Feature and Follow Friday #3

Q: What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.

Liza from Life from a Lefty! She just seems to be incredibly awesome and we seem to have a lot in common! Go check her out. :)

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe [Review]

Title: The Sweetest Dark

Author: Shana Abe

Format Acquired: Netgalley ARC

Publication Date: April 2, 2013

Publishing House: Bantam

IBSN: 0345531701

Summary from Goodreads:

“With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.” 
 
Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.
 
England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.
 
Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

How do I even begin to describe this literally breathtaking novel? This book was incredible, point blank. I have never read a novel that was as whimsical, mystical, and taunting wrapped up all in one. The novel is set in the WWI era and starts out with Lora and her experiences in the orphanage and the mental institution. You see, Lora is not your typical human. In fact, she is hardly human at all. She is able to hear the mysterious songs of gold, and precious gems, and she has a daunting voice inside telling her all sorts of absurd things. Lora is special, which is seen from the very beginning. But, like all young adult novels, Lora is also a teenager. She is sent off the a pristine boarding school on scholarship away from the bombings in London. Here, she meets two very handsome, very mysterious boys. 

I was torn between these two boys. I wasn't sure which one I loved more, but either way I loved to love them. Jesse is the groundskeeper for Iverson boarding school and he is everything you would expect is a total swoon worthy character. He is handsome, caring, and just precious. Armand, on the other hand is a lot tougher. He definitely has a rough exterior, but he also holds secrets that must be protected by his hard shell. Both of them were quite the gentleman in one way or another.

Unlike most young adult novels, this ones writing went so much more in depth. It carried a whimsical quality that flowed like the wind on a clear summer night. Everything was written so delicately and precisely. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style. Also unlike young adult novels, the ending to this one had a somber note to it. It was the perfect ending, because it was foreshadowed throughout, but it did not stop the tears in the least. 

I guarantee you will love this novel if you enjoy dragons, swoon worthy characters, and a bit of mystical storytelling. What are you waiting for? 

Shana Abé was born in Texas. She spent much of her childhood living in Colorado, with a brief stint in Mexico as a foreign exchange student, and, at age seventeen, lived in Japan as a model. Throughout her childhood, Abé wrote, completing what she calls "The Silliest Romance Novel Ever" during her free time during modeling shoots. Her writing focused on romance, as those were the types of books that she most enjoyed reading.[1] She later attended college in Los Angeles, graduating with a degree in drama.

Her second novel, also a contemporary romance, took third place in a writing contest. She sent the book to several prospective agents, many of which responded with questions similar to "Nice voice — but what line are you writing for?" Unwilling to try to fit her writing into some of the rules that governed contemporary romances, Abé chose to concentrate on historical romances. For her first attempt at a historical romance, the newlywed Abé chose to tell the story of her own romance with her husband, set in medieval times. The manuscript was purchased by Bantam Books and published as A Rose in Winter.
Many of Abé's subsequent novels have also been set in the medieval time period. Abé chose the time period because of its "great sense of dichotomy....It inspires thoughts of grandeur, of courtly grace and chivalrous knights — but at the same time there's a gritty, raw aspect to the period that just cannot be denied."

Abé has received the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, and has been nominated six times for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, winning twice

Book Blitz: Alpha Girl by Kate Bloomfield

Seventeen year old Rose Goldman is highly unpopular in the little town of Halfway. Ever since the 'attack' when she was a girl, people and animals have been afraid of her. She gets bullied in school, and called 'wet dog' because of the way she smells, despite being extremely hygienic. However, life takes a turn when a new teacher starts at Halfway High. Mr. Stone, the quirky and charismatic English teacher is twice Rose's age, but she feels an unexplainable pull towards him from day one. Despite her better judgement, Rose pursues a friendship with Mr. Stone, who seems unable to stay away from her. 
What is pulling this unlikely pair together?
Alpha Girl is the first book of the Wolfling Saga, and is not intended for audiences younger than 15 years of age, as it contains scenes of a sexual nature, and coarse language. Please do not read if you are easily offended.

Excerpt:

Mr. Stone’s smile faltered. ‘I like my women to have a mind of their own – to be witty. Like you.’

My throat closed up. Like me?

‘You’re an amazing girl,’ he said suddenly.

His use of the word girl made my stomach twist painfully.

‘Am I?’ I asked.

‘Of course.’

‘A girl?’

He smiled knowingly. ‘An amazing woman,’ he corrected himself.

‘No one has ever told me that before,’ I said.

‘I don’t believe that,’ he smiled. ‘You’re clever, and beautiful, and damn witty.’

Mr. Stone’s jaw tensed as he realized what he was saying.

‘Beautiful?’ I asked, the word escaping as nothing more than a whisper.

‘Don’t you know?’ he asked.

My heart thundered as I stared at him. Oh please, my mind begged. Please tell me what is going on in that head of yours.

‘D-don’t I know what?’ I asked.

‘Don’t you know what you’re doing to me?’ He said as though I was torturing him.

‘What?’ My skin stung and my head swam with the possibilities.

‘Rose, I-’ He paused to collect his thoughts. ‘I’ve felt this … this pull towards you since day one. I can’t explain it.’

He didn’t need to explain it, because I felt it too. His eyes, his smile and his scent had me drawn in.

I placed a shaking hand over his, which was still on the steering wheel. He looked at our hands for a moment before allowing me to thread my fingers through his. I could feel his pulse in between each of my fingers.

Mr. Stone inhaled deeply. ‘Christ,’ he muttered, shutting his eyes tightly.

‘What’s the matter?’ I breathed.

‘That … that scent. The way you smell-’

I suddenly became very self-conscious. Bullies at school often accused me of smelling like wet dog. I sniffed my shirt, but I smelled perfectly normal.

‘What is it?’ I said defensively. ‘I showered this morning-’

Mr. Stone laughed, and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

‘No,’ he said with a small smile. ‘You smell amazing.’

‘I do?’

‘Absolutely. You always do.’

I never wore perfume, only regular home brand antiperspirant.

‘It makes me dizzy,’ he confessed. ‘It’s intoxicating.’

‘What do I smell like?’ I asked, rather flushed.

Mr. Stone licked his lips as though he could taste me in the air. ‘Sweet,’ he said.

My cheeks burned crimson, and I wished he would look at me. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

‘I want to kiss you so very badly, Rose,’ Mr. Stone said under his breath. ‘But I can’t … and it’s killing me.’

My heart hammered so loudly against my ribcage that I was sure Mr. Stone could hear it from where he sat.

Suddenly, I felt powerful. He wanted me … and it terrified him.

‘Mr. Stone,’ I breathed, but he still didn’t look at me. ‘Tom.’

A small groan escaped him as though his name leaving my lips was taboo.

‘Look at me,’ I said, my eyes fixated on him.

‘I can’t,’ he said, shaking his head. 

Best-selling and independent Australian author, Kate Bloomfield, has successfully made a name for herself in the world of self-publishing at just twenty-three years old. Her newest and most precious book yet, Alpha Girl, is a controversial Paranormal Romance between a student and teacher. A book not for those easily offended. Kate was born in Enfield, London in 1989, but has lived in Wollongong, Australia for most of her life.

Now working full time as an independent author, Kate has published four novels, and two short stories.

Her fifth novel ‘Alpha Girl’ is a paranormal romance that explores a complicated a student/teacher relationship. It is due for release on April 1st 2013.

For more information about Alpha Girl, please visit: www.bloomfieldkate.com

Blog: www.katebloomfieldauthor.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/katebloomfield
Facebook: www.facebook.com/katebloomfieldauthor
Wattpad: www.wattpad.com/katebloomfield
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/KateBloomfield
Amazon: http://amzn.com/e/B0077DUFJO

Kate will be awarding an autographed copy of ALPHA GIRL to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US ONLY), so leave a comment here and then follow the rest of her tour here.

Proximity by M.A. George [Review]

 

Title: Proximity

Author: M.A. George

Format Acquired: mobi for kindle provided for honest review

Publication Date: October 3, 2012

Publishing House: CreateSpace

IBSN: 1480016934

 

 

Summary from Goodreads:

Dr. Palta Capal would be a typical American career woman…if only she were human.

She has found her calling in this world as a physician. It’s an ideal outlet for her compassionate spirit...and unearthly healing powers.

Palta may spend her nights rereading Jane Austen novels, but she deliberately avoids pursuing her own love story. Human men — attractive as they may be — inevitably grow old and wither, leaving her to grieve in solitude. Frankly, no one has seemed worth the torment.

Enter Eric Moran, the intensely attractive and enigmatic new coworker on the scene. With his quiet confidence and warm smile, he manages to draw Palta’s attention. Little does she know that he, too, holds a secret…one that will propel them both into an escalating collision of two worlds.

 

 

Palta is just your average run of the mill doctor extraordinaire... but not really. She is indeed extraordinary but is not at all normal. She is an American born alien, so to speak. Palta and her family are not of this world, but they have come to love Earth as their own. After complications on their home planet, Palta's mom, dad, and sister escaped to planet Earth (Palta came a little later). Palta's family all have abilities, and she has the gift of healing. Although Palta's sister has found love, she has sworn off men due to their very short shelf life compared to her own. But, as a good love story would go, Palta just cannot resist the new guy at work. And this is where the story gets interesting.

Palta is a very strong willed individual and I admired her spunk and character very much. I also loved her sisters character as well. I thought the interaction between Eric and Palta was very cute, but I was not impressed by the insta love thing. Maybe it's just Palta's alien nature but I just was not feeling it at all. Don't get me wrong, I loved their relationship I thought they were perfect together, I just wish they would have taken it a little slower. Instead of falling in love in a matter of a day, maybe given it a week or two. I would ahve liked to see their interest in each other grow over time rather than quickly blossom. Nevertheless, they were adorable. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to the sequel! I will definitely have to check it out because I am so curious as to what is going to happen to the gang. If you enjoy scifi, or are just looking for something new to add to your young adult reading interests I would definitely check this out! It is an interesting read with a lot of potential for a fantastic series.

 

 M. A. George is part happily-married mother of two adorable children, part super top secret agent…Oops, probably just lost that job.

Writing is what keeps her up into the wee hours of the night. Fortunately, she has a lot of energy (Read: caffeine is her friend). She has a bit of an obsession with music (It does a fantastic job of tuning out rambunctious children while she attempts to focus).

She sincerely hopes people out there enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it. And if anyone hears of work for a super top secret agent, she’s now available (Discretion guaranteed…).

Find it on Amazon

 

Girls Love Travis Walker Book Tour Stop

New Adult Contemporary

Date Published: 3/15/13

To nineteen-year-old high school dropout Travis Walker, women are like snowflakes--each one different, but beautiful in her own way. He can charm any girl he meets, and yet down deep he fears he'll always be a loser like his jailbird father. As the landlady threatens to evict him and his sick mother, Travis 

takes a job he hates and spends his evenings picking up girls at a nearby night spot. When he enlists in a teen program at the local fire station, he finds out he’s amazing at it. Then he meets the smoking hot Kat Summers, enlists Kat’s friend Zoey to help him woo her, and falls in love for the first time ever.But he keeps the details of his life secret. His girl will never love him back if she knows the truth about him….

This novel tugged at my heartstrings... literally. I went into this book thinking it was going to be your typical bad boy falls for girl scenario, but boy was I wrong. This book touched on subjects that I never thought I would find myself reading. Travis Walker has had his fair share of bad luck, in fact it seems like it is never ending.  He is a bad boy; he sleeps around, he drinks underage, he is a high school dropout, and he is dirt poor. Travis finds himself in some very bad situations that are not his fault in the least. He just happened to be born to the wrong family and the wrong circumstances. But, past his shell and is hot exterior, he is a really good guy. I found myself rooting for him throughout the book and I felt for him when he just could not catch a break no matter how hard he tried. I also found myself falling in love with him along with the main girl.

As for the main characters, I of course loved Travis Walker, but I also found myself enjoying Zoey's character as well. At first she was a bit of a brat, and I get why now, but I am glad that she blossomed into a perfect character. She was just right for the story. I won't really comment on Kat or Zoey's boyfriend because I just did not like their characters, which I am sure was the point. Either way, Travis and Zoey were definitely my favorites.

I know that I have written a few five star reviews, and most of them were deserving, but this book I tried to find flaws and I just couldn't. I enjoyed the story-line  the writing, and the characters. I found myself engrossed in Travis Walkers story and I just could not get enough. The only thing that I could possibly find wrong with this story is that I wanted more. I just could not get enough at the end when I was rooting for his happy ending. This book completely and wholeheartedly deserves the five owls that I am giving it.

Overall:

Anne Pfeffer is the author of Any Other Night and The Wedding Cake Girl.  She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

The Forgotten Ones Book Blast

The Forgotten Ones

The Danaan Trilogy

Book One

is now available exclusively on Amazon!

And until May 19 it's only 99 cents!

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

About Laura Howard

Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Connect with Laura:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook |

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Awakenings Blog Tour Stop

Awakenings (Elemental Series #1)
by Hally Willmott 
Release Date: May 2013
From Limitless Publishing

Summary from Goodreads: 
When sixteen-year old Jacey Adison’s parents tell her they must move again, she has never questioned their life style. Until now. When Jacey was two, her parents fled the protection of their birthplace, the mystical dimension of Nemele. Leaving was the only solution her parents believed might allow them to keep their family together and alive.

The Adisons have been running from a sect of iniquitous beings from Nemele who covet Jacey. Her parents have repressed their adversaries’ relentless tracking efforts by not utilizing their own mystical powers. They have chosen to conceal themselves within the only realm they knew they’d be able to survive. They are living under their self-imposed powerless sanctions on Earth, which constitutes the nineteenth nation of Nemele. 

Her parents have never revealed their true identities to Jacey, consequently keeping her true lineage and unique birthright from her. Jacey’s family has pretended to be non-magical humans as a ploy to prevent an ancient omnipotent entity from killing more innocent beings in its relentless quest to possess Jacey.

Born as an anomaly, Jacey possesses rare abilities that both virtuous and corrupt entities seek to use as their own. Should either side prevail, Jacey may be the saviour or downfall of every world within Nemele’s domains. Blindly thrust into life and death situations, Jacey learns of her true powers within her dreaming and conscious states.

Welcome to my stop on the Shadow Chaser blog tour hosted by YA Bound.  Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

Want to be immersed in a world full of powers and entities that you have never even imagined? Pick up this book! It was full of twists and turns that I just couldn't stop reading. There was some insta love thrown in and a few elements of the typical teen paranormal romance, but otherwise this book is a must read. It is unique, a bit quirky, and fascinating. I enjoyed every minute of it!

Disclaimer: This book was given to me for an honest review

-Signed paperback copy and $10 amazon gift card (US only) 

-ebook and $10 amazon gift card (INT)

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buy Links:

Author for Limitless Publishing. Wife, mother and Police Officer:)

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Good Guys Love Dogs Blog Tour Highlight

Prologue

Ian McKinley had finally made it. Reached the pinnacle. The top rung of the ladder. Tonight represented the crown jewel in the career he’d spent seventeen years of his life building. Thirty-nine, and by most definitions, he had everything. Money. Success. A teenage son. A beautiful fiancée.
Not to mention, having just brought on board the biggest client ever for CCI Investments of Manhattan, he was a hero to his partners.  This party at the Waldorf-Astoria had been thrown for him, the invitation list a who’s who of New York City high rollers.
Standing here now among trays of champagne and tables loaded with exotic-looking foods, he should have been nothing but exhilarated. Somehow, he merely felt tired. Bone weary with the routine of his life, the predictability of it.
Every morning he bought his breakfast at the same bagel shop on Sixtieth Street, ate it at his desk with exactly two cups of coffee, no cream, no sugar. Every day he ran six miles at noon. He couldn’t remember when he’d done anything remotely spontaneous.
But this was the life he had wanted. This was what he’d worked so hard for—to prove a poor boyfrom the wrong side of Manhattan could make it to Park and Sixty-first. He only regretted that neither Sherry nor his mother had lived to see his success. He’d promised them both he would make something of himself one day. He wondered if they would have been proud of him. But then, if Sherry had lived, maybe he wouldn’t have been quite so driven. Wouldn’t have buried himself in his work. Life would have been more about family. More normal for him and for Luke.
Did he even know what normal was anymore?
For the past three weeks, he’d gotten no more than five hours of sleep a night. That might explain his fatigue, except that part of him felt as if he’d been tired for years. He needed a vacation. Away from the city. When was the last time he’d taken one?  The last time he’d spent more than an hour alone with his son? Guilt gnawed at him. He would plan something for them to do together. Soon. And he would make sure he kept his word.
“Why is it you look like a man headed for the gas chamber instead of the man of the hour?”
Ian swung around to find Rachel looking up at him with inquisitive eyes and a smile on her lips. “Hey,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. “A pillow and a bed sound pretty good about now.”
“I could go for that. Especially since I’ve been getting just a little jealous of the stares half the women in the room have been sending you all night.” She leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth, her right breast pressing into his chest. He waited for the surge of attraction that should have followed her deliberate provocation and decided, when it did not come, that he was more tired than he’d realized.
“Hey, we can’t have any of that.” Curtis Morgan clapped a hand on Ian’s shoulder. A short man witha receding hairline and an expanding waistline, Curtis was one of Ian’s partners at CCI. “Not until after the wedding, at least. Ms. Montgomery, you’ll have our guest of honor ducking out before I’ve had a chance to make my toast to him.”
“I suggest you hurry up and do it,” Rachel said with a raised brow. “I’m afraid he’s nearly dead on his feet.”
“No wonder. You really gave this one everything, Ian,” Curtis said. “Our firm will see the benefit of it. We’re all very appreciative.”
“Yes. I’m so proud of him,” Rachel said. “Now, if I could just get him to agree on a wedding date.”
She looked up at Ian with wide eyes that attempted to convey innocence, but Ian suspected Rachel knew exactly what she was doing.
As methodical about her personal life as she was about attaining senior partnership status at the law firm of Brown, Brown and Fitzgerald, Rachel made no secret of the fact that she thought a marriage between them would be mutually beneficial. She’d continued pressing her case for the past couple of years until she’d finally convinced him she was right.
Two weeks ago, when Ian asked her to marry him, it had been with the understanding that there was no rush. Both their lives were full, and a piece of paper wouldn’t change things drastically. Or so he had told himself.
When Sherry died right after Luke was born, he said he would never marry again. Unexpectedlylosing his wife at the age of twenty-three was the most painful, life-altering thing he’d ever known. Something inside him simply shut down. For the first five years after her death, he didn’t date at all. When he did start seeing someone, he made sure it never lasted for any length of time, never long enough to let things get serious.
With Luke almost grown now, he didn’t relish the idea of spending the rest of his life alone. His relationship with Rachel was a comfortable one. It made no demands or even hinted at happily-ever-after and white picket fences. At one point, he’d believed in destiny and people who were meant for each other. A young man’s dreams. He no longer believed in any of that. If what he had with Rachel met the definition of compatibility more than love, he still appreciated her. Smart and beautiful, he personally knew of a dozen men who envied him.
“So what’s the holdup, Ian?” Curtis asked with a punch to his left shoulder. “You need a reason to leave the office before midnight.”
A waiter approached them and handed Ian a cordless phone. “There’s a call for you, Mr. McKinley.”
“Now, who could that be?” Curtis joked. “We’re the only ones who ever bother you at this hour, andwe’re all here.”
Ian shrugged and moved to the window, away from the noise of the party.  “Hello.”
“Mr. McKinley?”
“Yes?”
“This is Detective O’Neill with the New York City Police Department. Is Luke McKinley your son?”
Alarm shot through Ian. “Yes, he is.”
“He was arrested tonight for possession of marijuana, Mr. McKinley.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. One by one, they finally did, even as disbelief washed over him. “Is he all right?”
“Yes.”
“There must be some mistake. Luke has never—”
“No mistake, Mr. McKinley.”
The detective gave him the address of the station and told him where to find Luke. Ian hung up, feeling as if someone had just punched him in the gut. He found Rachel and told her everything he knew. When she offered to go with him, he asked her to stay and explain to the others that he’d had an emergency.
He caught a cab outside the building, imagining, during the drive, a hundred different scenarios involving Luke and jail.
When the driver pulled over at the police station, Ian handed him a fifty and sprinted for the door, his stomach churning. Inside, he took the elevator to the third floor. Even at this hour, the place vibrated with purpose.  Still dressed in his tuxedo, he got his fair share of stares as he wound his way through a maze of desks littered with coffee cups and mounds of paper.
From the far corner of the room, a thin man with graying hair and skin that could use a little sunshine waved at him and called out, “You Mr. McKinley?”
“Yes.”
“Your son is in the room across the hall. Go on in. I’ll be right with you.”
“Thank you,” Ian said, while the detective went back to his call.
At the door, Ian stopped and drew in a deep breath before quickly turning the knob. Relief flooded him at the sight of Luke standing by the window with his hands jammed in his pockets.
His hair, long in front and short at the sides, halfway covered his eyes. His stance screamed defensive, his mouth set in a straight line. “Guess I messed up your party, huh?” he asked, his tone belligerent.
If Luke felt any fear, he wasn’t showing it.
“Is that what you meant to do?” Ian asked quietly, not at all sure where to go with this.
“I didn’t mean to do anything.” Luke shrugged, clearly a rebel with a cause, the origins of which Ian couldn’t begin to guess.
“They said you were arrested for drug possession.”
Another shrug. “Big deal.”
“Big deal?” Ian repeated. “Do you have any idea how serious this is?”
“It must be if you left your party to come down here.”
The verbal slap achieved its intended sting. “I know things have been busy lately, but. . . .”
“Lately?” Luke interrupted with a short laugh. “You’ve been saying ‘lately’ since I was six years old. Probably before then, I just can’t remember so far back. You only have time for work. And Rachel, of course, now that she’s going to be your wife.”
Bitterness layered the declaration. The vehemence behind it shocked Ian. Luke wasn’t a big talker. For the past few years, getting information out of him took the finesse of a secret service agent. Ian chalked it up to teenage rebellion. The boy had been even less communicative since he’d told him about his engagement to Rachel. He looked at his son now and felt as though he were seeing him for the first time in a very long while. “I think we need to talk.”
“So pencil me in before your nine-thirty, and I’ll tell you all about how I know you wish I’d never been born.”
The anger in the boy’s voice hit Ian like a brick in the face. “Why would you say a thing like that,Luke?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“No. It’s not. Son—”
“If it hadn’t been for me, she wouldn’t have died,” Luke yelled. “Don’t you think I know that?”
Ian grappled for composure. “Nobody could have prevented what happened to your mother. She had a stroke. How could you possibly think I would—”
“I don’t know,” he interrupted. “Maybe because you work all the time just so you don’t have to bearound me.”
“Luke!” Ian stopped, at a complete loss for a response. Somehow, when he hadn’t been looking, something had gone terribly wrong between the two of them. Staring across at his son, part boy, part man, Ian wondered how Luke had felt this way without his knowing. How long had Luke been trying to get his attention? “Does this have something to do with my marrying Rachel?”
“I don’t care who you marry. I’m sure you’ll make all the time in the world for her.”
Ian felt as if someone had just held a mirror in front of him. He didn’t like what he saw. He thoughtabout the party given in his honor tonight and realized the price. He’d spent the past seventeen years trying to make sure Luke had the things he himself never had as a kid. He’d sent the boy off to a camp in Wyoming every summer and to Austria in the winter with his ski team. In fact, he’d given him everything possible except one thing.
Time.
Maybe if he had, none of this would be happening.
Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t have needed this kind of wake-up call to see what a mess he’d made of things.
Ian sank down on the chair behind him. He raked a hand through his hair and wondered how he’d gone from such heights to such depths in the span of one night. Luke was in trouble. Ian could blame no one but himself.

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Available for Purchase on 

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 Author

RITA Award-winning author Inglath Cooper has written 9 published novels and 2 novellas. She fell in love with books as soon as she learned how to read. “When I was a little girl, we had a black-and-white TV with rabbit ears. Needless to say, it didn’t pick up a lot! I spent a good deal of time with my nose in a book. I think I read most of the books in my elementary school library.”

That love for books translated into a natural love for writing and a desire to create stories that other readers could get lost in, just as she had gotten lost in her favorite books. Her stories focus on the dynamics of relationships, those between a man and a woman, mother and daughter, sisters, friends. They most often take place in small Virginia towns very much like the one where she grew up and are peopled with characters who reflect those values and traditions.

“There’s something about small-town life that’s just part of who I am. I’ve had the desire to live in other places, wondered what it would be like to be a true Manhattanite, but the thing I know I would miss is the familiarity of faces everywhere I go. There’s a lot to be said for going in the grocery store and seeing ten people you know!”

Her passion for writing has most recently translated into songwriting which she considers a natural extension of her love of storytelling.

 Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

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Overexposed Cover Reveal

OVEREXPOSED by Adrianne James
Young Adult

Paperback

Expected publication: May 24th 2013 by Star Bound Books

EBOOK AND PAPERBACK WILL BE AVAILABLE

In the tiny town of Willowspring, just about nothing ever happens except for layoffs, hockey games, and your average melodramatic teenage angst.

But that was before.

Vi, Ashley, and Macy are just trying to make it through the school year without one more humiliation when they team up for a simple photography assignment: create a story through a series of photographs. Can't be too much trouble, right?

Wrong.

The shutterbugs happen upon Willowspring High School's darkest secret. When everything around them starts to crumble after trying to do the right thing, their only hope is to stick together.

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The Fallen Stars Review Stop

The Fallen Stars (The Star Child #2)

by Stephanie Keyes

Paperback, 530 pages| Expected publication: April 12th 2013 by Inkspell Publishing

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When all is lost, he will have to make the ultimate decision. Kellen St. James was just your average seventeen-year-old prodigy, until he eighty-sixed the Lord of Faerie and proposed to a Celtic goddess. Now everything in Kellen's life gets turned upside-down when Calienta, Kellen, and friend, Gabriel Stewart, find themselves on the run from a seriously irritated group of faeries. The worst part? They have zero idea why. Suddenly, Kellen finds himself stuck in the middle of another prophecy that questions everything about him including where his loyalties lie. Plus, Calienta's more than a bit different; she's making choices that he doesn't understand. And Gabe, his best friend? He's started doing all sorts of freaky things that make Kellen question who he really is. Kellen and Calienta will fight to stay together and keep the hidden part of the prophecy from becoming reality. When the ultimate power is within reach, which side will he choose?

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Stephanie Keyes has been addicted to Fantasy since she discovered T.H. White as a child and started drumming up incredible journeys in her head. When she's not writing, Stephanie is also a graphic designer, international speaker, teacher, musician, avid reader, and Mom to two little boys who constantly keep her on her toes. In addition, she's best friend to her incredible husband of eleven years. Keyes is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Star Child, which currently includes The Star Child (September 2012) and The Fallen Stars (April 2013), both released by Inkspell Publishing. She is currently hard at work on the third book in the trilogy, The Star Catcher. (Author photo courtesy of Kristina Serafini Photography) Follow @StephanieKeyes

To put it lightly: I  absolutely adored this book. Maybe I just like faeries too much, or maybe I just liked the paranormal romance tidbit but I just could not put this down! I found myself caught in the whirlwind adventures of Kellen (which is a pretty awesome name right off the bat). The suspense was a great way to build up my interest as well, probably one of the many reasons that I finished this novel in a few hours. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys paranormal romance novels with a side of suspense and a dash of kick butt action. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

Overall: