Cover Reveal: Transfer Student by Laura Elliott

TWO WORLDS. TWO TEENS. ONE WISH.

TRANSFER STUDENT is a science fiction Freaky-Friday romance/adventure about two normal teenagers struggling to survive high school and deal with their parents… typical rites of passage. The twist? One teen is an alien from the planet Retha. In a galactic teleporting experiment gone wrong, Ashley, a Beverly Hills High surfing fashionista, and Rhoe, the biggest geek on planet Retha, swap lives. Only by surviving life as their biggest nightmare do Ashley & Rhoe discover their dreams. How far would you go for someone you love?

 TRANSFER STUDENT RELEASE DAY: MARCH 20th 

There will also be a blog tour with a chance of winning some great prizes. Check out the author's blog for more details.

http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Cambria Hebert .

   
This is a fun weekly question she asks other bloggers in the hopes that we will all get to know one another a little better.

This question this week, in honor of Valentine's Day is:

Who are your favorite book couple?

And right off I have to say that I love that she made this question plural because it would have been torture if I had to only choose one couple, in fact it would have been near impossible. 

My first favorite couple to read?

Bones and Cat from the Night Huntress Series.

Everything about them is just awesome. I love the snark, the protectiveness, the alpha male attitude, the sexiness and I haven't even started in on Bones yet. LOL!

Truly this couple just sizzles together and they love each other and it is clear that they do in each book they are in. From the start they were just meant to be and I love that!

My next favorite couple to read about would have to be Rose and Demitri from the Vampire Academy Series.

I love that their romance was more of a slow build for them over the course of the series and that it wasn't all roses and sunshine for them. They had some real obstacles in their way and they had to fight ever step of the way to be together. Their love wasn't all nice words and romantic gestures and flirting and what have you, in fact there was very little of that but what they did have was that spark and that fire that made their characters all that much better. Heck, they made each other better. They had an understanding of each other and knew each other better than some couples ever do in series or in life for that matter.

What they had just felt real to me, well besides all the nonsense of fighting vampires and saving the world. 

Next would have to be Anna and Etienne (or St.Claire) from Anna and the French Kiss.

I just adored this book. I loved everything about it. I can't even name exactly what I loved so much about it other than it felt real to me, they felt real to me and I was rooting for them from the very start. 

I loved the subtle flirting and the not so subtle flirting. The glances across the room, the uncertainty, the kind words, the simple gestures, the slight touches, the friendship, the secret smiles and longings, the laughter, the tears, the romance. I loved it all and it all added up to a wonderful romance and unforgettable characters. 

Clara and Tucker from the Unearthly series.

How could you not love Tucker and all his down home goodness? I really wish Ms. Hand had a picture of these two on her website. I would love to see how she pictures them all as she writes about them.

I love everything about Tucker, his goodness, his honestly, his willingness to love and accept, the sweetness he shows Clara and his slight feistyness as well. 

He is just a really good guy.

Hmmm, whom to choose next?

I think I will have to go with Katy and Daemon from the Lux series.

Okay, I admit it, I am cheating here because technically they aren't a couple yet but boy do they have some seriously hot chemistry going on for them. I mean sizzling!

I have high hopes they will be a couple (you are reading this right Jennifer? and I know you care so much about what I think :P ) eventually and boy when they finally give in and admit their feelings for one another, it will be explosive!

I know what you are thinking, you are wondering how many more couples I could possible have that I adore (and trust me there are many that I love that I am not naming here) but I can't end this without naming at least one more couple. 

Landon and Jamie from A Walk to Remember.

If you haven't read this one yet then shame on you! I hope you have at least seen the movie because they are both fantastic! The love they have for each other is unbelievable. It stands through the time and never dies.

So that's it, those are the couples I have chosen. I could use a lot more but those are the ones I am going with for me.

So, what couples do you love? Which ones are your favorites?

Follower Love Giveaway Hop!!

This Valentines Day I decided what better way to show my love to my followers than by participating in the Follower Love Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am  Reader, Not A Writer and Rachael Renee Anderson.and giving away a book from some of my favorite Indie authors.

It is no secret that I adore Indie Authors and so I thought, why not combine my love for Indies and my love for my Follower?

So here it is.

I will be giving away an e-book from one of the following authors that will be "gifted" to them through Amazon.

The list of authors and books to choose from are as followers:
 

Ethereal (Celestra #1) by Addison Moore.
 

The Deepest Cut (MacKinnon Curse #1) by J.A. Templeton or The Haunted


 

Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1) by Cambria Hebert
 
 Providence (Providence #1) by Jamie McGuire or any of her other books.


 

 
 

Under Witch Moon (Moon Shadow Series #1) by Maria E. Schneider (not YA but still a very fun clean series) or the second book in the series, Under Witch Aura.


 

She Smells The Dead (Spirit Guide #1) by E.J. Steven or any others in the series.

Opal Fire (Stacy Justice Mysteries #1) by Barbra Annino (not YA but still a very clean fun series also) or the second book in the series, Bloodstone.

These are all some of my favorite series by some of my favorite authors and I would love to help spread the word about their greatness.

And since Rafflecopter is not my friend today in order to enter the giveaway you must be or become a GFC follower of this blog and also leave a comment below with which book you would like if you win and an email you can be reached from. If you don't feel comfortable leaving your email address in the comment field, please feel free to email me your email address and GFC name once you have entered.

I will be randomly choosing a winner through Random.org on the 15th and posting the winner's name here and contacting them through email.

Also please don't forget to check out all the other wonderful blogs that are participating in the Hop. You can find a list of their sites below or in the links above.

Good luck to all who enter and thank you again for being such fabulous followers!! 

Tell Me Something Tuesday (a little early!)

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Cambria Hebert .

   
This is a fun weekly question she asks other bloggers in the hopes that we will all get to know one another a little better.

This question this week is:

Do You Like Cliffhanger Ending?

Okay, I know what you are thinking, it isn't Tuesday yet! Why are you posting this already?

And the answer to that is, because I won't be able to post this on Tuesday do to a Hop I am participating in (check back tomorrow for a great giveway!!) and I still really wanted to participate in this so, hence the early post.

Now back to the question at hand, Do I like cliffhanger endings? Hmm. Honestly, yes and no. 

Why yes? Because sometimes I think they create excitement about the next book and leave you wanting more and of course leave you thinking about the book long after you have stopped reading it and if the next book isn't out in the series yet, it can leave this delicious anticipation for when the next book comes out. Really if you think about it, it is pretty brilliant of the author to do. Creating all that excitement and sometimes frustrating but making it inevitable that you will be thinking about their book and you will be in line waiting for the release of the next one.

Now why no? Actually for all the same things mentioned above.

If the next book isn't out yet, it is TORTURE waiting for the next one. And yes, frustrating too. Especially if you don't know if a character died or if they won the heart of the one they love or if the bad guy got away. Ugh! It can be pretty intense sometimes with some of these amazingly evil cliffhangers authors are so great at leaving us.

And lets face it, their are some authors out there that are masters at leaving a cliffhanger ending *cough* *Rachel Morgan, Karen Fever, Chloe Neil, Lauren Oliver* *cough cough*.

So yes, I like the emotions a cliffhanger ending can leave you and truly sometimes they are fun but yes, sometimes they are torture too and make you want to throw your book across the room and cuss out the author for doing such a cruel thing.

But really, if an author can evoke that much emotion out of you, isn't that the sign of a good author?

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Book Two in the Delirium Series
Published By: Harper Collins (Feb. 28, 2012)
Source: Mindy's ARC Tour
Genre: YA Dystopian
My Rating: 5 Solid Stars!!


Goodreads Description:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite. 

My Review:

Heartbreak.

That is the first feeling, not word but feeling, that shot through me as I read the first chapters in Pandemonium.

Heartbreak.

I think my heart is breaking.

For Lena.

For Alex.

Maybe even a little for me because I don't want it to be so. I want a do over. I want things right. I want Lena to be happy. I want Alex to be....well, you know if you have read Delirium. I want things to magically be okay again like they only can in books and fairy tales.

I am so unbelieveably sad.

All the emotions and feelings I had at the end of reading Delirium have come rushing back and I feel my heart break in two and my eyes well. No. NO! It can't really be. Say it isn't so.

I am right there with Lena, running and chanting her chant and hoping. Always hoping.

This book is a little different than the first.

It alternates between the “then” and the “now” which took a little bit to get use to.

This is definitely a book that is filled with a lot more despair and fighting and destruction than Delirium had. It doesn't necessarily have those wonderful warm and fuzzy feelings Delirium did.

This book is more about moving on and survival and the raw truth of what Lena's life is like now and how and what she must do to survive in the world that she is now a part of.

Lena grows a lot in this book and in ways it is sad that she lost some of that innocence that she had before but in a lot of ways I think it is good too that she is becoming more strong and brave and that despite it all, she can still love and be loved and have hope.

Hope. I think that is what Lena comes to realize is most important in the Wilds. To never give up hope, and she doesn't. She is a fighter.

This book was great. Every bit as good and intriguing as the first and the ending?

Oh. My. Gosh. The Ending.

I wanted to cry out, “Really! Really! Now you through that out there? Really?”

Gah!

Oh no Lauren didn't.

But yes she did.

She gave us all a curve ball and left the ending so up in the air that you will be frustrated beyond belief and utterly sad that you don't have the next book right then and there in front of you to devour and find out what happens next.

Ballsy Ms. Oliver and so so frustrating and you know I will love every agonizing minute of waiting until the next book comes out and I can do it all over again.

Review: The Stubborn Dead by Natasha Hoar

Title: The Stubborn Dead
Author: Natasha Hoar
Series: Prequel to the Lost Souls Series
Published By: Carina Press (Jan. 23, 2012)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Description:
 Rachel Miller thought her next job was a run-of-the-mill haunting. As a member of the Order of Rescue Mediums it's her duty to release trapped spirits from the earthly realm. But when called to client Sylvia Elkeles's house, she finds a wraith who doesn't act like he should.

The Order considers the wraith an extreme threat and Rachel may be forced to use a barbaric ritual to free him—a ritual that comes with a heavy personal price. If she fails to humanely release the wraith, she'll have her supernatural abilities bound.

When Janus Ostara—local supernatural mob boss—shows up demanding her attention, and Sylvia keeps secrets that may place Rachel in mortal danger, she doesn't need her abilities to know something darkly sinister is at play.

Between uncovering Sylvia's disturbing motives, and avoiding Janus, Rachel has enough on her hands without dealing with a wraith who may not realize he's supposed to be dead... 

My Review:

This was such a fun read! I wasn't sure what to expect and really didn't expect a whole lot of action in a short story but I was wrong, this story was chocked full of action and mystery and just down right good ghostly fun.

This was a fabulous prequel. I really enjoyed reading about Rachel and the Order, Kit and Janus and well as the evil Mr. Grey and of course no one could forget the wraiths. I am so intrigued with exactly what powers or abilities Rachel may have that she doesn't know about. Why there are people out there that want her.

I can tell that this will be a really fun series to start and I completely plan on buying the first book when it comes out.

This prequel will suck you into Rachel's world and leave you wanting more.

If the author can make me this excited over a series with just a short story then I can't wait to see what the first book will hold!

I truly hope I won't be disappointed but something tells me that I will have nothing to worry about and that the first book will live up to my expectations.

Indie Book of the Week: Ethereal (Celestra #1) by Addison Moore

This week I decided to read a series I have heard a lot about. A series I have been meaning to read but for whatever reason have just not started yet or had the time to start.

  I admit, part of the hold up was because after reading Unearthly and then Hallowed by Cynthia Hand my expectations for a good book about angels is pretty darn high, in fact, really high, like Mount Everest high so I was a little worried I wasn't going to enjoy this book as much as others have. I mean, it is really hard to beat the Unearthly series.

I really wanted to give this series a chance though so I really tried hard to not compare the two or have Ms. Hand's writing in mind going into this book.

Surprisingly, it was really easy to do just that. Moore of course has a different writing style and her characters have a different voice but I didn't find myself comparing one versus the other or wishing for something different.

I was pretty drawn into the story after the first few pages and read through it pretty quickly. I really liked how sarcastic Skyla could be and I really felt for her too. Her family life was less than perfect and at times I really wanted to just smack her mom for the things she did and said to her. I mean, I couldn't imagine any mom treating their children the way her mom sometimes did and not even that, but letting her step dad Tad talk to her the way he did. It was quite sickening and made me furious for Skyla. I was so glad that she had great friends to help her not to mention some pretty amazing guys as well.

Logan and Gage. Yum! I think they are both seriously great guys and I actually would hate to be in Skyla's shoes and have to choose one over the other. How does one choose between two such seemingly perfect men?

I really liked the different storyline on angels in this book. I think Moore did an excellent job with it.

My only real complaint is that sometimes it seemed like the chapters ended abruptly and then the next chapter started hours or days later from when the last one ended, without always a real clear explanation to what happened in the previous chapter. It was a little disconcerting at times and left you wondering what exactly happened.

Overall, I really look forward to reading the next book in the series and learning more about the different fractions of angels and of course getting a little more Logan and Gage time as well. 

Overall I would rate this book at a solid 4 Stars~!!