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tiger lily, waiting on wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday: Tiger Lily

Kathryn Cooper

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly post, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine , where we spotlight a book we are anxiously waiting to be published.

Tiger Lily
by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Published by Harper Collins
Released on July 3, 2012

15 year old Tiger Lily, proud and fierce, wild and misunderstood, doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland, and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she’s ever known. Impetuous and brave, big-hearted but hard to reach, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland’s inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything – her family, her future – to be with the haunted, hunted, courageous boy who loves her. When – as a punishment for her rebellious ways – she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she’s always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter. With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it’s the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who’s everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.
A story from Tiger Lily’s perspective?! That sounds great! I love retellings, and I’ve never read one about Peter Pan. I’m looking forward to this book release.
What books are you “Waiting On” today?
divergent, insurgent, team abnegation

Team Abnegation!

Kathryn Cooper

I have decided to join Team Abnegation to be a part of Divergent Nation. This will be a fun month of promoting the upcoming release of the second book in the series, Insurgent by Veronica Roth. When you help spread the word about Abnegation you can be entered into some great giveaways!

For Team Abnegation to get points over other factions we are supposed to click on this link. http://bit.ly/choose_abnegation
If you want to keep up with the Abnegation news and enter giveaways go to the Team Abnegation blog.

Check out this fun post by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer: Just Because We Have to Wear Gray. I love it!

If you want to know what all the fuss is about, GO READ DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. Here’s My Review.

Remember to go visit http://bit.ly/choose_abnegation to give Team Abnegation points!

Book Review, out of sight out of time

Book Review: Out of Sight, Out of Time

Kathryn Cooper

THIS IS BOOK #5 OF THE SERIES! Click links below to read my reviews.
Book 1: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You 
Book 2: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Book 3: Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Book 4: Only the Good Spy Young

Title: Out of Sight, Out of Time
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Release Date: March 2012
Pages: 294
Series: Gallagher Girls #5
5 STARS: I LOVED IT!!!

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan–an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.
Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

My Thoughts:
I loved this book!! You know you love a book when you have a hard time picking up another read because all you want to do is go back to that book’s world again. I think I might go read over my favorite scenes when I’m finished with this review.

This is the fifth book in the Gallagher Girl series so I was already completely invested in these amazing characters. Cammie is amazing; I want to be like her. Her friends are unique and each bring something extra to the cast. Liz is a genius and so caring. Macey is funny, laid back, and the beauty consultant. Bex is usually the comic relief, but she plays a more serious role this time. She is smart and a kick-butt spy. And of course there’s Zach. He’s more open and less mysterious this time which made me like him even more. He is so great for Cammie.

Cammie has lost her memory of the summer which was practically four months of her life. Bruises cover her body and lead us to think something significant and awful happened to her. She is vulnerable and broken, opposite of who she was before the summer. It is heart wrenching to watch Cammie struggle with her memory. She wants to understand what happened and will search anywhere for clues.

This book was exciting and emotional; I loved every minute of it! It’s a perfect addition to an already amazing series.

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: mild ( kissing )
Language: very mild ( bloody- 3)
Violence: mild/ moderate ( reference to torture, murder, fighting )

of poseidon, waiting on wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday: Of Poseidon

Kathryn Cooper

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly post, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where we spotlight a book we are anxiously waiting to be published.



Of Poseidon
by Anna Banks
Published by Feiwel & Friends
Released on May 22, 2012

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .
Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

The cover is beautiful, and the book sounds great! A prince, humor, romance, water . . . sounds good to me.


What are you Waiting On today?

Book Review, DAC 2012, first date

Book Review: First Date

Kathryn Cooper

Title: First Date
Author: Krista McGee
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Release Date: January 2012
Pages: 336
Series: none
4 STARS: I Really Liked It

Addy Davidson discovers God’s unexpected plans for her life when a reality TV show turns her quiet existence on its head.
The orphaned daughter of missionaries, Addy is quite content to stay in the shadows and never draw attention to herself. But when she’s selected for a reality TV show to try to become the President son’s prom date-a show she didn’t audition for-she’s suddenly in America’s spotlight.
The lights, the make-up, the competitions, and the blogs discussing every move she makes all make Addy incredibly uncomfortable. But through her time at The Mansion, Addy comes to realize that first impressions aren’t always right, that hiding out may not be what God had planned for her life, and that her faith should affect everything she does. It may just be that her selection wasn’t random at all and that she’s on this show “for such a time as this.”

My Thoughts:
FYI: This is a Christian contemporary fiction. I know some people like to know that upfront.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and light. I liked the characters and wanted to see how it would all turn out. Addy wasn’t exactly happy to be on a reality tv show to win a date with the President’s son. This wasn’t just any date though; it was a date to Jonathan’s senior prom! The story line was so fun. The realty show started off with 100 girls from all over the nation, and basically Addy was the only one not excited and falling all over the first son. The villain in the story was great. He was annoying, mean, bitter, and laughable all at the same time.

I was a tad disappointed at the very end of the book. It’s probably silly of me though. If you don’t mind a small spoiler highlight between the ( ). ( I wanted Addy and Jonathan to kiss!! I would have been happy with just one. ) Okay I’m glad I got that off my chest. : )

This story is about friendship and overcoming your fears, and I enjoyed taking the journey with Addy.

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: none
Language: none
Violence: none

This is book #1 of my 2012 Debut Author Challenge, hosted by The Story Siren.

blues eyes and other teenage hazards, Book Review

Book Review: Blue Eyes and Other Teenage Hazards

Kathryn Cooper

Title: Blue Eyes and Other Teenage Hazards!!!
Author: Janette Rallison
Publisher: Janette Rallison
Release Date: December 2011
Pages: currently eBook only
Series: Pullman High #1
4 STARS: I Really Liked It

Cassidy knows everything about Chad–everything, that is, except how to get him to notice her. Someday, somehow, she vows, those deep blue eyes are going to look her way. In the meantime, she’s got plenty of other things to worry about.
Cassidy has always been happy to be the studious, reliable type–until Elise and her good-looking brother move into the neighborhood. Elise is determined to introduce Cassidy to the partying life. But will Elise’s Carpe Diem ways land Cassidy in more trouble than she’s prepared for? Can a girl be smart and have fun too? Cassidy is about to find out.

My Thoughts:
Janette Rallison wrote Deep Blue Eyes and Other Lies sixteen years ago, and she got the rights back to it a few years back. Deep Blue Eyes and Other Lies was written with characters that were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons. The book was one of my favorites as a teenager, but it was written for a Christian audience. She rewrote some parts, changed some names, and added some modern stuff like cell phones, and now it’s for any audience.

I loved this book all over again! Janette Rallison cannot go wrong in my mind. Her books are always enjoyable and so funny with cute romances. It was fun to read a familiar book with some new twists. The characters are funny and easy to relate to.

One of my favorite scenes was when Cassidy took her driver’s test, hilarious! The old man that administered her test reminded me of a guy I had to drive with during driver’s ed. He was totally paranoid. He would grab the steering wheel from me and slam on his brake all the time. I promise I’m not a bad driver; the poor man was just terrified.

A fun and enjoyable read! It’s on sale for $.99! Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: mild ( kissing )
Language: very mild ( a girl flipped off someone twice )
Violence: none
Other: teenage drinking and drug use

charity, kindles for kids

Kindles for Kids!

Kathryn Cooper

Last night I found out about author Danyelle Leafty’s Kindles for Kids project. It’s a great cause, and I wanted to help get the word out.

What exactly is Kindles for Kids?

Kindles for Kids is my way of paying it forward. My goal is to raise enough funds to purchase 10 Kindle Fires for the pediatric unit of a local hospital in UT.

How does Kindles for Kids work?

From March 12th-31st of 2012, I will be donating the *royalties I make on THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA: CATSPELL–both in paper and e-book form–toward the purchase of the Kindle Fires.

Royalties are paid a month to two months after the fact. Factoring in that as well as putting in the order, receiving them, and getting them ready, I will be delivering the Kindle Fires to the hospital in June of 2012.

How can you participate?

If you are an author (published) or a writer (unpublished), this link will explain it more. A more detailed link can be found here. In short, I’m hosting an open call for donating **books you have the rights to for the hospital. One book per Kindle Fire. You can also participate by writing a ***short story for a fairy tale anthology I’m putting together for the hospital. If you’re a reader, this link will give you a few ideas on how to help spread the word.

How can you help?

The greatest help of all is to help me get the word out. You can do this by talking to people–online and in real life, posting about Kindles for Kids on forums, groups, on your blog, and by printing out and posting fliers. More detailed link here, as well as details for a photo contest. Link for the flyerhere.

I can’t do this without you, so thank you to all who participate in any way they can! 

*Royalties up to 249,000 copies. After that, I have to buy an extended license for the photographs I use for the cover.

**All books will be vetted by me personally for both formatting and content. Since the Kindle Fires are going to the pediatric unit, I would ask that any donations are formatted and edited well, and that they go no higher than a PG rating.

***As with the books, please keep the short stories at a PG or G rating. Again, all stories that are chosen for inclusion in the anthology will be vetted by me personally. Also, because digital copies of the anthology will be donated to the hospitals, and there will be no money made off of them, neither the editor (me) nor the authors will receive payment or money for them. However, everyone who is included will receive a digital copy as either a PDF, a kindle file, or epub. 

To help in this good cause you can spread the word and/or buy the paperback or eBook of Catspell by Danyelle Leafty.

Sixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail. Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all.

Amazon/ Barnes and Noble/ GoodReads

Book Review, legend of the inero dragon

Book Review: Legend of the Inero Dragon

Kathryn Cooper

Title: Legend of the Inero Dragon
Author: J.F. Jenkins
Publisher: Astraea Press
Release Date: January 2012
Pages: eBook only
Series: The Dragons Saga #1
4 STARS: I Really Liked It

Twin brothers Jason and Matthias Inero are the favorite sons of the great dragon lord of fire. More often than not they get whatever they want. Matt wants to do great things for his people while Jason wants to go off and explore the world. Both can have what they desire, but not until they take a bride and enter into adulthood.
Enter Kat and Gwen, two girls from very different backgrounds. Kat is happy to leave her home when the royal guard comes to bring her to loving arms of her childhood sweetheart, Matt. Gwen on the other hand is livid to be taken from her farm only to be thrust into Jason’s life, and he’s not to thrilled with the idea either. They have one year to find happiness with each other, or else they will be placed at the mercy of the ruthless dragon lord Lynx. Favorite or not, dragon law must be obeyed.
As their nation begins to prepare for war against a neighboring tribe, the brothers find themselves as key components in the battle plans. A dark prophet has had a vision of Inero victory, but at what cost? Both must decide where their loyalties lie and what they’re willing to sacrifice – including each other – to achieve their goals.

My Thoughts:
I really liked this book! It was about twin dragon brothers, Jason and Matt. These dragons looked like humans most of the time though. Tradition dictates dragons of a certain age must be married to become men. On a certain date they would choose from a lineup of human girls to marry. Since they would choose from a lineup it was pretty much an arranged marriage. Choosing their bride would be the marriage ceremony, and immediately following could do married things. Most of Jason’s 100+ brothers took advantage of that fact, but Jason was different. He wanted to love his wife before they were intimate. I loved that about him. At the start of the book it was time for Jason and Matt to become men and get married.

This book had amazing chemistry between the couples! It was fun to watch two couples in completely different relationship situations. I wish I could discuss more, but I don’t want to spoil the read for anyone. Maybe I’ll choose this book for my book club when it’s my turn to host.

The story was told from the four main characters: Jason, Matt, Kat, and Gwen. It was fun to hear everyone’s perspective throughout the story. In other books switching POV sometimes annoys me because I don’t want to move from the action of a certain character, but in this book I enjoyed it. I loved all the characters and really wanted to know what they were thinking and feeling. The author did a great job!

I’ll admit I did have favorites. I really liked Jason and Gwen; they were awesome. I wasn’t happy with the ending though. Hopefully there will be more closure in future books. Overall a great read! If you love romance this book is definitely for you!

Note about content:
Let me explain my thoughts since this blog is called Clean Teen Fiction and everyone has a different definition of “clean” content. I don’t mind the mention of intimacy when the couple is married as long as it’s not detailed. I’m happy to report that I didn’t find anything inappropriate with this book, but a younger teen might not be interested in reading about arranged marriages and how that effects the relationship. 

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) to view details
Sexual Content: mild/moderate ( mentioned a married couple had sex, wives talk together of seducing and rape in their arranged marriages, kissing )
Language: none
Violence: mild ( a teenage girl mentions abusive parents, murder )

*I received an eBook copy of this book from Opal at Astraea Press. Thank you! I am not paid for any of my reviews. My reviews are solely my opinion.*