Christmas in July Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to Trista’s Open Pages! It has been awhile since I have joined in a Giveaway Hop and I can tell you it’s good to be back. I am super excited!

Introducing the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop by I am a Reader and Laurie Here. This hop runs from July 22 till July 31. There will be one mandatory entry and a few extra entries.

Everyone loves a good Christmas story but who am I to chose which one you get?? So, for my prize I will be giving away a $15 online gift card to winner’s choice of Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

To enter: (You must fill out the form located down below to have your entry counted!)

1 MANDATORY entry – Leave a comment on any post. I recommend taking a look at my reviews or press junkets, there are some pretty cool things going on in the reading/writing world but it can be a simple “Thanks for the opportunity” on the contest page if you are in a hurry. (Choose Contest page or review or press piece

Extra Entries:

1.     Follow me via GFC – Enter your GFC username

2.     Follow my reviews on Goodreads.com – Enter your name

3.     Add as friend on Goodreads.com – Enter your name

Good luck!

Enter contest HERE.

Tethered by Brandi Leigh Hall

Tethered (A Birth Right Novel #1) by Brandi Leigh Hall

New Adult Fantasy/Paranormal

Rating:  4 Stars

No matter how you try to fight it—destiny has a mind of its own!

Since foreseeing the imminent death of her parents six years earlier, Chloe has lived a simple, not-so-charmed-life away from her remaining Wiccan family.

Zero magic.

No close friendships.

While struggling to bench-press more guilt than any nineteen-year-old ever should.

But fate intervenes and forces Chloe to return home. As if being an in-the-closet-Seer wasn’t bad enough, now she has to spend summer break with the snarky sister who hates her—and the magical birthright she was hell-bent on denying for all eternity.

Luckily, meeting Mr. Perfect takes the edge off her endless family drama. Hunter’s twenty-five, sometimes old-fashioned in a Jane Austen hero sort of way, and more delicious than molten-lava cake. But the more she tries to hide her family’s magical secrets from this ever-present stranger, the more quickly she realizes he’s hiding a few doozies of his own.

Will the lies and betrayal destroy their relationship before it really begins? Or will learning of their tethered future create an unbreakable bond neither can deny? Either way, their hearts will be forever entwined by destiny.

My Thoughts: This is one of the many novels that get to me. The story itself is great. It’s fantastic even. I have never heard of an idea like this one and I really enjoyed that. Not to mention I am loyal to my witch stories. I had great hopes for it and even though I loved the book I was slightly disappointed.

            While the plot is good the problem I had with this one was the writing. At times I was able to throw myself into the story but then there were times I just frustrated. Ever hear of “show, don’t tell” before? Well this story does not follow that at all. Most of the story is the characters telling us the same information over and over again. Like, something happens in the story and then the person explains it to other people. Only, each and every time the character is actually speaking it instead of just saying they are explaining it. It’s fine to explain things when you need to but when you are constantly retelling the stories over and over again it begins to feel like fillers. You know, things you add in just to up your word count. There were also a lot of unnecessary lines and a lot of cheesy lines. If it sounds cheesy as you write it then it will probably be perceived as cheesy to your readers.

            If you can over look the constant over-talking the story is actually pretty good. Not to mention the characters. Chloe is a very relatable character. She is pretty much like every other young woman. Smart but at times very stupid and immature.  Whoever disagrees with that comment is lying. At that age you are in between your teenage life and your adult life. There are moments when you feel so grown up but then the next you are acting like a blubbering sixteen year old. It got worse when the hottie stepped onto the scene. I think that Brandi captured how people that age act and feel.

            Overall, there were some things that I didn’t like about the writing but the storyline and the characters made it worth reading. It seemed a little too cheerful to me. Especially when Pap was dying and no one seemed to actually realize it. They said they knew it was going to be bad but then acted completely different. Being cheerful doesn’t give you the drama you need to keep the readers going. I have the second one to read as well so I am hoping that I don’t have the same problems with that one as well.

             

Cover: 5/5

Writing: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Overall Score:

Promo: Forsaken (Daughters of the Sea Series #1) By Kristen Day

 

Daughters of the Sea Series by Kristen Day

Young Adult Fantasy

Forsaken

Book 1

Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…

Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.

Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.

Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendents of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.

But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.

She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesied to be a part of. The fate of all the descendents will forever depend upon it.

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About Kristen Day

I am a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity. I love all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky. I've been told I see the world through rose-colored glasses, but I prefer to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something I can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).

When I'm not writing I'm making jewelry, painting, drinking sweet tea, watching the discovery channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with my amazing husband.

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Harp's Song by Cassie Shine

Harp’s Song (Harp’s Song #1) by Cassie Shine

YA Contemporary

Rating:  5 Stars

In just a few months Harp Evans will be officially coming of age and graduating from high school. She will be free from the mother that never wanted her, the house that never felt like home, and the disappointment of the last seventeen years. What she doesn’t know is that her mother has been holding onto a secret that has the potential to derail her dreams and destroy her already faulty sense of self.

A self-proclaimed recluse, Harp spends most of her time practicing the cello, in the hopes of earning a full scholarship that will grant her freedom, but will also send her away from her best friend Connor Williams, who is becoming more than just a friend.

As revelations are made, will Harp still feel the same way about leaving everyone that cares about her behind? Or will she continue to pursue the life she’s been dreaming of, for as long as she can remember?

My Thoughts: It has been awhile since I have read a book from the contemporary genre. I mostly stick to fantasy but the synopsis of this particular novel struck a cord with me. I saw myself in the synopsis so I was quick to request it. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.com for my honest review.

            Harp is an amazing and well-rounded character. I am an adult now so I find her annoying at time, especially in her rebellious phase but it didn’t stop me from relating to her.  She has gone through some terrible things in her life but pushes through. I relate to her because I have gone through the same kind of abuse she went through among other terrible things. Like, Harp, I have forgiven those responsible for the abuse and have moved on. The only difference between her and I is Connor. I never had a relationship like that nor did I ever let anyone get that close to me. Connor is an amazing character. He is that night in shining armor but doesn’t take away from Harp’s glory. She is the hero of this story and he may be her hero but in the end she saves herself by using forgiveness and learning to love herself.

             It was very hard for me to put this book down. I counted down the minutes to my next break from work so I could read it. It may have taken me a few days since I was so busy but every moment I had with this book was enjoyable and I am so glad I had a chance to read it. It’s an amazing book and I am so happy to find out that this is actually part of series. The small excerpt in the back of the book has me full of nerves. I can’t wait to download it. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Cover: 5/5

Writing: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Overall Score: