Mundie Moms

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Vendetta by Catherine Doyle; Blog Tour: Book Review & Giveaway




Hello and welcome to the VENDETTA blog tour! I am so thrilled to be wrapping up this exciting tour, and exciting today's release of Catherine Doyle's debut book, VENDETTA. You can also follow the tour using #bloodforblood via social media.


ABOUT THE BOOK 


By: Catherine Doyle
Published by: Scholastic
Released on: February 24, 2015 - TODAY
Series: Blood for Blood #1
Pre-Order it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Find it on Edelweiss
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 5 Stars
Source: arc from publisher to review, in exchange for my honest review

Think Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather. Oh yeah. #bloodforblood #Vendetta

Blood Will Spill, Hearts Will Break: With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.

For Sophie, it starts as just another slow, hot summer in Cedar Hill. Then a new family moves into the long-abandoned mansion across the street: the Falcone family, with its five mysterious brothers. Unable to resist bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling for him--and into his world. But just as the dark secrets of the Falcones begin to come to light, the skeletons of her own family, the Gracewells, rise to the surface, too. And soon Sophie is torn between the desires of two warring dynasties: the one she was born into and the one she's now in love with. But she'll have to choose between passion and honor. And when she does, blood will spill and hearts will break. Because in this twisted underworld, loyalty can mean the difference between life and death.

A brilliantly written, highly addictive read! This is a YA book not to be missed. From the moment I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. Romeo & Juliet meets The Godfather? Yeah, I'm all over that. There's no other YA book that I've read that compares, nor combines these two kind of stories. I've not yet read anything quite like this book. I loved how unique the story is. It's gritty, and one that mixed humor, heart, and emotion at all the right times. 

Catherine Doyle has come blazing onto the YA book scenes with a story that is awesome. There's so much intrigue, danger and that wanting to know what will happen next, that kept me glued to the pages. This is a book I devoured in one sitting. Not only is the storytelling great, the characters are fabulous! They play right into the well developed storyline, and it's shocking twists. I loved it. Chicago was the perfect back drop for this modern day Godfather type story. 

There is so much to say about the characters, that I don't even know where to start. I liked how Catherine tied the various characters together, and told their stories. Oh Sophie. Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. I really liked Sophie. She's snarky, has a bit of rebellious streak in her, and doesn't take no for answer. In fact, I ended up living how defiant she can be. I think it's one of the things that is enduring about her, though I never thought I'd say about that a character. Given the dark, secretive crime world that runs her city, she needs to be. I also liked that she wasn't someone who scared easily. She's tough when she needs to be. She may come across as a little naive, but she's not, and that's not that something I fault her for. She's been told a lot of lies, and when something happens, she faces the truth, and demands answers without even flinching. 

Hello Falcone family. You'd think Sophie's year was made when five, hot, mysterious brothers move into the town's haunted mansion. As Sophie soon finds out, there is much more to Nicoli, and his brothers than good looks. Each of one is a complex character who's personality doesn't necessarily scream friendliness. There's a lot about the brothers that Catherine deliberately with holds from the reader until the time is right. As the story progresses, I loved getting to know each brother a little bit more. Of course my favorite is the story's, Romeo, Nicoli. He's definitely the most complex of them all, but there's a reason for it. I loved the relationship he and Sophie some how managed between the  dangerous world they're apart of, and being told their forbidden from seeing each other (which is for a reason). While I wasn't at first a fan of the relationship, it's one that definitely grew on me, and in the end, really liked their relationship. 

Aside from Nicoli, I loved his brother Luca. Like the other brothers, through out much of the story I went back and forth on trying to figure out if Luca was one of the good guys, or one of the bad. I liked that it wasn't clear on who could be trusted, and who was the real threat. The shocking twists and dangerous turns in this story are awesome! Yes, a few things were easy for me to figure out, but not the over all shock that comes towards the end of the book. That was so well crafted! I desperately what to talk about this twist, but I can't. I wish I could say "I knew" it, but the way Catherine wrote her characters made it incredibly hard to see that twist coming. I know I'm being vague, but trust me, you don't want me to spoil that shocker for you. It's awesome. Some of the characters whom I thought were the villains, weren't, and those I thought weren't the villains, were. 

This had all the makings of the perfect YA mobster book. Forbidden romance, danger, and that oh so fabulous modern day Romeo & Juliet twist. The world building was gritty, dark and definitely gave off the air of danger. The characters were well written, and given depth, that made it easy for me to emotionally become invested in their stories. I understood them, and the choices they made, right or wrong. I didn't have to like all their choices, but I understood them, and I think that's one of the things Catherine Doyle wanted her fans to get. Each of the characters in this story didn't choose the life they were born into, but they're not going down without a fight in order to stay ahead in life they have to live. 

Vendetta is a fantastic debut! I can't wait to read the next book in this series. 

Praise for Vendetta:

Even Victoria Scott said this about it: “Fan-freaking-tastic…I honestly can’t say enough good things about it! I would read anything Cat Doyle writes after flying through Vendetta!!”





About the Author


Catherine Doyle lives in the west of Ireland. She holds a bachelor's degrees in psychology and a master's degree in English from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Vendetta is her first novel. Catherine lives in Galway, Ireland. Follower Catherine on Twitter @Doyle_cat and on Tumblr at www.Catherine-Doyle.tumblr.com.

Visit Catherine via: her Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

THE GIVEAWAY
Enter to win one of ten copies of VENDETTA! US residents only. You must be 14 years or older to enter. Prizes are provided by Scholastic

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Top Ten Favorite Heroines; Top Ten Tuesday #21

This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish

Hello & welcome to this week's post. Last week's topic was Ten Bookish Problems I Have. This week's topic is My Top Ten Favorite Heroines. This week's topic is hard to narrow down, as there are so many fantastic heroines in the YA book world. Today's list was chosen from both 2014 & 2015 books I have read and featured here on the blog. First, what is the definition of a heroine?

her.o.ine
/'herewen/
noun

A women admired or idealized for her courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. 

Here are the 10 most memorable heroines from this past year:
  1. Celaena Sardothien from Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas.
  2. Tessa from Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. You will always find her on my heroine's list.  
  3. Juliette from Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi.
  4. Meria from Snow Likes Ashes by Sarah Raasch.
  5. Princess Cleo from Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes.
  6. Alexa from Ignite by Sara B. Larson.
  7. Lia from The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson.
  8. Annih from Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers.
  9. Maddie & Verity from Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
  10. Rose Justice from Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein.
Each of these characters possesses qualities I greatly admire. First and foremost, they are courageous. They each have incredible strength, courage, and loyalty to their cause and those they love. They stand up and fight for their causes. They are not afraid to risk their lives to protect those they love. They have a fierceness that drives them. They have the ability to decipher what's right vs what they're told is right. They have an unwavering ability to follow their instincts and their hearts. They're not afraid to take the road less traveled, even if that means they're the only ones. Nor are they afraid to sacrifice all for what they know, feel, and believe to right or true. They're not afraid defy their duty or privilege for the sake of what is right. They're intelligent, and think things through. 

While the list above features some of my most favorite fictional characters, I can not list create a list of heroines, with out mentioning a real life one, who's story really touched me. 
To me, some of the bravest, most courageous, strongest, fiercest fighters I know in life, are those who are and have battled cancer. While I didn't know Regine personally, her story of her life is one that moved me. She never gave up fighting. She fought till the end. Maybe it's because I'm a lot more sentimental on this, as a dear friend of mine is having a complex surgery to remove a brain tumor (her second surgery) today, and another friend is battling stage 4 breast cancer, that I can't help but mention that while I love my fictional heroines, it's the real life heroines that I admire the most. 

Who are some of your favorite fictional heroines?

VENDETTA by Catherine Doyle, Release Day Blitz #bloodforblood


It's here! VENDETTA by Catherine Doyle is out TODAY and we're thrilled to celebrate it's release!

ABOUT THE BOOK 


Vendetta by Catherine Doyle: Out TODAY,February 24, 2015

Think Romeo and Juliet meets The Godfather. Oh yeah. #bloodforblood #Vendetta

Blood Will Spill, Hearts Will Break: With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.

For Sophie, it starts as just another slow, hot summer in Cedar Hill. Then a new family moves into the long-abandoned mansion across the street: the Falcone family, with its five mysterious brothers. Unable to resist bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling for him--and into his world. But just as the dark secrets of the Falcones begin to come to light, the skeletons of her own family, the Gracewells, rise to the surface, too. And soon Sophie is torn between the desires of two warring dynasties: the one she was born into and the one she's now in love with. But she'll have to choose between passion and honor. And when she does, blood will spill and hearts will break. Because in this twisted underworld, loyalty can mean the difference between life and death.

AVAILABLE TODAY 

Purchase your copy from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Find it on Edelweiss
Add it to Goodreads

Praise for Vendetta

Even Victoria Scott said this about it: “Fan-freaking-tastic…I honestly can’t say enough good things about it! I would read anything Cat Doyle writes after flying through Vendetta!!”

MEET Sophie & Nic









About the Author


Catherine Doyle lives in the west of Ireland. She holds a bachelor's degrees in psychology and a master's degree in English from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Vendetta is her first novel. Catherine lives in Galway, Ireland. Follower Catherine on Twitter @Doyle_cat and on Tumblr at www.Catherine-Doyle.tumblr.com.

Visit Catherine via: her Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

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