Stacking the Shelves #3

Meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews!

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I meant to buy some books this week, but suddenly, I'm just too cheap. So the book buying ban is still going strong! BUT. I actually did get something..

Everbound by Brodi Ashton and yet another squeeeek!

I again owe huge thanks to HarperCollins, and especially to Christine, you're just amazing! :)

Feedback Blog Tour

Feedback
by D.L. Richardson

Published: October 3rd 2012
Genre: YA Sci-fi/Fantasy
Publisher: Etopia Press
Cover Artist: Eithne Ni Anluaine
Number of pages: 208
Word Count: 69,263

Listening to your inner voice can get you killed.

Ethan James, Florida Bowman and Jake Inala are three teenagers who receive much-needed organ transplants.
Two weeks later they are inadvertently recruited by the CIA when a spy dies halfway through his mission. Three bacteria bombs are set to detonate, spreading illness and death across the planet, and it’s up to Ethan, Florida, and Jake to deactivate them.

Except that they have no idea where the bombs are located.

Kidnapped for information they can’t possibly know, and fuelled by the spirit of a dead CIA agent, Ethan, Florida, and Jake must look deep inside themselves if they are to finish the mission and save millions of lives.

But they’re being held captive in a strange place by a man who believes in Feedback, the theory that information is retained in the memory of organs–in this case those of a certain dead CIA agent donor. And their captor will stop at nothing to get the information retained in their newly transplanted organs.

Excerpt
Wednesday, November 9th, Ethan James

AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blared through the speakers. Apt music considering the weather conditions. Rain pounded the windshield of the Lamborghini. Crushed beneath the noisy rain, the music took a beating, too. I flipped the volume control to the max, drowning out the steady slap of water on the roof.
The dark shroud of night cloaked the striped lines to my left and right. Street signs blasted yellow warnings to drivers to slow down on wet roads. I ignored them.
Instead, I pushed the car to 120 miles per hour. Coming around a curve in the road, I flew up on a van and sharply jerked the wheel to avoid ramming the Lamborghini up its rear end. I owed my life to my quick reflexes. Pity.
I drove for another half mile at suicidal speeds, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the guitar riff. Another half mile. Then another. Just when the buzz of the ride plunged to a level of indifference, the car hit a pothole, veered me across three lanes, and like a punch from nowhere, it was game on.
A tsunami-sized wave of water fell from the sky. Momentarily blinded by the useless wipers, I sucked in my breath when two rows of lights cut through the haze. Two white lights on the bottom and six or more yellow ones on top— the bright circles headed straight at me.
Semitrailer. Not good.
Gritting my teeth, I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. The truck swerved at the last second, missing killing me by about half that length of time. The driver blasted four long bleats of the horn.
I laughed out loud as I spun around.

I accelerated till the car caught up to its former 120 miles per hour. The chorus kicked in, and I helped with the backing vocals. “Thunder. Na-na-na- na-na-na-na-na. Thunder.”
Whether driving under a dome of blue, or a sky darkened by storms like tonight, I liked to push cars to their limit. It didn’t matter what sort of car, but slow cars tended to break apart sooner under extreme pressure. Fast cars handled the punishment of driving at stupid speeds much better.
Speeding made the rush last longer. It filled a void and carried me to a place where I let go of the angst over a waste of a life spent waiting to die of kidney failure. The rush reminded me that seventeen-year-old kids should wish for a professional ice hockey career instead of wishing to still be alive by Christmas.
The song ended, and in that second of silence, my thrill took a dismal nosedive. Images of the hospital I attended every week flickered across my vision. So, I increased the speed. Bad enough the bleak place filled my head and haunted my dreams, but to interrupt my fun—not going to happen.
The next song on the CD kicked in, and it did the trick of hauling me back to the driver’s seat, where I replaced the hospital corridor for a rain-slicked freeway. I figured if I had to die young, I’d do it on my terms. No doubt the doctors would have something to say about this philosophy. If I crashed the car and ended up in the hospital, I’d tell them I reached out to touch life. Better than dwelling on my postpubescent life spent hooked up to a dialysis machine.
I’d probably get pulled over by the cops first, and I couldn’t have that. Aside from speeding, I’d stolen the Lamborghini from a mall parking lot half an hour earlier, and I didn’t have a license.
A crack in my concentration appeared like the lightning bolts streaking the sky. The car drifted into the next lane, and I let it go. A set of lights rushed toward me, and I expertly got the car under control, but at this speed, and despite the car’s sporting capability, the Lamborghini was all over the shot. Buzzed from pushing the car, I kept going.
At 120 miles per hour, streetlights floated like satiny, white ribbons. The rain-slicked road made it impossible to judge the lines marking the lanes. Curves were hard to anticipate.

Sometimes I oversteered; sometimes I didn’t steer enough and had to yank the wheel to the left or right at the last second. Other drivers blasted their horns. I didn’t care about the rules of the road. Rules were for pussies.
For each minute I survived this suicidal cruise, I’d get two points. So far, I’d accumulated over two hundred. Fifty were up for grabs, if I made it home alive. I had a lot to lose if I crashed the car. I had nothing to lose if I killed myself.
I jumped in surprise when a car came up on my left and honked its horn, whizzing by in a blur of chrome. “I don’t think so, buddy.”
I accelerated. If the cops wanted to stop me, they’d have to use air support. Getting myself on TV only added to the thrill of the chase.
Concern over my reckless driving should have registered, but it didn’t. The speedometer now read 140 miles per hour. AC/DC screeched about “Hells Bells,” and the rain didn’t lessen. If I lost control now, I’d smash into the concrete barriers lining the highway. It’d be game over. No way I’d survive the impact. What a shame this last train of thought wasn’t on whether I’d survive or not, but on whether I’d care.
Lightning bolts exploded across the sky and lit up the windshield. In that brief flicker of visibility, I spotted the plane on fire, blocking the highway—and the spaceship blowing up a bridge with luminous green laser beams. I let go of the wheel, idly watching the Lamborghini plow into the concrete barrier.
Metal fragments and orange flames danced in front of me. The sound of something exploding boomed through the speakers. The words GAME OVER flashed across the television screen.
The plane had been okay, but the spaceship insulted me. For sure, the makers of the game reckoned it’d be a hoot to throw unrealistic obstacles in my path.
I tossed the Xbox controller aside and scratched my numb backside. My life couldn’t get any worse…might as well go to school.

D L Richardson was born in Ireland and came to Australia with her parents as a baby.
She went to a public school in Sydney's western suburbs and the books she read were given to her or borrowed from the library. However it was music that first captured her creative interest.

​She joined the school choir at age eight and got her first acoustic guitar at age ten, although she really wanted a piano. In high school she took up lead vocals after the girl she was to sing a duet with failed to show up. After that she told her stage fright to get lost and took up singing with the school band where she performed in many concerts. When she left school she helped form her own rock band where she sang lead vocals, played bass guitar, and wrote all the lyrics. At age 26 she realized she wanted to write novels for the rest of her life or die trying so she sold her equipment, quit pursuing a music career and began writing instead.

​She has two young adult novels published, "The Bird With The Broken Wing" and "Feedback" and is currently writing her third novel "Little Red Gem".

​She lives in Australia on the NSW South Coast with her husband and dog. When she's not writing or reading she can be found playing her piano or guitars, renovating the house, or walking the dog.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

First Light Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway (INT)

First Light by
Samantha Summers

Series: Project Five Fifteen #1
Published: May 28th 2012
Genre: YA Romance/Thriller
Format: Paperback
Pages: 342

Amazon | Amazon UK

What do you do when you've always dreamed of a hero; your knight in shining armour, only to find when he arrives he isn't a hero at all?

... He's a killer.

Ronnie Rose is trying to cope with the loss of her father; now it looks like she might lose everything else that's dear to her too. Huge debts threaten to destroy her family, her childhood home and her future.

Only one person cuts through her pain. Kalen Smith has just moved to town. He's trouble and everyone knows it. He and his mysterious friends keep to themselves and the town likes it that way.
But when Kalen mourns at her dad's funeral, Ronnie wants to know why and her investigation plunges her into a dangerous world of murky government secrets, with deadly consequences. Ronnie knows she should walk away from Kalen before it's too late. Problem is, she's falling for him...

Can we choose who we fall in love with?

Homepage | Facebook | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

The door to the pub flew open, shaking on its hinges as it rattled to a close. We all glanced around. Four men I didn’t recognise had entered, their stance and expressions screaming trouble. The one who led them had coal-black hair and small shifty eyes like pools of tar. He scanned the crowd and waded in our direction towards the bar. I could tell from people’s reactions that the men had a reputation. Everyone watched them without actually making eye contact. Subtle movements and small adjustments to people’s stance and posture as the men walked past showed that no one wanted to get in their way.
As the group reached us, Shifty-eyes took a purposeful stride sideways, barging Adam from behind to get him to move. Adam lurched forward, his drink spilled from the glass, sloshing over Toni.
‘Watch it, mate!’ Adam exclaimed. They were all older than us, maybe in their early thirties, but something told me I couldn’t count on them acting like adults. The guy smirked at Adam and then faced the bar, bumping him again in the process.
Adam turned back to us, slightly chagrined, but obviously having the sense to ignore them. Cheryl had other ideas. Irate that Toni had been doused in beer, and too drunk to think better of it, she tapped the guy on the shoulder and started yelling abuse at him.
‘Hey, who the hell do you think you are? At least apologise to my mate, you got beer all over her, you idiot!’
The man sneered, looking over at Adam. ‘Do me a favour, mate, get your bird out of my face.’
I glanced over in the direction of Kal. He was watching us intently. Laith whispered something in his ear.
‘She’s not my bird,’ Adam said hesitantly, ‘but there’s no need to be rude.’
‘Sorry, what was that?’Shifty was not much taller than Adam, but he was stockier, with a thick neck and muscles that almost popped through his shirt. He leaned in, cupping a hand over his ear, taunting Adam into saying it again.
‘We’re not looking for any trouble,’ Adam said.
I stared between them, watching the looks on the faces of each of the men. We may not have been looking for trouble, but they definitely were.
‘Now, now fellas,’ said the barman, ‘no fighting.’
‘Get lost, Frank,’ said Shifty. ‘I think we have a big shot here.’ He pushed Adam’s chest with both hands so Adam stumbled backwards. I shot another glance at Kalen, he looked about to head over, but Laith grabbed his arm, holding him back.
Adam had his palms upwards, trying to diffuse the situation. Cheryl was still shouting in a shrill way that hurt my ears. Because of her, things were escalating out of control. Adam was going to get hit.
Unable to stand any more, I moved so I was in between them and looked up at Shifty. ‘Please, can we just leave it? We haven’t done anything to you guys,’ I told him, with my best pleading voice. With one large hand he grabbed hold of my shoulder, about to shove me to one side. Another hand locked around his wrist before he had the chance.
‘You heard the lady,’ Kal’s voice was deadly. In one hand he held Shifty’s arm and in the other, a pool cue. Around us, people fell silent. For a second I thought Shifty might back down, but he didn’t.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Cover Reveal: Destiny by P.T. Michelle

Destiny by P.T. Michelle


Expected publication
March 31 2013



When destiny is on the line, will love be enough to light the way?

In order to save Ethan, Nara gets pulled deeper into his dark world, where everything she thought she knew about Ethan and herself turns on its head.
Ethan and Nara turn up the heat with bone-melting seduction and heart-rending moments, but surprising revelations, lies, treachery, betrayal, and unimaginable evil will challenge their relationship and their future together.

As the stakes rise, encompassing more than just her relationship with Ethan, will Nara make the ultimate sacrifice?

Other books in the Brightest Kind of Darkness Series

Brightest Kind of Darkness (CURRENTLY FREE)

Lucid

P.T. Michelle is author of the young adult series BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS.

She keeps a spiral notepad with her at all times, even on her nightstand.

When P.T. isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in nature.

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Want to help spread the word about DESTINY's upcoming release?

Click the link below to get the countdown widget script to put on your website or on your blog's side bar. :)

CLICK HERE FOR THE WIDGET!

Reflection Blog Tour: Reflection by Jessica Roberts

Reflection
by Jessica Roberts

Published: February 17th 2012
Format: Kindle
Pages: 289
Series: Reflection #1

Amazon | Amazon UK

Bright, spunky Heather Robbins has escaped her small hometown and is anxiously beginning her freshman year of college.

Rising above her rocky childhood, she’s found a place where good things are finally starting to happen: her own private apartment, refreshing college classes, and an intense attachment to a mysterious and rugged classmate, Nick Richards.

But when her dreamy college life turns out to be nothing more than a wonderful dream while resting in a coma, questions threaten.
Now, Heather must press forward to unlock the real past, and find the answers buried deep in her mind.

What she unlocks instead is a roller coaster ride through flashbacks, embellished memories, and a whirlwind romance.

And when it’s all over and she comes face to face with the truth, will she lose everything she’s fallen in love with?

*MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS*
The book starts with Heather leaving her small hometown, excited to start a new life in a new place, even when it means leaving her best friend behind.
After this we'll see a small glimpse of her new life; she's madly in love and ready to come clean about her past. But before she gets the chance to do that, she's in an accident that puts her in a coma.
After that things get pretty interesting, because Heather doesn't really remember her past, just the things she's dreamed about while being in coma.

First I have to warn you: This book ends in a huge cliffhanger, and if you're anything like me, you'll end up harassing the author for the second book. Which she so kindly sent me almost right away, so I got to read the second book too (and the review is coming up in a few days)! But that's always a good sign, when after devouring the first book, I need to get the second one too.

But more about the plot now. So, in the beginning Heather wakes up from her coma, and starts telling her memories to the doctor. It stars pretty slow, so some people may stop reading at this point. I almost did, but I'm so glad I didn't. Trust me, just stick with it, and it gets just so interesting, you won't be able to stop reading.
Heather tells her "memories", and like I said, it's pretty slow and normal, but then things get odd, when Heather starts noticing "glitches" here and there. Occasionally, she sees her best friend appear, until he vanishes in a blink of an eye. Sometimes, she hears people talking (even some medical stuff), when there isn't really anyone around. Some memories just doesn't really make sense to her.
In the end of the book, we'll finally meet some "real" characters in real life, and things finally start making some sense. But then it's time for Heather to get back to normal life. That's when she learns that she's actually been in coma for ages, and some things just can't go back to the way they used to be.

My favorite part in this book was the fact that you could just tell that Heather was living in a "dream world". Dreams can be really weird and dirstorted, and that was Heather's life in the dream world. Like her communicating with other characters actually made me think that if they were "real" characters and the author was describing real life situations and interaction, it wouldn't work. But these characters were made for the dream world, and it worked out pretty amazingly. Their actions were distorted and in occasions exaggerated in such an interesting ways, you could just tell that they weren't "real". That was definitely brilliant job from the author.

Of course the romance was also something I enjoyed. There were rollercoasters, jealousy, fear and loath and everything in between, excactly the right ingredients for a great romance!

I could definitely recommend this to people who loved "Before I Fall" and "If I Stay", because this also gives a new point of view to the question "what's between life and death?". And has some great romance ;)

Cover Reveal: Pieces by Michelle Davidson Argyle

Pieces by Michelle Davidson Argyle


Expected publication
February 14th 2013

Publisher:
Rhemalda Publishing


Two years after watching her kidnappers go to prison, Naomi Jensen is still in love with one of them. Jesse will be released in a few years, and Naomi knows college is the perfect distraction while she waits. But when her new friend Finn makes her question what is right and what is wrong, she begins to wonder if Jesse is the one for her … until she discovers he's out on parole. Naomi must sort through her confusion to figure out where love and freedom truly lie—in Finn, who has no connections to her past, or Jesse, who has just asked her to run away with him.


Pieces is a companion to The Breakaway and can be read independently, if desired.

Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains.

She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites.

She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter.

She believes a simple life is the best life.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook


Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Stacking the Shelves #2

Last time I showed you some new books was in.. March! After the whole IMM- incident I wanted to do something else. And it took me this long to decide that now on I'll be participating in Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews!

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I'm still having some sort of book buying ban, so there isn't much to show. Actually, there's only one book, but it's so awesome I have to share it with you all!
Few days ago, my door bell rang and behind it was a copy of..

Mind Games by Kiersten White and I just went squeek!

Ever since I've been carrying this around, petting it and whispering my precious...
It's amazing, again huge thanks to HarperCollins, and special thanks to Christine! :)

Once Upon a Twisted Time Blog Tour

Once Upon A Twisted Time
by Tara Stogner Wood, Trish Marie Dawson, Lindsay Avalon and Miranda Stork

Published: October 31st 2012
Genre: Fairytales / Paranormal
Publisher: Moon Rose Publishing
Cover Artist: Miranda Stork
Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 76,000

Think you know your fairytales? Think again. These aren’t your normal happily-ever-after. Within these pages, a murderous Little Mermaid gets her revenge, the Cinderella doesn’t really want to wear the slipper, Snow White is up to her eyes in industrial experiments, and the Beauty is in fact the Beast.

This collection of four novellas will surprise you, make you gasp in horror, sigh with relief, and sit on the edge of your seat. And most of all…they will make you rethink everything you think you know about dark fairytales…

Song of the Abyss - Lindsay Avalon
Princess Nerissa had envisioned a perfect wedding to a handsome prince. Instead, she fell into a nightmare. When her new husband tries to murder her just hours after pledging his life to her, she must flee towards the sea. Caught in transition from woman to selkie, she is trapped by the dark waters she hoped would be her salvation. Now her destiny becomes that of luring young men to their death…until one comes along that reignites the spark of love inside her. However to ensure her future, she must first face her past. Revenge must be taken…for both her life, and the life of the young man she now loves.

Miss Cavendish and the Spark of Salvation - Tara Stogner Wood
In a city toiling under the iron fist of the Spiegel Syndicate and its monopoly on coal, Miss Georgina "George" Cavendish is on the brink of a breakthrough that could change the world forever. There's just one thing standing in her way, her aunt - Xenobia Cavendish. Threatened by her efforts, the Syndicate procures the services of a notorious assassin with a past tied to her own, known as The Huntsman, to dispatch the brilliant scientist. But once he gets a glimpse of the headstrong beauty, will he be able to do the job, or will Georgina sway him to The Cause? And will George find the breakthrough she needs in time, or is New London Town doomed to forever lie under the dark shadow of her aunt's factories?

Hawke and the Beast - Trish Marie Dawson
Some curses last forever, and some can be broken with the whisper of three little words. Isabella Rose Woodward fell in love with a witch's son over a century ago. Her punishment for breaking the young man's heart was a beastly one. Every month she turns into a different creature, aging on the full moon when her curse allows for a brief return to her human form. Her only salvation is to find a man that will love her as she is…be it adorned in feathers, fur or scales. Has she found this love with the handsome Jasper Hawke? Or will a mysteriously determined Hunter find her first, and snuff out the life she so desperately seeks? A life of normalcy, where she loves and is loved in return… just as she is.

Reborn City - Miranda Stork
Nyx has one mission in life; bring down the brainwashing of New Omsk’s citizens, and release them from their mundane lives of toil. The year is 2355, and the world is a new place. A Governor is in charge of every city in the world, and humanity is attempting to rebuild itself after recovering from a war that nearly killed it. But this Governor has set his eyes on the intrepid little hacker, Nyx, and he will stop at nothing to get her. But perhaps he needs her more than he ever dreamed he would…as do his citizens.

Tara Stogner Wood

Tara Wood divides her time between creating domestic bliss and creating hot paranormal romance with the occasional side of kink. When not playing June Cleaver for her hubby and daughter, she can be found at the local Starbucks slamming back Frappuccinos and plotting out her next idea. Or she’s watching the BBC. Tara resides with her wonderful and tolerant family in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. She is currently at work on several projects, one of them being the next book in her In Blood series.


Trish Marie Dawson

I was born and mostly raised in San Diego, California where I live now with my family and pets. I’ve been writing short stories and poetry since high school after an obsession with Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’. After over fifteen years of crazy dreams and an overactive imagination, I began my first book ‘I Hope You Find Me’ in December of 2011. When I’m not writing, I am homeschooling my amazing daughter and mildly autistic son, reading whatever I can get my hands on, or enjoying the Southern California sun. As a strict Vegetarian, I hold a special place in my heart for animal rights and dash into the backyard weekly to rescue lizards and mice from our mini-lab/aussie shepherd/cocker spaniel mixed dog, Zoey…who is always getting into some sort of trouble.


Miranda Stork

I was born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow. My writing is inspired by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens, the imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.

My love of horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read proficiently at the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards the darker stories, such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red Riding Hood was always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the wolf, despite him having tried to eat everyone!


Lindsay Avalon

I am a wife, a mother to an adorable mini schnauzer, a programmer, and now an author. I love reading romance because no matter what may be happening in my life, I can always count on my books to end happily ever after. My sister drilled into me an appreciation for fantasy and mythology, something I try to bring to my books. After hearing me complain a few too many times that I had “nothing” to read despite the hundreds of paperbacks scattered around the house, my husband began suggesting I write my own stories. When I finally took his advice I discovered that although I enjoy my day job as a software engineer, my true calling is to be an author.

Cover Reveal: Extracted: The Lost Imperials by Tyler Jolley & Sherry Ficklin

Extracted:
The Lost Imperials
by Tyler Jolley & Sherry Ficklin


Expected publication
11/12/13

Publisher:
Spencer Hill Press


Welcome to the war.

The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it.

The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.

Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war.

When Lex’s girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It’s there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back.

Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both…again.

Kindle Freebies #3

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