Review: Forsaken Harbor (Summer Chronicles #2)

Forsaken Harbor (Summer Chronicles #2) by Laura Kreitzer

Website: http://www.laurakreitzer.com

Twitter: laurakreitzer

eBook, 228 pages

Published February 15, 2012 by Revolution Publishing Inc. (first published February 12, 2012)

Age range: 14 years

ISBN13: 9781937790011

(Goodreads)Summary

The Secret Clock Society has infiltrated every aspect of the government. You can’t hide from them, you can’t out run them—the only choice is to surrender or die fighting. Well, Summer’s found her voice and her confidence. She’ll fight if necessary, but for now she’s on the run. And the only place that can offer her refuge is the one city that’s been devastated with disease and death. Full of savages, Forsaken Harbor holds her life on the edge of a knife. Is there still hope to be found here after all? Or will survival mean savagery?

Review

Summer's story begins right where Phantom Universe ends and you're immediately thrown into non-stop twists and turns. Forsaken Harbor definitely outshines Phantom Universe in every way. Being able to "live" through Summer's growth into the person she has become in the second novel was just amazing. There's something about Summer that makes you want to stick with her through everything and help her fight her battles along the way.

The one thing I really enjoyed about Forsaken Harbor was the growth of each character we've grown to love from the first book. And we fianlly get to meet Julian who is just as swoon-worthy as Gage (if that's even possible)! We see the deeper part of what makes Julian, Julian. By the end of the story I was on the fence with the teams (Team Julian or Team Gage). They both hold a special place in Summer's heart and I couldn't decided who to pick.

Just when you think the worst is about to happen, Laura throws in a breath-stopper of an ending. Now you would think being on Laura's editing team I'd know what's in store for the next book but she refuses to tell me. I can't even begin piecing together what the ending meant or what it means for Burning Falls. I suggest getting your hands on Phantom Universe & Forsaken Harbor if you're down for the non-stop action and adventures of a YA Dystopian Fantasy.

5 Stars

About The Author

Phantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer is both well reviewed & currently a free download http://bit.ly/zmMhjR

Laura Kreitzer is a published fiction author who hails from western Kentucky. Her full-time 9-5 job used to be working in a lab devoted to water dye-tracing investigations at Western Kentucky University, though her passion was always writing.

Shadow of the Sun is the first book in the Timeless Series of books about a young woman, Gabriella, who is a doctor in charge of paranormal investigations at an influential government lab. A sudden delivery to her lab reveals the possibility that Angels actually exist and she must use her skills in both science and discernment to decide if the previously thought of science fic...morePhantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer is both well reviewed & currently a free download http://bit.ly/zmMhjR

Laura Kreitzer is a published fiction author who hails from western Kentucky. Her full-time 9-5 job used to be working in a lab devoted to water dye-tracing investigations at Western Kentucky University, though her passion was always writing.

Shadow of the Sun is the first book in the Timeless Series of books about a young woman, Gabriella, who is a doctor in charge of paranormal investigations at an influential government lab. A sudden delivery to her lab reveals the possibility that Angels actually exist and she must use her skills in both science and discernment to decide if the previously thought of science fiction is a reality.

The main character is similar to the author in many ways, the least of which is her incredible intelligence. Both Gabriella and Laura are both strong women who let very little stand in their way.

Becoming a published author is a harrowing, and often disheartening, experience. Laura bravely decided to pursue the path of self-publishing. The editing experience was an exercise in patience as version after version were carefully picked apart for proper grammar, spelling, formatting, and appropriate storyline continuity. After several months of Shadow of the Sun being available for purchase, she was offered a job and an offer to publish her first novel at Obsidian Mountain Publishing, which she accepted.

Although the storyline of Shadow of the Sun poured from her fingertips onto her computer screen, the process itself of bringing the book to life has been one of hard work and dedication and Laura has also decided to use this website not only to promote her book, but also for author support to encourage other writers to publish their work and become authors in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Please keep in mind that this website is a work in progress, as is everything in life. That being said, the team that supports Laura is always ready and willing to answer any questions that adults or young adults may have regarding her process to becoming published and the intense determination she has shown to make it a reality.

You may contact Laura via email at laura@revolutionpublish.com

Facebook Challenge

Hello! Anyone out there?! I have a challenge for eveyone of you. Want to hear about it? Here it goes! On March 30, all Facebook Pages will get a new design. It's basically just like the timeline but it's revamped for the Pages. If you're not sure what the timeline for Facebook looks like, here it is:

 

The cool thing is I can also have a cover photo for my page (on this timeline, it's the water at the top)! So the challenge: Those of you who are interested can accept the challenge and get the chance to design me a cover photo for my Page. The winner will receive a signed copy of Elemental Reality AND Battle Scars (when it comes out) along with a whole lot of swag. Sound good? You guys in? Let me know.

 

The Rules:

1. Be creative!
1. It can go along with my current series OR me in general. Like me being an author.
2. You have until March 30th since that's when the Pages will officially change.
3. All entries should be submitted to my email: cesya.cuono@revolutionpublish.com
4. HAVE FUN!

AND GO!

February R.A.K. Wrap-Up

Ah, the end of another great RAK month. Thank you Book Soulmates for coming up with this great idea!

Sent

The Future of Us to Amanda at Hippies Beauty and Books

Cinder (eBook) to Amber at The Musings of Almybnenr

Received

Here (eBook) from Dani at Refracted Light 

Winner!

Apologies for not posting this when I said I would. As you can see from the title of this post, this is my winner announcement from the Valentine's Day giveaway.

#25 Bronwyn Liebner

Her winning answer:



He wakes her up with her favorite breakfast in bed, a single bloom of her favorite flower in a delicate vase on the tray. They head to a local cave and sneak kisses during the tour. Lunch is a picnic at home on a blanket in front of the roaring fire. After eating, they make slow, tender love in front of the blaze. She cooks him his favorite dinner and they eat by candlelight. For dessert they taste each other. The rest of the evening is spent naked in each others arms, alternating between passionate lovemaking and delightful conversation.

 

She has been emailed and her prizes will be sent out soon. I just want to thank everyone for participatting in my giveaway. Stay tuned for my St. Patty's Day giveaway. I'm having something awesome up for grabs all thanks to my beta/BFF, Traci!



Review: Falling In Between (Falling #1) by Devon Ashley

This review was supposed to be posted on February 15 but due to my BFF's father passing away it slipped my mind. Then I was going to have it scheduled to post for 6am EST on February 17 but after working a 12.5 hour shift at work I was beat and couldn't even process what I was writing. So, without further adieu (Devon I apologize for the lateness), my review.

Falling In Between (Falling #1) by Devon Ashley

Website: http://www.devonashleywrites.blogspot.com

Paperback ARC, 284 pages

Published February 14, 2012 by Self

Age range: 17+

ISBN13: 9781466388901

Rating: 5 stars

(Goodreads)Summary

Finally! A private conversation. And all I had to do was throw myself off a cliff, drown in a pond in my undies and let him put his hands on my breasts to bring me back to life. Yay me…(yeah, that’s sarcasm)

Yep, that pretty much sums up the most craptastic night of Jenna Baker’s life. She drowns after jumping off a cliff, meets a hotty named Chance in the pearlescent in-between and is brought back to life by her soon-to-be boyfriend Robert.

Just when things start to move forward with Robert, the guy she'd been crushing on for a year now, in walks the man of her dreams – literally. Chance suddenly appears in her dream every time she closes her eyes. So it's Robert by day and Chance by night. One in the real world and one in the dream world. What could possibly go wrong?

Absolutely nothing – until she comes face to face with the guy she met in the in-between, and realizes her romantic rendezvous with Chance may be more than just her imagination.

Note: Jenna's coming of age story is a little edgy. There is mild language and some sexual content.

Review

I’d like to thank Devon Ashley for giving me the opportunity to take part in her blog tour. So THANK YOU!

I’ll admit I didn’t get into this book until the second time we met Chance. You know the one I’m talking about? When he’s playing soccer and Jenna gets hit in the head with the soccer ball? Yeah, that one. Chance was very frisky and flirty. The perfect dream boy and I literally mean dream because that’s the only time he saw him. Everyone needs some lovin’ right? Even dream boys.

Then we have Robert. Jenna’s real life crush-turned-boyfriend. He’s pretty amazing. Definitely swoon-worthy too. He treats Jenna great and isn’t pushy with the intimate side of their relationship which gave him brownie points in my book.

My heart ached for Jenna when she came face-to-face with Chance in real life. Why you ask? Because a part of her loved both Chance and Robert. How do you choose between two real life guys who both have a piece of your heart? I couldn’t even tell you who I wanted Jenna to be with because I like both guys for very different reasons.

I thought Falling In Between had a great ending that set us up for the second book. I’m dying to know how it’ll play out. Even though in the end of this book she did choose who she wanted to be with, I’m curious as to who her heart will truly belong to.

Review: The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards

The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards

Website: http://www.jasminerichards.com

Twitter: jrichardsauthor

Paperback ARC, 400 pages (Source: Once Upon A Twilight Book Tours)

Published: January 17, 2012 by HarperCollins Publisher

Age group: 8-12 years

ISBN: 0062010077 (ISBN13: 9780062010070)

Rating: 5 stars


(Goodreads)Summary
Magic, Djinn, Ogres, and Sorcerers. Thirteen-year-old Zardi loves to hear stories about fantastical beings, long banned from the kingdom of Arribitha. But anyone caught whispering of their powers will feel the rage of the sultan—a terrifying usurper who, even with his eyes closed, can see all.

When her own beloved sister is captured by the evil ruler, Zardi knows that she must go to any lengths to rescue her. Along with her best friend, Ridhan—a silver-haired, violet-eyed boy of mysterious origins—and an unlikely crew of sailors led by the infamous Captain Sinbad, Zardi ventures forth into strange and wondrous territory with a seemingly impossible mission: to bring magic back to Arribitha and defeat the sultan once and for all.

Review

I’d like to thank Once Upon a Twilight for giving me the opportunity to be on this book review tour.

Now, on with the show . . . er . . . review!

I have to admit that I was a little leery about reading this book because of the age range but I trudged along and slowly got swept away in Zardi’s adventures. I have to say, she was very brave for only being thirteen and I admired her for that. She was a little firecracker and when she set her mind to doing something, she followed through until it was finished. I think back to when I was thirteen and though my life was nothing like Zardi’s, I don’t think I would have followed through with anything. At that age, I was all talk and a big pile of—excuse my French—chicken shit. Another thing I really like about Zardi is that family and friends were her main priority. She’d make sure they were protected instead of worrying about herself.

Next, we have Ridhan. He was a very mysterious boy and I loved how his mysteriousness grew when they boarded Sinbad’s ship. (Side note: I failed to mention Sinbad was in this story. Surprise! We’re introduced to him in the beginning of the story in Arribitha where Zardi and Ridhan and listening to his stories as he tells them to the crowds. When Zardi and Ridhan speak to him after the crowd begins to scatter, Sinbad mentions a land where Ridhan’s people are said to live. This piques his interest and he’s determined to get aboard Sinbad’s ship so they can sail to his home land.)

I could go on and on about this story but then you'd never want to read it because I'd probably end of ruining the whole thing for you so I'm going to leave it at that. If you have children in that age range at home or you want to jump into a different genre for a day, I suggest picking up The Book of Wonders because of the wonderful mysteries written on its pages.

Live To Read: Massive ARC Giveaway!

Live To Read: Massive ARC Giveaway!: Swag Pack filled with bookmarks (quite a few signed), Book Postcards, etc... this portion of the giveaway is INTERNATIONAL-don't worry, t...