Jessie Harrell's Blog, page 16

ALL THE BROKEN PIECES Cover Reveal + Excerpt

Instead of doing the debut YA book birthday post today, I'm helping Cindi Madsen get the word out about her forthcoming debut novel, ALL THE BROKEN PIECES.  Entangled is doing a major cover reveal today, so you're going to be seeing this baby all around the inter-webs.  The book will release in December.


What if your life wasn’t your own?        Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?
All the Broken Pieces, by Cindi Madsen is available for pre-order on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Be sure to add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads! 
Be sure to connect with Cindi at:http://www.facebook.com/CindiMadsenBooks
https://twitter.com/#!/search/cindi%20madsenhttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1029223.Cindi_Madsenhttp://cindimadsen.com/
Amazing Excerpt ~
Olivia reached up, feeling the tender spots on her head. Her fingers brushed across a row of—were those little ridges made of metal?  “Careful. The staples are almost ready to come out, but it’s still going to be sore for a while.” Staples?!Her stomach rolled. I have staples in my head? She lowered her now-shaking hand. “Can I get a mirror?” Mom looked at Dad, then back at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not until you’ve healed a little more.” Mom patted Olivia’s leg. “You just relax. We’ll be back in a few minutes.” The two of them left the room, but when Mom swung the door closed, it didn’t latch. Olivia could hear their voices in the hall.  “I still think we should…” She couldn’t make out the rest of Dad’s muffled words. “…know if I can do this.” “…late for that,” Mom said. “We’d lose everything, including…” Her voice faded as they got farther away. “…have to move.”Olivia could tell the conversation was tense, but the words were impossible to decipher now. Holding a hand in front of her face, she turned it back and forth. A plastic tube ran from her arm to a machine next to her bed. She peeked into her nightgown and stared in horror at the long red stripe running down her chest.  Sick. You’re alive. You shouldn’t be thinking about looks. Lowering her hand, she scanned the room. I wonder how my face looks. From the way Dad stared at me, plus the fact Mom won’t let me see a mirror, it must be bad.  Brains are more important than looks. That’s what ugly people say. Olivia put her hands on her head and squeezed. “Stop it,” she whispered to her arguing thoughts, hysteria bubbling up and squeezing the air from her lungs. What was happening to her? Why didn’t she recognize her parents or know where she was? Who she was? Tears ran warm trails down her cheeks. “Just make it all stop.”

Simplicity by Valia Lind (excerpt & giveaway!)

Driven, beautiful Alexis Sinclair lives her life to the fullest, following her dreams of running a big company. But when her world is torn apart by a storm, everything she has ever known disappears. Now, marooned on an island with a group of men, Alexis must learn to live in a world made up of simple things. Letting go of every known convenience, she realizes how insignificant her life has become. Filled with unrequited love for her rescuer she must battle the demons buried deep inside and she must look within herself and to her faith to find the strength needed to survive.
Strong and influential, Jacob Peterson, has done all he can to survive. When the fate turned its tables on him, he learned to cope with the inevitable. Plagued by his past and secrets buried there, Jacob exerts a rigid control, refusing to succumb to the joys, and torturous pain, of strong emotions. Without considering love a gift he may never receive, he believes--he chooses to live by strict set of rules. But when a strange beautiful woman washes up on his beach, the walls that he has put up long ago begin to crumble. Is she a punishment sent from God to torment his weary soul? Or is she a gift, sent from above, there to teach him how to trust? Who is this woman? And how will he stop himself from losing his heart?
Will he learn to forgive the past in order to save the woman he loves?
Sounds great, right?  Well, now you can sample some more of the story with this excerpt from Simplicity.

I stayed up most of the night waiting for Jake to make an appearance. However, he never did. When the morning finally broke through I was in a panicking mode. He left late last night and I hadn’t seen him since. He didn’t take any sort of light with him when he left. What if he was lost? What if he was hurt? Or worse? I needed to find John. I located him near the fire preparing breakfast. 
“Good morning, Alexis,” he greeted me warmly.
“John,” I said with no precaution, “Jake never came back last night.”“Alexis…”“John, what’s going on? Where is he? Is he okay?” I couldn’t hold back the rush of questions. I was worried about him, really worried.“There is a place he goes sometimes. It’s his own personal haven, you could say.” John set down the tools he was using and turned to look at me.“I need to talk to him, John. I need to understand.” I was almost pleading with him to understand me. This was sort of ironic considering I couldn’t even understand myself at this point. “I need to find him.”John smiled down at me. Shaking his head he said, “Ok, Alexis. Be careful.” He explained to me where to go and with a quick thank you I ran off. I probably wasn’t thinking clearly at that exact moment, all I knew is that I needed to talk to Jake. I walked for about ten or fifteen minutes when the path started to rise and I began to climb. When I reached the top of the hill I was met by a breathtaking view. I could see half of the island and the ocean stretching out beyond.  Standing right at the edge of the hill was Jake. He was standing quietly, just looking out over the landscape. I saw a fire going to his left and his trusty bag lying beside it. “Jake,” I called softly. He jerked around with a look of surprise on his face. I obviously startled him because he took a calming breath before asking, “What are you doing here?”“I came to find you.”“How did you get here?” he still wouldn’t move from his position almost as if he was afraid to come any closer. I moved to stand next to the fire.“I walked.” I answered smiling. When he didn’t smile back I took a step closer.“Jake, please talk to me.” My words seemed to break the spell that was holding Jake motionless. He moved down to poke at the fire.“It’s nothing.” He said not looking up.“Now, where have I heard that before?” I was getting frustrated with his silence but I also didn’t want to push. I feared that if I did I would push him to far, and I simply didn’t know if I could deal with the consequences. “Lexi, leave it alone.”“No I won’t leave it alone. Look, you helped me when I needed help and I’m determined to return the favor.” I said crossing my arms in front of me.“You don’t owe me anything.”“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it. Don’t twist this into something it’s not.”“Lexi, it doesn’t matter.” He wouldn’t look me in the eye as he said that and I could tell something was seriously wrong. This was a different side of Jake. “Jake, would you just stop saying things like that and answer a simple question!” I was getting frustrated with him and was trying hard to control myself. “Why did you let Gabe get to you like that? You know he’s just being a jerk.”“It’s not Gabe okay?” Jake exclaimed turning away from me, “It’s me.”“You? I don’t understand.”“You wouldn’t, you can’t.”“Well, of course I can’t if you don’t tell me!” “It doesn’t matter.”“Why do you keep saying that?” I exclaimed coming up in front of him. Placing my hands on his chest I forced him to look at me. His eyes looked bloodshot and his face held a hint of fatigue. I forced down the urge to reach out and smooth away the worry lines on his face. “Jake why won’t you just talk to me?” I pleaded with him.
About Valia ~ 
Author. Photographer. Artist. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia Valia always had a love for the written word. She wrote her first full book on the bathroom floor of her dormitory, while procrastinating to study for her college classes. Upon graduation, she has moved her writing to more respectable places, and have found her voice in YA fiction. Her first adult book Simplicity is being republished, while her YA science fiction is on submission to find a home. 

Find her at http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com and @ValiaLind.





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Blog Tour Review ~ SPECTRAL by Shannon Duffy

Summary: Convinced she’s a part of the witness protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian . . . and warning of imminent danger. Despite the obvious sparks between them, Jewel discovers a relationship is forbidden, and the more she learns about dark, brooding Roman, she begins to question who she can even believe — the family who raised her, or the supposed sworn protector who claims they’ve been lying to her all along. As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveals who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she’ll make it through her seventeenth birthday alive.

My Thoughts: SPECTRAL was a page-turning book. I wanted to keep getting back to it so I could find out what happens next. Which boy will she pick? Who's going to double-cross her now? What new power will the next witch have?

As you get from the summary, Jewel has been moving around her whole life, but she's got a loving family (including a little brother, whom she adores).  In her most recent move, Jewel finally finds a friend instead of being treated like the new-kid outcast.  She also attracts the attention of a hot local and the dark-haired, new boy musician.  As Jewel's 17th birthday approaches, things finally seem to be looking up for her.

But all of that unravels very quickly when she discovers who and what she really is.  The truth brings with it dangerous secrets and leaves Jewel wondering who she can trust.  In the end, we're taken on an International hunt for the coven of witches Jewel really belongs with, forced to make a heart-wrenching choice between the boys, and taken along on an epic battle full of super-hero like powers.

All-in-all, this was a very satisfying book, meant for a slightly more mature YA audience in my opinion (there's some descriptive kissing scenes and death). I enjoyed Ms. Duffy's writing style.  It was easy to get into and had a nice flow.  Jewel was a very likable character - self-effacing and clever. She had this line about her cheeks blushing in their usual dork splendor -- I loved it!

Bottom line: I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of Ms. Duffy's books.

I received a free e-copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.  This in no way influenced my opinion of the novel.

Shannon Duffy's Bio: Shannon Duffy writes young adult and middle grade fiction. She grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada and now lives in Ontario, Canada. She is the mom of one boy, Gabriel, her angel. She loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions-shopping. She is the author of the young adult paranormal romance, SPECTRAL. Her upcoming middle grade fantasy novel, GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is scheduled for a January 2013 release.

To get your copy of SPECTRAL, check out these locations:

Kindle - $2.99
Nook - $4.95

iBookstore - $4.99
Coming Soon

Google - $3.79
Smashwords - $4.99

PDF - $4.95


And for more links to the author and/or Tribute Books, check out these links:
Spectral web site:
http://spectralwitch.blogspot.com/
  
Spectral Twitter hashtag:
#Spectral

Spectral GoodReads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13319632-spectral

Shannon Duffy's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001969007586Shannon Duffy's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/ShannonDuffyLitShannon Duffy's Website:
http://www.shannonduffylit.com/Shannon Duffy's Blog:
http://1fantasyfairy.blogspot.com/Shannon Duffy's GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3873156.Shannon_Duffy
Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186
  

Indie Author Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my blog for the Indie Author Giveaway Hop!  This is an event hosted by Krazy Book Lady and I am a Reader, Not a Writer.  My giveaway will be open Internationally, but since I'm gifting an e-book, you'll want to have a Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iPad or something else you can read on.  :)
I love Indie authors (no surprise there, right?), so I'm going to let you choose from some of my favorite Indie reads this year.  If you win, you'll get to select two titles from below.  DOUBLE BONUS!
 After you've entered, be sure to continue along the blog hop for more chances to win FABULOUS Indie reads.  I also welcome you to check out The Indelibles, a group of fun, fierce, and fabulous YA Indie authors.

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Debut YA Book Birthdays!

Another Tuesday, another party.  Here are the debut YA authors celebrating their book debuts this week:

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

Reunited by Hillary Weisman Graham
1 concert. 2000 miles. 3 ex-best friends.
Alice, Summer, and Tiernan used to be best friends—as well as the self-proclaimed biggest fans of the band Level3. But when the band broke up, so did their friendship.     Now, four years later, they’ve just graduated from high school. When Level3 announces a one-time reunion show in Texas, Alice impulsively buys tickets and invites her two former friends along for the trip. Reluctant at first, both girls agree to go, each with her own ulterior motive. But old resentments and other roadblocks—from unintended detours to lost concert tickets—keep getting in the girls’ way. Will their friendship get an encore, or is the show really over?

June 14th ~
Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn
The perfect mystery for fans of Ally Carter's Heist Society

When sixteen-year-old Violet agrees to spend the summer with her father, an up-and-coming artist in Seattle, she has no idea what she's walking into. Her father's newest clients, the Yamada family, are the victims of a high-profile art robbery: van Gogh sketches have been stolen from their home, and, until they can produce the corresponding painting, everyone's lives are in danger--including Violet's and her father's.

Violet's search for the missing van Gogh takes her from the Seattle Art Museum, to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo, to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery thickens, Violet's not sure whom she can trust. But she knows one thing: she has to solve the mystery--before it's too late.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

The Vindico by Wesley King
X-Men meets The Breakfast Club in this darkly humorous adventure.

The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they're not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire--after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?

Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .

With fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic humor, this high-stakes adventure from a talented new YA voice pulls you in from the first page.


I admit, I hadn't heard of these, but My Life Next Door is one I'll be adding to my TBR list stat.  Any that catch your eye?

Indie Author Spotlight: Sherry Soule

Welcome!  Today the Indie Author Spotlight is shining on Sherry Soule.  Sherry is the author of the Spellbound Series for young adults (which includes Beautifully Broken and Moonlight Mayhem) as well as a sensual adult urban fantasy novel, Disenchanted.
I asked Sherry to stop by and answer a few quick questions for us so we could get to know her better.
Time in your life you'd never relive?That question brought up some painful memories—thanks! LOL  My long, ugly, freakin’ divorce. And when I discovered my daughter has a rare, severe disease. Yeah, both were pretty sucky. 
Top three things on your personal bucket list.1.) Visit Paris or New York. 2.) See one of my novels made into a movie.  3.) Own a Victorian house someday. 
Hottest guy on the planet at the moment.Kristen Holden-Ried from the TV show, “Lost Girl” and Jensen Ackles from the TV show SUPERNATURAL


What are you currently reading?“A Wild Light” by author Marjorie M. Liu – love it!Where you can find author, Sherry Soule online:Official Blog: http://www.sherrysoule.blogspot.com/Official Spellbound Series Universe: http://thespellboundseries.blogspot.com/Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherryBook Trailer/YouTube: http://youtu.be/5uqVXKygvUsgoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11634793-beautifully-broken
Thanks, Sherry!  I hope y'all take the time to check out the links for this sweet author.

ARC Winner

Congrats to Vivien, who won the autographed ARC of The Syndicate by Shelena Shorts.  I've sent Vivien an e-mail.  For the rest of you, I hope you preorder the book or pick up a copy when it releases next month!

And be sure to look for Shelena's other titles: The Pace, The Broken Lake and The Iron Quill.

Debut YA Book Birthdays

The birthday list today is a long one ... it seems the summer reading season is upon us.  Sounds like a double reason to celebrate to me!

Wicked Sweet by Mar'ce Merrell
Chantal is a planner, and her summer-before-senior-year plan requires best friend Jillian, resumé updating, and studying for AP classes. Jillian wants something different and is afraid to leave introverted Chantal in the dust. All that changes, though, when popular classmates Parker and Will suspiciously start hanging out with the girls. 

Chantal only sees one thing: Jillian ditching her for Parker—a guy who can’t even be trusted! Chantal hatches a new plan, one that will expose Parker and Will for what they truly are, and along the way, get her best friend back with the littlest lie and a lot of mouthwatering cake. After all, what are best friends for?


Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.
Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.
But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.
Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky.  She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal.  And Jena is wasting away.  To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives.  Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one.  Someone like Jena.  But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization.  Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all.  Maybe she really only ever had one.

A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghen


Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in . . .


Any of these on your TBR list now??

To Ride a Puca

I'm happy to have Heather McCorkle guest posting on the blog today in celebration of her new novel, To Ride a Puca.  So without further ado, here's Heather!  Hi all, I'm stopping by celebrate the birth of my new book, To Ride A Puca. Before we get to the goodies I'm giving away, here is a bit about the newborn. It is a young adult historical fantasy about the last of the druids in ancient Ireland. This one was a bit heartbreaking to write and because of that it became very special to me. I hope it will be to you as well.
Invaders are coming to take what isn't theirs, again.
Neala wants to stand and fight for her homeland, but as one of the last druids, she may be standing alone. Persecuted, hunted down, forced to live in obscurity, the druids have all but given up. Can the determination of a girl who has barely come into her power bring them together? Or, just when she finally finds her place among her kind, will they end up losing a homeland their very magic is tied to?
Disclaimer: This novel contains some violence and difficult subject matter. It is recommended for mature YA and up.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1:
     Her heart began to thud with the intensity of a blacksmith’s hammer. Nervous energy hummed through her body. A hot summer wind blew a strand of her long brown hair across the spyglass, obscuring her view and shaking her from her paralyzed state. Her horse shifted beneath her and stomped his foot. She didn’t need any more urging, it was time to go.
Available in eBook and hardback at B&N, Amazon, and other retail sites.
I’ll be giving away great prizes, a new one, every week for the next three weeks. This week I’m giving away a signed paperback of TANGLED TIDES by Karen Amanda Hooper. It is about a girl who finds herself tangled up in the underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. It is one of my favorite books of the year so far, trust me you’ll love it! The contest will be open until June 3rd, the winner to be announced on the 4th. To enter go to this link.

Cover Reveal for The Collector, by Victoria Scott

This book sounds awesome, I know the author is super-nice, and now I get to see that it's got a totally swoon-worthy cover.  Oh yeah, you can count me in for a copy of Victoria Scott's debut YA, The Collector.

I told you the cover was swoon-worthy.  Want to know more?  Here's what the book is actually about...

He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Go forth and add it to your TBR list on Goodreads now!