Friday, October 25, 2019

Book Review - The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City by Tara Lazar + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Private I is enjoying the calm after solving the case of 7 Ate 9 when Question Mark bursts in with the mystery of the century.  Mark is worried that all the capital letters are missing! However, Private I has a hard time believing him since this is Capital City. As Private I is the last letter standing, he will have to solve the mystery before it's too late.

The book was a fun laugh out read. The cute book made learning fun with witty jokes and silly puns. An adorable read for any young child learning the alphabet.

 
 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**



About the Book:
Title: THE UPPERCASE
Author: Tara Lazar & Ross Macdonald (Illustrator)
Pub. Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 32
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonB&NTBD

Just when Private I thinks all is calm-now that he's cracked the case of 7 Ate 9-Question Mark storms into the office.

Mark is worried. All the uppercase letters are M-I-S-S-I-N-G! But that's absurd. This is CAPITAL City!

Private I is the last letter standing. Will he solve his BIGGEST mystery yet, the UPPER CASE, before it's too late?!

Filled with the same humor, wit, and quirkiness of the hit 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story, comes another laugh-out-loud whodunit.




About Tara:
Street magic performer. Hog-calling champion. Award-winning ice sculptor. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been.
Instead, she writes quirky, humorous picture books where anything is possible.
Her picture books available now are:
Tara is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
Her last name rhymes with “bazaar”—you can listen to Tara pronounce her name on TeachingBooks.net. She’s not Tara Laser-beam (although that would be awesome).


Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE UPPERCASE, US Only.


Rafflecopter link:


10/14/2019
Excerpt
10/14/2019
Review
10/15/2019
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10/15/2019
Excerpt
10/16/2019
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10/16/2019
Spotlight
10/17/2019
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10/17/2019
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10/18/2019
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Week Two:
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10/21/2019
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10/22/2019
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10/22/2019
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10/23/2019
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10/23/2019
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10/24/2019
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10/25/2019
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10/25/2019
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Instagram Tour Schedule:
Week One:
10/14/2019
Review
10/15/2019
Review
10/16/2019
Review
10/17/2019
Spotlight
10/18/2019
Review

Week Two:
10/21/2019
Review
10/22/2019
Review
10/23/2019
Review
10/24/2019
Review
10/25/2019
Review
 

Book Review - 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Sophie couldn't wait for the holiday break so she can spend time with her boyfriend and away from her overprotective parents. When her parents decide to spend some time with her older sister, Sophie is beyond ecstatic to have her freedom. Sophie couldn't wait to tell Griffin the news but, then she finds out that Griffin wants to take a break from their relationship.

Sophie is heartbroken and decides to spend her time at her grandparents' house where the entire family is gathered for the holiday. Her Nonna has a brilliant idea to help Sophie get over her pain by allowing each one of her family members to plan a different blind date for her. With each date allowing Sophie to get over Griffin and enjoy herself, she finds herself lost for words when Griffin begs her to take him back.  However, Sophie is more confused than ever when she finds herself falling for someone else. Will Sophie be able to find the person she should be with?

I thought the novel was a cute and fun read especially when someone is going through heartbreak. However, I was a bit put off by some of Sophie's behavior such as almost ghosting someone when she realized she might like someone else. I thought as she experienced first-hand someone being less than kind with her that she would be better. Or when she felt that excluded from her cousins and instead of telling them how she felt, she pulled away from them. And then she feels hurt when she doesn't feel included in their plans.  I feel like as a person who has been heartbroken or lonely, she isn't very empathetic to people around her. Overall, I still found the novel to be an enjoyable read especially the dates she went on.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

About the Book
Title: 10 BLIND DATES
Author: Ashley Elston
Pub. Date: October 1, 2019
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 336

Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship.

Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.

When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.

This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever . . . or is it?

"This piece-by-piece romance doesn't need its Christmas theme to sell, but it makes it glitter all the more."—Booklist
"In a funny holiday romance that has Sophie dog-sitting in a hockey rink, watching porn at a drive-in theater, and playing the Virgin Mary in a middle school Nativity, Elston cleverly reflects the family members' personalities through their choices of dates for Sophie."—Publishers Weekly




About Ashley:
Ashley Elston is the author of several novels, including THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING (a finalist in the Best Young Adult Novel category of the International Thriller Awards) and THIS IS OUR STORY. She graduated with a Liberal Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Ashley worked for many years as a wedding photographer before turning her hand to writing. Ashley lives in Louisiana with her husband and three sons.

Ashley is represented by Sarah Davies at The Greenhouse Literary Agency.

Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of 10 BLIND DATES, US Only.

Rafflecopter link:

Tour Schedule:
Week One:
10/1/2019- BookHounds YA- Excerpt
10/2/2019- Odd and Bookish- Review
10/3/2019- Fictitiouswonderland- Review
10/4/2019- Here's to Happy Endings- Review

Week Two:
10/7/2019- PopTheButterfly Reads- Excerpt
10/8/2019- Read. Eat. Love.- Review
10/9/2019- Paper Reader- Review
10/10/2019- A Bookish Dream- Review
10/11/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review

Week Three:
10/14/2019- book briefs- Review
10/15/2019- Shelf-Rated- Review
10/16/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Review
10/17/2019- Do You Dog-ear?- Review
10/18/2019- Wishful Endings- Review

Week Four:
10/21/2019- Southern Girl Bookaholic- Review
10/22/2019- Eli to the nth- Review
10/23/2019- fictitious.fox- Review
10/24/2019-  Fire and Ice- Review
10/25/2019- Two points of interest- Review

Week Five:
10/28/2019- Riddle’s Reviews- Review
10/29/2019- Jena Brown Writes- Review
10/30/2019- Moonlight Rendezvous- Review
10/31/2019- Novel Novice- Review