Cover Reveal: A Moment in California

Title: A Moment in California (Book 2 of Moments)

Author: Danielle Wright

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication Date: Mid December 2014

Tour Host: Dreams Come True Promotions

Lost in the comfort and safety of Jayden, Tenley Clarkson has found her happiness. Despite the troubles in her past, their romance has given her the chance to have her happily ever after. That was until one moment shattered her fairytale. After receiving the news of her father’s illness, Tenley makes the heart breaking decision to leave Paris and return to her father. But leaving Paris means leaving Jayden – a sacrifice she has to make.

Jayden Matthews has known it from the moment he met Tenley. She is the love of his life. He knows that her past makes it hard for her to trust in anyone, and even harder for her to allow herself to be happy. Jayden feels the love that Tenley has for him. He sees the trust that she has placed in him. Now, he just needs the chance to help her break down her walls and see it for herself. Tenley’s sudden decision to leave doesn't give Jayden that chance. But he isn't about to let Tenley slip through his fingers. He loves her too much to let her walk away and will prove that she is worth the fight. Prove that he loves her beyond real, beyond crazy, beyond forever.

As their pasts continue to threaten their future, Jayden and Tenley drown in a constant battle of wills. Tenley refuses to let Jayden sacrifice his dreams for her, even if that means letting him go. They've both learned that one moment is all it takes to fall in love. But what happens when one moment shatters your world? When the love that Jayden and Tenley share is put to the ultimate test, can they learn to trust in each other and in their love?

One decision
One sacrifice
One Moment…..

Danielle Wright was born in California, but raised in Colorado where she currently resides. She has one younger brother and is close to her family. She loves to read, and has had that passion from a very young age, love stories always being her favorite. She has always loved telling stories and often found herself making up her own stories to tell. Danielle loves the idea that a story, even for just a little while, takes the reader away from everyday life and puts them in a world that they could only dream of. She truly believes that a good book will stay with you and even has the power to change your life. Once she decided to no longer let fear get in her way, Danielle began to bring her dream worlds to life, first as an escape for herself and then, hoping that someday, someone, somewhere, will find their escape in her world.

Danielle values her family and friends above anything else. When she is not reading or writing you can find her hanging out with her family, watching football, The Voice, Greys Anatomy, Sons of Anarchy or going to the movies or concerts with friends. She is a huge country music fan, although her favorite band is Maroon 5 and she has a major crush on Adam Levine. She loves anything Disney, and still believes in magic, fairy tales and true love. She wants her readers to remember to smile, nothing horrible lasts forever. Also, that every moment is important because you never know which moment is going to change your life. 

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Book Review: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Series: Rebel Belle (#1)
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance
Published: April 8th, 2014 by Putnam Juvenile
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper's destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can't get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she's charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper's least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David's own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

This book was a very, very fun read! :) I loved the main character, Harper. She's just awesome...You know what I mean? Relationships are very important to her, so you on't really have to worry about her betraying you. She will love you lots and be prepared...she doesn't curse..well....I don't remember her cursing. I love her personality, it;'s quite unique, if I must say so myself. When Saylor had asked if she was prepared, she was like "No." Just a blunt 'no', and I laughed for like hours because I expected her to say 'yes'. Oh my goodness, it's just a fun read.

This novel was such a funny one! You'll practically be laughing every page or two! The plot twist in the beginning was certainly, unexpected. I totally expected a big plot twist just like the one in the beginning, to happen in the middle. The fact that she used the heel or her heels and stab it into the neck....of this person..was something that hurt my stomach. I laughed to my death, and I especially loved how she was like "this is embarrassing". The writing wasn't too good, but it was good enough, it did have enough detail. My favorite aspect of the novel was the storyline. A. m. a. z. i. n. g.

I love how there wasn't the stupid fight of jealousy between her and her boyfriend, like the usual cliche novel, BUT, they decide to calmly negotiate and it didn't turn out to be a full blown fight. I loved her ex boyfriend though. He's soo sweet and has his own unique personality. You would think he's the playboy type, but he came back! And unfortunately, another huge plot twist happens near the end. Like what happens with their powers and stuff? The questions that remained in the air at the end is enough to make a good second book, but the ending of Rebel Belle is simply enough to leave it at that. It gives us enough room to make and imagine what's going to happen next. It's a very fun read! :)

Book Review: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary
Published: April 10, 2014 by Disney Hyperion
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

This is a gorgeous book. It's too good. Like seriously. Everything abut this was good. I think this novel ought to be her best work so far that I've read. I love the mystery aspect in it, very beautifully written. There was a hint of horror in it, but that's to be expected as it was a thriller and suspense novel. It was also fun to read it because of 'Mean Girls'. I've watched that movie a thousand times and this is the first time I've used it to read a novel.

"The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level..." That sentence from the summary of my copy just sparked a 'mean girl' fangirl in me and I started reading her old friends as Regina, Gretchen and Karen. Oooohhh, it was such a fun read to be able to read it like that.

I also loved the family interactions in this novel. Like we even got to know more about their parents and the actual reasons to actual problems. The only thing I didn't like was the conflict at the end. I felt like it could've been better written and more detailed, but that aside, everything was amazing. Her brother was also a protective one, which is so cute. The amnesia part was very well written and I loved how there wasn't so much of a sarcastic aspect in this novel because she is actually logical at time. Sometimes, the characters are too sarcastic in other books that I can't stand them, but this novel lets me take a nice break from it, but at the same time enjoy some funny comments.

To be honest, I'm very surprised that Armentrout actually fit all the answers to the questions in our head by the end of the story. It's a pretty short thriller novel if I were to say so myself, especially when our main character has amnesia and she was to find everything out. Ahhh, this just gives you the feels and it's too good to not read. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone if you've yet to read it!

Book Review: Fault Line by C. Desir

Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Published: October 15th, 2013 by SimonPulse
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

I seriously have never rated a book this low. It's very rare that I dislike a book this much. I'm not harsh on judging books. I don't know whether to rate this a two or lower.

I understand that rape is a very serious topic. No one should have to experience any of it. This story deals with the rape and the aftereffects of it. It has done a horrible thing and drastically forever changed the victim. This isn't a book for everyone. I personally dislike it very much. This wasn't my cup of tea. The reason to why I didn't like it very much was because of the characters. Ani was such a frustrating character. This did not have a happy ending like I thought it would have.

Spoilers Ahead

This is told from the victim's boyfriend's perspective. Fault Line begins with one event after six months of meeting each other. I'm not going to say what that event was. Uh, yeah. Let me tell you it wasn't so great. And then the real beginning takes six months before that. It's where Ben first meets Ani. In the beginning when they were dating, I thought they were cute. I had no clue about what happened to her at that party until I read it. Ben decides to stay home instead of going to the party. Ani goes with her friend instead.  Ben is crazy about Ani and would do anything to for her. Things go haywire. She becomes a rape victim. I seriously thought she was a strong character. She becomes, well to say, a slut in the end. I really thought she could be better. But I know it sticks to you. It's traumatizing. But she was just so frustrating and I was disgusted by the way she was acting afterwards. Come on, try to make it better for yourself, not worse. 

I really hated the fact that she didn't tell her mom that she was raped. Like, seriously? I understand that she would kill you for drinking or something but I'm sure she would look more at the fact that you got RAPED. 

I was frustrated about how they were handling the relationship. She didn't want to go any programs that would help. She was doing all this shiz that Ben didn't deserve. I was just a tiny bit satisfied about what Ben had decided to do in the end. It wasn't a good ending but hey, it was better than nothing. BUT HE DIDN'T CALL OUT THE TEACHER. 

Who is to blame? Himself, for not being there?
Ani, for allowing herself to be vulnerable?
Or her friend, for seeing  the warning signs?

I don't even know anymore. 

Book Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Series: Every Day (#1)
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, SciFi
Published: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Review ~

This is a first novel I've read by David Levithan. The idea of this was very, very unique and different and was written beautifully. It wasn't very captivating or intriguing but maybe that's because I'm more of an action and fantasy type of reader. Maybe that's just me. But the way he wrote it made me think and realize things I would have never thought about in a certain way before.

I loved the character development and chemistry between A and Rhiannon. It felt realistic. As the story went on, their feelings for each other kept building and building. She still loved A and she still felt the connection between them, even in different bodies. A would notice things that Rhiannon herself didn't notice. A was just so considerate and thoughtful. 

"This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it's just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be."

As  I neared the ending, I knew it wasn't to be like a happily ever after kind of ending because of their complicated relationship. It all happened  happened so fast. As you may or may not know, I'm pretty sensitive and can't really control my emotions. I finished the book around three in the morning felt really sad throughout the day. As I said, I just loved the character development and chemistry between A and Rhiannon and I didn't want it to end like that. If they ever needed to talk to each other, they would communicate through emails or meet up somewhere almost every day. But that wouldn't happen anymore... What happened wasn't a bad ending, nor was a happily ever after ending. You may think it's nothing to be sad or cry over about, but I was, I did. I get emotional, okay?

"It's only in the finer points that it gets complicated and contentious, the inability to realize that no matter what our religion or gender or race or geographic background, we all have about 98 percent in common with each other. Yes, the differences between male and female are biological, but if you look at the biology as a matter of percentage, there aren't a whole lot of things that are different. Race is different purely as a social construction, not as a inherent difference."

There is much more I would love to tell you about, but I'll just leave it up to you if you want to read it or not. I highly recommend it to people who want to read a book with a complicated romance.

There's also a short prequel called Six Earlier Days, which is only available as an ebook/kindle and a companion novel, Rhiannon, in her point of view, which is published in Spring 2015.

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Series: Anna and The French Kiss (#2)
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Romance
Published: September 28, 2011
Publisher: Dutton Books
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review ~

First off, just to put it our there, I loved Anna and the French Kiss, but this, not so much. One thing I liked about this was the fact that Lola still can't ignore Cricket, even after the past years. This just shows how strong love is if you look at it from Lola's point of view. She didn't contact him either, in any way. I just really loved this aspect, however I didn't like the fact that Max was the one being the "3rd wheel".

“I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.”

Some may say they don't like her love for Max, but I did. Well, until half way through the book. You see, we didn't really know much about him so I didn't really get an opportunity to hate him. Throughout the first half of the book, I hated, wait, let me emphasize that, I HATED Cricket. The more Lola spent more time with Cricket the more I wanted her to spend more time with Max. You see, he's getting questioned during Sunday Brunch with Lola's parents(who are gay) and here's Cricket, being invited to outing with the family. What?! I don't understand the logic. I hate, scratch that, dislike those who think age is the problem.

“Grasshopper. Centipede. Praying Mantis."

And then after I went past the halfway point of the book, I started to get why Lola wasn't able to let go of Cricket, however I still loved Max as a character. I was blind and couldn't see anything wrong about him. He was the nice guy who loved Lola. That's how I saw him. Don't ask why I couldn't see him as anything worse, I just couldn't. Aside from that, I liked this boy. Pretty enjoyable! Stephanie Perkins knows how to write characters that have trouble deciding! Normally, I don't really like it(e.g. The Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass, I didn't understand America), but she knows where your soft spot is and when to hit it. It's simply stunning!

“Just because something isn't practical doesn't mean it's not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough.”

Would I recommend this? Yes. If you love Anna and the French Kiss, then you should definitely check it out, it's very exciting and "cute"! The way Stephanie Perkins was able to write the characters was something I liked! The costumes Lola wore were incredibly detailed, giving me a vivid image of what she was going to wear for the day, or even for her senior prom. The only reason I gave this 3 1/2 was because of Lola's parents and how they hated Max, Lola acting childish(not because of the way she loves costumes, but because of her irrational, childish decisions) and how conflicts were solved in the blink of an eye. I also didn't like the fact that Lola just wouldn't admit to herself that she liked Cricket and just break it off with Max. I felt so bad for him because he was stuck being jealous with a girl who likes another guy.

Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Series: Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Published: September 13, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Review ~

I couldn't read from a smart 5 year old perspective. He changes, a lot, I mean, by intelligence. One moment, he's how a five year old should act, the next, he describes and says words too complicated for a five year old who's spent his life in a room, thinking that's the whole world. I would always usually think this is being told from an adult's point of view while reading for a moment or two, and then he starts using toddler language, and it really just ruins the whole thing.

“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.”

When reading Room though, a smart five year old's perspective is a benefit, because you felt like you were there, not just reading some lousy old kid's limited words, there were details, not complicated or bizarre, but enough so that you could imagine what kind of life they were living in. Emma Donoghue had done an amazing job writing details so vividly clear that you could be scared out of your mind at on point while reading, or you could be jumping up and down out of happiness. It's simply amazing.

“Everybody's damaged by something.”

Here's the thing though. I liked reading when they were in the room and when they were doing something amazing, but I kind of sped through the second half of the book, which is the part where J___ Sa__ Ma and Es____. Yea, you get it right? Sorry, no spoilers, fill in the blank. :) Jack's mother was definitely my favorite character out of all. I saw her develop and change if you compare the first half and the second half of the book. She's brave and loving for a woman who's been kidnapped and trapped for seven/eight years of her life, and when a miracle happens, you could definitely see the change!

“Stories are a different kind of true.”

And the ending? Sure, it wasn't one of those books with a sad ending, it's one of those with a happy ending, and you're so filled with joy about the joys that occurred in this books that you don't even care this book is over! It's a compelling story, one that will captivate your mind until you're done with it.

Instead of my usual signature, I've decided to add a trailer for the book. Enjoy!