Top 10 of 2017 Day 2- Best Book Covers!

Welcome to day 2! Today’s topic is Best Book Covers of 2017 (MUST be a book released in 2017. Would be best if it's a book you've READ in 2017, but it's not required)! I've read all of the books in my list and loved them all!

And make sure to stop by my co-hosts sites Fiktshun, , Tales of a Ravenous Reader,  Seeing Double in Neverland and the lovely ladies at Take Me Away To A Great Read! ! And check out Bridget from Dark Faerie Tales Instagram she will be running the giveaway for that component. Oh and make sure to sign up with the linky to share your lists! And don’t forget to enter the giveaway today! You'll have to check out my co-hosts blogs to see who is hosting it!

I read and loved all the books on this list (with the exception of Lifeblood, I didn't like it but the cover is still gorgeous). I'm not going to go into why I love these covers I'm just going to let their beauty speak for themselves!

1. ALLISON'S ADVENTURES IN UNDERLAND by C.M. Stunich. 

2. THRONE OF SECRETS by Graceley Knox.

3. THE CROWN OF LIGHT by Stacey Marie Brown.

4. THE LIBRARIAN by Christy Sloat.

5. A STRANGE HYMN by Laura Thalassa.

6. WATERS OF SALT & SIN by Alisha Klapheke.

7. A POISON DARK AND DROWNING by Jessica Cluess.

8. BLACK DAWN by Mallory McCartney.

9. BLACKSOULS by Nicole Castroman.

10. LIFEBLOOD by Gena Showalter.

Did any of my favorites make your list? Fill out the linky and let me know! And good luck with the giveaway!

And remember to stop by my co-hosts sites for their lists!

Blog Tour- BLACKSOULS by Nicole Castroman An Interview & Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for BLACKSOULS by Nicole Castroman!! I freaking LOVED this book! I have an interview with Nicole to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!

Haven't heard of BLACKSOULS? Check it out!

Title: BLACKSOULS

Author: Nicole Castroman

Pub. Date: April 11, 2017

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 400

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

Nicole Castroman brings the dangerous pirate ports of the Caribbean to life in this vibrant sequel to Blackhearts—the reimagined origin story of history’s most infamous pirate, Blackbeard.

Edward “Teach” Drummond is setting sail to the Caribbean as first mate on the most celebrated merchant ship in the British fleet—until he rebels against his captain. Mutiny is a capital offense and Teach knows it could cost him his life, but he believes it worth the risk in order to save his crew from the attacking Spanish ships.

Sailing on the same blue waters, Anne barely avoids the Spanish attack, making it safely to Nassau. But lawless criminals, corrupt politics, and dangerous intentions fill the crowded streets of this Caribbean port. Soon, Anne discovers that the man entrusted to keep the peace is quite possibly the most treacherous of them all—and he just happens to hold Teach’s fate in his terrifying hands.

Life and death hang in the balance when Teach and Anne are given a dangerous mission. It’s a mission that will test their love, loyalty and devotion, forcing them down a path neither one could have ever imagined.

Now on to the interview!

Hi Nicole! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books! I freaking LOVED BLACKHEARTS & BALCKSOULS and I know my readers will as well, and am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!

Thanks so much for having me!!!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit of a recap of BLACKHEARTS and the characters and what we can expect in BLACKSOULS?

Of course! BLACKHEARTS is the story of how Anne and Teach meet. Anne is a maid in the Drummond household. She's the daughter of an English merchant and a cook. Edward "Teach" Drummond has just returned home from a year at sea and he meets Anne while she's working in his father's house. And their lives are forever changed. :)

While BLACKHEARTS was entirely landlocked, BLACKSOULS is a lot more swashbuckling and takes place in the West Indies. Anne and Teach have definitely left "high society" behind when they arrive in the pirate port of Nassau.

I know we discussed this last year when S&S hadn’t acquired the sequel but is there a possibility of a book 3? I needs more Teach and Anne!

I certainly hope so!

So we finally get to meet some pirates! Woot! Are any of them real pirates or did you make them up to fit the story?

All of the pirates in BLACKSOULS are fictional. Definitely figments of my imagination. And they were so fun to write!

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

I love all of my characters, but I'm partial to Anne. And now Reva. :) My least favorite are the villains in this one. I didn't even try to make them redeemable. They're just evil.

What is your favorite passage/scene in BLACKSOULS?

I still love when Anne and Teach have screen time together. Those will always be my favorites.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

I read the works of Frederick Douglass and his experiences as a slave, which I think should be required reading in all high schools. Too much of our nation's history is whitewashed. I wanted to be as truthful and respectful of Anne's narrative as I could be. I also read SUGAR IN THE BLOOD by Andrea Stuart. She's the descendant of a plantation owner and a slave and this book details the harsh realities of Caribbean slavery and sugar production.

What inspired you to write YA?

Why not write YA? :) Young adults are often more open-minded than adults when it comes to storytelling. 

Lightening Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

I just finished Kasie West's BY YOUR SIDE, which I adored.

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

Ravenclaw!

Twitter or Facebook?

Instagram ;)

Favorite Superhero?

Oh, good one. I'm going to have to go with Captain America. I was an extra in Captain America: Civil War (not a short answer, but it's the truth)

Favorite TV show?

Project Runway

Sweet or Salty?

Salty

Any Phobias?

Claustrophobia

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

Shape of You by Ed Sheeran

Upcoming Movie you’re most looking forward to?

The next Star Wars movie

Thanks so much Nicole for answering my questions!  

About Nicole:

Nicole was lucky enough to come with her very own best friend...she has a twin sister who can read her mind and finish her sentences for her. 

At the age of 13, she went to Europe for the first time and it changed her life. She loves learning about different people, languages and cultures and speaks fluent German. She knows enough Spanish to get herself into trouble and can still read the Cyrillic alphabet from when she studied Russian.

She received her B.A. from Brigham Young University and has lived in Germany, Austria and two different places called Georgia. One is located on the Black Sea. The other is the state of Georgia where she now lives with her handsome husband and two beautiful children who continue to amaze her.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a signed finished copy of BLACKSOULS, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

4/10/2017- Fiktshun- Guest Post

4/11/2017- a GREAT read- Review

4/12/2017- Adventures of a Book Junkie- Interview

4/13/2017- The Cover Contessa- Review

4/14/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

Week Two:

4/17/2017- YA Book Madness- Review

4/18/2017- Good Choice Reading- Guest Post

4/19/2017-Mundie Moms-  Review

4/20/2017- YA Books Central- Interview

4/21/2017- Seeing Double In Neverland-Review 

Grab book 1 now!

Top 10 of 2016 Day 3- Best 2016 Authors

Welcome back!! Today’s topic is Best ________ Of 2016 (Readers/Bloggers choice. Please fill in the blank with ONE or more of these topics - Villains, Contemporaries, Dual POV's, Novellas, Adult titles, New Adult titles, Love Triangles, Couples, Bad Boys or Debuts. REMEMBER - this list MUST be from books you've READ in 2016)

And make sure to stop by my co-hosts sites Fiktshun, Tales of a Ravenous Reader, and Dark Faerie Tales for their lists! Oh and make sure to sign up with the linky to share your lists! And don’t forget one of us is hosting a giveaway today! Who you ask? You'll just have to visit each site to find out ;)

I decided to do Debut Authors since there are so many good ones this year! All of the links go to their twitter accounts so if you don’t follow them go do it! They are definitely not in order. If I could I would have made them all #1!

1. Nicole Castroman.

2. Kathryn Purdie.

3. Janet B. Talyor.

4. Alwyn Hamilton.

5. Roshani Chokshi.

6. Evelyn Skye.

7. Wendy Spinale.

8. Kerri Maniscalco.

9. Jenny Moyer.

10. Michelle Modesto. 

Did any of my favorites make your list? Fill out the linky and let me know! And good luck with the giveaway! 

And remember to stop by my co-hosts sites Fiksthun, Tales of a Ravenous Reader, and Dark Faerie Tales for their lists and one of them is hosting a giveaway today but I'm not saying who you'll just have to visit all 3! 

Top Ten Tuesday (76)- My Top Ten Books I'd Buy Right This Second If Someone Handed Me A Fully Loaded Gift Card

Hi thanks for stopping by!!! And welcome to my Top 10 Tuesday post! 

Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Broke And The Bookish for creating this weekly meme!

Here's this week's topic.

August 2: Ten Books I'd Buy Right This Second If Someone Handed Me A Fully Loaded Gift Card

This one is a tough one to keep to just 10! Also I'll be adding books that aren't out yet lol it's my wishlist! 

I'll add book covers so click on the cover to be taken to their Goodreads links.

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10. 

So what about you? What are some of your favorite books set outside of the US? And check back next week for my Top Ten Tuesday REWIND where I will post a Top Ten list I missed from previous years! 

Hugs,

Jaime

Top Ten Tuesday (72)- My Top Ten Books I Enjoyed That Have Under 2000 Ratings On Goodreads

Hi thanks for stopping by!!! And welcome to my Top 10 Tuesday post! 

Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Broke And The Bookish for creating this weekly meme!

Here's this week's topic.

July 5:  Top Ten Books I Enjoyed That Have Under 2000 Ratings On Goodreads

I have ton of underrated books so picking only 10 will be hard! I will put the cover and why I love the book and a link to it's goodreads page!

1. SNAKEROOT by Andrea Cremer. I am really surprised with her fanbase that this doesn't have over 2000 ratings! And I actually liked this one better than her Nightshade series lol!

2. THE ARCHITECT OF SONG by A.G. Howard. Ok so this one isn't out yet so of course it doesn't have many ratings but it only has 1500 to-reads so I'm hoping that by sharing it it gets more! I finished this book 2 days ago and am still thinking about it. It was really awesome!

3. Deception's Princess by Esther M. Friesner. I love this historical Scottish tale! If you're an Outlander fan I think you'll love this!

4. The OPAL MASK Series by Jenny Lundquist. Another awesome fantasy series that deserves some more love!

5. THE CADET OF TILDOR by Alex Liddell. I love this fantasy and I think if you're a fan of fantasy you will too! Lets get this one up in the rankings!

6. BLACKHEARTS by Nicole Castroman. I can't believe this doesn't have 2000 Ratings. This was one of my favorite books of 2016!

7. NAMELESS by Jennifer Jenkins. How in the world does this fantastic fantasy have only 396 ratings??? Everyone needs to read this one! 

8. THE GODDESS WARS Series by Trisha Wolfe. Yes this is NA and an indie but I love the series and that it's a Fantasy NA!!! Which is something we need more of! Also if you want to give it a go the eBook of book 1 is FREE on Amazon!

9. THE REQUIEM RED by Brynn Chapman. This historical horror/fantasy/romance was awesome! I loved the multiple POV's that were easy to differentiate and the story and romance were so good! Also love the cover!

10. MAGNETIC SHIFT by Lucy D. Briand. I loved this book! I am a huge NASCAR fan and I loved that she incorporated this into a light sci-fi story with romance!

So what about you? What are some of your favorite underrated books? And check back next week for my Top Ten Facts About Me! 

Hugs,

Jaime