Saturday, December 21, 2013

Until You Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt & GIVEAWAY!!



Title: Until You
Series: A Fall Away Novel, Book #1.5
Author: Penelope Douglas
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 5, 2013
Tour Organized by: As the Pages Turn

***This novel contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+.

Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or so numb that you actually felt high? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between.

Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don't care about anything or anyone.

Except Tatum.

I love her so much that I hate her. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn't trust her or anyone else.

So I hurt her. I pushed her away.

But I still need her. The sight of her centers me, and I can pool all of my anger into her. Engaging her, challenging her, bullying her...they are my food, my air, and the last part of me that feels anything human.

But she left. She went to France for a year, and came back a different girl.

Now, when I push, she pushes back.


I'm going to be honest here, I'm not a fan of reading books I've already read from a different POV. I just don't see the point. I only gave Until You a try because I didn't just love Bully but because it is one of my favorite books of the year. I fell in love with the characters, especially Jared. He's such a complex character and really hard to read. When the opportunity came to participate in the blog tour and get a chance to read Until You before anyone else could, I said, why the hell not? But at the same time I was a little hesitant about reading it. I didn't have to worry about it because Penelope Douglas is an amazing writer.

Until You wasn't at all repetitive. Yes, most of the scenes are from Bully but Jared tells it in a very different voice. It felt like I was reading a whole different book. Some things I remembered and then I would get excited to read them from Jared's POV. Also, one of the things I appreciated about Until You was that we get to see more of the secondary characters which made me very happy. Overall I'm really happy I read Until You. It was refreshing and Penelope Douglas did an amazing job of making me fall in love with the same book twice.

I can't say anything more about Until You without spoiling it. I'll just say that Penelope Douglas restored my faith in this kinds of book. I don't even know what to call them, retellings? Anyway, Until You was a perfect blend of new and old. It was just what I needed.


My review of Bully

Excerpt:

“Jared, I’m a bad mother.” She swallowed hard, obviously trying to hold back more tears. I looked off to the side, unable to meet her eyes. “I made it through, Mom.”
“You did… somewhat. I’m proud of you. You’re strong, and you’re not a follower. I know I’ll send you into the world a survivor.” Her light voice turned firm and serious. “I wouldn’t want any other son. But, Jared, you’re not happy.”
The air around me got tight, pushing me from all sides, and I didn’t know where to turn to get out. “Who’s happy? Are you?” I barked. “Jared, I was seventeen when I got pregnant with you.” She folded her arms and hugged herself, more like hiding from something than warming herself. “I’m only thirty-six now. People I graduated with—some of them—are just starting their families. I was so young. I had no support. I didn’t get a chance to live before I had my world turned upside down—,”
“Yeah, I get it, alright,” I cut her off. “I’ll be out of your hair by June.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She moved closer, her voice raspy and holding out her hand as if to stop my thoughts. “You were the gift, Jared. The light. Your father was the hell. I thought I loved him. He was strong, confident, and cocky. I idolized him…” She trailed off, and I swear I could hear her heart breaking as her eyes fell to the ground. I didn’t want to hear about that asshole, but I knew she needed to talk. And for some reason I wanted to let her.
“I idolized him for about a month,” she continued. “Long enough to get pregnant and get stuck with him.” And then she looked at me again. “But I was young and immature. I thought I knew everything. Drinking was my escape, and I abandoned you. You never deserved that. When I saw Tate trying to make you happy that night, I let her. The next morning you weren’t in your room. When I looked out your window, I could see you both passed out in her bed, just sleeping. So I let it be. For years, I knew you were sneaking over there to sleep, and I let it go, because she made you happy when I failed.”
The purest, truest, most perfect thing in my world, and I’d dumped pile upon pile of shit on top of her for years. A knot of realization worked its way into my head, and I felt like punching my fist through a fucking wall.
“Jesus Christ.” I combed my hands through my hair, my eyes squeezing shut as I whispered to myself. “I’ve been so horrible to her.”
My mother, like Mr. Brandt, probably knew nothing of what I’d put Tate through, but she did know that we weren’t friends anymore.
“Honey,” she spoke up, “you’ve been horrible to everyone. Some of us deserved
it, some of us not. But Tate loves you. She’s your best friend. She’ll forgive you.”
Will she?
“I love her.” It was the most honest thing I’d confided in my mother in a long
time. My father could kiss his own ass, and my mother and I would survive, for better or worse. But Tate?
I needed her.
“I know you love her. And I love you,” she said as she reached out and touched
my cheek. “You’re not letting your father or me take anything else from you, do you understand?”
Tears burned my eyes, and I couldn’t hold them back.
“How do I know I’m not going to be like him?” I whispered.
My mother was quiet as she studied me, and then her eyes narrowed.
“Tell her the truth,” she instructed. "Trust her with everything, especially your heart. Do that, and you’re already not like your father.”


AUTHOR BIO:
Penelope Douglas is a writer and teacher in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to "just get the degree!" She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she hated Public Administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later they were married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, the show Sons of Anarchy, and she shops at Target almost daily.


TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY:
Penelope is offering up (1) Kindle Paperwhite, (5) $50 gift cards to either Amazon or B&N, (5) Prize packs (bookmarks, rack cards, a custom key chain and signed copies of Bully and Until You) or (10) eBook copies of Bully up for grabs. The giveaways are open internationally. Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST 12/23/2013.



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Friday, December 13, 2013

Virtual Chair #16: Nina from The Sea of Pages


Today sitting on the Virtual Chair is Nina from The Sea of Pages. You can follow her on Twitter and don't forget to visit her awesome site!




-When did you start blogging and why? 

I started blogging about a month ago. I kept reading these awesome books and gushing to my sister about them but she didn't really understand why I was so enthusiastic about fictional characters.So I decided to start a blog and gush with people who did!

-Describe your blog in 3 words. 

Quirky. Fun & Gushy (yes that's a word)

-What are you currently reading?

Normally I read a whole bunch of books at once but I have the flu so I've only been reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I got to meet her last weekend and she signed my books! She was so nice!

-Who’s your biggest fictional crush?

Oh man this is so hard! It's a tie between Chaol from Crown of Midnight & Corey from What Happens Next by Colleen Hoover. 

-Name a book you didn't expect to like but did.

The Hunger Games. I hadn't ever read any dystopian novels and wasn't sure if I'd like it so I kept putting it off but finally about a month before the movie came out I read it. I'm so glad I did! That book was ah-mazing! (I'm not a big fan of the last book though)

-Ghosts or Zombies. What would scare you most?

Zombies. No matter how ridiculous it sounds, I feel like it's something that could possibly happen so they scare me. Also, I went to the theme park Universal Studios for Halloween and they had a Walking Dead maze. I'm still jumpy after that and refuse to watch The Walking Dead t.v. show.

-Name one thing that would make you not finish a book.

Wimpy Heroines. It's so annoying when the heroine is a wimp! I know sometimes characters start off that way and develop into a more confident character but when they are wimpy the whole book it annoys me.  

-Do you ever read the ending of a book before finishing it?

No but I do sometimes look up spoilers on Goodreads. I'm too impatient to wait and see what will happen!

-Would you choose to live forever if you could?

Yes. I'd love to see how the future would turn out and all the new technology that would be created.

-How far into a book can you tell if you are going to like it or not?

I'm a picky reader so about 2 or 3 chapters in. I try and stick with it and finish it but sometimes I just have to put it down and read another book instead.


Thanks so much for having me! I loved answering your questions! :)

Thank you Nina!! I loved having you here! 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Pic2Book Wednesday Challenge #82

Guess the Book Title





This is a weekly challenge where you guess the book title just by looking at the pictures. This game is inspired by the game Scene it? and it's one of my favorite challenges in it! If you want to participate and don't want any spoilers don't read the comments. I'll post the answer of this challenge in tomorrow's post.

What's this book's title?


Hints:

  • These two picture don't spell the title of the book. 
  • This book was published on January 3rd 2012
  • The author's initials are M. M.



Last Week's Challenge answer: 

Night of Cake & Puppets (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2.5) by Laini Taylor

Night of Cake & Puppets (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2.5)




Thanks to:  


For participating in last week's challenge!!! 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Displaced by J.F. Jenkins Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY!

Displaced



Genre: New Adult/Science Fiction/Dystopian
Chevelle Donahue thought going into work would be just like any other boring day at the mall. Sure, there was her annoying co-worker Wicken Sanders, and a promotional visit from teen heartthrob Timber Hudson, to watch and keep her entertained. But who was she kidding? Working retail was lame no matter what happened.

A terrorist attack changes everything - an attack from aliens of all things. The patrons are given two options: comply or else. Complying means giving in to a new set of rules and changing her entire life. "Or else" means she has no chance of going home again.

She must figure out the truth behind why the aliens are holding everyone hostage. In doing so, she risks her chance at freedom - but by the time she learns what's really happening, she might not want it.

Author Bio:


J.F. Jenkins

J.F. Jenkins lives in Minneapolis where she spends most of her time creating and plotting world domination – something that has been in the works for roughly 13 years.
In her free time she works as the local coffee wench and dominates the minions of the pixilated world on her PS3.
She’s also got a little man (J Walk) and a little man trapped in a big man’s body (J Dawg) to take care of along with her two fur babies Ushi and Tibu.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, December 6, 2013

Shadows of Asphodel Blog Tour: Excerpt and GIVEAWAY!!



Shadows of Asphodel


When Ardis discovers a man bleeding to death on the battlefield, she knows she has to walk away.

1913. In her work as a mercenary for Austria-Hungary, Ardis has killed many men without hesitation. One more man shouldn’t matter, even if he manages to be a charming bastard while he stands dying in the snow.

But when he raises the dead to fight for him, she realizes she must save his life.

If a necromancer like Wendel dies, he will return as a monster—or so the rumors say. Ardis decides to play it safe and rescues him. What she doesn’t expect is Wendel falling to one knee and swearing fealty. Ardis never asked for the undying loyalty of a necromancer, but it’s too late now.

Ardis and Wendel forge an uneasy alliance underscored with sexual tension. Together, they confront rebels, assassins, and a conspiracy involving a military secret: robotically-enhanced soldiers for a world on the brink of war. But as Ardis starts to fall for Wendel, she realizes the scars from his past run more deeply than she ever imagined. Can Ardis stop Wendel before his thirst for revenge destroys him and everyone else around him?


(Dieselpunk romance. Recommended for ages 17 & up.)
Shadows of Asphodel excerpt 

“Necromancy is fascinating,” he murmured. “There’s a certain repulsive elegance about the magic. With it, I can recover memories long lost. I can speak to the dead who left this world days, weeks, even centuries ago.”

His eyes gleamed in the dusk, and she wasn’t sure it was sadness for his childhood pet. She thought she heard pride in his voice.

Then he looked at her, and he smirked.

“If I’m an abomination,” he said, “I might as well enjoy it.”

“And you expect me not to be sanctimonious?” she said, but she couldn’t help smiling.

“I do tend to bring that out in people,” he said flippantly. “I aim to please.”

“Please who?” she said.

“Those whose fancy the repulsively elegant.”

“Or despicably handsome?”

A slow grin spread on Wendel’s face. “That too.”

Ardis cleared her throat. She was not about to admit that she found him handsome. Unless she already had, which was a mistake. Clearly he knew about his good looks, considering how much he resorted to charm. Not that she found him charming.


Don't forget to visit the other stops in the tour!

$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Pic2Book Wednesday Challenge #81

Guess the Book Title




This is a weekly challenge where you guess the book title just by looking at the pictures. This game is inspired by the game Scene it? and it's one of my favorite challenges in it! If you want to participate and don't want any spoilers don't read the comments. I'll post the answer of this challenge in tomorrow's post.

What's this book's title?


Hints:
  • This is a short story
  • L.T. are the author's initials
  • Published November 2013


Last Challenge's answer: 

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards (Wild Cards, #1)



Thanks to:  
For participating in the last challenge!!! 

Monday, November 25, 2013

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater Review

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“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did. I didn’t just liked it I loved it. The thing is that when I started reading it I went with low expectations. I heard from lots of bloggers how much they liked it, and I decided to give it a try. I don’t regret it. Not one bit. I was hesitant about this one because I didn’t have a great experience reading Maggie’s last two books (The Scorpio Races and Forever), but The Raven Boys was amazing!

At the beginning,  I was a little lost. I was confused with the boys and what they were looking for. I actually didn’t feel anything for any of them for the first half of the book. But then I started liking the boys and their bond. Gansey was the papa bear of the group; he was very protective of the other boys. Ronan was complicated mysterious, and I think I have a crush on him. Noah was the sweet one and very weird. The only boy I didn’t feel anything for was Adam. To me he was very whiny and sensitive. I get it to a point. He was the only boy in the group who didn’t have a rich family. I get why he would get offended when Gansey would offer to pay for anything, but I hated when he would think that Gansey was doing it out of pity. I wanted to punch him a little bit. He’s back-story is sad but not even that made me like him.

My favorite part of the book was Blue and her psychic family. They were so fascinating and odd! I loved them. I would find myself captivated in their conversations and wishing the book had more of them in it. I also like the essence of the book. I say the essence because I didn’t get the whole plot, but I could feel what was behind it. Does that make any sense? Some of the details I didn’t get, but I knew what everything led to. I hope I’m making sense here. That didn’t bother me like it would bother me with other books. I think it all comes down to me not expecting to like The Raven Boys. I know this sounds bad, but I think that’s the key to going into a new book. Sometimes I just need to grab a book and read it without reading reviews or the summary. Of course, this doesn’t work with every book, but it worked with The Raven Boys.

I gave this book a 4 stars rating because of 2 things: Adam and some unsolved plot points. Other than that I enjoyed The Raven Boys very much. That final sentence left me with my mouth hanging open!



Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor Review

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2)





Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

As soon as I finished Daughter of Smoke & Bone I went through a withdrawal. I had a very hard time looking for a book to top Laini’s writing and characters. I found none. I had to take comfort in re-reading favorite books and let time heal my empty heart. It was really hard to get over it. So a month before Days of Blood & Starlight came out I got the ARC and I was so very excited to read it until I wasn’t. I just couldn’t put myself through it again. I decided to wait and wait and wait some more until it got closer to the third book’s publication date to read it.

I kind of regret waiting to read DoBaS. I was a little lost at the beginning with all the names, and some of the terms went over my head. But then it all came back to me. Just like with the first book I was smitten by this world and Laini’s writing. I didn’t think that this one would top the first book, but it did. It was so magical and beautiful. I just loved every little thing about this story. I also don’t know how Laini can manage to make the reader care for small characters. I say this because Days of Blood & Starlight changes POVs often. Sometimes some characters get 2 to 5 pages, and I knew I wouldn’t read about them again, but I couldn’t help but care for them.

There's something I have to tell you guys. I have a girl crush on Karou. There, I said it. I always swoon and say how hot the main male character is-Akiva totally is- but Karou definitely has my heart. She’s fearless, she's passionate, and she has blue hair. What else could I ask for in a heroine? I also love where Laini is taking the series. Even thought the book goes from POV to POV and different places in the world(s) it wasn’t messy at all. I was surprisingly in sync with the book.

I'm sad that I finished Days of Blood & Starlight. I'm also feeling like I'm going into a Laini withdrawal. But I have Zuzana and Mik's book to look forward to. They are one of the highlights in this book. They made me laugh, swoon and hope. Books like this make me proud of being a bookworm.



Daughter of Smoke & Bone Review

Here's something I made after reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I think I would make an awesome chimaera! What kind of chimaera would you be? Let me know in the comments!! P.S. I'm not very good at drawing ;)


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Unattainable (Undeniable #3) by Madeline Sheehan

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 (Undeniable #3)




Warning: This is not a virtuous and tender love story. It’s chaotic, ruthless, and tragic. This story takes love and kills its innocence, steals away the pure moments, and crushes the hearts of the broken. A story born in childhood, tying one girl to one boy, leads to a destructive path—that hurts more than it doesn’t, that shatters more than it heals—testing the love that binds the two through a lifetime.

Tegen Matthews is the daughter of Dorothy Kelley, a club whore in the Hell’s Horsemen. A plain little girl, Tegen falls into the gritty world of the motorcycle club. When she meets a sweet, caring boy, she embraces the warmth and affection he shows her. Cage West is the son of the president of the Hell’s Horsemen. Tall and blond with deep brown eyes, as he grows up Cage realizes the power of his dimpled smile and smooth drawl. With one chance encounter, Tegen becomes forever tied to Cage. Following is a wayward journey that is filled with regrets, mistakes, and heartache, pulling at the threads that hold them together. Cage and Tegen fight hard but love harder, and in the end, what matters is where the journey takes one girl and one boy, who have been twined with one another since the beginning.

This is Tegen and Cage’s story.

Love doesn’t erase a broken heart, and it sure doesn’t change people. But no matter how old, how flimsy, how frayed the rope of love is, it keeps you tethered to the people you love.
Madeline has done it again. She has written a book that is not easily forgettable and makes you love imperfect characters. You would think that because this book is about bikers, and sometimes bikers can be a little bit unsophisticated that the writing would match the characters. It doesn’t. Madeline is a great writer, and she writes about raw and dark characters with a sophisticated touch. Her books are like a black hole, once you start reading them you’ll get sucked in until you finish them.

In Unbeautifully (book 2),  we get a glimpse of Tegen, and what I read I didn’t like at all. I thought she was so ungrateful and spoiled! Then I got to know her in Unattainable, and my perspective of her changed completely. She had reasons to behave the way she did and very good ones. She’s a fighter, very protective of her family and loyal. She’s fierce. I think she’s my favorite character in the series so far. Then there’s Cage. I loved Cage from page one until the end. Hell, I’ve loved him since I read Undeniable (book 1)! He’s so much like his dad but a little bit softer. He was so underestimated by everybody and that made me love him even more because I knew he was better than what everybody thought he was. Sigh. I just love him.

This book wasn’t only about Tegen and Cage. It was also about Dirty and Ellie. I didn't mind that Madeline decided to share Cagen’s (see what I did there) book with Dirty and Ellie. I actually love that she did that with Unattainable. The thing with Madeline’s characters is that they all have a story to tell. If she only wrote only about Cage and Tegen, the story wouldn’t have been as entertaining as it was. I’m seeing a lot of authors giving books to characters that have nothing to tell just for the heck of it. At the end,  their characters are just an empty shell, an imitation of what a main character is supposed to be. Thankfully the characters in Unattainable are fleshed out and have unique voices. I was as interested in Ellie and Dirty as I was in Cage and Tegen’s story.

There’s a lot of everything in Unattainable and get ready to read about things you haven’t read in Madeline’s other books. This book will make you cry, cringe, swoon and make you want to slap somebody’s mama in the span of 5 pages. This book will rock your world.



Friday, November 1, 2013

Omens by Kelley Armstrong Review


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Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.

But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.

Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.

Aided by her mother’s former lawyer, Gabriel Walsh, Olivia focuses on the Larsens’ last crime, the one her birth mother swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel start investigating the case, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. Because there are darker secrets behind her new home and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her.

First of all thank you to Joy from Joyous Reads for sending me a signed copy of Omens!

I enjoyed Omens more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because I read reviews and most of them said the same thing. They warned readers not to expect a lot of romance. They also said not to expect Omens to be a typical Armstrong book. The paranormal aspect of the book takes a back seat for pretty much the whole time. There are hints here and there, but nothing ever gets explored in depth. But because I knew about this it didn’t upset me that much. Of course,  I wish that some things were explained better but hopefully in the next book we’ll get some answers.

I loved all the characters in Omens. They all have unique voices. Even the secondary characters were strong. I liked Olivia a lot. Once the truth was out about her birth parents she didn’t freak out or went running to her fiance or mom for help. She was very strong and fearless. I liked Gabriel also. I wanted something to happen between Olivia and Gabriel though. I know that’s the way the book was supposed to be written, but my romance loving heart was yearning for something, anything to happen. I knew nothing was going to happen, but God, they are so perfect for each other.

To me what made this book were the omens. I love the omens creepy meanings and the songs that would come to Olivia’s head out of the blue. I don’t know why this fascinated me so much. But I think my grandma has something to do with it. She's a very superstitious lady. That makes me and my whole family superstitious people. We believe in all that crap. All add some of her superstitions at the end of the post.

Omens was a very different read for me, and I loved it! I can't wait to read the next book in the series.



Bad Omens According to my Abuelita (Grandma)

-There’s this giant centipede in Puerto Rico that’s venomous and aggressive. My grandma believes that if you say its name (alacran) one of them will appear in your house the next day.


-My grandma believes that if you sweep an unmarried young lady’s feet she won’t ever get married. She used to do that to me a lot. She loved me too much to share me with anybody else.

-Abuelita believes that if someone sees a black bee something bad is going to happen to that person.

I can go on forever with this list! LOL! Do you believe in bad omens? If you do let me know in the comments!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Wasteland by Lindsay Leggett Cover Reveal





Wasteland by Lindsay Leggett 
(Flight #2) 
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Wasteland, the next book in the FLIGHT trilogy, takes place a few months after the ending of book one.

Trapped in a cell and experimented on, Piper Madden’s only hope is remembering Asher. Then, Elder Corp President Rupert Elder gives her new orders: to be a leader in a war against the Harpies. Without a choice, Piper must obey Rupert’s commands or suffer from paralyzing and painful Nanomachines. But the war is just beginning, and Asher has gone missing. The resistance is slowly building, and the upcoming war will be larger and bloodier than anything seen since the Devastation that ruined the earth. Throughout all of this, Piper remembers the time before she ran to Ichton, when David was alive and her hope in Elder Corp was still strong.

AUTHOR BIO:
Nearly every writer struggles to put together information about themselves, perhaps because we’re so used to detailing the lives and ways of others. For the most part I am a writer, editor, photographer, and all-around artist living in the wilds north of Toronto, Ontario. I thrive on the juxtaposition of beauty and grit, enjoy urban crawls, indie everything, and time well-spent in the woods.
Author Links:

Isn't this cover gorgeous!? Let me know what you guys think in the comments!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Fractured by Sarah Fine Review and GIVEAWAY!

Fractured (Guards of the Shadowlands, #2)



In the week since Lela returned to Rhode Island as Captain of the Guard with Malachi as her second in command, local news has been dominated by chilling sightings of human-like creatures running on all fours. Lela knows there’s only one explanation: the Mazikin have arrived in the land of the living.

Needing to maintain the appearance of a normal life for her foster mother, her probation officer, and her classmates, Lela returns to Warwick High along with Malachi. At night they secretly hunt for the Mazikin nest. To assist, two new Guards from very different parts of the Shadowlands are assigned to Lela’s unit, including the bad boy Jim, who repeatedly challenges Lela's authority. Lela struggles to keep all her Guards on the right side of the law, but their mistakes come at a terrible cost.

As one painful revelation follows another and the Mazikin start targeting those closest to her, Lela finds herself more vulnerable than she’s ever been, wanting a future more than she ever has. With an enemy determined to separate soul from body, one question remains: how much is she willing to sacrifice to protect those she loves?


I was so scared of reading Fractured. I just knew something was going to happen to one of my favorite characters ever. My gut told me I should be afraid, or Alexa from Colletctions just scared the hell out of me. It can go either way. I was so terrified I couldn’t touch the book for almost a month. Then I got over my fears a jumped in. I didn’t have to be afraid because WOW, Sarah Fine knows what she’s doing. I was so impressed with her writing and how it sucked me in. Once you start reading Fractured you won’t be able to stop.

One of the things I liked the most about Fractured were the new characters. Some I adored and some I wanted to strangle with my bare hands. I think that’s what Sarah wanted me to feel. Because OMG. In one scene,  I wanted to kill someone. AH! I was so mad! I wanted to get inside the book and slap some sense into that character! I love when I feel strong feeling toward characters. It doesn’t matter if it's in a positive way or negative way. I just love that I feel that they are real.

I feel that Fractured was a bit scarier than the first book. The Mazikin were bolder and terrifying than in Sanctum also. Every time one of them was mentioned in the book my hair stood on end. With everything that was happening in the book I never saw the twist involving one Mazikin coming. It was kind of a WTF moment actually. It just broke my heart. I can’t forget to mention one of my favorite fictional couples, Lila and Malachi. Sigh… Malachi is such an amazing character. Lela is also amazing and strong. We don’t see main characters like Lila in books that often. That makes me love her even more.

Fractured was amazing! The ending was perfect, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in the next book! Too bad we have to wait. But I’ll wait as long as I have to. If you haven’t read Sanctum you need to ASAP!!! You don't want to miss out on a great series!




I'm giving away 4 e-copies of Fractured! If you win and you haven't read the first book in the series (Sanctum) you have the option of picking Sanctum instead of Fractured. This Giveaway is INT'l and will end 11/11/13. Good luck!

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Friday, October 25, 2013

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS Excerpt and GIVEAWAY!

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS Excerpt:

“Get up, birthday girl,” Andrew announces from somewhere near the foot of the bed. I hear him slap the tabletop by the window with the palm of his hand repeatedly.

I roll over onto my side, putting my back toward the bright sun and then burrow underneath the sheets. A gust of cold air hits me when Andrew snatches the sheets off me.

“Oh come on!” I moan, drawing my knees toward my chest and pulling the pillow over my head. “I should be able to sleep in on my birthday.”

Suddenly my body is being dragged off the bed and my arms come up wildly, trying to hold on to the edge of the mattress. Andrew’s hand is wrapped firmly around my ankle. I kick and flail, trying to get away, but he drags me across the bed so fast and without much effort that I just give up. My butt hits the floor and the sheets tumble down and around me.

“You are such an ass!” I laugh.

“But you love me. Now get up.”

With my hair all tangled around my head, I look up at him and pout. He smiles at me and reaches out his hand. I take it, and he pulls me into a stand.

“Happy birthday, babe,” he says and pecks me on the lips.


Summary:
When everything falls apart, love remains . . .

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS

Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged-and a wedding isn't the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can't wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew, a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to-until tragedy blindsides them.

Andrew doesn't understand how this could happen to them. He's trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won't do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride...

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS Buy Links:


J.A. Redmerski’s Social Network Links:



This giveaway starts immediately and will run until Wednesday. 
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Author Bio:

Born November 25, 1975, J.A. (Jessica Ann) Redmerski is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC's The Walking Dead.

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