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…

…

…

…

…

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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{July 14, 2013}   {ARC Review} Left Drowning by Jessica Park

17325147From Goodreads: What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

*This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

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I read some reviews about Left Drowning prior to reading it, which is something I hardly ever do, but as the note above states that it’s a novel for mature audiences as it includes strong language and sexual content, recommended for Ages 17+, I wanted to do a little research first.  Those of you who have read my reviews on the blog over the past few years already know that I’m a bit of a prude, and those of you who haven’t read my reviews, well… I’m a bit of a prude.  And, as the New Adult genre has become more prolific (and I love it), I’ve learned to research my novels with the above warnings prior to reading them because I don’t want any surprises.  That being said, I feel like the reviews I read prepared me quite well for this novel’s delving into the sexual aspect, but not so much for the intensity of the characters as they bare their souls.

This read is intense.  The characters are extremely deep and their plights really moved me. Both Blythe and Chris are extremely raw inside, running from their pasts, and it’s hard to keep from crying as you read through their situations. And it’s not just them, it’s every character.  Park reels her readers in with the authenticity of her characters, splitting them wide open and forcing them to work through the pain, face their pasts, and triumph or die trying.  Originally I thought this novel was just about Blythe and Chris, but really it’s about them all: Sabin, Eric, Estelle, Zach, and James… each one playing an integral part in this story; each one is hurting, and though it takes a while for protective walls to come down around the characters for the reader to really see their true selves, it’s there, it’s raw, full of emotion, and I just loved how Park portrayed them, forcing them deep into my heart and making me feel like I truly know them. The fact that this novel took place over a few years was an ingenious idea that further connected me to the characters as I watched them graduate from college and begin living lives on their own, and while I don’t agree with all the decisions the characters make, it’s absolutely beautiful.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this novel, even more than I originally thought I would, and it all has to do with Park’s undeniable ability to create characters and events so real that the reader cannot walk away untouched.  Park focuses on some very difficult topics in this novel and she does so with extreme care, and though my emotions were all over the place as I read, I wouldn’t have it any other way (make sure you have tissues nearby). The one aspect I, personally, could have done without, though, were the very graphic “mature” scenes that I felt were a bit too long (I really prefer fade to black sequences, but to each their own), but overall, the power of the novel really overrides that aspect for me.  Four stars.

4 stars

Amazon Publishing has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on July 16, 2013.

ABookVacation @ 2:00 pm [filed under Book Reviews tagged , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment »


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