Mundie Moms

Friday, February 1, 2013

Blog Tour / Book Review: Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons


I'm thrilled to be the next stop in Kristen Simmon's BREAKING POINT blog tour hosted by Jean Book Nerd. If you haven't yet, check out the entire tour schedule here


By: Kristen Simmons
Published by: Tor / MacMillan
To Be Released on: 2/12/13
Series: Article 5 #2
Source: arc from publisher to review
4 stars: I Enjoyed It!
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

The second installment in Kristen Simmons's fast-paced, gripping YA dystopian series.
After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.
Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion…. Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself. Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways. With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?

Talk about an exciting, heart breaking, action packed sequel! Breaking Point is one of those get your adrenaline pumping kind of reads. I loved Article 5, and given all that happens in that book, I was both eager and scared to read what was going to happen to Chase and Ember in this one. Let's just say Kristen throws all the cards at them. There are betrayals, twists, plenty of shocking revelations, and emotional gripping moments that clawed their way out of the pages and got to me. Can some of these characters get any more twisted? I swear there were a few I wanted to take out and I can't say I wasn't silently cheering Chase one when he might have punched one or two of them. Given what happens leading up to those moments, you might be cheering him on too.

Here's the think I liked about this book. The fact that Kristen kept the same desolate, desperate, terrifying feeling that was established in Article 5. It went in line with what the characters were feeling and dealing with, and I loved that these characters acted in a manner that felt realistic and suitable given all they're dealing with and have dwelt with up to this point. It's a little agonizing seeing how much Ember and Chase have changed, yet there are these moments when they're together that they ground each other and you can see their former selves coming out. I loved the way Kristen portrayed that. The war they're up against isn't something they could walk away from unscathed.

Chase's brokenness really got to me in Article 5. I felt helpless as I came to understand him and why he had changed, and I admired him for fighting to resist that change all at the same time. He continues to do that in Breaking Point as well. Ember. Ember is such an amazing fighter. This girl takes action, and isn't afraid to do whatever she can to protect those she loves, and I admire her for that. She's a scrapper, a survivor and that quiet unsung leader who's a hero in her own right. Even though the characters are literally in the middle of dealing with hellish events, I loved, loved, loved the sweet stolen moments that Chase and Ember had. Their raw, emotional, and brutally honest moments with the two of them only make me cheer for them that much more. Their fierce love and wanting to protect the other person is what drives this storyline.

There is so much that happens in this book! Oh wow, talk about those twists and betrayals! I didn't see those coming. I mean I excepted them, but I had my hunches, but when they happen I sat there in shock. There are still a few things I'm left wondering about. I can not wait to read the next book!! If you're a fan of Article5, I highly recommend that you pick this book up when it's out in a couple weeks!

Check out my 5 star review for Article 5 here.

About the Author:

Kristen Simmons has a master’s degree in social work and is an advocate for mental health. She lives with her husband Jason and their precious greyhound Rudy in Tampa, Florida

You can follow Kristen via her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

The Giveaway:

Be sure you enter to win this AWESOME blog tour giveaway! Each stop along the tour is featuring the same giveaway. You have plenty of chances to win! Good luck!

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Blog Tour: The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter


I'm thrilled to be the next stop in Kismet's The Goddess Inheritance Blog Tour. This is a series I've enjoyed reading, and have loved promoting via Kismet's previous blog tours for it. Along with my giveaway today, I'm excited to tell  you what I enjoy about this series. First, here's a little bit about the book:


By: Aimee Carter
Published by: Harlequin Teen
To Be Released on: February 19th, 2013
Add it to Goodreads

Love or life. 
Henry or their child. 
The end of her family or the end of the world. 
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can’t stop her–until Cronus offers a deal.In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he’ll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.


What's Divine About The Goddess Test Series?

Today I was asked to write about what I thought was divine about The Goddess Test series. The Goddess Test series is one of my "go-to" reads. You know when you have one of those afternoons that makes you want to sit down with an enjoyable book full of characters you genuinely like to read about? Yeah, that's this series for me. Okay I have a "few" series like that, but this series is right there with the other "few". It's one of those series that is full of great characters, a hot romance, adventure, a character journey, and it has this mesmerizing world I want to be apart of. Above all that, it's Aimee's creative spin on Greek mythology that makes this divine, and what I love the most about this series. 

I'm a sucker for a well told story featuring the Greek Gods, and Aimee only fuels my addiction to this lore with The Goddess Test series. I love it when an author can give a classic story, or a well known mythology a creative spin while at the same time staying some what true to who the characters really are. I feel like Aimee has done just that, and in a truly fascinating way. She's also done something else I love, she's created this untouchable world and made it believable by making it exist beside our own modern day one. Aside from a flawlessly crafted lore, and enticing characters, Aimee has also created this engaging romance that I can't get enough. It's tragic and hopefully, and it always leaves me wanting more! It's as they say, a classic love story.

Aimee has given the Greek mythology an enchanting spin that keeps me coming back for more. Her series isn't all just about the characters, her lovely spin on Greek lore, the romance, or the world building. Her writing is catchy, creative,  detailed, fast paced, and hooks you from the moment you start reading book 1. It's the kind of writing that before you know you're done with one book in the series and already reaching for book two. I could easily sit and spend a few hours with this series and happily enjoy the time I've spent doing so. This series is divine, because It keeps me coming back for more. In a world filled with countless titles and so many other worlds to explore, new characters to meet, this is one of the series that I keep going back to. There's just something about the series I love, and I can't wait to get my hands on The Goddess Inheritance. 

About the Author:


Aimée Carter was born and raised in Michigan, where she currently resides. She started writing at age eleven and later attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a degree in screen arts and cultures. Currently she spends her time continuing with The Goddess Test series and working on new projects. You can tweet her at @aimee_carter or catch updates on her website. 

Follow Aimee via  her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

The Giveaway:



Thank you to Harlequin Teen, one lucky commenter today can enter to win a copy of any one book in The Goddess Test series! All entries into the daily give away count towards the grand prize give-away of a Kindle Paperwhite skinned in the gorgeous and lush The Goddess Inheritance cover art!


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Flashback Friday/Book Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons


By: Kristin Simmons
Published by: Tor / MacMillan
Released on: 1/31/12
Source: purchase book
Series: Article 5 #1
5 stars: I Loved It!
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned. The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes. There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back. Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different. Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved. -quoted from Goodreads

An exciting, pulse pounding, addicting read!

Kristen's debut lives up to all it's hype. Article 5 has been on my TBR list since the end of 2011. That's how long it's taken me to FINALLY read this book! I know, why the heck did I wait so long right? I don't know who was more excited about (finally) reading it, me or the book. It took me long enough. The one good thing about waiting, getting to read Article 5 and Breaking Point back to back. Even though I've heard all the hype surrounding Kristen's debut, and I was excited to start reading it, I wasn't not excepting to be so caught up in everything that was going on, that I read this book in one sitting. No joke. Once I started reading this horrifying, adrenaline pumping, gut wrenching read, there was no stopping. This is one emotionally charged book.

These characters are awesome! I loved Ember. She's this quiet, unsuspecting hero who snuck up on me, and made me love her! She comes across of possibly being the underdog, but proved early one she's far from that. She's a quick thinker who sacrifices everything for those she loves, and what she believes in/stands for. She takes action. She keeps going when all seems lost, and doesn't give up on the possibility of love and hope. I adored her match up to Chase. Gah, how could I not love this guy! Ember is so perfect for him. I loved the way Kristen portrays him. Gone is the boy Ember grew up with, and replaced is a harden, strong, built, unmovable solider. At first I felt all the emotions Ember did towards him, but as the story line unravels and more of Chase's secrets come out, the more I started feeling what Ember felt towards him. In between the bitter sweet, emotionally raw, and sometimes heart breaking moments between these two, are those sweet moments that bring in that little ray of sunshine in a dark and dangerous world that all but tries to keep them apart. 

I admire the fact that Kristen stayed true to the feel of her storyline, her characters and their world through out the entire book. Let's be honest, this would be a horrifying scenario if it ever came true, and that feeling of horror, danger, and being on the run lasted the entire time I read this book. I wasn't prepared for the wide range of emotions to jump out at me like they did. From the anguish of betrayal, to losing a loved one, the defiance Ember felt, the heartbreak Chase  and Ember both dwelt with, the uncertainty, hope, love and everything else within this story felt real and relatable to me. It's what allowed me to connect with the story and it's characters on a level I wasn't excepting to. I credit that to Kristen and her writing. It was flawless and so awesome! That's the only way I know how to describe it.

This is one heck of an action packed story! There's plenty of danger, twists, and one flawed addicting romance that leaves me wanting so much more. I enjoyed the characters, loved the world building, and couldn't get enough of this story. Kristen Simmons has crafted together an unforgettable story that had my heart racing, stopping, breaking, and melting. I can not wait to read more of this series! I highly recommend picking this book up!

Who is Marcus Finch? Clue #9



Welcome to Penguin Teen's Who is Marcus Finch? two week campgain! Over the next two week's myself and a handful of other fabulous blogs will be treating you to a daily quote/teaser, giving you clues into who Marcus is. Today's clue is:

Oooh so he's a reader.... well maybe. lol ;)

Dying to get your hands on The Indigo Spell? Be sure here to by and read an excerpt from the book before it's out. Enter to win a copy of the book HERE


In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood. -quoted from Goodreads

Be sure to check out the Bloodlines Website, and visit the Bloodlines Facebook page.

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