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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

On Tour: Destination Wedding by Deanna Lynn Sletten – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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Deanna Lynn Sletten is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book, Destination Wedding. Please visit her tour page for more blog stops.

Destination Wedding
by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Genre: Adult, Chick Lit, Drama, Romance
Publication: May 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: ARC, CLP Blog Tours
Connect: Twitter | FacebookBlog | Goodreads 
Life is full of surprises...

Claire Martin's life is perfect, or at least she tells herself it is. She owns a successful clothing boutique, has a steady, dependable boyfriend, and a beautiful grown daughter who is about to be married. Sure, Claire's husband of twenty years left her for a younger woman four years ago, but that is all in the past. Now, Claire is looking forward to her daughter's Bahama wedding and spending a week in paradise. The only thing Claire dreads is her ex-husband and his wife will also be on the island. Claire is determined to make the best of it, though. What Claire doesn't realize is ignoring her ex-husband for the week is going to be impossible.

James Martin's life is a mess. His wife of less than four years has made him the most miserable man on earth and now they are in the middle of a messy divorce. He's happy that he can forget her for a week as he goes off to the Bahamas to attend his lovely daughter's wedding. Jim is embarrassed to admit to his daughter and his ex-wife, Claire, that he made the biggest mistake of his life when he left her for another woman, so he makes up a story as to why his new wife didn't come along. When he and Claire are unexpectedly forced upon each other, Jim soon realizes what he's lost and he begins to wonder if he can find a way back into Claire's heart.
I received a copy of Destination Wedding by Deanna Lynn Sletten from the author/CLP Blog Tours as part of the book tour.

Claire owns a clothing boutique, and a steady boyfriend. She was looking forward to her daughter, Mandy’s wedding in the Bahamas, but not looking forward to see her ex-husband and his wife on that same island. 

Jim regrets leaving his wife, Claire for a younger woman, Diane. His life has been miserable and he is now in the middle of a divorce. He was embarrassed to tell anyone about the divorce, so he made up a story as to why Diane didn’t come long.

Just when Claire thought that she can ignore her ex for the week, there have been a mixed up in their reservation, and Claire was forced to share a room with Jim for the sake of their daughter. Will they be able to rekindle their relationship?

Destination Wedding is definitely an enjoyable read with awesome characters, settings, and story line. I love how Claire and Jim relationship was slowly built up. At first, Claire just couldn’t stand Jim, but she slowly tolerated him after a few dramas and humorous moment. I guess Destination Wedding was meant for readers in more mature age, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this book. I definitely recommend Destination Wedding for those who loves light romance with humor.
Book Excerpt

From his seat at the back of the plane, Jim could watch everyone in the wedding party. He'd purposely boarded the plane early so he could get on without any questions from Mandy. Soon enough, he'd have to explain why Diane wasn't with him. He just wasn't sure yet what he was going to say.

To admit to his daughter that he'd failed at his second marriage after leaving her mother for Diane left a lump in his throat. What an idiot he'd been. The grass hadn't been greener on the other side. In fact, it had been brown, prickly, and downright nasty. When he'd left Claire to start a new life with Diane, he'd thought it would be a life full of love, laughter, and carefree fun. Boy, had he been wrong. The minute he'd said "I do," Diane ran over him like a steam shovel. She wanted a brand new house, brand new furniture to fill it with, and expensive vacations. She wanted to change the way he dressed, the way he cut his hair, the way he ate, and even the way he walked. What the hell was wrong with the way he walked? Diane became a living nightmare. And the fact that they worked in the same office and that he was her superior didn't help matters. She thought she could reign over him at work like she did at home. But the worst part of all, she'd done everything she could to keep him away from his only child. That had hit Jim hard. When Mandy began planning the wedding, Diane flat-out refused to go on the island vacation and attend the wedding. They fought over it endlessly. He literally had to bribe her to agree to go to the engagement party by giving her a ridiculously expensive diamond necklace. It was all too much for Jim. When Diane refused to go to the wedding during their umpteenth argument six months ago, it was the final straw for Jim. He gave her an ultimatum. Go to the wedding with him, or leave. She chose to leave, thank God. As bad as it sounded, he'd actually been relieved.

Jim looked up in time to see Claire staring back at him. He gave her a small smile and a wave, which made her turn around instantly. Jim sighed. He'd really screwed up his life the day he'd left Claire. True, their marriage had been faltering and it had seemed like their work life had become more important than their relationship. Looking back, however, he realized that it had been his fault completely since he'd let himself become distracted with a younger woman at work while Claire had stayed true.

Jim watched the back of Claire's head as she seemed to be rocking in her seat and chanting something. Then he saw Mandy turn around in her seat and say something to her mother. Jim wondered what Claire had been doing. She seemed nervous. He'd secretly watched her as she'd boarded the plane with the rest of the group and was amazed at how young and vibrant she looked. She'd grown out her sandy blond hair a little and she looked like she'd lost a little weight. Not that Claire had ever been overweight; she'd always looked neat and trim. But today, she looked amazing in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Since the day they met in college, Claire had always been a smart, confident woman who knew what direction she was heading. Jim had always envied that about her. But today, she looked nervous, almost vulnerable. He wondered if she was, or if it was just his imagination.

As the plane landed in Marsh Harbour, James decided he'd keep his divorce to himself for as long as he was able. There was no sense dumping that information onto a fun family vacation and Mandy's special day. He'd make up an excuse for Diane's absence. He was pretty sure that no one was going to miss her anyway. He sure as hell knew he wasn't going to.

Author Bio:

Deanna Lynn Sletten is a bestselling and award-winning author. She writes women's fiction and romance novels that dig deeply into the lives of the characters, giving the reader an in-depth look into their hearts and souls. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime.

Deanna's women's fiction novel, Widow, Virgin, Whore, made the top 100 bestselling books on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble in 2014. Her romance novel, Memories, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2012. Her novel, Sara's Promise, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2013 and a finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Book Awards.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer.
a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.clpblogtours.com/2014/06/destination-wedding-by-deanna-lynn.html

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop (INT)

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Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop
July 2nd to 9th
Hosted by Bookhounds & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

It has been a while since I joined any giveaway hop, no? As this is the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop, I'm not going to pick up any book title as the prize. Instead, I am offering a chance to win ONE book of your choice up to USD12 from BookDepository.com And since it has been a while since I participate a giveaway hop, or host any giveaway, I'm going to choose TWO winners by the end of this blog hop.

Yay!

Okay. Here's how you can enter this giveaway:
  • To enter this giveaway, enter your contact details in the form below.
  • You are not required to follow me, but, it would be nice if you follow me via GFC/Goodreads/twitter/Bloglovin' too :)
  • This is an International giveaway as long as BookDepository.com ship them to your country.
  • One entry per person.
  • Winners will be notified via email.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. 
  • I'm not responsible for any lost package.
  • Have fun and good luck! Be sure to check out the other giveaway stops on this blog hop:


The winners of this giveaway are Say Yap and Rebecca! Congratulation!

Review: Elixir by Hilary Duff

Elixir (Elixir #1)
by Hilary Duff

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: June 2011
Format: Paperback, 327 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter
Seventeen-year-old Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent politician, she has become a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a world that allows her to travel to many exotic places. But after Clea's father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea begins to notice eerie, shadowy images in her photos of a strange and beautiful young man- a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and they discover the centuries-old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives- and their futures.
I was curious when I found out that Hillary Duff wrote a paranormal, fantasy, YA book. So, like anyone else, I decided to check it out despite those negative reviews out there. I thought that, it couldn’t be that bad...

Clea Raymond, the daughter of a well known surgeon and a prominent politician became a photojournalist. It was after her father disappeared on a humanitarian mission, that Clea noticed the images of a young man in her photos. She began to have dreams about this man. When Clea and this man, Sage, were finally together, Clea found out that the man might have a connection to her father’s disappearance. She discovered the truth about Sage, the story behind her dreams, and probably their past.

The beginning of the book wasn’t so bad. I can tolerate the writing style, and Clea wasn’t a bad character. She’s boring, but she wasn’t that bad. I thought that this was going to be an okay read—until Clea met Sage, the mysterious man who appeared in her photos. She then turns into this brainless character thanks to him (and her best friend, Rayna). It turns out that Elixir isn’t different from the other romance, YA out there. It was the same love triangle story and the same tragedy.The romance between Clea and Sage was too fast. There wasn’t much sparks between them, even though they were supposed to be Soulmates.

*sighs*

I don’t think I’m going to be reading the sequel to this book.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Review: Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Storm Glass (Glass #1)
by Maria V. Snyder 

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: 2009
Format: Paperback, 488 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Blog
UNSTRAINED. UNTESTED. UNLEASHED

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers - particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade - require Opal's unique talents to prevent it from happening again.

But when the mission goes wrong, Opal must tap into a new kind of power as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the deeper she delves into the mystery, the more distorted things appear.

With lives hanging in the balance Opal and Kade must learn to control unknown powers... powers that could lead disaster beyond anything they've ever seen.
This is one of the books that made me wonder, why haven’t I read this book sooner? The kind of book that I wouldn't mind re-reading it for the second or the third time. 

In Storm Glass, Opal and her mentor, Zitora were sent on a mission to investigate the truth behind the Stormdancer clan’s glass orbs. Now, that was only the beginning of the story. Storm Glass is much more than that. The book may be a bit slow at the beginning. But once I got closer towards the end of the story, I was surprised at how everything was somehow connected to each other. There were a few twists here and there that makes the book much more interesting. 

I have to admit that I was reading Storm Glass without reading the Study Trilogy first. Which is why I was a bit lost whenever they mentioned Opal’s past and Yelena. But still, Storm Glass is an enjoyable read full with mystery, surprise, adventure, lots of magic, some action, and a bit of romance. Oh well, this book wasn’t focusing towards the romance part. But that’s good!

I love Opal. She is a flawed character. She had low self-confidence, and she had some issues on her own. But she’s also a kicked-ass heroine. She can be brave and strong. Now that Opal has learned what she can do with her power, I wonder what she will happen to her next? I can’t wait to read the next book. But I’m going to be patient and start reading the Study Trilogy first before I move on to the next book of the series.



buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

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