Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites is a weekly meme hosted here, that spotlights a favorite author, book, series, publisher, cover, blog, etc. Basically whatever bookish thing that you love, recommend, and want to tell others about. Just pick one and link up to my post each Friday to share. You can use the graphic I used above, the other one here, or your own.

This week and next are extremely busy for me, so I won't be picking a favorite unless I miraculously get some extra time. I would like to know if you have a favorite to share this week though. If you do, leave a link or a comment down below in comments. Have a fabulous weekend!

Review: The Fire Wish by Amber Lough

The Fire Wish

(The Jinni Wars #1)
by Amber Lough

YA Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Hardcover, 320 Pages
July 22nd 2014 by Random House Children's

Summary

A jinni. A princess. And the wish that changes everything. . . .

Najwa is a jinni, training to be a spy in the war against the humans. Zayele is a human on her way to marry a prince of Baghdad—which she’ll do anything to avoid. So she captures Najwa and makes a wish. With a rush of smoke and fire, they fall apart and re-form—as each other. A jinni and a human, trading lives. Both girls must play their parts among enemies who would kill them if the deception were ever discovered—enemies including the young men Najwa and Zayele are just discovering they might love.

   

Review Briefs: Insomnia, Dead Girls Don't Lie, and Will the Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up?

Here are some more review briefs for books that probably deserve full reviews. I finished all of these over a month ago and just need to get reviews up for them. Here we go...

Book Blast: A Portrait for Toni by Annette Lyon

A Portrait for Toni

by Annette Lyon

Adult Romance
Ebook, 279 Pages
September 4th 2013

Summary

Toni has no idea what she’d do without her best friend, Carter. Who else would she be able to vent to about her parents, her job at the dance studio, or her latest relationship woes? When Toni’s father lands in the hospital, Carter, as always, is there for her.

That is, until he starts questioning Toni, saying he thinks she has an eating disorder. Then she starts dating Clint, the hot new guy at the studio, and somehow that puts a deeper wedge between her and Carter. When she’s hospitalized after an on-stage collapse, and Carter stupidly starts in with advice about food and weight, she sends him away—then instantly regrets it.

One night after a performance, Toni tries to mend the hurt between them. Instead of finding Carter, she stumbles onto proof that he has feelings for her that go way beyond those of a friend. Toni is left with the very real prospect of losing Carter forever, unless somehow she can return his feelings—but that’s impossible.

Isn’t it?

  

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: When I Fall in Love by Susan May Warren

When I Fall in Love

(Christiansen Family #3)
by Susan May Warren

Christian Contemporary Romance
Paperback, 400 Pages
July 1st 2014 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Summary

Hawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d vacation, much less fall in love. But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in paradise, she is pulled—or maybe yanked—away from her predictable, safe life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime.

Max Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he feels most at home in the kitchen. Which is why he lives for the three-week culinary vacation he takes each year in Hawaii. Upon being paired with Grace for a cooking competition, Max finds himself drawn to her passion, confidence, and perseverance. But just when Grace dares to dream of a future beyond her hometown, Max pulls away.

Wrestling with personal demons, Max fights against opening his heart to a love he knows he should never hope for. And as his secrets unfold, Grace is torn between the safe path in front of her and what her heart truly desires. If love means sacrificing her ideal happily ever after, Grace’s faith will face its toughest test yet.

    

Waiting on Wednesday: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's my WOW pick for this week:

Release Day Grand Finale: Reign of Shadows by Melissa Wright

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Happy release day to

Reign of Shadows by Melissa Wright!

We hope you enjoyed getting to read the first eight chapters of Reign of Shadows!! If you missed any of the excerpts, you can go back (click on each stop to read the full excerpt) and read them now or you can purchase a copy of the book for yourself!

Launch

What do you hope readers will take with them when they read this last book in the series? 

To me, things really come full circle with the characters, their relationships, and the dilemma of facing their lot in life. I think they've learned a lot, they've definitely been through some trials, but it was nice to give them that sense of understanding and the chance to see how things truly are. They had to either accept it or fight to the end, but it was nice to give them the choice.

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway: Magnolia by Krisi Cook

Welcome to my tour stop for Magnolia by Kristi Cook! You can see my review here. Scroll on down for the book and author info, excerpt, and the fabulous giveaway!

Magnolia

by Kristi Cook

YA Contemporary
Hardcover, 384 Pages
August 5th 2014 by Simon & Schuster

Summary

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

    

Review: Magnolia by Kristi Cook

Magnolia

by Kristi Cook

YA Contemporary
Hardcover, 384 Pages
August 5th 2014 by Simon & Schuster

Summary

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

    

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

Welcome to my stop for this beautifully written book The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron. I have to say that I just love this cover and I think it fits the book so well! Scroll on down for my review and the giveaway, but first about the book...

The Butterfly and the Violin

(Hidden Masterpiece #1)
by Kristy Cambron

Christian Historical/Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Paperback, 329 Pages
July 8th 2014 by Thomas Nelson

Summary

A mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest corners of Auschwitz—and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan.

Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire for distraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl—a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes.

In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover, the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul, who may be the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together, Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron.

A darling of the Austrian aristocracy, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.

As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places: in the grim camps of Auschwitz and in the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.

   

Cover Reveal: Darkness Watching by Emma Adams

Hosted by Curiosity Quills Press

Darkness Watching

by Emma Adams

NA Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

September 1st 2014 by Curiosity Quills Press
Cover Artist: Amy Chitulescu

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Reese's Cowboy Kiss by Kimberly Krey

A themed book tour through Prism Book Tours.

Reese's Cowboy Kiss
(Sweet Montana Bride #1)
by Kimberly Krey
Adult Romance
Paperback, 307 Pages
May 13th 2014 by Candle House Publishing

Texan pageant winner, Reese Taylor, has a former classmate who wants her dead. Now she must leave her friends and family to enter a protection program on Emerson Ranch. A group of good-looking cowboys awaits her, but Reese has her eye on Blake Emerson, the one man too busy with the ranch to give her a chance.

Blake Emerson has no time to go lookin’ for love. He’s got a ranch to run, positions to fill, and an ache in his heart from love gone wrong. So when he agrees to harbor a witness to help on the ranch, Blake assumes his first two problems are solved. But he never dreamed his new guest would be a woman. One he was destined to lose his heart to.

With sparks burning hot and danger around the bend, one question lingers in his mind: Has he only added to his list of troubles, or has Blake just found the woman of his dreams?

*While this book is considered clean romance, it contains passionate kissing and a few mild curse words.*