Hiatus- Blog will return to its usual posts 13th April

Reading Away The Days is taking a hiatus until the 13th April. 

There will still be a few posts on the blog which are blog tours/blitzes I have committed too. Until then all reviews and regular memes will be on hold.

I find taking a break is a good thing once in a while and I haven't taken one since May 2014. I am off work over the Easter holidays so thought now was a great time to take one.

I hope everyone has a great Easter. I will still be online mainly though Twitter if you aren't following me you can @teamwolf1988.

Happy Reading!




Royal Date Blitz- #Giveaway


Royal Date by Sariah Wilson 
Publication date: March 3rd 2015

Genres: New Adult, Romance




Synopsis:

This Cinderella didn’t plan on a prince . . .
Kat MacTaggart is a girl who has a plan for everything—including her holiday ski trip to Monterra with her best friend. Everything is going according to plan until she finds herself careening out of control down a mountainside and being rescued by a guy who looks like Superman’s hotter Italian cousin.
HRH Prince Nico is intrigued by the woman he saved on the slopes and her refusal to date him. He offers Kat a deal—let him show her his country and he’ll pay her to write articles that will help Monterra’s tourism industry. Kat agrees, but given her past and lingering distrust  of men, she has one condition—absolutely no kissing.
Thanks to the claims of a jealous British noblewoman and the schemes of a meddling paparazzo, Kat’s rule doesn’t seem to be a problem at first. But the more Kat gets to know Nico and the people around him, the harder it is to remember her keep-your-distance plan. Should she stick to it or risk everything for a chance at happily ever after?


AUTHOR BIO:


Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters--which is why she writes romance. She has published five happily ever after stories. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children. She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with three tiger barb fish, a cat named Tiger, and a recently departed hamster that is buried in the backyard (and has nothing at all to do with tigers).



Xpresso reads is offering one of my readers can an ebook of Royal Date by entering the raffle copter below!




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Swoon Romance YA Wednesday's- Beautiful Curse by Jen McConnel #Giveaway


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Welcome to this week’s
Swoon Romance YA Wednesdays!
This week features
Beautiful Curse by Jen McConnel

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
Beautiful-Curse-Cover
Sixteen-year-old Mya Jones is cursed.She is, hands down, the most beautiful creature on earth. But beauty can wound, and Mya finds herself reviled and shunned by her peers. If there is even a chance that she could start over, Mya longs to take it, no matter the risks.So when the strange Mr. Merk offers her a new life away from home, Mya is hesitant but hopeful. Only she didn’t count on the mysterious Ross, or her feelings for him.BEAUTIFUL CURSE is a contemporary retelling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid.
“Beautiful Curse is the perfect balance of mysterious and romantic. You’ll swoon over this imaginative retelling of Cupid and Psyche.” – Robin Constantine, author of THE PROMISE OF AMAZING
“A fun and fresh twist on a well-loved story! The Cupid and Psyche romance is my favorite myth and McConnel’s whimsical take did not disappoint. An absolute delight, I loved every moment of this love story and instantly wanted more.” – Rachel Harris, author of THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING
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Available for Purchase:
amazon  B&N

About-the-Author

Jen McConnel
Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”). 
She is also a former reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and a proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW. 
A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. She's a graduate of Western Michigan University, and she also earned her MS in Library Science at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. 
When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.
Follow Jen on Twitter @Jen_McConnel, and visit www.jenmcconnel.com to learn more.

Author Links:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!


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Hidden Deep Blog Tour: Promo & #Giveaway



Hidden Deep (Book 1 of the Hidden Trilogy) 
by Amy Patrick 
Release Date: 03/23/15
Oxford South Press
319 pages



Summary from Goodreads:


Give in to the Glamour…


Sixteen-year-old Ryann Carroll has just run into the guy who saved her life ten years ago. You might think she'd be happy to see him again. Not exactly. She's a bit underdressed (as in skinny-dipping) and he's not supposed to exist. 


After her father's affair, all Ryann wants is to escape the family implosion fallout and find a little peace. She also wouldn't mind a first date that didn't suck, but she's determined not to end up like her mom: vulnerable, betrayed, destroyed. Ryann's recently moved back to her childhood home in rural Mississippi, the same place where ten years earlier she became lost in the woods overnight and nearly died. 


She's still irresistibly drawn to those woods. There she encounters the boy who kept her from freezing to death that long ago winter night and was nowhere to be seen when rescuers arrived. He's still mysterious, but now all grown-up and gorgeous, too. And the more she's with him, the greater the threat he poses to Ryann's strict policy-- never want someone more than he wants you. Seventeen-year-old Lad knows the law of his people all too well: Don't get careless and Don't get caught. It's allowed his race to live undetected in this world for thousands of years, mentioned only in flawed and fading folklore…


 Lad's never been able to forget about Ryann since that night ten years ago. When he sees her again, his fascination re-ignites and becomes a growing desire that tempts him to break all the rules. He's not even supposed to talk to a human, much less fall in love with one. And the timing is atrocious. The Assemblage is coming, the rift between the Light and Dark is widening, and mysterious celebrity fan pods are becoming more and more widespread and influential. Lad may have to trade his own chance at happiness to keep the humans, especially Ryann, blissfully unaware and safe.



EXCERPT 

I shucked my sweaty clothes, leaving my bra and panties on. There might have been six hundred acres of my grandma’s posted forest land between me and the nearest person, but I wasn’t that brave.   

I stepped into the cool water. It felt unbelievably good, and I slipped under, blowing out all the stuffy humid air in my body. After a minute my lungs burned. I resurfaced, stood up in the waist-deep pool, and waited for the water to stop running down my face. Then I opened my eyes. 

There in front of me, kneeling on the mossy bank and staring right at me, was a guy. A big blond guy, about my age. 

I know him. No—wait—I don’t know. 

It didn’t really matter because he shouldn’t have been there. No one should’ve been there, but he was. I’m basically naked and alone in the woods with a stranger. Not good.

 My chest was on fire. I wasn’t breathing, and then I was breathing too much, too quickly. My mind spun and scrambled for anything like a rational thought. If I’d been watching myself in one of those stupid screamer movies, I’d have been shouting at the screen, “Move! Run! Do something.” But it was like that time when I was home alone and thought I heard an intruder. I just froze.

The guy looked almost as shocked as I felt, seeming unable to tear his wide-eyed stare away. Like me, he was frozen in place.   
Then his face relaxed. And he smiled.

Sure. Alligators can smile, too. At least the sight ripped me out of my temporary paralysis. I finally moved, lunging toward the bank, intending to climb out and run, or at least get my clothes. 

Oh. My clothes. I plunged myself back into the water up to my chin. I had no idea what to do. I was basically at this guy’s mercy—miles from anyone who could hear me scream, ridiculously outsized and overpowered. He still hadn’t said anything. No “I’m sorry,” or “Hello there,” or “Why no, I’m not a rapey stalker.” 

About the Author


Amy is a two-time Golden Heart finalist (2013 and 2014). She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two sons and actually craves the heat and humidity of Mississippi, where she grew up. She's been a professional singer and news anchor and currently narrates audio books as well as working as a station host for a Boston TV station.


CONNECT WITH AMY AT:


Book Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

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Sunday Post #11 Spring Time & Solar Eclipses

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post was created by Caffeniated Book Reviewer this is a post where we recap on the going on's on the blog the week previous and the week coming up as well as the awesome books we have received, bought or been gifted for review

Life Wise

It's the first weekend of Spring and it feels like it. For the last few days here in Northern Ireland the weather has been slowly improving with blue skies and temperatures of 9 or 10 degrees. That may be freezing for some but we in Northern Ireland are used to the cold and rain so to have blue skies and a little warmth is lovely. I hope it stays nice over the next few weeks and is lovely over the Easter holidays which is fast approaching.

Also the solar eclipse on Friday was amazing. I got way too excited and thus annoyed my work colleagues but it was cool to see. It didn't go completely dark but it got semi dark. I remember seeing the last solar eclipse in 1999, so it was awesome to have seen two in my lifetime.

Book wise

I love YA and I am never going to stop, however I never thought this would happen but my taste in books has started to change. It started with reading 50 Shades of grey in February and loving them. (I finally put my 50 Shades thoughts post up so hop over and check it out below and leave me your thoughts) I then read the After Series by Anna Todd and now am currently devouring Sylvia Day's Crossfire series. So needless to say you will be seeing some more adult and new adult books on my blog over the coming months but I am never going stop loving and reading YA. It could be just a current reading phrase but am loving the difference in the YA and adult reads.

P.s. My new schedule should be starting in April. See last weeks Sunday Post for more info.

On the blog the week of the 16th of March 2015





Coming this week:

Mon: Review of Bared To You (Crossfire #1) by Sylvia Day

Tue Top 10 Books From My Childhood (Or teen years) That I Would Love To Revisit
Tue: Hidden Deep Blog Tour: Promo & Giveaway

Wed: Waiting on Wednesday
Wed: Beautiful Curse Book Blast

Thurs: Royal Date Blast

Fri: After (After #1) by Anna Todd Review

Sat: Discussion: Social Media

Check out the current giveaways (Including by 250 bloglovin Giveaway)

Reading Away The Days is now affiliated with Book Depository please consider using my link to purchase books all profits will be put back into the blog. Click here

Ebooks I downloaded this week:

I downloaded all the following books for free. They are all still free to download on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk at the time of this post being published. Please double check before purchasing.







Netgalley:

Thanks to the publisher's you rock!


Won ebooks:



Bought Paperbacks:




How has your week been? Leave me a link to your post a below or anything you think I might be interested in!

Uncross The Stars Blog Tour: #Review & #Giveaway


Uncross the Stars by Janell Rhiannon 
Publication date: December 15th, 2014
Genres: Romance, Young Adult


Synopsis:

Fiona Lavender is the new girl at school. She has a chip on her shoulder and a pension for poetry. Dario Martinez is the star quarterback, and the most unattainable guy on campus. Their stars cross when they are paired to study Romeo and Juliet for a senior English project. Their connection is fragile and undeniable. But, Dario is afraid of what love will do; and Fiona is waiting for love to claim her. Will they uncross the stars and find the love they both need to heal their pasts?

Goodreads * Amazon * B & N

Revie✪✪✪ .5


Uncross The Stars was a good, quick, coming of age story that deals with high school rivalry, first love and perceptions of people because of appearance and achievements.

This book surprised me, I thought it was going to be a straight forward star crossed lover book but it wasn't. The characters aren't perfect and 2D with no personalities, they have flaws and insecurities. Darios character was my favourite he was a sweet jock with issues with love. What surprised me was Dario's character felt like the usual female leads with insecurities and scared of Love. I loved this role reversal.

Uncross the stars wasn't all sweet and light. It has dark themes of jealously and shows school rivalry at its highest which I found I really enjoyed. It just came out of no where and bang you have this dark story of rivalry. And to see the lengths some people go out of jealously and the vulnerable people used and hurt along the way was written really well.

My only issue was the book was a little short and felt rushed at the end and I was unsure if there was a opener for more to come. However even with this small issue I really enjoyed it and hope to read more from Janelle Rhiannon.





AUTHOR BIO: 


Janell has been writing since she was in grade school. In high school, her 9th grade English teacher suggested she consider a career in writing. After a decade in college and a Master's degree in history, she settled into teaching.

Writing never stopped. Stories never stopped. READING fiction never stopped. Now, she writes and publishes on-line. Invisible Wings is her first YA novel, a compilation of short stories centered on teenage life triumphs and tragedies. She believes being a teenager is difficult and wrote Invisible Wings to let teens know they aren't alone. That they matter. That even though life is rough, they can still find beauty and love.

Beside the YA stories close to her heart, she adores Mythology and Fairy tales. Anything magical and mystical. And dragons. And gargoyles.

She currently lives in CA.

Visit her at Facebook @Janell Rhiannon Author. If you want to see what projects are in the works or find out more about the her, visit



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Family Secrets by Kat Nichols Book Blitz & #Giveaway



Family Secrets by Kat Nichols 

Publication date: January 8th 2015

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

An orphan by the age of sixteen, Sophia Morganthal now lives with her best friend and struggles in a world with no relatives. Midway through her Senior year, Sophia finds herself flying across the country to live with a family she never knew existed. She ends up with more questions than answers when she discovers that not only does she come from a long line of witches but that she must be initiated within the year to prevent a battle for coven leadership.

Feeling more alone than ever, Sophia finds her solace in books. The journals of past initiates provide her with more than she ever wanted to know and make her question the path she’s on. Amidst all of the upheaval in her life, Sophia also finds one source of happiness – Connor. The last thing she needs is more complications, but Connor is the only person who makes her feel wanted for herself and not for what she stands for.
As Sophia learns more about herself, and what being initiated into Blackthorne coven really means, she must answer the ultimate question – would she give up everything for her family?



Excerpt

After watching Alexa blow up a precious stone, I was a little hesitant to try. She watched me, her foot tapping the floor repeatedly, until I picked out a pretty blue gemstone that matched my shirt. I held it in my right hand, placing my left hand over it just as Alexa had done. Here is where I thought my previous failed attempts would come in handy since I already knew what didn’t work. But it didn’t matter much after all. My magic, perhaps knowing it was about to be used for the first time, was waiting as impatient as a child kept inside on a rainy day. Unlike those previous attempts, I was finally able to find it, grasp a tendril and tug lightly. It, whatever it was, unspooled and began to move towards my hands. I looked up at Alexa, panic building in my chest, heart beating erratically as this energy moved through my body. It began to pool in my hands, where I should have been able to send it into the stone, but somehow it was blocked. My heart continued to race, getting faster and faster as the energy filled my hands. The pressure built until I was sure my hands would burst, when Alexa placed a hand on my wrist.

“Relax,” she said. “Let it flow.”
Something snapped in my brain, a mental block I had thrown up against magic being real, and finally, my power began to pour into the sapphire. It wasn’t long before I felt some resistance from the stone, as the energy flow slowed. I pulled back, somehow instinctively knowing how and my connection to the stone broke. In my hands, I held my very own power stone. Opening my hand, the gem sat on my palm, pulsing along with my heartbeat. I barked out a laugh, staring at the stone, then raised my head to look at Alexa. 

It was real. It was all real. Everything they told me. I shook my head, still staring at the stone in my hand. The magic energy had retreated back into my body, but I could feel it pulsing inside my chest, refusing to be hidden again, at one time both foreign and completely natural.



AUTHOR BIO 

Kat Nichols was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. The youngest of four children, she'd been known to play for hours with only a cardboard box for entertainment. Her imaginary friends had friends... and family... and even little cities to play in. As she grew older, she began to put some of these stories down on paper, rather than keeping them in her head.

Writing a novel had always been a dream for her, perhaps an item on her bucket list, but it wasn't until she joined a writing group with other aspiring writers that she finally got to work.When not writing, Kat is reading or driving her son to and from practices and wishing she was reading.It depends on the day.

Kat still lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her wonderful husband, their hilarious son and their sometimes adorable and sometimes annoying cat.

To learn more about the author, please go to www.katnichols.com.

Author links:




Giveaway sponsored by author and Expresso Book Tours. One eBook copy of Family Secrets to one of my readers.







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Waiting On Wednesday #31


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're excitably anticipating.

The Consequences of Loving Colton (#1)




It’s all fun and games…until someone’s heart is broken.
They’re not kids anymore, but Milo Caro is certain that Colton Mathews will only see her as his best friend’s little sister for the rest of their lives. After all, he made that clear the night before she left for college. But four years later, her brother is getting married and Colt’s the best man—and guess who is the best man’s last-minute date?
Milo vows to use the wedding to either claim the smoldering firefighter’s heart or douse this torch for good. When Max—her best friend from college, who may be carrying a torch of his own—crashes the party, they devise a plan to make Colt see what he’s missing. But after Colt catches on, he decides to cook up his own revenge.
Now it’s personal. Colt and Milo are at war, and between Max’s questionable acting methods, an unfortunate trip to jail, and a maniacal fiancée, what could possibly go right?
Expected Publication: April 21st VIA Skyscarpe
My thoughts;
I am getting into more adult reads and I think this sounds so good.
What are you waiting on?

Swoon Romance YA Wednesdays: Rival Love Series by Natalie Decker Book Blitz with Giveaway #ReadSwoonRepeat


Rival-Love-Banner

Welcome to this week’s
Swoon Romance YA Wednesdays!

This week features
Rival Love and Rival Hearts by Natalie Decker.

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!




Rival-Love

Rival Love (Rival Love #1) by Natalie Decker
Publication Date:  August 26, 2014
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Skylar Fletcher is a proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall. But nothing lasts forever. Skylar's world shatters when her mom decides it is time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.

At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom's live-in boyfriend.

At first Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon discover they're not that different after all--and each is harboring a secret attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out? Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.
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Available for Purchase:
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Rival-Hearts-Cover


Rival Hearts (Rival Love #2) by Natalie Decker
Publication Date:  December 23, 2015

Publisher:  Swoon Romance

Caleb is ticked off. Skylar hasn’t answered any of his calls, texts, or emails since her move to New York, virtually cutting him out of her life without warning. So Caleb decides to go after her—and convince her to come back home. 

But even when Skylar realizes her heart does belong at home with Caleb, her uncertainty lingers. Is it safe? Have things changed? 

After the mysterious vandalism to the pool at Delmont High, everyone is desperate for answers they believe Skylar can provide. At first, she’s determined not to run. But when Caleb’s ex-girlfriend unleashes a vengeful surprise, Sky's love for Caleb is threatened. 

Are these two rival hearts ready to fight for their love, or will they have to throw in the towel? 

RIVAL HEARTS is the sequel to the bestselling teen romance novel RIVAL LOVE by Natalie Decker.
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Available for Purchase:
amazon  B&N

About-the-Author

Natalie Decker
Natalie Decker is the Author of Rival Love series. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!
Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!


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