Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Burn Mark by Laura Powell
Published: 7th June 2012
By: Bloomsbury 
ISBN: 1408815222
Source: Bloomsbury UK
Target Audience: Young Adult


My Rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book started off really slow and with a lot of information to take in. I felt bombarded with details about the Inquisition, who deal with witch crimes, WICA a government agency of witches, who help deal with witch crime and the Wednesday and Cooper covens, where witches and their families are like the mob. A lot of names were just being thrown out. I was getting kind of lost and my mind was just wandering so I'd have to go back and read it again. Even now that I've finished, I probably still don't really know who some of the characters mentioned are. I really felt like giving up on this one.


I won't say I'm glad I didn't, that it turned out to be awesome, because it didn't. But it was okay. Once Glory, who is a witch and Lucas, son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition, meet up and start working together, things get a little better. The ending of the book was probably what really redeemed it as I really enjoyed it. It is the only real action in the story.


Glory and Lucas were interesting enough characters but I didn't become too attached to them. Lucas, at the beginning is very hoity toity and not really appealing at all, although he becomes more likeable as the book goes on. Glory is completely chav and has a complete attitude problem, but she also, becomes more appealing as the story continues. 


My favourite character had to be Troy. He is Glory's second cousin, but not a witch as he hasn't got the witch gene. I liked him from the start, even though we don't see too much of him until the ending. He is the mob bosses son, and while he is set to take over the family business, I couldn't help but feel he was a nice guy. I felt that all the characters in this book lacked depth. For all the information we got on the different departments, I didn't feel we received very much insight into any of the characters.


The writing in this book was easy to take to but with all the information to take in, it stopped the story from being able to flow naturally. There is no romance in this book. That's always a let down for me. From the blurb, I had felt that there would be, that something would happen with Glory and Lucas, but unfortunately not. 


I'm not sure if this is stand alone or part of a series. The way it ended, I feel it could go either way. If there was a second book, I probably would read it. I would be interested enough in seeing what happens next for Glory and Lucas, but I would also like to see how/if things change when Troy takes over from his father.

Add to your TBR on Goodreads

Buy the book: Amazon/The Book Depository

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Waiting on Wednesday #16

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 



The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington
Release Date: January 1st 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Point


Blurb:
Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school -- until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

Add it to your TBR on Goodreads

I'm really liking the sound of this one. A good ghost story but with the added mystery. Unfortunately, there's quite a long wait.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday. Leave a link in a comment so I can check it out.

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Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

 

UK Cover                 US Cover

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Published: 1st May 2012
By: Harper Collins Children's Books
Source: Purchased
Target Audience: Young Adult


My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Insurgent: A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as belligerent.


I only recently read Divergent so thankfully, I didn't have as long a wait as most for Insurgent. This book was incredible, even better than Divergent in my opinion.


Tris is suffering from nightmares from the guilt she feels from having killed Will, and she can no longer bring herself to use a gun.  She is also feeling the loss and grief of losing her parents. She becomes reckless and keeps putting herself in danger. Part of her feels that she'd prefer to die, to be with her parents and Will. And another part feels she should be fighting harder to keep herself alive because her parents died to save her.


Her recklessness is driving a wedge between herself and Tobias, who cannot take the fact that she keeps putting her life in danger. There is a lot of trust issues and they are both keeping secrets from each other which doesn't help. I feared for their relationship throughout most of the book.


I think Tris has become even more kick ass in this book. She seems almost fearless. When she sides with Marcus behind Tobias's back, because she feels it is the right thing to do and that he is wrong to trust his mother, I feel it is probably one of her bravest moments. Along with the fear of being caught and killed, she also fears losing Tobias, but must take a stand for what she believes in. 


Tobias is awesome in this book too. I kind of felt sorry for him with Tris putting herself in danger all the time and lying to him about it. I felt that it was kind of out of character for him to fall into trusting his mother so quickly but, I guess in that position most of us would want to be able to trust her.


This book had again, a whole host of secondary characters. I really liked Christine here too, even though she seemed to have changed completely as a character. She didn't seem to be quite as easy going and light as she was in Divergent, but I liked tough and hard Christine too. This book has some really dark and scary moments and a lot of heart breaking ones too.


I am really looking forward to the third book in this series. I was completely shocked at the ending of this and I can't wait to see where things are going to go from here.

Buy the book: Amazon/The Book Depository

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Blog Tour: Charade by Cambria Hebert

The lovely Cambria Hebert has dropped by today to say "Hi" and prepared this fantastic post on dreams. Hope you all enjoy it :)


Hey all! I am really excited to be here today as part of the Heven and Hell Tour for the release of Charade (Heven and Hell #2).

For anyone who hasn’t read any of the Heven and Hell series here is a peak at all the books so far:

Charade releases May 18, 2012 and will be available in Ebook and in Paperback where all books are sold.

For today’s tour stop I am going to be talking about dreams. We all have them and I think they are fascinating for all of us. I know I have woken up in the morning and either wanted to go back to sleep (because the dream was really good) or wanted to hop out of bed (to get away from a nightmare).

In Charade, Heven experiences a lot of things through dreams… not all of them good. But I won’t elaborate. LOL. I know I am a big meanie.

So how about you what kind of dreams do you have and do you know what they mean?? Here are some common dreams and their meanings:

1. Nudity

        

If you have recurring dreams where you are naked, think about how your life circumstances might cause you to feel anxious or vulnerable. Do you have a MEGA secret you are hiding…. Come closer…. You can tell me…. LOL. Or, perhaps you are starting a new job and feel inadequate or unprepared to deal with your assignments. 

2. Flying

Dreams of flying represent the dreamer’s ambition, but minor details like the height at which the dreamer flies can be important as well.

In general, if you’re flying at a low to medium altitude, your goal(s) will be achieved easily and successfully. However, if you’re struggling to reach a higher altitude or to maintain your altitude, you may be aiming too high at the moment. In that case, you may want to try for a more reachable goal and then gradually increase your goals. Remember, sometimes it takes baby steps to get to the end destination.

3. Being Chased 

If you have a dream that you are being chased by someone or something, you are most likely trying to escape a person or a situation in your real life. The source of your anxiety should be clear in most cases, as long as you are honest with yourself. Perhaps you have unresolved anger that you need to resolve with a friend, or maybe you’ve been shirking your responsibilities or an obligation that is staring you in the face. Face your anxiety head-on, and your sleep will be all the more restful.

*Last dream I had like this Peeps, I didn’t run. I found a knife and used it on the person I was being chased by….. (does that mean I am violent???)

4. Death

We’ve all dreamt about death at one time or another and woke up feeling sad, and then felt great relief when we realized it was just a dream. Dreams that center on the death of a loved one are natural after you have suffered a loss. If someone close to you has recently passed away, your subconscious may be telling you that you don’t have closure and have not come to terms with the death. In this way, your dreams can be an important part of the healing process. If you dream of your own death, it may simply mean you have been recently reminded of your mortality. 

5. Romance

Dreams of romance, love, or physical affection that bring positive feelings mean you are happy, content and well-adjusted to your circumstances. However, if your dream leaves you feeling hurt or insecure, it may mirror your love life. Have you gone through a breakup or just can’t seem to find the right guy? All of these things can influence how you dream, as well as your perception of love.

Dreams are important indicators of life circumstances and can help you become a happier, more content individual.

Note: all dream interpretation information was found here

So tell me, have you ever had a crazy dream? A reoccurring dream? Or a dream you want to forget???

I know I have had some crazy dreams. Just other night I dreamed that I went and bought a wig (I am a blond and my hair is just past my shoulders) and the wig was jet black with a bangs that went straight across my forehead and the cut was a blunt cut that like hit my chin… it looked like this:

Just the hair, peeps, I didn’t have a gun in my dream or a hot guy standing there. LOL!! But anyway, I dreamed I bought a wig and put it on and I liked it so much that I wore it all the time and completely ignored my real hair…. Bah ha ha ha ha. I have no idea what that means but when I woke up I had a good laugh.

I want to thank Suzanne for having me here today, this was a fun post to put together!

Have a great day!

Website/Goodreads/Facebook/Twitter

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Stacking the Shelves #5

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle) sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews

Well, another week is over and the summer finally seems to have come to Dublin. It is a glorious sunny day. Perfect for sitting in the garden with a good book :)


Click on the book title for more information.

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth (Bought) Just finished reading this and it's fantastic. Review to come

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (Hachette Children's)

The Blessed by Tonya Hurley (Hachette Children's)

Blood Crave by Jennifer Knight (Netgalley and Perseus Book Group)

Dark Companion by Marta Accosta (Netgalley and Tor/Forge)

What did you receive this week. Leave me a link in a comment so I can have a look.


Have a great weekend :)    

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Waiting for Mercy (Cambion #2) by Shannon Dermott

Waiting for Mercy by Shannon Dermott
Published: 17th April 2012
By: Wicked Truth Publishing
Source: Purchased
Target Audience: Young Adult

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Waiting for Mercy is the second book in the Cambion series. Mercy is a half demon succubus, with a half succubus mother and a demon father. This makes her a cambion. Her mother recently married David, an incubus and now they live in his house with him and his son Flynn. Flynn is HOT. Mercy's mother, David and Flynn have to feed from the lust of humans to survive, but for some reason, Mercy doesn't have to, although she can still drain a human's life force with her kiss. She's not sure why she's different, her mother keeps a lot from her about what she is and Mercy is not the type to push for it.

Mercy is a really likeable protag. She is surrounded by amazingly hot guys who all seem to be interested in her. Luke is her half nephilim on/off boyfriend who is completely in love with her and she's in love with him. Flynn, seems attracted to Mercy but she thinks its just because he can't have her. He can have any girl at school he wants, and does, to keep himself fed. Sebastian is a pure demon who Mercy met in the first book, Beg for Mercy. He is now living with them and Mercy is not sure exactly why. He also seems to be attracted to Mercy. And Paul, Mercy's first human boyfriend, whom she nearly killed with her kiss because she didn't know what she was. All of these guys are awesome. Its kind of like a love pentagon, and I find myself rooting for whichever guy she's with at the time. I just can't decide who I like best.

Shannon has created a bunch of awesome characters and together they all make for a really entertaining read. There is a lot going on in this book and I loved all the action, suspense and interaction between all the characters. I really like Shannon's writing style and this books flows along so well. I couldn't bear to put it out of my hands. It's great to start to enjoy a book from the first page on. The world that Shannon has created seems to be one where anything exists. In this we have the existence of demons, vampires, werewolves/shapeshifters, elves and fae.

The ending of this was awesome....and cruel. We end on a major cliffhanger. I finished this book over 24 hours ago and I still can't stop thinking about it. This is shaping up to be an absolutely amazing series. I know I will be reading both of these books again soon as its a while since I read Beg for Mercy and I want to go back and read them both again, together. I cannot wait until the next book comes out. These books are extremely cheap on Amazon and I just urge you all to take a chance. Don't miss out on a great series.

Buy the book: Amazon/Buy Beg for Mercy: Amazon

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NEW COVER REVEAL: Wraith by Edie Claire

Wraith by Edie Claire
Published: 4th August 2011
By: Edie Claire
Target Audience: YA


Blurb: 
She thought that seeing the shadows was a curse. Until she saw him.

Seventeen-year-old Kali has always seen two sets of people: those living now, and those who lived before. But on her spring break in Hawaii, she is suddenly surrounded by more shadows than ever. Including one who, unlike the others, can see her too.

Zane remembers nothing besides surfing the monster waves of Oahu's North Shore. He doesn't even know how, or when, he died. He only knows that Kali's "gift" could be his last chance to find the light--before the mysteries of his past plunge them both into darkness…

And now, a short excerpt......enjoy :)

I leaned closer, trying to see what color his eyes were, but he had them closed against the sun. I wondered if the light had been just as bright—and shining from the same direction—the day that he had been here.

How long ago was that? It must have been recently; maybe even this past winter, when the surf was at its highest. The North Shore’s winter waves—monstrous swells that often topped twenty feet high—could be lethal, even for the professionals. And he seemed so… present. His body was near solid enough to have fooled me. Unlike the older shadows, the transparency wasn’t visible everywhere—it merely floated through him, like ripples. If I hadn’t seen the blue sole of one of my discarded flip-flops quite clearly through his left thigh as he lay down, I might not even have suspected.

I watched him doze a moment more, then sighed and lay back down on my mat. "The cute ones are always dead," I muttered.

The feeling came over me like a cold prickle. The feeling that I was being watched. I didn’t hear him move. I didn’t feel him stirring. I wouldn’t anyway, because the shadows can never move anything, except whatever equally nonexistent things they happen to be carrying with them. But still, when I opened my eyes to find him leaning over me, staring intently into my face, I was surprised. I was more than surprised. I was totally freaked.

"What did you say?" he asked.


You can read my review of Wraith here.

Add Wraith to your TBR on Goodreads

Buy the book: Amazon/Smashwords/B & N/The Book Depository

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Waiting on Wednesday #15

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 



Silver by Rhiannon Held
Release Date: 5th June 2012
By: Tom Doherty Associates


Blurb:

Andrew Dare is a werewolf. He’s the enforcer for the Roanoke pack, and responsible for capturing or killing any Were intruders in Roanoke’s territory. But the lone Were he’s tracking doesn’t smell or act like anyone he’s ever encountered. And when he catches her, it doesn’t get any better. She’s beautiful, she’s crazy, and someone has tortured her by injecting silver into her veins. She says her name is Silver, and that she’s lost her wild self and can’t shift any more.

The packs in North America have a live-and-let-live attitude, and try not to overlap with each other. But Silver represents a terrible threat to every Were on the continent.

Andrew and Silver will join forces to track down this menace while discovering their own power and their passion for each other.

I only discovered this book yesterday as someone had it for their Teaser Tuesday. I really like the sound of it. Another werewolf one. I am really looking forward to reading it. 


What are you waiting on this Wednesday. Leave me your link in a comment so I can check it out!!

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. You know the rules: grab your current read, open to a random page and share a two sentence teaser with us (no spoilers!). Be sure to tell us about the book, so we can add it to our TBR list!

This week my Teaser comes from Waiting for Mercy (Cambion #2) by Shannon Dermott. I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately and I'm hoping this will take me out of it. So far so good :)


Where Flynn was pure lust, Sebastian was delicious sin. In atypical demon fashion, Sebastian was all smiles this morning. Unable to stop myself, I took in his tall frame in destroyed jeans with a navy zip down sweatshirt over a white shirt. How had I ended up living with two  amazing guys I'm not related to? Truthfully, I didn't know. 

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NEW COVER REVEAL:

Published: 11th September 2012

By: Entangled Publishing

Target Audience: Young Adult

Blurb: On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

Now, read a "Never Before Seen" excerpt 

“I thought I’d teach you a dance from where I come from,” I tell him. “One that’s much easier than that multi-step mess inside.”

I place my left hand on Lorenzo’s shoulder and slip my right one into his. I pause to listen to the music floating over the tinkling voices and bubbling fountain, and begin counting the three-beat tempo. “One, two, three. One, two, three.” 

I stand still, only my head moving, slowly nodding with my words so he can hear the rhythm. 

When his head begins subtly bobbing with mine, I show him how to add his feet. He takes a tentative step forward with his left while I step back with my right, then we side step, close, and repeat the steps with our other feet, all while I lightly whisper the beat count.

The breeze picks up, blowing my skirt and skimming my veil across the back of my neck. Chills run down my spine, but the warmth coursing through my veins from being in his arms provides a delicious contradiction. 

Lorenzo continues nervously darting his eyes to our feet, but he is dancing. As he relaxes into the movement, his shoulders rising and falling with the steps, the confidence he always seems to exude creeps back on his face, and he tightens the hold around me. Our faces are kissably close, our lips a hairs breadth away from touching. I stare into the chocolate depths of his eyes and the rest of the ball fades away. The only music guiding our steps is my light whisper and the erratic rhythm of our breathing. Time slows. Lorenzo grins. 

“I think you got it,” I say breathlessly, running my hand along the soft fabric of his shoulder, feeling the rock-hard muscles underneath. 

My body curls inward, pressing against his. The proper form for the waltz is a straight spine and shoulders back, but if there was ever a time to break the rules, this is it.

About the author

As a teen, I threw raging parties that shook my parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.

As an adult, I read and write obsessively, rehash said embarrassing fodder, and dream up characters who become my imaginary friends. 

When I'm not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find me homeschooling my two beautiful princesses, hanging out with my amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate. 

MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is my first novel. I did have my own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn’t televised.

Author website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Stacking the Shelves #4

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle) sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews

This week I bought

   

Shadows by Amy Meredith

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1)  by Sherrilyn Kenyon

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (€1 in charity shop)

I received this from Nicola at A Pocketfull of Books

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

And I received these for review. I am really looking forward to reading The Sweetest Dark :)

 

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

Otherkin by Nina Berry

What was in your mailbox this week? Leave me a link so I can go check it out :)

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City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Published: 8th May 2012
By: Walker Books Limited
ISBN: 9781406332
Source: Purchased
Target Audience: YA


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Mortal Instruments is a series I absolutely love. And City of Lost Souls, the 5th book in the series, didn't disappoint. Although I was a bit anxious when we were a couple of chapters in and there was still no Jace. I was hoping we weren't going to be missing him a lot in this book. Thankfully we weren't, even though we didn't get the full Jace awesomeness until the end. I have to hand it to Cassandra, this was written so well that we could easily tell the difference between bound Jace and real Jace.


Clary, is even more kick butt in this. She has completely embraced her shadow hunter heritage and the training she has been doing with Jace has really helped her. She is awesome. She will literally do anything to save Jace's life.


There are multiple POV's in this book. It really lets us learn about the other relationships that are developing, Izzy and Simon, Jordan and Maia and the changes and insecurities with Magnus and Alec. Izzy and Simon are great together, I really started to feel differently about Simon. He has never really appealed to me. I think it's because he was standing in the way between Jace and Clary and he just annoyed me. But now that his focus is off her, and he is a much stronger character in this, I felt myself leaning towards him more. I really liked Jordan too. I can hardly remember him previously but he stood out as a really great guy. I love Magnus and can't believe what happened with him and Alec but it had to be done. I really hope things can be worked out though.


I did feel that there could maybe have been some reminders of what had happened in COFA, especially after such a long wait. For the first couple of chapters, I felt a little lost, and it makes it harder to get pulled into the book. With a release date of 2014 for City of Heavenly Fire, I will definitely need a re-read of the entire series before I can even begin to try to delve back into the shadow hunter world.


But overall, this book was absolutely awesome. Roll on 2014.

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Published: 3rd May 2011
By Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN: 0062024027
Paperback
Target Audience: YA


My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Having read so many good reviews for this, and then, all the hype that surrounded Insurgent, I decided I had to see what all the fuss was about. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Beatrice lives in the Abnegation faction, where everyone is selfless and puts others before themselves. But at the age of sixteen, she takes an aptitude test and can choose a faction for herself, based on her results, at a Choosing Ceremony. But her results don’t go to plan. She is warned to keep them secret, as it could be very dangerous for her if they get out.

When I read about all the different factions, Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite and Amnity, I thought I would never be able to keep up with them all, but I was worrying for nothing and had no problems at all.  Veronica is an extremely talented writer and I really liked her writing style. She kept it simple and it just flowed along easily. Her world building is amazing and the descriptions are so illuminating.

Beatrice (Tris) is the main protag here. For the first couple of pages, I felt I wasn’t going to like her. She seemed weak and compliant. But that was just her abnegation showing and she is actually quite awesome. She is brave and intelligent and her character grows and learns so much in her new faction that she is just admirable. She copes so well with all that is thrown at her even while unsure of how her friendships lie when they are all competing against each other.

Four is also an awesome character. Unfortunately, from reading reviews I knew where this went but I would have loved to be going into this blind. I think I might have seen Four differently. Whereas, I felt that I shouldn’t know whether he is good, bad or trustworthy, but I had a good idea of where things were going with him. I loved the way the romance was played out though.

There are a good number of secondary characters in this book too. They are all written really well and add depth and tension to the story.

The ending of this is where most of the action occurs. It is totally awesome. Things take a turn for the worse and there are some tense moments. Tris really shines and we see how much her character has really grown and that she will be someone to be reckoned with in the next book. I’m really excited to see how things will progress with Four and how they will deal with the devastation that has been dealt to the world that they live in.

Buy the book: Amazon/The Book Depository

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Spotlight on Knee Deep by Jolene Perry

eBook
ISBN: 9780983741886
ISBN: 9781476060316
Pages: 240
Release: May 1, 2012

Shawn is the guy Ronnie Bird promised her life to at the age of fourteen. He's her soul mate. He's more uptight every day, but it's not his fault. His family life is stressful, and she's adding to it. She just needs to be more understanding, and he'll start to be the boy she fell in love with. She won’t give up on someone she’s loved for so long.

Luke is her best friend, and the guy she hangs with to watch girlie movies in her large blanketopias. He's the guy she can confide in before she even goes to her girlfriends, and the guy who she's playing opposite in Romeo and Juliet. Now her chest flutters every time he gets too close. This is new. Is Ronnie falling for him? Or is Juliet? The lines are getting blurry, but leaving one guy for another is not something that a girl like Ronnie does.

Shawn’s outbursts are starting to give her bruises, and Luke’s heart breaks as Ronnie remains torn. While her thoughts and feelings swirl around the lines between friendship and forever, she’s about to lose them both.


And now, a short excerpt......enjoy!

My front door opens. “Hello?” Shawn calls.

“In here!” I say back. Suddenly this feels weird. Why would this feel weird? This is just what happens when one of us is stuck at home. Why would today be any different? But my heart’s beating against the inside of my ribs, trying to tell me this is different.

Luke scoots away from the couch. Does he feel it too? That maybe him and me hanging out alone for the day might not have been the best idea?

Shawn steps through the hallway and scowls when his eyes meet mine and then pass to Luke. This shouldn’t be a big deal. Except...I’m so stupid. I was just thinking how I needed to make Shawn’s life outside of his house less stressful, and part of me
knew it was weird that Luke was here without Shawn. I thought it, and did nothing. But again, it is just Luke.

“What’re you doing here?” Shawn asks. His dark eyes fix on Luke.

“I figured you’d be here, man.” Luke stands up. “It’s like we always ditch together, right?”

Romeo and Juliet kissing in the pool on the TV screen probably isn’t helping anything. Maybe Shawn won’t notice, or maybe it’s just sending my heart into crazy flutters because this tension between Shawn and Luke and, I guess, me, is happening during the most romantic scene of the movie.

“Uh, I don’t know.” Shawn’s still scowling, his brows pulled low and his jaw tight.

“You would’ve hated it,” I say. My eyes catch his, but his are as black as his mood seems to be. I’m so stupid. Why did I have to let Luke stay?

“Yeah, maybe.” Shawn’s narrowed eyes go from Luke to me, back and forth, as if judging the situation. Really? What did he think could possibly happen between Luke and I? Even if this is suddenly on my top three ‘most awkward moments’ ever. I can’t even think about what the other two might be. Maybe I’ve just found number one.

“Romeo and Juliet all day.” Luke laughs, but I know him well enough to see he’s trying really hard to be relaxed. His shoulders are too stiff, and his normal stance is too rigid. I wonder if Shawn sees it too. “Guess I’ll leave you two alone.” Luke’s trying hard to keep his voice light.

“Yeah.” Shawn has yet to return Luke’s smile. “I almost never see my girl anymore.”

It’s like I’m on the edge of my seat, tension pinpricking every part of me. I’ve never seen Shawn like this.

“Well, I should get my ass to rehearsal anyway.” Luke gives Shawn a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading outside.

I don’t watch him go. My eyes are on Shawn, trying to figure out what to expect next.

“What the hell was that?” His sharp gaze is now pointed directly at me.

I stand up and lean to the side, trying to be relaxed. “It didn’t seem like a big deal this morning.” Maybe if I play it off as nothing Shawn won’t be so mad. He knows Luke and I are friends. No big deal, I tell myself again. But I don’t know if I’m trying to convince myself or Shawn.

“Was he here when we were texting?” he asks. His voice may be low, but not in a good way. It’s low in a way that makes him sound like he’s past the edge of reasonable anger.

My body’s screaming for me to take a step back, which makes no sense. This is Shawn. My Shawn. “No.” But I’m weakening by the second, almost shaking inside. His jaw tightens again.

My eyes close as I remember, and dread fills my chest. “He got here as I sent my last one.” Is that bad? Good?

“And you didn’t think to tell me? What the hell is that?”

I jump at the sharpness of his voice. Shawn doesn’t need this stress. I know this. I reach forward to put my arms around him. We just need to hold one another for a minute, then it’ll all be fine.

He stops me, grabbing my arm—hard—just above my wrist.

“This is not okay.” His jaw is set.

“Hey.” My voice shakes. My body shakes. I’m actually scared of Shawn for the first time ever. I jerk my hand once, but he tightens his grip...impossibly tight. My lungs can’t pull in a breath; there’s just not enough air in the room anymore. “Shawn, you’re hurting me.” He can’t mean to hurt me. He can’t.

His face is stuck in a sharp scowl.

“He’s your friend.” My voice is crying. I want to try and pull my shaky arm out of his grasp again, but I’m afraid to; he’s squeezing so hard. Tears are hot against the back of my eyes, threatening to spill over.

“How would you feel if I spent all day with some chick?” The words come out as angry spit from between his teeth.

I open my mouth to answer but can’t, the lump in my throat has taken over. All I can think about is that I need to find something to say so he’ll let me go. Some way to get the air through my throat to form words. “It’s just Luke,” I plead, sucking in a breath.

“Whatever.” He throws my arm back at me, turns, and walks out the door, slamming it hard behind him. My body jumps at the sound.

I stumble backward onto the couch. I’m like a leaf battered about in the wind. Nothing’s working right. I need to sit. Normally I’d run after him, but I have no idea what to expect. And I’m afraid. Of Shawn.

He’s never been that way before. Ever. He’s moody and particular, but this seems...extreme. I’m cradling my wrist with my other hand, afraid to look at any possible damage. It hurts to move it. What just happened here? How did it happen?

It’s like there suddenly must be something fundamentally wrong with the universe. But the TV’s still on. My house looks normal and quiet. I’m still breathing, but Shawn, my Shawn, just hurt me. Lying down seems so anti-climactic, but I can’t bring myself to do anything else.

When Juliet realizes Romeo’s dying the sobs take over, and I pull my knees to my chest as if making myself smaller will somehow dull the pain.

It doesn’t.

Buy the book: Amazon/Smashwords

 

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of Night Sky and The Next Door Boys.

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Waiting on Wednesday #14

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 


Hi guys. Well here we are, another Wednesday upon us already, and this week I'm waiting on.......



Drain You by M. Beth Bloom

There’s normal, and then there’s paranormal, and neither is Quinlan Lacey’s cup of Diet Coke.

Quinn’s life is a red carpet of weird fashions, hip bands, random parties, and chilling by the pool with her on-and-off BF Libby. There’s also her boring job (minimum wage), a crushed out co-worker (way too interested), her summer plans (nada), and her parents (totally clueless). Then one night she meets gorgeous James, and Quinn’s whole world turns crazy, Technicolor, 3-D, fireworks, whatever.

But with good comes bad, and unfortunately Quinn’s new romance brings with it some majorly evil baggage. LA is crawling with gangs of the undead, all aching to drain something. Now, to make things right, Quinn has to do a lot of things wrong.

Quinn’s goal: to stay sane, cool, in love, and alive.

With a one-of-a-kind protagonist, high-fidelity friendships, wicked LA nightlife, and a restless romance, this unforgettable debut from M. Beth Bloom is perfect for fans of Heather Brewer and John Green.

Add it to your TBR on Goodreads

I am totally loving the sound of this one. What do you think? It comes out in July, so that's not too far away. 


What are you waiting on this Wednesday. Leave me a link and I will make sure and stop by to check it out :)

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. You know the rules: grab your current read, open to a random page and share a two sentence teaser with us (no spoilers!). Be sure to tell us about the book, so we can add it to our TBR list!





This week my Teaser comes from Charade (Heven and Hell #2) by Cambria Hebert.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like?""What?""To kiss me?""N-no." I shook my head back and forth backing away. "Never?" He stepped closer, almost prowling toward me, and lowered his head."I'm in love with Sam." There was no hint of doubt in my voice because I did love him.

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Stacking the Shelves #3

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle) sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews

Hi guys, I hope everyone had a lovely week. Not too much for me again this week I'm glad to say as I have a lot to get through at the moment. Click on the book title to take you to the GR page.

These are the books I bought this week.

 

Black Dawn by Rachel Caine (I've read this and it's AMAZING)

Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep (My Review)

Just one review book

Shapeshifter's Secret by Heather Ostler

And got this one free on Amazon

Moon Spell by Samantha Young

So, that's it from me. Leave me a link to your haul this week so that I can check it out :)

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