Posts Tagged ‘YA’

The Highlight Tour with Prism Book Tours

& Samantha’s Summer Tour

Shudder

348 pages

Published June 15, 2013

~~~~~

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

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.

And then there are the visions.

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…

The Highlight Tour

8/24 – 9/1

Sharing some of the best of the summer-long tour

Shudder by Samanth Durante Blog Tour - June 15th to Sept 1st

24 – The Reading Diaries – The Mystery!

 Why does Alessa keep feeling something following them through the woods? – Review at Here’s the Story

Shudder is filled with surprises around every corner, keeping me guessing till the very end.

 

The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl – Raving Fans!

Can I just freaking say how much I LOVE this series?! Stitch was good. Shudder? AMAZINGLY AMAZING!!! I can’t even express how much I just LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. Everything about it was perfection. – Review at Literary Meanderings 

Rose & Beps Blog – Crushing on Side Characters!

Lizzie: I’ll support whoever can deliver that future, whether it’s the rebels or even the leaders of Paragon, if they were willing to change. I do believe in second chances. – Character Interview  at Mousehead & Tales

25 – Chapter BreakVile Villainy!

Samantha: …the Engineers(the bad guys) are based on a variety of people I’ve met and disliked over the years for their general arrogance and lack of ability to connect with people (though I’m not naming names, haha). – Interview at Joanna In the Sky With Books:

Review:

 I enjoyed the merging of genre and thought it was a unique twist on sci-fi and dystopia, with a little paranormal aspect until we learn otherwise. 

Wonderings of One Person – Review

Shudder by Samantha Durante is a deeply touching and sensational story of discovery and freedom laden with heavy doubts and uncomfortable choices. I was swept away…

Mortal Moments – Crushing on Characters!

Do YOU have any favourite fiction crushes or book boyfriends? Care to share them… so we can all swoon together! 🙂

Issac is one to add to the list of “book boyfriends”. – Review at A Thousand Lives

26 – A Tiffyfit’s Reading Corner – Review

…what an ENDING! This story is keeping my head bent to my kindle. Ms Durante has IT, ladies and gentlemen. That thing that some authors have that just keep you turning the pages…

27 Kindred DreamhartCatch some STYLE!

 

look 2

The Bookish Daydreamer – OMG Endings!

Samantha: My favorite scene to write in Shudder was definitely the big revelation in the very last chapter. Heart-wrenching. – Interview at Lovely Reads

Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – Developing Deep Characters

Things get even more complicated when Alessa discovers something new about herself, a twist that I sure never saw coming. Again kudos Samantha for a great job well done. ~Review at Total Book Nerds

28 – YA Book Addict – Review

The one constant thought that kept coming at me while I was reading Shudder was the originality of it. I remember feeling the exact same way while I was reading Stitch. Personally, I have never read anything like it before and I have to give huge applause to an author who can create such a fantastically original, well written, engaging piece of writing.

Library of a Book Witch – POV Perfection!

…the transitions between character to character are smooth and never feel unnatural or jarring, each character’s situation has a different aura to it, I could immediately tell which character I was currently reading about… Review at Book Adoration.

Mommasez…Writerly Wisdom

Do what you love. – Guest Post “Celebrating the Stitch 1 Year Anniversary” at Head Stuck in a Book

Imagine the world ended tomorrow. – Guest Post “Family & Relationships in a Dying World” at My World in Words and Pages 

Review

Samantha teases us with two girls, one stoned by an angry mob, the other in a prison cell. We don’t know who is who. And it’s deliciously mysterious!!

29 – Mel’s ShelvesPraise for Pacing!

Fast paced with not a single dull moment, this book will have you turning pages until the end. – Review at Little Hyuts

Review

Oh, my! Dystopia at its finest! A quick word on Stitch (book 1): It had been a while since I’d read what it was about so I just started reading. It seemed like a nice time travel romance with a hint of something else and then BAM!, in came the dystopia element. At that point, I couldn’t put it down…

Fundinmental – Painstakingly Plotted World

The complexity of the plot and the dynamics have you wondering what exactly Samantha has in her mind to be able to imagine this complex world. I never one time imagined that what happens in the book could actually happen but now the idea is planted firmly in my mind. It is a little freaky. – Review at Cynthia Shepp Book Reviews & Editing

Review:

 Shudder… has so many things going on that, at times, I was torn about where I wanted the story to go. 

 

30 Literary Meanderings – Top Ten Raving Fan Moments!

Shudder is one of the best dystopians I’ve read so far! It’s so intense, so captivating. There’s a lot in it, and it’s so well written. The action, the suspense, the thrill… All of it will leave you begging for more. I know I am! Samantha, you’ve really set the bar with this one. I enjoyed every second of it. ~ Review at City of Books

31 My Devotional Thoughts – More Crushing On Characters! 

 

Isaac Sttich Trilogy

Interview with Isaac at Always YA at Heart

– Green Mountain Couple – More Vile Villainy!

“The memory alteration research mentioned some, well, unfortunate side effects…” – Guest Post at Crys Book Reviews

Review

I absolutely LOVE LOVED this book. It was one of those books that I picked up and didn’t want to set back down even after it was finished.

Sept. 1 – The Book Rogue – Review

Some things were not that unusual for a Dystopian, but there were also some shocking aspects — in the regard that I don’t find them too absurd to actually happen, like right now. Genius and insanity are utterly and truly a very fine line that tends to blur a lot.

Quote:

“What we haven’t told you yet–“

He paused, searching her eyes before he dropped his bombshell.

 

“– is that the outbreak wasn’t exactly a mistake.”

See what you’re missing… read Stitch & Shudder now!!

Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, #1)  Shudder (Stitch Trilogy #2)

Also available in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold!

Samantha Durante, Author of the Stitch Trilogy

Samantha Durante

Tour-Wide Giveaway:

5 Winners. August 24 – September 16, 2013

* Signed print copy of Stitch & Shudder for you and two friends (USA only)

* Signed (via Authorgraph) e-book copies of Stitch & Shudder for you and two friends (Int’l)

* Signed Stitch & Shudder bookmarks + e-book copies of Stitch & Shudder (Int’l)

* $10 Amazon Gift Card (Int’l)

* $5 Amazon Gift Card (Int’l)

Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!

For the first time ever, you can download Elisabeth Wheatley’s YA paranormal novella, Fanged Princess,  FREE for your Kindles Saturday,August 31st and Sunday, September 1st.

A great way to celebrate your end of summer holiday!

So check out the blurb and book trailer below, grab your copy, and don’t forget to tell your friends!

20121205-230200.jpg

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Reviewing Soon!

I will not let my brother suffer the same loss…

Hadassah’s father, the Vampire King, punished her harshly for her choice to love a human. Now her brother, the only person in the world who still matters to her, has fallen for a human girl. Determined to keep the girl safe, the three of them flee from their home in New England and find themselves cornered with their father’s minions closing in. If they want to escape, their only hope may be to join forces with the mortal enemies of their kind…

Be ensnared in this dark tale of enduring love, revenge, and suspense from teenage author, Elisabeth Wheatley.

Download for free!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_HaRcOwYaY?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent]

~~~

About Elisabeth Wheatley

Elisabeth Wheatley

Elisabeth Wheatley is a teenager of the Texas Hill Country. When she’s not daydreaming of elves, vampires, or hot guys in armor, she is reading copious amounts of fantasy, playing with her little brothers, studying mythology, and training and showing her Jack Russell Terrier, Schnay.
.
For more about Elisabeth and her other books use the links below.
.
 
.
 
Thanks so much Elisabeth and have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!!

If you haven’t read The Guardians of Vesturon series by A.M. Hargrove yet, I have exciting news!

You can get Survival: Book One and Beginnings: The Prequel Novella, FREE today on AMAZON!

13077293

goodreads-badge-add-plus

I read and reviewed this before I started my blog.

Wanting to tell more about awesome books, I started my blog and haven’t stop talking since!

My Review

“Maybe I was caught between the two worlds. I was having serious trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality.”

While on a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, nineteen-year-old Maddie Pearce finds her world has been thrown into a vortex and is madly spinning toward the impossible. Abducted by a mad psychopath, Maddie narrowly escapes with her life. But that is only the beginning. Her mysterious rescuer introduces her to a world that Maddie has difficulty accepting as reality. Will this strikingly gorgeous stranger be the key to her future or will she return to her mundane world, scarred from her experience? Follow Maddie as she is forced to make difficult decisions that carry her to mysterious places.

Click on the icon below to get your copy now!

cfe8d-am

~~~

13563073

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Reviewing soon

You met the Guardians of Vesturon in Survival and Resurrection.  Now read about how their parents, Rowan and Annalise met in Beginnings, the novella Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon.  Learn more about Rowan and how Annalise unwittingly captured his heart and how his chance meeting of her took him on a journey of forbidden love.

Click on the icon below to get your copy now!

cfe8d-am

~~~

Other books in The Guardians of Vesturon Series

13418225

My Review

~~

15723291

Reviewing soon

~~~

18052792

Reviewing soon.

~~~

A Praestani Series Novel

16130956

My Review

~~~

The Edge Series

17155022

My Review

~~~

17339105

My Review

~~

17733433

My Review

~~~

18271624

Reading this now.

You can catch my review in the tour coming October 2nd!

~~~

About the Author

Hargrove

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window.   She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

Boss:  Hello

A.M.:  Boss, is that you?

Boss:  Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?

A.M.:  Er… right.  Well, I’m calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate.

Boss:  Why ever would I want to do that?

A.M.:  Because I quit!

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

A.M.:  Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?

Hubs:  Sure… Having some car trouble?

A.M.:  Not at all.  I don’t have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job.

Hubs:  WHAT?!

A.M.:  It’s time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist.

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer! Her books include Kissing Fire, Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge, the series the Guardians of Vesturon (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, Beginnings and the upcoming reEmergent) and Dark Waltz.

Author Social Media Links:

http://www.amhargrove.blogspot.com

http://www.amhargrove.com

http://www.twitter.com/@amhargrove1

http://www.facebook.com/anne.m.hargrove

http://www.facebook.com/guardiansofvesturon

http://www.goodreads.com/amhargrove1

Wavecrossed Tour Banner

I fell in love with the cover art for Wavecrossed when it was being revealed a while ago.

I had to be a part of the Release Day Blitz!

Isn’t it so awesome?!

Check out Wavecrossed and enjoy the peek inside.

wavex_450

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Title: Wavecrossed
Author: Andrea Colt
Date of Publication: August 22, 2013
Genre: paranormal YA
.
Purchase links
Amazon | CreateSpace (paperback) / B&N
.
Blurb:
A young-adult paranormal novel about selkies, tasers, kissing and secrets.
To Cassandra Kelleher, trust is a dirty word.
A teenage selkie who grew up on land, all she wants is to free her family from the man who stole their sealskins long ago. With her twin brother Brennan losing hope and her window of opportunity disappearing like the beach at high tide, she’ll try anything.
Before long, however, Cassandra can’t tell whether her biggest threat is the man holding her family captive, a classmate who’s discovered her secret, or her own paranoia. Battling broken friendships and alarming romantic entanglements, Cassandra finds that trust could be the key to winning her family’s freedom … or losing her own.
.
Enjoy this glimpse inside Wavecrossed
.
~~
Chapter One

Midnight is the perfect time to eat a turtle.

Submerged in an icy river, I focused briefly on the thought, then let it go. My brother should be close enough to hear, and it would make him come running, so to speak. Mentally, I grinned.

My lungs craved air, so I flicked my hind flippers to propel me upwards. As my head broke the surface, I spun to scan both sides of the forested shore. No human faces peered back in the moonlight, but I pivoted in the water to check again as I sucked in a breath. Not that a nighttime fisherman would see anything odder than a seal poking her nose out of a coastal Maine river—which wasn’t a totally crazy sight, though most seals kept to saltwater—but it wasn’t random humans I was worried about. It was the other kind, the kind who knew what I was. The lying-in-wait kind.

But if anyone lurked in the shadows, I couldn’t see them. Or, I noted as I drew another breath, smell them. So I was safe. Probably.

Letting my muscles relax, I lifted my nose further into the air so the crisp breeze could ruffle my whiskers. I spun in the water again, this time for fun. Despite the danger, I loved these nights, these escapes. For a while I could lose myself in motion and instinct, forget the problems waiting for me ashore. Here, I didn’t have to pretend to be a normal teenage girl, didn’t have to smother my anger and growing desperation. Here, weightless in the river, the world felt right. For a moment, at least.

The water around me shifted, and my brother surfaced two feet away. The seal version of my twin was darker than my dappled cloud coloring; he was gunmetal spotted with shadow, his eyes round wells of midnight as he huffed out a breath.

Cass, you can’t eat turtles. Outrage tinged Brennan’s thought. What would Nicky say?

Nicky was the snapping turtle Brennan had found injured in a pond when we were in middle school. He’d taken him home and kept him in the basement bathtub for a week until his leg healed. Now whenever we met a snapping turtle, Brennan claimed it was Nicky’s uncle, or grandmother, or sister-in-law.

Nicky can’t talk, so he wouldn’t say anything. I dove, abandoning the moonlit surface. Water pressed against my fur and skin; from below came the faint clicks and rustlings of crayfish scuttling over rocks. The bottom of the river beckoned, a fascinating murky dark, and as always a part of me wanted to paint it. But if I tried, the result would look like a squid threw up on canvas—oils could never capture the life and motion of an inky midnight river.

In any case, I didn’t paint anymore. Not even in human form. I’d won schoolwide awards for it freshman year, but now I wouldn’t touch a brush for all the fish in the sea.

Brennan fell in beside me as I swam upstream.

Maybe turtles can talk. Like we do.

Mind-speaking reptiles? I snorted, bubbles betraying my mirth. I started to tell Brennan how ridiculous that was, then paused. Three years ago, when I thought I was just an ordinary high school freshman, I’d have called the idea of creatures like us ridiculous too.

They can’t talk to us, I pointed out instead.

Brennan swam above me, a shadow against the pale surface, then butted my shoulder with his snout.

Well, in any case, selkies don’t eat turtles. Weaving through the water, he sped on ahead.

I frowned. Says who? Not our parents, for sure. Trapped on land, they found the ways of our people too painful to talk about. And in the two and a half years since Brennan and I discovered the truth about ourselves, we’d never met another selkie.

Without opposable thumbs, how would they get through the shell? Brennan’s logic floated back to me as he somersaulted through the water.

They could eat them while in human form. Turtle soup is a delicacy in France, right?

Gross. Brennan paused to nose under a submerged log. I surfaced for another breath, then ducked safely down before continuing upriver. My whiskers caught vibrations through the water: I sensed fish milling about below, tasty swimming morsels, but they’d get a pass tonight. It was late.

After another thirty seconds, I realized my brother had fallen behind. I twisted in the water, but moonlight only penetrated a few inches; I couldn’t see him in the darkness. The river’s weak current tugged at me, the flow undisturbed by another seal-sized body nearby.

I sent a thought out like a beacon: Come on, Brennan, let’s go home. Tomorrow’s shift is going to suck even more if we don’t get any sleep. We were scheduled to work the Sunday brunch rush at The Golden Fish, our older brother Declan’s restaurant. I’d rather roll in needles, but skipping wasn’t an option.

In my mind, I heard a monumental sigh. Then, hardly more than a shudder of a thought:

What if we just left, tonight?

My stomach clenched. Whirling, I swam upstream without answering. Maybe Brennan hadn’t meant me to hear, and didn’t realize I had—sometimes the line between musing and directed thought was thin. Usually we laughed at apparent non sequiturs from stray thoughts, but this one wasn’t funny.

Selkies belonged at sea. I knew that. And it wasn’t that I didn’t want to bid Granite Harbor, Maine, a thoroughly un-fond farewell. Frankly, staying on land blew chunks. Big, slimy ones. It meant rules and bargains and danger, and being forced not to spit in faces that desperately deserved it.

But selkies couldn’t become their true selves without their sealskins, and my parents and older brother were trapped apart from theirs, forced to stay ashore in human form. Until two-and-a-half years ago Brennan and I had been trapped too; we hadn’t even known of our true natures then, so we’d grown up like normal kids, or near enough.

Now that we knew the truth, and had our sealskins—a gift with a price I hated to think about—we should be at sea. It was unnatural for selkies to stay on land. But though Brennan and I were free, the rest of our family wasn’t. I couldn’t leave them behind, not without a fight, and despite his possibly-unintentional comment, I knew Brennan wouldn’t either. If I looked back, he’d be following.

He’d better be following.

When I reached the stretch of bank where we’d left our clothes I finally turned to check, but no torpedo-shaped shadow darkened the water.

Brennan? I called mentally, but there was no response. My heart seized. Brennan? For an agonized second I thought he’d left us behind after all, but then there came a faint snap, as if of teeth.

Just let me eat this catfish, will you?

At my brother’s happy distracted tone, relief surged in like the tide. Brennan was my twin, and my best friend. My only friend, if you wanted to split hairs; we couldn’t trust any of our classmates with the truth about ourselves. Brennan still went to parties, but I found it next to impossible to socialize with classmates when my paranoid side branded the word THREAT invisibly on their foreheads. If any of them found out what we really were … Disaster. So if Brennan ever did leave, I’d be alone in my fight.

But he was still here, and I exhaled a bit, bubbles trickling from my nose up to the surface. I let Brennan enjoy his fish; I’d make sure the shore was safe.

Edging toward the bank, I raised my head from the water and scanned the woods carefully. This was always the most dangerous part of our nighttime swims. What if someone had come across our haul-out spot while we were downstream? What if they’d found our clothes? What if they were waiting for Brennan and me to emerge and change back into human form so they could snatch our sealskins?

It wasn’t so far-fetched a notion: after all, that’s what happened to our parents.

I inhaled deeply, my nose sorting scents: tangy pine needles, rotting fall leaves, a faint trace of fox scat. Nothing human besides our own belongings. I counted silently to thirty, but heard nothing beyond the normal rustling of small birds. As far as I could tell, we were alone. Time to trudge back to my landlubber life.

Bracing myself, I started the change.

Bone-deep hurt stabbed everywhere, stretching and cracking and reshaping my limbs and flesh. When I was ten I’d broken an arm, and it felt like that—except all my bones at once, while sandpaper raked my skin. I kept going, and after an agonizing eleven seconds—Brennan and I had timed each other once—my form solidified into one with legs and arms and breasts and hair.

And, thank God, thumbs. I used my lovely thumbs and fingers to grasp my sealskin, now floating like a cape beside me. Still underwater, I wrapped it around my torso before kicking my legs to take me to shore. The shallows here were little more than a two-foot-wide submerged ledge between the deeper part of the river and the earthen bank. I pulled myself up onto the ledge and crouched on the slick rock, water lapping at my shoulders. Steadying myself with one hand on an adjacent boulder, I stood.

Heavy. That first moment out of the water always felt like being saddled with a backpack of granite. Though the thigh-deep water would turn a normal human’s toes blue in twenty seconds—it was October, after all, and winter showed up early on Maine’s doorstep—I stayed stock still. My gaze raked the shadowed underbrush for dangers I might have missed from the water, and my ears strained for the sound of a footstep. My muscles tensed, ready to hurl me back into the river, but the night remained quiet. All clear.

Bending over, I found two smooth river stones and rapped them four times against each other underwater—the signal to let Brennan know it was safe. Our mind-speech only worked in seal form. As I clambered onto the dirt bank, Brennan surfaced mid-river, whiskers gleaming white. Waving, I slipped behind a thick, squat fir tree and found my backpack, nestled among the branches close to the trunk. I pulled out my clothes, then reluctantly unwrapped myself.

Once I was dressed, my fingers lingered on my damp sealskin, this strange key to my secret self. Growing up, my sealskin—and I—had been another’s possession, but it was mine now. I was mine now.

I’d never give that up again, not for anything.

To the untutored eye my sealskin looked like a dark, misshapen towel. The skin side was rough but supple, the reverse sleek and padded with guard hairs. There were no claws or a face or anything creepy like that, just an amorphous shape roughly twice as long as it was wide.

Home, I thought. My sealskin was home to me, more so than my bedroom in my parents’ house, or even the ocean. Contact with my sealskin made me feel strong. Cleared my thoughts. I’d been anxious and tightly wound this afternoon, in a mood Brennan classily termed megabitch, but now that I’d had a good swim I felt steadier.

I folded my sealskin, smoothing down the guard hairs possessively. My whole freedom was tied up in this thing. It killed me to part from it, to stow it in one of a dozen hiding places we’d found in the area, but we couldn’t take our sealskins back to the house. It wasn’t safe.

Slipping my sealskin into my backpack, I returned to the riverbank. Was Brennan getting dressed? I heard nothing from behind the holly bush where he’d hidden his backpack of clothes, and the dirt beside the water was dry except for my damp footprints.

I peered into the depths just beyond the ledge.

“Come on, Brennan.” The water would distort my voice, but Brennan would hear. How long did a catfish take to devour, anyway?

I inhaled, but my nose now caught only the overwhelming scent of pine. My senses were always sharper in seal form, except perhaps for touch. My human skin, without the guard hairs that covered my other self, was definitely more sensitive. And delicate—I’d nicked myself on a thorny bramble earlier, and I stretched out my hand to inspect it. The pad of my thumb, which had sported the wound, was pristine again. Changing healed little injuries, though it didn’t, sadly, maintain things like manicures. I hadn’t bothered to paint my nails in over a year.

A shadow in the river caught my eye. Finally. Brennan was … coming up too fast.

“Wait,” I yelped, but before I could move Brennan exploded out of the river, leaping into the air right beside the ledge and flopping down again. The wave of wet hit me nearly full-on. Sputtering, I shrieked a curse as Brennan disappeared underwater. Surprise cannonballs had been my brother’s signature move at the public pool when we were younger—his and every other boy’s.

My twin surfaced ten feet offshore for my reaction. My jeans were drenched, my sweater half-soaked. Not that it really mattered—my long dark hair dripped down my back anyways—but getting mad was part of the fun. I stamped my foot and cupped my hands around my mouth.

“That’s it—I’m making turtle soup out of Nicky’s cousins!”

Brennan blew out his breath in what amounted to a seal laugh, then submerged. I hastily backed up, but when Brennan reappeared he only pulled himself onto the ledge. I settled on a tree stump to wring out my hair, averting my eyes while Brennan shifted forms and wrapped his sealskin around him.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Brennan said, out of breath from the change. It had only taken him seven seconds; I wasn’t sure why he was faster than me. I rolled my eyes as he pushed himself upright. In human form my brother stood two inches taller than my five-foot-eight frame, his driftwood-colored hair lighter than my dark brown waves. But we shared the same blue eyes, and our mother’s narrow nose. And, of course, our selkie genes.

Still grinning about his prank, Brennan jumped up onto the bank and headed for his holly bush to swap his sealskin for his clothes.

As I finished wringing out my hair, my thoughts returned to our trapped family. They were admittedly never far from my mind, but although swimming cleared my head and calmed my nerves, it always brought home exactly what our parents and older brother were being denied. We’d been trying for two years to get their sealskins back, but so far we’d failed. Sometimes it felt hopeless.

“What are we going to do, Brennan?” I said, my humor gone.

“About what?”

“About our parents.” As if I could mean anything else.

“We’re doing everything we can.” His muffled voice was not nearly as urgent as I’d have liked.

“It’s not enough.” An understatement. Last week our latest attempt to find the sealskins had gone belly up, just like all the rest. The fresh failure cut at me like the icy night breeze.

I heard a sigh. “Give it a rest, will you?”

My mouth went flat. A rest. That’s all Brennan said lately. Remembering his possibly private thought, I wondered if he’d given up entirely, if he was just biding his time until I gave up too. Anger twined through my voice.

“They’ll die here if we don’t free them.”

Brennan stepped out of the shadows and shouldered his backpack.

“Melodrama alert.” Seeing my face, he hesitated. “Let’s sleep on it, okay?”

I wanted to tear into him, but getting into an argument now wouldn’t do any good. Taking a deep breath, I stood and twisted my hair into a bun, securing it with what looked like innocent hair sticks—knives, after all, weren’t allowed in school.

“Okay.” I jerked my lips into a smile and picked up my backpack. “There are sandwiches in the truck, right?” Changing took a boatload of energy, so we were always ravenous once we returned to land. Peanut butter was more filling than crayfish—and much easier to catch.

“Two for me, none for you,” Brennan joked.

“Not if I get there first,” I shot back. Falling into comforting, well-worn banter, we headed up the dark path to the truck.

We never did see the camcorder propped in the trees, watching us go.

~~~~~
Okay, now I’m hooked.
I have to know more about Cassandra and Brennan
Will they find the sealskins? Will they be able to save their family?
And I have to get back in the water with them. The first chapter is excellent and I actually felt like I was there, swimming with them, seeing what they saw, and even thinking turtle might not be too bad!
I’m so glad this is now available as I have to know!
~~~~~
About Andrea Colt
wavecrossed andreacolt
.
Andrea Colt grew up reading and squabbling with her identical twin. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, a fridge full of cheese, and two feline muses. Visit andreacolt.com to get to know her better.
Author Links
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/n5Tyj
.
To follow the tour for more fun excerpts and reviews click on the banner below.
.
Wavecrossed Tour Banner

hatedcoverreveal

I’m so happy to be able to reveal the cover for Hated by Mercy Amare.

This is the third book in The Rock Star Trilogy.

I love all of the covers in this series.

hated 1400x2100

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Everything in my life is perfect. I have a family. My music is now going my way. And I have Stephan. Forever. All my dreams are coming true. But the problem with perfection is that eventually everything falls apart. And my whole life is crumbling around me — piece by piece.

I am just trying to get through the next few months with my sanity intact, but that seems like an impossible feat. I’m back in LA, and this time I’m not alone. Between finding time for my new husband, my mother-in-law that hates me, and putting up with Alec and Bridgett’s bickering, I’m not sure how much more I can take… And then Mona shows up. I am in over my head.

I thought I knew the truth about everything, but I was wrong. Secrets that weren’t supposed to come out are now being discovered. Secrets about my biological father… Even Bridgett is keeping a secret… Something big. I have to know what, even if it means running away again.

I tried for normal — now I know that there is nothing normal about being a rock star.

About Mercy Amare

I write YA & NA fiction. I have a slight addiction to NOS. My guilty pleasure is Pretty Little Liars & Vampire Diaries!

For more about the author and a complete list of her books go HERE.

giveaway photo: Giveaway giveaway.gif

5 ARCs of HATED

Click on the link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have read the first two books in The Rock Star Trilogy.

Jaded (Rock Star, #1)

goodreads-badge-add-plus

and

Faded (Rock Star, #2)

goodreads-badge-add-plus

You can read my reviews for Jaded and Faded HERE

A flirty,fun romance series.

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go HERE.

Shudder by Samanth Durante Blog Tour - June 15th to Sept 1st

I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the tour for Shudder, Book 2 of the Stitch Trilogy

I have an exciting sneak peek for you, along with my review!

And, a giveaway! Don’t forget to enter.

17617373

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Genre/Keywords: Dystopian, Paranormal Romance, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, New Adult, Psychic Abilities, Empath, Clairvoyance, YA, NA
Length: ~80,000 words (348 pages)
Sample Chapters: Ch1-4 (31 pages)
Release Date: June 15th, 2013

Shudder Synopsis

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

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.

And then there are the visions.

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…

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.

Shudder Purchase Links

Amazon (Kindle $2.99, print $8.99)

Barnes & Noble (Nook $2.99)

Smashwords (multiple e-book formats $2.99) Also available ($2.99 e-book) in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold

Buy Stitch on Amazon!

EXCERPT

Alessa looked back to Isaac, who was crouched and picking among the broken glass.  She watched him slip something into his pocket, but before she could ask what he’d found, a loud bang echoed from down the hall ahead of them.

Isaac looked up at her at once and they both froze, waiting.  The tension of the silence clotted in the air as Alessa held her breath in suspense.

When no other sound came, Isaac stood tentatively and inched over to Alessa, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back and motioning ahead with a nod.

She pointed the flashlight in the direction of the sound and they set off with quiet footsteps in search of its source.

As they reached the department store at the far end of the hallway, they paused, staring into the blackness beyond the threshold.  Alessa gripped the flashlight and felt Isaac’s hand slide on top of hers, the pressure of his fingers pointing the torch downward and flicking off the light with a click.

They were plunged into night.

They stepped tentatively into the dark room and gave their eyes another moment to adjust.  From what Alessa could tell, it seemed the clothing racks had all been pushed to the sides, leaving a big open space in the center of the room.

She took another few steps to get a better look.

And that’s when it hit her – an abrupt slam in the face as if she’d pivoted into a wall of brick, and the full-body crash of a tidal wave of pain.

Alessa sunk to her knees, a soul-crushing rush of sorrow and terror flooding her consciousness and draining every ounce of strength from her body.

Like a blow to the gut, the air raced from her lungs and she crumpled over, her face smacking against the cool linoleum of the floor.

A thousand images flashed before her eyes, people and places she didn’t recognize jumbled with thoughts and feelings that she knew were not her own.  Alessa squeezed her eyes shut, her mind pressing outward against the onslaught barraging her senses, but it was no use.

The torrent pounded through her, raging.  Helpless against it, Alessa poured her concentration into the only thing she could think to do – the simple act of breathing.

In, out.

In, out.

In, out.

She drank each shallow breath and waited in agony for the deluge to end.

~~~~

My Review

Alessa and Isaac set off to find a secure base for all of those wanting out of Paragon.

They worry that the virus may still be out there, but soon discover they are being stalked by creatures, swift moving things that remain in the shadows of the forest, shrieking their rage.

As they escape an attack, something happens to Alessa. She is frozen in place as her mind is overpowered with fear, frustration and fury. She doesn’t know how it’s happening, but she’s experiencing these creatures feelings and it terrifies her.

They have to hurry. People are waiting for them to return with a location for their safe haven and Alessa has to get her sister, Janie, out of the clutches of the Ruling Class.

~~

I finished reading Shudder in one sitting, never taking a break.

I could feel it in the authors writing, I was nearing the end of the book. No, not yet!

I needed to know why Joe featured so strongly in Alessa’s mind, what happened to her sister, and where the virus came from.

Samantha started to wrap up the ending while subtly layering in leads to the finale, Stuck. the last book in this trilogy. I liked that. Sure, I didn’t get all of the answers I wanted, but I did get a lot of insight into what the ‘stitch’ was and why and how it was used.

I also learned about the Ruling Class and their reasoning behind the stitch, even though I suspect some, if not most, of them were lying.

It’s no surprise that humanity didn’t learn its lesson. You’d think after all that has been written and studied, all of the wealth of info there is, they would know better. But no, the Ruling Class do the same things as before, believing they know what’s good for all. They buy into their own lies and block out the moral compass screaming stop, and do whatever is necessary to benefit the greater good. And we wonder why we don’t trust our government. Too many chiefs.

I felt twinges of The Matrix and Aeon Flux while reading this. Shudder reads like a dystopian, post-apocalyptic science fiction story. The author did an amazing job of blending these genre into an exciting, addictive series.

It makes me wonder. If Stitch and Shudder are so great, what is Stuck going to be like? I’m sure it’ll be thrilling.

5 Stars

~~~~

Haven’t read the first book in the series? Check out my review here

Just $0.99 at Amazon!

Stitch (Stitch Trilogy #1)

goodreads-badge-add-plus

 Blurb

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.

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.

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…

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.

Stitch Purchase Links.

Amazon (Kindle $0.99, print $8.99)

Barnes & Noble (Nook $0.99)

Smashwords (multiple e-book formats $0.99) Also available ($0.99 e-book) in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold!

Buy Stitch on Amazon!

~~~~

A little birdie told me the third book, will be releasing in 2014!

Stuck (Stitch Trilogy #3)

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Book 3 in the Stitch Trilogy.  Expected Publication: Summer 2014.  More information coming soon!

~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway giveaway.gif

I have an e-book copy of Shudder to give away!

To enter, click on the rafflecopter link below.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

~~~~~~

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.

— Social Media Links —

Facebook: Stitch Trilogy | Author Samantha Durante

Goodreads: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante

Twitter: @SamanthaDurante | Hashtag suggestions: #Stitch, #StitchTrilogy, #Shudder

LibraryThing: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante

Shelfari: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante

~~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go HERE.

Join the celebration organized by AToMR Tours.

Jenna-Lynne Duncan is celebrating the release of her new book, Aftermath.

You’ll learn what Aftermath is about and sneak a peek inside, and don’t forget to enter the awesome giveaway!

Living on the Gulf Coast, I was here during Hurricane Katrina. While my area wasn’t hit hard, the aftermath was felt deeply all along the coast.

Anyone living on the Gulf has experienced these powerful and deadly storms and as a community, strangers are no more. Everyone helps everyone else to pick up the pieces and go on.

I am really looking forward to reading this series and I’m always looking for books set in the south as I feel an instant connection and often recognize places mentioned in the stories.

Aftermath book cover

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Title:  Aftermath

Author: Jenna-Lynne Duncan

Publisher:  Stolen Kiss Press

Release date:  July 2013

Genre: Paranormal romance/urban fantasy

Age Group: Young Adult

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Available Soon

~~~~~~~

Book Description

Adriana can’t decide which is harder— living in post-Katrina New Orleans or living with two immortal brothers. Ana and Hayden are finally together but Hayden’s brother Luke is trying to come between them… and he’s never been known to play fair. While Ana still attempts to cling to her normal life, psychic visions take over her dreams. With Mardi Gras season approaching and a vision of a murder, Ana will find out if she can really change the future or if she’s just upsetting a very delicate balance. What she could never predict was just how far Luke would go to satisfy his obsession…

How about a little peek inside!

As I went to follow them, Luke stopped me. I stared at his hand curled around my arm, acutely aware of his touch.

When I looked up at him, his eyes became stormy. He licked his lips and then bent down to whisper in my ear. The heat of his breath tickled the sensitive area of my neck as he whispered, “ You can’t expect me to play nice, when you wear something like that. I’m afraid I simply won’t be able to keep my hands off of you.”

My jaw dropped open. His words appalled me—and at the same time excited me.

I recovered my composure. “You’d better keep your hands off me, unless you want me to break your fingers.” I gave him my best menacing smile. Where was this side of me coming from? Strangely, I knew.

“Ohh,” his chest rumbled with laughter. “Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Both.” I snapped as he slowly made his way around to my other ear. This had to stop.

“I look forward to any time where you touch me.” He had circled me, like he was a vulture and I was his prey.

“You’re disgusting!”

“We’ll talk more of what I am later, love. Right now, your friends are waiting.” At his last words, he left me there in the hallway, weak-kneed and boiling with anger.

“No, we will not talk about this later!” I called after him, but it was too late, I had already heard the door to the garage open. And he’d had the last word.

~~~~~~~~

Here’s a little bit about Hurricane, Book #1

Hurricane (Hurricane #1)

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

 

About the Author

Jenna-Lynne Duncan graduated from the University of St. Thomas with degrees in Political Science, International Studies and Middle Eastern Studies. She is the author of the popular young adult series Hurricane. She is currently working on a fourth Hurricane novel as well as another YA series. Besides writing, Jenna-Lynne likes children and travelling. Preferably together.

To know more about Jenna-Lynne, please visit her website at www.Jenna-Lynne.com

Author social media links:

Twitter: @JennaLynneD or www.Twitter.com/JennaLynneD

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Lynne-Duncan/198137450227636

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4957254.Jenna_Lynne_Duncan

giveaway photo: Giveaway giveaway.gif

A Hurricane gift basket which will include a signed copy of Hurricane, a signed copy of Aftermath, an eBook copy of Tempest, a fleur de lis necklace, a love potion necklace, Aftermath book charms, Hurricane book mark, Cafe Du Monde beignet mix, and a mardi grad mask! – US Only

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Let the good times roll!

Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

~~~~~~

AToMRTours_large

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go here.

LostBlitzBanner

I was a part of the blitz for Hidden, Book #1 and just had to be a part of the Blitz for Lost, Book #2!

Enjoy the character interview and don’t forget to enter the giveaways!

Yep, that’s right, two giveaways!

~~~~~

Lost cover

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Lost by M. Lathan  Series: Hidden, #2
.
Publication date: June 20th 2013
.
Genre: YA Paranormal
.
.
Synopsis:

Three months ago, Christine Grant found herself, her love, and impossible friends, while losing the memories of the biggest piece of her past.
Now, her powers are spinning out of control and must be tamed by the woman who saved the world, the same woman Christine is predicted to kill in less than a month.
Wanting to punish catty girls was just the beginning. It’s only a matter of time before she discovers that the world is not as safe from her as she hoped it was.

~~~~

Let’s get to know Leah, shall we?

Character Interview with Leah –  Prior to Lost

So, Leah … or is it Christine?

Leah is what the nuns named me at my school. My real name is Christine.

Which one would you like me to call you?

Whichever you want.

Okay, I’ll go with Leah. First, I want you to relax. I know what you’re hiding. Your secret is safe with me. Okay?

Okay.

So when did you first realize you weren’t … human?

It sort of becomes apparent when you can’t seem to think of another room without accidently moving to it.

That must have been scary. I guess I can answer my next question on my own, then. I was going to ask if you had one wish, what would it be. I’d bet it would be to be human. Am I right?

Yeah. Life would be … uh … simpler that way.

Tell me a little about the disguise you keep up. How do you hide your powers?

It’s difficult. I have to be quiet and careful. I have to watch my every move. But I’m still alive so … I obviously don’t suck at it too much.

Obviously. Hats off to you. Have you picked up anything from imitating a human? Do you have typical teenage quirks? A favorite color or food?

I guess I have a favorite food. If oranges count.

Yeah, that counts. What about other typical high school things? Do you have a most embarrassing moment?

There’s too many to choose from. Let me see. Eighth grade, right after a math test I’d completely bombed. I’d been fighting with my magic all day. It seemed like every time I moved, something else in the classroom would move with me. So naturally, I’d stopped moving. A girl I hate, Sienna, screamed my name from the back of class and asked if I was constipated. I guess I looked kind of constipated. Anyway, I tried to move so I wouldn’t look as strange, and the American flag hanging over the chalkboard crashed to Sister Margaret’s desk. Scared out of my mind, I ran out of class. Of course, everyone thought I ran to the bathroom because of stomach issues. They called me Pepto for weeks.

Yikes, that’s embarrassing, all right. It doesn’t sound like you have friends, so what do you do in your spare time?

I draw. I’m pretty good at it. I did a full-scale sketch of the orphanage with shading and everything when I was six. That should have tipped me off that I wasn’t normal.

That sounds spectacular. Do you see yourself becoming an artist when you grow up?

Grow up? I’ve never thought about it. I guess I’ll have to pray that I’ll live long enough to make career decisions. Wish me luck.

Good luck. That’s for chatting with me today.

~~~~~~~~

Purchase (Book 1 is currently 0.99c!):
.
lost Hidden
.
goodreads-badge-add-plus
.
~~~~
AUTHOR BIO
.
lost author pic M
.
M. Lathan lives in San Antonio with her husband and mini-schnauzer. She enjoys writing and has a B.S. in Psych and a Masters in Counseling. Her passion is a blend of her two interests – creating new worlds and stocking them with crazy people. She enjoys reading anything with interesting characters and writing in front of a window while asking rhetorical questions … like her idol Carrie Bradshaw.
Author links:
.
Giveaway
Two Giveaways
.
I have one e-book copy of Lost to give away.
Open Internationally
.
To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question:
.
****What memory would you most hate to lose?****
.
This giveaway ends July 21st.
~~~~~~
.
Grand Prize Giveaway
$45 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
.
Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.
.
.
Lost XpressoBannerTours
.
.
Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
.
For all of my giveaways go here.

This tour hosted by Page Turner Book Tours is so exciting.

I’m not sure what the Airians and Cellians are, but I’m going to read AIRION: Return to Zire and find out!

Airion: Return to Zire

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Title: Airion: Return To Zire

Author: J.S. Council

Series: Airion Series

Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy

Publisher: Self Published

Formats Available In:

Paperback, Ebook (HTML, Kindle, Epub, PDF, RTF, LRF, Palm Doc, Plain Text (download), Plain Text (View)

Blurb:

Aside from his outward appearance, Kobi is a normal thirteen-year-old boy. Living with his mother, his father, and his identical twin brother, Raili, with whom he spends most days at the cove watching dolphins and whales feed, he is happy with his life just the way it is. But his fourteenth birthday is coming and Kobi has no idea how much his life is about to change.

            When Raili is pulled through a puddle in the floor of their second floor bedroom by a monster armed with poisonous, spiked tentacles, Kobi goes in after him. What he finds isn’t Raili, but a new world all together, buried beneath the ocean. With a bounty on his head that has been there since he and Raili’s birth, Kobi will have to learn to fight or die before he can be reunited with Raili again. Everything he knew to be true was a lie.

            People he loved and trusted are not who they seem. He isn’t the normal boy he thought himself to be. A transformation is coming. Raili is gone. Blood is shed. Traitors lurk, waiting for their chance. War is inevitable. The fate of the world of Airion rests in his hands. The Wiseone speaks. Failure is certain.

Book Links:

Smashwords /  CreateSpace  / Barnes & Nobles  / Amazon

About The Author:

 

“Although I didn’t fully commit to making writing my life’s work until my sophomore year of college, I have always been a writer at heart. I was the only student in class to get excited about school papers, even asking to write a few for extra credit on occasion. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a degree in Creative Writing – Fiction. After graduating, I moved to Japan where I wrote most of my debut novel, Airion: Return to Zire and all of my second novel Airion: Light and Dawn – the first two of a four book series. Japan was a peaceful place to just sit and write, but life in Japan was also filled with adventure. However much I loved it there, I had to return home to do what I love most. Write.”

Social Media Links:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Excerpt:

“If the Cellians just wanted us dead, why didn’t they just kill Raili instead of taking him?” asked Kobi.

“That is the question, isn’t it?” said Kaiyen slowly. “If they only wanted to use his power, wouldn’t they have taken them both?”

“Not necessarily,” said Rick, fist to his chin. “Having both would probably be too dangerous to risk. They may have been afraid of being destroyed from the inside if they worked together to free themselves. Even with one son of the prophecy, they could cause considerable damage, or so they may think.”

“But Raili would never do that though,” Kobi protested. “Dad…I…I mean, Black Master Rick. You know Raili; you know he wouldn’t do anything like that.”

“It may not be his choice,” said Kimi. “The Cellians can be very persuasive.”

Kobi’s heart sank. “What would they do to him?” he asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

“Whatever they had to,” said Kaiyen. “That is why we must focus on a plan of rescue, before Raili Saio acquires the powers they seek.”

“On our fourteenth birthday,” said Kobi.

“Yes,” said Kai Ventra. “Almost all Airians change on their fourteenth birthday. Along with the natural changes they undergo, such as growing gills, they also acquire unique individual skills, allowing them to thrive more than most others in that ability. These abilities can be anything from designing exceptional clothing to controlling the elements.”

“The stronger the ability, the harder it is to control,” said Kaiyen. “No doubt Cella is depending on this.”

“It won’t work,” said Rick.

“Agreed,” nodded Kaiyen. “But there is another matter that must be discussed, if I may.” Questioning eyes turned to Kaiyen. “Lady Sara,” Kaiyen continued after a swift nod from the King. He was addressing the old woman seated beside Kimi, “have you seen anything in your Kubec about a traitor in Zire.”

Whispers filled the room. “You go too far, Captain,” said Bran.

“What are you saying,” said the advisor to Bran’s left.

“Silence,” said Sai Thayne. The talking ceased instantly. The King’s questioning eyes fell on Kaiyen then turned to Lady Sara. “Wise One?”

“This man possesses a tainted heart,” said the old woman, her eyes gazing into the diamond block. “His treachery dives deep.”

“Do you know who this man is?” asked Kaiyen.

“I see not his face nor his rank,” said Lady Sara, her brow creased and her hands resting on the Kubec. “However, he knows all that we know and some we do not.”

“It is as I thought,” said Kaiyen, “Zire’s traitor has resurfaced.”

~~~~~~~

I’m hooked. I need to know more about the Airians and the Cellians!

Check out the other stops on the tour!

02/06/2013 – Page Turner Book Tours – http://pageturnerbooktours.com/ – Top 10

03/06/2013 – The One Saga – http://www.theonesaga.com/ –  Interview

04/06/2013 – Breathless Blog – http://www.breathlessblog.com/ – Spotlight

05/06/2013 – IWAssociation – http://iwassociation.com/ – Excerpt

06/06/2013 – Lissette Manning – http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning/ – Spotlight and Review

07/06/2013 – Alaine’s Blog (Anna Winters) – http://alainebatty.blogspot.co.uk/ – Spotlight and Review

08/06/2013 – Unwritten – Http://www.mystiparker.blogspot.com – Excerpt

09/06/2013 – Dina Rae Write’s Stuff – http://www.dinaraeswritestuff.blogspot.co.uk – Guest Post

10/06/2013 – The Cro’s Nest – http://p45crok.wordpress.com/ – Interview

11/06/2013 – Vixie’s Stories – http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.co.uk/ – Interview

12/06/2013 – Marian L – http://www.marian-l.blogspot.co.uk/ – Excerpt

13/06/2013 – Constance Phillips Blog – http://constancephillips.com/blog/ – Guest Post

14/06/2013 – Author M.J. Kane – http://authormjkanebooks.wordpress.com/welcome-to-m-j-s-world/blog – Excerpt

15/06/2013 – Decadent Decisions – http://wlynnchantale-decadentdecisions.blogspot.co.uk/ – Review

16/06/2013 – The Many Muses of MaryLynn – Www.mlbast.com – Review

16/06/2013 – FU Only Knew – http://fuonlyknew.com/ – Spotlight

17/06/2013 – Warrior Princess Romance Writer – www.authorbernadettemarie.blogspot.com – Interview

18/06/2013 – Ann B Harrisson – http://www.annbharrison.com/ten-minutes-with.html – Interview

19/06/2013 – M.M. Shelley – http://mmshelley.blogspot.co.uk/ – Excerpt

20/06/2013 – Nicole Morgan – http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.co.uk/ – Excerpt

21/06/2013 – Author Mirelle Chester – http://mireillechester.blogspot.co.uk/ – Excerpt

22/06/2013 – Bubblews – http://www.bubblews.com/account/28249-bertena – Guest Post

23/06/2013 – M.M. Shelley – http://www.mmshelley.blogspot.co.uk/ – Review

24/06/2013 – Spellbindings – http://spellbindingsblog.com – Guest Post

25/06/2013 – Pure Jonel  – http://purejonel.blogspot.ca/  – Guest Post

26/06/2013 – Castle Macabre – http://castlemacabre.blogspot.com/ – Interview

27/06/2013 – Self Publish Or Die – http://www.selfpublishordie.com/ – Review & Spotlight

28/06/2013 – Muffy Wilson – http://muffywilson.blogspot.co.uk/?zx=642c8583e8bf79c – Spotlight

29/06/2013 – Read Between The Lines – http://rbtlreviews.com – Guest Post

30/06/2013 – Read 2 Review – http://read2review.com – Review

01/07/2013 – The Writing Network – http://thewritingnetwork.com/ – Guest Post

02/07/2013 – Horsham Writers – http://horshamwriters.co.uk/ – Guest Post

Hello and welcome to my stop on the Jaded and Faded Tour.

I have two reviews for you today and a fantastic giveaway.

Let’s get this Rock Star Tour started.

Jaded (Rock Star, #1)

.
goodreads-badge-add-plus
~
Jaded will be ON SALE for the blog tour. It’s normally 2.99 but it will be .99 for 7 days only! Here are the links!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
I’m Scarlett Ryan.Yes, THAT Scarlett Ryan. I live an extraordinary life: millionaire rock star, owner of exotic cars, pictures of me in every magazine, millions of fans, and a name that is recognized world wide. It’s supposed to be my dream come true. But, my life IS a fantasy, and I want real. I want exciting. I want… NORMAL. So, I moved from California to Florida, hoping to obtain some normalcy. Instead I find…Stephan Montgomery.He’s an arrogant jerk. Seriously, I hate him. I swear if he tells me one more blonde joke, I will punch him… again… Unfortunately  I can’t stop thinking about him, or his gorgeous green eyes. Trust me, I know that he’s bad for me. If only my heart would listen.I also find out that my parents have kept a LIFE CHANGING secret from me. I need to know the truth.The harder I strive for normal, the stranger things seem to get.

My Review

There is a big age difference between me and the characters in this book. Also, I’m not rich or famous. But Jaded still brought back many memories from when I was a teenager. Foremost were the strong bonds with my girlfriends and the insecurity about my decisions, and boys. Oh, the pain and angst of young love.

Right from the start I liked Scarlett Ryan. She’s nineteen years old and been touring with her rock band for four years. She’s never had a chance at a normal life. Too busy touring to make lasting friends or fall in love.

She knows she’s acting like a spoiled brat when she throws a tantrum, telling her manager, who also happens to be her father, that she’s had enough and storms off.

She catches the first flight out of California and lands in Hope, Florida.

Being rich and having a personal assistant has its perks as everything is taken care of while she’s high above the clouds.

She arrives at her posh new digs and her stylist has her enrolled in school and even filled her wardrobe with clothes appropriate for her age group.

Lying out is her outfit for her first day of school, along with this note.

“You told me to dress you like a normal teenager, and I did my best. Don’t blame me that you look extraordinary, no matter what you wear. Good luck with high  school. Go to lots of parties, get drunk, and kiss lots of boys. But no matter what you do: DON’T FALL IN LOVE!(Trust me, high school love sucks, and always ends in heart-break). Have fun!”

Ain’t that the truth.

I really connected when Scarlett begins highschool and attempts to live a normal teenager’s life.

Her first day of school is daunting. Once the fervor of who she is dies down, she literally bumps into Thor. Her name for this handsome God.  She doesn’t know his name and he’ll only tell her when she meets him for lunch.

Then she meets Stephan. Your typical confident, young alpha male, but he does have something going for him. A wonderful smile. He’s not impressed with who she is and quickly gets under her skin, especially when he shortens her name to Scar.

At first I was thinking, Oh no, a love triangle, and these two are step brothers. But this doesn’t last long and you clearly know where Scarlett’s interest lies. With the guy “with black hair, gorgeous green eyes, snarky attitude that makes you want to slap him…” Stephan.

Ethan and Stephan quickly become an important part of Scarlett’s life, treating her like everybody else and teasing her relentlessly.

Just when things seemed to be going smoothly, Scarlett got some startling news that shocked her. She seemed to accept it too readily, but who knows how someone would react, especially a young, vulnerable woman trying to find her way.

You are taken in a whole other direction and I could see what might be going to happen. I liked the idea and hoped it would be so.

While Jaded is written for a younger audience, Ya and New Adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this romp and raced to see what could possibly happen next, grinning all the way.

And the ending. Oh no! The ending leaves you thinking, “No way!” Luckily I already had Faded, Book Two, and dove right back in.

4 Stars

~~~~~~~~~~

Now for Faded!

Faded (Rock Star, #2)

.

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Buy Links

AmazonBarnes&Noble / Smashwords

.

I left Hope – the only place I’ve ever felt at home. So now what? Where do I go from here?

When I left, I didn’t just leave my home. I left my friends, my sisters, and Stephan… I just found them. I can’t lose them now.

I know that I want to do MY music. I need to remember WHY I wanted to play music in the first place. And the only way to get that is by firing my dad, but that may be harder than I thought.

On top of everything, I now have cameras following me around everywhere. Even my own home isn’t safe anymore.

I’ve come to realize that normal will never be an option for me.

My Review

Faded starts off right where Jaded left us. I really liked that, as the ending left me with lots of questions.

Scarlet leaves Florida believing it is best for her friends. She thinks it’s not fair to them to have their privacy invaded because of her fame.

She can’t stay away though. She needs them and misses them. Especially Stephan. So she returns.

Faded reveals answers to many questions from Jaded. Scarlett is maturing, becoming a stronger, emotionally grounded young woman, despite her notoriety and unusual younger years.

The secondary characters from Jaded begin to come into their own with this second book, and are an integral part of this series now.

It’s hard to review a second book without spoilers, so I’ll just that Faded is every bit as good as Jaded, if not better, since we are led further into Scarlett’s and her friends relationships and stories.

I’ll warn ya. The ending is a wowser. Just sayin. You’ll definitely be reading the third book, Hated, when it’s released.

4 Stars

~~~~~~~~

Giveaway

Check out these awesome Giveaways.

PRIZE PACK #1 – Signed paperback copy of Jaded, Faded, & You Got Me. Tote Bag. Swag pack!

  • PRIZE PACK #2 – Signed paperback copy of Jaded. Swag pack!

Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.

***US Only***

Rafflecopter Giveaway

And another giveaway.

***International***

5 e-book copies of Jaded

5 e-book copies of Faded

Click on the rafflecopter  link below to enter.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

AUTHOR BIO

I am a YA/ NA author of the books: Don’t Tell, You Got Me, and the Rock Star Trilogy: Jaded, Faded, and Hated. I have a slight addiction to the TV series Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries. I’m 23 years old, and I currently live in St Louis, with my husband of 2 years.

FACEBOOK –  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mercy-Amare/466953106650292

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/MercyAmare

WEBSITE – http://www.mercyamare.com

GOODREADS – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6464549.Mercy_Amare