Oct 20, 2014

Memory Lane Monday #30 ~ Forever by Maggie Stiefvater Memory Post


Memory Lane Monday is a weekly meme that Amber at Paradise of Pages and I, Kristalyn at The Sarcastic Palmtree, came up with. We have been wanting to re-read some of our favorites but feel overwhelmed by all the other new books coming out that our re-reads get put to the side. We have decided we don't want to put them aside anymore, so we will be taking turns putting up our reviews on our blogs throughout the month. This does not mean we won't keep up with recent releases, it just means we will make more time for those we have read before as well.


Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3)
then.When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

This memory post may end up being quite short because I have very little I remember about the end to this series.

I remember anxiously waiting for this book to be released.  It was one that I waited for anxiously because I was so in love with this series and I was not disappointed.

I know going into this book I had quite a lot of anticipation because there was quite a bit of the unknown hanging out there as to what would happen with Sam and Grace.

I know despite my short memory, I enjoyed Forever because I have raved about this series to friends over the years and although details tend to escape me I know this is a book I enjoyed and look forward to reading again after so long.

Here's how Memory Lane Monday works:
  • Each week the co-hosts will trade off with recapping when it is a re-read or what they have heard so far about the book and the other co-host will put up their review. 
  • The participants can read anything that they remember reading in the past, or something that they have wanted to read that has been around for a while and just haven't gotten around to reading it yet for whatever reason.
  • Participants can decide if they want to recap the book before reading it or just put up a review of what they read.
  • Anyone can join in, just please link back to our blogs as well as add your name to the linky so we can hop around and see what everyone is reading.
  • Please put our banner on your post as well, so we all look the same!
  • We ask you kindly to follow BOTH of our blogs.
  • Most importantly remember to just have fun! :)

We will be providing each week a linky that you will be able use to link your posts for us and everyone else to see as well. All we ask is for you to put up our banner as well as a link back to both hosts on your post. 

Oct 17, 2014

The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow ~ Blitz and Giveaway






The Secret Diamond Sisters (The Secret Diamond Sisters #1)
by Michelle Madow 
Release Date: 02/25/13
Harlequin Teen
381 pages

Savannah. Courtney. Peyton.

The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad—a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite.
Suddenly the Strip's most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past.

Buy Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million 
 Book Depository | iBookstore


Praise:
"Sexy and often electrifying ... Gossip Girl meets The Princess Diaries in a city that never sleeps." 
--Booklist

"This quick and entertaining read is filled with glitz and glamour ... get ready for one crazy and fabulous ride." 
--RT Book Reviews

Courtney is sixteen years old, and is the middle Diamond sister. She’s the responsible one—she studies hard, does well in school, is a student tutor, and works after school and on weekends to help out her family. Her main goal is to keep up her grades and do well on her SATs so she can get into Stanford, her dream school. She wants to major in English and someday get a career in publishing. She’s competitive with herself and always strives to do her best. 

Courtney’s closest friends are her sisters—with all the time she spends on school and work, she doesn’t have time for anyone else. She’s never had a boyfriend and is fine with waiting to date until college. (She doesn’t need any distractions right now!) She’s not into the high school party scene, and whenever she has time in her busy schedule, her favorite thing to do is read novels. She also loves listening to Broadway music (Phantom of the Opera and Wicked are her favorites) and would love to see a live show someday. 

She’s a natural early bird, and is always awake before her sisters. She could happily wear jeans, t-shirts, and flip-flops every day, and always goes natural with her makeup. Her favorite drink is chai tea. She’s quiet and reserved while first meeting someone, but she will do anything for the people she loves. She would love to travel the world to see historic sites and well-known museums, but it’s always felt more like a dream than a possible reality.

Book Two:
(cover linked to Goodreads)
(Available for Pre-Order)


About the Author



Michelle Madow was inspired to write The Secret Diamond Sisters series while walking through her favorite hotel in Las Vegas. The next book in the series, Diamonds in the Rough, launches in October. Prior to The Secret Diamond Sisters, she successfully self-published The Transcend Time Saga. A tireless promoter of her work, Michelle is active on social media networks and has toured across America to promote her books and encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. A graduate of Rollins College, Michelle lives in Florida ... but she loves going to Vegas.
To chat with Michelle and other fans about her books, join Michelle Madow's Street Team on Facebook!


Author Links:
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Oct 16, 2014

#TGIT Recap Week 3

To see last week's recap click here.
We can't believe Shondaland's Thursday Night Lineup started only a month ago.  So much has happened, but there's a lot that goes on during each show.  There's a lot to forget each week, and we understand that. Here's a good summary for each so you can be ready to watch the next episodes tonight!  Today's #TGIT Recap starts in 3...  2...  1...

On to our spotlight...
Grey's Anatomy
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   Got to Be Real
  Let's be honest, Grey's Anatomy has been great, but it's been awhile since we've had an excellent episode that touches us differently.  That's what this episode was for me.  There are so many things that happen and it's finally brought back something that I think has been missing for awhile now.  All I know is that I was feeling many different emotions, which is always a good indicator.
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  In the beginning, Meredith is talking to Alex whilst he's in the shower.  Jo isn't liking this new set up with Meredith butting in to her time with Alex.  Throughout the episode, Meredith hangs out at Alex's house all day, preparing him for his speech and looking into the possibility her mom was pregnant.  When Alex talks to her about Derek, she admits she hasn't told him and that they've been a little distant with each other.  It's pretty obvious that their marriage has taken a huge hit, but that's what is going to be exciting about this season is seeing them go through real problems in a real marriage.  They have a moment before their board meeting, and it's not a good one. She decides to just let it go and move on for a moment.
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   It's true... Maggie is her sister.  The first thought that came to Alex's mind was that Meredith should talk to Richard, especially with his history with her mom.  Needless to say, she was mad Richard didn't tell her, especially after knowing for about a week.  When he tells Maggie later on in the episode, not only is she mad, but she also thinks Richard never told her because he didn't want to be her father.  It's pretty sad since he really does want to get to know her, and he definitely deserves some good in his life.
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  It kind of surprised me that having a kid was still up in the air with Callie and Arizona.  Arizona is starting a fellowship, which will take up a lot of her time, and we've already started to see the stress hit from that.  Ultimately, they end up choosing to not get a baby... at the clinic, which ends up making Callie very sad.
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  Throughout the episode, Owen and Callie are working together to give an amputated veteran a fancy robot-like prosthetic leg.  When the tests don't work, Owen doesn't really accept it and Callie yells at him for making her do it in the first place because now she has to go in and tell the veteran to go home.  Their little fight gets the attention of Avery, who's deemed himself the "hall monitor" since he barely gets to do anything else anymore.  After talking to her, he offers to help place the nerves in the veteran's leg where they can go for the prosthetic to work.  Hunt realizes that he was wrong to force this on her, and that he needs something good to happen since Cristina's gone.
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In this episode, it's brother vs sister featuring April Kepner!  Amy and Derek keep on arguing over who is really in charge.  It's Amy's job, but Derek is supposedly better, he definitely is on paper.  Poor little pregnant Kepner is stuck in the middle of this match the whole time, being forced into making decisions by the other.  Once their patient dies, Amy blames Derek for not leaving her alone, for not letting her do her job as head of Neurosurgery, and it's all because he feels bad for staying.  Derek admits that he feels like Meredith didn't really give him an option, even though she says she didn't necessarily want him to give up his job in D.C.  
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  Finally, the other big battle of the night is between Alex and Bailey!  They both want the seat on the board, and the decision will be made that night.  Through much preparation, or lack thereof from Bailey, they present themselves to the board at the end of the episode.  When Alex gets called in first, Bailey starts to freak out.  Once he storms out, it's clear she got the board seat.  Hooray for Dr. Miranda Bailey!  Now we have to wonder what's going to happen to Alex, who has no job now.

Images: @GreysABC

Get out your best wine!
Scandal
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Inside the Bubble
  On the White House side of things this week, Mellie becomes obsessed with her own "murder" case.  She's so engrossed that she doesn't even visit Jerry that day.  The next day, at her meeting, she was kind of made a joke because witnesses came forward and proves she was right before she could actually do anything about it.  To escape further embarrassment, Abby gets her out of there with an excuse.  When Fitz calls her in that night, he thanks her for being good to them and that he owes her an apology for yelling at him.  She corrects him by telling him he owes her an apology for not learning her name... Abby.  I'm definitely proud of her growth these last few episodes!
  Jake finds Charlie and tries to get information out of him.  They make a deal: if Quinn can stay with Charlie for the night, he will say anything Jake wants to know.  Well, Jake got her to come, not telling her about the arrangement of course.  Right before Jake opens the door the next morning, the two share a kiss.  He told her that nobody would care that she's gone, except for him.  She's pissed to find out that he was right.  A little bit after her minor rant, Huck tells her that he'll look for her if she goes missing next time.
  It looks like Lizzie Bear's plans are starting to work out for her, which is not good.  Cyrus's relationship with the "prostitute" if that's what he really is, keeps progressing, and not in a good way.  Cyrus finally makes a payment for his "services" and now Lizzie's got ammo!  I just keep shaking my head.  It's not like Cyrus to be so reckless!  I can't wait to see what happens when he finds out.
  Olivia is going to have dinner with her dad, but she also wants to have Jake come with her.  At first, he refuses, but by the end he accepts the invitation.  When Olivia leaves the room for a moment, Jake threatens her dad to leave the country and hide, revealing he knows about Harrison's death.  Eli comes right back at him, saying that he will be the one standing over Jake when he dies.   
Image: @ScandalABC

 And don't forget about...
How to Get Away with Murder
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Smile or Go to Jail
   Lila Stangard
  In the flash back side of the story, there's a lot that happens.  Keating's (ex) boyfriend is looking for proof Sam killed Lila Stangard.  She needs to know if he did it before she takes on Griffin O'Reilly as a client.  He ends up lying to her, saying Sam is clear of any proof.
  Something Keating doesn't know is that Wes visited Rebecca and played "Lawyer", and wasn't really happy about it at first.  At the end of the episode, she takes the trophy from Connor and gives it to Wes.  She also announces that Rebecca will be her new client.  What's the twist to this?  Rebecca just confessed for a crime she didn't commit.
  In other news, Michaela found out that her fiancee had a quick fling with Connor.  He keeps being a jerk and taunts her about it the whole time.  She ends up getting second thoughts about the wedding, but her fiancee reassures her that it's all okay.  But is it really?  He never told her about it even though he probably should have.  What does that say about how much she can trust him?  Annalise warns Michaela about making sure she chooses the right husband.
  On the flash forward side of the story, they go back for the body, but first decide their solid alibi will be the bonfire!  My favorite quote was from Connor and was nicely said, "smile or go to Jail".   After they leave from burning the body, Michaela lost her ring.  Uh oh!

According to the preview, tonight is supposed to be a good one, especially Viola Davis' last 9 words.  Don't miss it!



Now that you're caught up, don't miss TGIT tonight starting at 8/7c on ABC!