The Best Reader [Search results for Kate Hardy

  • Tour: Interview & Giveaway — BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE anthology

    Tour: Interview & Giveaway — BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE anthology

    Hey everyone! Today kicks off the Baby, It's Cold Outside blog tour! Aimee, Kate, Heidi and Amy have stopped by today to do a few fun"This or That" and Fill in the Blank questions. Be sure to check out the giveaway below for a $10 Gift Card! A new giveaway will be featured during each week of the tour.

    FOLLOW THE TOUR

    AIMEE CARSON
    This or That List:

    Hot or Cold: Cold! I grew up in Florida and I hate hot weather.
    Hot Chocolate or Coffee: In answer to your question, I lugged my espresso maker all the way to last year’s Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim. I’ll be taking it next year too.
    Real Tree or Fake Tree: Real. You just can’t beat the wonderful scent of pine on Christmas morning.
    Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow: I’m gonna be greedy here and say I want to play in the snow and then snuggle up in front of the fire afterward. The two kinda go together like peanut butter and chocolate.
    Fill in the Blank:
    My story is perfect for the holidays because_______ my feisty heroine has just suffered through the worst year of her life when she runs into the hero on New Year’s Day. ‘Tis the Season to be Tempted is all about new beginnings, and having the courage to start over.
    My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.)_______ Hmm, this is a tough one. My hero is best friends with the heroine’s older brother. They grew up together, with the hero always being a little disapproving of the heroine’s questionable choices. She’s … ah, kind of a nonconformist. And there’s always been this lingering unspoken attraction. Of course, they were too different to consider a romantic relationship. So… friends? Sort of. Enemies? Sometimes. Strangers? In all the ways that really count. This book is about them revealing their true selves.
    A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be_________ a gourmet set of kitchen utensils, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why! *insert evil laugh*
    If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be_________ Conan O'Brien, because he makes me laugh!

    KATE HARDY This or That List:

    Hot or Cold Cold — I can't sleep if I'm too hot!

    Hot Chocolate or Coffee — Coffee (especially if it's a skinny latte — though after my one proper coffee a day I tend to drink instant whole bean decaf)

    Real Tree or Fake Tree — I would love a real one, like the one we had when I was a child, but we have a fake one which is narrow and doesn't take up quite so much room

    Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow — as long as I don't have to drive in it, snow (otherwise, please let me stay by the fire with a good book!)

    Fill in the blank

    My story is perfect for the holidays because _________ it's all about second chances and learning the true meaning of Christmas

    My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.) ___________ total strangers

    A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be __________ exactly what they get — each other!

    If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be _________ Antonio Banderas, because he's utterly gorgeous (as well as coming across in interviews as a really, really nice guy) and he dances the tango beautifully (see 'Take the Lead' for details): o) And as we're learning the tango in ballroom dance class next term, I would love to dance the tango with him. (Or the waltz. I bet he waltzes perfectly, too!)

    HEIDI RICE
    This or That

    Hot or Cold: Cold (and snuggly)

    Hot Chocolate or Coffee: Coffee with Skimmed milk when I'm being good, Hot Chocolate with cream when I'm being bad (I'm usually bad!)

    Real Tree or Fake Tree: Real tree, gotta be, it's not Christmas if you can't smell the Norwegian spruce in our living room.

    Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow: Time by the fire (after time in the snow!)

    Fill in the blank
    My story is perfect for the holidays because _______ it'll whisk you away to a luxury department store on Fifth Avenue where there are no queues, you can have anything you want without paying for it and there's a hunky guy on hand to rub your feet when you're done! And there's a really hot romance in there somewhere, too!

    My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.) ______ strangers with misconceptions about each other.

    A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be ________ Each other!
    If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be _______ Pierce Brosnan who would take me to Mauii. Why? Because I've heard he looks super cute in a sarong!

    AMY ANDREWS
    This or That
    Hot or Cold — Hot
    Hot Chocolate or Coffee — Hot Chocolate
    Real Tree or Fake Tree — Fake
    Spending time by the fire or Spending time in the snow — By the Fire (whilst watching the snow out the window)

    Fill in the blank
    My story is perfect for the holidays because _it’s about two strangers in a snowed-in cabin, perfect for long, lazy days snuggled up in bed!______
    My characters begin the story as (friends, enemies, strangers, etc.) ___strangers.
    A perfect gift for the characters in my story would be ___a super-size box of condoms!
    If I could spend Christmas with any celebrity it would be _George Clooney because I couldn’t think of any other celebrity I’d want to kiss under the mistletoe quite as much as George!

    Baby, It's Cold Outside by Amy Andrews, Aimee Carson, Kate Hardy, and Heidi Rice
    Published: Entangled Publishing (November 19th, 2012)
    Reading Level: Adult

    Four novellas from four of the biggest names in romantic fiction!

    Kate Hardy's 'TIS THE SEASON TO KISS SANTA

    With the help of a sprig of mistletoe and some snow angels, a recently single pastry chef teaches a highly successful and sexy Scrooge the true meaning of the holidays on a snowy Christmas Eve that quickly heats up.

    Heidi Rice's 'TIS THE SEASON TO GO SHOPPING

    When a Christmas Day blizzard strands an up-and-coming marketing manager and her boss's very off-limits, very hot playboy son in his department store, the two toe the line between naughty and nice as they unwrap their holiday presents—and each other!

    Amy Andrews’s ‘TIS THE SEASON FOR KISSING

    A down-on-her-romantic-luck kindergarten teacher plans to drown her New Year’s Eve sorrows in a gallon of spiked eggnog, but the arrival of her best friend's sexy brother threatens to melt the snow piling up outside the tiny Vermont cabin.

    Aimee Carson’s ‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE TEMPTED

    After the worst year ever, a jilted music manager rings in the New Year alone, swearing off men forever. But things get complicated when her brother's best friend, the perfect man with the perfect body, tempts her to break her vow—if only for one hot night!

    Follow Kate Hardy Website | Facebook | Twitter
    Follow Heidi Rice Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
    Follow Amy Andrews Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
    Follow Aimee Carson Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

    Amazon | Barnes & Noble

    TOUR GIVEAWAY

    Each week of the tour will feature a giveaway! Remember to enter each week for a new chance to win a gift card! Just sign up below to enter.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway Just leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook copy of BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!

  • Review: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

    Review: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

    Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally
    Published: Sourcebooks Fire (March 1st, 2013)
    Reading Level: Young Adult
    Paperback: 320 pages
    Series: Hundred Oaks, #3
    Rating: 4 of 5 stars
    Summary:
    Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

    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…

    Review:


    Ah, such a wonderful series. One of my favorite parts of Miranda's Hundred Oaks series is that we stay in the same group of people. No, some of them aren't the best of friends, but they are all connected in some way.

    In Things I Can't Forget we meet Kate. Kate is the ultimate good girl. She goes to church, doesn't drink, have sex, cuss, etc. But she does have one secret and it is eating her up inside. She goes to Cumberland Creek camp as a counselor and hopes to escape the thoughts tormenting her about her best friend back home and what she helped her do.

    While at the camp we meet Matt. But Matt and Kate do have a bit of a past at the camp. It was nice to hear how they had met and what they were like as kids. Matt is a wonderful character. He was so kind and understanding. I felt that he accepted people no matter what.

    Kate was difficult to like. She's very very judgmental. She's a pretty hardcore Christian and this makes her pretty much pick everything apart. She's always reminding people about what they are doing wrong. She's a bit of a prude too. I tried to understand that this was just how she was raised but this just made getting to know her a bit difficult. I wanted to slap her on a few occasions.

    Over time, the people at camp really show her that not all things are cookie-cutter. Sometimes people don't have the best upbringing and they may have reasons for being snarky or angry. One of the best lessons in this comes from Parker, who we meet in Stealing Parker. She is a great reminder of how life can throw you a curveball and how you have to deal with what comes. It's so nice to see these connections throughout the series.

    This is a wonderful continuation of the Hundred Oaks series. The religious themes were a bit more obvious in this book but it definitely didn't dominate it. After a while it was easier to see how Kate was changing and learning to accept people for who they were. I can't wait for the next story!

    Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

    Amazon | Barnes & Noble

  • Entangled Under the Mistletoe Holiday Hop and Twitter Party!

    Entangled Under the Mistletoe Holiday Hop and Twitter Party!
    Entangled Under the Mistletoe Holiday Hop

    This holiday season, get Entangled Under the Mistletoe!
    Entangled Publishing is hosting its very first blog hop and with over 50 authors participating, all of whom are signed with Entangled Publishing, this is your chance to win a ton of fantastic prizes from your favourite authors!
    The hop runs from December 7th to 14th, and make sure to visit all these authors’ blogs during that week!
    You really don’t want to miss these giveaways.
    The authors participating in the hop are:
    Links have now been updated. They go to the direct page where the giveaway can be located. Diane Alberts
    Rachel Harris
    Ophelia London
    Lisa Burstein
    Nicola Marsh
    Jenna Bennett
    Barbara DeLeo
    Sarah Gilman
    Chloe Jacobs
    Kate Avelynn
    Aleah Barley
    Candace Havens-
    Tiffany Allee
    Natalie J. Damschroder
    Robin Covington
    Coleen Kwan
    Karen Erickson
    Crista McHugh
    Patricia Eimer
    Roxanne Snopek
    Taryn Elliott
    Michelle McLean
    Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
    Victoria James
    Annie Seaton
    Boone Brux
    Robin Bielman
    Lisa Kessler
    Christine Warner
    Jus Accardo
    Rosalie Lario
    Stacey Kennedy
    Robyn DeHart
    Laura Kaye
    Cari Quinn
    Stephanie Draven
    Paige Cuccaro
    Katee Robert
    Bronwen Evans
    Rita Oberlies
    Nina Croft
    Marisa Cleveland
    Michele de Winton
    Jennifer Shirk
    Amy Andrews and Heidi Rice
    Ros Clarke
    Rachel Lyndhurst
    Hope Tarr
    Aimee Carson and Kate Hardy
    Sara Daniel
    Lea Nolan
    Abby Niles
    Jane Kindred

    In celebration of it, there will also be a #EntangledUndertheMistletoe Twitter Party!

    Yes, that means more giveaways!

    If you’re a fan of the holidays, believe me, you want to be a part of this.

    We have loads of fun stuff planned for the party so, join us!

    Date: 7th December, 2012 (Tonight).

    Time: 9pm EST.

    Hash-tag: #EntangledUndertheMistletoe

    What: We’ll be asking fun holiday themed questions and each question has prizes to be won!
    Answer right for a chance to win some of the many fabulous prizes!

    Where: Follow the instructions below!

    1. Go to http://tweetgrid.com/party
    2. Fill in the the hash-tag as #EntangledUndertheMistletoe
    3. Fill in the hosts @entangledpub
      @thebestreader
      @babsbookbistro
      @anjanavasan
    4. Enter your twitter handle, follow the tweets, answer the questions
      and you may just get lucky!
    Don’t forget to mention the #EntangledUndertheMistletoe hash-tag in your replies! Hope to see you there!

  • Top 10 of 2012: Top 10 Books I'm Looking forward to in 2013

    Top 10 of 2012: Top 10 Books I'm Looking forward to in 2013

    This is another hard list for me. There are so many amazing books coming out next year. Here are j ust a few o f the ones I am looking forw ard to.

    Title: Sweet Peril
    Author: Wendy Higgins
    Publisher: HarperTeen
    Add to Goodreads
    Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

    Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

    When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

    Title: Taken Author: Erin Bowman Publisher: HarperTeen Add to Goodreads There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends… and he’s gone.

    They call it the Heist.

    Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

    Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

    Title: Things I Can't Forget
    Author: Miranda Kenneally
    Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
    Add to Goodreads
    Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

    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…

    Title: Level 2 Author: Lenore Appelhans Publisher: Simon & Schuster Add to Goodreads Three levels. Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).

    'I pause to look around the hive — all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories … I've wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.'

    Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend … and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.

    Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.

    Title: Boundless
    Author: Cynthia Hand
    Publisher: HarperTeen
    Add to Goodreads
    The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

    Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her.. even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California — and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

    As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one.. With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfil her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

    Title: The Forever of Ella & Micha Author: Jessica Sorensen Add to Goodreads It's the kind of love that owns you, the kind that last forever.

    Ella and Micha have been through tragedy, heartbreak, and love. When they are with each other, anything seems possible. But the days of racing cars and passionate kisses are gone now that they are thousands of miles apart.

    Ella continues going to school and tries to deal with her irrevocable mistakes. She constantly worries about how her life will end up, and with her father in and out of rehab, she’s having a hard time making it through the days. All she wants is Micha by her side, but she refuses to let her problems get in the way of his dreams.

    Micha spends his days traveling the country with the band, but he knows something is missing from his life. Being away from Ella is harder than he thought. He wants her closer to him—needs her with him. But he won’t ask her to leave college, just to be with him.

    The few moments they do spend together are fleeting, intense, and filled with passion, but it only makes it more difficult when they have to part. They quickly learn that a long-distance relationship is challenging and it tests their love.

    They know they want to be together, but is wanting something enough to get them to their forever?

    Title: If You Stay
    Author: Courtney Cole
    Add to Goodreads
    24-year old Pax Tate is an asshole.
    Seriously.

    He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad-boy with a bad attitude to match.

    But he’s got his reasons.

    His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with guilt although he doesn’t understand why. What he does know is that he and his dad are left alone and with more issues than they can count.

    As Pax grew up, he tried to be the kid his father always wanted; the perfect golden boy, but it didn’t work. His dad couldn’t overcome his grief long enough to notice and Pax couldn’t keep up the impossible perfect façade.
    So he slipped far, far from it.

    Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the ugliness, the black void that he doesn’t want to deal with. If he pretends that the emptiness isn’t there, then it isn’t, right?
    Wrong.

    And it’s never more apparent than when he meets Mila.
    Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air to his hardened frown, the beauty to his ugly heart. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her, but he quickly realizes that he’s got to figure it out because he needs her to breathe.

    When memories of his mother’s death resurface from where he’s repressed them for so long, Mila is there to catch him when the guilt starts making sense. Mila is the one… the one who can save him from his broken troubled heart; from his issues, from the emptiness.

    But only if he can stop being an asshole long enough to allow it.

    He knows that. And he’s working on it.

    But is that enough to make her stay?

    Title: Date You To Author: Katie McGarry Publisher: Harlequin Teen Add to Goodreads"I dare you… "

    If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does…

    Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

    But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all…

    Title: Fragments
    Author: Dan Wells
    Publisher: Balzer + Bray
    Add to Goodreads
    Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

    Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed.

    The second installment in the pulse-pounding Partials saga is the story of the eleventh hour of humanity's time on Earth, a journey deep into places unknown to discover the means--and even more important, a reason--for our survival .

    Title: Apollyon Author: Janenifer L. Armentrout Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Add to Goodreads Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

    Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

    The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

    Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.
    Don't forget to share YOUR list in the Linky below! Today's giveaway is hosted by Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
    NOTE: This is the same Linky on ALL Co-Hosts Blogs.

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