#Book Blitz #My Not So Anonymous Friend by Elizabeth Arroyo #YA #LGBTQ+ @Xpresso Book Tours25/4/2022
My NOT So Anonymous Best Friend
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: Noah As if the cosmos decided to force me to drool, Evan Santiago rode into the lot on his motorcycle. He wore a helmet with the visor down, hiding his face, but I didn’t need to see to know. The guy was all tight muscles and badness. He parked two spots away from my light blue jalopy with the word WEEBS 2 on the license plates and stickers of Kirito, Asuna, and Zero Two on the windows around my car. He dropped the kickstand and gracefully swung one powerful leg over the seat as he got off the bike. He pulled off his helmet and shook his deep black hair to perfection and crouched to get his satchel out of one of the saddlebags on the bike. His tee lifted, revealing a sliver of pale skin at his back. Damn. When had I started looking at Evan Santiago this way? I blinked away the moment and turned to the empty seat beside me. I caught sight of Sasha approaching the secret love of my life, having silently crept out of my car. I hadn’t even heard her close the door! Her little skort swayed over toned legs. The slut. Was I really thinking she was competition? Was I competition? Evan acknowledged her and she said something to him. He lifted his eyes in my direction—the color of green flames—forcing me to lose my breath. No. Evan couldn’t see me through the glare of the windshield. Nope. But that look still held me in some sort of trance. As if an invisible line had jettisoned out of his eyeballs and wrapped around my chest, crushing me. Yeah, too much anime for me. Then he suddenly looked away, and the crushing sensation lifted. I inhaled sharply, filling my lungs with much-needed oxygen. Man-whore. Why was I thinking of someone else when I had Carlos? That was not a good sign. Sasha took Evan’s arm, and they walked into the school together as if they were a couple. Were they a couple? The idea of them together left me confused. Nothing new, really. Just another normal day in the life of me. Evan was not interested in me. Despite the burning looks he gave me. Certainly, I was misinterpreting them. Maybe the guy had a bad case of acid indigestion. Or I had a bad case of TMI—too much imagination. With an audible sigh, I headed into the school alone. If I had to draw an abstract version of my high school, it would be a prism of varying stars and stripes. I was a stripe, while people like Evan Santiago were stars. 
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by: #Book Blitz #The Last Beekeeper by Rebecca L.Fearnley #YA Fantasy #Dystopian @Xpresso Book Tours20/4/2022
The Last Beekeeper
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo -- EXCERPT: The insect—for it can only be an insect—wanders groggily over the mound, seems to contemplate her fingertips for a moment and then clambers aboard. Its feet are so light, she can barely feel them. She holds the creature up to her face, frowning as it waggles its antennae. Its gold-and-black striped body gleams in the sun, fuzzy to the point of ridiculous, with delicate gossamer wings and antennae that twitch curiously. Solma stares. “What is it, d’you think?” It isn’t a beetle. Solma knows that much. Warren’s pulling at her fingertips, straining to see. Solma suppresses a smile and holds the creature out so he can get a better look. Warren’s eyes widen. “That’s a bee!” he whispers. Solma scoffs. “No it isn’t,” she laughs, ruffling his hair. “It can’t be, can it? There ain’t no more bees.” No one has seen one in over a century. This can’t possibly be a bee. Still. What’s the harm in letting her brother hope? She watches it wriggling on her finger. She can feel it now if she concentrates. The lightest brush of life against her skin. It buzzes its wings half-heartedly and Warren grins with delight. Solma can’t help grinning, too. It’s been such a long time since she’s seen him smile. “Why don’t it fly away?” Warren asks. “You think it’s sick?” Solma gently cups her other hand over the insect and draws it close to her chest. Could it be sick? The thought makes her sick, too. The summer skies have been empty of flying things for such a long time that suddenly she can’t bear the thought of this one falling ill. It buzzes against her again, shuffling down her finger and into her palm, as if accepting the safety she’s offering. Its little body thrums, begging protection. “Maybe it is sick,” Solma concedes, then balks at the stricken look on Warren’s face. “We’ll save it,” she says without thinking. It’s a daft thought. She doubts they can save it. If it really is a bee, it’s the only one she’s ever seen. Where can it possibly have come from? 
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by: Description The Fifth Perfect Blood shall change the world. Fourteen-year-old Aiden Dyer just wants to call a place home. But his father’s engineering job keeps them moving around. When they relocate to England on short notice, Aiden knows it’s only a matter of time before they move again. But after a series of strange encounters, Aiden’s life is turned upside down following a near-fatal attack from a vampire. Plunged into a world of supernatural creatures, Aiden learns that his two new school friends are vampires and his father’s job isn’t as an engineer at all but as a Master Hunter at the Vampire Hunter Association. Soon, Aiden discovers the truth behind the strange attacks. He is the fifth Perfect Blood, destined to change the world, and now the fabled Dark Witch has returned to hunt him down and use his blood in their evil plan. As chaos descends and the Dark Witch who stalks Aiden closes in, Aiden must hurry to find a way to save the supernatural world before it is destroyed. Purchase ISBN 9781739788803  My thoughts:
Entertaining, with clear storylines and well-thought-through world-building. The series reads quite young- would be perfect for 12-13 year old readers. The protagonist of the series, 14 year old Aiden Dyer lost his mother when he was still a baby. His father Jason has an important engineering job which means they have to move countries every couple years, so Aiden has become quite good at adapting himself to new circumstances and fitting in in new schools. This time they are back to Oaksdale, England, where Aiden was born. Strange encounters follow and Aiden unexpectedly finds himself befriended by two vampires- Callie and Taylor. More revelations follow- Aiden's father turns out to be a Master Vampire Hunter hailing from a long line of legendary vampire exterminators and that's not all. Aiden himself isn't just an ordinary boy- he is the carrier of super special Perfect Blood, a rare occurence in the history of this supernatural world. Add a dark magic creature - Dark Witch- who is craving absolute power, something Aiden's blood can give them, and the picture of the upcoming battles is complete. A large part of the book is about Aiden making friends and trying to figure out his place in this dangerous world which appeared so safe and easy to understand a short time ago. Aiden needs to work out who can and who can't be trusted and learn to defend himself and those he is beginning to care a lot about. The author got me with the mystery- I thought I had it all worked out, but I was wrong. Can't wait to read the continuation of Aiden's story. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion. #Blog Tour #You Should Have Seen This Coming by Shani Michelle #YA Thriller @Xpresso Book Tours15/4/2022
You Should Have Seen This Coming
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GIVEAWAY! Hosted by:
My thoughts:
When I read this amazing blurb I just knew I needed to read it! Being able to discover someone's deepest secrets just by touching something that belonged to them sounds like a wonderful gift ...that could of course get you in all sorts of trouble. Do you ignore it, use it to help others to get justice (call it a modern version of Robin Hood) or try to gain something for your benefit? Seeing future could be even more problematic for all sorts of reasons. What if you happen to see something personal that will hurt you or people you love, but feel you can't change the course of events? Do you try anyway or just brace or emotionally distance yourself? These are the dilemmas Hayden and Cassie, the protagonists of Shani Michelle's amazing YA thriller You should Have Seen This Coming grapple with on a daily basis. Now imagine one of them gets kidnapped and it's up to the others to save her life? You see why I simply couldn't put the book down? To be honest, I was gripped from the word go. There's just something special about Shani's writing style and the way she structures the narrative. Chapter after chapter, I needed to read on and find out how Hayden's visions of past and Cassie's prophecies are going to help them survive. The pace was perfect- everything seemed well-developed, but there was never a dull or slow scene. Both Hayden and Cassie are likeable protagonists. Don't let Hayden's prickly attitude at the beginning fool you. You'll soon discover what has made her feel and behave that way. One of the best things about this book is seeing how she finds new, true friends and finally gets a chance to have a stable, 'normal' life. I loved the dual POV narrative which takes the phrase 'put the events in perspective' to a whole new level. Overall, it was a very entertaining, fast-paced YA mystery (with a touch of paranormal) that I would have no trouble recommending to anyone who loves the genre. Thank you to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. 
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