SUNNY: My Favorite Things: Angelfall and Kindle Fire Giveaway

Some of my Favorite Things:

Since getting my Kindle Fire (thank you to my sister for my early Christmas 2011 gift), I don't leave home without it.  I have now taken to carrying bigger purses to accommodate my Kindle Fire.  I love my Kindle Fire.  

Recently, I read and reviewed Angelfall. I loved this book and have been recommending to anyone who will listen.  It begs to be read over and over again.

 

And now like peanut butter and jelly, pizza and root beer, sushi and saki, red sauce and red wine, here's your chance for a perfect pairing.  Susan Ee, author of Angelfall is giving away a Kindle Fire and Angelfall.  Check out the giveaway:

http://www.susanee.com/blog/2012/08/giveawaysigned-kindle-fire-with-angelfall.html

SUSAN: This is just lazy...book cover fail...

I could write an entire essay on the effect BOOK COVERS have on me and my desire to read a book.  In fact, Goodreads readers have dedicated shelves of books inspired by covers (My favorites: Bec's lists: Cover Lust I Has It & Cover Nearly Put Me Off)

But today's entry is simply about laziness...and thinking your readers aren't as sharp as they actually are.  

REALLY?!  I mean COME ONE!  

Shame, shame on you Barbara Elsborg (Ellora's Cave Publishing) & Robin Covington (Entangled Publishing).  This is just embarrassing.

SUSAN: BOOK REVIEW "Pushing the Limits" by Katie McGarry

SUMMARY:
So wrong for each other...and yet so right:  No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

REVIEW:

Pushing the Limits has all the makings of the perfect YA novel.

• Teens overcoming tragedy.
• Opposites attract.
• Trauma of the High School social ecosystem.
• Parents who don't understand.
• Equal parts angst and love.
• Self-discovery.
• And 2 lead characters, who despite their difficulties, are genuinely good people and you find yourself rooting for them and so satisfied with their HEA!

For avid YA readers, this book is a treat. You'll be reminded of great YA books like "Easy" and "Slammed"/"Point of Retreat" when reading this. And Noah lands right up there with Lucas/Landon and Will Cooper as one of the best YA males you'll come to love.

Pushing the Limits had me smiling at the "smart" dialogue between Noah & Echo; had me crying at the tragedies that both of them had to survive; had me beaming w/ pride at how they fought and DID survive; had me sighing at the love that ultimately blossomed between the 2 of them...

IN A NUTSHELL:

Loved it. Just enough angst and young love but not too much to be annoying. Good for teens 15+ and adults as well.

SUNNY: BOOK REVIEW - "Ride With Me" by Ruthie Knox

CHARACTERS:
Tom Geiger
Lexie Marshall

SUMMARY:
Lexie Marshall is living her life long dream of completing the TransAmerica Trail: A bike ride from the shores of Oregon to the beaches of Virginia. Only she doesn’t want to do it alone and advertises for a cycling partner. Tom Geiger works at a bicycle shop as a repairman and is looking forward to taking another one of this extreme bike trips across the US … oh, and his sister has answered the Lexie’s ad on his behalf unbeknownst to him. After a rough beginning, Tom begrudging agrees to temporarily ride with Lexie. And as the saying goes, Beware: That which is temporary often becomes permanent. 

REVIEW:
Ruthie Knox is the quintessential romance writer. This book, like the others I’ve read by her, are sweet and satisfying. The drama in this book does not come from a dangerous stalker or a kidnapping. Often times the worst issue facing her characters is that they are too much in their own heads, getting in the way of their own romance. 

I enjoyed this book for the characters and story. Lexie and Tom are extremely likeable characters. As the pages turn, the reader begins to understand why Tom seems so stand-offish, why he keeps himself from living life fully. But as Lexie discovers, sometimes despite himself he is sweet at the core. Don’t get me wrong, he is plenty alpha too, but it doesn’t take too much for that sweet to surface. We also discover why Lexie is so reserved and gunshy with relationships. So, we have two mutually attracted characters holding each other at arms-length. It is wonderful to see them resolve their issues. 

MEMORABLE LINE:
“They were stuck with each other, companions who couldn’t work out how to be more and couldn’t stand to be less.” 

IN A NUTSHELL:
This is a book that is not overdone, but gives the reader a quiet sense of satisfaction.

SUNNY: BOOK REVIEW - "Angelfall" by Susan Ee

CHARACTERS:
Penryn
Raffee

SUMMARY:
From Goodreads - It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again

REVIEW:
Stories about the Apocalypse are not new and neither are stories about Angels, Archangels more specifically. So the beginning of the story is not surprising, but I guess what did get me was how slowly but surely Susan Ee got me involved with her characters, Penryn and Raffe. (On a side note, I have a friend who lives in the little town of Penryn and I think it's a hoot that the character is named after that small area off the I-80). They are brought together by desperate circumstance, two "enemies" that need each other to survive. I appreciate Penryn's courage, determination, maturity, loyalty and survival skills. There is plenty of action and suspense. There are parts of the story that reminded me a little of the movie, The Terminator. 

It has been a while since I've been this surprised by a book. Admittedly, I kept pushing this one down on the TBR list because I got it dirt cheap on Amazon. Yes, it's a silly bias since I've read some pretty great books that have been either free or very inexpensive. This one is a little treasure. Just, wow. Susan Ee creates a world that is terrifying where violence, inhumanity, political intrigue and a strong dose of science fiction terror abound. There were times that I had a white-knuckle grip on my Kindle and plenty of instances where I gasped during a scene. Yes, I actually gasped out loud. 

The hardest part about this book is although there is an appropriate ending, know that this is the beginning of a trilogy and so there are plenty of questions left unanswered. Can't wait for the sequel!

IN A NUTSHELL: 
If you like dystopian YA stories, this one will leave you wanting for more.  Highly, highly recommended.