Consumed: The Wedding from Hell Blog Tour by JR Ward

Anybody that knows me knows how deep my love for all things JR Ward goes. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is lifeblood. The Fallen Angels series was inspiring. The Bourbon Kings was scandalous and exciting. I AM SO EXCITED for her next series about firefighters! Oh, my word who doesn't love a man in uniform, especially a firefighter?!

To prep for this new series, JR Ward is writing a free--yes, you heard right FREE--three part novella to help give you some background about this setting and world and characters. I am personally ridiculously here for anything and everything she writes and you should be, too! Today on this blog tour, the publisher and JR Ward are sharing an exclusive look at the series with a summary, excerpt, AND a video from JR Ward herself! All the info and good stuff is below, so pull a Dory and just keep reading! 

Foreign Affairs with Aelin // Empire of Storms Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Maas Thirteen's Empire of Storms blog tour!! I'm so excited to continue to be a part of this amazing group of women who love and support Sarah and the Throne of Glass series. (You can catch up on my Heir of Fire blog stop and Queen of Shadows stop if you'd like!) For my tour stop I'm taking my character doppleganger (personality not looks obviously) and homegirl Aelin with me on a trip around the world. I want to show her all my favorite places and a few I haven't had the pleasure of going yet Aelin has said she longs to see far-off places and unknown lands and who else to be a travel buddy than moi? That's right, nobody. And let's be real, most of this is gonna be a tour of hot foreign guys. Just don't tell Rowan and Aedion. We'll behave...mostly...

Darkness Is A Beautiful Thing {The Beauty of Darkness Blog Tour}

The Beauty of Darkness is almost here!!!!! I can still remember being graced with an ARC of The Kiss of Deception, reading it immediately, and being obsessed every since. I have loved this series since it's inception and I am so excited to be a part of the final book's blog tour and to shut it down as the final stop! The book is only a few days old so I hope everyone is reading it or about to read it! (I'm currently on my road trip home so my re-reading and reading has been delayed...waaaaah!)

I've had the opportunity to meet Mary and Google Hangout with her and she is seriously one of the most genuine and kind human beings I've ever met. I am so excited to have her here on my blog today to answer a question about love triangles. Yep, I went there and this time I'm getting an author's perspective.

Kiss and Tell // The Winner's Kiss Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on The Winner's Kiss blog tour! If you've been here before you know I am OBSESSED with this series! The political intrigue, the forbidden romance, the FEELS! It is all there and wrapped up in some of the most beautiful writing I have ever had the pleasure of reading. For this blog tour we are talking about one of my favorite things ever...kissing!! Specifically our favorite literary kisses! 

What book is your favorite literary kiss in?
The book that my favorite literary kiss is in is Lover Awakened by JR Ward. It features my favorite book boyfriend OF ALL TIME and one of my favorite female heroines. {Review}

Who is kissing?
Zsadist and Bella!!!! *all the hearts in eyes ever*

Why is it your favorite?
This is my favorite kiss because it is SO sweet and endearing and unique. C'mon, how often is it that the man is the one having his first kiss?! Hardly EVER! I cannot think of another book where the hero is inexperienced and completely clueless. I love his vulnerability and how Bella takes charge and makes her feelings known. While Zsadist is all alpha, trust me I should know, the fact that in this respect he is unsure of himself is all kinds of endearing and sexy to me. I love him so hard.

Bonus Question: What kiss do you hope will occur in Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Kiss?
Um, is this a serious question? The only kiss that matters. If I have to name names then you need to get your life right and read this series starting yesterday.

Don't forget to check out the other tour stops! And if you haven't read this series yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

I Want To Be Aelin When I Grow Up {Queen of Shadows Blog Tour}

Welcome to my stop on the QUEEN OF SHADOWS blog tour! I am a proud member of the Maas Thirteen--still waiting for my wyvern, though--and I am so excited to share my post today! For my stop, I'm telling you all the reasons I want to be Aelin Ashryver Galathynius when I grow up. Although, if you ask Alexa, I already am her. Yes, that is the best compliment I have ever received in my life in case you're wondering. Regardless, these are the reasons I love her and why I want to be Aelin Ashryver Galathynius when I grow up.

She Grows Up

There are many things I love about Aelin but the thing I have come to love the most about her is the journey that she takes over the last 5 books. I love her growth. Her struggle with self-acceptance. I think this is something any reader can relate to because over the course of our lives we all change and mature--okay, SOME of us change and mature but I digress--and grow up to be who we are. I think all of us struggle with self-acceptance at one point or another and her journey is so beautiful to me. 

She Takes Zero Shit

If you've read these books you know that she fights...a lot. As an assassin and basically all-around BAMF, she doesn't take shit. She stands up for herself, she sticks up for those who can't stick up for themselves, and she'll always throw herself into a fight if she sees justice needs to be served. I LOVE this about her and this quality of sticking up for the underdog and standing up for what's right.

She's Snarky

Aelin is a girl after my own heart as being Queen of Comebacks. Her one-liners are to die for and she always has a quick whip to say. I SO COMPLETELY appreciate this in a character because I believe wit to be one of the most hard-found things in a person. The banter that occurs because of her smart mouth are some of my favorite parts of the books. Few things make me happier than a character well-versed in the language of sarcasm and sit.

She Believes in Revenge

As a Sicilian and self-proclaimed temper temptress, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that she lets her anger get the best of her at times. I actually love when she lashes out and acts before she thinks. It's something I can identify with and I like to see aspects of my own personality, even the bad ones, reflected in characters I love. It makes me feel less like a freak. Having a temper is not something I'm proud of but I've had it all my life and it is what it is so I very selfishly love when she gets angry. It turns me on. But not all of her actions are rash and in the moment. Some moments she waits for and has waited for for years. When she is able to get revenge on people who have wronged her is the moment I knew I wanted to be her when I grow up, hehe. 

She Fights Fiercely and Loves Deeply

Another quality of Aelin that I love that I do see in myself that not many people understand is her juxtapositional ability to fight fiercely and have anger but also love deeply. She is not just one singular entity of one or the other. She fights so tough and she is a badass fire-breathing bitch queen not to mess with but when she loves...she loves just as fiercely. If you are one of her people she will protect you and love you until her last breath. I feel like this kind of both ends of the extreme is difficult to understand but I understand it perfectly. It's not easy to grasp how somebody that can be seen as abrasive and tough and badass as somebody who can also be soft and vulnerable but Aelin represents this and girl, I GET YOU!

She Has Her Squad

Aelin is not alone, though. She is independent, fierce, loyal, emotional, and complex. Just a few extra adjectives as to why I love her but people are also influenced by the company they keep and Aelin's inner circle is one for the record books. ANOTHER similarity we have is she surrounds herself with people that are similar yet different than herself. Her friends complement her and keep her grounded and also build her up. I have never had good relationships with people growing up but I can proudly say now that after 27 years I have found my squad, my inner circle, my own carranams. Aelin has been betrayed in the past as well and finally has friends that she can trust and call her own. I love all the different dynamics she has with her different friends. #BadBlood

What do you love about Aelin?

Who is your favorite Throne of Glass character?

Who do you want to be when you grow up? :)

Don't forget to enter the INTERNATIONAL giveaway! TWO Queen of Shadows and two Throne of Glass tote bags are up for grabs!

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Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour!

OFFICIAL TOUR SCHEDULE

September 7 - Judith @ Paperiot

September 8 - Jaz @ Fiction in Fiction in Fiction

September 9 - Kelly @ Belle of the Literati

September 10 - Andi @ Andi’s ABCs

September 11 - Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs

September 14 - Kim & Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

September 15 - Mel @ The Daily Prophecy

September 16 - Gina @ Behind the Pages

September 17 - Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

September 18 - Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner

September 21 - Katie @ Polished Page-Turners

September 22 - Rachel @ Hello Chelly

September 23 - Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books

About the Book

SYNOPSIS:
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

AUTHOR INFO

Sarah J. Maas is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling Throne of Glass series–Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, and the series’ prequel, The Assassin’s Blade–as well as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses. She wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in twenty-three languages. Queen of Shadows, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, will release worldwide on September 1st, 2015.

A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.

Author Links: Website || Blog || Twitter || Pinterest || Tumblr || Instagram

Shades of Gray In a World of Black

"You take care of everyone, always.
Maybe I want to take care of you."

--Jay Crownover, Better When He's Brave

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pages: 352

Publication Date: August 11th, 2015

Source: eARC provided by publisher 

Find on Goodreads

Previous Books in Series: Better When He's Bad & Better When He's Bold

Goodreads Description 

 In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without.

Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray.

The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one.

Reeve knows all about the threat trying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.

With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.

The Point

The setting of this series is dark and gritty and happy endings are all relative here. I LOVE that this series takes place in such a dark place and there aren't 'good' people, only people doing what they can to survive in a world where asphalt rules and the grass is never greener because it's a place of steel and strength. Reeve and Titus both grew up learning this the hard way. Reeve is back after learning how a witness was killed in the Novak case. She seeks out Titus with her information and our story takes off from there.

The Story & Romance

I was super excited to see how Crownover would weave the tale of the good cop and the sexy criminal because of how much animosity there was towards Reeve and how much of a good person Titus is. Have no fear, Jaw Crownover is here. With dual POV we get both their thoughts and their attraction for one another is hotter than hot but it is a slow burn for them to act on it. I loved this. You could see their struggle to accept their feelings.

I understood where Titus was coming from but what I didn't expect was how Reeve thoughts would make me so empathetic to her. She worships Titus for the hero that he is and she knows she isn't 'good enough' for him. While everyone in The Point is selfish to an extent because they have to be, I found Reeve trying to do the right thing refreshing. She is not unaware to what she has done in the past but she's trying to atone for her past crimes. I just found it so interesting that she would take any imitation of Titus knowing she can't/won't ever have the real thing. And Titus surprised me, too! There are quite a few revelations about how he sees himself and his past. This brought so much more dimension to his character. I never expected so much...self-doubt? from him. I absolutely loved getting to know both him and Reeve.

Reeve surprised me so much and I found myself REALLY loving her character. Call me crazy, but I cannot fault her actions after what happened to her sister. I just can't. I have two sisters who I love more than life itself and I cannot even imagine what I would do had I been in her position. I probably would have pulled the trigger myself to be honest. ("Don't say stuff like that on the internet"--Titus...thanks, bro. Appreciate the concern.) But seriously, I understood her struggle and subsequent self-loathing. I felt her pain. And I loved her for it. She is a survivor. And her growth throughout the book is amazing. I loooooved the opportunities that came her way and no spoilers that's all I can say.

This series is definitely not like the Marked Men but I love it in a different way. This is survival in a brutal environment and trying to work in white to makes shades of grey in a world filled with black. I cannot WAIT to read Nassir's book and OMG BOOKER!!!!! Booker is going to break my heart, I already know it. 

Reserved Seating
If you love redemption, hot men in uniforms, and and dirty...talking cops...this book's for you.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!!

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Fierce Females Inquire Within {The Heart of Betrayal Blog Tour}

Welcome to the final stop on The Heart of Betrayal Blog Tour! If you've been here before you KNOW how much I LOVE these freaking books! The writing, the world-building, the characters, the romance, all of it! With that said, my absolute favorite aspect of this series is Lia. She is such a strong and fierce heroine who follows her heart. She is an inspiring heroine that I love to death. Because of that, on my stop I asked Mary Pearson to talk about her favorite literary heroines and why she loves them! Don't forget to check out my review and enter the giveaway below for a copy of The Heart of Betrayal!

MARY E. PEARSON'S TOP TEN LITERARY HEROINES

First, a few of my old favorites! Great heroines captivated me—and I think a lot of other readers—from a very early age. I cried, laughed, cheered, and plotted with these girls and ladies. Bring on the heroines!
Charlotte [the spider] - Clever, loyal, and a writer!
Alice [in Wonderland] - Adventurous and cheeky!
Pippi Longstocking - Bold, fun, and crazy imagination!
Nancy Drew - Smart, daring, and brave!
Scarlett O’Hara - Flawed, fearless, calculating, and determined!
There is an explosion of great new literary heroines--where do I begin?! Here are a few recent new favorites who have many of the same qualities and talents as those I mentioned above.
Shahrzad - A storyteller! Like Charlotte, Shazi is spinning to save a life—her own!(The Wrath and the Dawn)
Celaena – Dangerous and cheeky--love that combo! Instead of wielding a flamingo croquet stick like Alice, Celaena wields sharper things. (Throne of Glass)
Cress – Curious, creative, with wild imagination! Cress and Pippi would get on fabulously. (Lunar Chronicles)
Kestrel – Smart, brave, calculating! Like Nancy, when doors slam in her face, Kestrel searches for new ones. Brave in the face of danger! (The Winner’s Crime)
Wil – Loyal, determined, and fearless! Like Scarlett, Wil is determined to save what she loves. I’m cheering for her! (The Orphan Queen)

I could add another twenty! Karou! Katniss! Alina! Frankie! Annith! Attolia! Charley! Okay, I will shut up now. What are some of your old and new favorite heroines?

Kelly, here. To answer Mary's question I actually have to agree with ALL of her choices!! Shahzad is fierce as all hell. Celaena is on another level as is Kestrel. Karou is sensitive and loyal. Katniss is the OG of fierce females. And my old favorite is 100% Hermione! Oh, and while I love Annith, it's Sybella that has my heart in that series! 

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Asking For It Blog Tour// Interview with Lilah Pace

Hey y'all! Welcome back to another stop on the ASKING FOR IT by Lilah Pace blog tour!! I had the great fortune of being able to ask Lilah a few questions and cannot wait to share them with you. This book has been one of my favorite reads of the year, hands down. Intense, emotional, dramatic, psychologically deep, it is so many different things and cannot be categorized into just one genre of book. But let's get onto the good stuff aka the interview! Don't forget to check out my review as well as enter the giveaway below! 

Hi Lilah!! Welcome to Belle of the Literati! I am SO honored to have you here to answer some questions because I L-O-V-E LOVED your book! Let's get started!

Can you summarize ASKING FOR IT for readers who don’t know what the book is about:

Lilah: Vivienne dares to roleplay her most forbidden fantasy -- rape -- with the enigmatic Jonah. What he does to her body is wild, brutal and hot. But she wasn't prepared for him to touch her soul ...

That small summary already makes me want to re-read it...but I digress...I absolutely love quotes so what’s your favorite line from the book?

Lilah: My absolute favorite line comes near the end and is pretty spoilery. But another one I like is Vivienne's mental description of Jonah:

“He looks like the work of a sculptor who didn’t believe in polishing rough edges, who wanted you to see exactly where the chisel had struck.”

.......Oh, damn, I'm sorry I started daydreaming about Johan...my bad *coughs*...When you sat down to write this book, were you excited and the words were bursting forth? Were you nervous to write about such a sensitive topic?

Lilah: Both! I was totally into the characters, their story and the fantasy--and freaked out that everybody was going to judge me. Or that nobody else would find it hot. Even though we all know rape fantasies are pretty common, we talk about them so seldom that I bet a bunch of us wonder, "Is it just me?"

I love your answer to that because it is one I've been dying to know! I love that you took a topic/subject that is common but unspoken and gave it a voice. With that said, what kind of research did you do to write ASKING FOR IT? Was there anything you discovered that particularly stuck with you?

Lilah: I talked to a couple of counselors and did some reading up on rape survivors who have found themselves drawn to this kind of role-playing. What struck me the most was actually how difficult playing out this scenario can be for the men taking the "rapist" role. A lot of guys who would have no trouble with domination, bondage, etc. will balk at scenarios that explicitly mimic non-consensual sex. It's not that I thought every guy would be into it, but I hadn't realized how profoundly some men reject it even as a fantasy.

Oh, wow. While it makes sense that men would be hesitant to also play a role in this I never would have that SO many would be a against it, same as your thought. I thought Vivienne and Jonah were so amazingly developed so can you tell us a little about them? What’s something we wouldn’t learn about them just by reading your book? Weird quirks or hobbies? Favorite food or guilty pleasure music?

Lilah:Vivienne never orders buffalo wings when she's eating in public because she will basically inhale every single one like she's never going to see food again. Jonah once thought he'd like to learn how to brew craft beer, but his first couple batches went so disastrously wrong that he wound up stashing all the equipment in the back of a closet.

Yum. I feel that way about cake and french fries. Stay away from the area in front of my mouth, I will eat your hand by accident. Let's get to some of the swoon! Describe the First Kiss in five words:

Lilah: First taste of the forbidden...

Ooooh, I love that! What have you learned about your own writing process/you as an author while writing ASKING FOR IT?

Lilah: I learned that my pseudonym really helps me, because I could never really let go like this for the sex scenes unless I knew for sure my mom would never read them! (That's such a dorky answer, but it's the truth.)

That makes so much sense! I don't think I want my mom knowing what I read let alone if I wrote it. And I won't lie. I'm dying to know if I've read your YA stuff! My online name is a play on Gossip Girl and that's how I feel your pseudonym is..."I'll never tell....." Hehe, love it! 

We know ASKING FOR IT has some heavy content but there were some really happy moments too. So tell us, what scene was the most fun for you to write. Please share a little snippet of it here:

Lilah: Honestly, the scene that made me laugh the most was one between Vivienne and her ex-boyfriend, Geordie. He just screwed up at a party when he got too drunk, revealing some very intimate secrets about her, and she's pretty angry. So he shows up to apologize with a poem:

“I am a complete and total shit / sometimes I act like a stupid git/ when I become a blabbermouth / all my relationships go south / forgive this lowly wretched wanker/ or I’ll be sad, nothing rhymes with wanker.”

Ah, I loved that part! Oh, my heart and stomach just dropped when that scene was going on! Let's talk theme songs: When Jonah walks into a room, what song is playing? For Vivienne?

Lilah: For Jonah -- definitely PJ Harvey's "To Bring You My Love." And so long as he's a seismologist, Vivienne's theme song here might be the Lizz Wright cover of "I Feel The Earth Move."

Ahh! I LOVE that choice for Vivienne, too funny! Because this book's subject is not your typical fantasy, what is one thing you want people who read this book to take away from it?

Lilah: Don't be afraid to speak your truth to someone you trust. Someone's going to hear you; someone's going to understand.

That is so powerful, I'm in love with that. Speaking of truth, I found Vivienne to be a phenomenal female heroine. Strong yet vulnerable, smart, and driven. Who are some of your favorite female characters or real life women who inspire you?

Lilah: Thanks for the Vivienne love! Some of my favorite female characters -- oh, gosh, there are so many -- Katniss Everdeen, Elinor Dashwood, Sydney Bristow, Bridget Jones, Olivia Pope, Maisie Dobbs, anybody Katharine Hepburn ever played, and as of a couple weeks ago, Furiosa from "Mad Max: Fury Road." Some inspiring real-life women: I'm this close to buying a "Notorious RBG" shirt with Ruth Bader Ginsburg on it. Noor Inayat Khan, who was an intelligence operative for the British during World War II. Laverne Cox. Eleanor of Aquitane (who was once played by Katharine Hepburn, which I guess gives her a double whammy on this list.)

Yeeeees! Katniss Everdeen and Eleanor of Aquitane are on my list, too! Love those women! Now let's talk boys. Duh. Because this is the home of Book Bangin’ and I love talking about hot guys, especially the tortured ones, I wanna know who are your favorite book boyfriends?

Lilah: I've stuck to the tortured ones, or at least the highly moody guys. :D Though I have a whole list of funnier, more lighthearted book boyfriends I love just as much...

Mr. Darcy. I know he's on everyone's list, but that's okay. I am willing to fight for him. If he is unable to serve, either Captain Wentworth or Colonel Brandon are acceptable alternatives from the Jane Austen canon.

Vespasian from THE COURSE OF HONOR by Lindsey Davis

Mr. Rochester from JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte – I know he's a handful, but I'd try

John Blackthorne from SHOGUN by James Clavell

Randolph Henry Ash from POSESSION by A.S Byatt

Arius from MISTRESS OF ROME by Kate Quinn

And if you count comic books? Magneto from the X-Men joins the party!

Ok, now I have so many so many more book to read! I have MISTRESS OF ROME on my TBR list and now it's moving up on my list! I cannot wait to read BEGGING FOR IT but after that, what are you currently working on?

Lilah: I'm currently working on a proposal for some new books. We'll see how that turns out!

Oh, good luck! I cannot wait to read everything and anything you read! You are so fanastic and I loved interviewing you and reading your book so for people like me who also love you, what are the best places for reader to get in touch with you?

Lilah: Readers, please come chat with me at Twitter or Facebook. And at my website, lilahpace.com, you can sign up for my newsletter, which will have news, some exclusive contests, etc.!

Thank you SO much for stopping by and answering my questions! I am foaming at the mouth for BEGGING FOR IT, cannot wait for this to come out! ((JONAH!!!!)) 

If you haven't yet, don't forget to enter the giveaway! You want this book!

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About the author:
Lilah Pace is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling YA author. This is her first adult novel.

Buy links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
BAM
iBooks
Kobo

A Court of Thorns and Roses Blog Tour// Masquerade Ball

Welcome to final day of the blog tour for A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas!!! Eep! Y'all I was blown away by this book, in case you don't already know this. If you can't tell, I have an affinity for Beauty and the Beast and re-tellings are my favorites and Sarah did this tale as old as time such justice and in a totally unique and creative way. You can check out my review and my RSVP Early To posts with the links!

If you've been following the tour, this week we are having a masquerade ball!! I have been deemed with the horrible, awful, terrible, very bad task of...dream casting the men of ACOTAR...I know, it' just awful, isn't it? However will I recover from the pain and suffering I have endured because of this blog post. This is the burden I must bear...Without further ado, let's bring on the boys. ..

Tamlin

Tamlin is my favorite. Big, strong, blond, warrior, beautiful and there is NO ONE I would rather cast as Tamlin than Chris Hemsworth. No joke, I even tweeted Sarah while reading months ago that I just picture Chris Hemsworth the time so it's ironic this was what I was asked to do later on. Love him!!

1 / 2 / 3 

Lucien

Lucien is of the Autumn Court. Vicious, beautiful, red hair, intense. I won't lie, it didn't take me long to decide on Sam Heughan as Lucien. I know he is a personal favorite of hers as well as another redhead he plays. 

1 / 2 / 3

Rhysand

Oh, Rhysand. You were a bit harder to place. Dark, gorgeous, dangerous, making saints want to be sinners. I have to give a shoutout to the amazing Hannah, for her suggestion of Ian Somerhalder because as she so eloquently put it..."He looks like he should be somebody's whore." Well said, Hannah...well said. 

1 / 2 / 3 

What do we think?! Think these guys make the grade? I think they're pretty smokin' and I would go Under the Mountain for Tamlin, as well. Especially when you add in the awkward and endearing personality...it's done. If these men don't make you want to read this book...then there really is no hope for you.

And don't forget to enter the Giveaway! 

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Jumping For Jojo// One Plus One

If you've been to this blog before you know my deep, deep love for Jojo Moyes and her books. Her writing and her stories gnaw at the deepest part of my soul and her characters burrow their way into my heart and take up residence. There is not a Jojo Moyes book that I have met that I haven't wanted to be BFFs with. I can honestly say I love each and every one of them but in a different way and that is the magic that is Jojo to me. Each book is so uniquely different yet amazing in its own special way.

My stop on the Jump for Jojo week of love highlights One Plus One. While I said above I love all her books, One Plus One struck a chord with me that buzzed pleasantly for a long time after finishing the final page. Jess is such a fantastic character and mother and her children are on another level of love. While I love Jess, and Ed isn't too bad himself, it was Tanzie and Nicki that stole my freaking heart. There is a beautiful message of accepting yourself, finding your tribe, and letting your freak flag fly...and all this is learned on a down and dirty road trip. So to honor my stop on the Jojo Express, I'm talking about road trip necessities. 

Many of you know I'm a travel nurse and have worked in California the last year-ish and because of this I have driven across the country...twice. So here are my Road Trip Must-Haves

1. Epic Playlist

Whether you jam out to Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Carrie Underwood, or Britney Spears, have your favorite pumped up songs ready to go. The right music makes everything better.

 My road trip to Cali was all about Lorde's album and my journey home was all things 1989 :)

2. Snacks

My personal favorite must-have is Diet Coke, Strawberry Crystal Light packets to mix with water, and Cheetos. I have zero room to eat healthy and sorry not sorry I consider it a free pass to eat like garbage.

Ok fine, I do sometimes supplement with bananas, too.

3. A Map

Now let's say you're driving through Colorado and the ONLY road that travels East--West is closed for 9 hours...a map would be helpful to find an alternative route...or to realize there is no alternative route and to find a cafe to fall asleep in *cough* sit in for the foreseeable future.

I still hate you Colorado highway system.

4. A Companion

Not a must-have but a nice addition. My first cross country excursion I went with my good friend Tre and I would have rather gone by myself. This fucking fool was a series of unfortunate events and I wasn't afraid to tell him. The fact that we are still friends today shows how close we are because anybody else would have dropped me like a bad habit and vice versa. 

The fact that we're still friends is a miracle on its own

5. Indulging in Local Cuisine

Don't forget to take advantage of your surroundings and eat at a small town diner or some dive off the highway. More than likely it's great food...or it's awful and you have a good story to tell. Win-win either way.

Massive waffles in the shape of Texas and In-N-Out immediately after crossing the Cali border

6. An Open Mind

More likely than not, shit will hit the fan. I had better luck on my second cross country excursion than my first but an open mind is your best friend when things don't go as planned. Like when you're travel companion forgets his wallet back in Wisconsin; when the only highway in Colorado shuts down for 9 hours, when your (dumbass) companion books the hotel in Vegas for the wrong night, stuff like that! I am not the best at this and had more than a few rage-worthy meltdowns so...do as I say, not as I do.

Relaxing aka falling asleep at a cafe in the middle of nowhere Colorado

And don't forget to check out my reviews of all of Jojo's other books!

One Plus One

Me Before You

The Last Letter To Your Lover

Ships of Brides

Silver Bay

The Girl You Left Behind

AND don't forget to check out all the other stops on the Jump For Jojo Blog Event!

April 13 - Me Before You - Hello, Chelly

April 14 - One Plus One - Belle of the Literati

April 15 - The Girl You Left Behind - So Obsessed With

April 16 - The Last Letter From Your Lover - Paperiot

April 17 - Ship of Brides - The Casserole

April 18 - Silver Bay - Alexa Loves Books

But that's not all!! We also have a giveaway for one lucky winner and their choice of Jojo book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get Captive-ated

Welcome to my stop on the Captive Blog Tour! Eeep! This book by Brighton Walsh has EVERYTHING right when it comes to the controversial and tenuous relationship that IS the captor and the captive. You can check out my review here! And on my stop of the tour, I have the lovely and talented Brighton Walsh herself here to talk about her inspiration, her kidnapping essentials, and of course, hot boys.

Hi, Brighton!! Thanks for stopping by Belle of the Literati to answer some questions about your (amazing!!) new book! My first question is kind of obvious, but I'm still dying to know. SO! The captor/captive relationship is a pretty touchy if not controversial subject; what inspired you to write this kind of story?

My editor actually approached me with the idea. I’d never thought about venturing into it before, because it scared me, honestly. But I’m happy with the outcome and the growth that went on within the story and within the characters. It made me root for their HEA.

Thank you, editor! I know we've talked about this before but you make Madison a real woman--real curves, real imperfections, real insecurities and all--was this something you purposely set out to do? Do you find a lack of realistic body image and portrayal in a lot of young heroines today? (I know I do.)
Yes, it was very much a part of her character and everything fed off those details. I know several readers have mentioned that they wished she wasn’t insecure with her body. Believe me, I wish that, too. But if she wasn’t insecure, many of the issues in her past and current life wouldn’t have affected her the way they did—the way they had to for her to still have growth. Her accepting her body (and herself) is a huge part of her growth as a character.

And, yeah, there’s definitely a lack of diversity in books, and that’s in more than just nationality and sexual orientation. I think it’s great to have all varying kinds of heroines—petite to Amazonian to plus sized to super skinny—because they’re all reflective of the readers and the world.

I absolutely love that! And I'd also like to meet those readers who have an issue with that and uh maybe, punch them in the throat for the insensitivity BUT I DIGRESS! I love the captor/captive relationship and I discovered something while reading your book. While most people seem to be shocked by the captive falling for her captor, I think the beauty is in the captor falling for his victim. Where do you fall on this spectrum and do you think one role is harder to fall in love for the other?
I think it would be harder as a captive to fall for the captor. And this was an issue I had while writing. Initially, there were details about Ghost that didn’t sit right with me, and when I was about 75% of the way through, I couldn’t see how Madison would fall in love with him because I hadn’t fallen in love with him, even being in his head. So it took some tweaking to his character to make it plausible through my eyes, and thus, hopefully, the readers’. But Ghost was a much easier sell in that department…I’m not sure why. He was totally on board for it well before I had it planned in the outline.

Oooh, ok! I think that is so interesting that you had to rework him until you could fall for him, too! It makes complete sense but I never thought about it that way from your perspective as the author!

Ok enough serious questions, let's get to some fun ones!
If you had to be kidnapped some one/stuck in a cabin with somebody (one real person, one fictional) who would it be? (Looking for a hot guy answer hehe)
Well, of course I’d say my husband because I’m happily married. *cough* But if you held a gun to my head and asked me to pick someone else… I’d say Channing Tatum and Edward Cullen.

Haha, well the gun is there so Channing and Edward it is...although I'm sure your husband is GREAT! :) If you were kidnapped, what movies would be a must-have for you to watch on your laptop during your captivity?
13 Going on 30, The Bourne Trilogy, I Love You, Man, The Hangover, What’s Your Number, and I’m cheating here, but Friends: The Complete Series

Yeees, The Hangover! Because your captor is sexy and thoughtful, he gives you access to your e-reader, what five books do you buy to keep you occupied when you're not falling in love with your kidnapper?
How to Kill a Rock Star, Anna and the French Kiss, Sheltered, Graffiti Moon, and Animal Magnetism

Great answers! Who are some of your favorite fictional heroines that you feel represent real women?
Oh, man. This is a hard question to answer. I’m horrible (horrible) at remembering about the heroine. I’m…preoccupied. LOL That said, I really love all of Jill Shalvis’s heroines. They’re feisty and strong-willed and they are all women I’d want to be friends with in real life.

I have Jill Shavis on my list of romance authors to read! I'm even more excited now! This is the home of Book Bangin' and all things hot, so...who is YOUR favorite book boyfriend? You can name a top five or ten if you need to and yes, you can name your own characters. :)
Well, I won’t cheat and name my own, because they’re a given to me. I wouldn’t have created them if I didn’t love them all (and if they weren’t all swoony as hell). As for others…man. This is tough.

Garrett from The Deal

Bowen from Risking it All

Jax from Simply Irresistible

Brady from Animal Magnetism

Lucas from Easy

Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss

Tyler from Private Practice

Jack from Smooth Talking Stranger

Curran from the Kate Daniels series

Nev from About Last Night

Okay. I’ll stop. But seriously…I could go on and on.

Ok...I have not read any of those boys...I need to remedy this IMMEDIATELY! Thank you so much for stopping by and giving FANTASTIC answers to those burning questions! If you haven't read Captive yet, you need to read it right now!
And thank you St. Martin's Press for opportunity to interview this amazing lady!!

The Winner's Crime Blog Tour

This blog tour for The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski asks each participant this question...

The ‘Winner’s Curse’ is an economics term that means you’ve gotten what you wanted – but at too high a price. What would you pay too much for?

Now, it's more than a little ironic that my tour stop is on Valentine's Day because I took this questions to be more figurative than literal. And my answer also inadvertently aligns with Kestrel's choice. When I first read the question the very first thing that came to my mind was...love. Irrevocably. Undeniable. Without hesitation. LOVE. The greatest of all things is love. So without getting all emo and philosophical on everyone I'll be brief because that is my most honest answer and the only thing in the entire world that can't be bought. There is almost no price too great to be promised real love, true love, can't-live-without-each-other love. It is, I can imagine, the greatest feeling in the entire world. I believe that everyone deserves to fall in love and be in love at least once in their life. The world is not perfect but I believe this should be an unalienable right to every human on this plant as well as all the aliens that may or may not exist out there. We all deserve to feel loved, to be the number one to someone else, to have someone else be your 'person.' I'm still looking for the Beast to my Beauty, the Westley to my Buttercup, the Zsadist to my Bella, the Nash to my Saint, the Alexander to my Tatiana, and the Josh to my Nastya. While it is easy to be discouraged I refuse to give up hope. I love love. I am in love with love itself. I believe in love. And while I know it is not something that can ever be bought...it is the only thing I would ever pay too much for...it is the only thing worth paying too much for. And just in case you need a visual, Carrie Bradshaw really does say it best...

Don't forget to check out the Official Tour Stop List as well as test your own skills at Bite and Sting.