Showing posts with label Elodie Nowodazkij. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elodie Nowodazkij. Show all posts

Friday, April 22, 2016

2016 Reading Challenge March Update

I meant to post this update last week but didn't get to it. In March I read four books, but I didn't really pay attention to whether they'd count for my challenges. Once I compiled all the details, I realized that I only made progress on one of my challenges in March. I've been reading a lot of ARCs lately and I'm thinking that I probably won't do much better in April. Oh, well! Read on!


February Progress
None crossed off this month.

alphabet 2016
March Progress
Completed two more for this challenge.
D - Dark Secrets by A.M. Hudson
L - Love in B Minor by Elodie Nowodazkij
 

Goodreads Group - 2016 Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
March Progress
None completed this month.


MY GOAL: Mount Blanc, 24 books
Total Read To Date: 12 
March Progress
None added this month.
2016 Dystopia Reading Challenge
March Progress
I didn't read any more books for this challenge this month.

2016-Discussion-Challenge 
MY GOAL: Discussion Dabbler (1-12 Discussion Posts)
March Progress
I didn't post any discussion posts in February.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Book Blitz, Review & Giveaway: Love in B Minor by Elodie Nowodazkij


Love in B Minor
Elodie Nowodazkij
(Broken Dreams #3)
Publication date: March 15th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
No promises. No fake tomorrows. That was the plan.
New city. New life. At least, that’s what nineteen-year-old Jen Harrison believes. On the surface, she’s living her dream: dancing in a prestigious dance company in Paris. But her sister’s death and the mistakes she’s tried to bury haunt her. She’s become a pro at hiding who she truly is, and she definitely doesn’t want a guy to derail her, but a one night-stand she can do. Nothing more. She definitely doesn’t plan to see the sexy stranger who made her laugh for the first time in years ever again.
Girls don’t walk away from Lucas Wills. Bad boy turned rock star, he’s got his share of groupies. Always upfront, he doesn’t promise fake tomorrows because love can destroy everything. Been there, done that. His ex not only lied to him, she stomped on his heart, used him to become famous, and almost ruined him. So, waking up alone after a night beyond his wildest imagination with a girl he just met shouldn’t upset him, shouldn’t inspire one of the saddest songs he’s ever written, shouldn’t make him want to chase after her.
When Jen, the one-night stand who got away, auditions to be a dancer in Lucas’ next music video, they can’t stop their growing attraction. But Jen’s secrets and his ex could shatter the careers they tried so hard to build and their hearts…they will have to decide what’s more important and if love is worth the fight.
Love in B Minor is the third standalone novel in Elodie Nowodazkij’s Broken Dreams series.
Teaser 1
EXCERPT:
And his laughter booms in the quiet night. And seeing him laugh makes me want to smile right along with him. And I want to hold on to that feeling a bit longer. One of my hands slowly reaches out and my fingers trail down his cheek while my other hand falls on his knee. He stops laughing. His gaze turns hungry.
“I’m not really thirsty anymore,” I whisper. Our eyes lock. The tension crackling between us gets even more intense. He leans in and I hold my breath. We’re lost in the moment, in the anticipation, in that one second. That one second before a first kiss. I bridge the tiny distance between us and when our lips meet, I breathe again.
His lips are strong and soft.
My body melts into his despite the layers. One of his hands caresses my back and I press myself against him, wishing I could feel his skin against mine. His tongue slips inside my mouth, teasing mine into a playful dance. His other hand cups my face and I could stay like this forever. But I want more. And what I have in mind probably shouldn’t happen outside.
We might get arrested.
But I don’t want to end the night here and now.
I don’t want this night to end at all.
Teaser 3 

MY REVIEW

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book. I’ve been to Germany and lived vicariously through my husband and his trips to Europe with high school kids. (One day I will make it myself to see more of Europe.) History was never my best subject in school. Yet this book made me want to go look up the history of Paris (and hopefully continue on to other areas fro there).

I was concerned for Jen at the start of the book and the situation she put herself in. But thankfully Lucas came to the rescue. I admire Jen for having the nerve to move across the world and live out her dreams.

Both Jen and Lucas have had a lot of heartache in their recent pasts and struggle with trust issues. They both agree to explore each other for one night. But circumstances bring them together for so much more.

I enjoyed the look into the rockstar life and the making of a music video as well as the look into the life in a ballet company. I’ve read the prequel to the Broken Dreams series and enjoyed it. I didn’t realize that this book was part of that series. So obviously it can be read as a standalone. But now that I’ve read Love in B Minor, I definitely want to go back and read the other books in this series.

I really enjoyed Jen & Lucas’s relationship. They have some creative “dates” not the usual dinner and a movie. There are some other side characters in the story that I wouldn’t mind learning more about.

The book takes a couple of turns that surprised the heck out of me. They were good surprises and I liked the way it turned out. This book also has me thinking that I maybe should try to catch a ballet sometime.  I absolutely loved this book and would totally recommend it to anyone who likes new adult romance.


Author Bio:
Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. Now she lives in Maryland with her husband, their dog and their cat.
She's also a serial smiley user.

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Monday, November 9, 2015

Review: One Dream Only (Broken Dreams 0.5) by Elodie Nowodazkij

One Dream Only (Broken Dreams, #0.5) 


One Dream Only (Broken Dreams 0.5) by Elodie Nowodazkij
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 116
Source: E-Book
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

 Goodreads Description:
She thought she was on her way to the top...

Sixteen-year-old Natalya Pushkaya has one dream and one dream only: becoming the best ballerina ever. Dancing's always been who she is and she's working her hardest to land the main role of the School of Performing Arts' end-of-the-year showcase. But...will she make it?
Within a week, Natalya's life will be changed forever.

Prequel novelette of One, Two, Three


Notes about the book:
This is a novelette not a full length novel. Currently the first book in the series is only $.99 on Amazon.

Book Quote:
  
“She was the light illuminating any stage she danced on.”
"Mama always said that dancing requires sacrifices. I just never thought she also meant sacrificing people."

My Review
This is  well-written glimpse of the story to come. I enjoyed the characters and am ready to read the full story of what comes next.

One Dream Only is the sad prequel to Ms. Nowodazkij's book One, Two, Three. Natalya's dreams are smashed with one accident. Will she ever be able to realize her dreams? Will she and her mother overcome what haunts them?

I've rated this with only 3 stars solely because it is so short and is not a full story. However, it is well-written and edited. I found several things I liked within the story. The chapters are short and sweet. To start with the story alternates between present day and the past. I found this to work well for the story. 

My one wish is that the book started out with more of an introduction of the characters. It wasn't until a few chapters into the book that I knew the main character's name. However, now that I go back and and think about it the book starts with the accident and things aren't clear in Natalya's mind. So it's very possible that the novelette was written this way to lend to the confusion of the main character. Now that I think about it this way, I actually kind of like it. It's an interesting writing style.

This story was written after the first book in the series. I don't know if they were meant to be read out of order or if this story was only an afterthought. I did read this story first in the series. 

One more thing that I would like to note about this story is that it is available in an English/German edition. One page is in English and the next is translated into German. I thought this was a such a neat concept. I studied German in high school and college and would have loved to have something like this to use to study the language. I will put a link to this version below as well.

I will definitely be going on to the first book in the series!

You can connect with the author at her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/954159761294820/  or check out her website at http://elodienowodazkij.com/.

Goodreads/Amazon/B&N

Link to English/German Edition
Goodreads/Amazon

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Stacking the Shelves #1

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Welcome to my first Stacking the Shelves post. Stacking the Shelves is a feature hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews. This is where I can post about the books and book swag I received this week. I will be posting my list on Sundays and will include anything I received Sunday through Saturday.

To start with I’m sure my lists will be small and mostly freebies I found at Amazon. Over time I hope my lists will grow to include ARCs or other books given to me for review. I’ve recently gone on a book buying hiatus because I’ve discovered several books owned by family members that I’d like to read. So I’m trying not to buy many books and I think I’ve controlled myself well.

Here’s my list for this week.

FREEBIES
*Please check prices before one-clicking* Book titles link to Amazon.



Blast of the Dragon’s Fury: A Hilarious Dragon Epic Fantasy Books with Dragons (Andy Smithson 1) by L.R.W. Lee - I saw a tweet for the cover of the newest book in this series and liked it. So I had to check out the author and found I could get the first book free. I’ve never read anything involving dragons. So I’ve decided to give it a try.
Elsker (Elsker Saga 1) by S.T. Bende - I’m not sure where I found this one. But the cover is beautiful!
Bad Things (Trista & Danika Book 1) by R.K. Lilley - I found this one on Twitter. I had recently read a review of one of her other books and this one was touted as a favorite. So I couldn’t pass it up.
Stupid Girl (Stupid in Love Book 1) by Cindy Miles - I believe this was one I had on my Amazon wishlist. I frequently check my wishlist for books that are now free and then one-click them.

FREEBIES FROM NEWSLETTER SIGNUPS




Lichgates by S.M. Boyce - I entered several of the Facebook Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop Stops and liked several authors in this process. When I took a break from entering, a sponsored post for this free e-book came up and contained a beautiful yet creepy picture. I had to click and sign up for the newsletter so that I could get this freebie. The cover won me over.
A Summer Like No Other by Elodie Nowodazkij - I believe this was another Facebook sponsored post. I’d seen a cover picture Ms. Nowodazkij had posted several weeks ago of her bilingual novel (one page is English, next page is translated in German) and loved the idea. The book sounded good too. So when I saw I could get this for free I went for it.
Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen - Beautiful cover
Watcher's Web by Patty Jansen - I don’t remember how I found Ms. Jansen’s signup page. It was probably through some other contest.

Now that I list them all out, I realize that I picked up quite a few books this week. I’m looking forward to reading these and supporting them. 

By the way if any bloggers out there have suggestions on book cover images to use, please leave them in the comments. I only own these on my Kindle and therefore don't have the actual book to photograph the cover.

What did you pick up this week? Be sure and leave a comment with a link to your post so I can check out your Stacking the Shelves haul.