Tiago by Catia Skye - Book Spot Light and Give Away

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Tiago, by Cátia Skye, YA Contemporary Romance

Two shattered hearts. One unstoppable love.

Nominate Tiago, by debut YA Romance author Cátia Skye, for consideration by Kindle Scout and you could win a $25 Amazon Gift Voucher, and you could get to read the book for free! Scroll down for excerpts, blurb, author info and, of course, the giveaway!

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New York, USA

Kezra, sixteen, dumped by her boyfriend of six months after he took her virginity, shocked by revelations about her father, falls into an abyss of panic and anxiety. On doctor's orders, she is sent on a vacation to get away from pressures.
Lisbon, Portugal

Tiago, seventeen, has lost more than most lose in a lifetime, believes implicitly in the inevitable Portuguese Tragedy, has left the thug-life, has left school, is just trying to survive each new day.
Neither of them is looking for love…

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Categories:

• Teen & Young Adult > Romance > Contemporary
• Romance > Series
• Teen & Young Adult > Literature & Fiction > Coming of Age
• Teen & Young Adult > Literature & Fiction > Geography & Cultures > Europe

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Excerpts

Kezra

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

I am no looker.
I'm not a dog either. But I am no looker.
Aylin used to say I was precocious. "Precocious when it comes to boys," she'd say.
By the time I was done dating Conor, I said I was nothing but a fool.
I started dating too early. Antoni was the first guy I ever saw. I was fourteen, close to fifteen, sporting braces on my teeth. We shared a kiss, nothing passionate, innocent.
Until he touched my breasts and I went cold.
Fourteen. Was he a freaking idiot?
Dawson happened after that. It lasted three months. I was more grown up, more developed. My breasts, especially, were more developed.
I hate my breasts.
But it was Conor who would thrust me into the black world of adulthood with an indignant slap I am certain I will never forget.

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I write because I am lonely.
I write because I hurt.
I write while tears drip from my eyes, turning the screen of my tablet into splotches of pixelated rainbows.

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The way I was brought into this world has nothing to do with how I feel about love.
It has everything to do with how I feel about myself.

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How much horror can a mind endure?
Are the pains of a sixteen-year-old laughed at by those older then her?
What pain did my mother suffer? ("Sometimes I went without food so that I wouldn't have to take that bastard's money, Kez.")
My pain is nothing compared to what hers must have been. And yet, the pain I feel is phenomenal.

Tiago

P.S. I Love You (2007)

Just before the sun rises, when the world is silent and the River Tejo laps gently at the stone steps leading to the giant Praça do Comércio square, leaves of golden sunlight shimmer above the surface of Lisbon's great river. This is my favorite time to sit on these steps, flicking stones into the water, letting my gaze drift west toward the ocean.
And I think of her.
I do not weep anymore. My eyes are dry. I have wept this entire river twice over and still that will not bring her back.
The seagulls taunt me, cawing in accusation. I should have moved faster, they say. I should not have been so complacent with my joy.
I never deserved that joy. I know it.

Tiago

Deadly is the Female (1950)

It is the week for meeting Americans. And if I thought my encounter with Dahlia went bad, then I can only compare my meeting with the one called Kezra to something just short of a nuclear war. It's my fault, mostly. But it's also her fault.
I would love to say that our first encounter is quaint and sweet, that it is the type of first-meeting you expect from a Rom-Com.
It is not.
It is a disaster.
And I am nothing short of a hungover bastard.
But let's call a spade a spade. Guilt must be placed where guilt belongs. And this chick is a real stinker of a piece of work too.
I guess you could say I started it.
I did.
But she contributes gladly to the atomic chain reaction which follows.
Dare I say, I think she even revels in it.
Copyright © 2017, Cátia Skye. All Rights Reserved.

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Giveaway!

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About Cátia

Cátia Skye is a New-York-born, Portuguese-American gal who now resides in the romantic heart of Lisbon, Portugal. She is the single mother of one rambunctious little boy, and pens romance novels between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. each night when her boy finally falls asleep.
Tiago is her first novel.
Visit Cátia's Website

Until next time,

Fixing Sydney by Diane Zparkki - Book Spot Light

Young Adult Romantic Suspense

Date Published:  August 1 2016

Sydney Sommer’s world fell apart after senior prom. Since then, her life had become a constant loop of unfortunate scenarios that kept her in constant fear of what might be lurking around the next corner. Her trust in others was at a standstill. Even those who were closest to her were held at a distance.

After serving active duty overseas, Jaxon Triggs moved away from his hometown, hoping the change in scenery would help him build ator new future for himself. What he wasn’t expecting was to fall for a girl who was broken.

From the first moment Jaxon laid eyes on Sydney, he was curious. He became determined to do everything he could to break through the armor Sydney held around her so securely. His instinct to protect her and keep her safe kicked in as the dangers she encountered became more personal.

With dread always looming close by and secrets discovered, would Sydney be able to handle the new changes in her life yet heal at the same time?

About the Author

Diane Zparkki——lives in the greater Toronto area. She is a working mom, and with her husband, she has raised three great kids. She is a thrill seeker who usually drags her family along with her.

She was never a big reader or writer in her youth—Coles Notes were her best friend through college. Her enthusiasm for reading came later in life when she joined a book club. She loved those books, but she wanted raw, simple, and happily ever after with a bit of get down and dirty. That was when her love for bad boys on a Harley was set in motion.

After reading so many books, her mind started to create her first story, and she needed to get it out.

Fixing Sydney of the Branson’s Kind of Love trilogy is her first book, and she hopes you enjoy it as much as she has enjoyed having these characters running around in her head.

Contact Information

Website: www.Dianezparkki.com

Facebook: Dianezparkki@facebook.com

Twitter: @dianezparkki

Pinterest: diane zparkki

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/dianezparkki

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fixing-Sydney-Bransons-Kind-Trilogy-ebook

Barnes and Noble: https://www.amazon.com/Fixing-Sydney-Bransons-Kind-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01HFSQVAM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1485802210&sr=1-1&keywords=Fixing+sydney

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/fixing-sydney

Giveaway

Gift Card from Chapters

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Until next time,

Chameleon by Zoe Kalo - [Book Review]

Genre: YA/Gothic/Ghost/Multicultural

Word count: 55,000

Release date: February 2017

Premise:

Kicked out of school, 17-year old Paloma finds herself in an isolated convent in the tropical forests of 1970s Puerto Rico, where she must overcome her psychosis in order to help a spirit and unveil a killer.

Blurb:

An isolated convent, a supernatural presence, a dark secret…

17-year-old Paloma only wanted to hold a séance to contact her dead father. She never thought she would be kicked out of school and end up in an isolated convent. Now, all she wants is to be left alone. But slowly, she develops a bond with a group of girls: kind-hearted Maria, insolent Silvy, pathological liar Adelita, and their charismatic leader Rubia. When, yet again, Paloma holds a séance in the hope of contacting her father, she awakens an entity that has been dormant for years. And then, the body count begins. Someone doesn’t want the secret out…

Are the ghost and Paloma’s suspicions real—or only part of her growing paranoia and delusions? 

My Review:

I expected this book to be great even before starting it as this my third book from the author. Here are my earlier book reviews from the author Zoe Kalo - Daughter of the Sun and Korean and Lucy. 

The story starts when Paloma, a teenager is expelled from school due to her behavior and lands up in a convent which has some dark secrets hidden inside it. As she gets acclimatized with the environment and start making friends, she learns about some secrets and murders. How she reveals the real character of her roommate and handles the mind games of the killer forms the remaining story. 

The author's writing style is easy to follow with a smooth flow between events. Even though we predict the killer after reading half of the book, the mystery element is maintained on he/she would have done it and why.The climax is fantastic.The pace of the book is perfect, neither fast nor slow.The title of the book is very apt, but I feel, the book cover can be better. There are some formatting and grammar errors in my ARC copy which bothered me a little. 

What I loved?

The mystery element, climax, characterization, pace, flow

What I didn't like?

• A Specific scene is slightly confusing, where the author explains what happens when Paloma is drugged and a murder attempt happens on Adelita. 
• Some formatting and editing mistakes

My Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author:

A certified bookworm, Zoe Kalo has always been obsessed with books and reading. Reading led to writing—compulsively. No surprise that at 16, she wrote her first novel, which her classmates read and passed around secretly. The pleasure of writing and sharing her fantasy worlds has stayed with her, so now she wants to pass her stories to you with no secrecy—but with lots of mystery…

A daughter of adventurous expats, she’s had the good fortune of living on 3 continents, learning 4 languages, and experiencing a multicultural life. Currently, she’s working on a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature, which she balances between writing, taking care of her clowder of cats, and searching for the perfect bottle of pinot noir.

Connect with Zoe Kalo on the web: www.ZoeKalo.com / Facebook / Twitter

Until next time,

Grow up Messy by Paromita Goswami - [Book Review]

Title of the book : Grow Up Messy!

 (A Hilarious Coming of Age Series Book1)

Author  : Paromita Goswami

Genre :  Middle School, Teen and YA

Publisher :  Ficus India

Length - 171 Pages
Format - Kindle

Book Blurb

Childhood is considered to be the best time of one’s life. What if you get a chance to live it once more with a five-year-old? 
Misry, a naughty five-year-old girl, lives with her parents in a B.S.F border outpost near Indo-Bangladesh border. But with no schools and friends she feels very lonely. She tries to befriend some local village kids. But they find her incompetent in their rural antics. They nickname her Messy as most of the time she messes up their plan. Can Misry really be a part of the gang? 
Set in the early eighties, join Misry in the adventures of her life.

Purchase Links

Amazon kindle

 Nook    

Kobo

My Review

This is the story of a sweet naughty 5-year-old girl Misry who is called as Messy by everyone because of the mess she creates. Misry is the daughter of Anurag who works at Border security force and thus have to move to many places due to his dad'said work assignments. 

As expected, the story shows the world in the perspective of a 5-year-old, her naughtiness and her innocence. Like every other parent, her mother Madhavi sometimes says, 'Grow up Messy' because of the kids' naughtiness. Also, she loves the innocence, intelligence and energy of her daughter and prays inside her heart 'Never grow up, Messy'. 

That's very true of parenting right? Even though kids annoy us with their childish behavior, they are adorable too. We want them to become mature but worry that we miss their innocence and naughtiness. As I am already managing 2 year and 5-year-old boys, I could relate to this feeling.

More than the childhood adventures of Misry, I learned about the lifestyle and sacrifices of the families of army who protect our country day and night to keep us safe. These lines from the book are worth a mention

“Men in uniform have no time to look behind for their family. Restoring peace and harmony had always been foremost for them. Salute to their wives who are so strong willed that even in situations like these they know how to take control of themselves and let their men march away for the nation without any frown on their forehead.” 

Misry is adorable and intelligent for her age. Her mother Madhavi shows good patience while managing misry and clarifying her doubts. Anurag is an ideal father and the way he deals the problem when misry stops going to school for a silly reason is very nice. The characters of misry's dadu and dadi, pallavi mashi, honey etc are portrayed very well and make the story strong. I loved reading this book in a 5 year old perspective and would recommend this to parents as well as children. The ending felt abrupt though it says to read second part of the book series. It might have been better. The book cover and title are apt. 

My Rating:
3.5/5

Ps. I have received this book from the Author for review and this is my unbiased opinion on the book. 

About the author 

Paromita Goswami is a writer and storyteller by passion and a rebel by choice. She says the world is full of stories and as a writer she loves to pen them down. Her work is not genre specific. From literary fiction to children book to upcoming paranormal thriller and women fiction, Paromita Goswami‘s books offer the variety of life to her readers. Grow Up Messy! is her second book. She debuted in 2015 with Shamsuddin’s Grave, a literary fiction. Besides writing, she is also the founder of reading club that enhances book reading habit in children. She lives in central India with her family.

Until next time,