Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): Not Quite Dead by Lyla Payne

Hey there! I'm so excited to share this book with you guys. Check out my review below!

Full tour schedule here.

Not Quite Dead

by Lyla Payne

My Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: NA, Mystery, Paranormal

Published April 1st 2014 by Createspace

Format Read: Ebook, CLP BT

Purchase: Amazon, B&N, Kobo

Description from Goodreads

A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status.

When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.

Her brand new "I don't give a crap" attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion. 

If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.

My Review:

I'm not a big fan of ghosts stories, and have to admit that the only reason why I signed up to this blog tour is because the blurb of this book kinda reminded me of The Master's Sun (a Korean drama that I really loved). And although there aren't much similarities between this book and TMS, I didn't regret joining this tour because this book is AMAZING!

Not Quite Dead follows Gracie, a 25-year-old, who moves back to Heron Creek, her childhood hometown, after she breaks off her engagement. She's a total mess. She doesn't know what to do with her life, and taking care of her grandfather sounds like a good excuse to hide from the world and her failures. But in Heron Creek things aren't as easy as she thinks; there are bittersweet memories, old wounds and broken friendships to deal with. And to add to all the confusion her life has become, she starts seeing a ghost who doesn't want to leave her alone.

This book focused a lot on the characters. The relationships between them were so interesting which is why I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved Gracie as the narrator; even though she was lost and confused, I liked that she didn't wallow in self-pity. I loved her relationship with Gramps! It was so sweet and made me shed a few tears. It was also great to see Gracie healing from her wounds of the past, and how she managed to begin a better relationship with her former best friends. There is also a slow-building romance going on which I immensely enjoyed reading.

The mystery aspect of this book was amazing. I was completely engrossed in this book and could barely put it down. Seriously, I devoured this whole thing in just two days because it was so good! I liked how everything unravels, and I loved that it kept me guessing what will happen next. As for the paranormal stuff, I have to admit that I was a bit scared, but as I kept reading, the whole "ghost thing" didn't frighten me as much as it did at first.

To sum up, Not Quite Dead has a gripping story with fantastic characters. The romance is magical, and the ending just made me laugh. There are a lot of intriguing things going on in this book and they are beautifully bound together. And it also has a pirate ghost which is awesome!

If you like paranormal then I highly recommend Not Quite Dead to you, but even if you don't like paranormal I think you'll enjoy this book.

I received this book from CLP Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. 

About the Autor

Lyla Payne has been publishing New Adult romance novels for a little over a year, starting with Broken at Love and continuing with the rest of the Whitman University series. She loves telling stories, discovering the little reasons people fall in love, and uncovering hidden truths in the world around us - past and present. In her spare time she cuddles her two dogs, pretends to enjoy exercising so that she can eat as much Chipotle as she wants, and harbors a deep and abiding hope that Zac Efron likes older women. She loves reading, of course, along with movies, traveling, and Irish whiskey. Lyla's hard at work, ALWAYS, and hopes to bring you more Whitman University antics and at least one more Lowcountry ghost tale before the end of the year.

Lyla Payne is represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

If you want to know more, please visit her at http://lylapayne.com

If you're a fan of Young Adult fiction--science fiction or otherwise--please check out her work that's published under the name Trisha Leigh. http://trishaleigh.com 

Website - Twitter - Goodreads - Facebook

INT GIVEAWAY!

**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases a copy of Not Quite Dead by August 18 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus.com will receive 10 bonus entries!**

Review: Tempus by Holly Lauren

Title: Tempus

Author: Holly Lauren
Rating: ★ ★ ★★ ★ 

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Format Read: ebook, 234 pages
Goodreads/Amazon/Book Depository

Description from Goodreads

Chapel Ryan isn't crazy. At least, that's what she's been trying to convince herself of for most of her life. But after being hallucination-free for three years, Chapel finds herself facedown on her English classroom’s gritty linoleum floor. When she looks up, everyone around her is suspended in animation. Mouths hang open mid-yawn, feet hover mid-cross, Ms. Freeman’s arm flexes mid-sentence diagram. It's another hallucination. Or, is it? 

Chapel prepares to tear herself back to reality when something happens. Something that has never happened before in any of her hallucinations--someone moves. And not just any someone—it’s the new guy with a scar over his lip and a reputation as black as his perfectly styled hair. And all of the sudden Chapel's white-knuckle grip on her life has slipped, and with it, her assurance that what she's experiencing isn't real.

My Review

I didn't know what this book was about before I started reading it. The description from Goodreads didn't give me much information. All I knew was that Chapel could freeze time. 

The synopsis is practically the first chapter of the book so it was really easy for me to get into it. I really love the dialogues and the interaction between the characters and how the author tells the story. There's a mystery aspect going on, and it all unfolds as the story goes on. I kept guessing what would happen, but was never 100% sure I knew how everything would turn out. 

Chapel Ryan is a truly unique and compelling character. She is aware that something is wrong with her, but that doesn't prevent her to live a totally normal life. She is anxious for the future, has family problems and breakup issues just like any other teenage girl. She is strong willed and stubborn, but she is also a really nice and good person. She stands for what she believes and it's fascinating how strong her faith in God is.

Zay is Chapel's love interest. He is playful but mature. I really enjoyed reading how he and Chapel grow to know one another. The romance was really sweet and cute.

This is one of those books that has really great characters that I've grown attached to. Chapel is so fortunate to be surrounded by so many good people, and I actually envy her a little. She might not have the perfect family, but she does have wonderful best friends that are always there for her.

There were hints of love triangle here and there, but thankfully the story didn't divert and focus solely on that.

Overall I truly enjoyed reading Tempus. It's a sweet and intriguing book that has the perfect mix of romance, mystery and paranormal. I was hooked from the very first page and couldn't stop reading. Can't wait to read the sequel!

I would definitely recommend Tempus to anyone who loves reading YA! 

Favorite Quotes

"I know that you're strong, but you aren't tough. You hate the night, but you're brave enough to wait for the day. And that you're the kind of girl who won't cry your own tears, but you will cry someone else's."  

"The thing about high school, Ryan, is that there are always girls. Sometimes they're pretty. But they're rarely interesting. And pretty without interesting is like a gun without bullets. All you can do is throw it at somebody, but it's not going to knock them down."

 "I don't think of pain as something that can be measured. It either hurts, or it doesn't."