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Book Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Review:

"Two years ago, I was just an average seventeen-year-old guy. That's a lie. I've never been average. I look like a movie star and move like an athlete."

The buzz around this book has been crazy. Everybody seems to want Dante as their next boyfriend and honestly they can have him. Don't get me wrong I like Dante, but he doesn't make swoon or anything like that. Victoria Scott tries to portray him as the ultimate bad boy, but to me he's just arrogant, being all "I'm better than everybody else.". There is nothing wrong with some cockiness until it's more arrogance and no longer endearing. So Dante does have these great one liners, to portray that characteristic, but sometimes that feels a bit forced.

"My job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and I get the fun ones."

The author explains really well how all that collectors stuff works. It's easy to understand. Still Dante being a Collector, doesn't make him evil in my eyes. The guy is just doing his job, it's your own fault if you go to hell. If you do good things, you'll go to heaven and if you do bad thing your soul belongs to the devil. It's not like the guy is killing people. So Dante being a bad boy, I'm not convinced, the boy just got attitude for days.

Also there are some things that don't make complete sense. Dante is practically the right hand of Boss Man and he has trained all the other collectors, which makes you thing the guy has been doing this for decades, maybe even centuries, but apparently it has only been two years. For being so arrogant about all that, you would think he had more experience. Besides being a collector might not be that awesome, okay you're not stuck in hell and all you have to do is mark people, but they don't have any cool powers except becoming invisible. At least let them be able to teleport, now they have to rely on plains etc.

"Great, I've come to collect Mother Teresa."

I do love that it is told from Dante's POV, very refreshing. The character grows a lot during the book, looses some of his arrogance and tries to understand what feelings are. Of course there is a girl mostly responsible for that transformation. Charlie is a very regular girl, remotely no perfect beauty and indeed she pretty much has the heart of a saint. Now Dante has to corrupt that if he wants to collect her soul, but if he's not careful she might corrupt his soul (but in the good way). The more time he spends with her, the more trouble he has with completing his task.

All in all a very fun book to read, Dante's one liners are very original and funny, Charlie is endearing (reminds me of Bambi skating on the ice), the guy's POV made it very interesting and stand out from all the other stories like this (guy has trouble completing task, because he might like girl).

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Double Trouble Cover Reveal with A.J. Bennett & Piper Caleb

Mrs. Potter’s Book Publicity Services Presents:

Double Trouble Cover Reveal

Two NEW ADULT authors are revealing their debut novel covers today.

A.J. Bennett & Piper Caleb

Twenty-one year old Grayson Alexander finally breaks away from an abusive relationship and finds herself free for the first time in three years.

Determined to enjoy her new-found freedom, Grayson is intent on sticking with 'no strings attached' relationships—one-night stands, and steamy sex.

But she didn't plan on Derrick.

Her attraction to the sexy man in uniform quickly turns into an unhealthy relationship. They both try to resist the pull, but neither can stay away.

When tragedy strikes, Grayson realizes it's now or never—walk away or make it work.

A.J. Bennett lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and bulldog. She is a self-proclaimed coffee and popcorn addict. A.J. is an avid reader and says that there is nothing better than escaping reality with a good book (and a cup of coffee of course). A.J. has always wanted to put her love of reading into something more, and has always had a passion for writing. She decided to put her two loves together and write her very first book.

Connect with A.J. Bennett:
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How did I end up admitting myself to an eating disorder treatment center?

I wish I could pin point one thing that sent me on this path, but it’s not that simple.

It wasn’t the fact that a boy cheated on me, or that I had a tough time growing up. It wasn’t the fact that I was verbally abused, or the fact that eating disorders run in my genes. It wasn’t me suddenly getting recognition as a ballerina when I got mono and dropped 25 pounds; it wasn’t a cry for help.

It was all of those things combined…and much more.

In my diary entries you will get to see how the mind of this eating disordered girl works. You will learn a lot more about me as a person—no holding back—and what brought me to rock bottom; and how I slowly fought my way back.

Piper Caleb is a 25 year old aspiring New Adult author from Lubbock, Texas. She started dancing when she was 3 years old and was classically trained as a ballerina. Piper attended Texas A&M University and received her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Psychology. She now resides in Amarillo, Texas where she writes and enjoys quiet life writing and spending time with family and friends. Piper also loves spending time with her 5 dogs and horses on the small ranch where she resides.

Connect with Piper Caleb:
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Covers and images were designed by Eden Crane Design.

Timespell: Meet the Daughters of Fate by Diana Paz (+Giveaway)

As I wrote Timespell, I hadn’t expected to hear three girls telling me their stories at once, but that’s exactly what ended up happening.

Angie, Daughter of Past:

Sweet, responsible, and well-mannered. Angie always has a smile for a friend, and she still likes doing things that are supposed to be for little kids, like building sand castles, swinging on the swings, and jumping rope. She has known about her destiny as a Daughter of Fate her whole life, and takes her duties very seriously; she tries very hard never to use the magic for selfish reasons. Her room is always neat and tidy, her favorite treats are fresh-baked vanilla cookies, and her favorite things to do are read, go to the beach, and cheerlead.

Julia, Daughter of Present:

Absent-minded, sarcastic, and a bit of a goofball. Julia is a loyal friend who will stand up and fight for someone she loves. She only discovered the magic of the Fates recently, and she uses the magic whenever she can to make life easier. Her room is always a cluttered mess and she never makes her bed, but she hopes to learn a spell that will change that, too. Her favorite treats are gummy candies, sometimes sweet and sometimes sour, depending on her mood. Her favorite things to do are listen to music, watch TV, chat online with her friends, and play on the internet.

Kaitlyn, Daughter of Future:

Hard, fierce, and every bit a bad girl. Kaitlyn appears cold and fearless, but beneath her harsh exterior she is a lot more frightened and alone than anyone sees. When she learns about the magic, she wants to use it to make herself stronger, and it doesn’t matter how she might make that happen. Her room is clean, but only because the maid keeps it that way. Her favorite treats are dark chocolate kisses, and her favorite things to do depend on who is around. Shopping, going to clubs, and partying are what she seems to like best, but her real favorite things are video games, watching anime, and reading manga.

Sometimes people ask if I have a favorite between them, and the truth is, I can’t pick just one because even though they’re all so different, I can relate to a little of each of them.

Connect with Diana Paz:

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In TIMESPELL, the brash and impulsive Julia must team up with her sweet and straight-laced best friend, Angie, and the malicious and power-hungry Kaitlyn in order to keep the witch-like powers of her inheritance. But these powers come at a cost. The girls are bound to serve the Fates, and their first mission sends them back in time to Marie Antoinette’s Paris and eventually, into the chaos and war of the French Revolution.

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Cover Reveal: The Trouble With Goodbye by Sarra Cannon

One night can change everything…

Two years ago, Leigh Anne Davis shocked everyone in tiny Fairhope, Georgia when she broke up with her wealthy boyfriend to attend an Ivy League university a thousand miles away. At school, she finds a happiness and independence she’s never known.

Until one terrifying night takes it all away from her.

With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim her old life. A life she worked so hard to escape. On the outside, she seems like the same girl everyone has always known. But deep inside, she’s hiding a terrible secret.

That’s when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she’s near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again. If she wants to save what’s left of her old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.

Only, the trouble with goodbye is that sometimes it’s about courage and sometimes it’s about fear. And sometimes you’re too broken to know the difference until it’s too late.

Author Bio
Sarra Cannon grew up in a small town in Georgia where she learned that being popular always comes at a price. She is the author of the young adult paranormal Peachville High Demons series, which she first began self-publishing in October of 2010. Since the series began, Sarra has sold over 120,000 copies and recently signed a contract with Sea Lion Books to create a graphic novel adaptation of Beautiful Demons, the first book in the series.

Sarra lives in North Carolina with her amazing husband, her new baby boy, and her teeny tiny Pomeranian, Snickerdoodle.

Connect with Sarra Cannon:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Total Book Geek

Guest Post: Favorite Quotes by Nya Jade + Giveaway

Singer-songwriter and debut author, Nya Jade, discusses three quotes from authors of books she loves.

Thank you for hosting me today and featuring my book trailer! I hope your wonderful readers enjoy watching it.

I love inspiring quotes. When designing my new website, I decided to dedicate a section to some of my favorite quotes from authors. I thought it would be fun to highlight a few of them and tell you why they spoke to me.

“We, and I think I’m speaking for many writers, don’t know what it is that sometimes comes to make our books alive. All we can do is to write dutifully and day after day, every day, giving our work the very best of what we are capable. I don’t think that we can consciously put the magic in; it doesn’t work that way. When the magic comes, it’s a gift.”

—Madeleine L’Engle, (A Wrinkle in Time)

I really savor the moment when a great idea falls into my lap. Sometimes I wish they would fall like a hail storm. But I probably wouldn't appreciate them as much if they did. There's nothing like writing and getting that oh-my-God-this-is-working feeling. And I know that feeling only registers on the "magical moment radar" because of all of the agonizing what-the-hell-am-I-doing hours that came before it. So when that gift comes, I accept it gratefully.

"The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire."

—Malcolm Gladwell, (The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference)

Can you imagine creating something - a book, a song, a movement - that hits that magical tipping point? We're all creators. And I think we should try to imagine our own personal tipping point. I say "personal tipping point" because it doesn't have to be grand (unless that's what you want). It could simply be that moment when someone other than a friend, or a relative, buys your book or your painting. That moment could very well be the spark that creates the wildfire!

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.

—Ernest Hemingway (A Farewell To Arms)

This quote from Hemingway has given me a sense of ease. We all strive to do the best we can with whatever talents we have. Some are innate and others are acquired along the way. The fact that a Nobel Prize winner in literature, considered himself an apprentice—and not a master—in his craft, gives me permission to just enjoy the creative process. This thing called writing is dynamic and will continue to evolve. At this moment in time, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be an apprentice.

Thank you again for today's feature. I appreciate the opportunity!

xoxo

Nya

The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .

Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.

As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself—and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive.