Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Covers of Books I've Read

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 all of us know that we shouldn't judge a book based only it's cover, we all do it a little bit.  It might be that the cover is what drew our attention to check it out further, or kept us from racing to the register to make our purchase if it was less than appealing.  Either way, a book's cover image is important and I've come across a lot that have just taken my breath away and gotten me even more excited to read a title that I'd already been looking forward to checking out.

Favorite Cover Pick #1:  The Space Between (The Book of Phoenix, #1) by Kristie Cook

When Life Falls to Pieces, Answers Lie in the Space Between

After a month-long dance tour through Italy, 20-year-old Leni Drago returns to Georgia to care for her great-uncle, only to find him gone, the home they shared empty and any evidence he ever existed wiped out. All that’s left is a journal she can’t open.

Jeric Winters has been searching for a piece of his past for over a year, only to reach a dead-end in Georgia. When an urgent and magnetic pull draws him out of his hotel room, he comes face-to-face with the beautiful dancer who’s been haunting his dreams day and night.

Jeric’s one to stay away from—a bad-boy, hit-it-and-quit-it type—but Leni can’t escape the fervent feelings between them. As their own existences begin to crumble around them and shadowy forms that are more monsters than men attack, they realize there’s more to the connection between them than physical fascination.

To solve the riddle their lives have become, they must embark on a journey that requires them to face their pasts and release their true souls. And they must do it fast—dark ones from another world are closing in, intent on killing them. Permanently.

I'm not sure if it's the pastel colors swirling around, or the silhouettes presented of two of the characters?  Either way, the first look I got of this title and I was sold.

Favorite Cover Pick #2:  Airel (The Airel Saga, #1) by Aaron Patterson & Chris White

All Airel ever wanted was to be normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like an incredible ability to heal. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything. Airel knew change would be an inevitable part of life. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?

While I might not have been sold on the story itself, the cover image haunted me.  There was something about the character's pose and the coloring that drew me in and without a doubt left me wanting to know what her story was?

Favorite Cover Pick #3:  Splintered (Splintered, #1) by A.G. Howard

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Who didn't fall in love with this cover? It's creative and blows a great imagination out of the water...all the elements it should possess to tell a tale related to Alice in Wonderland.

Favorite Cover Pick #4:  Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy, #1) by J.A. London

Only sunlight can save us.

We built the wall to keep them out, to keep us safe. But it also makes us prisoners, trapped in what's left of our ravaged city, fearing nightfall.

After the death of my parents, it's up to me--as the newest delegate for humanity--to bargain with our vampire overlord. I thought I was ready. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the monsters. Then again, nothing could have prepared me for Lord Valentine . . . or his son. Maybe not all vampires are killers. Maybe it's safe to let one in.

Only one thing is certain: Even the wall is not enough. A war is coming and we cannot hide forever.

It's all about the girl and the fabulous dress right?  Again another cover that left me haunted and wondering what this girl's story was all about.  I couldn't resist.

Favorite Cover Pick #5:  The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Yes it's another one I fell in love with due to the girl and the fabulous dress...but come on!  It's a stunner and totally worthy of my gawking.

Favorite Cover Pick #6:  Reached (Matched, #3) by Ally Condie

After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again.

I waited to see what this cover would look like just as anxiously as all the other fans.  When I saw the new color scheme that was being used, and the way our main character Cassia was breaking out of the bubble instead of being trapped inside I was thrilled.  Excitement coursed through me and I was eagerly counting down until I'd get to check this third installment out and see what Condie had in store for her characters this time around.  Condie didn't disappoint with her writing and plot lines, nor did the cover image fail to live up to what I was expecting.  All of it was just fabulous!

Favorite Cover Pick #7:  If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) by Gayle Forman

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

I know that this title has both a hardcover image and a paperback cover image, but it's the paperback cover image that I fell in love with.  And after reading this story I can't imagine another cover more suited to the story.  It perfectly captures what goes on within the pages, and the image itself drew me in before I knew anything about the story Forman would weave so poetically for her readers.

Favorite Cover Pick #8:  The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Love is all you need... or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut.

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . . .

Everyone knows I'm a huge fan of all things Elizabeth Eulberg, but this cover sold me right off the bat before I even knew anything about her.  My love of the Beatles goes back to when I was little and my dad was trying to make sure I didn't grow up without an appreciation for the "good" type of music.  In fact ever since seeing this book cover and reading more about it in Eulberg's story I've always wanted to reenact the famous album cover with friends or family!

Favorite Cover Pick #9:  Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

Wickedly hilarious and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love—all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and doll-sized cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep.

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering, what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life years of early adulthood. These are the years when everyone else seems to have a plan, a great job, and an appropriate boyfriend, while Isabella has a blind date with a gay man, Mary has a crush on her boss, and Lauren has a goldfish named Willard. Through boozy family holidays and disastrous ski vacations, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

I think this one just speaks for itself if you've ever been a bridesmaids or participated in a wedding of any kind.  By the end of the process it's very likely you'll find yourself feeling a lot like this girl featured on the cover....a dress and a bouquet of flowers...point me in the right direction and away we go.

Favorite Cover Pick #10:  Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

An iconic novel dressed in a fierce design by acclaimed fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo. See the other titles in the couture-inspired collection: Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, The Scarlet Letter and Wuthering Heights.

Ruben Toledo’s breathtaking drawings have appeared in such high-fashion magazines as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Visionaire. Now he’s turning his talented hand to illustrating the gorgeous deluxe editions of three of the most beloved novels in literature. Here Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection of Mr. Darcy, Hester Prynne’s fateful letter “A”, and Catherine Earnshaw’s wanderings on the Yorkshire moors are transformed into witty and surreal landscapes to appeal to the novels’ aficionados and the most discerning designer’s eyes.
Ruben Toledo's illustrations take my breath away!  I love his creative take on this classic favorite of mine, as well as all of the other Penguins' classics that he gave his own spin to.

Countdown: June 2013

While it might not feel like Summer is right around the corner right now it's not that far away.  May might mark the beginning of Summer and all the fun that comes with it, but when June rolls around I'm always ready to get into the full swing of things.  I'm ready to pack up my cold weather clothing and instead of curling up on the sofa with a book I'd rather take one out either poolside or to the beach.  Who doesn't like to lay around in the sun and enjoy a great book at the same time?  I've been known to like to grab a tan and soak up the sun but I can only lie around in the heat for so long without getting antsy so that's when I pull out the good books.  They get me through the hotter temperatures and keep me entertained while I try to get all the vitamin D a girl could want.  What's on your June 2013 list to pick up at your favorite bookstores?

Countdown Pick #1:  PODs by Michelle K. Pickett (06/04/2013)

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul. 

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters. 

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

How can you not want to see what happens to Eva and David after reading that description?  While I find the whole idea of the virus and choosing who lives over who dies a little more than morbid, it's also oddly fascinating and I'm anxious to see where Pickett takes her readers.

Countdown Pick #2:  Ashes on the Waves by Mary Lindsey (06/27/2013)

Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.

With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make a wager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.

Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem Annabel Lee, Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.

With a Goodreads giveaway going on right now through March 15th no one has an excuse to pass this gem up, am I right?  Everyone can enter to win a signed ARC and I'm stoked!  This might not be a retelling but it's gotten its start based on Poe's famous poem and as a Maryland native I'm all for that.

Countdown Pick #3:  Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance (06/11/2013)

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either. 

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death. 

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

Oh for the love of all things Austen I cannot wait for this title to be released!  The fact that I have to wait until June is almost painful, but anything for something Austen related.  I've always enjoyed P&P remakes and this one sounds quite unique.  A must read for my Summer list for sure!

Countdown Pick #4:  Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross (06/11/2013)

When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. 

Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect foil.

But Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose.

I'm intrigued to say the least.  The idea is horrifying that people would ever have paid for a service like the one described above, but it's not all that far fetched of an idea either.  I definitely want to see what Maude's journey is like and what kinds of deception Ross has in store for her readers.

Countdown Pick #5:  After Daybreak (Darkness Before Dawn, #3) by J.A. London (06/25/2013)

Dawn returns from L.A. with terrifying news: In his greed for power, the maniacal Day Walker Sin is raising an army and infecting his followers with the Thirst—a rabieslike disease that will turn them into mindless killers. To stop him, Dawn and Victor will have to convince humans and vampires to work together before it’s too late.

I was a huge fan of London's first installment and the duo packed a punch with their writing.  I haven't had the chance to pick up the second installment so I'm trying not to peak and see what this one's about, but it's a series I have no doubt I'll want to read from start to finish and long after the series has ended.  Their cover art for this series always blows me away with the depictions of the main character as well as the haunting scenes that readers can't help but be drawn to.  It's a great combination and one I always look forward to.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Reads in 2012

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.

I was lucky enough to have the time and opportunity to read quite a large amount of books and most of them were down right amazing and became instant favorites of mine.  Still, despite the number of winners that I came to know and love, there will always be those that stand out among the others as being immediately close to my heart and while there are more than ten on my mind (sorry I can't list them all), I've done my best to narrow the list down for today's post.

Favorite 2012 Read #1:  Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) by Jamie McGuire

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

When I saw this topic header I had no doubt I'd be able to fill up the slots, the hard part would be narrowing it down to just ten choices.  Despite that, I had to include this title!  I think I can honestly say it was my favorite find this year.

Favorite 2012 Read #2:  Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

This one threw me for a loop to say the least.  I didn't think another book would ever trump The Hunger Games in my opinion within the dystopian genre, but I was so wrong.  Never say never because I think this one blew it out of the water!

Favorite 2012 Read #3:  Significance (Significance, #1) by Shelly Crane

Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who's had a bad year. She was smart and on track, but then her mom left, her dad is depressed, she's graduating - barely - and her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football scholarship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is gripping tight with everything she has.
Then she saves the life of Caleb and instantly knows there's something about him that's intriguing. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally.
They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing supernatural changes unlike anything she's ever felt before and she needs the touch of his skin to survive.
Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a pain as well, but Caleb's enemies know he's imprinted and are after Maggie to stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him.

Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just finding one another?

A fresh and new change of pace for me from what I was reading up to this point and I loved it; so much so that I couldn't stop with just the series opener, but had to continue reading the rest of the series installments as well.

Favorite 2012 Read #4:  Touch of Death (Touch of Death, #1) by Kelly Hashway

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendants of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

I've always been a fan of mythology and to have the chance to touch on Medusa and the spin Hashway threw into this series was nothing but fun and entertainment.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series brings.

Favorite 2012 Read #5:  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. 

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them. 

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. 

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. 

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. 

A world at stake. 
A quest for the ultimate prize. 
Are you ready?

I've never considered myself to be a computer nut or a video game connoisseur, but I am a child of the 80s so when I was asked to consider this read for review I couldn't say no.  I'm so glad I got this opportunity.  The brilliance behind Cline's world and the competition he created was magical to say the least.  My only regret is that I wasn't able to be a contestant myself!

Favorite 2012 Read #6:  Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. 

When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may dis Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they’re determined to keep the banner planes flying.

Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

This is an author that can unfold a relationship to perfection.  Her characters are real and easy to relate to on various levels, and readers find themselves hard pressed to avoid becoming invested in their fictional lives.  Each of her books introduces new scenarios to learn from, new characters to fall in love with and keeps readers wanting more every time!

Favorite 2012 Read #7:  Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn, #1) by J.A. London

Only sunlight can save us.

We built the wall to keep them out, to keep us safe. But it also makes us prisoners, trapped in what's left of our ravaged city, fearing nightfall.

After the death of my parents, it's up to me--as the newest delegate for humanity--to bargain with our vampire overlord. I thought I was ready. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the monsters. Then again, nothing could have prepared me for Lord Valentine . . . or his son. Maybe not all vampires are killers. Maybe it's safe to let one in.

Only one thing is certain: Even the wall is not enough. A war is coming and we cannot hide forever.

This mother-son writing duo have proved two minds can sometimes be better than one.  Bargains with vampires, a dystopian society with a healthy mix of paranormal romance and I was hooked.  At the time I wasn't sure if this series would be picked up and future installments added, but now I can rest easy because 2013 brings readers a sequel to devour.

Favorite 2012 Read #8:  Touch of Power (Healer, #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

Thank goodness for authors like Snyder because I don't know what I'd do without her creative and unique fictional worlds, her sometimes outlandish and always wonderful characters, her magic, mystery and romance are hard to beat!  Every time she starts a new series I get excited all over again, knowing without a doubt that I'm about to experience another amazing adventure!

Favorite 2012 Read #9:  Healed by Fire (Artemis Lupine, #3) by Catherine Banks

“The dark approaches. Fire will consume and restore, happiness and pain must be experienced collectively. Death for three will be the end.”

Her memory taken and her whereabouts unknown Artemis is taken in by a coven of witches who give her the name Chandra. After an intense interaction with the Beta of the Werewolves, whom she can’t deny a connection to, Chandra learns that there are people who know her true identity and that she’s not the only halfbreed werewolf alive. Is he really her mate? Just who was she in this previous life? Does she even want to find out the truth? And can she decipher the meaning of her death prophecy before it’s too late?

What a dark horse of a series this turned out to be, and I mean that in the best possible way.  I can't even remember how I came to find this series.  I'll admit the cover art almost had me passing it up, but for some reason I gave it a try and couldn't be happier that I did.  I fell in love with these characters and this third series installment left me with so much anxiety I wasn't sure I'd survive.  Banks has a great writing style and a real winner of a series to call her own.

Favorite 2012 Read #10:  Minder (Ganzfield, #1) by Kate Kaynak

Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place. 

Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. 

A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. 

And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey. Especially once she meets the man of her dreams...

What a gem this title turned out to be!  I've had it on my shelf unread for longer than I care to admit but I finally rectified that situation.  As it turns out I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner.  I'm loving the characters, their special abilities, the adventure and danger, all of it.  Kaynak is leaving nothing out and her readers and fans are in for a very entertaining ride.

ARC Review: Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London

The Passage meets the House of Night series in this gritty alternate reality where vampires make the rules...and one girl dares to break them.

The war is over. And the vampires won. Humans huddle inside walled cities, supplying blood to their vampire overlords in exchange for safety - but not even that is guaranteed.

Dawn Montgomery has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as her city's delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn't until she meets Victor, Valentine's son that she realizes not all vampires are monsters...

I've got myself a new favorite read everybody! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough in this one. I can't say that I found this to be a surprise, but I was really excited to learn that despite all the hype that I was experiencing before getting my hands on a copy of this to read, I discovered that it wasn't in vain. This new title lived up to the jazz and then some.

J.A. London makes up the mother-son writing team of Jan and Alex Nowasky. Jan also writes under the name of Rachel Hawthorne and is widely known for her (very) popular Dark Guardian series. It was one of my favorites and I was very disappointed and sad to hear that after four books, the series was ending. But the disappointment didn't last long, because shortly after I realized that series was over, I got wind of this upcoming release and couldn't have been more excited to see what the mother-son team was capable of. And let me tell you, they can pack a punch for sure!

Not knowing what to expect from this alternate reality where humans are at the bottom of the food chain and are forced to supply blood for the vampires that overthrew them was a little harder to grasp. But I'll admit I quickly caught up, as I'm sure other readers will as well. The pace is fast and readers won't really have a choice but to catch on quickly because it's impossible not to devour this one as quick as possible...it's too addicting to take breaks and stop for just about anything...including meals and sleep.

After getting a feel for the characters and people Dawn is surrounded with on a daily basis, readers get introduced to the juicy parts, the vampires, the delegates and the agency they report to and all the stress that goes right along with it. Without giving away too many spoilers since this one won't be hitting the shelves until May 29th readers just have to know that there is a lot going on with this title and every little bit counts. This writing team will be keeping their readers glued to the pages and desperate to find out what will come next for these new and exciting characters. I know I'm already chomping at the bit for another taste of this world and Dawn and the rest of her crew.

I gave Darkness Before Dawn 5 shamrocks!!!!!

In My Mailbox (46)

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:

Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London (Thanks to HarperTeen)

This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn’t until she meets Victor, Valentine’s son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters....

Darkness Before Dawn is a fresh new story with captivating characters, unexpected plot twists, a fascinating setting, and a compelling voice. Written under the name J. A. London by a talented mother-son team, the trilogy is perfect for fans of True Blood and the House of Night and Morganville Vampires series.

Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols (Thanks to Jennifer)

The wildly popular author of Going Too Far, Forget You, and Love Story returns with a sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever. But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly. Engrossing and intense, Such a Rush is a captivating story from an author with a rising star.

Elemental by Emily White (Thanks to Spencer Hill Press)

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should.

But she wants to.

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories?

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?

Taken At Dusk (Shadow Falls, #3) by C.C. Hunter (Thanks to St. Martin's Press)

Step into author C.C. Hunter's spectacular Shadow Falls series with Taken at Dusk, and enter into the camp for teens with supernatural powers. Here friendship thrives, love takes you by surprise, and our hearts possess the greatest magic of all.

Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean. But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better.

Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together. Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it’s not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different—and more astonishing—than she ever imagined.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (5)

As big of a reader as I am, I can never seem to get caught up on all the books I've decided to add to my collection. No matter what I do, there just always seems to be more titles that get added to my list and more authors that become favorites that I constantly find myself following up on. Don't get me wrong, this is not a problem that I'm complaining about, but at some point my organizational skills only go so far when it comes down to making sure these titles I've added to my "list" don't fall through the cracks. So most of you know by now that I've come to be a big advocate of the countdown posts. It's the only way that I've been able to manage my ever growing TBR lists. And on top of all that, it's gets me excited all over again each time I do further research on certain titles and authors, or get another look at exceptional covers that act as more than that, they become works of art that are ingrained in my head. So here's another round of books that I've been or will be counting down towards their releases dates.

Countdown Pick #1: Endlessly (Paranormalcy, #3) by Kiersten White (07/24/2012)

The third book in the Paranormalcy trilogy.

The final chapter of Evie's adventures. Old friends, new ones, all wrapped up in impossible decisions. And some ball gowns. Because what's a life of normal and paranormal drama without a ball gown or two?

I admitted yesterday in my new finds post that I somehow lost track of this series. It had nothing to do with the writing or how much I liked the series, it simply happened. I think since I read the series' first installment, Paranormalcy in ARC form, it was a very long time (or it seemed that way) before the second installment's release date. So now that I've corrected that error of mine and plan on picking up a copy of the Supernaturally soon, I wanted to include the final title in the trilogy so that I would repeat my previous mistakes. Since I've got no idea what will happen in book two, I can't even begin to guess what this final chapter will bring to readers. All I can say is that after enjoying the series' opener as much as I did, I'm looking forward to what White will bring to the table to wrap this trilogy up.

Countdown Pick #2: Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London (05/29/2012)

This electrifying new trilogy blends the best of paranormal and dystopian storytelling in a world where the war is over. And the vampires won.

Humans huddle in their walled cities, supplying blood in exchange for safety. But not even that is guaranteed. Dawn has lost her entire family and now reluctantly serves as the delegate to Lord Valentine, the most powerful vampire for miles. It isn't until she meets Victor, Valentine's son, that she realizes not all vampires are monsters...

Darkness Before Dawn is a fresh new story with captivating characters, unexpected plot twists, a fascinating setting, and a compelling voice. Written under the name J.A. London by a talented mother-son team, the trilogy is perfect for fans of True Blood and the House of Night and Morganville Vampires series.

Ok, can I just say how super excited I am about this future release??? I don't even know where to begin. Rachel Hawthorne, the mother of this mother-son team has always been a favorite of mine. Her Dark Guardian series had me hooked from the first book all the way through until the fourth book. And even after that, I couldn't believe she wasn't continuing the series right away and churning out more titles to add to the series. I was so disappointed and could only hope she changed her mind in the future. While I haven't heard any news regarding that series, when I heard she'd be coming out with a new series that she was co-writing with her son, I couldn't believe my luck. I really felt like, well at least if she's not going to continue with the Dark Guardians that she'll give her readers something else in the meantime. And this trilogy sounds like it's going to be a winner. So go check out the series' site and see for your self, all the exciting information surrounding this new series!

Countdown Pick #3: Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (10/09/2012)

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, TIME BETWEEN US is a stunning and spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new talent in YA fiction.

I love the idea behind this one. Does it remind you a little bit of the move The Lake House where the two characters are from different times and yet somehow find their way to each other and fall in love? Yes, but since I was a fan of that movie, I'm hoping I'll have the same reaction to this book. It does sound like there's potential for not only an epic romance, but also epic heartache for both the characters and readers all around. But now that I've come across this title, there's no going back. It's on my radar and I can't wait for when it hits the shelves in October.

Countdown Pick #4: Renegade by J.A. Souders (11/13/2012)

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Underwater society...now we're getting somewhere on the originality front. It may have been pitched before but not very often, and for this reason it's already made my list. Getting the chance to add yet another new author to my cache of possible new favorites...yet another positive to look forward to. And then we're got the white knight angle where the character Gavin is concerned...swooping in to alert Evelyn to all not being what it seems in her world and trying to save her and the day...well let's just say we all knew there was no way this wasn't making my countdown!

Countdown Pick #5: Through To You by Emily Hainsworth (10/02/2012)

A romantic sci-fi thriller about love and second chances.

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the pain meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.

The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become, and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.

Hello scary! I'm not usually one to opt for anything scary or gory, but sometimes a little tension and suspense I can handle and it gets me away from my normal reading material. I usually pull these titles out when I feel like I could get into a reading rut and instead of letting that happen, I try to change things up. While this one still hints at the romantic elements, it sounds to me like the suspense will outweigh the romance don't you think? While I'm not sure what secrets the write up describes this Nina character to possibly be keeping, but whatever those might be...I think it's safe to say that they won't be little white lies...they'll be bombs!