Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Exemeus by Folami & Abeni Morris

Title: The Exemeus (Exemeus #1)
Author: Folami and Abeni Morris
Publisher: Royal Colours Ink
Acquired Via: CBB Book Promotions
Release Date: January 3, 2013
Hyalee Smith is dead, she just doesn’t know it yet.

Her short life was devoted to love and to hate. Love of the man who stole her heart, hate for the man who stole the world. Murdered by the government she swore to destroy, she's been given another chance to make it right. But to save the planet, she needs the help of the most powerful mystic the world has ever seen—unfortunately he hasn’t been born yet.

In a world where fear is the only currency, Dephon has committed the ultimate crime: inspiring hope. His only goal is to make it safely through ninth grade, but on a post-apocalyptic Earth run by the Treptonian government, it isn’t that simple. Heir to a legendary power, Dephon Johnson is the only threat to the government’s rule. And on Trepton, all threats must be eliminated. When hundreds of assassins are dispatched to neutralize him, Dephon is forced to fight back. His only chance of survival is to enlist the aid of the greatest warrior the world has ever known. The only problem is, she's been dead for 13 years.

My Review
I've been burned a lot lately with the indie books that I have agreed to review, so The Exemeus was a pleasant surprise. The story was way different than what I've come to expect from "fantasy" or "dystopia" tags. The characters were also odd, but easy to relate to. The humor that permeated the novel was fantastic, and the story itself reminded me a tiny bit of The Neverending Story.

Blog Tour (Review): Very Recent History by Choire Sicha

Title: Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City
Author: Choire Sicha
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
What will the future make of us?

In one of the greatest cities in the world, the richest man in town is the Mayor. Billionaires shed apartments like last season's fashion trends, even as the country's economy turns inside out and workers are expelled from the City's glass towers. The young and careless go on as they always have, getting laid and getting laid off, falling in and falling out of love, and trying to navigate the strange world they traffic in: the Internet, complex financial markets, credit cards, pop stars, microplane cheese graters, and sex apps.

A true-life fable of money, sex, and politics, Very Recent History follows a man named John and his circle of friends, lovers, and enemies. It is a book that pieces together our every day, as if it were already forgotten.

My Review

Welcome to this week's edition of "When Good Books Go Bad" featuring Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City by Choire Sicha. Yes, that is a bit harsh, but disappointing books are disappointing, and this one really didn't work for me. I enjoy the occasional bit of non-fiction and history is my favorite thing ever, and I was super duper excited to get my hands on Very Recent History. So where did it go wrong?

Cover Reveal: Through Glass by Rebecca Ethington

We are so excited to be able to bring to you the cover reveal for Rebecca Ethington’s Through Glass which releases in less than a month on September 20th, 2013.

Both the book’s cover and description are awesome and more than a little bit chilling and we cannot wait for its release.

If you’d like to know more about the author, Rebecca Ethington, be sure to check out her website, or any of the other places she hangs out online.

And if you can’t wait until September 20th for the release of Through Glass, the first book in her Imdalind series, Kiss of Fire, is now available in eBook format for free at AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE and for the KOBO.



Title: Chaos (The Kardia Chronicles #1)
Author: Rebecca Ethington
Cover Reveal Organizer: Rockstar Book Tours
Release Date: September 20, 2013
Everyone remembers the day the sky went black. They remember the screams as the blackness ate those who were out in the open, those who surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise.

Everyone remembers the voice from the sky, the way food disappeared.

Everyone remembers the day the sky went black, and the sun was wiped from the sky.

At least that’s what I hope. I hope that there is an ‘everyone’ that will remember.

I hope that I am not alone.

Because I remember.

I remember, because it was the day I became alone.

It was the day the house went silent, and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.

The boy I talk to through the glass.

Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Title: All Our Yesterdays
Author: Cristin Terrill
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Acquired Via: JKS Communications
Release Date: September 3, 2013
Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present–imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James no matter what, even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it… at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time and each other, and only one of them can win.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

My Review

I've read a lot of time travel and science fiction in the young adult realm lately, and I haven't been blown away. However, Cristin Terrill's debut, All Our Yesterdays, is the best example of each that I've read this year. All of the characters are intriguing and realistic, the plot kept me on the edge of my seat, and the science is believable.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Entangled's Covet August Release Day

Covet novels have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, and LIKE their Facebook page.

Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's August releases!

The Awakening: Liam by Abby Niles
The Awakening #2
Shifter, Liam Doyle knows Hell. At least he believed he did. The night he feels his mate die, he learns how very wrong he was. Nothing he’d struggled with since Ava’s rejection compares to the emptiness that fills his soul by her death. Lost in his grief, he’s taken by surprise and drugged. When he wakes, everything changes. Nothing is what it seems, and someone is dead set on making him pay.

When Ava Michaels is taken captive, she’s thrust into a dark and terrifying world along with the man she was forced to leave behind. While being near Liam again is heartbreaking, the motive behind her kidnapping is gradually revealed. The more she learns, the more she worries Liam isn’t the man she believed him to be. He has enemies willing to do anything to extract their revenge. Can their love survive a crazy man’s vengeance?

Cover Reveal: Inspired by Danielle E. Shipley

Title: Inspired
Author: Danielle E. Shipley
Genre: Fantasy
Target Audience: Adult
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: March 17, 2014
For a muse like Lucianíel, one story’s end is another’s beginning.

In the wake of his author’s sudden death, Luc takes ownership of her surviving creations—four fantastical characters with tales yet to be told—saving them from unwritten lives crumbling around them and giving them a second chance at a literary future.

Luc finds that chance in the unsuspecting mind of Annabelle Iole Gray, a quirky teen with her head in the clouds, nose in a book, and imagination ripe for a brilliant muse’s inspiration.

Or so he hopes.

Neither Luc nor Annabelle, however, realize all they’ve undertaken. Even with a to-write list including accounts of a shape-shifting cat creature, gentle knight-in-training, vigilante skater girl, and a mystery boy smothering in unspoken fear, the most remarkable saga created between author and muse just may turn out to be one stranger than fiction.

Their own.

Back to Reading with Tiffany Truitt

Back to Reading with Tiffany Truitt
Author of the Lost Souls series
I am so excited to be stopping by today to announce my “Back to Reading,” contest. Like millions of teachers and students, I will be returning back to the classroom, and I thought this needed to be celebrated with a MAJOR book giveaway….and other fun goodies for all my fellow fans of Young Adult Literature.

What Do You Win

One lucky winner will receive copies of the following books (Only US residents need apply):


How Do You Win

Review: Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: Conjured
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (Bloomsbury)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date (US): September 3, 2013
Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

My Review

Sometimes, a book can surprise you. I was surprised by Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst because I actually finished reading it. The book wasn't bad, but I went into it blind (I didn't read the synopsis), and Conjured really wasn't the right book for that. The main character, Eve, had no memories or any idea of what was going on. Therefore, I had no idea what was going on until maybe the last sixty pages. However, I liked Eve enough to make the journey with her.

Review: Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Title: Asylum
Author: Madeleine Roux
Publisher: Harper Teen
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

My Review

Madeleine Roux is an author who has been on my radar for a while (I own, but am yet to read, Allison Hewitt is Trapped), so I decided that I would give her YA debut, Asylum, a try. The story is about three friends - Dan, Abby, & Jordan - who meet at a summer college prep program. The dormitory where the teens are staying for that particular summer happens to be an old asylum for the criminally insane. The book was sinister and eerie at first, but ultimately fell flat.

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): Dreamscape by Christie Rich

Title: Dreamscape (Netherworld #1)
Author: Christie Rich
Genre: Fantasy
Age: New Adult (14+)
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Every night before Amelia falls asleep she makes a wish to dream of him – the man who calls her to their beautiful private oasis, her sanctuary where she is free of her greedy landlord’s threats. But tonight, he will not call Amelia to him. Tonight, another man will step into her world to claim her. Tonight, Amelia’s shattering reality will crumble - and disappear into the Dreamscape…along with her freedom.

When Amelia dreams tonight, her nightmare becomes her new world where Seth is her captor and anything is possible…except escape. Seth needs Amelia to break the curse that binds him to the Dreamscape. He must convince her that she was made to free him, that she was made to join him.

For if he fails, he will never escape his prison, and he will lose Earth to the Netherworld where the evil Erobos wait to consume the human realm and everything in it. If he fails, Seth will lose the one thing that matters to him: Amelia.

Little Known Books
Christie Rich
Hello! I’m so excited to be here with you today. Thanks, Kayla for hosting me today.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I want to read something original. I love a good vampire romance, but occasionally I’d like something with a new edge. I’m listing some of the books I’ve read lately that snared me and made me want more. This isn’t an all inclusive list by any means because I’ve read some great books lately, but these are the ones that came to mind when I tried to remember the best I’ve read lately.

Review: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Title: A Long, Long Sleep
Author: Anna Sheehan
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Acquired Via: Personal Collection
Release Date: August 9, 2011
It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone-- and her future full of peril.

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose--hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire--is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes--or be left without any future at all.

My Review

Christina at A Reader of Fictions said that she told me ages ago to read A Long, Long Sleep but, sadly, my memory is shite, and I forgot that I needed to read it. Thankfully, the book was on my TBR in my Kindle and in my Audible library because I lack self control. After finishing my Grave Mercy reread, I needed an audiobook, and A Long, Long Sleep never looked so good.

Blog Tour (Interview): Sky's End by Lesley Young

Tour Schedule



Title: Sky's End (Cassiel Winters #1)
Author: Lesley Young
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Release Date: July 15, 2013
A secret she must never share. A secret that two warring species are determined to control. A universe’s future at stake.

Twenty-year-old Cassiel Winters joins Earth’s new space academy in hopes of finding her brother, one of Command’s top pilots and her only family, who’s been reported MIA. But she quickly realizes she may not be cut out for life in space, where female cadets are outnumbered, competition’s fierce, and she’s already failed her hand-to-hand combat test once.

Even the station’s most respected officer, Lt. Damian King, probably can’t help Cassiel pass the second time around – so why is he so interested in her progress? If only one of her freaky déjà vu visions would offer an answer instead of mysterious messages like hide.

When Cassiel’s manipulated into a perilous mission, she encounters a warrior species bred to protect the universe from an even greater threat. And she learns that her secret visions are at the heart of it all.

Now Cassiel must fight to control her own destiny and race to save her brother – even if it means pretending to be the pawn of Prime Or’ic, the cold-as-steel Thell’eon leader. Even if it means risking her life, facing hard truths, and making the ultimate sacrifice.

Interview with Lesley Young

Hi, Lesley! Thank you so much for agreeing to take some time from your busy schedule to answer some questions for us here at Bibliophilia, Please. Let’s break the ice a little before talking about Sky's End – what is something funny about you that only your friends know?

Oh how I wish this was a short list. If I had to name just one, let’s just say I make Bella’s clumsiness seem cute. In fact, I’ve tripped and fallen, mind you, in more than 11 cities around the world. I know this because it was a trivia question at my wedding. Also . . . hm, should I admit this? Oh why not — my brother’s nickname for me growing up was "Lurch". I am tall (5’10) so it’s gotta be a center of gravity thing.

Can you tell us a little bit about Cassiel Winters and how she evolved from initial thought to the character she becomes in Sky's End*?

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): Caged by J.A. Belfield

Title: Caged (Holloway Pack #3)
Author: J.A. Belfield
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: August 15, 2013
If the meek can become deadly, the strongest can be weak.

For Ethan Holloway, his mission to find a missing werewolf should be simple. Crack a few heads, bust a few chops and the solution always reveals itself. Always.

Not this time.

Ethan’s reputation precedes him, and because it does, someone is ready. Waiting. Unbeknownst to Ethan, he’s about to go down. Hard. Against a foe he never suspected and in a world he never imagined could be real.

What awaits Ethan is a fight not only for his reputation, but also his pack, his female, and his life. If he survives, damage control will become priority number one.

If he survives.

Because even Ethan’s not sure he’s strong enough to take on an entire race all by himself.

Especially one hell bent on exposing who and what he is in the name of sport.


How My Favourite Character Formed
J.A. Belfield
I often get asked who my favourite Holloway Pack member is, and although I fell in love with Ethan when writing Caged, and fell in love all over again with the MC of Unnatural, I have always had a deep love for Sean.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure

Title: Midnight Masquerade
Author: Marcia Lynn McClure
Publisher: Distractions Ink
Release Date: July 30, 2013
Stavos Voronin was not as blind-eyed as many nobles and royals. Evony’s physical gestures—even the simplest movement of her hands—revealed that she had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children—of their polished manners and the boy’s knowledge of horses and tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers.

Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom—the enigma of Abawyth’s twelve sleepy princesses. And yet now—now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what had caused the profound and baffling torpidity of Abawyth’s princesses laid out before him, but also he found his curiosity intensely piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings.

As Stavos strode through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth at all—to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom—to solve the seemingly impenetrable crux and thereby win the hand of one of Abawyth’s princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.

Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between #1)
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: August 15, 2013
You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

My Review

I've always imagined that winning the lottery is an exciting and pulse-pounding experience. Until the people and things around you become creepy, and then downright scary. When all the family starts showing up with their secrets and airing of dirty laundry, things start to go downhill. Finally, the batshit crazy muthatrucker that nobody has ever heard of comes along, demanding things and waving his gun around, pretty much ruining any good times to be had for everyone. This lottery metaphor pretty much sums up April Genevieve Tucholke's debut, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Working It Out by Rachael Anderson

Title: Working It Out
Author: Rachael Anderson
Publisher: HEA Publishing
Release Date: July 15, 2013
A chance encounter . . .

Grace Warren's life is safe and predictable—exactly the way she likes it. But when she gets roped into going to an auction to help out a friend, everything changes. She meets Seth Tuttle—a guy who unexpectedly kisses her then disappears, leaving her flustered and upset. If she never sees him again, it will be too soon.

A chance for love . . .

Weeks later, when Seth limps into Grace's rehab clinic post surgery, he's every bit as frustrating and annoying as she remembered. Yet there's something about him that makes her second-guess her carefully placed boundaries even though he's everything she's sure she doesn't want in a man. But maybe Seth is exactly what Grace has needed all along—assuming she's willing to risk safe and predictable for a chance at love.

August New Release Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my stop on the August New Release Giveaway Hop! As always, it is being hosted by the magnificent O'Dell at Book Twirps and the glorious Dani at Refracted Light Reviews. They exude awesomeness to an extent that I am sure is contagious. I wasn't able to participate last month, but I'm back on track and hoping you guys are looking for some great books!

What You Can Win

Here are my August new releases that you may be interested in (and choose from):

Promo (Excerpt & Giveaway): Recaptured Dreams by Justine Dell

In honor of Justine Dell’s upcoming release, Until Next Time on August 27th, Omnific Publishing is celebrating by sharing Justine’s other books this month!



Title: Recaptured Dreams
Author: Justine Dell
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Event Tour Organizer: AToMR Tours
Release Date: September 2012
Ten years, the Atlantic Ocean, and several rungs in society have kept Xavier Cain from having Sophia Montel. Now twenty-seven, he's spent his entire adult life building a fashion empire that could finally prove his worth to her family. When fate reunites him with Sophia at London's premiere fashion show, one problem lodges in Xavier's path: Sophia doesn't remember him.

The only obstacle that has kept Sophia from Xavier is a horrific car crash that erased her memory at seventeen. She's spent the last ten years fighting to reclaim a sliver of her past that her mother refuses to help her remember. When Sophia meets Xavier at the London show, however, all her fantasies come to life in one night of passion. Discovering he is the missing link, she is determined to find all the pieces to their love story and her memory.

Xavier wants forever. Sophia wants her memory. If they take this chance, they'll have to start over. How far are they willing to go to get what they want? And when the past catches up to them, can they handle the truths it has hidden?

Book Trailer

Book Blast (Giveaway): Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire (Heroes in Training #4)
The action heats up for Zeus and his fellow Olympians in this blazing Heroes in Training tale.

Phew, it’s hot! Under the titan Hyperion’s rule, the sun is burning even brighter than normal and scorching everything in northern Greece—including the villagers! The Olympians are forced to play a sizzling “game” of Dodge the Sunbursts as Hyperion hurls giant fireballs that could fry them to pieces!

Armed with some clues, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades set out to figure out why in the world Hyperion has been making things so hot. They also need to rescue Hera, who is still missing. Battling the extreme heat—and some fantastical and scary creatures, courtesy of their old foe Cronus—the boys are off on another epic adventure…and Zeus is one step closer to discovering his destiny.

Buy Links
Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble


Praise for the Heroes in Training

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

Title: The Darwin Elevator (Dire Earth Cycle #1)
Author: Jason M. Hough
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 30, 2013
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
Jason M. Hough’s pulse-pounding debut combines the drama, swagger, and vivid characters of Joss Whedon’s Firefly with the talent of sci-fi author John Scalzi.

In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.

Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity.

Advance praise for The Darwin Elevator

“A brilliant debut, full of compelling characters and thick with tension.”—Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles

“Claustrophobic, intense, and satisfying . . . I couldn’t put this book down.”—Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool

“This book plugs straight into the fight-or-flight part of your brain.”—Ted Kosmatka, author of The Games

My Review

One of my favorite authors blurbed this book and really liked it, so I came in with high expectations. Twenty percent into the book, I already had a chronic case of the meh (it’s a thing).

Book Blitz (Excerpt & Giveaway): Dawn of the Apocalypse by E.S.P.

Title: Dawn of the Apocalypse
Author: E.S.P.
Publisher: Mind Candy Media
Blitz Organizer: YA Bound Book Tours
Release Date: August 9, 2013
January 1, 2000.
May 21, 2011.
December 21, 2012

These are just a few of the days humans prophesied as bringing catastrophic events that would end the world. We predicted nuclear warfare. Drastic climate change. A call from God.

We were wrong.

Cue the gargoyle invasion—laboratory bred mutants designed to slaughter humans. When the government goes AWOL and gargoyles are swarming by the hundreds, it's up to the citizens of the United States to regroup and save themselves.

Meet Cliff Matthews, a teenage boy separated from his entire family with the exception of his younger sister, whom he is desperate to keep alive. Along the quest to save their lives, he encounters people who aren't all that they seem. Everyday's a battle, but if he can't trust his own species, where does that leave his family?

And we can't forget the man who may be willing to sacrifice Cliff's life, if it means world domination.

In terms of doomsday, no one could've seen this coming. The dawn of the apocalypse…

Excerpt

It smelled like smoke. Not the smoke you smelled when your dad left the burgers on the grill too long or when you forgot you had that last batch of cookies in the oven. This was a dark, penetrating, no nonsense smoke. The kind that made your throat burn, fire singe the inner core of your chest, and slowly killed you from the inside until you were a burning mass of nothing.

Review: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Title: Antigoddess (Goddess War #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date (US): September 10, 2013
The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

My Review

It only seems fitting that the Greek gods are dying in today's world, and Kendare Blake takes that idea and runs with it in Antigoddess. Hermes' body is consuming itself, Athena is growing feathers internally, and the other gods are in equal decline. Even the Greek heroes of old have been reborn, but they have no memories of their past lives or knowledge of their identities. As a mythology nerd and a huge fan of Anna Dressed in Blood, I was immediately drawn to the novel.

Book Blitz (Excerpt & Giveaway): Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock

Title: Camp Boyfriend
Author: J.K. Rock
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Blitz Organizer: YA Bound Book Tours
Release Date: July 2, 2013
The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn't be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren's nerves and she can't wait to return to summer camp where she's valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she's broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn't even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn't giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn't really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she's more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren's friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she's changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

Excerpt

“Can I ask you a question?” I’d been dying to ask him this for years, but the old me had been too afraid.

“Shoot.” He wrapped his arms around his knees and locked a hand around his other wrist.

I gathered my courage. “Why did you want to break up every year after camp?”

Blog Tour (Review): The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Title: The Ghost Bride
Author: Yangsze Choo
Publisher: William Morrow Books (HarperCollins)
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
"One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride..."

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.

After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.

My Review

Being as a tend to read a lot of young adult novels, it is easy for me to forget out delicious a well-written piece of literary fiction can be. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo is a beautiful novel that satiated my adult reading hungers. Journeying with Li Lan through the spirit world and watching her meet various spirits unfold the mysteries surrounding the Lim family and her own was mesmerizing.

Cover Reveal (Giveaway): Ruin by C.J. Scott

Title: Ruin (A Summer in Winter #1)
Author: C.J. Scott
Cover Design: Razzle Dazzle Designs
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Reveal Organizer: Xpresso Book Tours
Kate Bell isn't perfect. Not even close. The things she got up to in college would cause her parents to fall off their pedestals in shock. Home for the summer vacation, Kate settles in for a long, boring break in the tiny backwater of Winter with folks who still treat her like she's twelve.

Then Ben Parker arrives and suddenly Winter gets interesting. He's hot, mysterious and good with his hands. Kate falls for him instantly, but her cop father warns her to stay away. But how can she stay away from someone as compelling as Ben? Someone who thinks she's perfect just the way she is?

When Ben's secrets catch up to him, not only is Kate's heart in danger of being broken, but Ben's entire future could be ruined.

RUIN is a new adult contemporary romance intended for mature readers. It contains strong language and sexual situations.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Persephone the Daring by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams

Persephone the Daring (Goddess Girls #11)
Mortal rock star Orpheus steals the spotlight in this Goddess Girls tale of love and lyres!

Orpheus is a mortal rock god, and the girls at Mount Olympus Academy are wild about him! With his lyre and singing voice, Orpheus can charm pretty much anything—even things like stones and trees. But Hades and the other MOA boys aren’t charmed. In fact, they are less than thrilled that the girls are so gaga over this guy.

His fans are especially excited about his latest song about the girl he loved and lost, Eurydice. Orpheus was devastated when he lost Eurydice to the Underworld, so he asks Persephone to help get her back. Though it means breaking some very serious Underworld rules, Persephone pushes Hades to return Eurydice to the living world. But restoring Orpheus’s one true love might jeopardize Persephone’s own chances with her biggest crush...

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Praise for the Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” - Booklist

"Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." - Publisher's Weekly

Promo (Excerpt & Giveaway): Claimed by Stacey Kennedy

Title: Claimed (Club Sin #1)
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Loveswept (Random House Publishing Group)
Release Date: August 5, 2013
A novel of erotic discovery and forbidden desire that goes beyond Fifty Shades of Grey.

Presley Flynn is ripe to experience her secret fantasies . . . and Dmitri Pratt wants nothing more than to fulfill them. Once inside the elite Club Sin in Las Vegas, Presley is nervous but excited—and determined to surrender to her every desire. Dmitri is her Master, and his touch is like fire. With each careful, calculated caress, he unleashes her wildest inhibitions, giving her unimagined pleasure.

Presley is different than the other submissives Dmitri has mastered. The BDSM lifestyle is new to her, and so are the games they play at Club Sin. From the start, Presley stirs emotions in Dmitri far beyond the raw purity between a dom and the perfect sub. For the ecstasy they share goes beyond the dungeon, igniting a passion that claims the very depths of the heart.

Claimed is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Excerpt (18+ ONLY)

“Master Dmitri doesn’t expect sex.” Cora grunted. “You’ll keep your clothes on.”

Presley Flynn scanned the foyer of the snazzy mansion and looked for something to hold on to as her roommate, Cora Adams, hustled her down the corridor. With a little shove, Cora added, “You wanted this, remember?”

Cover Reveal (Excerpt & Giveaway): Chaos by Christine O'Neil

Today Christine O’Neil and Entangled Teen Ember are revealing the cover for book 1 in The Kardia Chronicles series, CHAOS - coming out this August! Enter to win an ecopy below!



Title: Chaos (The Kardia Chronicles #1)
Author: Christine O'Neil
Publisher: Entangled Teen Ember
Cover Reveal Organizer: Rockstar Book Tours
Release Date: August 19, 2013
My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly I can kill people when I lose my temper. Turns out I'm a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I'm stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this--annoying and super-hot--guy all up in my business, I'm about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there's this council for semis that wants me dead. They think I'm bad to the bone and when my ex suddenly dies, it's like everyone is determined to take me out. Mac might turn out to be my only salvation, but he's got secrets of his own--that may just kill us both.

Excerpt

I was done with guys.

Not in that fake, I-say-that-but-deep-down-I-really-want-a-boyfriend kind of way, but in, like, the seriously-I'd-rather-eat-maggoty-cheese kind of way. No relationships. Not for me. Not now and maybe not ever. Who I am…what I am, and what I’m capable of? Everyone’s better off this way.

Celebrate Entangled Publishing Bliss' 1st Anniversary!

It’s been an amazing year as Bliss released over 20 titles and have plenty in store for everyone going forward. Bliss couldn’t have gotten to where it is without all of the wonderful readers out there.

To say thank you and welcome to new readers August will be filled with special events. Here is the lowdown for the #BlissBall celebration:

• #BlissBall Twitter Party: Wednesday, August 7, 9-10pm EST: Join 10 Bliss authors for a Twitter party and be ready to win some #BlissBall bling!

• Pin It to Win It Pinterest giveaway: Sunday, August 11: Showcase which Bliss books you can’t wait to read. Follow BlissEntangled and stop by to find out how to win a $25 Amazon gift card on Sunday.

• Blogger Love: August 19-30: Of course we think Bliss books are so sweet and sassy that readers can't help but love 'em but don’t just take our word for it. Fans will be posting why they love Bliss books and readers will have a chance to win a "Sweet" grand prize package. Follow Bliss on Facebook for each stop.

• Bliss Ball Facebook Parties: Join Bliss for not one but two Facebook parties with the lovely Bliss authors. August 27 and August 29 from 8-10pm EST we will be chatting with Bliss authors, readers and there will be more great prizes to win!

Kayla's Favorite Bliss Books

Falling for Her Fiance by Cindi Madsen
Playing at Love by Ophelia London
Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen

Find more information and learn about other titles
on Bliss at Entangled!

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): Oracle of Delphi by Diantha Jones

Tour Schedule

Why Pythia?
My Reason for Choosing the Oracle of Delphi
Diantha Jones
To be honest, the answer to why I chose to create a series around the Oracle of Delphi is simple: Because no one else did.

Sure, the Oracle makes steady appearances in Greek myth series, but she's never truly been in the spotlight. She's been under-represented, if you ask me. In ancient society, entire ways of living were formed around prophecies and omens. Nothing the Oracle said was taken lightly, as she was a medium for the gods themselves. Ignoring the Oracle would be like ignoring the gods, and no one wanted to find out how the gods reacted to being ignored.

Review: Black Spring by Alison Croggon

Title: Black Spring
Author: Alison Croggon
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date (US): August 27, 2013
In a savage land sustained by wizardry and ruled by vendetta, Lina is the enchanting but willful daughter of a village lord. She and her childhood companion, Damek, have grown up privileged and spoiled, and they’re devoted to each other to the point of obsession. But Lina’s violet eyes betray her for a witch, and witches are not tolerated in a brutally patriarchal society. Her rank protects her from persecution, but it cannot protect her from tragedy and heartbreak. An innocent visitor stands witness to the devastation that ensues as destructive longing unleashes Lina’s wrath, and with it her forbidden power. Whether drawn by the romantic, the magical, or the gothic, readers will be irresistibly compelled by the passion of this tragic tale.

Inspired by the gothic classic Wuthering Heights, this stunning new fantasy from the author of The Books of Pellinor is a fiercely romantic tale of betrayal and vengeance.

My Review

Promises of a willful daughter, wizardry, and vendettas brought me to Black Spring by Alison Croggon. I've never read Wuthering Heights because everyone says I should, but the idea of a retelling excited me nonetheless. Sadly, I found Black Spring to be a very dull and unsatisfying read. I was nearly convinced to give up on the book about five pages in, but I enforced my fifty page rule. Thankfully, the narration of poor little rich boy, Hammel, did not last long. The majority of the story was told by Anna, the best friend and servant of the doomed Lina.