Weekly wrap-up: October 5-11

Slow reading week because of work and my mom visiting, but TARVER AND LILAC!!! *flails* Ahem. Seriously, though, I ship these two so hard, and it was nice to revisit them. I might have to listen to the TBS audio again when This Shattered World releases and binge them. Also: T-minus ONE WEEK until Texas Teen Book Fest and TWO WEEKS until Texas Book Fest! Becca Fitzpatrick! Gayle Forman! Rick Yancey! Marie Lu! Sarah Maas! SO MUCH AWESOMENESS!

Completed:

All Broke Down (Rusk University #2) - Cora Carmack: 4 stars. I didn't love this as much as All Lined Up, which I thought about obsessively for weeks after I finished it, but All Broke Down is still a good book. Silas and Dylan have crazypants chemistry, and there is enough depth to the characters and story to make it more than just a romance.

"This Night So Dark" (Starbound #1.5) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: 4 stars. Mmmm, Tarver!

"Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky" (Lunar Chronicles #3.1) - Marissa Meyer: 4 stars. Mmmm, Thorne!

Currently Reading:

The Iron Trial - Holly Black & Cassandra Clare. Still working on it.
The Winner's Curse - Marie Rutkoski
Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld. Alan. Effing. Cumming is the narrator. *does a happy dance*

New to my bookshelf this week:

Library:

nada

Bought:

B&N:
Lailah - Nikki Kelly

Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick

Stay With Me - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Amazon:
"This Night So Dark" - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Half Price Books:
Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Along for the Ride - Sarah Dessen
Unwholly - Neal Shusterman
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Giveaways & Contests:
Remeber Me - Romily Bernard. I won this ARC from Jessica of Crossroad Reviews during one of her Read On chats with Romily, Mindy McGinnis, and Kristi Cook. Thank you!

Events Attended: 
Fierce Reads tour with Gennifer Albin, Jessica Brody, Nikki Kelly, and Marissa Meyer. Macmillan and Irving Public Library teamed up to make this an amazing event! Good times were had by all!

Review + Giveaway: In the Shadows by Kiersten White & Jim di Bartolo

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: April 29, 2014

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: young adult historical paranormal

Format/Source: drc, Netgalley/hardcover, gift

Status: standalone

Summary:

Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.

Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.

Cover Reveal: Fall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm really excited today to help reveal the cover of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Fall with Me, the fourth book in the Wait for You/With You series. Fun fact: this will be the first book in the series that will be published entirely under Jennifer's name, not under her pen name J. Lynn! 

First, I bet you're wondering who the new couple is. Well, if you've read Stay with Me already, you might have noticed sparks (or some pointed awkwardness) flying between a certain sexy bartender and a certain policeman....

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Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice.

Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already.

But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.

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I love Reece AND Roxy, and I was definitely intrigued by the way Roxy in particular tried to freeze Reece out. The only bad thing about Fall with Me? It won't be released until March 31, 2015!

Ready for that cover? Scroll down!

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Fall with Me

With You Saga #4
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

March 31, 2015

William Morrow

 

Catch up with the rest of the series:

 

  

And check out my reviews of Wait for You, Be with Me, and Stay with Me!

About the Author

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Author Links:

  

Cover reveal organized by:

Blog Tour: As Long As You Love Me by Ann Aguirre

Rating: 4 stars

Release Date: September 30, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
Format/Source: DRC, from Netgalley
Status: book 2 in the 2B trilogy

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour, which was organized & hosted by Ink Slinger PR.

Summary:

Most people dream about getting out of Sharon, Nebraska, but after three years away, Lauren Barrett is coming home. There are the justifications she gives to everyone else—missing her family, losing her college scholarship. And then there’s the reason Lauren can’t admit to anyone: Rob Conrad, her best friend’s older brother.

Football prowess and jaw-dropping good looks made Rob a star in high school. Out in the real world, his job and his relationships are going nowhere. He can’t pinpoint exactly what’s missing until Lauren comes back to town, bringing old feelings and new dreams with her. But he’s the guy that women love and leave—not the one who makes them think of forever.

Though she’s terrified of opening up, Lauren’s ready to take that chance. Because the only thing more important than figuring out where you truly belong is finding the person you were meant to be with.

Release Day Blitz: My So-Called Death by Stacey Jay

Stacey Jay's My So-Called Death is being re-released today and it's the first time it's available in a digital format! If you love light, fun, YA with just the right balance of romance and mystery, you have got to get your hands on it! Stacey Jay is also releasing a freebie prequel today, Confessions of a Teenage Zombie Queen.

Author: Stacey Jay
Re-release Date: October 7, 2014
Original Pub Date: March 8, 2010
Publisher: Flux
Genre: young adult paranormal comedy (zombies)
Status: book 2 of the Dead High series

Summary:

All in all it was a good day to die. If there really is such a thing.

You hear characters in movies say that all the time, but does anyone really believe the words “good” and “die” belong in the same sentence?

Still, it could have been worse. It could have been dark and spooky night instead of a beautiful Georgia morning in late October, with a light wind whipping across the Peachtree High School football field, making zombies seem like the last thing anyone needed to worry about…

Fifteen-year-old freshman, Karen Vera, is well on her way to ruling her school when a freak cheer leading accident turns her into, well, a freak. Much to her Horror and Dismay, Karen learns she is a genetic mutation, one of the Death Challenged--a politically correct term for a zombie!

Now she has to go to a top secret zombie school, eat brains for lunch, and take courses with names like "Secrets of Successful Morticians and their Uses for the Undead: Foundation and Beyond". And to make matters worse, her roommate is the most reviled girl at DEAD High, a complete head case, and maybe...a murderer.

Can Karen find out who's offing the nearly un-off-able Undead before she becomes the next victim? Can she convince the super-cute captain of the swim team that a girl can have a pathological love for pink and still carry on an intelligent conversation? Will she ever pass remedial Algebra for the Death Challenged?

Available from:

   

Coming soon from B&N!

Excerpt:

“Respecting your new room mate is essential. Now that you are one of the Undead, you could conceivably live for hundreds of years. The relationships you begin now will be the friendships that carry you through the millennium. Remember that, and conduct yourselves accordingly.”

--DEAD High Dorm Handbook for Incoming Students

“Wanted: White noise machine, will pay any price. Would be awesome if it had one of those aromatherapy things too. My roommate snores and smells! Pleaz help! Am exhausted and nasally tormented!”

--Note on Girls’ Dorm bulletin board

“Clarice sucks butt.”

--Bathroom stall, girls’ second floor bathroom

“What are you doing? Is that a cheerleader on my wall?” The shriek from the doorway made me scream and then burst out laughing.

I always laugh when I’m scared. I probably would have laughed as I was falling off the cheer pyramid if there had been time. Admittedly weird, but my friends back in my human life thought it was funny that I giggled all the way through horror movies.

“What are you laughing at? That has to come down.” The girl in the door glared at the United Cheerleader Association calendar I’d hung on my side of the room and threw her sweater on the floor. Her greasy, shoulder length black hair twitched angrily around her shoulders and her heavily lined gray eyes narrowed as if she’d just spotted a maggot on her arm.

Maggots are a zombie’s only natural predator—aside from angry mobs of humans or supernatural slayer types. Principal Samedi had already warned me to watch out for flies that love to lay their eggs in Undead flesh because, once they get started, maggot infestations can be almost impossible to get under control.

Ugh. Maggot infestation. If there was a grosser combination of words in the English language I couldn’t think of it.

The thought made me laugh again. I was in a laugh or cry situation. I had to giggle or I was going to lose what was left of my sense of humor.

“Ohmygod, what is wrong with you?” the girl asked, wrinkling her upper lip.

Guess she didn’t share my human friends’ appreciation for ill-timed chortling.

View the full excerpt here!

Author: Stacey Jay

Release Date: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Flux

Genre: young adult paranormal comedy (zombies)

Status: book 1 of the Dead High series

Summary:

All in all, it was a good day to die. If there really is such a thing.
You hear characters in movies say things like that sometimes, but does anyone really believe the words “good” and “die” belong in the same sentence?
Still, it could have been worse. It could have been a dark and spooky night instead of a beautiful Georgia evening in late October, with a light wind whipping across the Peachtree High football field, making zombies seem like the last thing anyone needed to worry about…
One second, freshman Karen Vera's on top of the most fabulous cheer pyramid ever. The next, she's lying on the pavement with seriously unflattering cranial damage. Freakishly alive without a pulse, Karen learns that she's a genetically undead zombie.
Enjoy this prequel to the “welcome horror spoof” (Booklist) MY SO-CALLED DEATH, a paranormal romantic mystery perfect for fans of Ally Carter and C.L. Stone.

Available from:

   

*Please note that Confessions is not yet free on Amazon, but it will be soon so be patient!

About the Author:

Stacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor, and yoga instructor.

In her very limited spare time, Stacey enjoys cooking elaborate dinners and eatingthem very slowly, dressing up in costumes with her sons, and drinking wine with her husband. She loves to hear from readers and personally answers every single email she receives.

Author Links:

  

Blog tour: The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris

Rating: 4 stars

Pub Date: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Genre: young adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: DRC, Netgalley

Status: Book 1 of the Fine Art of Pretending companion series

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour. 

Summary:

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

Weekly wrap-up: September 28 - October 4

This has been a challenging week. In addition to being sick, I'm extraordinarily stressed about work at the moment. Also a huge storm hit Dallas a couple days ago, and Roomie and I were without power for about 34 hours or so. First world problems, I know, considering some of the families in our own neighborhood have entire trees lying on their roofs. However, it's tough to be without electricity when both the neighbors across the street and the shopping plaza behind our house had power. Screw you, storm! All of this has left me in a fairly foul mood. Hoping your week was much better than mine!

Completed:

Lailah (Styclar Saga #1) - Nikki Kelly: 3.5 stars. Really cool & unique origin story, but the character development isn't all the way there yet. Full review here.

For Real - Alison Cherry: 5 stars. Fun story with heartfelt sisterly-ness. A must-read for any reality tv lover, but also excellent for anyone who doesn't watch it! Full review closer to to pub date.

Reread:

The 5th Wave (5th Wave #1) audiobook - Rick Yancey, Brandon Espinoza & Phoebe Strole: 5 stars. I really enjoyed the book, and the audio rendition was absolutely perfect! I will definitely be looking up Brandon and Phoebe's other work because they were phenomenal!
The Lonely Hearts Club (Lonely Hearts Club #1) - Elizabeth Eulberg: 5 stars. I loved this book, and when I needed a little bit of comfort this week, this book gave it to me. PLUS I've been wanting to reread it before We Can Work It Out is released.

Currently Reading:

Nothing, at the moment. I finished my current book and my current audio at the same time so it's time to find new ones. I think I'll be listening to Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld next.

New to my bookshelf this week:

Library:

nothing!

Bought:

B&N:

nada!

Amazon:
"A Hard Day's Night" (Lonely Hearts Club #1.1) - Elizabeth Eulberg

Half Price Books:
I know you probably don't believe this, but I went to the huge HPB clearance sale in Dallas where there were like 6 rows of tables full of ya books.....and I didn't buy a single thing.