Cover Reveal - Ruined

Ruined

by Jus Accardo

Expected Publication November 11th 2013

(Goodreads)(Amazon)(B&N)

Synopsis

Hell is looking for a way to break loose…

Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it's killing him.

After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at

school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she's been trying to forget.

Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.

About Jus Accardo

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing and is currently working on the first book in a new adult series due out summer 2013. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. 

Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook 

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Cover Reveal - Defector

Title - Defector
Author - Susanne Winnacker
Series - Variants #2
Publisher - Razorbill
Publication date - June 26th 2014
Genre - Thriller, YA
(Goodreads)

No synopsis yet.

About the author 
Susanne Winnacker studied law before she became a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, a dog and three bunnies in Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals. 
When she isn't writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen, experimenting with new vegan dishes.
Her YA thriller IMPOSTOR will be published on May 28, 2013. It has been optioned for TV by Warner Brothers!
Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook 

Diary Entry

Diary Update 

September 30th 2013

It's Monday a whole new week and tomorrow a new month. I'm going to cram in as much reading as I can today so maybe a book or two. My hubby is making dinner, and it's Monday night football going to try and read a few novellas tonight no promises.

Reading
I read 4 books this last week. I hope to put down six this upcoming week. We will see.

 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (Review)
 It's my scavenger choice yet it's been on my TBR list forever. It's a fun read. 


I'm starting Tuesday morning
Tangled Souls by Jana Oliver (Goodreads)

Wiccan Gavenia Kingsgrave’s psychic gift, the ability to talk to the dead, comes with strings attached. As a Shepherd, she escorts them into the hereafter, but not all the souls want to cross over, and some can be downright vicious. When her latest case involves a heart-breaking hit-and-run victim, Gavenia is stressed to the max. The last thing she needs is a no-nonsense private detective on her tail, even if he is a handsome Irishman. 

Former homicide detective Douglas O’Fallon possesses his own psychic gift, one he’s denied for years. Hired by a wealthy client to prove that Gavenia’s a con artist, he is sceptical of the witch’s claims she can speak to the dead. If he finds her gift as genuine, then he will be forced to accept his own. When their two cases intersect, opposites attract. But will they be able to set their differences aside long enough to outwit their foes – both the living and the dead

A couple of my favorite quotes this week

 My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White (Goodreads)
I wondered if they’d kiss. I wanted them to kiss. The anticipation of it all was killing me and I considered asking mom how it would end just to ease my mind, but I couldn't let her know how much I was enjoying this movie she’d had to drag me to. Mr. Darcy leaned in so close I don’t know how they didn’t kiss. His feelings were so obvious in his eyes I don’t know how Elizabeth could stand it.


And then Elizabeth refused him. How could she? Just kiss her! She’d be putty in his hands if he’d just kiss her. But he didn't and when he left and she collapsed against the wall, I wanted to cry.

I've not read Pride and Prejudice or seen the movie but I have the Netflix just need some peace and quiet. 


Undead by Kirsty McKay (Review)
“This is where the mad axman who lives here slices me through the face from the other side of the door.” He grins at me.
“Don’t,” I say. Seriously, it could absolutely happen today.

Smitty tries banging on the door instead.

I loved Undead can't seem to get enough zombies. 

Wishlist
Marie Antinetter, Serial Killer by Katie Alender (Goodreads)
This one sounds creep and interesting.

Colette Iselin is excited to go to Paris on a class trip. She’ll get to soak up the beauty and culture, and maybe even learn something about her family’s French roots.

But a series of gruesome murders are taking place across the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours museums and palaces, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks suspiciously like Marie Antoinette.

Colette knows her popular, status-obsessed friends won’t believe her, so she seeks out the help of a charming French boy. Together, they uncover a shocking secret involving a dark, hidden history. When Colette realizes she herself may hold the key to the mystery, her own life is suddenly in danger . . .

Acclaimed author Katie Alender brings heart-stopping suspense to this story of revenge, betrayal, intrigue — and one killer queen.

Cover love

Moonsong is simple yet still beautiful. I love the teals with the trees.

Moonsong by Lisa Olsen (Goodreads)

Synopsis

After werewolves attack her family, Amelia Singer escapes to Cutter's Folly in search of her long lost grandmother. There she finds the strangest revelation yet: not only is she descended from a long line of shapeshifters; Amelia's firstborn is destined to lead the pack to dominion over all others. Now power hungry shifters everywhere will stop at nothing to share in that prophecy. Choosing a mate is the only way to end the violence, but how can she be expected to choose a man she's known for less than a week? At the heart of this struggle, Amelia is torn between Chase, who makes her pulse race with a single sultry glance, and Cutter, a reclusive but tempting loner with secrets of his own. Can fiercely independent Amelia find happiness with the pack, or will she rebel under the pressure and take her chances on her own?

New around the blogosphere. 

This last week I saw some amazing cover reveals. They all are on my TBR list I can't wait to get my hands on them.
The One by Kiera Cass (Goodreads)
 Recruit Z by Karice Bolton (Goodreads)
Grimnirs by Ednah Walters (Goodreads)

Kindle Freebie's
At time of posting. 

Emerge by S.E. (Amazon)
Shore Lights by Barbara Bretton (Amazon) New cover
Tangled Beauty by K.L. Middleton (Amazon)
Stealing Home: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel by Jennifer Seasons (Amazon)

Time for a lazy afternoon of reading.
Have a great weekend enjoy the lovely covers.

Review - Beauty Queens

Title - Beauty Queens 

Author - Libba Bray

Genre - YA Humor

Published - May 24th 2011

Publisher - Scholastic Press

Format - Ebook 

(Goodreads)(Amazon)

Synopsis

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Review

For this week’s challenge I decided to read a Beauty Queens which has been on my TBR list for ages. This seasons Miss Teen Dream will be held on a tropical island all the girls will fly down on one plane loaded with everything they will need including staff and handlers. However the plan goes down crashing on an abandoned island only thirteen very different girls survive. Taylor from Texas steps up telling the girls they need to keep up with getting ready for the upcoming pageant even after the crash. While Adina from New Hampshire is more concerned with survival over being ready for the pageant.

When Taylor heads off into the jungle only to be found having eating the native flowers a little crazy. Adina takes over as the leader of the girls pushing them to worry about survival. They build huts, learn to collect water, fishing, and how to survive on the island. The girls are surprised to see a pirate ship off the coast sinking after having been on the island after weeks. They rescue the pirates to learn that they are Rocker Pirates from a TV by The Corporation. They help the guys fix the ship but before they can be rescued the guys take off in the middle of the night leaving the girls. While Taylor has lost her marbles the girls go in search of Mary Lou when disappears. They find men in black shirts who claim that they are rescuing them but have a more sinister plot. Will the girls make it off the island safe?

I honestly didn't read the synopsis but more glanced at it. I knew it was beauty queens on a island like survivor but that was it. I found the concept interesting the way The Corporation has its hands in so many different things aspects of everyday life. The characters are engaging even though they aren't your typical beauty queens there is more to them. I love the way the author gives us little bits and pieces of each one giving all the girls their own voices. I really enjoy the characters I cheered them on, it was a emotional roller coaster but it’s enjoyable. Beauty Queens is a crazy ride from start to finish it keeps you on your toes guessing and guessing. So many twist and turns filled with surprise’s both good and bad. This book has it all, emotional moments, drama, self-discovery, romance, action, mystery and a whole lot of beauty queens. It was a quick read I started yesterday night and finished it this morning. 

4 out of 5 stars 

Cover Reveal : Lost WIthout You

Lost Without You

by Liz Hannah

Expected Publication: December 30th 2013

Cover Design: CoverIt! Designs

(Goodreads)

Synopsis

Grace Young thought she was a survivor - until the day her twin brother died, leaving her parents heartbroken and their relationship with Grace fractured beyond repair. Now all Grace wants is a chance to experience something of a normal life, before it's all too late.

Going to college hundreds of miles from home seems like the right way to embrace her new found freedom, especially after years of homeschooling, but while Grace takes to her classes naturally, it's the other side of college that she's unprepared for.

The parties. The friendships. The boys. Especially one Dean Michaels, the Haven University's star soccer player. Fate throws the pair together, and their friendship starts to turn into something more. But can Grace keep the secrets of her past hidden without hurting those she's come to count on the most?

 

*New Adult Contemporary Romance, recommended for readers 17+ for mature situations*

Author Bio:

Liz Hannah is a New Adult author that calls both Scotland and Australia home. Currently studying her Bachelor of Arts at university, when she’s not busy reading or writing, Liz can be found procrastinating from her studies indulging in her Pinterest habit or watching too many TV shows. Lost Without You is her debut New Adult novel.

Links: 

Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? September 30th 2013

Welcome to It's Monday! is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what you've read the past week and are planning to read the next.

Didn't get as much reading done as I had hoped. I hate being sick.

Read this week

Undead by Kirsty McKay (Review)
Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs (Review)
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (Review) I just need to write it.
My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White (Goodreads) Review up tomorrow.

Currently Reading
Tangled Souls by Jana Oliver (Goodreads)

Up Next

Hunted: Cycle Thirteen: Book 1 by Jill Kaelin (Goodreads)
Taking Back Forever by Karen Amanda Hooper (Goodreads)
Unfed by Kirsty McKay (Goodreads)

October is starting so I hope I can get out of my reading funk. 

What are you reading this week? 

Super Six Sunday #5

Super Six Sunday

Super Six Sunday is an original bookish meme created from Bewitched Bookworms and inspired by "Top Ten Tuesday" from The Broke and The Bookish. 

This week's Super Six is...
Books that made me cry. hard!

I try to avoid the emotional books because they make me cry. However that doesn't always work. I have in the last year read a few that left me in tears. My hubby laughs because it's just like when I cry during tv shows or movies.

At the moment only one book really comes to mind.

Forever and Always by Karla J. Nellenbach (Goodreads) This one was a huge tearjerker. The last half of the book had me in tears. I remember my hubby being home and complaining that I was depressing. It's a brilliant story that gives an inside perspective on a girl with cancer. Check out my (Review) While it pulled at my heartstrings I loved it.

Synopsis 

Mia's first reaction is outright disbelief. Obviously, a mistake has been made. Sixteen-year-old girls don't die. But, when the diagnosis is confirmed, she dives headlong into anger. If she has to die, why should it be of cancer? In fact, anything would be preferable to cancer. Better for her to say when, where, and especially how.

Determined to meet death on her own terms, Mia devises scheme after scheme to get the job done. A “fall” down the basement stairs, driving her car off a bridge, and even a dance with a train all end in her survival. 

And through it all, Mia keeps her family and friends at arms' length with her destructive and hurtful behavior. With each failed suicide attempt and burned relationship, she slowly realizes that it’s not the dying that she’s afraid of, but the life she’ll be leaving behind. Now, that life is in a shambles. As time begins to slip through her fingers and death is upon her, Mia fights to rebuild the bridges she has destroyed, but can she do it before the clock runs out?

What are your top six this week?

Swoon Thursday!

Swoon Thursday!

Swoon Thursday is hosted by YA Bound

From the book you're currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you swoon. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling and your stomach fluttering. 

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABOUND 

Don't forget to share in the comments section of YA Bound. 

A little late but better late than never. 

This week I read My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White (Goodreads) Review to come for tour. Keep your eyes opened.

I have a almost swoon and a swoon this week I wanted to share.

Almost swoon

I wondered if they’d kiss. I wanted them to kiss. The anticipation of it all was killing me and I considered asking mom how it would end just to ease my mind, but I couldn’t let her know how much I was enjoying this movie she’d had to drag me to. Mr. Darcy leaned in so close I don’t know how they didn’t kiss. His feelings were so obvious in his eyes I don’t know how Elizabeth could stand it.


And then Elizabeth refused him. How could she? Just kiss her! She’d be putty in his hands if he’d just kiss her. But he didn’t and when he left and she collapsed against the wall, I wanted to cry.

My Swoon

“He was.” We were quiet for a moment. I looked down at my hand on Chad’s arm. It had been a mistake to put it there. I wanted to do right by Chad and it was getting harder and harder to keep things light and casual. I meant to move my hand. I really did. And then I didn’t have to, because Chad moved both of his hands. One arm still rested on the table but the other came up behind my neck, under my hair. Slowly he pulled me close. I could have pulled away, but I didn’t. Instead I let him kiss me. Even then, I meant to pull away, but my heart was racing and his lips felt so nice I didn’t want to move. So I kissed him back instead. And then he rested his forehead against mine, his hand still behind my neck and told me I was amazing. So I put my arms around him and kissed him again.

What is your swoon this week?

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday September 29th 2013

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never to fond of Books.

It's the nature of book blogging to focus mainly on new releases, but there are thousands of great books out there that haven't seen the "New Releases" shelf in years. We hope to be able to bring attention to some older titles that may or not be at the top of the current bestseller list, but still deserve a spot in your To-Be-Read pile.

You don't have to be a book blogger to participate! You can put up a Throwback Thursday post on your non-bookish blog; or if you don't have a blog at all you can use the comments to tell us about a book your remember fondly.

And NOW! We’re expanding! Throwback Thursday is no longer limited to just books! Throwback Thursday is dedicated to shining the spotlight on any book-related old favorites that need to be remembered.What’s your favorite classic television show or movie adaptation? What about your favorite song? Was your favorite toy a character from a book?

Here’s how it works:

• Pick any media (or non-media item) released more than 5 years ago. Remember to keep it book-related!
• Write up a short summary (include the title, author, and cover art, if applicable) and an explanation of why you love it. Make sure to link back to The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books in your post.
• Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
• Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list – or some other classic. 

I've been such a slacker on this post for months. In part because with summer I just didn't have enough time. I'm working it back into my weekly meme list. Maybe with a new little twist because some days I struggle to pick something amazing. 

This week I read My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White (Goodreads) It's all about Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Goodreads). I'm not afraid to admit I'm the last person on the planet who hasn't read Pride and Prejudice. It's hard to believe but it's true. After reading finding Mr. Darcy I had to netflix the movie. I also have the book on my kindle ready to go after a few more review books. I hope to love the book as much as so many fellow bloggers. 

So my throwback this week is: Pride and Prejudice the book & movie. I will be starting the movie after I finish blogging and walking the dog. I'm looking forward to it. However my hubby has made it clear he won't watch it with me. He's a brat though and won't appreciate it. 

Synopsis

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the "most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of its author's works," and Eudora Welty in the twntieth century described it as "irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be."

Introduction by Anna Quindlen.

Commentary by Margaret Oliphant, George Saintsbury, Mark Twain, A.C. Bradley, Walter A. Raleigh, and Virginia Woolf.

Anna Quindlen is the winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for commentary and the author of three bestselling novels, most recently Black and Blue, a children's book, Happily Ever After, and an inspirational book, A Short Guide to a Happy Life. 

Have you read the book? 

Seen the movie? 

How did they compare? 

Did they do the book justice in the movie? 

Will you join the bandwagon or be a black sheep?

Those are the question I plan to answer in the next couple of weeks. 

Update to come. 

What's your throwback?

Cover Characteristic - Yellow/Orange

Cover Characteristic - Yellow/Orange

 Hosted by Sugar & Snark

Each week we will post 5 of our favorite covers to go with the theme of the week. 

I'm a huge cover fan so this is a great meme for me.

At first this week had me drawing a blank. I couldn't think of a single yellow or orange cover but when I got looking I found so many amazing covers. All of my covers this week are books I've not read but want to.

The Sphinx Project by Kathy Hawkings (Goodreads)
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Goodreads)
Scorched by Mari Mancusi (Goodreads)
Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger (Goodreads)

My favorite 

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (Goodreads)

What are you favorite Orange/Yellow covers?

Stacking The Shelves #64

Stacking The Shelves

Stacking The Shelves September 28th 2013

Stacking the Shelves is a meme by Tyngas Reviews that let's bloggers share their new books and swag, whether they are physical or virtual. I'll include books I've been sent, emailed, purchased, won and for review.

This week was full of amazing books.

For Review 
Thank you so much to everyone who made this week amazing.

It was like early Christmas this week from Harper Collins. Thank you for all the lovelies this week.

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads)
Panic by Lauren Oliver (Goodreads)
Salvage by Alexandra Duncan (Goodreads)
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan (Goodreads)
Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam (Goodreads)

Purchased 

Scorched by Mari Mancusi (Goodreads)

Just the one this week. I've been very good. Plus it's been crazy busy.

What did you get this week?