Clockwise by Elle Strauss (Review) AND Clockwiser by Elle Strauss (ARC Review)

Genre: Science Fiction/ Romance

Number of Pages: 290

For ages 12+

*This book was given to me for a completely honest review.*

"Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she’s accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward. 

Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just “brotherly” protectiveness? 

When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again. 

Which of course, she does." -Goodreads 

I loved, loved, LOVED this book! It had the feel of contemporary but with a twist, and of course, ROMANCE. I love contemporary romance, but contemporary romance with a twist is even BETTER.

While reading this book, I immediately realized that the description of Casey was exactly like me. Curly unmanageable hair, super tall, and big feet. Yep, that's me! I could definitely relate to Casey and her troubles with her hair. Trust me, I feel her pain.

Casey is just a normal girl who of course can't be normal in any sense considering she could time travel at any moment in time. Pretty complicated life, huh? And only one person know she time travels, her best friend. I loved Casey and her personality. I also loved that she was like any normal girl in the fact that she fawned over the hot popular guy, Nate. Who, may I say, is SUPER AWESOME. 

When Casey travels if she is touching anything at all it will travel back with her. And when she travels it's usually because she's super stressed or super nervous. So when Nate Mackenzie asks her to dance at their school dance, well you know what happens next. They find themselves in the 1800's! 

The chemistry between Casey and Nate is fantabulouuusss! You would think he would be some stereotypical stuck up jock but he is the complete opposite when he warms up to Casey. Casey has to make up an excuse for Nate and her being together alone without a chaperone because it would be socially unacceptable. So they become siblings! Which gets a tad difficult when the sparks start to fly between them. I did get that little happy feeling inside when Nate would get jealous over the guys who sweet talked Casey. The romance was super perfect and I loved every moment of it. 

The time traveling aspect wasn't too heavy that you felt like you were getting a boring history lesson, but I also felt well informed by the end. If all history lessons could be in amazing books like this I would love history. 

I whole-heartedly loved this book. 5 out of 5 diva crowns!!

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Now, onto CLOCKWISER! (ARC) 

*I was given this ARC for a completely honest review.*

Since this is an ARC I don't have a picture of it or a description. But, I was jumping up and down with excitement when Elle asked if I wanted to read it! I read CLOCKWISE in about 2 days and CLOCKWISER in about 1! That's how awesome these books were. I couldn't put either of them down.

Unlike so many other YA sequels this one did not have the sequel blues! It was definitely not a filler in any way. 

 *SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't read CLOCKWISE* 

In this book, Nate and Casey are TOGETHHERR! WOOO! I love being able to see how two characters' relationship have progressed. Of course, you can't just have a happy couple the whole book. Boorriiingg. They're gonna have to fight. Plus if they don't fight that's just unrealistic. And I like my couples realistic!  I love Nate and I love Casey and LOVE them together!

  

*Spoiler over! Keep on readin'!*

You get to get more of a feel of Casey's brother, Tim's, personality. In the beginning you really hate the guy, I'm not gonna lie. But you do learn to love him by the end. But MAN is he a trouble maker?! Without him, though, I guess there wouldn't really be a story... And we can't have that! 

You get to reunite with all of the characters from the 1800's and see how their lives are going. And you get to see what's going in society then! 

You also go between Casey's point of view and Tim's point of view. Because, yes, they are both in two time periods at the same time. Did I not say Tim was a trouble maker? I liked that I got to see what Tim was going through but also getting to see how Casey (and of course NATE!) we're doing.  I thought that was a really good idea on Elle's part! :)

I didn't think this book was AS good as the first one, but just because it's super hard to beat the first one. BUT that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. It's still amazing. Plus, don't you want to read more on these fantabulous characters? 

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns! LOVE this series!

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins (Review)

Genre: Paranormal

Number of Pages: 327

For ages 13+

"Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident. 

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?" -Goodreads

I have been super excited for this book ever since I finished that last sentence of DEMONGLASS. So, when I found out when the release of it was I told my mother I HAD to get it the day it came out. I had texted my mom that morning at literally 6 am telling her, "DON'T FORGET TO BUY SPELL BOUND TODAY!!!" ...That was pretty much an accurate example of what it looked like. I was happy to see when I checked my phone at lunch, my Mom had sent me a picture of the book. Success! I read the whole thing that day.

I read the two other books about a week before so my mind was fresh with the events of what had happened in DEMONGLASS. I highly recommend you do so before reading SPELL BOUND. It helps... A LOT. 

You have no idea how much I missed Sophie. She is by far my favorite YA character of life. Her sarcasm is literally the best thing ever. I love how she usually has a snarky comment for almost everything. She didn't have AS MUCH sarcasm in this book as the others, but she still did have some so no need to worry! Plus, she was focusing on more pressing matters. 

May I also say, that Archer is one of my favorite YA guy characters. He and Sophie seem to have the same characteristics that I adore in characters. In DEMONGLASS I was somewhat on "Team Cal" (I know.. what was I thinking?) But then I read it again, and realized I'm definitely "Team Archer" Don't get me wrong Cal is absolutely fantabulously amazing, but Archer is still better for Sophie. He and Sophie's chemistry is phenomenal and I always enjoy the scenes when they are together. Unfortunately, for me I think it would have been a little bit better if there were more heartfelt moments between them two. Just because, I love those sweet moments between them. I guess it could have been because they were too busy with more important things other than being all mushy.. but IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE. 

Do you know how many twists were in this book? WHY, RACHEL?! WHY?! For those out there reading this that HAVE read the book, you'll know what I am talking about. I'm not gonna lie.. I cried. I had to go up to my room because I was a mopey mess. But seriously. The twists in this book were insane.     

Something I liked about this book in particular was.. *SPOILER ALERT* it didn't take very long for Sophie to find everyone. I was worried that we were going to be spending half the book looking for everyone. *END OF SPOLER*

I love Jenna and Sophie's friendship. I really think that everyone wishes they had a friendship as awesome as theirs. Well.. aside from the fact that one of them is a vampire and the other is  an extremely powerful demon.

The ending, for me, was bittersweet. It was a fantastic ending, but I wish it could go on longer. I'm thinking there should be another book just about Sophie and Archer. Because that would be perfection. I'm really going to miss all of the characters. And once again, I cried. I was just so sad that the series was over. D:

I had posted this little gem on my Facebook wall because it explained what I was feeling EXACTLY:

That's what I did. For about an hour. But, then I felt pathetic and decided I should probably do my homework....

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns. Because, even though I didn't like some details, I couldn't have asked for a better book to end such an amazing series. 

Channeler's Choice by Heather McCorkle (Review)

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Romance

Number of Pages: 308

For ages 13+

*This book was given to me for a completely honest review*

"With her parents’ murderers dead, Eren can finally concentrate on fitting in at Spruce Knoll High, not to mention figuring out what it means to be a channeler. If only it were that easy. It turns out she isn’t normal even among channelers - she may be a legendary warrior meant to protect the earth in a last great battle.

But Mayan prophecies are the least of her worries as she involuntarily starts to gather her own Society, another girl moves in on Aiden, her powers rage out of control, and worst of all, someone is stalking her. To top it all off, Eren discovers she doesn’t have to be a channeler after all - she has a choice.

As an old threat closes in and she risks ending up like her parents, she is forced to decide. Be a normal teenager and leave the legendary warrior stuff to someone else, or embrace a dark destiny?" -Goodreads

I loved the first book and I was even more excited when Heather contacted me and told me she could send me the sequel to review!

Eren is still dealing with the hardship of her parents murder. Could you blame her? But now she has other things to worry about. Like the possibility that Luke, a guy who almost killed her, could come back for her. I'd be a tad worried if I were her. Luckily, she's got her family and Aiden to protect her. Not that she needs anyone to protect her considering she can kick some serious butt herself.

I love that in this book Eren actually gets a best friend. To me, best friends are crucial in a YA book. They are there for the main character when they're having problems or when they just need to talk. And Eren finally got that friend. And I LOVE her. She was definitely there when Eren needed her. Even during boy troubles. ;)

Something I loved about this book was it wasn't one of those books that was sort of just a filler in the series. MAJOR stuff actually happened in this book. Stuff that impacts the whole series. This isn't always the case when it comes to series and I sure am glad it wasn't the case for this one.

The romance between Aiden and Eren is definitely still there and it starts right where it left off. These two are absolutely perfect for each other and you can tell that nothing can break them apart. Especially when another girl tries to sabotage Eren and Aiden's relationship. I love how faithful Aiden is to Eren and how he would never think of doing anything to hurt her.

A big part of this book is that fact that Eren has a chance to choose whether or not she wants to keep her powers of being part of a crazy Mayan Prophecy. I liked how Heather made you go back and forth with Eren on if she should or not. At some points I wanted her to, but then someone like Aiden, (Man, I love him.) would change her mind and mine along with it.

Another great thing was that Eren's cousin got a chance at romance. Which was super great. Considering he had done so much to deserve happiness.

The ending? COMPLETE TWIST. I didn't even see that coming. Heather did a perfect job of me wanting to read more. I'm in love with these characters and I can't wait to read more about them.

I loved this book just as much as I loved the first. I recommend it to anybody who LOVES romance but also loves a twist to it. I also recommend it to Urban Fantasy lovers because this book is right on target. 5 out of 5 diva crowns for a fantastic book!

Channeler's Choice by Heather McCorkle Blog Tour!

I'm super excited to be apart of this awesome blog tour. Considering I'm in LOVE with the books, it's awesome! And let me tell you... I've already read the sequel and I looooovvveeee it! (Review on Sunday!)

Releasing (officially) February 27th in hardback and eBook, Channeler's Choice, the sequel to Heather McCorkle's earth-conscious urban fantasy, The Secret Of Spruce Knoll. To celebrate she's doing a giveaway.

1st Place winner:

A hardcopy or eBook (winner's choice)

A paperback of Born Of Fire & Dies Irae (novella combination by Heather McCorkle and Christine Fonseca released through Compass Press)

2nd place:

An eBook of Channeler's Choice (or PDF if winner doesn't have an ereader)

An eBook of Born Of Fire (A Channeler Novella)

To enter stop by her blog for official details. http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com

You can find Channeler's Choice on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble (soon to be on all major retail sites).

http://www.amazon.com/Channelers-Choice-Heather-McCorkle/dp/0984786333

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/channelers-choice-heather-mccorkle/1108802102?ean=9780984786336

Signed copies are available for a limited time here:

http://heathermccorklebooks.blogspot.com/p/channelers-choice.html

Here is a bit about Channeler's Choice:

With her parents’ murderer’s dead, Eren can finally concentrate on fitting in at Spruce Knoll High, not to mention figuring out what it means to be a channeler. If only it were that easy. It turns out she isn’t normal even among channelers - she may be a legendary warrior meant to protect the earth in a last great battle.

But Mayan prophecies are the least of her worries as she involuntarily starts to gather her own Society, another girl moves in on Aiden, her powers rage out of control, and worst of all, someone is stalking her. To top it all off, Eren discovers she doesn’t have to be a channeler after all - she has a choice.

As an old threat closes in and she risks ending up like her parents, she is forced to decide. Be a normal teenager and leave the legendary warrior stuff to someone else, or embrace a dark destiny?

...Sounds awesome, RIGHT?! It is. Trust me. As I said before, review coming Sunday! Also, don't forget to enter Heather's giveaway for a chance to win!

Thanks for reading!

Pretty Amy Cover Reveal!

I have a cover reveal for everyone today and it is Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein! I was super excited to see that I could be apart of this marvelous reveal and after reading the blurb I was even more pumped!

Here's what it's about:

"Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she?s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands?earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx?Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating ?rehabilitation techniques? now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing?like she is nothing.

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it?s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over."

Sounds Awesome, huh?! :D

Pretty Amy comes out May 15th so make sure to keep your out for that one!

You can add it on Goodreads

You can pre-order it on Amazon

And you can pre-order it on Barnes and Noble!

Hope you guys enjoyed this fun little surprise!

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Also, watch out for Thursday because I'll be helping with a blog tour and you can hear about a great new book!!