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Friday, August 30, 2013

Cover Reveal: Forty Nights

Forty Nights (Neima's Ark #2)
Release Date: September 2013
Cover Designed by: 
Najla Qamber Designs

Summary from Goodreads:
Neima, her family, and her grandfather Noah have found themselves trapped aboard an ark as a great flood destroys all life in the world. As their time aboard the ark lengthens, food begins to run out, wild animals grow restless, and family tensions become as much of a threat as the flood outside. In the second and final installment of Neima’s Ark, the stakes are higher, the conflicts are greater, and Neima finds herself facing a choice as impossible as the destruction all around her.


Forty Nights is a continuation of the story begun in Forty Days, and it’s recommended that you read Forty Days first for the best experience. Forty Nights does, however, contain a character guide to refresh readers’ memories. The Neima’s Ark series is a historical, feminist reimagining of the story of Noah’s Ark rather than a religiously oriented one, and the novels are best suited for readers who are comfortable with new interpretations of biblical stories.


Book One:
(Linked to Goodreads)
Forty Days is currently FREE!  Get your copy!
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About the Author
Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.





***Author Links***
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Inspired Friday: Mason Jar


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47XYwKBW9MEgondVdrWl-nKvlAYA7b2dARyG6ABpRc-jkYnXgb6SE1XhkDrmeNBqHGstkuz-ufdBUbVkQDPgud_9WP33tH2l_Cgee8In7R8ElFo25zIi_Mz3QfIb6_Z4G_v_Xuteu-2lc/s1600/Pinterest-Logo-e1341884936729.jpgInspired Fridays is hosted by  Inkk Reviews
You don't have to actually craft anything to "be inspired". Show something you maybe have done, want to try, or even a cool looking book nook or library. Whatever inspires you!




Growing up in Amish Country I was used to seeing mason jars with preserved food in. I always thought it was so cool and hoped one day I would do the same. I had never thought to use them as a decoration until Pinterest. I love anything that involves spray paint so I really love this idea.
DIY Chalkboard Mason Jar Candle Centerpiece
What has Pinterest inspired in you?



Thursday, August 29, 2013

Book Review: Origin

Origin (Lux, #4)

Kindle Edition, 400 pages
(Goodreads) Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything. But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? And will they even be together?


Wow, oh, wow! I am speechless. I just finished reading this book and I feel like I just lost my puppy. I think I was smiling for hours and by the end I was in complete shock. I felt I couldn't function after finishing. HOW CAN YOU LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THAT JENNIFER?! Why must you torture us so?! Now that that is out of the way lets get to the juicy stuff.

I seriously loved this book with all my heart. I think I fell in love with Daemon all over again on each page. He is just plain amazing. This lovely dovey side of him makes me all swoony and wobbly. I so need a guy that!I love books in dual POV and this book was just ~sigh~ amazing. I loved being in Daemon's head especially when he got all corny (giggles). The love story part was just so overwhelmingly sweet.

As everyone knows the last book (Opal) left us freaked out with Katy being captured in Mount Weather. Katy is taken to the emphasis Area 51 while Daemon is left loosing his mind trying to find her. Katy wakes up strapped how and in pain from the onyx. When she finally is able to move around she tries to run for it but is sprayed with onyx and then drenched with cold water over and over again. Right away they start with testing. Through each thing they put her through Archer is there escorting her around or just standing by. Daemon decides the only way he can get to Katy is to storm Mount Weather and get captured with the help of Luc. After days or weeks pass, Daemon is finally granted to be able to see Katy. During that time the testing had continued for Katy but it was more than just blood tests or physical exams. They began training her and testing her abilities. She refuses to give in to their demands until one day good ol' Blake comes storming in. After being beaten physically and emotionally, Katy thinks shes dreaming when she finally had Daemon in front of her. 

Having both of them at the compound, Nancy is oh so happy and keeps pushing the testing forward. As Daemon and Katy try to find a way out, they continue to push for information of what exactly is happening in those building. Daedalus makes it seem like all they are trying to do is heal the sick and create world peace but nothing is ever that simple especially with Nancy running things. But never forget how much of a bad ass Daemon is especially when he is partnered with some major bad asses.

mind blown photo: mind blown mind-blown-o_zpsaec88b3d.gif

I'm cutting it there. This is so hard to not spill everything but let me tell you this book was incredible. You have to go run and read this book ASAP!!


 
 

photo credit: CarbonNYC via photopin cc
photo credit: Ninha Morandini via photopin cc

Aberrant Book Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway


Aberrant (Aberrant )
Release Date: 04/17/13

Summary from Goodreads:
In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system.

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run.
Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay.
Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands.
Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

Excerpt:



...I sighed softly and did something I'd only read about in forbidden novels. I leant in, brushing my lips against his. The kiss was soft and chaste. It lasted no more than a mere second before I pulled back.

"What was that, Olive?" He gave me a horrified look and all I could feel was my stomach somersault. I knew romance and love weren't ever spoken of in Genesis. There was no need when the government knew who was perfect for one another, and children were won by lottery and conceived in a lab. Intimate acts were considered unnecessary.

"I read about it in a book," I whispered, afraid I'd done it all wrong. "It was a kiss," I breathed, chewing on my bottom lip nervously. I’d never kissed anyone before and worried he thought it was terrible. I’d never seen two people share a kiss, I didn’t quite know what it was supposed to look like, but I thought I’d done it right after reading about it. My hand reached out, grabbing his arm. "Please don't be mad at me." I breathed. "You have to swear you won't tell anyone!" Joshua hesitated for only an instant before he leaned in, taking another taste from my lips trying again. The second kiss was softer and satisfied both of our curiosities. My heart raced and my skin warmed to his touch. "I thought today was going to turn out so much worse," I confessed.

Joshua laughed as he pulled back slightly, staring at me. His eyes had darkened a deeper richer shade of blue. I'd never seen his eyes change colors before. His fingers moved to tickle my stomach with a grin. "Worse? Really? You're not happy you married me? You're just relieved it wasn't someone worse?"

"No!" I shrieked, "That's not what I meant!" I tried to catch my breath, but he hardly gave me a second more than necessary. I pulled from his ticklish grasp, jumped from the couch and ran across the room in a fit of laughter. He quickly followed, jumping over the sofa as he was just inches from me. He was close now, smiling and trailing behind me as I ran toward the bedroom. It was probably the worst place I could go, trapped between Joshua and a mattress. I felt him tackle me down onto the plush bed, his hands skimmed my stomach but he was no longer tickling me. The laughter still hadn't subsided.

"Breathe," Joshua said, staring intently at me.

"Trying," I gasped between fits of laughter. Lying down helped settle the feeling of my racing heart, and after a moment I shifted along the mattress, reaching out to him. "I want to tell you a story," I insisted as my fingers found his cheek. "One I read in a book." I wanted him to learn the things I had about love and romance. I couldn't help but feel my body stir with a strange fire and warmth as he loomed just above me. Staring up at him I froze on the mattress hearing the latch click on the front door. I knew it had been locked.
Available from:
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About the Author

Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.

She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, "Deuces are Wild", which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.


Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling.

Her favorite YA genre is a mix of Dystopian & Fantasy which is evident in the upcoming release of her latest book, Aberrant. Slated for release April 2013 by Lazy Day Publishing, it is the first in a trilogy.
***Author Links***
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***GIVEAWAY***


1 signed paperback of Aberrant (US only)
3 scrabble tile necklace charms & signed
bookmark (INT)
3 bottlecap keychains & signed bookmark (INT)


a Rafflecopter giveaway





Book Blitz
Organized by:

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Cover Reveal: Through Glass



We are so excited to be able to bring to you the cover reveal for Rebecca Ethington’s THROUGH GLASS which releases in less than a month on September 20th, 2013.

Both the book’s cover and description are awesome and more than a little bit chilling and we cannot wait for its release.

If you’d like to know more about the author, Rebecca Ethington, be sure to check out her website, or any of the other places she hangs out online.

And if you can’t wait until September 20th for the release of THROUGH GLASS, the first book in her Imdalind series, KISS OF FIRE, is now available in eBook format for free at AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE and for the KOBO.


We love the cover, but what do you think?


COMING SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2013


About THROUGH GLASS

Everyone remembers the day the sky went black. They remember the screams as the blackness ate those who were out in the open, those who surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise.

Everyone remembers the voice from the sky, the way food disappeared.

Everyone remembers the day the sky went black, and the sun was wiped from the sky.

At least that’s what I hope. I hope that there is an ‘everyone’ that will remember.

I hope that I am not alone.

Because I remember.

I remember, because it was the day I became alone.

It was the day the house went silent, and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.

The boy I talk to through the glass.



***

About Rebecca Ethington

Rebecca Ethington has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then on stage with years of theatrical performances. The Imdalind Series is her first stint into the world of literary writing.

Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. She was born and raised in the mountains of Salt Lake City, and hasn’t found the desire to leave yet. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her amazing family.






Waiting on Wednesday: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine to show upcoming releases that we can't wait to read (aka going crazy waiting for). This weeks book is:

To All the Boys I've Loved Before
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
by

Expected publication: April 22nd 2014
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Kindle Edition, 288 pages
 
(Goodreads synopsis)  

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters…





 




Why I'm waiting: I loved the Summer series and all of Jenny Han's books so I cant wait for this one. Plus this sounds pretty awesome. I think I would have a heart attack if all my crushes over the years found out I had a thing for them.


What are you "waiting on"?

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Life, Love & Lemons Book Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway



Life, Love, & Lemons by Magan Vernon
Publication date: August 20th 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary
Synopsis:

When life hands you lemons, sometimes you have to say screw the lemons and bail.

Seventeen-year-old Bentley Evans had it all. Then her Dad got laid off.

Now she has to move across town to a small apartment and leave her life of luxury for public school and a job at the local burger place. Just when her world seems like it's crumbling she finds solace in the unlikely punk boy next door, Kai Stone. But as their relationship blossoms, a jealous ex-girlfriend and a secret to tell that threatens to bring disaster back into Bentley’s life.



Excerpt:

"You know I'm pretty sure that all that's involved in high school dancing is just dry humping and swaying back and forth," I said as Kai helped me move my parent's couch back.

"Well, I don't want to dry hump or just sway back and forth," he said with a big grin on his face before setting the couch down.

"We don't have to do this right now either. It's a Sunday morning and all." I walked over to the front of the couch, not taking my eyes off of him.

"Homecoming is Saturday, and the only dance I know is the Hokey Pokey." He shrugged. "Besides Mom and my sisters are at small group and your parents can sleep through anything, so why not now?"

"Okay." I let out a deep breath and opened my computer. "But you really didn't take any kind of dance classes? I had ballroom dancing freshman year in gym."

"Bentley, I've gone to public school all of my life. The only dance we ever learned was line dancing when I was in grade school up in Wisconsin, and I'm not doing that at Homecoming." He laughed.

I started up the song and set my laptop down and stepped in front of Kai, putting my right hand up toward him. “I definitely don’t think there will be line dancing at Homecoming,” I said, putting my hand in his.

“And you make fun of my music?” Kai asked as the song crooned through the speakers on my laptop. I put Kai’s right hand on my hip, and then placed my left hand on his upper arm.

“This is Sinatra, I really don’t think there is anything to be making fun of, and besides I don’t think we could really do ballroom dancing to punk rock.”

“I’m sure we could try." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay,  now that we have the arm position it’s time to move our feet, and if you step on my bare feet I am going to punch you.”

He playfully hovered his foot over mine, so I pinched his arm. “If you don’t behave then I’m switching the music to country.”

He let out a big sarcastic sigh. “Fine.”

“Okay, so left foot then right foot then together,” I said as we moved in unison.

“Then right foot goes back and then the left foot meets it.”

We moved together doing a few box steps. It felt kind of silly to be dancing in my pajamas in the living room.

“You know, I really don’t think that anyone is going to be doing the waltz at Homecoming,” I muttered

 I looked up to see him mouthing ‘left, right, together’.

“Well what do people usually do then?" He looked down at me and stopped mouthing the words.

The Sinatra song ended and a slower punk rock song played, one that Kai had actually put on my computer.

“Usually…" I put both my arms around his neck. “It’s kind of more of a close, swaying motion.”

“Oh." He wrapped his long arms around my waist and pulled me as close as I think two people can get when one was over six foot and the other was barely over five foot three.

“Like this?" He swayed slowly back and forth.

“Usually it’s not some sort of a giant dancing with a midget.” I laughed.

“Fine then." He bent at his knees and picked me up off of the ground, so that my legs were dangling in the air while he continued to sway back and forth. “Is that better, shorty?”

I wrapped my bare legs around his waist. “Now it is."

I leaned in and ran my tongue along his bottom lip, tracing the lines of his lip ring.

“I don’t think that’s part of the waltz." He smiled and pressed his forehead to mine.

“It is now." I kissed him, pretty hard, since he fell back into the couch with me still in his arms.

Maybe I should have taken him up on the night alone instead of Homecoming. It felt so good to just be in his arms, and the kissing wasn’t so bad either. I could forget about the world every time that Kai kissed me. It was like his lip piercing had some kind of magical powers that just made all my problems disappear as long as we were kissing.


AUTHOR BIO
Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman.









Author Links:


Giveaway: