Valia Lind's Blog, page 22

Book Spotlight: The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?
From Goodreads.com


The Dead and Buried is a story about Jade, the new kid in town. Her and her family just moved into this gorgeous old house and Jade is about to start a brand new school. As she begins her school year, rumors fly and soon Jade finds out that there is more to her house that meets the eye. There was a girl murdered there and now her little brother is seeing her. 
You all know I’m a huge fan of Kim’s writing. I adored everything in Clarity and Perception. The characters, the supernatural, and definitely the romance. Well, The Dead and Buried is another win for me.  Jade is a great character. She’s a timid girl with a big heart. She loves her brother to pieces and will do anything to protect him. The ghost girl wants answers and to get them she’ll stop at nothing, even using Jade’s little brother. Now it’s up to Jade to find out the truth the detectives couldn’t. I loved seeing Jade grow throughout the book and take the necessary risks to protect her family. But she doesn’t do so alone.  Enter Donovan. The broody-mc-broodster. I really liked him as a character. It was a nice contrast between Donovan and Jade and I felt like they really felt together well. He would not be my first choice for her and that is exactly why I loved them together.  I have to mention Alexa, Jade’s antisocial friend. She was just such a fun addition to the rest of the story, I loved it. Alexa is this darker side of Jade, someone who doesn’t talk to people, who stays in her own little world, yet for Jade she comes to the party. I don’t know, it’s just little things that I love, I guess.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I can’t dive into the mystery of the dead girl too much because I’ll give things away, but let me tell you, Kim did well on that. The supernatural and the mystery were excellently balanced in my mind, allowing the story to unfold perfectly. Sure, I knew who done it before the end of the book, but just getting there was a great journey. I have to add one thing tho, I really enjoyed how Kim wrote the whole haunting aspect. When you read it, you'll see what I mean, but seriously, kuddos on that!  In my opinion, Kim has done it again. Mystery coupled with supernatural and romance make for one great book. The Dead and Buried hits shelves January 1st, 2013! Get it, read it, love it! Let me know what you think!
Happy reading,  Valia 

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop

Hello lovelies,
So I decided to participate in this awesome holiday hop hosted by Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and co-hosted by Maryann from Chapter to Chapter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

E-book should be no more than $10.
The contest for the book is open to US and Canada
The contest for ebook is open internationally.

Now go and enter all these other awesome giveaways!

Much love,
Valia

Book Haul: In which I did some catching up...

Hello lovelies,

As promised, I got an In My Mailbox vlog for you. Yay! Enjoy!



Hope you had a wonderful week! Have you entered the giveaway yet?  You know you want to! 

What is in your mailbox?

Happy reading, 
Valia

Cover Reveal: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Hello lovelies, So today I have a super awesome cover reveal for you all. I'm a huge fan of anything Entangled Publishing and this book sounds like something I'd like to read. So here we go!

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.
Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.
About Leah:  Born and raised in northern Louisiana, Leah Rae Miller still lives there on a windy hill with her husband and kids. She loves comic books, lava lamps, fuzzy socks, and Cherry Coke. She spends most of her days reading things she likes and writing things she hopes other people will like. 
All the important links: 
Pre-order Links:Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Summer-I-Became-Nerd/dp/1620612380/BN.com- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-summer-i-became-a-nerd-leah-rae-miller/1113610315
Additional Links:   Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14744489-the-summer-i-became-a-nerdTwitter- https://twitter.com/LeahR_Miller  Website/blog- http://leahraemillerblog.blogspot.com/
Well, what do you think?  
Much love, Valia 

I Have Conquered NaNoWriMo!!!

Hello lovelies,
Look a vlog!! I know I know, I keep talking about being better at this whole vlogging thing, I'm trying. I really am. *hang head in shame* But anyway, this is a celebration video because I have CONQUERED NaNoWriMo! Watch the craziness below. 



Thanks everyone for watching! You guys are the best! Please let me know if you have any questions for me. 

How did you do this month?

And don't forget, there's a giveaway going on for hardcover copy of Keeper of the Lost Cities. Go and enter!

Much love, 
Valia 

So I feel like having a Giveaway...MG Style

Hello lovelies,
As you may have deduced from my clever title, this post is about a giveaway. Recently, I realized that while I adore you all a bunch, I haven't really taken the time to reward you for your awesomeness. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for all your support and encouragement, blogeverse! You guys are seriously amazing!
It's only a few days till the end of NaNo and I've been bombarded with things from every side, but you my dear internet friends, are still there for me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
So basically, how many of you want a book, raise your hand? I decided to do two giveaways, one YA and one MG. The first one starts today and it's for this awesome-sauce book, Keeper of the Lost Cities. If you don't know what it's about, read below:


Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.


Pretty sweet right? Thanks to my amazing local store, Changing Hands, I have a pretty new copy to give away. By the way, I pretty much adore Shannon's writing so you don't want to miss this one. Just saying. 
So what are you waiting for? Go enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Much love, Valia

P.S. Giveaway is open to US and Canada. Sorry my lovely international peeps! I'll have something up for you soon! :-)

NaNoWriMo Shenanigans #2: Madness & Lessons Learned

That’s right. NaNo is MADNESS! The gifs below explain my feels precisely.




Anyone else in the same boat as me? Raise your hand. Oh, I see those hands. Thank you! I’m not alone.  Anyway, I know I didn’t post my weekly last week, but I decided I’ll do a little two week update today.  I have to be honest, even with the madness and the headaches and the oh-my-goodness-am-I-going-to-be-able-to-meet-my-word-count I’m having a BLAST! I’ve never given NaNo as much of a chance as I’m doing this year and it’s teaching me so much. Guess what? I’ll share a few of those things below. NaNoWriMo has taught me: 1. That I can be on a tight deadline and write stuff down.  - This is a big one for me because I’ve always felt like if I’m pressured I won’t be able to write anything. My brain will freeze, my hands will refuse to cooperate, you know, the whole shebang. But the truth is, I’m actually great with deadlines and now I know I can do it in my writing life as well.  2. That I can write nonsense.  - And I’m serious about this. I’m such a little perfectionist when it comes to my writing it’s downright ridiculous. We all know that NaNo is a place to write, not edit, but I still catch myself. One way this has happened is that I’ve been sending my completely ridiculous and unedited pages to my fabulous CP (and she hasn’t left me yet). 3. That I’m capable of more than I thought.  - This is a big one as well. What I realized is that I’m actually really good at writing at least 3k a night if I sit down and do it. For me, that’s huge because I thought I was going to drown in 1667. Yet, here I am, still swimming! I know these might not seem all that big to you guys, but it’s an amazing accomplishment for me. While I know I still have nine days to go and I can totally fail at my word count and whatnot, but I can take these three things away from the whole experience and be happy with it. There a few other things NaNo has taught me that I might share in my last post. But until then, hope this was a bit of an encouragement. 
Word count: 39,800
        How are you doing?
Happy writing,  Valia 

Book Spotlight: Touched by Corrine Jackson

Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll becoming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

From goodreads.com


This is a story of Remy, who moves to a new town to live with her biological father. There she meets Asher, the boy who has abilities similar to her own. Remy excited to meet someone who may be able to explain to her a little about her own powers. But Asher and Remy are not allowed to be friends, and they’re definitely not allowed to fall in love.  So, you know I try to be honest in my reviews. Just because a book didn’t sit well with me, doesn’t mean someone else is not going to pick it up and it will be the best thing that ever happened to them. I just wanted to mention that before I dived into this particular review.  I didn’t have fun reading this book. Remy is a alright enough character. She has a lot of issues in her life, and I do give her props for trying to fight thru the bad and look for the good. That is important and I’m glad we got to see Remy come out on the other side, especially with all the stuff that happens to her in the beginning of the book. Asher is an alright kind of character as well. I didn’t feel particularly swoony when it came to him. I also didn’t find him as broody as he probably was supposed to be. The tortured soul thing didn’t really come across for me from either one of the characters.  On the other hand, the whole book read more like a contemporary than a paranormal. There is nothing wrong with that, I’m a huge fan of contemporary, and I do have to say that I enjoyed that aspect of the story, even though it left me confused. I guess I just expected more of the paranormal than there was, but again, it’s only book one.  In my mind, this book resembled another story very closely and at times I was having hard time continuing with the reading just because I felt like I knew what was going to happen. I really did want to enjoy the book because I love the whole touch/senses aspect. Yet, this book just didn’t do it for me.  After saying all that, I want to remind you that this is just my opinion. If you go out and buy this book when it comes out and love it to pieces, GOOD! I love the reading/writing community because there are so many of us with so many different opinions, you never know what you’re going to get. I love that I can be honest with you, knowing you appreciate that! With this book, I suggest you take a look for yourself. Touched comes out November 27th. I’d love to hear what you think!
Happy reading,  Valia 

Awesome Book Deal for you!!!

Hello lovelies, 
So, you know how I wrote this book called Simplicity? Well, my publisher is offering a special two day deal! Get a kindle copy for only .99 cents!!!



Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Simplicity-ebook/dp/B003GSM358/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353007558&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=simplicity+by+valia+lind

Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/simplicity-valia-lind/1102798671?ean=2940012059604&itm=1&usri=simplicity+by+valia+lind


I'd love for you to get a copy and let me know what you think! There are some great reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, in case you were wondering about it. 

Also, if you get a copy, let me know in the comments. I might have to whip up a giveaway of some sorts to all of you wonderful people! 

*SQUISHY HUGS* 

Happy reading, 
Valia 

Blog Tour: One Night with a Hero by Laura Kaye & Giveaway!

Today I have a special treat for you all! Laura Kaye, the author of One Night with a Hero is here to share some goodies with you all :-)
Huge thanks to Valia for hosting me here today to celebrate the recent release of my new contemporary romance, One Night with a Hero. I’ve got a fun excerpt to share and a giveaway—see down below!
Here’s more about One Night with a Hero: He wants just one night…

After growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father, Army Special Forces Sgt. Brady Scott vowed never to marry or have kids. Sent stateside to get his head on straight—and his anger in check—Brady’s looking for a distraction. He finds it in his beautiful new neighbor’s one-night-only offer for hot sex, but her ability to make him forget is addictive. Suddenly, Brady’s not so sure he can stay away.

…what they need is each other.

Orphaned as a child, community center director Joss Daniels swore she’d never put herself in a position to be left behind again, but she can’t deny herself one sizzling night with the sexy soldier who makes her laugh and kisses her senseless. When Joss discovers she’s pregnant, Brady’s rejection leaves her feeling abandoned. Now, they must overcome their fears before they lose the love and security they’ve found in each other, but can they let go of the past to create a future together?
Excerpt:
Brady glanced over and caught her looking. Joss dropped her gaze and hoped the cover of night hid the heat blooming on her face. When she peeked from under her lashes, he was still watching her.
Her stomach flopped and her hand fisted the soft cotton of the blanket. A tingle ran through her center that made her catch her breath against the sudden urge to push him back, crawl on top of him, and kiss him until all that tension melted out of his body. Right here. Right now. No matter the spectators, or the fact he was nearly a stranger.
A very hot, damn sexy, purportedly non-serial-killer stranger.
She saw her own desire mirrored back at her. Brady’s mouth dropped open and his dark eyes narrowed and blazed in the night.
It took everything she had to return her attention to the fireworks. Or at least pretend to. Because her body jangled with awareness of his until her muscles ached from the strain of holding herself in place. This is crazy. Maybe. Probably. But the dampness between her legs wasn’t the result of the early September heat.
His breath ghosted over her ear, erupting ticklish chills on her neck and arms. “I’m going to kiss you here, Joss.” The tip of his finger skimmed her cheek.
Heart in her throat, she nodded.
Brady pressed a lingering kiss to her cheekbone.
Her hands fisted as she struggled not to turn her head and offer her lips. She was already throwing her no touching admonition out the window.
“Here,” he said, touching her jaw.
She nodded and his lips dragged along the line of her jaw.
“Here, too.” His finger pressed against the soft spot right in front of her ear.
She tilted her head and gave him more space to nuzzle her. Surely he could hear her heartbeat over the fireworks, because she could feel her pulse pound under every inch of her skin.
What the hell was she doing? She should really put a stop to this.
He drew an imaginary line beginning at the indent behind her ear and running down her neck. She nodded without him even asking the question. He chuckled in her ear but then his lips were kissing with the lightest suction down her neck.
Applause erupted around them. Joss snapped out of her haze of lust. Brady pulled back and gave her a look that promised a whole helluva lot more where that came from.
Holy crap. She’d never survive it.
GIVEAWAY: One commenter who leaves their email address will win a One Night with a Hero ebook. What to comment? Share a favorite line from the excerpt! (Open to international!)
Thanks for reading!Laura Kaye Amazon | B&N | Kobo Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp See the whole One Night with a Hero Tour here and enter Laura’s Pandora Bracelet Giveaway here!“Laura Kaye is synonymous with great, sexy romance.”~NYT Bestselling Author Jennifer Probst
About Laura Kaye:Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a half-dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. A published non-fiction author, Laura’s work as an historian and training as an archaeologist help her create vivid and accurate portrayals of other times and places. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.