Blog Tour: Time Changes Everything by Melinda Dozier

Today I am part of the blog tour for Time Changes Everything by Melinda Dozier. I will share the information about the book, the book trailer, an excerpt and there is a tour wide giveaway!

Time Changes Everything
by Melinda Dozier

Blurb: Amanda Larson is dedicated to her job and doesn't want to make time for anything else. Until she runs into Jake Edwards. He used to be the cute boy next door; now he's a sexy, big shot lawyer.

Jake Edwards isn't interested in commitment. He's successful, sexy, and single--and that's how he likes it. When he reconnects with Amanda, Jake realizes he might have to rethink his philosophy on the carefree, bachelor lifestyle.

But, is it too late for them? Or can he convince her that he's ready to give her his heart?

You can add Time Changes Everything to your to-read list on Goodreads

You can buy it here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Smashwords

The free prequel The Boy Next Door, can be downloaded for free on smashwords.

And here is the book Trailer:

Excerpt:
In high school, Amanda was someone special. Hell, even before then. Their parents were best friends, which had forced Jake and Amanda together. At first, he’d thought it was a hindrance. Later, when she developed longer legs and a bigger bust, he found himself around her more. After discovering her quirkiness, her love of art and her sense of humor, he actually enjoyed being around her. But he never touched her.
He contemplated running his fingers through her hair like he did his first year of college –– the last time they were alone –– the night he left town and never saw her again.
Did she remember the night he left? Of course she did. Seven years ago, he’d ruined their friendship.  He knew Amanda almost as well as he knew himself. Well, he’d known her. Now she was a different woman.
 Jake leaned in closer, running his hand down her arm. “Know what I’m thinking?”
Amanda fiddled with her coaster and smiled at him. “I’m not sure I want to know.”
“I’m thinking we should spend a lot more time together.” He reached over and held her chin. “It’s been way too long.”
Amanda licked her lips, and damn it, it actually turned him on. Sweet little Mandy Larson wasn’t so sweet anymore. She was driving him crazy.
She moved closer bridging distance. “Why wait? There’s no time like the present.”
“Exactly.” He drank the last of his beer as the waiter returned with her martini sans olive.
Jake leaned on the table with his elbows, folded his hands together and studied her.  “Look at you, drinking a martini, living the life in New York City.” He examined her from head to toe. “A sexy skirt. Tall boots.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “A beautiful face.”
Amanda hiccupped and put down her glass. “Now, wait a minute. I know it’s been a while, but some things never change, including you.” She wagged her finger at him. “No smooth talking with me. Don’t forget I used to know you better than anybody.”
Because his fingers actually ached with the need to touch her again, he reached over and held her hand. “Yeah, but things have changed, Mandy. We’re two different people now, and I can’t wait to get to know who you are now.”

About the author:
Reading romance has always been at the top of Melinda’s favorite past times. After hectic days of teaching English to middle school students, Melinda finds time to write and read in the evenings. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with her husband, three boys and German Sheppard. She enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her boys once they are grown. Melinda loves reality TV, traveling, blogging and playing Words With Friends.

You can find Melinda here:
Website
Blog
Twitter

And there is a tour wide giveaway!
Melinda will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate and an ecopy of Time Changes Everything. Winner will be announced on Melinda’s blog May 26. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Gadget Girl: The art of being invisible by Suzanne Kamata

I am so glad I could be part of the Gadget Girl blog tour! In this post I will have my review, information about the author and a tour wide giveaway which you can enter. You can check out the rest of the tour schedule.

Gadget Girl: the art of being invisible
by Suzanne Kamata

I got a copy for review

Blurb from Goodreads: Aiko Cassidy is fourteen and lives with her sculptor mother in a small Midwestern town. For most of her young life Aiko, who has cerebral palsy, has been her mother's muse. But now, she no longer wants to pose for the sculptures that have made her mother famous and have put food on the table. Aiko works hard on her own dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity.

When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.

My Review:
This book was different than I expected. I liked some parts and I didn't like some other parts. I thought the beginning was a bit boring, but it did got better afterwards. I think the title and the cover are only part of the story and actually there is quite some different things going.

I thought the story started of a bit slow and a bit cliche. Beside the fact that Aiko has a disability and wants to become a manga artists there wasn't much special. The first parts of the story mainly are about normal school life and then she goes to Paris, which also is a huge part of the book. It's a bit of a recolection of what they do in Paris, it was nice, but not great. I was just lacking the feeling a bit and the story went everyone sometimes. In the end they return to the US and the story is wrapped up nicely and I actually felt like the story did go somewhere then.

I am not sure what to think of Aiko on the one hand I think it's original to read a book about a child with a disability and how she deals with it. I think Aiko dealt with it very well at most times and the few times she didn't I could also understand that. Sometimes I did think there was a bit too much attention to her disability. What I didn't like about Aiko was her obsession with her dad and Japan, which seemed a bit strange. I understand she wants to meet her dad and see Japan, but sometimes it just was a bit too much. Also she does some things I didn't like, but I did like how the grew at the end. She did become stronger and a better person troughout the story and she did change and learned. The side characters we learn most about are her best friend Withney and her mom. I did think we got to know enough about them to get a good idea of who they are. Although there are some things about her mom which didn't make sense at first.

There also is some romance in this book, it was sweet, but I wsn't really feeling it. Even so it doens't go that far and I think it was paced well. There wasn't much we learned about the love interest, but the romance was done pretty nice.

To conclude: Gadget girl was an okay story, but not great. The beginning was a bit slow and cliche, but the story did become better as it progressed. There were some things I liked about the main character and also some I didn't. There was much going on and the end nicely wrapped it all up.

You can add this to your to-read list on Goodreads

You can buy it here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo

About the author:

Five-time Pushcart Prize nominee Suzanne Kamata is the author of the novels Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible (GemmaMedia, 2013) and Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008), and editor of three anthologies - The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan, Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009). Her short fiction and essays have appeared widely. She is the Fiction Co-editor of literarymama.com.

You can find her here:

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

And there is a tour wide giveaway! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Endre (The Elsker Saga #2) by ST Bende

Today I am part of the cover reveal of Endre by ST Bende! Endre is the second book in the Elsker Saga series and I really enjoyed Elsker. Here is the cover of Endre:

This cover really surprised me when I first saw it. For some reason I expected something with blue or purple colours. I certainly didn't expect red, but I do really like the cover. I actually love the red colour and the simple design. I think it's a beautifull cover and I can't wait to read this book.

Title: Endre (Book II in the Elsker Saga)
Author: ST Bende
Release Date: September 23, 2013
Publisher: Entranced Publishing
Genre: New Adult paranormal romance

Blurb:
Sometimes, finding your destiny means doing the exact opposite of what The Fates have planned.

Winning the heart of an immortal assassin was a dream come true for Kristia Tostenson. Now she's knee deep in wedding plans, goddess lessons, and stolen kisses. But her decision to become immortal could end in heartbreak -- not only for Kristia, but for the god who loves her. Because while Ull would do anything to protect his bride, even the God of Winter is powerless against the Norse apocalypse. Ragnarok is coming. And the gods aren't even close to ready.

You can add Endre to your to-read list on Goodreads


About the Author:
Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of the musical Cats. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the ELSKER series. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.

You can follow ST Bende on Twitter @stbende, or send an e-mail to stbende@gmail.com.

You can find ST Bende here:
- Blog
- Goodreads
- Twitter
- Pinterest


And for those of you who haven't heard about Elsker yet, here is some information about Elsker.


Elsker (Elsker Saga #1)
by ST Bende

Release Date: April 22, 2013
Length: 61,000 words
Publisher: Entranced Publishing, Blush
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Book trailer

Blurb:
Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly what she was expecting. He’s an honest-to-goodness Norse God — an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia’s crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms.
Her orderly life just got very messy.

You can add Elsker to your to-read list on Goodreads

You can buy Elsker here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Smashwords

And here are the two covers next to each other. They look awesome, right? Although the cover design of both is a bit different I do like the blue and red contrast.

Book Blitz: Plastic Hearts (Hearts #1) by Lisa de Jong

 I am part of the blog tour for Plastic Hearts today. I have some information about the book, an excerpt and a giveaway to win one e-copy in this post.

Plastic Hearts (Hearts #1) 
by Lisa De Jong

Publication date: February 27th 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Synopsis:
My life has always been safe. I like it that way. I grew up in a fake society where plastic hearts rule. If our hearts are made of plastic, they can never be broken. My parents have expectations and I do everything I can to meet them, even if it means giving up on my own dreams.

Now, all I want is to be free to make my own choices.

Dane Wright is everything I have been warned to stay away from. We met one night while I was with my perfect, parent-approved boyfriend and I haven’t stopped thinking about him. I don’t want to like him. I am doing everything I can to ignore his pull, but my heart seems to want what it cannot have, what it has never had.

Can he measure up? He may think I am too good for him, but maybe he is too good for me.

Life is a series of choices and I have never been able to make my own. Until one day, when my heart decides to make a choice for me.

Recommended for mature readers due to sexual content and language

You can add Plastic Hearts to your to-read list on Goodreads

You can buy it here:
- Amazon
- B&N

Excerpt:
 I felt a finger under my chin, lifting my gaze back up to his eyes. “Hi,” he said. I couldn’t quite hear his voice, but I could read his amazing lips under the strobe lights. God, he was beautiful, the type of beautiful that renders me temporarily speechless. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there searching for something to say, but it was long enough for me to completely forget my own name.
“I’m here with my boyfriend,” I finally blurted. It came out so quickly I wasn’t even sure he understood a word I said. Why did I always turn into a blabbering mess when I was nervous? Did I mention that when he smiled, two magnificent dimples appeared? Dammit.
I watched him look around and then he smiled. “I don’t see a boyfriend. Sorry, you’re going to have to come up with something a little better than that. Try again.” Who did this guy think he was?
I pressed my lips into a tight line. “No, I’m really here with my boyfriend. Right, Jade?” I turned around to pull her into the conversation, but she was gone. This was not going well. This mystery man had unnerved me by putting his hands on my body and flashing those incredible dimples and there was no one around to save me. I was stuck on the dance floor with a sexy stranger while my boyfriend and best friend were nowhere to be found. Ryan was probably sitting at the bar, slowly nursing his first beer, while Jade was doing God knows what with a guy whose name she would never know.
I hesitantly turned back toward him until our eyes met again. He seemed amused as he continued to smile down at me. “So do you want to keep dancing? Or can I buy you a drink?” He shouted over the music.

About the Author: 
Lisa De Jong is a wife, mother and full-time number cruncher who lives in the Midwest. Her writing journey involved insane amounts of coffee and many nights of very little sleep but she wouldn't change a thing. She also enjoys reading, football and music.

You can find her here:
- Goodreads
- Facebook
- Twitter






And I told you there would be a giveaway! Well here it is:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Fallen (Debt Collector #6) by Susan Kaye Quinn

I am sure most of you who follow my blog regulary already know how much I love the Debt Collector series by Susan Kaye Quinn, so when I noticed there would be a cover reveal for the 6th episode in this serial I immediately filled in the form to participate. Okay let me show you the cover first:

I really like the cover, actually I like all the covers in this series. And they all match the rest of the covers perfectly. And they match the dark gritty world feeling of the story. Also I like the city in the background. I think the face is a bit srange, because it's too dark and you only see it silouhette. Not my favourite cover of this series, but certainly a great cover.

Fallen (Debt Collector #6) by Susan Kaye Quinn
Publication date: May 15th 2013
Genre: NA Future-Noir

Blurb: Lirium’s hopes for escape from Kolek’s mob are threatened when Valac seems to be coming unhinged.

You can add Fallen to your to-read list on Goodreads

You can buy Fallen here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Smashwords

Book 1 synopsis:
What's your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He's just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja's sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane... until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn't what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone--a dark pit he's not sure he'll be able to climb out of again.

The first three episodes of the Debt Collector serial are collectively the length of a short novel, or 152 pages. These are the first three of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/series/100549-debt-collector

About the Author:
Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple times.

Susan left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees, but she was drawn back to writing by an irresistible urge to share her stories with her niece, her kids, and all the wonderful friends she’s met along the way.

She doesn’t have to sneak her notes anymore, which is too bad.

Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as a much as she can handle.

Author Links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Review: Data Runner by Sam A. Patel

Data Runner
by Sam A. Patel

I got a copy for review from NetGalley

Blurb from Goodreads: In the not-too-distant future, in what was once the old City of New York, megacorporations have taken over everything. Now even the internet is owned, and the only way to transmit sensitive information is by a network of highly skilled couriers called “data runners” who run it over the sneakernet. It is a dangerous gig in a dirty world, but Jack Nill doesn’t have much choice in the matter. A brilliant young math whiz and champion of parkour, Jack must become one of these data runners in order to get his father out of a major gambling debt. But when a mysterious stranger loads Jack’s chip with a cryptic cargo that everybody wants, he soon becomes the key figure in a conspiracy that could affect the entire North American Alliance. Now it’s all up to Jack. With the help of his best friend, Dexter, and a girl who runs under the name Red Tail, Jack will have to use all his skills to outrun the retrievers and uncover the truth before they catch him and clip him for good.

My Review:
The Data Runner is certainly an unique book in it's genre. There is lots of action, which in this case mean lots of running around. The story is the most important part in this book.

The story starts off a bit strange, the prologue is actually a scene from later in the book, but when I started the book I didn't realize that and it left me a bit confused. Then when the story really starts it starts with a conversation full of terms I didn't understand yet and information dump. After that the story got better, the story really is the most important thing in this book. There is always something happening and I did wanted to keep reading to find out more. The story is really original and there is lots of attention for parkour and the philosophy behind it. The story was really good, but sometimes it got a bit too technical for me.

There isn't a whole lot of atention to the characters overal, but I did get a good sense of who the main characters is. I did like him, although I did got a bit annoyed at the halfway there paradox after a while, because he kept mentioning it. The side characters are interesting and there certainly is enough information to get a feel of who they are, but I would've liked to get to know them better. There is hardly no romance in this book beside a few kisses near the end, which actually was kinda nice for a chance.

The world building is actually the thing that bothers me the most, because it is clear there is a whole lot of world building behind it all, but I just couldn't get a good grab what the world was. There are so many things that aren't that clear. I think it's a dystopia world, but what exactly happened? What does the world look like? why has the internet changed nto the Aggranet? What is the free city? There is just too much that isn't completely explained. Or the explanation comes too late and in an info dump moment. There are a few moments with info dump in the book, which are usually timed a bit strange. I wanted to get to know the world, but even after finishing this book I still don't have a good idea what the world looks like and what happened to it.

To conclude: Data Runner is a story based book. It's fast paced, full of action and with an original story. I did get a good idea who the characters are, but still would've liked to get to know them better. The world building is there, but the explanation is usually a bit confusing and at the end of the book I still didn't had a good view of the world.

You can add Data Runner to your to-read list on Goodreads

Data Runner will be releashed 25 June 2013.

Cover Reveal: Water & Storm Country (Country Saga #3) by David Estes

Even though there is no official cover reveal for Water & Storm country I love this book (yes I got lucky enough to have already read it!) and I just can't wait to share the cover with you. It's amazing. Okay so enough talk, here it is:

Isn't the cover amazing? Before seeing the cover I was wondering how they would incorporate both countries on the cover and I have to say I love what they came up with. The black mysterious rider on the front and the ship in the back and then the dark stormy look of it all. And it fits the book perfectly! It has the same stormy feeling as the story. Okay this might be my favourite cover of this series.

So more about the book:

Water & Storm Country (Country Saga #3)
by David Estes
Release Day: June 6th, 2013
Lenght: 380 pages

Blurb: Huck Jones, the son of the admiral of the Soaker fleet, has a legacy to live up to. Haunted by the distorted memories of his mother's untimely death, he must face his demons and the man who raised him as he strives to take the courageous step forward into manhood. When he's transferred to the worst-performing ship in the fleet, everything he believes is called into question when he meets a lowly brown-skinned bilge rat girl. Huck walks a deadly rope...

Meanwhile, Sadie, destined to be a Rider in the Stormer army, seeks to avenge her brother's death at the hands of the Soakers. Trained hard by her mother, an experienced Rider, Sadie knows strength and determination more than most. Her father, a Man of Wisdom, has shown his cowardice more times than she can count. As her world and family fall apart, she must cast aside her anger and focus on the wisdom she's always brushed off as foolishness.

Amidst everything, a Plague ravages all, discriminating against no one.

When four worlds collide, lines will be drawn, sides will be chosen, victory will be sought. Death will be wrought. The mysteries of the Cure for the deadly Plague will be uncovered. Who will survive? And what will those who do learn about themselves and the ones they love?

You can Water & Storm Country to your to-read list on Goodreads
And trust me when  say this is a series you don't want to miss.

And this is what the three books in this series so far look like next to each other:

Awesome, right? I love how each cover has the same style, but still each book cover has a totally different feeling that fits the book perfectly. And each cover does match so it is obviously it´s the same series. I love this series.

Have you read the books in this series? Did you like them? And what do you think of the Water & Storm Country cover?