June - Monthly Wrap Up

June was an insane month on the blog for us, insanely awesome yet insanely frustrating too!

When Rach and I came up with the idea for the Indie Self Published Author Event we had no idea that organizing an event would be so crazy. Getting the authors and bloggers together and making sure everything went smoothly was not an easy job.

That being said we enjoyed every minute of it! Let me tell you that the Indie and Self Published authors are a bunch of great people-So easy to work with and so much fun! :)

And the bloggers-The response from you guys was overwhelming! We did not expect so many people to sign up, thank you so much for being a part of our event. 

We can't thank you guys enough for your contribution and participation-This event would not have been possible without you people.

Stats-wise: Say It with Books has grown so much this year and it's all because of guys!

Lots of new followers so welcome, we hope you guys are having fun! Thank you so much for all the lovely e-mails, blog post comments, tweets, Goodreads and Facebook messages(We hit the our 750 Likes milestone this weekend-Yay!). We might not have had time to return your thoughts(Sorry!) but trust me we both loved each and everyone of them! :)

Truly, Madly, Deeply You - Cecilia Robert

Read the sizzling HOTTT Excerpt + International Giveaway (Enter to win an e-copy of Truly, Madly, Deeply, You, $10 Amazon Gift card and swag.)

Wide Awake-Shelly Crane: Review + Giveaway

Author: Shelly Crane
Title: Wide Awake
Synopsis:
A girl.
A coma.
A life she can't remember.

When Emma Walker wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, she learns that she's been in a coma for six months. Strangers show up and claim to be her parents, but she can't remember them. She can't remember anyone. Not her friends, not even her boyfriend. Even though she can't remember, everyone wants her to just pick up where she left off, but what she learns about the 'old her' makes her start to wish she'd never woken up. Her boyfriend breaks up with the new girl he's dating to be with her, her parents want her to start planning for college, her friends want their leader back, and her physical therapist with the hazel eyes keeps his distance to save his position at the hospital.

Will she ever feel like she recognizes the girl in the mirror?

Don't forget to add it on your TBR list! :)

Although I have seen Shelly Crane's books around the blogosphere a LOT, this is the first time I read one of her books. And I'm glad I did so .

The story is narrated by Emma Walker who wakes up from her six month coma to find out that she has no memory whatsoever of her life prior to the accident. She's wakes up and realizes that she has a family of who she has no recollection of. Finding out that pre-accident Emma was a bitch with a capital B was the icing on the cake.

Her friends, her family and her 'boyfriend' expect her to go back to being the pre-accident Emma. But post-accident Emma is nothing like the pre-accident Emma. Shelly Crane paints a clear picture of the struggles that Emma faces during her journey to find herself. Shelly forces the readers to experience every ounce of frustration, disappointment, regret and hope that Emma feels. Despite Emma's history it was hard not to like her and empathize with her. 

Mason is her physical therapist-the guy who both literally and figuratively helps Emma stand on her own two feet. He was a refreshing change from the bad boys that seem to be taking over the Contemporary Romance genre. He was honorable, caring and he did the sweetest things ever for Emma!

"More than a poor boy that had nothing to offer, more than a tattooed guy who always had to prove he was something from judging eyes, more than I deserved. 

I took her face in my hands and then took her mouth. That mouth that owned me, that mouth that made me forgot who and what I was and made me feel like I was better than all that."

The Only Exception by Magan Vernon: Guest Post + Giveaway

Title: The Only Exception
Author: Magan Vernon
Published: April 9th 2013 by Beautifully Broken Books

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | All Romance Ebooks 

Synopsis:

Fiercely liberal Monica Remy prefers to blend in. Despite her tattoos, piercings, and outspoken personality, she transferred to Central to escape—before she finds out that her next door neighbor is the uber conservative senator’s son, Trey Chapman.

No matter how hard she tries to avoid Trey, he still finds a way to get under her skin. Monica can’t stand his crisp white shirts or his staunch views on women. But she can’t help counting every freckle on his face and wondering what it would feel like to have him stop talking politics and kiss her. 

A class debate project forces the unlikely pair to work together, and the political lines are blurred in late-night make out sessions. But despite their fiery chemistry, Trey’s politics threatens to smother their relationship for good.

Today, we are lucky to have Magan Vernon and she's going to share to us some of her college experiences! :)

        Some of the best and worst times of my college experience took place in my sorority house.

        Yes, I fully admit that I was in a sorority and wore my letters and matching headband proudly.

       Some people think that because I write about sorority girls that I’m just trying to stereotype them, but really I’m just writing about some of my own experiences in Greek life: The bad, the good, and the ridiculous.

       I guess I’ll start out with recruitment, the mecca of all things Greek. The time in which we recruited new girls into our house. How did we do that? By gathering in our doorway, all smooshed together, clapping and singing to them of course! Every sorority had to take songs from pop culture and replace the lyrics with words about our sorority. I still can’t listen to “Beverly Hills” by Weezer without singing “Sigma Three, that’s where I want to be. Living in Sigma three.”

       Okay, so actually everyone else sang and clapped. I was not allowed to clap.

The Perfect Game by J. Sterling: Excerpt & Giveaway + The Game Changer Teaser

Title: The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game, #1)
Author: J. Sterling
Published: October 11th 2012
Purchase Links: Amazon
Synopsis:

He's a game she never intended to play. 
And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.

The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day.

They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together. 

Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful...

Excerpt

Introduction to Jack

Jack walked, no, make that sauntered, over to where I stood. His black cargo shorts and tight-fitting gray baseball t-shirt did a number on his body. The definition of his arm muscles rippled against the fabric, accentuating his well-defined shoulders on his six-foot frame as his arms swayed. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at me like I was some tiny, helpless creature who didn’t have a clue it was about to get eaten alive by the most beautiful, albeit dangerous, creature in the jungle. 

I almost felt violated.

Nightmarish Dates, Teasers + Giveaway: Love Love - Beth Michele

Title: Love Love
Author: Beth Michele
Published: May 6th 2013
Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N
Synopsis:

Gabrielle Willis is smart. She's funny. And oh yes, she's a bit klutzy. 

When Gabrielle left sunny California bound for the energy of Manhattan, she was willingly leaving the life she had known for the new life she would create. But was she really leaving something behind or was she running away? 

On the outside, Gabrielle Willis has it all under control. A new life in Manhattan, a great roommate, and a good job. But she is haunted. Haunted by a memory she's tried to forget and by a family who's abandoned her. But what happens when what's on the outside is only an illusion and in perfect contradiction to what's buried deep within?

Enter Dane Rhodes. He's gorgeous, smart, and sexy as hell. Just what Gabby wants, or so she thinks. But when she meets Brad Dixon, the sweet guy with the crooked smile, he begins to make her see that the very thing she is trying to run from is the very thing that just may push her to see the light.

Teaser

Sweat is clinging to my palms, my pulse visibly racing through my heated skin.  I’m having a hard time controlling my breathing as the elevator ascends to the twenty-seventh floor. So much for the time I spent in yoga class.  I wring my hands repeatedly and slowly count to ten. When I finally get to ten, the elevator pings.  Steadying my wobbly legs and wiping away the moisture trickling down my forehead, I head down the hall to apartment 27-F, attempting one last deep, calming breath before I ring the doorbell. 

Exclusive Content: Dracian Origins - Priya Kanaparti

I absolutely loved Dracian Legacy and am dying to get my hands on Book 2: Dracian Origins which will be coming out in February 2014(*sob sob*). So here's a lil preview of what's in store for us next year!

For those you who haven't read Dracian Legacy-Don't worry, there aren't any huge spoilers! Enjoy! ;)

Prologue

Eight hours since leaving Rocky Hills

Chaos.

No one knew how they’d found us. But they were here, three to one, Telalian to Dracian. I was swiftly escorted from the danger by eighteen Dracians, two covering each direction and ten more as backup: Axel, Dean, Dimitri, Trinity, Tyler, Carson, Skye, and eleven others I had never met.

The battle screams from behind got fainter. We approached a twenty foot tall bronze colored iron doors. “Prepare for departure,” Axel ordered as Skye pushed open the metal door to a room.

The first thing I noticed was the overpowering smell of sulfur and rotten eggs.

No wonder they thought this was a safe place to transport me. I wouldn’t get a hundred yards near this place, with that lingering smell to welcome me.

Review + Giveaway: The Truth Series - Leigh T. Moore

Title: The Truth About Faking 
Author: Leigh Talbert Moore
Published: September 2012
Synopsis:
Jason just wants a date with Harley. 
Harley just wants a date with Trent. 
Trent's still getting over Stephanie.

When Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of deceptions. Trent's got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets from her dreams with Trent. 

Worst of all, Harley's mom is getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley's Reverend Dad can't fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks finally come off, can everyone handle the real truth?

   Rachel's Thoughts

“You’re not supposed to judge things by appearances. You know that.”

First of all, the cover’s GORGEOUS!!!! So a plus point for that. *winks*

..And, if you’re looking for a really sweet and endearing story, The Truth About Faking is perfect for you! I’ve always wanted to read a story about two people trying to fake a relationship and end up getting confused along the way. I guess it’s the challenge to not fall in love that’s somewhat exciting in stories like this.

I loved Jason the most in this story because he’s funny, easygoing, charming and he somehow manages to make everyone around him feel comfortable. I don’t know what’s in him but it’s not just the friendliness that makes him very likeable. I think he has this special way with people he interacts with that makes them want to know more about him, and that’s exactly what I feel about Jason – I want to know MORE about him because I just can’t seem to get enough.

Watch Over Me Tour Stop: Review + Giveaway

(click the picture to see the master schedule of the tour)

Title: Watch Over Me
Author: Tara Sivec
Published: June 14th 2013
Purchase Links: Amazon | B & N
Synopsis:

Addison Snow is your typical teenager. She has a family that loves her, friends that make her laugh, and she's wrapped up in the excitement of graduating high school and going off to college to pursue her dream of becoming an author. When her mother, who also happens to be Addison's best friend, dies unexpectedly, her world comes to a crashing halt. 

Death changes everyone... 

To make the pain go away, Addison and her father travel down separate, dark paths. She chooses to end her grief forever, while he drowns his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle. How do you learn to live again when the most important person in your life is gone? 

Addison struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. Instead of getting back to being the carefree teenager she once was, she's stuck handling all of the responsibilities that should have been her father's. She has no time to grieve, no time for emotions, and no time for happiness...until Zander Reinhardt walks in. All it takes is one little handwritten note on a napkin to kickstart her back to life and help her realize that maybe there's more to that life than pain.

But can it really be that simple? Can she really trust this man who makes her feel alive again for the first time in a year? 

Addison and Zander both have secrets they aren't ready to share. When the truth finally comes out, is it enough to tear them apart or has something bigger than themselves always been watching over them, pushing them together, making sure they both get their happily ever after?

My Thoughts

REAL. RAW. RAVISHING.

The three words you just read pretty much sums up my thoughts about Watch Over Me. You know what? Tara Sivec instantly got me in her opening line…

Death changes everyone.

It’s what happens in the real life where there are no castles and kings and queens or princes to save the day and fight the bad guys. The world that we’re living in is a harsh, cruel world where bad things happen and sometimes, there’s nothing we can do about it.

In Your Dreams: Author Interview + Giveaway

Title: In Your Dreams
Author: Amy Martin
Published: August 16th 2012 
Purchase : Amazon | Smashwords | B&N
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Zara “Zip” McKee lives for three things: basketball, books, and bailing out of tiny Titusville, Illinois, where the junior high and high school are in the same building and everyone’s known everyone else since birth. But when Kieran Lanier moves to town and passes out on her desk on his first day at school, Zip’s life gets complicated in a way she never dreamed. 
Kieran has narcolepsy, and although he sometimes struggles to stay awake, he has no trouble capturing Zip’s heart and trusting her with his most guarded secret–he sees bits and pieces of the future in his dreams. 
But just when Zip thinks that maybe she can handle having a boyfriend who sees things before they happen, her budding relationship with Kieran gets a jolt when Kieran’s parents reveal that his sleeping disorder is not what it seems and may be putting them in harm’s way. And when Zip begins to have unsettling dreams, she must decide if she can live with knowing the future in advance when she’s afraid of what might happen.

                                    Interview with Amy!

Hi Amy, welcome to Say It with Books!

Narcolepsy, that's a never seen before approach in YA-Was there something in particular that inspired you to address this issue?

I knew I wanted to address dreams as part of the books, and waking dreams can be a symptom of narcolepsy. I also wanted to give Kieran and Zip a challenge that isn't normally seen in YA--they're struggling with all of the usual relationship drama, but Kieran's condition adds a twist. I've also had family members who suffer from dementia and related memory issues, so I'm just fascinated in general with how the brain works (or doesn't).

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

I accept the criticism, eat some chocolate, and move on. If I see the same types of negative comments popping up in reviews, that's a clue to me that I need to work on something in my writing. So, in that sense, there's really no such thing as a bad review.

What book/s will you never get sick of reading no matter how many times you read it?

Wow--this is hard. One that comes to mind is Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes, which has finally been made into a movie (I'm so pumped!). I think I read that book a million times when I was in grade school and early high school. Even now that I'm long past adolescence, that book still rings true for me.

The Bad Girls' Club: Author Interview + Giveaway

Title: The Bad Girls' Club
Author: Kathryn O'Halloran
Published: December 22nd 2012
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iTunes
Synopsis:

The Bad Girls' Club: it's about sex, it's about dares but most of all, it's about friendship.

When Imogen, Juliette and Beth are seated together at a wedding, they have nothing in common but their resentment of the bride, Poppy. A risque prank draws them together and they decide to form the Bad Girls Club - a last ditch effort to free them from the shackles of keeping themselves nice. 

The club rules are simple. Each girl must complete a dare pushing them way out of their comfort zones. 

Imogen puts the club in danger with her first dare. It seems nothing she does works out quite right until she is approached by the one man she thinks she can never have, the one man she should never have - Poppy's husband, Daniel. 
When Juliette is transformed by a bad girl makeover, suddenly she's the girl everyone wants. Why would she be satisfied with one man when two are even better? But Juliette's evolution doesn't end there! 
Beth is happy to be a bad girl - so long as no one else finds out, so long as it doesn't interfere with the rest of her life and so long as she is in control. It's just a pity Juliette is developing a mind of her while Imogen's breasts are testing her ideas of appropriate desire. 

Are the girls ready to finally take the final leap that will have them branded as bad girls for real? To save the club, and each other, they each have to publicly acknowledge their darkest secrets.

 

                                     Author Interview

Give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline:

The Bad Girls' Club- chick lit.

The Bad Girls’ Club – it’s about sex, it’s about dares but most of all, it’s about friendship.

How did you come up with the idea of writing about The Bad Girls' Club?

I really liked the idea of dares so I started thinking about what would happen if a group of "nice" girls got together and dared each other to do some crazy stuff. 

Do you also have a 'bad girl' side to you? If so, how?

Review + Giveaway: Vigilant - Angel Lawson

Author: Angel Lawson 
Title: Vigilant
Published: April 23 2013
Buy: Amazon
Source: Author
Synopsis:
Ari Grant spends her days helping the troubled youth of Glory City, and her nights trying to feel something other than the cold numbness that has settled in her bones. For years, she satisfies this urge with trips to the tattoo parlor or late night clubbing, but everything changes when she becomes a victim of an armed robbery.
She manages to escape notice from the gunman, a former client, but only because she’s saved by Glory City’s own Vigilante. A hooded man who has impeccable timing when it comes to those in need.
It seems Ari isn’t the only one trying to save lost souls or looking for a life outside their job. She’s caught the attention of Nick Sanders, a handsome attorney at juvenile court. Solid and steady, he seems the perfect fit, but Ari has developed an obsession with Davis, the mysterious and sexy director of a local fight club that rehabilitates delinquent boys.
Each of these men fight for the less fortunate, but not everyone has altruistic motives. When Ari’s female clients begin to disappear, she can’t figure out who to trust. Soon enough it becomes obvious that while Ari watches over the kids of Glory City, someone else has taken to watching over her.

    My Thoughts

I stumbled across Vigilant on Christina's (A Reader of Fictions) Cover Snark feature. I knew I'd pick this book up sooner or later because of it's super gorgeous cover! That was until I read the synopsis. A Vigilante?! Holy Smoking Batman, I wanted it ASAP.

He was like Batman or Superman or The Green Arrow, but not the made-up fantasies of men who never grew up and who sketched their heroes into comic books. He was real, and he’d just saved Ari from four armed gunmen. He was the Glory City Vigilante.

Pity Isn't an Option: Excerpt + Giveaway

Title: Pity Isn't an Option
Author: Jessica Brooks
Published: March 8th 2013 by CreateSpace

Purchase Links: Amazon | B & N | 
Smashwords | The Book Depository

Synopsis:

Seventeen year-old Jonas' blood disorder has taken away everything that matters. Sixteen year-old Hattie's father has gone and lost his marbles. When Jonas' perfectly healthy twin brother and Hattie's crazy dad are drafted into the President's army, Hattie's dad disappears. Jonas and Hattie embark on a journey to find him, and find something they'd lost long ago in the process.
                                                                         

Excerpt

The photo that set the mood for the scene

There’s a small wad of ugly, gray fuzz with googly eyes glued to the top of it, perched at an odd angle atop my mailbox. Which means Jonas is waiting for me nearby, so I look up the hill, past Gran’s house. Something’s moving off behind her back fence, heading up the path. The sun is nearly down, but I have a few minutes.

Instead of finding Jonas behind the fence, however, I find a second fuzzball man. This one’s wearing a little paper hat made out of a clip from our local newspaper, the Wanless Wanderer. The hat is in the shape of flags you see sometimes on toothpicks, cut from some sort of recent picture because it looks as though he has two eyes sitting on the top of his head. It’s a little bigger than what I can remember as an average-sized cherry. A perfect size for the big ball of lint, if I do say so myself. I try to remember how much heavier a cherry is as I nestle Mr. Fuzzy carefully in my palm and walk up the Norton’s driveway. My mouth puckers. This food imagining needs to stop, I think, as my stomach growls. And right before I knock, a psssstt! sounds loudly somewhere off to my right.

Jonas is at the mountain line, hiding behind a tree where the hills begin, next to his parents’ ancient, now used as a storage unit for who-knows-what, falling-apart camper. He’s curving a finger in the air, motioning at me; tiny little birds fly in and out of the tree as I rush over.

“What are you—”

S. Walden: Guest Post + Giveaway

 Recently a guy friend of mine asked me why women read New Adult fiction—specifically older women my age. First I had to explain to him that I didn’t much care for the adjective “older.” Then I had to remind him that age was just a number. After we cleared that up, I told him what I thought based on the feedback I’ve gotten from close friends.

 New Adult seems to be the “it” genre right now. Everyone wants a piece of it: publishing houses, authors, agents, and most importantly, fans. So what gives? Why is this the hot trend of the moment? And what exactly is New Adult anyway? If you’ve read my post titled “The Genre Dilemma,” you know I really don’t have a clue what New Adult is. I know the hero/heroine is supposed to be between the ages of 18 and 25 or 26, and the storylines usually either take place in college or maybe high school (if the MCs are seniors). But that’s about it. There’s way more that goes into it than that, I suspect, because I have a lot of people telling me Going Under is misclassified. Some say Going Under should be labeled Adult fiction. Others think it should be Mature YA. And still others are happy with it being in the New Adult genre. So maybe content is also a factor. Too much controversy and sex moves a book up to the Adult genre? Even if the MCs are in high school? I don’t know, but I’m digressing.

One thing I know for sure: when you read New Adult you’re reading young people’s stories. And that’s exactly why my guy friend wanted to know why a 32-year-old woman would care to read the story (and usually perspective) of an 18-year-old girl. My response? I think there’s a bit of magic in New Adult literature that lures readers of all ages. I know I’ve heard from women ages 20 to 50 who’ve read (and loved) Going Under. So what’s that magic? Well, I think it’s the fantasy of “what if.” What if I were like that my senior year? What if I had a boyfriend who treated me that way? What if I could have experienced that in college before graduating?

It’s a bittersweet “what if.” I think everyone reads to escape their realities, but I think women take it a step further. We don’t just want to escape; we want to imagine. To dream. We want to fantasize about a life we never had. And this may be for several reasons. She could be that woman in a bad marriage who needs to read hopeful love stories. She could be restless and need inspiration for action. She may need one really good cry. She may need to revisit her old self and remember that she’s still that girl—that girl who’s been buried for too long and needs to reemerge. And this is every woman. Age is no factor. So that’s what I think is the appeal of New Adult and why women of all ages like to read it. I know that’s why I like to write it.

Little White Lies by Erin Lawless: Author Interview + Giveaway

Title: Little White Lies

Author: Erin Lawless

Published: February 16th 2013 by CreateSpace

Purchase Links: Amazon UK |
Amazon | B & N | WHSmith | 
Smashwords

Synopsis:

Miles and Nicky are getting married. 
Unfortunately, their wedding party is a tangle of ex-housemates, ex-friends and ex-lovers. 

Leigha, Sukie and Harriet used to be the best of friends.
Unfortunately, there are some things you just can’t forgive.
Johnny thought that Leigha was the love of his life.
Unfortunately, he still thinks that; even more unfortunately, she never loved him at all. 
Adam and Harriet might have been something, once. 
Unfortunately, now Adam isn’t even sure if he’s going to be able to look her in the face. 

So this wedding isn’t just a wedding, it’s a reunion. 
Can anything be salvaged from the past? And what really happened between them all, back at university? 

With a playful but firm grasp of the zeitgeist, Little White Lies moves back and forth between 2007 and 2012 and seven characters to build up a rich and compelling story, in turns funny and sad, but always honest, about friendship in all its forms and the practicality of second chances. 

This novel is a New Adult (British) contemporary novel, recommended for readers aged 17+ due to language and mature situations.                           

Author Interview

• What is the craziest prank you've pulled on someone?

I am racking my brain but I don’t think I’ve done anything truly worthy of being called a “prank”. There was lots of hiding under beds and jumping out of cupboards and from round corners to scare people during my university years. Once, my boyfriend and his housemate collected about a hundred ‘calling cards’ (you know, the ones with naked ladies on them advertising certain services…) and put them in their other housemate’s bedroom. He kept on finding hidden pockets of them for a year or more… the last few were in fact found by his mother when she came to help him pack up his room after graduation…

• List your top 3 addictions

Black, sugary English Breakfast tea; Goodreads; Wicked the Musical, which I have seen 13 times.

After Forever Ends - Melodie Ramone: Review + Giveaway

Title: After Forever Ends

Author: Melodie Ramone

Published: October 1st 2012 by Gingersnap Press

Purchase Links: Amazon | 

Amazon UK | Amazon.ca | 

B & N | Smashwords

Synopsis:

Orphaned by her mother and brushed off by her dad, fifteen year old Silvia Cotton had lived a lonely life. That is until 1985 when her father moved the family from the Highlands of Scotland to the Midlands of Wales. It is there she was enrolled in Bennington, a private boarding school, met the charming and rebellious Dickinson twins, Oliver and Alexander, and her regrettable life was changed forever. 

Locked into a fierce friendship with Alexander and lost to a whirlwind romance with Oliver, Silvia found herself torn away from everything she thought she knew. Married too soon, she moved with Oliver to a rustic cabin deep in a Welsh wood and embarked upon a life she'd never planned for, surviving on hope she never knew existed and faith she never knew she had. She made her way through university and onto a career, only to surrender her ambition to raising her children and living a life that was strikingly "normal". But what is normal? Certainly not what ensued in the wood. 

True love, faeries, friendship, loves lost and gained. Old magic, fate, doubt, strength and courage, Silvia's story could belong to anyone, but it is her own. Simple yet extraordinary, told in retrospect with wit and candor, Silvia recalls a life of joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. As she unravels the tangled web of her days, she reveals the secrets that exist in an ancient wood, how hearts given freely can become the stuff of magic, and how true happiness was never any further than her own back garden.

My Thoughts

I don't know how I finished reading After Forever Ends in 2 freaking days, but I did. Well, maybe because I can't put it down, and because Oliver and Silvia are just so adorable that I can't afford to waste my time not reading about them. 

After reading it, I was really contemplating about it. About Oliver and Silvia.. And I realized that both of them did have flaws, even if they weren't so obvious in the story because it is not the main point of it, but despite that, they loved and accepted each other wholeheartedly. In the middle of the story, I was wondering what tragic thing will happen to them, really, I was waiting, but none came. And that's the beauty of it.

Truly, Madly, Deeply, You-Cecilia Robert

Title: Truly, Madly, Deeply, You
Author: Cecilia Robert
Published: March 21st 2012-Inkspell Publishing

Synopsis:
Four days before Valentine’s Day, Liese Hansfeld is determined to shut the door to her house, as well as her heart, for her annual four days of mourning her one true love. Little does she know her best friend Freytag Meier is just as determined to keep her from her ritual. He’s ready to pick the lock to her apartment door and camp in her living room if that’s what it takes.

What Freytag isn’t prepared for is the surge of deep-rooted emotions he feels for Liese, but two things stand in his way: the grief and guilt she still clutches close to her heart, and a man who threatens to snatch Liese from under Frey’s watchful eye. Frey is determined to distract her into forgetting her pain. But is that enough to ease her grief, or help her see he can be more than her best friend?

Excerpt

Liese walked out of her bedroom and paused just outside the sitting room door, wondering if Frey was on the other side waiting for her. She tugged on her gown and pulled at the bodice. How were her breasts going to remain hidden in the gown? For the tenth time, she cursed Frey for ordering the silk concoction.

He’d left the house. Her mind had been plunged in doubt, wondering if he would come back. Overwhelmed by both her revelation and exhausted from the effects of her medication, she’d slumped back on the bed hoping to keep an ear open for his return. Three hours later, she had woken up to find the box on top of the duvet at her feet. He had scribbled on the note that none of her ball gowns fit her anymore because of her ‘skeletal’ figure. Apparently, Frey had gone ahead and bought her a gown for the ball. It didn’t surprise her that Frey had done so. No. Growing up, they’d always gone shopping together for these affairs, or leased gowns and tuxedos for the ball season. What surprised her, and made her squirm, was the indecently low-cut bodice of the gown he had chosen for her. The silk, blood-red in colour, and the low neckline, combined to make indecent thoughts flash through her mind. What made it worse were the layers of petticoat beneath the gown. She had already tripped on them numerous times and she wondered how she was going to last the night. What kind of game was he playing at?

There was shuffling of feet from the other side of the door, and then it flew open to reveal Frey. He stood before her in black, long-tailed tuxedo, complemented by a white, single-breasted waistcoat, white shirt, and a sky-blue tie.

Had he always looked the way he now did?

“You clean up well, I must say.” Frey interrupted her curious studying.

She jerked her head up and locked gazes with him, just in time to see his eyes sweep over her head down to her toes. They lingered on her décolletage, and she saw the bobbing movement of his throat.

She cleared her throat noisily, and waited until he focused on her face. She swept a hand across her cleavage. “This? Really, Frey.”

He blinked innocently at her. She swept past him, almost tripping on the petticoats tangling at her legs.

“You don’t like the dress, Li?”

She whirled around and lifted the skirts, displaying an impressive array of crinolines. “How am I supposed to last the night? Unless I draw everyone else to my upper body, I think I’ll make a mess of it all. Why so Goth-Renaissance, anyway?”

Frey strolled to stand in front of her. “Turn around.”

“What?”

Indie-Self Published Author Event June 2013

Before I began blogging the terms 'Indie and Self-Published Authors' meant nothing to me. But in the past few months I've been lucky enough to meet and work with a lot of people from this amazing community! They are fun, professional and talented individuals. They are easy to work with and so far I have never had issues with any of them. 

So I've decided to do a little something to help connect these Indie and Self Published Authors with other book bloggers and readers.

Throughout the month of June, we will be hosting a bunch of these great authors as a part of the Indie and Self Published Author Event. Our ultimate goal in hosting this event is to spread the word about all those awesome undiscovered books.

Authors: If you'd like to participate in this event please sign-up using the Google Doc form given below and we will contact you as soon as possible. You can sign up for a maximum of 3 features(i.e. review, guest post, interview, giveaway, promo etc.)

*Please note that although we'd love to include everybody that's not possible so signing up does not guarantee a spot in the event.

Bloggers: Rachel and I will be hosting the main event here on our blog,Say It With Books. But we would also love to include you guys in this event!

You are more than welcome to host one or more Indie and Self Published Authors on your blog in June as a part of this event. You can choose to feature the author and his/her books by doing a review, guest post, interview, giveaway or a promo. Please use the form given below to sign up. :)

Once you sign up for the event don't forget to grab this button and add it to your sidebar!

Thank you very much for your love and support, we are very excited for this event!

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If you do have any suggestions/questions please leave a comment and we will try our best to respond! :)