ARC Tour & Review: Jump by Ginger Rue

High school junior Brinkley Harper is beautiful, wealthy, admired, and powerful—until the day she wakes up in the body of a classmate she wouldn’t be caught dead hanging out with.

Goth girl Miranda is everything Brinkley isn’t: she won't leave the house in anything but black, her family life is in tatters, she’s practically invisible at school, and she’s hiding a dark secret. As Brinkley experiences Miranda’s life from the inside out, she’s forced to consider the world from a very different point-of-view. But this won’t be Brinkley's last “jump,” and each time she lives a day in another classmate’s body, Brinkley not only begins to feel empathy for others, she also begins to glimpse the fears, vulnerabilities, and disappointments behind her own perfect façade. By experiencing the world as somebody else, Brinkley may finally learn to understand herself.

Looking back at high school experiences and memories is more enjoyable for some people than it is for others.  I've got quite a few friends who insist that we reminisce every time we see each other, even if it's on a regular basis.  As the years go by though I would hope that whether you were popular and constantly surrounded by friends, or were more of a loner and kept to yourself, that maturity kicks in and helps you realize a thing or two.  Ginger Rue introduces us to Brinkley, an uber-popular, beautiful and very mean high school girl.  She's given an ultimatum, go to therapy with a school counselor and change your ways or be expelled from high school for your bad behavior.  Rue takes readers on the journey or self-transformation (even if it is forced) and learning the error of your ways.

Now as much as I'd like to think that anyone who has ever uttered an unkind word to me sees their error and changes later on in life, we all know that isn't realistic.  Some people just are who they are and there's nothing that's going to change that.  But every once in a while I still want to like a character like Brinkley as I see her morph from this terrible person into a very different and kind individual.  I didn't hate Brinkley, but it took me a while to warm up to her.

As she jumps from body to body of fellow students she considered less than worthy of her attention before her forced therapy sessions, lessons are learned.  You saw that coming didn't you?  So yes, this story was slightly predictable but overall it was fun to watch unfold.  Good triumphs and the resident mean girl gets a strong dose of reality and learns that her ways need to change dramatically.  If only all high school bullies were forced into this kind of therapy and counseling sessions!

I gave Jump 3 shamrocks!!!

ARC Tour & Review: The Phantom Diaries by Kailin Gow

What happens to the Phantom after the tragedy at the Paris Opera House is the basis for this fantastic tale of The Phantom Diaries, loosely based on Gaston Leroux's classic, The Phantom of the Opera, but with a new tale and a modern twist. This new series for older teens and young adults is told through the eyes of 18 year-old Annette Binoche, who lands a job at the New York Metropolitan Opera House as a seamstress' assistant only to become the lead singer of the Opera House, with the help of the mysterious, yet highly-seductive Phantom.

I grew up loving The Phantom of the Opera and have dragged my family and friends to see it on Broadway more times than I'll admit out loud, so getting the chance to read Kailin Gow's new twist on my old favorite was very exciting for me.  I wasn't sure what to expect but once I opened to the first page and dug in I couldn't put it down.  It had all the old romance, mystery, tension and wonder that I was hoping for and have come to expect when dealing with this classic.  Gow's writing was quick, relatable and not bogged down with unnecessary details or insignificant points of reference.  

Her characters were original in their owns ways but still stayed true with their classic predecessors.  The phantom by far and away was of course my favorite character, but I must admit that the sweet and innocent Chase also gave him a run for his money.  I couldn't blame Annette for not being able to decide between them half the time when I couldn't figure out how I could love one the one minute and the other the next.  I was flitting back and forth all the time.  Annette was a wonderful character to follow and her diary entries were fascinating to read.  I'll admit at times I wanted her to wake up and take a look around her, she was too naive in parts, but aren't we all at some point in our lives?  

But without a doubt the ending of the book took my by complete surprise, I was just blown away and not expecting anything of the sort.  I was shocked long after I closed the book.  I was not aware that this was a series and did not appreciate the unexpected cliffhanger, but now that I've calmed down and reigned in my dissapointment, I'm counting down until I can get my hands on the sequel to find out what happens next.  I'm going to have to do more research before I pick up any book to see if it's a stand alone or intended to be a part of a series so I'm not so disappointed the next time I'm expecting a clean wrap up and instead have a bomb dropped on me.

I gave The Phantom Diaries 3 shamrocks!!!

In My Mailbox (21)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board.

This past week I couldn't help myself at PAYA and my wallet suffered the consequences, lol!

ARC Tours

The Phantom Diaries by Kailin Gow (Traveling ARC Tours)

What happens to the Phantom after the tragedy at the Paris Opera House is the basis for this fantastic tale of The Phantom Diaries, loosely based on Gaston Leroux's classic, The Phantom of the Opera, but with a new tale and a modern twist. This new series for older teens and young adults is told through the eyes of 18 year-old Annette Binoche, who lands a job at the New York Metropolitan Opera House as a seamstress' assistant only to become the lead singer of the Opera House, with the help of the mysterious, yet highly-seductive Phantom.

Jump by Ginger Rue (Around the World Tours)

High school junior Brinkley Harper is beautiful, wealthy, admired, and powerful—until the day she wakes up in the body of a classmate she wouldn’t be caught dead hanging out with.

Goth girl Miranda is everything Brinkley isn’t: she won't leave the house in anything but black, her family life is in tatters, she’s practically invisible at school, and she’s hiding a dark secret. As Brinkley experiences Miranda’s life from the inside out, she’s forced to consider the world from a very different point-of-view. But this won’t be Brinkley's last “jump,” and each time she lives a day in another classmate’s body, Brinkley not only begins to feel empathy for others, she also begins to glimpse the fears, vulnerabilities, and disappointments behind her own perfect façade. By experiencing the world as somebody else, Brinkley may finally learn to understand herself.

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams (Around the World Tours)

Twelve year old girl Hope's life is turned upside down when her older sister Lizzie becomes an elective mute and is institutionalized after trying to kill herself. Ever since their dad died Hope and Lizzie have relied on each other from a young age. Their mother is a reluctant and unreliable parent at best, who turns tricks to support the family. Throughout the course of this lyrical and heartbreaking narrative readers and Hope discover shocking truths and it's up to Hope to bring the truth to light to save her sister.

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur (We Love YA Tours)

Freshman year at Harvard--glamorous parties, blossoming friendships, steamy romances, and scandalous secrets. Skip the campus tour and get right to the good stuff: classes are for scoping guys (and their Facebook profiles), not taking notes. The library is for study dates (the medieval history stacks get a lot of action), not studying. And success is a 4.0 GPA... plus getting into the most exclusive parties. How will Callie--a California girl with brains, beauty, and big dreams--and her three roommates survive?

Bought

Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.

Infinite Days (Vampire Queen, #1) by Rebecca Maizel

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish. 

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

Morgan Sparks has always known that she and her boyfriend, Cam, are made for each other. But when Cam’s cousin Pip comes to stay with the family, Cam seems depressed. Finally Cam confesses to Morgan what’s going on: Cam is a fairy. The night he was born, fairies came down and switched him with a healthy human boy. Nobody expected Cam to live, and nobody expected his biological brother, heir to the fairy throne, to die. But both things happened, and now the fairies want Cam back to take his rightful place as Fairy King. 

Even as Cam physically changes, becoming more miserable each day, he and Morgan pledge to fool the fairies and stay together forever. But by the time Cam has to decide once and for all what to do, Morgan’s no longer sure what’s best for everyone, or whether her and Cam’s love can weather an uncertain future.

Sleepless by Cyn Balog

Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest. 

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her....

Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White

When someone leaves three mystery flowers outside her dorm door, Laurel thinks that maybe the Avondale School isn't so awful after all — until her own body starts to freak out. In the middle of her English presentation on the Victorian Language of Flowers, strange words pop into her head, and her body seems to tingle and hum. Impulsively, Laurel gives the love bouquet she made to demonstrate the language to her spinster English teacher. When that teacher unexpectedly and immediately finds romance, Laurel suspects that something — something magical — is up. With her new friend, Kate, she sets out to discover the origins and breadth of her powers by experimenting on herself and others. But she can’t seem to find any living experts in the field of flower powers to guide her. And her bouquets don't always do her bidding, especially when it comes to her own crush, Justin. Rumors about Laurel and her flowers fly across campus, and she's soon besieged by requests from girls — both friends and enemies — who want their lives magically transformed — just in time for prom.

Review: Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

The side characters won me over in this book.  The story was interesting and I enjoyed Bryn's journey of discovering the truth of her past, present and future, not to mention her struggle to find her place among both the wolves and humans, but that's not what had me really liking this book.  It was the secondary characters that had my heart and kept me reading.

To start there's Callum.  The Stone River pack's alpha and Bryn's guardian.  Right off I was hooked on him and found myself forgiving him for all his flaws without justification, yep...I had it bad for Callum.  He's strong, smart and after getting to know him you find he does nothing without a reason.  He rescued Bryn when she was just four years old and has been looking after her ever since.  He may not tell her everything but again, he has his reasons and I respect that part of him.  I'll admit at one point (you'll know when you read the book) it was hard not to jump on the "Callum isn't a good guy" bandwagon but overall I just couldn't help but love him.  Did I mention that he's rocking a hot accent to go with everything else? Wow!

Then we've got Dev and Lake, Bryn's two best friends.  Dev is an alpha in the making and a good guy to boot!  He's been by Bryn's side from the day she came to the pack and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.  Lake is one of only a few female werewolves and she's got the spunk to back up her individuality.  The girl is a walking weapon and yet she goes almost nowhere without her shotgun, which she affectionately refers to as Matilda.  You've got to love a girl who's always prepared.  She's fiercely protective of Bryn and is loyal until the end.  She doesn't question Bryn's motives (or at least not too much) but sticks with her without a thought to the consequences.

These characters were unique and unforgettable for me and I can't wait to see them again.  Jennifer Lynn Barnes had a great story to tell and I know there's more where that came from.  A lot of dramatic events took place in this first installment of the series and I can only imagine what Barnes has planned for the rest of the series.

I gave Raised by Wolves 4 shamrocks!!!!

ARC Tour & Review: The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day... a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?

I need to start out by saying that I liked this book but I want to also warn readers that it was not a quick read.  I wouldn't say I struggled to get through it but at the same time it took me longer than most to complete.  I wasn't truly prepared for the overall story line in this book.  I don't know that the summary/description on the back of the book does it justice but I was floored when finally getting a little ways into it.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted will not be an author I accuse of having predictable plot points.  I was just trying to keep up with her and I'll admit that I think I failed in that department, I was totally out of my league half the time.  I might still be trying to figure out what happened to be honest.  It was what I would call a wild ride but it was a bit frustrating at times because to me I was constantly confused for some reason or another.  I never could get a handle on what was going to happen or who was going to do what.  People were undergoing very large changes and I was just trying to keep up half the time.  I'll be very curious to see what everyone else thinks of Lucy, Helen, Kit and the rest of the gang, for now I'm going to keep trying to piece everything together and see if I can start to make sense of it all.

I gave The Twin's Daughter 3 shamrocks!!!

Fledgling Handbook Sneak Peek

Anyone else excited about the Fledgling 101 handbook that's coming out October 26, 2010?  I haven't been able to get enough of the House Of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast and I'm glad I won't have to wait much longer.  Head on over to get a sneak peek of the book and check out the rest of their site as well!

Sneak Peak!!!

ARC Tour & Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

What if love refused to die?

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

Talk about true love and fairy tale romances...The Eternal Ones will have readers believing in soul mates.  I love the idea of soul mates and star crossed lovers defying all odds to be with one another just as much as any girl who grew up reading fairy tales but The Enternal Ones has gotten to me like none of the others have.  The story of Constance and Ethan and Haven and Iain had me falling in love.  Kristen Miller knows how to hook a reader and hang on until only she's ready to let go.

Watching Haven grow up in a town so religious and strict that anything out of the traditional and conservative norm has the local townsfolk crying "demon" and "satan worshiper" was terrible to read.  I've never experienced anything like that personally so it was tough to get through.  I felt awful for Haven.  She lives in a claustrophobic environment with her horrible grandmother trying to make up for her sordid past by way of her grandaughter's present situation and it's awful to watch.  But with the bad, comes the good in Haven's best friend Beau (who is also looked down on for being gay) and he's with her through it all.  I loved him to death!  Their friendship was wonderful to witness and will make you appreciate you own friends that much more.

But the romance, oh the romance!  Haven knows she used to be someone in another life and she knows she loved someone then and is being drawn to that someone again.  Here is where Iain comes into play.  He's not the same boy from the other life and time but he's still Ethan in so many ways.  But like everything else, there's always a balance and with the good, bad follows.  What is he hiding?  Why is he lying?  Will Haven be able to remember everything she needs to in time?

This is a favorite for me and I was sad to have to pass it on for the tour, but I will be going out to pick up my very own copy the first chance I get.

I gave The Eternal Ones 5 shamrocks!!!!!

ARC Tour & Review: Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

His love captivated her... his secrets might kill her. 

Since her sister’s mysterious death, Persephone “Phe” Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts—the subject of her sister’s final diary entry.

After stepping on campus, Phe immediately realizes that there’s something different about this place—an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach—and somehow she’s connected to it all.

But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town…might cost her her life.

This book reminded me why I love a good mystery so much.  Add in the great romance Anastasia Hopus has blooming between Phe and Zach and you've got me as a big fan without a doubt.  From start to finish Hopcus builds the mystery that hangs over the small town of Shadow Hills.  Clues are given out and revelations are made at just the right times but I was just as much in the dark as the characters were.  It was perfect, I wasn't predicting the end by page one but instead enjoying the complexity that Hopcus created.  There are clear "good" guys and clear bad guys but it was the floaters that surprised me and kept me second guessing myself from the beginning to the very end.

After Phe's older sister Athena dies, she wants answers and doesn't want to wait around for them to come to her, or to never materialize at all.  She was such a fun character to watch in action.  She was brave and gutsy (yes I just used the word gutsy) and went after what she wanted, no holds barred.  The mysterious Zach (a local native of Shadow Hills) has secrets and plays hard to get but that just makes you like him all the more.

With her new boarding school friends (and who doesn't love a boarding school backdrop?) Phe sets out to solve the puzzle of her new home town and figure out how her and her sister fit in with the whole thing.  Readers will love the mystery, romance and of course the suspense, and will want more where that came from.  Hopcus says on her blog that she can't confirm a sequel but that she is working on book two.  Let's just hope that she can confirm and release that book very soon!

I gave Shadow Hills 4 shamrocks!!!!

Shade Giveaway

I happen to have an extra copy of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready and after meeting her this weekend at the PAYA book festival I am super excited to be able to give away a copy of her book in hopes that someone else will get the chance to read her wonderful work.

This contest is a followers only contest but I'm opening it up internationally and it's going to be a quick one.  The contest will end September 1st at midnight and I'll post the winner on the 2nd and ship the book out a.s.a.p.  If you've never heard of Shade (where have you been?) here's a little teaser.

Shade (Shade, #1) by Jeri Smith-Ready

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last. 

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

So fill out the form below and good luck!

ARC Tour & Review: Change of Heart by Shari Maurer

In a world where the most stressful thing seems to be winning a soccer game or what to wear in the morning, you take some really basic things for granted. 

Like the love of your parents.

Or hanging with your friends.

Or the beating of your heart.

When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.

Will Emmi get a heart in time? Is Sam too good to be true? What about her new friend Abe, who has also had a transplant and guides her through these scary times — is he just being supportive or is there more going on between them? And will Emmi realize it before it’s too late?

Shari Maurer really knows how to draw the most dramatic feelings out of her readers.  I was a mess while reading this book and was just so sad, I left feeling the same way.  The main character Emmi really got to me (so did just about everything else) and I connected with her right away.  I was instantly protective of her and each time she hit another obstacle I felt like it was a personal attack or something.  I was way too invested in this story at times, like I said, this book had me super emotional.

Readers will see Emmi's life turned upside down with her new heart condition and it's a terrible thing to even think about.  She was dealing with so much and I felt like for a lot of it she was on her own.  Maurer gives us a great character addition in Abe and I fell in love.  He was able to understand Emmi when not many others could and he's hard to resist.  Maurer also introduces us to Sam and Becca and honestly I'll let you make your own decisions about them.  Apparently my dance card was all filled up because Emmi and Abe were all I cared about in this one.

Now as much as I enjoyed Maurer's writing, her ending did not sit well with me.  I can understand why she wrote it the way she wrote it, but come on!  I was not happy, but that's the way it goes sometimes I guess.  All in all I am really glad I got the chance to pick this one up and I can't wait to read more of Maurer's work.  I've got my tissues on hand and I'm ready for more.

I gave Change of Heart 3 shamrocks!!!