Cover Reveal: Unspoken by Camille Dixon

Unspoken by Camille Dixon
Publication date:  May 2013 
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Jaxon Michaels is every father's worst nightmare for his teenage daughter, but Clarice Gibson knows him better than anyone. Best friends since the sixth grade, Clare and Jax have walked the fine line of friendship for six years.

But when Clarice's friend Jessica starts dating Jax, Clare finds herself starting to notice him in a different way, one she's not entirely prepared to face. As their senior year approaches and her true feelings are unburied, Clare begins asking herself the one question she vowed never to think about: What if she's in love with her best friend? Their friendship is further strained when the captain of the football team - and Jessica's twin brother - sets his eyes on Clare. As loyalties and friendships are tested, Clare and Jax find it harder to keep themselves firmly planted on the friends side of the relationship line. 

A line they are getting dangerously close to crossing.

AUTHOR BIO

I'm a Southern girl who's spent the last few years freezing my toosh off up north. Except for the snow, things are pretty good. I love sunshine, sweet tea, and romances that touch my heart. A lifelong romantic, I found my own prince charming at an online dating site. Six months later, he asked me to marry him. Picture Perfect is my debut novel.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Feature & Follow Friday Blog Hop #9

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme/feature hosted byAlison Can Read & Parajunkee.

This Week's Question is:

Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song and the book?

Honestly, I LOVE to listen to music while I read so I am always connecting songs with books. I even do IPOD picks with my reviews. A few that really stand out to me is "Let me Down" by Kelly Clarkson and the book Beautiful Disaster. "Poison & Wine" by The Civil Wars always makes me think of Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder. I could probably go on and on but those are the 2 that really stand out for me.

What about you? Are there any songs that really connect you with a book?

Awakened Book Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway

Awakened has arrived! In honor of it's release, I am happy to be participating in the book blitz and I have an excerpt and giveaway for you!
********************

Can fighting for the right side be the wrong thing to do?

Draven, the tyrant ruler of Elyndia for the last one thousand years, searches for the one who can fulfill his prophecy.

The Paladins, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect their way of life at all cost, search for the one with the ability to bring their world crumbling down.

An innocent girl, tormented by demons only she can see, lives on the brink of insanity and longs for a life of peace.

When seventeen-year-old Jade Rosenberg reads from an antique book, she has no idea she just read an incantation awaking her inherited power. But when opposing—and equally terrifying—groups invade her home, she learns she is descended from an enchanted realm and a member of a powerful race thought to have been hunted to extinction. 

Ripped from her world, Jade is forced to seek refuge from those who want her dead. She is given one of two options and the time has come for her to make a choice: assassinate their sworn enemy…

Or sacrifice her soul.

Awakened by Kriston Johnson 
Series: The Legends Of Elyndia, #1
Publication date: April 25th 2013 
Genre: YA Fantasy

Excerpt

Lifting his blood-drenched shirt to inspect the wound, Jade inhaled a sharp breath. Gabriel’s torso was smeared with blood and covered in a dozen or so randomly shaped scars, some old, some new.  His body had seen battle well beyond its young years.  Jade ran her finger along a jagged line of puckered skin. Starting above his heart it curved downward, extending to the top of his abdomen. Apart from the scars, his skin was smooth and soft to the touch. It was also ice-cold. His blue eyes popped open and Jade recoiled. Struggling to sit, he clasped her wrist before he passed out again.

AUTHOR BIO

Kriston Johnson lives in Southwest Washington with her husband, teenage son, and miniature Australian Shepherd. Her home rests at the fringe of an old growth forest that she insists is the home of Jason Voorhees. Her husband thinks that’s a ridiculous assumption, because everyone knows it’s really Bigfoot. Every summer Kriston participates in the annual pilgrimage to Faerieworlds, a real life faerie realm here on Earth, and has an unhealthy obsession with Star Wars, The Vampire Diaries, and Iron Man. Awakened is her first novel. You can visit her online at www.kristonjohnson.blogspot.com.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Timepiece by Myra McEntire

Timepiece (Hourglass #2)

Author: Myra McEntire

Publisher: Egmont USA

A threat from the past could destroy the future. And the clock is ticking...

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples - cracks in time. Are his powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before he can find out, Jonathan landers, the man who tried to murder is father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?

In the wake of Landers' return, the Hourglass organization is given an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered - with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most. 

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...

*****************************

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with Timepiece. I really had high expectations for this book because I loved Kaleb in Hourglass and Timepiece was written from his POV. However, I felt that the book was lacking something that I couldn't quite place. Now, I think it was actually Kaleb's POV that took the luster for me.

I wasn't able to connect with Kaleb in Timepiece and I found that reading from his POV took away some of the charm that he showed in Hourglass. I liked him because he was edgy and kind of the bad boy. However, in this book I didn't feel any of that like I did with the first. His personality was lacking in this book. Lily was a lot more prevalent in Timepiece and I really liked her. She was a really strong character and she didn't put up with Kaleb's crap or let him make excuses. She tamed him a bit and I did like that she had that affect on him. 

I was still intrigued by the plot in this book and it continued to develop really well and added another dimension. However, it was a little scattered and all over the place and I found myself confused a few times. It felt like it jumped back and forth between a couple of different things and I couldn't quite keep up with where it was going. It definitely had some interesting developments and the cliffhanger ending killed me a little. Even though the second book lacked a little, I will definitely be picking up the third book when it comes out to see how it all ends.

*************************

Favorite Quote:

"Hayrides were the perfect place to make out with a girl and get grabby hands. Could always blame it on bumpy farm roads." ~Kaleb (Timepiece by Myra McEntire)

IPOD Picks:

"Complicated" by Rihanna

"Anything Could Happen" by Ellie Goulding

"It's Time" by Imagine Dragons

Sources:

Synopsis: Goodreads

Cover Photo: Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday #8: Haven

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The event highlights upcoming books we are biting our nails for.

This week's pick is: Haven: Apocalypse Chronicles #1 by Laury Falter

Expected Release: May 23, 3013

Cover Photo source: Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

On an ordinary day in early September, Kennedy Shaw leaves for school unaware that within a few minutes the world she knows will be gone - succumbed to an outbreak of epidemic proportions. After finding a safe haven inside the security of her enclosed high school, she learns that four others have survived, one being a bold, mysterious transfer student from Texas whose unruffled demeanor harbors more than a cool interest in her. As they struggle to survive the dead fighting their way inside, will Kennedy discover there is more to life than survival? And will she and the others find a way to live in this terrifying new world?

I loved the Guardian Trilogy and the Residue Series by Laury Falter so I am really looking forward to this one. Also, I love apocalyptic novels so that is an added bonus! What are you waiting for this week?

Review: If You Stay by Courtney Cole

If You Stay

Author: Courtney Cole

Publisher: Lakehouse Press

24-year old Pax Tate is an asshole. 
Seriously. 

He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad-boy with a bad attitude to match. 

But he’s got his reasons. 

His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with guilt although he doesn’t understand why. What he does know is that he and his dad are left alone and with more issues than they can count. 

As Pax grew up, he tried to be the kid his father always wanted; the perfect golden boy, but it didn’t work. His dad couldn’t overcome his grief long enough to notice and Pax couldn’t keep up the impossible perfect façade. 
So he slipped far, far from it. 

Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the ugliness, the black void that he doesn’t want to deal with. If he pretends that the emptiness isn’t there, then it isn’t, right? 
Wrong. 

And it’s never more apparent than when he meets Mila. 
Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air to his hardened frown, the beauty to his ugly heart. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her, but he quickly realizes that he’s got to figure it out because he needs her to breathe.

When memories of his mother’s death resurface from where he’s repressed them for so long, Mila is there to catch him when the guilt starts making sense. Mila is the one…the one who can save him from his broken troubled heart; from his issues, from the emptiness. 

But only if he can stop being an asshole long enough to allow it. 

He knows that. And he’s working on it. 

But is that enough to make her stay?

*********************

Right from the beginning, I could tell that Pax was one messed  up dude. This book doesn't waste anytime in showing us just how screwed up his life is. He is so opposite from Mila and I know they say "opposites attract" but I had a hard time believing that she would be so welcoming and forthcoming with him right away, considering her first impression. 

I liked Mila but I wasn't "in love" with her. She was a really sweet girl but she was too trusting and too naive. I didn't care for Pax at first because he was a spoiled trust fund kid who messed up his life. However, he did grow on me because he was willing to become a better person for Mila and he truly put in the effort. 

I thought the book was well written and the author did a great job of adding a little mystery to the story with regards to Pax's life. She kept me intrigued with desire to know what had happened to him to make him the way he was. The plot flowed well and the story wasn't at all predictable. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and a good book. I also really love this cover.

*****************************

Favorite Qoute:

"I'll never tell her because she would just wave her hand and tell me that I'm the one who fixed things, that I put in the work. She never takes enough credit. So I'll just have to love her every day of her life as a thank you. It's enough that I know the truth." ~Pax (If You Stay by Courtney Cole)

IPOD Picks:

"Not Over You" by Gavin Degraw

"Arms" by Christina Perri

"Apologies" by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Sources: 

Synopsis: Goodreads

Cover Photo: Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Sacrifice by K.A. Last

Sacrifice – A Fall For Me Prequel by K.A. Last 
Series: The Tate Chronicles, #0.5
Publication date: May, 2013 
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Cover by: KILA Designs

Synopsis:

Seth’s heart is breaking. He knows his decision will hurt the one person he keeps breathing for, but he can’t take it anymore. He can’t be near Grace knowing she will always be just out of reach.

Grace is oblivious to Seth’s turmoil. She loves him unconditionally, but not in the way he wants. They both know that in Heaven physical love is forbidden, and to break the rules is to defy everything they’ve ever been taught.

When Grace and Seth are sent on a mission to save a young mother and her unborn child, Grace must face the fact that Seth won’t be returning home. She doesn’t understand Seth’s decision and hates him for it. But what neither of them realise is how big a part that single decision will play in shaping their entire future.

What would you sacrifice for the one you love?

K. A. Last was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney with her parents and older brother when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, she began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. She now resides in a peaceful leafy suburb north of Sydney with her husband, their two children and a rabbit named Twitch.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Goodreads for Book 1: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17279706-fall-for-me

a Rafflecopter giveaway __________