Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.
When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!
Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.
In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it's like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.
This debut novel is the first in Lauren Conrad's series. The book chronicles the lives of four Hollywood wannabe socialites as they begin their lives in the big city. Becoming reality TV stars overnight fosters drama, gossip, and backstabbing for the four girls. Does this sound like a familiar TV drama?
After becoming addicted to the show The Hills on MTV, curiosity caught me and I thought I'd read Lauren Conrad's book. The story told is fictional but has undertones of events that occurred on Conrad's MTV show. It was not hard to guess which character was mimicked after a fellow co-star. Revelations are made by the reader through the main character, Jane, creating an intriguingly delicious read. The book was written nicely with enough scandal to hold a reader's attention. Teens are the target market for this book and probably the audience that will really enjoy this book to it's fullest. But then again, I'm not a teen and I enjoyed it! It was an easy and fun read.
My rating: 4 lattes because it was a deliciously scandalous read with backstabbing characters you love to hate and flirty characters you want to root for!
Thanks to everyone who entered the Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle Giveaway! It was a huge success! Using Random.org I have chosen a winner. The winner's name will be passed along to Lori's Reading Corner and entered into the final leg of the giveaway! So who is the winner for this site, you ask? Drum roll, please!
Bing Yuan (icefairy)!!!
Congrats Bing Yuan! Your name will be entered into the final drawing on Lori's Reading Corner blog. Good Luck!
A huge thank you to all who entered and for all the new followers! You guys are the best!!!
One book I have been anxiously awaiting is Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker. Dekker is a master suspense and intrigue and a true literary genius. Here's a bit about his new novel from Amazon:
This story is for everyone--but not everyone is for this story.
It is a dangerous tale of times past. A torrid love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.
Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.
With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.
Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.
Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.
WOW! 100 followers! I'm speechless! A HUGE THANK YOU to all who follow this blog and leave comments and read my posts! I love being able to share my thoughts with you all and converse about different ideas and opinions on books! Thanks to you all!
Alex Finn's Beauty and the Beast reinvention title Beastly is being made into a movie. For this week only you can DOWNLOAD the entire book for FREE! If you click HERE you can download it and start reading asap! Here's a little bit about the book from Amazon:
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.
AND...the Audiobook Community website (where you can download Beastly) will have 2 free book downloads each week up until Sept. 1! Enjoy!
I don't know about you guys but I'm excited for Halo by 18 year-old Alexandra Adornetto. It looks amazing and I have been anxiously awaiting the release (8/31)! Here is the trailer for a sneak peek.
Carol @ Carol's Prints is giving away 7 ARCs including Torment by Lauren Kate and Halo by Alexandra Adornetto! Totally thrilled for these! There are many others including a signed copy of the hugely anticipated book Matched by Ally Condie! Hurry over there to enter! Originally it ended the 9th-but guess what?! You still have time to enter! Carol has extended the giveaway until August 15th!!! Hurry, hurry, hurry! There are extra entries up for grabs!
ABC Family has a show titled Pretty Little Liars based on Sara Shepard's young adult book series. The show, and the books, are huge hits! Here's a little about the books from Amazon:
In the exclusive Philadelphia suburb of Rosewood, Alison is the Queen Bee of her elite seventh grade hive. BFs Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily vie for her attention, even as each of them hides a hideous secret only Alison knows. So when Alison goes missing after a slumber party, never to be seen again, each girl is heartbroken, but also a little relieved. Now it is three years later, and though the four girls have grown apart, they are each still hiding something. Artsy Aria is carrying on an affair with one of her teachers, fashionista Hanna shoplifts to accessorize her trendy outfits, blue-blood Spencer is sleeping with her older sister’s boyfriend, while straight-A Emily is trying to ignore her attraction to a new female classmate. When the girls begin receiving threatening text messages and emails that from someone known only as "A," they must confront the fact that against all odds, it appears Alison is back. Could Alison still be alive? And if so, why is she so determined to uncover all their dirty little secrets?Debut author Sara Shepard's shamelessly addictive blend of Desperate Housewives and I Know What You Did Last Summer is absolutely delicious. Her infusion of mystery and murder breathes new life into the tired genre of high society chick lit, and will give fans of Gossip Girl and The A-List something new to dig their French-manicured nails into. A cliff-hanging ending will leave readers craving the second title in the planned four-part series. --Jennifer Hubert--This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Enticing right? Well, at this moment you can read the ENTIRE 1st book online for FREE! How awesome is that? If you click HERE you can start reading it ASAP @ HarperTeen. Enjoy!
Title: Never Let You Go Author: Erin Healy Genre: Suspense, Supernatural Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2010 Pages: 352 ISBN: 1595547509
From Amazon:
Losing everything has Lexi clinging to her daughter. Hell is determined to loosen her grip.
It's been seven years since disaster struck her family. Lexi Solomon has held it all together since then--just barely.
But now Lexi is losing it. The husband who deserted her is back in town, wanting to see their daughter Molly. Her sister's shameless murderer is up for parole. An unsavory old friend is demanding payment for debts that Lexi knows nothing about and can't begin to meet.
And something else is going on--something Lexi feels but can't explain. A dangerous shift is taking place between this reality and the next. Forces beyond her imagination are vying for control.
A rare novel that will satisfy a wide range of readers, Never Let You Go explores the high-stakes decisions played out in the thin spaces between heaven and earth. As the enemy's grip tightens around Lexi, she will have to decide what's truly worth holding on to.
"Keeps you glued to the pages until the very last."--Tosca Lee, author of Havak: The Story of Eve
A mother's love is a dangerous thing to manipulate. Lexi is such a mother-working two jobs just so her and her daughter Molly can scrape by. With no help from a dead-beat husband who has drug charges on his record, Lexi's life seems to be as difficult as they come. But life has a way of turning difficult into unlivable. An unpleasant surprise form Lexi's past surfaces with incomprehensible demands and things begin to not only turn for the worse but also for the supernatural.
After reading Erin Healy's coauthored novels with Ted Dekker, I had no doubt that her solo debut novel would be stupendous. Truthfully, it was not only stupendous but breathtakingly astonishing! Healy creates a world where the characters come alive-as if they are living, breathing beings standing right in your living room. They are beautifully flawed with raw emotions that Healy conveys with brilliance. Healy's way with words is pure lyrical elegance. It is easy to become engulfed within the pages and forget you are reading a work of fiction. From the very first page the reader will be hooked to the point of ravishing. The storyline is a heart-clenching tale of good versus evil with spiritual ramifications. Some characters are virtuous while other are down right vile. But do you really know the characters who fall on each side? Twists and turns fuel the suspense-laced pages until the very end. This is definitely a novel that should not be missed! I highly recommend it!
5 lattes for epical writing finesse that draws the reader in deep and clenches around the heart with thrilling suspense!
~INTERVIEW with author Erin Healy~
I am absolutely thrilled to welcome author Erin Healy who graciously stopped by Coffeelicious Bookaholic for an author interview! Here is a little about her (obtained from erinhealy.com):
She began working with Ted Dekker in 2002 and edited twelve of his heart-pounding storiesbefore their collaboration on Kiss, the first novel to seat her on “the other side of the desk.”
Erin is the owner of WordWright Editorial Services, a consulting firm specializing in fiction book development. She lives with her family in Colorado.
Erin had this to say:
"The Irish girl in me has long been fascinated by the concept of thin places, a Celtic name for locations where the veil between physical and spiritual realities is so slim that a person can see through it. For me, thin places are revelations, bridges between the seen and unseen elements of our lives. Read my books and journey with me into the mysterious places where the spiritual world intersects what is familiar to us, and changes it forever."
And now, let's find out more from our featured author!
1. What are three fun quirks your readers don't know about you?
(1) I'm a great (to the 8th or 9th power) niece of Daniel Boone. (2) I learned to parallel park in my great-grandmother's 1970 Chevy Caprice. (3) I caught a cold after walking on the English moors that inspired Wuthering Heights. Completely depressing.
2. What is the most memorable book you've read recently?
Ooo, so many good ones to chose from. Today--most recent!--I'm reading Jane Kirkpatrick's new novel, The Daughter's Walk, a fictional account of Clara Estby, the daughter of Helga Estby, who walked together from Spokane to New York City in 1896. Helga's true story is told in Linda Hunt's nonfiction book Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America. I won't soon forget Jane's take on Clara's emotional journey through social scorn and relational tragedy in her search for the true meaning of family. Jane is an amazing writer. The Daughter's Walk will be published in 2011--watch for it.
3. The characters in your book seem so real that I not only found myself pulling for some characters while smiling at my dislike for others, but also really relating to their emotions. Do you ever find it difficult to write relatable characters?
When Ted and I wrote Burn, Janeal was tough! She had a strange role, being a protagonist and antagonist at once. (People who've read Burn will know what I mean.) I worried a lot about her being too unlikable while needing readers to care about her. I'm sure people disagree about whether Ted and I pulled that off. In my upcoming book, The Promises She Keeps, some of the story involves the point of view of a man who has autism. That was also a challenge, because people with autism are characteristically difficult to relate to. Social interactions with them are hard, in real life and on the printed page!
4. Do you have any essentials (music, coffee/tea, a specific place, etc.) when it comes time for you to write?
I need almost-total silence. I was the college nerd who always worked at the library because the dorms were too noisy. The sounds of my children (and husband!) bouncing balls on the floors above my office are not a problem, but TV, music, background chatter--out. Like most moms, I'm really good at multitasking, but my writing self will have none of it; writing (as editing) demands all of my brain.
5. Prior to publishing your first solo book, Never Let You Go, you co-authored two novels with Ted Dekker. I imagine there are various trials when it comes to collaborating with another author versus writing independently. Do you find it more or less challenging to write unaccompanied?
Both, really. What's more challenging is the sense of being alone. Working with someone like Ted, I could have instant feedback whenever I wanted it. Working independently, not so much. There's lots of feedback after the first draft is on paper, but the daily process of knocking that out is more isolated. On the other hand, writing alone means having total creative control. And I can't say I don't like that. (Insert villainous laugh here.)
*A HUGE thank you to Erin Healy for stopping by and sharing some fun facts and insights! Thank you!
Check out these other books by Erin Healy: ~Kiss by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy ~Burn by Ted Dekker & Erin Helay
Coming Soon... ~The Promises She Keeps by Erin Helay (February 2011)
*Information regarding Erin Healy's bio and picture came from her website. Information on her upcoming book and book photo was found on Amazon. I did not alter the interview. The answers are Erin Healy's own words.
21 Pages is hosting a giveaway for these amazing ARCs! It's open to international residents with lots of ways to enter with extra entries. Hurry over there and enter because this ends August 20, 2010!!!
Clare Cosi, manager and head barista of the landmark Village Blend coffeehouse, has perfected the pulling of steaming hot espressos. But can she keep New York’s Bravest from getting burned?
Believing the two events are related, Clare investigates, staking out a five-borough bake sale and sniffing out clues in the pizza joints of Brooklyn. Then her detective boyfriend, Mike Quinn, is pulled into the fire of a false accusation and Clare is desperate to put out the flames. But will she be able to come to Mike’s rescue before someone tries to extinguish her?
"Coyle's strong 9th Coffeehouse Mystery pays tribute to New York City firefighters." ~ Publishers Weekly
A Note from Cleo Coyle
My husband and I have been living and working in New York City for over twenty years. Our Coffeehouse Mysteries—a unique blend of crime, romance, humor, and action—are set here, too, around a landmark Greenwich Village coffee shop called the Village Blend.
Through eight books now, our quirky town has fueled us with strange-but-true ideas for characters and plotlines from criminal to culinary. For the ninth entry in our series, we drew inspiration from yet another local source: New York’s Bravest.
It’s hard not to admire New York firefighters (and I’m not even going to flash you with the annual hunks in hardhats calendar). Oh, sure, they can be as cranky and crazy as the rest of us. After all, most of them actually like running into burning buildings. But I think of them more as knights in bunker gear.
Every day, these men and women beat back a new fire monster, rescuing citizens from the jaws of its wreckage. Their firehouses look like castle strongholds. Even their symbol is a knightly one—the Maltese Cross. “Every firefighter works in courage,” states the FDNY, “a ladder rung away from death, willing to lay down his life for you.”
Now that’s the stuff of heroes and (crazy or not) heroes inspire writers. In fact, the very idea of running into a burning building to save an innocent victim struck me as the perfect analogy for what Clare Cosi does in our Coffeehouse Mysteries.
A divorced single-mom in her forties, Clare is a coffee shop manager by day, an irrepressible snoop by night. When something is wrong, she considers it her mission to right it—and arson that leads to murder is as wrong as it gets.
If you've never read a Coffehouse Mystery, don't let that stop you from picking up a copy of Roast Mortem. You can certainly enjoy it as a stand-alone novel. If you’ve been a fan of the series, this is one you won't want to miss because this is more than just another murder mystery for Clare Cosi. The events of the story trigger highly personal consequences that keep her reeling until the very end.
Read with joy! ~ Cleo
CLEO’S TASTY RECIPES Like Cleo’s previous Coffeehouse Mysteries, Roast Mortem has a culinary theme and includes delicious recipes of foods mentioned in the story. CLICK HERE to get a sneak peek at the book’s recipe section, partly inspired by some firehouse kitchen favorites.
And speaking of firehouse kitchens, Cleo invites you to meet some real FDNY firefighters as they prepare the most important meal of the year—Thanksgiving Dinner. (Video courtesy of YouTube)
WIN FREE COFFEE!
Sign up for Cleo’s FREE E-newsletter and you will be entered in all of her weekly coffee drawings. Just send an email to VillageBlend@aol.com that says “Sign me up”
To find out more about Cleo
or download her free bonus recipes, visit her virtual coffeehouse at: Coffee House Mystery
Praise for Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries…
“Clare and company are some of the most vibrant characters I've ever read. Coyle is also a master of misdirection and red herrings. I challenge any reader to figure out whodunit before Coyle reveals all” —Mystery Scene
Starred review. “Coyle's Coffeehouse books are superb examples of the cozy genre because of their intelligent cast of characters, their subtle wit, and their knowledge of the coffee industry used to add depth and flavor to the stories...Highly recommended for all mystery collections.” —Library Journal
First came the sound, a monumental whoosh followed by a hissing roar. The white-hot concussion rippled through the air, the cafè's front window exploded outward, and the blast washed over me.
My eyes had been at keyhole level while I worked that stupid, stubborn lock, and the force of the firebomb knocked me right through the doorway.
Sprawled on my back on the debris-strewn sidewalk, I turned my head, stared at the carpet of glass shards. Blood was pumping through my system so fast I could barely recognize voices yelling, a car horn beeping.
I was unhurt. Small scratches maybe, a few bruises, a little bleeding—big deal—I was okay otherwise, and I focused on throwing off the shock.
Wheezing and coughing, I got back on my feet. Smoke rolled out of the cafè, the noxious fog billowing upward in a succession of black, misshapen balloons. I scanned the sidewalk for my beer-filled barista.
“Dante!” I shouted, rushing back to the doorway. “Dante!”
Flames painted the cafè’s walls, spilling their colors onto its tables. The searing light in the urban night would have been beautiful if it weren’t so deadly.
“Dante! Answer me!”
Smoke stung my eyes. I gritted my teeth, swiped at my cheeks, peered harder into the chaos.
Up front, the heavy marble espresso bar counter appeared undamaged. But in the rear of the shop, the embroidered fabric that had masked the utility room was a raging curtain of flame. Finally I spotted him—or, rather, his big, black Diesel boots—sticking out amid a cluster of overturned tables. Taking a deep breath (and praying to God it wouldn’t be my last), I went in....
Roast Mortem: A Coffeehouse Mystery
Now Available in Hardcover
from Berkley Prime Crime
How the giveaway will work
Lori has decided to try this little experiment where we will cross promote this giveaway across the blogosphere while at the same time spreading the word about the release of Roast Mortem. Ifthis is the success Lori hopes it is, she will be be hosting at least one per month and maybe two.
Lori's Reading Corner will be the Grand Hostess for this giveaway. All book bloggers out there are welcome to join. Each blogger will host the same contest on their site. After your contest is set up you will come back to Lori's Reading Corner and place a link to your contest in the Linky.
**** YOU DON'T NEED TO BE A BLOGGER TO ENTER THE CONTESTS, ONLY TO HOST THEM. NON BLOGGERS CAN CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW AND ENTER THE CONTEST ON THIS SITE. FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN OR INFO TO HOST THIS GIVEAWAY, CLICK ON THE LORI'S READING CORNER LINK FOR A LIST OF MORE CONTEST HOSTS. *****
Each person may enter the contest ONE time per blog. HOWEVER they may enter the contest on as many blogs as they wish in order to increase their chances of winning.
When the contest is over, each host will choose one person from those that have signed up on their blog and come back to Lori's Reading Corner blog. She will have a google document set up where each host will then put the name, their blog name, and the email and mailing address of the entrant they chose to be a finalist to win one of six (6) amazing prizes. AND, don't you hosts worry - there is a GRAND prize, just for one of you!!The blog hosts will have 72 hrs to submit their entrants before the winners are chosen.
PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES
MEGA Prize ~ awarded to one HOST of the giveaway
$100 gift card to online bookseller of his or her choice
*Entrants must be over 18 years old, include a mailing address in the entry form, PO Boxes will NOT be accepted. I do not sell or give away your information-all information will be deleted after the contest.
Not going to the 2010 Blogher Conference is naturally a bummer. BUT they ladies @ ToBeThode and MarfMom have put together a No-Go Blogher hop instead. This allows all of us to socialize and meet new people and blogs! What do I have to do, you ask? I just answer 5 simple questions and hop around to different blogs! That's all! Simple and fun! So, below are my answers! Leave a comment if you stop by so I know you came and I can visit your blog! When did you start blogging?
I began blogging a couple months ago in May. I'm loving every minute of it!
Why did you start blogging?
I read ALL the time. It's a rare occasion if I don't have a book to read. When I finish reading a book, I always write a review, typically on Amazon or B&N because I base a lot of my book choices off the reviews of others. I cam across a book blog back in April and really liked it! Not only did the blog post reviews, but people actually conversed about the book. Instead of a stagnant book review, people could chat about different aspects of the book, likes and dislikes, etc. After scoping out more book blogs, I realized that I could follow blogs that reviewed books in the genres I loved reading! After following several blogs for several weeks, I decided to start my own book reviewing blog in May.
What is one thing you are going to do this week that is WAY cooler than going to BlogHer?
Way cooler? Hmmm...well I'm definitely going to lay by the pool and read a little. School starts in two weeks, but teachers and staff have to report next week so this is my last week to fully enjoy summer!
Share a post that you think says a lot about you or is your favorite. (share the link in YOUR post so we all can see)
I'm not sure that I have a favorite post. This POST is a summary about myself but this POST is about my love affair with coffee. Then there are several posts about the books I've read!
The BIG announcement has been made! We already know that Breaking Dawn part one will be released November 18, 2011 (Yes, that is more than a year away *sigh*). But recently Summit Entertainment announced that Breaking Dawn part two will be released to theaters on November 16, 2012. YEP! It's true, the final movie in the saga will not be out for over two years! The wait is on, I suppose. What are your feelings about this? Happy? Bummed? Leave a comment and share!
One book I'm anxiously awaiting is Firelight by Sophie Jordan. It's something completely different than what I'm used to reading the early reviews (to be released Sept. 7, 2010) and book summary sound too good to pass up! Below is a little about the book followed by a trailer for the book.
From Amazon:
Descended from dragons, the draki's ability to appear human protects them from hunters. Jacinda lives with her pride in the Cascades, but she chafes under her special status as the only fire-breather in hundreds of years. Recklessly breaking the “no-fly” rule, she attracts hunters; mercifully, one hunter, a beautiful boy who looks upon her with wonder, lets her escape. After this, the pride intends to hobble her rebelliousness, and Jacinda is forced to flee. But while twin sister Tamra, who never manifested and was shunned, is happy with the move, Jacinda feels only anguish within Nevada's desert climate. Then she meets Will and, despite recognizing him as the same draki hunter, feels herself come alive. Jordan's compelling addition to the supernatural star-crossed lovers theme is equal parts taut suspense and sensuous romance, with visceral writing and believable relationships among characters, particularly among Jacinda's family. A foreshadowed twist and a thrilling confrontation in the end pages leave Jacinda heartbroken and in trouble, and readers will howl for more.
In My Mailbox is hosted byKristi @ The Story Siren and I've decided to take part! This will include books I've bought/won over the past week or so. What did you get this week-anything you're dying to delve into?
Espresso Shot by Cleo Coyle~courtesy of Cleo Coyle The Host by Stephenie Meyer~received as a gift Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay~received as a gift
I'm very excited about all three! Can't wait to read them! Reviews to come shortly! What did you get this week-anything you're dying to delve into?
Title: L.A. Candy
My rating: 4 lattes because it was a deliciously scandalous read with backstabbing characters you love to hate and flirty characters you want to root for!
by Cleo Coyle~
