Review: THE BANE by Keary Taylor

Title: The Bane (Book 1 in the EDEN trilogy)
Author: Keary Taylor
Pub Date: March 5, 2013
Published by: Keary Taylor Books
Source: Digital ARC through NetGalley

Synopsis

Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter.  It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world.  Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold.  The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born.  The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction.

Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name.  But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality.  This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time.

Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love.  There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets.  And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind.

The Bane is The Terminator meets The Walking Dead with a heart-twisting romance.

Previously published as Eden, due to reader demand it has been revamped and rereleased as The Bane: book one in The Eden Trilogy.

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Review:

THE BANE is fabulous mix of Sci-Fi, dystopian, and romance. It's really not that hard to believe that scientists could potentially create a robotic "cure" that could eventually overcome humanity. I mean, we've all seen the Terminator right. Keary has taken a somewhat mish-mash of genres and woven them together so seamlessly that you will be sucked into the world that Eden exists within. The science is just detailed enough that it's believable without being so in depth that you get lost in the details. 

Beyond the world that Keary has created, are the amazing characters. Each character has his or her own flaws that make them relateable and believable. The characters are human and prone to anger, sadness, fear, and despair. Their relationships are complicated and their lives are stressful. They are believable, which I have found is sometimes a problem with science fiction characters. Often the author gets so wrapped up in the world and the story that the characters begin to act out of character. That is not the case in THE BANE. Keary has done a remarkable job keeping these characters true to themselves and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for them.

I'll tell you, I read this story when it was originally published as EDEN a couple of years ago and I loved it. I am so thrilled that has decided to turn it into a trilogy because that was my first question for her after I first read EDEN. THE BANE is basically the same story but there are some subtle changes that have a dramatic impact on where the story can go in the future. I am really looking forward to books 2 and 3. 

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About the author:

-----Keary-- Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters --who-- always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, --THE --EDEN-- TRILOGY--, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about --Keary-- and her writing process, please visit---www.KearyTaylor.com-

Links

• Author Website

• Author Facebook Page

• Author Twitter Page

• THE BANE Goodreads Page

Review: ON DUBLIN STREET by Samantha Young

**Warning: This is an adult read with sexual content and vulgar language.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

REVIEW:

This book is filled to the brim with intense desire, humor, and one very stubborn woman so of course, I absolutely loved it! The characters were so well defined that I found I was able to almost anticipate how they would react to certain situations. Each character's history played an important role as to who they were and how they reacted and the author did an amazing job building each character's personality around their past. I was completely sucked in from the moment Joss and Braden met and Braden, HOT DAMN MAN! I really want a Braden of my own. (Let's not share that with my husband ok. It will be our little secret.)

The story was so well developed and thought out that I was very satisfied with all aspects of the book. I didn't feel like I was left hanging regarding small details or sub plots which I absolutely hate. I don't like loose ends! And I didn't find any in ON DUBLIN STREET. 

Now, enough about story content, Samantha Young has developed one HAWT piece of book boy ass! I mean, the man has everything. He's a woman's dream physically and sexually. And emotionally, well, he has just enough flaws to make him damn irresistible. Braden Carmichael might just be my new favorite fictional man candy. And he is determined. What woman doesn't want a man who will never give up on her no matter kind of baggage she carries. And well, Joss Butler has some heavy baggage.

Joss is one headstrong and determined woman who is in complete denial. I can't really blame her method of dealing with all her past has thrown at her and at times, she just made me want to scream "What the hell woman!?" But she's stubborn, hard headed, and frankly, down right lovable due to all that. She made me want to laugh, scream, and cry and together with Braden, they make one hell of a power couple.

This is one book you won't want to miss out on.

*******

BUY

Amazon

LINKS

Author Website

Author on Goodreads

Author Facebook

ON DUBLIN STREET Facebook

Author on Twitter

Review: BEAUTIFUL BASTARD by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bastard
Author: Christina Lauren
Published by: Gallery Books
Original Title: The Office
**Warning: This is an adult title. It contains explicit sex and adult language.
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An ambitious intern.
A perfectionist executive.
And a whole lot of name calling. 

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. 

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office. 

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other. 

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Review:

Steamy, sexy, and obsessive, you won't want to put this one down. I had heard a lot of talk about this one before I broke down and ordered it. I kept getting hung up on the fact that it had started out at some Twilight fan fiction, even though everyone said you wouldn't even know it from reading it. And well, they were so right! Beautiful Bastard is a great mix of sex, hate and obsession, and I loved how the relationship between Bennett and Chloe developed.

First things first, there is a lot of sex. A LOT. But the sex scenes are well written and fit the characters' personalities perfectly and are not corny at all. This can be huge problem for me. I hate it when a sex scene makes me laugh by being completely out of character and completely absurd. I will say that if you are sensitive to intimate scenes, language, and vulgarity then this is probably not a book for you. But if you can appreciate a healthy sexual appetite, a lot of awkwardness, and one of the most confusing relationship situations ever then you should definitely give Beautiful Bastard a read.

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LINKS

Buy Beautiful Bastard on Amazon

Buy Beautiful Bastard at B&N

Author Website

Facebook

Christina on Twitter

Lauren on Twitter

The Beautiful Bastard Movie

ARC Review: WALKING DISASTER by Jamie McGuire

WALKING DISASTER
By: Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster.
Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.



Review:
I have been waiting (very impatiently) for Walking Disaster since I first heard that Jamie was going to write from Travis's POV. And wholly moley does Jamie McGuire deliver! I no longer give "starred" reviews, but if I did, Walking Disaster would be a 6 out of 5 stars in my book! This is not just a simple re-telling, we get to see first hand Travis's beautiful, broken, crazy heart and we finally find out just what was going through his head all that time. We get to uncover a totally brand new aspect of Travis and Abby's relationship, because no two people live the same love. And Travis was a complete and utter mystery to me when I read Beautiful Disaster (all 6 times). Let's face it, what woman doesn't want to get inside a guys head?

Jamie has done a marvelous job of taking a book that we all know, love, and let's face it, have somewhat memorized, and making it new, exciting, and completely revealing. You will recognize most of the scenes, but the new angle from Travis's POV creates a whole new experience for the reader and I found myself up all night just dying to read every last word of Travis's side of the story.

But if this new side of the story is not quite enough, Jamie took Travis and Abby's story one step further. That's right, there's an AMAZING surprise at the end of the book. One that will definitely make you smile and leaving you feeling with that happy, fulfilled feeling. So if you haven't already ordered this fabulous book, or heaven forbid you haven't even read Beautiful Disaster, what are you waiting for!? There is no other book/set that I would recommend more that Beautiful Disaster  and Walking Disaster. 

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Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Jamie McGuire's Website

Facebook

Twitter

Cover Reveal: PRECIOUS THINGS by Stephanie Parent

Precious Things

by Stephanie Parent 

Release Date: May 2013

Cover Deisgned by: Allie Brennan of B Design 

Cover reveal organized by: YA Bound

Summary from Goodreads:

Isabelle Andrews isn’t supposed to be here. She isn’t supposed to be a freshman at Hartford Community College, she isn't supposed to be living at home and working at her dad’s failing bakery, and she definitely isn’t supposed to be taking Intro to Electronic Music Production, a class that will get her nowhere toward her goal of an English Ph.D. by age twenty-five. But when her dad’s latest business fiasco eats up her college fund, Hartford Community College is exactly where Isabelle finds herself—and thanks to her late enrollment, she doesn’t even get to choose her classes. Stuck with Electronic Music and way-too-easy English courses, Isabelle is determined to wallow in all the misery she feels entitled to.

But community college brings some unexpected benefits…like the fact that a certain overworked, over-scheduled Electronic Music professor hands over most of his duties to his teaching assistant. His tall, green-eyed, absolutely gorgeous teaching assistant. When TA Evan Strauss discovers Isabelle’s apathy toward electronic music—and, well, all music—he makes it his mission to convert her. The music Evan composes stirs something inside Isabelle, but she can’t get involved—after all, she’ll be transferring out as soon as possible. 

Still, no matter how tightly Isabelle holds on to her misery, she finds it slipping away in the wake of all Hartford Community offers: new friendships, a surprisingly cool poetry professor, and most of all, Evan. But Evan’s dream of owning his own music studio is as impractical as Isabelle’s dad’s bakery, and when Evan makes a terrible decision, everything Isabelle has gained threatens to unravel. Soon Isabelle discovers that some of the most important lessons take place outside the classroom…and that in life, as in Evan’s favorite Depeche Mode song, the most precious things can be the hardest to hold on to.

About the Author

Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.

Follow Stephanie at:
Blog| Twitter|Goodreads  

BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: THE BOYS OF SUMMER by CJ Duggan

Welcome to my stop on The Boys of Summer blog tour hosted by YA Bound.  Click HERE to check out the full blog tour schedule!

The Boys of Summer (Summer #1)

by C.J. Duggan 

Release Date: 12/17/12

294 pages

Summary from Goodreads: 

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘OnslowBoys’. Every time they swaggered in the front doorof the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.

To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget. 

It will be a summer she will always remember.

Warning: sexual references, and occasional course language.

REVIEW:

I'm in love! With the ONSLOW BOYS! Yep, they have stolen my heart. I thought this would be a cute little story about summer romance, and well, it is... but it's also a lot more. It's about bullying, and friendship, and love, and mistakes, and most of all, learning who you are. I really enjoyed watching Tess come out of her shell and learn by making mistakes. It's a valuable lesson, because really, no one can learn without making mistakes. I loved the Australian setting, which it took a little while for me to catch on to, but it was fabulous and I enjoyed the glimpse into a different culture. I know... I'm not worldly at all!

And due to the unworldlyness that is me... it took a while for me to catch on to some of the slang used, but it was also so very interesting to me. The story was well developed and well written and I finished it in one day... much to my husbands annoyance. (Yep, I sat on the back deck sunning my self and reading while he cut the grass in the backyard. Our very large backyard.) So I spent a day in the sun with the fabulous and lovable Onslow Boys. 

There's a significant age difference between the boys and Tess and Ellie, but the author did a wonderful job of pointing out the positives and negatives of this. I personally am married to a man 10 years my senior and yep, I met him when I was 18, so I am very aware of the positives and negatives.

Overall, this was a wonderful and enticing read and I absolutely cannot wait to read AN ENDLESS SUMMER! I need some more of those Onslow Boys!

Buy Links:

Add An Endless Summer (Summer #2) to Goodreads:

About the Author

C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.

The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

***GIVEAWAY***

Enter below to win one of 5 e-book copies of The Boys of Summer, open Internationally!

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BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: FOREVER HERS by EB Walters

Welcome to the Forever Hers blog tour! Organized by the fabulous Christina Irelan at Intoxicated by Books. Go check her out and give her a shout out because she worked really hard putting this tour together.

Title: Forever Hers

Author: E.B. Walters

Print Length: 288 pages

Publisher: Firetrail Publishing (October 8, 2012)

Language: English

Publish Date: October 8, 2012

Synopsis:

She wants her past hidden...

Amy Kincaid is running from her controlling ex-husband, who will stop at nothing to find her. With a new identity and a new job as a housekeeper, she just wants to be left alone to raise her daughter. Then Eddie Fitzgerald rolls into town and turns her world upside down.

He’s in the business of exposing the truth...

Eddie Fitzgerald, L.A.P.D.'s finest, lives for his job and nothing else, until he decides to take a break at the family summer home and is held at gunpoint by the most annoying, sassiest woman to ever cross his path. But something is off about Amy, and the more he learns about her, the more he’s convinced she’s a fugitive.

When her past catches up to her, Amy has no choice but to trust Eddie. Unfortunately, Eddie has demons of his own, and struggles with the decision to protect her or uphold the law.

The truth takes them down a deadly path, and only love can save them.

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Review:

OH. MY. GAWD! Every time I think I've found my favorite Fitzgerald Family book, Ednah writes another one! I've been dying for Eddie's story for a while now. He's always helping all of his cousins, and I really wanted him to get his happy ending. I have to say that Eddie is both extremely appealing and obscenely frustrating at the same time. He has this frustrating hang up due to him mother's abandonment, but he is also so endearing and heart felt and well.... sexy!

I really liked that this book had a different setting and involved a woman who already has a child. For me, this aspect made the relationship all the more important. And like all the women in the Fitzgerald Family books, Amy  is kick ass! She is strong and independent and has overcome a lot of really bad stuff, and I love that Eddie's role is not only to protect her but empower her. Even though he has control issues. I mean really, what man doesn't!?

The relationship between Amy and Eddie is wonderful, but the relationship between Amy and her Ex really cements the story. You'll have to read it to find out why, but Amy's history will suck you in and you will flipping each and every page just waiting for that final *BAM* moment. 

While this is the 5th book in the Fitzgerald Family series, you don't really have to have read the other books, although I strongly encourage you to if you haven't. Ednah is a fabulous author who grows with each and every book and her men.... O.M.G! You definitely don't want to miss out on all those scrumptious men! You can check out my reviews of all the other Fitzgerald Family books below. What are you waiting for.... go pick up Forever Hers!

Buy Links:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Print

Join Ednah’s Facebook Fan Page

Reviews of other Fitzgerald Family books:

SLOW BURN

MINE UNTIL DAWN

KISS ME CRAZY

DANGEROUS LOVE

Tour Schedule

March 18 http://intoxicatedbybooks.blogspot.com Christina Irelan

March 19 www.living-fictitiously.blogspot.com Britney Wyatt

March 20 http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/ Stacey Clifford

March 21 http://amethystdaydreams.blogspot.com/ Megan Keyser

March 22 http://www.forbiddenreviews.com/ Mindy Janicke

March 25 http://insaneaboutbooks.blogspot.com Michele Luker

March 26 http://kristinasbooksandmore.blogspot.com Kristina Haecker

March 27 http://pageflipperz.blogspot.com Katrina Whittaker

March 28 http://words2follow.blogspot.com Shelby

March 29 http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com Lindsey Hutchison

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STRIPPED by Brooklyn Skye COVER REVEAL + Giveaway

Stripped

by Brooklyn Skye 

Release Date: 05/14/13

Cover designed by: Lisa Poff Photography

Cover reveal organized by: YA Bound

Summary from Goodreads:

“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.

“Don’t…waste those words on me.”

He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”

“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

About the Author

Brooklyn Skye is an author, editorial intern, and just your average awkward girl (especially on the phone!). Her new adult debut, STRIPPED, releases May 2013!

Follow Brooklyn at:

Website * Twitter * Goodreads

Click HERE to sign up to participate in the blog tour for Stripped.

***GIVEAWAY***

Enter below to win a signed hardcopy of STRIPPED (if U.S. winner) or an e-copy with Authorgraph (if international winner)

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3 SIDES OF A CIRCLE BLOG TOUR + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the 3 Sides of a Circle blog tour by Jolene Perry and Janna Watts hosted by YA Bound.  Click HERE to see the rest of the blog tour schedule!

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I’m a lover of the language –

Lines of short scenes from a book will sell that book to me faster than anything else, so I thought I’d share a few of my faves from 3 Sides to a Circle…

“I press on my cheekbones and run a finger over my chin. My face is all angles and perception and good sides, and lighting. Being a model has warped my view and I really don’t see my own face anymore—just imperfect pieces of a whole.” –Honor

“He smirks but is looking at me in that intimate way of his that curls my insides in something half delicious and half fear-inducing.” – Honor

“I roll over to face him, and we’re in this bubble of want and newness and perfection. Last night was about friendship with a few small kisses as he tried to help me drift off. This moment is going to be about how much we care about going slow before going all the way.” - Honor

“And now I’m trapped in a house with a shit headache, a manic pixie, and a horrified Honor.” – Toby

“Libby makes it feel like its Mount Everest. I close my eyes for a second and feel her. I want something, but I’m not sure what. I’m almost overwhelmed with possibility and fear. This girl, this moment, it doesn’t belong to me. It’s not mine to have yet.” – Toby

“She starts to walk away, but I grab her arm. I want to shake the mask from her face. I want to know what’s going on with us. I want to know we’re okay. Because it doesn’t feel like it, and I don’t have it in me not to have things with them okay right now. They’re my lifeline, the only thing even keeping me at school at this point.” - Toby

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3 Sides to a Circle
by Jolene Perry, Janna Watts
Release Date: 02/25/13
Paperback/e-book
205 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
Love is the ultimate rush.
Freshman year of college isn't easy. But with a friend like Libby Patterson, it is unforgettable.

Libby is honest and fearless and adorable. She's the girl on campus that everyone knows. The life of every party. Infectious and addictive, Libby captivates all those around her. Particularly her roommate Honor and their boy bestie Toby.

But three isn't always a magic number. And there's more to this trio than what everyone sees.

When Honor finds herself falling for an artist, and Libby doesn’t approve, and Toby finds himself watching Libby more than he should...the sides of their circle become strained.

The three are suddenly stretched between friendship, love and taking sides. They must fight to hold on to each other. But the tighter the hold, the harder it gets. Especially when Libby's unpredictability turns dangerous. Now it's up to Honor and Toby to save her from the downward spiral that could break their circle for good.



Where to buy 3 Sides of a Circle:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble

***GIVEAWAY***
1 Nook Simple Touch w/ Glowlight - US Only
2 paperback copies - US Only
3 ebook copies - international
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Author Bios:
Jolene wears juvenile T-shirts, worn-out Chucks, and eats too much chocolate. She makes up words, drinks Shirley Temples, and suffocates a little without her iPod. 
Website / Blog / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Tumblr

Janna wears juvenile pajama pants, worn-out Chucks, and wakes up ridiculously early. Pen name abuser. Rule Breaker. Trouble maker. Corrupter of youth. In books.
Twitter / Goodreads