Private Lunch with Lauren Oliver and Philippine Book Signing Event

Last Sunday was one of the most exciting days ever! Things like YA authors coming to visit here in the Philippines are deemed a big deal since we're practically living on the other side of the globe. Thank you so much to National Book Store for bringing Lauren Oliver here and for giving some Filipino fans an opportunity to have a lunch with her!

NBS held a contest on their Facebook page and I was one of the 10 lucky winners to have a private lunch with Lauren. We were to bring another person so I brought Mary Ann with me. We ate at Recipes by Cafe Metro in Greenbelt 3 and there, we were served delicious Filipino cuisine and I'm glad Lauren loved it. But when I asked her if she has ever tasted our most famous exotic food, Balut (Google it!), she said she will never try it! LOL

 We had one of our books signed even before the event. Lauren moved to different seats and when she came to seat across from us, we grabbed the chance and conduct an interview with her (will be posted on Friday). Even better, we had Lauren do the 'wacky' pose. (we had several but I'm disturbed by the guy at the back who was in every picture) She's such an adorable and lovely person. 

(me, Lauren, Mary Ann)

(Lauren with the fans)

Two hours after was the book signing event at Powerbooks in Greenbelt 4. Here are some pictures during the event.

Lauren shares that she's currently working on a book entitled Panic. She can't spill any details about it but I'm already excited for the book! Requiem - the third book in the Delirium series has two POV (hint: the other one isn't Alex's). ;) We got to know more about her and her writing, which I think will definitely help all the aspiring writers out there - including me.

(Mary Ann, Kai, me, Precious, Jayjay, and Norman)

We also met some of the awesome Filipino book bloggers like Kai, Precious, Jayjay, Maricar and Louisse! 

It has been such an awesome experience that I still can't get over with. I want to thank Lauren Oliver and again, NBS for making this event possible.

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Teaser Tuesday: Until I Die by Amy Plum

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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser for this week is from Until I Die by Amy Plum, the second book in the Revenants series. I want to thank Jayjay of We Fancy Books for lending me his ARC!
  

 

Summary: Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love. 

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy. 
In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

Teaser:

"Some do find love. I thought.
 Charlotte had told me that Ambrose and Jules are players , dating human girls but never getting serious with anyone."

How about your teaser for this week? Please leave a link in the comments so I can check them out :))

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Review: Darkride by Laura Bradley Rede

Darkride by Laura Bradley Rede

Paperback: 410 pages

Release date: January 9th, 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Source: Author

Amazon ││The Book Depository ││ Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Summary: Ander McNair used to be the favorite son of a great monster-hunting family – until he was bitten by a werewolf and the hunter became the hunted. Now anything that makes his pulse race, even a kiss from his girlfriend Cicely, is enough to turn him into a monster. When he finally gets a chance to earn his cure by killing a vampire prince, he finds he has to choose between his own past and the future of the girl he loves. Can a guy who’s not even human learn what it means to be a man?

Luke Marianez used to be an immortal vampire prince – until the witch he loved betrayed him and cursed him with the ability to die. Now he lives in the world of vampire blood bars, where the waitresses are the drinks, and dreams about killing the last of the witch’s line so he can live forever. But revenge doesn’t just mean breaking the curse. He wants to break the girl’s heart, too. Can Luke seduce Cicely without falling in love himself?

Cicely Watson doesn’t believe in werewolves or vampires. She’s not even sure she believes in true love. But she’s about to discover what every werewolf knows:

People change.

This is one of the books that we have to review and I can say that I’m a little proud of my self (ha ha) for finishing this one because the notion was nothing out of the ordinary. Yes it is. Did I think Darkride offered anything new to the genre? No, not necessarily... yet, there is something I can't quite put my finger on that made the novel irresistible! The relationship of Ander and Cicely is started as friendship but then both of them feel a strong connection that pulls them to be drawn to each other and cannot be interpreted as just a friendship. I was a bit perturbed on there feelings to each other that they can’t show it together. Cicely was the more outspoken one while Ander is struggling with something that could affect there relationship together. I like both of the leading man; they equally strong and of course got the looks you can’t resist. Ander was the witty, lovable guy while Luke was more on the mysterious side and old-fashioned way.



All three of them will do anything for love and even change for it. This story will solidify the words that “Love can be taught”. Overall I enjoy the story and will wait for the sequel.

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Review: Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

 

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Paperback: 400 pages

Release date: December 6th, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Amazon ││The Book Depository ││ Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Summary: Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Another fabulous work by Jennifer Armentrout! Obsidian is an unputdownable and fast-paced page-turner filled with sizzling romance and action packed story. It’s just amazing that other than knowing it’d be incredible because it’s written by Jennifer, I didn’t have any idea what this book is about nor what to expect from it. Granted, it ends up being awesome. I am pulled right into the characters’ world immediately and stayed there until the last page. 

This YA paranormal is a breath of fresh air from any other fantasy books. Sure, aliens in YA are not so new, but the author succeeded in creating a story that will leave its own mark and identity to the YA world. 

Katy and her mom moved to West Virginia to start over a new life. They have lost her dad a few years ago and now, she left Florida and the past behind just before her senior year in high school. Living next door are twins Daemon and Dee Black. She gets along easily with Dee, but her twin brother has a negative approach towards their friendship and never approve of it. Despite Daemon’s cruel and unkind attitude for her, she never backs down. What she didn’t expect for them to have is the strong attraction and chemistry they felt towards each other. 

It’s really hard not to like Katy. I mean, she’s a BOOK BLOGGER! She posts IMM vlogs and other book blogging memes, which is really awesome and new. I’ve never encountered something like it before in books. She’s also an independent and adorable heroine with just enough wits and character. She stood her ground and never let the others bully her. But like everyone in real life, she has also made some stupid decisions… like making herself the bait to the bad guys. Daemon is the epitome of a real bad boy protagonist! He’s protective and sexy as hell. I really like that Jennifer Armentrout goes consistent with his character. He shows some soft side of him without ruining his bad boy image. The chemistry between these two is enough to ignite an entire house. So much that I had a hard time fanning myself in one particular steamy scene. 

Aside from the sizzling romance, this book also has some intense action scenes that left me wanting for more. Obsidian was one heck of an excellent read that YA fans do not want miss. The graphical and descriptive scenes are hard not to be captivated with, especially the action and swoon-worthy ones! The ending wasn’t a cliffhanger (thank goodness!) that would have left me wanting to pull my hair out. But there’s no way the lack of cliffhanger made me feel any less excited for the sequel. All in all,Obsidian is a must buy and read! 

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Review: Love Story by Jennifer Echols

   

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Paperback: 243 pages

Release date: July 19th, 2011

Publisher: MTV Books

Source: Author

Buy it on: Amazon ││The Book Depository ││ Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Summary: She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

The latest book I’ve read by Ms. Echols, and I wanted to thank her for giving me a chance to review this one, so… 

Erin Blackwell is majoring in creative writing it is her ticket away from the awful memories she left behind their farm. But when the day that she’s sharing her assignment in the class came, Hunter walks in. He is the stable boy in Erin‘s story and the one who take her college tuition given by her grandmother when she refuses to take over the farm someday. 

The first part of the story is really lovable. The banter of Erin and Hunter, how Hunter revise his own story for Erin and how he used some medical/scientific terms (I hate that subject! tsk) which I don’t understand some of it and so on and so forth. I view this book as a powerful one for me. But there still some parts wherein I feel bored; I think the latter part of the story is where the weak point kicks in. Though I don’t want and try not to compare this book with the other books I’ve read by Ms. Echols I still feel that this is not the book I would give a 5 star. The location was new to me, the farm and horses; the place was described unmistakably and marvelously. The romance arises precisely that not only the adult readers will love but also the young ones. I’m a bit not satisfied with how the ending turns up. But overall I enjoyed the book and salutes Ms. Echols for bringing great contemporary books in our shelves. :)

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