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Friday 30 November 2012

Cover Reveal: The Summer I Became A Nerd - Leah Rae Miller

 

 
About THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD:
On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.


May 7th 2012 from Entangled Teen



My thoughts on cover: *squeal* OMFG. You guys, I've been waiting for this book for freaking agessss! Even though we're still so far away from the release date, at least now we have the cover! I love love this cover! It's very fun, which I think the book will be, too! :D
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born and raised in northern Louisiana, Leah Rae Miller still lives there on a windy hill with her husband and kids. She loves comic books, lava lamps, fuzzy socks, and Cherry Coke. She spends most of her days reading things she likes and writing things she hopes other people will like.

NOTE: :)
Bloggers/readers, in addition to THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD cover reveal, we will be hosting a Marked-to-Read contest on Goodreads in the weeks leading up to THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD's release on May 7, 2013. Watch Leah’s site, http://leahraemillerblog.blogspot.com/, for details on how to submit/enter to win.

November Wrap Up 2012 and Books of the Month!



 
BOOKS READ IN NOVEMBER 2012 ~ 9 books
(Favourites are UNDERLINED and in BOLD)

149. Laced In Malice - Riley Gray
150. Make it Last - Bethany Lopez
151. Pantomime - Laura Lam
152. Captivated by You - Diane Alberts
153. Just For Now - Abbi Glines
154. Dizzy - Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry

155. Flawed - Kate Avelynn
156. ReAwakened - Ada Adams
157. Hooked - Liz Fichera

So that brings my 2012 reads (not including re-reads) to 157.
 

REVIEWS POSTED ON THE BLOG THIS MONTH ~ 6

Down For The Count by Christine Bell
Laced In Malice by Riley Gray
Renegade by J.A. Souders
Undeadly by Michele Vail
ReAwakened by Ada Adams
Flawed by Kate Avelyn
 
NOTE: Obviously I haven't been reading many books or reviewed as many as I hoped/wanted to. I just had a really bad reading month (my fault) and I was on a reading slump for AGES.. I also was so busy and I admit, a bit tired, of posting reviews so instead of my usual 10-12 reviews every month, we got 6. I just wanna tell you guys that December would probably be a quiet month for me :)

BOOKS OF THE MONTH ~ NOVEMBER


1. Hooked by Liz Fichera
2. Flawed by Kate Avelynn
3. Just For Now by Abbi Glines





Notice how my top three (or the majority of my reads this month) is contemporary romance? :)

Monday 26 November 2012

Review: Flawed - Kate Avelynn

FlawedTitle: Flawed
Author: Kate Avelynn
Release Date: December 11th 2012
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 336
Source: For review
Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.

Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realizes James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact . .


I never expected to love this book. Hell, I didn't really expect to like it. BUT. OMFG. Let me just say this: it's the best contemporary YA I've read this year. By far. Everyone needs to read this, and not just because of the gorgeous cover, but because of the beautiful story inside.

First, let's talk about James. Honestly, I don't like him. I was always wary of him and didn't trust him, but at the same time, I feel a lot for him. This kid gave up his life for his sister. Even though he does some bad things, you feel so sorry for him and just want to HELP him. It's all so complicated and never did I want to be Sarah in this book. He's one of the most complex characters I've met in a YA book.

Sarah is an amazing protagonist and one that I admire very much. This is another example of just because a heroine couldn't fight vampire or aliens, doesn't mean she's not strong. THIS girl is. She's got that inner strength that in my opinion a lot of YA girls don't. I kinda wanted to punch both of their parents for what they've done to these poor kids. She loves her brother and her boyfriend so much but what if she can only choose one? Let's face it; her loife sucks. No matter what, she just couldn't win this. She's so torn between them.

Sam. Sam, Sam, Sam. God I love him so much. Normally, I don't like generally good guys in YA (don't judge me!) and I mostly fall in love with the bad boys, but good ole Sam totally won me over. He reminds me of someone I know. He's genuine, caring, brave and just a really nice guy. Oh,and he's hot aswell. ;) Sam is now one of my newest book boyfriends.

Kate Avelynn doesn't shy away from anything. Which means she's awesome. Really. BUT in some of the scenes at first I was like 'whoa, is this even YA?' but then afterwards I didn't really care as much since I think it made it even more believable. More realistic. Also, her writing is just addictive. I read this within two days and if it wasn't for school (stupid school!), I'd have finished it within a day. Oh wait that's not entirely true. I admit I was kinda scared to finish this and get to the last page, since a few bloggers have said they cried and stuff but then I couldn't wait any longer and had to find out what happened. I BAWLED like a baby. And this is a big thing for me because I NEVER cry. Not with books. Some might call me a heartless bitch but apart from reading Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma, I never cry.

The ending was heartbreaking and powerful. I didn't think there could be  better ending. Nothing else would seem believable. I'm really glad the author decided to do this.

Even just writing this review is so so so hard because all I want to do is cry. It's one of those books that you will never forget, will always stay with you, and even though I love it so damn much, I don't think I can read this again. I know I won't stop crying if I do.

Sunday 25 November 2012

Showcase Sunday (22)

Hosted by the lovely Books, Biscuits and Tea, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto e-readers each week.
BOUGHT:

I'm on a book buying ban since it's nearly christmas. So. Booo. NO BOOKS. :'(

FOR REVIEW:

Flawed DerailedVeer
 


Flawed by Kate Avelynn
Thank you to Entangled Teen and publicist Heather Riccio (love you!) for the e-arc. GUYS. This is definitely my favourite and the best contemp YA I've read this year. Also, it's my 2nd best overall (after Onyx.) So that's saying a LOT. :) Review coming either today or tomorrow.
Veer by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Sequel to Derailed. Will read soon! :)
 Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy
First book in the Clayton Falls series and I have got both books for review for blog tour. Thank you!


SWAG:
 

Cindi Madsen swag - signed bookmarks
Woot! Thank you so much to author Cindi Madsen for these gorgeous ALL THE BROKEN PIECES and DEMONS OF THE SUN signed bookmarks. It was a total surprise and she got my address from Rachel Harris! It's SO sweet and totally made my day! :D Guys, you can check out my review for Demons of the Sun HERE and my review for her upcoming Dec. release All The Broken Things next month :)

 
So, what did YOU guys get this week? Let me know what you think of my weekly haul and leave your links down below, I'll try to go and check them out! :)

Friday 23 November 2012

Blog Tour: ReAwakened by Ada Adams (Review)



ReAwakened (Angel Creek, #2)Title: ReAwakened (Angel Creek #2)
Author: Ada Adams
Release Date: November 27th 2012
Publisher: Self-Pub
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 520
Source: For review and blog tour
Becoming a vampire guardian was Dawn Fairchild’s ticket out of the Scarlet House. Fresh off a successful mission, life in Angel Creek should have been great. But when her sort-of-maybe-boyfriend, Sebastian, disappears on a quest to help a beautiful vampire from his past, Dawn finds herself amidst a web of danger, lies, and deceit.

Joining forces with Razor, an enigmatic rebel lacking both a verbal and a physical filter, and her band of Misfits—Brooke, Sophie, Hunter, and Seth—Dawn is thrust into a race against the clock to solve the mystery surrounding brutal Born kidnappings and come to terms with the sudden discovery of her own unique powers. With time ticking away and Born vampires’ lives in jeopardy, it quickly becomes evident that someone—or something—desperately wants Dawn and is willing to shed any amount of blood to get her.

Dawn has only one chance to face her demons and overcome all obstacles standing in her way as she embarks on the biggest mission of her life—one that threatens a deadly outcome for all involved.


This series has to be one of the very few vampire stories that I still like. Honestly, I'm quite bored of vamps now but when I read the first book (ReVamped) earlier this year, it totally blew my mind and I became quite a fan of Ada Adams. So you can understand why I was so excited to read this sequel and everyone who I know has loved this book so I was hoping I would love it too! Luckily, I wasn't wrong! :)

It was so fast paced and I never found myself bored out of my mind. This totally got me out of my reading slump which as you may know, is seriously annoying. Also, Ada Adam's writing is just so addictive, I couldn't put my kindle down. She's so underrated and so amazing that I want everyone to read this series.

Dawn goes through a lot and really grows. Her character development is just amazing and so realistic. There's just something about her that's so likeable and people have no trouble relating to her. She's definitely someone who I can see my myself being friends with. Truthfully I wasn't that much of a fan of her in book 1, ReVamped, but she just won me over in ReAwakened.


In this sequel we meet Razor. Oh RAZOR. God I love him so much!! He's funny and charming! I think he's now my favourite character. Actually, I adored all of the characters. Dawn, Sebastian, Brooke, Seth, Sophie and Hunter. The characters are what makes this series very special and even more fun for me. It really wouldn't be the same without any of them.

All in all, ReAwakened was what I expected and hoped for, maybe even more. Fans of the Angel Creek series by Ada Adams won't be disappointed. :)


Wednesday 21 November 2012

Book Trailer Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout!!!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Opal (The third book in the Lux Series)
Available in both print and digital version on December 18, 2012
Amazon

Barnes and Noble



Check out author Jennifer L. Armentrout on the following sites:
Facebook

Twitter
Official Website

So, what do you think?? I for one just am dying for this book. And I can't even tell you how gutted I am of the date change. And seriously people, I don't give a shit if it's only 7 days. 7 days is 7 days. That's a freaking lot. Anyways, I love the trailer!!
Leave your thoughts in the comments! :)
 
 

Sunday 18 November 2012

Showcase Sunday (21)


Hosted by the lovely Books, Biscuits and Tea, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto e-readers each week.
 
BOUGHT:


 
Black City (Black City, #1)Captivated by YouDizzyMake it Last (Friends & Lovers, #1)




   







Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My favourite book of 2012 (along with Onyx!) I own an ARC and already read this three times but obviously since it's JLA I have to have the finished paperback. And guys, it's so pretty pretty!
And you know what the best bit is? I'm quoted in it. AHHHHHHH!!!
I'm actually on a freaking book! THE TOP QUOTE. Like, flip the next page and there's my blog name! Right, this may not seem such a big deal to some people, but holy hell it means so much to me! Not only is this the first book my review is in, but it's the fact that it's DEITY and it's by JLA. Couldn't get much better than that!!
Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Really excited to read this! Heard mixed reviews but hopefully I end up liking it.
Captivated By You by Diane Alberts
Already read this. A very fun, short, romantic read. :)
Dizzy by Nyrae Dan and Jolene Perry
This will be the second Nyrae Dawn book that I've read. Ever since I read Charade, I became quite obsessed with her books. Currently reading this.
Make It Last by Bethany Lopez
Already read this. Review coming next week. It was alright but some parts were quite unrealistic.
 
FOR REVIEW:


ReAwakened (Angel Creek, #2)A Shimmer of Angels (Angel Sight, #1)Ashen Winter (Ashfall, #2)

ReAwakened by Ada Adams
Thanks to author Ada Adams and blogger/assistant Jessirae for this e-arc! Review for blog tour coming soon!
Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso
I'm such a cover whore. I love this cover so I just HAD to request this from Netgalley. Looking forward to it though. Oh, have any of you guys read this? Thoughts?
Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin
Will read soon. I've got the first book but haven't started it yet so :/
 
 



SWAG:

 
 JLA swag pack
Thank you to Valerie at Stuck In Books for hosting the DeityJLA twitter party and for these lovely JLA swag! I can't quite remember the question but my correct answer was 'apple pie'. LOL. I did so bad at the books questions. Totally need a reread.
I got: Elixir postcard, Apollyon guitar pick and 2 Deity bookmarks. :D

 
Signed Victoria Scott bookplate
Woot! Thank you to author VS and for the V Mafia family!! :D Totally adding this to my THE COLLECTOR collection :)
 

So, what did YOU guys get this week? Let me know what you think of my weekly haul and leave your links down below, I'll try to go and check them out! :)

Saturday 17 November 2012

(3) The Collector and Dante Walker Updates!

Dante Is Mine.
 
 
Hey guys! It's that day of the week again: DANTE WALKER week!! Read on since I've got LOTS to tell you and in one I'll be explaining why I love Victoria Scott even more.
 
1. First. Did you see my new shiny VMafia badge?? Did you?? Doesn't it look pretty??
 
2.  114 days until THE COLLECTOR. Are you counting down? I sure am!
 
3.  Have you added THE COLLECTOR on your Goodreads yet? Seriously guys, I won't stop nagging you about it :P
 
Here's a reminder of what will happen if you do:
***NEW MISSION: Increase adds on Goodreads for THE COLLECTOR between now and December 31, 2012. Incentives are as follows:
4,000 adds by December 31, 2012 = exclusive excerpt provided to all Family members to read, post on their sites, etc.
4,500 adds by December 31, 2012 = exclusive trailer (approved by Dante himself) provided to all Family members to watch, post on their sites, etc.
Sounds fucking awesome, right? ADD IT HERE.
 
4. As if I couldn't love VS more, she does this.
 
 
OMG. I so so applaud her for telling everyone about this. And seriously, after reading her blog post, *I* want to punch someone too. Or maybe several. Sigh. I can't believe people actually said that. You know what, people. I really don't give a shit where the book's from. All I care about is the story inside. Nothing else. And anyway, if I EVER ever finish writing a story and want to publish, I'd LOVE to sign with Entangled. They'd actually be my number one choice. I don't think I've ever heard any of their authors say a bad thing about them. You guys know how much I freaking love Entangled and their authors, editors and publicist (hello, Heather!). It's pretty clear that they care about each and every book and gives all their attention to it. And have you seen my own Entangled shelf on goodreads? Yep. They're getting bigger and better. *calms down*

5. Now, let's get away from the punching and move on to the hugging. You wanna know why? Because I'm the 2nd and last person to get THE COLLECTOR signed poster!! Woot! 500 points baby! :D


I think that's it for this week. Check back next week for more Dante and VS goodness! :)
 
UPDATE: here's my DANTE WALKER playlist.
Psst. Please no judging, this is merely for fun and I haven't read the book yet so I can't be accurate. :)

1. Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship - this has Dante written all over it. Dante makes good girls go bad. This song is about making good girls go bad. Boom.

2.  Beautiful Cause You Love Me by Girls Aloud - From what we know of Charlie (the girl), she's not perfect. And I think this song is spot on for her and Dante.

3. Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO - Do I really need to tell you? Dante is sexy and he definitely knows it.

4. DNA by Little Mix - OMG. This song is written for Dante. Especially these lines:
"Made from the best
He passes all the tests
Got my heart beating fast
It's cardiac arrest
He's from a different strain
That science can't explain
I guess that's how he's made
In his d-d-d-dna" See? Told ya.


5. Bad To The Bone by George Thorogood - Since V told me (from my interview with her and Dante) that this song would describe the whole series, I have to trust her. ;)
 
 


Friday 16 November 2012

Blog Tour: Undeadly by Michele Vail (Review)




Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries, #1)Title: Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries 1)
Author: Michele Vail
Release Date: November 2oth 2012
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen 
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 272
Source: For review and blog tour 
 
The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble....



This book had a lot of stuff going on. There's 'zombies', gods, reapers, necromancers, boarding school and so much more that I never found myself bored. And didn't I just say in one of my latest reviews that I wanted to read more about YA books set in boarding school? MY ANSWER IS THIS BABY RIGHT HERE. I love the way the author described the boarding school - please I wanna go there so bad!!
 
I agree that the main character Molly was super annoying (like my blogger friends said), and sometimes I kinda wanted to punch her face in or something, but there were times when I really enjoyed her narration. Sure, she's selfish as hell and so immature and kinda ditzy, but I think one of the main reasons that I enjoyed this book because it was so light and you couldn't take any seriously.

I loved Rath. He's one of the latest boys to be added in my 'book boyfriends' list. Hehe. Whenever we don't read about him, I found myself impatiently waiting until he's on the scene again because I didn't want to part with him. My only criticism would be that I think he should have been in the book longer and we should have been able to see and understand him more because by the end, you don't really find out much about him. I'm really hoping in the next book we get lots of Rath time ;D

There was this big twist throughout the book and I knew immediately that it was that. But it still kinda shocked me LOL.

If you're looking for a fun, light paranormal romance, then I think you should definitely read UNDEADLY. I for one can't wait for the sequel because I can't wait to be with the characters again! (Well..except for Molly, we can leave her out :P)

Thursday 15 November 2012

Blog Tour: The Wild Ones - M. Leighton (Excerpt)

ABOUT THE BOOK!
Title: The Wild Ones 
Author: M. Leighton
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 1st 2012
Publisher: *Self-pub*
Pages: unknown

(SCROLL DOWN FOR THE EXCERPT!)
Passion as hot as midnight in the South and love as wild as the horses they tame.

Camille “Cami” Hines is the darling daughter of the South’s champion thoroughbred breeder, Jack Hines. She has a pedigree that rivals some of her father’s best horses. Other than feeling a little suffocated at times, Cami thought she was pretty happy with her boyfriend, her life and her future.

But that was before she met Patrick Henley.

“Trick” blurs the lines between what Cami wants and what is expected of her. He’s considered the “help,” which is forbidden fruit as far as her father is concerned, not to mention that Trick would be fired if he ever laid a hand on her. And Trick needs his job. Desperately. His family depends on him.

The heart wants what the heart wants, though, and Trick and Cami are drawn to each other despite the obstacles. At least the ones they know of.

When Trick stumbles upon a note from his father, it triggers a series of revelations that could ruin what he and Cami have worked so hard to overcome. It turns out there’s more to Trick’s presence at the ranch than either of them knew, secrets that could tear them apart.

READ MY REVIEW HERE!

SPECIAL EXCERPT


I can’t decide whether I’m thrilled or frustrated when I walk into the garage with Brent and I see Trick come out from underneath the hood of the car he’s working on.  I am a little frustrated; constantly running into him is making it harder to concentrate on Brent.  And it’s certainly not helping me to not think about Trick, which is what I really need to do.  But mostly, I’m thrilled.  Excited. I hate to admit it, but I am. 
He’s shirtless.  Again.  He’s not sweaty or dirty or anything.  He’s just all bare skin and well-defined muscles.  And there’s something so sexy about the way his jeans hang on his hips. I can even see those little dents at the bottom of his stomach.  If I’m being honest, I really just want to walk right over to him and touch them.  With my tongue.
Cue the blush.
I feel the heat working its way up my neck and into my face. 
You idiot!  What did you think would happen if you thought about things like that?
But it’s not like I intentionally thought about doing that.  It was almost involuntary.  Most of my reactions to Trick have been. It’s like something else takes over and I’m sort of helpless to stop it.
I see his eyes flash and a grin pulls at one side of his mouth.  That’s how I know he noticed my blush.


M. LeightonABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I was born and raised in the United States, and I’ve lived in several of the fabulous fifty. Though I currently live in the deep South, I spent much of my childhood up North and hope to return there one day. A few other things about me: I believe that sometimes you have to look really, REALLY hard to find the good in people, but it's there. I believe that I'm shrinking (I swear five years ago I was two inches taller). I believe my husband is quite possibly one of the most amazing men in the entire world (I can't be sure because I haven't met all of them). I believe coffee and chocolate, when combined, could be the basis for world peace. I believe that Jesus rocks and communism doesn’t. I believe that white makes me look fat and black collects lint. I believe summer's too hot, winter's too cold and fall was made for football. I like dogs better than cats and the first movie in a trilogy is invariably the best. But most of all, I believe that love conquers all.

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