Blog Tour: “Every Last Word” by Tamara Ireland Stone – Spotlight and Giveaway!

Hello everyone! Welcome to today’s stop on Tamara Ireland Stone’s blog tour for her brand new release, treatment Every Last Word. I have been wanting to read this book and was SO excited to be able to get my hands on a copy. I’m also excited to be seeing her in just a week at the RT Book Lover’s Convention! If you are there, ambulance please make sure to say hi!

I’m even MORE excited to be sharing all of this with you. We’re going to learn a bit more about Tamara, about her new book, I’m going to review the book and there’s an epic giveaway. So let’s get started!

About Tamara Ireland Stone

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Tamara Ireland Stone is the author of Time After Time and Time Between Us, which Melissa Marr praised as a “beautifully written, unique love story,” and has been published in over twenty countries. A former Silicon Valley marketing executive, Tamara  enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with her husband and two children. She lives just outside of San Francisco.

You Can Find Her At:

Her Website / Her Facebook / Her Twitter / Her Tumblr / Her Instagram / Her GoodReads

About Every Last Word

EveryLastWord

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand:  Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can’t turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn’t help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she’d be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam’s weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more “normal” than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Find the book at your local bookstore on June 16th or preorder at the following links:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iBooks / Book Depository

The Giveaway!

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One winner will receive: 

A Copy of Every Last Word

A Copy of Time Between Us and Time After Time

Giveaway only open to those with US addresses. Prizes provided by Disney Hyperion. 

To Enter: 

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Find this photo on MY instagram and repost it with the hashtag: #anerdgirlsaysTISgiveaway! You have until Thursday, May 14th to enter so get at it!

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Pasadena Loves YA: Spotlight on Morgan Matson + Giveaway!

Hello everyone! And welcome to my spotlight in the Pasadena Loves YA blog tour on the wonderful and amazing Morgan Matson!

I am INCREDIBLY excited about this event and am honored to be hosting such a fantastic author today.

But before we get into that, help let’s find out more about this event!

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When: 

May 23rd 2015 from 12pm to 4 pm

Where: 

Pasadena Public Library
285 East Walnut Street
Pasadena, click CA 91101

FREE EVENT! Giveaways and Refreshments! Free TOTE BAG to first 150 Guests! Make sure to share on Twitter, about it Facebook, Instagram using the hashtag #PLYA2015!

For most info, visit their website here.

Authors!

Keynote speaker Mary McCoy (author of Dead to Me) with Katie Alender, Victoria Aveyard, Alexis Bass, Julie Berry, Livia Blackburne, Virginia Boecker, Jessica Brody, Stephen Chbosky, Brandy Colbert, Ava Dellaira, Kody Keplinger, Liz Maccie, Morgan Matson, Lauren Miller, Alexandra Monir, Jennifer Niven, Romina Russell, Sarah Tomp, & Kiersten White

Book Sales

Provided by Vroman’s Bookstore, starting at 11 am! The event is also co-sponsored by Bridge to Books.

About Morgan Matson

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Morgan fell in love with YA literature while working in Vroman’s Bookstore! Her first book, Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, was inspired by her own road trips (and have inspired my friends and I to road trip as well!). She has written three novels with another on the way, and also writes under the pseudonym, Katie Finn. She lives in Los Angeles. All of her books take place during summer, which makes her perfect for this event!

Find Her At:

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / GoodReads

About Since You’ve Been Gone

Since You’ve Been Gone is Morgan’s most recent novel but make sure to check her debut novel, Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, and her sophomore novel, Second Chance Summer. 

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GoodReads Synopsis: The Pre-Sloane Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend.

Apple Picking at Night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a Stranger? Um…

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Wait … what?

The Interview: 

Nerd Girl: All of your books center on summer. What is it about summer that makes you want to set them during this time, both as Morgan and Katie? 

Morgan: I don’t know what it is exactly, but I certainly seem to keep returning to that time period, don’t I? I guess I like that there’s less structure during the summer — you don’t have the same school schedule, so you’re able to maybe have different experiences, maybe meet new friends, than you would during the school year. It also always seemed like there was the potential change in the summer in a way there isn’t in the school year.

Nerd Girl: What is your favorite part about summer? 

Morgan: I love it all! How long the days are, the weather, the feeling of possibility that seems to permeate every single summer.

Nerd Girl: Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on for the future? 

Morgan: I’m writing a book, as yet untitled, that’s coming out in 2016! I can’t say much about it yet. But rest assured, it’s also set in the summer! And then the conclusion of the Broken Hearts and Revenge trilogy, Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross, written as Katie Finn, comes out in summer 2016, as well.

Nerd Girl: What are three essential things you need for a good road trip? 

Morgan: Snacks, tunes, good road trip buddy

Nerd Girl: What are you currently binging on Netflix? 

Morgan: Just finished the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Loved it!

Nerd Girl: What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received? 

Morgan: “You can’t fix a blank page”. Meaning, better to write something bad and make it better than to not write anything at all, trying to make it perfect.”

Thank you SO much Morgan for being a part of this spotlight and interview!

The Giveaway!

Any 3 Books from the Pasadena Loves YA authors!

The giveaway ends May 20th and is US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tune in next week for a spotlight on the super fabulous Lauren Miller!

Event Recap: Star Wars Celebration!

I know. I know, shop I know, case I know. I’m so late on my recap. But April legit has been the craziest month ever. I don’t know why everyone seems to think that this is the best month to schedule every thing at the exact same time but apparently it is.

I first heard of Star Wars Celebration about two to three years ago when a friend of mine went to the one in Florida. I thought, ohmygod, this is the coolest thing ever and I need to go. Then I found out the next one was going to be in Anaheim. Right down the street from me. Heaven. Tickets went on sale about two years ago and I knew I had to go until I saw the ticket price. 140 dollars. At the time, I was legit making only about 100 dollars a week so there was just absolutely no way I was going to make this work.

Fast forward to about a couple months ago. I knew it was fast approaching and they kept announcing epic guests. Ian McDiarmid. Mark Hamill. Anthony Daniels. Kenny Baker. Peter Mayhew…and then the clincher, Carrie Freakin Fisher. I had to go. I learned I had a discount through my job (the House of Mouse) and knew that I just had to get there.

But an even better thing happened! I applied for press, because I have such a “why not” attitude and I was gifted a beautiful media pass, for four full days at the convention for FREE. AWESOME.

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I can’t even begin to explain the amazing time that I had that weekend. It was one of the best cons I’ve ever been to, even with the craziness of lines and the drama of the autograph tickets and all of that. I was surrounded by a million people that enjoy and love Star Wars just as much and more than I do. Everyone fangirled (fanboyed) together and there were so many cast members there and people in such epic cosplays and I can’t even begin to explain what a great time I had.

So instead of boring you will the details of all four days, I’m going to give you the highlights:

Taking pictures with everyone in their cool cosplays while I read my book. Which is something that I started doing with my friends at Disneyland and I decided it would be a super fun thing to do at the convention and omg it came out so great that now I’m going to do it all the time. It was seriously so much fun to do.

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There are a lot more but I just can’t even haha. They’re all so awesome. These are my favorites though.

Going to the Ian McDiarmid panel. For those of you who don’t know, he played Senator/Emperor Palpatine in the movies and he’s just so epic. His panel was seriously fantastic. He did a reading of the Shakespearean Star Wars and he just went into it, no problem. Seriously epic man.

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Family Feud: Star Wars style. Dark vs Light. SO hilarious plus my beautiful man crush Matt Lanter was on the panel (he does the voice for Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars, if you didn’t know). It was a TON of fun.

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UGH he’s so beautiful. Its not even fair. ;)

The Carrie Fisher panel. Seriously this was my main goal of the entire weekend. Because…its Carrie Fisher. Princess Leia. LIFE. And it was so much fun. She is one of the most eccentric people I have ever met and she’s such a weirdo, but if you know anything about her or her life, you totally get why. But her panel was totally wild and I had a blast.

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Taking our photo with Carrie Fisher. This actually might be the absolute best part of the whole weekend. We waited in line, and when we finally got up there, I was like, I’m doing it. I’m asking if I can kiss Carrie Fisher because WHY NOT. And I did it and it was beautiful.

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I will never ever ever ever ever ever get over the fact that I kissed Princess freakin Leia. Dream come true, I’m not even kidding. I’m pretty sure Princess Leia was my first girl crush. I still want to be her when I grow up. Except I want a pink lightsaber because…well…duh, its me.

Getting my Carrie Fisher autograph. It was such drama, seriously, I almost cried a couple times because they need to work on a better system for the autographs. Plus I finally was able to get in line because my ticket number was called, and THEN I proceeded to wait 3 hours in line. But I had to interview Karen Hallion, and I didn’t want to ditch out on that so I didn’t know what to do. Luckily one of the workers gave me a secret password that got me to the front of the line so that I could go interview Karen. Sweet!

So because Carrie’s line was so damn long, she wasn’t personalizing. She would either write “Leia”, something else that I honestly can’t remember or “Nice boobs”. Which is hilarious. She was talking to the guys in front of me and she wrote “Happy No Boobs Day” on their pictures and I could not stop laughing. Then I walked up and she was like, “whoa, you have BIG boobs” and I literally could not stop laughing. So she wrote that on my picture. She also said we looked like goobers in our picture.

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Meeting and Interviewing Karen Hallion. I adore her so much. She’s just so amazing and I love all of her Disney crossover art with Doctor Who and Star Wars and Harry Potter. I just love it. I was so excited to both be able to meet her and get the opportunity to interview her. Hopefully that will be going up on my YouTube channel quite soon!

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I know. I really should take the picture off the camera and upload that haha. I’m SO lazy. Worst. Blogger. Ever.

Seeing all the GIRLY stuff. Seriously. One of my biggest things is that you can be a total girl and still be into nerdy stuff and be a badass. My favorite characters are the ones that are gorgeous and classy and all that but also are smart as hell and can kick ass. You shouldn’t have to choose, you should be able to be all of it. And I liked seeing that. My favorite was this awesome pink R2 unit. I want it. I’m still on the search for a pink lightsaber though…

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Going to Star Wars Night at Angel Stadium and Getting my Jedi Rally Monkey. Seriously guys. These are two of my absolute favorite things in ONE. You guys know how I feel about baseball and my Angels. Add in Star Wars and its like…the most beautiful thing in the entire world. I ended up leaving the game early because I went on short notice and didn’t have a jacket with me and it was freezing as hell, but its okay because I got my rally monkey and that makes me happy.

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All in all, it was a seriously epic weekend. I had such a blast, got to see all kinds of super cool Star Wars things, took a ton of amazing pictures (that I swear will be uploaded to FB super soon) and just had an amazing time. I’m super sad that the next one will be in London because I want to go again and there’s just NO way this girl is getting to London next year. Oh well. But again, a totally fun event. They need to work on their autograph system because that was frustrating as hell and really unorganized but other than that, I really did have SUCH a blast and I can’t wait til it comes back to the US so I can go again.

May the Force be with You!

*****

Book Release: Sweet by Tammara Webber + Review!

Congrats to Tammara Webber and her brand new release, healing Sweet!

I was lucky enough to get an early copy and be a part of the release day/week/month/time awesomeness. I adore Tammara a TON so I’m excited to tell you about her book today!

But first, viagra buy let’s learn a little bit about Tammara, in her own words.

Tammara Webber

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of EASY and BREAKABLE (Contours of the Heart series – NA), as well BETWEEN THE LINES, WHERE YOU ARE, GOOD FOR YOU and HERE WITHOUT YOU (Between the Lines series – YA/NA).

I’m a hopeful romantic who adores novels with happy endings, because there are enough sad endings in real life. Before writing full-time, I was an undergraduate academic advisor, economics tutor, planetarium office manager, radiology call center rep, and the palest person to ever work at a tanning salon. I married my high school sweetheart, and I’m Mom to three adult kids and four very immature cats.

You Can Find Her At:

Her Website / Her Facebook / Her Twitter / Her Instagram

About Sweet

Contours of the Heart #3

The best part of this though is you do NOT have to read 1 or 2 to read 3! Its part of a series of books taking place in the same universe but 3 stands alone from the first two!

Sweet

He’s the love of her life, but he doesn’t know it.

She’s his one moment of sacrifice in a lifetime of survival.

He was damaged and wild, but resilient.

She’s always been obedient. Now she’s restless.

Home for the summer between college and med school, Pearl Torres Frank knows two things: Boyce Wynn is the embodiment of everything she should run from, and everything she wants to run to. Rebellious and loud. Unconcerned with society’s opinion of him. Passionate. Strong. Dangerous.

And one more trait he hides from everyone but her:

Sweet.

Find the Book: 

Good Reads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iBooks

Seriously, try to get through some of these without splashing some water on your face!

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My Review 

I’ve been anxiously awaiting for this book to be released and I was really excited when an epub showed up in my inbox. I’ve been very lucky in developing a friendship with Tammara and getting to preview her books early. That being said, that also has NO influence on my review of this book whatsoever. Honest review, every time :)

This book was HOT. Tammara has always managed to write books about characters that are real and genuine and sexy as hell and she does that again in this novel. Both Boyce and Pearl drive you crazy and I kind of spent the whole book wanting BOTH of them. They’re both determined characters and they’re so frustrating as well. We get both point of views and so watching them both fall madly in love with each other, but be so pathetic and not realize their feelings are reciprocated was frustrating but it keeps you reading til the end.

I liked a LOT that it takes place in the same universe as Easy and Breakable so we get a little bit of Lucas and Jacqueline, because I adore those two so incredibly much and I was totally happy to get a little bit of them, even just the smallest bit we do get.

What I really love about this story, what really stands out about this one is that these characters have known each other for years, since they were children. They have a connection over the course of over a decade and so that makes the story different and unique and amazing. Don’t get me wrong: I love romance period. And I love romance developed between two characters who meet and fall in love but there was something fun about these two characters who have ALWAYS loved each other, figuring it out as adults and finding their way to each other. It was beautiful. I loved every minute of it and I loved each character. They had a lot they were each dealing with it, and they dealt with it together and they grew up together. I really like their story a lot.

The only small beef I had with the novel was the end. There is an instance where a character returns and some sh*t goes down and…to me, it seemed sort of random and unexpected. I didn’t really mind that it happened, it just seemed to come out of nowhere. Like, whoa, hey, random plot twist…Like I said, not necessarily a totally bad thing but it threw me off a little bit.

All in all, another win for Tammara. I told her as soon as I finished it: keep writing and I’ll keep reading and I definitely stand by that :)

Rating: 

4 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: Royal Wedding ARC by Meg Cabot

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Adult, salve Contemporary, treat Romance

Pages: 

 

Part of a Series?:

The finale book of the Princess Diaries series. Keep in mind! The first 10 are strictly YA while this is an adult novel!

Release Date: 

June 2nd, 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

Check your local bookstore!

GoodReads

Barnes and Noble 

Book Depository

Author Website

GoodReads Summary: 

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia’s gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn’t need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.

But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother’s leaked “fake” wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia’s father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone–especially herself–that she’s not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

My Review:

Getting my hands on this book meant the absolute world to me. The first time I read the first Princess Diaries book was when I was 12 years old. I am now 27 years old so you know how long I’ve been reading Meg Cabot and how much these books truly mean to me. I’ve been trying to get my hands on this book for ages and I legitimately cried when I did.

This book is exactly what I could have ever wanted in a final PD book. I’ve been waiting since I was twelve years old for Mia and Michael to live happily ever and in this book…we actually get to see this happen. It’s like…legitimately a fairy tale coming true! I’ve always loved the two of them together and loved that they managed to end up together in the end…as they should!

But it’s more than that! I grew up with Mia Thermopolis. I’ve always felt incredibly close to her as a character, she’s also felt very familiar and relatable. I’ve always wanted to find my own Michael Moscovitz. I followed her through her awkwardness of high school, figuring out friends and boys and school and all of that. I love revisiting the books but this book was amazing. It was written for us that have been around for years. Mia has grown up and so have I and the rest of the fans. Reading Mia’s diary again, as an adult, with problems that I legitimately understand because we are basically the same age. I loved it. I loved seeing them get engaged and having sex and growing up, renting apartments, doing adult things. It felt so weird but so right.

But I also loved that Mia was still SO Mia. She’s grown up but she’s still also awkward and she still does silly things and freaks out over the small things and I love it. I also love that there were surprises in the story that I didn’t expect and it was awesome. I was both extremely happy and bittersweet while reading this book.

Lastly I liked that we got to meet Olivia, Mia’s sister from Mia’s point of view. I have already read Olivia’s story but it was cool to read it from Mia’s side. Olivia sees Mia as cool and sophisticated and mature during the whole thing while we get to be in Mia’s head while she legitimately is like, what on earth is going on and I’m confused and what the hell do I do? It’s so Mia and I liked every bit of it. There was so much newness in this book, and honestly I thought it was an amazing end to the series. I thought Princess Diaries 10 was great and a fabulous ending but this one was just straight up perfect. I can’t imagine a better book to end one of my absolute favorite series!

Rating: 

5 out of 5 Stars