{Review & Giveaway} Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards

Six Months Later
by Natalie D. Richards
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 336
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller
Available on: October 1, 2013
Read: September 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Chloe didn't think about it much when she nodded off in study hall on that sleepy summer day. But when she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can't remember the last six months of her life. Before, she'd been a mediocre student. Now, she's on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he's her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won't speak to her.

What happened to her?
And why can't she remember?

In the past few months I've, for the most part, stopped reading young adult fiction. Before that, I was never one to really pick up a thriller/mystery. They just didn't appeal to me. However, after reading the synopsis for Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards I realized that this book needed to be picked up because who loses a whole SIX MONTHS of their life...unless of course they were in a really bad accident and are sitting in the hospital. 

Once I started reading Six Months Later, I found myself engrossed in the story and had an extremely hard time putting it down. Unlike most books I've read, I couldn't put my finger on exactly how it would end until I was about 75% of the way through. I also found myself at war with who I thought was the good guy and the bad guy. At one point I thought everyone played some role in making sure Chloe forgot. 

The more I read and the more information I gathered, the more I started thinking about everything I'd already learned and started putting the pieces together. This is rare for me. I love that I was completely into this book and thinking about what each and every comment or item meant. I love that I questioned motives and was dying to find out how it would end. As soon as I finished I emailed Natalie and asked one question that I'm sure a lot of people are going to want to know...and no, I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read to find out.

I don't want to get into too much detail about the characters because I think that would start to give away some pertinent information. All I will say about them is this.... They were each well thought out played an integral role in Chloe's life. Chloe herself was a girl on a mission and I loved her because, in the end, she made a decision that most wouldn't. She showed that she had integrity and she didn't want to compromise it. 

Overall, Six Months Later captured me from page one and kept me engrossed to the very end. Being that I'm not a big thriller/mystery or even much of a young adult fan anymore should say a lot. If you do enjoy thrillers/mysteries, then you'll probably enjoy it just as much, if not more than I did. I highly recommend taking a stab at Six Months Later because I'm sure it will be just as captivating for you as it was for me.

Question of the Day!

If you woke up and realized you were missing six months of time, would you want to find out all the details of what happened, or would you rather live not knowing?

Things to note about this giveaway...

1) There will be ONE winner.

2) You must be 13 or older to enter.

3) Each day there will be an available Question of the Day (#QOD) in each participating blog. Answer the questions on each blog for additional points. You can find a full listing of participating blogs here.

4) The winner of this giveaway will NOT be drawn by rafflecopter luck. The winner will be the person who has participated the MOST. If there happens to be a tie, then rafflecopter will determine a winner.

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Natalie D. Richards won her first writing competition in the second grade with her short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes (who wouldn't dare do the dishes.) She later misplaced her writing dreams in a maze of cubicles and general office drudgery. Natalie never forgot about Barbara or those dishes, and eventually she found her way back to storytelling, following the genre of her heart, teen fiction. When she's not writing or shopping her manuscripts, you can probably find her wading through the towers of dog-eared paperbacks that have taken over her bedroom. Natalie lives in Ohio with her amazing husband and their three children, who inspire her every day to stick with her dreams.

You can find Addison...

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Blog

What I've been up to recently....

Hi everyone!

I've been absent recently...like seriously MIA! I apologize, but it'll be about the same for just a few more weeks. Over the last few months or so I've done quite a bit....

I went to Van's Warped Tour in July and met Go Radio!!!

FINALLY!!!

In August, I dragged my best friend to a Paradise Fears concert.

We had a blast!! Small venues are the shit!

I started Insanity.

It was short lived because I got extremely sick.

Resuming soon!!

I talked to a U.S. Army recruiter and got all my ducks in a row.

Found letters of recommendation, wrote a paper, got a professional picture taken,

got my college & high school transcripts, provided medical records and so much more.

Selection for Officer Training School is next month!!!!

I ran a 5K with one of my best friends!

The Travis Manion Foundation Heroes Run.

I finished in 30 minutes and 32 seconds.

Go me!!!

I drank lots of wine!!!

Watched the first season of The Big Bang Theory.

Borrowing the rest of the seasons from a friend soon!

I ate a lot of food!!

Missing from this picture is the Apple Pie I devoured. 

So that sums up my life recently. I've been working like crazy and doing nothing but preparing for the army, eating a ton of food, and having the time of my life before I sign the dotted line and join the military. In the mean time I'll be posting sporadically. No worries though, I'll be back soon! Miss you all. 

{Review & Giveaway} Losing Virginity by Ava Michaels

Losing Virginity
by Ava Michaels
Pages: 348
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Available as of September 19, 2013
Read: September 2013
Amazon

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY ONLY FOR AGES 18 OR OLDER. OLIVIA HAS CRAZY THOUGHTS. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY INAPPROPRIATE THOUGHTS I RECOMMEND YOU DON'T READ THIS. IF YOU HAVE VIRGIN EARS I RECOMMEND YOU DON'T READ THIS. IF YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR THEN READ THIS.

Olivia Spurgeon has been a good girl her entire life. Her friends have called her Spurgeon the Virgin since 9th grade. Why? Because everyone in her group of friends had already lost there virginity by then. Over the past four years it has been like a foreign object attached to her and even named it something simple.

Virginity.

Now, she's a freshman in college and still hasn't done the deed. All three of her roommates do not have Virginity attached to them and they aren't scared to show it off. Olivia is jealous. She wants what they are having, feeling. One day she finally decides that she doesn't want Virginity attached to her anymore and begins the journey of losing it.

When Ava Michaels contacted me about her debut, I couldn't say no because I'm in love with New Adult books and reading about people more my age. It didn't hurt that Losing Virginity sounded like it would be one funny ride.

I must say that this book had me hooked before I even got 3% in. It didn't take long for Ava to have me laughing and turning pages like it was my job. The main character, Olivia, is this extremely innocent, never-done-a-thing-wrong kinda girl. At the ripe age of 18 she's dying to get rid of her virginity and have the experience that will make her a full-fledged woman. 

The further I read into this story, the harder it was to put down. It was extremely addicting and it helped that the main character was not only funny, but also had a good head on her shoulders. While Olivia's main goal was to lose her virginity, she wouldn't just lay down for anyone. This left me admiring Olivia because she didn't just pick the first guy to walk up to her. Unlike a number of college girls, she wanted to actually date the guy and get to know him first. 

As you may have seen above, this story come with a warning to those who are easily offended. While I'm not easy to offend or embarrass, I frequently found myself blushing at some of the thoughts and comments that came from Olivia and her friends. When I say blushing I mean full on, glad-I'm-not-in-public blushing. I was beat red with a dropped jaw. While the comments and thoughts were vivid and detailed, there were also times when I would die laughing and have to put the book down, reread, or share with friends. 

Overall, I highly recommend Losing Virginity to those over the age of 18 who aren't faint of heart. This book was hysterical and had me quoting lines because they were too good to not share. It is definitely worth the time to sit down and read and I look forward to any other books that Ava decides to write!

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Random Acts of Kindness - September

RAK is a monthly meme hosted by Book Soulmates.  

Join in on the fun here.

RAK is Random Acts of Kindness. Readers, blog or not, sign up with their wishlist and then look at other people's wishlists and send them a Random Act of Kindness. It is simple and easy. Here are the rules:

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:

Please read carefully & follow all rules!  Thank you!

• Only sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code can be found on the right sidebar of the Book Soulmates page).
• Create a wishlist (on Amazon, Goodreads, your blog, ect...) and post it in the Google Doc located in in each RAK post for the month.
• If you choose to do a RAK for someone, check out their wishlist and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and Barnes & Noble for Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR RAK by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well as who you RECEIVED gifts from.

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always The Book Depository & Fishpond.
Both offer FREE shipping!

If you're feeling super kind this month and would like to send me a book, you can view my wishlist on my blog (short list) or on Amazon (long, frequently updated list).  If you want my highlighted, top 5, would love to get my hands on, books, here they are:

Review & Giveaway: Kiss Me in Paris by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov

Kiss Me in Paris
by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov
Series: Kiss Me (#1)
Publisher: Daring Books
Pages: 348
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Available as of July 2, 2013
Read: September 2013
Amazon
The Book Depository

No one knows my secret. Ever since high school, ever since I started living in fear, no one has known the true me. But then I met him, and I couldn't hide anymore.

He became my hero, saving me from the villain of my past. He became my friend, his smile a blanket of warmth. And he scared me. Because he, this beautiful man, he might become more. Then he'd see the real me, and I couldn't let that happen.

My name is Winter, and what I desire most I can't have.

Flashes of the night I was drugged rush back to me. His strong arms carrying me through the streets of Paris. The feel of his heart beating as my head rested against his chest. The soft press of his lips against my forehead when he thought I was asleep.

Oh shit. I'm falling for the cowboy. Cade.

But we can't be anything more. He has his own secrets. His own darkness he keeps hidden, like the letter he keeps with him everywhere he goes.

The letter he refuses to open.

When I received a request to read Kiss Me in Paris, I couldn't say no. The synopsis alone had me dying to read this book. While I did enjoy it, it took me some time to finish it. 

First and foremost, I loved reading from both Winter and Cade's points of view. I loved seeing how they were trying to fend off their attraction for the other and stay in the friend-zone, but, of course, failing miserably. They both had pasts that were haunting them and things they were trying to run away from and this made for a great dynamic for their bonding. It helped that they were taking a French class via immersion in Paris during the summer, too.

This book was extremely easy to get into. Winter had a scene at the airport in the first few chapters that had me dying of laughter. While she was completely and entirely embarrassed, I was reading and hoping I would see the same scene from Cade or, at the least, his thoughts on it. However, the further I got into the story, the more difficult it became for me to finish. I felt that it started to drag and take forever to get anywhere near the end and by the time I had less than 20% left to go, I was constantly checking my progress. 

While reading, there were maybe two scenes or points in time where I wasn't exactly sure either a) what was exactly going on or b) how they got so much time away from class. I didn't find out these pertinent tidbits until later in the story. Another thing that bothered me was that in the beginning the French class they were taking seemed to be important, but later it seemed nonexistent. This may have just been me and my take, but it felt like some big things became minor. 

Overall, Kiss Me in Paris was an enjoyable read and I looked forward to each time I would see "Le sigh." Winter was adorable and Cade was just a nice big package of hunky cowboy. If you are looking for a romance with some humor, you'll find what you're looking for in this wonderfully written novel. I look forward to the next book in the series! 

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Karpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife writing duo of bestselling, award-winning authors Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov. Together, they write fantasy, paranormal, mystery, contemporary and romance and hook reading into new and exciting worlds that will leave you laughing your ass off, crying your heart out and falling in love.

Look for more from Karpov Kinrade in the Kiss Me series, Seduced Saga, the Forbidden Trilogy and more coming soon.

They live with three little girls who thing they're ninja princesses with super powers and who are also showing a propensity for telling tales and using the written word to weave stories of wonder and magic.

August RAK Wrap-Up

I Received:

Pinned Up by C. Michelle & Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols from Michelle @ Michelle Chew Writes

I Sent:

Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee & Invisibility by Andrea Cremer/David Levithan to Michelle @ Michelle Chew Writes
Perfect Chemisty by Simon Elkeles & Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne to CJ @ Sarcasm & Lemons



A BIG thank you to everyone who sent me books and to Isalys and Vanessa at Book Soulmates for hosting!!