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Monday, April 14, 2014

Don't Look Back by Jennifer Armentrout Excerpt

Don't Look Back RDL BannerI am extremely excited that Jennifer L. Armentrout's DON'T LOOK BACK releases today!! DON’T LOOK BACK is a young adult suspense being published by Disney Hyperion!




BUY LINKS:



don't look back

EXCERPT:

I didn’t recognize the name on the street sign. Nothing about the rural road looked familiar or

friendly. Tall, imposing trees and overgrown weeds choked the front of the dilapidated home.

Windows were boarded up. There was a gaping hole where the front door had been. I shivered,

wanting to be far away from here…wherever here was.

Walking felt harder than it should be, and I stumbled off the chilly asphalt, wincing as

sharp gravel dug into my feet.

My bare feet?

I stopped and looked down. Chipped pink nail polish peeked through the dirt…and blood.

Mud caked the legs of my pants, leaving the hems stiff. It made sense, seeing as how I wasn’t

wearing any shoes, but the blood…I didn’t understand why there was blood staining the knees of

my jeans.

My vision clouded and dulled, as if a gray film had been dropped over my eyes. As I

stared at the weathered asphalt under my feet, large and smooth rocks replaced the tiny stones.

Something dark and oily seeped over the rocks, slipping through the cracks.

Sucking in a sharp gasp, I blinked and the image was gone.

Hands trembling, I raised them. They were also covered with dirt and scratches. My nails

were broken, bloodied. A silver ring wrapped, encased in soil, around my thumb. Air froze in my

chest as my gaze crawled over my arms. The sleeves of my sweater were torn, revealing pale

flesh covered in bruises and gashes. My legs started to shake as I swayed forward. I tried to

remember how this had happened, but my head was empty—a black void where nothing existed.

A car drove by, coasting to a stop a few feet in front of me. Somewhere in the trenches of

my subconscious, I recognized the flashing red and blue lights as a source of safety. Elegantly

scrawled along the black-and-gray side of the cruiser were the words ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF’S

DEPARTMENT.

Adams County? A flash of familiarity came and went.

The driver’s door opened, and a deputy stepped out. He said something into the radio on

his shoulder before he looked at me.

“Miss?” He started around the cruiser, taking tentative steps. He looked young for a

deputy. Barely out of high school and able to carry a gun seemed wrong somehow. Was I in high

school? I didn’t know. “We’ve received some calls into dispatch concerning you,” he said

gently. “Are you okay?”

I tried to respond, but only a hoarse squeak came out. Clearing my throat, I winced as the

motion scratched and pulled. “I…I don’t know.”

“Okay.” The deputy held up his hands as he approached me, as if I were a skittish deer

about to bolt. “My name is Deputy Rhode. I’m here to help you. Do you know what you’re doing

out here?”

“No.” Knots formed in my belly. I didn’t even know where here was.

His smile strained. “What’s your name?”

My name? Everyone knew their name, but as I stared at the deputy, I couldn’t answer his

question. The knots started twisting more. “I don’t…I don’t know what my name is.”

He blinked, and the smile was completely gone. “You don’t remember anything?”

I tried again, concentrating on the empty space between my ears. That was how it felt.

And I knew that wasn’t good. My eyes started to tear up.

“Miss, it’s okay. We’ll get you taken care of.” He reached out, lightly taking hold of my

arm. “We’ll get this sorted.”

Deputy Rhode led me around the back of his cruiser. I didn’t want to sit behind the

Plexiglas, because I knew that wasn’t good. Only bad people sat behind the glass in police

cruisers. I wanted to object, but before I could say anything, he settled me into the seat and

wrapped a coarse blanket around my shoulders.

Before he locked me in the bad part of the car, he knelt and smiled reassuringly.

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

But I knew he was lying, trying to make me feel better. It didn’t work. How could

everything be okay when I didn’t know my own name?



ABOUT DON’T LOOK BACK:

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all—popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her—even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory—someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

“This engrossing thriller packs a heady atmospheric punch with plenty of theatrical scares,” Kirkus Reviews

“Armentrout has written another winner. From the first page to the last, she builds both terror and confusion to the point where readers will be hooked and on the edge of their seat. This standalone contains all of Armentrout’s usual trademarks– a strong and determined heroine, witty comments and hot guys–but she adds in an extra layer by ratcheting up the suspense to the highest degree and follows it up with an ending no one will see coming.” RT BOOK REVIEWS 4 1/2 Stars TOP PICK




Author PhotoAbout Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.



Links:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads

DON’T LOOK BACK Goodreads
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Sunday, April 6, 2014

Liebster Award and Its Origins

The awesome Yuan, from Obsessive Compulsive Reader has nominated me for the Liebster Award. This may or may not have completely inflated my ego even more. The sad thing was, I had no idea what it was, or who started it, or anything about it. For all I knew, it could have been an insult to me and my blogging ways.

The farthest back I think I found was a blog in 2003 or sometime close to that, but the post made no sense. Then, I found the Bird of Paradise blog, and this seems to be the oldest post about this. This post was written in 2010, and the rules have changed a lot since four entire years ago.

The rules were you had to pick three to five blogs with less than 3,000 readers. Go on their blog, congratulate them, and have them continue the chain reaction.

Now, the rules are to list 11 facts about yourself, answer 11 questions asked by the blog who nominated you, ask 11 new questions, then pick nine bloggers with less than 200 followers.

So, eleven facts about me that you might or might not know:

1) I am human.
Wow. Right? You would have never guessed this from reading.
2) I play the piano.
I started when I was three-ish and have kept playing ever since.
3) I know four languages.
English (fluently), Thai (decently), Mandarin Chinese (ish), and Spanish (horribly)
4) I blog about books.
You never would have guessed, wouldn't you? Me? Like books? Impossible!
5) If I despise a book, I'll read the entire thing.
This is extremely strange, but I just have to know how bad a book can get. And then I get angrier and more annoyed, but I won't stop. It's strange.
6) I'm really bad at this.
I'm sure I have a lot of interesting facts somewhere. But whenever someone asks me for a certain amount, I freeze up and I can't finish. Evidence- right now.
7) I have a dog.
The answer is no, he's not a guard dog. He's an actual (ish) dog. A shih tzu, if that counts as one.
8) I both hate and love romance books.
 If the romance is good, I'll like it. If it takes up the entire novel and there is no plot whatsoever, I get bored and mentally throw it across the room.
9) I hate generic messages or comments.
Yes. I understand that you don't have hours to type up a seventy paragraph email addressed to me and learn every minute detail about me. However, maybe you could actually learn my name before telling me to read and review your book? An email that says "Hi reader! You should read my book!" is not going to get me to read it. 
10) I love crime novels, but I can't write reviews for them.
I'm always terrified that I'll end up accidentally posting the killer in a summary, or someone will read between the lines and figure out who it is before ever reading the book. I keep trying to change this- in fact, I have twenty drafts of different crime books- but this refuses to happen.
11) I have run out of facts about myself.
That's considered a fact, isn't it? That I don't have any facts left? If it's not, I'm making it one.

Questions from Yuan

1) Favourite place(s) to read
Anywhere that's slightly quiet.
2) Bookshops vs library: which do you visit more often? Do you prefer buying or borrowing books?
Probably the library. I like owning books more, but all the bookstores in a twenty mile radius around me have closed.
3) Do you notate your books or keep them clean and pristine?
If it's on my Kindle, I'll annotate it a little. If it's not, I don't keep any messy supplies near it.
4) Who's your favourite artist/painting?
The Mona Lisa sounds like I know about art. Definitely that one. I like the... smile? Of her face? Yes. This definitely sounds legit.
5) Do you know a second language? If so, which one? If not, which one would you want to learn?
Oops. I already sort of answered this. The answer, by the way, is Thai.
6) Who's your celebrity crush?
Any author I like. Or book character I like.
7) Besides reading and blogging, what else do you like to do in your spare time?
Sleep. Eat. Attempt to play the piano like the people on TV do and hit my head against it.
8) Do you also write? If so, which genre?
No. I'm too terrified to.
9) Are you a coffee or tea person?
It depends. Do I feel like embracing my Asian side or being British? Or do I feel like embracing the stereotypical American-drinking-coffee? I have no idea. Whatever's available, I guess.
10) When you are having a bad day, what do you do to destress?
Read books that make me go, "AWWWW!" at the end from its cuteness.
11) If you suddenly received a monetary windfall (say $1000), what would you do with it?
Please. What would anyone do with it? Spend 9/10s of it on various books and put the rest in my bank.

Now, time for questions from me. I'm as bad doing this as I am answering them or coming up with facts.

1) What are your favorite genres?
2) Which fictional world would you most like to live in?
3) Why did you decide to blog?
4) What's your favorite food?
5) What is your least favorite part about blogging?
6) What is you favorite part about blogging?
7) How long does it take for you to write a post?
8) How do you feel about book release dates being pushed back?
9) What is you favorite part of the day?
10) What are some of your favorite and least favorite books turned into movies?
11) If you could go anywhere in this world, where would you go?


Nominated Blogs:
I don't like the number nine, for some reason, since it's too close to ten. But I already have over ten questions and answers, so I'm going to go with the more original rules and nominate 3 blogs. Also, I'm changing the rules to less than 500 followers, because I feel like using random powers that I like to think I gained by being nominated for this award.

1) Corrie the Book Crazed Girl
2) Michelle @ Book Hangovers Blabs Books
3) Wonderous Reviews

Congrats!
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Nine Things That Confuse/ Annoy Me

Today, while calmly reflecting over life because I am a very peaceful person, I decided that there are some things in the world that don't make sense. For this post, I chose nine of them. Why only nine? Because of Karen Marie Moning's series, of course.

1) Orange
It's some people's favorite color, but I'm so confused why. I mean, it's orange. The only thing that should be orange is an orange. Otherwise, it's just strange.
2) People Who Don't Like Books
 Okay, I can understand people who don't have time to read books. And I can understand people who don't love them. But if you hate them? And then proceed to tell everyone around you why they have no life because they always read? That's just low.
3) People Who Incorrectly Use Grammar or Spelling Just to Sound Cool
I know who you are. You were in my Honors Literature class in high school. You aced that course. And now, when I glance at your Instagram or Facebook or Twitter or whatever, I see this abomination of the English Language. Speaking of which...
4) The English Language
I don't care if you are an English Major or an author. But you have to admit- English is strange. There are all these rules, but then they're like twenty billion exceptions to the rule. Or they're eight different ways you can phrase one sentence, but only one for another. There are times when I wonder how English is the known language for everything because it's so difficult!
5) Double Standards
 No explanation needed. They just don't make any sense.
6) Twitter
So, I'm supposed to put all my thoughts in 140 characters? I use more than that every single time I do anything. 
7)  Why Some e-Books Are As Expensive As Hardbacks
This has got to be one of the strangest things ever. I mean, hardback books have to go through the process of the cover, the cover sleeve, and all the pages. e-Books just need to be able to be read. And yet, these books are as expensive as their hardback counterparts.
8) Selfies
A few selfies on any profile are to be expected. I find no point in them, unless they're about books, but I've accepted it.  However, if your entire social media profile is completely contaminated with selfies, I'm never going to follow you, no matter how amazing you might actually be.
9) The Goodreads Interface
I swear, Goodreads has more bugs than a spy owns. You send a message, it sometimes takes hours for it to show up. You search for a book, and it just doesn't show up. Sometimes your feed doesn't show what your friends are doing and you have to click on every individual profile just to be able to stalk see what they do.
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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

{Cover Reveal} Burn For Me

Oh look! It's two cover reveals in the same day! Or, if you live across the world, it's two cover reveals in the space of a few hours!

But it's okay. Because this book? Yeah, it's by Ilona Andrews, who's name I still can't spell from memory. Who exactly is Ilona Andrews, you ask? Just the person who wrote this series. And this one. Do you remember this amazing review? Who wrote said book I was reading and freaked out about? That's right: Ilona Andrews.

So I kind of heard she was writing another book? And this was kind of my reaction?


Happily, of course.

Anyways, Burn For Me:

BURN FOR ME by Ilona Andrews
On-sale 10/28/2014 | ISBN: 9780062289230

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire…

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career-a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan-a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

Yes. It is romance-heavy. How could you guess? In fact, Ilona's editor wrote: 

BURN FOR ME is a slight departure from Ilona Andrews’ other bestselling urban fantasy series. There’s still the trademark snappy dialogue/narrative and action-packed scenes, but there’s a stronger romance thread here that we wanted to get across right away with this cover.  Our hero Rogan is not just hot and sexy, but he’s powerful.  Like kill-you-with-a-stare powerful.  And Nevada is just as strong, only she doesn’t realize her full potential yet.  So I wanted to show off our couple, have that intimacy between them and not lose any kickass-ness (I know, not a real word, sorry).  The background with the exploding buildings around them…the idea was Ilona’s and the execution is just exquisite. 
—Erika Tsang, Ilona’s Editor extraordinaire


So now, of course, I'm freaking out even further, if that's possible, and I need it in my hands right now. 

I mean, look at this:

It is such a gorgeous, distinctive cover, melding together unique paranormal aspect of the world and the sizzle of the relationship between Mad Rogan and Nevada. It's rare when the cover captures a scene from the book exactly the way the author had imagined it. You learn to resign yourself to it. Covers aren't meant to be a literal representation of the narrative, but BURN FOR ME is.  It actually shows a pivotal scene, especially when combined with the aerial view splashback.  If you read the book, you'll know exactly what I mean. When I got the cover file, I sent it to a friend.  She emailed back in minutes.  The email said, "Who did you sacrifice to Cover Gods to get this?"
—Ilona Andrews on her reaction to the cover for BURN FOR ME

So, how do you feel about this cover? Love it? Hate it?

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{Cover Reveal} No Prince Charming

No Prince Charming by Angel Payne & Victoria Blue Cover Reveal

I have a secret. Well, it's not so much a secret, since I think most of you know about it. I love fairy tale retellings. And I... kind of really like billionaire books? Maybe? Not the Fifty Shades of Grey Christian Grey type billionaires who are horrible and disgusting, but some others are really great.

Besides, I think 99% of you know about Parajunkee. And how she designs a variety of things. She made this book cover. So automatically, you know it's going to be pretty great.




About the Book:

“Once upon a time, there was a girl who dressed up and went to a big party at the palace. There, she met a prince. They danced and fell in love…”
Damn good line. Too bad I don’t believe a word of it anymore.
My name is Claire Montgomery, and I’m not a princess. I’m a fighter. I worked hard to earn my place on the emergency image repair team for one of the biggest public relations companies in the country. We’ve been called to the renowned Chicago headquarters of Stone Global Corporation, where it’s our job to clean up a heap of the Stone family’s filthiest laundry. Our success will be the biggest victory of my career. I’m on my game. I’m ready.

Why doesn’t “ready” include a contingency plan for Killian Stone?

My name is Killian Stone. They call me the “enigma of Miracle Mile,” and that’s the way I like it. Elite tycoons want into my bank account. Their wives and daughters want into my pants. They’ll all do anything for a piece of the enigma—until a crack in the castle is too huge for anyone to ignore. What they all don’t know is that I’m thrilled about the fissure. Their fascination with the scandal means nobody will look at the bigger secret of the Stone family. I’m safe.
 Until Claire Montgomery walks through my doors.
 Her honesty, her bravery, her humor…they pull me in, a prism against the gray walls of my tower. I’m captivated. For the very first time, I long to shed the enigma. To share my secret. But what the hell will that get me? Even if she fits the slipper I offer…I’m no Prince Charming.







The entire spread looks like this, for anyone that's wondering.



About The Authors:


Victoria Blue

@MissVictoriaBlu

Victoria Blue lives in her own portion of the galaxy known as Southern California. There she finds the love and life sustaining power of one amazing sun, two unique and awe inspiring planets and three indifferent, yet comforting moons. Life is fantastic and challenging and everyday brings new adventures to be discovered. She looks forward to seeing whats next!

Angel Payne

Hi there. Im Angel: book lover, hopeless romantic, pop culture geek, shoe addict, coffee-aholic, and occasional vinophile, too.
Ive been hooked on books since I was a kid but it all got worse in my twenties, when I discovered romances-the hotter, the better. Growing up in Southern California, with lots of surfer-type manliness surrounded me, certainly didnt help to assuage the need for reading about delicious alpha guys and the women who adore them. When I learned I had a knack for telling these stories too, I guess you could say I was doomed, though my path toward erotic romance novelist took a few detours via a concert-reviewing gig for my college newspaper (free show tickets...backstage passes...that was sort of a no-brainer), artist interviews for a Beverly Hills dance music mag, and a very, very bad try at a Young Adult novel (dont ask; its not pretty).
These days, I still live in California, and have found an amazing alpha guy of my own who was brave enough to marry me. We live on a street that looks like Brigadoon, with our beautiful daughter and a crazy dog. I have the best life ever, and never forget to thank the Big Guy Upstairs for it, either.


What do you guys think of the design?
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