Blog Tour & Giveaway: Long Way Down by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Hey, my darlings! I'm so glad to say that I'm slowly finding my reading (and blogging) mojo again and of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in what are my favorite blog tours ever to do. Addicted series, as most of you know, is my favorite series ever and I can't believe that it's coming to an end soon what with the last book and epilogue book left to publish. It's so bittersweet, but I'm very excited to see what kind of pain the twins are going to put us thourgh ✨(っˆ‿ˆ) ♥

Today I have a super fun and adorable post for you and of course it was inspired by Coballoway (are any of you actually surprised? Hah) (✿◠‿◠)  I hope you enjoy where Krista and Becca have taken Ryke and Daisy today, and yay for the rest of our favorites appearing as well! PS. You can follow the rest of the tour here for more fun posts and to increase your chances of winning.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Fuel the Fire by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Hey, my loves! Today I get to share a tour post to promote my most anticipated book of the year. I have been waiting for this book even before it was announced that there was more on the way, because in my heart of hearts there is no way I want Rose and Connor's story to ever end. Today's post is a pretty special one and in my opinion the best tour post on this blog for the Addicted series to date. I love that Krista and Becca go along with my crazy ideas and I can't thank them enough for creating this below because it's seriously just so epic! Proceed with caution though, because this is the kind of hangman you have never seen before ;) Enjoy!

Connor Cobalt's Birthday Extravaganza: Treasure Hunt and Giveaway

Hiiiiiii, my darling friends! Today is one of my favorite days of the year haaa, because it's Richard Connor Cobalt's birthday! If you know me, you all know who he is, but since there's a slight chance you don't know, let me give you some hints ;) He's one of the main characters from the Calloway Sisters series and the Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie. He totally deserves his own birthday celebration event because he's just.. everything tbh! Connor Cobalt is a conceited know-it-all smartass, but he has every right to be since the guy, according to his own words, would be considered a god in some civilizations. He's one of the best fictional characters out there and he's also my bookish husband, which I can prove with a marriage license, so get your paws off my man, ladies, or blood will spill! (jk; .. or not) I hope you enjoy following this treasure hunt event, because I've invited a bunch of lovely, wonderful and amazing people to participate. Before we get to the game (and the giveaway), let me congratulate Connor on his birthday.

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Hello, you gorgeous souls! Today is such an exciting day, because to be honest, I really didn't know what to do for today's post, but after thinking about it, I offered one of my favorite topics to Krista and Becca: sweets! And yay, they agreed to this silly idea of the characters being described as sweets to give us hints about their personalities. I'm keeping this intro fairly short since you probably all want to get to know these characters a little better, seeing as we know next to nothing about them, but if you don't know what this tour is about, then here's the short verison of it: Krista and Becca have a new book coming out this Friday—a standalone New Adult novel Amour Amour that takes place in a circus and, knowing them, is more than likely to make you feel all the feels. Anyway, read more about it below and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post :) Good luck!

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Addicted After All by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Hiiii, loves! It's been a long time no see, hasn't it? It feels really good to be somewhat back with this particular post and while I may still not blog regularly until Christmas, I'm willing to try and sneak in a little blogging in my schedule if it allows so. I hope you've all been up to no good ;) though really, I hope you're all doing great! I've missed you guys a ton! *hugs you all tightly*

Anyhooow, today's post is one that I've been anticipating since summer and it was super fun to create. Basically, I drew some pictures for the Addicted cast to guess. Nevermind the quality of those drawings; you know how it is with pictionary, so they're going to be "realistic", for the sake of not finding a better word lol. I hope you can play along as well by guessing these pictures as you follow the post, and have a fun time in general when reading this crazy thing :) Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit all the other lovely blogs on the tour and enter the giveaway below! x

Lily Calloway's Birthday Extravaganza & Giveaway

Hiiii, my lovelies. Where does one even begin to introduce a post like this? *takes a deep breath* Ok. So, almost all of you must know by now that I have a slight obsession with the Addicted and Calloway Sisters series by Krista and Becca Ritchie. After reading Thrive two weeks ago, I have suffered through crazy withdrawals and wanted to do something to put my excitement and fangirling abilities to good use. What better way to do that than honour one of the quirkiest, most adorable and lovely characters I have ever had the pleasure to read about?! Today is Lily Calloway's birthday *dances around the room* I have invited some pretty amazing people to join me and together we want to wish Lily a big, big happy birthday :) I hope you lovelies enjoy this post and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post. Thank you for reading and I hope you have just as much fun with reading and watching these birthday wishes as we had creating them *hugs*

Lily Calloway

Source

CASUAL

Name: Lily Calloway
Birthday: 08/01
Height: 5’5’’ and a smidgen (I guess 5’6’’)
Eye color: Green
Location: Bedroom
Position: From behind. With Lo, just to be clear :)

FAVORITES

Color: Purple
Season: Fall (no sweating and no puffy winter jackets, makes for easy access)
Movie: X-Men: First Class
Person: Loren Hale
Quote: “With great power comes great responsibility.” – Spider-Man

Cover Madness Giveaway Hop

Hiiiiii, lovelies! Today is the day I finally and officially graduate from university and get my BSc. If you didn't see my tweet 1 and tweet 2 about all the excitement and missed my little thank you post, here's me still thanking all of you for keeping moi sane throughout all of the insane moments and offering your support and encouragement. THANK YOU! *hugs*

Today is also an exciting day for you guys! :) Some of you may already be familiar with this particular event Giselle and Jenni from Xpresso Reads came up with a while ago. Already from their first post ages ago (on 2012, le gasp! All of our blogs are getting so old!), I knew that if it ever turned into a hop, I'd want to participate. Unfortunately I couldn't participate last time, but this time? Hells yeah!

So what's this all about, you ask? The point of this hop is to gather all the gorgeous covers we've seen that have been revealed no more than 2 months ago and then offer one (or more) of these up for a giveaway. And what's best? The winner can choose whichever book they want. At least it's this way here on Little Pieces of Imagination. So are you guys ready to see what gorgeous pretties I've discovered throughout the past few months? :) Here we go!

April Wrap Up and Giveaway

Eeep, one more month until I graduate. These first three years at uni have been tough, especially the last one. They wouldn't have been that hard if I wasn't blogging, but what can I say? I love it, so abandoning it? Nope, not gonna happen. You might have noticed my absence on my blog, commenting back and whatnot, but I have one month left to complete all my BA courses, finish my thesis and I have to work too so blogging had to stop for a while. No posts other than this one in May either. I have all the comments I need to "return the favor to, if you must" bookmarked so I'll do that when my thesis defence is done. Plus, you can always talk to me on twitter, because I'm still around there and I love talking to you all :) Anyhow, moving on to the wrap up..

The Romeo Club Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway

Today I have the pleasure to take part in The Rome Club tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. You can follor the rest of the tour here. Rebekah will tell you about her favorite movies and the couples she ships and that's what we're all about, yeah? Shipping is the best when reading :) So let's find out if we have any in common with her.

Favorite Romantic Comedy/Romance Movies/or couples in a movie

Okay, I admit, I LOVE romance movies (LOL). I’m a sucker for a happily ever after and people finding true love (which might also account for me writing YA Contemporary Romance). There are some movies that I can watch over and over and over again and never get tired of them. Now, all the movies I’m gonna mention don’t necessarily fall under the “romance” category, but I love the couples in them (totally swoonworthy—LOL). Here are my top five (in no particular order).

Hothouse Flower Promo Tour: Character Interview and Giveaway

I won't write a long intro for this, because if you know me at all then you know that this series, these authors, these companions (Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower) don't need any introduction for you since they're some of my favorite books ever. Anyhow, if you want to follow the rest of the tour you can do so here. Also, there's a giveaway at the end of the post, good luck and enjoy! :)

February Wrap Up and Giveaway

Wow! February totally flew by and I cannot believe it's March already. I started my final BA semester in February and it'll be a crazy ride to the finish line this spring what with my thesis, classes, labs, work and blogging. Since February was a little less hectic I got to post every day, but during March and the rest of the spring I'll probably post like 2-3 times a week and won't be able to comment every day, but I'm going to try my hardest. Anyhow, let's move on to the books, shall we?

3 in 1: On Valentine's Day, Estonian Sweets and a Celebration Giveaway

Hey you all! Since this month is all about Estonian Fridays on Little Pieces of Imagination, I was planning on talking about how Valentine's Day is celebrated here and what it means etc. Also, since Mel asked about sweets and stuff, I could perhaps include this into the post. Because Valentine's Day and sweets go together like salt and pepper. Ok, yes, I couldn't come up with a better example, but still. Anyhow, moving on...

Valentine's Day

While Valentine's Day is usually known as a romantic holiday and lovers all across the world declare their undying love and care for each other, gift flowers and make romantic gestures etc. Do we have it? Yes, absolutely! If you're dating someone, live together or are married--whichever it is, you will most likely be spending the evening with them. As you can imagine, there are lots of um, romance packets like a romantic weekend at a spa (this was actually offered as a winning prize on one of the radio channels' Valentine's Day game this year) or a luxuriuos dinner somewhere etc.

However, for us, single people (and even the ones who aren't single), Valentine's Day here means the celebration of any kind of love not just romance wise. Whether it's your parents or siblings or friends, especially friends, you let them know how much you care. I used to start a week early with all the card making and baked all kinds of cakes, cupcakes, sweets for my friends and brought them to school and to swimming practice (if you didn't know, I went swimming for 8 years until the end of HS and was on the team for many years) etc. I still do that, but not so excessively. I just let people know that I care and think about them via text, phone call, face to face conversations etc. I still own a big card collection that I have collected over the years and it's so awesome to read these years later. Here are some of them:

This year I'm spending my Valentine's Day evening at work and then I have no plans whatsoever. We'll see how it rolls after I get off from work.

Sweets

So, sweets? I went a little crazy yesterday after my lecture was done at uni by going to the supermarket and finding all sorts of Estonian sweets for you to look at. My favorite Estonian sweets are definitely by Kalev. It's a huge sweets factory that makes all kinds of chocolate, candy and other sweets. I think it's also the oldest here as well. Every time I go somewhere abroad where I know that people will have to host me, I always bring something by Kalev. And people eat them like it's the last food left on Earth lol, because it's so good. You can check out their home page here. They have all their products listed there and even recipes to try at home etc. Anyhow, pictures, right? (Lol! I went to the mall yesterday and took pictures, people looked at me like I was nuts, but whatever! What I wouldn't do for blogging and you guys, right? ;))

There are lots of cakes in the big (and small, if you're lucky) supermarkets and depending on the supermarket, they can be extremely delicious! Some of them are made in the supermarket while some are bought in. One bakery Pagaripoisid (in English meaning Bakery Boys) makes some of the best cakes I have ever tasted and you can never go wrong with theirs. BTW! They have their own shop in the Old Town and when you're a tourist, you'll most likely be visiting the Old Town so be sure to look for their little shop. You won't regret going there!

On the right you can see some of Kalev's sweets. There were just so many that I couldn't have put them to one picture to save my life lol, plus there were so many people in that aisle and I didn't want to bother them, so yes. Imagine it being about 5-6 times bigger just for this brand.

So I made pictures of my favorites. The left one--that's my current favorite. Almond in mint flavoured milk chocolate. They just melt in your mouth and are so so so good! On the right I took a picture of my childhood favorite--the chocolate buttons. They're covered with these sweet little pearls and that's one of the things my grandma used to get me for my birthdays.

Then there is the legendary Maiuspala (which in translation means Sweet Piece). It's a praline candy covered with Indian nuts that have been coloured green with natural food colours. It's one of the most loved sweets here and if you're expecting an Estonian to visit you, you can almost always be certain that this will be one of the sweets that one's going to bring you ;) The picture with the back of the box on it has a story about the product. I hope you can read it when you click on it.

Then there are these--a bit more expensive candies than the ones showcased above. There were lots of others, but far too many to take pictures of and usually there's a wide selection of them so you can choose one to your liking. The Vana Tallinn one is um, with liquor. It's like this, um.. legendary liquor that is put into ice creams and candies in addition to just, you know.. drinking it lol.

Then I took two pictures above. These are the kids' favorites. Draakoni (Dragon) and Mesikäpp (Honey Paw) are extremely popular among kids. The Dragon one is this.. I'm not sure how you call it. Like a mix between a candy and a gum, but you can swallow it, so it's not really a gum.. It's weird, but they're tasty and I loved them when I was a kid. If you know how to call them, tell me below in the comments lol. Then the Honey Paw line includes waffles, candies, chocolate and even oreo-alike cookies with chocolate and vanilla fillings.

And LOL. I took a picture of two of my favorite ice creams. The upper one is vanilla flavour with maple syrup and Greek nuts and the one below as you can guess is chocolate-mint flavoured ice cream with chocolate filling. Yummm!!!! Also, since I bought some bread I took a picture of the black bread. I know that people in UK/US (and elswhere) think that they know what black bread is, but oh, no! You do not, trust me :D There are so many types of bread here--white, brown, black, in all forms and sizes and flavours. Like, when you come here, you must try the black bread because it's most likely not like anything you have tasted before. If you're from Skandinavia or the Baltic region, yes, that's basically the same here and there, but if you're from anywhere else? Try it! :)

Giveaway

So since today, for me, is a celebration of friendship among other things, I wanted to thank you all for making blogging amazing and just being plain awesome in general and what better way to celebrate than offering books, right? ;) Right! Here are some of the sweetest romances I have ever read and which also feature some other important topics not just an adorable romance. I'll be offering a paperback to one lucky winner who will get to choose a book to one's liking. International as long as The Book Depository ships to you.

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Excerpt and Giveaway: Kiss the Sky by Krista and Becca Ritchie

You guys. YOU GUYS. If you know me at all, you know that Connor Cobalt *fans self* is basically my hero. He is smart, charming, very educated (hello there, triple major!), wicked, extremely handsome, has a great sense of humor, is loyal, adorable and protects his loved ones. What's not to love?! So this thing happened today (well, actually yesterday ;)). His book was released. How excited am I? SO VERY EXCITED YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Lily, Lo, Ryke and Daisy will all be featured in it, but the main focus is on Rose and Connor. I had a chance to read the arc already, but haven't written a review yet. Why? Well, I honestly don't know what to say, because there are so many thoughts speeding through my mind. I will try to get around writing it this weekend and hopefully give you a piece of my mind next week. (And if you're going to ask, YES I DID ENJOY IT :)) Anyhow, you're here for the excerpt, right? I'm happy to share this with you and be sure to give your luck a try in the giveaway. You do not want to be left out on getting a chance to win this prize! Good luck, lovelies! x

Title: Kiss the Sky
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Genre: New Adult Standalone Romance
Published: January 24, 2014
Hosted by: Love Between the Sheets Promotions

Add it: Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Virgin. Sex addict. Daredevil. Alcoholic. Smartass … Jackass. Her five friends are about to be filmed. Reality TV, be prepared.
Rose Calloway thought she had everything under control. At twenty-three, she’s a Princeton graduate, an Academic Bowl champion, a fashion designer and the daughter of a Fortune 500 mogul. But with a sex addict as a sister and roommate, nothing comes easy.
After accepting help from a producer, Rose agrees to have her life filmed for a reality television show. The Hollywood exec is her last chance to revive her struggling fashion line, and boundaries begin to blur as she’s forced to make nice with a man who always has his way.
Twenty-four-year-old Connor Cobalt is a guy who bulldozes weak men. He’s confident, smart-as-hell and lives with his equally ambitious girlfriend, Rose Calloway. Connor has to find a way to protect Rose without ruining the show. Or else the producer will get what Connor has always wanted—Rose’s virginity.
**This New Adult Standalone Romance can be described as Friends meets The Real World. Expect fist fights, drugs, sex of varying degrees, crude humor and competitive alpha males. Definitely for mature readersaudiences only.

The excerpt

OH YOU GUYS. THIS SCENE *hyperventilates* THIS. SCENE. 

YOU WILL WANT TO READ IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 

YOU WILL WANT TO DEVOUR IT. 

YOU WILL BE SURPRISED BY ALL THE FEELS. 

(OR NOT REALLY, BECAUSE. CONNOR.) 

YOU WILL LOVE THIS SCENE WHEN YOU READ THE BOOK *winks*

Oh, and don't ask who Scott is or what he's doing there in the shower room with these two. He just.. isn't worth the time to explain. *shudders* Safe to say we don't get along.

Meet the authors

Krista Ritchie has a clone...or someone who looks exactly like her. If she's not writing books with her twin sister, she's pouring over entertainment news and ingesting copious amounts of pop culture. She likes tennis, that thing called the TV, and beating Becca (her clone) on Sega Genesis. She created YA Book Exchange to combat her book buying addiction and started Nawanda Files, a YA Book Blog that features books into movies news, to share her love for all things bookish. Oh, and she does something called science. Whatever that is.
Krista & Becca Ritchie write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series.

Goodreads (K) | Goodreads (B) | Twitter (K) | Twitter (B) | Website | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest

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Review and Giveaway: Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins

I have been waiting forever to post this review and today I'm excited to share my thoughts with you thanks to this great blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. You can follow the rest of the tour here. At the end of the post is a giveaway and I wish you all good luck!

Title: Stir Me Up
Author: Sabrina Elkins
Published: October 1st 2013
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes
*A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review*

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.
Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated….

I first heared about Stir Me Up on Nick’s blog. I admit, I was put off by this: look who’s on the cover yet again! It’s Sztella and Pepe. I am not a fan of these two anymore because they’re just.. everywhere. Something about Nick’s review made me want to read this though and what with a cute New Adult novel, romance and cooking – this couldn’t have been any better for me to get hooked.

“I rest my head against him when our mouths break apart, and breathe him in. I love the smell of him, that mysterious, perfect, warm, delicious taste that is him.”

I really liked Cami as a character. She wasn’t overly snarky, impatient, bitchy nor was she a humble, shy average girl who doesn’t stand up to anyone. She was rather a mix of all of these (with the exception of being bitchy, which she was not), but it was her love for cooking and passion for something else than just boys that won me over. Also, this book captured the perfect kind of friendship where best friends encourage the other to follow one’s hearts and support one another. Tracy, Cami’s best friend, wasn’t this man-eater kind of a girl who is described by every cliché imaginable. Yes, she liked her boys, but she was cute as a button when it came to her personality.

Julian. Le sigh. What can I say about this injured war vet who possesses so much wisdom in his young mind? I’m not sure I can do him justice so I’ll just leave it at this: I LOVED HIM. His determination is one of the sexiest things about him. Also, I liked how the portrayal of the relationship was quite a natural one and when the parents find out about this relationship, they aren’t exactly very welcoming. Especially Cami’s dad and even though I may have not approved his reaction, I liked that it was real and definitely showed that he cared more than he led on in the previous happenings of Cami’s life.

There were two issues for me and hopefully this explains why this book doesn’t get full four stars from me. First of all, I found the writing to be lacking in some departments. Let me give you an example:

[Cami and Julian are talking in bed]

“…. . He’ll have to see there’s a purpose in it somewhere.”

“Move this,” he says. He shifts me around so he can rest his head on my stomach.

“I should have thought of this months ago. …”

What exactly does Cami have to move? O.o There were multiple scenes where I didn’t get what happened in the middle of a dialogue, because it wasn’t shown to us. I’m not a very visual reader, but I do appreciate the effort to create a setting. Secondly, I found the ending to drag a little. I was ready for it to end about 4 chapters before it did. It was a nice ending though, just the way I like it. Very natural, realistic and hopefully pleases all romance fans.

All in all, I very much loved this piece. I hope that the previous paragraph explained why I can’t give it 4 stars, which it definitely deserves, but I did have a few issues.. so. Yeah. I think it’s perfect for people who love New Adult, cute romance and great characters and want to break out of the NA trend that’s becoming a little cliché with very little originality. Do I recommend? Yes, most definitely.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

*Thank you to HarlequinTeen and YA Bound Book Tours for providing a review copy.*

Meet the author

I am a former journalist who worked for the Los Angeles Daily Newsand other newspapers in the greater Los Angeles area. Prior to this I worked in advertising, writing ad copy for corporate travel accounts and major motion pictures. My first job out of college was as an administrative assistant to an executive chef and a food & beverage director at a Four Seasons hotel. I also spent some time working as a prep cook for Spago in Beverly Hills.
I received my Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California. While in graduate school, I had the privilege of studying fiction writing under renowned author Hubert Selby, Jr., and comedy writing under famed comedian Shelley Berman. I am a past participant of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Summer Writing Workshop.
Raised in the woods of Vermont, I now live in the greater Los Angeles area with my husband and three children. STIR ME UP is my first novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Review and Giveaway: Rome by Jay Crownover

Today I'm happy to kick off the new year with a review for a kick-a New Adult blog tour. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of this book and I'm happy to share my thoughts as well as a giveaway. I hope you enjoy and if you want to follow the rest of the tour, you can do so here.

Title: Rome (Marked Men #3)
Author: Jay Crownover
Published: January 7th 2014
Publisher: William Morrow and imprint of HarperCollins Publishing
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes & Noble
iTunes | IndieBound | The Book Depository
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*

Sometimes the wrong choice can be just right...
Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed "bad boy" friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won't let herself get burned again. She's waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.
Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He's stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he's returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome's used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he's just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever...

I remember reading Jay’s debut Rule when it first came out as a self-published book. While the content was good, the editing was the worst I have ever seen. I tried to look past it though and since I knew that Jay is a great contemporary author, I was more than certain that with a well-established team behind her, she could bring it big time. I was right!

"Love isn't perfect. It's hard work and sometimes it's more effort to be in love than it is to just run away. If you keep looking for perfect, the real thing is going to pass right by you." (taken from an ARC and could be changed in the actual book)

You don’t always have to be marked with tattoos and ink to be marked you know. Rome had marks on his body—scars from the war—as well as a scarred mind from all the horrible things he had to endure during his time in the army. Since I had already met him in the first installment, I knew something of his behavior. In addition to seeing him through Rule and Shaw’s eyes, we got the exclusive in being inside his head and I could see the sweet, honorable, thoughtful and caring guy in him that everyone was going on and on about.

Cora was such a fun character. I didn’t really remember her from Rule, probably since I read the first book such a long time ago, but she’s a fire cracker with a good, humble heart. She is a feisty one at that. While I was surprised and honestly a bit repelled by the fact that she poured beer on Rome when he was having a down moment, she redeemed herself quite nicely. I wouldn’t mind having a friend like her.

I liked how even though it started off as somewhat like a story based on the NYT bestseller formula, it didn’t suffer from it—especially as it got towards the end of it. I was waiting for the huge break up and for the characters to be stubborn and not talk for a few weeks/months etc., but it wasn’t like that. Yeah, they had their issues to work out, but it was all good and more like a small obstacle on their way towards happiness.

I love how we got to know Nash more and I’m so excited for his story. I had a feeling about his story, but we get conformation in the epilogue and it couldn’t have been a more perfect set up, especially with the cute nurse ;) Also, music is very important to Jay as a writer, as I have come to understand. Since I'm a big fan of everything music, I can't complain on the playlists for every book. Since she loves her music, I'll share mine. I think Hero of War by Rise Against describes Rome (and the people around him) perfectly. 

This series is not to be missed! Intense, fun, emotional and sexy—this is every woman’s fantasy right here. I hope you guys give these books a try and enjoy them as much as I have. They’re perfect for a cold day to warm you up next to the fireplace or for a rainy day to cheer you guys up. I’m everexcited for Nash's story and I’m sure it’ll be just as good as the previous books have been. Read on, lovelies!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meet the author

I’m supposed to share interesting details about myself so that my readers get to know me so here we go in no particular order: I’m an natural redhead even though I haven’t seen my real hair color in years, I’m a big fan of tattoos and have a half sleeve on either arm and various other pieces all over the place, I’ve been in the bar industry since I was in college and it has always offered interesting insight into how men and women interact with each other, I have 3 dogs that are all crazy, I live in Colorado and love the snow, I love music and in all reality wish I could be a rock star not a writer or a bartender but I have zero talent so there is that. I love to write, love to read and all I’m interested in is a good story with interesting characters that make the reader feel something.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Thank you to Literati Author Services, Inc., William Morrow Books and Jay Crownover for a review copy.

Giveaway

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Giveaway and 2013 End of Year Survey

In 2013, I read 147 books in total. Discovered some amazing authors and bloggers this year, read awesome (and unfortunately not so awesome) books and had my first ever Harlequin Teen review request approved, haha. This craves for a celebration, right? So.. at the end of this survey, I’m giving away a copy of my favorite book read in 2013. Best of luck and see you all in 2014! This event is put together by Jamie on The Perpetual Page Turner.

Best book you read in 2013

Contemporary Young Adult: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Contemporary New Adult: The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski and Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Dystopian: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Fantasy: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Science-fiction: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Thriller: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Paranormal: Everbound by Brodi Ashton. DAT ENDING!!!! *gasps*

Book you were excited about and thought you were going to love more but didn’t?

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Reboot by Amy Tintera. Also, Hookedf by Liz Fichera.

Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013?

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. I had seen the trailer before, but for some reason it had slipped my mind. Then I got the audiobook and oh boy was it evergreat! The narrator was good, delicate and suited the main character well. Plus, the witchery, magic, spells, intrigues, romance? Me wants more!

Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie and Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris. The first one was unique, sexy and had totally my kind of humor in it and the second one was just... amazeballs!

Best series you discovered in 2013?

The Dust Lands series by Moira Young. It’s so unique, has great world-building, awesome characters and quite a few plot twists up its sleeve. I am literally holding myself back from reading the sequel right this very moment because the third one is too far away for now *insert sad face*

Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Definitely Miranda Kenneally and Gayle Forman. These two write some of the best contemporaries and their characters are so relatable and real. Bring on THE FEELS, ladies!

Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Breach by K.I. Lynn. That one was.. so hard for me to review. I still don’t know what I thought of it. Definitely worth a try if you’re into extremely dark romance stories. Memorable.

Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Thrilling would probably be Altered by Jennifer Rush. Read that in a day. Same with Unraveling by Liz Norris. They just flew by.

Book you read in 2013 that you are most likely to re-read next year?

Oooh, that’s a tough one. I’d say.. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater because I want to read The Dream Thieves so bad and I think I’ll re-read TRB beforehand.

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

Most memorable character in 2013?

Oh, man! This is tough. Why are these questions so hard? *shakes head* Ok, I want to say Connor Cobalt (Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie) for obvious reasons. Those who know me, know why. Though.. I’ll go with Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. These young ladies are kick-a!

Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is beautifully written, but Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Boys) always has that lyrical way of writing that makes her work feel like a small dose of magic. Yep, these two.

Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013?

Lola and the Boy Next Door without a doubt. Uniqueness is NOT a flaw, people! Awkward, cute, nerdy and passionate—these are golden. Never give up on your dreams. See? That’s some inspiration and huge impact right there.

Book you can’t believe you waited until 2013 to finally read?

Dude! There are so many. I feel like I’m late to every party lol. If I Stay, Lola and the Boy Next Door, The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep. Also, Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally.

Shortest and longest book you read in 2013?

Pfffftttt.. Do novellas count? In that case the shortest is Neverfall by Brodi Ashton and the longest would be Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.

Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it?

The part in Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris where.. AHH! Who am I kidding? That whole book had me dying to discuss it with someone. Also, the endings of Everbound, The Raven Boys and The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. That last ending was wicked and downright nasty as a cliff hanger. Talk about feels!

Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2013 (be it romantic, friendship etc)?

Romance wise it’s Andrew and Camryn from The Edge of Never. There’re lots of great romances. I mean, Lola and Cricket had me dying of swoon, but Andrew and Camryn were the perfect showcase of slow-burn. The road trip didn’t hurt either, heh.

Friends? Perry and Roar from Under the Never Sky. I’d also like to mention Chaol Westfall and Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass.

Bromance? Lo, Connor and Ryke in the Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie.

Familial? Um..  families aren’t a big part of fiction nowadays. Go figure, right?! *eye roll* I’d go with Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown. Just because of the character growth in each of the family members. Lola and the Boy Next Door had awesome family dynamics though.

Favorite book you read in 2013 from an author you’ve read previously?

Ok, I think you all figured out my main favorites before, so I want to bring out an author that really brought it in the final installment and that is S.C. Stephens with her Thoughtless series. The first two were good, okay-ish, so-so etc, but the third one—Reckless—was a blast to read! So many LOL moments on my part. Loved it! Hulk will never be the same to me, haha.

Genre you read the most from in 2013?

Contemporary. Especially New Adult. Thank goodness I’m tired of it (the New Adult NYT bestseller formula at least) and now I’m really in the mood for some good ole YA books. Yay!

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

CHAOL. CHAOL WESTFALL from YA fiction. CONNOR. CONNOR COBALT from NA fiction. *swoons* Honorable mentions: Perry (Under the Never Sky), Cricket Bell (Lola and the Boy Next Door) and Andrew Parrish (The Edge of Never).

Best 2013 debut you read?

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu without doubt. It was so awkward, unique and the OCD-ness really made me feel like I had an OCD myself. It made me so uncomfortable and I didn’t know whether to rate it 1 stars or 5 stars or anywhere in between. It was fresh, exciting, the kind of book that makes you think. Loved it!

Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

I’ll go with The Lunar Chronicles world by Marissa Meyer. That is soooooo imaginative.

Book that was the most fun to read in 2013?

Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie. First of all—the jokes. Ohhh boy! They made me laugh out loud, plus it’s so fresh in my memory thanks to it being an early November read so. Yeeeshhhh. Loved that one.

Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2013?

Which book didn’t? LOL. If I Stay had me bawling so hard that I couldn’t see well enough to read so I had to go and look for some tissues. It was brutal.

Book you read in 2013 that you think got overlooked this year or when it came out?

OCD Love Story. That one is definitely under-hyped, let me tell you.

One book you didn’t get to in 2013 but will be your number 1 priority in 2014?

Gosh, there are so many. Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.. There’re just too many and I could go on and on and on for days.

Book you are most anticipating for 2014 (non-debut)?

Kiss the Sky by Krista and Becca Ritchie. Also, Evertrue by Brodi Ashton, Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski. Pffftt.. This. Is. Too. Hard. I can’t even *pants*

2014 debut you are most anticipating?

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings.

 Series ending you are most anticipating in 2014?

The Retribution of Mara Dyer. BECAUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2014?

Just to meet awesome people like I have this year. Meeting Aman, Rachel, Jasprit, Nick, Christina, Tanja, Glass, Sam was the best thing to ever; talking to my other blogging buddies such as Jenni, Jenny, Brandi, Lauren, Andrea, Becca, Krista; and the rest of the people I talk to on Goodreads? They’ve all been wonderful and I’m so glad to have them in my corner. Also, since I have developed a certain taste in books, I hope to read lots of more “me” books in the future and not so many of the hype books. Trust myself more I guess. Can’t wait to read some amazing debuts, new books from my favorite authors and also finish some series. Here’s to a new, better year of blogging and reading!

Giveaway

I have read so many great books this year, but one of the books that really stood out to me was The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski. Everyone told me how great it was, I didn't believe them. I should have--one of the best books I've read. So if you want to win this (or The Edge of Always if you've already read The Edge of Never), just fill the rafflecopter below and you're in it to win it ;) Open internationally, as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Good luck!

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Guest Post and Giveaway: Addicted for Now by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Hey, lovelies. Today I'm giving my blog over to the lovely twins of Nawanda Files who are also the authors of the Addicted series. I read Addicted to You when it came out and it was pretty decent. (You can read my review here.) I had the opportunity to read an arc of the sequel Addicted for Now and let me tell you something: it was SO good! I loved it to pieces and I'm waiting impatiently for 2014 when we get another dose of this great cast in the upcoming companions. Connor. #lesigh

Title: Addicted for Now (Addicted to You #2)
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Published: Novemeber 30th, 2013
Add it: Goodreads

He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.
No. More. Sex.Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.
Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.
They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.
And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.
No. More. Us.

Sounds awesome, right? It's definitely different from the becoming-old-already formula that is trending in NA lit right now. Anyhow, moving on to the actual post. Take it away, girls!

Stranded on an Island: What would the Addicted characters bring and do?

Being deserted out in the middle of nowhere can really tell you a lot about a person. So what one item would our six main characters in the Addicted series bring if they washed ashore? And how would they react to the hot, humid jungles—a la Survivor season 1-27? Well, let’s find out.

Their private plane crashes. Only six people are onboard. They can only grab one thing with them before the plane explodes. And then what happens on the island? (Beware: This is slightly absurd!)

Lily Calloway (20)

Defining Trait: Sex Addict
One Item Grabbed: Too startled to be resourceful, she’d grab the thing in front of her—the Cosmo magazine in the seat’s pocket.
Outcome on the Island: It would be hard for Lily to concentrate on survival when Lo would probably strip down in the heat.

Lily also isn’t the brightest crayon in the box. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up in goofy likability. She’s awkward and slightly nuts. She’d have sex in a watering hole with Loren and obtain a microbe.

Loren Hale (21)

Defining Trait: Alcoholic
One Item Grabbed: He’d grab Lily and lift her on his back (piggy-back style) while she was frozen in shock, just to ensure her safety.
Outcome on the Island: Lo is one of the unluckiest people in life. He’d step on a poisonous sea urchin, and Ryke would have to pee on his foot.

Daisy Calloway (16)

Defining Trait: Adrenaline junkie
One Item Grabbed: The first-aid kit in order to help anyone who’s hurt.
Outcome on the Island: She’d explore and quickly realize that she’d want to live on the island and be away from everyday hassles. It would be her greatest adventure. And she’d hope a certain someone would stay with her.

Ryke Meadows (22)

Defining Traits: He climbs mountains. Without rope. For fun. And he’s a bit of a likable asshole.
One Item Grabbed: A knife.
Outcome on the Island: He’d go all Swiss Family Robinson out there and build a treehouse. But while he’s searching the island, he’d run into natives. He’d accidentally start a fight with them, and since they outnumber him, he’d be sacrificed to their island gods.

Rose Calloway (22)

Defining Traits: Neurotic, fashion designer who likes order and prefers toilet paper to leaves.
One Item Grabbed: Her purse that carries all of her essentials.
Outcome on the Island: The outwardly confident girl would panic. Rose needs a shower, a toilet, toothpaste and enough soap to make the ocean all bubbly. Without Connor present, she’d most likely jump off a cliff in a week. Good thing he’s here! He’d calm her down, and she’d stick by his side to help him find a way back to civilization.

Connor Cobalt (23)

Defining Traits: Intelligent and overly confident (which is just the nice way of saying conceited).
One Item Grabbed: The plane’s radio.
Outcome on the Island: He’d be the calmest of the six and take charge. And he'd approach the dangers with a cool mind.

He’d focus only on a way out and keeping Rose sane. He’d rewire the radio—probably working in some pieces of his cellphone that happened to be in his pocket—and he’d find a good signal to receive help.

Final Results: Connor and Rose would be the only ones to make it off the island. Nerds always win in the end!

Siiri: I KNEW it! Connor takes it all, baby! (Note to self: do NOT, under any circumstances, start fangirling. Again. Also, try not to mention his name again in the post. Less is more. You don't want to overbear your readers with him. Ha! Like that's even possible. Ok, calm the eff dowwwwn. *takes a deep breath* Ok, ok, ok. Let's continue.) Thanks so much for Becca and Krista for stopping by! Let me know what you thought of this post and give the twins some love :-)

Meet the authors

Krista & Becca Ritchie write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on twitter and their website: kbritchie.com

Goodreads (K) | Goodreads (B) | Twitter (K) | Twitter (B) | Website | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest

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