Synopsis:Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her best friend, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her; six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for; six months to find redemption, if it even exists. Nikki longs to spend these precious few months forgetting the Everneath completely and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. Cole wants to take over the Everneath’s throne and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
As Nikki’s time on the surface draws to a close and all of her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: finding a way to cheat fate and remain on the surface with Jack, or returning to the Everneath and becoming Cole’s queen.
Review:
I absolutely loved this book, mostly because mythology was one of my favorites subjects in school. The characters were well rounded and memorable. The relationship between Jack and Nikki was so sweet, though the other guy Cole....super creepy! It was interesting how the author blended old mythology and updated it with a new twist. This story was about loss true but it was also about love and how that love can transcend through time and space. That same love allowed Nikki to choose to leave the Everneath and keep her from forgetting about her loved ones on the surface. That love also causes creepy Cole to pursue her even more. I thought the plot was steady and am wondering if Nikki will be able to escape the Everneath's hold on her. Overall, this was a great read and look forward to the next in the series.
Favorite Quote: " Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with."
Cover Review: Don't you just LOVE IT!!! Beautiful and visually appealing.
For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her
visions, but she wasn’t prepared for the choice she had to make that
day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part
angel is as straightforward as she thought.
Now, torn between
her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and
Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and
beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves
will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only
thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.
Review: Hallowed was a good read, I was sad throughout it because I knew someone close to Clara was going to die and when it came to that part of the story my heart broke just a tad. I love the two male love interests as they both offer Clara different things, but who is the right one for her. Well, Christian only because he is like her and will live longer than Tucker. Okay, there is more to it than that but she can really be her Angel self without worrying about the glory making Tucker sick or worship her. However, her heart belongs to Tucker, and I wonder how that is going to play out in the end. I think Tucker is a great character though, all of the characters are well developed and easy to identify with. The story flowed well and the reader gets a better understanding of who Clara is and where she comes from. Hallowed is full of surprises, and can't wait to read more of this series. This is truly a story of loss, self-discovery, family and love.
I'm feeling generous so there will be 2...yes TWO winners for this giveaway. One winner will receive a print copy and the other shall receive an e-book of choice!
Choose one of the books listed above or if you would like a different please indicate in the designated section. As always on one entry is mandatory...all other are optional. As you can see I got a little carried away with the options.....
Fracture:the act or process of breaking or the state of being broken
-Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Eleven minutes passed
before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by
her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating.
Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied
medical precedent to come back seemingly fine
—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone
wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal.
Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds
herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death,
or causing it?
Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with
similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who
understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon
discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their
gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?
Fracture grabs hold of your heart right from the beginning, and I enjoyed it. This book was so emotional, and it shows how one event can have a ripple effect on others lives. Delaney comes out the coma, different broken, fractured pieces of herself, no longer the Delaney that they once knew but the Delaney that is yet known. She is alive but wrong at least to her family, and even to herself she is changed from her life and death situation. She has these tremors that she realizes is death drawing her near, which sounds like some sort of seizure. Troy,was a scary character, he was so lost in his own grief and believed what he was doing was justified. Delaney's mother made me angry at times in how she dealt with the Delaney. However, my favorite part of the book was the friendship between Decker and Delaney, it was true, heartwarming and very believable. Overall, this was an great read that will make you feel many emotions about love, loss, hope, friendship, death and life.
Favorite Quote: "Death is finite. Unless it's not. In which case it wasn't death in the first place. Just an absence of life."
Cover Review: Absolutely love it! I love reflections in photography.
Trinity Hartell’s life changed after the accident. Left with
irreversible brain damage, she becomes a burden to her mother, a cause
for heartbreak for her boyfriend Zack, and a flattened obstacle for her
jealous best friend, Ellie.
But then she starts writing. Perhaps
it’s a coincidence that the psychotic, murderous protagonist of her
novel bears a striking similarity to the charming Wiley Dalton, a
mayoral candidate in the upcoming election.
Or, perhaps not…
This book is not light and fluffy but dark, and suspenseful. It is told in the point of view of everyone surrounding Trinity, though I think it would have been interesting to hear her voice no matter how simple it may or may not have been. I would've have liked to hear the thoughts that drove her to write her story. I'm still trying to figure out how/what caused Trinity to have these psychic episodes, why is she able to tap into that negative energy of the occult. This story is mysterious, and deceptive....not at all what you will expect when the accident happens and Trinity becomes brain damaged. Within is so much more than that. To sum it up it was a good read but the end did not make me happy(no warm and fuzzy here), it was unfair I think.....but you'll have to read to find out why.
Publication: January 31, 2012 Received: HarperCollins via Netgalley
NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have
been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences
from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and
no one knows why.
NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things
to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion
and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of
Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence
means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?
HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands
up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may
live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them
be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone
else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy
the promise of reincarnation for all?
I heart Incarnate, it was so beautifully written. What really drew me into the novel was Ana, she is young, impulsive and vibrant. She lives in the moment and experiencing life through her eyes was so innocent and pure. I liked that everything was a new beginning for her, especially Sam. Even though, she has Sam on her side, Ana stills feels out of place and the residents of Heart(Li, her mother especially) make it hard for her to fit in. It is easy to understand her isolation as she is the youngest person amongst people that have repeatedly been reincarnated for 5000 years!!! I think the people of Heart had become comfortable and complacent,then Ana is born. Her birth marks a change in the repetitive cycle of death, rebirth, and they fear she is the beginning of the end, yet not everyone likes change. Overall, this was a great read.
Last May, a month or so after I began marketing my novel, In Leah’s Wake, a former agent told me that I would never sell 500 books. A rookie, I had no idea what to expect. When I published the novel, I’d dreamed of selling a 3,000 – 5,000 books, hoping healthy sales numbers would attract the attention of an agent or traditional publishing house for my next novel.
The agent had left New York, but she’d been in the business for a long time, and her words stung. I hung up the phone, heartbroken, depressed. Had I not been in the midst of my first blog tour, I might have pulled my novel off the market that day.
Determined to see the tour through, I soldiered on. On the tour, I met wonderful, caring people, book bloggers, whose kindness buoyed and sustained me.
Over the next few months, In Leah’s Wake appeared on hundreds of blogs. Bloggers opened their hearts and spread the word about this quiet literary novel. In August, In Leah’s Wake hit the Barnes & Noble and Amazon charts. Now, seven months after my talk with that agent, the book has been in the Amazon top 200 for over five months, and we’ve sold just shy of 80,000 copies.
Book bloggers rock! I don’t know how to say it any better. Book bloggers are the fairy godmothers and godfathers of the literary world. They invest their talent, their energy, and their time into reviewing and promoting books – and keeping dreams alive.
Even today, traditional media refuse to recognize or review indie books. In this very real sense, book bloggers are the heart and soul of the indie revolution. Their vision, their energy, and their determination have enabled this amazing populist movement to take hold.
Today, we have the great good fortune of hearing the funny, poignant, intelligent voices of new authors from around the world - voices that, just a few years ago, might have been silenced by the gatekeepers of the old guard. These voices reach into hearts and minds, forging connections, uniting us in a community of readers and writers, searching for and finding, through words, the better part of ourselves. Because, truly, at heart, this is what reading and writing is all about.
Here’s to you, book bloggers! You are and always will be my heroes!
AUTHOR BIO:
Terri Giuliano Long is the bestselling author of the award-winning novel In Leah’s Wake. Her life outside of books is devoted to her family. In her free time, she enjoys walking, traveling, and listening to music. True to her Italian-American heritage, she’s an enthusiastic cook. In an alternate reality, she might be an international food writer. She lives with her family on the East Coast and teaches at Boston College. In Leah’s Wake is her debut novel.
This week, Terri and Inspired Quill Press (paperback edition), launch a newly edited edition of In Leah’s Wake. The newly edited novel features a new chapter and several new scenes, adding new connections and insights, and tightens the book, cutting 60 pages – all while maintaining the integrity of the original edition.
For more information, please visit her website: www.tglong.com/blog or any of these retailer sales. (Your local library or bookstore can also order the book through major distribution channels.) TRAILER
***Newly edited by Sara-Jayne Slack, Inspired Quill Press***
The Tylers have a perfect life—beautiful home, established careers, two sweet and talented daughters. Their eldest daughter, Leah, an exceptional soccer player, is on track for a prestigious scholarship. Their youngest, Justine—more responsible than seems possible for her 12 years—just wants her sister’s approval. With Leah nearing the end of high school and Justine a seemingly “together” kid, the parents are set to enjoy a peaceful life…until everything goes wrong. Can this family survive in Leah’s wake?
Margot Livesey, award-winning author of Banishing Verona, calls In Leah's Wake "a beautifully written and absorbing novel."
What happens when love just isn't enough?
Recipient of the CTRR Award for excellence
2011 Book Bundlz Book Pick
Book Bundlz 2011 Favorites, First Place
Praise for In Leah’s Wake
"Sometimes scary, sometimes sad, and always tender."
Susan Straight, National Book Award finalist, author Take One Candle Light A Room
"In Leah's Wake is a beautifully written and absorbing novel."
Margot Livesey, Award-winning author of Banishing Verona
“Pulled me right along as I continued to make comparisons to my own life.”
Jennifer Donovan, 5 Minutes for Books, Top 50 Book Blog
“An incredibly strong debut, this book is fantastic on many fronts.”
Naomi Blackburn, Founder Sisterhood of the Traveling Book
How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth about the past?
Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan never questioned her family’s history.
That is until she accepted a scholarship to Guilder Boarding School in
England. Guilder is an exclusive, gifted school. Rae has no idea what
she is getting herself into or that her family’s past is going to come
back and taunt her.
She learns she is part of an unparalleled group of individuals who
become inked with a unique tattoo (tatu) on their sixteenth birthday.
The tatu enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the
shape of their ink-art. Both of her parents were inked, though Rae never
knew, as they passed away when she was young. Learning about her
family's past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to
decide if there is a ray of hope in her own life.
Quote: "Your father's demons will try to tempt you, but don't
listen. you're going to be more powerful than your father ever was and
that is why he fears you."
What would you do if you were planted in a new place around people that look at you like you're going to sprout horns, and every where there are whispers at the mention of your name? Rae Kerrigan, is sent to Guilder Boarding School with no explanation from her Uncle, away from the one place she was comfortable just blending in, to a place where she stands out because of her father's past. Now, hoping she can prove the doubters wrong she is still worried that she will be evil like her father when she finally gets her tatu. I really like the concept of this book. The idea that they have this power within them that manifests itself in the form of a tatu not tatoo. The powers that they have range from flying to shape-shifting, and no power is impossible in this world. The storyline paced pretty well considering this is the beginning of the series and we are introduced to Rae's new life through her eyes. I loved all of the characters, especially her roommate Molly who is whirlwind of a character, and Devon, the sweet heartthrob. Rae was real, and as a reader I could understand her frustration and discomfort for being singled out at this school of the super-gifted. She is a strong character that has her own issues to confront, and add to that the weight of her father's bad deeds, she has a tough road ahead of her. Can Rae overcome her father's dark legacy or will the evil
that lurks in the shadows stifle the light within? That is to be determined, I look forward to the next installment in the Chronicles of Kerrigan.
This is a story of
loss, love, hope, self-confidence, trust and sacrifice.
Jason Stevens is growing up in picturesque, historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in the 1970s. Back when the roads are smaller, the cars slower, the people more colorful, and Washington, D.C. is way across the mountains—a winding sixty-five miles away.
Jason dreams of going to art school in the city, but he must first survive his teenage years. He witnesses a street artist from Italy charm his mother from the backseat of the family car. He stands up to an abusive husband—and then feels sorry for the jerk. He puts up with his father’s hard-skulled backwoods ways, his grandfather’s showy younger wife, and the fist-throwing schoolmates and eccentric mountain characters that make up Harpers Ferry—all topped off by a basement art project with a girl from the poor side of town.
" Someday I'll fly like the bird I can not see. Someday I'll love like the heart I can not feel. Someday I'll smile like the face I have not seen."
Review: This is a series of short stories in which the author went into great detail about the characters and the setting, but there was no plot. The story is well written and is more of a window into Jason's emotions, his thoughts and life.I really feel like the reader will experience the levels of who Jason is and who he can become. I wanted to know more about what happened to Jason and felt like the ending left me hanging with more questions. That said, this book touches on many subjects of sexuality, race, abuse, fidelity, love and family, which anyone can find something they can relate to in this book. I found myself feeling sad and angry for Jason, when he said that his father wanted his mother to get rid of him.....what child should have to ever hear that? Disturbingly realistic and emotionally raw this collection of short stories was an insightful read.
Author’s comment:
There is a big change going on in Julia’s life. Moving from London to the Amazon forest was the biggest thing that could have ever happened to Julia: leaving her school and friends behind, being ripped apart from her best person in the world- Grandma, and heading to a place where she doesn’t speak the native language is depressing enough for her. Little does she know that this is only the beginning....
Excerpt from Swirls by F. A. Hershey (“Little Library Muse” exclusive):
We got out of the airport much quicker than I thought possible compared to the days or maybe weeks we seemed to have been flying. As soon as we reached the gate, a man was waiting with a sign bearing MR WHITE on it, my father’s surname.
‘Bom dia, Mr White. My name is Jonathan and I will be escorting you to the hotel. I hope you had a nice flight?’ the friendly man said, in a funny accent. He was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, loose knee length shorts and Havaianas, as simple as that. His hair was cropped short but I could tell he had the same satin black hair I inherited from my Grandma.
‘It was long, but what matters is that we’re here,’ my father said, offering his hand. The man shook it.
The only thing I noticed before we slid into the man’s car was the artificial lake built right in front of the airport entrance. Suddenly I wanted to see the sturdiness and the excess of modern detail at Heathrow Airport. A small lump formed in my throat, I swallowed it.
The short drive to the boat didn’t catch my attention. I was still sleep deprived and going through a sudden wave of bad mood, probably as a result of tiredness. The city was different from everything that was common to me, and I made myself a small promise to tour the city as soon as I felt better.
We still didn’t have a place to stay, but my father had a friend who owned a jungle lodge not too far from the city, and he offered us two rooms to stay for as long as we liked until my dad found us a suitable house.
When we were in London, he wanted to show me pictures of the lodge we would be staying but I refused to see them; I was too angry at him for disrupting my life like that, but now I wish I had seen them. If I had, I would have known what to expect.
The half-hour boat ride was mind-blowing. The view from where I stood was picturesque. I momentarily forgot about my bags, my hair billowed madly in the wind and I just looked. I already began to feel a lot more connected to my own roots. Grandma knew I would feel this way, as if a spiritual connection or something was bound to happen.
The river was not too wide, but the trees seemed to be trying to embrace it from both sides. I felt so small amongst the grandiosity of this place. I touched the water with my fingertips and I felt life underneath the water, as if the fish and other living creatures were greeting me upon my arrival. It was surreal, I tell you.
The sun was bright and already up in the painstakingly blue sky above my head, but before I had time to even begin to enjoy the ride, the boat reached the small pier. The jungle lodge was so camouflaged amongst the thick trees that at first I thought we weren’t there yet.
When the man turned off the engine, at first it felt like I’d gone deaf. But then the sounds of the forest reached me. New but intriguing squeaks and chirps of animals that I’d never seen before reached my ears from all sides; small rodents subtly scurried about amidst the bottom of the trees where there were heaps of loose, dead leaves.
‘Let me help you with your bags, miss,’ the man offered.
‘Obrigada.’ I got to use the only word in Portuguese that I knew.
To get to our rooms we had to walk down a path which was so covered with climbing plants and trees and tall bushes on top of them, that they made the long corridor a very dark shade of green. The air was so humid and hot, it made difficult to breathe, and I could feel a bead of sweat trickling down my neck.
The rooms the owner had put aside for our use were an addition to the natural environment of the place. Only natural material seemed to have been used to build the furniture and the decoration; it was probably made locally, maybe even by tribe people. Again, a strange sense of familiarity washed over me.
‘Your room is down that corridor miss, by the river,’ the friendly man said, pointing to a pretty trail leading downwards to a small cabin built a little above the water level.
The lodge wasn’t like any hotel I’d ever seen before. It wasn’t just one big building divided into rooms and facility rooms. There were small cabana-like buildings here and there, blended with the trees. They were all connected by ornamented trails, with direction signs everywhere.
The best news I had until now was that I could have my own room, and it wasn’t even next to my parents’, which was all I could ask for right now.
‘Here is your bag, Julia,’ my dad said, handing me my one and only bag. ‘Take a shower and have some rest. Your mother and I will do the same, then we can meet for lunch, what do you think?’
‘Great. See you later then.’ I was already walking down the corridor. Some privacy at last!
‘Do you want me to go with you, Julia?’ my mum asked, surprising me. She wasn’t used to being kind.
‘No, mum, it’s ok. I’ll see you later. I’ll be fine,’ I said, I would be as fine as I could be.
I waved to them and walked down the trail towards my room.
I could feel tears waiting to burst out any moment now. On one hand I was glad to be alone with my thoughts for a little while. As I walked down the trail, I tried to look ahead of today; I avoided looking back at what my life used to be like – I had already indulged myself earlier – and I tried, for a moment, to see the bright side of this new life. So many people would give anything to be where I was right now.
But on the other hand I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t know what lay ahead in my life. If my life was a book, tomorrow would be a blank page, as if the author had forgotten to write the next chapter, had gotten bored by the story or hadn’t thought it was worth writing on.
What would I do tomorrow? Walk around in the jungle? Not likely. I blinked, and my shirt caught a drop of tear. I barely noticed the remaining trail leading to my room – my eyes were swimming in salt water. I concentrated on fighting them back as hard as I could.
The Author is giving away two e-copies of Swirls....
The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun. That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities. But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him. Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.
Review: This is such a good book. It was easy to follow Jackson's story even though he jumped through several different time periods. The author did a great job of clarifying what the time period was as Jackson of course had to ask or find out by looking over strangers' shoulder at a newspaper and such. Each jump he encounters the Enemies of Time, who are bad time travelers who want to change the world, and the CIA, who try to protect Jackson and stop them. He also learns more and more about the secrets of his heritage, and why the last jump that got him stuck in 2007 was different from his usual mini jumps. As Jackson gets closer to the truth he must make a choice that changes everything about his world. I really liked reading about Jackson, and his journey through time. He is a memorable, realistic character and his tone of speech fits for a teen his age. I found myself feeling his hurt, and his love for Holly.The ending for me made me sad but I'd spoil it if I told, however I feel it was left open for another book. Cross did an excellent job of portraying his voice and thoughts, which is believable.This is story of love, loss, trust and sacrifice.
Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.
And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.
Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.
When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.
Review: This was an alright book, it wasn't bad but I really didn't feel a connection to most of the characters. Kali, goes from being a regular girl to superhuman every twenty-four hours, and on the days she has her powers she can't fight the urge that drives her to hunt the demons lurking in the night. She was relatable in the instance that she was a lonely teen whose mother left when she younger and she lives with a father she believes doesn't know she exists or takes the time to notice the blood stains on her clothes. The only other character that was easy to connect with was Skylar, who just happens to be sort of psychic and befriends Kali at her new school. All other characters just didn't really feel a real connection throughout the story, it was like they were puzzle pieces that fit in the outer space around Kali, and just not certain who they really are. Even Zev, the love interest remains a mystery, which hopefully we will learn more about him in the next book...he seems promising. Now, the subject matter 0f a super girl that has some vulnerability when she is human was intriguing and I felt she had her strongest moments in her mortal state, even though some see her caring for her friends as her weakness. Kali is tough, I like that but she also doesn't know who she is or how she got that way and the story line follows her as she discovers the truth about her heritage. Kali just wants those that love her to take notice. This is a book about strength, love, truth and sacrifice. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes paranormal young adult fiction and I am also curious what will happen next with Kali.
My name is Latoya, I am a Librarian and photographer(though I haven't done much of this lately, I'm a litte rusty). So, feel free to chat with me, I don't bite..I promise!
