Nemesis by Anna Banks #BookReview #Playlist @The_FFBC

Title: NEMESIS
Author: Anna Banks
Pub. Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 368
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: 
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, GoodreadsPre-Order*: http://www.booksofwondershop.com/nemesis.aspx
*Pre-orders will receive an exclusive NEMESIS print and a NEMESIS bath bomb.

The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

Wow Nemesis by Anna Banks completely sucked me in! I actually didn’t realize the book was a series. I’m not sure why but I’m hoping the next book is in the POV of a couple different characters.

Sepora was such an interesting character for me to read because I had my moments where I didn’t like her and moments I did. I actually kind of loved that about her. She is very strong, wise and completely observant. As much as she was mistreated in her own kingdom, she still is strongly concerned about the people who live there. She is willing to bend in order to keep war from happening. Her ability to produce Spectorium as a Forger is both a blessing and a curse for her. The part where I had mixed feeling about her is her reaction to some of Tarik’s action. As someone who is a Princess of another kingdom and deceiving the King of another kingdom. I thought her lack of understanding in some situations baffled me. She is willing to do whatever she needs to save her people but almost looks down on Tarik when he does the same.

I loved Tarik the Falcon King. Another cool ability here as a Lingot. He is able to discern truth from fiction. I really like the way he carries himself and cares about his kingdom in the broader spectrum instead of just supporting the superiors. He’s able to keep an open mind when dealing with affairs that allow him to be a better ruler. He often says he is not as physically strong as his father and brother Sethos but that’s not always the most important thing.

I liked the romance because it was slow brewing. Both sides are leary of the other due to their political interest. They have many things they have to work out but truly enjoy the company of the other. It’s all so very complicated.

I loved Sethos, Tarik’s brother. I’m really hoping his POV and the princess of Hemut are included in the next book. They were both side characters that we only had snippets of in this book but you can tell their stories would definitely be interesting.

I enjoyed the World Building and the influence of different cultures into the kingdoms. We spend so much time in Theoria, which is Egyptian inspired but I would love to get a peak of some of the other kingdoms.

Completely aesthetic but as cool as the cover is. I felt like it didn’t represent the story well. When I first saw it, I thought it was a Gladiator book, especially when put together with the title.

I really enjoyed Nemesis and felt like it was such a quick paced read. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

NYT Bestselling YA author of The Syrena Legacy series: OF POSEIDON (2012), OF TRITON (2013), OF NEPTUNE (2014).

Repped by rockstar Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency.

I live with my husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. I have a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and I enjoy food cooked with real fat. I can’t walk in high heels, but I’m very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of me, you must not have wanted it in the first place.

Favorite Books:

Shatter Me, Cinder, Linger, Shiver, Forever, Pushing the Limits, Unravel Me,Shadow and Bone, Enclave, Divergent, Candor, Graceling, Fire, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Host, Most of James Patterson, and Janet Evanovich makes me laugh through my nose in an unfeminine sort of way.
Visit Anna’s website, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

1 winner will receive a finished copy of NEMESIS. US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco #BookReivew #Playlist @The_FFBC

Stalking Jack the Ripper (Untitled Trilogy #1)
by Kerri Maniscalco
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Release Date: September 20th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

AMAZON : B&N : BD : GOODREADS

Stalking Jack the Ripper takes a true crime story and gives it a Sherlock and Holmes twist. I loved the way Kerri Maniscalco retells the story one of the most famous serial killers by providing fascinating characters.

We have some really great characters. Audrey Rose is a high society lady with a fascination with forensic science. Losing her mother five years prior she is overly sheltered by her father. Which makes her more determined to break free. I love how she is strong and intelligent but also enjoys things like fine fabrics and dressing up. I love the priceless moments when she takes Thomas off guard by adding a little make-up. She often takes on the Watson role in the story to Thomas and carries more compassion for the victims. She looks at them from both sides, as the mystery to figure out and someone who she has to honor by solving the mystery of their murders.

Thomas has the personality of Sherlock. He is able to remove emotion from things so he is able to analyze a litte more easily than Audrey Rose. Which can both be a strength and weakness. I love how he quickly figures out ways to frustrate her but also enjoys challenging her mind. He can quickly turn on the charm and you can’t help but fall in love with him. He never hides his feelings for her but she often thinks he is just messing with her.

We have the side characters of Audrey Rose’s family. Her father, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin and brother Nathanael make frequent appearances in the story. I really liked that aspect of it. It’s not like she is running around solving crimes without any consequences. She lives in a society where women are undervalued and thought to have a certain place. She can’t do what she is doing without some resistance. There is also Blackburn the Police Superintendent, who seems to have some ulterior motives.

I really enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper. There was never a moment I wasn’t intrigued by the plot and I loved the subtleness of the romance. I love a historical fiction that I can research while reading and then have fantastic author notes at the end where Kerri explains what facts she used, didn’t use and what things she changed. Well written and engaging, I would definitely recommend delving into this story. With October just around the corner there couldn’t be more perfect timing.

Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats. Stalking Jack the Ripper is her debut novel. It incorporates her love of forensic science and unsolved history, and is the first in a new series of gothic thrillers.

WEBSITE : TWITTER : FACEBOOK : INSTAGRAM

Red Winter by Annette Marie First Look #Giveaway

“Her entire life had been forged by a terrible lie, and there was nothing she could do to change her fate.”

In the enchanting new fantasy RED WINTER by Annette Marie, Emi Kimura has been preparing her entire life to become the mortal host of a goddess. When she discovers the lies surrounding her true fate, she makes a dangerous bargain with a fox spirit to seek out the truth. As her final days as a mortal approach, she must choose whether to bow to duty ... or fight for her life.

Emi is the kamigakari. In a few short months, her life as a mortal will end and her new existence as the human host of a goddess will begin. Carefully hidden from those who would destroy her, she has prepared her mind, body, and soul to unite with the goddess—and not once has she doubted her chosen fate.
Shiro is a yokai, a spirit of the earth, an enemy of the goddess Emi will soon host. Mystery shrouds his every move and his ruby eyes shine with cunning she can’t match and dares not trust. But she saved his life, and until his debt is paid, he is hers to command—whether she wants him or not.
On the day they meet, everything Emi believes comes undone, swept away like snow upon the winter wind. For the first time, she wants to change her fate—but how can she erase a destiny already wrought in stone? Against the power of the gods, Shiro is her only hope … and hope is all she has left.

Releasing October 21, 2016.

Pre-order Red Winter Now:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU |  Amazon CA 

Excerpt for RED WINTER (Red Winter Trilogy Book 1)
The yokai didn’t move, just held her in place with a strength she couldn’t fight. She tipped her head back to see his face, to gauge his intent. His gaze traveled across her room, intent and analyzing. Then his eyes flicked down and he appeared almost surprised to see her staring up at him. His mouth curved into a sly grin, flashing pointed canines.
His amusement at her terror sparked a tiny surge of anger. “Let me go!”
“Ah, little miko, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to run from yokai?” His deep, purring voice sent a shiver across her skin. He leaned down as his hand on her throat forced her head back. He brushed his nose along her jaw, from her chin up to her ear. “It’s the surest way to make us pounce,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.
Goose bumps raced down the back of her neck and she clenched her jaw. “Get your hands off me.”
He hummed as he pushed his face into her hair, inhaling through his nose. “But didn’t you put your hands on me first?”
“I was treating your wounds.” She summoned her most commanding tone, desperately hoping her voice wouldn’t quaver. “You’re proving that your kind’s reputation is well deserved with such disrespect and ingratitude toward the person who saved your life.”
His head came up and fear shot through her that she’d offended him, that he would surely kill her now. Instead, he made a thoughtful noise, and his hands fell away, releasing her.
She almost leaped out of his lap but remembered his comment about running from yokai. With more self-control than she’d thought she had, she carefully stood, walked four steps, and turned to face him. He stayed where he was, lounging on the bed with his feet on the floor, casually propped up on one arm. His head tilted to one side as he watched her, and that slight, knowing grin played about his lips.
She sank down to kneel on the floor, mostly because her legs were shaking so badly she was afraid he’d notice. As nonchalantly as possible, she slid her hands into the opposite sleeves of her kimono and pinched her hidden ofuda between two fingers, ready to pull the paper talismans out.
“No need for that, little miko,” he remarked, each word almost caressing her. How could he have such an otherworldly yet still human voice? “I will not harm you.”
She flushed, embarrassed she’d been so obvious, but didn’t let go of the ofuda. “What was that—that assault then?”
“Assault, you call it? That little embrace?”
“You—” She broke off with a small shake of her head. If he was determined to ignore the inappropriateness of forcefully holding a woman against him and rubbing his face on her, nothing she said would change his mind. “You have the manners of a dog.”
“What did you expect? The ritual greetings of the imperial court?”
“Some respect for the person who saved your life would have been welcome.”
“Ah, yes, you did save me, and I am very grateful.” He idly tugged at a lock of his hair as his gaze slid down her and back up again. “I am in your debt. Tell me your desire and I will fulfill it.”
“My—my desire?” she choked.
He smirked again. “A favor, little miko. I am saying I owe you a favor.”

Celebrate the First Look with a Giveaway!

Grand Prize: 1 Winner will Receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card

Runner-Ups: 3 Winners will Each Receive one $10 Amazon Gift Card Each

Here is the embed code for the Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29275/?

Annette Marie has her first novel, CHASE THE DARK on SALE for $0.99 on Amazon from September 13-19!

Annette Marie is the author of the Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, which includes the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award nominee Yield the Night. Her first love is fantasy, a limitless realm of creativity where she can break all the boring rules of real life, but fast-paced urban fantasy, bold heroines, and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She proudly admits she has a thing for dragons, and her editor has politely inquired as to whether she intends to include them in every book.
Annette lives in the frozen winter wasteland of northern Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad). She shares her life with her remarkably patient, comparatively sensible husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
To find out more about Annette and her books, visit her website at www.authorannettemarie.com

Find Annette Marie: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

The Fixer by Jenny Holiday #BookReivew #Giveaway

Title: The Fixer

Series: New Wave Newsroom #1

Author: Jenny Holiday

Genre: New Adult Romance

Release Date: September 13, 2016

Length: 35k words

Format: Digital/Paperback

Digital ISBN: 978-0-9950927-1-6

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9950927-0-9

Jenny Fields is a crusader. The editor of her college newspaper, she never met a cause she couldn’t get behind. So when the administration announces it’s tearing down the historic art building, she’s on the case All she needs to do is get Matthew Townsend, the art department’s boy wonder, on board. They say he his talent is unbounded. It turns out so is his ego.

Matthew Townsend cares about art. And that’s pretty much it. If he has a reputation for being moody and aloof, that suits him just fine. He doesn’t have a family worth speaking of, and as a scholarship student, he can’t afford to goof off like the preppy rich kids at his school. He certainly doesn’t care about the art building. Or about the relentlessly perky Jenny, who looks like she was barfed up by Rainbow Brite. What will it take to the preternaturally cheerful girl with the massive savior complex to leave him alone?

Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

The Fixer is such a fun and fast paced read. I loved the setting of an 80’s era college campus. Jenny Holiday creates such fun and witty characters.

Jenny Fields is a spunky go-getter who has her sights on saving the Art building. As the editor of the college paper and aspiration to become an investigative reporter. She’s ready to have the Save the Art Building mission be the crown jewel of her grad school application. As the title suggest though, Jenny has another need and that’s to fix things. She can’t fix certain things in her own life and so she focuses on things she can.

Mathew is your typical brooding artist. He doesn’t want friends, girlfriends or otherwise. He comes from a bad situation and is deemed an art prodigy. Mentored by a famous alumni, which of course leads Jenny to him. In hopes that she can acquire his aid.

The romance is pretty adorable as Jenny follows Mathew around and he half heartedly tries to get rid of her. They form an instant tentative bond and then get to really know one another. It’s very cute to read.

I loved the clever way 867-5309 is worked into the story!

This is a such a fun read. If you are looking for something light, fun and still romantic this is the perfect read.

Jenny Holiday started writing at age nine when her awesome fourth grade teacher gave her a notebook and told her to start writing some stories. That first batch featured mass murderers on the loose, alien invasions, and hauntings. (Looking back, she’s amazed no one sent her to a kid-shrink.) She’s been writing ever since. After a brief detour to get a PhD in geography, she worked as a professional writer, producing everything from speeches to magazine articles. More recently, her tastes having evolved from alien invasions to happily-ever-afters, she tried her hand at romance. A lifelong city-lover, she lives in Toronto, Canada, with her family. She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Greenburger Associates.

You can visit her online at the following places: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

There’s no such thing as a lost cause.

Out Sept 13th – the first book in the New Adult College Romance series: New Wave Newsroom

Follow the tour and enter to #win a $20.00 Amazon GC and 1980’s themed adult coloring book!

Make sure to watch for books two and three coming this fall! Entries from all tours will be eligible for an additional grand prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sept 12^th
Dandelionn Wine Book Blog - Review
Library of a Book Witch - Review
More Books Than Livros - Review
Bookworm Dee Reads - Spotlight
Lipstick 'N Lashes Chronicles - Review
Books,Dreams,Life - Spotlight

Sept 13^th

OMGReads – Review
Mary Gramlich (The Reading Reviewer) - Spotlight
KeyReadThat - Review
EskieMama Reads - Spotlight
RhiReading - Spotlight
What Is That Book About - Spotlight

Sept 14^th
WTF Are You Reading? - Review
A Page to Turn Reviews - Spotlight
Never Too Many To Read – Guest Post

Those Crazy Book Chicks - Spotlight

Sept 15^th
Ellesea Loves Reading - Review
Evermore Books – Guest Post
Reese's Reviews - Review
Tangle Hearts Book Reviews – Spotlight

Sept 16^th
Fiona Reads and FoodSpots - Review
Miss Riki - Review
underneath the covers - Spotlight

My Scarlet Heart Ryeo obsession and related reads

I've been meaning to combine more of my other interest like gaming and kdrama watching with my blog. With the craziness of life it kind of fell by the wayside but being I'm obsessed with a new Kdrama, now seems like the perfect time.

I'm a historical fiction fan, especially when it has more of  a fantasy aspect. I think I also enjoy historical fiction from other countries because they date back so far they feel like fantasy. I'm really enjoying Scarlet Hearty Ryeo because it has the politics of the period, the fantasy as of course time traveling isn't real and of course a romance. I also find one of the main love interest fascinating because he begins not seeming like a very good person. So here is a peak of the series from the trailer. You can watch it at Dramafever but only the first 3 episodes are out. They air every Monday and Tuesday. Which at this point can be torture.

SCARLET HEART RYEO

Scarlet Heart Ryeo actually reminds me of a couple other Manga and Manhwa series I enjoyed with heroines that were transported into the past.

Crazy Girl Shin Bia-Ah by Hwang Mi-Ri 

not currently serialized in the US

This manhwa is actually kind of crazy because of the main character. She's lazy and tends to get into a lot of fights and has been transported into the past and much like Scarlet Heart Ryeo she is actually taking the place of another girl who already exsisted that she happens to look just like. The love story is complicated and the plot interesting. This is probably my favorite Hwang Mi-Ri series.

Fushigi Yuugi by Yuu Watase

published in America by Viz Media

Fushigi Yuugi is a manga series that ranks up there with Sailor Moon and Please Save My Earth for me. It's not only a fantastic manga but a great anime series as well. Plus there are two movies, although one of the movies was kind of iffy in my opinion (of course it was not a Yuu Watase creation). I own every art book, the original Japanese manga (I don't think I own the english translation) and of course all of the series dvds. In fact I'm feeling the need for re-read/re-watch marathon.

The series follows Miaka as she is transported inside a book that places in her in a world that resembles ancient Japan. Like that of Scarlet Heart Ryeo she has many protectors and many romances but one of the more interesting themes is that of frienship. As her friends angry and jealousy ends up driving the story to it's epic conclusion.

Goong by Park So-hee

published in America by Yen Press

Now I've saved my absolute favorite Manhwa for last. Goong was my obsession when it came out in Korean and I scoured the internet for translations. That was back in the day when graphic novels did not have sections in the bookstore (thus my collection of Sailor Moon, Fushigi Yuugi and Please Save My Earth in Japanese) Nobody travels to another world in Goong but it takes place in an alternate Korea where the old ways still rule. The monarchy still reigns as well as the political drama that goes with it. Chae-Kyung Shin and Shin Lee are promised to each other by their grandparents and forced into an arranged marriage that neither of them wants. Do they fall in love?? Well I guess you need to read to find out... Oh but wait there is also a Korean Drama based off the series called Princess Hours.