Countdown: March 2013

As one of my favorite months on the calendar, due mainly to my Irish roots and the chance to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, it's always a month I look forward to. And in addition to one of my favorite holidays there are a ton of great titles that will make March that much more of a fabulous month next year. Chalk full of great authors, potential new and exciting series, and a few titles that I'm sure will find a permanent home on my bookshelves.

There's even one of two titles that are expected to come out in March that I will be camping out in front of bookstores to make sure I get myself a copy of as soon as humanly possible. OK so I might not be camping out exactly but I will be getting myself to the stores on the release dates or ordering myself a copy and having it beamed my Kindle to get it to me even faster.

Countdown Pick #1: Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg (03/01/2013)

A hilarious new novel from Elizabeth Eulberg about taking the wall out of the wallflower so she can bloom.

Don't mess with a girl with a Great Personality.

Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

By far and away Elizabeth Eulberg can do no wrong! Her books are beyond amazing, full of laughs, great characters that I wish could be my friends in real life, action and intensity, and romance!!!! Her romances are never super easy and obstacle free, but that's what makes them great and worth rooting for. Her characters go through a lot and usually have to get over themselves before they can get chance to get their happy endings. I love the premise of this read and can't wait to see what Elizabeth has in store for us with Lexi and her plan to get back at the non-wallflowers she's been dealing with.

Countdown Pick #2:  MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0, #1) by Debra Driza (03/12/2013)

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past —that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity–style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

OK so basically despite the fact that science fiction is not normally my go-to genre, the last part of this book's description left no room for me to doubt whether or not I'd be racing to the stores in order to get myself a copy of this release the second it hits the shelves.

Countdown Pick #3:  Spellcaster by Claudia Gray (03/05/2013)

When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed. 

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

As a longtime fan of Gray and her previous books and series I'm really looking forward to seeing what's she come up with next for her readers.  And a tale of witchcraft and mystery might be exactly what we all need to break up some of the werewolf and vampire overload that occasionally dominates the YA genre.

Countdown Pick #4:  If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch (03/26/2013)

THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND ... 

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen-year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey's younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and the girls are found by their father, a stranger, and taken to re-enter the "normal" life of school, clothes and boys. 

Now, Carey must come to terms with the truth of why their mother spirited them away ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won't let her go ... a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn't spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

This does not sound like a situation anyone wants to be in, but I cannot even begin to imagine what types of twists and turns Murdoch has in store for her readers.  Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?  Why isn't her sister talking and what could possibly drive Carey's family to have come apart at the seams the way it did?  All in good time I hope.

Countdown Pick #5:  Unremembered (Unremembered, #1) by Jessica Brody (03/05/2013)

The only thing worse than forgetting her past... is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author, Jessica Brody comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful new series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

How awesome is that cover?  I love it and the book's description could not have gotten me more anxious to read this future release.  This will be my first experience with Brody's writing but her reputation precedes her and I've seen so many great reviews of her past work that I can't help but cross my fingers that her style and talent aren't going anywhere.

Countdown: Romance Anyone?

It's no secret here on the blog that I'm a sucker for all things romantic. It probably started from the moment I was born and I'm hoping to never grow out of it. Whether it's a sweet Disney movie where the prince and princess defeat the odds and all evil beings trying to keep them apart, just so they can be together in the end, or something more realistic. I love it all. So when I get wind of titles that are soon to hit the shelves and there's even a hint of a romance within those pages, you better believe that there's a very good chance I'll be adding that book to my TBR list.

Recently I found some great new reads that are coming out in the near future and they've got romance written all over them. Some are sounding slightly more subtle than others, but I'm already over the moon excited to check each and every one of them out. Chivalry, manners, courting a lady, cherishing one another and never wanting to be apart from your soul mate, all of these traits and elements are very much alive and well within the pages of books. Though the majority might be on the fiction shelves, I like my little trips and breaks from reality while I take some time to immerse myself in these titles all the same.

Countdown Pick #1: Illuminated by Erica Orloff (12/8/2011)

An epic romance full of mysteries that transcend time—fans of Romeo and Juliet and The Time Traveler’s Wife will rejoice!

Some loves are not made to last . . . Like Romeo and Juliet, Heloise and Abelard were doomed from the start, and their romance was destined to pass into history. Yet when sixteen-year-old Callie Martin discovers a diary hidden within an antique book, their story—and hers—takes on another life. For the diary leads Callie to the brilliant and handsome August, who is just as mysterious as the secret the diary hides. Their attraction is undeniable. As the two hunt down the truth behind the diary—and that of Heloise and Abelard’s ancient romance—their romance becomes all-consuming. But Callie knows it can’t last . . . love never does. Will their love that burns as bright as a shooting star flame out, or will these star-crossed lovers be able to defy history?

An epic romance is the description that stood out the most for me. There was no way this title wasn't going to make my TBR list, not a chance. It does worry me that it's being compared to Romeo and Juliet and The Time Traveler's Wife, because readers all know that nothing ended well for those characters. But I'm going to cross my fingers that comparisons only refer to the unstoppable force and love that brought the characters together.

Countdown Pick #2: Fateful by Claudia Gray (9/13/2011)

In Fateful, eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, overbearing family she works for. Once the ship they’re sailing on reaches the United States, she’ll strike out on her own. Then she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets....

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves are real and they’re stalking him—and now Tess, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

Featuring the opulent backdrop of the Titanic, Fateful’s publication is poised to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s doomed maiden voyage. It is sure to be a hit among Titanic buffs and fans of paranormal romance alike.

A romance on the Titanic is a story we're all familiar with, but I'm thinking with Gray throwing in a werewolf twist that it'll be hard for readers not to be a little curious at the very least. I know I am. And since I love a good romance as well as any kind of paranormal element thrown in and is going to be a title I have to check out. I'm just going to hope that Tess and Alec have luck on their sides, because if you're on the Titanic, you're going to need it and then some.

Countdown Pick #3: A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2) by Beth Revis (1/10/2012)
Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

While Revis' characters aren't your typical lovey dovey duo, love is definitely in the air. But there was so much working against them in the first installment that I can only imagine this second book will be no different. But who doesn't root for the couple that's either torn apart or are constantly trying to stay together, right? I'll always be that kind of cheerleader for Elder and Amy. Let's see what obstacles are put in front of them next.

Countdown Pick #4: Wherever You Go by Heather Davis (11/14/2011)

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

Told from the perspectives of Holly, Jason, and Rob,Wherever You Gois is a poignant story about making peace with the past, opening your heart to love, and finding the courage to move forward into the light.

This one may require tissues to be on hand throughout reading. It's bad enough to imagine two people in love being separated by death, but the fact that the deceased loved one has to watch everyone move on with their lives...cruel. I was getting sad just reading the synopsis. Davis will hopefully be able to deliver some hope and optimism in this story of love and hardship. Otherwise, I won't make it to the final pages. Cross your fingers with me for a somewhat happy ending.


Countdown Pick #5: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson (5/8/2012)

Taylor's family might not be the closest-knit – everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled – but for the most part, they get along fine. Then Taylor's dad gets devastating news that changes everything. Her parents decide that the family will spend the summer together at their old vacation home in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former summer best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend. . . and he's much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses, the Edwards become more of a family, and closer than they’ve ever been before. But all of them are very aware that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance – with family, with friends, and with love.

While this one might not be your typical romance, I do see hints at summer love and teenage crushes. It obviously revolves around a family that has grown apart and are trying to fix and change their current situations. Either way, love seems to be the key element in this story and hopefully these characters find a way to get to know the real people in their lives and find a way to be a part of those people's lives before it's too late.