Book Review: V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

Tour Schedule

 My Take:

The message in V is for Virgin is a great one. It's ok to wait to have sex. It is one you dont see too often in stories anymore, but the way Kelly handled it in her book, it didnt feel like she was condemning those who chose differently.  I admired Val for sticking to her beliefs and not caving, even with the pressure she was under. The tension that develops between Val and Kyle pulls at you and keeps you reading to see what happens next. All leading to a fantastic ending.  It is a fantastic young adult contemporary  clean read and I would recommend it for ages 13 on up. I loved Val and her strong convictions and that she stayed strong through out the whole story. It was fun, light hearted inspite of some wieighter issues and I really loved reading V is for Virgin.

Author Kelly Oram

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

Links:

Blog: http://www.kellyoram.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellyoram

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Oram/167476866620455

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3203095.Kelly_Oram

V is for Virgin

When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.


After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.


As if becoming nationally recognized as “Virgin Val” isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.

How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?

V is for Virgin is scheduled to be released on December 11, 2012.

For those who might wonder about content based on the title -
From Kelly: The book has a great overall message and promotes good strong moral values. For a book all about sex, there's not anything even close to a sex scene in it, but because of the nature of the topic there is a lot of innuendo/sexual humor and some name calling.

Tour Giveaway

$30 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Open Internationally
Ends 1/6/13

Also by Kelly Oram:




V is for Virgin Tour Schedule

December 11th
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Review
Book Passion for Life - Review & Author Interview
Emily's Crammed Bookshelf - Interview
Good Choice Reading - Review

December 12th
Parsimonious Posh - Interview
Peace from Pieces - Interview
Freda's Voice - Review
The Girls With Glasses - Video Interview

December 13th
The Reading Date - Review
Alluring Reads - Review
Tribute Books - Interview
Froze8's Blog - Interview

December 14th
The Bookmark Blog - Review
3Ps in a Pod - Review & Guest Post
A Life Bound by Books - Review & Interview

December 15th
StoreyBook Reviews - Review
YA Book Addict - Review

December 16th
Books Beside My Bedside - Review
Oh, the Books You'll Read - Review
Mera's YA Book List - Tens List & Excerpt

December 17th
Getting Your Read On - Review
Booksellers Without Borders NY - Review
Amethyst Daydreams - Review

December 18th
Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews - Interview & Excerpt
Cindy C Bennett - Guest Post

December 19th
Cuzinlogic - Interview
Emi Gayle - Interview

December 20th
Why Not? Because I Said So - Review & Guest Post
Me and Reading - Review

December 21st
My Guilty Obsession - Review
Into the Mystic - Review
Burning Impossibly Bright - Guest Post

December 22nd
Book Brats - Review & Guest Post
The Cozy Reading Corner - Interview
The Reader's Commute - Review

December 23rd
Bibliophilia, Please - Interview or Guest Post
Crossroads Reviews - Review
FLY HIGH! - Guest Post

December 24th
Reviewing Shelf - Review
Bookworm Lisa - Review & Interview or Tens List

December 26th
Every Free Chance Book Reviews - Review
Mom With a Kindle - Interview or Guest Post
LDS Forever Friends Book Nook - Review
The Itzel Library - Review

December 27th
Reader Girls - Excerpt
Karey White - Review
Paulette's Papers - Tens List
Reading Lark - Guest Post

December 28th
Day by Day in Our World - Review
Debbie's Inkspectations - Review
My Devotional Thoughts - Review
We Fancy Books - Review

January 2nd
Wall-to-Wall Books - Review & Author Interview

Books Over Boys - Review

Book Review: Gold Clash By Steve Westover

My Take:
One think I know, Steve Westover knows how to deliver a high adventure page turner. I read his book Defense Tactics and loved it, Gold Clash is the sequel to it. It has just as much fun and advenure and it pulls you into the story right away.  In Steve's own words "Gold Clash is brimming with fun, danger, intrigue and loads of excitement wrapped into an adventure that includes my favorite things; history, gold, organized crime and camping." I agree 100%!  Don't miss out on the excitment! Go get your copy, you won't be able to put it down until the very last page. And what's even better is that the entire family can read it and enjoy every single word!

Here is a brief description of the book:
When Jimmy agreed to lead a youth activity through the historic Missouri countryside, he had no idea what he was getting into. Now he and his friends Paul and Emily must race to recover a long-lost treasure and rescue two teenage hostages before the conflict tears an entire town apart. This action-packed thrill ride of a book doesn’t disappoint!

Meet the Author:
My wife and I have lived in small town, rural Missouri for 12 years and have 4 entertaining and wonderful children. I never expected to be living on a farm with chickens, cows, kittens and a dog. The kids love ‘em. My life revolves around spending time with my family. Being a father and a husband are the most important things I can concentrate my time on and I enjoy it. I published my first novel, DEFENSIVE TACTICS, in August 2010. My second novel, Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island is under contract with Cedar Fort Publishing and should be released in the Spring of 2012. To learn more about Gold Clash and author Steve Westover, visit: http://stevewestover.com/Home.html.

Website * Blog * Twitter

BooK Review: All Fall Down by Julie Coulter Bellon

My Take:

 

 All Fall Down  by Julie Coulter Bellon is incredible. It literally grabs you on the first page and never lets you go. You are immediately  thrown into the action and along with Rafe Kelly,   Navy SEAL who is recovering from an injury before returning to active duty.  You discover  that things  seem odd and a little off when he goes to visit his brother and the company he runs. Then suspicions flare up in Rafe he tries to shake  them off but his training tells him other wise. At that point the action in the story skyrockets and are thrown  into  non stop high adventure and a great thrill ride. Especially when you  are introduced to another strong willed and his perfect complement as things spark  when Claire Michael's enters into the hostage situation as negotiator  and she is smart and competent.  But  she and Rafe don't always see eye to eye, but they sure do feel those sparks I talked about.  As they try to out maneuver the terrorist and get back Rafe's brother from al-Queda you are left biting your nails on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next as both Rafe and Claire's attraction for each other grows as they try to out strategize the terrorist. 

 

All Fall Down by Julie Coulter Bellon is one book I didn't want to end but loved reading it every page of the way. The characters were dynamic and the story moved flawlessly. I recommend All Fall Down to anyone looking for a great action adventure story with a splash or three of romance thrown into the mix.

 

 

Giveaway:

Julie is generously offering 7, yes 7 awesome giveaways for the tour!! (I want to win them myself!) That means you have 7 chances at winning! (Pretty good odds, huh?!)

The prizes include:

• (2) "Book Lovers'" baskets which include a copy of All Fall Down, a hand tied lap blanket, Julie's favorite hot chocolate mix, and a copy of Janice Sperry's Christmas novella, The Candy Cane Queen
• (3) Print copies of All Fall Down
• (2) Ebook copies of All Fall Down

To enter to win these prizes, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form provided. (Each tour stop will have the same Rafflecopter form).

• Open from November 12 to December 7.
• Must be 13+ years of age to enter
• US mailing addresses only

Earn entries by doing any/all of the following:

• Leaving a blog post comment
• Liking Julie’s Facebook page
• Following Julie on Twitter
• Becoming a fan of Julie on Goodreads
• Tweeting about the giveaway (once per day)
• Subscribing to Julie’s blog

 

 

-0240cd28" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0240cd28/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Schedule

November 12: The Book Bug - Kickoff + Giveaway

November 13: I Love to Read and Review Books :) - Review and Giveaway

November 14: Getting Your Read On - Review and Giveaway

November 15: Literary Time Out - Review and Giveaway

November 16: The Book Bug - Author Guest Post and Giveaway

November 19: Geo Librarian - Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway

November 19: LDS & Lovin' It - Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway

November 19: Jinky Is Reading - Review and Giveaway

November 20: Inksplasher - Review and Giveaway

November 22: Happy Thanksgiving!

November 23: Gamila's Reviews - Review and Giveaway

November 26: Brooklyn Berry Designs - Review and Giveaway

November 27: Books Are Sanity - Review and Giveaway

November 28: Debbie's Inkspectations - Review and Giveaway

November 29: The Book Bug - Review and Giveaway

December 3: Bloggin' Bout Books - Review and Giveaway

 

About the Book

Author: Julie Coulter Bellon

Release Date: September 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Book Description:

Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down . . . That simple rhyme turns negotiator Claire Michaels’ current hostage situation into an international incident. Claire just wants to help get everyone out safely, but as the crisis escalates she realizes she’s dealing with an al-Qaeda operative who has the means to become another bin Laden---with the potential to attack America.

Claire has her own personal reasons for wanting to stop al-Qaeda, but time is slipping away as negotiations break down. Can she overcome her scars of the past in order to get the hostage out alive and possibly stop an assault on U.S. national security? Navy SEAL Rafe Kelly is on leave to recover from a knee injury he suffered during his tour in Afghanistan and he doesn’t expect to be fighting terrorists on his home turf. But when he is taken hostage and his brother is kidnapped, Rafe teams up with a hostage negotiator in order to stay alive and get his brother back. The terrorist is always one step ahead of them, however, and the situation quickly turns from desperate to deadly. Will Rafe be able to save himself and his country without anyone he loves getting caught in the crossfire?

Author Bio:

Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of seven international romantic suspense novels. She loves her work partly because she gets to travel to distant lands to research and add an authentic feel to all of her books. Her favorite cities so far are Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She taught journalism at BYU for fourteen years and that kept her on the cutting edge of current events and world news---which is where she gets her story ideas. Julie offers writing and publishing tips as well as her take on life on her blog ldswritermom.blogspot.com.

First Chapter: http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-first-chapter-of-all-fall-down.html

Tour Page: http://thebookbug-hogan.blogspot.com/p/all-fall-down-blog-tour.html

Social Networking Links:

• Website: http://juliebellon.com/
• Blog: http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julie-Coulter-Bellon/106497519842
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/juliebellon
• Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/457898.Julie_Coulter_Bellon

Purchase Links:

• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Down-Julie-Coulter-Bellon/dp/1479264857/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351577733&sr=8-1&keywords=julie+coulter+bellon
• Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-fall-down-julie-coulter-bellon/1113045660?ean=9781479264858&r=1%2c+1&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10%3a1&

Book Review: Caribbean Crossroads by Connie E Sokol

What a fun light hearted book! It swept you right in and kept you turning pages throughout the story. I really enjoyed reading Caribbean Crossroads. It's about a girl named Megan trying to recover from a broken heart with the added layers of betrayal, deceit and manipulation. As a result she can't trust any guy who might try  to get near her without wondering what their motive is.  So her best friend Jillian convinces her that the best thing to do for healing is to go on a cruise ship with her as a dancer and singer for the summer.

After a bit of convincing she is in, and excited about the chance to get away from the pain and heal once and for all. But she nor her heart are prepared for Bryant. Sweet, outgoing, handsome... amazing. Then starts her battle. The battle to find a way back to being whole, and a battle to let Bryant into her life and the battle to find a way back to her old carefree self and learn how to trust again.  Caribbean Crossroads is about learning to let go of past hurts, and how to trust again. It's about finding a way back to self, and growing in the process and finding how to overcome and be stronger.

I love Bryant's patient gentle demeanor and how he works to understand what is holding Megan back. He has his own trials that he has to face and the cruise ship is his last hurrah. He finds himself pulled into Megan's life and finds she is worth all the hurtles she throws in his way.

Despite some editing issues that can trip the reader up in a few places this story is wonderful and one of my favorites. The chemistry between Megan and Bryant is written beautifully and through the book you are left to wonder what the ultimate decision will be. It is easy to root for these characters as they face life's tough challenges, and find their way to each other while overcoming huge obstacles.

An added bonus to Caribbean Crossroads is that it is a clean read, yet sparks still fly. I was drawn into the story and loved every minute reading it especially the unexpected twists and turns! .

 Here is the book blurb:
New college grad Megan McCormick just got dumped. Hard.

Swearing off men and relationships, Megan is coaxed into performing on a cruise ship where she meets the star performer, Bryant Johnson. Handsome and charismatic, he looks like trouble, but she can't deny the intense attraction between them.

Urged to find a wife and run the family lumber business, Bryant is torn between his family's expectations for his life and his own. However, when he meets spunky, but love-skittish Megan McCormick, settling down doesn't look so bad.

Just when Megan begins to trust again, and Bryant makes some big decisions regarding his future, her former fiance returns with a malicious surprise, taking Megan and Bryant to their own CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS.

Here’s some advance praise for this great summer read:

"Caribbean Crossroads is an entertaining read with a great plot and characters. I loved it! I got hooked from the very beginning...I highly recommend this book to all those looking for a very enjoyable and clean romance novel." Christina Tarbet, Book Reviewer

"Caribbean Crossroads is the perfect summer read. It's a story of love, forgiveness, and following one's heart. There is a lot of humor in the storytelling, and reality in the way relationships work. Connie Sokol captures this perfectly with a great cast of relateable characters who will make you want to keep reading late into the night."

Emily Cushing, Author of One Heart, Many Voices

Don't wait to get your copy of Caribbean Crossroads, so you can be swept away too. You can get your copy by clicking here for Barnes and Noble. 

Amazon Purchase Link here

You can learn more about Connie's by clicking on her website: here.

Connie is also on FaceBook  find her by clicking  here.

Book Review: Caller ID by Rachelle J. Christensen

Caller ID By Rachelle Christensen is a fast paced edge of your seat suspense romance. It starts with a bang and keeps you turning pages to see what happens next.

Book Blurb:
When twenty-three-year-old Courtney Beckham is abducted near her home, the search turns up more than just a kidnapping crime. FBI agent Jason Edwards investigates the ten-million-dollar ransom and stumbles upon something he wasn't meant to find. When Courtney catches a glimpse of the caller ID in her kidnapper's home, what she sees turns her world upside down. Even if she escapes her captors, something much more dangerous lies ahead.

My take:

I fell under Rachelle's spell right away as I read Caller Id. I found every chance I could to read this book. It was fun, fast paced and cleverly plotted. The writing was solid and the character Arcs well developed.

I will admit that I was disappointed when I found out who the kidnapper was so soon into the story, and thought for a minute "well that stinks, now I know who the bad guy is".

But curiosity won out when I wondered how in the world would things play out when both I and the main character knew who was behind the kidnapping. And what would happen to Courtney now? How far would the kidnapper go to keep their secret underwraps? Little did I realize that Rachelle used this as a tease, to lull me into thinking I knew the ending.

Boy was I wrong!

Caller ID twists and turns and just when you think you know how it is going to end, you find out how very wrong you were. I was completely caught up in Courtney's world and found myself wondering what she would do next. I thought the emotional roller coaster she experienced really made you understand her so much better as she worked through being seen as just another pretty face when she puts strategy and determination and pure guts on the line to find safety in her world once again.

I loved how FBI agent Jason Edwards also plays an important roll in his investigation into Courtney's disappearance. He is willing to find out who she really is and uses that information to help him trust his gut feelings. When they meet up, sparks fly and sweet romance ensues that leaves you feeling warm all over.

I truly didn't want this story to end. Rachelle's writing is so clearly mapped, her words invoke vivid images in your mind that you find you don't want to stop reading. You are pulled deep into the dealings of drug lords and ruthless killers and find yourself unsure of how it will end as your heart races along with Courtney's. You feel like you know both Courtney and Jason.

I loved reading Caller Id. I know that anyone else who picks it up will feel the same way. The plotting, twists and turns, and unexpected surprises along the way that will have you biting your nails in anticipation are not to be missed.

I would highly recommend this book for ages 11 on up. This is a clean read full of great adventure. Don't miss out get your copy of Caller ID by clicking here or here. You can also visit Rachelle's websites and learn more about her and her other amazing books here and here.

Disclaimer: While at times I do recieve books to review, my opinion will always remain my own.