Help Bring a Bookstore to the Bronx!

Hi guys! Jessica here, and today I come to you with a very important project that I stumbled upon recently. 

If you've been around the blog for awhile, you'd know that I go to college in the Bronx, and I absolutely love it here. In addition to loving my school, I also love all of the incredible opportunities its given me and the rich history and culture of the surrounding areas. 

And, as I'm sure you've most definitely picked up by now, I love books. Absolutely adore them. Barnes & Noble, The Strand, and yes, even Borders (way before they fell) used to be some of my favorite places to visit as a kid. Even as I got older, I loved heading into a bookstore and browsing the selections while grabbing a hot chocolate and sitting down to enjoy the scenery. Bookstores shaped my childhood, which is why it was an incredible shock when I learned that there is not a single bookstore in the Bronx, not since the last Barnes & Noble closed down in 2016.

To some, that doesn't mean much. But to such an avid reader, that means absolutely everything. Even if I won't necessarily always be frequenting the bookstore myself, a bookstore is a place for children and adults alike to go to find relaxation, solace, and good stories. In addition to it being a retail location, it's a source of stories and education for everybody. Not having a bookstore in an entire borough of New York City, the capital of the world, is just unfathomable.

Luckily, we have a brave and ambitious woman in our midst that's willing to help change that. Noelle Santos is a smart, brilliant woman whose goal is to open a bookstore in the Bronx called The Lit Bar, and in addition to being an awesome indie bookstore, it will also have a bar -- which I think is a genius idea, because in addition to getting people to come to read more books, The Lit Bar will serve as a social space to bring the community together.

Noelle Santos (We do not take credit for this image.)
Everyone, everywhere, no matter where they are in this world, deserves a chance to get books and have a safe space to fill their minds with stories and knowledge. And Noelle is taking on an amazing, fantastic challenge and doing just that. But there are only 24 days left of the Indie GoGo campaign, and she needs all of our help. 

To be clear: This is not a promotional post. I didn't team up with Noelle or The Lit Bar, and she had no knowledge of this post until I informed her of it yesterday before it went live. I'm posting this because I came across this cause and I feel that it's incredibly important, especially to me because I'm a part of this community, and I know that this book and blogging community is filled with so many incredible authors and readers and bloggers and moms and dads and people that genuinely care about helping a community get a taste of books and stories and a social space that so many of us tend to take for granted.


If you're interested in donating to the campaign (or learning more about it/about Noelle), please click HERE.

If you have anything you can donate at all, whether it be hundreds to get the incentives, five or ten dollars just to show your support, or even just your voice by sharing this cause and helping spread it far and wide, any and everything would be appreciated! I'm so glad I stumbled across this cause, because as an avid reader and Bronx (part-time) resident, I find it incredibly important that we give this opportunity to this community for everyone to have a space to find stories and educate themselves while also having somewhere to be social and enjoy some down time.

*DISCLAIMER: This is in NO way a promotional push post. Noelle had no idea that this post was even happening until we informed her of it the day it went live. This post was created because I stumbled across a cause that I think definitely deserves the help of this community, and I want to help get the word out about it.

Noelle and a pop-up shop for The Lit Bar (We do not take credit for this image).

Favorite Swoon-Worthy Reads

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

It's officially the day of love! We decided that there's no better way to celebrate than to talk about books (of course), so we've put together a compilation of twelve of our favorite swoon-worthy (and steamy) reads. How many of them have you read?

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What are your favorite swoon-worthy reads? Comment down below! Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to go get fancied up and grab some chocolate -- to have a date with ourselves, while reading, because the day of love shouldn't specifically be confined to loving other people.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day, everybody! :-)

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: She Wants It All by Jessica Calla

Cover Reveal! SHE WANTS IT ALL (Book 3, Sheridan Hall Series)

Author: Jessica Calla
Genre: NA Romance
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Publisher: BookFish Books
Cover Designer: Anita B. Carroll, Race-Point US





About She Wants it All...

Happy to sing cover songs with his band and float through New Jersey University with little to no effort, Dave Novak spends the first week of college partying. Then he meets Maggie Patrinski. Performing on stage in front of hundreds is easy for Dave, but the mere thought of Maggie sends his heart racing and turns him into a bumbling idiot. Even so, he can’t get her out of his mind.




Maggie’s not exactly thrilled when her roommate sets her up with Second Floor Dave, the hottie with a reputation. Not only has she just had her heart broken, but she’s vying for a competitive summer internship and studying to become a vet. She doesn’t have time for guys and isn’t interested in falling in love, especially when she may be moving across the country for the summer.




But as Maggie gets to know Dave, his charm wins her over and she falls hard and fast. The problem? Maggie has goals, Dave doesn’t. Maggie studies, Dave doesn’t. Maggie wants it all, Dave only wants her. With their summer plans up in the air and past mistakes creeping back into their lives, their future together is uncertain. The only thing they’re sure of is that when they’re together, they’re better.



Other Books In the Sheridan Hall Series...

SHE LAUGHS IN PINK (Book 1, Sheridan Hall Series)





SHE RUNS AWAY (Book 2, Sheridan Hall Series)




About the Author...

Jessica Calla is a contemporary romance, new adult, and women's fiction author who moonlights during the day as an attorney. If she's not writing, lawyering, or parenting, you'll most likely find her at the movies, scrolling through her Twitter feed, or gulping down various forms of caffeine (sometimes all three at once).




Jessica is a member of Romance Writers of America, involved in the Contemporary, Young Adult, and New Jersey Chapters, and is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. A Jersey girl through and through, she resides in the central part of the state with her husband, two sons, and dog.






















Rafflecopter Giveaway! $25 Amazon Gift Card


http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6d6904f26/?



We'd like to thank the lovely team over at BookFish Marketing for including us in this cover reveal! What do you think of the cover? Comment down below!


Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Story of Us by D. Nichole King


The Story of Us
D. Nichole King
Publication date: February 9th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Moments.
Every life is made of thousands of them, each one strung together with the next. Some are yellow and happy, some are blue and sad, and some…
Some wipe out color altogether.
“I love you,” is what I should have told Maverick.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m still fighting.”
Instead I just watched him leave.
Now my husband, my everything is battling for each breath, and all I can do is stare at the machines as the clock ticks off precious minutes.
The doctors said the first twenty-four hours are critical—but every moment is critical.
You never know which will be your last.
This is our story, and I’m not ready for it to end.
EXCERPT:
I’m in the front seat of the police car. My purse is on my lap. I didn’t bring anything else. I didn’t even change my clothes.
We’ve been driving for ten minutes, I think. I’m not sure. I’ve asked the officer questions, and he answered what he could. But I’m stuck on “St. Luke’s Hospital” and “found non-responsive.”
A sob swells in my chest, but I hold it in. Somehow, I’m not falling apart on the outside, although my insides are so big they might explode. I rub my arms for warmth. I hadn’t realized I was cold.
The officer is quiet now. It’s probably better this way. I was unresponsive to what he said, nodding my head to the words I didn’t hear clearly. I think he explained the accident, but I’ve already forgotten the details. I can only focus on one thing at a time.
The highways are empty except for the occasional semi that passes. I try to concentrate on the road and the scenery. The broken white line dividing the lanes. The green signs stating the up-coming turn-offs. Streetlights illuminating the way. Anything but the burn in my eyes and the emptiness in my chest.
Found unresponsive.”
I don’t know what that means. Could he not speak? Was he breathing? Was he moving? Was his heart beating?
Oh, God!
I must’ve finally let out the sob, because the officer turns to me.
“It’ll be all right,” he reassures me, touching my arm. But how does he know? No one knows that; we only hope. And right now, hope isn’t good enough. I have to see Maverick for myself.
The officer doesn’t understand. Mav’s been my rock. He rescued me from myself. Mav, my Mav, he owns me.
My heart grows heavier, pressing against my ribs.
“Can you pull over, please?”
“Of course,” the officer answers.
The car slows down and moves to the side of the road. I’m unbuckled before we’ve stopped completely. A moment later, I throw open the door and vomit.


Author Bio:
d. Nichole King was born with a book in her hand. During her school years, she’d hide books inside textbooks, read during recess, changing classes, and while walking home from school. She wrote her first book at the age of 11, and the re-worked version of that book is her debut novel, LOVE ALWAYS, KATE.
Her YA urban fantasy series, THE SPIRIT TRILOGY, along with her NA contemporary series, LOVE ALWAYS, was acquired by Limitless Publishing and includes a total of six books. BREAKING THROUGH, an NA science-fiction romance, is her first self-published novel.
d. Nichole King currently resides in a small town in Iowa with her supportive husband, four amazing kids, a dog, a cat, a fish, and a turtle.


We'd like to thank Xpresso Reads for allowing us to be a part of this blog tour! Best of luck on the giveaway!! :-)



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Waiting on Wednesday: The Struggle (Titan #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine where we highlight some of the upcoming books we can't wait to read


Emily's Waiting on:


Title: The Struggle (Titan #3)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press  
Publication Date: March 20th, 2017

Summary: 
A bloody path has been chosen… 
The war against the Titans continues, and they remain determined to wreak havoc on the world, but Seth has become something all gods fear. Now the most dangerous, most absolute power no longer resides in those who have been freed from their tombs. 
The Great War fought by the few is coming… 
All may doubt and fear what Seth has become. All except the one woman who might be his final chance at redemption. Josie will do anything to prove that Seth is on their side, but fate has a nasty way of changing lives, of changing people. 
In the end, the sun will fall… 
The only way they can save the future and save themselves is by facing the unknown together. It will take more than trust and faith. It will take love and the kind of strength not easily broken. No matter what, their lives will never be the same. 
For what the gods have feared has come to pass. The end of the old is here and the beginning of the new has been ushered in…
I think anyone who has read the Covenant series and the first two books in Titan, have grown to hold a special space in their hearts for Seth. So naturally, I'm so excited to see where Jenn takes his character this time (esp. after what he has become). Just the summary has me on the edge of my seat, wondering whats going to happen next and how. I can't wait to get my hands on this book!

What are you waiting on this week? Leave your links so we can stop back!


Review: Velvet (Velvet #1) by Temple West

Title: Velvet (Velvet #1)
Author: Temple West
Genre: Paranormal romance
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.
After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.
Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

In honor of the release of Cashmere in the coming weeks (Feb. 14th), I've re-read Velvet. Whenever someone finds out I'm re-reading a book, they always make fun of me saying that I've already read it. But what they don't understand is that re-reading a book, 1. helps you recall what you forgot before the sequel is released, and 2. I feel you always learn something new or spot something that foreshadows an event that you didn't notice the first time. Either way I love re-reading books.

I last read Velvet in May of 2015,so it's been a good year and a half. And I've been waiting patiently since then for Cashmere. I honestly loved this book the first time around and loved it just as much the second time.

Caitlin Holte just lost her mother and has moved to the middle of nowhere upstate New York with relatives she doesn't even know. After a freak storm, she's left with a vampire bodyguard, Adrian De La Mara. And he is tasked with keeping Caitlin safe after his demon father becomes attracted to her. The best way to protect her is to pretend their dating. Caitlin begins to fall in love with Adrian, but one problem, vampires aren't allowed to love humans. So now Adrian needs to focus on protecting Caitlin without breaking her heart.

Adrian is probably everything you want in a vampire bodyguard. He's hot, he rides a motorcycle, and he can live forever. He's also extremely caring and hopelessly devoted to keeping Caitlin safe. Honestly, who wouldn't love Adrian?



The book ends on a pretty high note and leaves you immediately wanting more. I am so excited to read about the adventures Adrian and Caitlin embark on in Cashmere and I hope to enjoy it as much as I loved Velvet.






Book Blitz & Giveaway: Romeo & What's Her Name by Shani Petroff


Romeo and What’s Her Name
Shani Petroff
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: February 7th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Understudies never get to perform
. . . which is why being Juliet’s understudy in the school’s yearly “Evening with Shakespeare” is the perfect role for Emily. She can earn some much-needed extra credit while pursuing her main goal of spending time with Wes, aka Romeo, aka the hottest, nicest guy in school (in her completely unbiased opinion). And she meant to learn her lines, really, it’s just:

a) Shakespeare is HARD,

b) Amanda, aka the “real” Juliet, makes her run errands instead of lines, and

c) there’s no point because Amanda would never miss the chance to be the star of the show.

Then, Amanda ends up in the hospital and Emily, as the (completely unprepared!) understudy, has to star opposite the guy of her dreams. Oops?
EXCERPT:
I stood there like a lump, waiting for my line. Finally, I turned toward Kayla and repeated, “I said, LOUDER-ETH.”
She fed me the line again. Supercrazy loud this time. “I would not for the world.”
It was so loud, the crowd heard it and started to laugh. Not the snickers from before, but those evil, full belly laughs people get when watching home videos of someone getting kicked in the groin. Wes was going to hate me for putting him through this. This torture needed to end.
“Methinks,” I said, “I could use-eth a book-eth.” Come on, Kayla. Take the hint. “You know-eth. A BOOK-ETH where-est I can recite-eth beauteous words to thee . . . thou . . . whatever. I NEED THE BOOK-ETH.”
As I was shouting that last book-eth, I got my wish. The script came sailing from off stage left and hit me in the back of the head. “Ow,” I unintentionally yelled, to the delight of the crowd. It weighed a ton.
“Sorry,” Kayla whispered. “My bad.”
I didn’t care. I’d get over the pain faster than the embarrassment I was suffering. I was just happy to have the script. At least I was until I realized Kayla hadn’t bookmarked the page I needed. It was the complete works of Shakespeare. There was no way I would find the right page. Not to mention that since the book was with me, Kayla couldn’t even feed me lines anymore. R&J wasn’t a tragedy. My life was.
I was so flunking English.
“Would thou like some help, my sweet Juliet?”
Did Wes just call me sweet? I swung around to face him, but I wasn’t paying attention to where I was stepping and my foot went right off the balcony. Wes lunged forward to catch me, but why would anything go right for me? So instead of Wes stopping me from hitting the floor, I took him down with me.
I was lying on top of Wes Rosenthal. Only, this was not like any of my daydreams. This was mortifying. I rolled off him and jumped up. “Are you okay?” I was visibly shaking.
Wes stood up, too. “Don’t worry-eth, Juliet,” he said without any anger in his voice. He even smiled at me. For a second I thought that meant he didn’t hate me for the craziness I was causing. But then I remembered he was acting. He actually took what he was doing seriously, and right now his part called for him to be in love with Juliet.
Wes said some line I assumed was to get us back on track. But I had no response. I couldn’t take it anymore. The laughter of the audience. The panic coursing through my body. The thought of making Wes suffer more. It needed to end.
So I did the only thing I could think of—something super Elizabethan. I put the back of my and to my forehead, pretended to swoon, and let my whole body fall back to the ground with a loud thump.
“I am so sorry-eth, Romeo.”
“It’s okay.” He sat down on the ground next to me and took my hand. I felt little sparks fly through me.
I shook my head. I couldn’t let him go through this anymore. “No, I know how-eth this play end-eth. I think I shall stab-eth myself now to save-eth us both.”
“Finally,” someone in the audience yelled out.
I picked up an imaginary dagger and began to plunge it into my heart.
“No,” Wes said, stopping me before I committed imaginary suicide. “Our story is not over yet. So let’s just say, ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night ‘til it be morrow.’”
I was pretty sure that was supposed to be my line. But I decided I probably shouldn’t point that out. Then he stood up and walked off the stage.
After a moment, someone finally took mercy on me and brought the stage lights down.
The scene was over. But I knew all too well that my embarrassment was just beginning.


Author Bio:
Shani Petroff is a writer living in New York City. She's the author of the “Bedeviled” series, which includes Daddy’s Little Angel, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Dress, Careful What You Wish For, and Love Struck, and is the co-author of the "Destined" series which includes Ash and Ultraviolet. She also writes for television news programs and several other venues. When she’s not locked in her apartment typing away, she spends a whole lot of time on books, boys, TV, daydreaming, and shopping online.


We'd like to thank Xpresso Reads for having us on this tour! Can't wait to get our hands on this one!



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Ceruleans Anniversary Party & Giveaway!

Ceruleans Anniversary Party!

Today on The Book Bratz, we're celebrating the two-year anniversary of the release of the Ceruleans series, which we've talked about on the blog before - and you can see our spotlight on here. To celebrate, we teamed up with author Charlotte Wilson to share an excerpt, some teasers, and even a fun giveaway!

Excerpt (Death Wish)


A noise from behind startled me, and I tore my eyes open and swung round. I couldn’t make out anything other than grass and gravestones. But then, in the opposite corner of the graveyard, I caught a flash of movement.

I looked away and hastily mopped up tears with a sleeve. I was embarrassed to be caught out like this, publicly venting feelings that were private. I thought perhaps I’d wait quietly and hope the other person got the hint and left, but then a frantic thumping sound and a high-pitched squealing ripped through the calm. An animal; it was an animal, and it sounded distressed.

I rose quickly and picked my way across the uneven grass. After several paces I realised my mistake – it was an animal, but there was a person too. Male, judging by the cropped hair and square shoulders. From this angle, coming up behind, it was hard to judge what was going on, but then I saw strong hands gripping grey fur and the creature thrashing and shrieking in a way that conveyed terror, and I didn’t think, I just ran.

‘What are you doing! Stop that! Leave it alone!’

The man didn’t so much as flinch, but remained kneeling over the creature, pinning it down – it was a rabbit, I realised as I closed the distance, its eyes wild, its fur matted.

Just as I took the final steps, determined to stop him, the man – no, boy, I realised; he couldn’t be much older than me – turned and looked at me and smiled. And I pulled up to a stop so suddenly I had to reach out and grab the nearest headstone to steady myself. That this boy had the delicate looks of a model, that his hair was so blond it was almost white, that his eyes were a startling smoky grey – all of this was true. But that was not what made my breath catch in my throat and my heart rattle in my chest. His hands, his hands that were firmly holding the rabbit to the ground – they looked… wrong. Surreal. Like something out of the church’s stained glass.

I stared.

The boy looked at me for a beat, warmly, openly, the smile fixed on his face. Then he returned his gaze to the rabbit and released his grip. The rabbit quietened at once and stood hesitantly. It sniffed the ground, then hopped away under a gap in the stone wall and out of sight.

I looked once more at the boy’s hands, and they were just hands. In focus. Not… ethereal, as I’d thought. A trick of the mottled afternoon light slanting through the branches of the oak above; it must have been. Still, I stared at them, bemused.

‘… been a fox…’

He was talking to me, I realised, his voice melodic.

I started and looked up, away from his hands. Which were definitely not glowing.

‘I said, it must have been a fox that got it. I’ve seen them around the church. Still, it soon bounced back…’

I found my voice again; was surprised by its hardness. ‘What were you doing?’
He thought for a moment. ‘Calming it, I suppose.’

I shook my head, confused, replaying the scene I’d stumbled upon – this boy restraining the rabbit; the rabbit frightened and in pain. Was he torturer or saviour?

Before I could make up my mind, the boy was on his feet and moving sinuously towards me, hand outstretched, and from deep inside panic swelled. I backtracked quickly. But my heel met the edge of an old horizontal grave marker and I fell backwards. An elbow broke the impact, and a jolt of pain shot up my arm.

The boy halted in his advance and raised his hands before him in a gesture of surrender. ‘Hey, sorry!’

I touched my elbow and felt dampness seeping through the fabric of my cardie: blood.

‘You okay?’ said the boy, crouching down beside me. It struck me that this was the second time today a stranger had had cause to ask me this.

I nodded but said nothing. I couldn’t work out whether this boy was friend or foe.

Serious now, he leaned forward. ‘I’m very glad to meet you,’ he said, ‘… Scarlett Blake.’

Word sure spread fast about the new girl in town. ‘You know of me?’

‘I know you,’ he replied in a low voice. He looked at me intensely and then added, ‘You and Sienna have the same eyes. Green like the jewels of glass that wash up on the beach.’

I drew in a sharp intake of air. He knew Sienna. Feelings swamped me. Grief at the very sound of her name. Delight that already I had found someone who knew her. Fear of what this boy may know.

All at once, the day was too hot, suffocating, and this boy, this stranger, was too close. I moved to stand, but wavered as my throbbing elbow complained at taking my weight, and before I could push it away his hand had encased mine and was pulling me up. His touch sent shivers of warmth up my arm. Quickly, I wrenched my hand away. Then, without another word – because I couldn’t think of any explanation for what I was about to do – I turned and walked away, across the graveyard, away from this boy who made me feel.

I did not look back.

When I reached the car, I got in shakily, leaned my head back on the headrest and took a few breaths, then eased off my cardie to inspect the wound on my elbow. Only when I twisted the arm, there was no pain. And when I examined the skin over my funny bone, I found no blood, not even a hint of damage.



Buy Links

If you found that excerpt interesting and want to read more, you can find the book in all of these places:


Teasers

Also, what's a good book without some teasers?!



About the Author: Charlotte Wilson




Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess. ‘Write, Charlotte,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.
Thirty-odd years later, Charlotte is a professional writer. For authors and publishers, she writes and edits books as The Book Specialist. For herself, she writes soulful, coming-of-age romance for young adults.
Charlotte grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in a village of Greater Manchester with her husband and two children. When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her walking someplace green, baking up a storm, or embarking on a DIY project. She recently achieved a lifetime ambition of creating a library in her home to house her ever-increasing collection of books. She pretends not to notice that the shelves are rather wonky.

You can find Charlotte online at:

Giveaway!

You can enter to win all five books in the series! How lucky!!



We'd like to say thank you to Charlotte for reaching out and allowing us to be a part of the anniversary party for Ceruleans! She's super sweet and awesome, and we featured the Ceruleans on the blog before, so we were more than excited to do it again. Hopefully this little bit of excerpts and teases got you hooked -- pick up a copy of the book for yourself today! Happy second book birthday! :-)