HELLO VOYAGERS. We're here on our very first day of #GirlsConqueringBooks event. Today our guest is the lovely and talented - Emily Skrutskie. And give her a big congratulations... BECAUSE THE ABYSS SURROUNDS releases today!!!!! We love this book quite a lot in the TBV fam and we wanted Emily to be the first one up to share the joy of her book and the greatest relationship we have seen in a book.
ES: They’re very practical. Swift would get Cas a pistol. Cas would get Swift an alarm clock.

Title: Life on the Level
Series: On the Verge #3
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Publisher: Diversion Books
Publishing: February 23rd, 2016
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Rating:


Goodreads blurb:
Never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

River Thomas was born a wild card. Her father took one look at her and decided that his daughter would have the best poker face in the city.

But when he dies unexpectedly, River's already dangerous life is spiraling out of control. After six months without gambling—staying away from the tables where she makes and loses her fortune—she relapses, and soon must go on the run from a guy looking to settle a score.

She wants to be better, needs to be better, before she ends up like her dad. The road leads her to rehab in Sun Valley, Montana. But first, one last hurrah, and the beautiful stranger at the bar is just what the doctor ordered. She leaves before sunrise still thinking of his face. But her last hurrah with the guy of her dreams is also her counselor for the next ninety days...

Attraction, however, is too strong a lure to ignore, and soon River finds herself gambling with the one thing she never thought she would—her heart. 
Once again, Zoraida Córdova has made my heart go out of control. Her books are always so hot and at the same time, I can't help to laugh-out-loud and falling in love with the people that I'm reading about. Life on the Level was no different but I guess I really love these two characters a hella lot more? River and Hutch were sparks that wanted to explode from the first time and continued to be my absolute joy throughout the whole book.

River made me laugh and her friendship with Sky and Leti is what you want friendships between girls to be like. It's a breath of fresh air to see this in NA! Many of the times I read NAs they pit girls vs girls because of a boy or it's like girls can't be friends somehow? Which is 0 not true to be honest. Like why??? Life in the Level shows you that girls are masterminds and the best together. We have all the fun pleaseeee.

I cannot lie that at the end of the book some things were happening too fast like all the problems wanted to be resolved at once. It didn't bother me that much, because I enjoyed all the before-story. It just something that I felt like it was like that. Still I was really happy how the book ended and it's no secret I really enjoy my romance books.

I really, really like this book and I'm happy to see a fellow Latina write great books that have so much inside of them. You guys should read ON THE VERGE series - meet the jalapeño personalities of the MCs and their sweet yet dripping-hot heroes, all the shenanigans happening around them and the fun and laughs you will share while reading Zoraida's stories.


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Valentine's Day is just so close! (▰˘◡˘▰) Hearts, love, cuteness overload -we at The Book Voyagers came up with an event that it's basically a week to share the love for books that have strong female friendships and also strong female relationships. This idea came because Mana and I realized that there's too many books that embrace the plotline of girl vs girl. Or even worse, slutshaming. Which we girls shouldn't be represented by that in books because it's awful and disgusting. Why compete in something when girls can be perfectly good friends and allies in good and bad? 

We were tired of seeing this same pattern over and over, so the #GirlsConqueringBooks event is about girl power and friendships and love. We hope you enjoy all the posts and guests we have planned for it and share the love!!!! 

Title: Assassin's Heart
Author: Sarah Ahiers
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing: February 2nd, 2016
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | TBD
Rating:

Goodreads blurb:
In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.

Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

With shades of The Godfather and Romeo and Juliet, this richly imagined fantasy from debut author Sarah Ahiers is a story of love, lies, and the ultimate vengeance.
Assassin's Heart was magical and out of this world. The way Sarah Ahiers described the cities and all the locations/places this story takes place in was so fantastic and wonderful. I felt like I was traveling alongside Lea! 1000 points to Ahiers for making me experience it. 

The story revolves around Lea Saldana and her revenge for the murder of her family. In Lovero, Family is always above family. There are assassins families in this city and they all kill for money. I loved the idea of this story. Plus a pretty badass and strong female lead made it so much better for me. You want to be liked by Lea Saldana and you don't want to be her enemy. If you were living in Lovero, you would definitely don't want to be in her black list. The Da Vias family is in that list. And Lea wants only her revenge above all. 

She takes this amazing journey throughout the cities in the search to get help from her missing uncle and take that revenge in the name of her family. She encounters new enemies, old enemies, new friends and old ones. This book has love, secrets, passion, blood and many, many amazing assassins. 

Ahiers's writing is easy to get into. It has a sort of soft but yet passionate feel to it. You can feel the anger Lea holds. Her grieve. You can see her mind working and setting up goals to get what she wants. When something gets in her head, she never backs out. I cried with her, for her - I smiled and laughed whenever she felt everything was starting to become better. Lea Saldana is such a great character and I wish more from this story and her.


I was born on a February afternoon 2 minutes before my twin sister. Angels wept or something, I suppose.

After a happy childhood filled with fun and family, I obtained a BA in English with an emphasis in fiction writing from the University of Minnesota, during which I was a bookseller. I also spent a semester as the fiction editor of The Wayfarer, the literary magazine for the U of MN.

I am currently enrolled in Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and am repped by Mollie Glick of Foundry Literary + Media


I live in a suburb of St Paul, MN in a house I own with my twin sister. We share the house with our brother, 3 dogs, 4 guinea pigs, 2 cockatiels, fish and occasional foster animals from the shelter.


Besides writing and reading, I enjoy dogs, animals, my family, board games, yard games, video games, cooking, gardening and dressing up for the MN Renaissance Festival.