I am such a huge fan of author Jennifer Laurens. So when I heard that her newest release, GRACE DOLL, was going on tour, I just had to sign up. I’d discovered her Heavenly trilogy when I was just a reader, during my angel phase, and just couldn’t get enough of her writing. I bought every single title she wrote and devoured them all and loved them.

GRACE DOLL is on my reading pile this month and I can’t wait to read it, because it sounds absolutely amazing and I just know it will give me that twisty-turny feeling and be every bit as captivating as all her other books.

If you haven’t yet heard about this awesome book or this amazing author, here’s just a little bit about them both.

About the Book

About the Author

WHO IS GRACE DOLL?

I asked a beta reader about titling Grace Doll. I said, “Which title do you like best? Immortal? Divine? Forever Love? Or Grace Doll?”

She said, “I’ve heard of all the other titles before, none of them are stand out. But when I see Grace Doll, I’m like, ‘What the hell is a Grace Doll?’ “

So, I decided to go with Grace Doll.

In a book world where every book is a one-word title, it was a risk going with Grace Doll, but the significance isn’t just about the character.

My aunt’s name was Grace Doll, and everywhere we went people were intrigued by her name. She was a vivacious, bubbly woman with a contagious laugh and southern drawl.

When I originally wrote this story, it was a screenplay—and the character of Grace Doll was Laura Lainhart. In re-writing it for my young adult audience, I wanted everything about the story to be fresh. I settled on Grace Doll because my books always have an element of me in them, because I write for myself and my family first. And, Grace Doll, like all of my books are woven with bits and pieces of my life experiences. My family knows that, recognizes them and each book has a deeper meaning that way. Long after I’m gone, my posterity will read one of my books and remember when “that moment” happened or “that scene” or “that character is me.”

Grace’s character was so wonderful to write because she’s a long-lived woman in a teenager’s body. I loved tackling on the difficulties and nuances that would create in someone. For instance, Grace has the idiosyncrasies of a mature woman ( i.e. not wasting anything, being OCD about organizing, etc. ) but the feelings and dreams of a teenage girl on the verge of experiencing her first love.

Even though Grace has had lifetimes of living, her experiences have been limited. She’s at a crossroads when she meets Brenden, and she has to decide: will my life be more of the same? Or am I going to face my demons and break free?

We were given fifteen amazing excerpts to choose from, and while I’d have loved to have posted all fifteen here, that would have been just too greedy so I chose a couple favorites, because choosing just one wasn’t an option.

And yes, almost all of them gave me that twisty-turny feeling, made me sigh, and made me wish I was reading GRACE DOLL right now. Especially this one incredibly beautiful and sensuous excerpt, which I didn’t include, because it, I believe, should be discovered within the context of the story.

I loved getting to know where the name GRACE DOLL derived from. And I love that author Jennifer Laurens makes her family a part of her writing and her stories. It’s one of the things I enjoyed most about reading the Heavenly series.

Grace Doll sounds like an absolutely fascinating character, that I can’t wait to meet! Especially after checking out all fifteen excerpts. Which I won’t go into detail about here, as I’m sure a few other blogs will be posting them throughout the tour. But I will just say that I’m more intrigued than ever about this character, this story and the secondary characters I’ve had the chance to meet, albeit briefly.

And of course I just have to thank Jennifer Laurens for stopping by and for sharing with me and my blog’s readers that wonderful post about GRACE DOLL‘s creation and development. I am, and always will be, a fan and can’t wait to see what’s next.

I also want to thank Kathy of I Am A Reader Not A Writer for allowing me to be a stop on this awesome tour she put together!

Be sure to check out all the stops on the tour for more peeks at GRACE DOLL, author interviews, reviews and other awesome posts!

The giveaway is the same at all stops, so if you’ve already entered, you don’t need to enter here! It is being hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer, so be sure to check out the giveaway rules.

***Ends November 15, 2012***

Enter in the Rafflecopter below….
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Well, after the epic loss of books from the post office the other week I ended up getting a few replacement trades. Not the eight books I traded for originally, but they are five awesome books.

Though surprise, surprise, the post office apparently located seven of the eight missing books. But instead of sending them to me, they’re sending them back to sender so that we can try this all over again. Hey, maybe they’ll lose them again and find only six of the seven. Anyway….

[Credit for mailbox sharing goes to TSS]

I clearly had an issue taking the picture of my pile of books this week. And as I don’t have Photoshop on this computer I couldn’t make them at least appear somewhat straight. Sorry about that.

All the books I received were replacements for that original trade the other week. And, except for one or two, they’re all different. But I’m excited about having all of them early, even if I am not completely caught up on a couple series - The Iron Fey and Legacy.

What’s Left of Me looks and sounds really cool. And I’ve been super curious about Break My Heart 1,000 Times. I really hope to get a chance to read some of these books early. But as they’re not on the pile this week…

Here are the books I have in my reading pile this week.

(August 12 – August 18, 2012)

***

First up on the pile is Rift by Andrea Cremer. I received an ARC from the publisher, Philomel, just over a week ago. While I have purchased the eBook, I’ll be reading the printed ARC for review this week.

I love author Andrea Cremer’s writing and I loved the two books in her Nightshade series that I read. I still haven’t read the final book as I hadn’t wanted to see that series end. But had I known there would be a prequel written, I’d have definitely read it already.

As I won’t have time to read that book and this one in a timely manner I will be reading this prequel out of sequence, which will be interesting. As it’s a prequel, hopefully I won’t be spoiling anything about the end of the series, though I’m sure I’ll be missing some of those “aha” moments that relate to things in that final book.

I’m really excited about checking out this book which the description says chronicles the “rise of the Keepers.” And I’m thrilled to read this story about Ember Morrow and Barrow Hess.

I love that its described as “fast-paced and breathtaking” and with the promise of “action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality” I’m certain that this is a book that I will absolutely love.

Next up on the pile is Grace Doll by Jennifer Laurens. I won an ARC from the author on her blog and I’m dying to read it. I have loved everything I read by this author, as she always manages to write these angst-filled and twisty-turny stories that just tear me up inside.

I can’t wait to meet Grace Doll and see what choices she ends up making. I hope she gets the freedom she wanted and that she doesn’t become ensnared once more in the controlled life she’d left behind.

I am curious to know just what this stranger promises and whether Grace ends up with a happy ending. I feel like it’s been ages since I last read a book by this author and I’m so excited to get to read this one just a little bit early.

***

Wishful Thinking reads:

I wish I could read Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout this week. After having read Onyx I’ve been in major JLA withdrawal. I am dying to meet new characters and discover a new story that she’s written. And I love the idea behind the book.

But as I am behind on some of my required reads because I went a bit off pile, it will likely just be a wish, hope and dream of a read and not an actual read this week.

***

Those left behind:

I went completely off pile last week and didn’t end up reading any of the books in the Lorien Legacies series as originally planned. I got totally caught up in reading Silver by Talia Vance late one night. I fell madly in love with that book in the first few pages and couldn’t bear to stop reading until I’d devoured it.

And then I was lured in by Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas which I had on an earlier reading pile but decided to set aside for a bit as I joined the book tour and wasn’t due to review it until early September. But the idea of assassins and high fantasy was too much to resist and so I snuck that one in.

I hope to get started on the Lorien Legacies books before I start this week’s reads, but I may not be able to resist checking out both Rift and Grace Doll before then.

***

NetGalley Pile Adds:

I did not get any new books from NetGalley this week. I actually had looked on NetGalley and found a book, but it was a Disney-Hyperion book and of course they don’t approve blogger ARCs so I was saved from yet another NetGalley read on the pile.

While I am still a bit behind on reviews for books I’ve read – like Unravel Me and Demon Eyes - I have written and posted a couple reviews this week, so I’m not too far behind. And I will be writing my review for Silver today, so I just need to catch up on those other not as pressing reviews.

I’ve been trying to get ahead on required reads for books I’m participating on tours for. I just have one more book to read - Inbetween by Tara Fuller – and I’ll be caught up, which takes away a lot of that stress.

I am really hoping not to go on any more tours in the near future, but it’s one of those things I find just too hard to say no to.

Anyway….

I know this post is a day late, but I had a post scheduled for the Authors Are Rockstars Tour which I couldn’t move. So, a belated happy reading week and I hope you have some amazing books on the pile this week!

***

Do you create a reading pile?
If so, what’s in your pile this week?

As I mentioned in my Crush List post, there are books that you fall in love with, that leave you breathless and sobbing your eyes out. Books that take your heart and stomp on it, leaving you completely destroyed.

Thankfully there aren’t too many books that shatter your heart into a million pieces. But, here are five that have earned their place on Heartbreak Row.

As some of the reasons they are so heartbreaking would involve spoilers, I will be slightly cryptic with my answers as to why I’m heartbroken. But if you’re willing to risk a broken heart, definitely check these books out.

(Also, I could have called this Devastation Alley instead of Heartbreak Row, but that just sounds too over-dramatic, now doesn’t it?)

If I Stay has earned a permanent place on Heartbreak Row. I still can’t even think of this book without tearing up. As much as I want to read it a second time, knowing how affecting it is, I just can’t quite willingly put myself through that again at the moment.

And, this is one of those books that is just so powerful the first time around that you have to think about whether or not a re-read will take away from the experience.

Why I’m heartbroken: It’s just so, so sad. The writing makes it impossible not to feel the depth of pain, the incredible loss, and the difficult choices that the main character is faced with.Delirium earned a spot on Heartbreak Row that I hope is not permanent. As it is the first book in a trilogy and I haven’t a clue as to what is going to happen next, I am keeping hope alive that things will be less devastating in the second and third books in the series. Of course, having now read two books by this author I don’t think that will be the case.

And it is definitely possible that either of the next two books will be even more heartbreaking, but for now, Delirium is right where it should be.

Why I’m heartbroken: The ending. And that lead up to the ending. Crushing. A complete tear-jerker ending. Shocking. Sob-inducing. The writing throughout is absolutely beautiful. It lulls you into a state of calm and then the floor drops right out from under you.

Black Halo has a permanent place on Heartbreak Row. I have not yet read the last book in the series, Grace of Day, but that wouldn’t matter, although I have a feeling that it might be right up here with Black Halo when I do get a chance to read it.

The series itself tugged at my heart multiple times in each of the books I’ve read. There are just so many moments that squeezed my heart and brought tears to my eyes.

But none come even close to the one scene in this book which had me crying out loud without even realizing I was.

Why I’m heartbroken: The scene between Robert and Grace – the one in which Grace puts her love for Robert above all else. My heart is breaking right now thinking of it. The scene was so raw, so real, so powerful and so unbelievably heartbreaking. Oh yeah, and then there’s the last page of the book.

Shadow Kiss is another permanent fixture on Heartbreak Row. I was completely annihilated by the events that transpired in this book. Spirit Bound was a contender, but as it only had the one line which crushed me, Shadow Kiss was way more deserving of a spot. It is an absolute heartbreaker.

Now, this is not to say that my heart wasn’t shredded a little bit in every single one of these books. But Richelle Mead reached in, grabbed my heart, ripped it out, and played football with it in Shadow Kiss.

Why I’m heartbroken: For Rose. For what happens toward the end of this book. For having to walk away, completely helpless, unable to do anything even though it’s killing her. Rose’s heart was broken, so was mine.

Absolution – and really the entire trilogy – caused me enough heartache, suffering and anguish to have earned a prime spot on Heartbreak Row.

Every book in the trilogy lifts you up, gives you hope, and then smashes you to pieces. But as Absolution is the final book in the series, it’s the ending that kills – when there are no more pages to keep hope alive, when the story wraps up and you realize that the once possible future is no longer.

Why I’m heartbroken: Because it had the right ending, even though it wasn’t the ending I had hoped for. Because I could see happily-ever-after being ripped away. Because I continued to hope until the very last possible moment. Because I fell in love with the idea of something impossible.

***

So, this is just a peek at five of the books I have on Heartbreak Row. Books I’m glad that I’ve read without an audience. Books that make me glad I keep a box of Kleenex handy.

And books whose pages deliver pain, sorrow, anguish and total heart-stopping devastation. Stories that are just as beautiful as they are cruel. Books that I will remember always.

What books have you read that left you heartbroken?

As I’m a total heartbreak junkie, I’d love to know!

The Heavenly trilogy by author Jennifer Laurens is one of my favorite series of all time. Some days I dream it had stopped after book one because the heartbreak only continues as it goes along. But it’s an amazing series and one I’ve already gifted to a friends and family who also fell in love with it.

Perhaps you haven’t yet read this amazing series? Well, it just recently had a cover makeover for the eBook editions. And they are gorgeous! I may have to re-purchase them for myself.

Today on Twitter the author had another surprise giveaway and I was a winner. As she is always doing such great things for her fans I, as a huge fan, also want to share.

So, since I just posted a quickie review of something today, I’m going to do this as a quickie giveaway.

The giveaway:

All three Kindle eBooks with those new covers of The Heavenly trilogy by Jennifer Laurens to TWO WINNERS.

The details:

- Must be 13 or older to enter

- Giveaway is to anyone who can accept Kindle gifts from Amazon

- Only one entry per person

- Random.org will be choosing the winners

- Giveaway ends at midnight tonight

- Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen

- Kindle gifts will be sent as emails from Amazon

Leaving a comment will be your entry into the giveaway. No follow, like or Tweetish stuff required!

If you haven’t heard about this author or series, she can be found on Twitter @jenniferlaurens or on her BLOG.

If you want to check out what I had to say about the first book in the series, click here.

Thank you to everyone for entering my Quickie Giveaway for the Heavenly trilogy. I will be choosing winners shortly via Random.org and post their names here. Stay tuned…

Winner #1 is…

Winner #2 is…

Congratulations LadyVampire and NoraBell! You both are winners of the Quickie Heavenly Trilogy eBook giveaway.

I will be notifying you by email to expect eBook gifts from Amazon. I believe they have to be sent separately as you can’t gift multiple Kindle books in one order. So you may see three email messages from Amazon.

For those who aren’t winners, stay tuned, as soon as the author releases the print editions with the new covers I will be doing a giveaway for a set or two of those!

There are so many amazing books out there – released or soon-to-be-released – that have certain passages that just captivate.

Here are just a few of those that caught my attention in the past month.

I can’t put my favorite passage here or I’d be giving away a spoiler but if you read the book you’ll find it at the very end.

I do have a favorite passage close to the end, but it is a spoiler. Here are just a few of the overwhelmingly many beautiful passages in this book.