Shudder by Samantha Durante (Stitch Trilogy #2)

— Book 2 in the Stitch Trilogy —

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.–Goodreads

Wow, this book just blew my mind. I just finished reading it and the last page of the book was amazing and horrible all at the same time. There were moments throughout the book that I kinda wanted to smack Alessa upside the head and tell her she was wasting a perfectly amazing relationship with Isaac by what if’ing everything. But lets start from the beginning.

This book is done in multiple people’s POV, I loved that. You got to see behind the Engineers thought processes, through Regina’s, Nikhail’s, Phoenix, and of course Isaac and Alessa. The book started immediately up too, so there was no large time gap. Which I really appreciate and like in a book. This time around though Alessa and Isaac are out of Paragon and are looking for shelter for the Rebels per orders from Regina. Everyone else is just trying to stay hidden in Paragon or surviving in Paragon.

While searching, Alessa and Isaac are being tracked by what you don’t find out until the very end of this book. I will definitely not be telling you what they are though so you should read the book and take a guess until you get to the answer from the book. They manage to eventually find shelter and head back to Paragon.

A lot happens to them  as a couple and as individuals.  I am glad that Alessa was able to get over what had been bothering her the whole time and that she finally goes all in with Isaac. I love that Isaac knows that something is wrong with her but instead of freaking out on her, he waits till she gives him the answers to what is wrong. Their relationship is amazing and strong, I hope it stays that way.

I don’t want to give too much away because the book is definitely a buy even though I received it as an ARC from Samantha. I recommend everyone to read this book and the first in the trilogy Stitch.

RATING:

Pity Isn’t An Option Promo Tour!!!!

Watch out for the review to this book on my blog sometime soon!!!

Title: Pity Isn’t An Option

Author: Jessica Brooks

2013, Createspace

Goodreads

Amazon | Smashwords

Synopsis:

Seventeen year-old Jonas Norton is trying to come to terms with what his blood disorder has robbed from him, including his two most favorite things: basketball, and competing in Hatchet Racket, Wanless’ annual hatchet-throwing contest. The facts that his father works constantly to pay for his blood tests and Jonas can actually see the disappointment in his eyes for being such a failure only make matters worse. And even worse than all of that? Jonas’ own twin brother, Micah, is perfectly healthy and becoming quite the basketball player. Also, Hattie, the girl Jonas has loved for forever? She has no idea how he feels.

Sixteen year-old Hattie Akerman lives down the hill from Jonas. Though her father, Heath, tries to hide his lack of mental clarity behind the bottle and she’s pretty much given up on having any kind of relationship with him, she would still rather her younger sister, Lucy, not have to deal with the consequences of his behavior. Hattie helps her mother by baking food to sell at Market and looking out for Lucy. No matter what the rest of the town says about her crazy father, Jonas sticks up for them. He is, by far, her very best friend.

As if things aren’t complicated enough already, Heath and Micah are unexpectedly drafted into President Kendrick’s army (an army from which no one ever returns) just days before Thanksgiving. When Heath disappears instead of arriving at the Meeting Place to check in, Hattie and Jonas decide they’ve had enough, and take matters into their own hands. And though nothing could have prepared them for what happens next, Hattie and Jonas learn that hope can be seen in every situation. You just have to know where to look.

Excerpt 4

Suddenly, there are gasps all around me. Assuming someone in the Union is going crazy again and a tree is about to fall from the sky, I brace myself, and look around.

People are pointing somewhere off in the distance. Within seconds, I hear sirens.

Nothing good ever comes out of a draft. It only brings the bad. People pass out, parents try to fight the officers who are delivering the news about their precious children, some beg to take their place, others get sick—all are natural reactions. About two years ago, it just turned into one of those automatic things—if someone was drafted, then along came the ambulances. It’s the one time those who don’t have Kendrick’s insurance are allowed medical help. Just shows how sick he is.

“It almost sounds as if they’re going—” Jonas stops and looks at me. He doesn’t have to finish. –Hattie

 

About the Author:

Jessica resides with her husband of over fifteen years, three awesome daughters, and a plethora of pets in Central California, where fog, frost, triple-digit heat and various items of produce arrive bountifully, depending on the season. She has an affinity for both coffee and owls, and loves to connect with fellow readers and writers on most social networks like Goodreads, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also connect with her on her blog, My Thoughts Exactly.

Jessica writes both young adult and adult fiction. PITY ISN’T AN OPTION is her debut novel.

catch her on:

site/blog: My Thoughts Exactly

twitter: @coffeelvnmom

GIVEAWAY 

There are two giveaways. One is US only, and the other is INTERNATIONAL. Please post both codes. 🙂

US only giveaway

1 paperback copy of Pity isn’t an Option by Jessica Brooks plus some surprise swags

You can go HERE for the giveaway

INTERNATIONAL giveaway

1 ebook copy of Pity isn’t an Option by Jessica Brooks plus some surprise swags

You can go HERE for this giveaway

The schedule for the tour is:

March 18

Coffee, Books and Me

Book, DIY’s and Randomness

March 19

Izz “Pingle” Bookish Place

March 20

Sara In Bookland

March 21

Crys Book Reviews

March 22

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer

Mr. Book Wonder

Death and Kisses Book Blast!

Death and Kisses

“My only thought was for Aden. I ran to him, kicking up water and called out his name. He turned and my heart skidded, crumbled and dropped to my feet. Not Aden, but Brad. Then where was . . .?

I looked down to where Brad’s gaze had been focused, down, down, in the murky water towards the center of the pond. No. Noooo! I shouldn’t be able to see him through the stirred-up sediment, but I did. Pascual was drowning Aden just as he had drowned Brad.”

One night changed Kasey’s life forever. The star football player drowned and everyone at school blames her. And oh, yeah, since that night, she can see ghosts. Not that she’s afraid of them. Much. She’s more concerned with staying under the radar as the school’s once-popular, now outcast loner freak. Until the boy she supposedly killed shows up wanting revenge.

Regardless of Kasey’s outcast status, the hot new guy in school, Aden, wants to help her figure out how to get the angry ghost to leave her alone. So what if he also wants to contact his dead brother? And why are all the ghosts suddenly following Aden around?

Purchase

Kindle * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Author Clover Autrey 

Clover Autrey’s books have been referred to as “Romance in the Safety Zone.” The pages are chock full of adventure, attraction, fantasy and love, safe enough to read with your daughter or your grandmother, yet not so sweet it will put you in a sugar coma.

Inspired by her love of Louis L’Amour heroes, Clover (yeah, that’s her real name), packed up and moved to Texas where she found a real live Texan of her own. She’s been there ever since where she and Pat (who else would a Clover marry but a Patrick?), and their three boys, listen to the coyotes howl at the trains each evening.

Links

Blog * Website * Twitter 
 Facebook * Amazon * Goodreads

Praise for Clover Autrey
~Great Expectations Finalist 2012~

Ms. Autrey is a dynamic storyteller. I was enthralled from the very first page. ~~ Dark Angel Reviews

You will find yourself rooting that these two brave characters are able to find a way through every obstacle thrown in their way. ~~ TwoLips Reviews

…has excitement and danger, intrigue and adventure. The love that grows is but one facet of this story… ~~ The Romance Studio

It really left me speechless, it was so wonderful. Not only is it unlike anything you’ll ever read, but it really pulls you through so many emotions as you read it. ~~Rogues and Romance

BookBlast $100 Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/17/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Focus by Alyssa Ivy Rose (The Crescent Chronicles #2)

Freshman year of college is hard even when you’re not tied to the future king of a supernatural society.

Allie dives into college head first with Hailey as her roommate and the city of New Orleans as her backyard. As things within The Society heat up, Allie realizes that whether she’s with Levi or not, she’s in far too deep to turn back.

Now let me tell you so much has happened to poor Allie. But man is she stubborn. I mean really how many times does Levi have to apologize to her about what he did and what happened to her? He was scared to death about what was going to happen to her when she was kidnapped.

This time around though luckily Allie is with Hailey and makes some friends in college. Of course Levi does not allow any guys to go near her and makes a point of having Jared and Owen as her bodyguards. Which was great because you got to see a little more into these two characters. I love the friendship that builds between Allie and Jared, especially since she hasn’t been his biggest fan.

Hailey and Allie go and spend Christmas break with Allie’s mom and Allie’s moms boyfriend. This time Levi doesn’t go with them, even though things have been progressing. It kinda sucked because I wanted her mom to get to know him better and show that he was going to be with Allie no matter what.  I was like “wth” when they got picked up at the airport. I totally thought it was kinda pathetic that he was waiting for her like everything was going to be okay and they would get back together when she blatantly told him multiple times that it wasn’t going to happen.

Not only do we find out that there was someone on the inside that was trying to hurt Allie but we also find out about someone in Allie’s past isn’t who we think he is. I can tell you I was soooooo shocked at the end of this book. It was insane. I am anxious for the next book to come out. Obviously since I have just helped host the cover reveal for the third book. Which I believe is the last and I will be sorry to see go. But I got it in the end. Really I did. I hope you all read this book too. It is definitely worth it.

RATING:

Cover Reveal!!!

Title: Found (The Crescent Chronicles, # 3)

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Expected release date: Summer 2013

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Cover Designer: Once Upon a Time Covers; http://www.onceuponatimecovers.com/

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Description:

Levi might be hot, strong, and have a cool set of wings, but it’s not enough to make up for keeping Allie in the dark.

Allie’s tired of being left with more questions than answers. She’s tired of loving a guy who refuses to level with her. Most of all, she’s tired of her life spinning out of control.

Desperate to save Jess no matter the personal cost, Allie has to face the possibility that the only one she can trust is herself.

 

Titles available for giveaway:

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, #1)

Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2)

Derailed (Clayton Falls, #1)

Veer (Clayton Falls, #2)

Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy, #1)

Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy, #2)

Enduring Light (The Afterglow Trilogy, #3)

 

 

About the Author:

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

 

 

 

Existence by Abbi Glines (Existence Trilogy #1)

What happens when you’re stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn’t cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn’t let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he’s dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn’t realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he’s about to break all the rules.

I just want to point out first and foremost that I absolutely LOVE Abbi Glines. So much so that I found out that she is coming to the Orlando area in mid February and am pretty upset that I can’t go. I have a wedding the week before and can’t take the time off to go up there with the hubby. Now if the best friend wanted to do a friend date and go up there with me so I am not all alone 2 hours away, I would go and love her to death. But seriously I love every book I have read of hers and I have read them all. Some multiple times. This book hooked me into the trilogy immediately.

It stats with Pagan starting her senior year in high school and it goes through the up’s and down’s with her friends and getting a boyfriend outside of the one that she had for about 3 years before. She meets Dank on the first day while he is sitting at a picnic table and she tries so hard not to stare at him. Of course he is good looking but she thinks he is dead and a regular soul. Which you can’t blame her for that seeing as she has been seeing them since she was a little girl. There was something about Pagan as a character that I loved. And when she started dating Leif I was a little iffy. I really liked Dank and that was why.

I loved how Pagan never knew what Dank was going to do next. Even I had trouble figuring out where the book was going to go. I thought he was a great guy. He knew he was no good for her and tried to stay away from her so that she can continue living her life that was meant for her. I did like the scenes where he would get jealous of her and Leif or when she would get jealous of Dank and Kendra.

Honestly there isn’t much to say about this book that I didn’t love. As soon as I started it, I wanted to know what else was going to happen. It sucked that I had to wait for the second and third book to come out after this one but I was willing to wait since I liked it so much. I really don’t think that Abbi can’t write a great book, I have never been disappointed in her yet!

RATING:

Slammed by Colleen Hoover (Slammed #1)

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she’s losing hope.
Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.
Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart. From Goodreads.
I bought this book back in January and waited until FOREVER to read it. I know I must have been out of my mind. I am sure the hair dye must have made me crazy for a few months until I read this amazing book by Colleen Hoover. Trust me I thought I must have been insane to wait to read this amazing book. I get tired at times of the paranormal YA and I really enjoy the contemporary YA at times. This trilogy in whole is my number 3 in top 5 YA/New Adult contemporaries. Number 1 belongs to Jamie McGuire for her Beautiful Disaster and Number 2 is for Molly McAdams Taking Chances. So it just shows you Colleen is in great company.

The book starts out with Laykin and her whole family (her mom and little brother) moving across country because her dad passed away and they were told that they needed to sell the house to survive. Once there she meets Will and his little brother. And all is good and well, they hit it off and everything seems great. Except that Laykin is still in high school, yea she’s 18 though but that doesn’t help what eventually ends up happening.

There were so many moments that I cried over because honestly I don’t know if I could be strong enough to do what Laykin or even Will had to do. Will had a ton of responsibilities but knew that no matter how hard he fought he was falling madly in love with Laykin which was great because they were perfect for each other. Except because of one of the MANY twists in the book.

One of the greatest parts of this book was that the characters felt real, they had their issues and weren’t close to perfect. They lied, hid secrets from each other, tried protecting each other, loved each other. I could literally see the characters together in my head more so than a lot of other book characters. They seemed so real thanks to Colleen’s amazing writing.

I don’t want to give too much away because honestly you should have bought this book and read it. Don’t wait months like I did. Just do it already. It is definitely worth it. Every second of the whole book.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Empty Net by Toni Aleo (Assassins #3)

Definition of an Empty Net: When a team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, desperately seeking a goal.

Audrey Parker was in a horrible place.
She hated her job, her sister was getting married and moving out, but worst of all, she was in love with a total jerk. No matter what she did, every guy she met hurt her. All she wanted was her happily ever after. Her Prince Charming. Her Lucas Brooks! She didn’t know how to change her life but she knew she needed too.
Feeling like she was about to hit rock bottom, Audrey wakes up next to Tate Odder.

Tate Odder had lost everything.
After being brought up from the Assassins’ farm team, the Florida Rays to the Nashville Assassins, Tate hopes he’ll forget everything he has lost. He doesn’t. Each day gets harder to live in a place he doesn’t know. Even being the first rookie goalie to shut out an opposing team three times during the Lord Stanley Cup Finals, he still felt empty. With the loss of his parents and sister still heavy on his heart, Tate isn’t sure how to live like everything is okay.

But when he wakes up beside Audrey Parker, things start to change. She turns his life upside down with her kooky sense of humor and her bright clothing. She is intelligent and beautiful, and for once, he doesn’t feel empty.
Will Audrey be the person to fill the holes in Tate’s heart, making him whole again?
Or will another player ruin everything, leaving him feeling forever like an empty net? From Goodreads.

Oh my god, she did it again!!! There isn’t a book of Toni’s that I haven’t fallen in love with. I am so happy I gave her books a chance. This time around it was Tate and Audrey’s story. Now I loved Audrey in the last book and I thought Tate sounded adorable. I also wanted to smack the crap out of her for dating and putting up with Levi. She is way, way too good for him.

Luckily she got drunk and hooked up with Tate. Of course, she was stupid and decided to leave the next morning with out exchanging any kind of info. She eventually figures out who he is. I mean it was bound to happen since Tate is Lucas’ best friend. It also didn’t help that he was also her neighbor!

Now do you see why I love Toni? Her books are so amazing that they are, as of right now, the only adult books I have reviewed on my blog. But I felt that everyone should go out and buy all 3 books right now. There was so much to their relationship, her issue with his age, his family, her background, her physical and emotional issues. I was sooo happy that eventually everything came out and they were in a happy committed relationship together.

Eventually Audrey was given AMAZING news and when she got home to get ready to tell Tate about it, she ran into Levi and things went downhill from there. I won’t give anything away about what happens between the 3 of them because it was crazy horrible and awesome all at the same time.

I can’t wait for the 4th book in the series just so I can reread these books.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Exclusive Abbi Glines cover reveal!!!!

     Title: Just for Now (Sea Breeze, #4)

Age Group/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Expected Release: October 23, 2012

Cover Design: Mooney Designs

Book trailer created by: Hellion Works

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

Summary

The day Preston Drake figured out that wealthy women paid well for a set of tight abs and a pretty face his life turned around.

The run down rat-infested trailer he had shared with his alcoholic mother and three younger siblings was now only a place he visited to pay the bills and stock the pantry with food.

He no longer worried about his family starving or living without electricity. The money he made entertaining rich older women more than covered his family’s needs and his own. He had it all figured out. Except…

There was this girl.

She was as innocent as he was tainted.

Amanda Hardy wished her knees didn’t get weak when Preston walked into a room. She hated the fact her heart raced when he flashed his smile in her direction. He had a different girl in his bed every night. He was the kind of boy a smart girl ran from. So, why was she coming up with ways to get close to him? Even when it was obvious he wanted to keep her at a distance.

Maybe her heart knew something the world didn’t. Maybe Preston Drake was more than just a pretty face.

Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/zn0yOaSnVQE

Bio:

Abbi Glines can be found hanging out with rockstars, taking out her yacht on weekends for a party cruise, sky diving, or surfing in Maui. Okay maybe she needs to keep her imagination focused on her writing only. In the real world, Abbi can be found hauling kids (several who seem to show up that don’t belong to her) to all their social events, hiding under the covers with her MacBook in hopes her husband won’t catch her watching Buffy on Netflix again, and sneaking off to Barnes and Noble to spend hours lost in the yummy goodness of books. If you want to find her then check Twitter first because she has a severe addiction to tweeting @abbiglines.   Facebook is also somewhere she visits a little too often. She blogs regularly but rarely about anything life changing. She also really enjoys talking about herself in third person.

Abbi Glines| Facebook| Twitter

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Mcguire (Beautiful #1)

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (Beautiful #1)

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match. From Goodreads.

I have read a lot of different kinds of reviews about this book. I disagree with the reviews that say that the relationship in this book is horrible. I think the way Abby and Travis were was sweet. He changed his whole world to be what she needed and wanted, how could that be a bad thing? Sure they fought, but realistically what couple doesn’t fit?

I got that Abby was running away from what her life used to be like, I would do that too if I had a father like hers or even a mom. Luckily she had America and her parents to show her that she was better than both of her parents. I felt bad that Shepley (Travis’ cousin) was so worried about America and his relationship because of the way Travis goes through women.

This was the first book I read by Jamie and it definitely won’t be the last. Especially since the second book will be in all of Travis’ POV, which will be awesome, I can’t wait to see what he was thinking throughout the book. Once they get passed what happens in Vegas, they try to be friends but they are both miserable but neither will show it to the other.

I loved the ending of the book, you know that they will fight but they are happy and in love. What more could you want in a relationship. Travis never lied to her or hit or abused her in any way nor did he ever cheat on her, they talk when they aren’t fighting, which really isn’t that much.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.