Blog Tour – Strange Birds by Celia C. Perez

Title: Strange Birds: A field guide to Ruffling Feathers

Author: Celia C. Perez

Publisher: Kokila

Publication date: September 3^rd  2019

Genres: Middle Grade Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Photo Credit; Penguin Random House

 

*I received a free copy from the from Kokila [Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and have not been influenced by anyone*

Synopsis

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk comes the story of four kids who form an alternative Scout troop that shakes up their sleepy Florida town.

“Writing with wry restraint that’s reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo… a beautiful tale of the value of friendship against unconquerable odds.” –Kirkus Reviews (starred review!)

 

When three very different girls find a mysterious invitation to a lavish mansion, the promise of adventure and mischief is too intriguing to pass up.

Ofelia Castillo (a budding journalist), Aster Douglas (a bookish foodie), and Cat Garcia (a rule-abiding birdwatcher) meet the kid behind the invite, Lane DiSanti, and it isn’t love at first sight. But they soon bond over a shared mission to get the Floras, their local Scouts, to ditch an outdated tradition. In their quest for justice, independence, and an unforgettable summer, the girls form their own troop and find something they didn’t know they needed: sisterhood.

Review

This book was a delight to read. Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers follows the story of four young girls who together learn that their individuality is something they can be proud of. It all beings with Lane DiSanti, granddaughter of Mrs. DiSanti plants invitation to her meeting. The invitations bring together three other girls, Ofelia, Cat and Aster. Together they create their alternative troop, where their main goal is to let their community know that the coveted Miss Floras competition winner hat is made with the feathers of endangered birds. It’s a story will with young girls passionate about a cause, ready to lead us on that adventure while hoping they get their goal accomplished.

Each main character is so unique and compliment each other in the story. Each main character also had some purpose in overall scheme of things. Ofelia, a budding journalist in search of the next great story had a curiosity about her that added the great tidbits of ‘what will happen next’ much more filled with anticipation than i expected. Cat, a member of the Floras and fan of birds and bird watching brings the concern that sets the girls journey. Her determination is such a crucial part in why the girls did not give up. Aster, a true activist at heart learns from her grandfather that fighting the good fight can take time. There was this natural awareness I felt form Aster’s character which allowed me to feel that she was a good balance in the group. Lane, the gril who created it all, was such a gem in the book. She went against the odds of her family’s tradition to truly fight for awareness and that perseverance and ambition is something you don’t always see in a book and something that I truly appreciated. All four girls brought such a diverse wave of walks of life.

The plot was overall an adventure, with natural developing friendships, a powerful message to never give up, no matter the odds, and a story full of intrigue and wonder. It is an empowering read that I would recommend to any young middle grader.

About the Author

Celia C. Pérez is the author of The First Rule of Punk, a 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book, a 2018 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award Winner, and a 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction and Poetry Honor Book. She lives in Chicago with her family where, in addition to writing books about lovable weirdos and outsiders, she works as a librarian. She is originally from Miami, Florida, where roosters and peacocks really do wander the streets. Visit her at celiacperez.com.

 

 Order Today – https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/553181/strange-birds-by-celia-perez/9780425290439/

Release blitz – Rage by Cora Carmack

From New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack, the second in the captivating new YA fantasy/romance Stormheart series, perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and Victoria Aveyard.

 

Synopsis

Princess or adventurer.

Duty or freedom.

Her Kingdom or the storm hunter she loves.

If Aurora knows anything, it’s that choices have consequences. To set things right, she joins a growing revolution on the streets of Pavan.

In disguise as the rebel Roar, she puts her knowledge of the palace to use to aid the rebellion. But the Rage season is at its peak and not a day passes without the skies raining down destruction. Yet these storms are different…they churn with darkness, and attack with a will that’s desperate and violent.

This feels like more than rage.
It feels like war.

 

I am super excited for the sequel to Roar!! I am currently reading Rage so stay tuned for a review soon. 

About the Author

Cora Carmack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult Romance and YA fantasy.  Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages around the world. Cora lives in Austin, TX, and on any given day you might find her typing away at her computer, flying to various cities around the world, or just watching Netflix with her kitty Katniss and her dog Sherlock. But she can always be found on Twitter and Instagram (@coracarmack), Facebook (www.facebook.com/coracarmackbooks),  and her website (www.coracarmack.com).

And now for an exclusive Excerpt of Rage

When the siren sounded, it took even Cassius a few moments to realize that this siren had nothing to do with tempests.

He stood abruptly from his desk, knocking over a bottle of ink in the process. Black liquid spread across his papers like unholy blood, but there was no time to stop it, not even time to be frustrated with himself for his clumsiness.

They were under attack.

Not by storms, but by men.

He hastily pulled on his boots, inserting a spare knife into each one, then grabbed his sword. By the time he entered the main hallway, the edge had left his movements and his steps had grown into a sprawling stalk. This was where he thrived. Give a predator prey and he came alive, no matter how close to death he might feel. His vision sharpened, the exhaustion disappeared, and a hunger rose from deep in his gut.

A fight was exactly what he needed—and not with some far away magic, but up close, hand to hand, face-to-face, blood drawn. He needed to feel victory. Needed to serve up a defeat that was permanent.

When men died, they stayed that way, unlike the enemies he normally fought.

The hallway swarmed with soldiers, all clearly taken by the chaos. He grabbed the highest-ranking officer he recognized and spat, “Tell me what you know.”

“A breach, sir. The main gate.”

Bleeding skies. How had they gotten through the main gate without anyone noticing?

“Where is the fighting located?”
“We don’t know, sir.”
Cassius froze, his eyes narrowing, and his jaw went tight.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“We have not found the intruders.”
His heart slowed, forgoing its beats as his mind raced—not in anxiety, but in deference, as if one knew the other was more needed. What would intruders want? Where would they go? What would their goals be?

One blink, and he knew.

“I want soldiers on every member of the royal family, now.” He was surprised there had not been an attempt at overthrowing them before now, frankly. “Once my family is protected, then every other remaining soldier is to scour this palace until the intruders are found, do you understand?”

An affirmative chorus rang out from the soldiers in blue, and then everyone was in motion, chattering about who would be seeking out his father, brother, and mother. The room emptied quickly of everyone except Cassius and a handful of soldiers who stood behind him.

“I did not mean me,” he growled.
The soldiers hesitated still.
“Go!” he barked. “Find them. Now.”

Then, blessedly, he was left alone, the siren still wailing on occasion, the only company for his scattered thoughts.

He should have gone after them, should have put himself in the thick of things, but instead he turned and headed back the way he came, down the royal wing where the Pavan family had stayed.

He was the only Locke to call this wing home. He was not certain why, but he bypassed his office and went for the door at the very end of the hall, the queen’s rooms.

He listened for a moment, but heard nothing inside. He knocked. Again, he could not say why. The woman rarely ever woke, not since his father had started bribing the nurse to add something extra to her tea.

But sometimes when he looked at this door, he had this feeling in his stomach that he didn’t recognize, a feeling he didn’t know how to name. And it told him to knock before he went inside. When no answer came, he turned the knob and entered on his own.

First, his eyes saw bare ankles, and followed them to the unconscious form of the nurse who cared for the queen. Her arms were askew in front of her, and her face lax, but a quick press of his fingers to her neck told him she was not dead. He lifted his eyes farther and found only rumpled sheets where the queen should have been.

Something in him rose high, pressing right under his skin, the part of him that liked to hunt and hurt.

He had been just down the hallway. Had someone managed to steal the old queen right from under his nose? Or did he somehow have even less knowledge and control than he thought? Could she have walked free herself somehow?

He had sent all those soldiers off searching and here was the breach right under his very eye. Where he slept and worked. Humiliation burned deep in his gut, and he charged toward the bed, pulling at the sheets as if he might find some clue there to how he had allowed such a blunder.

Could this be the Stormlord? Another prong in his plan? The meager resistance his brother had been cheerfully exterminating to impress their father? Or something else entirely? There were too many pieces on the board for him to win this game. The board was too damned big for him to even know what the game was sometimes.

Quickly, he searched the rest of the room, searching for any advantage, and he found it in the poorly closed balcony door. Out- side, he found a peculiar crawling vine that had somehow made its way from the ground up to the queen’s balcony even though he had never seen it on any of his walks around the grounds. He touched the leaves, bright green and crisp—fresh. And something else about them—they were real, to be certain, but they hummed under his touch, as if they brimmed with something that was nearly familiar to him.

Cassius knew what he was seeing, knew it by heart from years of engrained warnings and fear. But his father had done such a thorough job of eradicating the practice and the people from Locke, it had often seemed more myth than malevolence.

But here before him was proof.

He rubbed a newly birthed leaf between the pads of his fingers, and plucked it free from the vine. He waited for it to wither or turn to dust, but it stayed—both a truth and a lie all at once.

There was a witch in Pavan.

And whoever they were, wherever they were, they had the Pavan queen.

 

Rage is out in the world and wants to be read so head to your local bookstore or borrow form your local library today!

Links

RAGE is available NOW!
Amazon: http://tiny.cc/rageamazon
Barnes and Noble: http://tiny.cc/ragebn
Books-A-Million: http://tiny.cc/ragebam
Apple Books: http://tiny.cc/rageapple
Book Depository: http://tiny.cc/ragebd

 

Harlequin August Reads – Big Shot by Kate Evans

Author [s]: Katy Evans
Pages: 224
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Where to buy: Universal Buy Link

 

*Thank you Harlequin Desire and Lady Amber’s Book Reviews for providing me with a free copy to read and review!*

This review is my honest thought and have not been influenced by anyone.

Synopsis

He always gets his way…until he meets his match.

“I need you back. Now.”
—William Walker

I can’t believe I’m letting my ex-boss talk me into working for him again. He’s arrogant. Domineering. He gets under my skin in ways I don’t want to admit. When I quit, it felt great! But now, seeing the big, bad billionaire rendered helpless by a baby, I give in to his demand. And I’m worried it won’t be the last time…
—India Crowley

Review

Katy Evans does it again by enticing into another one of her novels. We begin this story with billionaire William Walker of Walker industries. He’s a handsome man with a sharp tongue and a short temper. India, his assistant is the target of most of his outbursts and frustrations and she has had enough. With a new job prospect, India leaves the job in the bravest way she can, leaving William Walker stunned. Before this moment, William learns that he will have to take care of his niece while his Brother Kit and his brother’s wife set off to see Kit’s sister-in-law. Without much of a choice and with the honest feeling that he wants to spend time with his newborn niece, William reluctantly agrees. Now with a baby to watch and no assistant, William has to figure out how to run his company while also proving to people that he does have a soft side to his hard shell exterior.

The steamy romance was equal parts amazing and frustrating. I say this because it is clear that other than the tension of William treating India horribly, there was oddly some sexual tension happening between the two. Did I see a budding odd romance coming – Yes. Was I prepared for it – Oh, you know it. Rosie, William’s niece became the thread that brought them back together. Because India was so reliable in everything she did, William knew she would be the person that could be best in helping him with Rosie. But it wasn’t easy to get India back.  Although their relationship wasn’t perfect, it was just enough to understand the plot. Although I did want a little more longing looks and swoony moments and a little less tension and buildup, but the enemies to lovers trope wouldn’t have been as surprisingly rewarding.

In terms of the characters, I honestly had just a bit of joy watching William crumble under the pressure of trying to be the best he can for Rosie. It brought down the hard exterior a bit and we saw a side of William that felt more realistic. Allowing that humility to show helped in William’s character development along with helping the budding relationship between him and India. India is spunky, sassy and confident in her stride to quit her job and land a writing gig. This part of her character I enjoyed the most. She wasn’t afraid to stick to her true feelings. However, she did have the room to give the benefit of the doubt and even though at times it was frustrating, I understood why she did what she did for William and Rosie. She did give William a run for his money and I can appreciate when a woman plays hard to get for a man because it only  makes the man, William in this case, really discover who they are as a person and the things they need to change to be a better person in order to deserve that attention.  The one character I didn’t enjoy as much was William’s brother. I know he is portrayed to be the younger, quickly successful all around family guy who is supposed to be the complete opposite of William, but I still could not wish him out of the novel quickly enough.

Overall, this was a a steamy enemies to lovers office romance that was a quick read and a page turner. Katy Evans continues to make strong female characters and arrogant male characters who ultimately see their wrong doings. What I enjoy best about Katy’s writing style is that she doesn’t make the woman play the role as the fixer upper for the man.  If you want a quick, enjoy romance read, I’d suggest you pick this up today!

About the Author

Katy Evans is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over a dozen novels, starting with her blockbuster debut romance, Real. She writes sexy contemporary romances with smoldering hot alpha males.

 

Author Links

Goodreads |Website|Twitter|Facebook| Amazon

Rite of Passage – Teaser Preview

ARE YOU READY TO RIDE?
Rite of Passage by Janine Infante Bosco hits the pavement September 22nd!!!

RESERVE A COPY FOR JUST 99¢:
US → https://amzn.to/2XZDhuT
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#riteofpassage #mcromance #bikerbookboyfriends #patchedoveranthology #tntnyc19

BLURB:

When I was nineteen, I left Texas and my dysfunctional family behind, and I haven’t looked back. Life was good for a while. I joined the Satan’s Knights motorcycle club and immersed myself in art. The kind of art that requires a gun and a body as a blank canvas. But all good things must come to an end, and I soon found myself as a single father, struggling to find my place in a new charter. Now my estranged mother wants me to come home, which means facing my past. And that doesn’t just include my family. It also includes the childhood friend I left behind. All grown up and pissed as hell, Bess is giving me one hell of a cold shoulder. I’m not the Ryan Perry she remembers, and she sure as hell isn’t willing to get to know Needles, the man I am now. With her fancy clothes and her holier-than-thou attitude, she’s creeping under my skin and filling my head with impure thoughts. I need to get back to New York before I get hooked on something I’m not supposed to have, or worse, start believing that this is my Rite of Passage.

About Janine

Janine Infante Bosco lives in New York City, she has always loved reading and writing. When she was thirteen, she began to write her own stories and her passion for writing took off as the years went on. At eighteen, she even wrote a full screenplay with dreams of one day becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Janine writes emotionally charged novels with an emphasis on family bonds, strong willed female characters, and alpha male men who will do anything for the women they love. She loves to interact with fans and fellow avid romance readers like herself.

She is proud of her success as an author and the friendships she’s made in the book community but her greatest accomplishment to date would be her two sons Joseph and Paul.

Find Janine Online
Amazon → https://amzn.to/2GPQxHS
BookBub → http://bit.ly/2XYCjuR
Facebook → http://bit.ly/2WQaEj2
Goodreads → http://bit.ly/2WU2AxI
Instagram → http://bit.ly/2Y0UArg
Pinterest → http://bit.ly/2ZEEnZr
Twitter → http://bit.ly/2x26DJ4
Website → https://www.janineinfantebosco.com

A House of Rage and Sorrow Blog Tour

Book Two in the Celestial Triology

Author: Sangu Mandanna
Pages: 264 pages
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release Date: September 3rd, 2019
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Where to buy: Barnes & Noble |Amazon| Book Depository

*Thank you Caffeine Book Tours and Sky Pony Press for a review copy in exchange for my honest review and the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour*

 

Synopsis

One kingdom. One crown. One family.

“Maybe it’s time the great House of Rey came to an end. After all, what are we now? Just a house of rage and sorrow.”

Esmae once wanted nothing more than to help her golden brother win the crown of Kali but that dream died with her best friend. Alexi broke her heart, and she vowed to destroy him for it. And with her sentient warship Titania beside her, how can she possibly fail?

As gods, beasts, and kingdoms choose sides, Alexi seeks out a weapon more devastating than even Titania. Past lives threaten the present. Old enemies claim their due. And Esmae cannot outrun the ghosts and the questions that haunt her. What really happened to her father? What was the third boon her mother asked of Amba? For in the shadows, lurking in wait, are secrets that will swallow her whole.

The House of Rey is at war. And the entire galaxy will bleed before the end.

Review 

A House of rage and Sorrow continues the story where Esmae, after dealing with the devastating occurrence in book 1, has declared war against those who are considered family. From here we can see the change in Esmae as she is consumed in rage. Although, I was bale to feel that raw depiction of emotion, I think it falter due to her stubbornness, which at times felt unnecessary. As a whole, I liked Esmae and for the most part enjoyed her character development.When thinking of a character that I did enjoy in the story, Titania, our favorite sentient spaceship was one of them. I really appreciated the author adding Titania’s Point of View [POV] to the story. It brought levity during the tougher points of the story. At times it almost felt as if Titania was a real human character. That spaceship is invited to any party I throw. Alexei is the character that Esmae declares war on and although I get to read a small glimpse of Alexei, I wanted to learn more about them apart for being the target of the protagonist. Overall, character development overall was pretty top notch. Every character felt essential and dialogue and certain relationships did not feel forced.

Speaking of relationships, the love interest [Max] and Esmae’s relationship was clearly not the focal point of this story. It wasn’t as developed as maybe most would have wanted, but I was okay with that relationship not flourishing  if it meant I received more form the plot and world building.

The world building continued to be spectacular. The vivid depictions of the world felt galactically desiring. The world was too beautiful to touch but magnificent in everything it held. The descriptions of the ships, characters and scenery around them was something out of an true magical epic fantasy. Sangu Mandanna took me on a space adventure and I was jealous that this world did not exist in the human realm.

The plot was driven with political intrigue, declaration of war and so many conflicting and beautiful emotions. Esmae grows in this story in a way where I can only imagine what she will be capable of in the third book. I was aching to know more with each page turned. I cried with Esmae as she grief, I understood her anger and conflicted emotions. OI enjoyed the witty banter Sybilla and Radha. I couldn’t also forget about the gods. I learned so much more about them in the second book, that I understood their role in the overall plot. This was an epic fantasy full of adventure, action, raw depictions of rage and sorrow and it is one I would highly recommend. You grow to love each characters, including the ones causing Esmae’s pain because you learn the process of their decision and realize that you can’t hate them for those decisions even though you want to support Esmae.

This book is out on shelves September 3rd, 2019. While you patiently wait, Add A house of Rage and Sorrow to your Goodreads shelf and catch up on the first book, A Spark of White Fire!

About the Author

Sangu Mandanna was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she decided to write her first story about it. Seventeen years and many, many manuscripts later, she signed her first book deal. Sangu now lives in Norwich, a city in the east of England, with her husband and kids.

Author Website | GoodReads | Twitter

Giveaway!

Prize: The privilege of naming one of the Book 3 characters (one winner only)
Scope: Open worldwide/internationally
Note: This will be a tweet giveaway, which will be posted by Caffeine Book Tours (@CaffeineTours), so please link to its Twitter account (http://twitter.com/CaffeineTours )

Follow the Tour!

Check out my Instagram around this time for a post of the book!

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