Review: Interference by Kay Honeyman

Interference

by Kay Honeyman
September 27, 2016

352 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Friday Night Lights meets Jane Austen's Emma in this wonderful novel about a big election, big games, the big state of Texas, and a little romance.

As a Congressman's daughter in Washington, DC, Kate Hamilton is good at getting what she wants -- what some people might call "interfering." But when her family moves to West Texas so her dad can run in a special election, Kate encounters some difficulties that test all her political skills. None of her matchmaking efforts go according to plan. Her father's campaign gets off to a rough start. A pro tip for moving to Texas: Don't slam the star quarterback's hand in a door. And whenever Kate messes up, the irritatingly right (and handsome) Hunter Price is there to witness it. But Kate has determination and a good heart, and with all her political savvy -- and a little clever interference -- she'll figure out what it takes to make Red Dirt home.

Terrifically funny and sweetly romantic, with whip-crack dialogue and a wise perspective on growing up, Interference is the perfect next read for fans of Jenny Han, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth Eulberg, or Sarah Dessen.

WoW #116: The Best Possible Answer by E. Katherine Kottaras

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

The Best Possible Answer

by E. Katherine Kottaras

November 1, 2016
288 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

A contemporary YA novel about growing up and learning that loving yourself is more important than trying to be perfect.

AP Exams – check
SAT test – check
College Application – check
Date the wrong guy and ruin everything you’ve spent your whole life working for– check

Ultra-high-achiever Viviana Rabinovich-Lowe has always had a plan—and no room to be anything less than perfect. But her quest for perfection comes toa screeching halt when her boyfriend leaks racy pictures of her to the entire school. Making matters worse, her parents are getting divorced and now her perfect family is falling apart. For the first time, Viv feels like a complete and utter failure.

Then she gets a job working at the community pool, where she meets a new group of friends who know nothing about her past. That includes Evan, a gorgeous guy who makes her want to do something she never thought she’d do again: trust. For the first time in her life, Viv realizes she can finally be whoever she wants. But who is that? While she tries to figure it out, she learns something they never covered in her AP courses: that it’s okay to be less than perfect, because it’s our imperfections that make us who we are.
 

I'm not a fan of the 'boyfriend leaks racy pictures' bit but I'm interested to see how this story will play out.

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalco

Stalking Jack the Ripper
(Stalking Jack the Ripper #1)

by Kerri Maniscalco
September 20, 2016

336 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

He’s the infamous killer no man has ever been able to find.

Now it’s a girl’s turn.

Groomed to be the perfect highborn Victorian young lady, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has a decidedly different plan for herself. After the loss of her beloved mother, she is determined to understand the nature of death and its workings. Trading in her embroidery needle for an autopsy scalpel, Audrey secretly apprentices in forensics. She soon gets drawn into the investigation of serial killer Jack the Ripper, but to her horror, the search for clues brings her far closer to her sheltered world than she ever thought possible.

Stacking the Shelves #114

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

 

 

Thank you HCCFrenzy for Bright Smoke Cold Fire!

Thank you HBG Canada for sending me Wake of Vultures. I'm quite curious about this one. 

 

 

I highly enjoyed Lauren DeStefano's first MG so thank you Raincoast Books for The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart!

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Blog Tour - Review & Giveaway: The Replacement Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts

 

 

The Replacement Crush

by Lisa Brown Roberts

September 6, 2016
259 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

True love can’t be strategized.

After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart.

But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission.

Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined to take her heart off the shelf.

WoW #115: To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

To Catch a Killer

by Sheryl Scarborough

February 7, 2017
320 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

Erin Blake has one of those names. A name that, like Natalee Holloway or Elizabeth Smart, is inextricably linked to a grisly crime. As a toddler, Erin survived for three days alongside the corpse of her murdered mother, and the case—which remains unsolved—fascinated a nation. Her father's identity unknown, Erin was taken in by her mother's best friend and has become a relatively normal teen in spite of the looming questions about her past.

Fourteen years later, Erin is once again at the center of a brutal homicide when she finds the body of her biology teacher. When questioned by the police, Erin tells almost the whole truth, but never voices her suspicions that her mother's killer has struck again in order to protect the casework she's secretly doing on her own.

Inspired by her uncle, an FBI agent, Erin has ramped up her forensic hobby into a full-blown cold-case investigation. This new murder makes her certain she's close to the truth, but when all the evidence starts to point the authorities straight to Erin, she turns to her longtime crush (and fellow suspect) Journey Michaels to help her crack the case before it's too late.
 

This one sounds like a really good thriller. I hope to be surprised!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Event Recap with Giveaway: Raincoast Books present TeensRead Winter+Spring Preview 2017

Hey everyone! About a week ago I went to the TeensRead Preview event hosted by Raincoast Books. I was super pumped. It's always such a blast getting to hang out with book lovers. Thank you Raincoast for the invite! :)

 

I got to the library early so of course I had to take a selfie with the sign XD After settling into my seat, I grabbled myself some yummy snacks (look at the matching colours!) to wait for the event to start.

 

 

 

Once all the bloggers, booksellers and librarians all arrived, the event started. The Raincoast ladies took turns saying hello and presenting the upcoming spring and fall titles. After that special guest author Mary E. Pearson went to the front to answer some Q&As. I got to see Mary again and even got a selfie with her! *flails*

 

 

Some of the books I'm absolutely dying for (click on each cover for more info):

 

 

Here's a complete list of all the titles the ladies presented (click on the picture for a better view):

Which titles are you waiting on and can't wait to read?

 

All the bloggers also received a bag of goodies with ARCs and swags. If you'd like to see what I got, I posted my haul in my StS post last week. Just go right HERE.

 

It was also super fun to meet and chat with Lindsay @ Me On Books and Rachel who works at Chapters. I hope I wasn't too awkward! I'm not a very sociable person haha...

 

Again thank you so much to the Raincoast ladies for always hosting such fun previews! I shall go forth and start fangirling about all these amazing upcoming titles~

 

Now since I got an extra The Beauty of Darkness poster, I thought I'd give it away to you guys. It's even signed ;)

 

Giveaway

 

Rules:

1. This giveaway is International and will run until October 10, 2016!
2. The winner will receive a signed poster of The Beauty of Darkness.
3. You must be 13+ or have parent's permission to enter this giveaway.

4. BookCatPin will not be held responsible for lost/damaged mail.

5. No giveaway accounts and please don't follow then unfollow.

6. I will check all entries so please be honest or you will be disqualified.

7. The winner must respond to my email within 48 hours or I will have to pick another winner.

 

Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Event Recap: Mary E. Pearson Signing

Guys, last Friday I got to meet NYT Bestselling Author Mary E. Pearson! Squeeee! She was in Vancouver for vacation and agreed to do a signing. Thank you so much to Raincoast Books for making it happen!

 

I headed straight to the bookstore after work. I was basically the first one there so I sat down in the front row after the bookstore finished setting up for the event. When it was time, Mary came out with Lindsay from Me On Books who was moderating the event. She asked Mary some really great questions! There were laughs and some serious nods.

I managed to remember some of the things Mary talked about during the event:

1. Mary explained that the relationship between Lia,Rafe andKaden wasn't a love triangle. She doesn't consider it so because Lia really only had feelings for one guy through TKoD. Their relationship is what she would call "love complicated".

2. The ARC version of The Heart of Betrayal contains a small passage that was later taken out and not in the finished copies. She couldn't remember where exactly this passage was though.

3. She loved writing the Komizar. Even though he was a villain in our eyes, from his own point of view, he was a hero.

4. Mary didn't know the ending to the trilogy until she sat down and started writing. Before that, she just had brief synopsis written down.

5. Some of her favourite female characters include Kestrel from Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Trilogy and the ladies (Ismae, Sybella and Annith) from Robin LaFever's His Fair Assassin series.

After the Q&A session, Mary read the beginning of The Beauty of Darkness to us. Then she did a little trivia and gave away two goodie baskets. We were all really stumped on the finish-the-quote questions. Oops.

 

Then came time for the signing! I was really nervous when Mary got to me so I didn't say a lot but she was so nice! I was second in line so I managed to snatch a signed poster of The Beauty of Darkness. Yippy~



Please ignore my awkward smile, I was really nervous *hides*



It was so lovely to meet Mary! Thank you so much for coming to Vancouver and thank you again to the Raincoast ladies for making it possible~

 

Now if you guys haven't read her Remnant Chronicles yet, you should definitely get on it ;)

Stacking the Shelves #113

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

Last weekend I got the Clockwork Princess manga to complete my collection~ I also got The Beauty of Darkness because Mary E. Pearson was in Vancouver for a signing (and the Raincoast Books Preview Event)!!

 

Goodies from the TeensRead Preview event I attended last week! Thank you so much Raincoast Books :D I am so excited for Wintersong and Caraval!!

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Blog Tour - Q&A and Review: Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1) by Zoraida Cordova

 

Hey guys! Today I'll be sharing a Q&A with Ms. Zoraida Córdova, author of Labyrinth Lost, followed by my review of the book. Thank you to Raincoast Books for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this tour!

Labyrinth Lost
(Brooklyn Brujas #1)

by Zoraida Córdova

September 6, 2016
339 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

I fall to my knees. Shattered glass, melted candles and the outline of scorched feathers are all that surround me. Every single person who was in my house – my entire family — is gone.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

Beautiful Creatures meets Daughter of Smoke and Bone with an infusion of Latin American tradition in this highly original fantasy adventure.

 

Q&A

BCP: Hi Zoraida, could you talk about the inspiration behind Labyrinth Lost and the research you did into writing this book. Thank you!

ZC: When I set to write Labyrinth Lost, I wanted to write a Latina version of Charmed. I’ve loved magic and the supernatural since I was a kid, and have always wanted to write my own version of it. That’s when the Brooklyn Brujas, Alex Mortiz and her sisters, were born. I should warn you that even though the words “bruja” and “brujo” are used for Hispanic and Latinx witches, the magic in the book is not a reflection of brujeria in the real world.

The scene we chose for the book trailer is the moment where Alex makes a terrible decision that changes everything. This is the Deathday ceremony. The Deathday is a magical coming of age for the witches in my world. It’s like a Sweet 16, except instead of just a party you also sacrifice an offering to the spirits of your ancestors in order to get their magical blessing. Don’t worry there is cake afterwards.

A mythology class I took in college inspired the ceremony. I kept thinking about the power of family, and how that works in relation to the gods and individual magic. But I needed to be careful. One person’s myth is someone else’s belief or religion. The look of the Deathday needed to feel organic but new. I was born in Ecuador, and raised in Hollis, Queens. I’ve been surrounded by different cultures my whole life, which is another reason why the magic in this book couldn’t be European like other witches in Pop Culture. Don’t get me wrong, I love those stories, too, but I’m ready for more. While I read books about witchcraft throughout history, I also read about the Day of the Dead and Santeria because I wanted to know the things I shouldn’t use when creating this world. There were three things I always went back to: power, family, and sacrifice.

Alex is very much a girl from Brooklyn, but her roots and the magic in those roots is what makes her the bruja she is. I hope you cheer for her as she journeys through Labyrinth Lost.

Thank you so much for sharing this. It's truly wonderful to see how much thought you put into writing Labyrinth Lost!
 

About the Author
Zoraida Córdova was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. She is the author of The Vicious Deep trilogy, the On the Verge series, and Labyrinth Lost. She loves black coffee, snark, and still believes in magic. Send her a tweet @Zlikeinzorro

Website   Authors Goodreads

 

WoW #114: Windwitch (The Witchlands #2) by Susan Dennard

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

Windwitch
(The Witchlands #2)

by Susan Dennard

January 3, 2017
416 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:
Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…

When an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

I loved Truthwitch and can't wait to see where the story will take the characters :D

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

*This review contains spoilers.

A Court of Mist and Fury

(A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)
by Sarah J. Maas
May 3, 2016

624 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world torn apart.

Stacking the Shelves #112

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

 

Here are the books I received from Chapters a couple weeks ago that I forgot to share :P

A billion thank yous to Raincoast Books for The Song Rising and The Replacement Crush! If you follow my Instagram, you'll know I was pretty ecstatic at receiving The Song Rising last week XP I had to wait to take a picture of Ripple with it but so worth it <3

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Review: Overdrive by Dawn Ius

Overdrive

by Dawn Ius
September 13, 2016

320 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Jules Parish has screwed up.

After three years of boosting cars, she got caught. She's too good to get caught, but she let her (ex)-boyfriend talk her into a questionable job. And now, she and her little sister, Emma, will be kicked out of their foster home, left to survive on the unforgiving streets of Las Vegas alone.

Unless.

Eccentric, wealthy Roger Montgomery wants to open up his mansion to Jules and Emma. The only catch? Jules must steal seven of the rarest, most valuable muscle cars in the world—in seven weeks. Even worse, she’s forced to put her trust in three complete strangers to help her do it.

First there’s Chelsea, the gorgeous redhead with a sharp tongue and love for picking locks. Then there’s Mat, who hasn’t met a system he couldn’t hack. And finally there’s the impossibly sexy car thief Nick, whose bad attitude and mysterious past drive Jules crazy.

With nothing in common and everything to lose, can Jules and her amateur crew pull off what could be the biggest car heist in history? Or will things spin out of control faster than a Nevada dust devil?

WoW #113: The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted every week by Breaking the Spine which lets us showcase an upcoming release we are excited about! 

The Secret of a Heart Note

by Stacey Lee

December 27, 2016
384 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking—all while remaining incurably alone. For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend. But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you can make.

At once hopeful, funny, and romantic, Stacey Lee’s The Secret of a Heart Note is a richly evocative coming-of-age story that gives a fresh perspective on falling in love and finding one’s place in the world.
 

This one sounds cute and fun!

What are you guys waiting on this week?

Review: The Secret Ingredient of Wishes by Susan Bishop Crispell

 

The Secret Ingredient of Wishes

by Susan Bishop Crispell

September 6, 2016
304 pages

Goodreads  Indigo
 

Goodreads Summary:

A charming and utterly delicious novel about wishes, secrets, and the power of pie, set in a small rural town in North Carolina.

26-year-old Rachel Monroe has spent her whole life trying to keep a very unusual secret: she can make wishes come true. And sometimes the consequences are disastrous. So when Rachel accidentally grants an outlandish wish for the first time in years, she decides it’s time to leave her hometown—and her past—behind for good.

Rachel isn’t on the road long before she runs out of gas in a town that’s not on her map: Nowhere, North Carolina—also known as the town of “Lost and Found.” In Nowhere, Rachel is taken in by a spit-fire old woman, Catch, who possesses a strange gift of her own: she can bind secrets by baking them into pies. Rachel also meets Catch’s neighbor, Ashe, a Southern gentleman with a complicated past, who makes her want to believe in happily-ever-after for the first time in her life.

As she settles into the small town, Rachel hopes her own secrets will stay hidden, but wishes start piling up everywhere Rachel goes. When the consequences threaten to ruin everything she’s begun to build in Nowhere, Rachel must come to terms with who she is and what she can do, or risk losing the people she’s starting to love—and her chance at happiness—all over again.

Stacking the Shelves #111

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews that lets us share what we've added to our shelves.

 

I bought Love Charms and Other Catastrophes because who can resist that cover and the cute?!

 

 

Squeeeeeee!! Thank you Keymaster Press for this beauty! More squeeeeees <3

Thank you Thomas Allen & Son for these surprise books! I haven't heard of Girl in the Shadows but am now really looking forward to reading it :D

 

What did you add to your shelves this week?

Blog Tour - Five Favorite Scenes & Giveaway: Sometimes We Tell the Truth by Kim Zarins

 

Hey guys! Today Kim Zarins, the author of Sometimes We Tell the Truth, is here to share a fun guest post with us~ Before we get to that, here's a little about the pre-order giveaway she's hosting!

If you pre-order the book by its release date, September 6th, drop Kim a message on her website or Twitter and she’ll send you a sticker featuring spot art from the book (if there is a character who intrigues you, let Kim know, and she’ll give you that sticker), along with a bookmark and signed bookplate!

So if you're like me and love book swag,  make sure you send your info to Kim asap!

Sometimes We Tell the Truth

by Kim Zarins

September 6, 2016

448 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

In this contemporary retelling of The Canterbury Tales, a group of teens on a bus ride to Washington, DC, each tell a story—some fantastical, some realistic, some downright scandalous—in pursuit of the ultimate prize: a perfect score.

Jeff boards the bus for the Civics class trip to Washington, DC, with a few things on his mind:
-Six hours trapped with his classmates sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
-He somehow ended up sitting next to his ex-best friend, who he hasn’t spoken to in years.
-He still feels guilty for the major part he played in pranking his teacher, and the trip’s chaperone, Mr. Bailey.
-And his best friend Cannon, never one to be trusted and banned from the trip, has something “big” planned for DC.

But Mr. Bailey has an idea to keep everyone in line: each person on the bus is going to have the chance to tell a story. It can be fact or fiction, realistic or fantastical, dark or funny or sad. It doesn’t matter. Each person gets a story, and whoever tells the best one will get an automatic A in the class.

But in the middle of all the storytelling, with secrets and confessions coming out, Jeff only has one thing on his mind—can he live up to the super successful story published in the school newspaper weeks ago that convinced everyone that he was someone smart, someone special, and someone with something to say.

In her debut novel, Kim Zarins breathes new life into Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in a fresh and contemporary retelling that explores the dark realities of high school, and the subtle moments that bring us all together.