Giveaway: Project Tell Taylor

Welcome to Project Tell Taylor!

Michelle Madow's debut novel Remembrance was inspired by Taylor Swift's "Love Story" music video. She talked all about it in a blog entry a few months ago, discussing how Remembrance was inspired by Taylor Swift's "Love Story" music video. She even wrote a letter to Taylor Swift and sent it to her, along with a signed book!

It's been a few months now, and she has yet to hear back from Taylor that she received the letter and book. She really wants to tell Taylor about how inspiring she and her music have been to her, but since Taylor Swift is an international superstar, she’s a little hard to reach. This is where YOUR help comes into play! Michelle is giving away the biggest prize pack she's offered yet, and the ways to enter to win are by telling Taylor Swift about Remembrance.

The Goal: Get Taylor Swift to Tweet about Remembrance!

Goodreads Description:

"Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet. 

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind? 

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy."

I am inspired by my family and fiancee. They all work really hard to achieve their goals, and will do whatever it takes to make their dreams come true. 

Remembrance Prize Pack:

A signed copy of Remembrance

A signed copy of Vengeance

Three signed Remembrance bookmarks

Two Remembrance stickers

A mask similar to the one on the cover of Remembrance

A mask similar to the one on the cover of Vengeance

The bracelet that Drew gives to Lizzie at the end of Remembrance

A copy of Taylor Swift’s Fearless CD (since that’s the CD that started it all)

A copy of Taylor Swift’s debut CD (since “Our Song” and “Teardrops on my Guitar” also influenced Remembrance)

A copy of Pride and Prejudice, since there are many references to Pride and Prejudice throughout Remembrance

Hallowed

Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 17, 2012
Source: For Review
Format: ARC
Goodreads Description: 
"For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Described by Richelle Mead as “utterly captivating,” Unearthly received outstanding reviews, garnered accolades from New York Times bestselling authors, and was named an Indie Next Pick. In this heart-wrenching sequel, Cynthia Hand expertly captures the all-consuming joy of first love—and the agony of loss. This beautifully woven tale will appeal to fans of Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Aprilynne Pike."

***

I love this series. Have you read Unearthly yet? If you have then you know exactly why I am so in love with it. If you haven’t what are you waiting for? DO IT ALREADY!

Ok, now that that’s out of my system, I have to tell you that Hallowed blew me away. After reading Unearthly, I knew that this would turn out to be one of my all-time favorite series. It has a very character-driven plot, so we see a lot of personal development and emotions. Clara’s family is going through a tremendously difficult time, and Clara herself is still trying to figure out what being an angel blood means.

We learn a lot about the angel bloods in this novel, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is more to come—particularly regarding Samjeeza. The angel lore that Cynthia Hand has developed fascinates me, and I can’t wait to learn more about it.

As with Unearthly, the romance is my favorite part of Hallowed. I think Cynthia Hand may have written one of the best love triangles of all time. As much as I loved Clara and Tucker in Unearthly (they were so cute!), I now feel that Clara belongs with Christian. Clara and Christian are just perfect for each other. They are a match in every way, and he seems to be the only person in the world who can truly comfort Clara regarding her family’s unfortunate circumstances.

Hallowed is full of romance and mystery. It is the perfect novel for fans of love triangles. It is hard to pick a boy for Clara because they both really have a lot to offer. At the same time Cynthia Hand does poke fun at the love triangle situation that Clara is in, which makes it feel more realistic and not so cliché. Hallowed is also my favorite angel book of all time. It has a lot to offer in terms of romance, angel lore, and mystery. When I finished reading, I was left with a happy, content feeling because I loved reading about the characters and living in their world for a bit. I’m highly anticipating the next novel in the Unearthly series, and I seriously hope that there are plans for a spin-off series because I know I won’t be ready to say goodbye.

Giveaway: Initiation by Imogen Rose

Goodreads Description:

"Welcome to Bonfire Academy. Set in the foothills of the alpine mountains in St.Moritz, this exclusive private school caters to a special kind of student. Enter at your own risk... but if you are human, you may not want to enter at all. 

This is part one of the prequel series (Bonfire Academy) in the Bonfire Chronicles. Book two, INTEGRATION, will be released summer 2012."

Check out the promo video:

Contest Rules:

• Open to Internationally
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Everyone may enter, even if you are not a follower
• Winners will be notified via email
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
• Contest ends February 6, 2012

In My Mailbox (29)

In My mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

1000 Follower Giveaway

<a href="http://www.abouttoread.com/2012/01/1000-follower-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><img alt="hop" src=" http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee416/AboutToRead/1000FollowerGiveaway1copy.jpg "/></a>

Thank you all so much for reading my blog! I have reached 1000 followers, and I am so excited! I have been blogging for almost a year, and I have had some much fun along the way--making new friends, hosting events, sharing my love of books--it's just been an awesome experience!

In order to celebrate this milestone, I'm giving away one of the following books:

Contest Rules:

• Open Internationally (as long as the Book Depository ships to you, check here) 
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Everyone may enter, even if you are not a follower
• Winner will be notified via email
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
• Contest ends February 27, 2012

Make sure you click the "Click here for Instructions" on the rafflecopter widget! It will tell you if any extra information is required and it will let you tweet & follow without having to navigate away from the page.

If you decide to post about this giveaway, please use the giveaway image at the top of the page as part of your post :)

If you want to add the giveaway button to your sidebar, but aren't sure how, no worries! From the Blogger Dashboard, click on the "Layout" link for your blog, click "Add a Gadget" and then scroll down the list and choose "HTML/Javascript." Then, just copy and paste the HTML code (from the box below the image at the top of this post) into that box and click "save." 

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

I am participating in the Young Adult Giveaway Hop which is hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer &   Down the Rabbit Hole. Make sure you check out the hosts page and visit the rest of the blogs on the linky list!

I am giving away winner's choice of one of the following books:

Contest Rules: 

• Open Internationally (as long as The Book Depository ships to you) 
• Must be 13+ to enter 
• Everyone may enter, even if you are not a follower 
• Winners will be notified via email 
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours 
• Contest ends January 31, 2012

Love Triangles: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Love Triangles is a feature I created to discuss how I feel about love triangles in the novels I read. I am assuming that those reading the love triangles posts have already read the books. Please be aware that these posts may contain spoilers.

Christian-Clara-Tucker

Tucker! I loved Tucker in this novel—he and Clara were so cute. Watching their relationship evolve was delightful, and it seems fitting that it started as a friendship. The two are highly compatible and they’re just so happy together. The fact that Clara literally lights up when they kiss makes me think that they are completely right for each other. That said, I was not happy with Tucker’s reaction when he found out that Clara was more than human—it was mean and hurtful. I was crying as I read those scenes, wondering why he was such a jerk. I’m glad he wasn’t blindly accepting of Clara’s supernatural abilities, but he didn’t need to treat her like a pariah either.

While I like Christian, I feel that Clara was only interested in him because of her purpose. She doesn’t even get to know him before she decides she has feelings for him in the beginning of the novel. While Christian is a perfectly nice guy, Clara likes him because she is obligated to—not because she wants to.

Have an Opinion on this Love Triangle? Link Up Below!
*Please link back to abouttoread.com in your post

Author Interview: Lynn Weingarten

As part of The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers blog tour, I have the pleasure of interviewing Lynn Weingarten! The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers was really cute, check out my review here.

Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour! Here is the full tour schedule:

1/23 Books with Bite

http://www.bookswithbite.net/

1/24 Luxury Reading

http://luxuryreading.com/

1/25 For Those About to Read

http://www.abouttoread.com/

1/26 Starry Sky Books

http://www.starryskybooks.com/

1/27 Sash & Em

http://sashandem.com/

Do you identify with any of the characters in The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers?

None of the characters are a fictionalized version of me, but I can definitely identify with certain things about Lucy (and could even more when I was younger).

Who is your favorite Heartbreaker?

Olivia. I think in her own way she’s very fair. Her code of ethics might not be the same as everyone elses’s but she does have one and she sticks to it. 

Lucy mentions fear several times in The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers. What are you afraid of?

Anyone close to me getting sick and/or dying.

What songs would be on a playlist for The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers?

I actually made a Heartbreakers playlist for Amazon, which you can download here (to download the PDF, click on the “more to explore” link under the book info).

I loved watching Lucy’s confidence grow throughout the story. What’s one thing you think helps people boost their confidence?

Thank you!

I think one thing a person can do is to stop bonding with friends over how much they don’t like themselves. I don’t mean to imply that everyone does this, since certainly a lot of people don’t!, but I think it is kind of a common thing especially amongst women and girls. And that is sad! It’s so easy to get into the bash-bonding – “I’m so fat!” “Oh me too!” but this habit can really mess with your head, even if you’re partly doing it for fun. There are plenty of other things to bond over like, say, how great you are!

How did you come up with the variousforms of magic in The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers?

 I tried to think about what powers it might be fun to have (within the realm that would make sense in the story).

Which character was the most difficult to write?

Lucy. It took a lot of effort to imagine what it would feel like to be completelyheartbroken and at the same time find out the world was filled with all sorts of amazing magic.

Do you have any other books in the works?

I’m working on the sequel to SSH as well as ideas for new stuff.

What are your favorite break-up movies/books?

After a particularly bad breakup in my twenties, I devoured a million Buddhism books. None of them were specifically about breakups but they were helpful anyway.

What’s the best way to heal a broken heart?

Time, rest, healthy food, the right amount of sleep, exercise, allow yourself to grieve but don’t obsess, cut off all contact with your ex at least for a while (and that includes Facebook stalking!), get lots of hugs, play with a puppy, wear a tiara as often as humanly possible.  

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers

Author: Lynn Weingarten
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: December 27, 2011
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads Description: 
"If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave. 

The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life. 

Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days. 

While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants?"

***

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers was a cute, fun read about a devastated and love-struck teen. While it is quite clear to readers that Lucy’s boyfriend is a jerk, she still loves him and will do anything to get him back.

When Lucy meets a group of beautiful, exciting girls who tell her that they can give her the power to make anyone fall in love with her, she jumps at the chance because she is dying to reunite with her ex.

What I really enjoyed about The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers was watching Lucy grow more confident in herself. A lot of what the sisterhood teaches her has nothing to do with magic and more to do with believing in yourself and your own worth. At the beginning of the novel, Lucy is incredibly insecure and shy. I know at certain points in my high school career, I felt the exact same insecurities as Lucy—and I imagine we all did at some point. Seeing Lucy struggle with her issues and watching her learn that she is already amazing without any help from the cosmic universe was great.

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers has some really positive message about self-image and confidence. It is a wonderful, whimsical tale about heartbreak and self-discovery. This would be a really fun to book to read around Valentine’s Day—particularly if you are going the anti-Valentine’s day route, since it focuses on heartbreak.

Unearhtly

Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 24, 2011
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads Description: 
"In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart."

***

Unearthly is a gem, and I wish I had discovered it sooner! Cynthia Hand takes us on an exciting ride about angels, self-discovery, and romance. I loved every single minute of reading this book, and I was so sad when it was over because I didn’t want to stop reading.

The characters in Unearthly are very well-developed. Clara feels like an awkward, insecure teenager, but at the same time she has this incredible inner strength. Even though her world has been turned upside down, she knows that she is supposed to accomplish important things for a higher a power.

There wasn’t a ton of action, as the book was primarily character-driven. However, there are a lot of mysteries to unravel surrounding Clara’s purpose and the angel bloods. I was surprised by how little Clara knows about herself, since she comes from a family of angel bloods. There are clearly a lot of secrets surrounding her abilities, and I’m eager to find out what they are.

The best part about Unearthly is hands-down the romance. Tucker and Clara are so sweet together, but I definitely see the potential for Christian and Clara. The scenes between Tucker and Clara were so romantic and swoon-worthy—I was literally saying “aww” out load while I was reading. I love reading about relationships like that—it’s always my favorite part of a novel.

Overall, Unearthly was a fantastic read and I am dying for more from Cynthia Hand. I will be reading Hallowed, the next novel in the series, immediately! I have feeling that this is going to be one of my favorite books of all time, and I highly recommend going to pick up a copy because this is one story you do not want to miss.

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers Blog Tour & Giveaway

I am very excited to be participating in the blog tour for The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten!

The tour kicks off tomorrow. Here's the schedule so that you can follow the fun:

1/23 Books with Bite

http://www.bookswithbite.net/

1/24 Luxury Reading

http://luxuryreading.com/

1/25 For Those About to Read

http://www.abouttoread.com/

1/26 Starry Sky Books

http://www.starryskybooks.com/

1/27 Sash & Em

http://sashandem.com/

Goodreads Description:

"If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave. 

The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life. 

Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days. 

While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants?"

A while back, I got some cute swag for The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers. I'm going to be giving away 4 temporary heart tattoos (the same ones used in the trailer) to one lucky winner at the end of the tour. Enter below using the Raffelcopter widget.

Contest Rules:

• Open to US Only
• Must be 13+ to enter
• Everyone may enter, even if you are not a follower
• Winners will be notified via email
• A new winner will be chosen if a response is not received within 48 hours
• Contest ends January 27, 2012