Blog Tour: Decked With Holly by Marni Bates + Giveaway

Title: Decked With Holly

Author: Marni Bates

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Release Date: September 25, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Holly Dayton is about to go way out of her comfort zone…

Spending Christmas vacation on a cruise with her two cousins from hell isn't Holly's idea of a good time. And when in a moment of seasick-fuelled desperation she lurches into an open suite--she's greeted with an eyeful of pepper spray. The culprit? A gorgeous guy calling himself Nick. But when Holly goes to make her exit, she gets the shock of her life: a corridor crammed with screaming teenage fans. Because Nick just happens to be Dominic Wyatt, drummer for ReadySet--one of the hottest bands in America.

Suddenly rumors are swirling, and Holly's face is captured on countless phones and plastered all over the Internet. But the band can't risk a scandal destroying their family-friendly image, so Dominic convinces Holly to be his fake girlfriend--just for two week.s How bad could it be to be fauxmantically involved with one of the cutest rockstars on the planet? Holly's about to find out...

Decked With Holly by Marni Bates is one of those guilty pleasure kind of books. All I knew going in was that this book would make me laugh and believe me when I say that it did. It was a fantastically fun story that had me smiling for start to finish.

While most people would be excited at the prospect of a week long cruise in Mexico, Holly isn't particularly looking forward to it. Because for Holly this cruise means a week in a cabin with her two cousins who like nothing more than to make her life miserable. But things change when seasick Holly finds herself in Dominic's suite on the ship. Dominic was just hoping for some down time and to stay anonymous. But once Holly barges in to his life, everything doesn't go quite as planned. Holly now finds herself pretending to be rockstar Dominic's girlfriend because that's the only way to explain why she spent the night in his cabin. But somewhere along the way, what started out as a fake relationship started to feel less and less fake. But will Holly and Dominic realize it before everything falls apart?

Decked With Holly made me laugh. A lot. To the point that my brother was giving me weird looks while I was reading. But I just couldn't help it. The things that happen in Decked With Holly will at least make you smile if not laugh out loud. Because this story is so incredibly fun. It's not necessarily the most realistic of stories but that's what made me love it as much as I did. One of the reasons I also really loved this book is that it reminded me of Meg Cabot and everything I love about her books. Marni Bates does a fantastic job with the humor in Decked With Holly. There were rarely moments when I wasn't at least smiling. Holly's and Dominic's intertwined stories were really something and that fact alone was enough to keep me reading. Especially when it came down to whether they would realize to what I had been seeing between them all along.

Holly hasn't had it easy. Her parents died when she was still a baby and she was raised by her grandfather. But what makes her life truly miserable are her two cousins who make it their goal in life to torture Holly. And that made me root for Holly, because she finally deserved something good in her life. Granted what she got might not have been what she expected. But that didn't stop me from liking Dominic. Sure there were times when I wanted nothing more than to smack him (so did other characters in the book for that matter), but he was still a really great person. By the end of the book I may have even been a bit in love with him. But Dominic and Holly together were great, even if it was meant to be fake. 

Decked With Holly was a fabulously fun read. Marni Bates really hit the mark with the humor in this book. If you want a good laugh, I strongly recommend picking up Decked With Holly, or any of Marni Bates' other books because they had me laughing too.

Giveaway!

One of you lucky people will win a copy of Decked With Holly. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. US only. Must be 13 or older.

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Just One Day by Gayle Forman + Giveaway!

Title: Just One Day (Just One Day #1)

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Release Date: January 8, 2013

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.

When shelter American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem de Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there's an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines. 

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem's story--Just One YearI--is coming soon!

Just One Day by Gayle Forman is one of those books that has been getting a whole lot of hype. Anytime something like this happens with books I start having my doubts as to whether or not said book is going to be able to live up to that hype. But I shouldn't really have worried about Just One Day because it was simply amazing.

Allyson has always been the responsible girl who has everything planned out and who follows that plan. But on one of the last days of an organized Europe tour, she decides to ditch the planned activity to instead see an underground production of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night. There Allyson meets Willem and so starts a one day whirlwind trip to Paris. In Paris Allyson discovers a whole entire side to herself and that side might even be better than the Allyson she has always known. But that's not all she discovers. With Willem she realizes she can do just about anything, maybe even fall in love. But how much can really happen in just one day?

This book brought on all sorts of emotions while I was reading. I would go from smiling one minute to basically crying the next. And Just One Day definitely brought on a whole slew of tears. That's not to say that the book was sad because there were plenty of times that I was crying happy tears. But beyond the tears, the story itself took me away on a fantastic adventure. Even though it wasn't exactly a story filled with intense action, the story in Just One Day was still one I just couldn't put down. With every page I read I was just dying to know what would happen to Willem and Allyson, especially whether or not they would have the happy ending I was so hoping they would. I just became so wrapped up in the story. The setting also helped with that. Having been to Paris myself, I was able to picture all the places Allyson and Willem were going and it just made me want to go back go Paris myself. And after all the emotions Just One Day put me through I still can't wait to read the story from Willem's perspective in Just One Year.

A lot of people have said this, but I could really relate to Allyson. There was something about me that I could see in her. Just like Allyson I tend to be the responsible person who has everything planned and follows that plan. I wouldn't just take off to Paris with someone I had met twice. So the fact that I could really relate to Allyson made me that much more invested in her story. I wanted her to become the person she had been in Paris and I wanted her to have everything she wanted, but at the same time I also wanted to protect her from heartbreak, because her heartbreak would also cause my heart to break. But mostly I loved who Allyson was with Willem. And I personally wouldn't mind being led around Paris by Willem. Willem was someone I had trouble getting a good understanding of who he as but that didn't stop me from loving him. For the most part he seemed to be this carefree person who just went where the wind took him, but at the same time, there was this other side of him that came out from time to time that showed that there was something more going on with him. And that's the side of Willem that really made me love him, especially when that side came out in relation to Allyson.

Gayle Forman's Just One Day is one of those books that broke my heart. But it's also a book that made me cry happy tears and by the end, my heart was full once again. Believe me when I say that you don't want to miss out on this book, and by the end you will be begging for Willem's story and Just One Year.

Giveaway!

If it wasn't clear from my review, I absolutely loved Just One Day! For that reason, I am giving away a finished copy of the book to one lucky reader because this is a book I am going to be pushing on everyone. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open internationally, wherever the Book Depository ships. Good luck!

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Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Deity (Covenant #3)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: November 6, 2012

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time."

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner…and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unlashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed…and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you that I am a big fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout books, both her Covenant and Lux series, so I was beyond excited at the prospect of being able to read Deity. I had to put off reading it for a little while because of school work but once I was finally able to sit down to read it, it was totally worth it.

Back at the Covenant after what happened while in upstate New York, Alex is constantly worried that everyone will find out about what she did during the daimon attacks. If anyone were to ever find out what she did and what Aiden had to do as a result it would be the end for both of them. But that's not all. With her birthday quickly approaching, Alex can't help but worry about her Awakening as the second coming of the Apollyon and everything that entails. And as much as she likes Seth she can't help but worry about what's going to happen once she becomes his own personal source of power. 

As Alex would say, holy daimon babies this book. There was just some much going on and I just couldn't bear to put the book down for even one moment. The story picks up shortly after the events at the end of Pure and I no one was really sure what was going to happen to any of them. But this book was definitely a book about revelations because there were a great many of them. And let me just say that you shouldn't really trust anything you know about anyone at this point because they will surprise you in more ways than one. The romance in Deity was also kicked up a notch. After reading so many of her books, I knew that Jennifer L. Armentrout could do hot and steamy romance but here there was something beyond that and it was almost more delicate. But the ending is what killed me and it left me more or less broken. After everything that had happened over the course of the book, my heart just broke while I was reading the last few pages. 

Ever since I read the first book, I have been more or less in love with many of the characters in this book. Alex is the kind of girl I like to read about in books. She's had to go through so much, but she somehow manages to come out stronger because of it. But in Deity things change for her and I'll be interested to see how everything pans out in future books. While reading Pure, I had found myself liking Seth more and more but I may have changed my mind after having read Deity. I don't really want to say anything about it to prevent spoilers, but things definitely change. Aiden on the other hand, stole my heart. As much as I had my doubts about him in Pure, he came back with a vengeance in Deity. I am not completely beyond stealing him from Alex and keeping him for myself. One character I've never really talked about before is Leon. He was always just sort of around and never really did anything much that made it so I should mention him. But definitely keep an eye one him while reading Deity because he will probably take you completely by surprise. I can say I really didn't see it coming.

Deity took my on a crazy adventure and by the end of the book my heart was completely broken. That ending is just a complete killer. But that's what made the book so fantastic in my eyes. And I know for sure that I can't wait for Apollyon.

Series Catch Up Challenge Month One

I'm a little late with this post, but the holidays kind of had me going every which way so here is finally the Month One post for the Series Catch-Up Challenge. If you're not familiar with all the details, you can find them here. So any and all reviews you write as part of the challenge this month you can link up here and they will enter you in a giveaway at the end of the month.

So good luck to all and have fun catching up on all those series!

13 Most Anticipated of 2013

After having discussed some of my favorite books of 2012 yesterday I am taking advantage of the fact that today is the first day of the new year to discuss which 2013 books I am most looking forward to reading. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the top 13 books of 2013 I am the most excited about.

Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Considering Dreamless was one of my favorites of 2012, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am past the point of eagerly awaiting when it comes to Goddess. I just can't wait to see how everything will work out for everyone.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

In case it wasn't obvious already, I'm a big fan of Cassandra Clare. And The Infernal Devices is an amazing series and after all the events of Clockwork Prince, I can't wait to see how it will all come together in Clockwork Princess.

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

After everything that happened in Deity, I am just dying to read Apollyon to find out what happens next and how everything will work out for certain characters. And I can already tell that it will be majorly intense. And it will probably break my hear a couple times.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

How could I not be anticipating this one. I have loved both of Stephanie Perkins' previous books so I can't wait to be taken back to Paris in another one of her stories.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is one of the YA authors I have been reading for the longest and so far, none of her books have managed to disappoint me. So as you can guess, I am incredibly excited at the prospect of reading her next book come the spring.

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

With everything that happened in The Evolution of Mara Dyer how can I not be excited and eagerly awaiting the next and final book in this series. This story messes with my mind so much but I just can't help but love it. Even if it will slowly drive me insane.

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Because I've been lucky enough to already have read Just One Day, I am dying to be able to read Just One Year. After reading Allyson's story, I can't wait to experience it all from Willem's perspective. Be on the lookout for my full thoughts on Just One Day very soon.

Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

Miranda Kenneally has quickly become one of those authors whose books are "must reads". And I can't wait to read the next one because her stories just end up finding a way to break my heart and then proceed to help me put it back together.

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

You can bet I will be at my bookstore first thing in the morning on the day The Indigo Spell releases. And while I'm beyond excited about this book, I'm also a little scared because Richelle Mead is known for just breaking your hear in the third book of her series.

Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

In the past year I have come to love Jennifer Estep's Mythos Academy series. And with every installment things just always seem to get better so I can't wait to see what happens next in Midnight Frost.

Every Never After by Lesley Livingston

I absolutely loved Once Every Never when I first read it so I was excited when it was announced it would go from being a standalone to being part of a series. And now I can't wait to go back into that world with Every Never After when it comes out.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Though a year later I still haven't really made up my mind about Pandemonium, that doesn't stop me from being excited about Requiem. Despite everything, I have come to love this story and this world so I can't wait to see how it will all come together.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith 

I loved reading The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight last year so I can't wait to read more Jennifer E. Smith. I'm hoping for the same kind of romance I got in her other book, but either way I don't think it will be possible for this book to disappoint me.

So these are the 13 books I am most looking forward to reading in 2013. And there are plenty more that I just want to get my hands on. By the looks of it, 2013 will be a fantastic year for books.