Books: The Cheapest Vacation You Can Buy











{October 19, 2014}   {An Epic Giveaway} Win 6 Signed Books and Tons of Signed Swag

I am a hoarder of sorts.  A collector, if you will…  of signed books and swag.  I love them, and I love to share them with my beloved readers… so over the past few months, I’ve been collecting (or hoarding) books and swag that I’ve picked up at various conferences… most of which is from UtopYA 2014 (because, let’s face it, that was the most epic conference ever and I can’t wait for UtopYA 2015)!

And today seems like a fine day to run an epic giveaway.  Yes?

Here’s a detailed list of everything you can win:

What you’ll win:

Epic Giveaway

  • Signed paperback of Take Me To Your Reader by Tammy Blackwell, Amy A. Bartol, Amanda Havard, Sarah Ross, Tiffany King, Raine Thomas, Heather Hildenbrand, and C.A. Kunz (signed by all the authors)
  • Signed paperback of The Light Tamer by Devyn Dawson
  • Signed paperback of Blood Debt by Nancy Straight
  • Signed paperback of The One by Heather Self
  • Signed paperback of Soul Survivor by Michelle N. Files
  • Signed paperback of Spirits and Spells by Hollie Westring
  • Signed Tote Bag–Amy Evans
  • Wildflower Seed Packet signed by Elizabeth Sharp
  • Temporary Tattoos: Alien and Spade
  • Tissues from Michelle N. Files
  • Cell Phone Cleaner from Mindy Ruiz
  • Signed Coaster from Amy Miles–Captive
  • Lip Balm–Going Down in Flames by Chris Cannon
  • One Tiny Secret by T.A. Kunz Trading Card
  • The Dark by Heather Self–Card
  • My Endless Endings Pen

PLUS:

Signed Bookmarks from:

  • Maggie Stiefvater—The Raven Boys
  • Brenda Pandos—The Sapphire Talisman
  • Brenda Pandos–Everlost
  • Georgia Cates—Beauty From Surrender
  • Jennifer L. Armentrout—Don’t Look Back
  • Bella Roccaforte—The Ink Series
  • Dani Hart—A Firefighter’s Flame
  • Dani Hart–Reality
  • Casey Peeler—No Turning Back
  • C.L. Foster—Light and Shadows Collide
  • Jon Messenger—Wind Warrior
  • Kristie Cook—Purpose
  • Kristie Cook—The Space Within
  • Becca Vincenza–Healed
  • Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels–Project Ele
  • Devri Walls–Wings of Arian
  • Emma Shade–Finding Obscurity
  • T.A. Kunz–With Hunter Olivia
  • Misty Provencher–Full of Grace
  • Paulina Ulrich–Chosen
  • Kelly Risser–Never Forgotten
  • Stacey Marie Brown–Blood Beyond Darkness

Bookmarks from:

  • Tiffany King—Jordyn: The Final Battle
  • Megan Curd—Steel Lily
  • Stuck in Books
  • Paulina Urlich–Flightless Birds Book Thong
  • Misty Provencher–Stronger

Keychains:

  • Return of the Ascendant by Raine Thomas
  • House of Spades and Poker Chip from Mindy Ruiz
  • Clicks and Dolphin by Amy Evans
  • Dani Hart Bottle Cap
  • Angel Wing

Magnets from:

  • Elizabeth Kirke—Snow Bound
  • Raine Thomas—Becoming
  • Elizabeth Kirke—Semester Aboard
  • A Book Vacation Reviews
  • Miranda Kavi—Rue and Rive
  • P.K. Hrezo
  • Chris Cannon–Going Down in Flames
  • P.K. Hrezo–Diary of a Teenage Time Traveler
  • Amy Evans–Jellybean Kisses
  • Stories About Melissa
  • Krystal Wade

Signed Cards from:

  • Becca Vincenza–Damaged
  • Nely Cab–Forever Begins
  • Georgia Cates–Beauty From Love
  • Courtney Farrell–Bait
  • Kelly Risser–Never Forgotten

Buttons:

  • 5 from Casey L. Bond
  • Lucky Number Four by Amanda Jason
  • T.A. Kunz
  • “I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie”
  • “Keep Calm and Read a Bethany Lopez Novel”
  • “Don’t Eat the Food–Through Glass”
  • “I went to Area 51 and all I got was a stupid implant”
  • Fair Feathered–Paulina Ulrich
  • Curiosity Quills
  • Illusions Begin by N.L. Greene

Stickers:

  • Flightless Birds by Paulina Ulrich (signed)
  • Lucky Number Four Amanda Jason
  • Jordyn by Tiffany King
  • Author Paulina Ulrich
  • Witch Hunter Olivia by T.A. Kunz (signed)

Rubber Bracelets:

  • #ExpandYourClump
  • C.L. Foster—”Ninja in Training
  • Dani Hart—”A Firefighter’s Flame”
  • KristenDayBooks
  • Green and Black

Candy:

  • Blue Sucker
  • 4 Stick Candies from Karice Bolton

Jewelry:

  • Angel Wing Necklace from Devri Walls
  • The Broken Destiny by Carlyle Labuschagne–Pendant
  • Abberant by Ruth Silven–Charm
  • Dark Reflections by Elizabeth Sharp Bottle Cap–Charm
  • Rout of the Dem-Shyr by Raine Thomas–Charm
  • Dolphin Ring from Amy Evans
  • Necklace from Anne Elliot

And breathe…

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…

…

…

Excited?

To enter you must:

-Be 18 years or older (or have parent/guardian permission)

-Fill in the mandatory questions on rafflecopter (extra entries optional)

Click here to go to the Rafflecopter Entry Form!

This contest is open internationally and will end at 12:01am EST on November 20th. The winner will receive email notification! Please read my giveaway policy and leave me a comment!

______________________________________________________________________

And Don’t Forget to Enter my Other Epic Giveaway:

Win YOUR CHOICE of ONE of these Recent Releases (ENDS November 1) International:

RRG October

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{September 18, 2013}   {Review} Becoming by Raine Thomas (Daughters of Saraquel #1)

12081764From Goodreads: Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.

As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.

To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.

Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.

Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.

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This is a very well written novel that takes place in two planes, or worlds, if you will.  The beginning half of the novel centers around Amber and her life on the human plane as she gets ready for graduation and taking the next steps in her life.  Thomas fleshes out her characters, Amber and Gabriel, during this time, making the reader fall in love with them as we get to know them on a deep level.  Having grown up together in foster care, watching them thrive and fall in love was extremely gratifying, and I really enjoyed their characters.  I especially love Gabriel. He’s a great male lead and Thomas does such a great job making him believable and real, just like she does with Amber. I loved both leads very much, though Gabe steals the show, in my opinion.

Now, whereas this novel begins on the human plane, it ends of the Estilorian plane, giving equal time to both “worlds,” though they’re not technically separate worlds, from what I understand.  It’s more like equal existences in an alternate reality, if I understand correctly.  But, regardless, the world building is epic! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Estilorian place, and while I don’t necessarily understand everything about the plane because I’m not really scientific, I’ve believe I have good enough sense of it all based on what Thomas reveals through Ini-herit and the other characters during the transition period of the novel, and from the prequel, The Prophecy, as well.

The ending of Becoming was a little rough for me as I was convinced that Thomas was going to do something drastic to the characters, and I nearly threw the book across the room in tears.  However, rest assured, Thomas doesn’t do anything to the plot that isn’t needed, though that probably don’t assuage potential reader fears… just know the end it perfect.

I’m very excited to read the next novel in this series because I liked Amber’s sisters, but didn’t feel I learned enough about them individually as this novel focuses mainly on Amber.  But, I believe Thomas has written this series to follow a different sister in each novel while still flowing in sequence, which is awesome! I first was introduced to this type of serial style by Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series, which follows a different brother in each book, yet spurring on the overall plot, and it’s an epic way to tell a story. Amber’s had her turn, and while we’ll still learn about her in the next segment, the focus will move to Olivia, which makes me really excited because she intrigues me. Four stars.

4 stars

I purchased this novel from Amazon.

ABookVacation @ 2:00 pm [filed under Book Reviews tagged , , , , , , , , 2 Comments »


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