#AlKabarBlast Book Blast: Al-Kabar by Lee French + Giveaway (INT)

One fell night, the whims of powerful men strip her life to nothing...

Publication Date: September 19, 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Series: A Novel of Ilauris

Fakhira is a simple woman with simple wants and needs. She expects her life to be the same as her older sister’s and the same as her mother’s. Though their marriages aren’t strictly by choice, they manage to make their relationships with their husbands work. They raise children. They laugh and cook and manage their men.

Except that’s not how Fakhira’s story goes. One fell night, the whims of powerful men strip her life to nothing. She survives the attack, but can she survive what the Fires and the Water demand of her? Can she rise above the pain of loss to find purpose, a calling, and justice, or will she sink into despair and seek only revenge?

Joan of Arc meets Arabian Nights in a fantasy world.

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GoodReads

Lee French lives in Olympia, WA, and is the author of several books. She is an avid gamer and active member of the Myth-Weavers online RPG community, where she is known for her fondness for Angry Ninja Squirrels of Doom. In addition to spending much time there, she also trains year-round for the one-week of glorious madness that is RAGBRAI, has a nice flower garden with one dragon and absolutely no lawn gnomes, and tries in vain every year to grow vegetables that don’t get devoured by neighborhood wildlife.

She is an active member of the Northwest Independent Writer’s Association and serves as the Municipal Liaison for the Olympia region of NaNoWriMo.

Website  |  Facebook  | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

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Inside & Out Book Tag

I found this awesome tag on Books, Biscuits & Tea, which Vicky posted a while ago. It looked like fun so I decided to do it. 

Inside flap / Back of the book summaries: Too much info? Or not enough (Discuss)

I never really gave this much thought so this is an interesting question. I don't like it when a summary is too long. It might reveal too much things or if I'm in a bookstore I might not have enough time to read long summaries so I'd rather have one that's on the short side.

New book: What form do you want it in? Be honest: audio book, e-book, paperback, or hardcover?

Paperback. Of course there are exceptions where I buy new books as e-books mostly when the price is really low but paperback is still my favorite to read in.

Scribble while you read? Do you like to write in your books, taking notes, making comments, or do you keep your books clean clean clean? (Tell us why)

Clean! Always clean! I can't even think about writing in my books *shudders*. I'm not entirely sure why, but I need my books to be clean without anything written in. When I borrow books from the library and there are things written in I actually feel horrified. But other than that I'm totally normal... lol 

In your best voice, read for us your favourite first sentence from a book.

I've always loved the start (part of the prologue) of my favorite book, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. And also, I'll be giving a few more sentences instead of only one. I just can't help myself!

How does one describe Artemis Fowl? Various psychiatrists have tried and failed. The main problem is Artemis's own intelligence. He bamboozles every test thrown at him. He has puzzled the greatest medical minds and sent many of them gibbering to their own hospitals.

Does it matter to you whether the author is male or female when you’re deciding on a book? What if you’re unsure of the author’s gender?

It doesn't matter to me at all. I do have to say I've read more books by female authors but I also love reading books by male authors. My favorite author (who's mentioned in the previous answer) is male, so yeah... I really have no preference.

Ever read ahead? Or have you ever read the last page way before you got there?

I have never read the before page before I got there but I do admit that sometimes a take a sneak peek to some pages ahead when I am reading. Usually I hit myself on the head for that when I read a spoiler but sometimes I can't help myself.

Organized bookshelves, or outrageous bookshelves?

Organized. To other people it might not look organized but it really is. At least for me. A part of my shelves are organized by genre and another part by favorites. 

Under oath: have you ever bought a book based on the cover (alone)?

Oh yes. I've been known to buy books because I like their covers. I usually do know pretty much what the books are about, though, even if I wouldn't have read the synopsis. But still, I judge books by their covers. Guilty!

Take it outside to read, or stay in?

Stay in! I do sometimes read outside when I have to take public transportation, which is fairly often, but I like reading inside more because I can snuggle up under a blanket and drink some hot tea. That's my kind of heaven! ♥

This tag really was so much fun. I loved the questions!

I'm not tagging anyone, so if you want to do this tag... just go for it!

Stacking The Shelves: November 28, 2015

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted @ Tynga's Reviews.

Got some more awesome kindle books on sale and freebies! 

Gotta love Black Friday! :D

Bought:

Across the Ages by RaShelle Workman
I bought this because it was only .99 and I absolutely LOVE the sound of this book. Time travel! 

Bought:

Demon Spelled by Gracen Miller

Also on sale for .99! It's one I've wanted for a while now!

Bought:
On the Fence by Kasie West
Also on sale for 1.99! 

Bought:
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
On sale for 1.99! 

Freebie:
In the Shadow of Babylon by John Schwartz
I couldn't resist this freebie either!

Freebie:
KIYA: Hope of the Pharaoh by Katie Hamstead
ANCIENT EGYPT! :D ♥

Leave me links to your hauls so I can stop by! :)

25 Bookish Facts About Me

Thanks to the lovely Bieke from Istyria Book Blog for tagging me! ♥

1. I love many authors but I have only one who's my top favorite - Eoin Colfer. I'd read anything by him, even grocery lists.

2. I have four bookcases with each five shelves on them.

3. A lot of people write my blog name as Book Fever but it's actually Bookfever. I know I can't blame people for writing it wrong but sometimes it does kinda annoys me a little.

4.  I've loved reading since the moment I learned when I was six or seven and remember being super excited when we would go to the library with our class while the other kids hated it.

5. I love the Harry Potter books but I'm actually a bigger fan of the Cormoran Strike books that J.K. Rowling has written as Robert Galbreath. *waits to be attacked by all the Potterheads*

6. I have a *tiny* obsession with Edgar Allan Poe. He's my favorite classical author and I if I see a book of him in the store I almost always buy it even if I already have read the stories in it. I love to own different editions of his stories. 

7. My favorite current series is the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I can't get enough of Mac and Barrons!

8. My fourth blogoversary is coming up on December 2nd. I can't quite believe it, to be honest. 

9. I recently read Pride and Prejudice for the first time - I loved it!

10. Lauren Kate, Cassandra Clare and Holly Black are three authors I have met. They were all super nice and awesome to meet. Yes I kinda died inside from nerves when I was meeting Cassandra Clare!

11. Goodreads has really been a revelation to me. Before that I kept reading the same four or so books over and over and over again. Now there are too many books to all read!

12. No one in my family reads. I've always been told that I got the reading gene from my grandfather who died a few months before I was born. I wish I could've met him.

13. I don't read any books in my own language. After starting to read in English I have never looked back from that. It's the best!

14. Although I really liked The Girl from the Well, I'm not a big horror fan. I read The Shining by Stephen King and didn't like it at all.

15. My favorite all-English bookstore is Waterstones. It's in Brussels so I don't get to go there a lot but I try to make it there at least once a year.

16. My favorite fairy tale is The Little Mermaid - Not the Disney version (although I do love that one too) but the Hans Christian Andersen one! 

17. I love non-fiction, especially about history.

18. Twilight was the first book I read in English.

19. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon is the longest book I have read this year with 947 pages. Jamie Fraser = everything! ♥

20. I haven't finished the Harry Potter series yet. I still need to read the last two books. I will read them next year!

21. Adrian Ivashkov (Vampire Academy and Bloodlines) is my #1 book boyfriend! 

22. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult made fall in love with elephants and donate to good causes to help those animals.

23. As a huge fan of The Host by Stephenie Meyer I hate the fact that they screwed up the movie so BADLY!

24. I have a mug that says, "Shut Up, I'm reading". Needless to say it'smy favorite to drink from.

25. I'm a sucker for Kindle sales. Especially for the 99c price. I can never resist because I keep thinking if I don't buy it now that it's on sale when would I even buy it? It's a struggle!

I tag:
Anyone who sees this post and wants to do it! ♥

Waiting On Wednesday: Outtakes From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.

--

Outtakes From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
December 22nd 2015

 

Revisit Cat and Bones in this companion anthology to the Night Huntress series, and see what could've happened.

With deleted scenes, alternate histories, forgotten side-plots, additional love scenes, and increased personal revelations, this anthology is the culmination of the decade's worth of hidden work that author Jeaniene Frost put into Cat and Bones' story. Paring those stories down to the essential plots and characters was a ruthless process, but in the end, it was worth every strike of the pen. The Night Huntress series went on to be a New York Times bestselling series, winning awards, spawning several spin-off series, and amassing a cult following across the nation. Here Frost has amassed all of her extra writings from the first four books in the series which have been heretofore hidden away on old disks and CDs, in long-forgotten emails, and guarded behind password-protected files to reveal what could have been.

I'm super excited for this book because I (obviously) love the Night Huntress series and was so sad when the last book of it came out last year. So I'm really looking forward to reading this companion book. More Cat and Bones is always awesome! ♥

What's your WOW pick of the week?

Leave me a link to your post so I can stop by!

Book Blitz: A Summer With Snow by Hallie Swanson + Giveaway (INT)

A Summer With Snow
Hallie Swanson
(Frosted Seasons, #1)
Publication date: November 24th 2015
Genres: Adult, Romance

It was the summer of 2005, probably the most memorable summer of my life. I was twelve years old, six weeks we spent together, forty two days, in that time our friendship grew, and then without warning he upped and left. I always hoped he’d come back to us, I couldn’t let go of his memory. He became my first, my only teenage crush. Every day he was in my mind, and every night he was in my dreams. Ten years on this man is still my secret obsession no matter how many men I’ve met and dated, nobody ever measured up. Even today, all I can think about is the summer of 2005, the summer I spent with Snow.

 Amazon | B&N

EXCERPT:

“Darcy, lift your arms above your head,” he says, standing directly before me.
His tanned physique is to die for. Steam wafts up from his broad chest. There’s a slight gap between us, yet he feels so warm. Standing here like this is everything I’ve ever pictured in my dreams; every sensation, every ounce of feeling rushes through the core of my body. The tips of his fingers take the edge of my T-shirt, and holding onto the cotton material they slowly glide up past my waist, past my breasts, and with my arms raised, past my fingers. I glance down as he drops my top onto the bed. Encased by his arms, he unclips the fastenings of my bra. I sense his chest has cooled as he leans his bare flesh against my breasts. I lower my eyes, expecting him to lift me onto the bed, and I’ve no desire to fight him. He rests his cheek against mine, and I flinch as his stubble rubs against my face. His lips part as they press against my ear, and I tilt my head ever so slightly so that they can move down to my neck.
“You shower, Darcy; I left the water running.”
His fingers, his lips slip away and he walks to the far side of the bed, still rubbing at his hair. Is he acting like the perfect gentleman or, after the way I’ve acted, is he just too scared to make the first move? As I look over his body the thought of him inside me is making me wet. I blush, feeling embarrassed at my own thoughts. What’s happening to you, Darcy?
Filled with frustration, I saunter into a bathroom of wall-to-wall mirrors. I step out of my trousers and my black lace panties, and from the cold tiled floor into the shower. Blinded by steam, I lean my head back against the striking white wall tiles. I blink, screwing up my eyes as they are hit by jets of hot water. Taking the lathered soap from its porcelain dish, I rub it between my palms, touching my face, my arms. I begin circling my hands over my skin, trying to wash my frustration away; on reaching my breasts I circle my nipples … they are hard against my fingers. Still covered in soap and water, my hands dip down to my waist and on between my legs; slowly I begin to rub myself. I take his advice and pretend that’s it’s not me here, but someone else. Losing myself in my head, I feel I’m also losing my inhibitions.
“Snow!” I cry out. “Can you come here?”

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ARC Review: Once Upon A [Stolen] Time by Samreen Ahsan

Title: Once Upon A [Stolen] Time
Author: Samreen Ahsan
Publication: December 1st 2015
Genre: Fantasy ~ Romance ~ Fairy Tale
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 3/5

Review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

2015…
All her life, Myra Farrow has been obsessed with medieval castles—and the kings and princes who once inhabited them. Now, wealthy videogame designer Steve Bernard wants her to model for a princess character in his new game. Myra can’t resist his offer, especially when she learns that Steve plans to film inside the mysterious Hue Castle—a cursed, barren, colorless place forbidden to visitors for centuries. But unknown to Myra, her soul is bound to Hue Castle by blood and sorcery. When she enters its doors, she awakens dark powers that will reach through time—stealing her past, torturing her present, and rewriting her future.

1415…
Edward Hue, the last of the Hue royal bloodline, has never stood in the sunshine or held a living flower. Cursed from birth to live in darkness and bring death to all he touches, he is at the mercy of his cruel, tyrannical father, who will not rest until he shatters Edward’s soul and makes his son into a diabolical copy of himself. Edward’s one hope is the mysterious woman who haunts his dreams—who will either break his curse and bring him out of the darkness, or destroy him utterly.

For Myra and Edward, past and future collide in a tale of love, obsession, betrayal, and the hope for redemption.

I definitely liked the story of Once Upon A [Stolen] Time but unfortunately I didn't fully love it. There were really good parts but also parts that I didn't like so much. The writing, though, was outstanding!

I found myself not liking Myra all that much, to be honest. I'm not really sure what it was about her but I guess I just didn't like her personality. Edward I did like more. He lives in 1415 and I'm a bit of a history nerd, so maybe that was the reason why.

I also found the story a bit too complex at times. Especially the arranged marriage between Myra and Steve (although Myra initially doesn't go along with it) felt a bit much. I also wasn't a fan of Steve as a character in the story. I don't know... something about him rubbed me the wrong way.

Edward lives in 1415, which I thought was a really great addition to the story. I love stories about two people living in different times but find each other somehow. Also, the story has fairy tale elements but it's also pretty dark, which for some parts I liked but others not so much. I really went back and forth with this book.

Like I said, I thought the writing was outstanding and it really was. I think if it wasn't written as well as it was I would've liked it less. Some parts were really beautifully written. 

Overall, Once Upon A [Stolen] Time by Samreen Ahsan was a likable fairy tale and fantasy romance. The ending definitely left me wondering what will happen next. I did wish I had liked it more in general because sometimes it was hard to want to keep reading, unfortunately. 

       About the Author:

       Website |  Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

History, art and literature are my passions. I love digging out information about prophecies, divine miracles and paranormal events that are mentioned in history and holy books, that don't sound possible in today's modern world.

Since childhood, I have been into reading and writing—and yes, it can't happen without imagination, which luckily has no boundaries. Dance and music are also pastimes I enjoy, as well as reading romance fiction. I love to travel and explore historical cities. I currently live in Toronto, Canada.

A Prayer Series is my first story about paranormal events based on Islamic concepts.

My new book: Once Upon A [Stolen] Time is a romantic fantasy fairytale.

I am the official judge of 2015 World's Best Story