Showing posts with label J.K. Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J.K. Rock. Show all posts

Top Ten Tuesday #46: Artistic Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Top Ten Covers I'd Frame as Art
You'll have to forgive me for being a tad predictable here, but pretty girls in prom dresses aside, these are gorgeous photos, let alone book covers. I would gladly hang any in my room (and I even do have a poster for These Broken Stars). Also, in some of these, the prom dress is RELEVANT TO THE STORY so HA.


Awwww-inducing contemporaries!
 
And yes, I picked the paperback cover of DYT because I like it just a tad better than the hardcover. I mean, come on. Look at Ryan's arm! Yowza!

These covers have me starry eyed!
 

I don't care if these are prom dress covers. THEY'RE STILL GORGEOUS.
 


When I reached nine beautiful covers, I was casting my mind about, looking for a fitting tenth cover, but I realized in typical Mary fashion for Top Ten Tuesday, that I found three. I thought of this beautiful series and honestly couldn't pick a favorite from the three so I just need to include them all. I've seen the full photoshoot, which was NOT done for the books, and it blows my mind. I just love this series of photographs, and I love how well the passion in the pictures translates to Mara and Noah. I get so frustrated when covers are redesigned partway through a series. It's really nice when the covers are consistent.
 

  So those are my favorite covers, cheesy or not. What do you think? Any of these make your list too? Let me know & share those links in the comments!


Review: Camp Payback by J.K. Rock



Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Genre: young adult contemporary romance
Format/Source: ARC, publisher
Status: Book 2 of the Camp Boyfriend series


Summary:
Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall. Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry. With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?

Cover Love: Camp Forget-Me-Not by J.K. Rock

Due to some timing issues, I wasn't able to officially participate in the cover reveal for Camp Forget-Me-Not, the third novel in J.K. Rock's Camp Boyfriend series, but as a member of the Rock Stars street team and a fan of the books, I wanted to make sure you guys saw this stunning new cover! Seriously, this is one of the most beautiful covers I've seen this season. This cover makes me need this book in my hands ASAP
Camp Forget-Me-Not
Camp Boyfriend #3
by J.K. Rock
Coming: October 7, 2013
from Spencer Hill Contemporary

 

Summary:
Playing it safe and fitting in may have rocketed Kayla West into the “In” crowd at Camp Juniper Point, but it’s left her lonely. The only person she’s ever been herself with was her former best friend, Nick, an outsider that pushed her to join the most popular girls cabin two years ago. Too bad being a Diva meant pressure to break up with Nick. Of course, Kayla had her reasons, but Nick can never know the real one.

She always thought she'd forget him one day and move on. Until he returns to camp a super-hot Olympian snowboarder. Now, every girl wants him and Nick seems determined to show her what a mistake she made. Or at least, she thought that's what he wanted. But when Nick starts sending her private notes--just like he used to--she wonders what kind of game he's playing. Nick's attention is making it tougher to stay in the background and play in safe, forcing Kayla to make a decision--stay on the sidelines and get overlooked? Or take a chance on trusting Nick and, maybe... herself.


Catch up with the series

"Camp Kiss" (#0.5)

Lauren Carlson, a fourteen-year-old expert on the cosmos, superheroes, and science fiction trivia has a crush on her longtime camp friend, Seth. Last summer she’d dreamed about upgrading their relationship to BF/GF status and this year she has a plan… if only her well-meaning cabin mates wouldn’t interfere before she’s ready. She hasn’t even adjusted to her new braces yet, let alone imagined kissing Seth with them. When a dare pushes her out of her comfort zone, will she and Seth rocket out of the friendzone at last? There’s only one way to find out…

 


Camp Boyfriend (#1)
The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

 


"Camp Christmas" (#1.5)
Hannah never meant to be a mean girl – at Camp Juniper Point or at her high school. It just sort of happened during one painful year when her parents split and her life fell apart. Who knew being mad at the world would catapult her to popularity? But since changing the status quo would make her some serious enemies, she’s prepared to ride out her time until graduation. That is, until a camp friend calls her on the act during their school ski trip. Will Julian out her to her friends? Or will the guy she once accused of being King of the Nerds make her wish she was a whole lot more like him?

 

Camp Payback (#2)
Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall. Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry. With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too? 



About the Author
J. K. Rock is the pseudonym for YA writing partners - and sisters-in-law - Joanne & Karen Rock. After years of comparing notes on their favorites books and films, often dreaming up new endings to suit them, they decided to write their own stories. Their first Young Adult book, CAMP BOYFRIEND, is the first in a three-book series. CAMP PAYBACK will be a Spring 2014 release, and CAMP FORGET-ME-NOT arrives in Summer 2014. Visit the Camp Boyfriend website at http://campboyfriend.net to learn more about the free novellas they are offering readers prior to each full length book. Individually, Joanne Rock is an award winning Harlequin author published in 26 countries and translated into 20 languages. Karen Rock's first Harlequin Heartwarming release, WISH ME TOMORROW, is a deeply emotional story of enduring love

Author Links:
   


Camp Forget-Me-Not is not yet available for pre-order, but I promise I'll be posting excerpts and bonus material closer to the release date, and I'll have links then. If you have not yet read any books in the Camp Boyfriend series, I really recommend them. You can read my reviews for Camp Boyfriend here (it's slightly spoilery, but I marked it so you can skip over that part) and "Camp Christmas" here. What do you think of the new cover? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday #39: Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Top Ten Books on my Spring TBR


 

 

 

  



Which new reads are you most looking forward to this spring? Share your picks and your TTT links in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday: Camp Payback


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.


Camp Payback (Camp Boyfriend #2)
by J.K. Rock
Coming April 29, 2014
Spencer Hill Press

 
Summary:
Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall. Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry. With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?

Why I want it:
Camp Boyfriend was one of my favorite new series in 2014 because it's just so darn fun but it's also real. This isn't a shallow summer series. The basic plot is pretty simple: high school kids at simple. But as we all know, high school is the least simple thing out there, what with constant world-flipping drama caused by boys and friends and boys and family and boys and school and boys. The best thing is that the characters are also as not-simple as high school. At first, the characters seem forced into flat one-note roles, but they have such  hidden depths that created complex and lifelike beings who made me, as a reader, feel so involved in the story. I felt like I was there, that everything was...well, not happening to me personally, but that I was there, witnessing it firsthand. Juniper Point seems to float right off the pages, and I love books that do that for me.

Why I think you should want it:
See above. This series takes you back to high school in the best way. There are cute boys and and relatable protagonists and all the fun of summer camp. Trust me, you want to read this series.

What are you wishing for this week? Please share your links!

Novella Review: Camp Christmas


Rating: 5 stars
Pub Date: December 17, 2013
Publisher: Spencer Hill
Genre: young adult contemporary romance
Format/Source: ebook, bought from Amazon
Status: novella, book #1.5 of Camp Boyfriend series

Summary: 
Hannah never meant to be a mean girl – at Camp Juniper Point or at her high school. It just sort of happened during one painful year when her parents split and her life fell apart. Who knew being mad at the world would catapult her to popularity? But since changing the status quo would make her some serious enemies, she’s prepared to ride out her time until graduation. That is, until a camp friend calls her on the act during their school ski trip. Will Julian out her to her friends? Or will the guy she once accused of being King of the Nerds make her wish she was a whole lot more like him?

 

Review:
The Camp Boyfriend series has been such a delightful surprise for me. I honestly didn't know when I first heard about it that I would love it as much as I have. "Camp Kiss" was pretty good, Camp Boyfriend was really good, and "Camp Christmas" is amazing. I like that Joanne and Karen have made a point with their writing that there aren't really "good guys" and "bad guys." Sure, there are antagonists in their stories (you can't have a decent story told without conflict, after all), but Joanne and Karen prove that there are more always more than one side to every story and that no one is the villain in their own story. Case in point: Hannah, who is the leading lady in this novella.

Hannah spent much of Camp Boyfriend being a petty queen bee, which is partially Lauren's perspective but also partially she's actually mean (albeit shallowly) to the Munchie Manor girls and the Wander Inn boys. Now that we're in Hannah's head, though, it's easy to see that there's more to her than the girl obsessed with fashion and boys. Instead, Hannah is a lonely teenage girl who is dealing with her parents' divorce and a group of frenemies who are insistent on tearing her down. I'm not saying it's okay to be a jerk to other people when you're going through a bad time, but that is normal, human survival instinct, and it's one I can not only sympathize Hannah for doing, but I also empathize with her.

Also, props on the actual hidden nerd thing. It's popular for people to have be nerdy these days, but Hannah has REAL nerdiness in her, and I love it. I don't know how they do it, but Joanne and Karen also manage to give their characters traits and habits and interests I have in my life. I absolutely attended a "nerd" convention before it was a cool mainstream activity thanks to Comic Con San Diego. Skiing is one of my favorite sports, and yes, I do have a cape. But back to Hannah. This adorable novella is really her realization of what is important and what is bull. She figures out that it's okay to let someone else "win" those stupid games that we all play but swear we don't, it's okay to be yourself. Once again, this is a story of a character finding out who she is and learning to love herself, which is the best message a ya book can possibly have.

Then there's Julian, who is pretty much the polar opposite. There's a saying that the rich aren't crazy, they're eccentric, which I guess is a motto their school buys into because people leave Julian alone since he's one of the wealthiest kids. Or at least I bet that's what they tell themselves. Actually, Julian is just ridiculously comfortable with himself. He's a nice; he's smart; he's a gentleman; he's unique; and he's not scared of that. Julian is a boy with perspective. He knows that all that high school posturing is BS, and he doesn't have time for it. For him, this novella is about his decision to finally go for what he wants, which is Hannah. In a way, he's like her Yoda or her Dumbledore or her Gandalf, as he helps her through her big eureka moment, except it's BETTER than all those old guys because 1. Julian has abs (I know he's wearing a parka the whole time, but I can totally tell there is undercover ab stuff going on here) and 2. these two kids have crazy ridiculous tummy-butterfly-inducing chemistry.

This novella is just a perfect read for a chilly winter day, whether you're on snowy slopes or just shivering in a southern state going through a weird cold snap like I am right now. There's adventure, there's humor, there's romance. And you'll probably find yourself shipping Juliannah as I did. Honestly, they might rival Lauren and --t- for my favorite Camp Boyfriend romance (I can't just give the ending away! Go read it!). But you can't have Julian for yourself. I called dibs on the sexy Geekster!

Book Links:
   

About the Author:
Sisters in law Joanne and Karen Rock write Young Adult books under the pseudonym J.K. Rock. They bonded on a set of bleachers, watching their respective Rock boyfriends play baseball, and later, as young wives married into the same big family. Today, they have fun reliving teen drama on the pages of their YA books in their ongoing Camp Boyfriend series, which reviewers have noted for its authentic treatment of navigating relationships and self-identity. Individually, Joanne and Karen write adult romance books for Harlequin. Joanne is a three-time RITA Award nominee and Golden Heart winner. Her books have been reprinted in twenty-six countries and translated into twenty different languages. Karen's debut romance, Wish Me Tomorrow, has garnered critical acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of a cancer survivor's journey. You can learn more about their upcoming projects and previous releases at http://jkrock.net.

Author Links: