Jan 30, 2013

Blog Blitz with Giveaway!: The Crescent Chronicles by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy  (The Crescent Chronicles #1) - Publication date: August 2012

 

Synopsis

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

Flight Excerpt
Preface

Closing my eyes, I tried to block it all out. Convinced I was about to die, I was only partly aware of his arms around me.
“You said you wanted an adventure,” he said quietly, teasingly, as he tightened his hold.
My stomach dropped out as an intense and complete feeling of weightlessness engulfed me. The wind stung my face as memories flooded my mind. I thought of my parents, of all the things I wanted to tell them but never did, my friends from home, and the experiences I longed for. Quickly my thoughts changed to more recent memories, to Levi.
“Open your eyes,” he whispered, somehow knowing my eyes were clenched shut.
Against my better judgment, I listened. The scream died in my throat as we hurtled toward the water that had seemed so beautiful from the roof above.

Focus by Alyssa Rose Ivy  (The Crescent Chronicles #2) - Publication date: January 31st, 2013

 

Synopsis

Freshman year of college is hard even when you're not tied to the future king of a supernatural society.

Allie dives into college head first with Hailey as her roommate and the city of New Orleans as her backyard. As things within The Society heat up, Allie realizes that whether she’s with Levi or not, she's in far too deep to turn back.

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the dull ache inside that made me want to reach out and touch him. He took advantage, but really I left myself open.

His lips met mine as his arm wrapped around my shoulder, turning me toward him. A voice in my head told me to cut him off, but I ignored it. He pushed to deepen the kiss, and I let my resistance fall away. He leaned into me, moving me so I was lying down. I felt his weight shift on top of me, his lips moving to my neck and trailing downward. I snapped myself out of it. Kissing Levi was a really bad idea.

“Stop!” I pushed against his chest. He didn’t respond at first, but he reluctantly moved to let me sit up. “What the hell was that?”

He grinned. “Don’t say you didn’t want that.” 

“Don’t look so proud of yourself. It’s never happening again.” I straightened my hair out with my fingers, trying to get rid of the evidence.

“So about tonight?”

“What about it?” I snapped.

“What do you want to do?” He sat up, still looking way too proud of himself.

“I’m going to a party with Hailey. She says all the freshman will be there.”

“Please tell me you aren’t talking about Disorientation, are you?” 

“Yeah, I think that’s what it’s called.” 

He shook his head. “No way. You’re not going!”

As if on cue, the door started to open. “Are you two decent in there?” Jared yelled obnoxiously.

I groaned “Of course, we are.” 

Hailey and the boys pushed into the room.

“Are you sure about that?” Owen asked.

I probably blushed wondering what evidence still existed. I followed his gaze and realized my tank top was pulled up on one side. Levi pulled it down before I could, letting his hand graze my skin in the process. The goose bumps that formed were completely coincidental—or so I told myself.

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About the Author

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

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Jan 28, 2013

Blog Tour: Review, Giveaway, & Excerpt -- Reckoning by Molly Hall

Reckoning
(Dark Prophecy, Book 1)

Molly M Hall

Genre: YA Paranormal

ISBN: 978-1479342112
ASIN: B0095JKKFC

Number of pages: 276
Word Count: 77,782

Cover Artist: Claudia McKinney -PhatPuppy Art

Buy The Book: Amazon PrintAmazon Kindle
BN Paperback , Nook
Smashwords
 

Synopsis

"They say the truth can set you free. I found out it can kill you."

Seventeen-year-old Kat Matheson has never revealed the dark secret that sets her apart from everyone else: She can see and hear the dead. Until now, she has been able to ignore the strange apparitions and whispering voices. But it may not be that simple anymore. Haunted by eerie visions and increasingly frightening nightmares, Kat begins to fear she may be the target of a dark and ominous force from beyond the grave. Complicating matters is the arrival of her new neighbor, a young man she instinctively distrusts but is inexplicably drawn to. Gorgeous and mysterious, he seems to hold a disturbing knowledge of her long-held secrets.

As she desperately tries to maintain control, events take an unexpected and violent turn. Discovering that nothing is what it seems and that her psychic abilities may involve far more than just communing with the dead, Kat may be forced to confront her worst fears and the powerful curse that controls her destiny.


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Reckoning by Molly M. Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Background:
Kat can see things that others cannot, but she has spooked her parents so she pretends not to see them anymore. One night a mysterious boy moves in next door without any parents, and to top things off, these spirits that she sees are getting stronger for some reason.

Review: I was very surprised by this book, I was expecting a paranormal YA read, which the quirkiness of some teenage romance and drama. What I was not expecting was the chills it sent down my spine. There were a few occasions reading at night that I could not get images our of my head, spooky spirits, dreams Kat experiences, sexy neighbor and his creepy house. It was a nice difference to normal YA paranormal reads though. It gave the book an edge.

I really liked the spooky, creepy elements and they brought more to the character development, even though I did feel like Kat is kind of dumb sometimes, but as teens we are were/ are...

I think what I enjoyed was the questioning through the plot, not the kind were the author just completely leaves you hanging at the end, but the kind that is built up through the plot without the reader realizing, some are answered and built up, others were waiting to be addressed fully later.

I think that Molly Hall wrote a spectacular YA. There are elements for everyone, suspense, action, some good looking guys, some romance, and some of that star-crossed lovers/ companions feel.

Very much enjoyed.

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A gentle breeze moves through the trees and gooseflesh creeps up my arms. I look around cautiously, my ears straining for even the slightest sound. Nothing. No dreaded flashes of a ghostly pink dress. No brain-numbing whispering. Just an empty expanse of green, dotted with trees, the stark silhouettes of houses rising behind.

     My phone buzzes again, the vibration rippling through the nerve endings in my hand like a low-voltage jolt of electricity. I feel a sudden desire to fling it as far away from me as I can.

     Reluctantly, I look down and click on the message.

     RUN

     Turning around, I see Rick, smiling back at me, waiting patiently. A scream of anguish and frustration begins to build deep inside of me and I hear a noise to my right, like the whooshing of wings. Jerking my head to the side, my eyes widen in shock, and I duck, narrowly missing a massive black bird as it sweeps past me, angling upward. I think I hear Rick say something, but his words are drowned out by the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears. I glance up, looking for the bird and see a large, dark shape sweeping past the top of the trees. I have no idea how any of it is connected – the girl, the texts, the bird – but instinctively I know they are. And it isn’t good.

     I look at Rick again, the wonder and magic of this evening still singing through my veins, and my shock turns to anger. Hot, fiery, rebellious anger. This will not happen. Not tonight.

     Clenching my jaw, I glare up at the sky. LEAVE ME ALONE, I scream in my head. Whatever issues this dead girl has, it has nothing to do with me.

     Rick begins walking toward me. “Everything OK, Kat?”

     I swallow, gathering my emotions back into a tight bundle. “Fine.” I force a smile onto my face, jogging back to him. “Just Rachel sending me another message.”

     I step into the pool of light beneath the streetlamp, anxious to leave the darkness behind. Suddenly, the light flickers, an odd sizzling sound emanating from the globes. I stop and stare, watching as several sparks shoot out the sides. The bird, the largest crow I have ever seen, swoops down from the trees, one shining, jet black eye looking directly at me. Sound disappears and time seems to fold in on itself, slowing to half-speed. The same weightless feeling I’d experienced at school creeps over me, and I tense, fighting off the panic.

     I stare at the bird, watching it descend lower and lower. It’s wings beat once, moving slowly down and back up again. Sparks continue to jet from the streetlamp, each brightly pointed flash of light spewing out in a torpid, glowing trail, before dropping slowly and silently to the ground. The bird is nearly on top of me. It sweeps past, close enough that I can feel the rush of air beneath its wings, gently lifting my hair. Then it arcs upward, higher and higher, before turning and diving back toward me again, it’s beak open in a silent cry.

     I stand and stare, frozen in place, numb with shock and disbelief. My phone vibrates dully in my palm, and I slowly lower my head. As though acting strictly through muscle memory, my thumb pushes the message button.

     NOW

     I look back up at the bird. Then at the streetlamp. And suddenly, I understand. The obscure text messages melding into clear and precise meaning. But my legs won’t move.

     I gasp, inhaling sharply as I struggle to break free of the torpor that has possessed me, and the world abruptly charges back into normal motion, sound and movement taking on a vivid clarity. The bird rushes toward me, it’s head cocked at an odd angle. The sparking and sizzling of the streetlamp grows louder, the globes glowing and flashing like some kind of deranged sparkler on the fourth of July. I take one slow step backward just as the globes explode with a loud bang, hundreds of tiny pieces of glass slicing through the air. I yelp and duck, lunging to the side.

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About the Author

Molly M Hall is the author of Reckoning, the first novel in the Dark Prophecy series. She has spent most of her life in Colorado and currently lives just outside of Denver. She pursued a degree in English Literature at Columbia College, and worked in the corporate world for several years before turning to writing full time.
 
When not reading or writing, she can be found shopping for awesome boots, listening to music, exercising, working on her very inadequate French, playing piano, or looking for inspiring landscapes to photograph. More at: mollymhall.com




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Jan 25, 2013

Blog Tour: Review, Giveaway & Excerpt -- Breathe by Elena Dillon


Breathe by Elena Dillon

Genre: Young Adult Romantic Suspense

978-0-9886353-0-2 Breathe Mobi
978-0-9886353-1-9 Breathe EPUB
978-0-9886353-2-6 Breathe Print
978-0-9886353-3-3 Breathe Smashwords


Word Count: 62,300
Cover Artist: Alexa Dillon
 

Synopsis

Jasmine’s life wasn’t normal for a 16 year old girl. It hadn’t been normal since the murder of her older sister, Daisy, two years ago. Her life had been changed forever. The monster that murdered Daisy was never caught. That was the reason her family decided to move away from their hometown in Southern California, to start over. Hopefully in a place where the last name Rourke wouldn’t bring on staring or judgment or morbid curiosity.
In Lafayette, Louisiana things are quite a bit different but in a good way.  Good manners, Cajun accents and a whole lot of Southern Hospitality all make her think things are going in the right direction.  On top of that the most gorgeous boy she has ever met is interested in her. Her new friends are better than she could have hoped for even if she is worried about what they might think when they find out who she is.  Life would be perfect if odd things didn’t keep happening.  Creepy phone calls, texts, and flowers in her locker start adding up quickly to something terrifying. Could the Monster have followed them to Lafayette? Was he coming after her this time?  Maybe she was just worrying unnecessarily…or not.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Background: Jasmine and her mother and twin siblings recently left LA after a horrible tragedy, the murder of her older sister Daisy. They are trying to restart in Louisiana and all is going fine until Jasmine starts receiving strange phone calls, flowers, and notes. Jasmine is on the brink of panic attacks while trying to keep theses strange occurrences a secret from her family, she cannot be the one to mess up their peace, but is the killer here?

Review: I hate to admit this but normally I am pulled in by covers, but this cover definitely left something to be desired. Aside from that, the synopsis was very intriguing and I was interested and willing to read the book. I really enjoyed it. I read most of it in one sitting. The story started off a little slow as the characters made their first appearances and we learn a little about what happened to Daisy. I found the internal struggle of Jasmine to be compelling and relatable. Jasmine becomes the oldest child after having taken a backseat to her sister all her life, that type of change is momentous for a teenager not to mention the grief of loosing a sibling. The emotion was captivating and all of this was emphasized by the drama occurring around Jasmine. I really enjoyed her character and her strength.

As for the murderer element, I think it was done well, as a reader you questioned throughout as to who/ what is tormenting Jasmine, but also really hoping her guy friend is left out of that craziness completely.

A very fast paced read once you hit about the half way point, I could not put it down and blocked out all the people trying to talk to me. At that point, you just need to know who...

 
Chapter 1

Most days I can almost forget someone murdered my sister. I try to go through every day like a normal sixteen-year-old. I can eat breakfast, go to school, do homework, but then something will remind me that my family will never be the same. I’ll see my mom looking out the kitchen window—she has this blank look and her clothes are hanging on her. I worry she doesn’t eat enough to stay alive. Or I catch a glimpse of the picture on the coffee table we took three Halloweens ago, when Daisy and I dressed up like crayons, and Caedan and Lily were Skittles. It seems like a long time ago, and then, again, I remember it like it just happened.

We finally moved two weeks ago. Mom decided we couldn’t continue to live in Burbank. Besides the obvious reason that Daisy’s murderer was never caught, someone was always staring at us with that look that said, “Isn’t it so sad what happened to the Rourke family?” But you know in their hearts they are thinking how glad they are it didn’t happen to them. It’s obvious they’re thinking my mom must have done something wrong. She wasn’t a good enough parent, didn’t supervise Daisy enough, didn’t call the police soon enough. They wanted to believe the murder of a teenage girl happened for a reason and they could avoid it, if they just did everything right. The thing is, I think the exact opposite is probably true.

So, three months ago, we had a family meeting. We got out a map of the US and each chose a city and state. Mom and I did research on ours, Caedan picked his based on name only, and Lily did the spin-around-and-wherever-your-finger-lands routine. Thankfully, we pulled mine out of the hat. I don’t know how I would have felt living in Smackover, Arkansas. Caedan thought it was hilarious. He is so twelve.

Tonight, my mom drove us all to Wal-Mart in our new town of Lafayette, Louisiana. School supplies were the one thing we hadn’t shopped for in the last two weeks, and school was starting tomorrow.

“Jas, take your brother and sister to the school supplies, while I go grab stuff for lunches this week, will you, hon?” my mom asked, as she walked away without waiting for my reply.

“I was going to—” I clamped my mouth shut. She didn’t even hear me.

I was stuck with this life now. I love my brother and sister, but I hadn’t always been the oldest and in charge of herding them. These are the times Daisy’s absence hits home the most with me. She had been good with them. I used to slip into the background. Do my own thing. Sneak off to the books and browse, while she did her Junior Mommy act. I’m less patient and easily irritated. I’m angry at Daisy for leaving me here with this mess. I don’t want to be the responsible one. I want my life back. I just inherited her spot and, honestly, I don’t want it. Not that anything is going to change it now.

“I want to get all matching Justin Bieber school supplies,” Lily decided, as we found the school supplies section. The place was crawling with kids and parents getting all their last-minute items. I thought we would be lucky to find filler paper and some pencils, as picked over as it all seemed.

Caedan was pushing the cart around the corners and down the aisles with the precision of a NASCAR driver on Sunday. He knew that one incident, and his driving privileges would be revoked. I was trying to find Justin Bieber anything, as Caedan turned onto the next aisle. Suddenly, I heard a crash and a loud oomph as I rushed around the other side.

“Caedan!” I shouted.

“Jas, I’m sorry I didn’t know he was there. It was an accident,” he pleaded.

“So sorry,” I mumbled to the man pushing the other cart. He shot me a look and moved past us. “That’s it! I’m driving.” But when I looked down at Lily, who had been walking next to Caedan, her eyes were big and full of tears.

“My Justin shirt!” she cried out. I looked down, and in the collision her purple slushy had spilled all over her shirt.

“Don’t be such a baby! It is just a shirt,” Caedan told her with all the sensitivity of a pre-teenage boy.

“Shut up, Caedan. I hate you.” Lily shoved him in the chest.

“Purple is not your color, Lils.” He was looking at his twin with pure disgust.

People next to us were starting to stare. I could feel the blood rushing to my face. Why did anyone have children anyway? They were cretins. By this time Lily was starting to melt down.

 “Okay, okay, we are going to fix it,” I hurriedly told her. Lily had always been emotional, but since Daisy’s murder she was hypersensitive to anything upsetting her world, and Justin Bieber was her world.

Into this chaos, my mother arrived. In the past, she could handle these situations quietly and easily. The twins fighting, or Daisy and I arguing over the mess in our room, would not even get us a raised voice. She was an RN for geriatric patients, and she was used to calming situations and peacemaking. Since Daisy’s death, even simple sibling arguments seemed overwhelming for her.

 “What is going on?” she said between clenched teeth. Lily chose this moment to burst into full tears, while Caedan started protesting about it not being his fault and how mean I was not to let him drive. “I guess it’s too much to ask for you to get one thing done for me without any uproar,” my mother remarked to me sarcastically. “Jasmine . . .” The use of my full name was never a good sign. “Go to the car and get your sister her sweatshirt, while I bring her to the bathroom to get her cleaned up.” She looked at my brother with narrowed eyes, “You will stand outside the ladies room door with the cart, quietly, while I handle the mess you made. And I don’t want to hear another word from you while we are in this store. Are we clear?”

I made a face at Caedan behind my mother’s back before I whipped around and stomped off to the car. Why was his obnoxious behavior my fault again? Whatever. Being the oldest really was the worst.

As I reached the electronic sliding doors to the outside, I slowed down and caught my breath. It had gotten dark since we had been in the store. After Daisy’s murder I had found myself starting to get anxious in particular situations. Outside in the dark could be a problem, sometimes escalating to panic attacks. I tried to keep these little incidents from my mom. She was definitely starting to pay more attention these days.

I scanned the parking lot quickly to find the car. My breath started to come in short gasps. The car was halfway down an aisle, three rows over . . . and not under a streetlight. Damn! I grabbed my keys out of my purse and stepped into the lot. I would just hurry. I was being ridiculous. This was Lafayette, not Los Angeles. I had nothing to worry about here—lots of miles between us and him.

When I was three feet from our car, “Hey there,” a male voice said from behind me. I jumped and squealed at the same time. I turned around fast with my pepper spray out. Thankfully, I noticed, before I sprayed, that the nozzle was pointed at me.

“Hey, hey, sorry. I just, um . . . saw you drop something . . . um . . . here.” A tall brown-haired boy around my age was holding my mother’s list of school supplies. He kept moving toward me. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I kept backing up until my rear end hit the end of our car. “Okay. I, uh . . .” I said weakly. All of a sudden there was a loud buzzing in my ears, and the world started to tilt.

 “Whoa.”  I heard as everything went black.

I could hear voices around me as I started to wake up.

 “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. No time for a nap,” a deep, soothing voice said quietly in my ear. “Trenton, what did you do to her? She fainted dead away.” 

I became aware that I wasn’t on the ground, like when I normally wake up from a faint. Since this had happened more than a few times in my teenage life, I found that odd. Due to some hormonal upheaval or whatever, since I hit puberty, fainting had become a fairly common part of my life. But right now, I felt warm, surrounded by the most amazing smell. I was not on the ground with a goose egg on my head as usual. I opened my eyes and saw the most handsome face I’d ever seen. I thought I must still be passed out and was dreaming.

 “I was just trying to give her back the paper she dropped, and she acted like I was gonna attack her or somethin’. I don’t know why she fainted. I didn’t touch her—I swear. Why would that happen? I can’t believe you caught her. That was awesome! Is she okay? Do you think there is something wrong with her?” The grating voice kept on until . . .

“Trenton, shut up,” the dream said, still looking into my eyes. I tried to shake my head to wake up and realized I was cradled against his chest like he had swept me up in his arms.

Not a dream then. Crap. I became instantly mortified. “I, uh . . . Can you put me down? Please? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to faint.” Duh.

“Well, I guess, if you really want me to,” Dream Guy said as he lowered my feet to the ground.

I couldn’t believe he had been holding me while I was passed out. It’s not like I’m so heavy. I’m actually kind of skinny, but I’m five foot nine, and he was holding me in the air like I weighed less than a bag of groceries. Time to make a graceful exit. Or any kind of exit. I probably wouldn’t be able to accomplish graceful. Who was I kidding?

“Do you normally mean to faint?” he asked.

“Um, no. Thanks for catching me. I really have to go,” I babbled, while I searched for my keys.

“Here,” he said, as he carefully handed me the keys.

“Thanks,” I said, as I opened the car and grabbed Lily’s sweatshirt.

“Maybe you should—” he started to say, but I interrupted.

“I’m fine, really. Thanks again.” I shut and locked the door. They were both standing there looking at me like I was nuts. Well, I guess they weren’t far off. This had to be the most ridiculous moment of my life. My face felt like it was burning. I meet the cutest guy ever and what do I do? Faint. Like an idiot. I shouldn’t be shocked.

I gave them a little wave as I ran/walked back to the store. I concentrated on getting inside without looking back. If this day was any indication as to how my life in Lafayette was going to go, I should have closed my eyes and pointed.

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About the Author

Elena lives and writes in a suburb North of Los Angeles.  She has never lived anywhere besides California which is probably a good thing since she hates being cold and is terrified to drive in the snow. She loves being a wife and a mother to her three kids and three dogs, although really the bulldog is the fourth child who has never matured beyond the toddler stage.

 

A self-proclaimed nerd, she has been writing since she was a child. She has only recently, however, come out of the closet about this to her family and friends.  They now understand better, but not completely, why she talks about characters in stories as if they are real people.

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Jan 24, 2013

Early Reader Review: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans (Audiobook)

Level 2: Memory Chronicles by Lenore Appelhans
Available: Now!
Publisher Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Format: Audiobook
Source: Random House Audio for Review


 
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Background: Felicia is dead and reliving her life through her memories, she is not sure where in the afterlife she is, but it is a strange place. He is confronted with her past in many ways, including Julian who tells her she must fight for her afterlife and her chance to be with the one she loves.

Review: Level 2 is an interesting place, somewhere like a purgatory, only it has technology and the technology allows you to relive your life over and over through a database and network of your memories. I was immediately sucked in, what a cool way to learn about a character, not through daily events as a plot, but through her own memories of herself and their relevance to the plot… MIND BLOWN... it was good.

I received an audiobook of Level 2 from Random House Audio (Thank you!) and was so excited to start listening to it, I could barely stop, I brought the discs in the car, to my laptop at home, and to my office; I wanted to know what was happening. There was a tension throughout this book that only left me wanting more and moments where I wasn’t sure I wanted to listen because I knew the end was so near.

Anywho…Felicia is our main character, she is hard to get a read on, and like I mentioned you only learn more about her through her memories of her past, so it is a little slow going. Other characters were just as vague and mysterious, the swoon-worthy Julian, some rebels, a boyfriend- Neil, and various levels of angels, some good and some evil.

Overall there was a lot of key plot points about trust and whom to trust in level 1- life and level 2- the midway point; so I look forward to seeing where the series will go.

Listen to an excerpt here!


Jan 23, 2013

Early Reader Review: Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

Lincoln's Grave RobbersLincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin
Available: Now!
Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Paperback ARC
Source: Scholastic for Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Background: This is a historical recount of the attempt of a group of counterfeiters to rob the grave of Abraham Lincoln. The attempt was to use the corpse of Lincoln to require ransom of the government which included a man's freedom from jail and money for the group.

Review: This was a very educational read. The book is said to be for ages 10-14 and I think that some at the age of 10 may get a little confused by it's wordings of the events, but otherwise the history is interesting. I think as a kid I would like to learn about grave robbers and fake money and this book had all of that. It was real events presented in en educational but fun way.

I learned a lot about Lincoln's family, counterfeiting during the period, and about the attempts to steal Lincoln. I even shared a few random facts with my husband. I think the age group the book is meant for will want to do the same and I think if more school lessons were taught in this fun manner more kids would enjoy history class.

My ARC had a bunch of picture placeholders, so I assume the hardcopy includes more images for the readers to reference throughout and there was also a glossary of the terminology used in the book/ time period.

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Jan 21, 2013

Book Blast and Giveaway!: daynight by Megan Thomason


daynight by Megan Thomason

Meet The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Earth’s benevolent non-profit by day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance™. Reality: the SCI subjects Second Chancers to strict controls and politically motivated science experiments like Cleaving—forced lifetime union between two people who have sex.

Meet Kira Donovan. Fiercely loyal, overly optimistic, and ensnared by the promise of a full-ride college scholarship, Kira signs the SCI Recruit contract to escape memories of a tragedy that left her boyfriend and friends dead.

Meet Blake Sundry. Bitter about being raised in Exile and his mother’s death, Blake’s been trained to infiltrate and destroy the SCI. Current barrier to success? His Recruit partner—Miss Goody Two Shoes Kira Donovan.

Meet Ethan Darcton. Born with a defective heart and resulting inferiority complex, Ethan’s forced to do his SCI elite family’s bidding. Cleave-worthy Kira Donovan catches his eye, but the presiding powers give defect-free Blake Sundry first dibs.

Full of competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns, daynight is Megan Thomason’s debut young adult dystopian novel and first in the daynight series.

daynight will be FREE from Jan 21 - Jan 23

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Praise

“Sure to win over YA readers looking for a dangerous, dystopian adventure story” —Kirkus Reviews
“Gripping young adult dystopian novel; compelling conflicts; high stakes; powerful narrative; surprises keep coming; strong writing; page-turner; engaging characters; Readers will be hungry for the sequels.”—BlueInk Review (starred review)

“The writing is impressive and the story is a real page-turner. So many twists and turns… I’m hooked… I can’t wait for the next installment to come out…4.5 out of 5 stars”—Self-Publishing Review

“Delicious humor, intelligence, and sparkling dialogue” —Amazon reviewer

“Strangely brilliant and imaginative”—Amazon reviewer

“Grips you from the first page and keeps you wanting more”—Amazon reviewer

“Plot twists kept me reading till late at night”—Amazon reviewer

“Every page a thrilling experience”—Amazon reviewer

“Hooked from the first chapter and could not put it down”—Amazon reviewer

“It's like a CW fantasy TV show in a book with a really interesting environment.”—Amazon reviewer

“I'm a little tired of dystopian novels, but Daynight has a unique and fresh story line that didn't have any trouble keeping my interest.”—Amazon reviewer


Author Megan Thomason

Megan Thomason lives in paradise aka San Diego, CA with her husband and five children. A former software manager, Megan vastly prefers writing twisted tales to business, product, and marketing plans. When she isn't typing away on her laptop, she's reading books on her phone—over 600 in the last year—or attending to the needs of her family. Megan’s fluent in sarcasm, could potentially benefit from a 12-step program for road rage, struggles with a Hot Tamales addiction, loves world travel & fast cars and hates paperwork & being an insomniac. Daynight is Megan's first published novel, but fourth written one.






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Apple Earbuds ($30 Value)
Ends 2/3/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Jan 20, 2013

Building the Book Pile # 36

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Welcome to Building the Book Pile! A Weekly meme inspired 
 here at Cover2CoverBlog.

Coming up on the Blog...

 Blog Blitz: daynight by Megan Thompson
Audiobook Review: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans
Blog Tour: Breathe by Elena Dillion Review

What I got this week...

The Grimm Chronicles Vol. 1 The Riotous Rocket Ship Robbery (St Viper's School for Super Villains, #1)
The Grimm Chronicles Vol. 1 by Ken Brosky from Author for Blog Tour
St. Viper's School for Super Villains: The Riotous Rocket Ship Robbery by Donovan Kim from Author for Review

Have you missed anything?

Blog Tour: Visionary-Unleashed by N. Dunham Excerpt
Blog Tour: Taste by Kate Evangelista Review
Cover Reveal: Justice (Ferryman and the Flame #2) 

Jan 19, 2013

Recent Reads: The Paladin Prohpecy by Mark Frost (Audiobook)

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost
Available: Now!
Publisher: Random House

Format: Audiobook
Source: Random House Audio for Review

 
 My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Background: Will West is a fifteen year old who is running for his life. One day out of nowhere he is being chased by these strange people in black caps, and his mother is acting super strange. He is forced to leave his home in search of answers and decides to go to an invite only school he was recently recruited into. Nothing seems to add up and weird things are happening all around him.

Review: I was very excited to pick up this book when I did. WOW, I am so happy to say that it has lived up to the epic nature everyone seems to be sharing about it. I read the first chapter on RandomBuzzers, a wonderful website for any of you YA booklovers. Here’s a Link if you wanna check it out. (They have chapter previews, discussions with authors, and book giveaways)

The book starts as a whirlwind, Will is almost immediately running for his life and the suspense is all there, even before you learn more about him as a character. After the first chapter it only gets better, the plot is a mix of fantasy, science, and an elaborate idea of guardians thrown together with some teenage insecurities and bullying.

Will is a likeable character, he is genuine and smart and follows all of the rules his father has taught him throughout his life…and boy are there a lot of them. The villains are all over the place, there are so many characters you aren’t sure who is out to get who, but that is the beauty of it. If I had to compare it, I would say it is a more mature version of Harry Potter: A boy meant to fulfill a prophecy he knows nothing about, and only his friends can help him solve the puzzles.

I am very interested to see where the story leads, I felt amazed by Frost’s ability to create such an awesome world in this first book and have high expectations for the next.



View all my reviews