A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: "How do you spread the word about your blog?



(e.g. Social Networking sites, Book Blog Directories, comments on other blogs...)"

My answer:  When I first started blogging I had no idea how to network but when I emailed one of the only book bloggers I knew to ask if they could review a book, she asked me if I had reviewed it. I hadn't but I gave her the link to my blog and she kindly commented on all my first posts. It was then that I discovered the hop and I was amazed at the massive book blog community and decided to participate. At the end of the first week I was following lots of fantastic blogs that I had visited and had gained followers myself. However I didn't follow them just to say 'hey follow me back' but because I am interested in their content. So when I comment on their posts, it isn't just to get noticed as that would be rude but because I have enjoyed their post.
I'm also take part in the discussions in the book blogging community Ning which has helped me to develop my blog too. More recently I have joined Twitter and I am really enjoying it,  it really is worth it!
My giveaway is really a thank you to all the people who helped me reach 150 followers but I also wanted people who have only just discovered my blog to have a chance of winning too. To avoid people following my blog just for free stuff I chose YA historical fiction books as choices for the winner which is what I mainly review so they would be interested in the content if they want to read a book. In the end I also decided to give old followers 3 entries and new followers 1.
Although I write my blog because I love doing it and although having lots of followers is lovely, it is not the most important thing.
 

I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment.

Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D

I am holding an 150+ followers international giveaway currently, where the winner gets to choose from 10 YA historical fiction books. To find out more visit the link at the top of the sidebar!


Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Book Review: Deeper Than Blue by Jill Hucklesby

Blurb:

Meet Amy. She thinks that being thirteen and the fastest freestyle swimmer in the county is cool. She thinks that best friends will always be there no matter what, She believes that strawberry smoothies are the closest thing to heaven.

When her life takes a dramatuc tumble turn one day, Amy doesn't know what to think or believe any longer. To survive she must swim as she has never swum before. Can she make her dreams come true in a world where the water is deeper than blue?

My review and thoughts

Amy is a champion swimmer who has just broken the 800 metre freestyle record for her county but when a terrible accident happens and she loses her best friend and a leg, her life takes a turn for the worst. Deeper Than Blue tells Amy's story through her eyes after the accident to coming to terms with what has happened and realising that she can still fulfill her dreams. The writing style was easy and natural because it was told from Amy's point of view as well as being humorous at times which lightened the heavy and more serious plot of the story. Being the same age as Amy, I could really relate to her feelings, especially about her best friend because my really close friend moved to Australia and we don't get to talk as often as we'd like.

I liked the character of Harry because he always makes her laugh whilst she is in hospital and gradually changes her way of thinking, their emails are quite amusing too!

I think that there is someone that everyone can relate to in the book whether it be Amy, Harry, her older sister Caz going through the normal teenage girl problems, her Dad who gets depressed for a while or her mum who gave up her dreams of becoming an artist to have her family.

Each character went on a journey throughout the book and I loved finding out what happened to them in the end and how they changed. All of this combined kept me turning the pages very quickly!

Verdict: Deeper Than Blue is a highly emotional but inspiring and easy to relate to book that I would reccomend to anyone of any age, its story would appeal to everyone. It would make a marvellous movie!

Top 10 Tuesday (1) Favourite Couples

After loving some of the interesting posts on other blogs that I read, I have decided to take part in Top Ten Tuesday myself. TTT is a weekly meme held over at Broke and Bookish where you highlight your top ten of the chosen topic that week.

This week's topic is: Favourite couples

1) Lizzie Bennett and Mr Darcy

I think that this is going to be quite a common one, I had the pleasure of reading about their hate turning to love romance for the first time that I finished yesterday. I love their witty conversations and how this eventually softens!

2) Arabella and  Mr Beaumaris (Arabella by Georgette Heyer)

This was the first regency romance I read and they are still my favourite couple with Arabella, the innocent country miss and Mr Beaumaris, the most eligible bachelor and trendsetter of London. Their relationship is adorable

3) Sophy and Charles (The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer)

Sophy and Charles are 2 cousins who could not be more different, Sophy is bold and pushes the boundaries of what is proper for a young lady in society whilst Charles seems dry at first and does the respectable thing. His rages at Sophy's 'improper' behaviour are very amusing and I love how they come to be together in the end

4)  Kitty and Freddy (from Cotillion by Georgette Heyer)



Anne and Gilbert



Their relationship is very interesting as they pretend to be engaged so that Kitty doesn't have to marry any other of her boring cousins and make her handsome cousin Jack jealous so he offers for her hand. His growing fondness of Kitty is lovely and it is so sweet when they realise that they might be right for each other after all

5) Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables series)

They are such a sweet couple who knew each other from childhood whose tale is similar to Lizzie Bennett and Mr Darcy's in that Anne hates Gilbert from the moment he breaks a slate over her head in school.

6) Amy and Lorrie (Little Women by Louisa M Alcott)

Anne and Gilbert as children

It's so cute that Amy marries the man who once promised her as a little girl that he wouldn't let her die without being kissed!

7) Anna and Rupert (from The Other Countess by Eva Ibbotson)

I love how Rupert loves Anna just as much when she is a maid as when he finds out she is really a Countess (don't worry, that wasn't a spoiler- you find this out in the first chapter of the book!)

8) Thora and Bjorn (Daughter of Fire and Ice)

Amy and Laurie

You don't get to see much of their romance in the story as just when they start to realise their love for each other, Bjorn is forced to make a sacrifice to save Thora which means they can never be together again. Even when they are living with rest of the settlers in their house in Iceland but cannot speak, you can still sense the bond and growing love between them. I can't wait for the sequel to see if they can be together in the end!

9) Tom and Lucy (from the At The House of the Magician series by Mary Hooper)

The story is not primarily a romance but I love the snatched time that Lucy gets to spend with Tom, the Queen's jester who often appears to her in disguise.

10) Hannah and Tom (The Fever and The Flame series by Mary Hooper)

Again, the romance is not the main story but at a time when the plague is raging in London, Lucy and Tom do not know how much time they have together. I love what they risk for each other.

Coverlicious (2): Cover Wars- I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison

Coverlicious is a new feature that I am holding here, where I am going to do spotlights on different things to do with covers from photos of cover art from different editions of book and trends in cover art to comparing US and UK versions of a cover or simply just posting about a cover that I have fallen in love with. I'm intending just to feature Coverlicious posts here but if you would like to join in or do a guest Coverlicious post, please see my contact page.

UK



US

 I adore the UK cover, it  has the look for a more light hearted and girly book- the swirly designs and drawings are so cute! It was this cover that drew me to the book when I was browsing on Amazon and this was suggested to me. Whereas the US cover looks like a snapshot from a period drama making it look more like a historical romance and the photo is beautiful. However, I think that the UK cover would stand out more on the shelf from other historicals. I love them both so I can't decide which is my favourite but I think it depends on the kind of person you are.





Paberpack

I found this paperback cover when I was searching for images of the covers and fell in love with it! The two elements that I love so much about the first 2 covers have been combined, the swirly writing and flowers along with the period photo. The dress gives the book an Austen feel to the book and I like that you cannot see the full face of the character as I like to imagine this, the little blonde curl is sweet too. The only thing that I don't like about this cover is that it is slightly too crowded so the flowers need to be smaller but other than than it is stunningly gorgeous! <3  I really want to buy this edition when it is released as I borrowed the copy I read from the library.

What are your thoughts on the covers?

Thank you - 150 Followers GIVEAWAY!

I am so excited to find that I have reached 150 followers, all of you have been so encouraging with helping my blog to grow, I remember that I was overjoyed and amazed even when I reached 5 followers! The book blogging community is a lovely place to be part of and I have really enjoyed connecting with other book bloggers, I am building up the list of blogs I am reading very quickly. Blogging has become something that is part of my day now and getting comments always makes my day :D I really appreciate every single one of my followers!

Giveaway!

As a thank you to all my amazing followers, I am holding a giveaway with a choice of books to win. This is an INTERNATIONAL contest as I wouldn't like to deprive anyone and I'm in the UK so I will be shipping the book to the winner through the Book Depositary.

The winner can choose from any of these fabulous 10 books (I have chosen mostly YA historical because that it what I mainly review) :

The Other Countess by Eve Edwards (see review)

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (see post about release)

Daughter of Fire and Ice by Marie Louise Jensen
The Lady In The Tower by Marie Louise Jensen
Arabella by Georgette Heyer (see review)

The Fever and The Flame by Mary Hooper (2 in 1)

Newes From The Dead by Mary Hooper

The School At The Chalet by Elinor M Brent Dyer

The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson
I was Jane Austen's Best Friend (see review)

You MUST be a follower to enter this giveaway

Entries:

Old followers  +3 (before 25th September)
New followers +1
Twitter follower (BookPrincess3)  +1
Tweet/ sidebar promotion +1

Giveaway ends: 10th October

TO ENTER: please fill out the form here

Hopping Away and Follow Friday!

A Very Big Welcome

Welcome to any visitors who got here through the weekly Book Hop (a Book Party) organised by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books or Follow A Book Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View so that book bloggers can share their blog with other book lovers and also find new blogs to 'follow.' To get involved all you have to do is post your blog link at the bottom of the 'linky list' on Crazy For Books and/or Parajunkee's View, answer the weekly question (for the hop) on your blog and get hopping around and following all the blogs!

This weeks Book Hop question/topic is: When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

My answer: I don't start writing reviews before I have turned the last page of the book but I often tend to think about things that I am going to include in my review or try to remember a good extract to include. I usually write the review within a few days of reading it so that it is still fresh in my mind but if I am reviewing a book that I read a while ago I try and familiarise with it again by flicking through before I start writing.

New posts since hopping last week:

Review: Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
Waiting on Wednesday: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
Teaser Tuesday: Deeper Than Blue by Jill Hucklesby
Calling all budding young writers and their friends and family!
BBAW: Future Treasures


I hope that you enjoy taking a look round my blog and. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to drop me a comment. This week I have reached 156 followers and I am hoping that I can gain over 150 this week so that I can launch my first ever giveaway!
 
Don't forget to leave a link to your blog in a comment so I can check it out :D


Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!