2000 Twitter follower giveaway

Normally I'd do a Twitter giveaway, you know, on Twitter, but since Twitter only shows 100 RTs and Twitterdraw no longer allows you to pick a random RT, this is actually the easier and more fair way for me to pick a winner. Fairly straightforward entries this time: follow me on Twitter @knoxdiver AND share the tweet, and you will be entered to win. Just make sure you enter everything in the rafflecopter so I can see your entries. This milestone is nothing I ever expected, and I appreciate your willingness to listen to all my random musings about football, Dude, and anything else that ever flits through my mind. :)

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents age 13+ and ends midnight January 29. The prize is an ARC of Courtney Alameda's Shutter and an ARC of Megan Miranda's Soulprint. If there are more than 150 individual entrants, I'll add another winner.

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Weekly wrap-up: December 28 - January 24

Yeesh. More like a monthly recap than a weekly. First the holidays and then tons of work. I feel like a super slacker for not posting much lately.

Completed:

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) - Ally Carter: 4 stars. This is like Princess Diaries had a baby with The Fugitive with a little "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and feminism thrown in for good measure. Honestly, All Fall Down is pretty different than Ally's previous books because Grace is a LOT more fragile than Cammie or Kat, at least at the beginning of their respective series. Full review to come
"The Queen" (The Selection #0.4) - Kiera Cass: 2 stars. Meh. I was really underwhelmed. I like Amberley just fine, of course, but I still think Maxon's dad is a douche. The things he does, how he manipulates Amberley and forces her to change just to see if she'll do it for him. Gross.
Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2) - Victoria Scott: 4 stars. Really emotional sequel. I'm still totally into Tella's story. I'm really looking forward to sharing my full thoughts during the blog tour next month!
Beautiful Player (Beautiful Bastard #3) - Christina Lauren: 4 stars. Yep. Will and Hanna are probably my favorite couple in the BB series. I'd skimmed the book before but hadn't read the entire thing yet. Very enjoyable!
A Court of Thorns & Roses (ACOTAR #1) - Sarah Maas: ALL THE STARS. YAAAASSSS! I can has book 2 now, kplzthx? Full review coming when I find words other than OMG TAMLIN I WANT MOAR.
Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Bastard #2) - Christina Lauren: 4 stars. Like Player, I'd just skimmed this previously. After reading ACOTAR, I really wanted something else swoony and sexy, and this fit the bill!
An Ember in the Ashes (Ember in the Ashes #1) - Sabaa Tahir: 4 stars. Really cool, unique world. Love the development of ALL the characters, not just the mcs. This book is thought-provoking and FEELS-destroying. I'm still trying to unwind my thoughts!
Splintered (Splintered #1) - A.G. Howard: 4 stars. LOVE this retelling. It's classic but totally punk rock at the same time, and that's such a cool tone for the book. I love how Anita really found some amazing twists to the timeless tale. Also, SO MANY SWOONS. Jeb is absolutely delicious!
Landline - Rainbow Rowell: 5 stars. Loved this. Absolutely loved it. Georgie and Neal's story is beautifully heart-breaking, but it's also inspiring and hopeful. Plus...CATH AND LEVI OMG.

Reread:

Boycotts & Barflies - Victoria Michaels: 3 stars. This has always been a favorite book of mine, but I didn't enjoy it as much this time around. I was a lot pickier with the writing, both in style and technique. I have a feeling this might be my last reread, at least for a while. I have no desire to read a book that was a favorite, only to find that I hate it later on. :(
My True Love Gave to Me audiobook - Stephanie Perkins et al : 5 stars. Loved the book; love the audiobook. I think it's awesome each of the authors picked their own narrators, and each narrator gave life to each story perfectly!
Anna & the French Kiss audiobook - Stephanie Perkins & Kim Mai Guest: 4 stars. It's funny how I LOVED Anna and merely liked Lola, and my experience with their respective audiobooks was exactly the opposite. 
Being Sloane Jacobs - Lauren Morrill: 3 stars. I really enjoyed the book (see my full review here), but the audio was fairly unexceptional. It was good, but nothing more.

Currently Reading:

The Young Elites (Young Elites #1) audiobook - Marie Lu. I STILL don't quite know how I feel about this book after I read it last year so I'm hoping the audio will help me clarify some things.

Unhinged (Splintered #2) - A.G. Howard. I haven't started this one yet, but it's next on my shelf when I get off work!

New to my bookshelf this week:

Library:

Working in a library means I have ACCESS TO EVERYTHING!!!!

I Was Here - Gayle Forman

Firefight (Reckoners #2) - Brandon Sanderson

"Moth in the Mirror" (Splintered #1.5) - A.G. Howard

The Young Elites audiobook - Marie Lu

Bought: 
ummm....please remember this is like a MONTH'S worth of books. Also, I have a TON of events coming up!

B&N:
Perfect Couple (Superlatives #2) - Jennifer Echols

Mistborn trilogy box set - Brandon Sanderson. Don't tell my brother in law; this is his birthday present!

and I have a bunch of preorders

Amazon:
surprisingly, nothing since last time

Half Price Books:
WHERE DO I START?!
The Young Elites - Marie Lu
Steelheart - Brandon Sanderson
The Little Prince & Other Stories - Wordsworth. This is pretty amazing. It has Little Women, The Secret Garden, The Jungle Book, and TONS of other kids classics!
Romeo Redeemed - Stacey Jay
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - April Genevieve Tucholke
Bloodlines - Richelle Mead
Obsidian - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Cursed - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Half-Blood - Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Rules for Breaking - Ashley Elston
Matched - Ally Condie FINALLY. It is surprisingly difficult to find a NICE hardcover of this book!

Book Outlet:
*buys ALL the NTTBF books*
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) - Sarah Mlynowski
The Dark and Hollow Places - Carrie Ryan
The Dead-Tossed Waves - Carrie Ryan
The Liberator - Victoria Scott
The Warrior - Victoria Scott
To All the Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han
The Year of Shadows - Claire Legrand
The Cloak Society - Jeramey Kraatz
Villain's Rising - Jeramey Kraatz
Shadow & Bone - Leigh Bardugo
Siege & Storm - Leigh Bardugo
Ruin & Rising - Leigh Bardugo
Article 5 - Kristen Simmons
Breaking Point - Kristen Simmons
Three - Kristen Simmons
All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin
Because It Is My Blood - Gabrielle Zevin x2 oops! I didn't check the quantity!
In the Age of Love and Chocolate - Gabrielle Zevin

Blue Willow Bookshop:
These Broken Stars - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
This Shattered World - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner x2 this was intentional

Murder by the Book:
Firefight - Brandon Sanderson x3 also intentional


Events Attended: 
1/7: This Shattered World tour with Amie Kafuman & Meagan Spooner. I am SO excited to have finally met Amie and Meagan! This stop was so much fun because we all just chatted and celebrated These Broken Stars hitting the NYT bestseller list, which Amie & Megan found out about RIGHT before the event! And how's this for cool: Publisher's Weekly posted a picture of the event on their website!
1/24: Firefight tour with Brandon Sanderson. I am honestly exhausted right now because I got home so late from this. TOTALLY worth the drive!

Cover Reveal: All Played Out by Cora Carmack

I have another awesome cover reveal for you today! This time, I'm helping out my dear friend and fave author Cora Carmack reveal the cover of All Played Out, book three of her ah-mazing Rusk University series! Cora and her books really made me realize how much potential new adult has as a genre. I read All Lined Up, and I thought, "Oh, THAT'S how it's supposed to be!" Seriously, Cora is a wickedly talented writer AND a super fun person to hang with. Her books get the absolute highest recommendation from me. So keep scrolling to check out what Torres is up to now! 

PS All Lined Up and All Broke Down are on sale right now for $0.99 on most ebook retail sites because of all that football going on in real life. That is an absolute STEAL. These books are worth way more than a dollar. It's a win-win for readers!

All Played Out
Rusk University #3

by Cora Carmack

William Morrow
May 12, 2015

 

Summary:

First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay... Scratch that. She knows she hasn't had the full college experience).

So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a "to do" list of normal college activities.

Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it's impossible to get hurt... again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she's never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he's willing to take the chance when it's more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

Preorder Links:

   

Meet the Rusk football team in All Lined Up!

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: May 13, 2014

Publisher: William Morrow (Harper Collins)

Genre: new adult contemporary romance

Status: Book 1 of the Rusk University companion series

Summary: In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

Book Buy Links:

   

Check out Mateo's hijinks as Silas's roommate in All Broke Down!

Rating: 4 stars

Pub Date: October 28, 2014

Publisher: William Morrow (Harper Collins)

Genre: new adult contemporary romance

Status: Book 2 of the Rusk University companion series

Summary:

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians you name it, she's probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He's in for a different kind of fighting. And though he's arrogant and infuriating, she can't help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it's trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He's met girls like her before fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn't think he's broken, and he definitely doesn't need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about: his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

Book Buy Links:

   

Check out my review of All Broke Down here!

And once again, I just want to reiterate that All Lined Up and All Broke Down are only $0.99 right now, but it's a limited time kind of deal. TRUST ME and go buy them!

About the Author

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, Losing It, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Author Links:

   

Cover reveal organized by:

Cover Reveal: For the Record by Charlotte Huang

I've got another awesome cover reveal to share with you today: 

Charlotte Huang's 2015 debut For the Record!

For the Record

by Charlotte Huang

Fall 2015

Delacorte Press

 

Summary:

Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like . . . until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything.

Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen hearthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated.

Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule . . . Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?

About the Author

Charlotte Huang is a graduate of Smith College and received an MBA from Columbia Business School, which is clearly something every aspiring writer should do. When not glued to her computer, she cheers her two sons on at sporting events and sometimes manages to stay up late enough to check out bands with her music agent husband. Charlotte lives in Los Angeles and is the author of For the Record (Delacorte, 2015).

Author Links:

  

Giveaway:

1 winner will receive the VERY FIRST For the Record ARC, signed by Charlotte + For the Record swag!
US only | Must be 13+ to enter

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Cover Reveal: Scorched by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Guys guys guys! We're getting five and a half Jennifer Armentrout novels this year (the half comes from a Wait for You novella), and I have your first look at one of her long awaited sequels: Scorched, which is the companion sequel to 2013's Frigid. I have a special place in my heart for Frigid because it was the very first novel of Jen's that I ever read, and I take family trips to the ski resort where much of the book takes place; as I'm sure you know, I've been hooked on JLA ever since. So it is with much happiness that I show you the cover for Andrea and Tanner's story. So take a peek, tell me what you think, and grab a JLA book to read. Personally, I recommend you go with Frigid, but honestly, they're all good.* :)

*Frigid and Scorched are both new adult novels so if young adult is more your speed, you can check out Jennifer's Covenant or Lux series or Don't Look Back.

Scorched

Frigid #2
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

June 16, 2015

Spencer Hill Press

 

Summary:

Sometimes life leaves a mark.

Most days, Andrea doesn't know whether she wants to kiss Tanner or punch him in the gut. He is seriously hot, with legit bedroom eyes and that firefighter body of his, but he's a major player, and he never cuts her any slack.

But when her life spirals out of control, he's there for her. The only problem is, no one else can save her... only she can save herself.

Pre-Order Links:

 

Check out Sydney & Kyler's story in Frigid!

Pub Date: July 15, 2013
Publisher: Spencer Hill
Genre: new adult contemporary romance & thriller

Summary: For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Available from:

   

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:

  

I really like this cover! It's different from Frigid, but I love the atmospheric effects, which do match the feel of Frigid. SPARKLES! And I think the fact that Andrea is alone on the cover is going to have a lot to do with the plot and will set it apart from a lot of other na out there. What do you think?

Blog Tour: Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: January 13, 2015

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: DRC & ARC, from the publisher

Status: Book 2 of the Superlatives companion series
Links: Biggest Flirts review (also 5 stars)

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 The Fantastic Flying Book Club. The full tour schedule can be found HERE. Please go give my fellow tour hosts some love!

Summary:

Perfect Couple is #2 in the Superlatives series about seniors at a Florida high school who are selected for their class's superlative categories in the yearbook, and how the labels change the way they view themselves and alter the course of their lives.

Can your heart be put to a popular vote?

As yearbook photographer, Harper is responsible for capturing those candid moments that make high school memorable. But her own life is anything but picture perfect. Her parents' bitter divorce has left her wondering what a loving relationship would look like. And ever since the senior class voted her and star quarterback Brody the “Perfect Couple That Never Was,” her friends have been on her case to ask Brody out.

Brody doesn’t lack in female admirers, but Harper can't see herself with him. He seems confused about why they were matched together, too. They’re total opposites—the last people in the world who would ever be compatible, let alone the “perfect couple.” Yet ever since the class paired the two of them, they've found themselves drawn together--first by curiosity, then by an undeniable bond.

The trouble is, though they're very attracted to each other and both of them admit this, they have a hard time getting along or even communicating clearly. If they’re the perfect couple, this shouldn’t be so difficult! Soon it becomes clear their class was wrong, and they throw in the towel. But after they walk away, both of them feel so changed from making the effort that they can’t forget each other. What if that means this match made in hell is the perfect couple after all?