BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: Chasing Truth and Hiding Lies by Julie Cross

Welcome to my stop on the Hiding Lies (Eleanor Ames, #2) by Julie Cross blog tour, hosted by Entangled Teen! This post will feature the synopses for Chasing Truth (Eleanor Ames, #1) and Hiding Lies (Eleanor Ames, #2) as well as my reviews for both books. At the end of the post there will be a link to enter in the giveaway to win a paperback copy of Chasing Truth. Enjoy!

About Chasing Truth (Eleanor Ames, #1):

When former con artist Eleanor Ames’s homecoming date commits suicide, she’s positive there’s something more going on. The more questions she asks, though, the more she crosses paths with Miles Beckett. He’s sexy, mysterious, arrogant…and he’s asking all the same questions.

Eleanor might not trust him – she doesn’t even like him – but they can’t keep their hands off of each other. Fighting the infuriating attraction is almost as hard as ignoring the fact that Miles isn’t telling her the truth…and that there’s a good chance he could be the killer.

Buylinks: https://entangledpublishing.com/chasing-truth.html

What I’ve Been Reading Lately

For the last four months, I’ve solely been reading children’s novel’s for my children’s literature class. Most of the books on the reading list are ones I’ve been wanting to read, but let’s face it; if I wasn’t in a children’s literature class, I wouldn’t ever read them. Not because they are bad novels, but because there’s books I want to read more first.

However, I really enjoyed the reading list for my class!

There was only one book on the list that I didn’t really want to read because I had never heard of it, and when I read the description, it didn’t pique my interest. I will let you know what it was later in the post.

This semester (which is now over, hooray for Christmas break!) I have read:

REVIEW: Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Summary (from my hardback cover):

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criterion: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward fumblings over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time, the kind Mercedes never had herself.

Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word sex until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.

When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her own reputation- and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process.

Funny, smart, and true-to-life, Firsts is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

REVIEW: The Martian by Andy Weir

Synopsis (taken from Audible, since I listened to the audiobook)-

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive – and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plainold “human error” are much more likely to kill him first

(Sorry if the picture looks a little blurry to you, I couldn’t get my camera to focus where I wanted it too. So I picked the least blurry one out of the 40 or so pictures I took.)

REVIEW: What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

Synopsis (from my hardback cover)-

Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early, the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.

But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details, and begins asking questions.

What really happened at the party after she left? Who was still there? What did they see?

When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?

This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

My Top 15 Books of 2015!

I came up with a list of my top 15 books that I read and LOVED throughout the year! This list is in no particular order:

• Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas
• Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) by Sarah J. Maas
• Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (check out my review here)
• Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (check out my review here)
• Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz

REVIEW: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Synopsis (from my paperback cover)-

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson, based on her award-winning web comic.

REVIEW: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Synopsis (from my hardback cover)-

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do today. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations- _______ and _______- are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, exes Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

REVIEW: Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Synopsis (from my paperback copy)-

It wouldn’t be a road trip without some detours… 

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it’s Amy’s responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn’t ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip- and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar- especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory- but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

My Thoughts: