Blog Tour: FAÇADE by Nyrae Dawn

I would like to extend a big welcome to Nyrae Dawn who is here to talk about her newest New Adult novel, FAÇADE.

Describe a day-in-the-life for NYRAE DAWN:

My life is definitely not very glamorous J. I usually get up with my oldest and get her ready for school. My husband takes her to school while I check emails. Then my youngest gets up and I get her ready for school. Hubby then takes her and heads to the gym, which gives me a couple hours of uninterrupted writing time. He gets home, and we have lunch and then I write a little more before he picks the girls up from school. And of course, there is some social media time in there J After school it’s homework, dinner, hanging out with the family. Once my kids are in bed, I write, read, or hang out with my hubby. Of course there are days in there I have errands in between and I also like to go write at the bookstore a couple days a week.

About FAÇADE:

Can love save them?

After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is all right. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she’s never been—and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.

To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies’ man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.

Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together—or tear them apart forever?

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

About Nyrae Dawn:

Writing has always been Nyrae Dawn's passion. Nyrae gravitates toward character-driven stories. She loves going on emotional journeys with characters whether it be reading or writing. And yes, she's a total romantic at heart and proud.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Cover Reveal: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I am so, so very excited to share the cover of Jennifer L. Armentrout's new book, Don't Look Back, with you guys today! I actually got to see the cover over the weekend when I saw Jennifer, and I (along with the other people with me) absolutely fell hard and fast for it.

You ready? Watch the cover carefully!

Don’t Look Back synopsis:

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Don’t Look Back release date: 04/15/2014 

Amazon | B&N

Author the Author:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Review: 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Title: 3:59

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: 9.17.2013

Pages: 368

Genre: Multi-Verse

Series: No

Source: ARC from BEA

Rating: A-

Summary (from Goodreads):

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. 

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

Review:

I’ve seen so many conflicting reviews of Gretchen McNeil’s 3:59 and I just gotta say: What is wrong with y’all? I freaking love this book! Why aren’t you all reading and loving it, too?

Josie is a bit of an odd character. It took me a little while to warm to her because while I get she had stuff going on, she was just so aloof in the beginning. But once she was trapped in Jo’s world, she came to life and I loved following her.

The paradoxes and similarities that McNeil throws up in both worlds are commendable. It amazed me the precision used to create two totally different but eerily similar worlds in one book. It think I’m in love with her brain. For real.

This book is original and fun and dark and twisted … Yes, there’s a few WTF? moments, but doesn’t every book have that? Just sit back and enjoy the ride, guys, because McNeil throws up a ton of curveballs and creative turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I have to warn you all: The ending nearly did me in. I’m still trying to recover from it. I’m not above begging Gretchen McNeil to write a sequel. Maybe if we all do it together it’ll happen?

Buy: Amazon

Baltimore Book Festival 2013 Recap

This past weekend was the Baltimore Book Festival! It was an awesome weekend full of books, authors, and excitement that I was so happy to be a part of. This year the Maryland Romance Writers asked me and a few amazing bloggers to be on a blogger panel that was so much frickin' fun!

Here's a quick recap in pictures:

Me being all official with my pass.

Yeah, it says presenting author. Maybe a little wishful thinking on my part, but it was what all the panelists used.

 Lunch with two of my favorite bloggers: Liza from Reading With ABC and Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes/YABC

The first YA panel of the day with (L-R) Diana Peterfreund, Brigid Kemmerer, and Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Also on the panel was (L-R) Alethea Kontis, Dawn Rae Miller, and Lea Nolan 

Dinner later that night where Diana attempted to dine & dash (just kidding!) 

 Saturday MG/YA/NA panel with (L-R) Cheryl Klam, Em Garner, and Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Blogger panel! (L-R) Steph, Me, Jen, and Stacey

Hanging out with Jennifer L. Armentrout after our panel

I also got a copy of M.D. Waters' debut novel, ARCHETYPE. Not only do I love M.D. to pieces (she's my musical soul mate, guys. I kid you not.), but this book sounds so amazing! 
Check it out on GOODREADS

Saturday afternoon everyone seemed attached to the phones

An awesome new author, L.H. Nicole, actually filmed a huge chunk of the blogger panel. She let me upload it to YouTube so anyone who wanted to watch could:

Bloggers:
Stacey
Jen 
Hannah
Steph 
Jill
Joy

Moderator:
Lea Nolan‎

Filmed by:
L.H. Nicole

And lastly, what fun is a book blogger panel if they don't give away a ton of free books?

So that was my weekend. I had an absolutely blast. Thank you so much to Lea Nolan for setting this up, L.H. Nicole for filming it, and my fellow panelists for being kick ass doing what you do. 

A Little Too Much Cover Reveal

In the follow-up to Lisa Desrochers’ explosive New Adult novel A Little too Far, Alessandro Moretti must face the life he escaped and the girl he loved and left behind.

Twenty-two year old Hilary McIntyre would like nothing more than to forget her past. As a teenager abandoned to the system, she faced some pretty dark times. But now that’s all behind her. Hilary has her life on track, and there’s no way she’ll head back down that road again.

Until Alessandro Moretti—the one person who can make her remember—shows up on her doorstep. He’s even more devastatingly gorgeous than before, and he’s much too close for comfort. Worse, he sees right through the walls she’s built over these last eight years, right into her heart and the secrets she’s guarding.

As Hilary finds herself falling back into love with the man who, as a boy both saved and destroyed her, she must decide. Past or future? Truth or lies?

Halloween With HarlequinTEEN

It's that time of year - leaves are changing, air is cooling, and kids are already dreaming about the bucket full of candy they'll have in a few weeks' time. I'm not a kid anymore, so this Halloween I'm laying off the chocolate (mostly) and indulging in one of my favorite treats - Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz.

Cara is one of my all-time favorite authors, and anyone who knows me knows that I rave about her books Spellbound and Spellcaster. I met Cara a few years ago at BEA and she is so incredibly sweet and gracious. I chat with her one twitter and she routinely cracks me up and doesn't seem horribly annoyed that I always lament that Brendan and Emma, the stars of her debut series, only got two books.

That, my dears, is changing because Cara has written an amazing little IM scene between these characters as a special Halloween treat for the HarlequinTEEN blog tour. So check it out:

[NEW IM from Emma Connor to Brendan Salinger]

[8:49 p.m.]

E.Connor: Hello, handsome. Sexy. Love of my life.

B. Salinger: What do you want me to do? J

E. Connor: Rude! I can’t say hi to my wonderful, majestic, superb boyfriend?

B. Salinger: Do you have thesaurus.com open right now?

E. Connor: Ha, ha, ha. You’re so funny. :/

B. Salinger: I know. I should have my own talk show or something.

E. Connor: So you really won’t dress up for Halloween with me? Come on! Cisco’s party is going to be really fun. And costumes are required!

B. Salinger: I’ll go to the party. I just don’t want to dress up.

E. Connor: Please?

B. Salinger: Okay, I’ll dress up. I’ll be Brendan from the Future.

E. Connor: Yay!

E. Connor: Wait…what does Brendan from the Future wear?

B. Salinger: Black shirt and jeans.

E. Connor: Noooooooooooo!

B. Salinger: But…they’re FUTURE jeans.

E. Connor: Doesn’t count.

B. Salinger: Come on, Em. You know I love you but I don’t want to wear some uncomfortable outfit all night or dress up as a pirate or something lame. If you come up with something that isn’t embarrassing, I’ll do it.

E. Connor: Challenge accepted.

B. Salinger: Crap.

[Emma Connor has logged off]

[NEW IM from Emma Connor to Brendan Salinger]

[11:38 p.m.]

E. Connor: I know what we should do.

B. Salinger: Sneak you into my bedroom this weekend since my parents are out of town?

E. Connor: No.

E. Connor: Wait, what?

B. Salinger: J

E. Connor: Okay, let’s talk about that. But I’m talking about Halloween. You should go as Daryl Dixon.

B. Salinger: From The Walking Dead?

E. Connor: Yes! You can wear a necklace of zombie ears. We can get squirrel stuffed animals to hang from your belt.

E. Connor: Brendan? You there?

B. Salinger: I get a crossbow.

E. Connor: Yeah. And you don’t even have to brush your hair.

B. Salinger: Go on. What would you go as? And please don’t say Andrea. She is the worst.

E. Connor: A zombie, obviously.

B. Salinger: So you’ll spend all night trying to rip my shirt off and bite me?

E. Connor: Duh. I’d do that anyway.

B. Salinger: Okay, I’m in.

E. Connor: You’re the best!

B. Salinger: I keep telling people that but you’re the only one who believes me.

About SPELLBOUND:

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible

death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to— Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives— visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

My Review

About Cara Lynn Shultz:

Cara Lynn Shultz’s love of supernatural writing began when she was 7 and wrote a play about ghosts, which she and her friends acted out on her grandparents’ porch. Since then, her work has appeared in Teen People, Alternative Press, Stuff, InStyle, Us Weekly, The Guardian UK and countless posts on Facebook and Twitter. She is a proud graduate of Fordham University and is currently a senior editor at PEOPLE.com. Cara lives in her native New York City with her husband, tuxedo cat and 8 million other people. Spellbound is her first novel. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour:

Monday, September 30th - Cara Lynn Shultz and Spellbound - The Irish Banana

Wednesday, October 2nd  - Cara Lynn Shultz and Spellcaster – Alice Marvels

Friday, October 4th  - Gena Showalter and Alice in Zombieland & Through The Zombieglass – The Page Turners

Monday, October 7th  - Dawn Metcalf – Indelible – Refracted Lights

Wednesday, October 9th  - Rachel Vincent and The Soul Screamers Series - Such A Novel Idea

Friday, October 11th  - Victoria Lamb  and Witchstruck – Book Swoon

Monday, October 14th  - Melissa Darnell and Crave & Covet – The Book Swarm

Wednesday, October 16th  - Melissa Darnell and Consume – A Bookish Escape

Friday, October 18th  - Julie Kagawa and The Immortal Rules – Tyngas Reviews

Monday, October 21st  – Julie Kagawa and The Eternity Cure – Bittersweet Enchantment

Wednesday, October 23rd  -Michelle Rowen and Dark Kiss – Books & Things

Friday, October 25th  -Michelle Rowen and Wicked Kiss – Bewitched Bookworms

Baltimore Book Festival 2013

It's that time of the year, guys! It's time for the Baltimore Book Festival! *throws confetti*

I had an absolute blast last year (check out my recap), and this year seems like it will be even more fun! I know it will be more interactive for me because I'll be on this panel on Saturday at the Maryland Romance Writer's tent:

1pm BLOGGING ABOUT BOOKS 

Moderator: Lea Nolan, Author

Andye Eppes, ReadingTeen.net, Jen Fisher, Jenuine Cupcakes/Young Adult Books Central, Hannah McBride, The Irish Banana Review, Stephanie Sinclair, Cuddlebuggery, Jillian Stein, Read-Love-Blog, Joy Harris, Joyfully Reviewed

What: Baltimore Book Festival
Who: A ton of authors, including YA authors Jennifer L. Armentrout, Brigid Kemmerer, Jeri Smith-Ready. Meg Cabot, Alethea Kontis, Lea Nolan and more! 
Where: Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore, MD
When: Sept. 27-29, 2013
Why: To celebrate the awesomeness of books!

For more info, check out the Baltimore Book Festival website: http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/

And be sure to check out the Maryland Romance Writer's Stage: http://baltimorebookfestival.com/schedule/location/8/Maryland-Romance-Writers-Stage

I hope I get to see you guys there!

Review: Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Title: Freakboy

Author: Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

Publication Date: 10.22.2013

Pages: 448

Genre: Contemporary, Poetry

Series: No

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: C

Summary (from Goodreads):

From the outside, Brendan Chase seems to have it pretty easy. He’s a star wrestler, a video game aficionado, and a loving boyfriend to his seemingly perfect match, Vanessa. But on the inside, Brendan struggles to understand why his body feels so wrong—why he sometimes fantasizes having long hair, soft skin, and gentle curves. Is there even a name for guys like him? Guys who sometimes want to be girls? Or is Brendan just a freak?

In razor-sharp verse, Kristin Clark folds three narratives into one powerful story: Brendan trying to understand his sexual identity, Vanessa fighting to keep her and Brendan’s relationship alive, and Angel struggling to confront her demons.

Review:

Maybe this was my fault. Maybe I should have taken it literally when the synopsis said “in razor-sharp verse” because I was not expecting a book of poetry. Not that I have any issues with poetry—far from it. I love the symbolism and stilted, lyrical way of working through a poem. But an entire book written in poetry? Not even the explosive content Kristin Elizabeth Clark was exploring in Freakboy could make this work.

My first issue (other than the poetry) was that there are three dueling perspectives in this book and while I can see the validity of each one, Brendan’s in the one that matters most. This book is his transformation—his journey of self-discovery.  While it was a times nice to know what Vanessa and Angel were thinking, it was not vital to the story. I wanted more of Brendan.

Which brings me to why the poetry angle didn’t work. Part of the beauty of poetry is its simplicity. Its way of condensing pages of monologue and dialogue into a raw, emotional power punch of a single page or less. The problem I have it something with this type of subject matter needs the detail and intimacy of a novel. You need more than a page or two to full understand the extent of how Brendan is dealing and making decisions.  

I think I would have rather seen the poetry as a filler between chapters, not encompassing the entire novel. I cannot commend Clark enough for tackling such a delicate and controversial subject matter. Ten years ago there was nothing like this book on the market and I think these types of novels are essential to address. If this book helps one person, then it was well worth the effort put in by everyone.

Buy: Amazon

Review: Everything For Us by M. Leighton

Title: Everything For Us

Author: M. Leighton

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: 9.3.2013

Pages: 336

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Series: Bad Boys #3

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: B

Summary (from Goodreads):

When it comes to passion this hot, it’s all or nothing. 

Olivia Townsend’s wealthy cousin Marissa had everything a girl could ask for—a great job, a privileged life, and all the friends she wanted. Or, at least, all the friends money could buy. But one case of mistaken identity has turned her privileged world upside down.

An abduction gone wrong lands her right in the lap of the sexiest, most dangerous man she’s ever met. To Marissa, he’s an enigma, but one to whom she’s irresistibly, inexplicably drawn.

With him comes a new world of freedom and passion, of dark shadows and dangerous secrets, a world where nothing is what it seems—except for the blind passion that Marissa can’t escape—or maybe even survive.

Review:

I have been a fan of this series since I read the first book several months back. These books aren’t award-winning, blow you away, but there is a fun freedom to them that lets me kick back and enjoy. M. Leighton is a good storyteller, and this recent addition to the Bad Boys series was definitely fun … but maybe not quite so fun as the others.

The first thing you have to know is that we’re no longer dealing with Cash and Olivia—the couple that has made us swoon since book 1. They take a backseat to the steamy affair of Nash (Cash’s twin brother) and Marissa (Olivia’s formerly spoiled, bratty cousin).

While I am all for redeeming a character, I had my doubts about Marissa. She was just so vile and hateful in the first few books, her sudden about face gave me whiplash. And Olivia’s ignorant, totally forgiveness often came off as naïve, not magnanimous. That aside, I enjoyed Marissa. She has a spark and a spunk that I admire (when she isn’t being a raging beyotch like in books 1 and 2). She’s a great balance to Nash.

Nash is dark. He is twisted and bitter and cynical. Which is totally fine for a brooding bad boy. He’s occasionally grating, but I love that Leighton didn’t make him suddenly all happy and funny. He has a biting snark and is more often than not crude and unpolished, which is indicative of the life he’s led.

The romance is hot and steamy, definitely pushing the edge even for new adult. There was one scene in particular, though, that legit bothered me. It was dark and I felt somewhat dangerous. I went from thinking, “This is hot” to “Stop the ride, I wanna get off”. I’m not sure it needed to be there (and trust me, you will know the scene when you get to it—I don’t need to add any more detail), but it was. 

If you’re looking for a happy, fluffy romance then this isn’t your book. Fans of this series might be shocked at the dark turn Leighton takes this time around, but if you’ve read the previous two books, you have to read this to see how it all plays out.

Buy: Amazon

Confessions of a Former Muggle: How It All Began

Guys, can I have your attention for a very important post? Is everyone here? Yeah? *counting* OK, I think that's everyone.

Look, I have a confession to make. Some of you know what I'm about to say (and your love and support means more than I can possibly ever put into words), but I also think there's a group of you out there who have no idea.

I, Hannah, am a Harry Potter virgin.

I know, I know! Calm down, and let me explain, OK?

By Harry Potter virgin I mean I have never read any of the books or seen any of the movies. None of it. For years I have lived with the shame of being totally lost in all Potter-related conversations.

I don't know what a Muggle is. I thought a Dumbledore was that smelly kid that lived down the street (seriously, I don't think he knew what soap was). I thought Hogwarts was an affliction pigs suffered from, like a milder swine-flu.

Any time I mentioned, even briefly, that I had never done anything HP-esque, I was frequently met by shock, horror, and sometimes disdain. I felt like a pariah of the YA blogging world. So I kept my dark secret hidden buried deep.

But recently, my secret has been pulled out of the closet and hurled into oncoming traffic thanks to a few people uncovering my secret. And if I'm being called out, I'm totally calling out all the people who called me out. Yeah.

I think it began when I was in a car with Jen and Miranda Kenneally. We were obviously talking about books and when the taboo subject of HP came up, I admitted to not reading it because you don't lie to the girl who holds the cupcakes and one of your favorite authors. The conversation went like this:

Hannah: I just never read Harry Potter. It's not my thing.
Jen: Good books aren't your thing?
Miranda: You need to let Harry Potter touch you.

Well, OK then. And I might have put that online, where Andye and Nicole found out. Those two put the pressure on like a pair of sumo wrestlers tackling Urkel. And there might have been this awkward conversation about Harry and his wand.

But I was still a bit resistant. Even when Nicole picked it as my Secret Readers book and got me a copy of the book herself, did I hesitate.

Then I attended a book launch with a bunch of #YADCers (our "local" group of bloggers, authors, and book addicted people). After dinner, I found myself in being ganged up on by not only Jen and Andye, but not Steph, Jenn, Christina, and Steph - we have a lot of Jen's and Steph's in our group.

I may have made a deal with Jenn that if she bought All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill that I would read book 1.

After that night, I knew I simply had to read Harry Potter. It was time. I'm an adult, I can handle a 12 year old magician ... right?

Enter today's lengthy twitter conversation about my HP read-a-thon with Steph and Christina. I decided I would tweet as I read. And thanks to the help of A.K. Anderson, I have my hashtag:

If you want to see my reactions to HP, check out: #FormerMuggle