IMM #20 and STS #14

Won:

Pretty Girl 13 by Liz Coley

YA Book Exchange:

The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

Bought:

Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantasky

It's not Summer without you by Jenny Han

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Gone by Lisa McMann

My Life in Black and White by Natasha Friend

Possesion by Elena Johnson

The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle

Jekyll and Hyde by Beth Fantasky

ARC REVIEW (#21): Sketchy by Olivia Samms

Sketchy (Bea Catcher Chronicles #1)
by Olivia Samms
Source: Netgalley
Publication Date: April 30th, 2013

A popular cheerleader—raped, beaten, and left for dead. An edgy outsider with a gift. Can they team up to catch a killer?

Bea’s life has been a mess ever since she got kicked out of private school and sent to rehab. Now clean, Bea is starting over at Packard High School, in a city shaken from two assaults on young women. The latest victim, Willa Pressman—the one who survived—doesn’t remember a thing. But Bea has a disturbing new “skill”: she can see—and then draw—images from other people’s minds. And when she looks at Willa, Bea is shocked by what she sketches. Bea might be the only one who knows Willa’s secrets—and who can take down the killer before he strikes again

I was so excited to receive this on Netgalley! It looked so great and I had such high expectations, most of which were met.

I loved Bea as the main character.  She was very likeable.  She is recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, and this new clear mind makes her about to draw images that people are thinking of.  She was such a strong, witty, and intelligent main character, but had her own faults too.  

I thought the romance aspect of this was a little weird.  The guy seems much older than her but I liked him.  He seems so respectful and he believed her when no one else did.  I loved Bea's best friend, Chris.  He makes me wish I had a gay best friend.  He seems like the greatest person ever!

The plot was very fastly paced and I can't wait to get to the next book, this one just seemed to end sooooo quickly!  The plot was a little predictable at times but it didn't take out too much of the  enjoyment of it.  I can't wait to see what else Bea can help the police do or the people she has to hunt down.

I will definitely be buying this when it comes out to add to my shelf and I would definitely recommend it to others.  It's a great mystery with paranormal aspects and I adored it!

WOW #21

Asylum
by Madeleine Roux
Expected Publication: August 27th, 2013
Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program--it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum--a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity

COVER and TRAILER REVEAL: Tragic by J.A. Huss

Tragic 

by JA Huss

Expected Publication: May 20th, 2013

Rook Walsh is TRAGIC

Because life so far – just sucks.  Some girls get parents.  Rook got the foster care system.  Some girls get Prince Charming.  Rook got an abusive frog.  Some girls get lucky…

Rook got a second chance.

And she took it.  Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run.

Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look.  The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.

Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy!  He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s portfolio.

Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world.  It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.

TRAGIC is a new adult contemporary romance.

IMM #19 and STS #13

Bought:

Gone by Michael Grant

Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Angel Burn by LA Weatherly

Lucid by Adrienna Stoltz

The Probability of Miracle by Wendy Wunder

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Won:

The Prey by Andrew Fukuda

TRAILER REVEAL: Fallen Stars by Stephanie Keyes

The Fallen Stars by Stephanie Keyes

Series: The Star Child #2

Publication date:  April 12th 2013

by Inkspell Publishing 

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17293205-the-fallen-stars

Synopsis:

Kellen St. James was just your average seventeen-year-old prodigy, until he eighty-sixed the Lord of Faerie and proposed to the Celtic Goddess, Calienta. But then everything in Kellen’s life gets turned upside-down when he and Cali end up on the run from a seriously irritated group of faeries. The worst part? They have zero idea why they’re being hunted.

Suddenly, Kellen is stuck in the middle of another prophecy that foresees him turning away from Calienta and embracing the dark. He’ll be forced to take sides in a struggle to claim his birthright, while discovering secrets about his father’s past. Meanwhile, his passion for Cali grows stronger, even as the prophecy threatens to tear them apart.In the end, will Kellen and Cali survive the fates? When the ultimate power is within reach, which side will he choose?

The Fallen Stars from Stephanie Keyes on Vimeo

COVER REVEAL: Precious Things by Stephanie Parents

PreciousThings

by StephanieParent 

ReleaseDate: May 2013

CoverDeisgned by: AllieBrennan of B Design 

Coverreveal organized by: YA Bound

Summaryfrom Goodreads:

Isabelle Andrews isn’t supposed to be here. She isn’tsupposed to be a freshman at Hartford Community College, she isn't supposed tobe living at home and working at her dad’s failing bakery, and she definitelyisn’t supposed to be taking Intro to Electronic Music Production, a class thatwill get her nowhere toward her goal of an English Ph.D. by age twenty-five.But when her dad’s latest business fiasco eats up her college fund, HartfordCommunity College is exactly where Isabelle finds herself—and thanks to herlate enrollment, she doesn’t even get to choose her classes. Stuck withElectronic Music and way-too-easy English courses, Isabelle is determined towallow in all the misery she feels entitled to.

But community college brings some unexpected benefits…like the fact that acertain overworked, over-scheduled Electronic Music professor hands over mostof his duties to his teaching assistant. His tall, green-eyed, absolutelygorgeous teaching assistant. When TA Evan Strauss discovers Isabelle’s apathytoward electronic music—and, well, all music—he makes it his mission to converther. The music Evan composes stirs something inside Isabelle, but she can’t getinvolved—after all, she’ll be transferring out as soon as possible. 

Still, no matter how tightly Isabelle holds on to her misery, she finds itslipping away in the wake of all Hartford Community offers: new friendships, asurprisingly cool poetry professor, and most of all, Evan. But Evan’s dream ofowning his own music studio is as impractical as Isabelle’s dad’s bakery, andwhen Evan makes a terrible decision, everything Isabelle has gained threatensto unravel. Soon Isabelle discovers that some of the most important lessonstake place outside the classroom…and that in life, as in Evan’s favoriteDepeche Mode song, the most precious things can be the hardest to hold on to.

Aboutthe Author

Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program atUSC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She movedto Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which mightgive you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, booksabout dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.

 

FollowStephanie at:
Blog| Twitter|Goodreads  

WOW #20

Tumble & Fall
by Alexandra Coutts
Publication Date: September 17th 2013

A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings 

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand.

Alexandra Coutts's TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world.

COVER REVEAL: Surrender and Justice by Rhiannon Paille

SURRENDER (The Ferryman + The Flame #1)
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Cover Design: Regina Wamba of Mae I Design
Exclusively on Amazon / Kindle (don't forget to get your copy!)

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

 Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

JUSTICE (The Ferryman + The Flame #2)
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Cover Design: Regina Wamba of Mae I Design
Exclusively available at Amazon / Kindle

How far would you go to destroy yourself?

Krishani always knew he would have to go to the Lands of Men, but he never thought it would be like this. Enemies everywhere, an ancestor he can't respect, elders he can't trust, a curse he can't stop and friends he can't help but hate. Desperate to end the pain, he sets out on a quest to find the other Flames and face the enemy that took everything from him.

IMM #18 and STS #12

Bought:

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Essence by Kimberly Derting

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

YA Book Exchange:

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill 

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger 

Won:

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

COVER REVEAL! Stripped by Brooklyn Skye

Stripped

by Brooklyn Skye 

Release Date: 05/14/13

Cover designed by: Lisa Poff Photography

Cover reveal organized by: YA Bound

Summary from Goodreads:

“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.

“Don’t…waste those words on me.”

He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”

“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

About the Author

Brooklyn Skye is an author, editorial intern, and just your average awkward girl (especially on the phone!). Her new adult debut, STRIPPED, releases May 2013!

Follow Brooklyn at:

Website * Twitter * Goodreads

Click HERE to sign up to participate in the blog tour for Stripped.

***GIVEAWAY***

Enter below to win a signed hardcopy of STRIPPED (if U.S. winner) or an e-copy with Authorgraph (if international winner)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review (#20): Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits
by Katie McGarry
Rating!: 5/5
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again





This book reminded me of why I love contemporaries!  The romance.  The drama.  Everything! GAHH!  I heard so much about this book and had such high hopes for this and thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.  This book not only explores a good girl falling for a bad guy, but it also brings in more issues, like bipolar disorder, and the problems with foster care.

I loved watching Echo grow as a main character.  From the beginning, she was so scared of what everyone thought of her scars and would always hide them, but that is majorly different after she meets Noah Hutchins.  He makes Echo feel comfortable in her own skin and realize that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks.  I feel really bad for Echo at times though because we get to see what she went through. I was bawling many times throughout the book.

Why can't we all have a Noah Hutchins.  He puts up a bad boy front, but he's so kind, and generous, and I'm missing so many other words that I can't think of right now.  He's just freaking fantastic and every girl should have a guy like him!

I love the dual POV.  We get to see what both Noah and Echo are thinking and I love that!  I also love how both characters fight so hard against their feelings for each other, but oh, it doesn't work!  They are that smitten with each other that it is completely impossible to fight it!

I would recommend this to anyone that loves a good YA Contemp.  This is my favorite of favorites!  I can't wait to learn more about Beth in Dare You To.

COVER REVEAL: Pretty When They Collide by Rhiannon Frater

Pretty When They Collide (A novella) by Rhiannon Frater

Expected Publication: March 15th 2013

An exciting new novella set in the world of Pretty When She Dies...

Cassandra is a dhamphir-the offspring of a vampire and mortal woman-and a thief of occult relics.

Aimee is a full-blood witch that is bound to a powerful vampire who traffics in the slavery of supernatural beings.

Both are powerful, lonely, and trapped in the dangerous world of the vampires.

When Cassandra steals a relic from Aimee’s vampire master, he targets her as his next acquisition. What he doesn’t realize is that a chance encounter between Cassandra and Aimee ignited a spark between them that they cannot deny.

To survive, the women must find a way to band together and fight against the ruthless evil that conspires to enslave them forever

COVER REVEAL: Awakened by Kriston Johnson

Awakened by Kriston Johnson (The Legends of Elyndia #1)

Expected Publication: April 25th, 2013

Can fighting for the right side be the wrong thing to do?

Draven, the tyrant ruler of Elyndia for the last one thousand years, searches for the one who can fulfill his prophecy.

The Paladins, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect their way of life at all cost, search for the one with the ability to bring their world crumbling down.

An innocent girl, tormented by demons only she can see, lives on the brink of insanity and longs for a life of peace.

When seventeen-year-old Jade Rosenberg reads from an antique book, she has no idea she just read an incantation awaking her inherited power. But when opposing—and equally terrifying—groups invade her home, she learns she is descended from an enchanted realm and a member of a powerful race thought to have been hunted to extinction.

Ripped from her world, Jade is forced to seek refuge from those who want her dead. She is given one of two options and the time has come for her to make a choice: assassinate their sworn enemy…

Or sacrifice her soul.

WOW #19

Ketchup Clouds
by Annabel Pitcher
Expected Publication: November 12th 2013
Dear Mr. S. Harris, 

Ignore the blob of red in the top left corner. It's jam, not blood, though I don't think I need to tell you the difference. It wasn't your wife's jam the police found on your shoe. . . . 

Zoe has an unconventional pen pal-Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two brothers, betrayed one of them, and killed the other. 

Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives a voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe's letters, but at least somebody will know her story-somebody who knows what it's like to kill a person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again.

Rising literary star Annabel Pitcher pens a captivating second novel, rich with her distinctive balance between humor and heart. Annabel explores the themes of first love, guilt, and grief, introducing a character with a witty voice and true emotional resonance. 

COVER REVEAL: Runes by Ednah Walters

Expected Publication: May 20th, 2013

YA Paranormal Romance

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

Top Ten Tuesday (3): Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth

2. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

4. Paper Valentine by Breanna Yovanoff

5. Crash by Lisa McMann

6. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han

7. Black City by Elizabeth Richards

8. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

9. Paranormalcy by Kierstin White

10. Partials by Dan Wells

Top Ten Tuesday (2): Top Ten Books At The TOP Of My Spring 2013 TBR list!

1.  17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma (March 21st)

2. Furious by Jill Wolfson (April 16th)

3. Taken by Erin Bowman (April 16th)

4. Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris (April 23rd)

5. The Program by Suzanne Young (April 30th)

6. Nameless by Lili St Crow (April 4th)

7. Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green (May 14th)

8. Goddess by Josephine Angelini (May 28th)

9. If I Should Die by Amy Plum (May 7th)

10. Towering by Alex Flinn (May 14th)