The Continent (The Continent #1) by Keira Drake

The Continent (The Continent #1)
by Keira Drake
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release Date: January 3rd 2017

Genre: Young Adult

Rate: Enjoyed it (4,5 stars)

Synopsis:

For her sixteenth birthday, Vaela Sun receives the most coveted gift in all the Spire—a trip to the Continent. It seems an unlikely destination for a holiday: a cold, desolate land where two “uncivilized” nations remain perpetually at war. Most citizens tour the Continent to see the spectacle and violence of battle—a thing long vanished in the Spire. For Vaela—a smart and talented apprentice cartographer—it is an opportunity to improve upon the maps she’s drawn of this vast, frozen land.

But an idyllic aerial exploration is not to be had: the realities of war are made clear in a bloody battle seen from the heli-plane during the tour, leaving Vaela forever changed. And when a tragic accident leaves her stranded on the Continent, she has no illusions about the true nature of the danger she faces. Starving, alone, and lost in the middle of a war zone, Vaela must try to find a way home—but first, she must survive.

The Continent, for me, was one of those YA books that you don't know what to expect from it. I started reading it not really knowing what I was going to encounter, but I ended up loving it.

And what's The Continent? Because that's what all this book is about. Vaela has lived all her life in the Spire, a pacific and what you could call an utopian place where there's peace, no hunger and everyone works in order to provide something to the society. But all that changes when Vaela's parents gift her a trip to see The Continent, a dangerous place where two nations are constantly in war.

What I liked about this book is the not knowing what direction was going to take. I didn't know what was going to happen or what to expect from the story. Some other books, by reading the synopsis, you have a clear idea what's going to happen throughout the story, but I could have never imagined all the things I read in Keira Drake's book. 

About the main characters, Vaela and Noro, I liked that they were strong and powerful characters in their own individual selves. Vaela, for instance, came from a wealthy family, she has had everything since she was born, but when tragedy strikes and she finds herself in The Continent, alone, without food, friends or help you see how resilient she is. Which was a surprise, since I was hoping to find the typical "damsel in distress". She was approachable and felt real all at the same time because she made mistakes and had to learn how to keep going from the moment she set foot in The Continent. Plus, her grief was also very real and you could see how it was not dismissed by the author at any moment. 

On the other hand, Noro was the complete opposite. He knows grief and what it means to lose the people you love on a regular basis. He is a survivor as well as kind and gentle. I liked that he didn't "help" Vaela all the time, but wanted to help her learn and see that she could also do it. But it was also super cute to see how deep down, no matter how hard he tried or how much he taught her, he couldn't resist being preoccupied over her.

Their relationship was not an insta-love one, which put that extra likeness to the story. Noro did not made a move on Vaela until she had come to terms with her grief and with who she was now at The Continent. So you can say that it was a progressive one and their moments together are beautiful but yet brief for those of us who love the couple so much.

The story was a raw one. The main character, Vaela, was a wealthy, carefree cartographer at the Spire who heard about all the stories and battles going on at The Continent, who thought it was sad that it happened and had a lot of progressive thoughts that could lead to a solution. But at the same time was curious to see in first hand what was going on. Until she sees for herself that all those stories are awfully real and happening, that it was brutal and that death was everywhere for no reason at all and they, The Spire, were doing nothing to prevent it. Sound familiar, guys? 

Why I am not giving the 5 stars to this book? Simply because I truly started loving it when Vaela was with the Aven'ei, when she made friends and started being the Vaela she truly was. That's when the story really starts to escalate and go super fast from a reader's point of view. Because you just want to know what is going to happen and who's going to remain at the end of the story. And that's how I know the second book is going to be a powerful one, too. I am just dying to start reading it and, of course, to see the cover for this title.

Full of friendship, love, war, grief, adventure, tragedy and deception, The Continent is one of those stories that will blow your mind and that you will need more of it when you are done.

Listen to my book playlist for The Continent

"...He said that itzatsune rarely marry, which is fine with him, because girls are - I quote him here - 'always trying to kiss him,' and he doesn't have time for that sort of thing. And he insists that he shall be far more skilled than even you when he finally achieves the rank."

Noro leans back, smirking. "Did he now?"

"Yes, he did. He's quite sure if himself."

---

"I will never give up hope," I say, but wonder half a second if this is true.

She shrugs. "Hope for things that are possible, then. Hope for clear skies amidst the storms of summer, or for the safe return of our warriors from the battlefields at Sana-Zo and the Narrow Corner. Hope for a happy marriage and many sons, if that should please you. Never hope for peace, Vaela. Not here. Not on the Continent."

"I can't help it. After all, hope is not sustained by the likeliness of a thing, but by the desire for it, and it is my dearest wish that you and all your people would know the peace I have described."

---

He smoothes a lock of hair away from my cheek, tucking it behind my ear. "I hope for you to live a long, happy life."

---

"Nothing could prepare you for what is to come, Vaela. Nothing on this Earth."

I’m Keira Drake—I write YA fiction, usually with sci-fi/fantasy elements. My debut novel, THE CONTINENT, will be published by Harlequin TEEN in January 2017, and I am represented by the incredible, illustrious Jim McCarthy at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management. I’m so looking forward to sharing my books with the world!

The Continent (The Continent #1) by Keira Drake

The Continent (The Continent #1)
by Keira Drake
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release Date: January 3rd 2017

Genre: Young Adult

Rate: Enjoyed it (4,5 stars)

Synopsis:

For her sixteenth birthday, Vaela Sun receives the most coveted gift in all the Spire—a trip to the Continent. It seems an unlikely destination for a holiday: a cold, desolate land where two “uncivilized” nations remain perpetually at war. Most citizens tour the Continent to see the spectacle and violence of battle—a thing long vanished in the Spire. For Vaela—a smart and talented apprentice cartographer—it is an opportunity to improve upon the maps she’s drawn of this vast, frozen land.

But an idyllic aerial exploration is not to be had: the realities of war are made clear in a bloody battle seen from the heli-plane during the tour, leaving Vaela forever changed. And when a tragic accident leaves her stranded on the Continent, she has no illusions about the true nature of the danger she faces. Starving, alone, and lost in the middle of a war zone, Vaela must try to find a way home—but first, she must survive.

The Continent, for me, was one of those YA books that you don't know what to expect from it. I started reading it not really knowing what I was going to encounter, but I ended up loving it.

And what's The Continent? Because that's what all this book is about. Vaela has lived all her life in the Spire, a pacific and what you could call an utopian place where there's peace, no hunger and everyone works in order to provide something to the society. But all that changes when Vaela's parents gift her a trip to see The Continent, a dangerous place where two nations are constantly in war.

What I liked about this book is the not knowing what direction was going to take. I didn't know what was going to happen or what to expect from the story. Some other books, by reading the synopsis, you have a clear idea what's going to happen throughout the story, but I could have never imagined all the things I read in Keira Drake's book. 

About the main characters, Vaela and Noro, I liked that they were strong and powerful characters in their own individual selves. Vaela, for instance, came from a wealthy family, she has had everything since she was born, but when tragedy strikes and she finds herself in The Continent, alone, without food, friends or help you see how resilient she is. Which was a surprise, since I was hoping to find the typical "damsel in distress". She was approachable and felt real all at the same time because she made mistakes and had to learn how to keep going from the moment she set foot in The Continent. Plus, her grief was also very real and you could see how it was not dismissed by the author at any moment. 

On the other hand, Noro was the complete opposite. He knows grief and what it means to lose the people you love on a regular basis. He is a survivor as well as kind and gentle. I liked that he didn't "help" Vaela all the time, but wanted to help her learn and see that she could also do it. But it was also super cute to see how deep down, no matter how hard he tried or how much he taught her, he couldn't resist being preoccupied over her.

Their relationship was not an insta-love one, which put that extra likeness to the story. Noro did not made a move on Vaela until she had come to terms with her grief and with who she was now at The Continent. So you can say that it was a progressive one and their moments together are beautiful but yet brief for those of us who love the couple so much.

The story was a raw one. The main character, Vaela, was a wealthy, carefree cartographer at the Spire who heard about all the stories and battles going on at The Continent, who thought it was sad that it happened and had a lot of progressive thoughts that could lead to a solution. But at the same time was curious to see in first hand what was going on. Until she sees for herself that all those stories are awfully real and happening, that it was brutal and that death was everywhere for no reason at all and they, The Spire, were doing nothing to prevent it. Sound familiar, guys? 

Why I am not giving the 5 stars to this book? Simply because I truly started loving it when Vaela was with the Aven'ei, when she made friends and started being the Vaela she truly was. That's when the story really starts to escalate and go super fast from a reader's point of view. Because you just want to know what is going to happen and who's going to remain at the end of the story. And that's how I know the second book is going to be a powerful one, too. I am just dying to start reading it and, of course, to see the cover for this title.

Full of friendship, love, war, grief, adventure, tragedy and deception, The Continent is one of those stories that will blow your mind and that you will need more of it when you are done.

Listen to my book playlist for The Continent

"...He said that itzatsune rarely marry, which is fine with him, because girls are - I quote him here - 'always trying to kiss him,' and he doesn't have time for that sort of thing. And he insists that he shall be far more skilled than even you when he finally achieves the rank."

Noro leans back, smirking. "Did he now?"

"Yes, he did. He's quite sure if himself."

---

"I will never give up hope," I say, but wonder half a second if this is true.

She shrugs. "Hope for things that are possible, then. Hope for clear skies amidst the storms of summer, or for the safe return of our warriors from the battlefields at Sana-Zo and the Narrow Corner. Hope for a happy marriage and many sons, if that should please you. Never hope for peace, Vaela. Not here. Not on the Continent."

"I can't help it. After all, hope is not sustained by the likeliness of a thing, but by the desire for it, and it is my dearest wish that you and all your people would know the peace I have described."

---

He smoothes a lock of hair away from my cheek, tucking it behind my ear. "I hope for you to live a long, happy life."

---

"Nothing could prepare you for what is to come, Vaela. Nothing on this Earth."

I’m Keira Drake—I write YA fiction, usually with sci-fi/fantasy elements. My debut novel, THE CONTINENT, will be published by Harlequin TEEN in January 2017, and I am represented by the incredible, illustrious Jim McCarthy at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management. I’m so looking forward to sharing my books with the world!

Release Week Blitz: The Harder You Fall (The Original Heartbreakers #3) by Gena Showalter

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Week Blitz for Gena Showalter’s THE HARDER YOU FALL! Being released today, this fantastic contemporary romance in the Original Heartbreakers series is a scorching tale featuring an aloof bad boy and the rowdy Southern belle who rocks his world, published by HarlequinHQN! Order THE HARDER YOU FALL from the links below! And don’t miss the sexy excerpt we have for you below!

The Harder You Fall (The Original Heartbreakers #3)
by Gena Showalter
Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: November 24th 2015

Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes another scorching Original Heartbreakers tale featuring an aloof bad boy and the rowdy Southern belle who rocks his world… 

Millionaire video-game creator Lincoln West has a dark and tragic past. The sought-after bachelor lives by a rigid schedule and a single rule—one relationship per year, lasting no more than two months. No exceptions. He moved to small town Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, with his brothers-by-circumstance hoping to escape the worst of his memories—until a brash beauty dredges up long-buried emotions. 

A reformed party girl, Jessie Kay Dillon is determined to walk the straight and narrow. But her love-hate sizzle with West is just too irresistible. They can't be near each other without tearing off their clothes, but the last thing she needs is to be his next two-month dump. Can she be the one exception? Because as any former girl-gone-wild knows: rules are made to be broken.

Jessie Kay smiled, but the amusement didn’t last long. “You must hate that I’ve been with them.”

“I hate the thought of you with anyone else and for a while, I thought I’d grow to resent the two for putting their hands on my woman. But now I realize it simply doesn’t matter. They are the past, and I am the present.”

“Your woman,” she whispered, as if she couldn’t believe he’d said the words. “The future.” Gulping, she turned in her seat to fully face him. “How did Monica know you want to pretend I’m a human buffet?”

West gripped the steering wheel more tightly. “I told her.”

A moment passed in silence. A moment he lacked any kind of heartbeat, the stupid organ waiting for a reason to beat.

“I want you, too,” she admitted. “You know I do. But I won’t do anything about it because I expect long-term and you insist on two months.” A heavy pause. “Right?”

His body reacted to her words—I want you, too—growing hot and hungry, his heart now racing as an insatiable need for relief plagued him. “Right.” He couldn’t overlook his reasons for keeping this particular schedule. Not even for Jessie Kay. It would be an insult to Jase and Tessa, even Beck. It would be an insult to the pain they’d suffered on his behalf.

“Why?” she asked. “Why do you insist on two months? Tell me. Please.”

“Not yet.” He’d have to tell her sooner or later, he saw that now, but as for tonight, there’d been enough turmoil. “If we can’t be together, you have to help me resist you. Tell me all the horrible things you’d do if we were involved. Cling? Demand to know every detail about my rotten childhood?”

For a long, silent moment, she peered at him with yearning and hope, and it tore him up inside. He didn’t think there could be anything worse—until both emotions were eclipsed by resolve.

“I would cling so hard,” she finally said. “I would ask a million questions about not just your childhood but your day, every day, and if I thought, even for a second, you’d looked at another woman, I would punish you by refusing to sleep with you. For a week!”

“You mean you would punish yourself. But keep going. This is helping.” Was it though? He wasn’t disturbed by the thought of her questions and her punishment. He was intrigued.

“I would take horrible advantage of you,” she said.

Again, he was intrigued. “Give me an example.”

“Well, for starters, I would expect you to trade cars with me.”

“Why?”

“Because any boyfriend of mine would insist I drive the safer vehicle.”

Guess who would soon be getting a new—safer—car all her own? 

But she wasn’t done. “And I hope you like your girlfriends in baggy shirts and sweatpants. The moment I have you nailed down, I’ll stop putting any effort into my appearance.”

He gave a mock shudder.

“And despite your obvious aversion to gift-giving, I will expect a present for every anniversary. And, West? I believe every week together is a new anniversary.”

The thought utterly terrified him.

The one gift he’d given his mother, she’d pawned. The first gift he’d given to a foster mother hadn’t compared to the gifts she’d received from her own children. She’d proudly displayed theirs, and his—a drawing he’d slaved over—had ended up in the trash with the wrapping paper.

“Your turn to help me.” Jessie Kay waved her hand at him. “Tell me the horrible things you’d do to me.”

He brought her hand to his mouth, and licked between her knuckles. One taste. Just one… “I’d have a schedule drilled into your head by the end of the first day.”

“Nothing new there.”

“If you were a minute late to anything, I would pencil in a lecture and a spanking.”

Her exaggerated gasp caused his lips to twitch at the corners. She placed her free hand over her throat, saying, “You’re such a beast! Yes, I would deserve and welcome the spanking. But the lecture? Cruel and unusual. How long would it last?”

“Hours.”

She tsk-tsked. “I hate to break it to you, sugar bear, but I wouldn’t hear a word. I’d be too busy daydreaming about the joys of single life.”

“Don’t kid yourself, kitten. I’d deliver the lecture naked. You’d only want more of me, not less.”

Goose bumps broke out over her skin. “What else?”

“I would demand to be the center of your world.” He never had before, but with her, he was certain he’d make an exception. “Every minute of every day would belong to me. I would expect you in my bed every night and in my arms every morning. I would have you so often and so hard you wouldn’t be able to breathe without thinking of me.”

Another moment passed in silence. Another moment without a heartbeat.

He reached the house, parked in the driveway. 

“Horrible,” she finally said, her voice little more than smoke—smoke that drugged him…lured him deeper into her spell.

He shook as he got out of the car, walked around and opened her door. “I need another reason. Now.”

She stood before him, looking up at him with luminous eyes. “I would demand a hug at least ten times a day.”

He didn’t have to fake a shudder this time. “I hate hugs. I never know how long or tight to hold on.”

“Well, I can fix that in a jiff.” She stepped closer to him, stepped into him, winding her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his chest, where his heart drummed a thousand beats a minute. “Hold on until I say stop.”

He obeyed without thought, wrapping his arms around her and clinging.

“Tighter,” she said. “Good. That’s good.” A tension-laden pause. “Miserable yet?”

“Beyond,” he whispered. 

“Good. Now run your fingers through my hair.”

It was a dangerous game, the most dangerous one they’d ever played, and it utterly defeated the purpose of what they were trying to do. Still he ran his fingers through the silken strands of her hair, and she sighed with contentment.

“Jessie Kay.” A heated rasp.

She looked up, pressed a gentle kiss into his lips. 

The contact, even as brief as it was, obliterated whatever armor he’d had around his mind…his heart? His every hidden desire was suddenly on display, like exposed nerve endings, raw and sensitive.

Suddenly he couldn’t breathe. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers, stealing her breath when she opened for him. 

Their tongues rolled together, soft and slow, and the incredible taste of her nearly unmanned him: the sugar that was a steady part of her diet laced with a hint of cinnamon. Two flavors he would forever associate with home…home…for the first time in his life, he felt as if he was home.

“Jessie Kay.” As good as the kiss was, it had nothing to do with passion. Not in this stolen moment. Every stroke and thrust somehow deepened the emotion between them. She branded him. She took him to a place where the past no longer existed. There was only here and now, and they were the only two people alive.

“West,” she gasped—then she pushed him away.

They stood at arm’s length, both of them panting.

Goal: Get her back in his arms. Without her, he had no anchor. He was set adrift, the past threatening to intrude.

He reached for her, but she sidestepped him. Can’t let her get away.

He caged her against the car to prevent an escape, and as she trembled, he cursed. He wasn’t this man. Needy and clingy—desperate.

“N-now that we got that out of our systems,” she said, unable to look him in the eye, “the wanting should end.”

“Yes,” he croaked. “The wanting should end.”

Please. Let it end.

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared onNightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages. She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfan

Review: Part Time Cowboy (Copper Ridge #1) by Maisey Yates

Part Time Cowboy (Copper Ridge #1)
by Maisey Yates
Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: April 1st 2015

Rate: Enjoyed it + (4,5 stars)

Synopsis:

A one-time bad girl comes home to small-town Oregon in the first in a sexy, heartfelt new series from USA TODAY bestselling author Maisey Yates… 

Sadie Miller isn't expecting any welcome-home parades on her return to Copper Ridge. Least of all from part-time rancher, full-time lawman Eli Garrett. The straight-laced, impossibly hot deputy sheriff glares at her like she's the same teenage hoodlum who fled town ten years ago. But running from her demons has brought Sadie full circle, ready to make a commitment at last. Not to a man, but to a B and B. On Garrett land. Okay, so her plan has a tiny flaw… 

Eli works too hard to let a blonde ball of trouble mess up his town. But keeping an eye on Sadie makes it tough to keep his hands off her. And if she's so wrong for him, why does being with her feel so right?

Part Time Cowboy has just won my heart. It's a fun, enjoyable, sweet and romantic story that would keep you up all night.

In this first Cooper Ridge novel, we meet Eli Garrett and Sadie Miller. Sadie's one of those active and passionate girls who like to move from town to town, but it was time to come back to the town she once run from. Eli Garrett is the sheriff in Copper Ridge, always kept to himself and with a special thing about having everything in the right place, where it's supposed to be. So he doesn't like changes and when Sadie comes back to town she starts changing everything.

I truly enjoyed this book. Although I knew/hoped that it would end up the way it did, I found myself truly invested in the story, waiting to read more moments where the two main characters would interact and what it would end up happening. I was hooked from the very first page, been all night reading the book and, once I finished, was starved for more.

I think that the main thing that keep the reader invested in the story are Sadie and Eli. They are great characters, with their own personality and with their own problems and issues. They are a mess and they are trying to keep going: one changing things all the time and the other trying to keep it all together like it always has been. Having both points of views in this story, truly gives an insight on what's really going on the characters' mind and you can see how different are things, actions and feelings can be when you're reading it from different point of views. It's like you know something the other characters don't. 

As for the two main characters' personality, I think it's what makes this story not only romantic but also funny. I liked Sadie's attitude and quirky comebacks when he was with Eli. It's like he brought to light a new, funny and better Sadie than the one we met without Eli. And it's funny to see Eli struggling to keep everything under control, to try to keep his feelings at bay and not like Sadie. But they have such chemistry and attraction that's nearly impossible to keep these two away from each other.

I haven't enjoyed a Contemporary Romance story like this one and I highly recommend it to all romantic readers out there, searching for a good story where cowboys and police officers are involved.

*I received this book in exchange of an honest review. Thank you so much Lisa at Harlequin for giving me the chance to read this novel.

USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit.

In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.