Finished reading The Collector and found yourself in desperate need of more Dante…. STAT?!  Yeah.  I know the feeling.  Luckily, The Pow-tastic Victoria Scott is here to the rescue with an exclusive look at The Liberator AND a giveaway!

Liberator EXCERPT

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

Expected Publication: Jan. 2014

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

Or will she just go on living inside somebody else’s fiction?

Fangirling.  I have some experience with that.  Maybe not to the level that Cath does, but still.  This book sounds like it could be super cute as it deals with the deeper, more serious issues of why Cath is more interested in living in another person’s stories rather than creating her own.  Plus, the cover.  I wants to know more about this cute boy who’s so desperately trying to get her attention. 

Ink

by Amanda Sun

Expected Publication: July 25, 2013

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they’ll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Modern adaptations of ancient myths have me captivated of late, so this just seems overwhelmingly intriguing. Super thrilled to read this one!

So… what are you looking forward to this Wednesday?

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Can we say PRETTY?  This is pretty.

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 Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I cross my arms. “And what makes you think I want to attend the ball with a jackass?”

“Because no one else is lining up to invite you?”

“Nice, Ryn. How could I possibly say no to an invitation like that?”

“You can’t.” He swirls the water droplets into a mini whirlpool in the air. “When someone as charming as me invites you to a ball, it’s impossible for you to do anything but lift your hand delicately to your forehead as you faint away, uttering the word ‘yes’.”

~ 45%, The Faerie Prince by Rachel Morgan

“Is everything as it should be?”

“It will be once we are away from here,” I say.

As he escorts me to the door, I feel a pair of eyes boring into the back of my head.  I know if I turn and look, they will be the color of storm clouds.

 ~16%, Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

What are you reading this week?

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide. (Goodreads summary)

Spies and Prejudice. Tell me that title doesn’t scream potential awesome.

Seriously.

I mean, Pride and Prejudice + Neptune’s one ‘n only girl gumshoe? Lizzy Bennet meets Veronica Mars? A heroine like that and… and I seriously might just keel over from the sheer amount of awesome. And Berry Fields is pretty awesome.

Berry. Vance did such a good job creating Berry, because she really is such a wonderful blend of both Lizzy and Veronica, while still being her own character.  Berry is intelligent, resourceful, capable, determined, dogged, unwilling to compromise, driven, sarcastic, highly opinionated and slightly cynical. Working part-time for her dad’s investigative firm, she grew up witnessing the seedier, more sordid side of human nature, learning how to read people and situations, and honing her super-sleuthing skills.  But she’s also a girl who, once upon a time, lost someone very important to her, and she’s coping the only way she knows how… to ignore it emotionally while doing whatever it takes to discover the truth. Her pain and her unwillingness to let go of this particular investigation into her own past reveals a girl who’s broken, a girl who, while somewhat jaded holds an almost child-like, single-minded faith and hope that the revelations she seeks will ease the ache in her heart.  She’s tough, sassy, and can go toe to toe with almost anyone —  a heroine to really root for — but Berry’s damage and baggage also make her a very sympathetic character.

Tanner. Le sigh… I will forever be in love with the Darcy hero archetype. It’s like my X-chromosomes Just. Cannot. Help. Themselves. Just hint at a Darcy-type hero, and I will read it, watch it, swoon over it.

Ok, I’m not quite that bad. But seriously, DARCY. <wild hand gestures for unnecessary emphasis>

Or rather, “But seriously, TANNER.” Vance did such a fantastic job of reimagining him. He’s formidable, capable, confident, off-putting, infuriating, prideful, but he’s also a little more outgoing than I expected, surprisingly sweet, a little more emotionally exposed, with moments of endearing dorkiness and social awkwardness.  Yeah, I was a goner from the moment he implied she was “tolerable.”

Romance. In this instance, it’s hard not to draw parallels between Lizzy & Darcy and Berry & Tanner, because taking a cue from the world’s best ever romance writer, Vance develops their relationship very similarly – with a healthy dose of pride, prejudice and willful misunderstanding. However, I love how much more interaction Vance gives Berry and Tanner in her novel. I love their banter. I love how Tanner is a bit more transparent than Darcy ever was. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy is left very much a mystery, his reactions to people and situations before the ill-fated proposal and subsequent letter leaves the reader thinking that perhaps Lizzy is somewhat, if not wholly, justified in her hatred of the man. But in Spies and Prejudice, because Tanner is given more page time, and because I was given the chance to connect to him emotionally, the reader can more easily see past Berry’s unwillingness to view things as they are. And such and thusly, her prejudices against Tanner are showcased a bit more prominently.

It’s a fantastic romance, and really, though there’s a larger plot full of excitement and intrigue, this story really comes down to the love story element. It’s an exciting, sweet, slow-building burn as these two people come to understand and appreciate each other at a fundamental level. As with Austen’s story, there’s a wonderful depth to their relationship as they see each other at their absolute worst and lowest, and inversely, at their best and brightest. It’s… <sigh>… so wonderful. It’s a romance structure, that though it’s been played out, and reimagined, and retold hundreds or thousands of times, has such a timeless quality to it.  It’s the clash and confluence of two human hearts, a story which never grows old, and Vance tells it well.

Story. So the story was fast-paced, interesting, and packed full of little homages. I love that while Spies and Prejudice definitely tipped it’s hat to both the Austen novel and Rob Thomas’s teenage, film noir-esque girl sleuth, it felt like its own thing. The Pride and Prejudice references are loose, carrying over just enough elements and themes to keep it recognizable, without trying to pigeonhole every detail to make it all fit perfectly.  And ditto that on the VM vibes.  The mystery, while I had a pretty strong (and correct) hunch of how things were going to play out, was pretty decent, and it was still fun to watch Berry chase down leads and piece the clues together.

While I loved so much of this book, I did find Berry’s and others’ “situations” a bit outside the realm of believability. I also had a little trouble following the action at the climax of the book, where people were and what exactly was going on. But it didn’t bother me overly much, because whenever I started getting a little bent out of shape, the romance and banter would convince me to sit back down, shut up and just enjoy the ride.

Overall. A fantastic marriage of the humor, romance and depth of Austen with the sassy, edgy, angsty sexiness of Veronica Mars, Talia Vance’s Spies and Prejudice is a wonderful homage to two of my very favorite things, while still managing to be something altogether its own.

Happy Reading!

 Welcome to Refracted Light’s

This week’s reviews:

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown (Dani)

Under The Dusty Sky by Allie Brennan (Dani)

First Light by Samantha Summers (Snippet Review; Dani)

Tempest by Julie Cross (Snippet Review; Heather)

Read this week:

Under the Dusty Sky - A wonderful story of self-discovery and new beginnings. REVIEW

The Best Week of My Life - Cute premise with a strong beginning, but the novella just kinda fell apart in the second half. 

The Avery Shaw Experiment - A little far-fetched, but a totally adorable, feel-good book.

Kiss of Fire - If you can get past the editing errors, there’s a really interesting story here.  The world Ethington has created is simple, yet original.  The love story is interesting and heart-wrenching.

Eyes of Ember - The sequel to Kiss of Fire, this book was so much more INTENSE than the first and totally action-packed.  I really like the spin Ethington’s got going on the romance, and she totally upped the heart-wrenching element x 1,000.

The Faerie Prince - I have been waiting for this book for FOREVER, and it was TOTALLY WORTH THE WAIT.  I’m still trying to find words, but in lieu of competent verbalization I give you this:

To read next week:

I’m actually a quarter of the way through both of these books, but haven’t finished them yet.  I kinda got distracted this week, by a craving for something more contemporary, but I look forward to finishing both this coming week.  Hopefully.  My baby sis is getting married next Saturday so this week is a little touch ‘n go, but I will give it my best shot!

Read this week:

To read next week:

Happy Reading!

Unfocused, unpolished, and too angsty for my taste. I love me a good broody, dangerous guy as much as the next girl (Prince Ash, anyone? le sigh…), but Kalen is just annoyingly immature. And I can’t even begin to express how done I am with the whole “I’m too dangerous and irredeemable, and I can’t tell you anything for your own safety… yet I cannot stop following you everywhere because I inexplicably love you” trope. It’s just… yeah. Ronnie was a marginally better character, and she did get more ballsy as the story went on, less willing to put up with Kalen’s crap, which I liked. But when it comes right down to it, I was expecting a lot more of a plot out of this book, and beyond their romance, there wasn’t much of one. Added to that there were a lot of little holes that asked me to suspend disbelief a little too much (i.e. – a recently-orphaned, underage minor essentially living alone, and no government agency is looking into that? Seemed like a contrivance to play into another overused YA trope, “the conveniently absent parent.”) Overall, this premise had a lot of potential, and the book was interesting enough that I decided to finish it, but unfortunately, it just failed to deliver in too many ways.

I really enjoyed this book. It was time-travel that didn’t give me a headache, and though I did think “Enemies of Time” or EOT’s was a little cheeserific, I thought the plot and character development was well done. The pacing was a nice slow stroll, which is what I needed at the time I read it. Jackson, Holly and Adam were really fun to read, and I’m intrigued to see where Ms. Cross takes her characters.

Happy Reading!

Just from the blurb, and even into the first several chapters, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like Gracie, to be honest. She’s self-centered, controlling, manipulative, and is annoyingly overconfident. Thank goodness she narrates her story, because getting inside this girl’s head makes all the difference. Surprisingly jaded for a fifteen-almost-sixteen year old, Gracie has constructed all kinds of emotional walls and barriers to protect herself, stemming from an unwavering belief that the people she cares about will inevitably leave her. People always leave and nothing ever lasts. And so, Gracie’s determined to carve out a place for herself in the world, determined to create perfect memories for herself, and determined to take what she can get from people before feelings fade and she gets left behind.

But at her core, behind the walls, behind the saucy grin, behind the irritating overconfidence she protects herself with, is a girl who’s achingly vulnerable, uncertain, and emotionally damaged. And this girl I like.

Enter Bentley McKinna.

Gorgeous smile, washboard abs, a couple years older, and (most important of all) temporary – Ben is the perfect candidate for Gracie’s next perfect memory – a summer fling – but to her surprise, she quickly finds that he’s not so easily manipulated by her… charms.

I… seriously… this boy! I just love him, and I love that this book also features him as a narrator. My philosophy? Two perspectives are better than one, and in Ben and Gracie’s cases, that’s definitely true.

Having grown up in an excessively privileged lifestyle, Ben has become disillusioned by the games, the disingenuousness, the expectations, the manipulations. The Holloway Farm provides him with a perfect escape, a place to think and figure out his life… at least, that’s what he thought. He never anticipated the boss’s beautiful, headstrong daughter, who makes it more than obvious she that she has designs on his virtue. It’d be easy to ignore her, except for the rare glimpses he gets of the real Graceland Holloway, which intrigue him despite his resolve to not get involved. And suddenly, Ben’s summer just got a lot more difficult.

Ben is looking for something genuine and real. He’s only eighteen, but because of his experiences growing up in the family he did and being used for his talent and connections, he’s developed a more mature perspective on life and relationships. Caring and kind, Ben’s a bit of a bleeding heart, wanting to fix things that are broken, and he senses there’s something about Gracie that is deeply broken. But that said, the boy’s no pushover, and he doesn’t hesitate to call Gracie on her crap and to tell her no. Even when it’s really, really hard. Seriously, the amount of self-control this guy possesses should qualify him for sainthood, and it makes him all the more appealing to both me… and of course Gracie – who’s not one to back away from a challenge even if it is starting to get a little more emotionally confusing than she’d originally intended.

And really that’s what this story is all about – the characters and the relationships. It’s Gracie being forced to face feelings and realizations she’s uncomfortable or unfamiliar with. It’s her struggling to come to terms with certain aspects of herself and her past. It’s about how meeting a person can become an unexpected catalyst for change, and how that person makes you want to become a better version of yourself. It’s about two people, each with their own unique set of issues, trying to figure out just what they mean to each other, end up learning new things about themselves as a result.

And while Under the Dusty Sky does mostly focus on the development of Gracie and Ben’s relationship, it also takes a look at all of Gracie’s relationships, with her family and friends, and how they’ve been impacted by her somewhat skewed perspective of love, loyalty, family and friendship.

As romances go, Allie does a fantastic job of building romantic tension between Gracie and Ben, all while keeping it a very realistic romance for teenagers – realistic expectations, boundaries, parental authority, a slew of protective brothers, and consequences. I always appreciate when there are substantive outcomes for the very human choices the characters make, whatever they may be. It lends realism and weight to the entire story. That might sound like a major downer, but I really don’t mean it to. While the novel deals with some weightier themes, it’s not a super heavy book. I guess I just mean to say: it’s a story of life’s messed-up and messy wonderfulness.

Or maybe: Life happens… and so does kissing.

Overall. Sexy and heartfelt, Under the Dusty Sky is a wonderful story of self-discovery and new beginnings.

* Due to some of the content, I’d recommend this book for readers 16+

Happy Reading!

It’s the

May New Release

Giveaway Hop!

hosted by Book Twirps & me!

So what do I have for you this month?

ONE (1) lucky follower will win

ONE (1) of the following books (INTL):

If you haven’t yet read the preceding books  in The Pushing the Limits OR Starcrossed series, you may substitute one of those instead of the offered book. Click on the covers below for book info and summary

 Please fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter. This is mandatory. Comments will not be counted as your mandatory entry. Rules and conditions are listed below the Rafflecopter form.

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Unhinged

by A.G. Howard

Expected Publication: Jan. 2014

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she’s always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she’ll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

I absolutely LOVED Splintered and I was ecstatic to learn that Howard was writing a second book.  I love Alyssa, I adore Jeb, and Morpheus… MORPHEUS.  I love the romance between Alyssa and Jeb, and the strange allure of Morpheus.  There will always be a part of Alyssa that belongs only to him… and it’s interesting and seductive and… awesome.  And the blurb!  It sounds like the crap hits the fan even more in this one.  Maybe I’m a super mean person, but I cannot wait!

Replica

by Jenna Black

Expected Publication: July 16, 2013

Sixteen-year-old Nadia Lake comes from a high-class Executive family in the Corporate States. Her marriage has been arranged with the most powerful family in her state, which means she lives a life of privilege but also of public scrutiny, followed everywhere by photographers, every detail of her private life tabloid fodder. But her future is assured, as long as she can maintain her flawless public image — no easy feat when your betrothed is a notorious playboy.

Nathan Hayes is the heir of Paxco — controller of the former state of New York, and creator of human replication technology, science that every state and every country in the world would kill to have. Though Nadia and Nate aren’t in love, they’ve grown up close, and they (and the world) are happy enough with their match.

Until Nate turns up dead, and as far as everyone knows, Nadia was the last person to see him alive.

When the new Nate wakes up in the replication tanks, he knows he must have died, but with a memory that only reaches to his last memory backup, he doesn’t know what killed him. Together, Nadia and Nate must discover what really happened without revealing the secrets that those who run their world would kill to protect.

I am, as a rule, not a sci-fi chick, but this just sounds too cool. I mean, sci-fi plus murder mystery plus possibly redeemable bad boy? I’m there.

So… what are you looking forward to this Wednesday?