Reveal: At the Mountain's Edge by Genevieve Graham

SYNOPSIS for “At the Mountain’s Edge”:

From bestselling author Genevieve Graham comes a sweeping new historical novel of love, tragedy, and redemption set during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush.

In 1897, the discovery of gold in the desolate reaches of the Yukon has the world abuzz with excitement, and thousands of prospectors swarm to the north seeking riches the likes of which have never been seen before. 

For Liza Peterson and her family, the gold rush is a chance for them to make a fortune by moving their general store business from Vancouver to Dawson City, the only established town in the Yukon. For Constable Ben Turner, a recent recruit of the North-West Mounted Police, upholding the law in a place overrun with guns, liquor, prostitutes, and thieves is an opportunity to escape a dark past and become the man of integrity he has always wanted to be. But the long, difficult journey over icy mountain passes and whitewater rapids is much more treacherous than Liza or Ben imagined, and neither is completely prepared for the forbidding north.

As Liza’s family nears the mountain’s peak, a catastrophe strikes with fatal consequences, and not even the NWMP can help. Alone and desperate, Liza finally reaches Dawson City, only to find herself in a different kind of peril. Meanwhile, Ben, wracked with guilt over the accident on the trail, sees the chance to make things right. But just as love begins to grow, new dangers arise, threatening to separate the couple forever.

Inspired by history as rich as the Klondike’s gold, At the Mountain’s Edge is an epic tale of romance and adventure about two people who must let go of the past not only to be together, but also to survive.

PUBLISHER LINK  | AUTHOR WEBSITE

PRE-ORDER LINKS:
Amazon. | Amazon.ca | Kindle | Chapters/Indigo | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Nook

Fat Girl On A Plane by Kelly DeVos

Author: Kelly DeVos
Title: Fat Girl on a Plane
Publication: June 5, 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Publisher
Website | Twitter | Goodreads

About the Book Don’t miss this unforgettable debut novel, told in two timelines, about smart fashion, pursuing your dreams, and loving yourself! 

FAT. 

High school senior Cookie Vonn’s post-graduation dreams include getting out of Phoenix, attending Parsons and becoming the next great fashion designer. But in the world of fashion, being fat is a cardinal sin. It doesn’t help that she’s constantly compared to her supermodel mother—and named after a dessert. 

Thanks to her job at a fashion blog, Cookie scores a trip to New York to pitch her portfolio and appeal for a scholarship, but her plans are put on standby when she’s declared too fat to fly. Forced to turn to her BFF for cash, Cookie buys a second seat on the plane. She arrives in the city to find that she’s been replaced by the boss’s daughter, a girl who’s everything she’s not—ultrathin and superrich. Bowing to society’s pressure, she vows to lose weight, get out of the friend zone with her crush, and put her life on track. 

SKINNY. 

Cookie expected sunshine and rainbows, but nothing about her new life is turning out like she planned. When the fashion designer of the moment offers her what she’s always wanted—an opportunity to live and study in New York—she finds herself in a world full of people more interested in putting women down than dressing them up. Her designs make waves, but her real dream of creating great clothes for people of all sizes seems to grow more distant by the day. 

Will she realize that she’s always had the power to make her own dreams come true? 

Review

It's all about fashion for Cookie Vonn and she dreams of one day being a famous designer. She has the talent and drive to make it happen but their is just one thing that stands in her way, she isn't the ideal of what the fashion would consider skinny. She's plus size and determined to change the way the world sees bigger women. 

I chose this book because the main character is fat and I can essentially relate to that. I wanted to see her make it big in the fashion world but it didn't really to seem to be about fashion. She's teenage girl very aware of her body and what makes it look good but she doesn't see that when she looks in the mirror. She's tired of living in the shadow of her model mother. She's in love with her best friend but doesn't think he wants to be with her because of her weight, so she sets out to lose it so he will notice her and believes all her dreams will fall into place. I felt this was an unhealthy way for her to think. If she's not happy fat, she won't be happy thin because she doesn't deal with the real issue that is causing her to be so unhappy. She's seems angry and naive most of the book. I say angry because she's feels like the world is unfair to her because of how she looks. In a sense, I felt bad for her as she battled with her emotions towards a certain mean girl that everyone gave a pass since she having a rough time. That doesn't excuse her being cruel. I also felt that the romance wasn't believable and was unbalanced because of the age factor. It was also gross in a way how it all worked out. 

The story is set up in a two narrative with Cookie before she lost weight and after. I think I would've liked it more if it was just about her and the fashion world because she was fine the way she was and it seemed she was more unhappy skinny. Overall, this was a quick read but I felt like the ending left much open with Cookie and her future. I think anyone looking for a book about acceptance may like this one. 

Excerpt & Giveaway: Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Title: Furyborn
Author: Claire Legrand
ISBN: 9781492656623, Hardcover
Release Date: May 22nd, 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Website | Goodreads

The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed…unless the trials kill her first.

One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable—until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire’s heart is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world—and of each other.

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

Author: Alexa Donne
Title: Brightly Burning
Publication: May 1, 2018
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Fantasy, Science Fiction, Retelling
Source: Publisher
Website | Twitter | Goodreads

About the Book Seventeen-year-old Stella Ainsley wants just one thing: to go somewhere—anywhere—else. Her home is a floundering spaceship that offers few prospects, having been orbiting an ice-encased Earth for two hundred years. When a private ship hires her as a governess, Stella jumps at the chance. The captain of the Rochester, nineteen-year-old Hugo Fairfax, is notorious throughout the fleet for being a moody recluse and a drunk. But with Stella he’s kind.

But the Rochester harbors secrets: Stella is certain someone is trying to kill Hugo, and the more she discovers, the more questions she has about his role in a conspiracy threatening the fleet.

Review 

I first wanted to read this book because I thought it was a cool idea to retell a classic in space. I thought I'd read Jane Eyre but realized I hadn't but I was still able to get the general plot from this story and concluded that I'm not sure I even want to read the original work this is based on. Stella is a trained engineer that wants to teach but the way the world's set up she has to do both. This world considers unmarried women spinsters at the age of eighteen. I know I wasn't thinking about marriage at that age so, I'll take being a spinster if that's the case.

This story is a great idea but it seems to falter with the world building and character development. I just couldn't wrap my mind around why they were in space, like what really happened that they would need to be there? It was more telling me through the characters than showing me the history of how they got there. The main characters were young teenagers cast in an older shadow. The lives that they have chosen or inherited, eludes that they are older than they seem but their behavior shows their true age. 

Overall, this wasn't a book that I loved but really wanted to. The pace was slow, the characters were hard for me to connect with their story. Overall, it has insta-romance, a little mystery and conspiracy set in space and some people may enjoy this one. 

August and Everything After by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Title: August and Everything After
Author: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
ISBN: 9781492657156
Release Date: May 1st, 2018

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Summary:
One last summer to escape, to find herself, to figure out what comes next. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will love this contemporary, coming-of-age romance.

Graduation was supposed to be a relief. Except Quinn can’t avoid the rumors that plagued her throughout high school or the barrage of well-intentioned questions about her college plans. How is she supposed to know what she wants to do for the next four years, let alone the rest of her life? And why does no one understand that it’s hard for her to think about the future—or feel as if she even deserves one—when her best friend is dead?

Spending the summer with her aunt on the Jersey shore may just be the fresh start Quinn so desperately needs. And when she meets Malcolm, a musician with his own haunted past, she starts to believe in second chances. Can Quinn find love while finding herself?

Goodreads | Amazon | BN | BAM | !ndigo | Indiebound

Out of Left Field by Kris Hui Lee

Title: Out of Left Field
Author: Kris Hui Lee
ISBN: 9781492663850
Release Date: May 1st, 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Summary
There’s no playing it safe in love or baseball in this sparkling debut, perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Kasie West.

Marnie has never had a hard time fitting in with the guys. It would take a lot more than their goofy antics to keep her from joining them at the neighborhood sandlot to do what she loves best: play ball.

An added perk of hanging out at the sandlot? Spending time with Cody Kinski, their high school’s star pitcher and Marnie’s best friend. Sure, he can be stubborn and annoying. He also knows how to make her laugh and respects her skills on the mound. And when he gets nailed in the arm by a bone-fracturing pitch, Marnie becomes the team’s best chance at making it to the playoffs. Except no one told the guys they’re supposed to be on her side.

With her own team against her, Marnie begins questioning her abilities. And when fate throws her a curveball, can she play without losing the game, Cody, and her belief in 

Goodreads | BN | Amazon | BAM | !ndigo | Indiebound

My Sunday Post #62

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
I'm also linking up to Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Review this week.

I survived working overtime these past few weeks, barely. I had to go home two nights because I felt so bad. I didn't post anything last week because I just didn't feel up to it and I couldn't read either. Basically, getting out of bed was an accomplishment. I went to the doctor and they did some blood work and I was told my iron is a little low, so that contributes some to my being so tired. I've decided to put the "til Next Tuesday meme on hold for now since it takes so much time to just do one but I'll get back to it or maybe make it a once a month meme. On another note, I have cut back on requesting books but I did get two books that I'm really excited to read. 

Last Week on the Blog

My Sunday Post #61
Summer of '65 by Brooke St. James ~Giveaway
Speak Now: or Forever Hold Your Peace by Becky Monson 

Tenative Schedule for this week

This weeks schedule is TBD 

New This Week 

Loving this cover!!!

The Wicked King by Holly Black
Wildcard by Marie Lu (No Cover yet)

What's new with you? Did you discover any new books? 

#Giveaway:Speak Now: or Forever Hold Your Peace by Becky Monson

 

Speak Now: or Forever Hold Your Peace by Becky Monson 
Speak Now is the latest hit from the author of the hit Spinster Series, Becky Monson. In this Readers’ Favorite Book Award Winner (Bronze Medal) novel, Bridgette Reynolds needs to stop a wedding, but can she do it? If there’s one thing that Bridgette Reynolds has learned recently, it’s that the perfect shoes, the perfect hair, and the perfect dress do not make for the perfect proposal. In fact, sometimes they make for the not-so-perfect breakup. Now, Bridgette must do everything in her power to win Adam back. She knows they are meant to be. And nothing will stand in her way—not her friends, not her grandmother, not even the fact that Adam is now engaged to Serene after a whirlwind romance. Focused on her plan to win Adam back, Bridgette isn’t expecting Ian—her college best friend, her love, her big regret—to come back into her life. They sink back into their comfortable friendship as if no time has passed at all, making Bridgette start to question her feelings for Adam. But Ian has a few secrets of his own . . . secrets that could shatter their friendship once and for all. Bridgette has to make some major decisions—should she speak now? Or forever hold her peace?

   

 

   

 After some channel surfing, and a vain attempt to catch up with The Young and the Restless (I couldn’t watch the Ian and Heather and Jessica drama—a bit too close to home), I decide to drag myself upstairs to Margie’s place where Gram and the girls are playing bridge. I need something to get my mind off everything. I doubt it will work, but it’s worth a try. “Is Gram here?” I ask Margie when she answers the door. “Sure is,” she says, opening the door wide. She ushers me in with a sweep of her hand. I walk into Margie’s apartment, which is set up a lot like Gram’s. And just as old-fashioned as well. But, like Gram’s place, it has a homey feel to it. I will say that there are doilies. Lots of doilies. “Look who’s here, ladies,” Margie says as we walk into the living room. Gram and two other ladies, Evelyn and Barbara, all turn to see who it is. Once they see me they all start talking in unison. Saying hello and asking me question after question. I try to field each query, but they keep talking over each other. “Well, Bridgette, what brings you here?” Gram asks, after the chatter has settled. She looks slightly concerned. She wasn’t expecting me. Likewise, I was not expecting to come up here, but here I am. “I thought I would come and see what you ladies are doing.” I knew they were playing cards, so that was kind of a dumb comment. “And also to check up on Gram,” I say, pointing to the wine glass sitting to her left. That was not something I was expecting to find, but I’m glad I did. She looks down at the glass and then back up at me, a sheepish just-been-caught look on her face. “Oh, that’s mine,” Evelyn declares, and I roll my eyes. Evelyn isn’t even sitting next to Gram. “Gram, you’ve got to be kidding. Does she drink every time she’s playing cards with you?” I ask, looking around the room. “Not all the time,” Barbara pipes in. “Just . . . most of the time.”


"Speak Now grabbed me from the beginning! This is the perfect escape/beach read - light and fun, amusing with some tearful moments." -Reviewing in Chaos "By the end of the book I felt like Bridgette was a real life friend of mine and I was actually sad when the book ended." -Divine Books Blog "Can I give this book a 10? It was so fantastic!" -Taking Time for Mommy

Author Becky Monson 
 By day, Becky Monson is a mother to three young children, and a wife. By night, she escapes with reading books and writing. An award-winning* author, Becky uses humor and true-life experiences to bring her characters to life. She loves all things chick-lit (movies, books, etc.), and wishes she had a British accent. She has recently given up Diet Coke for the fiftieth time and is hopeful this time will last… but it probably won’t.  

 

Giveaway Details Ends 5/16/18 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway: Summer of '65 by Brooke St. James

Summer of '65 by Brooke St. James
Ivy Lewis went home to Memphis in the summer of 1965 unaware of the adventure that awaited her. She was content to go through the motions of her predictable routines back home while safeguarding a few little secrets about her life in Nashville. In her mind, the two worlds weren't meant to intersect. Then Michael Bishop entered the picture. He had just moved to Memphis from Detroit in hopes of expanding his motorcycle company. He appeared to be nothing more than an outlaw and a menace to the community. Any type of relationship between them was sure to be met with resistance from Ivy's family and friends. But Michael Bishop was too great of a temptation for Ivy. The summer of 1965 would be one of first impressions, first dances, and forbidden love.

My Sunday Post #61

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
I'm also linking up to Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Review this week.

The schedule for this week is kind of up in the air. I've been so exhausted lately and haven't wanted to do much of anything. I have reviews to write but none posted last week because I had some promos that I signed up to post. It feels like I'm in another reading slump because even when I reading it feels like I'm forcing myself to do it. I think what's going to happen is that I'll back away from reading young adult and become a lot more selective in what I read in this genre. Then I'm also contemplating if I should keep with the "til Next Tuesday meme. On another note, I'll be work 14 hrs shifts for the next two weeks starting today because it's finals and my night job stays open 24 hours for the students to study. At least the weather has been nice this week. 

Last Week on the Blog

My Sunday Post #60
My Sister’s Intended by Rachael Anderson ~Giveaway
'Til Next Tuesday #16: Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Suitors & Sabotage by Cindy Astey ~ Excerpt & Giveaway
Love at Last by Delaney Cameron ~Giveaway & Excerpt
The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch ~Giveaway

Tenative Schedule for this week

My Sunday Post #61
Summer of '65 by Brooke St. James ~Giveaway
Come From Away by Genevieve Graham ~Review
'Til Next Tuesday #17: TBD
Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne ~Review
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas ~ Review

New This Week 

No books this week.

Giveaways

Love in Bloom Ends 4/30 

Currently Reading

Hero At The Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

What's new with you? Did you discover any new books? 

The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch

The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch 
When her parents and only brother die within weeks of each other, Alicia and her younger sister are left in the hands of an uncle who has brought them all to financial and social ruin. Desperate to save her family from debtor's prison, Alicia vows to marry the first wealthy man to propose. She meets the dashing Lord Amesbury, and her heart whispers that this is the man she is destined to love, but his tainted past may forever stand in their way. Her choices in potential husbands narrow to either a scarred cripple with the heart of a poet, or a handsome rake with a deadly secret. Cole Amesbury is tormented by his own ghosts, and believes he is beyond redemption, yet he cannot deny his attraction for the girl whose genuine goodness touches the heart he'd thought long dead. He fears the scars in his soul cut so deeply that he may never be able to offer Alicia a love that is true. When yet another bizarre mishap threatens her life, Alicia suspects the seemingly unrelated accidents that have plagued her loved ones are actually a killer's attempt to exterminate every member of her family. Despite the threat looming over her, learning to love the stranger she married may pose the greatest danger to her heart. 

   

 As Cole looked down into Alicia Palmer’s face, he knew of a surety she was worth any risk. She touched him in a place he’d thought long dead. A younger man wearing a saucy grin approached Miss Palmer. “Did you save me a dance, Lissie?” Cole’s initial irritation for the man’s cheekiness faded to puzzlement. He knew him from somewhere. A vague unease arose. When the young man’s gaze moved to Cole, he paled visibly. “You!” Miss Palmer gasped. “Robert Palmer, where are your manners?” Of course. Robert Palmer. From London. Cold dread trickled across his heart as he considered the ramifications. Palmer pinned him with a dangerous glare. “Stay away from my cousin.” “Your cousin?” Cole looked from him to the lovely Miss Palmer and understanding dawned. He cursed under his breath. He hadn’t been aware Armand Palmer had a sister. Not that he’d bothered to find out. The possible ramifications took a more serious turn. Miss Palmer sent Cole a look of apology and turned to her cousin. “Robert, explain yourself.” In a cold sweat, Cole waited for her condemning stare. Palmer trembled in rage. He spoke quietly, but each word shot through Cole like bullets fired at close range. “He’s the scoundrel who shot your twin.”

#25 Giveaway & Excerpt: Love at Last by Delaney Cameron

 

   

  Love at Last by Delaney Cameron 
 Working on her grandmother’s house gives Rosemary a reason to escape the media attention of a very public broken engagement. In St. Marys, she hopes to rekindle the music that used to flow easily from her mind to paper and rediscover the girl who’s somehow lost her way. Instead she finds someone who challenges her beliefs about love and tests her resolve to guard her heart. Fresh from a writer’s convention in New York, Jase is excited to return home and start putting into practice all the things he’s learned. He has no idea that his gesture of kindness to a mysterious woman on a plane will turn his life upside down and give him his first tantalizing glimpse of true love. But unlike the fiction he spends his days writing, he can’t simply remove all the obstacles in his path to happiness. Love comes in its own time and on its own terms.