REAPER'S CLAIM ARC REVIEW

February 17, 2017

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'HOLDING UP THE UNIVERSE' WHAT'S WITH THE HATE!?

TITLE: Holding Up The Universe
AUTHOR: Jennifer Niven
SERIES: Standalone
PUBLICATION DATE: October 4 2016
PUBLISHER: Knopf Books for Young Readers
SOURCE: Bought

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours

Hey guys! This isn't really a review but i just had some things i wanted to say about the backlash this book has received. I'm not saying the people who back-lashed this book are wrong, it is their opinion, and i still don't agree with rating a book without reading it. But this is my opinion and i'd like to share.

It's been out barely two months and before people have actually read the book, they've rated it one star because they found the synopsis 'offensive'. I completely agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion! But if you don't like a synopsis fine you can say so, but why attack the author on social media? Why rate the book down? Read it, if you hate it then say how much you hate it! I mean i was doing research before writing this post and i saw a full on twitter war about how offensive this synopsis was between a reader and one of the author's friends! Is this what a YA novel supposed to inspire has come to?

I'm sorry but i see nothing offensive when i read the synopsis! Yes Libby needed a crane to get out of her house, but that's not offensive, it's reality. Just google it. And you'll see that quite a few people have had to get out of their houses by a crane! And no it's not offensive, it's showing you how these people might feel, what they might be going through. That people do live in beyond shitty situations and yet they survive.

This part of the synopsis has also been called 'dehumanizing' to fat people. How? I feel that simply by reading the synopsis and not reading this character's journey you are dehumanizing her. Your're just seeing her as the girl who needed a crane to get out of the house. That's what you're judging her on, not her personality and certainly not her journey! And that's exactly the kind of behavior the author tries to expose in her book. She presents Libby as more than the 'fattest teen in America', she shows you her personality, and what she goes through. And i'm sorry but this happens to real life people-THIS IS REALITY. Does this make these real people not human!?

And the bullying that happens in her school? It was pretty tough to read about but it's not that much of a work of fiction. This is a real life situation for many of the people out there.

This is not a book about loosing weight, it's about accepting yourself as long as you're happy. And how can you be happy if people around you are constantly saying things that show you that you shouldn't be happy the way you are? I really connected with Libby, i've struggled for years with weight issues and i've been a little bullied-though not as much as Libby. I felt all of those things and i was even depressed for a little while, which is why this book struck a cord with me! And then there was the part where Libby writes hurtful comments about herself in the bathroom-they say it's sending a bad message, But guess what? For those of us who've been there, it's normal. If we're not writing it down, we're constantly tormenting ourselves mentally. It's called being depressed and insecure. And i surpassed all of that eventually. And that was what Libby did! She has this 'larger than life' personality, she's trying to grow her confidence despite other people trying to ram her down! How is that offensive or dehumanizing?

I sometimes watch this show on TLC, known as my Big Fat Fabulous Life and the girl, Whitney, just screamed out Libby too me. She's joyous, she's snarky, she strives to be the best she can be, she transcends societal judgement and she expresses her passion for dance. It's one of my favorite shows!

Image result for whitney my big fat fabulous life weight loss

Seriously go check out this show, that woman is inspiring!

And then people said that it was offensive when the other describes Jack as 'broken' in the synopsis. I read a comment on goodreads where the girl has the same situation but she didn't see herself as 'broken'. But so what? Not everyone deals with their situation the same way! And besides, the author doesn't describe Jack as broken, he feels broken. And this is his journey-how he surpasses all that and learns to live with it. To feel not so broken.

And another thing, it's one thing to say bad thing's about the author's writing and her book-it's your opinion, you're totally entitled to it. But how can you bash the author herself? There were comments about how a 'skinny' author cannot write about a 'fat' person. But hey, as a fat person speaking here, the author just captured what i felt basically my whole high school years, and i cannot even begin to say how much i regret that this book had not been published YEARS AGO. The message of the book was beautiful, it spoke to the readers directly.

Is Sarah J Mass a faerie?No right, then why is she allowed to write about the fae. How could she know what they're feeling. It's a totally invalid point!

I read this beautiful article from the author where she explains that this book is an extension of her personal journey and that of her friends, if you want to check it out this is the link.

"That is why I wrote Holding Up the Universe—to let readers know that big, small, tall, short, pretty, plain, friendly, shy, they are wanted. They are necessary. They are loved."

-Jennifer Niven

Ugh. Okay rant over, it just really irritated me. I don't get all the hate, that's just my opinion. You guys should definitely pick up this book! It's a wonderful journey! This was my first book by this author and i found it absolutely inspiring!

December 21, 2016

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blitzes and cover reveals

DEBT BOOK BLITZ

99c Pre-Order Sale

Over 400 Pages
Standalone Novel
New-Adult Romance / Sports Romance

DEBT

By Rachel Dunning

Expected Release Date:

March 2016

What’s it about?

The Debt Collector

I pay my debts, and I expect others to.

I was raised in the slums of London, I knew nothing of privilege. My father was murdered when I was seventeen. Morty figured my father's passing meant I would automatically take on dad's debts. I refused.

And I paid for that refusal.

So did my sister.

So now I fight. All I know how to do is fight. The best cash is in the states, so that's where I am now. A big fish called Vito came along offering me a "favor" when I arrived.

Another debt.

I paid for that one too.

I knew Kyla Hensley would be trouble when I met her. But I wanted her. I could see through the falsehood of her wannabe-slutty clothes and her sexy legs. So I chased her.

Besides, trouble is my middle name.

Kyla Hensley

I was brought up in privilege, but I lacked everything else. My father is a business tycoon who buys and sells and doesn't care who gets rolled over in the process.

I never knew my mother, and all I have of her is a photo with a note scrawled on the back in French saying "I'm sorry." The only Female Figure I had growing up is my dad's wife who is a bleach blond with seven boob jobs. We never bonded.

I drink. I party. I meet guys.

But I wasn't always like that.

I've had a string of lovers in the last few years, the worst and most recent of which was Vince Somerset. My best friend Vera was dating a guy called Rory Cansoom who is the opposite of Vince in so many ways, and yet so the same.

She and I hit the road for the summer, getting away from the two college psychos and just trying to have some fun.

But there's a funny thing about trouble, the more you run from it, the more it finds you.

Which is when I met the Debt Collector.

It was only supposed to be sex. He made that clear. I made that clear.

That's all it was supposed to be.

I never expected to fall in love. I never expected to fall so deeply, madly, uncomfortably in love with a man who is wrong, so wrong for me.

And yet...so unbelievably right.

Excerpt #1

~Kyla~

I push my head back against the wall, not sure what’s coming, but not fighting it either.

“Who are you?” he repeats.

“I...I don’t know what you mean.”

“I see you at a bar in Texas, then I look for you all over Nashville. And suddenly you’re at my side in a hospital, following me into this warehouse. Who are you?”

“I didn’t follow you into the warehouse. You needed to pick up your truck, and you were stumbling.”

“So?”

“So I wanted to make sure you were OK.”

“And?”

And I want you to take my clothes off and I want us to live happily ever after. “That’s it.”

Logan grins, a deadly look for him with his dimples. “Don’t do that,” I say.

“What?”

“Smile.”

“Why not?”

Because you’re beautiful. “Just don’t.”

Excerpt #2

~Kyla~

He stops. Lifts his head up again, still smiling. “You’re afraid,” he says.

“Yes.”

“Of me.”

“Yes.”

“And yet, you’re here.”

I clear my throat. “Y—yes.”

“Why?”

Because I’m an idiot. And you turn me on. And I’m an idiot. And you turn me on.

Excerpt #3

~Kyla~

My hand slides over to his jeans unwittingly, rubbing his leg. “I want to kiss you again,” I say. I want to kiss you because you’ve taken my heart with your words and I need it back.

Excerpt #4

~Logan~

I have no desire to settle down.

I have no desire to make Kyla be the last woman I’m ever with.

But, damn it, I’d like to be given a chance to do those things. Does she even feel anything for me?

I know I do.

I feel something.

Not love. Something else.

Like I need her.

Like I’d stop breathing without her.

Like the sun would stop being so bright or the sounds of the world so sweet if she disappeared.

Excerpt #5

~Logan~

She’ll soften me.

She’ll break me.

But I don’t care.

Excerpt #6

~Kyla~

“Tell me for real,” I say. “Tell me what I didn’t guess about you.”

Logan doesn’t answer, and already I’m regretting the question. I know something hurt him, but who am I to ask him about it so soon? I’m breaking my rule, I want to know him, I want to know everything about him.

He shifts his arm so that my head is no longer resting on it, leans forward.

I did overstep it, but I don’t care. Maybe this is the last time I’ll ever see him again, and I want to get everything I can out of it, not only the sex I’ll demand later.

He looks down at his feet, then at me.

He inhales a deep breath, and then he says something to me that will forever change the way I think about the world. He tells me a story that puts my own life in perspective, and makes me question what I’ve held dear, and what’s really important in life.

He tells me about how he lost his father. And his mother.

And why he fights.

And why he continues to fight. And what he really sees when he’s in that cage, the hate, the fury, the pain.

By the end of it all, my world is shattered, the floor is shaking, I have no stability.

By the end of it, I know one thing, and I know it to my core, my very fiber. And I don’t care if it’s too soon, I believe in intuition, I believe in it more now than ever.

The thing I know is this:

I love this man. I love him irrevocably. I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone.

And I know I will lose him.

I know it. More intuition.

But I love his very soul.

Excerpt #7

~Kyla~

I hold on to Logan with all the strength I can muster.

Somehow, if I let him go, I think I’ll drown.

Excerpt #8

~Logan~

She looks at me with eyes that say something to me. They’re the eyes of someone who’s realized something. Not happy, not excited, not sad. A bit of all of it. I think the word they use for that crazy mixture of emotions is Love.

Content Warning

Not intended for readers under the age of seventeen.

Genres:
New-Adult Romance
Sports Romance

Links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A02LNLC

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A02LNLC

Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01A02LNLC

Amazon Australia: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01A02LNLC

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/debt/id1071559413?mt=11
Nook / B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/debt-rachel-dunning/1123196983?ean=2940152548570

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/603988

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28400056-debt

About Rachel
Rachel Dunning hit the scene in August 2013 and is the author of the highly praised Naive Mistakes Series, Truthful Lies Trilogy, Johnny Series and the paranormal romance series, Mind Games.

A prolific writer, she sticks to stories where Alpha Males aren’t pricks and where women have guts.

She’s lived on two different continents, speaks three different languages, and met the love of her life on the internet. In other words, romance is in her blood.

Get Rachel’s Newsletter

Sign up for Rachel’s Newsletter and never miss a release or a special.
You can sign up here:
http://www.rdunning.com/p/non-spammy-news.html

Where Else to Find Rachel
Blog / Website: http://www.rdunning.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/RachelDunning
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelDAuthor
Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/racheldunning
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/RachelDunningBN
iTunes: http://bit.ly/RachelDunningiTunes
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/racheldunning

January 24, 2016

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ARCs from authors

EVERY BIG &LITTLE WISH SPOTLIGHT+GIVEAWAY

Book & Author Details:

Every Big & Little Wish by E.C. Moore
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: October 20th 2015
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

E.C. Moore’s young adult novel, Every Big and Little Wish, opens in late spring 1970. Sixteen-year-old Jacy Wilbert’s Mom got promoted, so her parents sold their Victorian home in California and moved to a townhouse in Oregon.
Torn away from the only home she’s ever known, forced to leave her beloved German shepherd behind, Jacy feels misplaced. Exacerbating an already terrible situation, her dad runs off with the bombshell real estate agent who sold them their townhouse. And, just when it seems things can’t get any worse, her mom loses the stupid job they left California for in the first place and begins to drown her sorrows with pink wine, night after night. Jacy’s caught in the middle, struggling to maintain a relationship with her AWOL dad while tolerating his annoying, much-younger girlfriend.
Missing old friends back in California, and feeling like an outsider, Jacy needs to build a new social life in a new school. Not the sort of girl to wait around for what she wants to come her way, she sets her sights on Neil Wilder, the best-looking boy around.
Everything changes when Jacy Wilbert knocks on the wrong door.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26835995-every-big-little-wish?ac=1

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Every-Little-Wish-E-C-Moore-ebook/dp/B01725574O/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1445875237&sr=8-1

AUTHOR BIO:

When Elizabeth’s not writing feverishly, you will find her out walking or sightseeing. She’s crazy about coffee, books, cooking, good wine, cairn terriers, miniature ponies, historical houses, tapas, and witty people.

She resides in a fifties bungalow in Southern California, with her creative-director, hubba-hubba husband, a yappy blonde dog, and one feisty Chihuahua.

Author links:

http://www.ecmooreauthor.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8776496.E_C_Moore

https://www.facebook.com/e.c.mooreauthor?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/ecmooreauthor