Hey guys!  Thanks for stopping by the blog for our Tour Stop for

 Paradox by A.J. Paquette

presented by Rockstar Book Tours!

Curious about how to survive in an alien planet? Then be sure to check out the fab guest post by author, A.J. Paquette!

Also, be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Fans of James Dashner's Maze Runner series will love this postapocalyptic adventure about a girl who must survive an alien planet in order to save the Earth.

Ana only knows her name because of the tag she finds pinned to her jumpsuit. Waking in the featureless compartment of a rocket ship, she opens the hatch to discover that she has landed on a barren alien world. Instructions in her pocket tell her to observe and to survive, no doubt with help from the wicked-looking knives she carries on her belt. But to what purpose?

Meeting up with three other teens--one boy seems strangely familiar--Ana treks across the inhospitable landscape, occasionally encountering odd twists of light that carry glimpses of people back on Earth. They're working on some sort of problem, and the situation is critical. What is the connection between Ana's mission on this planet and the crisis back on Earth, and how is she supposed to figure out the answer when she can't remember anything?

Paradox by A.J. Paquette Publication Date:  June 25, 2013 Publisher:  Random House Books for Young Readers

Available for purchase: |||

How to Survive on an Alien Planet

So you’re in a rocket, your seatbelt tightly fastened, and you’ve crash-landed on an alien planet. Quick, what are the three things you must have in your handy-dandy getaway bag?

Let’s be honest: I’m pretty sure that for most of us, the first things we bring to mind are the basic survival items—food and water sufficient for the journey; a form of shelter; a map of your new destination. (Maybe a good thick book? But I digress.)

All those things are important, yes. But we’re talking about survival here. On an alien planet. Which to me is much more than just basic-life-necessities. So I’d have to go one step further. When crash-landing on a planet in the far-reaches of the solar system, my number-one recommendation is to always bring along a rock-solid plan of attack. “What am I doing here? What’s the goal? Where am I heading?”

All well and good, you say. But in order to have a plan that can be implemented, you must have a conscious memory of that plan. So … what if you are stuck on an alien planet, with basic survival items but no memory of who you are? Well.

No memory. No grand plan. In that case, I recommend having a specific short-term goal. The need to reach a certain point by a certain time, for example.  A flashing, time-ticking countdown, for example. That’s a very useful tool. But what if the said timer neglects to mention what happens when the countdown reaches zero? Not quite as effective, perhaps.

So: No clear goal. No memory. No grand plan. Certainly, in this case, you’d need a set of instructions. A letter in your pocket, perhaps? Check! But wait—what if that letter in your pocket, instead of making things clearer, actually makes them more confusing?

Good grief! No directions. No clear goal. No memory. No grand plan.

Hmmm.

So you’ve landed on an alien planet. You’ve got the basic necessities, but what do you really need to make it on this planet, get you right where you need to go in the fastest, most efficient way possible? Failing everything else, I strongly recommend having a giant monster following on your tail. It’s not the most elegant solution, maybe—and, okay, there are some minor risks, but when it comes to blind-panic impetus and dogged determination to keep moving, there’s nothing better.

Good luck!

A.J. Paquette has been writing stories since early childhood. She and her sister would spend hours creating masterpieces of stapled paper and handwritten words, complete with pen-and-ink covers and boxed illustrations.

The road to publication was long and winding, peppered with many small successes including: a variety of national magazine publications, being a 2005 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award honoree, and receiving the 2008 SCBWI’s Susan Landers Glass Scholarship Award, for the book that would later become Nowhere Girl. Her first picture book, The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies, was published in 2009.

She now lives with her husband and two daughters in the Boston area, where she continues to write books for children and young adults. She is also an agent with the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Goodreads

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Welcome to another Xpresso Book Tours Book Blitz for

Aberrant by Ruth Silver!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

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.

Aberrant (Aberrant #1) by Ruth Silver Publication Date:  April 28, 2013

Available for Purchase: |

...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.

Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of Aberrant. The Young Adult/New Adult Romantic Dystopian Adventure, Aberrant is the first in a trilogy,  released April 17th, 2013. Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. 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/NA  novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She also enjoys photography, traveling and of most of all writing.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Thanks for stopping by the blog for our Tour Stop for

Switching by Jody Kihara

presented by Lightning Book Promotions!

We are pretty excited to have author, Jody Kihara, stop by the blog for a quick Q & A!

Every week or two, Terry wakes up in a different time. She’s been ‘switching’ ― that’s her word for time traveling ― for the past eight months, and she has no recollection of her life before then. She doesn’t know who she is, why she’s time traveling, how to get home, or even when home is.

Then Terry meets some fellow travelers, and finds out she’s not alone, and that there might be a way to get home. But the others have their own agendas, and Terry needs to be careful where she places her trust. She finds herself falling for one traveler, but a terrible secret bars his way home. Another traveler is growing desperate, and he doesn’t care who he uses in his attempt to get home… even if it puts them all in danger. Can Terry find a way home before he tries something dangerous? Or will he prevent her from getting home at all?

Switching by Jody Kihara Publication Date:  September 7, 2012 Publisher:  Star Magnolia Publishing

Available for Purchase: |

Q & A with Jody Kihara

Where did you get the idea for Switching?

The idea came from another book I had written, which started with a similar premise: a girl with no recollection of her life previous to 8 months ago. I still love that story, but there was one major plot point that didn’t really work… so I never went ahead and published it. Instead, I took the same premise, but went off in a totally different direction.

SWITCHING also took inspiration from a book I loved when I was a teen: Taking Terri Mueller by Norma Fox Mazer (and yes, my character’s name is an homage to that book). TTM is about a girl who has been “kidnapped” by her own father, and can’t remember her mom. The premise is really quite different (no time travel involved!), but what impressed me most about that book was the strength of the main character. I wanted a character that was as strong as her. Re-reading TTM now, I’m struck by how young the character is (on the cover she looks 17, but really she’s 12!); but I was maybe about 10 when I first read the book, so she seemed older to me. Anyway, I hope readers draw from my Terry’s strength, because she is one tough cookie!

How did you keep track of all the time changes in the book?

With a spreadsheet! LOL. No seriously, I did have to work it out in Excel… I had to know all the characters’ birth dates and when they travelled back, and then do the math so that the whole thing made sense.

I love the retro look of the book’s cover… tell me about it!

I created the cover myself, in Photoshop, using several different images. It took me AGES to find the right Terry. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted, but when you’re hunting through stock photos, usually the clearer the idea you have, the harder it is to find! The Terry I finally found is actually a few years older than I wanted, but she had the right look: tough; a street kid; even her smudged makeup was perfect! The problem was, the photo was only a headshot, so I had to find her a body! The cover is 3 shots comped together, with a border added to give it a kind of seventies feel (because most of the book takes place during the 70s).

The book really emphasizes the reality of her situation; other time travel books don’t deal with how hard it would be. She’s homeless, she’s sleeping rough, she’s lonely, she’s hungry all the time… where did you get that from?

I did some charity work in Vancouver’s downtown east side, where there are a lot of homeless people. One night we went to a homeless shelter, and it was an experience that rocked me to my core. I think everyone should, at some point in their life, do some volunteer work like that, even if it’s just for a day… it opens your eyes to what these people have to go through on a daily basis. If I was going to have a character who was homeless, it was important to me to show just how rough the situation really is.

The ending made me wonder if there might be a sequel coming?

I’d love to write a sequel someday, but probably not for a while… I have so many other projects on the go, and so little time!

So if you could time travel… where would you go?

I’d go back to pre-Islamic Arabia, so that I could finally write the sequel to one of my other novels, The Frankincense Trail… imagine being able to inject that amount of reality into a book!

Thanks for the interview! Readers, you can read more about SWITCHING, including a preview of the first three chapters, at http://www.jodykihara.com/books/switching/

I'm an author of young adult and mid-grade novels. My latest YA novel, SWITCHING, has just been released - you can read a preview on my website. You can also check out my other books, too!

I'd also love to also chat with you on Facebook ...and here, of course!

I'm an avid reader, and NEVER tire of discussing books!

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in the tour!

Lexxie on June 4th http://unconventionalbookviews.com/ BJ on June 7th http://insidebjshead.blogspot.com/ Natasha on June 10th http://www.bookmarkyourthoughts.com/ Michelle on June 12th http://bookbriefs.blogspot.com/ Maryann on June 18th http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/ Nova on June 21st http://myseryniti.wordpress.com/

Welcome to another Xpresso Book Tours Book Blitz!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

“My name is Rylee and I am a Tracker.”

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I’m the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot.

I’m on the FBI’s wanted list.

I have a werewolf for a pet, a Witch of a best friend, and have no need for anyone else in my life.

But when a salvage starts to spin out of control, help comes from a most unexpected direction. One that is dangerously dark, brooding, and doesn’t know a thing about the supernatural.

One whose kisses set me on fire.

Priceless (Rylee Adamson #1) by Shannon Mayer Publication Date:  February 1, 2013 Publisher:  HiJinks Ink Publishing

“My name is Rylee, and I am a Tracker.”

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I’m the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot.

Underestimating demons is a bad idea, and it’s a mistake that may cost me not only my own life, but the life of a missing child.

If I can swallow my pride, and allow Agent O’Shea to help me find a way to deal with the demon, we might be able to save the child.

With this salvage, it’s a race against time, a test of trust, and a temptation that I'm doing my damnedest to ignore.

If only swallowing my pride was that easy.

Immune (Rylee Adamson #2) by Shannon Mayer Publication Date:  March 4, 2013 Publisher:  HiJinks Ink Publishing

“My name is Rylee, and I am a Tracker.”

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I’m the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot.

The FBI wants me on their team. Bad enough that they are dangling bait they KNOW I can’t resist.

The catch? It’s on the other side of the ocean.

And if I want what they’re offering, I have to help them with a salvage gone terribly, terribly wrong.

But this time, I have no back up. I have no Plan B.

And I have no O’Shea.

Raising Innocence (Rylee Adamson #3) by Shannon Mayer Publication Date:  May 13, 2013 Publisher:  HiJinks Ink Publishing

Rylee Adamson Interview

My name is Rylee. I don’t like it when people use my last name, it reminds me of where I’m from and the people who turned on me. I was adopted as a baby into a family where they couldn’t have children naturally. But when I was ten, my parents got a surprise. A miracle baby, a little girl with golden hair and bright blue eyes.

When I was sixteen, I was accused of killing her; our parents believed the police. But I don’t really want to talk about that it was over ten years ago. I’m trying to let it go.

I’m a Tracker, a supernatural who can trace anyone’s life threads finding them regardless of whether they’re dead or alive. I prefer alive, dead is messy, but so often that is the case. I’m also an Immune, magic slides off me as if I don’t exist. That is handy.

Gods, I’m sweating here trying not to swear. Are you sure I can’t use at least one four letter word? No, of course not.

I never Track adults. They can bloody well take care of themselves. I only ever Track kids. Probably I’m trying to make up for not saving my sister. But I’ll leave that up to the psychologists out there to decipher my motives.

Alex is my buddy, a werewolf trapped between forms; half man, half wolf. Submissive, goofy and loyal to the bone he is the one spot of bright light in my life. I think you’d like him the best of the two of us. I know I can be a hard ass, I can’t seem to help it. But Alex has never met someone he couldn’t win over with a floppy wave of his oversized paws. He might not be the best back-up, but he makes me smile and in my world, that is enough.

Someone once asked me what it was like to Track kids for parents who had no one else to turn to, for parents who’d lost hope that their child would ever be returned to them.

This was my answer: It’s a weight and a responsibility that sits on me, I took an oath that I would never stop Tracking lost children. That I would put my life on the line for those who can’t save themselves, and that I would fight to my last breath to keep a child alive.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Shannon Mayer lives in the southwestern tip of Canada with her husband, dog, cats, horse, and cows. When not writing she spends her time staring at immense amounts of rain, herding old people (similar to herding cats) and attempting to stay out of trouble. Especially that last is difficult for her.

She is the author of the The Nevermore Trilogy, The Rylee Adamson Novels and the Celtic Legacy series. Her first New Adult Romance, High Risk Love, is scheduled for release July 1, 2013.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Welcome to our Tour stop for

Conquer Your Love (Surrender Your Love #2) by J.C. Reed!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Meeting Jett was like bad luck. Dangerous. Unpredictable. And better avoided. In his game, the stakes are high. But are they worth the risk?

Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, finds forgetting is hard, but forgiving is harder. When the man she trusted, betrayed her, the only way to forget is to move on. Brooke is determined to start a new life, until she meets him again: the green-eyed, sexy as sin, six foot two sex god. The man who played dirty. The man who played her.

Sexy, rich, and arrogant Jett Mayfield knows he has made mistakes. He could have any other woman, and yet it’s Brooke he wants. When second chances collide with secrets and Brooke is threatened by the past, Jett is determined to protect her. She accepts his help unwillingly because she needs him but she wants to play his game on her own terms. And she has no intention to forgive or let him back into her bed.

When the man she is supposed to hate is the one she should trust, will he conquer her…or lose her forever?

A woman who can’t forgive. A man who has made mistakes. Two lives that are about to cross again and more secrets laid bare.

Conquer Your Love (Surrender Your Love #2) by J.C. Reed Release Date:  June 8, 2013

J.C. Reed is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of SURRENDER YOUR LOVE. She writes steamy contemporary fiction with a touch of mystery. When she's not typing away on her keyboard, forgetting the world around her, she dreams of returning to the beautiful mountains of Wyoming. You can also find her chatting on Facebook with her readers or spending time with her two children.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future.

 Icons (Icons #1) by Margaret Stohl Publication Date:  May 7, 2013 Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Available for Purchase: |||||

** This title was provided to us by the Publisher for an honest review. We were in no way paid for our opinions **

I loved reading the Beautiful Creatures series that author Margaret Stohl co-wrote and was super interested in starting the first book of her new series. I only skimmed what the novel was about, got the gist of the plot, and dove right in. From start to finish I was left on the edge of my seat. Al I can say is that this book was awesome. This book was great. This book deserves a sequel that is just as fantastic. What didn’t I love about it? Icons is Rick Yancey’s The Fifth Wave meets Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy.

Icons takes place in a future where aliens invaded the Earth and created contraptions that give them the ability to control how long you live. Main character Dol has lived since the Day and has been living in the countryside, far away from the Sympas, the cities and the Icons. On Dol’s birthday Sympa soldiers invade the safe haven the Padre created and in the end, capture Dol and her best friend Ro. The two are taken to the Embassy. Immediately Dol and Ro are worried and have many questions like what their new lives in the Embassy entail.

While in the Embassy, Dol and Ro meet a captured girl named Tima and meet Ambassador Amare’s son, Lucas who Dol is drawn to. What brings them all together are the strange birthmarks that are on each person and the strange abilities that they all have. Dol can feel emotions and she knows that the others can do superhuman things as well. After giving up a book that might have had all the answers Dol could ever need, the group begins to wonder if they are part of something larger than themselves and if their sudden meeting is not so much of a coincidence as they believe.

 Icons throws you right into action, mystery and a seriously fast pace. The first hundred-or-so pages seriously sent my mind spinning and had me hooked. The novel starts with a prologue that takes place on the Day when Dol’s entire family drops dead and the Icons show off their true power. As if that isn’t insane enough (and leaves readers thinking “What just happened…?”) the novel slows down as Dol and Ro celebrate Dol’s birthday. Everything seems fine and happy, it’s the future and it all seems pleasant until the Sympas show up and there’s action and murder all over the place. Totally awesome-sauce (except for all the death… death is only okay in literature guys…).

The one thing that makes Icons very different than most novels I’ve read are the classified documents that come before every single chapter. They are sometimes letters between the Ambassador and other character that have transcripts of events or articles from before the Day or snippets from the book that Dol gave away. It’s really cool and makes the novel feel really authentic and real. I was worried about the authenticity of the novel at first, but after all of this, it became clear that Icons is as authentic as it gets.

The characters in Icons are ones that I think are memorable and will leave readers wanting to know what happens next to them. Throughout my time reading Icons all I could think about were the characters and how much I loved and cared for them. When something bad happened I was already freaking out for them and hoping that they would survive until the end of the book. I’ll just add in now that while reading Icons keep in mind that your new favorite characters will be thrown into danger more times than you can count.

The romance in Icons is realistic in that it isn’t instant. It takes time for relationships between Dol and other characters to be established and for that I’m thankful. Dol’s love interests seriously took my heart and wrung it. I’m envious of her.

I’d recommend Icons to readers that are looking for a dystopian novel with a twist, readers who are fans of alien invasions and readers who want a story about love and death.

Margaret Stohl is the #1 New York Times, PW, USA Today, LA Times and Internationally bestselling co-author of the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES NOVELS (Fall 2009-2012) and author of THE ICONS SERIES (Spring, 2013.)

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday post! Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga over at Tynga’s Reviews and The Sunday Post is hosted by Kim over at Kimba The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where we showcase the books we got for the week and recap what happened on the blog this week!

Head on over for more details on how to join!

What we got this week …

For Review:

Finished Copy: Quarantine: The Loners (Quarantine #1) by Lex Thomas ARC - Quarantine: The Saints (Quarantine #2) by Lex Thomas

(Thank you Media Masters Publicity)

ARC - A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin

(Thank you Media Masters Publicity)

ARC - Charming (Pax Arcana #1) by Elliott James (Thank you Orbit!)

Snow White Sorrow (The Grimm Diaries #1) by Cameron Jace (Thank you Jace!)

ARC - Six Months Later by Natalie Richards (For upcoming Tour) ARC - Scorched by Mari Mancusi (For upcoming Tour)

(Thank you Sourcebooks!)

ARC - Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks #4) by Miranda Kenneally (For upcoming Tour) ARC - Endless (The Violet Eden Chapters #4) by Jessica Shirvington

(For upcoming Tour)

(Thank you Sourcebooks!)

ARC - Hereafter (Shadowlands #2) by Kate Brian ARC - Time After Time (Time Between Us #2) by Tamara Ireland Stone

(Thank you Disney-Hyperion!!!)

What happened on the blog this week! (Click on the link for the post!)

Sunday:

Blog Tour: Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne – Interview

Monday:

Book Spotlight: The Pact by Graeme Brown – Guest Post and Giveaway

Tuesday:

Release Day Launch: One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker – Spotlight with G!veaway Review of Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun

Wednesday:

Book Blast: Endure by M.R. Merrick – Excerpt and Giveaway Cover Reveal: A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers with Giveaway

Thursday:

Cover Reveal: The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe with Giveaway Review of Stormbringers (The Order of Darkness #2) by Philippa Gregory

Friday:

Review of Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Blog Tour: Blood Street by Carl Alves – Guest Post

Saturday:

Stacking the Shelves #56 and The Sunday Post Review of Icons by Margaret Stohl

What goodies did you get this week? Feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments! Happy Reading!

Thanks for stopping by for our Tour Stop for

Blood Street by Carl Alves

presented by DARKEVA BOOK BLOG TOURS

Alexei chose the wrong neighborhood to claim his latest victim. Now Philadelphia mob boss Enzo Salerno is determined to hunt down the man who killed his associate in such gruesome fashion in his South Philly row home. Perplexed by this unnatural murder, Salerno uncovers clues that lead him to believe that this was not a mob hit, and that a vampire was responsible for this death. Magnus, the leader of Alexei’s brood, must now use all of his resources to save them from both the mafia and the FBI.

Blood Street by Carl Alves Publication Date:  November 24, 2012 Publisher:  True Grit Publishing

Grab your copy HERE!

The Shadowy World of the Mafia and Vampires

My novel Blood Street has two opposing factions that wind up at odds due to circumstances in the novel.  Both of them live in the shadows of society.  Both of them have to operate in secrecy.  They are the Mafia and vampires.

            As I wrote the novel, the similarities between these two seemingly disparate groups became apparent.  The structure of the two organizations both revolve around family.  In traditional Cosa Nostra, as the Mafia is frequently referred to among its members, the group revolves around a “family”.  The family doesn’t necessarily mean blood relatives, although organized crime typically is something that is passed down in families since it makes it easier to trust your associates if you are related to them.

            Vampires are also structured around a family, also known as a brood.  Because they can’t be open about their identity, by necessity, the only ones who can know about their true identity are other vampires.  Their immortality and need for blood creates a bond among them that can’t be matched by their relationships with humans.  Although vampires are sometimes loners, they will often be found in groups, needing that connection that links them back to their old human selves.

            Mafia families live under a code of conduct.  Broods similarly have codes that they have to live by.  These codes are for practical purposes — to protect the members and maintain secrecy.  If vampires were left to run wild, their members would be discovered and hunted down since humans would never accept their kind.  If the Mafia didn’t use a code of conduct, it would increase the likelihood that law enforcement would be able to break apart their racket and prosecute them.

            Despite these similarities, in my novel Blood Street, they just can’t seem to get along.  Their clashes are fierce and deadly.  The question is who will prevail.  Find out in Blood Street.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and later an MBA degree from Lehigh University, Carl has worked in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries.  His debut novel Two For Eternity was released in 2011 by Weaving Dreams Publishing.  His short fiction has appeared in various publications such as Sinister City, Alien Skin and Behind Locked Doors anthology.  He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and has attended the Penn Writers Conference.  You can visit his website at www.carlalves.com.

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Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo Publication Date: June 4, 2013 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

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** This title was provided to us by the Publisher for an honest review. We were in no way paid for our opinions **

This book was fantastic. I feel that I have to start my review this way because it’s the honest truth and if I don’t say it now I’ll end up writing a whole paragraph about the fact that I just adored every moment of reading author Leigh Bardugo’s second installment in the Grisha Trilogy. I remember reading Shadow and Bone and enjoying it but not really falling in love—Siege and Storm completely stole my soul and heart. Every chapter was seriously awesome and right from the start I was on the edge of my seat screaming at the book. Siege and Storm is definitely in my top 5 novels of 2013 thus far.

Siege and Storm takes place from where Shadow and Bone left off. Alina and Mal are both on trying to start new lives. Alina is trying to keep her identity as the Sun Summoner under wraps and Mal is doing his best to protect Alina. When the two are found by the Darkling and captured they find themselves at sea with Captain Sturmhond and the Darkling. The Darkling has grown obsessed with Alina and her powers and believes that in the end the two of them must be together. After Captain Sturmhond betrays the Darkling, Alina and Mal both find themselves back in Ravka.

All is not well with Alina and Mal. After finding and using another amplifier, Alina has begun to change. Her powers have been growing stronger and she is supposed to lead the Grisha who are still in Ravka so that they may defeat the Darkling’s forces. Alina begins to slip away from Mal despite their eternal love for each other and her mind becomes consumed with how to defeat the Darkling and his forces. What Alina doesn’t dare tell anybody is that when she’s alone the Darkling is with her in some way that she does not understand and she knows that it’s only a matter of time before the Darkling comes for her.

The first chapter had me hooked. I honestly did not see it coming and it left me biting my nails and screaming “Oh my God, no!” Why? Because the freaking Darkling catches Mal and Alina and it’s only the FIRST CHAPTER!!! Who would see that coming? Not this girl! It drove me insane and from that point on I was hooked. Mal and Alina both get lucky and manage to escape the Darkling once more after he tries to use the second amplifier on Alina in hopes on controlling her power. Once Alina and Mal both escaped everything kept up a quick pace as the two set off with Sturmhond only to discover his true identity…Plot twist!!

As the novel progresses Alina begins to suffer from her new amounts of power. Every chapter you can see Alina evolving from the character she was in the first novel into a complete stranger. She becomes more powerful, she starts to sound wicked and heartless and it is completely awesome. Alina goes from being this girl who was at the Darkling’s mercy to a complete and total badass. I really enjoyed this because Alina became the heroine that I wanted her to be ever since I read Shadow and Bone.

Alina and Mal’s relationship is seriously tested in Siege and Storm. Not only have I become a total Mal fangirl but I’m also hoping for his relationship with Alina to end with them together. Seriously, throughout Siege and Storm the two begin to fall away from each other and the Darkling continuously shows up and tries to get into Alina’s head (among other places). In all seriousness, if you didn’t love Mal in Shadow and Bone you’ll become obsessed with him when you read Siege and Storm.

I’d recommend the Grisha Trilogy to readers who want to experience a fantasy world that is unlike anything they’ll have ever read before. Readers who want intense romance, insane action scenes and thrills will fall in love with these books. Get on it!

Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, raised in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she hides out in Hollywood and indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as makeup artist L.B. Benson.

Her debut novel, Shadow & Bone (Holt Children's/Macmillan) is now a New York Times Best Seller.

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