Category: Reads x Writing

#SparkPlugs || EXCERPT: Simply Joei by Clare Elisabeth Marquez

First things first: Don’t forget to follow #SparkPlugs on Twitter to see the rest of the Spark Books line-up in this blog series!

Do take that trip to your nearest National Bookstore or Powerbooks or go ONLINE to get your print copy of Simply Joei, then add and/or rate it on Goodreads. ♥

Simply Joei by Clare Elisabeth Marquez
Pay -up Time! Or Is it?

One never gives up on true love. So Jake didn’t.

Holding on to the one that shouldn’t have gotten away, gorgeous Jake Calleja – engineer, entrepreneur and all-around hunk of a man – brings up old debt to bring in possibilities of future love with the beautiful and elusive Josephine Telencio. The two had a brief but unforgettable “history” in college, a past that Jake would seek to bring back in order to bring his “Joei” back in his life. To face their “unfinished past” entails a make-believe relationship for the sake of an ailing matriarch, an unforgettable country drive into the heart of the storm, a family drama of the queen mother and the wicked sisters, the inevitable supermodel ex, and lots of sparks in between.

A story of second chances and risking it all for a journey to a lifetime love – Jake and Josephine will take you to laughs and tears, to the highs and lows, to knowing when to hold on … or to let go.

Are things better left in the past? Or will true love prevail in the future?

Excerpt:
Continue reading #SparkPlugs || EXCERPT: Simply Joei by Clare Elisabeth Marquez

#SparkPlugs || EXCERPT: Midnights in Bali by Carla de Guzman

First things first: Don’t forget to follow #SparkPlugs on Twitter to see the rest of the Spark Books line-up in this blog series!

Do take that trip to your nearest National Bookstore or Powerbooks or go ONLINE to get your print copy of Midnights in Bali, then add and/or rate it on Goodreads. ♥

Midnights in Bali by Carla de Guzman
Ava Bonifacio has always been the girl with The Plan —a life plan that would give her everything she’s ever wanted, including becoming a lawyer, a role she was sure she was born into. Sure, her determination may be seen as heartlessness, but Ava doesn’t care. What she does care about is getting into law school —but she doesn’t. She cares about her boyfriend Matteo—who breaks up with her.

In an act of desperation, Ava books herself a ticket to Bali and tries to get over her own failures. In Bali she meets Scott McLeod, a rude and grumpy Scottish traveler who thinks there’s a lot more to Ava than meets the eye.

But as Ava reveals more about herself, she finds Scott slowly pulling away from her. He was never part of The Plan, but Ava is determined to make sure he doesn’t slip away.

Excerpt:

Continue reading #SparkPlugs || EXCERPT: Midnights in Bali by Carla de Guzman

#SparkPlugs || EXCERPT: Sounds Like Summer by Six de los Reyes

First things first: Don’t forget to follow #SparkPlugs on Twitter to see the rest of the Spark Books line-up in this blog series!

Do take that trip to your nearest National Bookstore or Powerbooks or go ONLINE to get your print copy of Sounds Like Summer, then add and/or rate it on Goodreads. ♥

Sounds Like Summer by Six de los Reyes
It’s not just a weekend for Lux Castelo. She has a plan, of course.

Phase One: Escape to the beach for a music festival.
Phase Two: Deal with what she can’t control.
Phase Three: Return to reality whole and ready.

Nowhere in that plan is Micah Jacinto, self-proclaimed adventurer and the kind of boy with his head stuck in the clouds and the moon inked on his arm—everything her rational sense tells her to stay away from. And yet Lux finds herself welcoming the distraction. As they spend the entire weekend together, Micah leads her to rediscover the lost pieces of herself amidst the excitement and the confusion of a raving mosh pit.

But all weekends come to an end and Lux needs to return to the dreaded reality she’s running away from. Does being brave enough to leave summer behind mean being brave enough to ask Micah to stay?

Excerpt:

Continue reading #SparkPlugs || EXCERPT: Sounds Like Summer by Six de los Reyes

SHAME GAME! (Because social media and fandom be cray.)

[Open to PH residents only.]

Surprise! August isn’t over yet. Which means my birthday month isn’t over yet. Which also means #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy isn’t over yet either. (Let’s be real, every month should be Buwan Ng Mga Akdang Pinoy, yes? YES.)

So here’s another giveaway with books that might introduce you to new feelings along with the #romanceclass feelings you already know (basically all the feelings, okay). These stories are scandelicious!

You know the drill, save the image below:

Iris After The Incident by Mina V. Esguerra + Scandalized by Tara Frejas

Post it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ShameGameGiveaway, and tag me @chiyurodriguez. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday, August 22, 2016! Go on, gossip about it. Good luck!

GEEKAWAY! (Because why not call it that, sure.)

[Open to PH residents only.]

I’ve pretty much resolved to do whatever the hell I want this month, because it’s my birthday month… also because I’m turning 30 tomorrow. And when you’re about to turn 30 you tend to want to do random shit. (Or that could just be me.)

We’re also celebrating #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy! There are so many Filipino-Authored books out there that you haven’t seen, many of which can make you feel all the things, and these #romanceclass books might be two of those. So save the image below:

Post it on Twitter or Instagram with the hasthtag #GeekawayGiveaway, and tag me @chiyurodriguez. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday, August 15, 2016! Chirp, chirp and cheers to your #innerdyromantic! (I’m so making that a thing.)

FEELS: NOTED || The Last Night of Her Wake by Chrissie Peria

Disclaimer: Everything you will read after this will be spoiler-free. This is not an actual review. These are just feelings, put into slightly incoherent words that hopefully make sense enough for you to understand how a certain book affected me. There will be no technical comments, no nitpicking. Just feelings, all the feelings.

Get it on Buqo

First things first: Don’t forget to follow the #StrangeLit blog tours. Which will be going on for the rest of the month!

Do download the Buqo app and purchase your own e-book copy of #StrangeLit Killer Seasons, and rate it on Goodreads. ♥

This story in the #StrangeLit Killer Seasons bundle is one of those stories where… you think you know, but you really have no idea. I mean, the title itself should be self explanatory, right? Someone died. A girl died. It was the last night of her wake and she’s probably not dead. You’re probably going to read a story about how she’s watching over her coffin, spitting out ironic commentary about the people coming to visit.

It’s probably going to be this hilarious story about how the afterlife sucks, told in the point of view of a girl who died.

Well, simply put… NO.

It’s a story about how life sucks, told in the point of view of those who got left behind.

Continue reading FEELS: NOTED || The Last Night of Her Wake by Chrissie Peria

GUEST POST || Personal Taste by Therese Barleta

First things first: Don’t forget to follow the #StrangeLit blog tours. Which will be going on for the rest of the month!

Do download the Buqo app and purchase your own e-book copy of #StrangeLit Darkest Dreams, and rate it on Goodreads. ♥

My featured author for today is Therese Barleta. She’s a good friend–smart, armed with beautiful words, but is one that isn’t very fond of people-ing. (Like me.) So I thought, what better way to open her up to people than to force her to write something that will give everyone else an inside look at that big brain of hers. (There’s also an interview coming up from another friend of ours. We are, as the author will say behind the cut, “sadistic” like that. :p)

Read more to learn about her and her #StrangeLit story, When It Rains In Mystic River.

Continue reading GUEST POST || Personal Taste by Therese Barleta

#StrangeLit Fateful Turns || Excerpts and Things

First things first: Don’t forget to follow the #StrangeLit blog tours. Which will be going on for the rest of the month!

Do download the Buqo app and purchase your own e-book copy of #StrangeLit Fateful Turns, and rate it on Goodreads. ♥

With eleven stories, Fateful Turns is the biggest collection of stories from the #StrangeLit workshop. (Can you say, bargain? ♥♥♥) Behind the cut are a few excerpts from four of those stories. Hopefully, some of the ones you haven’t quite read about yet. 🙂

Continue reading #StrangeLit Fateful Turns || Excerpts and Things

DREAM CAST || In Over Her Head by Anne Plaza

First things first: Don’t forget to follow the #BacklistRevivalProject hashtag, to stay updated on all the books we’ll be bringing back to life this year.

Do rate/review In Over Her Head on Goodreads, or give a shout-out to the author on Twitter and Facebook.

Get the book on Amazon | Smashwords | iBooks

All she wants is to get even…

Erika Apostol’s quiet and unassuming life gets disrupted when she learns that Richard Javier, the very same person who broke her heart many years ago, is now back in the country. Her world is turned upside down as old feelings she thought were buried resurface to haunt her once more.

Determined to give Richard a dose of his own medicine, Erika finds herself involved in an outrageous plan devised by her friends. They enlist the help of Jerome Gonzales, an attractive and charismatic DJ (with a playboy reputation), to pose as her significant other.

As the plan goes in full swing, Erika discovers Richard’s jealous side, and that there’s something more to Jerome than meets the eye. Will this grand charade work out the way it should, or will she be left with nothing in the end?

We read books and as soon as the author starts describing a character so-and-so, we form this image in our head of someone–some familiar or unfamiliar face that becomes our peg for that character. It may not always be the same with everyone else, but we stick to it. Because it makes the character feel more alive in our heads as we read along.

Author Anne Plaza gives us her own Dream Cast for In Over Her Head and it’s nothing if not a whole lot of eye candy. ♥

“When I was writing In Over Her Head for #romanceclass, Mina asked us to come up with character profiles for our stories,” says Anne Plaza. Continue reading DREAM CAST || In Over Her Head by Anne Plaza

The Bye-Bye Bouquet… in paperback?

In case you missed it, my first full-length romance novella went LIVE on Amazon last February 14, 2016. Before I proceed with anything else, I just want to say thank you to those who pre-ordered the e-book, and those who purchased the e-book after it went live. ♥♥♥ I’m currently working on getting the e-book available in other online platforms, but I’m opening the option of holding the actual book in your hands… right now!

If you want a paperback copy of The Bye-Bye Bouquet, fill up the form below. If I get at least 10 orders, I will have the first batch of books printed.

…and I will also love you and appreciate your support oh so very much. 🙂

So flex those fingers and start typing!

Continue reading The Bye-Bye Bouquet… in paperback?