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15 Mar 2019

ARC #Review: THE TRUE QUEEN by Zen Cho

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 15 March 2 Comments

THE TRUE QUEEN

Author: Zen Cho
Series: Sorcerer Royal #2
Source: eARC via Publisher
Publisher: Ace Books
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Summary:
In the follow-up to the "delightful" Regency fantasy novel (NPR.org) Sorcerer to the Crown, a young woman with no memories of her past finds herself embroiled in dangerous politics in England and the land of the fae.

When sisters Muna and Sakti wake up on the peaceful beach of the island of Janda Baik, they can't remember anything, except that they are bound as only sisters can be. They have been cursed by an unknown enchanter, and slowly Sakti starts to fade away. The only hope of saving her is to go to distant Britain, where the Sorceress Royal has established an academy to train women in magic.

If Muna is to save her sister, she must learn to navigate high society, and trick the English magicians into believing she is a magical prodigy. As she's drawn into their intrigues, she must uncover the secrets of her past, and journey into a world with more magic than she had ever dreamed.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

See my review of SORCERER TO THE CROWN!

The sequel to the ah-mazing SORCERER TO THE CROWN, THE TRUE QUEEN has magic, mayhem, and strong female characters that you root for the whole way through. I loved seeing the old characters, meeting new ones, and being introduced to more magic in this than we previously saw.

13 Sept 2018

We Can(ada) Read: #Spotlight: TRUE BORN Trilogy by L.E. Sterling + #Giveaway!

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 13 September 1 Comments

We Can(ada) Read is by Canadians for EVERYONE to learn more about some amazing Canadian authors! It is a highlight of Canadian Literature and those of us who promote it as much as possible.

For a full schedule of events, please check out the Kick-Off post!

Thank you to Moonbeam Books for sponsoring the amazing giveaway! Scroll to the bottom!

The entire TRUE BORN Trilogy is out! The last book, TRUE STORM, released on May 1, 2108. So today I am spotlighting the entire series! Learn more about each book below...

TRUE BORN

Author: L.E. Sterling
Series: True Born Trilogy #1
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Summary:
Welcome to Dominion City.

After the great Plague descended, the world population was decimated…and their genetics damaged beyond repair.

The Lasters wait hopelessly for their genes to self-destruct. The Splicers pay for expensive treatments that might prolong their life. The plague-resistant True Borns are as mysterious as they are feared…

And then there’s Lucy Fox and her identical twin sister, Margot. After endless tests, no one wants to reveal what they are.

When Margot disappears, a desperate Lucy has no choice but to put her faith in the True Borns, led by the charismatic Nolan Storm and the beautiful but deadly Jared Price. As Lucy and the True Borns set out to rescue her sister, they stumble upon a vast conspiracy stretching from Dominion’s street preachers to shady Russian tycoons. But why target the Fox sisters?

As they say in Dominion, it’s in the blood.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

27 Jul 2018

#BlogTour: THE CHEERLEADERS by Kara Thomas // #Spotlight + #Giveaway

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 27 July 1 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

THE CHEERLEADERS by Kara Thomas!

Learn more about the book and enter to win one of three copies of the book, if you are in the US!

THE CHEERLEADERS

Author: Kara Thomas
Series: N/A
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: July 31, 2018

Summary:
There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Kara Thomas is a true crime addict and the author of THE DARKEST CORNERS, LITTLE MONSTERS, and THE CHEERLEADERS, all published by Delacorte Press. You can find her on Twitter (@karatwrites), Instagram (@kara__thomas), or at http://www.kara-thomas.com.

Connect with the Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Week One:

7/23/2018- The Heart of a Book Blogger- Review

7/24/2018- A Dream Within A Dream- Review

7/25/2018- Portrait of a Book- Review

7/26/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Review

7/27/2018- Books and Ladders- Review

Week Two:

7/30/2018- The Clever Reader- Review

7/31/2018- Diary of an Avid Reader- Review

8/1/2018- Never Too Many To Read- Review

8/2/2018- Confessions of a YA Reader- Review

8/3/2018- Adventures of a Book Junkie- Interview

Week Three:

8/6/2018- laura bookish corner- Review

8/7/2018- The Phantom Paragrapher- Review

8/8/2018- Mama Reads Blog- Review

8/9/2018- To Be Read- Review

8/10/2018- Savings in Seconds- Review

Week Four:

8/13/2018- The Young Folks- Review

8/14/2018- BookHounds YA- Interview

8/15/2018- Simply Daniel Radcliffe- Review

8/16/2018- Moonlight Rendezvous- Review

8/17/2018- Two points of interest- Review

22 Jun 2018

#BlogTour: THE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS by Jessica Spotswood // #Excerpt + #Giveaway

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 22 June 0 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

THE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS by Jessica Spotswood!

I have an excerpt from the book for you plus if you live in Canada or the US, you can win one of two copies of the book in the giveaway below! But first, let's learn more about the book...

THE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS

Author: Jessica Spotswood
Series: N/A
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: June 5, 2018

Summary:
One summer will challenge everything the Garrett sisters thought they knew about themselves—and each other.

Kat lands the lead in the community theater’s summer play, but the drama spills offstage when her ex and his new girlfriend are cast too. Can she get revenge by staging a new romance of her own?

Bea and her boyfriend are heading off to college together in the fall, just like they planned when they started dating. But Bea isn’t sure she wants the same things as when she was thirteen…

Vi has a crush on the girl next door. It makes her happy and nervous, but Cece has a boyfriend…so it’s not like her feelings could ever be reciprocated, right?

As the oldest, Des shoulders a lot of responsibility for her family and their independent bookstore. Except it’s hard to dream big when she’s so busy taking care of everyone else.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Chapter One

DES

Des has a morning routine. Des likes her morning routine. Her sisters slamming doors and screaming at each other is not part of that routine. Neither is the broken dishwasher, being out of sugar for her tea—-she grimaces as she takes another still--scalding sip—-or sleeping through her alarm.

“Des!” her youngest sister, Vi, screeches. “Kat locked me out!”

There’s a loud thumping as Vi pounds on the bedroom door that she and Kat share. A moment later, she rushes into the kitchen, her auburn hair still tangled from sleep, her freckled face flushed with anger. “Did you hear me?”

“I’m busy,” Des snaps, reaching into the sudsy sink. She needs to call Mr. Stan to come take a look at the dishwasher. And of course no one bothered to touch last night’s dishes. It’s Kat’s week, but it’s easier for Des to do it herself than to nag her sister.

“I got up to go to the bathroom, and Kat locked me out, and now she’s FaceTiming with Pen about what to wear to their audition,” Vi fumes. “Tell her to let me back in! I was sleeping!”

“Why don’t you go sleep on the couch?” Des suggests. She isn’t sure when she became the arbiter of all her sisters’ squabbles. They used to go to Gram with every skinned knee and hurt feeling, but lately—-especially since Gram’s knee replacement a few weeks ago—-it’s been on Des. It’s all been on Des: shopping for groceries, picking up Gram’s prescriptions, cooking supper, washing the dishes, and doing the laundry—-all that on top of running the bookstore. She thought things would go back to normal once Gram was home from the rehab center, but they haven’t.

Maybe this is the way things are now. Forever. Dread washes over her at the thought.

“Why do I always have to give in?” Vi demands, twisting her hair into a ponytail. “You just don’t want to fight with Kat.”

There is some truth there. Kat has been extra venomous since her breakup. “I don’t have time for this right now, Vi.” Des tosses the clean silverware into the dish drainer. “I have to leave in five minutes if I want to open the store on time.”

“Okay, okay.” Vi yawns. “Where’s Gram?”

“Miss Lydia picked her up and took her out for breakfast.”

Vi points at the baking dish next to the stove. “Is that a strawberry crumble?”

Des nods. That’s why there’s no sugar for her tea. Des woke up when Bea came to bed at two in the morning after her late-night stress baking. That’s been happening often enough lately that Des is starting to worry. She thought after Bea’s acceptance to Georgetown—-or at least after being named valedictorian—-Bea would be able to chill out a little. She hasn’t. If anything, she seems more tense than ever.

Des feels stretched in so many directions right now and inadequate in all of them.

Vi grabs the strawberry crumble and a clean fork. “Yay, breakfast!”

“Use a plate. And wash it when you’re done.” Des drains the sink, gulping down the rest of her bitter tea. God, when did she become their mother?

Footsteps pound down the wooden stairs, and then Kat saunters in, wearing high--waisted white shorts and a black The Future Is Female T--shirt. “What do you think? Do I look like a modern--day Jo March?”

“That’s my shirt!” Vi protests.

Kat smirks. “It looks better on me.”

Vi plants her hands on her slim hips. “You’re going to stretch it out! Des!”

Des closes her eyes. Maybe if she closes her eyes, they’ll go away.

“You’re calling the sister with the eating disorder fat?” Kat scowls, tossing her red curls over her shoulder. “Nice, Vi.”

“I was talking about your ginormous boobs, and you know it,” Vi retorts.

“Okay, no talking about Kat’s body.” Des frowns. She’s been worried about Kat relapsing since her douchebag boyfriend broke up with her last month. Is Kat’s lack of appetite normal teenage heartbreak, or does she think Adam would still love her if she had a thigh gap? Des isn’t sure.

“Fine. Wear the shirt. But you are my least favorite,” Vi spits. It’s their worst sisterly insult, ever since Gram banned them from saying I hate you.

Vi’s right. She is always the one to give in. It’s not fair, but at the moment, Des is grateful for it.
“It’s your turn to clean the bathroom, Kat,” she says. “Today, please. It’s gross.”

Kat doesn’t even acknowledge her. She’s too busy squealing and fending off Vi’s attempts to stab her with the strawberry--stained fork.

Des grabs her tote from the back of a chair and whirls around the kitchen for her phone, planner, and keys to the store. “I’ve got to go. See you two later.”

There’s probably a better way to handle this, but it would take time and patience and an authority she doesn’t have. She’s only nineteen; she’s not their mom.

Lately, she really misses their mom.

9 Apr 2018

#BlogTour: NOTES OF MAGIC by Jessica Bucher // #Spotlight + #Giveaway

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 09 April 0 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog tour stop for

NOTES OF MAGIC by Jessica Bucher!

I am spotlighting the book for you today plus you can enter to win a signed copy of this magical novel that takes place in Prague - one of my favourite cities in the world! Check out all the below but first let's learn more about the book...

NOTES OF MAGIC

Author: Jessica Bucher
Series: The Bohemians #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: February 24, 2018

Summary:
Enchanted city. Old magic. New threat.

Taq, a young fiddler, comes to Prague with dreams of joining the Bohemians—a band of immortal, magic-wielding street performers. With a mission to right past wrongs, things don’t go as planned when he meets the beautiful performer, Katia. Now, he must decide if revealing his secret is worth losing her heart.

Katia has spent one hundred years chained to the city, broken-hearted and silent, waiting for her chance to be free.

But with an impending threat on Bohemia itself and a mysterious newcomer, peace is starting look farther than ever. Now she must decide if she should trust Taq or put her faith in the one who broke her heart—the tyrannical Magistrate of Bohemia.

Curses can be broken, but at what cost?

Purchase:

Amazon | TBD

4 Apr 2018

#BlogTour: THE DEATH CHAMBER by Lesley Thomson // #Spotlight

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 04 April 0 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

THE DEATH CHAMBER by Lesley Thomson!

I am going to be telling you all about the book today so strap in and let's learn about the book!

THE DEATH CHAMBER

Author: Lesley Thomson
Series: The Detective's Daughter #6
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication Date: April 5, 2018

Summary:
Queen's Jubilee, 1977: Cassie Baker sees her boyfriend kissing another girl at the village disco. Upset, she heads home alone and is never seen again.

Millennium Eve, 1999: DCI Paul Mercer finds Cassie's remains in a field. Now he must prove the man who led him there is guilty.

When Mercer's daughter asks Stella Darnell for help solving the murder, Stella see echoes of herself. Another detective's daughter.

With her sidekick sleuth, Jack, Stella moves to Winchcombe, where DCI Mercer and his prime suspect have been playing cat and mouse for the past eighteen years...

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

10 Feb 2018

#BlogTour: DRAGON BORN SAGA by K.N. Lee // #Spotlight + #Giveaway

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 10 February 0 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog tour stop for the

DRAGON BORN SAGA by K.N. Lee!

You can learn about the books below plus enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card! So let's get started learning about the books!

The series started with...

HALF-BLOOD DRAGON

Author: K.N. Lee
Series: Dragon Born Saga Book #1
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Publication Date: January 14, 2017

Summary:
Pirates, dragons, mermaids. A new world of mythical creatures and epic adventures await. Embark on a coming of age journey that will leave you breathless.  New York Times bestselling author, K.N. Lee presents Half-Blood Dragon, the first epic fantasy adventure in the Dragon Born Trilogy.

 Time is running out for half-blood, Rowen, a lady-in-waiting to a princess. While the two princes of the Dragon Court vie for her affection, she spends her days and nights dreaming of a future free from prejudice based on her lineage. The half-blood is not who she appears to be. As a prophet, she knows what the fate of the realm holds, and it's not the grand parties the kingdom is used to.

 Death is on the horizon, and Rowen sees herself as its cause.

 The taunts of her sleepless nights are realized when she is framed and sentenced to death for the prince's murder. For a human, there's nowhere to run and no one to turn to in a kingdom where power is tightly held by full-blooded dragon shifters.

 It will take a stranger from the shadows to save Rowen from an unjust execution and reveal a truth full of terrifying potential. She must face her fears, navigate through dangerous lands of magical creatures, and find the courage to accept her fate, awaken her gift, and set the world on fire.

 Grab your copy of this action-packed sword and sorcery adventure perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Throne of Glass, and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn today!

Purchase:

Amazon

The story concludes in...

8 Jan 2018

#BlogTour: HINDER by Kristin Ping // #Spotlight + #Giveaway

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 08 January 2 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

HINDER by Kristin Ping!

Learn more about the book plus sign up for Kristin's newsletter for a chance to win a Mac!

HINDER

Author: Kristin Ping
Series: Guardians of Monsters #1
Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
Publication Date: May 15, 2018

Summary:
Ethan Sutcliff seems like a normal seventeen-year-old—at least that’s what he’s trying to portray. In a secret society run by the Supernaturals, Ethan is what witches call a Bender. Benders are Witches’ Guardians, who are able to control a witches’ ability, bend it, or move it away from harming humans. In Ethan’s case, he is able to bend the Earth element. But at the age of fifteen, he lost all connection to it, and the reasons behind it could only mean one of two things: His Wielder is either dead, or hiding out somewhere.

Alex Burgendorf has been living in her aunt’s locket for the past sixteen years with her mother—a Fire Wielder, and her father—a Water Wielder. For sixteen years, her parents vowed to protect her, and they have, as she is the last Earth wielding witch. However, time is running out. Alex must find her Bender, or the fate of the Supernaturals might be at stake.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters

5 Jan 2018

#BlogTour: MAD MAGIC by Nicole Conway // #Spotlight + #Giveaway

Jamie @ Books and Ladders 05 January 0 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog tour post for

MAD MAGIC by Nicole Conway!

Today I have information about the book plus a giveaway for a $10 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book if you live in the United States. Check out all that below, but first, let's learn more about the book!

MAD MAGIC

Author: Nicole Conway
Series: Mad Magic Saga #1
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: November 14, 2017

Summary:
Mad Magic is a beautifully dark and rich Young Adult fantasy from Nicole Conway, bestselling author of the Dragonrider Chronicles.

Josie Barton is a high school student living in terror. Invisible creatures torment her everywhere she goes, constantly getting her into trouble at school, and even haunting her apartment. But just when Josie thinks things couldn’t get any worse... she meets the guy from across the hall.

Zeph Clemmont is a changeling with enemies in all the worst places, fighting to undo a curse that threatens to end his life. Survival means he will have to swallow his pride and trust Josie with all his darkest secrets.

With the help of a gun-slinging shaman and the enigmatic Prince of Nightmares, Zeph and Josie are only a heartbeat away from defeating one of the most diabolical faerie villains their world has ever known.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

15 Mar 2019

THE TRUE QUEEN

13 Sept 2018

TRUE BORN

27 Jul 2018

THE CHEERLEADERS by Kara Thomas!

THE CHEERLEADERS

22 Jun 2018

THE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS by Jessica Spotswood!

THE LAST SUMMER OF THE GARRETT GIRLS

Chapter One

DES

9 Apr 2018

NOTES OF MAGIC by Jessica Bucher!

NOTES OF MAGIC

4 Apr 2018

THE DEATH CHAMBER by Lesley Thomson!

THE DEATH CHAMBER

10 Feb 2018

DRAGON BORN SAGA by K.N. Lee!

The series started with...

HALF-BLOOD DRAGON

The story concludes in...

8 Jan 2018

HINDER by Kristin Ping!

HINDER

5 Jan 2018

MAD MAGIC by Nicole Conway!

MAD MAGIC

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