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stacking the shelves

Stacking The Shelves (5)

Kathryn Cooper

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tygna’s Reviews, is a weekly post where bloggers list the books they recently acquired. The books can come from anywhere: publisher, author, giveaway, library, bought.

Click the book’s cover to view on Amazon and the title to add to your GoodReads.

For Review:
The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson (for I’m A Reader, Not a Writer‘s Blog Tour)

Bought:
The McCall Trilogy by Marcia Lynn McClure (This was FREE on Amazon! I’ve been told all of her books are clean romances so I jumped on the sale.)
Shackles of Honor by Marcia Lynn McClure (This was also FREE on Amazon!)

Thank You to Kathy!

MORE Books by Rachael Anderson and Marcia Lynn McClure

blog tour, Book Review, my boyfriend merlin, priya ardis

Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway: My Boyfriend Merlin by Priya Ardis

Kathryn Cooper

Visit the Tour Site to see the other stops on the blog tour. My Boyfriend Merlin is on sale for $0.99 on Kindle!! Click the Amazon link at the end of my review to purchase.

Title: My Boyfriend Merlin
Author: Priya Ardis
Publisher: Ink Lion Books
Release Date: November 2011
Pages: 305
Series: My Merlin #1
4 Stars: I Really Liked It

He was a little older than he was letting on. By a few eons…
In this modern Arthurian, 17 year-old Boston high schooler Arriane, aka Ryan, DuLac just found out the guy she’s been crushing on, hot biker Matt, is a little older than he was letting on. In fact, he is really Merlin—the Merlin, King Arthur’s Merlin, the greatest wizard who ever lived. Frozen in a cave for over fifteen hundred years, he’s woken for a purpose. But Ryan’s not impressed. Tired of being a relationship loser, she’d rather kick his legendary behind.

Sure, the world has been crazy ever since the sword and the stone fell out of the sky like a meteor. But despite gruesome gargoyles, a deadly new world of magic, and the guy driving her crazy, Ryan knows that family is everything. Will Merlin sacrifice hers to save the world? Will she be able to stop him?

My Thoughts:
When I read the synopsis I just had to read this book, and it was great! I love Arthurian books. Instead of focusing on Arthur this book focuses on Merlin, not an old man with a white beard but a crush-worthy 18 year old.

I was caught up in the world of Arriane, Ryan for short, from the very beginning. I loved the way the author worked in flashbacks to tell the story, instead of spewing out all the information at once. There was one flashback I was completely surprised about and squealed a little. “No way, she did?!” was what I yelled out loud. Good thing I was reading in my house and not in public. 🙂

Matt, mysterious and strong, and Vane, open and tough guy, kept the romance moving. I couldn’t really decide who I wanted to be with Ryan throughout the book. She went well with either guy for different reasons. I’m still not sure I liked the way things ended on the romance side, but we’ll see what happens in the next book.

I was completely enthralled throughout the book. The story line was exciting with great characters. I will definitely be reading book 2!

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: moderate ( boy and girl alone in bedroom with girl in skimpy shirt and panties, boy attacking girl grabbed her boob, kissing, very brief description of porn a guy watched, quick makeout with mention of tongue and hand up girl’s skirt on leg )
Language: mild/moderate ( a**-4, God-2, d***-3, s***-3, bast***-1, bloody-1, flipped off-1 )
Violence: moderate ( deaths, murders, fantasy creature attack, blood, injury, beheading )

I received the book from Priya Ardis for the ATOMR Blog Tour. Thank you! I am not paid for my reviews. My reviews are solely my opinion.

review 1
Reviewed by Kathryn Cooper
Creator of Clean Teen Fiction

About the Author
Priya Ardis loves books of all kinds—but especially the gooey ones that make your nose leak and let your latte go cold. She started her first book at sixteen, writing in notebooks on long train rides during a hot summer vacation in India. Her favorite Arthurian piece is the poem The Lady of Shalott by Lord Alfred Tennyson. A hopeless romantic, she’s a longtime member of the Romance Writer’s of America. When not living in her characters’ world, she might be found at the local coffee shop—her nose buried in a book.

Books By Priya Ardis

Giveaway!
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book blast, rachael anderson, the reluctant bachelorette

Book Blast $50 Amazon Giveaway: The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

Kathryn Cooper

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it’s up to the viewers–not her–to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke’s an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she’s up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?

The Reluctant Bachelorette is currently $.99 on Amazon! CLICK HERE to get it!
As part of the blog tour I will post a review later this month. The Tour Schedule can be found HERE. For now let’s have a blast giveaway!

Giveaway Details
$50 Amazon Gift Code
Ends 10/31/12
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent’s permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Uncategorized

Matched & Crossed Read-Along

Kathryn Cooper

I’m participating in the Matched & Crossed read-along! The last book in the series, Reached, comes out November 13th, and I want to make sure I’m totally ready for it. Luckily there’s a big read-along happening just for that purpose!

This is a great chance to get caught up on the first two books, and win some awesome prizes! You can even enter to win just by signing up! Check out the host blogs (Squeaky Books and The Non Reluctant Reader) to find out more!

Come read with me!

ATBF 2012

Austin Teen Book Festival 2012!!

Kathryn Cooper

Have you ever anticipated an event so much that you build it up and up and then it doesn’t meet your expectations, a total let down? That so did NOT happen with the Austin Teen Book Festival this weekend. IT WAS AMAZING!!! MY DREAMS CAME TRUE!!! How could any book lover not LOVE being surrounded by amazing authors?! The panels were wonderful! I loved every minute. I didn’t even mind waiting in a LONG line for Ally Condie to sign my book. The people around me in line were so fun to chat with. 🙂

Friday Night bloggers, librarians, and some authors got together at a restaurant. It was really fun to see bloggers I knew and meet new blogger friends and librarians. I met authors Rae Carson, Tamara Ireland Stone, Jessica Khoury, and Eliot Schrefer that night. You guys, it is so cool to meet authors. I felt like I was meeting movie stars. 
Saturday started off with Libba Bray as the Keynote speaker. Here’s a picture of her with a light saber and cape (wish I had a better pic). It was awesome! Too funny! The low part for me was when she had the audience repeat loudly a phrase with the s*** word. There was a kid that looked to be 8 years old in front of me. For me her language was inappropriate, but besides the cussing throughout she had some great advice. My favorite advice she gave was, “Writing is revision.” Great stuff.
Panels! I enjoyed the panels so much! There were 6 to choose from, and we could pick 4 to attend. Here are some notes I took at the panels I attended with my hubbie. (Did I mention my wonderful supportive husband came with me? He did! Love him.)
  • “Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads” with Greg Leitich Smith, Marissa Meyer, Rachel Cohn, Jeff Hirsch, and Dan Krokos
    • I loved hearing the writing process! So inspiring.
    • All these books sound so good! I need to read them.
  • “What Would You Do For Love?” with Tracy Deebs, Ally Condie, Kresley Cole, Jessica Shirvington, Tamara Ireland Stone, and Jessica Khoury
    • Talked about the strong heroines and cute boys in their books.
    • I am such an Ally Condie fan! My respect for her as an amazing author grew even more. 
  • “We’re Not In Kansas Anymore” with Sarah Rees Brennan, Libba Bray, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Leigh Bardugo, and Rae Carson
    • Talked about researching for their books. The fact that Garcia and Stohl researched southern food like pies made me want to read their Beautiful Creatures series. 🙂 Yum.
    • Listed some authors who inspired them: CS Lewis, JR Tolkin, Robin McKinnley, Steven King 
  • “The Thrill of the Chase” with Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Will Richter, Lex Thomas (2 guys), Eliot Schrefer, and Ally Carter
    • These books sound intense and exciting!
    • Some of the authors write screen plays of their books instead of an outline. I love that idea!
This is “The Thrill of the Chase” panel. The only one where I sat close enough for a good picture. The pic was taken before the panel started.

 Me and Katie from MundieMoms I was so happy to finally meet her!
 Me and Ally Condie! AAAHHHH!!!!
 Marissa Meyer and Me!
 Ally Carter and Me!
 Me and Jennifer Lynn Barnes! She was so fun in the panel. Now I really want to read her books!
 Me and Rae Carson! I started The Girl of Fire and Thorns this weekend. So great!!
Here’s the beautiful state capital building.
This weekend was a dream come true. I loved it! I can’t wait to go to another author event. I’ll definitely be back to this one next year. Thank you to all those who worked tirelessly to make this festival a tremendous success. 
Some Books By The Pictured Authors:
Book Review, jennifer e smith

Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Kathryn Cooper

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown
Release Date: January 2012
Pages: 236
Series: none
4 Stars: I Really Liked It

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.

My Thoughts:
I’ve wanted to read this since I first saw it last year before it was even released. I don’t know what’s taken me so long! The story takes place within 24-hours. I thought that would make the book drag, but it wasn’t too bad. There are a lot of flashbacks so it doesn’t feel like just 24-hours.

It’s the summer before Hadley’s senior year of high school, and she’s flying to see her father remarried. There’s a lot of emotions that go along with the betrayal she felt when her dad left her and her mom. Jennifer, the author, does a great job portraying those raw emotions.

I love the scenes with Oliver and Hadley, great chemistry. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding Oliver and my prediction was totally false. 🙂 I enjoyed the growth shown in Hadley’s one day journey. This book was great with a wonderful romance! If you love YA contemporary romance, you’ll love this book.

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: mild ( kissing )
Language: mild ( God-1, d***-2, h***-2, bloody-3, arse-1 )
Violence: none
Other: mild ( boy 18 or 19 steals alcohol on plane, he drinks 2 bottles while girl takes 1 sip, he does leave money for it when they leave )
review 1
Reviewed by Kathryn Cooper
Creator of Clean Teen Fiction

Other Books By Jennifer E. Smith

Book Review, jenny b jones, so not happening

Book Review: So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones

Kathryn Cooper

Title: So Not Happening
Author: Jenny B. Jones
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Release Date: May 2009
Pages: 329
Series: The Charmed Life #1
4 Stars: I Really Liked It

New York’s social darling Isabella Kirkwood just woke up in a nightmare: Oklahoma.

Isabella Kirkwood had it all: popularity at a prestigious private school in Manhattan, the latest fashions, and a life of privilege and luxury. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model.

When her mother starts over with her new husband, Bella is forced to pack up and leave all she knows to live with her new family in Oklahoma. Before her mother can even say “I do,” Bella’s life becomes a major “don’t.”

Can Bella survive her crazy new family? Will the school survive Bella? How can a girl go on when her charmed life is gone and God gives her the total smackdown?

My Thoughts:
First, I have to give a shout out to my blogging bud Inky (Book Haven Extraordinaire) for recommending this book. Thanks girl! I really enjoyed it. 😀

Poor Isabella is having a rough time. Her parents divorce, and her mom remarries moving Bella from the Manhattan elite to an Oklahoma farm. I love when Bella first meets a cow and gets up close and personal with a dumpster. . . hilarious. She makes some mistakes in her journey to cope with her new life. It’s painful to watch, but she lives and learns.

This book is funny and heartwarming with a little romance. If you enjoy contemporary YA Christian fiction you’ll love this book. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: mild ( kissing )
Language: none
Violence: mild ( injury, murder threat, punched, blood )
review 1
Reviewed by Kathryn Cooper
Creator of Clean Teen Fiction

Other Books By Jenny B. Jones

stacking the shelves

Stacking The Shelves (8)

Kathryn Cooper

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tygna’s Reviews, is a weekly post where bloggers list the books they recently acquired. The books can come from anywhere: publisher, author, giveaway, library, bought.

Okay, this vlog is short and sweet since my kids busted in at the end. They had been playing outside, but then one of them got bit by ants or something. Oh the drama. 🙂

Click the book’s cover to view on Amazon and the title to add to your GoodReads.

For Review
By The Seat of her Pants by Jennifer Rubloff
The Wind of Life: Vita by Oliver Neubert

For Blog Tour Review
Possession by Elana Johnson (Atomr Blog Tours)

Won
Beyonders: A World Without Heros by Brandon Mull (from The Reading Fever)

Thank You to Jennifer Rubloff, Oliver Neubert, Elana Johnson, and Penelope!

What have you added to your shelves this week?

book to movie news

Book to Movie News

Kathryn Cooper

Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment announced last week the release date for the movie adapted from the book Divergent by Veronica Roth. Click HERE to see the article. The date is March 21, 2014! It’s forever away, but I can’t wait!

Who else is super excited for this movie? What other books to movies are you looking forward to?

Books by Veronica Roth