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In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart. 
Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying. 

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.

About the Author:

Kimberley Griffiths LittleAuthor's Website
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Kimberley Griffiths Little was born in San Francisco, but now lives in New Mexico with her husband and their three sons. 

For such award-winning middle grade novels as When the Butterflies Came, The Last Snake Runner, The Healing Spell, and Circle of Secrets, her writing has been praised as "fast-paced and dramatic," with "characters painted in memorable detail" and "beautifully realized settings." 

Kimberley adores anything old and musty with a secret story to tell and makes way too many cookies while writing. 

She's stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland; sailed on the Seine in Paris; ridden a camel in Petra, Jordan; shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul; and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.

Her amazing, filmed-on-location book trailers are right here on Goodreads.https://www.goodreads.com/videos/list...

Awards: Southwest Book Award, Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel, Bank Street College Best Books of 2011 & 2014, Crystal Kite Finalist, and New Mexico Book Award Finalist.

Watch the Trailer!

Praise for Forbidden

*STARRED* Review, ALA BOOKLIST

". . . At its core, this is a romance, with all the push and pull that goes along with impossible love, and Little elevates the story by creating a perilous landscape, both outward and inward, as Jayden must deal with the hardship of desert life as well as her own desires."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"This is a fast-paced, entertaining choice which will appeal to fans of historical fiction and romance."

"Lush, lyrical, romantic. Forbidden transports readers into a vividly imagined place and time."
--Claudia Gray, New York Times bestselling author

"The harsh beauty of the deserts of ancient Mesopotamia come to life in Forbidden, with beautiful descriptions that will make you crave water and check for sand in your clothes. Your heart will break as you root for Jayden to triumph over the many struggles that threaten to tear her world apart, and the ending will leave you thirsting for more!"
--Sara B. Larson, author of Defy

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"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Review:

What I loved best about Forbidden would definitely be the descriptions. The setting was so vivid, and all of the characters were described really well. The world-building was fairly strong, but it was hard to keep track of all the settings. Scenes would transition so quickly that I'd be blinking and asking myself how Jayden even got there. Honestly, some of these scene transitions were too quick, and there really was no flow. Some of the scenes could be sluggishly slow while other scenes would jump from one event to another I didn't know where I was going. 

Despite the uneven pace, I enjoyed the plot- it was fresh and interesting; especially since I've barely read any books taking place in a desert. And the culture and traditions in Forbidden was detailed and wonderfully written. 

This book mostly focused on Jayden and her growth as time passed. Although I would have liked a little more on other characters (especially her sister), I really enjoyed how Jayden found herself and her strength as the story progressed. 
Some of the things that happened to her was terrifying, and I think some of the events were downplayed a bit. 

The romance was not the best part of the book, but it wasn't terribly written. I just didn't like how Griffiths tried to portray it as "forbidden"- it didn't really have that feel- and it was insta-love (one of my biggest pet peeves). The love interest, Kadesh, also seemed like a cardboard cutout character with not much uniqueness of his own. Thankfully, Jayden's character was able to compensate for that and the romance was scattered throughout the book so that it wasn't tiring to read. 

Overall Forbidden was a glittering, unique read with lots of descriptive dances (which I loved) and a strong main character. I would recommend this for fantasy lovers who like books with a distinctive setting.  

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.
Four Chocolates!
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 1/4/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am a Reader Not a Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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22887469
Division spy Christy Hadden can't wait for her latest assignment posing as a student at a prestigious New York City academy and car thief extraordinaire.

The best part of the mission is her attractive handler, Jeremy, and her new team. The worst part? The sociopath masquerading as the academy's most popular guy.

But soon she realizes the car thieves are much more than they seem. Her simple spying mission becomes more dangerous than anyone imagined. If the organization discovers her true identity, they won't hesitate to kill her, and if she fails, others will suffer the same fate.

Young Adults, teens and adults will love this exciting suspenseful adventure with a dash of romance. You won't want to put it down.

About the Author:

Cindy M. Hogan graduated with a BA in education and is inspired by the unpredictable teenagers she teaches. More than anything she loves the time she has with her own teenage daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she's not reading or writing, you'll find her snuggled up with the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party. Most of all, she loves to laugh. She is the bestselling and award winning author of the Watched trilogy, a YA suspense series with a dash of romance. She has since branched off to write a mystery, Gravediggers, that won Best YA novel of 2013, a contemporary romance, Confessions of a 16-Year-Old Virgin Lips, and two in a spy series, Adrenaline Rush and Hotwire.



"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Review:

I must admit, I didn't read this first book, Adrenaline Rush, before reading Hotwire. In fact, I still haven't read it- and now I really want. Hotwire is a very enjoyable young adult mystery/thriller novel with a spunky main character and unique side characters. It's also able to be read as a standalone novel so no worries about Adrenaline Rush!

This is a rather fun and light mystery that keeps you guessing throughout the story. I think my main problem with Hotwire was simply that it was too light for me. It doesn't mean that Hotwire was bad; it's mostly just a matter or preference. Hotwire isn't necessarily detailed in its descriptions of settings or characters, but it makes up for that in the plot. It's fast-paced and exciting to the end. 

The romance is not the main focus of the story but Christy's relationship and interactions with Jeremy is an important part of Hotwire. Since Jeremy is Christy's handler (they interact a lot because of this), their romance is "forbidden". The romance didn't really have that "forbidden" taste going on for me, and it seemed kind of silly to add that there. And I just didn't find Jeremy to be an attractive or likable character. Maybe it's because I didn't read the first book, but I just wasn't really able to understand the full scope of their relationship and who Jeremy was. 

Overall though, I really enjoyed Hotwire and I'll be adding Adrenaline Rush to my to-read list- it looks like it's going to be a fun read and it'll be nice to get more background on Christy. This book is definitely recommended for YA mystery lovers. 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads for the book cover, about the book, and author information.
Four Chocolates!
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/26/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am a Reader Not a Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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