Saturday, March 16, 2013

My Wolf's Bane Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour for My Wolf's Bane! This is a wonderful young adult paranormal romance. I'm reading it now and am SO close to finishing. I can't wait to find out how it ends! I will have my review up soon. Find out more about this book:


Title: My Wolf's Bane (Shapes of Autumn #1)
Author: Veronica Blade

Different species. Mortal enemies. It'll never work, but they'll die trying.

Autumn Rossi thought she was a normal teenager. Suddenly, she can outrun every critter in the forest, making her wonder if she’s even human.

When the new guy at school, Zack de Luca, witnesses a questionable scene, he unfairly pins her as stuck-up. He acts like he hates her, yet he keeps bailing her out of trouble. Not only is Zack both insufferable and irresistible, he seems to sniff her anytime he gets close.

As passion flares between them, Autumn isn’t sure which is more dangerous: her psycho ex-boyfriend, or falling for Zack — who’s risking his life just by being near her.

Find this book at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)




Check out the awesome trailer for this book: 




Excerpt:

I tossed the makeup bag into my backpack, slung it over my shoulder and whipped open the door. Barreling out of the bathroom, I slammed into what felt like a walking boulder. I ricocheted off the human rock and my backpack hit the wall behind me, throwing me off balance and pitching me forward into the hard, linoleum tile.

My palms cushioned my fall, but I winced as pain spiked up my wrists. On all fours, I lifted my chin and peeked through my curtain of dark hair.

He wore a black tee that molded to his wide, muscular shoulders and jeans that fit over powerful legs. Wow. I’d thought my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend was cute, but this guy…

“You okay?” the hottie asked in a sexy, gravelly voice, stretching a hand toward me. His hand wrapped around mine and effortlessly pulled me up, as if I weighed no more than my calculus book. Maybe it was the throbbing in my limbs or the warmth of his hands on my elbows. Or maybe it was his earthy scent invading my senses, but a wave of dizziness hit me and I tipped forward.

His hands shot to my hips to steady me. “Easy there.”

I stared into his deep, green eyes as my palms rested on his hard biceps for support. Lord, he smelled good, like the forest after rain. My breath hitched.

 
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About the author:

Veronica Blade lives in Southern California with her husband and children. By day she runs the family business, but each night she slips away to spin her tales. She writes stories about young adults to relive her own childhood and to live vicariously through her characters. Except her heroes and heroines lead far more interesting lives — and they are always way hotter.
 
Website
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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Early Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

 Title: The Collector (Dante Walker #1)
Author: Victoria Scott
Source: Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

 

Review:



 
The Collector is the first book in the brand new Dante Walker series by Victoria Scott. It hasn't been released yet, but it won't be much longer. The release date is April 2nd. A big thank you to Entangled Teen Publishing for an advanced copy! However, getting a free copy doesn't affect my reviews in any way. This is honestly a great young adult paranormal romance that you'll want to get your hands on asap!

This is told from Dante's point of view. He is a handsome, cocky soul collector. His job is to stamp souls of those who do bad deeds. Dante is up for a promotion, and all he needs to do is collect the soul of a teenage girl named Charlie. He thinks he's the best so this job shouldn't be a problem.

This story didn't start how I expected. I just knew that Dante would meet Charlie and instantly fall for her. I expected her to be beautiful like all the other heroines in romance books. However, when he first lays eyes on her, I believe the words floating through his mind was that she looked like she was beaten with an ugly stick (or something like that). She's quirky, nerdy, and definitely not his type. Her soul is so pure, Dante can't believe this is the soul he is supposed to collect. He needs to get Charlie to be bad so he can stamp her soul.

Charlie is the sweetest girl ever. She has such a big heart. She sees the best in everyone and is very trusting. You can easily identify with her in the fact that she doesn't have perfect features and is insecure. She has a beautiful personality though, and those that get to know her love her.

Dante is not the type of character you will like in the beginning. He's really such a jerk and thinks way too highly of himself. Spending time with Charlie changes him though. That arrogance slowly melts away. He has a sensitive side, which he keeps hidden, and Charlie brings that out. I liked how this wasn't insta-love. Not on Dante's side anyway. I would liked to have read this from Charlie's point of view as well, but if I could only choose one then I'm glad it was told from Dante's perspective.

My favorite thing about this book is “the voice”. Dante's point of view on things is hilarious and will keep you glued to the book. The author did such a wonderful job with the writing. I predict that Victoria Scott will make it big! There has been a lot of buzz about this book for some time now, and she is sure to have a huge hit on her hands. There were some interesting twists toward the end of the book, and the ending was great. I am really looking forward the the next book in this series!

Visit the author here:

Pre-order this book here:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Cover Reveal: Runes by Ednah Walters

Runes by Ednah Walters
Publication Date: May 20, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.


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About the author:

EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting with fans.

Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September 2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third installment, will be released April 2013. She’s working on the next book in the series, FORGOTTEN.

Ednah also writes New Adult paranormal romance. RUNES is the first book in her new series. She is presently working on book 2, IMMORTALS.

Under the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published four more books in this series. She's presently working on book six. You can visit her online at www.ednahwalters.com or www.ebwalters.com.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Review: Gravity by Melissa West

 Title: Gravity (The Taking #1)
Author: Melissa West
Source: Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.



Review:





Gravity is the first book in The Taking series by Melissa West. It centers around seventeen year old Ari, who lives in the future. The humans share the planet with aliens – also called Ancients. They are able to appear human. Each Ancient is assigned to a human for the Taking – a process in which the aliens have to take antibodies from the humans in order to survive on Earth. You're not allowed to know who is assigned to you. They come into your room at midnight every night. The humans are supposed to wear an apparatus that makes it impossible to see anything during the Taking. However, on one particular night, Ari can't find hers. She closes her eyes, but can't resist from peeking. That's when she realizes that the Ancient assigned to her is a boy from school – a boy who is pretending to be human.


The world building in this book is pretty good, which is necessary for a dystopian book. It's always interesting to me to read books set in the future – to imagine what could happen to the Earth under certain circumstances. In this book, much of the civilization is destroyed because of WWIV. The Ancients and humans don't exactly live in peace. Both species want to take over the Earth instead of co-existing.


Ever since Ari found out that Jackson is assigned to her, they become close. They try to work together to stop the impending war between their species. A forbidden romance slowly blossoms, though I would have liked to feel a little more spark between these characters. I liked the characters though. Ari is training to be an Operative, so she is no damsel in distress. She's tough, intelligent, and likeable. Jackson seems genuinely caring and not like others of his kind. He is mysterious, and you can tell he is hiding something throughout the book.


The book had good pacing for the most part, but the ending seemed a little rushed to me. There was a lot of action and suspense toward the end. There's also a bit of a cliffhanger that will make you look forward to the next book. There is a little bit of gore, but not much. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy paranormal romance, sci-fi, and/or dystopian.


Visit the author here:

Find this book at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
BAM

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Transcend Time Book Blitz & Giveaway!

Remembrance (Transcend Time Saga #1) by Michelle Madow

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.


Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
BAM

 The ebook is currently only .99 cents!

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 Vengeance (Transcend Time Saga #2) by Michelle Madow

How far would you go to get revenge?

When Chelsea Givens discovered that her ex-boyfriend Drew dumped her to be with her former best friend Lizzie, she'd never felt so betrayed in her life. Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back … well, it's downright crazy.

Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay?

Find out in Vengeance, the second part of the Transcend Time Saga.

*Vengeance is the short story that bridges the events in Remembrance and the final novel in the Saga.


Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)

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 Timeless (Transcend Time Saga #3) by Michelle Madow

 IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME.

In Remembrance, Lizzie and Drew changed the course of fate so they could be together.

In Vengeance, Chelsea set fate back on its original, deadly path.

Now, strange things keep happening to Lizzie. Things that are omens of darkness to come. A curse has doomed her to die an early death, just as she did in her past life. To make matters worse, even if she can figure out who cast the curse, it's irreversible. There's only one option left for her to save herself. It's crazier than anything she's heard yet, and to do it, she'll need Drew and Chelsea's help.

Because to make things right, they must go back to when it all began ... and Lizzie discovers that the final events in her past life were more sinister than she ever imagined.


Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
BAM 

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 Transcendence: The Transcend Time Saga Bonus Packet

INCLUDED IN THE BONUS PACKET:

- Sneak peak of Remembrance
- Bonus scene for Remembrance
- Deleted chapter from Timeless
- Character extras for Lizzie, Drew, Chelsea, Jeremy, and Hannah
- Author interviews
- Essays written by Michelle Madow about the series

The Transcend Time Saga is about a high school student named Lizzie who has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England, but doesn’t realize it until she meets her soul mate from the past and he triggers her memories to gradually return. The series began with Remembrance (published July 25, 2011), was followed by the short story Vengeance (published December 8, 2011), and concluded with Timeless (published November 20, 2012). The series has sold a significant number of copies, and has received much praise from reviewers.

Free download on Smashwords!

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Michelle Madow


HOW TAYLOR SWIFT’S “LOVE STORY” MUSIC VIDEO INSPIRED REMEMBRANCE


The “Love Story” music video premiered in the fall of 2008. The first time I watched it, I was entranced. Taylor sees a guy while walking through campus, and the moment their eyes connect, the scene flashes to the two of them dancing at a beautiful ball dressed in clothes that appear to be from around the year 1815. It’s magical to watch, and the video is so amazing that it gave me chills. I watched it over and over again, and a story started to piece together in my mind. A story about a girl reincarnated from Regency Era, England, who doesn’t realize it until her soul mate transfers into her school and triggers her memories to gradually return to her.

In that semester at school, I was taking a class called Intro to Creative Writing. One of our first big assignments in class was to write anything we wanted and bring it in to share with everyone. Since the characters and scenes that came to me while watching “Love Story” refused to leave my mind, I decided that for the project, I would write the first chapter of what I then called “The Story Inspired by ‘Love Story.’”

After completing the chapter, I stared at it for about an hour, worrying about what my classmates would think after reading it. I assumed everyone else would write about “normal” topics—not reincarnation and seeing your soulmate from the past for the first time! What if they thought what I wrote was weird? I nearly erased it in favor of turning something else in, but then I remembered something Taylor had said:

"If you’re lucky enough to be different from everyone else, don't change."

I listened to her advice. Yes, what I wrote was going to be way different from what everyone else in class wrote, but I was okay with that. And after I read the chapter aloud to the class, I was amazed to find out that everyone in my class, including my teacher, loved it. Actually, they more than loved it—they wanted to read more!

But I had never written a novel before, and the idea of making the plunge and going for it intimidated me. What if I failed and couldn’t finish it? That worried me, but again, I remembered something Taylor had said:

"To me, fearless isn't not having fears; it's not that you're not afraid of anything. I think that being fearless is having a lot of fears, but you jump anyway."

So I jumped.

And now, three years after I saw the “Love Story” music video for the first time, my debut novel Remembrance is finally available for everyone to read. I’m so happy to be able to share it with you. I can only hope that if you choose to read it, you end up enjoying it as much as I loved writing it!

Thank you for taking the time to read my story about how “Love Story” and Taylor Swift helped me get to where I am today!

  

Check out her website, www.michellemadow.com, to add her on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and her many other social networking sites.


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Giveaway!! 
Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win an ecopy of Remembrance! 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

New Releases

Title: Requiem (Delirium #3)
Author: Lauren Oliver

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (hardcover)


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 Title: Mating Instinct (Moon Shifter #3)
Author: Katie Reus

As the beast within struggles to break free, he must learn to be what she needs...

Surviving for centuries, powerful lupine shifter Jayce Kazan managed to stay away from humans until he met Kat Saburova and was consumed by the need to protect her. But while Jayce shared his passion with the human seer, he refused to make her his bondmate—a refusal that caused the end of their relationship.

A year later, an attack that left Kat near death has resulted in another lupine shifter turning her. Furious that he wasn’t the one to save her, Jayce is determined to show Kat that he is the one she should rely on. But the newly turned shifter is still traumatized and worried that she’ll hurt those she loves, unless she can learn to control her inner wolf.

And as Jayce struggles to protect Kat from her own worst instincts and convince her to rekindle their love, the extremists who almost killed her are looking to finish the job…

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)


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  Title: A Touch Menacing (A Touch Trilogy #3)
Author: Leah Clifford

Eden is dying. For real, this time.

She is crumbling to ash, and an unnatural plague is ravaging mortals and immortals alike. With both Heaven and Hell out to destroy her, Eden can no longer tell the difference between good and evil.

Friends become enemies. And enemies are everywhere.

But don't underestimate Eden. She'll fight for her life, for the lives of those she loves, and for every life she has ever touched.

She'll fight for revenge. For redemption. For—just maybe—the chance to be mortal again.

Everything began with forbidden love.

What will be sacrificed at the bitter end?

The dramatic conclusion to Leah Clifford's dark, alluring trilogy of life, death, and epic love.
 

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (hardcover)


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  Title: Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7)
Author: Patricia Briggs

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (hardcover)


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  Title: Death, Doom and Detention (Darklight #2)
Author: Darynda Jones

 The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.

It went out with a bang.

Goodbye normal.

Hello dark and eerie.

While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)


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 Title: Spellcaster (Spellcaster #1)
Author: Claudia Gray


When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (hardcover)


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  Title: Dear Cassie
Author: Lisa Burstein

 What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?

You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

You’d be wrong.

There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.

What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?

But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.

And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)


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  Title: Unremembered (Unremembered #1)
Author: Jessica Brody

The only thing worse than forgetting her past... is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author, Jessica Brody comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful new series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.
 

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (hardcover)


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  Title: The Wild Ones (The Wild Ones #1)
Author: M. Leighton

 Passion as hot as midnight in the South and love as wild as the horses they tame.   The darling daughter of a champion Thoroughbred breeder, Camille “Cami” Hines has a pedigree that rivals some of her father’s best horses. Other than feeling a little suffocated at times, Cami thought she was happy with her boyfriend, her life and her future—until she met Patrick Henley.   “Trick” blurs the lines between what Cami wants and what is expected of her—and he just happens to be so sexy she can’t keep her hands off him. While they both know that Trick would lose his much needed job on the ranch if anyone finds out, they can’t resist the lure of their scorchingly hot encounters.   But when Trick stumbles upon a note from his father, it triggers a series of revelations that could ruin what he and Cami have worked so hard to overcome. It turns out there’s more to Trick’s presence at the ranch than either of them knew, and secrets with the power to tear them apart.

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
BAM


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  Title: Let the Sky Fall (Let the Sky Fall #1)
Author: Shannon Messenger

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.

Available at the following places:
Amazon (kindle)
Amazon (hardcover)
BAM

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

 Title: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Source: Purchased

Synopsis:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.



Review:


Photobucket


**Spoilers**

In the final installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, the characters are still fighting for their lives. Since District 12 has been bombed, Katniss and her friends and family find refuge in District 13. The Capitol is furious, and they won't stop until Katniss pays – which includes hurting people she loves.

I have to admit that I was pretty bored through most of this book, especially the first half when they were in District 13. Katniss just didn't seem like herself in this book, and I couldn't connect with her. It seemed like she was always recovering from some mental or physical trauma. That, or filming propos. Things get a little more interesting once the rebellion starts and they enter the Capitol. However, things just seemed overly done. I know this is a dystopian/futuristic book, but things just went too far and seemed outlandish to me.

The book was well written, but I guess I was just disappointed with the direction it went. I had hope throughout the book, but it just kept getting more and more depressing. To me, this series didn't end as a happily ever after. Katniss just had to settle for the way things turned out. Throughout the trilogy, I was dying to know if she was going to pick Gale or Peeta. In the end, she didn't really get much of a choice. With one of the boys, Katniss just couldn't forgive him for something that wasn't his fault. He went his own direction and she was left with the other boy. There really wasn't a choice, and I felt no emotion from Katniss.

Yes, the war with the Capitol is over in the end but I just wasn't satisfied with that. There was really nothing to return home to. There were so many deaths and Katniss didn't seem happy to me. It didn't seem like there was anything to look forward to. I don't want to give too much away, so I'm trying not to get into specifics. I just felt unsatisfied and depressed.

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