Blog Tour Post and Giveaway: Review: The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0 by Linda Budzinski

Welcome today's stop on the The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0 by Linda Budzinski Blog Tour presented by Swoon Romance and hosted by Chapter by Chapter.  Today's stop is a review as well as a chance to enter the great giveaway that is being run throughout this tour.

This book was a fun, cute and enjoyable read.

Its starts when Alicea takes over her friend's Boyfriend Whisperer business. A computer programmer, Alicea has designed the perfect dating match program destined to help her high school colleagues find their dating match with 99% accuracy. However after being dumped by the boy of her dreams, Alicea has to trust her own dating program even when the match it spits out for her makes absolutely no sense.

At first I wasn't mad about Alicea. She seemed really young for her age, maturity level wise, which i thought might affect the story however as we got her know her better through the story, she grew on me and I liked that she grew in the story also. I liked Darius from the get go, much more than Ty Walker and I liked the Chemistry between Alicia and Darius and the way it grew with their interractions, through out the book.

There were so many cute moments in this book, I found my self drawn into the story really quickly and way too soon i was turning the last pages. I loved that the way the author fleshed out the characters so we got to see many different facets of the characters such as Alicea and her dancing , Darius with his sister. Their made the characters and the story so much more real and mincreased my connection to the story as a whole.

Overall this was a really enjoyable and cute read that left me with a smile on my face and a soft spot in my heart for Alicea and Darius

I give this book 4 stars.

SapphiredDragon xx

About The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0

The Boyfriend Whisperer by Linda Budzinski
Publication Date: February 19, 2019
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Alicea Springer was Boyfriend Whisperer Enterprises’ top success story. That is, until her dream date, Ty Walker, dumped her a week before prom. Now it’s senior year, and Alicea has taken over the business and given it an upgrade using an automated matchmaking program designed to help her classmates find their perfect match.

Alicea has no interest in using the program herself. She already knows who her perfect match is … Ty. She doesn’t need an app to tell her that (or worse, match her up with someone else). In a moment of weakness, Alicea allows her friends to convince her to give the program a try. To her horror, it matches her with the last boy on earth she'd ever want to date — Darius Groves, the class deadbeat.

When she and Darius are paired up for a class project, Alicea learns there's more to him than his bad reputation. But the more she spends time with Darius, the more she questions their match. They have so little in common. Why did her program match them?

Can Alicea defy the odds and make a match of her own heart’s desire? Or will the matchmaker remained unmatched?

BAM | Indies | Amazon | B&N | TBD

About Linda Budzinski 

Linda Budzinski is the author of four young adult novels, all published by Swoon Romance YA: The Boyfriend Whisperer and The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0, Em & Em, and The Funeral Singer. When she’s not writing, she works in nonprofit communications and outreach. She lives in Northern Virginia with my husband, Joe, and is active with her church’s youth group. She’s a sucker for romance and reality TV and has been known to turn off her phone’s ringer when watching “The Bachelor.” Her favorite flower is the daisy, her favorite food is chocolate, and her favorite song is “Amazing Grace.”

Author Links:  
  

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Goodreads

The Giveaway

·       One (1) winner will receive a Starbucks gift card

 

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Review: Breakaway (Corrigan Fall Raiders #4) by Cate Cameron

Title: Breakaway (Corrigan Fall Raiders #4)

Author: Cate Cameron

Published: 14 August 2017
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Source: Entangled Publishing, LLC via Netgalley in return for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: **** 

My Review:

I love this series! I always devour each book in one sitting and i am so glad that Dawn finally got her own book. We had met Dawn before in the previous books, first as Toby's girl friend and then as his ex and it only seemed right that we got to read her story too. Dawn has vowed to never again date a hockey player. After being the other half of a rising hockey star in a town where hockey is everything, Dawn has always wanted to shine for her herself rather than who she was dating and she thinks she has found that with summer newcomer to Corrigan Falls, Logan. However Logan is actually an ex NHL player who had a career ending injury in his first NHL game and is still coming to grips with his new reality without hockey.

I really liked Dawn and her determination to make something of herself under her own steam rather than of the back of who she is dating and she made for an incredibly likeable and strong character who was immensely readable and intriguing to learn more about. Logan was charming and complex and sweet and also compelling to read about as he dealt with his new reality of his life and was finally starting to put the pieces of his life back together. As a couple I felt the chemistry from the start and liked the way their romance unfolded. As always the peripheral characters were all well developed and vibrant and it was nice to check in previous characters of earlier books as well as meet some brand new characters as well.

One of the things I love about this series is the emotional journey they take me on. Ms cameron's writing really connects you to her characters and makes you care what happens with them and follow their steps for better or for worse. This story was no different and left me satisfied at the way the story turned out.

Overall this was another great instalment of an incredibly enjoyable series and author i look forward to reading more of.

Happy to give this book 4 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Breakaway (Corrigan Fall Raiders #4) by Cate Cameron

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains adult language, melt-the-ice kisses, a drool-worthy hockey player, and a fun summer romance that will leave you smiling.

Eighteen-year-old NHL player Logan Balanchuk came to Corrigan Falls to distract himself from his career-ending injury. He doesn’t want to even hear the word “hockey,” so when he meets Dawn, a beautiful, free-spirited girl who goes skinny-dipping instead of watching the draft, he’s intrigued. Neither of them is looking for anything serious, anyway.

Dawn is happy to be a distraction, happy to have an adventurous summer romance with the dashing guy from the big city. She’s busy working three jobs and counting the days until she can move away from her tiny, hockey-obsessed town. Plus, she’s already done her time as a hockey player’s girlfriend—now she wants to live her own life and have her own adventures. But as things heat up with Logan, she realizes they aren’t as no-strings-attached as she thought…  

Purchase: Amazon US  | Barnes and Noble  | Entangled Publishing | Amazon.com.au | 

Review: The Winner's Crime ( The Winners Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner's Crime

Author: Marie Rutkoski
Published: 12 March 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing
Source: Bloomsbury via netgalley in return for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

I absolutely adored the first book in this series The Winner's Curse. I gave it 5 stars. I have to be honest though, this second instalment took me 2 separate goes to finish it. It actually took receiving book 3 for review, to go back and finish it. That being said though. I am so glad I did come back to it as the second half had me absolutely gripped to the pages, greedily devouring each page until the ending... The words exquisite agony come to mind. Needless to say. I am extremely glad to be able to move straight on to book 3 to see how it is all going to unfold.

I first started it shortly after I reviewed book 1 last year. I read it ravenously at first then I think I got distracted by something else and then never quite got back to it. When I picked it up again however last week, i found I could easily sink back into to the story and get caught up in all the intrigue till suddenly i was sitting shell shocked at the last page. What I really love about this series and this instalment is that there are so many different threads running through it and yet every thread is exactly where it needs to be, being expertly woven into the whole to make such a rich, detailed and authentic story.

The world building is incredible. Ms Rutkoski has created a such a vivid world, with such distinct countries and cultures and her writing really captures the brutalness of the Valourians conquests and campaigns and the desperateness of the conquered countries to both obtain their freedom and fight back against the Valourians and their brutal tactics. I think in this books we get to let much more about all of these countries and the people who both live and rule them and i think this really adds to the story and series as a whole.

There is so much intrigue in this story. I was genuinely scared for both Kestrel and Arin for a good portion of this book. And the emperor scares me with his evilness and constant game playing and loyalty tests. He always seems to be several steps ahead of everybody else and that just makes him dangerous. This goes together with my point about the many different threads. there s so much going on beneath the surface in this book and Ms Rutkoski gets the balance between suspense and reveal absolutely perfect

I am so very glad i finished this story and it truly was a gorgeous and thrilling read and if you will just excuse me now, i am off to read book 3 :-)

Even though I loved this book, because of my original false start with this book, I have to pull this otherwise flawless story back to 4 stars!

Sapphired Dragon xx .

About The Book:

The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski 

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Publication Date: 12 March, 2015

Pre-Order:Booktopia  | Book Depository | Amazon

Blog Tour Stop & Giveaway: Nobody's Lady (Never veil #2) by Amy McNulty

Welcome today's stop on the Nobody's Lady (The Never Veil #2) by Amy McNulty Blog Tour presented by Month9Books and hosted by Chapter by Chapter.  Today's stop is a review as well as a chance to enter the great giveaway that is being run throughout this tour.

I loved book 1 of this series and I have to say that book 2 kept me just as spell bound. One of the things I really love about this series is originality and that this is quite different to a lot of other things I have read.

Book 2 is set shortly after the events of book one. the curse has been broken and men are now free to choose whomever they would want to love or not love and are no longer required to hide their faces from all but their goddesses.

However with the removal of the curse, there is a lot of unrest as people struggle to accept and adapt the changes that have resulted

Noll annoyed me a little in this first part of this book. In the first book, she is accused of being selfish and only caring about her desires as she unwittingly cursed the entire village. Now, knowing that she is the one guilty for all this resulting unrest, she chooses to hide away from the rest of the village. I felt like she spent a lot of the first part of this book in denial. Not willing to really think about or accept the consequences of her actions from book 1.

However in the second half of the book, I do think she started to grow and really try to help her village in the curse's aftermath, and though she still made some questionable decisions, I hope to we get to see more of this personal growth in book 3.

I liked that we got to see some more character development and learn more about other peripheral characters like Darwyne and Sindri and I loved we got to learn more about Ailill and how he had spent the long years between being cursed and the curse breaking. I loved the tension between Noll and Ailill, especially in light of what they both now know.

I also loved the direction the second half of this book took, as we discover more about the world around this one village, more about the curse and discover that there may be something darker going on then ever imagined. I really felt like this book built on the events of book 1 and provided an original story both engaging and compelling.

A truly worth sequel to book 1 and I cannot wait to see how it will all conclude in book 3, Nobody's Pawn!

I give this book 4 stars!

SapphiredDragon xx

 

About Nobody's Lady (The Never Veil #2)

Nobody’s Lady (Never Veil #2) by Amy McNulty

Publication Date: April 12, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books

For the first time in a thousand years, the men in Noll’s village possess the freedom to love whom they will. In order to give each man the chance to fully explore his feelings, the lord of the village decrees all marriages null and void until both spouses declare their love for one another and their desire to wed again. What many women think will be a simple matter becomes a source of village-wide tension as most men decide to leave their families and responsibilities behind.

Rejected by the lord and ashamed of her part in the village’s history, Noll withdraws from her family and lives life as an independent woodcarver. This changes when her sister accuses her of hiding her former husband Jurij from her—and when Jurij eventually does ask to move in. Determined not to make the same mistakes, Noll decides to support her male friends through their new emotional experiences, but she’s soon caught up in a darker plot than she ever dared imagine possible from the men she thought she knew so well. And the lord for whom she still has feelings may be hiding the most frightening truth of them all.
 

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD | iBooks

Go back to where it all started:

About Nobody's Goddess (The Never Veil #1)

Title: Nobody's Goddess (The Never Veil #1)

Publication date: April 21, 2015

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Amy McNulty

In a village of masked men, magic compels each man to love only one woman and to follow the commands of his “goddess” without question. A woman may reject the only man who will love her if she pleases, but she will be alone forever. And a man must stay masked until his goddess returns his love—and if she can’t or won’t, he remains masked forever.



Seventeen-year-old Noll isn't in the mood to celebrate. Her childhood friends have paired off and her closest companion, Jurij, found his goddess in Noll’s own sister. Desperate to find a way to break this ancient spell, Noll instead discovers why no man has ever chosen her.



Thus begins a dangerous game between the choice of woman versus the magic of man. And the stakes are no less than freedom and happiness, life and death—and neither is willing to lose. 

Chapters Indigo | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | TBD

 

 

ABOUT Amy McNulty:

Amy McNulty is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin with an honors degree in English. She was first published in a national scholarly journal (The Concord Review) while in high school and currently spends her days alternatively writing on business and marketing topics and primarily crafting stories with dastardly villains and antiheroes set in fantastical medieval settings.

Author Links:   Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

 

 

The Giveaway

·       Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Nobody's Lady (The Never Veil #2) by Amy McNulty (INT)

 

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Review: taste (Delta Girls #4) by Juliet Madison

Title: Taste (The Delta Girls #4)

Author: Juliet Madison

Published: 12 April 2016
Publisher: Diversion Books
Source: Diversion Books via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

I am really enjoying this series and I think this book might be my favourite instalment so far. Right away, I liked Tamara's voice as distinct from the rest of her sisters and I felt that the story itself flowed really well. In fact I finished this story in just a couple of hours.

The plotline of this story seemed to evolve more naturally than I felt book 3 and Tamara herself seemed a lot more 3 dimensional. Whilst i could see where a good portion of the story was going, i still enjoyed the journey and there was enough suspense and surprise to leave me happy with where the story went. The fact that we are now quite familiar with her other sisters now also helped. I also liked the balance of mystery and series ARC and felt that both developed enough to keep me satisfied for this instalment but still eager to see how it will all turn out.

I liked the chemistry between Leo and Tamara. It helped that we knew of her crush on Leo for a while so it made sense that this would play part of the story. So the development of their relationship didn't seem too much like instalove. Like the story itself, I felt their relationship evolved naturally even though it was quite quick.

Overall I was quite sad to leave Tamara's point of view as i felt quite connected to her perspective but either way, I am greatly looking foreward to seeing how this series will conclude.

I give this book 4 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Taste (The Delta Girls #4) by Juliet Madison

 

Goodreads | Book Depository | Booktopia  | Amazon 

The heat gets turned up on the Delcarta sisters when they have a mystery in the kitchen, one that puts each of them in mortal danger.
Tamara is smitten with neighbour Leo Pearce, and not only because he can cook like the chefs on television, and gets her a job as kitchen hand at the restaurant where he works. His dark intensity is alluring and he begins mentoring her in his own time, sharing their mutual passion for food and assisting her in preparations for a local amateur cooking competition. But is Leo as he seems?

Tamara's new friend, Emilia, advises her to be cautious about his troubled past and mood swings. Tamara is also worried that her chance at romance will be ruined when Leo discovers the secret of The Delta Girls.

But more serious matters may force her to put aside her personal concerns and do what s right, when the premonitions she shares with her sisters reveal that someone is in danger of being poisoned. As a special event at the restaurant nears, The Delta Girls will have to put their sensory clues together to figure out who is in danger, who is responsible, and how to stop it. But their mission proves more complicated than they thought when a catastrophic turn of events may require them to save more lives than just one."

   

     

Review: Book of Lies by Teri Terry

Title: Book of Lies

Author: Teri Terry

Published: 22 March 2016
Publisher: Orchard Imprint as part of Hachette Children's Books Australia
Source: Hachette Children's Books Australia via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

It's been a while since I first downloaded this ARC to review so I wasn't immediately able to recall what is was going to be about. I actually like doing this as i feel like I can then enjoy the story more fully with out any kind of misconceptions or ideas of how I expect the story to go. 

This worked out quite well for this book and Quinn's voice immediately drew me into the story and I wanted to know more of her background, why her mother and grandmother had told her there was a darkness inside her and why she  had been separated from her twin. 

I liked the pace at which this story unfolds. Ms Terry feeds us morsel by morsel the bits we need to know so we are neither ever overloaded with information nor left waiting to long and this kept me both engaged, on the edge of my seat and unable to put it down until the end.

I loved that we were kept guessing until the end.  Who is the 'good' twin? Who was is the 'evil' or 'dangerous' one? Who do we believe? Who is coming? And what do they have to do with the hunt? I liked also that though Piper and Quinn are twins, we really got to see two distinct different characters and the alternating of perspective each chapter between the twins gave us the chance to see both sides of the story and come to our own conclusions.

Overall, this story is a great mesh of magic, myth and suspense.  One that will keep you guessing until the end.

I enjoyed this story immensely and give it 4 stars

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Book of Lies by Teri Terry

They are trapped, frozen. Waiting. Straining against the wood that holds them. The unwary catch a glimpse now and then - feel their desperate hunger, see a glint of red eyes - and scurry out of the shadows of the wood, back to the light.
She's coming; it will be soon.
They will run free on the moors again. The Hunt will return.
And the ground will run with blood.

An ancient curse placed on a family of witches foretells that twins will be born - one good, one evil; and one will destroy the other. But who can be trusted when no one is as they seem?

Purchase: Booktopia  | Book Depository | Hachette Children's Australia | Amazon

   

     

Review: Night Study (Soulfinder #2) by Maria V Snyder

Title: Night Study (Soulfinder #2)

Author: Maria V Snyder
Published: 25 January 2016
Source: Harlequin Teen Australia in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

Man I love this story, these characters and this world! I can't believe I now have to wait another year to find out how this story turns out. Again it has finished at a point where I just want to keep reading on and find out what happens next but alas I have reached the last page of this book

I struggled with the first half having to make myself persevere through it. i am not sure if it was the pace, the amount of set up or something else entirely but I was struggling to connect with the characters at first and constantly found my interest waning and looking for something else to do. This was a little disappointing given how much I love this series

Once I hit half way however, I couldn't put it it down, with each of the three main point of views keeping me interested and intrigued and ending so that again i am frustrated that i have to wait another year to find out what happens next

The first half of the novel felt like mostly set up and as mentioned I had to struggle through parts as it didn't always manager to hold my full attention. It was moving the story line along and was necessary to the story but I had to push myself through it a little until I could really experience that complete immersion in the story like I had in Ms Snyder's previous books. It was definitely worth it through because the second half of the book moved beautifully. All of a sudden all three main threads were keeping me interested and all that had gone on before suddenly made more sense. All the elements I have come to expect from a Maria V Snyder novel were there; The balance of threads, expertly woven into a thrilling story, characters that came alive off the page and loaded with intrigue so that the twists and turns keep you guessing until that last exciting precipice on which Ms Snyder then leaves you hanging for the next book.

I had forgotten just how much I love these characters, not just Yelena and Varlek but Ari and Janco, Leif and Mara, Maren and Fisk. There is also a number of new characters introduced who will definitely be up there with my favourites. I love the dialogue, banter and interaction between Ms Snyder's characters. It is almost always completely on point and there were genuine tears in my eyes in a different parts as the story rolled on as well as genuine fear when ever one of these characters is in danger which is essentially the majority of the book :-P

Overall I loved this and gave this novel 4 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Night Study (Soulfinder #2)) by Maria V Snyder

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder transports readers back to the realms of Sitia and Ixia in an exciting new Study novel full of magic, danger and intrigue.

Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana’s life has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia are safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he’s quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he’s been keeping secrets from Valek...secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander’s mysterious plans, they realise it's far more sinister than they could have ever imagined.

Publication Date: 25 January 2016

Pre-Order: Booktopia  | Book Depository | Harlequin Teen Australia | Amazon

Review: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Title: This Raging Light

Author: Estelle Laure

Published: 12 January 2016
Publisher: Hachette Children's Books Australia
Source: Hachette Children's Books Australia via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

I fell in love with this book from the first page.  From the first line I knew I would not be able to put it down until the last line and even then I kept trying to scroll for more pages on my kindle in the hope that there was more.

I really loved the voice of this book.  Right from the beginning I felt connected so it was easy to relate and feel for Lucille as the story progressed, to understand her feeling of barely keeping her head above water as every thing around her changes and falls apart and I really wanted things to work out for her.

I loved the way the author really captured that awkward crush stage when overnight someone you may have know for ever, you suddenly see  in a different way where you can't actually be in the same room as them and actually be able to speak and you can seem to take that change back no matter what you do and I could feel the growing connection between Lucille and Digby even if I didn't always approve of the way it developed.

This book also caught be by surprise.  I was caught up in the read and the feels and the rhythm of the story when suddenly Ms Laure took the story up a notch and this change of rhythm really adds to the story and suddenly a really good story was a really great story and couldn't ait to see how  it would turn out.

I went through all sorts of emotions whilst reading this book and in dealing with the realness of it.  As a mother, I struggled to fathom how a mother could leave her children like that... but it happens and this breaks my heart. I marvelled at Lucille's bravery as she deals with life and having to be the main care giver for a younger sibling and holding it together while her whole world is falling apart .  Add in a cast of solid supporting characters and Ms Laure has created a story that feels real and fills you up in the way only a good book can.

I adored this book and give it 4 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure 

 

How is it that you suddenly notice a person? How is it that one day Digby was my best friend's admittedly cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?

Lucille has bigger problems than falling for her best friend's unavailable brother. Her mom has gone, leaving her to look after her sister, Wren. With bills mounting up and appearances to keep, Lucille is raging against her life but holding it together - just.

A stunning debut to devour in one sitting, Laure captures completely the agony and ecstasy of first love.

 

Purchase: Booktopia  | Book Depository | Hachette Children's Australia | Amazon