Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Read In 2013


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind. So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

It's been a fabulous year for literature.  There have been so many great titles, wonderful new debut authors, and continuations in some of my favorite series, as well as more than a few terrific stand alones.  Narrowing that list down to only ten titles was trying and nearly impossible.  But I reminded myself and now you as well that this list cannot be fully encompassing.  There have been far more than just ten titles that I read this year and loved, but I've managed to go through my list of what I have read in 2013 and picked out ten to highlight nonetheless.

2013 Pick #1:  Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn


When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.



Evangeline “Evie” Greene, 16, leads a charmed life until her horrifying hallucinations predict a disaster that decimates her Louisiana hometown. She joins classmate Jack - with his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, bad attitude - and 22 other teens, as an ancient prophesy re-enacts the ultimate battle between good and evil. But who is on which side?
 

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels.

 

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

 
 

From the author of the “real page-turner” (Seventeen) Such a Rush comes an unforgettable new drama that follows friends-turned-lovers as they navigate the passions, heartbreaks, and intrigue of country music fame.

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

 
 

In the fourth and final installment, Maggie and Caleb must tie up all the loose ends of their lives and make a way to be together completely on their own. With everything that happened with Bish and Maggie's father, she's almost reluctant to move on and move out. And now she must figure out all of this...stuff...with Haddock. But of course, nothing can stay simple for the Jacobsons. Enemies who were thought to be dissolved have decided to not go down so easily. And old flames come calling for more than just Maggie. Caleb is torn between leading his family and personal wants. Maggie is torn between Caleb and being the leader of their people. But neither will let what they need most to be pushed to the wayside. They are determined to make it all work, design a plan toward destiny, and make everything right again for themselves and their family.

And then there's a wedding...

 
 

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster.

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

 

From New York Times bestselling author Patrick Carman, a teen fantasy-adventure of epic proportions. In 2051, some teens have a “pulse,” the power to move objects with their minds. Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story.

The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both.

Patrick Carman’s Pulse trilogy is a stunning, action-filled triumph about the power of the mind—and the power of love.

 
 

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

 
 

A new year is beginning at Wickham Boarding School. A new chance at life, at reversing the evil in my past. But nothing is ever as simple it seems...

Last year, the love of my life died performing a ritual to fulfill my one wish and make me human. And now I’ve performed the same ritual for my friend Vicken – and survived. Why am I here, back safe on Wickham campus?

The strong magic I used in the ritual did more than just make Vicken human. It drew someone to Lover’s Bay who does not belong here. She wants the ritual. Then she wants me dead. And she will take down any and everyone in my life to get what she wants.

As if that weren’t enough, the ritual has also summoned the anger of the Aeris, the four elements and most fundamental powers on earth. They have a surprise and an unbearable punishment for me – like stepping into the sun for the first time, only to be put into a cage. And now I have to make an impossible choice – between love or life, yearning or having, present or past…

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Coffee Table Book Wishlist

I hope everyone is enjoying their time with their family and friends, sampling fantastic food, walking around in the crisp winter air, and of course curling up with a few marvelous reads!  I always have books on my wish lists for the holidays and birthdays, and this year was no different.  There were more than a few new YA titles that were on my list of course, but I wanted to share just a few of the coffee table books I was hopeful to get and anxious to dive into while I have a few days off of work.

It's always nice to really take advantage of this time of year and everything wonderful that comes with it...one of those things for me is cozying up in a great big sweater, a mug of a delicious and oh so yummy latte or cocoa in one hand, pouring over a great new book in the other.

I Love Your Style:  How to Define and Refine Your Personal Style by Amanda Brooks

The former muse and creative director for designer label Tuleh, and author of the blog "In Her Eyes" for Men′s Vogue, Amanda Brooks is a lifelong fashion chameleon with an unerring eye for the elements of personal style. Smart, glamorous, media-savvy and remarkably practical, Amanda has spent her entire life constructing a unique, eclectic and intimately personal sense of style. With classic roots, bohemian flair, a taste for designer luxuries, and a love for bargains everywhere, Amanda has looked to every imaginable source of fashion inspiration-from high-fashion runways and magazines, to thrift stores and classic movies, to her neighbors in downtown New York and old family photo albums. In I Love Your Style, Amanda helps women of all ages begin to cull through the frighteningly vast world of fashion, from its staid basics to its trendiest moments.

I Love Your Style is a sumptuous full-color look-book and style bible, complete with more than 400 classic and modern photographs, that will both empower and inspire women to dive into the challenge of defining, or refining, their personal style. With fully illustrated chapters, sidebars, shopping lists, and personal stories devoted to a range diverse styles and shopping techniques-Classic, Bohemian, Minimalist, Street, High-Fashion, Cheap Chic, Vintage-Brooks walks readers through every angle of the fashion world, from the basic pieces and accessories that define a style, to the small details, combinations, and adaptations that can make it your own.

With its focus on embracing creativity, personal history, originality, and the freedom to pick and choose aspects from any distinct "style"-and with no "rules," "commandments," or lengthy lists of "don′ts" in sight-I Love Your Style is a must-read for budding fashionistas, or anyone who finds herself frustrated in front of the mirror each morning.

Chanel:  Collections and Creations by Daniel Bott


Chanel's combination of tradition, originality, and style has always made it the most seductive of fashion labels. Here the House of Chanel opens its private archives, revealing a galaxy of brilliant designs created by Coco Chanel from 1920 onwards. Dazzling clothes, intricate accessories, beautiful models, and timeless design leave no doubt as to the lasting fame of her name and embody everything that has come to symbolize the magic of Chanel.

The book explores five central themes—the suit, the camellia, jewelry, makeup and perfume, the little black dress & follows the threads from past to present to show how these key items have been rediscovered and reinvented by new designers.  It includes many previously unpublished archive photographs and original drawings by Karl Lagerfeld, as well as glorious images from some of the greatest names in fashion photography.

 
 

Arguably the most influential, imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, Alexander McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty examines the full breadth of the designer’s career, from the start of his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring, the specialized techniques of haute couture, and technological innovation to achieve his distinctive aesthetic. It also focuses on the highly sophisticated narrative structures underpinning his collections and extravagant runway presentations, with their echoes of avant-garde installation and performance art.Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen.Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty celebrates the astounding creativity and originality of a designer who relentlessly questioned and confronted the requisites of fashion.
 
 

One of the world’s leading fashion magazines, W will celebrate its 40th anniversary with this volume—a collection of the most influential and iconic features and photos culled from its first four decades. W is renowned for its groundbreaking, provocative, often controversial fashion stories by such photographers as Steven Klein, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Bruce Weber, Mario Sorrenti, Tim Walker, Juergen Teller, and Paolo Roversi, among many others, the best of which fill these pages. Divided into three sections—Who, Where, and Wow—this volume shows why W’s unique blend of unparalleled access, cultural smarts, and visual panache has always kept it at the forefront of not only the world of fashion, but also in art, design, style, beauty, celebrity, and society. Appearing in these pages are many of the world’s most talented, beautiful, and accomplished from a vast array of fields, including Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Madonna, Damien Hirst, Alexander McQueen, Daphne Guinness, Beyoncé, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, the Beckhams, Tilda Swinton, and Jackie Kennedy. In addition to a foreword by the book’s editor, Stefano Tonchi, W: The First 40 Years also includes newly commissioned essays from writers Lynn Hirschberg, Marian McEvoy, and Vince Aletti. Longtime W contributor Christopher Bagley has edited the text and written revealing captions that draw upon the magazine’s most memorable interviews and reporting.

Happy Times by Lee Bouvier Radziwill

Happy Times is the credo of a woman who, having witnessed historical moments and shared the lives of individuals struck by fate, has made the deliberate choice to remember only what's beautiful. Lee Radziwill offers a unique perspective of happy times -- from the Bouvier sisters' first trip to Europe to fond memories of Christmas in Palm Beach with President Kennedy, from her years in London to summer days in Conca, Lee Radziwill has enjoyed a very colorful and successful life. With anecdotes, pictures, notes, and drawings, Happy Times is a very personal look at a highly publicized life.
 




Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Santa Can Bring Me

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind. So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

While most of my friends and family know me well enough to know that books are ALWAYS a safe bet for them to get me for any occasion, it certainly doesn't hurt to throw a few ideas out there with the hopes that they'll continue to stock my shelves with a few titles that I've been dying to get my hands on.  Here are a few of those titles that I would love to find under the tree this year.

Santa Wishlist Pick #1:  This Wicked Game by Michelle Zink


Claire Kincaid’s family has been in business for over fifty years.

The voodoo business.

Part of the International Guild of High Priests and Priestesses, a secret society that have practiced voodoo for generations, the Kincaid’s run an underground supply house for authentic voodoo supplies. Claire plays along, filling orders for powders, oils and other bizarre ingredients in the family store, but she has a secret.

She doesn’t believe.

Struggling to reconcile her modern sensibilities with a completely unscientific craft based on suspicion, Claire can’t wait to escape New Orleans – and voodoo – when she goes to college, a desire that creates almost constant conflict in her secret affair with Xander Toussaint, son of the Guild’s powerful founding family.

But when a mysterious customer places an order for a deadly ingredient, Claire begins to realize that there’s more to voodoo – and the families that make up the Guild – than meets the eye.

Including her own.

As she bands together with the other firstborns of the Guild, she comes face to face with a deadly enemy – and the disbelief that may very well kill her.

 
 

Merciful Truth and her brother, Gospel, have just pulled their dead mother into the kitchen and stowed her under the table. It was a long illness, and they wanted to bury her—they did—but it’s far too cold outside, and they know they won’t be able to dig into the frozen ground. The Minister who lives with them, who preaches through his animal form, doesn’t make them feel any better about what they’ve done. Merciful calms her guilty feelings but only until, from the other room, she hears a voice she thought she’d never hear again. It’s her mother’s voice, and it’s singing a lullaby. . .
Santa Wishlist Pick #3:  Save the Enemy by Arin Greenwood
 

Everything has been downhill since Zoey Trask’s mother was murdered in a random mugging. Her younger brother, Ben, is on the autistic spectrum and needs constant supervision. It’s senior year, and she’s the new girl at a weird private school in Old Town Alexandria, VA, full of kids who seem too nice to be true—including a very cute boy named Pete. Aside from half-forgotten martial arts and survivalist skills that her widowed father insisted on teaching her (because that is excellent for her social life), Zoey has nothing to offer Pete or anyone else.

Then Dad is kidnapped. Zoey suddenly finds herself sole caretaker of a younger brother she barely understands. Worse, Ben seems to hold the key to their father’s disappearance in his Dream Diary, a bizarre journal of names and places Ben claims that their mother shares from beyond the grave. And as if Zoey doesn’t have enough on her plate, there’s Pete, who stubbornly refuses to leave her side.

Relying on the skills she never wanted to learn—Dad might have had his reasons after all—Zoey is plunged into a lethal battle to rescue her father, protect her brother, and determine the identity of her family’s true enemy.

 
 

For Kellie Brooks, family has always been a tough word to define. Combine her hippie mom and tattooist stepdad, her adopted overachieving sister, her younger half brother, and her tough-love dad, and average Kellie’s the one stuck in the middle, overlooked and impermanent. When Kellie’s sister finally meets her birth mother and her best friend starts hanging with a cooler crowd, the feeling only grows stronger.

But then she reconnects with Oliver, the sweet and sensitive college guy she had a near hookup with last year. Oliver is intense and attractive, and she’s sure he’s totally out of her league. But as she discovers that maybe intensity isn’t always a good thing, it’s yet another relationship she feels is spiraling out of her control.

It’ll take a new role on the school newspaper and a new job at her mom’s tattoo shop for Kellie to realize that defining herself both outside and within her family is what can finally allow her to feel permanent, just like a tattoo.



Santa Wishlist Pick #5:  These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1) by Amie Kauffman & Megan Spooner


It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.

 
Santa Wishlist Pick #6:  Ashes to Ashes by Melissa C. Walker
 

If I Stay meets the movie Ghost in this first book in a teen duology about a teenage-girl-turned-ghost who must cling to the echoes of her former life to save the people she left behind.

Ashes to Ashes is author Melissa Walker's sweeping, romantic, and emotionally rich story about the things that torment and tempt us, even from the Great Beyond. This book is perfect for fans of Die for Me and Imaginary Girls, and its breathtaking ending will leave readers anxiously awaiting the series conclusion, Dust to Dust.

When Callie's life is cut short by a tragic accident, she expects to find nothingness, or maybe some version of heaven.

Instead, her spirit travels to the Prism, an ethereal plane populated by the ghosts she thought were fictional. Here she meets a striking and mysterious ghost named Thatcher, who is meant to guide her as she learns to haunt and bring peace to the loved ones she left behind.

However, Callie uncovers a dark secret about the spirit world: The angry souls who always populate ghost stories are real, dangerous, and willing to do whatever it takes to stay on Earth, threatening the existence of everyone she ever cared about.

As she fights to save them, Callie will learn that while it may no longer beat, her heart can still love-and break.

 
Santa Wishlist Pick #7:  Control (Control, #1) by Lydia Kang
 

An un-putdownable thriller for fans of Uglies

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.

A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.


Santa Wishlist Pick #8:  The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine


Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

 
Santa Wishlist Pick #9:  Icon's of Men's Styles by Josh Sims
 

Behind nearly every item in the modern male wardrobe is a "first of its kind"the definitive item, often designed for specialist use, on which all subsequent versions have been based. Icons of Men's Style examines, garment by garment, the most important and famous of these productstheir provenance and history, the stories of their design, the brand/company that started it all, and how the item shaped the way men dress today.
 
Santa Wishlist Pick #10:  The Trench Book by Nick Foulkes
 

This fall, Assouline presents The Trench Book. a 350-page tribute honoring this iconic outer garment. What began as a military uniform has become a cornerstone of the contemporary wardrobe, largely as a result of its unique combination of form and function. From linen to leather, The Trench Book explores the classic style in all its fabrications and fashions. The mystique of a private investigator's coast, the sinister allure of the leather trench, the seduction of a trench worn with nothing underneath: the trench has a life of its own. In coordination's with Burberry, this richly illustrated and seriously documented volume explores the trench through history, film, fashion, and more. All in all, The Trench Book is the authoritative volume on a timeless coast.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

In My Mailbox (123)


This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?



 
For Review:
 
 
A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?
 
 
The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle (Thanks to Simon Pulse)
 
Growing up in privileged, Manhattan social circles, Caggie’s life should be perfect, and it almost was until the day that her younger sister drowned when Caggie was supposed to be watching her. Stricken by grief, Caggie pulls away from her friends and family, only to have everyone misinterpret a crucial moment when she supposedly saves a fellow classmate from suicide. Now she’s famous for something she didn’t do and everyone lauds her as a hero. But inside she still blames herself for the death of her sister and continues to pull away from everything in her life, best friend and perfect boyfriend included. Then Caggie meets Astor, the new boy at school, about whom rumours are swirling and known facts are few. In Astor she finds someone who just might understand her pain, because he has an inner pain of his own. But the more Caggie pulls away from her former life to be with Astor, the more she realises that his pain might be darker, and deeper, than anything she’s ever felt. His pain might be enough to end his life…and Caggie’s as well.
 
 
 
A futuristic blend of Beth Revis's Across the Universe and Lenore Appelhans's Level 2, Burn Out will satisfy the growing desire for science fiction with a thrilling story of survival, intrigue, and adventure.

Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.

Holed up in an underground shelter, Tora is alone--her brilliant scientist father murdered, her mother and sister burned to death. She dreams of living on a planet with oceans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, the oceans dried out ages ago, the only plants are giant cacti with deadly spines, and her pet, Trigger, is a gun--one of the bio-energetic weapons her father created for the government before his conscience kicked in.

When family friend, Markus, arrives with mercenaries to take the weapons by force, Tora's fury turns to fear when government ships descend in an attempt to kill them all. She forges an unlikely alliance with Markus and his rag-tag group of raiders, including a smart but quiet soldier named James. Tora must quickly figure out who she can trust, as she must choose between saving herself by giving up the guns or honoring her father's request to save humanity from the most lethal weapons in existence.
 
 
Resistance is the second installment in acclaimed author Jenna Black’s YA SF romance series.

Nate Hayes is a Replica.

The real Nate was viciously murdered, but thanks to Paxco’s groundbreaking human replication technology, a duplicate was created that holds all of the personality and the memories of the original. Or...almost all. Nate’s backup didn't extend to the days preceding his murder, leaving him searching for answers about who would kill him, and why. Now, after weeks spent attempting to solve his own murder with the help of his best friend and betrothed, Nadia Lake, Nate has found the answers he was seeking...and he doesn’t like what he’s discovered.

The original Nate was killed because he knew a secret that could change everything. Thanks to Nadia’s quick thinking, the two of them hold the cards now—or think they do.

Unfortunately, neither of them fully understands just how deep the conspiracy runs.
 
 
You know that Abby Abernathy unexpectedly became Mrs. Maddox. But what do you really know?

Why did Abby pop the question?
What secrets were shared before the ceremony?
Where did they spend their wedding night?
Who else knew about it . . . and didn’t tell?

Everything about Abby and Travis’s elopement was top-secret . . . until now. Fans of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster will get all of their questions answered in this whirlwind tale of the wedding day (and night!)—and as with all good stories, this one will definitely have been worth the wait.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Spellbound Book Series Promotion Blitz

 
“Author Sherry Soule’s DREAM CAST”
 
Today bestselling author, Sherry Soule has some exciting news to share with us! All the previously published books in the Spellbound series have been rewritten and republished with more epic romance and suspenseful thrills. The new versions also include exclusive bonus material and brand new scenes. Even additional scenes from the charming bad-boy, Trent Donovan’s point-of-view! To help promote the new editions, she is doing this awesome book series promoto share the update with fellow booklovers.

So without further ado here are Sherry’s top actor picks...

My kickbutt heroine, Shiloh Ravenwolf is a tough one. For me it is between these lovely and brilliant actresses: Chloe Bridges and Rachel Bilson and Malese Jow. (I couldn’t find many Native American actresses in my Google search that would fit my description of Shiloh, who is half-French and half-Sioux.)

Quirky, SHILOH (who never leaves the house without her fav hot pink Doc Martens) has a habit of engaging her brain before her mouth. She has seen shadows for as long as she can remember, and they always turn up when something bad is about to happen. Shiloh was born with an unusual mix of Native American Sioux and French Wiccan ancestry. When Shiloh meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan, she realizes he might be next on the supernatural hit list. Shiloh decides it’s her duty to find out what is causing the mystical disappearances in Whispering Pines before the evil claims another innocent life. Yet even as a witch-in-training, is Shiloh worthy to combat the forces of darkness? Or is she just another teen destined to befall the town curse?


For the part of the arrogant, playboy, Trent Donovan, I think these dynamic actors would be great: Christopher Chace Crawford or Alex Pettyfer:

After seventeen years, TRENT and his father return to Whispering Pines and are instantly under speculation. Especially when construction on their mansion awakens an ancient evil, and the vanishing of a local teen has everyone murmuring about an old witch’s curse. When Trent meets Shiloh—sparks fly. Shiloh and Trent have an almost instant connection. As their friendship changes from mutual lust to real affection, they achieve an emotional closeness rarely found. He finds Shiloh’s willful determination a challenge, but he still has a hard time expressing his feelings. Will Trent be able to survive the Whispering Pine curse in time to tell Shiloh how he feels?

 
For Shiloh’s mother, Jillian Ravenwolf –Broussard, I like this amazing actress: Kelly Lee Carlson (she would be so freakin’ perfect).
 
Shiloh’s mother, JILLIAN BROUSSARD is an incredibly beautiful yet cryptic woman. She has never really been the “motherly” type. When she starts dabbling in Dark Magicks, she slips further away from her family. Jillian has been embracing darkness, and straying from the path of Wicca. Will the cost of her driving ambition come at a deadly price?
 
 
For Jackson Ravenwolf (Shiloh’s father) this wonderful actor might be great: Oded Fehr.
 
JACKSON RAVENWOLF is Shiloh’s father, and he only wants peace within his troubled family. He is a kind-hearted man who tends to be swept up in Shiloh’s drama. He does not believe in the supernatural. Not in ghosts or hauntings or mysterious happenings as well as psychic abilities. He thinks the rumors about witches are ridiculous. Still he’s worried that Shiloh will discover his secret. Will he finally find the courage to tell Shiloh the truth about her heritage?
 
 
For Shiloh’s sassy best friend, Ariana Parsons, this remarkable actress would be great: Tiffany Thornton.
 
Smart and feisty, ARIANA PRESTON is Shiloh’s best friend. Her outgoing nature, along with her snarky and blunt personality are Ariana’s most endearing qualities. Upon learning that Shiloh is actually a powerful thirteenth witch, she dedicates herself to aiding her friend in the battle against evil. But after playing around with the occult, Ariana develops a taste for the dark arts. Will her interest in the Craft only cause more havoc and mayhem in a town that is already cursed by dark magick?
 
 
For Anthony Evans, Shiloh’s mentor and friend, I like these gifted actors best: Josh Lucas or Patrick Wilson.
 
ANTHONY EVANS is a Victorian restoration specialist and part-time paranormal investigator that grew up in Castro Valley, California, and gifted with Sight. After the death of his wife, he moves in with his brother-in-law, Maxwell Donovan and his nephew, Trent to help cleanse their haunted house. After hiring Shiloh as an assistant, he decides that it’s his duty to educate Shiloh in all things supernatural. But will teaching her magick be enough to stop the evil from killing the other teenagers in town?
 
 
For Shiloh’s brave and loving aunt Lauren, I like these outstanding actresses, Gwyneth Paltrow or Charilze Theron:
 
LAUREN BROUSSARD wants to help Shiloh deal with her newfound powers. Although, continuous, heated disagreements with her sister, Jillian about Shiloh’s upbringing resulted in her being estranged from the family. But what can Lauren say when Shiloh starts asking questions about the Broussard family’s dark past?
 
 
Only one actor comes to mind that could portray the dashing and ruthless, Maxwell Donavon – Australian actor and former fashion model, Julian Dana William McMahon:
 
Millionaire, yuppie, MAXWELL DONOVAN finally appears in MOONLIGHT MAYHEM. He
shares his son Trent’s intensity, articulacy, and conviction. Maxwell was married to Claire and stole not only her heart, but her sanity as well. Rumors abound after he is accused of murdering his wife. Is he really a heartless killer or is there more to this enigmatic man?
 
 
For the bratty Trendies, Ashley and Kayla, I like these young, talented actresses: Victoria Justice for Ashley and Amanda Bynes for Kayla:
 
ASHLEY WITHERIDGE is the mayor’s daughter. She is the Queen Bee at Whispering Pines High. Always calm and poised, and perfectly coiffed. She is Shiloh’s best frenemy. Ashley is very loyal to her friends while still being independent. When an unstoppable beast invades the town, will Ashley put aside her differences to join forces with Shiloh?
 
 
KAYLA BISHOP is Ashley’s best friend and captain of the cheerleading squad. At times, she can be spontaneous or cautious—whatever the situation calls for. She’s tougher than she looks, but can a bit of an airhead. Will Kayla surprise herself with her own insightful contributions to the fight against evil?
 
 
For the Ramírez family, I like these three talented actors: Michael Trevino as Daniel, Famke Janssen as Regina, and Demián Bichir as Javier.
 
 
Okay, so there you have it, Sherry’s fav actor picks. If you’ve read Beautifully Broken or Moonlight Mayhem, what actors would you pick for the leading roles?
 
Hope you enjoyed this post. Now go feed your mind and read a book! Preferably mine. :)
 
Places you can cyberstalk Sherry Soule:
 
 
Thank you so much for visiting with me today. It’s been an honor to share my actor picks with all of you. If you haven’t seized your copy of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM yet, please do so. More thrilling adventures await you!
 

Deadly Witchcraft. Ghostly Threats. Doomed Romance.
 
They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Fallen Oaks. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse.
 
When sixteen-year-old Shiloh Trudell takes a summer job at Craven Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan, and immediately becomes enchanted by his charms.
 
Finally, Shiloh’s met someone who is supercute and totally into her, but Trent is immersed in the cunning deception that surrounds the mysterious Craven Manor. So much so that he may lose sight of what is truly important to him. And she can’t decide whether she wants to shake him or kiss him. Yet neither one of them can deny the immediate, passionate connection growing between them.
 
But underlying everything is the fear that Trent may be the next victim on a supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him…
 
With cryptic messages from a pesky wraith, Shiloh will finally begin to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist and decide how muchshe’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.
 
Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.
 
BUY BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN (Spellbound, #1):
 
ISBN: 978-0976180425
ASIN: B0058DE8YI

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