Update on me/the blog

HI GUYS!

COVER REVEAL: Wrecked by Alyssa Rose Ivy

TITLE: 

Wrecked 
(Clayton Falls #3)

AUTHOR: 

Alyssa Rose Ivy

RELEASE DATE: 

Spring/Summer 2013

GOODREADS:

Click to ADD

When your past catches up, it's time to stop running.

Jake Mathews messed up yet again— but this time his misstep lands him in the hospital. He wakes up to find the girl of his dreams and the memory of having his deepest secret revealed.

Emily Taylor needs a break. She's been working double shifts as a nurse just to pay the bills while trying to heal a broken heart. The last thing she needs is to fall for a patient.

Strapped with community service and the knowledge that he's disappointed everyone in his life, Jake is determined not to let Emily slip through his fingers. Emily wants Jake, but can she really open herself up to heartache again?

GIVEAWAY: December New Release Giveaway Hop (INTERNATIONAL)

DECEMBER NEW RELEASE GIVEAWAY HOP

It's that time of the month again! New release giveaway hop time =). For this hop, I will be giving readers a chance to win a new release for the month of December ($20 and under before tax, Book Depository). You can choose a YA or Adult book, I have listed some examples below. Each book cover will lead to it's Goodreads page, where you can read a synopsis and reviews.  

Please remember to read ALL rules and regulations first. 
I would hate to have you miss out on a chance of winning.

 GOOD LUCK and Happy Picking!

BOOK BLITZ: 12 Days of Magic-Spellbound by Nikki Jefford

REVIEW: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Title:                      Sharp Objects
Author:                  Gillian Flynn
Release Date:     Sept 26/2006

Publisher:           Shaye Areheart Books

Page Count:        272

Acquired:            Library borrow

Format:              Ebook (epub)

Read From:         Nov 4 -Dec 12/2012

Goodreads:         ADD

Purchase:           Amazon/Indigo/The Book Depository

WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.

BLOG TOUR: Release by M.R. Merrick

Waiting on Wednesday (11): The Storycatcher by Ann Hite

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine 
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're all eagerly anticipating.
Please follow the link to visit her site!

BOOK BLITZ + GIVEAWAY: Frost Fire by Olivia Rivers

REVIEW: Exhiled by M.R.Merrick

Title:                       Exhiled(The Protector #1)
Author:                   M.R.Merrick
Release Date:      June 28/2011

Publisher:           Self-Published

Page Count:        264

Acquired:            Author

Format:              Ebook (epub)

Read From:         Nov 7 -Nov 12/2012

Goodreads:         ADD

Purchase:           Amazon/Createspace/Barnes & Noble

Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped. Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna - a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. In their attempt to stop them however, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it.

PROMO + GIVEAWAY: Finding a Man for Sylvia by Margaret Lesh

Title: Finding a Man for Sylvia
Author: Margaret Lesh

Release Date: Nov 23/2012
Genre: Chick-Lit/Rom-Com  

Goodreads: ADD

Purchase: Amazon

A well-intentioned but clueless romantic is determined to find love for her lonely neighbor over her exasperated husband’s objections.Julia Hawthorne-Florez has the best of intentions, and everyone knows what the road to Hell is paved with. Her husband Javier accuses her of playing God with people’s lives, but Julia is simply a fool for love. (Or maybe just a fool?)

When lonely Sylvia moves in across the street, Julia is determined to find her match. Of course, there are obstacles. Javier, for one, who’s forbidden any further matchmaking attempts on his well-intentioned wife’s part. And there’s the little matter of Sylvia being in love with a man who’s taken a vow of celibacy.

Julia schemes; the hamster wheel in her head spins furiously. Handsome Ted is Julia’s first choice. Except shy Ted happens to be interested in Julia’s best friend, certified dominatrix Lisa. And so it goes. Julia spins her web; Javier laughs at her. But Julia always gets the last laugh in this Latin-infused contemporary romantic comedy.

BOOK BLITZ + GIVEAWAY: Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four by Nya Jade

COVER REVEAL: Oxford Whispers by Marion Croslydon

Designed by: PhatPuppyArt

TITLE: 

Oxford Whispers (Oxford Trilogy #1)

AUTHOR: 

Marion Croslydon

GENRE: 

Upper-YA/New Adult

RELEASE DATE: 

Oct 8/2012

GOODREADS:

Click to ADD

PURCHASE:

 Amazon

SOOKIE STACKHOUSE GOES IVY LEAGUE!

Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead. She has vowed to ignore her Voodoo-stamped heritage and the psychic gift passed down through her Louisiana family. The world of the living is where she wants to belong.

But her resolution shatters when the tragic lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class at Oxford—begin to haunt her. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War.

College becomes more complicated when Madison falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting. With the spirit of a murderer after her, she realizes that her own first love may also be doomed… FALL IN LOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME... AGAIN!

GIVEAWAY (CLOSED): Deck the Halls with BoundbyWords 2012! Win up to 3 Books!

I am SO very late with this giveaway, it was suppose to be up for you guys on the 1st. But it's here now, and that's all that matters..right? =). Welcome to my Deck the Halls with BoundbyWords Giveaway! To celebrate the holidays, and to end the year with a BANG, I'm going to be giving away up to 3 books to a lucky winner! Thank you ALL for being a part of my blogging journey so far, and for your amazing comments! I started this blog to share my passion for reading, and am humbled by the amount of people that share that passion. This giveaway, and all the others, are a token of my appreciation-I hope to still have you all with me into the new year!

Waiting on Wednesday (10): The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine 
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're all eagerly anticipating.
Please follow the link to visit her site!

BLOG TOUR: Guardian Inc-The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain

 

Waiting on Wednesday (9): The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine 
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're all eagerly anticipating.
Please follow the link to visit her site!

BLOG TOUR: Any Other Night by Ann Pfeffer

GIVEAWAY HOP (CLOSED): Black Friday Book Bonanza- Book of Your Choice!

BLACK FRIDAY BOOK BONANZA
Happy Black Friday Everyone! Why go out in the cold and stand in those loooong lines, when you can stay at home all warm, and cozy, and snuggle..and win some great prizes!? Enter to win 1 book of your choice from The Book Depository!  (Up to a $15 value). 

The great hosts for this hop are Heather from Book Savvy Babe, Jenn from The Bawdy Book Blog, and Lisa from Alive on the Shelves. Be sure to check out their pages!

Please be sure to read ALL rules and regulations

Waiting on Wednesday (8) + GIVEAWAY (CLOSED): The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine  
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're all eagerly anticipating.
Please follow the link to visit her site!

PROMO + GIVEAWAY (CLOSED): Exiled & Shift by M.R.Merrick

Power Will Flourish

Lives Will be Lost

Nothing, Will be Forgotten

REVIEW: Unhallowed Ground by Daniel Mills

Title:                      Unhallowed Ground
Author:                  Daniel Mills
Release Date:     Oct 16/2012

Publisher:           Dark Fuse

Page Count:        78

Acquired:            Netgalley

Format:              Ebook (epub)

Read From:         Nov 7 -Nov 12/2012

Goodreads:         ADD

Purchase:           Amazon/Indigo

In the summer of 1891, Henry Feathering travels to Bittersweet Lodge at the invitation of his reclusive widower uncle. Under the shadow of the dilapidated old mansion, Henry falls in love with the enigmatic Clemency St. James and proposes to her in the shelter of a locust grove.

As the newlyweds settle into the lodge, they soon learn of the house’s sordid past—ghostly visitations, unexplained illnesses, and madness—which now plagues Henry and Clemency, creating an irreparable rift between them.

Can they salvage what is left of their marriage? Or will the unbridgeable distances dividing men from women, the past from the present, and the living from the dead doom them to the fate of what lies beneath the grave of a young girl buried on these unhallowed grounds...

PROMO BLITZ: Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman

Title: Miss Fortune Cookie
Author: Lauren Bjorkman
Publisher: Nov 13/2012
Release Date: Henry Holt & Co.
Goodreads: ADD

Purchase: Amazon

Meet Erin. Smart student, great daughter, better friend. Secretly the mastermind behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. Totally unaware that her carefully constructed life is about to get crazy. It all begins when her ex-best friend sends a letter to her blog—and then acts on her advice. Erin’s efforts to undo the mess will plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance. What’s a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like: You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life.

PROMO & GIVEAWAY (CLOSED): The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Title: The Edge of Never
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Release Date: Nov 15/2012 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult

Goodreads: ADD

Purchase: Amazon

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpt- The Field Scene

“Do you want to get out and walk around?” he says, still waiting for the rest of my answer.

Getting an idea of my own, I smile brightly at him and nod. “Yes, I think that’s a great idea—is there a blanket in the trunk?” 

He looks at me curiously for a moment. “Actually, yes, I keep one in that box back there with the rest of my emergency roadside supplies—why?”

“I know it might be cliché,” I begin, “but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do—have you ever slept under the stars?” I feel a little silly asking, I guess because it is kind of cliché and nothing about Andrew thus far has come anywhere near cliché.

His face spreads into a warm smile. “As a matter of fact, no, I have never slept under the stars—are you gettin’ all romantic on me, Camryn Bennett?” He looks at me with a playful sideward stare.

“No!” I laugh, “Come on, I’m serious; I just think it’s the perfect opportunity.” I motion my hands toward the windshield. “Look at all of the fields out there.”

“Yeah, but we can’t lay a blanket out in a cotton or corn field,” he says, “and most of the time those fields are saturated with ankle-deep water.”

“Not the ones covered with grass and cow bombs,” I say.

“You want to sleep in a field where cows shit?” he says casually, but equally humored.

I snicker. “No, just the grass. Come on…,” then I glare at him teasingly. “What, are you afraid of a little cow shit?”

“Haha!” He shakes his head. “Camryn, there’s nothing little about a pile of cow shit.”

I scoot back over next to him and lay my head right dead-center on his lap, looking up at him with a pouty face. “Please?” I bat my eyes.

And I try hopelessly to ignore what my head is actually lying on. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author of THE DARKWOODS TRILOGY and DIRTY EDEN, mother, werewolf & zombie fanatic, book addict and a happy hermit obsessed with the Universe. Oh, and AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. Addictions: Starbucks every morning, trolling Barnes & Noble’s shelves once a week, detesting winter, shopping flea markets and preparing for the collapse of society as we know it. Do I own a tin foil hat? Maybe. :-)

I was born in Arkansas and have lived here most of my life, except the couple of times when I lived in Pennsylvania. I started my first novel at the age of thirteen and have been writing something ever since. Generally, I love characters in life and on paper. I pay attention to people, especially those whose personalities make them different from the rest of us: the drug addict roaming the Laundromat that talks to himself, the young, inattentive mother in the park with the meanest kid on the playground – (the entire cast of ‘Swamp People’) – characters fascinate me and I hope that it shows in my literary work.

Some authors that inspire me are Neil Gaiman, Anne Rice, Cormac McCarthy, Max Brooks, J.K. Rowling, Richard Matheson, William R. Forstchen, Carrie Ryan, David Moody, Phillipa Gregory and Lisa Smedman. I’m always on the lookout for the next great book to pull me into its world and piss me off when I read the last page and know that it’s over.

I’m a sucker for anything Christopher Lee, Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton and Cate Blanchett. But my biggest fan-girl superstars are Alex Filippenko, Michio Kaku, Brian Cox, Michelle Thaller and Neil Degrasse Tyson!

Also, almost more than anything I love nature and this beautiful planet that I live on. I just wish everyone else did too….

CONTACT LINKS
Website - Twitter - Facebook

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-GIVEAWAY CLOSED-

Jessica is giving away a Kindle or Nook copy to a lucky winner. 
Enter for your chance to snag it!

Rules & Regulations

1. MUST be over the age of 17 to enter.

2. The winner will receive the ecopy through email.

3. Contest ends on December 2/2012 at 12:00AM

 *Kindle Apps can be downloaded for FREE on Amazon*  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A huge thank you to AToMr Tours for hosting this tour and giveaway!

GIVEAWAY (CLOSED): November New Release Giveaway Hop

NOVEMBER NEW RELEASE GIVEAWAY HOP

I am so INSANELY excited to be participating in my very first giveaway hop! For this hop, I will be giving readers a chance to win a new release for the month of November ($20 and under before tax, Book Depository). You can choose a YA or Adult book, I have listed some examples below. Each book cover will lead to it's Goodreads page, where you can read a synopsis and reviews.  

Please remember to read ALL rules and regulations first. 
I would hate to have you miss out on a chance of winning.

 GOOD LUCK and Happy Picking!

Waiting on Wednesday (7): The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine  
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're all eagerly anticipating.
Please follow the link to visit her site!

BLOG TOUR: Rise of the Seven (Frey Saga #3) by Melissa Wright

Title: Rise of the Seven (Frey #3)
Author: Melissa Wright
Release Date: Oct 7/2012
Adquired: Epub copy provided for tour
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Smashwords

Memories and magic recovered, Frey is restored to the throne. But as she works to regain control of the North, a small silver dagger nearly brings her end. She raises The Seven of her guard and proves her abilities in order to secure her position. But another attempt on her life, from what appears to be fey, reveals not all are pleased with her return. If she could only figure out the force behind the attacks, she might be able to relax enough to decide what to do about her other problem... Chevelle.

A Bounded Wrap-Up/Stacking the Shelves (4)- Nov.11/12

A Bounded Wrap-Up is a reminder of what posts and features I had last week, and a short preview of what is to come this week. Visit the Features page to see all of my past posts, and other memes I participate in!

------------------------------------------------------------

COVER REVEAL: Destiny (Brightest Kind of Darkness #3) by P.T. Michelle

Title: 

Destiny

(Brightest Kind of Darkness #3)

Author: 

P.T. Michelle

Release Date: 

March 31/2013

Goodreads:

Click to ADD

When destiny is on the line, will love be enough to light the way?

In order to save Ethan, Nara gets pulled deeper into his dark world, where everything she thought she knew about Ethan and herself turns on its head. Ethan and Nara turn up the heat with bone-melting seduction and heart-rending moments, but surprising revelations, lies, treachery, betrayal, and unimaginable evil will challenge their relationship and their future together.As the stakes rise, encompassing more than just her relationship with Ethan, will Nara make the ultimate sacrifice?

Feature & Follow Friday (2)

Feature and Follow is a meme hosted by Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. It it a way to gain new followers and make new friends. I'm still fairly new to the blogging community, so I thought this would be a fun way to meet new bloggers! Be sure to link back to the hosts, and follow them. If someone follows you through FF, make sure to follow them back! 

Waiting on Wednesday (6): Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're all eagerly anticipating.
Please follow the link to visit her site!

Title: Dead to You

Author: Lisa McMann

Release Date: December 4/2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse
 

Page Count: 243

Pre-Order: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle…at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that''s keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

REVIEW: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Title: Mystic City

Author: Theo Lawrence
Genre: YA Paranormal Fiction
Publisher: Delacorte Books

Release Date: October 9/2012

Acquired: Borrowed ebook from library

Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/Indigo/Book Depository

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll admit it, and I'm probably not the first to, but my heart will always belong to the Dystopian genius that is the Hunger Games trilogy. I have yet to find a literary match that invokes the type of emotional roller coaster and soul fulfilling goodness that Suzanne Collins did.

With that said, however, this book came close. Right off the bat, I was introduced to the Dystopian world of Manhattan, New York. I started reading this right around the time hurricane Sandy began it's wrath, so the imagery described of New York mostly submerged in water wasn't hard to picture. The back story in Mystic City was explained clearly, and right at the beginning of the book, which, unlike other Dystopians published recently, was SO refreshing.

I was attracted to the personality of Aria Rose almost immediately. She came off as strong and independent, even though the circumstances could have rendered her the complete opposite. I've read about too many female leads in Dystopian worlds who were just plain whiny, cowardly and irresponsible. Aria had an honest heart, and stuck to her cause until the very end-I loved that.

The violence in Mystic City took me by surprise, but not in a way that made me want to put it down. Quite the opposite-I admired the author's no holds barred action scenes. It was to the point and wasted no time with unnecessary logic and dialogue. I felt like the scenes were well placed and had just the right amount of thrill.

I absolutely loved the secondary characters, especially Hunter and Davida. They were diverse in their characteristics, and in my opinion, really helped to drive the story forward. Through these characters, and others, Mr.Lawrence was very successful in giving the readers a perspective from both sides: life in the "Depths" below, and life in the "Aeries" above. I'm SO excited to read more of their stories in the second novel, entitled Toxic Heart.

I recommend this book for people still experiencing Hunger Games withdrawal symptoms. It will soothe some of your longing, I promise!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------