Tuesday 30 April 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Shatter Me

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and slightly altered by Coffee, Books & Lipgloss

Basically a CBL TEASER TUESDAY works like this:

• Grab your current read
• Share 2 “teaser” sentences from a random page or a part you rather enjoyed and post it as a teaser.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share
doesn’t give too much away; you don’t want to ruin the book for others!
• As an option, you can give a short snippet of what you think so far... or not. That's optional.
• Share the TITLE and AUTHOR too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.
For this week's Teaser Tuesday: *drum roll*


Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publication Date: November 15, 2011
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.








Cover Reveal: Shudder (Giveaway)

Shudder (Stitch Trilogy #2)
Title: Shudder (Stitch #2)
Author: Samantha Durante
Expected Release Date: June 15th, 2013

Synopsis: 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.

Friday 26 April 2013

Guest Review: The Rules for Disappearing

Hello, everyone! Today, I'm really excited for our guest reviewer's post. Let's welcome Kristel and see what she thinks about Ashley Elston's The Rules for Disappearing.
____________________

The Rules for Disappearing
Author: Ashley Elston
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Review: Nantucket Blue

Nantucket Blue
Author: Leila Howland
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t. 

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Charade

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and slightly altered by Coffee, Books & Lipgloss
Basically a CBL TEASER TUESDAY works like this:
• Grab your current read
• Share 2 “teaser” sentences from a random page or a part you rather enjoyed and post it as a teaser.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share
doesn’t give too much away; you don’t want to ruin the book for others!
• As an option, you can give a short snippet of what you think so far... or not. That's optional.
• Share the TITLE and AUTHOR too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.
For this week's Teaser Tuesday: *drum roll*


Charade (Games, #1)
Title: Charade
Author: Nyrae Dawn
Publication Date: October 22, 2012
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Cheyenne tries to portray the perfect life to mask the memories of her past. Walking in on her boyfriend with another woman her freshman year in college threatens that picture of perfection.

Twenty-one-year-old Colt never wanted college and never expected to amount to anything, but when his mom's dying wish is for him to get his degree, he has no choice but to pretend it's what he wants too.

Cheyenne needs a fake boyfriend to get back at her ex and Colt needs cash to take care of his mom, so they strike a deal that helps them both. But what if Cheyenne’s past isn’t what she thought? Soon they’re trading one charade for another—losing themselves in each other to forget about their pain. The more they play their game, the more it becomes the only thing they have that feels real.

Both Cheyenne and Colt know life is never easy, but neither of them expect the tragedy that threatens to end their charade and rip them apart forever.

Monday 22 April 2013

Review: Exclusively Yours

Title: Exclusively Yours (Kowalski #1)
Author: Shannon Stacey
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: When Keri Daniels’ editor finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job.

Joe’s never forgotten the first girl to break his heart, so he’s intrigued to hear Keri’s back in town and looking for him. Despite his intense need for privacy, he’ll grant Keri an interview if it means a chance to finish what they started in high school.

He proposes an outrageous plan - for every day she survives with his family on their annual camping and four-wheeling trip, Keri can ask one question. Keri agrees; she’s worked too hard to walk away from her career.

But the chemistry between them is still as potent as the bug spray, Joe’s sister is out to avenge his broken heart and Keri hasn't ridden an ATV since she was ten. Who knew a little blackmail, a whole lot of family and some sizzling romantic interludes could make Keri reconsider the old dream of Keri & Joe 2gether 4ever.

Saturday 20 April 2013

The Maze Runner Movie

You probably know about this already, but I just found out this morning that The Maze Runner by James Dashner will have a movie adaptation. I will spare you from me talking about the amazing book with a disappointing ending but if I do, feel free to stop me. Anyway, if you're not familiar with this novel here's its Goodreads bits.


The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)
Title: The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1)
Author: James Dashner

Synopsis: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. 

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.



We all know that movie adaptation tends to butcher some of our favourite novels and cut those scenes which are dear to us. As to why, I still have no idea. But with this, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them to change the ending. There I go again, with my ending rant.

As first announced on Deadline, this movie will be directed by Wes Ball with the script written by Noah Oppenheim  (redrafted by Grant Myers and then T.S. Nowlin). Also, to Teen Wolf fan's happiness Dylan O'Brien got the role of Thomas. I honestly haven't seen him except for The First Time with Britt Robertson and I don't know but he looks really pretty for Thomas. But well, surprise me movie people!

Will Poulter, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Ki Hong Lee were also casted as Gally, Alby, Newt and Minho. But what I am excited about is seeing Kaya Scodelario as Teresa. I know, I'm pretty biased about this because it's Kaya but come on, pinned for her as Katniss. It's nice to finally see her as the character in one of the books I loved liked, but I'm wondering what will they do with her accent.

As excited as I am glad to wait for February 14th next year because I'd love for this movie to recreate the amazing world of Glade. Yup, I was pretty mind blown by it despite having a hard time picturing it out at first. I hope this movie is as action-packed as the book. For more, here's The Maze Runner's IMDB page.

Rooting for this to be yay! What about you?



Friday 19 April 2013

Review: A Negotiated Marriage

A Negotiated Marriage
Title: A Negotiated Marriage
Author: Noelle Adams
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis: Sex wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal.

Three years into a marriage of convenience, Molly’s high-powered CEO husband wants to add a new term to their marriage agreement. Sex—without any messy emotional entanglements. But weekly sex with Luke, despite their carefully negotiated terms, is likely to get messy eventually.


Content in a mutually beneficial arrangement, Molly isn’t going to fall for Luke the way she fell for an old lover, only to be crushed in the end. She vows to stay strong, no matter how much intimacy develops between them in bed. When her old lover returns, finally wanting a real relationship, Molly has the chance to give her heart to a man who will accept it.


It’s too bad she now wants to give it to her husband, who has never admitted her heart is what he wants.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1)   
Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.


And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.


Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.


When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Win a Box of Spring ARCs at The Midnight Garden!


"Are you excited for all the YA books coming out this month? We're excited that we have some great March-April titles to give away to our loyal readers!"

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Teaser Tuesday: The Vinyl Princess


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and slightly altered by Coffee, Books & Lipgloss

Basically a CBL TEASER TUESDAY works like this:
• Grab your current read
• Share 2 “teaser” sentences from a random page or a part you rather enjoyed and post it as a teaser.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share
doesn’t give too much away; you don’t want to ruin the book for others!
• As an option, you can give a short snippet of what you think so far... or not. That's optional.

• Share the TITLE and AUTHOR too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.
For this week's Teaser Tuesday: *drum roll*


The Vinyl Princess
Title: The Vinyl Princess
Author: Yvonne Prinz
Publication Date: December 14, 2009
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Summer is here, and 16-year-old Allie, a self-professed music geek, is exactly where she wants to be: working full-time at Berkeley's ultra-cool Bob and Bob Records. There, Allie can spend her days bantering with the street people, talking the talk with the staff, shepherding the uncool bridge-and-tunnel shoppers, all the while blissfully surrounded by music, music, music. It's the perfect setup for her to develop her secret identity as The Vinyl Princess, author of both a brand-new zine and blog. From the safety of her favourite place on earth, Allie is poised to have it all: love, music and blogging. Her mother, though, is actually the one getting the dates, and business at Allie's beloved record store is becoming dangerously slow--not to mention that there have been a string of robberies in the neighbourhood. At least her blog seems to be gaining interest, one vinyl junkie at a time....

Monday 15 April 2013

Blog Tour: By the Light of the Moon (Review + Author Interview + Giveaway)



By the Light of the Moon (Lakeside #1)
Title: By the Light of the Moon (Lakeside #1)
Author: Laila Blake
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon US/UK | iTunes

Synopsis: Withdrawn and with a reputation for her strange, eccentric ways, young Lady Moira Rochmond is old to be unwed. Rumors say she has been seen barefoot in the orchard, is awake all night in moon-struck rambles, and sleeps all day. Some even claim her ghostly pallor and aloof manner are signs of illness, a curse, or insanity.

The hopes of the peaceful succession to her father’s fief lie in an advantageous marriage. Moira, however, has a hard time attracting suitors. When one does show interest, her family pushes for a decision.

Almost resigned to the fact that she has no choice but to play the part she has been given in life, Moira is faced with Owain, a member of the mysterious Blaidyn creatures and a new guard in her father’s castle, specifically tasked to keep her safe. He is different from other people she knows and when one night under the full moon she makes the acquaintance of the wolf who shares Owain’s soul, she starts to trust him and seek his presence. As he becomes one of the few individuals who doesn’t make her want to hide and retreat, she wants to learn more about him and they grow closer until they share a kiss one night under the moon.

Faced with feelings and desires that overthrow everything she thought she knew about herself, Moira knows non-the-less that they have to be kept utterly secret. However much they try, they continue to be drawn to each other until one night, Owain discovers something about Moira that shakes him to his core.


Sunday 14 April 2013

Blog Tour: A Brand New Ending (Review + Giveaway)



A Brand New Ending
Author: S.A. Rolls
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations

Synopsis: Phoenix Harper never imagined her life would come to this: A life not worth living anymore.

After a failed suicide attempt, Phoenix is sent to be observed at a local psychiatric hospital. There she meets Braeden Harris, a hospital aide with his own haunting past.

Not long after their first encounter, they feel an unexplainable pull towards one another. Will fate bring them together, or will outside forces tear them apart?




Friday 12 April 2013

Review: Wallbanger

Wallbanger
Title: Wallbanger
Author: Alice Clayton
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and–was that a meow?–punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.

Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick…

In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Review: School Spirits

School Spirits (School Spirits, #1)
Title: School Spirits
Author: Rachel Hawkins
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.


Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Daughter of Smoke & Bone


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and slightly altered by Coffee, Books & Lipgloss

Basically a CBL TEASER TUESDAY works like this:
• Grab your current read
• Share 2 “teaser” sentences from a random page or a part you rather enjoyed and post it as a teaser.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share
doesn’t give too much away; you don’t want to ruin the book for others!
• As an option, you can give a short snippet of what you think so far... or not. That's optional.
• Share the TITLE and AUTHOR too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.
For this week's Teaser Tuesday: *drum roll*


Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1)   
Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publication Date: September 27, 2011
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.


And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Friday 5 April 2013

Review: Against the Wall

Against The Wall (Against The Wall #1)
Title: Against the Wall (Against the Wall #1)
Author: Julie Prestsater
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: Shelly Gelson had it all...a job teaching English at Carver High, her best friend, Mel, working by her side and engaged to her high school sweetheart, Chase Marino. That is until Chase breaks her heart and leaves her for another teacher at the school. Now Shel is left broken hearted and trying to figure out what she wants while watching Chase and the home wrecker make moon eyes at each other. Enter Matt Fuller, Shel's friend for the past 5 years and the perfect rebound. He's gorgeous, smart, funny and fits into Shel's idea of the right guy. Only problem is there may be more there then just a simple rebound. Is it a way to fill a void left by Chase, or is there more smoldering between these two friends? Find out what happens when the bell rings and the teenage drama ends and the adult drama begins. Who says being a teacher is boring? They obviously haven't met the teachers at Carver High.

Thursday 4 April 2013

The Inevitable Farewell

It's been a while since the news came out about Google cancelling GFC. Although followers doesn't mean everything (but I love you, guys. I swear), this change will lessen our traffic and others might not read our post unless the link was tweeted and you're online.

In lieu with this, we present Bloglovin'! Together with NetworkedBlogs and Linky, I've been on this site for a while but haven't felt the need to promote it until now. I actually prefer Bloglovin' because it has a mobile app where you can access your feed on the go. It also has a very clean and easy-to-understand interface.

Other options are on the sidebar, so feel free to follow in anyway you prefer. If you claimed your blog in Bloglovin', comment the link below so I can follow you back.

Au revoir, GFC. You will be missed.




Wednesday 3 April 2013

Review: Dare You To

Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)
Title: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Author: Katie McGarry
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: "I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Dare You To

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and slightly altered by Coffee, Books & Lipgloss

Basically a CBL TEASER TUESDAY works like this:
• Grab your current read
• Share 2 “teaser” sentences from a random page or a part you rather enjoyed and post it as a teaser.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Make sure that what you share
doesn’t give too much away; you don’t want to ruin the book for others!
• As an option, you can give a short snippet of what you think so far... or not. That's optional.
• Share the TITLE and AUTHOR too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.
 For this week's Teaser Tuesday: *drum roll*



Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)
Title: Dare You To
Author: Katie McGarry
Publication Date: June 7, 2013
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD

Synopsis: "I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....