Quick Update

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been here at all this month. Senior year sucks right now with all the scholarships and homework that I haven't really had time to read, post, or write a review for the fifth Harry Potter book. Sorry!

Anyway, I promise that by the end of April or May, I will be back blogging better than I am now. But for now, I just hope to get in more ASFOB and Giveaway updates. Sorry guys. :)

Senior year sucks.

TayteH


P.S. Make sure to enter my Hundred Oaks giveaway!

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Giveaway Alert! Valentine's Day Edition

 

Giving the world more giveaways.

 

Here's this week's:

 

 #1

 

 

There's a new blog designer on the market, and it's Tynga from Tynga's Reviews.

To celebrate her new found career, she's giving away a basic design by her that's worth $75.

Her basic design includes:

 

Header

Background

Button with Grab Code

Navigation Bar

Custom blockquote, fonts style and color

Signature

 

To enter, click on over here:

Tynga's Design Giveaway

 

#2

 

 

Annabelle from Sparkles and Lightning is having a Valentine's Day giveaway too.

For her giveaway, she's giving away:

 

 

 

And each are going to someone. I really want Chantress.

To enter, click below or the button to the right:

Valentine's Day Giveaway

 

#3

 

 

Our friend from Bookshelvers Anonymous is turning 1!

To celebrate, she's giving away the winner their choice of $25 worth of books from TBD.

To enter, click below:

One Year Blogoversary Giveaway

 

#4

 

 

Then there's my giveaway.

I'm giving away your choice of any book from the Hundred Oaks series by Miranda Kenneally. I'm surprised that not many people have entered, but there's still time!

Enter enter enter people!

 

 

That's all.

Until Next Time!

 

 

 

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A Hundred Oaks Valentine's Day Giveaway

YES! A special treat is here on Reading in Paradise.

To make up for no Floating Books Along last month, I've decided to do a little Valentine's Day Giveaway.

Recently, I read Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally. I loved it.

 So I decided, with Valentine's Day coming up, to hold a giveaway featuring my favorite couples.

First:

The Books:

Goodreads:
What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

Goodreads:

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.
So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?
But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Goodreads:

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Gooreads:

Author of CATCHING JORDAN, Miranda Kenneally’s RACING SAVANNAH, about an underprivileged girl training to be a jockey while working in the barn at a high-stakes horse farm whose on-again, off-again relationship with the owner’s son has an upstairs/downstairs effect on race day. 

So, you know our books....

The Couples:

Sam Henry and Jordan Woods:

Sweet but a tough couple, Sam, aka Henry, and Jordan are stars of their football team. Best friends since grade school, Jordan and Sam bonded over their love of football, and along the lines, Sam fell for Jordan. Yet, Jordan being Jordan, couldn't see that Sam loved her, and fell for someone else, aka, Ty. But Ty ended up trying to be a bit controlling (or at least in my eyes) and then Jordan realized that Sam was the one. Thank the Lord! Now they are the happy couple in the rest of the books.

Parker Shelton and Will Whitfield (aka. Corndog):

Parker and Will are two smart cookies. Both competed for the title of valedictorian, and Parker came out on top. From there, Will tried to be friends with Parker, but because of Parker's bitch of a friend, now ex-friend, she didn't go for him. But after hanging out and going through the emotion roller coaster of Parker's life, their true feelings came out and BAM! Happy ending.

Kate and Matt:

Not much is known about this couple, but I have a feeling that there story will have me falling for Matt. What I find odd is that Kate's name isn't in the title.

Savannah and mystery boy:

On and off again relationship? I have a feeling there's a third boy involved that will make Savannah see that she's worth more than an on and off again relationship.

Now, the giveaway:

For this giveaway, one winner will win their choice of book from the Hundred Oaks series.

And this is for International readers too!
The only book that isn't up for grabs is Racing Savannah, which isn't available for pre-order international on TBD. Sorry!
But that means Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, or a pre-order of Things I Can't Forget are up for grabs!

The Rules:
1. Only one winner! Sorry, I'm not that rich.
2. Open INT.
3. 13 years or older please.
4. I'm not responsible for the book if it gets damaged or lost.
5. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or I'll have to pick a new winner.
6. Just use the rafflecopter to enter.
Easy huh? Well, get to it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That's it!

 Hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

Until Next Time!

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A Shell Full of Books: February Edition

 

My version of IMM (The Story Siren) & STS (Xpresso Reads).

 

Got only one, and since I haven't read the first book, it's up for trade!

 

 

 

 

Kiss of Frost (Mythos Academy #2) by Jennifer Estep

Thanks goes to Savannah from Books with Bite

 

 

Until Next Time!

 

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Review: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Goodreads:
Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Source: Christmas gift

Review:

Plot: When reading the back of the book, it may seem like the cheesy story of a girl falling for an older man. Yet, Kenneally takes it to the next level. She bring in the classic drama of everyday life, conflicting views, and religion. It's not everyday an author brings in religion.

One's preferred sex is a conflicting issue in our nation. Religion is one too sometimes. Put them together and major conflict! In this book, Kenneally addresses gayness and how religion really views it. How though the Bible tells us God loves us all, he frowns on those who do not love the opposite sex. Through this book, you really see how prejudice people truly are, despite saying they are 'true Christians'. In my opinion, there are no 'true Christians'; for, along the line, we all sin. I don't go to church every Sunday but I believe in God. Stealing Parker really brings out the true beauty of how gays are viewed. I'm a supporter for gays. Some of my friends are gay, one of my teachers is gay, and I have cousin that's gay. They are just people. Nothing truly extraordinary about them.

There is so much emotion in this book. It goes deeper than Catching Jordan, which focuses on girls in sports and how they are viewed differently than boys. All the raw emotions that come out in this book are so real that you fell Parker's pain and all the crap that has happened to her. It's emotional. End of story.

And besides the emotional turmoil, Stealing Parker also shows what happens when you cling to the past. Brian sounds awesome, but his desire to be young again ruined his life. This is a lesson everyone needs to read.

Characters: Like I said before, a lot of emotion. Parker is a girl who bottled up all her emotions about her mom coming out and everyone picking on her and her church turning away from her and she tries to get through it by hooking up (makeout sessions) with a bunch of guys to show everyone she isn't like her mom. She's complex with her emotion, but yet forward--wanting to be accepted back yet not wanting people to think she's gay. She's a roller coaster.

The rest of the character are very emotional/stereotypical. I say stereotypical because most of the characters have the typical view of gays and those associated with them. Also emotional because of those who are or don't care about gayness. there's so much prejudice against them and others that the characters are so real because of it.

The two characters I did love were Will and Drew. Will was an absolute gentleman and the one guy your dad would like. He's much like Sam, same situation with his home life, and a sports guy. He was wonderful. And I get how he felt when he found out about everything. But he could at least hear Parker out first. Drew reminds me of my friend Aaron, who is much like Drew, except doesn't do sports. But the fact Drew becomes like everyone else after the big climax peeved me off, but he redeems himself.

Romance: Parker, because her mom left and her dad and brother truly don't pay attention, she's looking for somone to love and love her back. In Brian, I believe she saw an older man who would be maturer than boys her age and would want more than sex. This isn't true. Brian is 23! He's not grown up anymore than I am! He was a stupid man using the desire of a minor to feel young again.

And it's true: Love is Blind. I say this because Parker was so blinded by Brian that she couldn't see Will, and Will is just like Sam Henry--sweet, nice, a gentleman. That really ticked me off.

Ending: It was happy. Brian got what he deserved. Parker's life turned around. It was a good ending.

Rating:

The Big Kahuna.

I loved it that much

Cover:

I think there should be a bit more baseball in the cover. Maybe homeplate?

Ending:

Keep On Reading!

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A Shell Full of Books: February Edition

 

(Like the new button? I think it goes lovely with this month.)

 

A Shell Full of Books is my version of IMM and STS.

 

I only got one, but I love it:

 

 

Won:

 

Tempestuous: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's The Tempest (Twisted Lit #1) by Kim Askew & Amy Heimes

Thanks goes to Shelby from Gobs and Gobs of Books

 

 

Until Next Time!

 

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