Review: Faking It by Cora Carmack

Title: Faking It

Author: Cora Carmack

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication Date: 6.4.2013

Pages: 304

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Series: Losing It #2

Source: Finished copy at BEA

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.

Review:

Having met Cade in Cora Carmack’s first book, Losing It, I was very, very excited to see he was getting his own romance in Faking It. Faking It is definitely Cade’s book to shine and he just does it well. I love that he’s just one of those genuine good guys. He’s a realistic guy. He isn’t perfect, but he isn’t given to alpha-male doucheiness on a regular basis the way so many guys in new adult fiction are now. Cade is that guy that you can’t help but fall for, so it’s no wonder Max falls hard for him.

Let’s talk about our girl Max. There were a few hurdles that I tumbled over on my way to loving this girl. First was her penchant for violence. I’ve never been a fan of the dramatic face slap—you know that part where a girl gets so worked up she slaps a guy’s face and this is sometimes construed as romantic? It’s not, OK? It’s abuse and it’s domestic violence. It just somehow doesn’t get called this when a girl slaps a guy. If Cade had slapped Max twice in the face? Everyone would be burning their books.

The second issue, and maybe this is just me, but I’m simply not a fan of when a character or person is emphatic about their nickname. It’s not like they were calling her Hitler, OK? But Max got so insulted and up in arms when people called her Mackenzie, it just made me roll my eyes. If you hate the name so much, legally change it then!

Those two issues aside, I did come to enjoy Max and the way her relationship with Cade unfolded. Carmack is a fantastic story teller and she has this amazing way of crafting a plot that is both grounded and fantastical all at once. Fans of the new adult genre need to get on board with Carmack and quickly. It’s no wonder her signing line at BEA this past year was the longest author signing line I encountered throughout the whole expo. She’s that good.

Buy: Amazon 

*Faking It is on sale for $2.99 as an ebook / Losing It is available for $1.99*

Blog Tour: Demanding Ransom by Megan Squires

In case you've missed all of my posts, tweets, reviews and such, I am a huge fan of the New Adult genre. With her stunning contribution to it, Megan Squires, is definitely an author to watch. I recently had the chance to interview her, and here's what she has to say:

~The Interview~

1.How did you get the idea for Demanding Ransom?

I was in the middle of a photoshoot (I’m a photographer by day, writer by night) and the guy I was photographing said that he was training to be an EMT. I instantly thought how that job must be so hard, but also, pretty darn cool. I did some research and found out that there’s a difference between EMTs and paramedics (I probably should have know that) and decided to make Ran a paramedic (there’s a scene in the beginning where he gives Maggie an IV, and apparently only paramedics can do that—though the laws are different in each state).

Everything with the storyline sort of snowballed from there, but it’s definitely centered around Ran “saving” Maggie in several ways:  physically, emotionally, and relationally. For most of my books, I’m one of those fly by the seat of my pants writers, so the plot usually comes to me as I write. I was just as surprised by the plot twist as everyone else! I honestly didn’t plan for it, but it works into the story so well and everything comes full-circle.

2. I’m often curious how writers decide on names for their characters. How did you come up with Ran and Maggie?

I usually look at baby names websites when coming up with my characters names, and when I saw Ransom, I knew it was absolutely perfect. I love finding names with meaning (every one of my characters in the Outlier Chronicles series has a name that represents something) and I love that Ran’s name was an actual word: ransom. That word is full of so much meaning and depth, and surprisingly, as we find out, so is Ran.

Because Ran’s name was so unusual, I wanted my female lead to have a more common name. I loved the name Maggie because it’s a nickname so it feels intimate on some level, and it has the right amount of youth and adulthood in the sound of it if that makes sense. Since this is a coming of age sort of novel, I wanted a name that fit that genre.

3. What are you working on next?
I’m finishing up my current work in progress, The Rules of Regret. I find that I really love writing college/coming of age types of stories where the protagonist is on a journey of self-discovery. This one is definitely that. Darby deals with a lot of questions as to how to make your life really matter. How to leave your mark on the world when all is said and done. How to be remembered for something. And of course there’s the charming camp counselor, Torin, that she meets while on this journey.

Finish the sentence:

4. If I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is …
Build a reading/writing room. I have dreams of walls filled with books and those sliding ladders you have to use to get to the top shelf. Like the one in the Beasts castle—that’s what I would build.

5.If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life it would be …

Sushi. We are so lucky to have so many great sushi restaurants here in California. I’m pretty certain I could easily survive on the Fair Oaks roll for the rest of my life.

6. The next book I’m going to read is …

That is a tough one since my TBR list is too long to even count. The next book I’m anxiously awaiting the release of is Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover.

7. My next project is …

Finishing up The Rules of Regret so it can release late August/early September! I can’t wait!

~About the Author~

website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Megan Squires lives with her husband and two children just outside of Sacramento, California. A graduate from the University of California, Davis, Megan is now a full-time mother, wife, and dreamer – though her characters don’t often give her much opportunity to sleep.

~About Demanding Ransom~

Sometimes life takes things away from you. In nineteen-year-old Maggie Carson’s case, it’s taken more than its fair share.

Determined to move forward, Maggie embarks on her first year of college, hoping to finally put her past behind her, exactly where it belongs.

But that’s hard to do when the present is just as difficult. And even harder when someone like Ran, the gorgeous paramedic that keeps crossing Maggie’s path, challenges her to face things head on, rather than bury them like she always does.

Ran hasn’t had a perfect life either. But there’s something different about him, and something different about the way he makes Maggie feel. Maybe meeting Ran is life’s little gift for Maggie—a sort of consolation prize for enduring everything she's had to go through.

But things don’t come easy for Maggie. Why should love be the exception? And just when everything starts to settle, it’s all turned on its head once again.

If there is one thing Ran has taught Maggie, it’s that you can’t sit on the sidelines of your own existence. When life takes something that’s yours, you have every right to demand it back.

Only for Maggie, that is easier said than done.

Get a copy today at: Amazon 

Note: Demanding Ransom is a New Adult Romance with non-explicit sexual content.

~The Giveaway~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~The Tour~

Monday, June 24th - Just Reading For Fun
Tuesday, June 25th - Nose Graze
Wednesday, June 26th - The Irish Banana
Thursday, June 27th - Proserpine Graving Books
Friday, June 28th - The Bookswarm

Monday, July 1st - Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday, July 2nd Supernatural Snark
Wednesday, July 3rd - Krista's Dusk Jacket
Thursday, July 4th - Basia's Book Shelf
Friday, July 5th - Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Monday, July 8th - Rose's Book Corner
Tuesday, July 9th - Confessions From Romaholics
Wednesday, July 10th - Xpresso Reads
Thursday, July 11th - The Book Cellar
Friday, July 12th - Selkie Reads Stories

Review: After Math by Denise Grover Swank

Title: After Math

Author: Denise Grover Swank

Publisher: CreateSpace

Publication Date: 3.12.2013

Pages: 245

Genre: New Adult; Contemporary

Series: Off the Subject #1

Source: Finished copy at BEA

Rating: C-

Summary (from Goodreads):

Scarlett Goodwin’s world is divided into Before and After.

Before she agreed to tutor Tucker price, college junior Scarlett was introvert, struggling with her social anxiety and determined to not end up living in a trailer park like her mother and her younger sister. A mathematics major, she goes to her classes, to her job in the tutoring lab, and then hides in the apartment she shares with her friend, Caroline.

After junior Tucker Price, Southern University’s star soccer player enters the equation, her carefully plotted life is thrown off its axis. Tucker’s failing his required College Algebra class. With his eligibility is at risk, the university chancellor dangles an expensive piece of computer software for the math department if Scarlett agrees to privately tutor him.Tucker’s bad boy, womanizer reputation makes Scarlett wary of any contact, let alone spending several hours a week in close proximity.

But from her first encounter, she realizes Tucker isn’t the person everyone else sees. He carries a mountain of secrets which she suspects hold the reason to his self-destructive behavior. But the deeper she delves into the cause of his pain, the deeper she gets sucked into his chaos. Will Scarlett find the happiness she’s looking for, or will she be caught in Tucker’s aftermath?

Review:

Sigh.

That was my reaction when I finished After Math by Denise Grover Swank. And it wasn’t a swoony sigh I sometimes emit when I turn the last page of an epic book. It was the resigned sigh of a girl coming to grips with the fact that New Adult is quickly shifting from my favorite genre to my most frustration-inducing genre.

After Math is another new adult book. I found absolutely nothing to set this book apart from the pack. It was decent, yes, but there seemed to be no real plot save for a girl (Scarlett) ping-ponging back and forth between two guys. If you‘re going to give me yet another triangle, at least throw in a few vampires or werewolves for fun.

Scarlett is one of the blandest characters I’ve seen in a long time. She makes vanilla look spicy. I felt like Scarlett was a constant bystander in her own life. Everything happened to Scarlett. She was an introvert with social phobias, but her inner monologue was flat. She didn’t have any snarky, funny comebacks (even in her head).  I frequently felt like this book was an exercise in flipping pages. I kept waiting for Scarlett to wake up and it never materialized.

Her romantic interest (who is of course the campus all-star athlete complete with squealing female entourage he secretly loathes) was yet another new adult guy all too ready to use his fists when provoked. Seriously—did I just have the most mundane college campus around? Every new adult has the lead guy throwing punches when you look sideways at the girl he secretly loves but treats like crap himself. Use your words, people. Let’s dial back the testosterone.

The bright spot in this series is Caroline, Scarlett’s roommate and best friend. Caroline gave the story a much needed splash of color. I loved reading her, and I’m admittedly intrigued that the sequel to this book is Caroline’s story. Hopefully that will pull the series out of its slump.

Buy: Amazon 

Review: Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

Title: Thousand Words

Author: Jennifer Brown

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: 5.21.2013

Pages: 288

Genre: Contemporary

Series: No

Source: eARC from publisher

Rating: C

Summary (from Goodreads):

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send."

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look. 

Acclaimed author Jennifer Brown brings readers a gripping novel about honesty and betrayal, redemption and friendship, attraction and integrity, as Ashleigh finds that while a picture may be worth a thousand words . . . it doesn't always tell the whole story.

Review:

Jennifer Brown is an author who isn’t afraid to confront issues making headlines around the country in her books. Her most recent addition, Thousand Words, is no exception. Unfortunately for me, it just felt dry and lackluster.

Ashleigh and I were never meant to be friends. As the story progressed I grew more and more frustrated with her. I felt, frequently, that she blamed Kaleb for everything that had gone wrong. Did Kaleb screw up? Absolutely. But Ashleigh took that picture and sent it to him. I’m sure this will be an unpopular opinion, but had she never sent the picture, it never would have been circulated. I think all-too-frequently kids want to play the blame game when things go to hell and Ashleigh was no different.

Again, I’m not saying she asked for this. Not at all. But even if she and Kaleb had lived happily ever after and he lost his phone and the pictures got out? There wouldn’t have been a picture to leak if she hadn’t taken it and sent it. Grow up and stop acting like a total victim, Ashleigh.

The other thing I disliked was the way it alternated chapters from the past to the present. I think the story lost a lot of the emotional punch and impact because of this. I felt like I was constantly being pushed back and forth just when things started to get going. Had this been told linearly, I think I would have connected more to it. As it was, I felt like I was reading two different stories that got mashed together.

I can see the appeal to this book, and I think Brown is extremely awesome for taking on an issue like sexting. I think it’s a very relevant topic that needed to be addressed. I just wish it had been formatted a bit better with a more likeable character.

Buy: Amazon 

Cover Reveal: Split Second by Kasie West

It's no secret I'm a huge Kasie West fan. I fell in love with her explosive debut, Pivot Point, last year and when I found out there was going to be a book 2, I was happier than a puppy with a chew toy. When Kasie asked me to help with the cover reveal, there may have been some unladylike squealing involved.

Just sayin'.

So, without any further blathering, here's the cover for SPLIT SECOND.

Gorgeous, isn't it?! I love how it matches Pivot Point! But I'm sure you want to know what it's about, right?

Summary:

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

Lastly, because Kasie is amazing, I also have a giveaway for an ARC of Split Second! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Title: The Collector

Author: Victoria Scott

Publisher: Entangled

Publication Date: 4.2.2013

Pages: 352

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Dante Walker #1

Source: Purchased finished copy

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Review:

After going to a book festival and being urged (and by urged I mean ordered) to read The Collector from a group of bloggers I love (Steph, Jen, and Jenn), I decided to give it a try. I mean, Victoria Scott’s debut seemed to be on every blog I visited. People were constantly gushing about D-Dub and his awesomeness and I felt like that kid who wore blue jeans to the prom—I was clearly missing something.

This book is just flat out awesome fun once you muscle through the first chapter of Dante proclaiming his inherit awesomeness. Seriously. The boy declares he’s the man on the first page. Usually characters that are that cocky and arrogant piss me off and never regain my faith.

My boy, Dante, was one of the few who weaseled and cajoled his way back onto my good graces. Maybe because he actually is as amazing as he says he is. But don’t tell him I said that. Boy’s already got a swelled head.

The heart of the book is really in watching Dante shift from this playboy with a who-gives-a-flying-crap attitude to a person with feelings and morals and heart. All of this is thanks to Charlie, a girl who could not have been more his polar opposite. Geeky, awkward, and gangly Charlie who worked her way under Dante’s skin and right into my heart.

Scott blew me away with this debut. She writes her romance and action with the grace and ease of an author with a dozen books under her (or his) belt. There was no faltering or stalling, the plot kept moving along at a quick pace and I can’t wait for the sequel, The Liberator, to come out so I can crawl back into this incredible world she created.

Buy: Amazon

Review: True by Erin McCarthy

Title: True

Author: Erin McCarthy

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 5.7.2013

Pages: 235

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Series: True Believers #1

Source: eARC from Publisher

Rating: A-

Summary (from Goodreads):

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Review:

Despite my issues with someone’s best friends paying a known player to de-virginize her, I have to say True is one of my favorite new adult stories. Erin McCarthy is the author of young adult and adult novels, but this new adult novel was my first time with her (minds out of the gutter, people), and I absolutely loved every second.

Rory is a sweet, somewhat naïve character who embodies everything I love about the new adult genre. She’s a girl literally on the verge of adulthood. Watching her struggle and deal with real-life issues in a realistic, mature fashion was refreshing. Did she make mistakes? Absolutely, but she owned up to them and I loved watching her grow up.

I was a bit wary of Tyler at first. I’ve been burned by too many other fictional guys like him that just never seem to learn. Anytime you take a known womanizer and try to make him suddenly do an about-face for the love of a single girl he met days earlier always rubs me wrong. With Tyler, there is something blessedly different. Tyler is a guy that’s been forced to grow up all too quickly and his back story is both painful and horrifically true of so many young adults in the world today. I quickly lost all of my prejudices when reading Tyler—he’s strong, protective, and loyal, but McCarthy handles it perfectly. Tyler isn’t the guy who will punch you for staring too long at his girlfriend in the cafeteria. He doesn’t spiral off into absolute self-destruction when things don’t go his way.

In short, Rory and Tyler are like actual people. Actual people becoming adults and dealing with adult issues.

I must warn you that this book does have the token sexual assault scene that seems to run rampant in new adult fiction (seriously, why must we go there?), but it doesn’t detract from making you fall in love with Rory and Tyler and their love. McCarthy brilliantly leaves the end open for future books that with focus on secondary characters. I, for one, cannot wait.

If you’re looking for a new adult title with an incredible romance and characters you can truly root for, look no further than True.

Buy: Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday (45)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly waiting to get into our hands.

This week I'm waiting on....

Scorched

By: Mari Mancusi

Summary:
Trinity 
Don't leave me here... It starts with a whisper. At first Trinity thinks she's going crazy. It wouldn't be a big surprise--her grandpa firmly believes there's a genuine dragon egg in their dusty little West Texas town. But this voice is real, and it's begging for her protection. Even if no one else can hear it...

Connor 
He's come from a future scorched by dragonfire. His mission: Find the girl. Destroy the egg. Save the world.

Caleb 
He's everything his twin brother Connor hates: cocky, undisciplined, and obsessed with saving dragons. 

Trinity has no idea which brother to believe. All she has to go by is the voice in her head--a dragon that won't be tamed.

Why I Want It:
Um .... dragons. It has dragons, y'all. Also, while I'm not a fan of triangles, I am curious to see which brother she'll side with as both are so different. Hmmm .... Sounds like the start to a fantabulous series!

Scorched will be released by Sourcebooks Fire on 9.3.2013

Review: Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne

Title: Truly, Madly, Deadly

Author: Hannah Jayne

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: 7.2.2013

Pages: 272

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery

Series: No

Source: eARC from publisher

Rating: C-

Summary (from Goodreads):

Sawyer Dodd has it all. She's a star track athlete, choir soloist, and A-student. And her boyfriend is the handsome all-star Kevin Anderson. But behind the medals, prom pictures, and perfect smiles, Sawyer finds herself trapped in a controlling, abusive relationship with Kevin. When he dies in a drunk-driving accident, Sawyer is secretly relieved. She's free. Until she opens her locker and finds a mysterious letter signed by "an admirer" and printed with two simple words: "You're welcome."

Review:

In Truly, Madly, Deadly Hannah Jayne attempts to tell the story of a girl trying to unravel the mystery of who killed her abusive boyfriend.

Yes. I said attempts.

There were several things about this that just didn’t work for me. The first was that I never really got a feel for the dynamics of Sawyer’s relationship with Kevin. Maybe I would have cared more about his murder if I understood what went wrong in their relationship. And I felt like Sawyer was never really clear on how she felt about him—did she love it? Did she fear him? Was she relieved he was gone? Happy he was gone? Totally indifferent one way or another? Maybe there was just too much emphasis placed on this from the synopsis, but I felt this really needed to be explained more.

There were several other murders/attacks that led me to the obvious conclusion that Sawyer had a stalker, not someone just trying to help her. But these attacks and murders just felt … forced. There was little fluidity. At one point early on, Sawyer is sexually harassed by a teacher at her school. This just came out of left field and I felt like there was no resolution to this at all. It was never brought up again after it happened. I know this was done to villainize the teacher (I hate being vague, but I’m trying to keep this spoiler-free), but that could have been done if the teacher was just needlessly harsh with grading. It felt like the sexual harassment was dismissed and it shouldn’t be. If you’re going to bring up a subject as volatile and complex as a male teacher blatantly abusing his power over a female student for sexual gain, you need to address it and follow through.

Truly, Madly, Deadly is a relatively short read, which was good as I often found my attention waning. My initial like of Sawyer grew to apathy by the end and while the unmasking of the killer was mildly surprising, I ended this just wanting more. There is a very real possibility a lot of people will enjoy this thriller and that’s fantastic. This just didn’t work for me.

Buy: Amazon 

FRIGID Pre-Order & Chapter Reveal

I am so so happy to have the chance to share this with all of you today. It's not secret that I'm a HUGE Jennifer Armentrout/J. Lynn fan and having already read (and adored) FRIGID, I can assure you that this is one book you definitely want to pre-order!

Today is an exciting day - we have FOUR HUGE SURPRISES for you! Jennifer L. Armentrout's (writing as J. Lynn) FRIGID is set to release on e-book at the end of July. If you're anything like us, you're probably on pins and needles and just cannot wait to get your hands on a copy of this book.

FRIGID has already been given the honor of being named a Romantic Times Top Pick and we're super excited for you to be able to read it as well!

Well, there's good news! Are you ready for those four awesome surprises? Here we go!

1. Due to all the excitement surrounding FRIGID, we have decided to run a special e-book pre-order promotion. We have worked out a deal with the distributor to release FRIGID a full two weeks early -- on JULY 15th!!! -- if we meet our e-book pre-order goal. EEEEP! That's right, if you are like the rest of us and want to be able to read FRIGID in its entirety before its original release date, all you have to do is PRE-ORDER THE E-BOOK NOW! What are you waiting for? GO! Pre-order it!

Pre-Order Links: Barnes & Noble / Amazon

2. Need something to hold you over until FRIGID releases? Well, starting right now, you can read the first three chapters of FRIGID for free! Just read below!

Frigid Sneak Peek

LINK

3. Can’t get enough of the hot FRIGID cover? Want to see some behind the scenes photos that are sure to make you swoon? You’re in luck! Below you can watch a slideshow of all the behind the scenes photos from the photo shoot! Go on and watch it. We’ll wait, because there is still one more great surprise!



LINK

4. And last but not least, if you live near Philadelphia, PA, you're in for a very special treat -- Jennifer will be in Philly in November signing not only FRIGID but also the last book in her immensely popular COVENANT series, SENTINEL! But that's not all, Adam, the super hot cover model from FRIGID will be there as well! So, yes, you'll get to meet Jennifer and Adam! Plus, there will be other great prizes that you seriously won't want to miss out on (dinner with the author and model, perhaps?)! Stay tuned for more details to come!

We hope you're as excited as we are! So now....Go pre-order FRIGID! Go read those chapters! Go watch that slideshow! And Enjoy!

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Title: Born of Illusion

Author: Teri Brown

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: 6.11.2013

Pages: 384

Genre: Historical, Fantasy

Series: Born of Illusion #1

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

Anna Van Housen has a secret. A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums, and mentalists in 1920’s New York. As the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini—or so Marguerite claims—sleight of hand illusions have never been a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her opportunistic mother. Because while Marguerite’s own powers may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people’s feelings and foretell the future.

But as Anna’s powers intensify, she begins to experience frightening visions of her mother in peril, which leads her to explore the powers she’s tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, she is forced to confront her past and rethink everything she’s ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna’s visions merely illusion? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite’s tricks?

From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, and the temptations of Jazz Age New York—and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny.

Review:

Talk about a love/hate relationship between a mother and daughter. This was an amazing tale, one I hope to hear more about, of a struggling young woman striving to find her place in a male dominant world.

Anna quickly becomes your favorite. Teri does a beautiful job throwing you into her head and heart. Your quick to understand her, as though you would do the same put in her shoes. Not only is Anna amazing but so are all the other characters. Complete with their own bit of history as well as glimpses of their emotions. That's what makes a great story, when you can really "see" with them.

Ever wondered about what it's like as a woman in the 1920's? Well here is your chance. Teri created such a detailed and vivid world that I wish I was Anna. She didn't leave out a single detail; I was not left asking "what does the look like?" She is even detailed down to the clothes and hair of some characters.

In the end, you just want more. An excellent romance, paranormal, fantasy that makes you swell with more than one emotion. A definite must read!

~About the Author~

Teri Brown is proud of her two children but coming in a close second is the fact that she parachuted out of a plane and beat the original Legend of Zelda video game.

She is a word scribbler, head banger, math hater, book reader, rule breaker, food fixer, novel writer, kitty keeper, and city slicker. Teri lives with her husband and way too many pets in Portland, Oregon.

WEBSITE | TWITTER |FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

~Giveaway~

To celebrate the launch of BORN OF ILLUSION, Teri is giving away 10 sets of BORN OF ILLUSION earth mineral eye shadow available for a limited time only from Glamour Doll Eyes. You, too, can get the glam look of the twenties!

Eye Shadow Giveaway (10 sets)

Teri will also be giving away not, one but THREE grand prizes that Cari Cucksey, (of HGTV’s Cash and Cari), picked out from her RePurpose shop especially for the BORN OF ILLUSION launch!

Grand Prize Giveaway – Vintage Spoon Bracelets

So don’t forget to enter for a chance to win these beautiful vintage spoon bracelets!

All giveaways are US and Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Tour~

Week One

June 3rd - Tales of the Ravenous Reader - Guest Post

June 4th - Mostly YA Books Obsessed - Review

June 5th - Hobbitsies - Interview

June 6th - YA Bibliophile - Guest Post

June 7th - The Starry-Eyed Revue - Review

Week Two

June 10th - Supernatural Snark - Interview

June 11th - Between the Pages - Review

June 12th - Icey Books - Guest Post

June 13th - Larissa & Friends' Bookish Life - Guest Post

June 14th - The Irish Banana - Review