Book Review: Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Goodreads Summary: Kimberlee Schaffer may be drop-dead gorgeous... but she also dropped dead last year. Now she needs Jeff's Help with her unfinished business, and she is not taking no for an answer.
When she was alive, Kimberlee wasn't just a mean girl; she was also a complete kleptomaniac. So if Jeff wants to avoid being haunted until graduation, he'll have to help her return everything she stole. But Jeff soon discovers it's much easier to steal something than it is to bring it back.

Title: Life After Theft
Series: N/A
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: April 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Format: eGalley and Paperback
Source: Edelweiss and Library

I really enjoyed reading Life After Theft, it was a unique premise and I hadn’t read anything from Aprilynne Pike previously. The writing style was fantastic and characters growth by the end was fulfilling.

Jeff moved from Phoenix to Santa Monica with his parents, they came into money and now Jeff is attending a private prestigious school. Jeff hates uniforms and doesn’t want to change schools, but here he is. Walking in on his first day and he finds a girl lying on the floor in the middle of the hallway near the lockers. Students were walking down the hallway and heading straight toward the girl lying on the floor, they were going to trip over her, Jeff called out and the girl was shocked. Meet Kimberlee Schafer, she died over a year ago and has been haunting her school. Jeff is the only one that can see her and doesn’t quite believe she is actually a ghost.

Kimberlee is now haunting Jeff, she figures if he can see her, then there must be a reason and he has to help her to move on. Kimberlee proves she is a ghost and that she was a student of Whitestone. Kimberlee explains that she stole some things and she must get them returned; this is the reason she is still lingering. The next day, Jeff goes to a beach on the property where Kimberlee used to live, there is a hidden cave where she used to put the items she had stolen. There weren’t just a few items; there was a cave full, over a hundred boxes.

So begins the adventure for Jeff returning all the items stolen. They start with returning stuff to students at Whitestone and in particular the crowd that Jeff has found himself sitting with. Jeff has found love at first site with the most beautiful girl alive in school, Serafina (Sera). Sera takes pity on Jeff and invites him to eat the first day at their table, but he ends up there permanently. All the kids so far seem extremely excited to be receiving their stuff back and there is excitement about a Red Rose Returner, but Jeff gets caught by Sera’s brother Khail.

Khail offers his help and that of his wrestling team and they all try to make quick work of the goods. There is a danger of being caught, but their plans seem flawless. There seems to be secrets everywhere though, Sera has a chequered past and Khail has his own ulterior motives for helping Jeff. Kimberlee has the biggest of all and never wants to share the truth. Jeff doesn’t know if he should really trust these people and play things out or ask them straight up.

Does Sera like Jeff for him or is there another reason? Why is Khail really helping Jeff, what is he hiding that Kimberlee knows? Will they be caught returning the items? Can Kimberlee move on and is it just the stolen stuff that is keeping her behind?

This was a whitty, fun and interesting book, light hearted but with some school bullying issues. I really enjoyed reading Life After Theft and can’t wait to pick up another book by Ms Pike.

4 GREAT FUN BOOKS

About the Author

Courtesy of Ms Pikes website

Critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times best-selling author Aprilynne Pike has been spinning tales since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found out running; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne lives in Arizona with her husband and four kids; she is enjoying the sunshine.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

COVER REVEAL: My Unexpected Forever by Heidi McLaughlin

ebook

Expected publication: 

September 2, 2013

I expected a life of music.
I expected to raise my son.

It took one look to make everything change.
I never expected happiness.
I never expected to find her.
I never expected to feel desire.
I never expected I’d be a family man.
I never expected to be loved.
I never expected to fall in love.
They say you should expect the unexpected. I didn’t realize my unexpected would be the forever kind.

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Heidi McLaughling is offering My Unexpected Forever up for pre-buy for those attending the Naughty Mafia Rocks Vegas 2013. Pre-buy: http://bit.ly/11JRWEP

Pre-buy My Unexpected Forever for August delivery: http://heidimclaughlin.com/buy-books/

Heidi is the author of USA Today, Digital Book World, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestselling novel, Forever My Girl.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook | Blog 

SPOTLIGHT: The Modeliser by Havana Adams

Hollywood's favourite Bad Boy and Modeliser is about to meet his match.

When Hollywood bad-boy and legendary womanizer Alex Golden’s beloved grandfather dies he returns to London, and is thrown into the path of the women from his past. There is ex-lover Tamara, a super-bitch actress who never lets anything get in her way: until she falls head over heels in love with a powerful billionaire, that is. Then we have Alex’s sister, Helena, who dreams of stepping out from her family’s shadow and carving out a career as a photographer. And finally there is Talia, Helena’s best friend, whose hopes for a career writing for the big screen are dashed when she is unfairly fired from her job in the script department on a successful soap opera.

Alex’s fate is caught up with these three women as ambition, lust and love collide against the drama-fuelled backdrop of the film world...

Buy a copy:

Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Smashwords | Kobo

Havana Adams is a London girl who left her heart in NYC and has collected a crazy amount of airmiles dashing back and forth across the pond. When she's not plotting super steamy romance novels, she works in the film and TV industry, which is the inspiration behind her first novel The Modeliser. Havana loves movies, TV, reading, sporty things and baking cakes. 

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest 

Alex spun around to see that she was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, slowly advancing in. He watched as she reached to her side and slowly pulled down the concealed zip in her white dress. He swallowed hard.

“What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” she replied as she let the dress fall to her feet and she stepped away from it, now clad only in a sheer flesh-tone thong. She reached up to unclasp her hair and Alex’s eyes were drawn to the way this movement raised her breasts. God, he had forgotten just how beautiful she was. 

He watched as she let her blonde curls fall around her shoulders and she combed her fingers through her hair. Her eyes, Alex could see, were riveted to his cock and the erection that was growing fast. 

“How do you want me?” Tamara asked her voice husky and something in Alex snapped."

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COVER REVEAL: Landlocked by Tiffany Daune

Today I am helping to reveal the cover for Surface #2, Landlocked by Tiffany Daune. I read and reviewed Surface a couple of months ago for the tour and it was a great read. You can check out my review HERE! How fantastic is this cover.

Landlocked (Surface #2) by Tiffany Daune
Release Date: Summer 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

As if staying focused in trigonometry wasn't hard enough....Eerie visions are plaguing Theia's mind, driving her insane. Someone or something is reaching out to her, dragging her into a dark underwater world. And, to add to her metal delirium, she has no control over her newly awakened Siren senses. She thinks she can hear her cat's thoughts, she wants to pummel Sarah Collins, and she's trying to keep it together so she doesn't lose her scholarship. She needs someone who understands—someone bound to the ocean water she craves—she needs Luc. But contacting him is risky, and returning to the water a death sentence. She must find a way to harness her Siren senses even though the waves are calling to her. Denying her intended destiny may be the only way to stay alive.

About the Author

Tiffany Daune doesn't get why people want to grow up or why anyone would ever stop eating candy. Her purse is filled with books, lip gloss and a few pieces of Lego bricks. She writes best with a dish of chocolate chips on hand and finds licorice makes a better straw than plastic.

She lives on an island and believes mermaids may be raiding her candy stash, though she hasn't caught them, yet.

Surface is her first novel and pairs well with gummy sharks.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

Book Review: A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Goodreads Summary: On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.
She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.
Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

Title: A Shade of Vampire
Series: A Shade of Vampire #1
Author: Bella Forrest
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: 14th December 2012
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Format: eBook
Source: supplied by Author for an honest review and then I purchased from iBooks

Well, all I can say is HOLEY MOLEY, that was awesome! I have no idea why I haven’t read this book sooner, it is amazing. It is only fairly short at 150 odd pages, but it was full of story and unbelievably awesome characters. I cannot wait to read book 2, A Shade of Blood and book 3, A Castle of Sand comes out June 26th. I will have snavelled that one up by the time you read this review. A Shade of Vampire was extremely well written, with fast pace and unique world building that I read it in a day. Highly addicted to the characters, I had to find out what was going to happen with Sofia, Derek and Lucas.

Sofia is a 17 year old that has no parents. She is staying with her best friend, Ben and on her 17th birthday Sofia is abducted. Sofia couldn’t stand seeing Ben with another girl any longer and had to take a walk along the beach that night. BIG MISTAKE!

Sofia wakes up in a dark cell with hay under her feet. Thinking she is in a dungeon and frightened out of her mind, Sofia doesn’t know what to expect. Lucas walks in and pushes her up against the wall; he wants to claim her for himself, but she is to belong to the Prince of the vampire coven, Derek. Derek has been awakened from a four hundred year slumber and needs a harem of young 17 year old girls to keep him occupied.

The Shade is a sanctuary for vampires; an island that is hidden from everybody and everything. No satellites or maps know about this island and it is hidden forever in darkness by a witches spell. There are hunters trying to kill off the vampire race and as such, The Shade was created.

Sofia is introduced with four other girls to Derek. Since being asleep for four hundred years, he is obviously starving for blood. But there seems to be a connection between Sofia and Derek that is unbelievable to all, even themselves. They form a bond of sorts and Sofia becomes Derek’s personal slave; this has its benefits but also its dangers. Lucas is still determined to have Sofia for himself and will scare her to death if she says a word to anyone about his visits.

Derek is extremely protective of Sofia and will give her whatever she desires (except for freedom obviously). There is a prophecy that Derek is to lead the vampire race to peace, but he has no idea why he would be the chosen leader when Lucas is older.

Sofia is a brilliant character, she is full of attitude and passion and patience. Still determined to escape eventually, she is starting to have feelings for Derek who has his own passion and humanity. The characters have such growth throughout A Shade of Vampire and with full on action, romance and the twists along the way, it really has everything. I am a new fan of Bella Forrest’s and cannot wait to read A Shade of Blood. I highly recommend this book to all young adult fantasy romance readers.

5 FANTASTIC ROMANTIC FANTASY BOOKS

About the Author

I guess my life as a writer started when I was five; I'd sit under the kitchen table with my box of multi-colored wax crayons (I miss those) and create picture books.

Creative writing was always my favorite subject and I used any free time I had to sit down with a notepad.

Not much has changed, except that now I have developed vampirish habits: my writing "day" typically starts at 1am.

I'm an avid reader, a big fan of cookie ice cream and I'm often travelling.

When working I have to disconnect the internet for fear of being endlessly distracted by websites such as www.icanhas.cheezburger.com.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

Other books in the series:

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: The Palms by S Celi

Today I have the pleasure of sharing this new release from S Celi, the author of The Undesirable and now The Palms. Check out The Palms below and don't you just love the cover!

The Palms (For the Sesason Novella #1) by S. Celi
Release Date: 25th June 2013
Genre: Adult Romance (but it's pretty clean)

Three days on Palm Beach will change everything.

We all have one--the one who got away. For 31-year-old Trent Matthews, that woman is Lauren Crawford. For 28-year-old Lauren Crawford, that man is Trent Matthews.

Ten years after they last saw each other on Palm Beach, an unexpected night at The Breakers sends Lauren and Trent roaring back into each others lives. She's still sassy, sexy, and sophisticated. He's still rich, handsome, and an expert with women. The years have passed, but old feelings haven't died.

Not even close.

Now, these two have a second chance at love.
The problem is--Trent left Lauren without any explanation in 2002. She's still mad and confused. Back then, Trent had his reasons--about a dozen--for his abrupt exit from her life. But even a decade later, he doesn't want to admit all of them--or make them public. And that hesitation may cost him Lauren. Forever.

Will Trent admit the mistakes of his youth? Will Lauren grant Trent her forgiveness? Or will they lose love again underneath THE PALMS?
*This story is novella length, at 23,000 words.

About the Author

New Orleans born Sara Celi has lived all over the United States. She calls the Greater Cincinnati area and the Queen City home.

She's currently a TV reporter and anchor in Oklahoma City, and has spent more than a decade working in journalism. She graduated cum laude from Western Kentucky University in 2004.

Celi is also a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Positive.

The Undesirable is her debut novel.

In her spare time, she likes to read, shop, write, travel, run long distances, volunteer with the Junior League, and fundraise for Cooperative for Education, a non-profit providing educational opportunities for Guatemalan kids.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~