SpadesHighReads

On Hiatus.... (for now)

2012-05-29T14:42:00.001-07:00

I will be on a 2-3 week hiatus... we're dealing with a few family problems and a topsey-turvey home that looks like a tornado hit it =P ... I'm sorry that I haven't been around much of late. But to keep you all company, I'm hosting a $20 giveaway. It's INTERNATIONAL... the winner have the choice to either choose a book up to $20 from the Book Depository OR a book (book related item) up to $20 from Amazon.com

Giveaway ENDS June 28th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: Masters of the Veil by Daniel Cohen

2012-05-24T00:33:00.002-07:00

Masters of the Veil
by Daniel Cohen
Released: March 1st 2012
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Life can't get much better for Sam Lock. Popular, good-looking, and with a future as a professional football player. every guy at Stanton High School wishes he were Sam. That is, until his championship football game, when Sam accidentally links with an ancient source of energy known as the Veil and reveals his potential to become a powerful sorcerer. Sam is whisked off to Atlas Crown, a community of sorcerers who utilize the Veil as a part of everyday life. Once there, he trains beside a mute boy who speaks through music, an eternal sage who's the eyes and ears of the Veil, and a beautiful girl who's pretty sure Sam's an idiot. As it becomes clear Sam's meant for power magic-the most feared and misunderstood form of sorcery-people beyond Atlas Crown learn of his dangerous potential. An exiled group of power sorcerers are eager to recruit Sam, believing that he is destined to help them achieve their long-held goal. If they succeed, they could bring about the downfall of not only Atlas Crown. but all humankind.

List Price: ~~$12.95~~ (PB)
Amazon $10.55 ♣ Barnes & Noble $10.55 ♣ Book Depository $10.55 GETTING TO KNOW THE CHARACTERS!

Super short character bios:

Sam Lock: High school football star. Popular, sociable, and knows nothing about magic… yet.

Daphne Sunder: Beautiful, intelligent, and one of the most popular young sorcerers in Atlas Crown.

Cassiella Pyx: Shy, kind, and sort of nerdy. Even though she keeps a low profile, she is also one of the more powerful young sorcerers.

Glissandro Thicket: Glissandro is a young, mute sorcerer who speaks magically through music. He uses the horn of a skull-wolf to create his musical language. He also keeps to himself.

Petir LaVink: Grumpy young sorcerer. He hates outsiders. VERY good at magic.

Rona Rono: Teaches the best young sorcerers in Atlas Crown (Daphne, Cassiella, Glissandro, and Petir). Was a tribal king in Africa before he was brought to Atlas Crown.

May: Liaison from Atlas Crown to the outside world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel A. Cohen was just your average business student. Microeconomics, finance, marketing… you name it, he had to do a PowerPoint presentation on it. One dark and stormy night, he was bitten by the radioactive realization that memorizing business jargon could possibly be the most boring activity known to man.

After gaining eagle-eye vision, abs that could grate cheese, and a talent for imagining things (including his cheese-grating abs), he wrote his first novel and began his epic battle against the formidable business jargon. He continues to fight the good fight by playing saxophone and writing YA fantasy, forever hoping his Veil trilogy will help inspire others to join his cause.

Web Page ♣ Facebook ♣ Twitter ♣ Goodreads

Giveaway Details

Author Daniel Cohen is offering one lucky person a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card.

Last day to enter is May 31st

CONTINUE READING==>

a Rafflecopter giveawayOpen to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Book Blast & Giveaway: Colors Like Memories by Meradeth Houston

2012-05-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

Colors Like Memories
by Meradeth Houston
Released: May 11th 2012
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing

Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.
Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia enjoyed, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia is not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia will lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

From now until May 23rd
Colors Like Memories is just $1.99 on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I've never been a big fan of talking about myself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about me:

I'm a California girl. This generally means I talk too fast and use "like" a lot.

I have my doctorate in molecular anthropology. Translation: I sequence dead people's DNA and spend a whole lot of time in a lab, which I love.

I've been writing since I was 11 years old. It's my hobby, my passion, and I'm so happy to get to share my work!

My other passion is teaching. There's nothing more fun than getting a classroom of college kids fired up about anthropology!

If I could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because I'm terrified of heights.

Web Page ♣ Blog ♣ Twitter ♣ Facebook ♣ Goodreads ♣ Pintrest

Giveaway Details:
$50 Amazon.com Gift Code
Last day to enter is May 29th
**Please allow Rafflecopter to load

CONTINUE READING==>a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

2012-05-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

Title: Hemlock
Author: Kathleen Peacock
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Format: Advance Readers Copy
Length: 400pgs
Genre: YA, Werewolf, Paranormal
Source: Publisher
Released: May 8th 2012

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

Book description taken from Goodreads.com

REVIEW: 3.5 Spades

I don't know what to make out of Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock. I liked it but there were also some things I didn't like. Although there has been a boom of werewolf literature out lately, I can say that Hemlock clearly differs from the pack!

Kathleen Peacock did a splendid job of actually describing and emphasizing the "shift", and the pain as well the control that goes along with transforming into the 'Werewolf'. Whereas other books just make it sound like it's an effortless 'change' - like taking off a robe. =) The mystery added into the plot was great! Instead of reading about lovey-dovey stuff, which I enjoy from time to time, you have this grand scheme of guilt, betrayal, loss, struggle, and a roller coaster of emotions.

The character that stood out more was Kyle. He felt more genuine, less problematic/drama queen and MORE realistic. And the choices he makes are believable and entertaining to read. No cookie cutter predictable actions.

The dislikes: This is another Love Triangle dilemma. 2 boys + 1 girl. Girl is oblivious of the feelings of both boys. She then goes for one of the two... insert kissy face here. THEN, later on in the story she finds out that other guy likes her too and dun dun dunnn who will she pick now?! It goes back and forth plenty of times and in the end it's still a question mark. It gets tiring and Mackenzie (Mac) frustrates me when she can't make up her mind. As if she likes toying with them, and enjoys the attention they give her that then leads to SO many problems!

I can say though that the witty retorts Mac exchange with the boys well makes up for all the triangle drama. Because I did have some good laughs.

I really don't like the ending. Specifically I didn't like the epilogue. I thought how it ended right before I read the epilogue was fantastic! A bit heartbreaking and a gut wrenching cliff-hanger, but STILL awesome! The epilogue in a way ruined the image and feel for me on how it ended. One moment I'm all sad and 'Oh really!?" I gotta know what happens! Then after Epilogue I'm "Ehh" I guess I can wait. Mackenzie in the ended sounded needy and clingy, when before I felt like she was so strong to handle everything. You'll get my drift when you get your chance and pry into Hemlock =)

I liked Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock! If you enjoy two guys fighting over one girl, and a good mix of Lupine Syndrome then this is the book for you!!

Web Page
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

List Price: ~~$17.99~~ (HC)
Amazon $11.52 ♣ Barnes & Noble $11.52 ♣ Book Depository $13.99

Book Roulette...!!

2012-05-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
by Rachel Joyce
Releasing: July 24th 2012
Publisher: Random House

Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.

Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred
miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live.

Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside. Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit of youth and sense of promise. Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him—allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets. As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years.

And then there is the unfinished business with Queenie Hennessy.

A novel of unsentimental charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise—and utterly irresistible—storyteller.

For your chance to win a copy, just click on the book cover.

Good Luck!!

MAY Kindle Fire Giveaway!!

2012-05-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Win a Kindle Fire
AND
a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card!

Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer is hosting another giveaway with the help of 25 other spectacular blogs/bloggers! and I am one of the participants =) Woot Woot!

Last month she had a similar giveaway that only gave the winner a Kindle Fire, but this time around, ONE WINNER will NOT ONLY win a Kindle Fire BUT ALSO a $50 Amazon.com gift card with his/her choice to feed their brand spanking new eReader! SQUEE Are you excited?

The giveaway is open from May 15th to May 30th!

The participating blogs are:

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

Froggarita’s Bookcase

Fiktshun

So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Uniquely Moi Books

eReading on the Cheap

Lori the Author

There’s a Book

Books a True Story

Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf

Brinda Berry

JJ iReads

Colorimetry

Lisa’s Loves (Books of Course)

The Book Faery

SpadesHigh Reads

A Book Obsession

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to anyone 13 or older who can receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Card. If you live in the US you can choose to receive a $50 Amazon.com egift card and have us ship the Kindle Fire to you or you may choose to receive a $250 Amazon.com egift card and purchase the Kindle Fire yourself. If you live outside the US you will receive a $250 Amazon.com egift card. All funds are in US dollars. All entries must be done through the rafflecopter form. This giveaway is paid for and sponsored by the 25 participating blogs and is not associated with or sponsored by Facebook, Twitter or Amazon. Giveaway runs from 12:01 AM EST on May 15, 2012 until 11:59 PM on May 30, 2012.

Book Roulette...!!

2012-05-14T21:16:00.002-07:00

True Believers
by Kurt Andersen
Releasing: July 10th 2012
Publisher: Random House

In True Believers, Kurt Andersen—the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Heyday and Turn of the Century—delivers his most powerful and moving novel yet. Dazzling in its wit and effervescent insight, this kaleidoscopic tour de force of cultural observation and seductive storytelling alternates between the 1960s and the present—and indelibly captures the enduring impact of that time on the ways we live now.

Karen Hollander is a celebrated attorney who recently removed herself from consideration for appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. Her reasons have their roots in 1968—an episode she’s managed to keep secret for more than forty years. Now, with the imminent publication of her memoir, she’s about to let the world in on that shocking secret—as soon as she can track down the answers to a few crucial last questions.

As junior-high-school kids back in the early sixties, Karen and her two best friends, Chuck and Alex, roamed suburban Chicago on their bikes looking for intrigue and excitement. Inspired by the exotic romance of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, they acted out elaborate spy missions pitting themselves against imaginary Cold War villains. As friendship carries them through childhood and on to college—in a polarized late-sixties America riven by war and race as well as sex, drugs, and rock and roll—the bad guys cease to be the creatures of make-believe. Caught up in the fervor of that extraordinary and uncanny time, they find themselves swept into a dangerous new game with the highest possible stakes.

Today, only a handful of people are left who know what happened. As Karen reconstructs the past and reconciles the girl she was then with the woman she is now, finally sharing pieces of her secret past with her national-security-cowboy boyfriend and Occupy-activist granddaughter, the power of memory and history and luck become clear. A resonant coming-of-age story and a thrilling political mystery, True Believers is Kurt Andersen’s most ambitious novel to date, introducing a brilliant, funny, and irresistible new heroine to contemporary fiction.

For a chance to win a copy, just click on the book cover.

Good Luck!

Traveling Book Box

2012-05-14T21:13:00.001-07:00

I was lucky enough to be able to participate in The Traveling Book Box hosted by Erika @ Moonlight Book Reviews. It's an awesome way to share and recieve great reads from many other bloggers out there! ^_^

It's a surprise on as to how many books are inside. You take as many books as you want, and put the same amount of books in. Then it's off to the next recipient in line. Isn't that cool!?

So, out of the books that were in the box here is what I chose to keep:

I've never read any books from Cyn Balog so I'm hoping this (Starstruck) will be a great start to an introduction to a new Author. I have a finished copy of Drought by Pam Bachorz already, but I don't want to break the spine/open it up lol so I'm taking the ARC and reading that instead as a replacement =D I've seen Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe around before and I heard that it has a lot of humor in it, and I love it when books make me smile/laugh so I grabbed that too. =)

Here is what I put in:

I know I was only suppose to put three, but I decided what the hell let's put 2 more. ARC Rewind by Laura Dower, ARC Fade to Blue, Finished copy of Acquainted with the Night, Finished copy of The Water Wars, and The Source... Now it's off to the next person! For more info and if you'd like to check out on how to participate, head on out to Erika's blog. It felt like an early Christmas! haha I hope to be able to participate again. Thank you Erika for the fun way to get books 'flying'. =)

Review: The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova

2012-05-11T23:54:00.001-07:00

Title: The Vicious Deep
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Format: Advance Readers Copy
Length: 384pgs
Genre: YA, Mermaids, Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Released: May 1st 2012

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

Book description taken from Goodreads.com

REVIEW: I have mixed thoughts and feelings for The Vicious Deep by . I didn't really get into the story as much as I thought I would. How it was written and how the story goes isn't bad per se; just missing a quality I can't pin point that would have gotten me enveloped into the story.

Surprisingly, my favored characters was not the protagonist (Tristan) or even his love interest and Best Friend (Layla), but the characters who played in the background or who played minimal roles.

Tristan thought and talked about his 'junk' WAY too much border lining on arrogance and annoyance. He lacked depth in who he is as a character unless he's talking about Layla. But even with that, he rambles on about her too much throughout the story that he comes out whinny. He can also be a turn-off; kind of shallow and says things that he shouldn't say out loud. Just my two cents =)

Layla, is in a way okay, but she frustrates me in some of the things she does/acts. After awhile you just can't help but get irritated with her too.

Thalia, Kurt, and Marty are by far my favorites and I'm even starting to like Gwen. They are livelier and make better impressions that you can just connect with. They'll stick in your mind throughout the whole book without leaving a bad after taste.

I greatly enjoyed the humor, sarcasm, and quips that were slung here and there. It gave the ambiance of a light hearted reading. However, I didn't quite like the overly used curses. It felt like they were just thrown in at random within the story without really even needing to.

The Vicious Deep is a good novel! I might not come off as overly enthuse about it, but it might just be the book that will knock your socks off!

Web Page
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

List Price: ~~$16.99~~ (HC)
Amazon $11.55 ♣ Barnes & Noble $16.14 ♣ Book Depository $15.40

Cover Reveal: Fragile Darkness #3 & Prodigy #2

2012-05-11T21:57:00.001-07:00

Fragile Darkness
(Midnight Dragonfly #3)
by Ellie James
Releasing: Nov 27th 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

How do you stop someone you can’t see? For as long as she can remember, sixteen-year-old psychic Trinity Monsour has seen things before they happen. But now, in the wake of tragedy, her visions have gone dark. She can still feel, though, and the danger she senses swirling around a new friend sends her into the New Orleans party scene, where nothing is as it seems, surprises wait at every turn, and the last guy she wants to see is the one she needs the most: the mercurial Dylan Fourcade, part stranger, part friend, part so much more.

It’s the so much more that confuses her. How can she be drawn to someone she barely knows?

But whether she wants him there or not, he’s by her side, shadowing her every step of the way, until the darkness clears, and a shocking truth emerges—a truth that changes everything.

List Price: ~~$9.99~~ (PB)
Amazon $9.99 ♣ Barnes & Noble $5.67 ♣ Book Depository $7.49

Prodigy (Legend #2)
by Marie Lu
Releasing: Jan 29th 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

The Elector Primo of the Republic has died, with his son assuming power over what’s left of the USA’s West Coast as it teeters on full-blown chaos. June and Day join up with Patriot rebels so they can rescue Day’s brother and
head east for the Colonies. In order to help, though, the rebels want June and Day to kill the new Elector, who may pose an even greater threat than his father.

List Price: ~~$17.99~~ (HC)
Amazon $12.23 ♣ Book Depository $13.49

Book Roulette...!!

2012-05-11T21:10:00.002-07:00

Fearless
by Eric Blehm
Releasing: May 22nd 2012
Publisher: Doubleday

Fearless takes you deep into SEAL Team Six, straight to the heart of one of it’s most legendary operators.

When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready: In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he had written, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this Earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”

But long before Adam Brown became a member of the elite SEAL Team Six—the counterterrorism unit that took down Osama bin Laden—there was a fun-loving country boy from Arkansas whose greatest goal had been to wear his high school’s football jersey. An undersized daredevil, prone to jumping off roofs into trees and off
bridges into lakes, Adam was a kid who broke his own bones but would never break a promise to his parents … until he grew older, and his family watched that appetite for risk draw him into a downward spiral that eventually landed him in jail.

FEARLESS is the story of a man of extremes, whose determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the U.S. military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.

FEARLESS is the intimate story of a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior, described by all who knew him as just that—fearless.

For a chance to win a copy, just click on the book cover.

Good Luck!!

Blog Tour & Top Ten List: The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova

2012-05-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Books to Read

when Stranded on a Desert Island

w/ Zoraida Córdova Author of THE VICIOUS DEEP

If you are going to be stranded, may as well find something to pass the time. Just make sure you plan ahead…

#1 would have to be HOW TO SURVIVE ON A DESERT ISLAND. Because, really, if I don't survive, I won't get to read #2-10.

#2 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, obvi.

#3 A collection of fairy tales from around the world.

#4 The Harry Potter series, because I'll need a little hope to keep me going.

#5 Montana Sky by Nora Roberts. Don't you roll your eyes at me. Deserted islands get lonely.

#6 Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

because every word is beauty.

#7 Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown. Partly because I'd like the company of merpeople. Partly because I'd like to read it before I get stranded. But also because I can't say I want to get stranded with my own mermaids ;)

#8 Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 8 graphic novels. When facing the forces of darkness (strike that), nature, I'd ask myself, What Would Buffy Do?

#9 The Essential Neruda. Pablo Neruda was exiled to an island where he fell in love and wrote poetry. Maybe I'd get the same inspiration.

#10 A blank notebook, to write my own stories.

The Vicious Deep

by Zoraida Córdova

Released: May 1st 2012

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back.

Web Page
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

List Price: ~~$16.99~~ (HC)
Amazon $11.45 ♣ Barnes & Noble $16.14 ♣ Book Depository $13.62

Happy Mother's Day Kindle Fire Giveaway

2012-05-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Orangeberry Book Tours

Happy Mother's Day Kindle Fire Giveaway

~ May 10th to 17th ~

A swirl of recipes from around the world,

a love story that spans for decades,

a family at the crossroads of life

and so much more ...

This Mother's day,

the authors from Orangberry Book Tours

are sponsoring a host of freebies

and a Kindle Fire giveaway.

To the special women in our lives,

to the bloggers who help us on our journey

and to the readers who make it possible to

share our stories ... we thank you.

Sponsored by :
Bruno McGrath - Elevenses from Around the World
David M. Brown - Fezariu's Epiphany
Pandora Poikilos - Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out & Frequent Traveller
Perry Martin - Pretty Flamingo
Shannon Mayer - Ingredients of a Cauldron
Stephanie Abbott - Past Lives #1 Rachel
Suzanne Anderson - Mrs. Tuesday's Departure
Terri Giuliano Long - In Leah's Wake

There will be 35 Winners!
* 1 x Grand Prize = 1 Kindle Fire and 1 copy of all 9 ebooks
* 9 x 1 copy of all 9 ebooks
* 25 x 1 copy of any three ebooks

Giveaway Details:

The prize will be sent as an Amazon.com Kindle Fire Gift Card. You must live in the US or have an Amazon.com account to redeem the gift card.

Ends May 17th

* Please allow the Rafflecopter to load...

CONTINUE READING==>

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Alternative...

2012-05-09T23:53:00.001-07:00

Okay, it was a week or two weeks ago that some 'drama' and 'incidents' came to light for me. I'm not that active on my social networks (this time I owe a big Thanks to my lil man). I HATE drama! I have my soaps for that LOL

I've been told about the whole incident with The Story Siren and the whole ordeal of plagiarism. I do believe in 'everyone is human' and that EVERYONE makes mistakes. BUT, to deny/lie or even talk your way out through your mess and SAY that you did nothing wrong or of the sort WHEN all evidence IS there that says otherwise, that's a whole other story! And that's not okay with me. I don't even let my hubby or son lie and try to talk themselves out of ANYTHING. I tell them to be straight up from the beginning because sooner or later a lie will either get you in deeper waters or karma will not be kind.

So, with this news... I am going to opt out on my IMM posts and do an alternative with the same concept, but hosted by a different blogger's meme (posts soon to come). And instead of doing the DEBUT AUTHOR CHALLENGE I made my own button for myself to replace it called 2012 DEBUT CHECKLIST. (also found on button left side bar)

-- (BOLD) Own ARC/Book
-- DNC (Does Not Count: read before 1/1/2012)

JANUARY
✔ Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi -- DNC Read 12/30: REVIEW
✔ Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer -- REVIEW
* The Gathering Storm (Katerina Alexandrovna #1) by Robin Bridges
✔ Fracture by Megan Miranda -- REVIEW
* Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross
* The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards
* Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton
✔ Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows -- REVIEW
* Article 5 (Article 5 #1) by Kristen Simmons

FEBRUARY
* Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
* Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) by Jessica Spotswood
* Above World (Above World #1) by Jenn Reese
✔ Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen -- REVIEW
✔ The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers -- REVIEW
✔ Halflings by Heather Burch -- REVIEW

MARCH
✔ Slide by Jill Hathaway -- REVIEW
✔ Illuminate by Aimee Agresti -- REVIEW
✔ Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters
by Meredith Zeitlin -- REVIEW
✔ Embrace by Jessica Shirvington -- REVIEW

APRIL
* Above by Leah Bobet
* The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats
* Storm (Elemental #1) by Brigid Kemmerer
* Blood Born (Blood Prophecy #1) by Jamie Manning
* The Selection by Kiera Cass
* Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris
* The Temptation by Alisa Valdes
* Spirit Fighter by Jerel Law

MAY
* Wrecked by Anna Davies
* Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
* The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova
* Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
* Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
* Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins -- REVIEW
* Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
* Swipe by Evan Angler

JUNE
* Shadows Cast By Stars by Catherine Knutsson
* Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1) by Anne Greenwood Brown

JULY

AUGUST
* Auracle by Gina Rosati

How are you doing on YOUR checklist?

Better than me I bet! =)

Happy Readings!

Giveaway: Launching Today: Allergies, and Awesome You

2012-05-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

Do you have a child with allergies?
Can you imagine life allergy free?

The AmazingAllergist will show you how!

Allergies, and Awesome You: Believe You Can Get There Too!

This book, through a life story of an allergic child, will empower you and your children.

Allergies, and Awesome You” is a part of the AmazingAllergist’s Awesome Series that empowers allergic children to live and lead great lives, allergy-free. It is a by-product of the author’s extensive medical knowledge, vast experiences as an allergy specialist, and the desire to make a difference, one allergic child at a time.

Learn more here - http://amazingallergist.com/book/

About the Author

Atul N. Shah, MD, FACAAI, FAAAAI, is a celebrated author of this AmazingAllergist book series, founder of www.AmazingAllergist.com, and the medical director of www.Center4AsthmaAllergy.com. He is a board certified allergist who has earned an honor of fellowships in both the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

He has personally treated more than 20,000 patients, made a significant impact on more than 100,000 lives as an allergist so far, and earned the nickname “AmazingAllergist” from his patients and peers. His work is rewarded daily with numerous compliments of smiling patients and their families. He has been recognized with various awards, including the America’s Top Physicians’ Award, the Patients’ Choice Award, and the Most Compassionate Physicians’ Award. He believes that every allergic child and individual has a potential to live a great life, allergy-free. His desire to empower allergic individuals translated into this series of books.

Meet the Author

Buy the book - http://amazingallergist.com/book/

Join our online community

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmazingAllergist

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LifeAllergyFree

~ ~ ~ WIN A FREE KINDLE FIRE! ~ ~ ~

Pump Up Your Book Tour and the AmazingAllergist are giving away a FREE KINDLE FIRE! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to win! This giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canada citizens. Deadline is June 1 and announced on June 2. If you are the winner, contact Dorothy Thompson at thewriterslife (at) gmail.com or Tracee Gleichner at tgleichner (at) gmail.com. You have 48 hours to reply. If we do not hear from you in 48 hours, another winner will be selected. Thanks and good luck!

CONTINUE READING==>

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: Kings & Queens by Courtney Vail

2012-05-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

Kings & Queens
by Courtney Vail
Released: Jan 27th 2012
Publisher: Little Prince Publishing

Seventeen-year-old Majesty Alistair wants police to look further into her father’s fatal car wreck, hopes the baseball team she manages can reclaim the state crown, aches for Derek…or, no…maybe Alec…maybe. And she mostly wishes to retract the hateful words she said to her dad right before slamming the door in his face, only to never see him again.

All her desires get sidelined, though, when she overhears two fellow students planning a church massacre. She doubts cops will follow up on her tip since they’re sick of her coming around with notions of possible crimes-in-the-works. And it’s not like she cries wolf. Not really. They’d be freaked too, but they’re not the ones suffering from bloody dreams that hint at disaster like some crazy, street guy forecasting the Apocalypse.

So, she does what any habitual winner with zero cred would do…try to I.D. the nutjobs before they act. But, when their agenda turns out to be far bigger than she ever assumed, and even friends start looking suspect, the truth and her actions threaten to haunt her forever, especially since she’s left with blood on her hands, the blood of someone she loves.

COURTNEY VAIL writes totally twisted YA and adult suspense. She enjoys braiding mystery, suspense & romance with some kind of weirdness. Her addictions to crazy coffee concoctions, Funny Bones, Ben & Jerry's, and bacon keep her running and writing. She currently lives in New England with a comedian stud and a wild gang of kidlets.

Web Page ♣ Blog ♣ Twitter ♣ Facebook ♣ Goodreads

Amazon (Kindle) $0.99 ♣ Amazon (PB) $14.99
Barnes & Noble (PB) $14.99 ♣ Book Depository (PB) $18.63Giveaway

Enter to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card compliments of Author Courtney Vail.

Last day to enter is May 14th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONTINUE READING==>

Praise for Kings & Queens:

"I think the best way for me to describe the book is quirky. "Beautifully unique" would be another term I'd use. I just.. I love this book. Each character, especially Majesty, was like a 20-Layer Cake. The book was both character-driven and plot-driven, which promises to be an exciting ride for every type of YA reader."
~Missy from Missy's Reads & Reviews

"WOW. The description for this book on GoodReads.com does not do this book justice. This was an AWESOME, twisted, capturing tale. Like Gossip Girl with deadly consequences."
~Teresa Rice from The Duchess Mommy Reads

"Best YA Book I've read all year...out of 79 books."
~Jennifer Golub from Waiting on Sunday to Drown

"I don't think I've ever read a book like this one. A whirlpool of humor, bravery, slowly spreading horror, friendship, wrenching sadness, volatile emotion, barely contained passions: the literary equivalent of crystal meth. I hit a certain point, where the action and confusion and mystery were at their peak, that I narrowed my eyes and said, "All right, that's it! I refuse to put this book down until I know who is who, what this is really all about, how this fevered chase is going to end!" And I didn't put it down until I read the last word. Which was sometime in the very early morning. I passed out and re-awoke with a Kings&Queens hangover."
~ Lily Odell

"Courtney Vail thrills and shocks in her debut YA suspense, Kings & Queens. I really enjoyed reading this mystery because it reminded me of one of my favorite detective TV shows, Veronica Mars. The authentic high school drama and conspiracies were warped and utterly original."
~Candace @ Lovey Dovey Books

Book Roulette...!!

2012-05-02T23:19:00.003-07:00

The Year of the Gadfly
by Jennifer Miller
Releasing: May 8th 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Mariana Academy is a storied institution, built with gothic architecture, founded with a serious honor code and, for the most part, run by its students. But Prisom's Party, a secret society named after the school's founder, has been troubling these quiet halls, naming the student community code an empty motto—Brotherhood, Truth, and Equality for All—and exposing teachers, students, and the school for every indiscretion or dishonesty.

Taken by her parents from the familiar environs of Beacon Hill in Boston to escape the loss of her best friend, Iris Dupont is now living in small-town Nye, Massachusetts, and attending the hyper-competitive Mariana. Her only confidant is a chain-smoking, challenge-wielding spectre named Edward R. Murrow and when he tells her to stop moping and get out there in search of a story, she takes the charge.

Now Iris is on the hunt for a great story, one that will make her the youngest editor-in-chief in the school newspaper's history, but her research is leading her deep into the Trench (the school basement), toward the staff of The Devil's Advocate (the underground news organ of Prisom's Party), and to discovering all the secrets they both hold. Some of them seem to involve her favorite teacher, Mr. Kaplan. Some of them seem to point to the girl who used to live in her house—an albino named Lily Morgan who left the school abruptly twelve years ago and seems to have never returned. And everything seems to be connected to a rare book she found in her borrowed room, Marvelous Species: Investigating Earth’s Mysterious Biology.

Was all of this triggered by the string of incidents that set the school on high alert? Does it trace back to a scandal Mr. Kaplan is hiding in his past? What is the meaning of the strange symbol that keeps showing up in the wake of the Prisom's Party incidents? And when Iris gets deep into the story, torn by her allegiances, her reporter's instinct, and her yearning for a true friend, will it be enough for her to ask: What would Edward Murrow do?

For a chance to win a copy, just click on the book cover.

Good Luck!

Waiting on Wednesday...!! (#37)

2012-05-02T23:16:00.001-07:00

Beta
by Rachel Cohn
Releasing: Oct 16th 2012
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

In a world constructed to absolute perfection, imperfection is difficult to understand—and impossible to hide.

Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to be created.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air there induces a strange, euphoric high that only the island's workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia's new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, the most privileged people in the world who should want for nothing, yearn. And, she comes to realize that beneath its flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent amongst Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia's one chance at happiness is ripped away from her with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

List Price: ~~$17.99~~ (HC)Amazon $10.27 ♣ Barnes & Noble $10.27 ♣ Book Depository $13.49

The Darkest Minds

by Alexandra Bracken

Releasing: Dec 18th 2012

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have been cursed with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby has spent nearly half her life desperately trying to hide the fact that she’s outwitted the camp’s sorting system—that she isn’t powerless, or safe. She’s one of the dangerous ones… and everyone knows what happens to them.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of teens who escaped their own camp, pursued along the way by terrifying bounty hunters. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close to him. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Before the end, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

List Price: ~~$17.99~~ (HC)Amazon $10.27 ♣ Barnes & Noble $10.27 ♣ Book Depository $13.49

Month of May 2012 Debut & Coming Soon Releases

2012-05-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the mini picture version of this Month's Releases =\ Photobucket decided to make a change and spiffy up their Web Page and basically took down the option of making simple collages BOO! ... sigh* oh well...
I tried as best I can to keep it in the norm like all the other Monthly Release posts... for a better and closer view of the covers just click on the picture.

CONTINUE READING==>

NOTE: Clicking on the TITLE of the book will direct you to its Goodreads page
MAY 1st
* Insurgent by Veronica Roth
* Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
* Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
* Destined by Aprilynne Pike
* Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
* Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
* Revived by Cat Patrick
* This is So Not Happening by Kieran Scott
* The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
* What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen
* Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame
* The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
* Wrecked by Anna Davies
* When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
* Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready
* Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy
* Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
* Silence by Michelle Sagara West

MAY 3rd
* Slated by Teri Terry

MAY 8th
* City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clar
* Until I Die by Amy Plum
* Underworld by Meg Cabot
* First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky
* Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
* Endure by Carrie Jones
* In Honor by Jessi Kirby
* Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
* Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
* See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
* The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
* The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes
* Ladies in Waiting by Laura L. Sullivan
* Magic in Manhattan: Vol 1 by Sarah Mlynowski

MAY 10th
* One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
* Beauty by Lisa Daily

MAY 15th
* From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer
* Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
* Gilt by Katherine Longshore
* Immortal Hearts by Ellen Schreiber
* Brothers to the Death by Darren Shan
* Railsea by China Mieville

MAY 22nd
* Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
* Fated by Alyson Noel
* Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
* The Enchantress by Michael Scott
* Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker
* The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

MAY 29th
* Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
* Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep
* Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London
* Changeling by Philippa Gregory

ARC Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

2012-04-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

Title: Sweet Evil
Author: Wendy Higgins
Publisher: HarperTEEN
Format: Advance Readers Copy
Length: 464pgs
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Angels
Source: Publisher
Releasing: May 1st 2012

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

A cross-country trip to meet her father forces Anna to face the reality that hope and love are not options for her kind. When she confronts her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Book description taken from Goodreads.com

REVIEW: Oh. My. Goodness! Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins ended way too soon! I believe 464 pages was insufficient and too short of a story. I so want more! I NEED more! Wendy Higgins has done a marvelous and enthralling job in writing this Debut! Sweet Evil is a smorgasbord of all things alluringly sinful! You will be wrapped up in its pages!

Full of heart pounding romance, smexy Nephilims, action packed and enough humor to get you chuckling to yourself and having people looking at you like you're crazy! lol

I don't like comparing books to each other, but I have to say that this book is on TOP of my Angel genre favorites!

Anna is a goody-goody all around. She is consistent with her prayers and church attendance; she's loving, religious, and values her virtue. The worst that she has ever come to cursing is calling Kaidan a "male slut". gasp! But who can blame her considering that her mother was an angel, BUT she is also part fallen. She has also inherited her father's evil legacy as well as his sin. This is what makes Sweet evil unique, so interesting, and simply delicious!

Kaidan (Kai) is your typical brooding bad boy Nephilim, but it is how he always sticks to his nature (evil) is what makes him more appealing as a character. He doesn't deter from who he is just because of hanging around Anna or by her influences. He stays true to his father's evil nature/sin making his character captivatingly complex and more intriguingly. You never know what his next actions will be. I get butterflies just thinking about him =) hahaha

I truly love Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins! I found myself wanting to read it over again right when I finished the last sentence of the last page! I definitely see Sweet Evil being one of the few books I will never tire in reading countless times, and always finding something new to love!

A "GET OFF YOUR ARSE and GET IT" MUST READ!

Web Page
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

List Price: $8.99 (PB)
Amazon ♣ Barnes & Noble ♣ Book Depository

Book Roulette...!!

2012-04-30T10:15:00.002-07:00

Grandad, There's A Head On The Beach
by Colin Cotterill
Releasing: June 19th 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

In rural Thailand, former crime reporter Jimm Juree must grapple with her quirky family, a mysterious mother and daughter on the lam and the small matter of a head on the beach When Jimm Juree’s mother sold the family house and invested in a rundown ’holiday camp’ at the southern end of Thailand on the Gulf of Siam, the family had little choice but to follow. Jimm Juree, who was well on her way to achieving her goal of becoming the primary crime reporter for the major daily newspaper in Chiang Mai, is less than thrilled to have lost her job as a reporter and to be stuck in the middle of nowhere where little of interest happens. So it is with mixed feelings that she greets the news that a head has washed up on the beach. It’s tragic, of course, but this could be the sort of sensational murder that would get a her byline in a major daily and keep her toehold on her journalism career. Now all she has to do is find out who was murdered, and why.

For a chance to win a copy, just click on the book cover.

ENDS May 4th 2012

Good Luck!

Book Roulette...!!

2012-04-26T20:37:00.002-07:00

A Wedding in Haiti
by Julia Alvarez
Released: April 24th 2012
Publisher: Algonquin

Julia Alvarez has been called “a one-woman cultural collision” by the Los Angeles Times Book Review, and that has never been truer than in this story about three of her most personal relationships—with her parents, with her husband, and with a young Haitian boy known as Piti. A teenager when Julia and her husband, Bill, first met him in 2001, Piti crossed the border into the Dominican Republic to find work. Julia, impressed by his courage, charmed by his smile, has over the years come to think of him as a son, even promising to be at his wedding someday. When Piti calls in 2009, Julia’s promise is tested.

To Alvarez, much admired for her ability to lead readers deep inside her native Dominican culture, “Haiti is like a sister I’ve never gotten to know.” And so we follow her across the border into what was once the richest of all the French colonies and now teeters on the edge of the abyss—first for the celebration of a wedding and a year later to find Piti’s loved ones in the devastation of the earthquake. As in all of Alvarez’s books, a strong message is packed inside an intimate, beguiling story, this time about the nature of poverty and of wealth, of human love and of human frailty, of history and of the way we live now.

For your chance to win a SIGNED copy, just click on the book cover.

Good Luck!

Trailer Thursday: Fear (Gone #5) by Michael Grant

2012-04-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Fear (Gone #5)
by Michael Grant
Released: April 3rd 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

It's been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they've built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost.

Fear, Michael Grant's fifth book in the bestselling dystopian Gone series, will thrill readers . . . even as it terrifies them.

List Price: ~~$17.99~~ (HC)
Amazon $12.23 ♣ Barnes & Noble $12.84 ♣ Book Depository $15.27

Cover Reveal: Pyxis (New Look) & Alight (book #2) by K.C. Neal

2012-04-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

A NEW look =) and loving it ❤

Pyxis: The Discovery (Pyxis #1)
by K.C. Neal
Released: Nov 4th 2011
Publisher: Stonehouse Ink

Corinne lives an average teenage life working at her dad’s cafe, hanging out with her best friend, and trying to forget a falling-out with her almost-boyfriend Mason. Things take a strange turn when she uses her late grandmother’s food dyes for a bake sale, and her customers suddenly find her irresistibly alluring. Then she discovers she and Mason are haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that consumes everything in its path.
Pursued by shadowy figures and a crazy woman with secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect this world--and the dark world of her dreams. She races to find the answers she seeks before her nightmares break free.

Alight: The Peril (Pyxis #2)
by K.C. Neal
Releasing: July 27th 2012

When Corinne learns who the second Guardian is, she must find a way to make peace with the last person in the world she wants to deal with. As she struggles, her nemesis unleashes an otherworldly evil, and a mysterious illness strikes Corinne’s friends. Faltering under the weight of her destiny, Corinne escapes to the dream world. There, she meets Zane, an Australian guy with a hot accent and a revelation that binds them together and alters the path of Corinne’s life. She throws herself into fighting for everything she loves, but just as she’s certain she will prevail, she’s robbed of what she needs most.

For a short time (Today 4/26 and Tomorrow 4/27),

Pyxis by K.C. Neal will be for FREE on Kindle!!

Amazon ♣ Amazon UK

Review: Thumped (Bumped #2) by Megan McCafferty

2012-04-26T00:29:00.000-07:00

Title: Thumped #2
Author: Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Format: Advance Readers Copy
Length: 304pgs
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Source: Publisher
Releasing: April 24th 2012

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

It’s been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. And now their story has become irresistible: twins separated at birth, each due to deliver twins…on the same day! Married to Ram

and living in Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once believed in. But she can’t forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell for under the strangest of circumstances. To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything: a major contract and a coupling with the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants. The girls’ every move is analyzed by millions of fans eagerly counting down to “Double Double Due Date.” They’re two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and they could do only one thing to make them even more famous: Tell the truth.

Book description taken from Goodreads.com

REVIEW: Thumped by Megan McCafferty is much more compelling than the first (Bumped)!
In the beginning, it lays out what has taken place right after the ending of the first novel, and then jumps right back into the happenings of Melody and Harmony in present time. This isn't a spoiler but as a refresher: from book one (Bumped) we've read that Harmony and Johndoe "spent the night" together...so, in Thumped Harmony has finally gotten 'BUMPED' and the kicker is - so is Melody!
Like the first novel, the story goes back and forth alternating from Harmony's POV to Melody's POV. Harmony, in her third trimester, has decided to go back to Goodside with Ram and to deliver her baby there, and Melody with her preggo self has chosen to stay in Otherside as a couple with Johndoe. Yup, you read that right - MELODY and Johndoe are an item!
I am so liking the new writing style and greatly appreciating that Megan decided to drop the lingo/dialect from the first book. Some terms were still kept, but this time around it took less time to read, understand, and take in what was going on. This book was putty in my hands. I got done reading it in a quickness because it was that much more enjoyable. The sarcasm was hilarious, the drama was awing, and the whole thing was thought provoking. Megan McCafferty skillfully covered many grounds in such a few pages; there was parenthood, consensual and non-consensual sex, pro/anti-procreating, religion, promiscuity, and SO much more!
Trying to give a review for this novel without naming points of great importance, or even parts that you were keen on would ruin the experience and impact of what this novel will convey. Thumped offers an overload of things to think and wonder about of the present that will have you replaying verses over and over in your mind days after you've finished reading it.
A FUN AND GREAT MUST READ SEQUEL!!

Web Page
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

List Price: ~~$17.99~~ (HC)
Amazon $11.52 ♣ Barnes & Noble $10.98 ♣ Book Depository $13.29