Winners of Second Blogiversary Giveaway!

 

Thank you to everyone who entered and all who follow Surrounded by Books Reviews.

Our winners are:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations! I'll contact you shortly to see which book you would like. 

Second Blogiversary Giveaway!

Two years ago (will be on Saturday) on August 18, 2010, I started Surrounded by Books Reviews. Since then, I've read and reviewed 124 books. To celebrate my second blogiverary, I've giving away two books (ebook or print) to two winners that I've read and reviewed. Click here for the list of books you can choose from, if you win. The giveaway runs from today until August 22nd, and I'll announce the winners on August 23rd. All you need to do for entries is what the Rafflecopter says.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Teaser Tuesday: CRUX by Julie Reece + Giveaway

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 Crux by Julie Reece

7% of Kindle ARC

For years, I've promised myself not to get my hopes up. That way they don't have far to fall.

Do you have teaser? If so, leave it or a link to one in the comments.

I am giving away one bookmark of Julie Reece's Crux to a lucky commenter of either today's or yesterday's post. All you have to do is comment and leave a way for me to contact you.

Book Review: CRUX by Julie Reece + Giveaway!

Title: Crux

Author: Julie Reece

Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing (July 9, 2012)

Format: eBook Novel ARC

Source: Publisher

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Goodreads 

Description: She should have run. Now, she’ll have to fight.

Eighteen year old Birdie may be homeless, but she’s surviving, that is until a mysterious guy throws money in the air like a crazy game show host, and she grabs some with the idea she’ll be able to buy dinner that night.

In that singular moment, unassuming Birdie becomes the girl in everyone’s viewfinder. Thugs want to kill her. Money-guy wants to recruit her. The very hot, very rich, and very out of her league Grey Mathews wants to save her.

Birdie, though, wants nothing to do with any of them, until she realizes fate didn’t bring them all together.

Her heritage did.

Now, with only twenty-one days left, she’s got to decide whether to follow in the footsteps of those before her or risk her life for people she’s only just met.

Review: Julie Reece’s Crux is a refreshing and gritty young adult novel with glimmers of the paranormal, glimpses of the historical, and more than a dash of romance and mystery.

When homeless eighteen-year-old Birdie stumbles across a mysterious stranger giving away money, her life is forever changed. Now people are trying to kill her, and she must do the one thing she never thought she could do: trust strangers, particularly Grey Mathews. And that’s just the beginning as Birdie is ensnared into a past much bigger than she could ever realize.

Crux drew me in with the fantastic voice. At times vulnerable and other times sarcastic, Birdie is a refreshing character. Opposed to Birdie is Grey Mathews, who seems to have everything, but he makes for a thrilling and sexy character. The characters in Crux could have easily had their own novel. Besides characterization, Reece excels at description. She creates the right amount and uses fresh metaphors to carry the most impact on each scene. The plot is intricate with the historical details mingled into the present. I loved the use of Norse mythology and history. For the most part, the novel kept me reading and anxious to discover what would happen to Birdie and Grey.

Crux by Julie Reece amazes with its intricate plot and characters who stick with you.

Five bookworms = I loved it!

I am giving away one bookmark of Julie Reece's Crux to a lucky commenter of either today's or tomorrow's post. All you have to do is comment and leave a way for me to contact you.

'Tis the Season for Books - Winners

 

Thank you to everyone who entered and spread the word about this contest. The three winners who get to pick their choice of a book I reviewed are:

Tania Walsh

J.L. Campbell

Rachel Morgan

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you shortly to find out which book you'll choose.

'Tis the Season for Giving Books

'Tis the season for a book giveaway, I do believe. That's right, I'm giving away books to three lucky winners. The books you can choose from are those I've reviewed. You can view the list here. Contest is open internationally. Entries will be received until December 21st, and I'll announce the winners on December 22nd.

Also, if you are a writer, I'm giving away critiques on my author's blog here. Feel free to enter both giveaways.

Winner of Michelle Davidson Argyle's MONARCH

 

We have a winner, folks, for an ebook copy of Michelle Davidson Argyle's Monarch! As I mentioned on Monday's post, I would announce the winner today. Without further ado, Random.org gives us the winner.

Lucky number one is...Christine Rains! Congratulations, Christine! I'll email Rhemalda Publishing and tell them that you're a lucky winner in the giveaway. They'll send your ebook copy of Monarch soon.

And if you didn't win a copy, don't worry. Michelle's having more chances to win posted on her blog.

Interview, Review, and Giveaway: MONARCH by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Hello, I'd like to welcome Michelle Davidson Argyle to the blog! Her novel Monarch officially debuts on Thursday, although you can already purchase it.

Michelle, how long did it take you from idea to publishing your novel?
I originally had the idea for Monarch years beforehand when I read Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which contains some beautiful passages about monarch butterflies. I wrote several short stories that had the feel of what I wanted to do with a butterfly story - combine beautiful butterflies with something rough like a spy - but none of them nailed what I wanted. Finally, in November of 2008 I started the book for National Novel Writing Month. All in all, from getting the book idea to the actual publication date of September 2011, it has taken seven years for this book to come about!

That's awesome Monarch was a NaNo book! Are you a plotter or pantser?
I plot, I guess you could say. First I get an idea, then I let it sit for awhile, then I write the first few sections or chapters, then I write a loose detailed synopsis of the book. This serves as my guide. Then I write the first draft of the book. So I do a lot of planning and thinking before writing the actual book. 

I like to plan and think a lot before sitting down to the actual book too. What are you writing now or have forthcoming?
I am currently working on Scales, which is my third novella in the collection titled Bonded, which will be released by Rhemalda Publishing in 2013. It’s a collection of three fairy-tale themed novellas. They aren’t a series, but are companions to each other. I’m very excited about this one!

Next year, in 2012, my YA/new adult novel titled The Breakaway will be released by Rhemalda Publishing. It’s the story about a girl who is kidnapped by jewel thieves and decides to stay when she falls in love with one of them.

I can't wait to read your new works! I always find it interesting to learn what other authors are reading. If you could recommend a book—not your own—what book would that be?

I’m a big classics reader. My favorite novel of all time is The Awakening by Kate

Chopin. I recommend this book right now because it directly relates to my novel The Breakaway which is coming out next year.

Ooo...I read Kate Chopin's The Awakening in high school. Good book! Thank you, Michelle, and best of luck with Monarch and your future endeavors! 

Michelle is a mother, artist, and writer who lives in the Rocky Mountains with her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She writes contemporary, literary, and fantasy fiction.

Michelle graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor's Degree in English/Creative Writing in 2002. Her short fiction has been published in the University of New Mexico's national literary journal, Scribendi, 2002, the Rose & Thorn Journal, 2010, Suspense Magazine, June 2011, and Stories for Sendai Anthology, 2011. She served as the editor-in-chief of Utah Valley University's literary magazine and has won awards for her short stories. She is also an editor/publisher of “The Literary Lab Presents…” series of anthologies.

Michelle believes imagination is the only rule in fiction. This is the foundation of her writing, and she plans to strengthen it with each and every story she writes. Her first traditionally published novel, Monarch, will be released September 2011 by Rhemalda Publishing.

Oh, and she likes peanut butter and tomato sandwiches. And cheese. Lots and lots of good cheese.


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Title: Monarch

Author: Michelle Davidson Argyle

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Format: eARC

Source: Publisher

To Purchase: Amazon 

Book Description: Nick's life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness, a wife who committed suicide, and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the United States has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he'll have the chance to start his life over again. Just when he's on the brink of catching Ferreira, he's framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia, where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He's safe, but not for long.

Review: Michelle Davidson Argyle's Monarch breaks free and spreads its wings for a read sure to thrill readers.

When assassins fly into Nick's life, he must run to the one place he can be safe: the Monarch Inn. Lilian Love struggles with running the inn, worries over her grown son, and fears the inn will fail if the monarch butterflies stop migrating through their area. Nick and Lilian become reacquainted, but the danger isn't over. Nick brings his two daughters to the inn to be safe while he must leave them and Lilian for Brazil and answers, yet danger and love were closer to home than he ever could imagine.

Monarch is a thriller unlike any I've ever read. The character-driven novel involves fearful realities from the dwindling monarch butterfly population to terrors in the drug trade. The characters are three-dimensional. I loved the complexity of their relationships. Argyle excels in writing great pacing, speeding it up when the action dictated it and slowing it down to stretch out the tension. The symbolism of wings and butterflies flutters throughout. Monarch shows the fragility of life and the human strength to go on.

Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle is a thriller unlike any other with complex characters and a touching plot filled with hope, life, and love in the face of fear and danger.

Also, Rhemalda Publishing has been gracious enough to offer a free ebook of Michelle Davidson Argyle's Monarch to one lucky winner. To enter, please fill out this brief form. Thank you! 

Favorite Summer Reads Blogfest begins today!

The Favorite Summer Reads Blogfest begins today and will go through Saturday. All you have to do is pick a favorite read (this year, this summer, years past) and write why it is your favorite read. It'd be nice to have the cover art of the book, but that's it. Pretty simple. Oh, there is also a little form you should fill out, so we know where your blog is to discover new reads. There are also prizes. I will announce the winners on Monday. So click here for the form and to find out more information. I look forward to reading about your favorite books.

TEMPEST RISING by Tracy Deebs + a Giveaway

Title: Tempest Rising

Author: Tracy Deebs

Format: Paperback

Source: ARC

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers, A division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc. (May 10, 2011)

To Purchase: Amazon 

Book Description: Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves at her California coastline home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest's mom, gone since Tempest was eleven, abandoned the family for a reason: to return to the sea where she had been born. Yes, Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will also have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean. Even though Tempest loves her life and family, the pull of the water is becoming increasingly insistent. So too is her attraction to Kai, a mysterious and gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally enter the fantastical underwater world, full of mermaids, sea witches, and even her mother, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—one that hangs the entire ocean's population in the balance.

Review: Tracy Deebs' Tempest Rising entwines the normal with the extraordinary, the magical and mythical with reality.

Tempest seems like your normal teenage surfer girl. She'd do anything to catch the next wave, but she's more than ordinary. She's half mermaid, and her seventeenth birthday will come to a choice that revolves around Tempest's two worlds. She's made her decision, or so she thinks, but there is something about those pesky best-laid plans…

Deebs has crafted a mature yet teenage voice. I find it refreshing that Tempest doesn't want her mermaid heritage. She craves normalcy, but even she realizes no one always gets what they want. Deebs creates real and fantastical situations for her characters. The descriptions of the undersea world burst with color, beauty, and cold danger lurking in the deep depths. I loved the mythological creatures mingled with the ones we know today. Mermaids, selkies, and sea witches are believable with the sharks, octopuses, and fish. Images of a dark the Little Mermaid float to the surface. If you are looking for a paranormal romance not of the norm, I highly recommend Tempest Rising. I hope there will be another book in the works.  

The Giveaway:

Since I won two advanced reader copies of Tracy Deebs' Tempest Rising, I'm giving away the other to one lucky winner. All you have to do is comment on this post by the end of Thursday, May 12th. I will announce the winner on Friday the 13th.