who has ignited the revolution in Sieunes: Francois Mond.

Death of an Innocent. Rise of a Paladin.

About Dawn McCullough White - Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Dawn McCullough White is known for her strong female protagonists, and gritty dark fantasy.

Ms. McCullough-White has lived the majority of her life in and around Rochester, NY with a brief stint in Tucson, AZ. She is pursuing a degree in psychology at R.I.T. Dawn is a history buff and was a member of the Society of Creative Anachronism for years, active as a heavy weapons fighter. She currently resides with her husband and son in a quaint neighborhood next to an old cemetery.

For more info about the tour and some great guest posts by Dawn, check out: The Emblazoned Red tour page.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun!

Top Ten Things That Make My Life As A Blogger Easier/Better

1. Netgalley: I became a blogger when eARCs were becoming a big thing. I quickly decided to embrace the change (despite vowing to only love physical books) and it's been wonderful. Especially now that I am blessed with a lot of review copies and only have so much room for books.

2. Edelweiss: Not only is Edelweiss a great resource for eARCs, but they also have catalogs and a ton of info about upcoming books. Don't get hung up on requesting ARCs here - dig deeper and see what other amazing things they have to offer.

3. Goodreads: I don't think a blogger can survive without Goodreads to help track and organize what you've read. Also, take time to interact with other people on their forums! You can learn a ton. Last year everyone wanted to know how I had the inside track at authors signing at BEA - it's because there's a BEA forum where there are dozens of people scouring websites, twitter, and facebook and then sharing that info. Also? There's giveaways.

4. Blog Tour Hosts: Specifically, blog tour hosts (like Kismet and Rockstar) that go above and beyond by providing all the info needed to make a blog tour post a success - everything from review copies to banners to html codes to pictures. I adore working with these two groups as they're amazing.

5. Twitter: Twitter is the best way to network as a blogger. You can interact with authors, publishers, and other bloggers there. 

6. Google Drive: A great way to organize documents. I have spreadsheets on here for everything from giveaways to my BEA schedule. It saves everything and is easy to navigate.

7. BookExpo America: This conference is absolutely amazing for introducing me to knew and upcoming books. I love chatting with publicists and authors about what they're excited for and putting faces to names in person. Also? It's like a huge blogger reunion as I get to hang out with some of my favorite people!

8. Bloggers: Yes, other bloggers are an immense help to me. I have made some of the best friends blogging - frinedships that go beyond, "OMG! Did you read this book yet?" These are people I know I can call when my real life goes crazy and I need to vent. People who get all my crazy.

9. Publicists: Some of the hardest working people in the business. These people take the time to organize book tours, schedules, promote upcoming books, send out review copies, and answer a myriad of questions. I have met some of the coolest publicists since becoming a blogger.

10. Blogger: I know there's a big debate over blogger and wordpress, but blogger works for me. I like it. I know it. And most the blogs I follow are on it. For now? I'm a Blogger on blogger.