Journey with Books: YA

Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts

Oct 8, 2013

Cover Reveal and ARC Book Giveaway: Push (The Game 2) by Eve Silver

Unknown October 08, 2013 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm pretty sure this post is going to excite you! We're revealing the cover of the 2nd book of THE GAME by Ms. Eve Silver. The first book was titled Rush, which I'm pretty sure you all know and the second book is titled Push.

Are you guys excited for it to be released? Well, there's a giveaway right below to ensure that you can get your copy of this book!

Push (The Game #2)

by Eve Silver

Release Date: 2014

Harper Teen

Book Summary:

It’s either break the rules or die.

Miki Jones lives her life by her own strict set of rules, to keep control, to keep the gray fog of grief at bay. Then she’s pulled into the Game, where she—and her team—will die unless she follows a new set of rules: those set by the mysterious Committee.

But rules don’t mean answers, and without answers, it’s hard to trust. People are dying. The rules are unraveling. And Miki knows she’s being watched, uncertain if it’s the Drau or someone— something—else. Forced to make impossible choices and battling to save those she loves, Miki begins to see the Committee in a glaring new light.

And then the Game crosses a new boundary, pushes harder into Miki’s and her friends’ lives, and there’s nothing in the rules that can save them now.

Push is the sequel Rush fans will be screaming for.

Pre-Order from:

Book One:

(linked to Goodreads)

Available from:

About the Author

Eve Silver lives with her gamer husband and sons, sometimes in Canada, but often in worlds she dreams up. She loves kayaking and sunshine, dogs and desserts, and books, lots and lots of books. Watch for the first book in Eve’s new teen series, THE GAME: RUSH, coming from Katherine Tegen Books, June 2013. She also writes books for adults.

Author Links:

GIVEAWAY:

Harper Teen is offering an ARC of PUSH as the prize, which will be mailed to the winner early 2014, as soon as ARCs become available. (US and Canada only)

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Cover Reveal Organized by:

Apr 17, 2013

Book Review: Labyrinth (Acropolis Series Book 2) by R.K. Ryals

Unknown April 17, 2013 0 Comments

Author: R.K. Ryals

Title: Labyrinth

Series: Acropolis Series

Pages: 157 pages

Language: English

ASIN: B009I5KI7S

Book Blurb:

"There are countless wise quotes that wax poetic about choosing a path in life, poetry about the road less traveled, but there is nothing that says either path is easy. Each path requires sacrifice, each path is full of scars." ~Emma Chase

My name is Conor Reinhardt. I am a gargoyle Guardian in exile for killing my own. My mark is safe, the group of hybrids we've led from the Acropolis, secure. There's a new hybrid king in the Outer Levels of Hell, and he needs the Acropolis refugees. I expect the journey ahead. I even expect the danger. I don't expect the shadows that haunt me, those beckoning spirits of guilt that never let me sleep. Guilt from killing my own. I don't expect the things the hybrids learn about themselves. I don't expect many of the challenges in our path. I'm not sure I even expect us to survive The Labyrinth.

My Thoughts:

I actually don't know where to start but I guess I should say how much this book made me feel. R.K Ryals definitely wowed me again! Clearly, she's one of my most favorite authors ever because she's never disappointed me. Every book she has written that I've read had never failed to make me feel every single emotion her characters feels or experiences. Every word and every emotion written on her books affected me to my very core.

Labyrinth is the second book of the Acropolis series. It was two months after the hybrids' escape from the Acropolis. Connor left Emma in the SOS headquarters in Italy to help Dayton and Marcas battle Lucifer. He's confused and guilty because of what he did to free the hybrids. He's conflicted if he did the right thing so he just left without saying goodbye to Emma. A few weeks passed and Connor came back with Marcas as the new hybrid King. Marcas needs the hybrids' help to secure the new kingdom of hybrids. Specifically, he wants Emma to lead his army. The hybrids needs to learn how to become a unit in order to succeed but with their differences and Emma's lack of control of her powers, it seemed impossible. And there's the turmoil of Connor and Emma's cut-short romance.

Labyrinth is a really powerful novel. It's much better than the first. In this book we get to know more about the other hybrids, not just Emma which is really great. I loved these hybrids. In the first book, they were pretty much insignificant. It was always just about Emma and Connor, but in this second book we get to see the depths of the other characters. I love how each character is important and how R.K Ryals made them important and how she made me fall in love with them, flaws and their rough edges.

The plot was so excellently played out. There were times when I didn't expect things to turn out that way but they did and it was shocking and that made this book so good. It was completely unpredictable.

The pacing was good too. It wasn't hurried out or forced. Everything is simply exciting and played out well. The well played out turn of events made me hold my breath and kept me on the edge all through out.

The action in this book is phenomenal! It's well written that sometimes I forget to breathe while reading them.

As I said the characters are really endearing. I loved them all, especially the hybrids. The way they became a unit is simply fascinating. What they experienced together made them stronger as a unit and it's great. They were rough and flawed but also vulnerable, these things made me love them so much. I feel like exactly how Connor feels about the hybrids. Connor slowly sees the depths of the hybrids, not just Emma. He slowly sees them as not just half demons that's capable of evil but as humans too that's capable of good. That these hybrids crave peace and freedom too. They just want a home that they can call their own.

The romance between Connor and Emma is great too. The romance did not took over the whole plot which is nice. The romance was there but it's a process. It was gradual and natural. It wasn't forced out. I loved how Connor and Emma had to really find themselves first before going in too deep into a thoughtless relationship. I loved how R.K Ryals made the romance sensible and natural. I root for Emma and Connor because they deserve happiness.

Overall, I simply LOVE this book. It's perfect. Labyrinth is a nerve wracking, gut wrenching and an action packed adventure that's full of real emotions that a reader would feel to the depths of the reader's heart. It's simply amazing. If you're looking for all of these on your next read, pick up this book because this is for you and I swear you wouldn't regret it.

PS: I NEED THE NEXT BOOK LIKE I NEED AIR.

BUY HERE:

Labyrinth (Acropolis Series Book 2)

About the Author:

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, R. K. Ryals is a scatterbrained mother of three whose passion is reading whatever she can get her hands on. She makes her home in Mississippi with her husband, three daughters, a Shitzsu named Tinkerbell, and a coffeepot she couldn't live without.

Visit her at
http://rkryals.blogspot.com/, or on on facebook at http://www.facebook.com

Jan 24, 2013

Cover Reveal and Book Giveaway: Kiss of Fire (The Imdalind Series) by Rebecca Ethington

Unknown January 24, 2013 0 Comments

Joclyn Despain has a scar. In fact, it is almost like a brand on her skin. She doesn’t know why it appeared on her neck, but she doesn’t want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won’t let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to.

The scar is the reason she is being hunted.

If only she knew that she was.

If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.

Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; but he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.

Find Rebecca Ethington...

Twitter, Facebook, and Website

Books Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

GIVEAWAY:

Paperback copies (US ONLY) of Kiss of Fire and Eyes of Ember, or, if you live outside the US and you win this giveaway, you will automatically win ebook copies. :)

Good luck!

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Nov 7, 2012

Blog Tour: Book Review and Giveaway: Reaction by Jessica Roberts

Unknown November 07, 2012 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm here again. I'm reviewing the much awaited book entitled Reaction. It's the second book of Reflection by Ms. Jessica Roberts. I must say that I feel really grateful to be given this chance to review such a wonderful book. We also have a really great giveaway for you guys down below. You have to join this! This blog tour was organized by YA Bound Tours.

Reaction: Reflection #2
By Jessica Roberts
Release Date: November 6, 2012

Book Blurb:
Harmony…

I’ve previously had that in my life, but only once, briefly, a while ago. It was during the time I’d started my first year of college. My own apartment, a new old car, and a life free of deadbeat stepfathers, all of which was fulfilling enough. But if it wasn't I also had a best friend, soul mate, and boyfriend all in one. Yes, life was near perfect.

But one stormy night can change everything…

For many months I rested in a prolonged sleep, fighting for my life. Well, more than fighting for it, also dreaming of it. Dreaming of him. Thank goodness, the dream is over and I’m back in the real world now. And all I want is for everything to return to the way it was. But nothing’s the same; most of all, us.

Once again, I find myself at the crossroads of a ruthless battle, this time not for life, but love. Do I fight for the guy I twice fell for, or do I let her take him away?

My Thoughts:

Reaction is the sequel of the YA novel by Ms. Jessica Roberts entitled Reflection. I must say that I've absolutely loved reading this book. It's the kind of book you'd stay up late for because you couldn't put it down.

For the people who haven't read the first book Reflection, this review is going to be spoilerish for you guys.

Reflection and Reaction has definitely a very unique plot and I loved it. Reaction picked up where Reflection ended. Heather woke up from her coma and she regained her memories but not everything is the same, especially her relationship with Nick. She found out that no one knows that she had been on an accident and had been on a really long coma except her best friend who never left her side. After years, everyone has moved on and Heather doesn't know how to fit back in.

I'm absolutely amazed at how interesting and angst filled the book is. For the duration of the book I was rooting for Heather and Nick to have the happy ending they deserved. Reaction is really different from any other contemporary romances I've ever read because it contains some medical terms and yet it didn't become mechanical. The whole book is full of emotions. I feel for what every character was going through. I also felt conflicted with their dilemmas. I connected with each and everyone of them. It's nice to read a kind of book where in I can empathize with what everyone especially Heather and Nick goes through.

Overall, I just simply loved this book. I recommend this book to every reader out there because I am confident that all of you will definitely love it as much as I did. Ms. Jessica Roberts is one author we, book lovers have to look out for because she is one talented author who can make her readers feel and I think that's what makes an author extraordinary.

Reflection Book 1

Reaction (Reflection Book 2)

About the Author:

JESSICA ROBERTS grew up in the San Francisco, California Bay Area where she spent most of her time playing sports alongside her six siblings. She was crowned Miss Teen California her senior year of high school, and went on to Brigham Young University where she graduated in Human Development. Her love of family, church, writing, athletics, and singing and dancing keeps her life busy and fulfilled. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and three children.

http://www.jessicarobertsauthor.blogspot.com/

@JRobertsAuthor

GIVEAWAY:

Grand Prize is for a $25 Gift Card to Amazon, a replica of the necklace worn in the Reaction cover and an e-book of Reflection. (Open Internationally)
There will also be 4 additional e-book copies of Reflection up for giveaway. (Open Internationally)

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Oct 10, 2012

Blog Tour: Book Review and Giveaway: Shallow (Going Under Series Book 2) by Georgia Cates

Unknown October 10, 2012 0 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm here again with another blog tour! I'm on a roll this week, right? But now, I'm going to review the second book of Going Under Series entitled Shallow by Ms. Georgia Cates. Shallow can actually be read as a stand alone book but I suggest that you also read Going Under because it's good and I'm sure you guys wouldn't want to miss out on a good read.

Anyways, there's also a giveaway down below so please just read on. I know you're all waiting for the giveaway because it's the best part of blog tours. This lovely tour was organized by AToMR Tours.

Title: Shallow

Author: Georgia Cates

Series: Going Under Series Book 2

Date Published: September 21, 2012

ASIN: B009FC6242

Pages: 261 pages

Genre: Mature YA/New Adult

Book Blurb:

Payton Archer's best friend, Claire, strives to be perfect in every way. Payton doesn't and this is her story.

Nick Hawke likes his car fast and his girls even faster. He blows through females quicker than his muscle car races down the "The Strip" in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure in the aftermath of his mother leaving, he believes there is no room in his life or his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in things that won’t let him down...fast cars, adrenaline and one night stands. To his absolute dismay, all of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than one night. There’s only one catch...she is completely immune to him and his smooth talking ways.

Payton Archer is looking for what Claire has with Jessie, but she has given up on finding it...at least until she leaves for college in the Fall because she is certain that is where she will find the perfect guy to fit into her perfect world. She plans on Summer being nothing but three uneventful months of fun, but it turns out to be anything but ordinary when Payton is introduced to Nick Hawke, one of Jessie’s old Collinsville friends. She is shocked by her immediate and intense attraction for “Hawke” because nothing about him is what Payton is looking for. Sure, he’s hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed because he is exciting and dangerous, but his fast car and the dangerous chances he takes aren't what scares Payton the most...it’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time he looks at her.

Can Payton find that moment of total fearlessness and make the decision to leave the safe, shallow end of love to risk going under completely?

My Thoughts:

Shallow is the second book of Going Under Series by Ms. Georgia Cates and I must say that I liked it much better than the first one. Everything is more.. more fun, more daring and more intense.

I had so much fun reading this book. As I said it's more fun than the first one. I think it's because Payton and Nick had this much stronger personality. Payton is the kind of girl who's outspoken. She's strong and sassy but also vulnerable. She longs for true love and when she met Nick Hawke, there's an instant attraction but Payton doesn't believe Nick is the one for her because of Nick's reputation as a player. And it's up to Nick to convince Payton that he is her "Truly, Madly, Deeply".

I love Nick and Payton's oozing chemistry. I also appreciated the fact that Payton didn't easily gave in to Nick despite the attraction. The chase was really fun to read. Nick and Payton's interactions are fun and witty and sexy which makes this book so exciting.

Also, the fact that we get a glimpse of Jessie and Claire is a big plus for me.

Overall, I recommend this book to all the romance addicts out there. If you want a fun and witty romance without loosing it's angst and intensity in your next read, then get this book now because this is for you.

Author Bio:

I am a wife, mother of two daughters and a labor and delivery nurse. I have recently added Paranormal Romance Writer to my list of things to keep be busy, but I am ecstatic to release my debut novel, Blood of Anteros, the first book in The Vampire Agápe Series.

Like others that enjoy a great story of paranormal romance, I am easily bored by the tale of an obtainable, ordinary romance and was inspired to create The Vampire Agápe Series. When I am not tied up with my family or delivering babies, I am working feverishly on the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series.

http://georgiacates.com/

Giveaway:

US Only:

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International:

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Oct 9, 2012

Blog Tour: Book Review and Excerpt: Forever in Carolina by Nicholas A. White

Unknown October 09, 2012 2 Comments

Hi everyone! I'm back with another blog tour again. This time I'm posting a review of Forever Carolina by Mr. Nicholas A. White. You're also going to get a glimpse inside of this book down below. This tour was organized by Black Lion Tours.

Release Date: September 1, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Novel

Formats: Print and eBook

Publisher: Magnifico Manuscripts

Book Blurb:

Jason Wyatt vowed that he would fulfill his deceased brother's collegiate-football dreams. Despite a growing number of injuries, he is willing to risk anything, even his health, to uphold that promise. With recruiting underway and a football future imminent, he meets Riley, a green-eyed beauty, with a haunting and unforgettable past and an overprotective father. Jason tries to balance young love with football, and as he nears high school graduation, he is confronted with a new set of life-altering obstacles to both.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book I've ever read from Mr. Nicholas A. White. It's good and I enjoyed reading it.

The plot is good. The truth is I loved it at first. The way it was written was good. It was beautiful. The book is about a young man who's experiencing everything a normal young man does. Jason was probably at the top of his life in high school but things are complicated because life always complicate things. He met Riley who made the complicated even more complicated. It's a story of first love, of what you do if everything you always dreamed of didn't happen because of certain unexpected things that life throws at you. It was a good realistic story.

The characters are normal enough. I guess, they're written in a very realistic way. They aren't perfect. They have these annoying traits because they are young. Mr. Nicholas White wrote Riley and Jason in a way that a reader could imagine them as real people who made mistakes, who has dreams, who hurts and who fails. It was amazing, actually. The only complaint I have for this book is the way it ended. The story of Riley feels so incomplete. It feels unresolved but other than that I think Forever in Carolina is a good realistic book to read.

Book Excerpt:

“I didn’t say that.” Mr. Wyatt possessed a rare and undervalued ability to

maintain his composure even in the most stressful situations; a patience, whether or
not the reasoning held validity, that he attributed to years of fishing. “All I’m saying,” he
continued, “is that he will be miserable if he doesn’t play this year. It’s not just a sport
for him. It’s how he connects with Allen, and you know that. Look at him out there,” he
motioned to the back window. “It’s who he is.”

Mrs. Wyatt sat in silence on their bed. A photograph of an eleven-year-old Allen
rested on the dresser by the bathroom. She had taken it before his first football practice
in sixth grade—his helmet draped over his eyebrows, the shoulder pads extended too far
past his shoulders, and his little body hid beneath the enormity of the leg pads. The first
two years after Allen had passed, Mrs. Wyatt cried every time she saw the picture, but she
refused to hide it. She calmed much quicker than her husband had anticipated. “I just don’t
want him to get hurt. Permanently hurt,” she said.

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-A-White/e/B009CJ6AZE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1348420219&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-in-carolina-nicholas-a-white/1112436647

Author Bio:

Nicholas A. White studies civil engineering at Clemson University and is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina.

In his free time he enjoys golfing and fishing. Forever in Carolina is his first novel.

Oct 8, 2012

Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Unknown October 08, 2012 0 Comments

Title: Slammed

Author: Colleen Hoover

Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: Atria Books

Date Published: September 18, 2012

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1476715904

ISBN-13: 978-1476715902

Book Blurb:

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.

My Thoughts:

Slammed is the first book I've read from Colleen Hoover. It has pleasantly surprised me and I enjoyed feeling everything while reading this book. This book actually surprised me because it was so good. At first, I thought it was just a simple girl meets boy and they fall in love with each other but I was wrong! It was so much more than that. It was so much deeper than that. It has so many twists and turns. It's like a roller coaster ride. The highs the lows of life will be absolutely felt while reading this book.

The plot is simply amazing! It simply describes how real life is and sometimes it just really sucks but we all have to live it, to deal with it because it's life and the truth is, life just doesn't wait for anyone. There's no "pause" in it when you feel like it's getting too much. You just have to go on because you can't just stop while life and everyone in it goes on.

The characters are just so fascinatingly real. Layken and Will are so adorable together. They had this instant connection, maybe because they were both sad and they had these extreme grief surrounding them. They were both very strong people and yet they're very vulnerable. I liked that about them. Actually, I really connected to these characters. I felt their pain and their frustration at their situation.

I'm not going to spoil this for anyone. There is a reason why the book blurb is so vague. It adds up to the excitement and it actually knocks you down with "WTF" expression when you get to the part where things go down and get heavy. It was actually the good part about this book. I went in and read it not expecting anything at all and I ended up feeling every single emotion there is. It feels like I'm going through everything with these characters especially Layken. It feels like I've been experiencing everything with Layken from the very first page to the last. I felt everything.

Overall, this book is one of the best books I've read. There's no way to describe how much I felt all the strong emotions while reading this book. I think it would be a crime not to read it. This book is simply about the reality of the good and the bad parts of life. This book is about love and how you have to fight for it if you really want it. "Happy Ever After" doesn't just happen, you have to make it happen. It's a decision, a choice, whether you want to wallow in self-pity and be sad or if you would learn how to accept things that you can't change and change the things that you could and be happy with what you have. You have to choose happiness if you want it.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone who wants to read something real and yet sweet.

About the Author:

I'm addicted to and seriously floored by the talent of The Avett Brothers band, which is obvious in both of my books. They are 99% of my playlist. The other 1% being Eminem and Jason Mraz.

I love lindor truffles (the white ones with the chips inside) and have an unhealthy addiction to diet pepsi. A serious addiction.

I get stoked whenever I get a message from goodreads saying I have a new friend request...so request me, dangit!

If you want to know when I have new books out or just want to be inundated by daily, pointless blog posts, follow me at www.colleenhoover.com