Thursday, 14 August 2014

Release Day Blitz - Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

Out Now!

August 14th, 2014

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas



Three teens venture into the abandoned lake house one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense?

Or murder? 

Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces...


Purchase Now!




Early Praise

Dangerous Boys is a taut, compelling thriller balanced on the razor's edge of suspense. I could not put it down, and could not stop grinning wickedly as I raced through the pages." -- Leah Raeder, USA Today bestselling author of Unteachable


"Abigail Hass is a master at her craft! This is a special book and a special author. This is the kind of storytelling and writing that stick with you no matter how much time passes." -- The Book Geek Blog


"As with Dangerous Girls, the closing left me with a huge, admittedly rather twisted smile on my face. I don't know how Haas manages to turn meinto such a gleefully evil creature." -- Dahlia Adler, blogger.


"Dangerous Boys was an intense, psychological read which was full of suspense and drama,...Abigail Haas has a way of writing books which reel you in a nd keep you there, hooked and addicted until the very last page." -- Goodreads.com





About Abigail Haas

Abigail Haas has written two adult novels and four young adult contemporary novels under the name Abby McDonald. Dangerous Girls is her first young adult thriller. She grew up in Sussex, England, and studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Oxford University. She lives in Los Angeles.


Wednesday, 13 August 2014

Book Blitz + Giveaway - Dream Boy by Madelyn Rosenberg and Mary Crockett



Dream Boy by Madelyn Rosenberg and Mary Crockett
Release Date: 07/01/14
Sourcebooks Fire 


Summary from Goodreads: 

Annabelle Manning feels like she’s doing time at her high school in Chilton, Virginia. She has her friends at her lunchtime table of nobodies. What she doesn’t have are possibilities. Or a date for Homecoming. Things get more interesting at night, when she spends time with the boy of her dreams. But the blue-eyed boy with the fairytale smile is just that—a dream. Until the Friday afternoon he walks into her chemistry class. One of friends suspects he’s an alien. Another is pretty sure it’s all one big case of deja vu. While Annabelle doesn’t know what to think, she’s willing to believe that the charming Martin Zirkle may just be her dream come true. But as Annabelle discovers the truth behind dreams—where they come from and what they mean—she is forced to face a dark reality she had not expected. More than just Martin has arrived in Chilton. As Annabelle learns, if dreams can come true, so can nightmares. 





Available from: 








Advanced Praise: 

 “Dream Boy explores the mysterious world of dreams, where we access our deepest desires…the authors expertly weave fantasy and the real world in a perfect blend.”
-- Erica Orloff, author of In Dreams 

"Eerie, twisty, fast and funny, Dream Boy will forever change the way you see your dreams--and your nightmares. An exciting, imaginative look at what might happen when people from the corners of your mind suddenly show up in your real life."
-- Lois Metzger, author of A Trick of the Light




Reviews:
 
“The perfect book to add to your summer reading list. An awesome balance of love, humor and action, this new read may just be your dream come true!” – GirlsLife
 
"Hits the chick-lit and romance buttons, adding suspense and an intriguing idea as well for nicely rounded entertainment." -- Kirkus Review 

"An original, twisty paranormal romance." -- Booklist 

“Five stars... Perfect writing, perfect characters … perfect plot.” -- Paperback Wonderland 

“Dream Boy skillfully and creatively tackles the common theme of good and bad dreams coming alive.... The writing is tight and well-paced, and nicely balances action with Annabelle’s character development as she tries to unravel the mysteries of... her dreams. Her teenage voice is spot on: unsure of herself, but spirited, with a sarcasm that masquerades as confidence. The plot twists and moves in unexpected yet fascinating directions." -- The Roanoke Times 







Excerpt:

I’ve always been a dreamer. Daydreams. Night dreams. Dreams of grandeur and dreams of escape. If I were an onion and you peeled back the papery outside, you’d find layer after layer of eye-watering dreams. And in the center, where there’s that little curlicue of onion heart? There’d be a puff of smoke from the dreams that burned away.
It was all just brain waves, I thought—disconnected, like the notebook that my friend Talon keeps. She draws a line down the middle of the page; on the right she writes everything she remembers about a dream, and on the left she puts notes about the stuff that’s happening in real
life, things that might trigger her subconscious. Reality on one side, dreams on the other—a clear line between the two.
But it turns out there are no clear lines, just a jumble of what is and what might be. And all of it is real. 

~ Keep reading! You can check out the first three chapters here.





About the Authors 
 

Mary Crockett likes turtles, licorice, and the Yankees. Madelyn Rosenberg likes cats, avocados, and the Red Sox. Luckily they both like the weirdness of dreams (and each other) enough to write novels together. The friendship has survived three moves, six kids and countless manuscript revisions. Madelyn lives just outside of Washington, D.C. Mary remains in the mountains near their hometowns in southwestern Virginia. 

You can find them on Twitter @marylovesbooks and @madrosenberg or their blogs at www.marycrockett.com and www.madelynrosenberg.com 

Where to find Mary: 

Where to find Madelyn: 

Got a Book Club that might be interested in reading DREAM BOY? Check out the DREAM BOY Discussion Guide.
The DREAM PARTY Pinterest page has ideas about throwing a theme party.
The DREAM BOY inspiration page can show you some of the things that got Mary and Madelyn thinking. 




Blitz-wide giveaway
 



Blitz organised by:

http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.co.uk/

Tuesday, 12 August 2014

Book Blitz - Channel 20Something by Amy Patrick



Channel 20Something by Amy Patrick
(20Something #1)
Publication date: August 12th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
From award-winning author and two-time GOLDEN HEART® finalist Amy Patrick comes a New Adult contemporary series about twenty-somethings entering the world of TV broadcasting, where what happens behind the scenes is the real news.


22-year-old Heidi Haynes is almost one year into her “real life”. She has her first reporting job, her first apartment, and a comfortable relationship with her college sweetheart. But for some reason she’s not as eager to talk about walking down the aisle as he is.

Heidi secretly longs for big cities, big-market breaking news, and real independence from her way-too-close-by helicopter parents. Problem is, the last time she left the security of home for new places and new people, things didn’t go so well. Disastrously, in fact, and she came running back to a local college and a “safe” boyfriend.

Aric Serrano is definitely not safe.

He’s six-feet-four-inches of missing-Hemsworth-brother-hotness and plans to stay in small-market-Southern-Hell just long enough to grab a cup of coffee and put together a kick-ass “escape tape”. He’ll serve his one-year contract, then he’s taking off for a higher rung on the TV sports ladder—alone—the way he likes it. Then he meets his new co-anchor.

Heidi would be so much more comfortable if she could simply ignore Aric. He’s just her type—the type she’s so careful to avoid these days. But that becomes impossible when she's forced to work closely with him on the weekend newscast. Now the attraction between them is growing even faster than the ratings, and what happens behind the scenes is the real news.


Purchase:


----


AUTHOR BIO
Amy is a two-time Golden Heart finalist (2013 and 2014) who writes Young Adult fiction as Amy DeLuca and New Adult romance as Amy Patrick.  
She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two sons and actually craves the heat and humidity of Mississippi, where she grew up. 
She's been a professional singer and news anchor and currently narrates audio books as well as working as a station host for a Boston TV station.


Author links: 



Excerpt:

The baby reached out for the stick mic, grabbing a handful of the foam windscreen covering it. Her mom scolded her and tried to pry her tiny hand away. “No, no, Cassie.”
“It’s okay. She can’t hurt it,” Aric reassured. He cupped the baby’s downy head, his large hand covering the entire back of her skull. As he cooed in her face, the baby gazed at him as if he was all that existed in the world. “May I please have this back, Cassie? Can I? Are you going to let me have my microphone back?”
She released her grip and gave him a wide gummy grin dotted with two tiny front teeth.
“Oh, thank you.” Aric stroked her plump cheek.
Oh my God. I’m envious of a baby. I shook my head to clear it. I really needed to get a hold of myself. Especially now that I knew Aric was involved with someone long-distance and he believed I was in a committed relationship. I had to work on my just-friends attitude and banish the improper thoughts that insisted on popping up every few minutes when I was with him.
We finished the interview, Aric thanked the family, and then we talked to a few students on camera, getting some good usable sound bites and some that would never make air. One group of frat guys we met had clearly started the party early. They were loud and happy and flirted with me outrageously.
“You’re beautiful,” slurred a lanky guy with a mop of platinum hair and a maroon blazer. He looked like a freshman and teetered over me like a skinny tree that might go down with the next strong breeze.
“She is, isn’t she?” Aric said in a clipped, impatient way. “Okay guys, just a couple of
questions—”
Another one of them, a stocky guy in a wrinkled button-down and crooked tie, ignored Aric completely and pushed things a step further. His whiskey-soaked breath surrounded me as he crowded my personal space. “You’re way cuter than you are on TV. They should make the news desk see-through. You have great legs.”
The guy lurched back from me as Aric stepped in and gave him the buddy-slap on the shoulder, employing more force than seemed necessary. “Okay, friend. Time to move along. This one’s spoken for.”
Aric’s voice sounded even deeper than usual. Though he’d obviously been referring to Hale, the protectiveness of his tone struck a shameful chord of pleasure in my midsection. I hadn’t actually been afraid—we were in a crowd of people in broad daylight—but there’s something almost magnetic about a guy whose instinct is to stand up for you.
In his state of drunken invincibility, the stocky kid bowed up, frowning in offense. Then he apparently realized how far up he had to crane his neck to see Aric’s intimidating expression. He shrank away and joined his friends stumbling into the stadium.
We picked up our gear and headed for the sidelines, flashing our media passes at the security guard on the way in.
“Thanks,” I said quietly.
Aric cut a glance in my direction and grinned. “Anytime. Reporter, photographer, bodyguard. Whatever you need.”

Monday, 11 August 2014

Review - Attachments by Rainbow Rowell



Title: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Pages: 327
Release date: 14th April 2011
Publisher: Plume

Blurb from Goodreads:

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you ..."

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say ...?







My Review:

 *I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Penguin Group Plume and NetGalley*

3/5 stars


Lincoln is an internet security officer at a newspaper. 
His job is to read flagged email and he hates it. 
But one perk are the funny personal emails that Beth and Jennifer send to each other.


It took me a while to get into this book and to warm to the characters. 
Lincoln was an okay character and I enjoyed reading as he grew as a person.
My favourite parts were the emails between Beth and Jennifer. I liked their relationship.
The book didn't really grip me and the plot was slightly predictable. 


In a way I did like the ending but in another way I didn't as I thought it might have been good if Lincoln had ended up with someone else.

Overall this was a good read but after all the hype about the author I was slightly disappointed.

Book Blitz + Giveaway - The Silver Siren by Chanda Hahn



The Silver Siren by Chanda Hahn
(Iron Butterfly Series #3)
Publication date: May 25th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Every journey has an end.
Unable to find the answers she sought in Skyfell, Thalia, Joss, and Kael travel to Haven with a prisoner in tow. An attack on the road waylays their plans, and Thalia finds herself traveling alone with
Kael to the hidden sanctuary of the SwordBrothers.

But war is on the horizon and the Raven is amassing his army. This time, the target is not Calandry, but the Sirens of Sinnedor. When family ties are revealed, Thalia must choose sides. Desperate to break the final seal on her power and save those she loves, will Thalia willingly taste the bitter pain of the iron butterfly machine one final time?




Purchase:



----


AUTHOR BIO
 

Chanda is a bestselling and award winning author of the UnEnchanted: An Unfortunate Fairy Tale series and the Iron Butterfly series. She’s been a bestseller in five countries and was named one of Amazon’s top 100 customer favorite author. She uses her experience as a children’s pastor, children’s librarian and bookseller to write compelling and popular fiction for teens. She was born in Seattle, WA, grew up in Nebraska and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their twin children.
Learn more about this author visit her website.
Follow her on Twitter.





Excerpt:

The barn burst into flames, the Septori burst into flames, and Talbot screamed as he beat at his clothes to stop the fire. The fire shot across the beams of the barn.
The Septori in a panic, tried to drag me out of the barn.
The shriek of a horse made me glance to Faraway, and I saw him outside of the barn screaming in terror.
He was going to try and run in to save me. With a wave of power, I slammed the barn door closed on him, keeping him out. I was going to end this once and for all. I had a glimpse of what I was becoming and I didn’t like it.
“Burn,” I whispered and watched as the flames licked higher. Energy flowed through my body, and I could hear something just beyond my consciousness. Like a sigh being released. My body became warm, tingling. And then more pain.
“Her eyes. Look at her eyes!” One of my captors backed away from me and ran out the side door.
“Don’t look at her, just grab her!” Talbot screamed.
I felt more hands grasp me and I hated it. I hated them. Looking up along the beams of the barn, I saw the main support beam.
It was time to end this for everyone. I gave in to the pain and anger, reached for a smaller support beam, and pulled at it. Half of the burning roof came down on a large group of the Septori. They screamed and tried to cover their heads as it fell. Too late.
“Stop her! She’s going to kill us all,” Talbot cried waving his hands at me.
I smirked. I was. 






 Blitz-wide giveaway

Open to US/CAN

Sunday, 10 August 2014

My Week in Books (4th-10th August)

Read:

Doctor Who: Engines of War (Doctor Who: New Series Adventure Specials, #4) by George Mann 


3.5/5 stars

Read my review here



The Distance Between Us by Kasie West


4/5 stars



A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke


3.5/5 stars

Read my review here.



On the Fence by Kasie West


3/5 stars

Read my review here.



For Review:


Big thank you to Simon & Schuster UK Children's!
So excited to read this!




Thanks to Patchwork Press - Spencer Hill Press.





Thanks to Hachette Children's Books.



Currently Reading:

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell



All pics from Goodreads.


Hope you all had a good week!


Review - On the Fence by Kasie West



Title: On the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Pages: 320
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release date: 1st July 2014

Blurb from Goodreads:

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.







My Review:

*I received a copy of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss*

3/5 stars


Charlie lives with her dad and three protective older brothers. 
She is a total tomboy so when she gets a job at a boutique to pay off a speeding fine Charlie's eyes are opened to a new world of make-up and skinny jeans.
Charlie starts talking to her neighbour Braden, who is like a brother to her, when she can't sleep at night at the fence that separates their gardens. 


It took me a while to connect with Charlie but once I did I liked her.
I loved Charlie's brothers and how protective they were of her, especially when it came to other guys. 
I thought it was good that characters from The Distance Between Us were mentioned (Caymen was in one scene and Skye was in a few parts of the book).
I had to keep blinking away tears towards the end of the book when something sad was revealed and then the happy ending made me tear up a bit too.
I enjoyed reading as Charlie realised that there was more to her than she thought and grew as a person.
The storyline was slightly predictable but I enjoyed the writing style.
I like the cover but I'm not sure why the girl on it is wearing a dress when Charlie is a tomboy.

Overall this was a good summer read that I enjoyed.