One Year Celebration Wrap Up

I cannot say THANK YOU enough to all of the wonderful authors, reviewers, and bloggers who make Making Connections possible!  This group would not exist without all of you wonderful people. 

There are a few hours left to enter the huge giveaway! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

And...for all of the wonderful bloggers who took part in the month-long blog hop, I am going to have a drawing for a $20 gift card to either Amazon or B&N (winner's choice)!  Drawing will be March 1.  Winner will be contacted via goodreads.

Feb.1 - Sheri www.makingconnectionsgroup.blogspot.ca/

Feb.1 - Tana www.tana-someofmyfavoritebooks.blogspot.ca/

Feb.2 - (A) Eva Pohler http://www.evapohler.com

Feb.3 – (B) Sailon http://tometender.blogspot.com

Feb.4 – (C) Mari Arden www.mariarden.blogspot.com

Feb.5 - (D) Milda http://www.writergirlinla.com/

Feb.6 – (E) Mallory http://archiestandwoodsreviewsandwritngs.blogspot.com/

Feb.7 – (F) Natasha http://writesbymoonlight.wordpress.com

Feb.8 – (G) Midu www.passionatebookdivas.com/

Feb.9 – (H) Jonel Boyko http://purejonel.blogspot.ca/

Feb.10 – (I) Kit 0127 http://darkerpassions.net/

Feb.11 – (J) Flora http://fromthebootheelcottonpatch.blogspot.com/
Feb.12 – (K) Tmonique http://tmoniquestephens.com/

Feb.13 – (L) Wynne Channing http://wynnechanning.wordpress.com/

Feb.14 – (M) Meredith Bond http://meredithbond.com/blog/posts/

Feb.15 – (N) Donna www.donnagalanti.com
Feb.16 – (O) Samantha http://bookloverscozycafe.blogspot.com

Feb.17 – (P) Stephanie Http://stephsbookretreat.wordpress.com

Feb.18 – (Q) Alana http://darkobsessionchronicles.blogspot.com/

Feb.19 – (R) Cody Kennedy www.CKennedyAuthor.blogspot.com

Feb.20 – (S) SantaFlash http://santaflash.wordpress.com/

Feb.21 – (T) Think Books http://thinksbooks.blogspot.com

Feb.22 – (U) Maghon http://magluvsya03.wordpress.com

Feb.23 – (V) Debbie http://amethysteyesauthor.blogspot.ca/

Feb.24 – (W) Pragya http://reviewingshelf.wordpress.com

Feb.25 – (X) Ellie http://elliewrites2.wordpress.com
Feb.26 – (Y) Terri Bruce http://www.terribruce.net

Feb.27 – (Z) J.A. Beard www.riftwatcher.blogspot.com

Feb.28 - Tana www.tana-someofmyfavoritebooks.blogspot.ca/

Feb.28 - Sheri www.makingconnectionsgroup.blogspot.ca/

After Summer by Hannah Harvey - Cover Reveal!

Title: After Summer

Author: Hannah Harvey

Release Date: March 1^st 2013

Synopsis:

Everything changes for Arianna when she loses one of her best friends in an accident, suddenly everything that felt happy and safe, is no longer there, and she can't handle it.

It used to be Ben, Summer and Arianna, always together, and now it's just Ben and Arianna left, and she needs to escape.

After Summer's death she pushes Ben away, cutting of her connection with who she used to be, but she can't keep running forever, not when the past is always ready to catch her up, especially since it's more than just Summer's death that she's running from.

Excerpt:

‘Don’t lecture me Ben I can’t deal with that tonight.’

‘I expected more from you.’ He sighs.

‘That’s the whole issue though,’ Arianna shouts, ‘so many people expected so much from me, by the time I was about thirteen my whole life had been mapped out, and I felt like if I changed even one thing, I’d be letting everyone down! I was drowning in expectations. After Summer died I just couldn’t do it anymore, but that Arianna, the one I used to be, she was so tied down by all of that, so I had to become someone new.’

‘And cut everyone out of your life? I know it’s not just me, you hardly talk to Alex anymore, you’re withdrawn around your parents, you don’t talk to my parents anymore, all of your friends were dropped, you don’t talk to Kate, and she says that Fletcher has been trying to contact you but you won’t talk to him either. I don’t understand it, you had a great life and sure I know things weren’t perfect, but you had a support system of friends and family, and you pushed them all away. What’s so horrible about the life you had planned?’

‘Nothing’s horrible about it,’

‘Then just explain to me what you’re doing? Why you’re acting like this prom queen type of girl.’

‘Maybe because I am the prom queen,’ she shrugs noncommittally, ‘I like who I am now, I have a big group of friends, I have money, I don’t have to worry about being labelled a nerd, I actually have a varied social life that consists of more than staying at home, or going to the arcade. I don’t have to care,’

‘About anything,’ he finishes for her, ‘that’s the biggest problem, you used to care about things and people, but now you don’t, or you pretend you don’t.’

‘I didn’t come here to talk about myself, so if this is the way the nights going then I’ll leave now.’ She snaps back angrily.

 

About the Author:

Hannah has had a keen interest in writing for a long time, starting out writing short stories when she was young. As she got older she started taking her writing more seriously, and writing longer pieces, but it wasn’t until taking part in and completing NaNoWriMo, that she decided to pursue her writing.

Her first novel ‘How I Got Here’ was released in the summer of 2012.

Author Links:

Authors Website: www.thebooktower.webs.com

Amazon Authors Page: www.amazon.com/author/hannahharvey

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/bookish92

Shattered Edge by A.M. Hargrove

Shattered Edge by A.M. Hargrove
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Shattered Edge is the story of Terri and Justin. We met the two of them first in Edge of Disaster, though you do not have to read that book first in order to get this one (but I would suggest it, just because it's awesome and you'd be missing out). The two are stand-alone novels with repeating characters.

Terri is recovering from a car accident that left her seriously injured and scarred. She is an incredibly strong character who pushes on, though she cannot seem to let her infatuation with Justin go. Justin is pretty much your typical playboy. Women like him, and he knows it. Except now he cannot seem to get Terri out of his head, or the guilt that has been plaguing him since the car accident. The two had gone on a couple of dates before the accident, but things had dulled down with them afterwards.

When the two of them decide to give a try at a relationship, things get seriously hot! The chemistry between Terri and Justin is incredibly potent and they cannot stay away from each other. They are seemingly perfect for each other; Terri strong and independent, and Justin sweet and romantic. Life goes on, though, and often gets in the way. Terri goes through a series of mishaps in her personal life, one of which might just bring the end to their relationship. It takes everything they have to overcome the obstacles in their path, but it seems that sometimes love is just not enough.


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When Smiles Fade by Paige Dearth

When Smiles Fade by Paige Dearth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Paige Dearth has a way of writing about tough subjects that most people either gloss over or simply skip altogether. She does not pretty it up; she just writes what needs to be said. And although the books she writes are fiction, I have no doubt that there are girls and women out in the world who can relate to what she is not afraid to write about.

When Smiles Fade is the story of Emma, a young girl growing up in an unloving, abusive family. Her father blamed her for his own mistakes; her mother lived in a fantasy world. The only love she receives is from her little sister, Grace, who she tries to protect from the worst of the abuse. Years of abuse leave Emma untrusting and wary, and her choices in the years to come reflect those feelings. While Emma does not always make the right choices, she makes the ones she can live with and she feels are the best for her and those she loves.

Once again, Paige Dearth's characters come alive in this book. The emotion she is able to elicit from her characters and pass on through her words is incredible. I love how the characters' lives in this story intertwined with the characters from her previous story, Believe Like a Child. While the two books are completely stand alone, the story lines overlap, and it was fun to see the interaction between the two.

While this book is not for the faint of heart, I am once again glad that I had the chance to read it. A story like this sticks with you long after the last page and makes you grateful for the life you have.


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Thorn by Intisar Khanani + Giveaway

Thorn
by Intisar Khanani


For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she’s never had … until she’s betrayed.

Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family’s cruelty and the court’s contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.

But powerful men have powerful enemies—and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman’s, giving Alyrra the first choice she’s ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she’s never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometimes the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.

Available at:  
Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fire by Heather James + Giveaway

Fire (Elements of Power, #1)
by Heather James

Is control over the elements a gift, or a curse?

Roxy thinks that she is in control of everything: with flames flaring at her fingertips and an equally fiery attitude, what more could she need? But then she meets Brae, a prince from a rival Realm, who turns her assumptions of superiority upside down.

Jasmine has none of Roxy’s confidence or intensity. But she does have a secret - and Brae - and she’s not going to give either up willingly.







Available at:
Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Safe by C. Kennedy + Giveaway

Safe
by C. Kennedy

Caleb had one mission in life. To keep his boyfriend safe.

Safe follows the burgeoning love of two boys from the time they meet at ten through their senior year in high school when they're outted by a foolish display of affection.

They met at ten, they kissed at twelve, and were madly in love at eighteen. Caleb is the captain of the swim team and the hottest senior in school. Nico is small and beautiful and has an Italian father who rules with an iron fist. Literally. Nico is never safe from his vicious father. One morning Caleb forgets himself and pecks Nico’s lips at school. It just seems so natural. A teacher sees them and tattles to the Headmaster. Accidently outing themselves is the least of their problems. The ball set in motion by the school’s calls to their parents may get Nico killed.

Content: Gay, M/M [contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable] Word Count: 18K

YOUNG ADULT HEA: Gay Teen Love, Contemporary, Drama

Available at:
Smashwords

No Boundaries Press

Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dahlia by Christina Channelle + Giveaway

I am happy to be featuring author Christina Channelle on our blog today! 

See below for a chance to win a copy of Dahlia and Fallen Tears!

Title:  Dahlia
Series:  Blood Crave #1
Author:  Christina Channelle
Genre:  Young Adult

What would you do if your dreams were more than just dreams? When you knew in the depths of your soul that you were unlike the rest?

For seventeen-year-old Dahlia Winters, this is her truth. Her coping mechanism is to simply forget and deny the strangeness that is her life. Orphaned, her past remains a mystery. Now residing with a foster family, she finally feels normal—or attempts to. Yet, dreams continue to torment her. Not only consumed by visions of miraculously healing wounds, but of a lust for something she should never naturally crave.

Then a green-eyed stranger enters her life echoing her inner thoughts and voicing warnings about others wanting to harm her. He knows things about her that no one should possibly know, and he awakens her in ways she never expected.

This leads Dahlia to discover who she really is, for she is more than just human. With this newfound knowledge, and the elements suddenly fighting against her, she finds it hard to trust anyone. And as she finally awakens and comes to grips with the power she possesses, she fights to stay alive.

Before the world, as she knows it, ceases to exist. 

Get your own copy now!


 

Title:  Fallen Tears: A Blood Crave Novella

Series:  Blood Crave, #1.5
Author: Christina Channelle
Genre: Young Adult

We left off from Dahlia with only a name--a name that is the next piece to the puzzle. A name that will eventually, "lead us to him." But before we delve into the continuation of the Blood Crave Series, let's answer the question that's been on all our minds.

Who is Rowan?

This 21,000 word novella answers that question, and of how Rowan has come to know the vampire with pitch-black eyes.

 Get your own copy now!






Find out more about Christina Channelle and her writing:

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6862036.Christina_Channelle

Website:  http://channellewrites.webs.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/channellewrites

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaChannelle/app_106171216118819

Christina has graciously offered 3 Kindle copies of both her books,

Dahlia and Fallen Tears, to give away. 

 

To enter, simply share this giveaway link and leave a comment telling me how you shared.  Make sure you leave your contact info in the comment so I can let you know if you win!

Share one of these or make your own!

 

Twitter:  Enter to win Dahlia by Christina Channelle! http://makingconnectionsgroup.blogspot.com/2013/02/dahlia-by-christina-channelle-giveaway.html #MakingConnections #Channelle

 

Facebook:  Making Connections one-year anniversary celebration!  Enter to win Dahlia and Fallen Tears by Christina Channelle!  http://makingconnectionsgroup.blogspot.com/2013/02/dahlia-by-christina-channelle-giveaway.html

 

 

For another chance to win a copy of Dahlia, visit the book's Goodreads page!

 

Is This All There Is? by Patricia Mann

Is This All There Is? by Patricia Mann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a story that I think any married woman with kids can relate to. The author did an excellent job of getting into her character's head and making her real. Of course, the author is married with kids, so I am sure she understands.

Beth's dilemmas and temptations stem from one thing – lack of communication with her husband. When you have busy lives, communication is not a hard thing to lose. I really enjoyed the story and how the author chose to portray Beth's life with her family. She obviously comes from a loving family but somehow lost herself in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. When tempted with the ability to feel something for herself again, she caved. She's human. Not that it's right, but that's what happens – affairs, divorce, unhappy marriages – everyday. Beth's inner turmoil was portrayed well in the story, and it makes her a relatable character. I would recommend this story to any woman who is married, whether they have ever had thoughts of an affair or not. It's an eye opening tale of temptation very close to home.


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Fallen Angel of Mine by John Corwin

Fallen Angel of Mine by John Corwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This third installment of the Overworld Chronicles is packed full of action and is seriously entertaining. You will not want to stop reading, even at the end of the book. Lucky for us, there is more to come.

Once again our hero, Justin, is overcoming the odds and fighting for his life and his love, this time with the fate of the world on his shoulders. I love that we can mark Justin's character development throughout this series, from nerdy high school student to hero. He has had to go through many challenges to get where he is now, but his character has not changed, and he is an overall good guy, the kind of guy that is easy to like and easier to love.

When you pick up this book, prepared to be entertained, prepare to be enchanted, and prepare to laugh out loud. This series is a must read!

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The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson

The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Athena Effect is a sweet, engaging story. It is the story of Cali, 17-year-old girl raised isolated from the big, bad world. She is perfectly happy with her life, until tragedy strikes. When she is thrown into the real world, she must find a way to acclimate herself and find a balance between the life she knew and the life she must now learn to live.

The characters in this story are great. Cali is sweet and innocent, a bit naive, perhaps too much so at times. All she really knew of the outside world was what she had read about in books. Despite her innocence, or maybe in spite of, Cali is strong and independent and will do whatever it takes to survive the cruelties of the world. Cal is the ultimate bad boy; you know - the one all the girls fall for just to have their hearts broken. I know, sounds cliché, but it's really not. The author adds enough twist to the story to make it unique and incredibly enjoyable. I honestly had a hard time putting it down. The story flowed very well and was written well. The author did a really great job of making her characters come to life, so much so that you could feel their emotions build with each turn of the page.

The names may be strange, but the story is a must. I will definitely be looking for the next book. Hopefully we will find out what happens with Layla and Michael!

Favorite quote:
"Because with a really good book you get something new every time you read it. Because…Well…Because you're a different person each time."


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