Blog Tour/Review: The Free by Willy Vlautin

The Free, by Willy Vlautin
2014, 320p, Contemporary Fiction
My Rating=3 Stars
Source: Received copy from publisher and TLC Books for an honest review

Award-winning author Willy Vlautin demonstrates his extraordinary talent for confronting issues facing modern America, illuminated through the lives of three memorable characters who are looking for a way out of their financial, familial, and existential crises, in his heartbreaking and hopeful fourth novel

Leroy Kervin is a 31 year old Iraqi War veteran living with a traumatic brain injury. Unable to dress or feed himself, or cope with his emotions, he has spent the last seven years in a group home. There he spends his days watching old sci-fi movies until he awakens one night with a clear mind and memories of his girlfriend. Realizing what his life has been he decides it would be better to die than to go on living this way. A failed suicide attempt leaves Leroy hospitalized where he retreats further into his mind in order to make sense of his existence.

Freddie McCall is a middle aged father working two jobs. He's lost his wife and kids, and is close to losing his house. He's buried in debt, unable to pay the medical bills from his daughter's childhood illness. As Freddie's situation becomes more desperate he undertakes a risky endeavor he hopes will solve his problems but could possibly end in disaster. Just as Freddie is about to lose it all, he is faced with the possibility of getting his kids back.

Pauline Hawkins takes care of everyone else around her. She cares for her mentally ill father out of a deep sense of obligation. As a nurse at the local hospital, she treats her patients and their families with a familiar warmth and tenderness. When Pauline becomes attached to a young runaway, she learns the difficult lesson that you can't help someone who doesn't help themselves.

The lives of these three characters intersect as they look for meaning in desperate times. Willy Vlautin covers themes ranging from health care to the economic downturn and housing crisis, to the toll war takes on veterans and their families. The Free is an extraordinary portrait of contemporary America and a testament to the resiliency of the human heart.

I haven't heard of Willy Vlautin before or read any of his books and when I read the summary for this, it sounded intriguing. I like to read a variety of books and this sounded like one I would find interesting.

It's about three people and their lives. Leroy, the soldier, who wakes up one night with a clear mind and decides he doesn't want to deal with life anymore. Most of his story is told through his dreams and would correspond to what he was currently going through. It was sometimes hard for me to follow until I figured that out. There's also Freddie, who worked two jobs just trying to stay afloat. He was divorced and buried in debt, which led to a poor decision which could have cost him everything. Then there's Pauline, the nurse who cared about the teenage girl she met and was concerned about what had been done to her and what would be done to her when she left the hospital. The three characters' lives intersect but they don't really interact much with each other.

This is an interesting book and I'm glad I read it. I enjoy Mr. Vlautin's writing style and my heart went out to each of the characters. I wanted something really good to happen to each of them. Two of the stories ended with hope but I felt that there was more to each of their stories so it seemed a little abrupt.

This book deals with the very real situations that some people face every day and it's that part that can make this a difficult book to read. There's a lot of content in this book: Swearing, including "f" words, a one night stand, teen sex resulting in a sexually transmitted disease and an abortion (no details), drugs and violence.

About Willy Vlautin

Willy Vlautin is the author of four novels: The Motel Life, Northline, Lean on Pete, which won two Oregon Book Awards, and The Free. He is the singer and songwriter of the band Richmond Fontaine and lives in Scappoose, Oregon.

Find out more about Willy at his website and connect with him on Facebook.

Bonus! Click here to hear/download music that Willy made for the book, watch the trailer, and much more!

Willy’s Tour Stops 

Tuesday, February 4th: Love at First Book
Wednesday, February 5th: Man of La Book
Friday, February 7th: A Patchwork of Books
Monday, February 10th: Between the Covers
Tuesday, February 11th: Books Speak Volumes
Wednesday, February 12th: My Book Retreat
Thursday, February 13th: Anita Loves Books
Tuesday, February 18th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, February 19th: Mel’s Shelves
Thursday, February 20th: Olduvai Reads
Monday, February 24th: River City Reading
Tuesday, February 25th: The Feminist Texican [Reads]
Wednesday, February 26th: Bluestalking
Thursday, February 27th: Reading on a Rainy Day
Monday, March 3rd: Booksie’s Blog
Tuesday, March 4th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Wednesday, May 5th: The House of the Seven Tails

Blog Tour/Review & Giveaway: Porcelain Keys by Sarah Beard

Porcelain Keys, by Sarah Beard
2014, 352p, Young Adult Contemporary Romance
My Rating=5+ Stars
Source: Received copy from publisher for an honest review

Aria's life is full of secrets--secrets about her mother's death, her father's cruelty, and her dream to go to Juilliard. When Aria meets Thomas, he draws out her secrets, captures her heart, and gives her the courage to defy her father. But when tragedy strikes and Thomas disappears, Aria is left alone to transform her broken heart's melody into something beautiful. Porcelain Keys is a captivating love story that will resonate long after the last page is turned. 

Aria's mother died a few years ago and her father doesn't want any reminders of her so they don't talk about her and the music room is locked shut. Aria likes to break in when her father is gone but if he catches her when he comes home and he's drunk, she's in trouble. She can run faster than him so she heads to their neighbors treehouse when that happens and that is where she meets Thomas one night. He is so kind to her and becomes her friend. She doesn't need to worry about a relationship with him because he told her he doesn't date, but doesn't fill in the details (at least not right away). They do start to care about each other but soon tragedy strikes and he disappears. How will Aria move on with Thomas no longer in her life?

This book is amazing!! It shows the power of music, friendship, love and second chances. I loved Aria and Thomas and how their relationship helped each other get through difficult circumstances. Thomas encouraged her to chase after her dream and helped her find a way to make it happen. 

Nathaniel, Vivian and Devin were great secondary characters and I liked her relationships with each of them as well. Nathaniel helped her fulfill her Juilliard dream and provided her with safety. I loved how Vivian came over to help her prepare for the dance and acted as her fairy godmother. Devin grew on me and I was glad he was able to befriend her and help her through a rough time.

This book is an emotional roller coaster. I was happy and sad, I laughed and I cried, and the ending was perfect! There are quite a few secrets and as they are revealed, her father's behavior makes more sense (even though how he behaved is still not okay). This is a book I highly recommend and will definitely read again. I only have one warning: Once you start, it will be almost impossible to put down!

Book Trailer:



I love this book so much that the publisher has agreed to let me give away an ebook just for my readers! There are other chances to win: The author is giving away 7 signed copies so check out her website for more details!

Giveaway ends 2/25/14. You must be 18 years old to enter and have a valid email address. The winning entry will be verified before being awarded. The winner will be chosen through Rafflecopter. They will receive notice via email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SARAH BEARD is the author of Porcelain Keys, a YA contemporary romance. She has a degree in communications from the University of Utah and splits her time between writing and raising three energetic boys. She is a cancer survivor and a hopeless romantic. She enjoys reading and composing music, and lives with her husband and children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Website  * Twitter * Facebook

Book Review: Destiny by Cindy Ray Hale

Destiny, by Cindy Ray Hale
2013, 316p, LDS, YA, Clean Romance
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Won a copy



Destiny Clark, a young Mormon girl living in Tennessee, is wildly infatuated with Isaac Robinson, the headmaster's son at her Baptist high school. When they're cast together in the school's production of Les Misérables, Destiny is horrified to find that she has to be publicly humiliated by acting out her true feelings of rejection onstage.

As their rehearsals begin, Destiny realizes the unimaginable: Isaac has developed deep feelings for her despite their religious differences and the fact that he has a girlfriend.

But will they be able to find their place amongst the backbiters of their ultra-conservative world?

Weaving around Destiny and Isaac's alternating viewpoints, Destiny is the first book in a series inspired by the characters of Les Misérables and explores heartbreak, self-discovery, intolerance, and love.

The story switches back and forth between Destiny and Isaac. They're not friends at the beginning of the book. They both attend Bethel Baptist Academy, where Destiny is a sophomore and Isaac is a senior. Destiny and her brother Michael are the only Mormons at the school and Michael has lots of friends but Destiny only has one. The book starts with a school retreat where Destiny makes a new friend. 

We learn that Isaac is the student body president and has a beautiful girlfriend, Aspen, whom he adores. He's popular, good-looking and can have any girl he wants. He does have issues with Destiny and Michael and when he finds out who Destiny's new friend is, his best friend Will comes up with a plan to break up the new friendship. 

Being cast together in Les Mis comes later in the book and by that time, a lot has happened and Isaac is surprised to learn that Destiny isn't what he's believed her to be all these years.

This is a fun series that takes me back to my high school years. The excitement of new love, jealousy, friendships and secrets kept me turning the pages. I was iffy on Isaac at first. I thought he was realistic in the way he started out feeling. His description of his girlfriend, Aspen, and all she had been through and how he'd been there for her made her sympathetic and I had a hard time believing he would actually develop feelings for Destiny. He was conflicted at first and as he became more accepting of Destiny, his life got tough yet he was willing to do what it took to go with his heart. He grew on me and I liked him by the end.

Destiny starts out likable. She gets along with her family, they're active in church and she's a good girl. She has a huge crush on Isaac, who is a Baptist, but never actually believes she'll have a chance with him so she's not concerned with their religious differences. She has to endure ridicule and sometimes hatred from some students (but not all) who think she's chosen the wrong path in life and don't try to hide their disdain for her religion. Will Destiny and Isaac find a way to be together or will the adults in their lives make it too difficult? 

There are lots of other great characters, too, and I enjoyed each one of them. Destiny's brother, Michael, and his best friend Preston added a lot to the story and I really like both of them. Click here to meet the characters. Religion is a huge theme in this book, but I felt like it was explanatory rather than preachy. There is a lot in this book to digest and think about. I thought it was well written and interesting and once I started, it was hard to put it down. There's some kissing, too! It's clean and is a fun book to share with teenagers, yet still kept my interest as an adult. I'm excited to see where this series will go next!

Currently $.99 on Amazon!!

Amazon

Book Trailer:

Cindy Ray Hale lives in Tennessee with her husband and four children. In addition to being a writer, she's an avid reader and a social media junkie. At the age of 17, she wrote a short story, "Instant Harmony" which later appeared in the April 2000 issue of "New Era," the official magazine for the youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Book Review: Victoria's Promise by Julie Wright

Victoria's Promise, by Julie Wright
2014, 230p, Clean Romance
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Provided copy for an honest review

A luxurious mansion. Thirty stunning bachelorettes. One very eligible bachelor. All of the ingredients are in place for a successful reality dating show, and behind the scenes, Tori Winters is set to pull the romantic strings as assistant director of Vows. Despite her distaste for public exhibitions of love—which spelled the death of her last relationship—Tori intends to give the public exactly what they want: scintillating footage of a bevy of beauties vying for the attention of Christopher Caine. But Chris, a consummate Southern gentleman and the star of Vows, seems almost too good to be true—and soon, even Tori finds herself falling under his spell. Despite legal obligations to avoid fraternizing with the talent, it’s clear her feelings are anything but unrequited. With the support of her friends in the Newport Ladies Book Club, Tori must make a life-altering decision: is she willing to jeopardize all she’s worked for in order to embrace her own fairy-tale ending?

I've seen these Newport Ladies Book Club Novels but this is the first one I've read. My plan with this one was to read it here and there while I was reading other books I needed to review. I picked it up one day when I had a lot of free time (thank goodness) and just couldn't put it down! I kept reading one more chapter until I wound up finishing it.

At the beginning of the book, Tori has a boyfriend, Lawrence, and as she's describing him and their relationship, it's pretty obvious that they aren't soul mates. She is mortified when he proposes to her at a packed concert and she runs out on him. After their short conversation the following morning, where he blames her job and book club for her inability to commit, she throws herself into her work to help her move on with her life.

Tori works as an assistant director of a reality TV show. It's called Vows and is similar to The Bachelor. She meets the star of the show, Christopher Caine, and he is dazzling. He also is attracted to her and starts asking around about her. She's not allowed to think of him that way, yet she has to work directly with him, so there are lots of sticky situations for them both.

I loved the romance! Tori and Chris are attracted to each other and they have great chemistry but need to avoid each other, especially as their feelings start becoming obvious to others. Tori needs to decide if she's willing to risk losing all she's worked to achieve for a chance at love and comes across a major wrinkle in her plan, so she might be too late after all.

Because I haven't read any of these books, I don't know how their book club was formed and whether they knew each other beforehand or not. I enjoyed their book discussions and that is an angle that would definitely interest me in reading more of these books. I like how she chose a book that she loved and when she read it again, wondered why she had fallen in love with it the first time around. I've done that before, too, so I could relate to her feelings about that. There's a situation with one of her book club members that she's not sure if she should involve herself, but she does, and it's uncomfortable at times, but she ends up with a stronger relationship at the end of the drama.

This is a clean romance, with humor and friendships and is a lot of fun to read. There are lots of books in this series and they're written by different authors. I like that because it seems that they will all be quite different from each other with the perspective of different people writing them (I'll let you know if that's how I feel after I've read a few of these). This is a great read, especially if you like reality TV, and I highly recommend it!

Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book

About the Author

Julie Wright wrote her first book when she was fifteen. She's written fourteen novels since then and has nine traditionally published. She is represented by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger Inc. and is a Whitney Awards winner for best romance with her book Cross My Heart.

She has one husband, three kids, one dog, and a varying amount of fish, frogs, and salamanders (depending on attrition).

She loves writing, reading, hiking, playing with her kids, and watching her husband make dinner.

She hates mayonnaise.

Website

Blog Tour/Review: Love Spell by Stan Crowe

Tour Schedule

Love Spell

Clint Christopherson’s love life is a running joke. When a crazed gypsy curses him with the best wish he could ever ask for, the punchline stops being funny. Now, even his barest touch drives girls mad for him. Desperate to reverse the curse, he turns to his last hope: an attractive private investigator who may be able to locate his missing gypsy. If only Clint knew who it was he just hired…

  Amazon

I really enjoyed Stan Crowe's first book, The Cinderella Project (you can read my review here), so I was excited to see he had another book out.

This book is quite different but is still lots of fun! Clint made a wish for women to fall for him at the merest touch and it's turned into a curse! Women are attacking him and doing crazy things to be with him and he's now afraid to touch anyone. He starts off running away from an ex-girlfriend and his sister's friend Molly is in the neighborhood and helps him escape. Molly has always liked Clint and feels that now is her chance to catch him.

Lindsay Sullivan (Sully) has just started up her own private investigation firm and the jobs aren't coming in so she's stressed about how to pay her bills and keep her self-respect. Clint walks in one day looking to hire her. She has a history with Clint (which includes a major crush on him) but he doesn't recognize her. She agrees to help him find the gypsy woman "Aunt Fey" to reverse the curse, but quickly second guesses herself as the craziness begins.

And, wow, this book is fully of crazy! There are a lot of over the top scenarios that had me shaking my head and/or laughing and wondering if life was going to calm down for them. It does calm down for a little while and then the ending brings more craziness before his situation is resolved.

Clint is a character that I sometimes felt was incredibly clueless and at other times, an outright jerk. I wasn't even sure that I wanted him to get the girl because I thought she would be better off without him. He didn't have a lot going for him, either. I wanted Lindsay to get out while she could. But I was young once, too, and I realize that sometimes the heart wants someone that doesn't make sense to others. Clint did grow on me (esp. when he explained his background to Lindsay) and I think he was trying. He's someone that had the illusion that he was smooth with women, when in fact, he wasn't at all.

I liked Lindsay. She's strong and knows what she wants but Clint is a weakness for her so we see her vulnerable side as well. She also shows her self-control as she is inflicted but isn't about to give in. I enjoyed the time they spent together, even with all the drama.

This is a great book to read when you need an escape and I'm looking forward to reading more of Mr. Crowe's books!

My Rating=4 Stars

Excerpt:

It was all Lindsay could do to not kick the front door of the police station off its hinges. Okay, so she wasn’t that angry, but it felt good to think it. As she exited the Seattle P.D. building, she kept her pace steady, her head erect. Treat her like some ignorant civilian would they? Fine. But to blow her off despite her credentials and connection to Uncle Tom? That was almost infuriating.
I’m sure that one station doesn’t represent the whole department, she thought coolly. Certainly most of them must know how to treat a lady.
But no matter. She’d tracked Fey this far, and jurisdictional issues aside, she’d follow the old woman to her grave if necessary. Seattle P.D.s lack of cooperation was a minor setback.
She found Clint planted on a grassy patch in front of the station, lost in doodling as he had been for most of the trip. Lindsay stopped to admire him, privately wondering how much she could stare without unleashing the stalking animal that had exploded to life inside of her when she’d first touched his shoulder. She hated the fact that his very presence compelled her to want to do the kind of things she’d only learned from tenth grade health class. Unfortunately, ignoring him had only worked while he was asleep. However, she found that a better antidote was constantly forcing herself to hate him, and so she did, speaking as little as she dared.
Whatever it was, Clint’s bizarre condition had done something to her. The way her heart raced whenever he glanced at her, the way she stopped whenever a breeze played with his hair—all of it was entirely unwelcome. Yet even as hatred seethed in her veins she couldn’t help remembering how charming he was once he’d started acting like a gentleman during the drive into Seattle. It was as if she’d found the grown up version of the boy he’d been in high school. Maybe there was something more to the new Clint after all. Something he’d hidden from her—from everyone—all this time. Could it be that under that abrasive interior a scared little boy was hiding, waiting for someone safe to come along and help him? And would she want to help him?
Perhaps. If he smiled his smile more often.
Lindsay shook her head clear, and gracefully stepped up to get a view of whatever he was drawing. A remarkably well-drawn portrait of a woman with darker hair done up in a bun, a lovely (if aquiline) face, and glasses perched somewhat seductively on the edge of her nose was posing against a wall. The mouth hadn’t been added yet, but Clint seemed to examine the sketch with adoration. Lindsay’s internal lioness growled at the image. Lindsay herself simply looked away and pretended not to notice.
“Sully, hey,” Clint piped up. “How’d it go?”
She turned back to him, and noticed him pause as she caught his eyes.
“Oh,” he said. “That good. Well, I guess we get to nose around Seattle some, hmm?”
She glared at him for good measure.
“Hey,” he said mock-sternly, “we’re playing nice now, remember? Your cute little self, er, person and mine? And let’s not forget how psyched you were to come here in the first place. I recall you mentioned something about a joint that sells excellent chowder?”
Her frown deepened. “For someone who is potentially mere miles and minutes away from having the supposedly greatest problem of his life fixed, you don’t seem all that eager to get moving. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Clint hopped up and tucked his sketchpad back into the leather carrying case he never seemed to part from. “That was some excellent alliteration there, Sully. I’m impressed. Have you thought about taking up poetry?”
She grimaced further.
“Yes, of course I’m eager to get this wrapped up.”
He stepped up to her. The faint scent of his aftershave sent an involuntary tremor through her, and she slinked a little bit closer, wondering if her own perfume might convince him to let her even closer.
“I was testing the water temperature of my favorite private investigator is all,” he said. “You looked like you could use some cheering up, and since I just so happen to be available…” He shrugged, and then gestured to her car. “Anyway, after you. I’m sure that detective sense of yours will get this done in no time.”
She smiled despite herself, and when she reached the door of his—her—car, he quickly opened it and gestured inside with one of the grand flourishes he seemed to enjoy. “After you, milady.”
Lindsay smiled again, and she slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
There was no stopping her this time.

Author Stan Crowe

Stan had a pretty normal, middle-class American youth. He was lucky enough to change that by convincing an exceptional woman to marry him in 2000, setting him on a much more fulfilling life course.

Four years later, Brigham Young University awarded him with a Bachelors of Science in civil and environmental engineering. He then he spent several years designing homes, prescribing work for bridges, and even exploring the mortgage industry.

In the midst of all this, he produced two science fiction anthologies in 2006 and 2007. In 2012, Breezy Reads Publishing picked up his romantic comedy The Cinderella Project. And thus he transformed himself from Captain Kirk into Don Juan.

Stan lives with his wife, children (final count to be determined) and two cats in Utah.

Blog * Facebook * Goodreads

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/9/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or PayPal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour/Review: Podium Finish by Beth Pond

Tour Schedule

Podium Finish

With six months until the Olympic Games, seventeen-year-old Harper’s life is pretty much perfect. She’s fighting for the starting spot on Team USA Women’s Hockey, and for the first time ever, she has a crush on a guy who likes her back. She feels like the luckiest girl in the world, until she runs a risky play at practice and breaks her knee, thereby sentencing herself to six weeks in a cast and possibly ending her Olympic dream before it even starts.

For seventeen-year-old Alex, being anything less than the best is unacceptable. That’s why, after a miserable debut season at the senior level, the former junior national singles champion switches to ice dance. Her skating partner, Ace, is an “all skating all the time” type of guy, which would be fine, if he’d stop keeping secrets about the real reason he and his former partner broke up. Now is not the time for second thoughts, but how can Alex skate her best if she can’t trust her partner…or herself?

As the pressure to make the Olympic team builds, the girls must rely on each other, because if there’s one thing they both know, it’s that the only thing harder than skating to the top is staying there.

 Amazon * Barnes & Noble

I love the Olympics! And I think Olympians are amazing! When I saw this book come up for review so close to the Winter Olympics, I knew I had to read it. Harper and Alex have been roommates at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center for the past year. They've also become friends who support and rely on each other to get them through the tough days.

The book switches POV between Harper and Alex. Harper is working hard to gain a starting spot on the women's hockey team and the competition is fierce. She has some friends and she has a nemesis named Jess. They have a hard time working together because they each want to shine separately. She breaks her knee one day and has to work extra hard to come back in time to play in the Olympics.

Alex was a singles skater doing well until she had a bad year. Her dad wanted her to switch to ice dancing so she'd have a chance to be in the Olympics. She did, and she's now partners with Ace. Ace is a champion skater who recently split up with his dance partner, Sophie. Alex and her dad want Ace to do more interviews and be more involved in social media, but he's not interested in the fame at all. Alex does a video chat with her parents once a week and when things aren't going well, her relationship with her father is strained.

This was fun to read as each girl worked hard to make it into the Olympics. There were challenges and setbacks for each of them. Harper got her first boyfriend, Rye, and she needed to figure out how to balance that relationship as well. Alex wanted to know what happened to break up Ace and Sophie's skating partnership and kept pushing him for answers. I enjoyed reading about Harper's games and Alex's competitions and the discipline they each had to continue to do their best. I felt bad when things didn't go their way and cheered them on when they were in the midst of competing. It was hard to put this book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next!

I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Beth Pond in the future! And I am now officially in the mood to watch the Olympics (too bad they don't start tomorrow)!

My Rating=5 Stars


Author Beth Pond

Beth Pond graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Hendrix College in 2012. In 2013, she taught in South Africa for 9 months as part of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grant. Pond is currently completing her coursework at the University of British Columbia’s Creative Writing MFA program. Her debut novel, Podium Finish, was released from Astraea Press in November 2013. When she’s not writing, Pond enjoys martial arts (she’s a black belt) and serving as a volunteer coach for her brother’s special needs baseball team.

 Blog * Twitter

Praise for Podium Finish

Podium Finish is unlike any other book I have read, period. It is amazing that Ms. Pond could take two very different characters who are pursuing two completely different sports and tie them together as roommates at the Olympic Training Center. ~Crystal, Books are Sanity

This is a great, fun book! This story is really 2 stories in one – bonus!  ~Shelley Walker, Goodreads

This book was truly enjoyable to read. ~Michele, Amazon Review

Podium Finish is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. ~Ana, Amazon Reviewer

Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/9/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: The Deception of Devin Miller by Kelly Martin

The Deception of Devin Miller, by Kelly Martin
2013, 211p, Contemporary, Suspense
My Rating=5 stars
Source: Bought for Kindle

One month ago, seventeen year old Devin Miller wrecked while intoxicated— or so she’s told by the sightly ticked off blue-eyed boy when she wakes up from a coma. The only thing Devin remembers is the darkness holding her down and the voices-- some happy, some upset, and one very agitated. She can't remember her name, her age, where she lives, or who in the world the blue-eyed boy is. But he knows her and against her better judgment, she offers to pay him for his memories so she can trick the ones closest to her into thinking she's fine.

That is her first mistake.

When Devin gets home, the deception is harder than she thought. People she doesn't know keep talking to her. Trey (the blue-eyed boy) doesn't show up like he said he would. And the police want to talk to her about her involvement with the car accident. Plus she keeps seeing flashes of the wreck, but none of them make sense. What would a red plastic cup have to do with anything? And why can't she seem to trust the people she is supposed to trust the most?

Facing DUI charges for a wreck she can't recall, Devin fights to remember exactly what happened the night of the crash: something the real driver desperately wants her to forget permanently.

Who is really doing the deceiving? (Amazon)

On the day this book was released, I shared a post on my blog about it. It sounded so good, I just knew I had to read it right away. Sure enough, once I started, it was hard to stop!

Devin wakes up from her coma with amnesia but she doesn't want anyone to know. When she wakes up, there's a boy in her room and as she talks to him, he doesn't seem to like her and she has no idea why not. She offers to pay him to help her with her memories and not to tell anyone about her amnesia. He agrees. Her parents and boyfriend come to see her and they don't seem to like the boy, either. Why not? What's going on? Will she ever remember? Who should she trust to tell her the truth?

This book is full of Drama (yes, with a capital D). I love the writing style--information is released in small doses so it makes every conversation interesting but there are still enough questions to keep me reading to get more answers. There are lots of secrets and Devin is in the middle of everything; she just doesn't remember what's going on. Her conversations with Trey (the boy from the hospital that she pays to help her) are funny and I enjoyed their exchanges.

Her life is fine as long as she doesn't remember what happened, but once she starts remembering, someone isn't happy about it and wants her to stick to the story.

Content: There is underage drinking and her father has a huge secret that I guessed early on (but hoped I was wrong) and when it came out, made me cringe.

I was able to interview Kelly Martin. She is lots of fun! If you like her Facebook page, she'll keep you informed on what she's doing. She hosts book release parties on FB, too, and you can join in and win prizes and learn about new books and authors and they're lots of fun!

1. What inspired you to write The Deception of Devin Miller?

I start all of my books with a question... and usually the question comes to me when I'm in the shower (or watching TV. Not watching TV in the shower. I'm not that advanced in technology yet.) The idea for Devin was basically who would you trust if you couldn't remember anyone. Could you know who to trust? What causes you to trust someone? 

In my head, I pictured a girl running down a dark road. I wanted to know why. How did she get there? What was she running from? That scene never made the 'final cut', but it did get the book started for me. 

2. Who was your favorite character to write in this story? Your least favorite?

I loved writing Trey. He's so serious, sarcastic, and funny. I loved any scene with him in it. My least favorite? Devin was hard sometimes because the soul of a character is honestly her memories. You take that away and it's hard to make her 'human'. Plus, there's only so many times you can repeat the same dialogue. She was hard in the first draft, but by the editing, I was enjoying writing her. She started becoming real to me and that, as a writer, is always wonderful!

3. Can you tell us about your current project? 

I have two projects going on. I'm editing the sequel to SAINT SLOAN called SAVING SLOAN. It's one of my favorite books. It comes out in April 2014 from Astraea Press, and I can't wait! I keep saying I'd love to be in the room with people when they read the ending.... then again, it might be bad for my health-- or my bones ;) I'm eagerly anticipating it :)

I'm also editing THE AFTERLIFE OF LIZZIE MONROE. It comes out in January 2014. The first chapter is in the digital copies of THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER. It is what I call my "zombie/Civil War/Contemporary/Christian/Epic" lol. 

I also have this time travel story I can't wait to start writing. I've never really written anything science fiction (well, it sort of is... I had to figure out how to send this guy back in time). But I'm really looking forward to it! My mother graduated high school in the 1950s, and I'm looking forward to going through her old annuals for inspiration :)

4. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I'm a teacher. I teach special education preschool. I also have 3 kids (8, 6, and 3). So there really is no downtime. I like to read, but there is only one place in the house I can read without interruption... and I won't get into where that is ;)

OH, and I'm a HUGELY addicted youtube fan. Right now, it's anything 80s and SHERLOCK (the BBC series).

5. If you couldn't be an author, what would your ideal career be?

Actor ;) I'd LOVE to be an actor. The highlight of my acting career was 15 years ago in high school though. I left the stage for other forms of art :)

6. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Don't give up. It's hard. Rejection is hard. Don't think the rejection stops when you get published. It doesn't. See a friend have better sales than you? Yeah. You feel rejection. Get a bad review? Yup. Go a day without a sale? Yeah. Rejection never goes away. Don't let it get you down. Write because you want to write, tell stories, and create worlds. Write because you love it. The other comes with it, but don't let it stop you.

7. Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you so much! The amount of support you've shown me is amazing. I hope to write stories you enjoy for many, many more years :)

It sounds like there are many more stories to come from Kelly Martin so be sure to check out her books!

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Smashwords

Author Bio: Kelly Martin a southern girl who writes... a lot. She is the author of SAINT SLOAN and Grace Award winning, CROSSING THE DEEP. By day, she is a teacher. By night, she has her hair in a bun and her fingers on a keyboard. She loves God, is addicted to chocolate, and would rather write than sleep. Kelly loves a good mystery and believes in Sherlock Holmes.

Blog * Twitter * Facebook