Book Blitz (Excerpt & Giveaway): Triangles by Kimberly Ann Miller

Title: Triangles
Author: Kimberly Ann Miller
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Blitz Organizer: YA Bound Book Tours
Release Date: June 18, 2013
A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

Excerpt

“Are you all right, honey?”

I opened my eyes. An attractive young woman with red hair and brilliant green eyes was looking at me. What I thought was salt water from the ocean must have been tears because my face was the only one nearby that was wet. I glanced at her concerned expression and smiled. “Yes, thank you. I’m fine.” I swiped away a tear with my finger. “Just… everything’s fine.”

She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “This cruise will change your life. Nothing will be the same when it’s over, but it will be worth it. You’ll see.” Her emerald eyes twinkled, and she nodded her head once.

I forced a laugh to be polite. “Thanks. Enjoy your cruise.”

Review: PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

Title: PODs
Author: Michelle K. Pickett
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: June 4, 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.

My Review*

Once upon a time there was a book that should have turned me off completely after fifty pages. Its name was PODs. PODs was an interesting little book with teenage naïveté, superviruses, questionable government policy, awful roommates, young love, action, zombies, and cringe-worthy science. Despite the strange formula, I still fell in love with the book.

The main character, Evangeline aka Eva, isn't the perfect character, but she's one that I connected with and cared about though I can't exactly pinpoint why. I shouldn't have liked her, per my inconsistent taste. She was the embodiment of that aforementioned teenage naïveté. Her parents sprung a family game night with no electronics on her when she saw them worrying over something they were watching on television, and she went along with it, despite never having one before. That was her general behavior in the book, but it read more as "go with the flow" than a mindless sheep routine. What I really had trouble with was her treatment of her BFF, Bridget, at the start of the book. It wasn't godawful, but it lingered.

Cover Reveal: Darkest Day by Emi Gayle

Title: Darkest Day (The 19th Year #3)
Author: Emi Gayle
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Target Audience: Young Adult
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: January 6, 2014
Mac Thorne’s time as a Changeling is coming to an end.

It may have taken eighteen years, but Mac did finally manage to do what the Council wanted: she chose a teacher and renounced the in-between.

There’s just one last step. She must say goodbye to her human. Forever.

After being challenged in every way possible, Mac leaves what she thought would be the easiest task for the last possible moment. As midnight on July fourth draws near, though, she hasn’t found a way to give up Winn Thomas.

Nor does she want to.

With time running out, Mac stands at a literal crossroads.

Choose Winn, and she’ll be stripped of the only family she’s ever known—vampires, dragons, and her favorite demon. Even her own mother. Accept her position on the Council and rule as an equal to her twelve peers, and she’ll forget Winn ever existed.

Independence and freedom have never before been so limiting.

In this final chapter of the 19th Year Trilogy, it’s time for Mac to decide.

Responsibility? Or Love?


About the Author


Emi Gayle just wants to be young again. She lives vicariously through her youthful characters, while simultaneously acting as chief-Mom to her teenaged son and searching for a way to keep her two daughters from ever reaching the dreaded teen years.

Ironically, those years were some of Emi's favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she's still in love with him to this day. She'll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.




Find Emi Online
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Jack the Giant Slayer Blu-ray Giveaway

Warner Bros. is proud to announce the arrival of Jack the Giant Slayer!
Released on DVD & Blu-ray on June 18!


Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend... and gets the chance to become a legend himself! Directed by Brian Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns).

Starring: Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy), Ewan McGregor (Star Wars, Moulin Rouge!), and Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones).

Jack the Giant Slayer App

Celebrate this classic story with NEW content exclusive to the Jack The Giant Slayer Blog App!

You have the power! Control the moving GIFs and power the action in the movie with a swipe of your mouse! The Giant Soundboard lets you compose your own mashup of sounds from Jack The Giant Slayer, which your kids will enjoy for hours! Test your bravery and take the How Brave Are You? QUIZ to see if you are as brave as our hero Jack.

June New Release Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my stop on the June 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.

What You Can Win

I'm going back to giving you a variety of choices this month, but I am definitely going to recommend The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau if you have not read it yet. You are, however, free to completely disregard anything I say. (Most people do.) Here are my June releases that you may be interested in (and choose from):


If you would prefer a prize that is not shown above, you can choose another June new release that costs $15US or less.
The Giveaway

Cover Reveal: Jenny's Blue Velvet by Angela Carlie

Title: Jenny's Blue Velvet
Author: Angela Carlie
Cover Design: Steven Novak
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Age Group: Adult
Cover Reveal Organizer: Xpresso Book Tours
Jenny's stuck.

She's tried just about every occupation she can think of and will be digging out of student debt for a very long time, but has nothing to show for it. Her everyday routine feels like a prison. And her marriage? Well, let's just say it's been a little one-sided lately and the money she threw down on the toys from Lover's Erotic Store was well worth it and then some.

Jenny decides her next big step is to become a romance writer. Romance books are flying off the virtual shelves, after all. This will be her big break, her escape from the prison, and a way to freedom. Self-publishing is all the rage these days. She'll be a best seller in no time.

When Jenny makes friends with a woman named Cassandra from the gym, she instantly decides that her new friend will make a perfect main character in her upcoming book. After the first chapter, real life begins to resemble the fiction she's writing. Her friendship blossoms, sex with her husband turns into a daily feast, and her job gets more interesting with each chapter written.

Out of the blue, a person who is a close friend with her husband and who is dating Cassandra disappears. As the mystery behind the missing person unfolds, Jenny wonders if she might be responsible for his possible death. And if she is, what will be the consequence? What has this writing business gotten her into?


Facts about Angela Carlie

I write fiction. I work hard. I play often.

When I'm not pushing a mouse around at a desk job, which is boring, or writing, which is fun, I enjoy hanging out with my fourteen-year-old son and husband, reading, hiking, kayaking, traveling, and running.

Hawaii and Washington are my two favorite states.

I believe that if everyone ate a whole-food plant based diet, cancer cases would be a minimum, heart disease a thing of the past, and hunger something found in history books.

One of my favorite documentaries is Forks Over Knives.

I love hearing about people reading my books, so if you enjoyed one of my stories, please let me know by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Thank you for spending time with my stories. We don't have much of it, and I appreciate that you find my work worthy of your time.

Links
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter


Cover Thoughts

Blue is my favorite color, so I tend to be partial of books that use it. As for this particular book cover, I can't stop staring at the damn thing. It is so beautiful and well done. I love the hair, background, eye make-up, EVERYTHING! I think Jenny's Blue Velvet just might be the prettiest cover that I've seen this week.

Would I buy it?
Tempting, but no. I would have to read some reviews of the book before I picked Jenny's Blue Velvet up. I don't read a lot of romantic thrillers, and since I'm trying to curtail my book spending, I try to avoid buying a book for the cover alone.

What do you think of the cover? Would you read the book?

Cover Reveal (Giveaway): The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Title: The Sound of Letting Go
Author: Stasia Ward Kehoe
Publisher: Viking/Penguin
Release Date: February 1, 2013
For sixteen years, Daisy has been good. A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly. A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad. She quits jazz band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave.

But one person won’t let Daisy forget who she used to be: Irish exchange student and brilliant musician Cal. Does she want the bad boy or the prodigy? Should she side with her parents or protect her brother? How do you know when to hold on and when—and how—to let go?


About the Author

Blog Tour (Interview & Giveaway): Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen

All’s fair in acting and amore...

Brynn McAdams isn’t the awkward drama geek she was in high school—she’s grown up and confident, or at least she likes to think so. But when her old crush, the impossibly handsome and impossibly unattainable Sawyer Raines, comes back to town to direct her community play, Brynn finds herself determined to be someone other than the girl he doesn’t even recognize. Good thing she’s an excellent actress.

After his bad breakup in NYC, the last thing Sawyer wants is to get involved with another actress. But the glamorous and beautiful Brynn draws him in, even though as her director, he knows she’s off-limits. There’s just something about the woman that feels…familiar. Like home.

As Brynn’s lies start to snowball, she struggles to stop acting and come clean. But what if Sawyer is already falling for the fake Brynn, not the Brynn she truly is?

Title: Act Like You Love Me
Author: Cindi Madsen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bliss (Entangled Publishing)
Expected Release Date: June 10, 2013
Interview

Hi, Cindi! I’m so happy that I get to interview you here on my blog to promote the release of your new book, Act Like You Love Me! Since I like you so well, I’ll try to keep this as non-boring as possible. When we first met, I had a writing/humor sort of blog that faded out. What did you consider to be your first writing adventure?

Yay, I’m so happy, too! You were one of my very first twitter peeps! As for my first writing adventure, it was probably the first novel I wrote. It was about a girl who meets a movie star at a baseball game. She tumbles over the seats trying to catch a fly ball and lands in his lap. Now I can see all the errors in it, of course, but I’ll always love it because it was what got me addicted to writing.

So far, your published novels have been Young Adult, and the sweet, clean romances like Act Like You Love Me. What draws you to writing the clean reads?