Showing posts with label Disney-Hyperion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney-Hyperion. Show all posts
Saturday, March 7, 2015

Dead to Me by Mary McCoy Blog Tour & Giveaway!



Thanks for stopping by my leg of the Dead to Me Blog Tour! Take a look at the review below and to check out the other stops on this tour, click the banner above or the follow me button at the bottom. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below!



Publication: March 3, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Publisher on behalf of this tour


LA Confidential for the YA audience. This alluring noir YA mystery with a Golden Age Hollywood backdrop will keep you guessing until the last page.
"Don't believe anything they say."
Those were the last words that Annie spoke to Alice before turning her back on their family and vanishing without a trace. Alice spent four years waiting and wondering when the impossibly glamorous sister she idolized would return to her--and what their Hollywood-insider parents had done to drive her away.
When Annie does turn up, the blond, broken stranger lying in a coma has no answers for her. But Alice isn't a kid anymore, and this time she won't let anything stand between her and the truth, no matter how ugly. The search for those who beat Annie and left her for dead leads Alice into a treacherous world of tough-talking private eyes, psychopathic movie stars, and troubled starlets--and onto the trail of a young runaway who is the sole witness to an unspeakable crime. What this girl knows could shut down a criminal syndicate and put Annie's attacker behind bars--if Alice can find her first. And she isn't the only one looking
Evoking classic film noir, debut novelist Mary McCoy brings the dangerous glamour of Hollywood's Golden Age to life, where the most decadent parties can be the deadliest, and no drive into the sunset can erase the crimes of past.

The story begins with Alice showing up at the hospital after being notified that her sister Annie is in a coma barely hanging on. It’s there that she meets Jerry,  a private eye who claims to be a friend of Annie’s and who also worked with her on a couple of cases. Alice isn’t sure she can trust him, but at the moment she has very few options. 

Alice takes it upon herself to investigate why her sister was left for dead and what exactly was she doing the four years leading up to that moment. She does a pretty good job for someone who is sixteen. Though she does put herself into some dangerous situations almost from the start. She is smart, gutsy, and can thinking quickly on her feet...qualities which come in handy for her. 

Dead to Me has a vibe that reminded me of those old school radio programs like Philip Marlowe and Box 13. I used to listen to those programs growing up thanks to my dad and I loved them. The mystery part was done really well. I had no clue who was the bad guy or girl and what their motives were. There were one or two things that I guessed, but for the most part everything was a surprise. I liked Mary McCoy’s writing style.  She did a good job with the descriptions and characters, plus the story was easy to follow and ended up being a quick read.


RATING: 3½  out of 5.
BUY:


 ABOUT MARY MCCOY
Mary McCoy is a librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library. She has also been a contributor to On Bunker Hill and the 1947project, where she wrote stories about Los Angeles's notorious past. She grew up in western Pennsylvania and studied at Rhodes College and the University of Wisconsin. Mary now lives in Los Angeles with her husband. Her debut novel, Dead To Me, is a YA mystery set in the glamorous, treacherous world of 1940s Hollywood.

VISIT MARY HERE:



GIVEAWAY!!!
Details: Win (1) hardcopy of Dead To Me by Mary McCoy (US Only)





Monday, February 11, 2013

Double Crossed: A Spy & Thieves Story by Ally Carter


Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.
Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.
When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?


The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

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Different worlds collide in Double Crossed: A Spies & Thieves Story. Ally Carter’s short story e-book combining two of her popular book series, Gallagher Girls and Heist Society.
Macey and Hale meet each other while attending the same party in New York. However, bad guys in masks ruin the night by crashing the party and taking everyone inside hostage.  Despite their different skills, these two decide to work together to figure out what is going on and why in order to put an end to it. I like their interactions and witty banter with each other. It was a lot fun to read.

“Why don’t I know you?” “Does anyone ever really know someone else?” “You think you’re cute,” she told him. “You think you’re gorgeous. But I’m the one guy here who knows better.” “So I’m not gorgeous?” Macey challenged. “Of course you are.” He started away, turned back at the last minute. “But I’m the guy who figured out that’s not all you are.”
-Ally Carter, Double Crossed: A Spies & Thieves Story

I have always been curious about the Heist Society series since I have heard a lot about it. This story wet my appetite for the books. The storyline and characters are entertaining and unique.  


Rating: 4 out of 5.


** I received this book from Disney Hyperion in exchange for nothing, but my honest review. Thank you!** 


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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Spotlight & Sneak Peek: The Archived by Victoria Schwab



Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

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Victoria Schwab creates a dark imaginative world filled with enough intrigue to hold my attention.

After Da, Mackenzie’s grandfather passes away; she is now responsible for the Histories in the Archive. The Archive is the place where the dead are kept, like creepy and unusual books in a library.

Thanks to this sneak peek from Disney Hyperion, I was able to read the first few chapters of this book. I really enjoyed it. I am excited to read the full book. For fans of the Supernatural, Dystopia, Fantasy, The Archived appears to have all of these elements and more.

The Archived releases today in Hardcover. The E-book version releases on Tuesday, January 29, 2013. 


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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Spotlight & Sneak Peek: Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed






One house, two worlds...

Rose Cliffe has never met a young lady like her new mistress. Clever, rich, and beautiful, Ada Averley treats Rose as an equal. And Rose could use a friend. Especially now that she, at barely sixteen, has risen to the position of ladies’ maid. Rose knows she should be grateful to have a place at a house like Somerton. Still, she can’t help but wonder what her life might have been had she been born a lady, like Ada.

For the first time in a decade, the Averleys have returned to Somerton, their majestic ancestral estate. But terrible scandal has followed Ada’s beloved father all the way from India. Now Ada finds herself torn between her own happiness and her family’s honor. Only she has the power to restore the Averley name—but it would mean giving up her one true love . . . someone she could never persuade her father to accept.

Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton.

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I was able to get a sneak peak of Cinders & Sapphires thanks to Disney-Hyperion. It was a thirteen chapter preview, so my shot review is based on that and not the complete book.

It was a little hard to remember and keep track of the different characters introduced in the story at beginning. But once I got over that minor bit of confusion, the story was pretty easy to get into.

With the wedding between Lord Westlake and Fiona Templeton suddenly approaching soon after the Averley’s arrive home from India, things become very hectic in the household.  Changes are occurring for everyone including sister Georgiana and Ada, who now have step-siblings to contend with.

The lives of the servants like Annie, Rose, and Rose’s mother are shown as they help prepare Somerton for the Averley’s arrival and the wedding.
So far the characters seem pretty likable and the story was a fun quick paced read.
  
It’s like a cross between Gossip Girl and Downtown Abbey or Upstairs/Downstairs. If you are a fan of historical fiction filled with secrets, scandal, lies, drama, and of course romance then check out Cinder & Sapphires when it releases Tuesday, January 22, 2013!


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