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September 22, 2014

The Seven Deadly Sins Tag

Hi everybody! Cassia here! Sorry you haven't seen much of me for a while, my life's been hectic, to say the least. I'm making an effort to do more in the fall, starting now. ;) I've got a review coming, and a new meme I'll be doing, so keep an eye out for that.

So, since I haven't been doing much lately, I've decided to do this tag. Thanks again to Gloria Lo @ Gloria the Violinist for tagging us!






1. Greed~ What is your most inexpensive book? What is your most expensive book?
Most inexpensive that I can recall is Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ($5 at Target), and the most expensive would be The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen ($20 at Books-a-Million, and I bought it right after it came out).

 










2. Wrath~ What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
I don't really have a love/hate relationship with any author, but if I had to pick one it would be Veronica Roth. I love her writing, she's one of my favorite authors, and I would read anything she wrote, but that ending to Allegiant...still can't get over it.

 

3. Gluttony~ What book have you devoured over and over again with no shame?
Wicked Lovely and Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr. Without question.

 










4. Sloth~ What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?
There are lots of those. See, I have a habit of buying books, putting them on my bookshelf (which is organized alphabetically by author's last name), and then forgetting I ever bought it. The one I have neglected the most is probably Switched by Amanda Hocking. 


5. Pride~ What book do you talk about most in order to sound like an intellectual reader?
I don't really do this a lot, actually. But if I had to pick one it would be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's sci-fi and along with technology stuff, there's a lot of psychology, so it makes me feel smarter to talk about it.

 
6. Lust~ What attributes do you find attractive in male characters?
Oooh, I like this one. :D Hmm...I usually go for the bad boys in books: tortured, moody, passionate, broken. As for physical attributes--(usually) dark hair, green or blue or brown eyes, basically Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.

[I don't really have a picture for this one, so picture one of these three: Seth from Wicked Lovely, Four from Divergent (but not Theo James), or Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices. Okay, mainly Will. ;)] 

7. Envy~ What book would you most like to receive as a gift?
This changes, but right now it's City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, and all of the TMI books. I haven't bought it because (1) it's expensive and (2) it's big and I don't want to get it from the library and be rushed to finish it.

 
I'm tagging Beatrice M @ Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic and Erin @ The Hardcover Lover. Have fun!

Goodbye for now,
Cassia

September 19, 2014

Blog Tour | Finding Mr. Darcy: High School Edition by Erin Butler



Finding Mr. Darcy: High School Edition
by Erin Butler
Release Date: 09/16/14
Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Liza Johnson takes fangirl to a whole new level of crazy when she decides to take dating advice from her literary hero: Jane Austen.
With the help of her best friends, Liza sheds her ancient-speak and complete Austen wardrobe for something a bit more modern in an attempt at finding her very own Mr. Darcy.
Enter Will, the new kid and Liza's Darcy incarnate. Add her BFF's ex to mix and the sexy Brit who kisses with an accent, and Liza is in trouble.
So, what's a girl to do? Without her mom to go to relationship advice, Liza turns to the only 
person she can truly trust with matters of the heart via her mother's copy of COMPLETED 
WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN.
It's too bad Austen's heroines have never played Spin the Bottle or Seven Minutes in Heaven. 
Liza's determined to find her true Austen-esque happy ending, but if she can't trust herself 
instead of books, she just might end up in her own tragic love story.


Buy Links:

About the Author
Erin Butler is lucky enough to have two jobs she truly loves. As a librarian, she gets to work with 
books all day long, and as an author, Erin uses her active imagination to write the kinds of books 
she enjoys reading. Young Adult and New Adult books are her favorites, but she especially loves 
the ones with kissing scenes.
Erin lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, a stepson, and doggie 
BFF, Maxie. She prefers to spend her time indoors reading and writing, but will venture out 
for chocolate and sunshine. She is the author of BLOOD HEX, a YA paranormal, HOW WE 
LIVED, a contemporary New Adult novel, and FINDING MR. DARCY: HIGH SCHOOL 
EDITION, a contemporary YA.

Author Links:

Twitter * Website * Goodreads * Facebook
Excerpt

Buzzing.
I heard it as I moved closer. Each step raised the tiny hairs all over my body until I tingled. I
fought the urge to turn around, but Janie would kill me. Again.
The humming pitched higher. My heart detonated in my chest. Just around the corner and...I
was there.
Lunch.
I tugged my backpack tighter and held the straps out in front so I felt the security of it on my
back. The monkeys were crazy today, jumping, screaming, laughing. All of them, the Geeks,
Preps, Loners, Freaks, Smarties, Drama-Ramas, and Jockheads—all high—all with serious
issues of ADHD and all put on this earth at the same time, designated to this lunchroom at
this very minute, to bug the crap out of me.
My skin itched.
I skirted into the room a little more. Just in time to catch this little, lovely, mind-blowing
comment from Christopher Kronin, Head Jock. “Hey man, did you check out Miranda today?
I swear I saw some cleeeeeavage!” Or, as I like to call him, Head Tool in the Jerkoff Parade.
Wow. I’m sure that’ll be on our next science quiz. Question 22: Was or was not Miranda 
Ames displaying her cleavage last Wednesday? Trick Question! Correct answer: When isn’t 
Miranda Ames displaying massive amounts of cleavage? 
DingDingDing. Insert cheeky, red makeupy, overenthusiastic host face. “My god, Liza
Johnson, you are the smartest thing since sliced bread.” Insert my feigned embarrassment
and tiny Miss America wave. “Thank you. Thank you.”
I smirked, wishing I’d saved that one for Janie. Too late. They never came out the same when
spoken out loud. If Janie lived in my head with me, it would make things so much easier.
A tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality. I turned and looked down into the eyes
of the mind-blower himself. “Um hello, freak? Why are you standing in the middle of the
lunchroom smiling to yourself? You’re not about to go all Carrie on us, are you?” When was
Christopher going to give it up already? I hadn’t said anything yet about his side escapades.
He laughed his big, jock laugh. One of those mocking ones that really made your hand ball
up into a fist and fantasize about your knuckles leaving pretty pink marks on his face.
Instead, I said, “Um, s-sorry,” and skittered away. I picked up the pace; dodged monkeys
who already carried empty trays, and scanned heads for streaks of pink before they decided to
fling their own feces at one another.

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September 14, 2014

The Book Life Tag

Living inside a bookish world of your own creation is every reader's dream. I have been imagining different worlds to live in since I was five years old (my favorite was the Land of Cotton Candy and Rainbows). In this tag, I will share with you my perfect literary world from all of my favorite books.

I was tagged by Gloria @ GloriaTheViolinst .




If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)
Who would your parents be?

Mia's mother and father from If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Mia's parents are so understanding and unique. Most of the time in YA books, the parents are dead, always working, or nonexistent. So, Mia's parents stood out because they are a huge part of Mia's life and they want to keep it that way.

Who would be your sister?

Obsidian (Lux, #1)
Katy Swartz from the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I am currently reading Opal, so it is fresh in my mind how awesome Katy is. She is a book blogger, like myself, and she is not afraid to be her quirky self.


Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1)Who would be your brother?

St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. St. Clair is the sweetest guy in France, but I do not want to take him away from Anna. So, he is going to be my brother. Considering how protective he is of Anna, I think he would be an amazing older brother.

Who would be your pet?
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
Church from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I have never had a cat, and Church seems like the perfect cat for me. He is mostly self sufficient (I cannot be relied on to remember to feed a pet) and he is the oldest cat in New York. Pretty cool, right?

Where would you live?

I would live in New York City. New York has everything that I will need-- shopping, people, Camp Half-Blood, and Shadowhunters.That is all I will ever need.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
Where would you go to school?

A better question would be which Hogwarts house would you be in, because Hogwarts is going to be everyone's answer. Going to Hogwarts is still a dream of mine (somehow my acceptance letter got lost in the owl mail, but it will be arriving shortly).
The Fault in Our Stars
Who would be your best friend?

Hazel Grace from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Hazel has an amazing sense of humor, and she can always take what life throws at her and make the best of it. I would love to have her as my best friend.

Divergent (Divergent, #1)
Who would be your significant other?


Four (Tobias) Eaton from Divergent  by Veronica Roth. I have countless crushes on fictional characters (who doesn't?) but Four is still my favorite. He always remained loyal to those that he loved, even if they did not return the favor. He knows his faults and he is constantly trying to improve them.




I tag:
Georgia @ The Books Bandit
and if anyone has not been tagged, but still wants to do it, just say that I tagged you!




September 11, 2014

Blog Tour | Perfect for You by Ashelyn Drake



Perfect for You
By: Ashelyn Drake
Release Date: September 2014
Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan isn’t very self-confident, but what girl would be after her sophomore-year boyfriend dumped her by making out with another girl in front of her locker?

Now a senior, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two gorgeous guys at school. Sounds good, right? What girl wouldn't want to be in Meg's shoes? One cute boy happens to be her boyfriend, and the other? Well, he wants to be. And Meg? She't torn between Ash, the boy she's been with for nearly five months, and Noah who is pretty irresistible.

But Meg is playing with fire. Pitting two boys against one another, even if she doesn't intend to, could end badly if she isn't careful. PERFECT FOR YOU is a teen romance from bestselling author Ashelyn Drake, where one girl will risk everything to find her perfect match.


Buy Links:


Excerpt

Noah’s going to the football game? “You can’t be serious. You’ve never gone to a game.”

“Been keeping tabs on me?” His dimple is back.

If Noah shows up at the game, it could ruin Ash’s concentration. No, it will ruin Ash’s concentration. Ash has this uncanny way of finding me in a crowd of people. And what if he finds me with Noah?

“Please, don’t go.”

“Okay, I won’t.” He takes my hands in his. “I’ll stay as long as you’d like.” His thumbs tickle my palms.

“I mean tomorrow.”

“Well, I don’t know if I can spend the night, but ... ”

I yank my hands free and smack his good shoulder. “Stop it. Seriously, you can’t go to the game. Please. I’m asking you as a friend.”

“Are we friends?”

I don’t know how to answer that. I’m not sure what we are. I want to be his friend, but can I be? “What do you think we are?” Let him answer the tough questions for once.

“What do I think we are or what do I want us to be?” He reaches for my hand, brushing his index finger lightly against it.

“Noah, I can’t do this.” I step around him and walk out of the bathroom. I don’t want to feel trapped by him. Not in my own house.

“Hey.” He reaches for my shoulder and winces in pain. I stop, unable to keep from feeling bad that he’s hurt because of me. He stares at me, looking more than physically hurt. “I’m sorry. I’m used to girls giving in to me. Not always at first, but most seem to like—”

“The cocky attitude?”

He shrugs his good shoulder. “I didn’t say I understood it. It just works.” He cocks his head to the side, and his confidence is replaced with genuine emotion. “But you’re different. I think that’s why I like you so much.”

I shake my head, not wanting to hear this. “Don’t say things like that. You don’t even know me. And I have a boyfriend.”

“I know. I really am sorry. I push the boundaries with you. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself when I’m around you. It’s not easy watching you be with him. Do you have any idea how much I want to grab you and kiss you? Even right now?”

I step back, but not far.

“I won’t though. I know I’ll lose you if I do.” 

Good. At least he’s staying in control of his emotions. 

“Would be a hell of a kiss though. I’m sure of it.”

                       About the Author
Ashelyn Drake is a New Adult and Young Adult romance author. While it’s rare for her not to have either a book in hand or her fingers flying across a laptop, she also enjoys spending time with her family. She believes you are never too old to enjoy a good swing set and there’s never a bad time for some dark chocolate. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.
Author Links


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September 10, 2014

Book Blitz | Phantom's Dance by Lesa Howard


Phantom's Dance
Release Date: 03/01/ 14

Summary from Goodreads:

Christine Dadey’s family uprooted their lives and moved to Houston for her to attend the prestigious Rousseau Academy of Dance. Now, two years later, Christine struggles to compete among the Academy’s finest dancers, her parents are on the brink of divorce, and she’s told no one about her debilitating performance anxiety and what she’s willing to do to cope with it.

Erik was a ballet prodigy, a savant, destined to be a star on the world’s stage, but a suspicious fire left Erik’s face horribly disfigured. Now, a lonely phantom forced to keep his scars hidden, he spends his nights haunting the theater halls, mourning all he’s lost. Then, from behind the curtain he sees the lovely Christine. The moldable, malleable Christine.

Drawn in by Erik’s unwavering confidence, Christine allows herself to believe Erik’s declarations that he can transform her into the dancer she longs to be. But Christine’s hope of achieving her dreams may be her undoing when she learns Erik is not everything he claims. And before long, Erik’s shadowy past jeopardizes Christine’s unstable present as his obsession with her becomes hopelessly entangled with his plans for revenge.


Available from:




About the Author
I'm not the typical author. I didn't always enjoy reading or writing. While in school, I found it to be a chore I'd just as soon skip. I would rather have been daydreaming, my favorite past time. It wasn’t until I grew up and didn’t have to, that I realized reading was fun. I soon discovered that reading fueled my daydreaming. So, remembering a short story I'd written in high school, I began imagining expanding that story into a book. Before long I found I had loads of ideas for not just the short story but other books and stories as well. Fast forward a few years, a lot of studying about writing, practicing my writing, studying some more, taking classes from people who knew what they were doing, studying and practicing yet more, and ta-dah, author! In the same way I had learned I loved reading, I learned I loved writing, too. It’s just that writing is a lot harder than reading.

Author Links:
 
Website *  Twitter * Goodreads * Facebook

Excerpt

I cast about. Was he behind me?

“Van, are you messing with me?”

“Your technique is flawless, but you stifle your gift with it.”

To my left. He was behind the curtain to my left.

“Who’s there?” The voice had a gravelly edge to it. There was no way it was Van’s high-
pitched, juvenile speech.

Rather than answer me, the guy continued his critique. “You worry too much about your
form. You should trust your body to do what it’s trained to do.”

I trod over and yanked back a curtain. “Who’s there? Are you one of the
Diamondbacks?” That of course was ludicrous, because the only formation they knew was on a
football field.

Then it dawned on me. “Oh, you’re a security guard. Well, I was about to leave,” I

explained to him. “I was looking for Evander Woodruff, and I—”

“I’m a dancer.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m a dancer.”

“Oh. A member of the company?”

“Not this company.”

“What company are you with?”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not making sense. And where are you?” I twisted my head like an owl.

“Behind the curtains.”

“Yeah, I got that.” It sounded like he’d moved so I did a one-eighty to follow his path.

“But why?”

He hesitated. “It’s what works for me.”

“What?”

“Let’s just say I have my reasons.” His tone was superior and sounded strangely familiar.

“But I saw your dancing,” he said. “And your technique really is outstanding, but you’re uptight
and it shows.”

“Excuse me.” I sputtered.

“Don’t be offended.” He chuckled. “I just think some of your steps were stiff and it
needed to be pointed out.”

“And you think you’re the one to do that.”

“Well, yeah. It doesn’t seem anyone at this ridiculous school knows how to help you.”

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