In the final book of the Winterhaven trilogy, Violet McKenna and her friends find themselves right in the middle of a vampire war. The stakes have been raised, the danger unavoidable now. As the Warriors’ senior year draws to a close, not everyone makes it out alive. Who will be left standing at the end of it all? Will Aidan be a part of Violet’s future, or is he just a specter of the past?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Kristi Cook
YA author Kristi Cook is a transplanted southern gal who lives in New York City with her husband and two kids. Her YA debut, HAVEN, was released in Feb. 2011 by Simon Pulse.
When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.
But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.
But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...
GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.
BOOK TRAILER - Hooked by Liz Fichera
MY REVIEW
I never thought that I would fall for a girl named Fred; but I did, I really did...
Liz Fichera puts it all out there in Hooked - bullying, inequality, racism, addictions, the test of relationships, loyalty and love. I love when an author can be completely honest with her characters and their situations. Makes the characters stronger, believable and memorable. Both main characters are teens that are raw and definitely not perfect by making some bad mistakes and, sometimes, learning from those mistakes.
Fred is a Native American girl who loves to play golf. Golf is a lifeline for Fred, not only does she enjoy and excel at it, but it also helps distract her from the stresses in her life. Her family lives on the reservation; her father works as the groundskeeper at the local golf course and her mother is an alcoholic who tries to help make ends meet as a waitress at an upscale restaurant. Life is not easy for Fred, especially at school, surrounded by 'rich white kids' who tease and bully her because of her heritage.
So when the high school golf coach asks Fred to be on their all-boy team, it is no surprise when Fred hesitates and almost says no. It is no surprise when her teammates ignore her and the whispers and teasing from her classmates get worse. Fred remains quiet and does what she knows best, golf.
Ryan, the school's golden-boy-golf-star, really took me by surprise. His best friend, Seth, was kicked-off the golf team for more than one reason and Ryan was just as angry about the decision and changes. When Seth went overboard to bully and hurt Fred, I thought that Ryan would step up and be the good guy, the typical 'knight in shining armor' - and I was so wrong to assume. He was anything but that. Peer pressure influenced Ryan's decisions so many times. Even though as time went along and he was getting to know more about Fred, like her, help her. When the real stuff would happen, he would give in to his peers and pull away. This made me so angry. But, as difficult as it was, I understood where Ryan was coming from - and he needed to go through the things that he went through with Fred in order to become the person that he did in the end. Just like Fred.
I really liked how the story was told from both Fred's and Ryan's point-of-views; being able to see exactly what they were thinking and going through made me understand their differences and choices which was definitely needed for this book.
I am very much looking forward to Hooked's companion novel, Played, which is to hopefully be released in 2014!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Liz Fichera
Liz is an author living in the American Southwest by way of Chicago.
Her YA debut HOOKED releases in January 2013 from HarlequinTEEN.
This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)
Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.
With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make a wager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.
Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem Annabel Lee, Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.
Why I'm waiting on 'Ashes on the Waves'...
It's a gothic novel about true love!
It's based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem!
(Which I need to re-read asap to refresh my memory!!!)
I am SOOO excited to share this cover reveal with all of you today!!!
A NEW black and white exclusive cover from Sourcebooks Fire for... WHILE HE WAS AWAY
And one of the most endearing and heartfelt guest posts I have ever read by an author... Karen Schreck
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How Inspiration Can Come From Anywhere:
Even a Trip to the Grocery Store
and a
Handful of Long-Lost Photographs
By Karen Schreck
I sometimes wonder what my
mother would say if she knew that her story—one of the saddest, sweetest love
stories I’ve ever heard—was retold in a new way in my young adult novel, While He Was Away.
Now Sourcebooks Fire is
sharing the story yet again, in a second, exclusive edition, released nation-wide
at Walmart. The fact that Sourcebooks
believed enough in While He Was Away
to bring it to life the first time felt like a much-needed confirmation of
years of hard work. The fact that they
are standing behind my book again in this way . . . well, it feels like a
miracle. I’m truly grateful.
I wonder what my mother would
say to this incredible news? I like to think she would be grateful too. I like to think she would be happy. She wanted her story heard after all. So much so that it was one of the last things
she told me, just before she died.
One rainy night when I was
fourteen, right before cancer left her too ill to talk, let alone drive a car,
my mother said, “Come with me. We’re
going shopping.” We drove to the little
local market and wandered up and down the aisles, as she threw in a can of
tuna, some dishwashing soap, and other little things we didn’t need. We paid for these little things. She looked anxious and tired, still she
hadn’t said a thing; we hadn’t spoken a word.
It was only when we were
parked in our driveway again that my mother said, “I was married once before
when I was very young. He died a hero in
WWII.”
And that was that. Soon after, she died.
I thought about my mother’s mysterious
love story for many years. I talked to
relatives, found long-lost photographs.
The story took seed in me. It
flowered into a novel about a young women whose boyfriend leaves for the Iraq
War. In her loneliness, she seeks out a
grandmother she’s never met, whose first husband died in WWII. She seeks out a character inspired by mother.
A late night drive, a few
words spoken in the dark. Even things as
simple as this can inspire a novel.
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While He Was Away Walmart-Exclusive Cover Reveal
This new cover took my breath away! If you know me at all, you know that I have a 'thing' for black/white covers with just a touch of a color - especially when that color is PINK!
Isn't it stunning?! I loved the original paperback cover, but this one is definitely a must have too!
I really like how they kept the same theme and the font too...
What do you think???
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
While He Was Away by Karen Schreck Original release date: May 1st, 2012 Published by: Sourcebooks Fire Genre: Contemporary - Romance
Original Paperback Cover
SUMMARY
One year - he'll be gone for one year and then we'll be together again and everything will be back to the way it should be.
The day David left, I felt like my heart was breaking. Sure, any long-distance relationship is tough, but David was going to war - to fight, to protect, to put his life in danger. We can get through this, though. We'll talk, we'll email, we won't let anything come between us.
I can be an army girlfriend for one year. But will my sweet, soulful, funny David be the same person when he comes home? Will I? And what if he doesn't come home at all?...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Karen Schreck
Karen Schreck is the author of the young adult novel WHILE HE WAS AWAY (Sourcebooks Fire, May 2012), as well as the novel DREAM JOURNAL, which was a 2006 Young Adult BookSense Pick, and the award-winning children's book, LUCY'S FAMILY TREE. The recipient of a Pushcart Prize and an Illinois State Arts Council Grant, Karen received her doctorate in English and Creative Writing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She writes and teaches for a living, and she loves visiting schools and other gatherings of readers and writers to talk about her books the writing process.
Good morning! I am so excited to be on the Clayton Falls Blog Tour today!
Please be sure to check out the blog tour schedule on Xpresso Tours from more reviews and info!
Derailed is a story about a girl who is trying to mend her broken heart by learning how to forgive, not only others but herself too. A journey to trust in herself and that it is okay to give love a second chance.
Molly has hit rock bottom - she's been going through the motions for a long time and she's finally realized that she can no longer go on this way. She drops out of law school, and having no other place to go, she decides to go back to her hometown for a while to hopefully bury her feelings and figure out what she's going to do with the rest of her life.
But before she even gets to Clayton Falls, we already know, it is definitely not going to be easy hiding out in a small town where everybody knows everyone's business before anyone else does. Especially when no one knows why she's left school and the true story as to what happened to her fiance.
Throw in a bad break-up with her childhood sweetheart and other ghosts from her past - Molly's need to keep a low profile and out of the town's gossip is impossible to fathom.
Molly is heartbroken in so many ways - I found it hard to relate to her, she blamed herself for everything that had happened to her fiance and her father. And I felt that she completely over-reacted to what happened with her ex-sweetheart; but she was 17 when that happened, and I have to admit, at that age, I know I wasn't one to be so reasonable or easily to forgave people over things that meant the world to me... but I was able to sympathize and feel her sadness and guilt. She wanted to be independent, protect herself from everyone - but in her situation, I knew that it wouldn't last that long. Especially after her first run-in with her old beau, Ben. Some feelings run deeper than you realize and it takes a strong, loving person to help you realize that.
Some would say that there is a love-triangle that happens in this story, and I am going to disagree. Yes, there's another guy who is introduced and tries to force himself into Molly's life - and I have to say, he was so arrogant and pompous, I truly disliked him from the start. But, and I won't be spoiling anything by saying this because right from the start there is no denying that this guy gives no competition with what Molly is going through nor her "non-relationship" Ben.
There are some secondary characters that are quite memorable, fun and at times hilarious - I adored Ronny the most! There's always that one person in the group that is always happy and their happiness is so contagious that you can't help but smile when you're around them. Kelly, Molly's childhood best friend - I really loved their relationship; it's one of those where even if you don't talk to each other for months on end, you always pick up right where you left off without a second thought.
Alyssa Rose Ivy has written a wonderful contemporary story that I highly recommend to all who love romance, second chances and swoon-worthy guys...
Book 2, Veer by Alyssa Rose Ivy Release date: November 29th, 2012 SUMMARY
Only when you let go can you learn to live.
Between the death of her mother and pushing through law school without her best friend, it's been a tough year for Becca. Needing a break from Boston, she moves to a tiny coastal North Carolina town for a relaxing summer. After bumping heads repeatedly with a local cop, she realizes her summer will be anything but quiet.
Three years after a career ending injury ruins his chance to play Major League Baseball, Gavin has a distrust of northerners and lately girls in general. He wants nothing to do with a girl who is only in town for the summer.
When the two give in to their impossible attraction, they realize that they may just have found the key to freeing themselves from the ghosts of their pasts.
Book 3, Wrecked by Alyssa Rose Ivy Release date: 2013 SUMMARY
When your past catches up, it's time to stop running.
Jake Mathews messed up yet again— but this time his misstep lands him in the hospital. He wakes up to find the girl of his dreams and the memory of having his deepest secret revealed.
Emily Taylor needs a break. She's been working double shifts as a nurse just to pay the bills while trying to heal a broken heart. The last thing she needs is to fall for a patient.
Strapped with community service and the knowledge that he's disappointed everyone in his life, Jake is determined not to let Emily slip through his fingers. Emily wants Jake, but can she really open herself up to heartache again?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Alyssa Rose Ivy
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.
Mentions and THANK YOU's...
- Elizabeth Scott, author of Miracle, As I Wake, Stealing Heaven and more! (YA)
What's happening on the blog next week... Sunday: Book Confessions #2 Monday: Blog Tour (review) for Derailed (Clayton Falls Series #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy Tuesday: Review for Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Byrnes (YA) Wednesday: Waiting On Wednesday #45 Thursday: Review for Christopher Sat Straight Up in Bed by Kathy Long (Children) Friday: Novella Review on Neverfall by Brodi Ashton AND Friday Reads #11
This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)
Published by: Macmillan (Farrar, Straus & Giroux - BYR)
Genre: Young Adult - Mystery and Romance
SUMMARY
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.
Why I'm waiting on "Unremembered"...
There has been plenty of 'amnesia' type stories before, BUT...
Seraphina is different.
Her fingerprints and DNA are unfounded.
She is 'plagued be an ability she doesn't understand'.
Why is she running out of time to figure out who she is? What is the threat?
And why are there people who keep trying to make her forget things???
And of course: the alluring boy who knows and loves her but might not be trustworthy.
Actually, I was sold on the fact that the main characters name is Seraphina;
if she is not in the system and she doesn't know who she is or where she came from,
how does she know her own name? lol
SO many good things in this summary!
I am really looking forward to reading this one soon!
SO, what are you waiting for this week??? Please share :)
Good-morning, book nerds :)
I am SO excited to be a part of the #GeekGrlzRevenge Blog Tour today!!!
Laurie Boyle Crompton, debut author to the soon-to-be released Blaze, has stopped by today with an awesome guest post about why the main character, Blaze, is "Comic Book Cool"...
ALSO, please scroll down to get a peek at some of the art that you will find in the book too!!!
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Why My Character is...“Comic Book Cool” by Laurie Boyle Crompton Blaze’s character showed up in my mind like Blam!
Pow! “Tell my story!” She’s really into comics and is sort of stuck in her
life as an outsider, but she isn't ashamed of being a geek. She
displays her superhero buttons proudly and is constantly drawing and reading
comics. I couldn't wait to write about her. Of course, working on a
project where studying comic books counted as research was a bonus! My step-father has this Ah-mazing!
collection much like the one Blaze’s dad has in the book and I remember staying
up late at night reading through stacks of them as a kid. I would try to tell
my friends about these awesome characters like the Silver Surfer and Iron Man,
and I’d even try to imitate Thor’s Norse God way of speaking. This was before
the movies made these guys more mainstream and I was definitely on the fringe
with my obsession, but when I’d find another comic book nerd we had an instant
bond. As I was writing, Blaze surprised me when she
fought back against Mark the way she did and I knew at that point I could just
allow her character to take over. Of course things don’t go as she plans, but
no matter what tight spots she finds herself in, she uses comic books to guide
and empower her. Readers who aren't into comic books will definitely
still enjoy Blaze, but my hope is that she will inspire them to check out
comics for themselves, too!
Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines, drawing comics and feeling invisible. She's desperate for soccer star Mark to notice her.
And when her BFF texts Mark a photo of Blaze in sexy lingerie, it definitely gets his attention.
After a hot date in the back of her minivan, Blaze is flying high, but suddenly Mark's feelings seem to have been blasted by a freeze-ray gun, and he dumps her.
Blaze gets her revenge by posting a comic strip featuring uber-villain Mark the Shark. Mark then retaliates by posting her "sext" photo, and, overnight, Blaze goes from Super Virgin Girl to Super Slut.
That life on the sidelines is looking pretty good right about now.
Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines, drawing comics and feeling invisible. She's desperate for soccer star Mark to notice her.
And when her BFF texts Mark a photo of Blaze in sexy lingerie, it definitely gets his attention.
After a hot date in the back of her minivan, Blaze is flying high, but suddenly Mark's feelings seem to have been blasted by a freeze-ray gun, and he dumps her.
Blaze gets her revenge by posting a comic strip featuring uber-villain Mark the Shark. Mark then retaliates by posting her "sext" photo, and, overnight, Blaze goes from Super Virgin Girl to Super Slut.
That life on the sidelines is looking pretty good right about now.
MY REVIEW
Simple, yet riveting, Blaze should be on everyone's to-be-read piles and wishlists! Laurie Boyle Crompton has written an amazing debut full of teen angst, girl-power and geek fandom!
Blaze is a 17-year-old comic-book-geek girly-girl who is smart, snark-y and has a huge heart. Her father has taken off to NYC to pursue his acting career which has left her mother a bit bitter and overworked, so Blaze has had to step-up, pitch-in and play "soccer mom" to her 13-year-old brother and his friends. Since most of her free time is taken up by her brother's soccer practices and games, she spends the time reading her comic books, working on her own comic book stories starring Blazing Goddess, her alter-ego, and dreaming about Mark the soccer coach.
And then one day, Mark acknowledges Blaze's existence and Blaze's crush soars into space and she is determined to do whatever it takes to make Mark her boyfriend.
While out shopping one day with her friends, Blaze is trying to get their advice as to what she should do to get Mark to realize that she is the one he wants as his girlfriend; in the spur of the moment, her bestie snaps an unforgettable cell phone picture and sends it off to Mark.
Of course she has his attention now....
And then she learns, that being super-geeky-boring girl wasn't so bad after all.
Well, this book brought back all kinds of high school memories. Although, thank goodness, I never went through any of the bad stuff that Blaze had to endure, I do remember what it was like to have a crush and feel like it would be the end of the world if I couldn't make him mine. Even in my old age now, it is an indescribable feeling to have such a strong need to want someone to like you back as much as you think you like them. You barely know the person, personally. Yes, you see what he likes/dislikes in school, know his schedule by heart, who he's friends with, etc. But you don't really know his personality, what he's like at home, his family, etc. But for some odd reason, you just don't care. He's cute, you like him and no one can convince you otherwise. The things that some girls will go through to prove that they are worthy of a boys attention is heartbreaking.
I love Laurie's writing style; Blazes personality shines through - I felt her loneliness, anger, hurt, snark. I loved every single time she geeked-out about comic books and that she used her talent to release her feelings. I adored the way she and her brother, Josh, cared and took care of each other - the relationship that they both had with Josh's friends was amazing and so genuine. I loved how they kidded around with each other, but mostly, how these group of boys looked up to Blaze like she was their big sister too.
Plus, all of the comic book mentions (Blaze is a hardcore Marvel fan!) were so fitting and perfect! The ARC did not have any of the illustrations, so I'm sure that with the artwork included this book would easily become a 5-star rating for me.
A definite must read for all booknerds, geeks, comic book hero fans and more! Can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Kristi Cook
