You Wish by Mandy Hubbard Book Tour + Giveaway

Thanks to Teen Book Scene, I had the privelege to participate in Mandy Hubbard's tour of You Wish (which is one of my favorite books of the year, and if you haven't picked it up I definitely recommend it). And for this tour I interviewed Ben who is one of the main characters in the book.

I hope you enjoy it:


1. Hey Ben, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hey Morgan! I’m sixteen, and a sophomore at Enumclaw High School. I hate math. Mostly because my teacher is a Nazi. I love stupid jokes. And camping. And Pizza. 

2. What kind of activities do you participate in outside of school?

I spend all my spare time at the Motocross track. I have totally tricked out Yamaha. Don’t tell anyone, but I just mastered a back flip. I’ll probably go pro after I graduate, but for now, I’m taking it easy.

3. So Ben, what is the one thing you look for most in a girl?

A sense of humor! It’s kind of a buzzkill if she doesn’t laugh at my laffy-taffy jokes.

4. Can you tell us a little bit about your girlfriend, Nicole? (How long have you been going out?)

Nicole and I have been together for three months. She’s really sweet, and pretty deep—she loves reading and poetry. You should see her room—her book cases look like they exploded. She’s really shy—or at least she used to be—but she seems to be warming up to people more quickly these days. Kinda cool to see her come out of her shell. She’s not so into the outdoors, though, so I don’t torture her with the track.

5. Do you and Kayla, your girlfriends best friend, hang out a lot?

At school, yeah. We have math together. She cracked a really lame joke on the first day of school, and now it’s like a competition between us.

6. What is the one thing you most admire in Kayla?

She’s not afraid to be different. Most girls are way too desperate to fit in. Kayla’s not like that.

7. What is one birthday wish you always wanted to come true-but never did? 

I want to meet Travis Pastrana. The dude is a legend and totally fearless.   

And also for part of the tour-I am hosting a giveaway for a signed copy of You Wish by Mandy Hubbard to one lucky winner who lives in USA/Canada (sorry to the international followers). So please fill out the form below to enter!

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian (ARC)
Publication Date: September 1, 2010
Versions: hardcover

Summary (from goodreads):
Natalie Sterling wants to be in control. She wants her friends to be loyal. She wants her classmates to elect her student council president. She wants to find the right guy, not the usual jerk her school has to offer. She wants a good reputation, because she believes that will lead to good things.


But life is messy, and it's very hard to be in control of it. Not where there are freshman girls running around in a pack, trying to get senior guys to sleep with them. Not when your friends have secrets they're no longer comfortable sharing. Not when the boy you once dismissed ends up being the boy you want to sleep with yourself-but only in secret, with nobody every finding out.


Slut or saint? Winner or loser? Natalie is getting tired of these forced choices-and is now going to find a way to live life in the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful in-between.


I've heard so much great things about Siobhan Vivian's previous novels, but I have never had the opportunity to pick one up. So I was really happy to have received this novel because it sounded like a great story line. Natalie is the smart girl in school, who is running for student council president. But Mike, the unresponsible immature popular jock, is also running. And Natalie can't stand Mike or any of his other annoying friends. But when Natalie finds a confidant in Mike's friend-one who she never thought she would want to spend time with-her whole life turns upside down especially when she finds out her best friend has been keeping secrets from her.

I really loved Natalie's personality throughout the novel, she was brutally honest and very strong. I loved that she told Mike how she really felt about him and how even though she knew something was wrong-she did it anyway. Natalie's best friend, however very annoying, was well played out as well as a great parallel to Natalie.

Will I reread it?
Yes, I probably will pick this one back up in a couple years. I loved the story line and I hope you will also give Siobhan Vivian's novels a try. I will have to read her other books as well.

Waiting On Wednesday

This is a meme to show which book you are excited for to be released. It is hosted over at Breaking The Spine. For more information or to link your waiting on wednesday, go here.


First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Publisher: St. Martins Press


Summary (from goodreads):
A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper.


Charley sees dead people. That's right, she sees dead people. And it's her job to convince them to go into the light. But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.


This is a thrilling debut novel from an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense.


I think this sounds really good and I love me some paranormal romance! I hope that February rolls around soon enough... What are you waiting for?

The New Covers of The Boyfriend List Series by E. Lockhart

They have recently came out with new covers for the very popular Boyfriend List series by E. Lockhart. It truly is an amazing series which is also quirky and cute. I definitely recommend it if you haven't picked these books up yet.

Here were the original covers:


And then here are the new covers (with the girl on them):



So which ones do you like best? I really can't say because I adore the frog, penguin and marshmallow man but I always like the visual of the main character and the new covers are very pretty. But if I had to pick, I would probably say the original because they stand out!

I Got a New Blog Layout!

Yes, you have read correctly, I have finally gotten a different blog layout/design. But I didn't do it on my own, the wonderful Jan from twoscoopz has created this wonderfully beautiful design so I owe it all to her. Thank you so much Jan! I just can't believe that every time I look at my blog I will see this piece of art-I'm sorry for rambling so much.

And, if you're looking for a new blog layout, or just want a different banner or button then please consider using Jan as your designer-she is truly a creative and talented person that will not let you down. Her prices are also very reasonable and she listens to what you want.

Here are also some of the other blogs she has designed:


Sara from The Hiding Spot


Fantastic Book Review

These are some of my two favorite blog designs which have both been created by Jan at twoscoopz-you should also click on the links to check their full layouts out live.

So if you want to go learn more about her designs or pricing you can go here.

What do you think of it?

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
Publication Date: August 17, 2010
Versions: hardcover, paperback, kindle

Summary (from goodreads):
Lyn is a neo-gladiator's daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules-and the GSA-can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn's seventh father, he also captures Lyn's dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him...For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haine's debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence-a modern world that's disturbingly easy to imagine.

At first I thought this author copied The Hunger Games just from the title: Girl in the Arena. And that is exactly why I picked it up because I would love to read a different kind of version of The Hunger Games. But to tell you the truth-it wasn't very similar but had a lot of unique characteristics that lead it to be a good book. Lyn has had a total of seven gladiators as fathers-and Tommy, is her favorite. But when Tommy has to fight a well known great fighter-Lyn can see his worry so she lends him her dowry bracelet for good luck. Dowry bracelets can only be held by their fathers and if another man touches it then you are set to get married-according to the Gladiator Sports Association. So it comes to a surprise when Uber, Tommy's competitor, kills him and puts on Lyn's bracelet. She either has to marry him, even though she's never wanted to be a glad wife or fight him...

I can definitely say that this is the first gladiator book that I have ever picked up to read. But I loved all the characters that Lise drew up in the book-Lyn being my favorite. She didn't care what she looked like and even cuts off all of her hair in one of the scenes. I thought she was very strong and loyal and I loved all her quirky characteristics and snappy attitude.

Will I reread it?
I might have to, the plot line keeps you turning pages and the love (yes there is some love) was well played out and realistic. I urge you to pick this book up and give the world of gladiators a try if you haven't done so already.