tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22864321148795902752024-03-13T15:56:19.188-04:00Willing to See LessIvanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comBlogger368125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-81990936764867458412013-08-25T11:19:00.000-04:002013-08-25T11:43:13.341-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366804306l/17262812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366804306l/17262812.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262812-playing-tyler"><br />Playing Tyler</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452618.T_L_Costa">T.L. Costa</a><br />
Published July 2nd 2013 by Strange Chemistry<br />
Source: ARC from the publisher<br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/615070830">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Goodreads syynopsis: <i>When is a game not a game?<br />Tyler MacCandless can’t focus, even when he takes his medication. He can’t focus on school, on his future, on a book, on much of anything other than taking care of his older brother, Brandon, who’s in rehab for heroin abuse… again.<br />Tyler’s dad is dead and his mom has mentally checked out. The only person he can really count on is his Civilian Air Patrol Mentor, Rick. The one thing in life it seems he doesn’t suck at is playing video games and, well, thats probably not going to get him into college.<br />Just when it seems like his future is on a collision course with a life sentence at McDonald’s, Rick asks him to test a video game. If his score’s high enough, it could earn him a place in flight school and win him the future he was certain that he could never have. And when he falls in love with the game’s designer, the legendary gamer Ani, Tyler thinks his life might finally be turning around.<br />That is, until Brandon goes MIA from rehab and Tyler and Ani discover that the game is more than it seems. Now Tyler will have to figure out what’s really going on in time to save his brother… and prevent his own future from going down in flames.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1908844612?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=1908844612&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262812-playing-tyler?ac=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Playing-Tyler-Costa/9781908844613/reviewId/38925/b/-3/t/-21?redirected=true#Reviews-21" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z8tRVVnXnM6tQNmbutvs6u3IVqDTRnGdSxmRBbLxZOphQFKxmlP9BBTGciZdvlmrXVtLxUtN19KNsU_KtI7-6PPxWzWLye-xwWDfLoJWfqLYx9wA-mcVSpKkkVukPpDvgYWlm5v88DUQ/s1600/BD_badge.png" /></a></div>
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<i>I'</i>ve read three gaming-related novels within a month (Ender's Game, Playing Tyler and Ready Player One) and may have accidentally spoiled Playing Tyler to myself by reading it immediately after Ender's Game. Ah, well.<br />
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One reviewer described Playing Tyler as "Ready Player One meets Ender's Game", and I can somewhat agree with that. Truth be told, Playing Tyler doesn't have the fascinating writing and characterization of Ender's Game or the geeky kick I got out of Ready Player One. Playing Tyler is more reality-bound, and the game Tyler plays is more of a trigger for the moral issues laying in the core of Costa's novel. <br />
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Tyler is rather anti-social teenager with ADHD to whom the world of video games makes more sense than real life. It's also an escape from a messed-up situation at home. Costa uses a specific way of writing (no commas or periods, run-on and broken sentences) to illustrate Tyler's way of thinking. I warmed up to Tyler instantly, so much so that I decided to forgive him committing the deadly sin of YA: a bad case of insta-love. <br />
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Costa does something ...interesting, and I don't know how to approach it without spoiling something in the plot for you. In the broadest of terms, both Tyler and Ani are participating in something that gets real people killed, and both of them are living with the consequences and 9/11 and its aftermath. It makes them rather conflicted characters, yet I don't know how I feel about it. There was too little meat to it and I failed to see some stance, some solid opinion. Maybe Costa was afraid of burdening a YA novel with politics? Don't know. <br />
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In the bottom line, I was slightly disappointed because I entered the book with very high expectations. Nonetheless, it grabbed my attention and kept me on the edge for most of the time. Give it a shot.
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<br />Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-68291454757221997022013-07-28T08:00:00.000-04:002013-07-28T08:00:10.669-04:002013 Summer Author Blitz: Interview With Hafsah of Icey Designs<br />
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Hi friends! I hope you're having a wonderful summer!</div>
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We're continuing the 2013 Summer Blitz hosted by Belle Whittington and Tabatha Perry, who've come up with all sorts of fun things for the entire July. If you missed some of the fun, don't worry, you can catch up if you check out the full schedule <a href="http://www.booksandbroomsticks.com/2013/06/summer-author-blitz-schedule.html">HERE</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfumPUvey00Y2DueiEBwl_7dv3J4E704bb4Zt4ilhcKsV5NvOKVlleltCa9EiqekWoCwiJ1KW133NRPF1gbq2fuKLdzD6zIxEA_REvldJif5JBffnYEKOUI_Y1A7Hb7IPNRfKF29veSWAd/s1600/SummerAPBMain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfumPUvey00Y2DueiEBwl_7dv3J4E704bb4Zt4ilhcKsV5NvOKVlleltCa9EiqekWoCwiJ1KW133NRPF1gbq2fuKLdzD6zIxEA_REvldJif5JBffnYEKOUI_Y1A7Hb7IPNRfKF29veSWAd/s320/SummerAPBMain.jpg" width="187" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For my spot on the blitz I got to interview a wonderfully talented designer *happy dance* whose works (blogs and websites, Twitter backgrounds, book covers etc.) you've surely noticed around the blogosphere. She answered<span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;"> a few questions about the creative process and her own pet peeves, and also offered some goodies for you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">Say hi to Hafsah!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d64XPzhbTNgjyQ5MRFqtvB2z6xVHdVaDKCsRV3vjWM25taZLlc2AMEknAUGByKEMRv-PIkqzshCY5s_bhmBEoGXyFsEFKiJM0NDpM14s4-69Or5-8-V5_AcRm2dNZuFIPFX02CEihPTU/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d64XPzhbTNgjyQ5MRFqtvB2z6xVHdVaDKCsRV3vjWM25taZLlc2AMEknAUGByKEMRv-PIkqzshCY5s_bhmBEoGXyFsEFKiJM0NDpM14s4-69Or5-8-V5_AcRm2dNZuFIPFX02CEihPTU/s200/logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">What is the first step when you agree to design a blog/ twitter background/ cover?</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.984375px;">I usually consult with the client before agreeing to anything. I ask them for details pertaining to the overall look, colors, and in the case of book covers, emotions, characters, and settings. Then I read through the provided information and getting started. I love opening up a blank canvas on Photoshop or Illustrator - there are so many possibilities!</span></span></div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">Is there a design that you're particularly proud of? Or one that's been especially challenging?</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.984375px;">When a design is challenging, I end up loving it even more. <b><a href="http://heidisinnett.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Heidi Sinnett</a></b> wanted a design with a chalkboard feel to it, something I had been wanting to do for the longest time. It was most definitely a challenge - illustrating the banners and giving them that chalkboard look. But like I said, I had wanted to design a site like that for a long time, so it was fun, and in the end, very self-satisfying. </span></span></div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">In your opinion, what makes a great design? What do you like to see in other designers' works?</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.984375px;">For me, a great design is defined by easiness. No matter how beautiful a design may be, it needs to be easy to navigate and easy to look at. Even if your background is black and your text is white, there's a way to keep it clean and easy to look at. In designs other than my own, I love to see the same thing - clean, beautiful, and easy to navigate. </span></span></div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 21.99652862548828px;">Do you have some design-pet-peeves (arrangement of elements, colors, fonts etc...)?</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.984375px;">I have many pet-peeves. Being a designer, I look at everything a different way - magazine ads, online ads, websites, book covers. Subconsciously, my mind will move things around and switch fonts without me even realizing it. There are certain shades of colors that I'd never use, though I'd use one very close. There are several fonts I'd never use, and some that I've seen around that have made me cringe, but the worst font in the history of fonts would be Comic Sans. Another pet peeve: visiting a blog/website for the first time and not knowing where to look - this especially happens when the background is more catching than the content, it makes my eyes cross. You don't want that!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.984375px;">Thanks for having me, Ivana! It was fun :)</span></span></div>
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Check out Hafsah's <a href="http://www.iceydesigns.com/">website</a>, and see for yourself how great her designs are :) </div>
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Hafsah has offered to give away a Twitter background design worth $30 to one person. Follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter for your chance to win.</div>
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Good luck!</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 21.984375px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1f889f19/" id="rc-1f889f19" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><br />
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But wait! That's not all!<br />
Now we're sending you on a hunt for a clue hidden in one of my blog's pages. When you find it, got to <a href="http://myexitramps.com/blog/2013-summer-author-blitz-scavenger-hunt-">Exit Ramps</a> and enter the giveaway for a unique bookish necklace. Isn't it lovely?!<br />
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<br />Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-22957006861982752202013-07-20T11:49:00.000-04:002013-07-20T11:49:21.541-04:00Blog Tour: An Endless Summer by CJ Duggan<div style="text-align: center;">
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Welcome to my stop on the An Endless Summer blog tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Click <a href="http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/2013/06/blog-tour-schedule-endless-summer-by-cj.html">HERE </a>to see the full blog tour schedule!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDs1DJXR5MgrpDLlAAyJOR6JLP-3yV6AXIHPNwUEQHZLx4iQXuUFjdARGBZheXgwApStjkfPupEBUrLCTvRo9syj1GcMzD4jYccdrXpdtUagsaGqml2S0e77e6d-sQtqF0YJOSqteLsJcz/s1600/an+endless+summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDs1DJXR5MgrpDLlAAyJOR6JLP-3yV6AXIHPNwUEQHZLx4iQXuUFjdARGBZheXgwApStjkfPupEBUrLCTvRo9syj1GcMzD4jYccdrXpdtUagsaGqml2S0e77e6d-sQtqF0YJOSqteLsJcz/s320/an+endless+summer.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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An Endless Summer (Summer #2)</div>
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by C.J. Duggan</div>
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Release Date: 07/17/13<br />
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<b>Summary from Goodreads:</b></div>
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<i>Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study. “Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.” I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.” A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”</i></div>
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After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:</div>
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Boarding School.</div>
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Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past. How had her dad let it come to this? With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.</div>
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In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16301141-an-endless-summer" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIGNnDbksijUQ5jU1pmi9257wA8R9r5uqhu4FIAbVG5J1bJfsuZEFV44AN9ggNW00Jbg_IeoUzNpAHi8i6O-gNAnSXbn40eJDVX-HpUZ0kikypG8Exyu54sPCuYhA7vSSMIs-KXzNL2UP/s1600/add+to+goodreads+black.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13562232-the-boys-of-summer" target="_blank">The Boys of Summer</a></span></i></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is on sale this week only for $.99! Get your copy now!</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Summer-ebook/dp/B00AOA4VMO/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1373432070&sr=8-1&keywords=cj+duggan" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNT2K9w1A1aCkYTTzqjjtDYetRqgMzwiqA5YTiWFeeuLyFi8PKH0zfQ327MIZjm0dSNiJ2fy7FIodth3zP4Fd8Te9ayXHcdmjCN8hWXXynt7iLdyHY0yrEp25krnWOUeYon4cDvQQvFIs/s1600/amazon+buy+button2.jpg" /></a></span></b><br />
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<b>MY REVIEW:</b><br />
Sean Murphy, ladies. I couldn't get enough of him in the first book. If I had to give you one reason to read An Endless Summer, this hot guy would be it.<br />
There's also everyone's little Amy, now a young woman, and she is determined to restore the Onslow Hotel to it's former glory. I completely sympathized with Amy's frustration watching Onslow going to waste because I enjoyed the energy of the place in the first book. The destiny of the hotel kept me intrigued till the very end.<br />
And so did the developing romance between Amy and Sean. It made for quite a few laughs and heartaches. There's chemistry from page one and some history from four years ago, so I couldn't wait to see them together. I also tremendously enjoyed their constant banter. Two explosive characters as Sean and Amy, you bet there's some hilarious and sizzling situations.<br />
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Just like The Boys of Summer, An Endless Summer was romantic and cute.The Boys of Summer was walking the thin line between YA and NA, which was why I had some mixed feelings about it; some characters appeared too young, while being placed in more mature situation. An Endless Summer is fully a NA novel, for which I could connect to the characters more easily than in The Boys of Summer.<br />
CJ Duggan's Summer series is not to be missed if you're looking for a sweet summery romance and characters that you'll want to have as close friends in real life too. <br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">About the Author<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o3TYlQ8gPxk3468NxAk_Vwv3lV8Megi1NSqK80pYKKiHxVfbGduNnKHUafEDhpLL9dYWqOsdD1_TOOu-PEbbntBcUWzCcEqeAO-kELKP5wo6PjBUXdkEH14icBQFU3Kbc6UBUGr-px2A/s1600/cj+duggan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o3TYlQ8gPxk3468NxAk_Vwv3lV8Megi1NSqK80pYKKiHxVfbGduNnKHUafEDhpLL9dYWqOsdD1_TOOu-PEbbntBcUWzCcEqeAO-kELKP5wo6PjBUXdkEH14icBQFU3Kbc6UBUGr-px2A/s1600/cj+duggan.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">C.J Duggan is an Australian author who
lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.<br />
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.</span><br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Author
Links:</b></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.cjdugganbooks.com/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo
iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png" /></a><span style="text-align: start;"> </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779034.C_J_Duggan" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png" /></a><span style="text-align: start;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/CJ_Duggan" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo
icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png" /></a><span style="text-align: start;"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002387829530" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png" /></a></span></b><br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">***GIVEAWAY***<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 Signed paperback copy of either
<i>The Boys of Summer</i> or <i>An Endless Summer</i> (INT) and 5 ebook
copies of <i>The Boys of Summer</i> or <i>An Endless Summer</i> (INT).<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2348b9128/" id="rc-2348b9128" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-62076481398109729922013-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:002013-07-04T06:00:00.477-04:00Blog Tour: Shudder by Samantha Durante <div style="text-align: center;">
Welcome to my stop on the Shudder Blog Tour! Thanks to Samantha, I have an excerpt and a giveaway for you. </div>
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Shudder is the sequel to Stitch, and if you haven't read the first book yet, make sure to check it out on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B008RC3NAM/">Amazon </a>(<i>Just $0.99!</i>) and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15779886-stitch">Goodreads</a>. <br />
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<i>It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.</i><br />
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<i>Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.</i><br />
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<i>And then there are the visions.</i><br />
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<i>The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…</i><br />
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<i>The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shudder-Stitch-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00DE3MQDE/" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon</a> (Kindle $2.99, print $8.99)</div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shudder-samantha-durante/1115766383" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Barnes & Noble</a><span style="color: #373737;"> </span><span style="color: #373737;">(Nook $2.99)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shudder-samantha-durante/1115766383" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Smashwords</a></span><span style="color: #373737;"> </span><span style="color: #373737;">(multiple e-book formats $2.99)</span></span></div>
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Also available ($2.99 e-book) in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17617373-shudder" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.goodreads.com']);"><img alt="Add Shudder to Goodreads" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1366" height="45" src="http://www.samanthadurante.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/add-to-goodreads-button.png" width="134" /></a></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.samanthadurante.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/AuthorPhoto_square_300px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.samanthadurante.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/AuthorPhoto_square_300px.jpg" width="200" /></a> <span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at </span><a href="http://www.samanthadurante.com/info-for-bloggers/www.samanthadurante.com" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">www.samanthadurante.com</a><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
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Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/stitchtrilogy" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch Trilogy</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorsamanthadurante" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></div>
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Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15779886-stitch" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17617373-shudder" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shudder</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6453465.Samantha_Durante" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></div>
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Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/SamanthaDurante" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">@SamanthaDurante</a> | Hashtag suggestions: #Stitch, #StitchTrilogy, #Shudder</div>
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LibraryThing: <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/12870151/book/88297636" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch</a> | <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/13647614/book/95243744" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shudder</a> | <a href="http://www.librarything.com/author/durantesamantha" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></div>
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Shelfari: <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/30363286/Stitch-(Stitch-Trilogy-Book-1)" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch</a> | <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/35990056/Shudder-(Stitch-Trilogy-Book-2)" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shudder</a> | <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a1002689147/Samantha-Durante/" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Excerpt<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">But no one spoke.
In a harsh whisper, he put the final nail in her coffin, slowly and
deliberately taking pleasure as his mouth formed each solitary syllable: “Or
should she be punished?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The crowd replied with a deafening roar of
condemnation, snarling and howling like a rabid animal just itching for
blood. As the mob whipped itself into a
frenzy, she could feel his wry smile branding itself into her back. His job was done – now all he had to do was
watch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Finally the tears came, a single drop of heartache
snaking its way down her cheek. So that
was his plan – he would use her to draw out the allies of the resistance, and
if they didn’t save her from the wrath of the mob, so be it – one less rebel to
deal with. She was glad then that her
face was covered, that they could not see her break.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Because someone did come forth then, but not the
savior she’d been holding out for. No,
on the contrary – someone had cast the first stone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">A stinging sensation buried itself in her
shoulder. And then another, in her
gut. And another, on her thigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">And then she was nothing but pain, every inch of
her body pounding with the impact of each jagged rock. She tried to stand tall, to fight through the
agony, but it was too much. The blows
ripped the air from her lungs and she doubled over, trying in vain to shield
herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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her body as the crippling ache took over, and some distant part of her prayed
quietly for the torture to end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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temple, and she was gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d87f0074/" id="rc-d87f0074" rel="nofollow">Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i>About the first book in the series...</i><br />
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<a href="http://medleymediaassoc.com/samanthadurante/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Stitch_FrontCoverWithBorder_1650x2550_1058kb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://medleymediaassoc.com/samanthadurante/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Stitch_FrontCoverWithBorder_1650x2550_1058kb.jpg" width="129" /></a>Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.</div>
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Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.</div>
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Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…</div>
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The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch Purchase Links</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B008RC3NAM/" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon</a> (Kindle $0.99, print $8.99)<br /><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stitch-samantha-durante/1112193442" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Barnes & Noble</a> (Nook $0.99)<br /><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/208278" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Smashwords</a> (multiple e-book formats $0.99)<br />Also available ($0.99 e-book) in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold!</div>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-83716136744468138672013-06-16T06:00:00.000-04:002013-06-16T06:00:00.935-04:00Blog Tour: The Georgia Corbins-Top 5 Romantic Couples with Kara Leigh Miller<div style="text-align: center;">
Thanks to Entranced Publishing, I'm participating in the blog tour for The Georgia Corbins by Kara Leigh Miller, who's also sharing her Top 5 Romantic Couples with us.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Title: </b>The
Georgia Corbins</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Author: </b>Kara
Leigh Miller<b> </b></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Publisher and
Imprint: </b>Entranced Publishing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Genre: </b>YA
contemporary romance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Release Date:
</b>June 10 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Length: </b><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">265
pages</span></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Ali
Philips never thought anything could be more devastating than the day
Levi and Tucker Corbin, her two best friends—her only friends—moved
away. Three years passed without a single phone call, text message,
or email from them and she’s resolved to the fact that she will
probably never see them again. Until one morning when she comes
face-to-face with Levi Corbin in physics class.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Little
does she know, the Corbins have returned to Haldeen with only one
thing on their minds: winning Ali’s heart. Ali soon finds herself
in the middle of a love triangle she doesn’t want any part of. As
she tries to reclaim the friendships she’s lost and to adjust to
the unfamiliar feelings she’s having, she struggles with making the
one decision that will forever change their lives: Levi or Tucker
Corbin?</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">She’s
always had a special bond with Tucker and feels most comfortable when
she’s with him. But Levi brings her to life in a way she didn’t
think was possible and makes her feel things she didn’t think she
would ever feel. Torn between the two, Ali is certain of only one
thing–by the time it’s over, she’ll lose one of her best
friends.</span></span></span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.entrancedpublishing.com/imprints/blush/the-georgia-corbins/">Buy Links</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17669136-the-georgia-corbins">Add to Goodreads</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://youtu.be/HQeur_ftAno">Book Trailer</a></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uJhQRNEkaYEOAMLSYXf1G-mlHBYUpdpcBtymx4z1Zwo5MxOXG46UO_d7DjsGemOQUOouz-LvWoNFqOdyHTDQXuC26w0mQofsd2i33aqkbBtMrDdoT07I0ofGn2LgD0SMMIKBcI-vNy8Y/s1600/KLM_author+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uJhQRNEkaYEOAMLSYXf1G-mlHBYUpdpcBtymx4z1Zwo5MxOXG46UO_d7DjsGemOQUOouz-LvWoNFqOdyHTDQXuC26w0mQofsd2i33aqkbBtMrDdoT07I0ofGn2LgD0SMMIKBcI-vNy8Y/s200/KLM_author+photo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Born
and raised in the small town of Mexico, New York, Kara was an only
child who was forced to find ways to entertain herself. Playing make
believe with her Barbie dolls and stuffed animals was her first real
taste of storytelling before she became old enough to develop a love
affair with the written word. In early 2010, Kara picked up her
very first erotic romance novel, and she was instantly hooked. She
loves to write contemporary romance, erotica, and young adult
romance. Currently she has several full-length novels in the works, a
series of novellas, and a handful of short stories. Kara is an active
member of the CNY Creative Writers Café and the CNY Romance
Writers.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: #ffffff;"> </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Today,
Kara resides in New Haven, New York with her husband, five kids, and
three cats. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s thinking
about reading and writing. And when she’s not doing that, she’s
spending time with her family and friends.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Author Social
Media Links:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.karaleighmiller.com/">Blog</a> | </b></span></span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 100%;"><a href="https://twitter.com/KaraLeighMille1">Twitter</a> | </b><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 100%;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KaraLeighMiller?fref=ts">Facebook</a></b></div>
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<b>MY FAVORITE FICTIONAL COUPLES</b></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, before I start sharing my favorite fictional characters with all of you, I should clarify that when I say fictional, I'm not limiting myself to just books, but that the term encompasses movies and TV as well. As you'll soon see, this list is very diverse, and you might be asking yourself: what criteria do I use to determine what makes certain couples my favorite? Well, I don't really have any. A couple has to cause a strong, visceral reaction in me. They have to make my heart race, my pulse pound, my palms sweat, bring tears to my eyes, and make me root for them at all costs. <br /><br />So, without further ado, here are my favorite fictional couples:<br /><br /><b><i>Elena & Damon (The Vampire Diaries)</i></b> – I'll be honest, I haven't read these books, but I love the TV show and I'm always yelling at my television when they get together, or fight, which they seem to do a lot of. <br /><br /><b><i>Kate & Jack (Lost)</i></b> – What I enjoyed so much about this couple is that Kate was the bad girl and Jack was the good guy. Typically it’s the other way around: good girl falls for the bad boy. Jack was constantly trying to save her from herself, and he succeeded several times. <br /><br /><b><i>Hannah & Aubrey (The Park Service Trilogy)</i></b> – This is a very dysfunctional relationship, and it's not one of my favorites because I want them together. It's just the opposite, actually. Hannah isn't very nice, and I'm on the fence as to whether I want Aubrey to send her packing or fight to try and redeem her. <br /><br /><b><i>Scully & Mulder (The X-Files)</i></b> – Okay, so these two were never technically a couple, but they should've been. The tension between them was palpable. <br /><br /><b><i>Peyton & Lucas (One Tree Hill)</i></b> – These two went through so much together, and through it all they managed to find love and happiness. <br /><br /><b><i>Katniss & Peeta (The Hunger Games) </i></b>– I should mention that this couple was my favorite in the first book only. The love between them was innocent and pure. In books two and three it went straight to hell, in my opinion, but they still make it on my list because I truly feel for them and how things ended up for them. </span>
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<b>GIVEAWAY!</b></div>
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To celebrate the release of The Georgia Corbins, Kara Leigh Miller is giving away exciting prizes. The Grand Prize, which is open to US residents only, includes a signed copy of The Georgia Corbins, The Georgia Corbins hardcover journal and postcards, The Georgia Corbins tote bag, Kara Leigh Miller pens and notebooks, and Legasea bookmarks. </div>
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Second and third prizes are an ebook copy of The Georgia Corbins, and one lucky person will win a first chapter critique. International entries are welcome. Good luck! Winners will be announced July 1st.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/620e833/" id="rc-620e833" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></div>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-77458542799567846812013-05-28T06:40:00.002-04:002013-05-28T06:40:45.148-04:00YA Review: The Program by Suzanne Young<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nDim_ZPC0e6NcMfLiwobshVr7i83UmxWW6nhbNSEV7m6SwO6r4z56jiEJFCOQdKu-qQcbh-j8vZFpv-lZgToEIe08f0WhBu2amJFuR7wgqOq_aYtbTPR7hcvNk0J9ezIsUjU18SztEOa/s1600/program.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nDim_ZPC0e6NcMfLiwobshVr7i83UmxWW6nhbNSEV7m6SwO6r4z56jiEJFCOQdKu-qQcbh-j8vZFpv-lZgToEIe08f0WhBu2amJFuR7wgqOq_aYtbTPR7hcvNk0J9ezIsUjU18SztEOa/s200/program.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11366397-the-program"><br />The Program</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/164576.Suzanne_Young">Suzanne Young</a><br />
Published April 30th 2013 by Simon Pulse<br />
Source: Pulse It free read<br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/622501910">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Goodreads summary: <i>In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.<br />Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.<br />Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11366397-the-program" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C7CWQQ?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B005C7CWQQ&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20&qid=1369737141&sr=8-1&keywords=the+program+suzanne+young" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Program-Suzanne-Young/9781442445802?a_aid=wtsl_ivana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z8tRVVnXnM6tQNmbutvs6u3IVqDTRnGdSxmRBbLxZOphQFKxmlP9BBTGciZdvlmrXVtLxUtN19KNsU_KtI7-6PPxWzWLye-xwWDfLoJWfqLYx9wA-mcVSpKkkVukPpDvgYWlm5v88DUQ/s1600/BD_badge.png" /></a></div>
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The Program is an intriguing and thought provoking first to a series that gave me all I wanted from it-romance, thrill and food for thought. I failed to completely connect with our main romantic couple, but in many ways I still consider it a great read. Given the heavy topic (suicides and depression oozing from the pages), I wasn't emotionally involved, and that is the only "negative" thing I have to say.<br />
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The Program has a great composition. It consists of three parts (before, during and after). The events in each accentuate a motif, a certain repetitiveness in the human nature that challenges the idea of the Program, to wipe out all potentially triggering memories. The dystopian streak is not that prominent. The Program is still in experimental phase, implemented in a small number of states. The focus of the story is the romance between Sloane and James, both in the high risk population. It's an interesting situation to watch the characters before and after the treatment and follow the train of their thoughts. The main idea is, even if all your memories were eradicated, would you make the same 'mistakes'? If most of your past were simply deleted, how much of you would there still be in you?<br />
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I was wondering all the time what would have to happen in the society to start such an avalanche of depression and suicide. Then there's the Program itself. While it's easy to adopt the characters' negative attitude toward it, Suzanne Young also gives you enough footage to see the upside of it. As a mother I had to ask myself what I would want for my child. Where is the morality of it if the patients have absolutely no choice? Is a clean and fresh start that horrifying an alternative to suicide? Is the cost of keeping your children alive living with barely more than a shell of its former self worth it? Read it and decide for yourself.<br />
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The Program raises a lot of questions, but ends on a hopeful and promising note, especially considering the epilogue. The same character that at some point I thought was cheesy soars to heroic proportions, and I cannot wait to read more.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-59618033673201715522013-05-22T05:40:00.000-04:002013-05-22T05:40:25.141-04:00Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: PODs by Michelle PickettHello, darlings! Welcome to my spot in the PODs blog tour. Many thanks to Spencer Hill Press for the invitation and sending me the ARC for review. They have also prepared an awesome giveaway for you!<br />
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PODs</div>
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by</div>
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Michelle Pickett</div>
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Publication Date: June 4, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press</div>
<blockquote>
<i>Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.<br />After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.<br />Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure. </i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425802-pods">Goodreads </a>| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937053288?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=1937053288&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20&qid=1369214879&sr=8-1&keywords=pods+michelle+pickett">Amazon </a>| <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Pods-Michelle-Pickett/9781937053284?a_aid=wtsl_ivana">Book Depository</a></div>
<br />
<b>My review:</b><br />
<br />
I read PODs in less than 12 hours (partly because it was good and I didn't want to stop reading, but also because I received the ARC yesterday morning, half freaked-out that I wouldn't manage to read it before my blog tour stop.)<br />
PODs had me by the throat within the first few pages. The virus is spreading; a lucky few are selected to be put in secure underground chambers and wait for a year for the virus (and all hosts) to die. Eva is one of them. She has to say goodbye to everyone she loves, knowing that they would be obliterated by the mysterious virus. I was going through that part with a lump in my throat. Michelle Pickett made me feel all the sadness and fear that Eva experiences. There is an overwhelming atmosphere of loss for the greatest part of the book as we also get to meet Eva's POD roommates and hear their sad stories.<br />
I loved most of the characters and their interactions. They were all young people holding on to what little hope is left for a normal life once they're out of the PODs. There was some laughing, some crying, developing romances, great friendships. All the time the danger is still there, as well as the horror of the government dealing with even a slightest possibility of the virus within the PODs.<br />
There is more action once they resurface and find out that there is a new danger lurking in the aftermath of the virus. Eva and David are faced with tough choices, not to mention the zombie-like mutants.<br />
I enjoyed that part just as much, though I felt that some scenes were repetitive; Eva insisting that she is able to fight, David insisting that she shouldn't. Too many hot moments interrupted, and ending in the same conversation. I would have also liked some more details on the world outside the POD or the 'safe' villages established for survivors.<br />
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Overall, I liked PODs. It has the right amount of terror, action, romance, and heartbreak, great characters. Recommended to fans of <a href="http://willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/2013/02/ya-review-ashes-by-ilsa-j-bick.html">Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Meet the Author:</b><br />
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I'm a wife, mother, author, reader, although not always in that order. I've been an avid reader since a young child. I began writing for personal enjoyment in college, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting. Why I chose a degree that didn't encourage creativity is a mystery to me.<br />
I'm addicted to Reese's peanut butter cups and eat way too many while I write. I have a weird obsession with hoodies and can't write without wearing one. I hate to cook, but love to watch cooking shows.<br />
I'm an unabashed romantic and love swoon-worthy happy endings that give me butterflies for days.<br />
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, I now reside in a small community outside Houston, Texas with my incredibly supportive, not to mention gorgeous, husband, three amazing school-aged children, a 125-pound lap dog, and a cat that thinks she's queen.<br />
I write adult and young adult Sci/Fi, urban fantasy and paranormal romances.<br />
I love to hear from readers and other authors, so drop me a note and say "Hi!"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.michelle-pickett.com/">website </a>| <a href="http://www.twitter.com/michelle_kp">Twitter </a>| <a href="http://www.facebook.com/michellepickettauthor">Facebook</a><br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/10b64d9/" id="rc-10b64d9" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><br />Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-59617947888257628692013-05-21T03:12:00.000-04:002013-05-21T03:12:15.089-04:00Book Spotlight: Aberrant & Top 5 Dystopian Worlds With Author Ruth Silver<div style="text-align: center;">
I spotted Aberrant on Twitter and thought it sounded interesting. Author Ruth Silver is sharing her Top 5 dystopian worlds. Have you read them all? Which one would be on the top of your list?</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Aberrant</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>by </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ruth Silver</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: LazyDay Publishing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Published on: April 17, 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">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.</span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">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.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://bit.ly/16hFoIy">Barnes & Noble</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ruth
Silver is the best-selling author of</span></span><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><em><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aberrant</span></span></em><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;">. The
Young Adult/New Adult Romantic Dystopian Adventure, </span></span><em><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aberrant </span></span></em><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;">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, </span></span><em><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;">Deuces
are Wild</span></span></em><span style="color: #4b4138;"><span style="font-size: small;">,
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.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://goodreads.com/ruthsilver">Goodreads</a> | </span><a href="http://writeawaybliss.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Website</a></div>
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Top 5 Dystopian Worlds</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052-the-hunger-games?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275334m/2767052.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="Divergent (Divergent, #1)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506m/13335037.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/974154.The_Handmaids_Tale?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="The Handmaids Tale" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1295227157m/974154.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8525590-wither?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341532430m/8525590.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9593913-requiem?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="Requiem (Delirium, #3)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340992438m/9593913.jpg" /></a></div>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-85928107075869084202013-05-17T02:33:00.000-04:002013-05-17T02:33:18.910-04:00Q&A with Faith A. Rice-Mills, author of Identified: The Maya Price Story<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">It's my pleasure today to welcome Faith A. Rice Mills, author of Identified: The Maya Price Story. I reviewed Identified <a href="http://willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/2013/02/ya-review-identified-maya-price-story.html">here</a>. Go check it out, but first, say hi to Faith!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6621559.Faith_A_Rice_Mills">Goodreads </a>| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Faith-A-Rice-Mills/489719247737621">Facebook </a>| <a href="http://writesofwoman.wordpress.com/">blog </a>| <a href="http://www.twitter.com/FaithRiceMills">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Faith A. Rice-Mills is the author of Identified: The Maya Price Story and a handful of short stories. She moonlights as a Spanish teacher, but has wanted to be a writer since she wrote the poem “The Jackowhipp’s Wail” as an eight-year-old. Her writer’s spirit resides somewhere between Narnia and Mount Doom, but her physical body lives in Texas with her family. Besides writing, she loves reading (and will take recommendations!), yoga, coloring with her daughter, and watching Parks and Recreation with her husband. She dislikes snakes, the word “literally,” and teaching double object pronouns in Spanish. She is currently working on Burdened, the second book in The Maya Price Story series and is writing whatever short story she has to get out of her brain.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What or who inspired you to begin writing in first place?</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: small;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I have always had stories, floating around in my brain. They come and go but, sometimes, I am able to get them down on paper. As a kid, I wrote a lot of stories and poems. I have a poem that I wrote as an eight-year-old on the way back from the doctor’s office. It’s called “The Jackowhipp’s Wail.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I actually had the idea for <i>Identified </i>in 2004, but never really sat down to write it. Then, after I gave birth to my daughter in 2010, I told myself, “You better write this freaking book or you’ll never do it. I mean, you already have one kid, what’s going to happen after two? ” So, I guess you could say I’ve had always ideas for stories, but having a child (as well as the prospect of turning 30) inspired me to write <i>Identified.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Of course, I have the most amazing family and friends in the world. The have always believed I could write a book, have inspired me, and have been with me every step of the way. (How cheesy does that sound? But it’s true). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is the most important thing that you learned on your way to publication?</b></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I am a self-published writer, so my experience is a little different than those who are traditionally published. When you are a self-published writer, you kind of have to be a jack-of-all-trades. You have to know a little bit about not only writing, but editing, formatting books, cover art, distribution, copyright laws, public relations, marketing, etc. etc. But! The most important person for an indie author to know is a <u>good editor. </u>Here is an example of why you need a good editor: my main characters,who are half-human and half-onyx, are called shifters. If I happen to leave out the “f” in the word shifter, it sounds like the most superhuman ability they have is a talent for diarrhea. Sometimes I don’t catch stuff like that, but a good editor will. <span style="font-size: 7pt;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who are your favorite writers/books?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ok, so get ready for the craziest mash-up of favorite books you’ve ever seen. (I studied Spanish and Latin American literature for both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, so some of the titles/authors may be unfamiliar. But, they are amazing! Everyone should read them!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">So here’s the list: <i>San Manuel Bueno, Mártir </i>(Saint Manuel the Martyr) by Miguel de Unamuno, <i>Crónica de Muerte Anunciada</i>(Chronicle of a Death Foretold) by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, <i>Aura </i><span style="color: black;">by Carlos Fuentes, <i>Pedro Páramo </i> by Juan Rulfo ,<i>The Percy Jackson </i>series by Rick Riordan, <i>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day </i>by Judith Viorst, <i>Sideways Stories from Wayside School </i>by Louis Sachar, the <i>Harry Potter </i>series by J.K. Rowling, <i>Hunger Games </i>series by Suzanne Collins, <i>The Great Gatsby</i> by F. Scott Fitzgerald,<i>Holes </i>by Louis Sachar, <i>The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe </i>by C.S. Lewis, <i>1984 </i>by George Orwell, <i>Little Women </i>by Louisa May Alcott, <i>Sing You Home </i>by Jodi Picoult, <i>Before I Fall </i>by Lauren Oliver, <i>The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe </i>by C.S. Lewis, <i>Return of the King </i>by J.R.R. Tolkien, <i>The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants </i>by Ann Brashares <i>The Handmaiden’s Tale</i> by Margaret Atwood and, for a few non-fiction favorites, <i>Freakonomics </i>by Stephen Levitt, <i>Gang Leader for a Day </i> by <i>Genome </i>by Matt Ridley, Sudir Alladi Venkatesh and <i>Nickel and Dimed </i>by Barbara Ehrenriech </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">(I don’t even think that’s all of them.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Can I also include Paul Simon (Simon and Garfunkel) as one of my favorite writers? What about Wesley Shultz (The Lumineers) ? </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are you currently working on?</span></b><div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am working on the second book in <i>The Maya Price Story </i>series, <i>Burdened: The Maya Price Story</i>. I also will write short stories as they come to me. Sometimes, I write them for contests, sometimes I write them for funsies. Two of them, “Gus” and “Stay,” are on my blog </span><a href="http://writesofwoman.wordpress.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">writesofwoman.wordpress.org</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> under “Short Stories.” </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you could one of your characters' abilities, which one would it be and why? (I thought that collecting sounds was so cool!)</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: small;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Oh man, I don’t even know. I don’t think I would want the psychic powers that Selima has, or the ability to manipulate physical pain or feeling, like Paige. I could probably use the whole sense of smell thing. My husband accuses me of smelling odors that are nonexistent. I smell freaking everything. Seriously. I wish I could make some of those odors disappear. Also, I’d really like to have Leonas’ power of speaking to animals. I really want to ask my dog Simon (named for Paul Simon) why he insists on pooping on the kitchen floor every time it rains outside. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Spoiler alert!:</b> There will be other abilities revealed in <i>Burdened: The Maya Price Story</i>, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Identified-Maya-Price-Story-ebook/dp/B00AH3RJHC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361874609&sr=8-1&keywords=identified+the+maya+price+story">Amazon </a>| <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17261607-identified">Goodreads </a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maya Price is a typical eighteen-year-old girl without many worries. Her biggest problems include getting ready to leave her hometown for college, figuring out how to avoid her ever-so-strange stepmother and trying to muddle though her feelings for her best friend, Pete. Yet, one of her last nights in her hometown, she and Pete are in a car accident. A stranger pulls Maya from the accident, leaving Pete behind, and takes her out of this world and into another dimension. Maya soon discovers that she has been taken to a dimension called Leets by a group of people that call themselves shifters. Shifters are of mixed human and onyx blood and have various abilities. These shifters are able to travel between dimensions, control the four elements (fire, earth, wind, water) and the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch and taste). Their leader, Victoria, informs Maya that she, too, is a shifter and that she must choose to join them or risk being sought out by their greatest enemy, a shifter named Leonas. Maya joins Victoria and her ragtag group of rebel shifters at a training camp called Level One. he is teamed up with a group of seven other shifters, including a streetsmart girl named Luz, who is especially adept at controlling fire, her twin sister Espy, and a nervous boy named Lamar, who can manipulate sound better than any other shifter. Together, Maya’s team trains for the battles that will soon be inevitable. However, Maya soon learns that her purpose is not to just move the earth or send water flying into the air. There are rumors of a hidden prophecy and that the prophecy mentions Maya by name. Supposedly, the prophecy says that Maya will one day have to choose a side and will be essential in bringing her chosen ally to power...</span></i></blockquote>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-69699111508962687882013-05-14T08:50:00.000-04:002013-05-14T08:50:22.918-04:00Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Forgotten Ones</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Danaan Trilogy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Book One</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ones-Danaan-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00CKXODRG/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367285197&sr=1-9&keywords=the+forgotten+ones" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAryTvXusNQhxMqTdNQBiMF8Au7JOyIMbrnRJ5khrA77kxb4VTC13UeHiev23anbymJ1at08_ZE4tFbCnV8Eh1dmC79sAdUWgY4-l2mWb-HoQErywulcxfMzugQjewFv6dvOBHoaWOrPX/s1600/TFO+Ad99.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">now</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> available exclusively on</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ones-Danaan-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00CKXODRG/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367285197&sr=1-9&keywords=the+forgotten+ones" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And until May 19 it's only 99 cents!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ones-Danaan-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00CKXODRG/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1368443811&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ztUHe-nhdl_abRlWpbEAQaRaxAPBkOFys2pYPzVMMABr20J2vS3qi1EICvvNeCJG-FUh28llkdWLl3DAPRoQzE5mQoilAoSpTEK5mfQQdkzQmDReXhnYeb5MdXXztadx183AbTtHu_2_/s400/TFO.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b>About Laura Howard</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlobcbti0ls5C6WOOmmq49cXegl6Q9k7l0r9O9083NX7etQgN3lZqIYRie8suQW_3_czp2L8SinP2J4l1A9KCAPVgnO6LHE7XUn4LDnvG2EW9Hklg60wGAAlAKNmkSXolddgKcZemS8pxe/s1600/Avatar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlobcbti0ls5C6WOOmmq49cXegl6Q9k7l0r9O9083NX7etQgN3lZqIYRie8suQW_3_czp2L8SinP2J4l1A9KCAPVgnO6LHE7XUn4LDnvG2EW9Hklg60wGAAlAKNmkSXolddgKcZemS8pxe/s200/Avatar.jpg" width="178" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-10165639-58c9-fef6-76ee-493581513f1e" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://laurahoward78.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blog</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> | </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/LauraHoward78" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> | </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Howard/185825048120124" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> |</span></span></b></div>
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-49644307655796290652013-05-13T07:24:00.001-04:002013-05-13T07:24:26.419-04:00YA Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOdwQXs9tWvruiS7OtcyKVsTPdl6Sf1f_-LfBg8BECg3XcpyUklQ53TpsLP6cKXcxl9DtZSkNb0EyiRUtkAMZFnNDTu4sclTYHntD1jmSiScO53RfwzD7mYxiFiKR3_4ZdX71Kw1n-fkn/s1600/jellicoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOdwQXs9tWvruiS7OtcyKVsTPdl6Sf1f_-LfBg8BECg3XcpyUklQ53TpsLP6cKXcxl9DtZSkNb0EyiRUtkAMZFnNDTu4sclTYHntD1jmSiScO53RfwzD7mYxiFiKR3_4ZdX71Kw1n-fkn/s200/jellicoe.jpg" width="138" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8433500-jellicoe-road">Jellicoe Road</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47104.Melina_Marchetta">Melina Marchetta</a><br />
Published April 6th 2010 by HarperTeen (first published August 28th 2006)<br />
Source: Kindle purchase<br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/549694139">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Goodreads summary: <i>Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.</i><br />
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<i>In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.</i> </blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8433500-jellicoe-road" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Jellicoe-Road-Melina-Marchetta/9780061431838?a_aid=wtsl_ivana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z8tRVVnXnM6tQNmbutvs6u3IVqDTRnGdSxmRBbLxZOphQFKxmlP9BBTGciZdvlmrXVtLxUtN19KNsU_KtI7-6PPxWzWLye-xwWDfLoJWfqLYx9wA-mcVSpKkkVukPpDvgYWlm5v88DUQ/s1600/BD_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003D20RQ4?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B003D20RQ4&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20&=digital-text&qid=1368443410&sr=1-1&keywords=jellicoe+road" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a></div>
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<b>All the stars in the world-and then some.</b></div>
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I don't think there is anything else I can say about this book that you haven't heard already, nor do I think that the beauty of this book can be captured in words. Jellicoe Road tore me apart and then reassembled the pieces of my heart in the same way The Perks of Being A Wallflower did (and which I haven't reviewed for the same reasons why I find it hard to review Jellicoe Road). <br />
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You also probably know that you cannot judge this book by the first 135 pages. I admit that I had no clue what was going on, but the writing itself kept me glued to it. The first half gives you the unparalleled pleasure of discovery, of getting to know a world filled with adventures. You get to know Jellicoe (and fall in love with it) on your own accord. Marchetta doesn't spell things out, but makes you work for it. And what comes after the first part is one of the most rewarding experiences ever. <br />
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As for the second half, prepare a lot of tissues. The blows come bit by bit, unpretentiously, devastatingly. Genuinely and heartfelt. By the end I was not reading the same book, and I most definitely was not the same person.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-35730952825168496362013-05-10T04:22:00.000-04:002013-05-10T04:22:20.276-04:00YA Review: Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2RWQI_B2iZY2wVqYBusW905eT0Sb56gFnrKLsRkE8-sF-ZfC1SeXbI5hqiZuYBAlo9ZBm5TCTKo-Yr5S60GrnOUfALdQUSf8eMM7YnMMWOz0RViaChMifOAVF2Qv-dWqFqLeHy8az5si/s1600/zenn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2RWQI_B2iZY2wVqYBusW905eT0Sb56gFnrKLsRkE8-sF-ZfC1SeXbI5hqiZuYBAlo9ZBm5TCTKo-Yr5S60GrnOUfALdQUSf8eMM7YnMMWOz0RViaChMifOAVF2Qv-dWqFqLeHy8az5si/s200/zenn.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16071885-zenn-scarlett">Zenn Scarlett</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6550494.Christian_Schoon">Christian Schoon</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published May 7th 2013 by Strange Chemistry</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: review copy from publisher via NetGalley</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/529960394">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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Goodreads summary: <i>When you're studying to be exoveterinarian specializing in exotic, alien life forms, school... is a different kind of animal. </i><br />
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<i>Best-selling author Mike Mullin (Ashfall) calls Zenn Scarlett "...delightful, bizarre, and occasionally terrifying." Melissa West (Gravity) says it’s “Utterly imaginative… sci-fi at its best. Fantastic world-building. Deep characters... I couldn’t put it down!” And Temple Grandin (Animals in Translation) says "All future vets will want to read Zenn Scarlett and her adventures with veterinary medicine on alien animals."<br />The Story<br />Zenn Scarlett is a resourceful, determined 17-year-old girl working hard to make it through her novice year of exovet training. That means she's learning to care for alien creatures that are mostly large, generally dangerous and profoundly fascinating. Zenn’s all-important end-of-term tests at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars are coming up, and, she's feeling confident of acing the exams. But when a series of inexplicable animal escapes and other disturbing events hit the school, Zenn finds herself being blamed for the problems. As if this isn't enough to deal with, her absent father has abruptly stopped communicating with her; Liam Tucker, a local towner boy, is acting unusually, annoyingly friendly; and, strangest of all: Zenn is worried she's started sharing the thoughts of the creatures around her. Which is impossible, of course. Nonetheless, she can't deny what she's feeling.<br />Now, with the help of Liam and Hamish, an eight-foot sentient insectoid also training at the clinic, Zenn must learn what's happened to her father, solve the mystery of who, if anyone, is sabotaging the cloister, and determine if she's actually sensing the consciousness of her alien patients... or just losing her mind. All without failing her novice year.... </i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1908844558?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=1908844558&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20&qid=1368173569&sr=1-1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16071885-zenn-scarlett" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Zenn-Scarlett-Christian-Schoon/9781908844545?a_aid=wtsl_ivana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z8tRVVnXnM6tQNmbutvs6u3IVqDTRnGdSxmRBbLxZOphQFKxmlP9BBTGciZdvlmrXVtLxUtN19KNsU_KtI7-6PPxWzWLye-xwWDfLoJWfqLYx9wA-mcVSpKkkVukPpDvgYWlm5v88DUQ/s1600/BD_badge.png" /></a></div>
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When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet. (I gave up on that idea the moment I saw our local vet spaying a dog. I don't have the guts for that.) Add to it my love for sci-fi, and there was no way this book could go wrong for me. I knew I'd love this book the moment I saw the cover and read the blurb. I didn't love it. I adore it.<br />
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As far as Zenn goes-you may be cool, but you'll never be I-cure-alien-animal-forms cool. I felt that Christian Schoon captured the voice of a teenage girl better than many female authors did. Zenn is dedicated to her studies and is passionate about helping animals, but she is just as passionate about shattering prejudice and narrow-mindedness of fellow human inhabitants on Mars whose ignorance often leads to hatred of everything "alien". <br />
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Zenn is a character that grows and learns in the course of the novel. It's a minor spoiler to say that Zenn has a special connection to animals, as a result of an incident that happens on the first few pages. Even though it is not fully explained, we have enough info to make some conclusions. It was therefore all the more interesting watching Zenn defend her scientific beliefs that I believe will be challenged in the sequel. <br />
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The scientific aspect captured me as well. I think I recall a documentary where someone mentioned an experimental theory similar to the one that Christian Schoon describes, about the theory of how Indra are used for interstellar transportation. Sometimes it sounds scientific, sometimes metaphysical, to some people it's a matter of religion. A clash of faith vs science, something that I assume will keep Zenn occupied in the sequel as well. <br />
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The only reason why this isn't a shining five star review is that I found the plot twist slightly predictable. I could smell the rat quite quickly. <br />
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Of all the creatures that Schoon brings to life, my favorite were Katie, Zenn's adorable and intelligent marsupial pet, and Hamish, a bug-like sexton who finds humans just as puzzling as they find him. <br />
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Treat yourself to Zenn Scarlett. It's a delight for fans of YA, sci-fi and animal lovers.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-11720541642801083062013-05-09T03:03:00.000-04:002013-05-09T03:03:41.944-04:00YA Review: Imaginable by J. Meyers<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDr8k_faLZnZNQ_RZsOcjdNqjfmANMTM8C3kYQzPp6Uca9zcCxtChkzj0YrSJOIHarkMYTakQzbqbF5L3S-YfDQIop1zGuXw1beWWT7KFy4s-bdJd6QGXIFwea3Q_H-ri_JJHjkYBOKr0e/s1600/Imaginable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDr8k_faLZnZNQ_RZsOcjdNqjfmANMTM8C3kYQzPp6Uca9zcCxtChkzj0YrSJOIHarkMYTakQzbqbF5L3S-YfDQIop1zGuXw1beWWT7KFy4s-bdJd6QGXIFwea3Q_H-ri_JJHjkYBOKr0e/s200/Imaginable.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17411119-imaginable">Imaginable</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3224031.J_Meyers">J. Meyers</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published April 16th 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: review copy from the author</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/572046553">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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Goodreads summary: <i>Twins Sera and Luke Raine’s unusual abilities are growing. Sera is healing vampires now, making them human again. And, at times, Luke can actually change the future he Sees.</i><i><br /></i><i>But Sera’s healing has dangerous consequences, and though Luke is altering the outcome of more visions, he can’t control them yet.</i><i><br /></i><i>Now Sera is in danger as the dark creatures of the Realm seek to use her. As Luke struggles to master his gift in order to save his sister, he discovers even more about his powers. </i><i><br /></i><i>And what he learns just may put him in greater danger than Sera has ever been.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17411119-imaginable" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CD3MIGQ?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B00CD3MIGQ&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-G-GwDi17H2FnyaICG27F7fDRhEe_-rIlI9dSCfl_lPm0r6rVNlnGXglsY-boGWODCJ3yaax2yb5ndwar86_ZowlAnoRDWr9X0d0OrgcdENG017ifhwsrrrP4u1FM_-KhkB12ic02BPpv/s1600/amgif.jpg" /></a></div>
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Reading Imaginable exactly a year after <a href="http://willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/2012/06/review-intangible-by-jmeyers.html">Intangible</a> felt like returning to school after a long summer during which you missed your friends. And boy, did I miss Sera, Luke and the rest of the gang.<br />
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Somewhere around page two I remembered why exactly (and how much) I enjoyed the first book. J. Meyers writes amazing characters, most of whom you'd really love to be friends with. There were a few new characters introduced at the end of Intangible, and I'm glad to say they didn't disappoint. <br />
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And don't even get me started on the connection between Sera and Luke. They manage to be the typical finish-each-others'-sentences twins without being cliche. Their connection is the highlight of this series for me.<br />
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While the plot didn't really keep me at the edge of the seat, there were sufficient sub-plots and twists to keep my interest. Also, there are things changing for the characters (in Luke's case, developing) and given my love for Meyer's characters, that was more than enough to satisfy me.<br />
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I wish I had time to reread the first book in the series though. There were some details concerning Marc that I was a bit fuzzy about. By the end of the novel I remembered what the deal was, and why I was rooting for Jonas anyway, not Marc.<br />
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Imaginable is a very good sequel to Intangible. With Luke's abilities growing, and Sera already reaping the consequences for her healing, I've no doubts that the third book will be just as great.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-35333803559408101522013-05-06T00:01:00.000-04:002013-05-06T00:01:00.295-04:00Spring Blog Carnival-Down The Rabbit Hole Booth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqrJlF_Fa7v1zJd0TUMgyaieIQTnEguVldvmpv3UUCExtT_FWIsbI6OEKhSUHAqTP8rONhcy4G2BiIHk55kXnxmxEkv5-0HbvyN9VMv1l2CjYE5nWEQp7WgEtTVPJ8D1zz-QN5-tejkHO/s1600/carnivalbanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqrJlF_Fa7v1zJd0TUMgyaieIQTnEguVldvmpv3UUCExtT_FWIsbI6OEKhSUHAqTP8rONhcy4G2BiIHk55kXnxmxEkv5-0HbvyN9VMv1l2CjYE5nWEQp7WgEtTVPJ8D1zz-QN5-tejkHO/s320/carnivalbanner.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Welcome, welcome, to the annual Spring Blog Carnival hosted by Lori @ <a href="http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/2013/03/spring-blog-carnival-booth-sign-ups-2.html">Pure Imaginations</a>, Candace @ <a href="http://www.candacesbookblog.com/">Candace's Book Blog</a> and Angela @ <a href="http://www.readingangel.com/">Reading Angel</a>!</div>
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The <b><span style="color: #e06666;">Down The Rabbit Hole Booth</span></b> will send you off to Wonderland-but before you can follow the white rabbit, first you have to find him!</div>
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It's somewhere on this blog. Search the pages for the image of a white rabbit, and when you spot him, enter the URL of the page in the Rafflecopter along with your email for a chance to win-what else? An Alice retelling!</div>
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Here's a little hint:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #e06666;">Contrariwise, it's hiding in the Syawaevig page.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #e06666;">And here's what you can win:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11300302-alice-in-zombieland?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="Alice in Zombieland (The White Rabbit Chronicles, #1)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333628241m/11300302.jpg" /></a> </span></b><span style="color: #e06666;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12558285-splintered?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="Splintered (Splintered, #1)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340134213m/12558285.jpg" /></a></b></span></div>
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(print books)<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17726599-follow-the-white-rabbit?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book"><img alt="Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1)" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367208772m/17726599.jpg" /></a></div>
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(ebook, coming out May 21st)</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1f889f18/" id="rc-1f889f18" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></div>
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Have a great time at the carnival! <a href="http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/2013/03/spring-blog-carnival-booth-sign-ups-2.html">Here's </a>the list of booths you can visit.<br />
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-56663127016437065862013-05-03T13:18:00.000-04:002013-05-03T13:18:20.054-04:00Interview with Mindy Hayes, author of Kaleidoscope <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Today we're adding one more name to the awesome list of authors who sacrificed some of their writing time to answer a few questions. Say hi to my guest, Mindy Hayes!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59a3X_2hobjaThxH1EYWt9gf37elA9Q-pyQ7BMFPih_3y2GcIo9ZNu1H79P-nTB5rzeCVpigw17S2ZGQ1PnP5LMlZWTUpcQ34gLOn6M78d5hSdjoKNgUlFxu_UluvfGDPAtOp0nclBHS6/s1600/MindyHayes02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59a3X_2hobjaThxH1EYWt9gf37elA9Q-pyQ7BMFPih_3y2GcIo9ZNu1H79P-nTB5rzeCVpigw17S2ZGQ1PnP5LMlZWTUpcQ34gLOn6M78d5hSdjoKNgUlFxu_UluvfGDPAtOp0nclBHS6/s200/MindyHayes02.jpg" width="147" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><i>I grew up in San Diego, California exploring my interest for singing and playing the piano. I first discovered my passion for reading when I had to make my first flight alone to South Carolina to visit my, then, fiancé. My love for writing followed shortly after. My husband and I have now been married for five and half years and live in Summerville, South Carolina. </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/hayes.mindy">Facebook </a>| <a href="http://mindyhayes.blogspot.com/">blog </a>| <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6428141.Mindy_Hayes">Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">What or who inspired you to begin writing in first place?</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s so cliché that I don’t even want to say it, but it was Twilight. I was never even much of a reader before I read Twilight. It sparked something inside of me. I pulled out my laptop nearly five years ago and haven’t gone a day without writing since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Who are your favorite writers/books?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">My favorite book of all time is On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. I love that book so much it makes me speechless. I’m always at a loss for words when I try to tell people why I love that book so much. That being said…I will read anything written by Melina Marchetta, Gayle Forman, Colleen Hoover, John Green, Cassandra Clare, Tammara Webber, Paullina Simons, and Tarryn Fisher. I’ve loved every book every one of them has written.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What are you currently working on?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I have two books that are in the works right now. The first being Ember, the sequel to Kaleidoscope. It’ll be released this fall. The second is a contemporary NA that is currently untitled, but will shortly follow the release of Ember. It actually keeps taking up Ember writing time because the story just won’t go away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you could live in one book world, which one would it be?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments or Infernal Devices. Jace and Will have secured the top two spots on my book boyfriend list. I’d go anywhere for them. Just don’t tell my husband.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Is there a theme song for Kaleidoscope?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I chuckled when I read this question because oh my gosh YES! Grandfather Said by The Ethnographers. This song actually inspired me to write Kaleidoscope. It was pretty much on repeat the entire time I wrote it.</span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">“Was I still a human? Gosh, I still wanted to be human. Even just to keep a sliver of whom I thought I was. But as I thought about being human, standing in the shade of the forest, I felt less human than ever. The trees fought for my allegiance."</span></i> </blockquote>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">It starts in her chest. The change Calliope doesn't see coming. It pulses like a second heartbeat, urging her to give in to the need to be in the depths of the forest. She's compelled to fight the pull, but the more she denies it the stronger it becomes until she finally surrenders and is pulled into a secret world of enchantment. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Kai and Declan need her to accept what she is, but with everything left unsaid, acceptance may be the least of their worries. Knowing their fate lies in her hands, they’ll stop at nothing to protect and prepare her for what lies ahead.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Will Calliope be able to accept what Kai and Declan reveal or will her desire to be normal keep her from acknowledging her true destiny?</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BR54RNS/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1ABD07AM5WCT4F7WG3QH&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846">Amazon</a> | </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kaleidoscope-mindy-hayes/1114811330?ean=2940016382258">Barnes and Noble</a> | </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/295078">Smashwords</a></span></div>
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<br />Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-37263846713392143332013-05-02T04:59:00.000-04:002013-05-10T03:17:25.979-04:00YA Review: The Torturer's Daughter by Zoe Cannon <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOWL3w7WV-hjWCm4AiB9qRhbZO__wShuJB79rjGnXEuZ0k7uOByl4CjHitmgXNoiQnZOo4eq5S4NkDxVuIh8apHbByy3yF_fSltAHc6S75fttLfqV5QiQNsSEwZNilNRAf45bw2uRbnzL/s1600/Torturer's+daughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOWL3w7WV-hjWCm4AiB9qRhbZO__wShuJB79rjGnXEuZ0k7uOByl4CjHitmgXNoiQnZOo4eq5S4NkDxVuIh8apHbByy3yF_fSltAHc6S75fttLfqV5QiQNsSEwZNilNRAf45bw2uRbnzL/s200/Torturer's+daughter.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17078025-the-torturer-s-daughter">The Torturer's Daughter</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6563059.Zoe_Cannon">Zoe Cannon</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published December 11th 2012 (first published October 22nd 2012)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: review request from the author </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/489410323">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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Goodreads summary: <i>When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca assumes it's the usual drama. Wrong. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents - and Becca's mother, the dystopian regime's most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state.<br />To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents' innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn't expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents... and about her mother.<br />When she risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn't the only one with secrets - and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people she loves most. For Becca, it's no longer just a choice between risking execution and ignoring the regime's crimes; she has to decide whose life to save and whose to sacrifice.<br />It's easy to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is choose how you live in it? THE TORTURER'S DAUGHTER is a story about ordinary teenage life amidst the realities of living under an oppressive regime... and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what's right in a world gone wrong.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009UEVWCW?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B009UEVWCW&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17078025-the-torturer-s-daughter" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Torturer's Daughter delivers a tremendous, Orwellian dose of paranoia and that might be why I enjoyed it more than I initially expected. If I thought that dystopias have been done to death and that there's nothing new to be added to the genre, this one proved me wrong.<br />
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Truth be told, Cannon doesn't really offer anything original or never-seen-before; the idea of dissidents has been explored before. The freshness of this book is in the execution. There is little plot on the outside, just enough to keep the story going. Also no world-building; we only know that the Internal agency of an unnamed country under an unnamed regime is arresting people in the middle of the night. While I enjoy a well-drawn world speckled with some political intrigue, the absence of it in The Torturer's Daughter doesn't bother me a bit because the focus of the story is the effects of the regime on an individual. Most of the thrill comes from Becca's questioning everything that she thought was 'right' or 'wrong'. She is trying to figure out how her mother and the cruel interrogator can be the same person; how the mother she loves can stand for what Becca firsthand experiences as wrong. I was glued to this book to find out what Becca's actions will be, I was rooting for Becca to do the right thing even when none of us knew what the right thing is.<br />
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The Torturer's Daughter ends with a sort of cliffhanger. It opens up a ton of possibilities for a sequel, but also nicely rounds up the first book. (And I just realized that there will be a sequel this summer!) <br />
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Overall, The Torture's Daughter is a great read that plays with your nerves and sets great challenges before its characters and I'll be looking out for more from this author.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-51376075247009993742013-04-29T03:55:00.000-04:002013-04-29T03:55:34.196-04:00Cover Reveal: Follow the White Rabbit by Kellie Sheridan<div style="text-align: center;">
Hey, lovelies. Check out this cover for Follow the White Rabbit by Kellie Sheridan. I love her makeup and hair so much. What do you think?</div>
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Follow the White Rabbit by Kellie Sheridan</div>
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Series: Beautiful Madness, #1</div>
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Publication date: May 21, 2013 </div>
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Genre: YA Fantasy</div>
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<b>Synopsis:</b></div>
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For centuries, Wonderland thrived as the domain of beautiful bedlam and unapologetic madness. It was a place like no other. All it took was one girl slipping in through the cracks of the universe to start chaos spiraling toward order. In the 150 years since Alice’s visit, the realm has become tainted—almost normal. Rabbits in waistcoats and playing card minions are little more than creatures of myth, and Wonderland is literally falling to pieces.<br />
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For Gwen, Rose, and Lucky, Wonderland is home, and yet they know little of its former glory. When the Alice prophecy resurfaces, they’ll have one chance to use Wonderland’s own legends to bring a little mayhem back into their reality. For she who controls Alice controls the fate of Wonderland.</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17726599-follow-the-white-rabbit?ac=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4IKt1PXl8aF-Td4AgAfBjjPPxf5gj5ezb_mVoKRSZTPHwyvx8xnuhKHyDvidH9zU6wnmO_A4tjrttS5ve3vBiuVwJCc0z39o3vYzvURCiN3lvaQ7OBkW_ltZIGxPYcmggW0nzx67mRmj/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4Lz3o9RUJ8muMvfBBX15X0-htt8KQFnExBCFzCNveBjwRYzhWwWDdasvs9YYspxb_S9_jw-4iqbHhEnte5KYWS9jaOZTvi65462Oga8iBv0tqabprfoo4hSQ_EVIDLP9VNW4IYZCDe7_/s1600/kelliesheridan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4Lz3o9RUJ8muMvfBBX15X0-htt8KQFnExBCFzCNveBjwRYzhWwWDdasvs9YYspxb_S9_jw-4iqbHhEnte5KYWS9jaOZTvi65462Oga8iBv0tqabprfoo4hSQ_EVIDLP9VNW4IYZCDe7_/s200/kelliesheridan.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="157" /></a>Kellie Sheridan is a Canadian author and book blogger. When not reading books or writing, she also works with books. She is currently working with two small publishers on the marketing/publicity side of things, and is also Joan of ARCs at Spencer Hill Press. In her spare time Kellie watches way too much television and travels whenever she has the opportunity.<br />
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Kellie’s first YA novel, Mortality was released in March, and she is currently hard at work on future writing projects.</div>
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Author links:</div>
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<a href="http://www.kellie.snarkybooks.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6579646.Kellie_Sheridan" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/Kellie_Sheridan" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div>
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Here's your chance to win an ebook of Follow the White Rabbit. Open internationally.</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1f889f17/" id="rc-1f889f17" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-79618010956429546132013-04-23T05:30:00.000-04:002013-04-23T05:30:04.443-04:00NA Cover Reveal: All My Life by Rucy Ban<div style="text-align: center;">
Today we're sharing the cover for All My Life by Rucy Ban!<br />
This is a NA novel. What do you guys think about the cover? Personally, I like it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMPpIvVqBMlUM9luy1ABI9Ao1jqfSuKtBn8PZoJMxZf2FUe8aWQI5WpMKM7nx3n3iUI0VwHpPO2LHoCk1Bj6zBsMviKNDPkcD39vOzSIS0orgMMbM0kzTYcEJNNb64YMIbrV0Zd78lp33/s1600/ALLMYLIFERUCYB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMPpIvVqBMlUM9luy1ABI9Ao1jqfSuKtBn8PZoJMxZf2FUe8aWQI5WpMKM7nx3n3iUI0VwHpPO2LHoCk1Bj6zBsMviKNDPkcD39vOzSIS0orgMMbM0kzTYcEJNNb64YMIbrV0Zd78lp33/s320/ALLMYLIFERUCYB.JPG" width="235" /></a></div>
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New Adult contemporary romance</div>
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coming in May 2013</div>
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<i>Seventeen-year-old Kari meets Neil Mars. “Neil as in Armstrong and Mars…as in Bruno.” A boy who beats every vampire, werewolf, highlander fantasy Kari has ever had. But she knows can’t get close to him. Not ever. Because that would mean telling him everything. Coming clean. And Kari can’t bear the idea of changing the way Neil looks at her. Like she’s the only girl in the world. His reverence is something too precious to lose. Perhaps even at the cost of losing him. </i><i>But Kari doesn't know why Neil calls her his ‘Angel’ and when she finds out, she realizes what love is all about. Boundless joy, unending longing and a fuckload of heartache. </i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17825487-all-my-life" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4IKt1PXl8aF-Td4AgAfBjjPPxf5gj5ezb_mVoKRSZTPHwyvx8xnuhKHyDvidH9zU6wnmO_A4tjrttS5ve3vBiuVwJCc0z39o3vYzvURCiN3lvaQ7OBkW_ltZIGxPYcmggW0nzx67mRmj/s1600/goodreads-badge-add-plus.png" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Read an excerpt: </i></b></div>
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Maybe I’ll forget this feeling someday. Maybe it’ll just be reduced to a memory made up of a flickering gas heater, the salty dew of his skin and the love in his dark, inky eyes. This feeling of pure unadulterated joy. Of reaching a high so potent that your spirit feels like it’s soaring across the universe…and falling from that glorious peak only to find yourself enveloped in someone’s warm caring hands. When you feel like you’ve just died or been born, right at the same time. </div>
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It could be that I’ll forget this feeling someday. But I’m sure it won’t be anytime soon. Maybe when I’m a hundred and looking forward to my lunch of mashed bread. Not one single day before. </div>
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<i><b>Meet the author:</b></i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8Et0BHfRfcqxvnNpHW4ItMzcymaIsFyPiOIAEyKOVh39ugpeiWYAWNa5oWQt-J0POSqbFF74bd9Rc4kzLwX3Lpz-oXZsHVhxh6gSczvODrFaqZordPAPB7-whq5pX4G63lT6R8_C8lql/s1600/Rucy+Ban.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8Et0BHfRfcqxvnNpHW4ItMzcymaIsFyPiOIAEyKOVh39ugpeiWYAWNa5oWQt-J0POSqbFF74bd9Rc4kzLwX3Lpz-oXZsHVhxh6gSczvODrFaqZordPAPB7-whq5pX4G63lT6R8_C8lql/s200/Rucy+Ban.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Rucy Ban was born in 1978 and still continues to thrive. Ever since she first met Francine (the protagonist of her favorite novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), Rucy fell in love with the written word. Rucy has a B-school degree in Marketing which she now puts to good use teaching lovable rowdy rogues and negotiating with her equally belligerent adolescent. In her previous avatar, she handled corporate communications for companies. At present, Rucy lives in Sao Paulo, travels often, speaks decent, if not quite fluent, Portuguese and really hates talking about herself in third person. </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7054725.Rucy_Ban?auto_login_attempted=true">Goodreads </a>| <a href="https://twitter.com/rucyban">Twitter </a>| <a href="http://www.facebook.com/rucy.ban">Facebook </a>| <a href="http://jiltedgenius.wordpress.com/">blog</a></div>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-72568995960998524742013-04-17T03:18:00.000-04:002013-04-17T03:18:10.430-04:00Spotlight on Shudder by Samantha Durante<br />
A while back I participated in the blog tour for Stitch by Samantha Durante. She answered a few questions for an interview <a href="http://willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/2012/08/blog-tour-stitch-by-samantha-durante.html">here</a>. Today I'm happy to present Shudder, the upcoming book 2 in the trilogy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84L5yuhc7WhCDVorU_Wjvt2bBP-oy3Xzj0FSsc05ekyVR8cvM_jpmlUxOu4JzICPF3T_QYZotrjSscxD1pwyprD406XULNA3-YI61P2vJY4zVvBxAbABKKdYn-CZMVKxwk9Npt0LfXkP8/s1600/Shudder_FrontCover_WithBorder_1618x2500_529kb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84L5yuhc7WhCDVorU_Wjvt2bBP-oy3Xzj0FSsc05ekyVR8cvM_jpmlUxOu4JzICPF3T_QYZotrjSscxD1pwyprD406XULNA3-YI61P2vJY4zVvBxAbABKKdYn-CZMVKxwk9Npt0LfXkP8/s320/Shudder_FrontCover_WithBorder_1618x2500_529kb.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expected Release Date: June 15th, 2013</td></tr>
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<i>It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.</i></div>
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<i>Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.</i><i><br /></i><i>And then there are the visions.</i><i><br /></i><i>The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…</i><i><br /></i><i>The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17617373-shudder" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.goodreads.com']);"><img alt="Add Shudder to Goodreads" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1366" height="45" src="http://www.samanthadurante.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/add-to-goodreads-button.png" width="134" /></a></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Facebook: </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/stitchtrilogy" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch Trilogy</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorsamanthadurante" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodreads: </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15779886-stitch" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17617373-shudder" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Shudder</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6453465.Samantha_Durante" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">LibraryThing: </span><a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/12870151/book/88297636" style="border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"> | </span><a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/13647614/book/95243744" style="border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Shudder</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"> | </span><a href="http://www.librarything.com/author/durantesamantha" style="border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Shelfari: </span><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/30363286/Stitch-(Stitch-Trilogy-Book-1)" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Stitch</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/35990056/Shudder-(Stitch-Trilogy-Book-2)" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Shudder</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">|</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a1002689147/Samantha-Durante/" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Author Samantha Durante</a></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9iQsOhStz6vWt5ACUWAeLEOoFjpKMx13ntGTB7h3fwO3sPGYBPlcWJJVTKTNYQuua9ZxTAmZOyTbKsN0AYirBClWpniw83H3I8JXK0WpYSB2AmpwxEo0798h4C_Bf3pavQJmgeVrPOtC/s1600/Stitch_FrontCoverWithBorder_1650x2550_1058kb-662x1024+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9iQsOhStz6vWt5ACUWAeLEOoFjpKMx13ntGTB7h3fwO3sPGYBPlcWJJVTKTNYQuua9ZxTAmZOyTbKsN0AYirBClWpniw83H3I8JXK0WpYSB2AmpwxEo0798h4C_Bf3pavQJmgeVrPOtC/s200/Stitch_FrontCoverWithBorder_1650x2550_1058kb-662x1024+(1).jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17.98611068725586px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17.98611068725586px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17.98611068725586px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17.98611068725586px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.98611068725586px;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Trilogy-Book-1/dp/0985804602/" nbsp="" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.amazon.com']);" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Buy Stitch on Amazon or Borrow Free from Kindle Owners' Lending Library!" class="alignnone wp-image-252" height="76" src="http://medleymediaassoc.com/samanthadurante/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/AmazonBuyButton.jpg" title="Buy Stitch on Amazon" width="152" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15779886-stitch" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.goodreads.com']);" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Add Stitch to Goodreads" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1366" height="45" src="http://www.samanthadurante.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/add-to-goodreads-button.png" width="134" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at </span><a href="http://www.samanthadurante.com/info-for-bloggers/www.samanthadurante.com" style="border: 0px; color: #2a88d5; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">www.samanthadurante.com</a><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
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<b>GIVEAWAY</b></div>
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1 Print ARC of Shudder, open internationally!</div>
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<b><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d87f0066/" id="rc-d87f0066" rel="nofollow">Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!</a></b></div>
<b><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script></b><br />Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-2943207247999265532013-04-16T06:00:00.000-04:002013-04-16T06:00:10.530-04:00Sneak Peek: A Notorious Prologue - #BeNotorious Blog Tour Day Five<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome
to Day Five of the #BeNotorious Blog Tour! We are revving up to the
release of the highly anticipated sequel of Katie Jennings’ family
drama <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UCNJUS"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>When
Empires Fall</i></span></a>,
aptly named <span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rise
of the Notorious! </i></span>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Follow
along on this <span style="font-size: small;"><i>notorious</i></span>
blog tour from April 2<sup><span style="font-size: small;">nd</span></sup>
till release day on April 23<sup><span style="font-size: small;">rd</span></sup>,
and be sure to enter the <a href="http://www.katieajennings.com/news.html">giveaway</a>
for a chance to win some AMAZING prizes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today’s
stop is a sneak peek at the prologue of <span style="font-size: small;"><i>Rise
of the Notorious</i></span>.
Set in the “City of Sin,” this enticing snippet is sure to whet
your appetite! Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">*
* *</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb9zAMiF4bK9qtMIM34Dg8xjPQC6e_YsgOXhrHnFvbsN2YUhyM538beJMqP-hy4iKTfeBy5Ms2Kb9LSYLuNWHKogbHbmL6GtPy52onBpIf0lh1MT8Fs9evJOgiBBgGqCC9UFjm_xuSN96/s1600/Rise+of+the+Notorious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivb9zAMiF4bK9qtMIM34Dg8xjPQC6e_YsgOXhrHnFvbsN2YUhyM538beJMqP-hy4iKTfeBy5Ms2Kb9LSYLuNWHKogbHbmL6GtPy52onBpIf0lh1MT8Fs9evJOgiBBgGqCC9UFjm_xuSN96/s320/Rise+of+the+Notorious.jpg" width="205" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">PROLOGUE
Las Vegas, Nevada
July 1, 2004
They say that only clever creatures can survive the desert heat. After all, the desert is nothing more than a sweltering wasteland that has claimed more victims than it has given life, which makes it more of a graveyard than a flourishing habitat. But, regardless of this fact, at some point in time man had either been foolish enough, or maybe greedy enough, to build a playground in the middle of Hell.
Then they’d had the audacity to call it a fertile plain. Las Vegas.
What a glorious contradiction.
Madison Vasser despised the desert with all of her being. She was a creature made for colder climates, for snow drifts and icy streets. Her ivory skin welcomed a cool winter chill, and scornfully burned under the red-hot desert sun. But, like many others, she had learned to adapt to her new home, for the reward for staying was much too great to relinquish.
She was nineteen, she was ambitious, and she was in love.
Her smile was instinctive and more than a little wicked as she sauntered through her family’s lavish casino, her golden dress fitted to her curves and cropped short above her knees. Men in the casino faltered and stared as she passed, stunned by her radiance, moved by the passion so clear in her expression. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and was taking it without reservation. There was no asking, no begging. No, there was only ambition and victory. And she was the master of both.
She’d come to Vegas a year before to serve her family’s empire. Now, as she walked through the casino, she had to marvel at her grandfather’s brilliance to build in the godforsaken desert in the first place. Despite appearances, it really was a powerful city. The money that traded hands there was layered thick with hopeful sweat and anxious tears, but, damnit, the people loved it. They flocked to it, never having fully sated themselves with the escapist thrill of bright lights and lost inhibitions.
The hotel itself thrived, rising like a glittering beacon of refuge out of the dusty sand and drier-than-hell rock. It towered over its neighbors, both larger and taller than anything else within several hundred miles. Cyrus had insisted upon it, had purposely designed it so the sapphire and gold “V” shone boldly and brilliantly from atop the glass walled building for all to see. No one entering Las Vegas would have any doubt who was the top dog in town or who ruled the landscape like a king rules an empire.
The Vasser name was as powerful as it was timeless. And, as her grandfather was apt to say, it was the tower of strength.
She made her way out of the bustling casino and passed by the hotel’s premiere French restaurant, Soleil, thinking she’d grab a bottle of wine for later. After all, it was somewhat of an anniversary. It had been exactly one year since she had arrived in Las Vegas.
Oh, and how things had changed since then.
She may have hated the desert, but there was no denying that it had given her an incredible gift, one she would have gone to Hell and back for had she known of its existence. Well, his existence, really.
Wyatt Bailey, the man who’d come from nowhere and shamelessly set fire to her heart.
He’d been virtually nothing when she had found him, just a blackjack dealer working for her uncle with a mysterious past, no car, and a crappy apartment. Despite his shortcomings, she had taken him under her wing and given him everything.
Within a couple of months, she’d gotten him promoted to Pit Boss, moved his meager belongings into her suite at the hotel, and bought him a brand new Mercedes SLR and new designer clothes. Most importantly, she had given him her heart, and in return, he had changed her entire world.
She had never loved any man the way she loved Wyatt, with a fiery passion and a crushing need that consumed her every waking moment until she couldn’t stand it unless she was at his side. He was intense and fiercely obsessed with her, emotions she knew only too well as she possessed them herself. They were such similar creatures, which was why it had been so easy to fall in love with him. It had taken barely more than a touch and they were mesmerized by each other, which was exactly how she had always hoped love would be.
Smiling again, she swept through the service entrance and into the restaurant’s kitchen, her amber eyes catching sight of Raoul, one of the cooks at the hotel. He was busy whipping up eggs in a large, stainless steel bowl at a furious speed, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he worked.
She and Raoul had become fast friends the moment she had begun working for her Uncle Duke because, like herself, she recognized in him an ambitious and restless spirit. He craved status, power, and the finer things in life as much as she did. Once she had her way, she would see to it that they both got what they wanted in this life. Success.
“Darling, I hope that quiche is not for Grant and Erin.” Madison smiled as she came up beside him, one hand sliding over his shoulder companionably. “You know she’s lactose intolerant.”
Raoul stopped whisking and glared down at her, his mouth set in a firm line. “Sí, but your brother likes it, no? I will make something else for his woman.”
She leaned in to kiss his cheek, coaxing a small smile out of him as she did so. “I can always count on you.”
“It’s nothing.” He brushed her off, reaching for the bowl again to pour the egg into a shallow glass dish layered with pastry dough. “You should go prepare for your brother, cariño.”
She glanced down at the slim gold watch on her left wrist, pursing her lips. “I have a few hours till they fly in. Enough time to have a glass of wine and take a hot bath.”
He chuckled and shook his head, sprinkling cheese over the quiche. “There is a nice Moscato in the fridge.”
“Fantastic idea.” Madison swept over to the kitchen’s large wine fridge, opening the glass door and reaching for the Moscato. She checked the date on it and smiled. “Excellent. Wyatt enjoys a good white.”
Raoul said nothing as she shut the door and wandered back to him, bottle in hand. “I’ll be down in a couple of hours to help you finish with dinner.”
“Hasta siempre,” he murmured without looking at her, his eyes focused instead on the quiche as he finished preparing it.
She paused, her eyes softening as she watched him. It was only when he was feeling emotional that he used that phrase of endearment with her. Just what was bothering him now, she didn’t know. But whatever the reason, she would be there for him when he needed her, just as he was always there for her. Loyalty was everything.
“Until forever, darling.” She squeezed his shoulder briefly before leaving the kitchen, her mind shifting focus from her friend and instead to her lover, who was waiting for her upstairs.
Since she had begun working at the hotel she had lived in one of the suites. Because the arrangement wasn’t meant to be permanent, she figured it was best to be close to the action of the hotel instead of living elsewhere in the city. Besides, it didn’t get any more luxurious than a suite at the Vasser Hotel.
Wine in hand, she made her way toward the hotel’s elevators, her head held high and a smooth confidence to her step. The world was hers for the taking. And boy, did she intend to take. Only what she deserved, of course, but she was going to make her grandfather proud. After all, he had entrusted her with his most lucrative secrets, trained her to be everything he needed her to be. If it wasn’t for him, she would be nothing.
She would never, ever let herself forget that.
The elevator she boarded rose slowly toward the upper floors and she gazed at herself in the mirrored gold doors as she waited. Her long, dark brown hair was meticulously straight, its length falling to nearly her mid-back. Eyes of vibrant amber beneath heavy lids stared back at her, sultry and intense. She was proud of the heritage evident in her appearance, proud that she so greatly resembled the man who she respected above all else. It was all a part of who she was, and who she was becoming.
She was a Vasser, and she would go to the grave defending her family and the empire that was her birthright.
When the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid smoothly open, Madison sauntered out and strolled down the long hallway, her heeled footsteps muffled by the ornate gold and sapphire carpet. She reached into the small handbag she carried and pulled out her key card just as she came up to the door of her suite.
She slid the card neatly into the slot and pushed the door open, her smile still in place as she entered the room.
“I brought some wine up, darling. I figured we could have some fun before Grant flies in.”
She paused, taken aback as she noticed the empty living area and the neatly cleaned bedroom beyond. Frowning, she stalked through the bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom, expecting him to be there.
When she found it empty, her heart began to race in her chest as frustration and anger surged through her. Where the hell was he?
She tore back into the bedroom, heading straight for the dresser and ripping out the drawers. When she noticed his clothes were missing, her breathing became shallow and forced, her chest constricting painfully.
No, it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t do this.
She stormed back into the living room, her hand clenching violently around the wine bottle, her vision hazing with red. That was when she spotted the note, written on the hotel’s white and gold stationary, sitting atop the coffee table. Beside it lay the key to the Mercedes she had given him.
Her handbag fell to the floor as she grabbed the note and hastily read the words, gripping it so tightly that she nearly tore it to shreds.
It read simply: I’m sorry, sweetheart.
“You godforsaken bastard,” she snarled, her hand shaking as she crumbled the note into her fist. In a fit of glorious rage, she hurled the wine bottle against the wall, her heart panging at the resounding crash as glass and wine spilled hideously onto the floor.
As the realization that he had left her exploded through her system, she did the only thing that would satisfy the blood lust coursing through her at that very moment. She tore the room to pieces, cursing his name over and over until her throat was dry and her eyes were bright with tears. The fury she unleashed ripped through the suite like a tsunami; its wake leaving chairs upturned, tables pushed over, vases shattered and draperies ripped from windows. Anything she could grab she did, and as she ruined her pretty possessions she vowed to hunt him down and make him pay.
“Stop it, cariño.”
Raoul’s voice shot out at her from the doorway, causing her to falter for the briefest of moments, her chest heaving. In her hands she held a priceless Baroque statue, the weapon she intended to use to shatter the equally priceless antique mirror over the desk to pieces.
She looked up to meet his dark eyes, and in that instant felt her knees crumble beneath her.
Within seconds he was with her, gathering her close, pressing her face into his chest.
“Don’t you dare waste tears on him,” he grunted, glaring around at the destruction she had made, an odd, prideful gleam in his eyes. He knew that, while she may be cool-headed most of the time, she was a vindictive devil capable of catastrophe when provoked. “He is not worth it.”
As hard as she tried, her fury could only carry her so far. Her emotions were boiling up to overtake her, cloaking her in misery and abject humiliation. Because that’s exactly what this was. Wyatt Bailey had used her, led her to believe he loved her, and then left. For as long as she lived, she’d damn him to the darkest depths of Hell for scorning her.
“How dare he leave me,” she spat, despising the crack in her voice as the words sank in and enveloped her in despair. When she spoke again, it was more of a whisper and she hated herself for feeling this awful weakness. “How dare he?”
Clutching at Raoul’s white dress shirt, she gave in to her emotions and let them drain her dry, her tears painful and horrific.
Never again. Never again would she trust a man with her heart only to have him trample on it this way. She thought of the night only three weeks earlier when she and Wyatt had impulsively gone to a chapel downtown and tied the knot, completely in secret. No one in her family had any idea. Now, it appeared, they never would.
Raoul simply held her, seeking to comfort even as a satisfied smile curved over his lips.
Finalmente. At last. Wyatt Bailey was gone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>By
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Katie
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">International
bestselling Author Katie Jennings is the author of six full length
novels, including the popular fantasy series <span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Dryad Quartet</i></span>
as well as the bestselling family drama series <span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Vasser Legacy</i></span>.
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She
lives in sunny Southern California with her husband and cat, who both
think she’s the biggest nerd ever. She’s a firm believer in happy
endings and loves nothing more than a great romance novel.</span></div>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-9510354708366885942013-04-15T06:00:00.000-04:002013-04-15T06:00:00.484-04:0018+ Review: Wedding Games by Karen S. Smith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVT4-84YfTCFsy2U1sAB-HJeRlY-WiMKiHEYOqNLCIcyPWuawyY09SuDR8gIqPHEULspHnN1EvcCnOPXLbPgsPYIh0VUlioge43glIOIVqd9LmBH8KXG9h6TmYcFv8C7TvXVQ0-FprfHd/s1600/wedding+games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVT4-84YfTCFsy2U1sAB-HJeRlY-WiMKiHEYOqNLCIcyPWuawyY09SuDR8gIqPHEULspHnN1EvcCnOPXLbPgsPYIh0VUlioge43glIOIVqd9LmBH8KXG9h6TmYcFv8C7TvXVQ0-FprfHd/s1600/wedding+games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbOLQneOY-mS5HzvLzqpdiqQ9P-fFE5vB5J3tgXY4EbwqhQWjeY28Y4i6n9Q8v-nRBAgTpilgxUIwaa6bGu00C71wcvQpgGgq6hEQRcQph9pbZ6G1bg_QNymZKaI5caRxdwWDizd1Cn0M/s1600/temp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbOLQneOY-mS5HzvLzqpdiqQ9P-fFE5vB5J3tgXY4EbwqhQWjeY28Y4i6n9Q8v-nRBAgTpilgxUIwaa6bGu00C71wcvQpgGgq6hEQRcQph9pbZ6G1bg_QNymZKaI5caRxdwWDizd1Cn0M/s1600/temp.png" /></a></div>
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The following review contains explicit content and language that may not be suitable for minors. To read the full review, hit the page break.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVT4-84YfTCFsy2U1sAB-HJeRlY-WiMKiHEYOqNLCIcyPWuawyY09SuDR8gIqPHEULspHnN1EvcCnOPXLbPgsPYIh0VUlioge43glIOIVqd9LmBH8KXG9h6TmYcFv8C7TvXVQ0-FprfHd/s1600/wedding+games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVT4-84YfTCFsy2U1sAB-HJeRlY-WiMKiHEYOqNLCIcyPWuawyY09SuDR8gIqPHEULspHnN1EvcCnOPXLbPgsPYIh0VUlioge43glIOIVqd9LmBH8KXG9h6TmYcFv8C7TvXVQ0-FprfHd/s200/wedding+games.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16091295-wedding-games">Wedding Games</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/272247.Karen_S_Smith">Karen S. Smith</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published November 8th 2012 by Black Lace</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: finished copy from the publisher</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/488435855">1 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Goodreads summary: <i>Emma is not looking forward to her cousin's wedding: the usual awkward guests, the endless small talk, the bad dancing... But a chance encounter with Kit, a very sexy stranger, leaves her breathless.<br />Without a chance to say goodbye, Emma resigns herself to the fact their incredibly hot encounter will be just sexy memory but then she meets Kit at another wedding...</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16091295-wedding-games" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Wedding-Games-Karen-Smith/9780753541289?a_aid=wtsl_ivana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z8tRVVnXnM6tQNmbutvs6u3IVqDTRnGdSxmRBbLxZOphQFKxmlP9BBTGciZdvlmrXVtLxUtN19KNsU_KtI7-6PPxWzWLye-xwWDfLoJWfqLYx9wA-mcVSpKkkVukPpDvgYWlm5v88DUQ/s1600/BD_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Games-Black-Lace-ebook/dp/B009HSPOCA/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365756380&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=wedding+gamess+karen+s+smith" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure it's fair of me to rate the entire book based on my judgement of the (very poor) decisions of the main character. But since pretty much the entire book revolves around said poor choices, what enjoyment could this book provide?<br />
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I'm going to cut to the chase here. This book went from OK to worse until it ends in a mind-blowingly awful wedding night orgy. With all due respect to nymphomaniacs or even prostitutes for that matter...Emma's sexual behavior is worse. Hell, prostitutes are at least paid to have sex with complete strangers. And they even-gasp-use protection, which seems to be a foreign concept to Emma. HIGHLIGHT TO READ SPOILER BELOW<span style="display: none;">[You do NOT have sex with a whole stag party in a mini-bus on a parking lot without damn protection and expect me to roll with it. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2286432114879590275" onclick="hideSpoiler(this)" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer;">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">You do NOT have sex with a whole stag party in a mini-bus on a parking lot without damn protection and expect me to roll with it.</span><br />
<br />
Basically the woman has sex with every man that appears in the novel (and some women too). Considering that we have no idea what she does for living, it's safe to conclude she lives for sex. She spends every waking and sleeping moment doing it, thinking of it or dreaming about it. I can take a lot in erotica, but Wedding Games was over the top, to the point that it kills any semblance of a turn-on. Which is sad; had the author continued the thread that she establishes in the beginning (meeting the same guy at every wedding she attends) it would have been ok. But why the hell add a dozen more people to the...equation? <br />
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To whom would I recommend this book? Not sure, if you're into dirty, Wedding Games is as dirty as it gets.
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<br />Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-70120155639228210492013-04-12T05:00:00.000-04:002013-04-12T05:00:05.211-04:00YA Review: Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJG8P3zFhUvmC5zYOjuyPTIsXCE15ZUUfqJlmpn-GUo-UQBkD0Gsw9e0AOBnOLzSOEOoyneSB43344yXF-3QX5IxqKDZQZpqaiUndxrA8XfdtYWG9rvJOX6uEdXVwgzWXtHaiKSv_USnF/s1600/Mila+2.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJG8P3zFhUvmC5zYOjuyPTIsXCE15ZUUfqJlmpn-GUo-UQBkD0Gsw9e0AOBnOLzSOEOoyneSB43344yXF-3QX5IxqKDZQZpqaiUndxrA8XfdtYWG9rvJOX6uEdXVwgzWXtHaiKSv_USnF/s200/Mila+2.0.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10222362-mila-2-0"><br />Mila 2.0</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4581947.Debra_Driza">Debra Driza</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published March 12th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: from publisher via NetGalley</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/573251994">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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Goodreads summary: <i>Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.<br />Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.<br />Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.<br />Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089LOMTM?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B0089LOMTM&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20&qid=1365663719&sr=8-1&keywords=mila+2.0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10222362-mila-2-0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Mila-20-Debra-Driza/9780007507283?a_aid=wtsl_ivana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z8tRVVnXnM6tQNmbutvs6u3IVqDTRnGdSxmRBbLxZOphQFKxmlP9BBTGciZdvlmrXVtLxUtN19KNsU_KtI7-6PPxWzWLye-xwWDfLoJWfqLYx9wA-mcVSpKkkVukPpDvgYWlm5v88DUQ/s1600/BD_badge.png" /></a></div>
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Seeing Mila 2.0 on my Netgalley dashboard was a nice surprise that came during a couple of rough days last month. To be honest, I went into this book half-afraid. I had huge expectations from Mila 2.0, but I didn't really like the prequel novella. I'm glad to report, my expectations were met, in some aspects also exceeded.<br />
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Mila is an android that more than one group of evil guys would love to get their hands on. But Mila is more than just a cutting-edge piece of technology; there is more humanity in her than her creators could ever assume. The chase starts around chapters two or three, with barely a moment's respite for the rest of the book. Debra Driza doesn't shy away from the painful, the ugly and the tragic, and I think that might be my favorite part of the book. Also, the novel moves at a great pace and there's a nice rhythm to the writing. The android and the human parts of Mila mesh well; she might desperately wish to forget that she has wires and tubes running through her body, but when circumstances demand, she learns how to utilize her android gigs to protect the ones she loves.<br />
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On the cons side, there was a point where I started feeling that Mila was getting whiny. The whole ordeal with Hunter was also weird; he is a nice guy, but the sort of guy that I instantly assumed had something to hide. And despite his niceness, I don't think the short encounters between Mila and Hunter warrant that sort of trust. Too strong, too fast, almost insta-love, and as always I have my reservations about that.<br />
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If you are looking for a kick-ass, action-packed YA novel, you cannot afford to miss Mila 2.0.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-22188135445915827712013-04-11T02:55:00.001-04:002013-04-11T06:27:49.835-04:00Cover Reveal: Love at 11 by Mari Mancusi<br />
Ok, I have a confession to make. I am madly in love with covers created by Sarah from Okay Creations, and I always jump at the chance when I get an invite to reveal a cover designed by her. This one is no exception. Love it.<br />
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<a href="http://s1285.photobucket.com/user/Julie_Brazeal/media/Loveat11amazonGRSmash_zpsc19e25bc.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Loveat11amazonGRSmash_zpsc19e25bc.jpg" border="0" class="aligncenter" height="400" src="http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a597/Julie_Brazeal/Loveat11amazonGRSmash_zpsc19e25bc.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<b>Title:</b> Love at 11</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Mari Mancusi</div>
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<b>Genre:</b> Contemporary</div>
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<b>Age Group:</b> New Adult</div>
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<b>Cover Designer:</b> <a href="http://www.okaycreations.com/">Okay
Creations</a></div>
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<b>Expected re-release date:</b> April
24, 2013</div>
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<b>Cover reveal organized by:</b> <a href="http://atomrbookblogtours.com/">AToMR
Tours</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12115053-love-at-11" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo goodreads-badge-add-plus_zpsa971cb04.png" border="0" class="aligncenter" src="http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a597/Julie_Brazeal/goodreads-badge-add-plus_zpsa971cb04.png" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When Maddy graduated from Columbia
University, she was ready to change the world. She'd get a job at
Newsline, meet a nice guy, and live happily ever after with a real
designer handbag on her arm. Five years later, she's stuck producing
puff pieces for News 9 San Diego--where "if it bleeds, it
leads." She's still single, her family's falling apart, and so
is her knock-off Kate Spade.<br />Then Jamie Hayes walks through her
newsroom door. The former filmmaker is everything Maddy has ever
dreamed of. Creative, smart, sweet—and with eyes that could make a
girl melt. The perfect guy…but perfectly unavailable. And the more
Maddy tries to stay away—the further she starts to fall.<br />Now a secret scoop from her favorite
knock-off purse guy has Maddy chasing a lead that could make her
career. Or destroy it forever. How far is she willing to go to
broadcast the truth? And will this breaking news lead to a happily
ever after…or a broken heart?<br />Stay tuned...it's the story of a
lifetime.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4wJ_yGG0f0AOy3GnZXDKPSXKq2nUdo98lBzMtG9We79qbmVsUrPGGV6zVRJh89vChAXhy7wrLMeCiasnx9Zy1LNSK9TCFUawmfrCnvRnsC8GNhunpfmlm9Z_LCyu7uw30IpGtiFEjUvO/s1600/Love+at+11+jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4wJ_yGG0f0AOy3GnZXDKPSXKq2nUdo98lBzMtG9We79qbmVsUrPGGV6zVRJh89vChAXhy7wrLMeCiasnx9Zy1LNSK9TCFUawmfrCnvRnsC8GNhunpfmlm9Z_LCyu7uw30IpGtiFEjUvO/s320/Love+at+11+jacket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>About the Author</b></div>
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Mari Mancusi used to wish she could
become a vampire back in high school. But she ended up in another
blood sucking profession --journalism -- instead. Today she works as
a freelance TV producer and author of books for teens and adults.
When not writing about creatures of the night, Mari enjoys traveling,
cooking, goth clubbing, watching cheesy horror movies, and her
favorite guilty pleasure--videogames. A graduate of Boston University
and a two time Emmy Award winner, she lives in Austin, Texas with her
husband Jacob, daughter Avalon and dog Mesquite.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.marimancusi.com">Website</a>
| <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.marimancusi.blogspot.com">Blog</a>
| <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.facebook.com/bloodcovenvampires">Facebook</a>
| <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.twitter.com/marimancusi">Twitter</a>
| <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21701.Mari_Mancusi">Goodreads</a><br />
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<a href="http://atomrbookblogtours.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo
AToMRTours_zpse9017e91.jpg" border="0" class="aligncenter" height="96" src="http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a597/Julie_Brazeal/AToMRTours_zpse9017e91.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-54433641090495546612013-04-08T09:24:00.000-04:002013-04-08T17:47:34.067-04:00Adult Review: Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrowP8E4wYBDGHUGf6bwzW91RrhZLPC8LFur2kP2hqiPAkZRjLpN7IIfmYpsQjf7SBFjeEDt-XS0yjd7iPtjcNGzt22_Tfffc03teJdXMvTtgt6QNo6Qcq-H2xFhhjCQYJmDVvv50yMoQW/s1600/shadows+of+the+past.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrowP8E4wYBDGHUGf6bwzW91RrhZLPC8LFur2kP2hqiPAkZRjLpN7IIfmYpsQjf7SBFjeEDt-XS0yjd7iPtjcNGzt22_Tfffc03teJdXMvTtgt6QNo6Qcq-H2xFhhjCQYJmDVvv50yMoQW/s200/shadows+of+the+past.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16249401-shadows-of-the-past">Shadows of the Past</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu">Carmen Stefanescu</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published December 4th 2012 by Wild Child Publishing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: review copy from the author</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/560171252">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Goodreads summary: <i>When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.</i><i><br /></i><i>Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?</i><i><br /></i><i>The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AK2D9I8?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B00AK2D9I8&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20&qid=1365427014&sr=8-1&keywords=shadows+of+the+past+carmen+stefanescu" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16249401-shadows-of-the-past" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I accepted this book for review based on its promising synopsis; a ghost story that spans five centuries is not something I wanted to pass on. It was nice, the way the past was connected to the present was interesting, tapping into reincarnation and curses. Intrigued?<br />
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Still, I had a major problem with the characters. Genevieve wasn't that bad since we get to see enough of her difficult childhood, but Anne and Neil (our contemporaries) I found very bland and uninteresting. The dialogues were stiff an unnatural. One thing I particularly disliked was Neil's reasoning behind cheating on Anne. The poor thing has absolutely no idea how it happened that he got in bed with Anne's (former) best friend. Poor poor guy. I wasn't convinced. Sure, people make mistakes, I could see why Anne was willing to forgive him. But that explanation was laughable. <br />
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Overall, with more blood and flesh to the characters I would have enjoyed it more, but I liked the mystery surrounding the remnants of the covenant and the resolution to a tragic love story from five hundred years ago. Shadows of the Past is an adult novel, but very innocent when it comes to romantic situations.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2286432114879590275.post-9005153174040147652013-04-03T05:27:00.000-04:002013-04-08T17:53:07.032-04:00YA Review: A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Xs62nE7GtvaABPGyNAcAU0eaAYFtHcn-9o3-Y4U63fRZhyphenhyphen-Lei3sskvQahg2DiphFAC6KzCHTMs6aYW_uZqubFC8ISy-7k79S2CmuCt_RVmtLhyXDeOFCnQG7TIybVXfMBsj2xBIBlXU/s1600/a+shade+of+vampire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Xs62nE7GtvaABPGyNAcAU0eaAYFtHcn-9o3-Y4U63fRZhyphenhyphen-Lei3sskvQahg2DiphFAC6KzCHTMs6aYW_uZqubFC8ISy-7k79S2CmuCt_RVmtLhyXDeOFCnQG7TIybVXfMBsj2xBIBlXU/s200/a+shade+of+vampire.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17255435-a-shade-of-vampire">A Shade of Vampire</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6860531.Bella_Forrest">Bella Forrest</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Published December 14th 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: review copy from the author</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rating: 2.5/5</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Goodreads summary: <i>On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.<br />A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.<br />She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.<br />An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.<br />Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.<br />Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.<br />Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks? </i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AOHDMFE?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B00AOHDMFE&linkCode=shr&tag=wiltoseeles-20&qid=1364820076&sr=8-1&keywords=a+shade+of+vampire" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraycRhX5A_dFN_e0nmGSxafNHlacrdF4u93Z7n6Nbky275N0O0DFHKLYFd4XCPbd3GZ_Gh9MMYtKI_cZkQkPGHTOwUbZEeMeWscoLv4Jev9CnkUuMLcs-Vh-VprAxRlTZOIfQcbljz9sI/s1600/amazon_badge.png" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17255435-a-shade-of-vampire" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnJlX4E-nIQTAWyWgNBcUfUncWvb7FS5R4dp9Iaq34spzPJtyEuKAtzUX6eZdrGryW0kZNEHl6HsFPu1T5El4fsRpiXSD5zm2npbe0wy5ke9r35K-snjPae_DddO7p_3hmIRZUjuErmVc/s1600/GRbadge.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Shade-Vampire-Bella-Forrest/9781481280761?a_aid=wtsl_ivana" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z8tRVVnXnM6tQNmbutvs6u3IVqDTRnGdSxmRBbLxZOphQFKxmlP9BBTGciZdvlmrXVtLxUtN19KNsU_KtI7-6PPxWzWLye-xwWDfLoJWfqLYx9wA-mcVSpKkkVukPpDvgYWlm5v88DUQ/s1600/BD_badge.png" /></a></div>
<br />
After turning the last page, one word came to my mind: underdeveloped. Characters, plot, worldbuilding, you name it. A Shade of Vampire has all the ingredients to be a thrilling and heartwrenching paranormal romance, it is well-written, but I never felt like it reached its full potential.<br />
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Maybe it's due to its unfavorable length, somewhere between a longer novella and short novel. The history of Shade, the vampire island, is touched on only briefly. Some more substance to the long-standing animosity between Derek, the vampire prince, and his brother Lucas or the antagonism between vampires and shadow hunters would have added some more flavor to the story, as well as some background and character development in Sofia. For the lack of it, I didn't see why she was so desperate to return to Ben, or why she fell so quickly for Derek. Everything happened so fast, and the emotional bond was lost on me, making it come across as insta-love.<br />
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On another note, A Shade of Vampire sports the sort of vampires I love-cruel, unflinching, dangerous and dark. I need to know more about the history of Shade and the political background. Bella Forrest has set the foundations for an awesome story, I just wish it was longer and that every aspect of the novel received the attention it deserves.Ivanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18243664836278611954noreply@blogger.com