Edge of End by Suren Hakobyan

Jonathan wakes up in a desert, his past wiped from his head. He’s alone having no clue who and what he is, where he has come from and where he should go. There is only one way – forward when he spots a little town in the distance. 

Empty streets, old houses, the town seems abandoned. There’s no one to ask for help, there’s nowhere to go. Jonathan wanders the town in search of any sign of life trying to bring his lost memories back, but odd visions haunt him from time to time. Soon Jonathan comes to the realization that he’s moments from death as absolutely evil dwells in the town seeking fresh souls. The seemingly dead town is only outwardly empty. 

Grey skies, no sun, no days and no nights. The town is stuck in time. With only one entrance and one exit, but the way leading to the exit is filled with creations that Jonathan has never envisioned, even in his worst nightmares. 

Who is he? Who brought him here? With a female resident – Elizabeth, Jonathan has to work his way through the horrendous town, figure out his past and find the exit.



Edge of End by Suren Hakobyan
Standalone. 
Page Count: 262
Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, Thriller, Paranormal (Demons)
Cover Rating: 8/10 (Come on, it looks quite coool.. Glows and everything)

——————————

Who is he? Who brought him here?

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Synopsis sounds sooo interesting. This random dude, waking up in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no memories. Then he arrives in this supposed ghost town - (why was the word town italicised throughout the book, anyways? 0.o This town, that town, the town was like this, the town was like that.. aren't you getting annoyed with this already? -_-) - in which it starts getting creepy.

The book wasn't necessarily bad, but it had points where it needed a lot of fixingg. By a lot I mean.. big time. 

First, the goods. 

— Pacing —
It was well paced out for a relatively short book! The events didn't happen to slow or too fast- it was even and well thought out. 

— Concept —
Okaay well I admit I don't actually understand the concept that well.. but it seemed creative? And had that strong emphasis on the moral about second chances or something? But wasn't really executed as well as it could have been? I can only speak in questions?

Second, the boos.

—Writing —
Let me say that English wasn't the author's first language. Quite understandable. It had potential, but there were a lot of awkward sentences and the dialogue was really unrealistic. You know that very 'obvious' tone younger middle grade book characters seem to talk with? and you can tell instantly it's aimed for younger audiences? Like no one really talks like that but it has to be made easier for the kids to understand. It gave off that kind of vibe. Not necessarily bad but it didn't really fit the theme the book tried to have nor the content. Ehhh.

—Characters —
I didn't care about the characters, to be frank. Yes it's harsh but it's a cold cold worlddd xD They simply were not likeable for me to be concerned with. Elizabeth was hella annoying, and Jonathan didn't really have a standout personality. The side characters were mediocre.

Elizabeth ALWAYS was either weeping or screaming for Johnathon to come save her. Girl, grow some backbone -.- Sure, Johnathon has this weird 'superpower' that makes him super strong and he can punch? demon dogs away.. but standing there crying like a girl will not do you any good! At least TRY to help Jonathan SOMEHOW.

Me saying Jonathan didn't standout is because he really didn't >.< I can't remember a single thing about him.. *awkward pause* .. yeah.. Whoops?

— Romance —
One word: Instalove.
Is there really a survival instinct in people that they automatically fall in love with the first human being they see of the opposite sex when in a demon filled town? Ahah :P
It didn't contribute to the story either. It felt like the girl was just thrown in there because it's a YA book, and most YA books have to have some kind of 'love'. Eh. Not interesting at all.

— Was it fun? —

Um i'll get back to you on that.. eventually..

I skimmed the last 50% though. 

Me: *lalala skim skim...*

*pauses to look over page*

*Sees 'Elizabeth' and 'crying, screaming, ect.' in the same sentence*

Me: oh shut up, you. Not again *groans* Go die in a hole!

*resume skimming*

*sees acknowledgements somewhere along skim*

*back pedals*

*reads Epilogue out of interest*

*shrugs*

*puts book down and goes to get a cookie*

— Ending Thoughts —

Just wasn't for me. Not too bad but didn't capture my interest. But I do admit it was a spooky paranormal read- so if you like haunted towns and overly distressed damsels.... this is for you?

2 Stars ! ♣ ♣ (I can't find my stars)

**Thank you Suren for the review copy in exchange of a review!**

— MissOddball™ Over and Out. :D

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The Paper Magician & The Glass Magician by Charlie M. Holmberg

Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

The Paper Magician by Charlie M Holmberg

My Rating: ★★★

First book of the Paper Magician Trilogy

Page Count: 224

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Historical Fiction (not really), Romance, Paranormal

Cover Rating: 7/10

———————————————————————
Denying it won't make you return to ordinary.
— Charlie M. Holmberg, The Paper Magician

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The concept for this world was really interesting, but I thought it could have been executed better. I mean, you get to become a magician if you go to this particular school and get an apprenticeship of which magic you want to learn! How exciting! 

Well, Ceony Twill did NOT get to choose herself which magic she got to learn because there wasn't enough Paper Magicians, but she gets the 'exciting' part none the less. Whyyy you say, since Paper is well known as one of the most boring Magic? Because EMERY THANE. DUN DUN DUUUN!!

You gotta love Emery Thane. Emery Thane is Ceony's new teacher! And quite an odd one at that. It must be a new trend to make teachers/bosses very kooky. (See Jackaby .. Kind of similar.) I don't really mind this unless the weirdness is too unbelievably fake :D It's interesting to see how the term 'unique' crosses over between different authors. 

Anyways.

Back to the 'could have been executed better' part. The plotline was kind of.. bare. I know she somehow went literally 'into' his heart and all that (read the synopsis), but that was it? Uhh very interesting... XD The beginning was really cool; we saw Emery's character and got to know Ceony better, and then the middle just seemed to draaaggg onnnnn.

The romance was barely there that you wouldn't even realise there was any. (Apart from the ending thing that happened) Ceony's feelings seemed to have developed too fast to be believable, if you add on to the fact that Ceony is like 19, only been in one relationship before, and Emery was 30 something- having been married and divorced once. Ooookay then. I would have liked to see her feelings develop. Why didn't we, since we've been in her head ever since she even saw Emery? Hmmm. 

Overall just a 'meh' book that didn't evoke any particular feelings for me. It was interesting though. Don't really have much else to say :/

----REVIEW OF THE GLASS MAGICIAN COMING UP. SHOO NOW. POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR PAPER MAGICIAN AHEAD.----

Three months after returning Magician Emery Thane’s heart to his body, Ceony Twill is well on her way to becoming a Folder. Unfortunately, not all of Ceony’s thoughts have been focused on paper magic. Though she was promised romance by a fortuity box, Ceony still hasn’t broken the teacher-student barrier with Emery, despite their growing closeness.

When a magician with a penchant for revenge believes that Ceony possesses a secret, he vows to discover it…even if it tears apart the very fabric of their magical world. After a series of attacks target Ceony and catch those she holds most dear in the crossfire, Ceony knows she must find the true limits of her powers…and keep her knowledge from falling into wayward hands.

The delightful sequel to Charlie N. Holmberg’s The Paper Magician, The Glass Magician will charm readers young and old alike.

So I read the sequel! Yeyyy xD This was definitely more fast paced and fun than the first book. But of course, it had problems of it's own. Since this one was not about Ceony running around by herself in Emery's heart, it had much more dialogue and many new characters.

Problematically..... the new characters had no depth. Or any characters, for that matter... :/ The fact that Ceony had no, well, dimension shined through in this book much more than the previous novel since there were more important events that included decision making. She would think the same things over and over again without any real reasoning behind it, and it seemed like the author had this go-to character quality checklist next to her and was like "Ceony- Loyal, Heroic, Sacrificial" *adds random loyal, heroic, sacrificial scenes into book* Same went with Lira in the previous one, the newly introduced Delilah as with the new antagonists. Not much background information on any of them either.

Ceony was kind of annoying here toooo. Oh, she defeated Lira! Now ALL the consequences are HER fault, therefore she must go and fix everything herself in secret! Even if it means danger to everyone around her! and then she gets all upset when people try to fix her mistakes without her, like 'I should be there!! Why?!?" Well maybe it's because you caused them to gather in the first place *facepalm* It was alright in the end, I suppose, since her attempts to fix humanity often gave out useful information. But still. Did I mention she was kind of racist too? Like right after the mill explodes and everything's chaotic, she sees this Indian dude standing across the street and she's like 'Oh look, a dark skinned man! How suspicious! Maybe HE blew the mill up! Oh dear I shouldn't think that.' And then of course in the later chapters, still, she doesn't say much about him apart from his accent and his skin tone. Wth?
The parts about women and cooking annoyed me as well, since from personal experience, I know all women can't cook. *cough cough not naming names* xD Just.. meh.

The romance was more clearly depicted, and that one chapter in Emery's PoV was very helpful in figuring out their relationship. Hm. I'm actually pretty curious of where this is going to go in the final instalment of the trilogy! I just might read it for that :)

Again, I'm afraid I don't have much definite thoughts on this one. I liked the increase of action, but the characters were flimsy as paper (see what I did there), and there are no points worth talking about. Sorryy. If it wasn't short as it was, I can't say I would have finished the books.

**Thank you Netgalley for providing me with free review copies to review.<3**

 —MissOddball Over and Out.

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Semi-Sorta-Maybe-Hiatus?

Hi lovlies. So I guess the title speaks for itself, but I might be a bit absent for the next 2 weeks because I've got my dance concert and then an interstate trip straight after. So I'll be a little busy, and even though I adore y'all, I don't know how much time I'll have for blogging during this time. Besides, I don't even know what the status of my precious wifi will be. Hopefully ample, but you never know. In other words, here's the warning if I suddenly drop of the blogosphere for 2 weeks. But never fear, I'll be baaaack ;)

Bye for now!

I'll miss you!

And here's a smiling cupcake. Just, because.

—MissBloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!

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Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Current Rating on Goodreads: 4.55 of 5 stars
Pages: 464
Synopsis (via Goodreads):

Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay… 

This is the second instalment of The Dark Elements trilogy. A representation of my emotions (hint: my emotions go by a new name called Loki) for your visual entertainment.....

Soooo.....I took over a month to write up my review. Again. I did this exact same thing with White Hot Kiss, weirdly enough. I think I've developed a new habit o.O

Amaazing. This book......kakdjlehkdkjdhsfkj!! *dies* I couldn't keep my face away from the pages to the point I skimmed out of pure guiltylicious excitement. And then I had to wait till the story wasn't fresh anymore to reread it so I wouldn't get all the bookish deets confused. And the second time around I did a total bookfaceplant. Again. Except this time I managed not to skim. Achievement! Do I get a chocolate reward? Pwease?

The plot twists in SCT just kept coming. JLA really pulled out all the stops, and my brain was just going round and round in circles trying to figure out what was happening, why it was happening, and what was the cause. Or causes. It was madness, and that end, oh man, that ending was meaan. Everything took a 180 in the matter of two pages. The mother of all cliffhangers! Every Last Breath you better come soon or I'll unleash my very own personal Thumper ;)

Oh, and can I cheer for Layla with some pompoms?! She was so much more confident and defiant, and she didn't back down from a fight. In WHK she dealt the best she thought she could, but in SCT she was on fiiireee! *waves pompoms*
I admit she was a bit too reckless at times. She should've listened to Zayne when he told her not to go off anywhere with Roth *diehard Roth fans boo*, and not for the sake of listening to Zayne, but because going off with Roth seemed to end with either getting herself hurt, or hurting someone else. I don't suppose she has a slight problem with learning from her mistakes?

I warmed up to Danika in SCT, and I actually think that this weird Lanika friendship where they call each other sexy (I did say it was weird, okay) is sorta cool with epic proportions....and I admit I've been a bit harsh on her, especially in WHK, because I'm reading in, oh, I don't know, Layla's POV. Danika's innate Zayne-targeted flirtatiousness in WHK just got on my nerves, you know?
In truth, Danika is in as much of a tough spot as Layla is over Zayne.....well, she doesn't know Zayne nearly as much as Layla does, so it's a bit of a unsubstantiated crush on her side, but then again people expect for her to be with Zayne, so I guess having that expectation that she'd end up with Zayne, and being encouraged to have such an expectation must have influenced her feelings quite a bit, whereas Layla's crush on Zayne occurred naturally and perhaps (probably not, he's too hawt to be denied *wink*) denied at one point. After all, Layla knew even as a kid that she could never be with Zayne.....or so she thought.

Roth was a total jerk at first, but he didn't do it because he wanted to, and it was rather obvious, so it was hard to get mad at him when I could see he was in as much pain as Layla. Plus, he still managed to be hilarious. In other words, Roth was classic Roth. 'Nuff said.
And Bambi is officially my hero! *cuddles the oversized snake* She's the bestest familiar EVER! (view spoiler)[She made Zayla kisses possible *squeals* (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[I know a lot of people *cough*TeamRothies*cough* are mad at Zayne because of the possibility that he was present when Abbot threatened the kill Layla as a way to get Roth to stay away from her, but I think that's a moot point because Zayne never would've let Abbot threaten Layla's life like that. It's completely against his character, and it's obvious that the one thing Roth and Zayne share is their love for Layla. In other words, Zayne loves Layla. And a protective guy like Zayne would never let someone threaten the life of someone else, let alone the girl he loves. Plus, I doubt Roth would have 'grudging respect' for Zayne if he'd just stood by.
I am a little apprehensive why JLA wrote it so Roth didn't just tell Layla straight up whether Zayne had been there though, because if Roth won the polls (and it's very likely he did) and she uses that plot flexibility to 'make up Layla's mind on her choice between Roth and Zayne' in Every Last Breath, I will be really mad. Like, reaallyy mad.
If Zayne is going to lose Layla, it shouldn't be because JLA writes that he let Abbot threaten Layla and then took advantage of Roth's absence to get closer to Layla romantically as a plot tool to make Layla hate or distrust Zayne and inevitably choose Roth. Hell, even Roth said that Zayne would've done the same that he did for Layla and stay away from her if it meant her safety. So I really, really hope that Zayne's character will stay true and that if he does lose Layla, it'll be in a fair way that doesn't destroy the sincerity of his character. Please. Please. Pretty please. (hide spoiler)]

I loved how sweet and possessive Zayne was in SCT *dreamy look* My outlook of Zayne completely changed in this book. Layla pining over Zayne and Zayne being over protective/borderline possessive is a familiar scene, but when they're open about their feelings for each other? And actually act on them? Drastically different ballpark. You got to see an adorably vulnerable side to Zayne, as if he'd somehow lost some of his 21 years xD
*whispers* I can't believe he's never 'done the deed' with a girl before because he's liked Layla for ages omg how cuuuteee *high pitched giggle* I almost want to coo and pinch his cheeks.....expect that would be....yeah. Kinda creepy, considering he's a fullgrown Warden. A hot fullgrown Warden.
(view spoiler)[And the fact that he was able to look past the Tomas-Warden-gobble and when Layla took part of that woman's soul and when she accidently started to take his soul just shows how much he loves her because, come on! He's had Warden ideals drummed into him since he was a kid, and sure he got mad for a little bit when she took part of that woman's soul in the club, but he got over it. He totally ignored those wretched Warden ideals. (hide spoiler)]
Team Zayne? Should I? Could I??

Choosing between the Roth and Zayne is sooo hard. But I know only one will get to be with Layla, and I also know that it's pretty likely to be Roth.....almost everyone seems to love Roth you see *grins and rolls eyes*
I really don't want Zayne to lose Layla though, and it's probably cruel but I don't want him to be with Danika *sniffs resentfully*
Besides, Danika and Zayne aren't actually a good match in my opinion. She needs someone where she's not always second best, someone who will accept her for her, including her need for independence, adventure and fighting......and yeah, that just cut out all the prospective Wardens *snickers* because even tho I find some of the classic male Warden protectiveness cute, they generally take it a couple (a lot more than a couple) notches overboard into smothering land high up the creep-o-meter, and I hate how sexist and illogical they are as a society.

I mean come on, how exactly is it smart to refuse to let the women train to fight, or even learn self defence, when they're usually the ones targeted? *facepalm* Maybe if the male Wardens weren't so prideful over their macho protective abiltites, and let the females train, they'd actually stand a better chance......but oh no, Wardens (the males that is, since the females are treated like smothered baby-makers and aren't allowed to fight, let alone make decisions) are always right because they have pure souls, so surely everything they say is correct and holy and just. Yeah, whatever helps them sleep at night.

To be honest, I love Zayne and Roth going at each other......it's entertaining *cackles and joins Stacey munching popcorn* I'll be sad to see it stop in the next book when she ends up with one of them.

Secret Message to My Dutiful Followers

Even tho I love Roth (and would love to have his babies *cough*) I decided to vote for Zayne because he's adorable! Plus, he's the underdog and I don't want to see him become a lost puppy as well as an underdog *sniff* Well, if Layla rejects him in Every Last Breath, I'll have him ;) *coddles and glares at a certain Olivia from Fictionally Obsessed*

5 GARGOYLE BABIES......please? Cookie dough on top? *flutters eyelashes at Zayne* (yes I am aware I practice fictional polygamy, I came out of that closet ages ago, thank you for your concern)

—MissBloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!

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Release Day: Breaking The Rules by Katie McGarry + Giveaway

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day launch for Katie McGarry's BREAKING THE RULES! BREAKING THE RULES is a Young Adult contemporary romance published by Harlequin Teen, and is the follow-up book to Katie's PUSHING THE LIMITS. You do not want to miss Noah and Echo's story! Grab it today!

 

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** Books-A-Million ** Kobo ** iBooks ** Google Play

BREAKING THE RULES Synopsis:

A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry.
For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so . . . different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who's never judged her.
Echo and Noah share everything--except the one thing Echo's just not ready for.
But when the source of Echo's constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants--even as foster kid Noah's search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves.
Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn . . . seriously epic.

And don’t forget to read the first books in the Pushing the Limits Series…

PUSHING THE LIMITS

CROSSING THE LINE

DARE YOU TO

CRASH INTO YOU

TAKE ME ON

Belle:

Okay, I am so confused with the timeline of this series because each of the previous books centered on different characters. In Pushing the Limits (I've read this one – I loved some aspects in PtL but others I didn't like that much, so I'm quite mixed on reading the rest of the series) we focus on Echo and Noah.

In Crossing the Line, a Pushing the Limits Series novella, we look at Lila, Echo's bestie (I adore her *GIRLCRUSH*) and her love interest, Lincoln.

In Dare You To, we peek into Beth's (one of Noah's best friends) life and her new love, while in Crash Into You we get to delve into the story of Rachel (I honestly don't know who this is...whoops) and her new love Isaiah (Noah's other best friend).....and I said new both times because, well, I'm pretty sure that when I read PtL, Beth was sorta in a relationship with Isaiah. I'm so confused!

As for Take Me On, I've never heard of either MCs, so no help from me there. Sorry hons.

And now to, yes, Breaking The Rules! I'm a little surprised that Echo and Noah are having a sequel since I was quite happy with the ending of PtL, but it seems the author still has room for both characters to grow, which I guess can't be a bad thing (Echo and Noah are quite....ahem, complicated beings). I'm interested to see how McGarry has continued the great Echo and Noah saga. *claps hands*

TEASER ALERT (Noah's POV):
“Did you fall into some paint, Echo?” Isaiah asks, changing the subject.
Echo’s shoulder slumps as she pivots toward the mirror. She groans as she touches her cheek and forehead that are more red and pink than skin. “Dang it. Why am I such a mess?”
“I think it’s sexy as hell,” I say.
“I think I’m going to barf,” Beth mocks my tone.
Death radiates from the look I send her way. Enough that it should melt her. “Ever sleep in a tent, Beth?”
Beth focuses on the screen while raising her middle finger in my direction.
“Screw it.” Echo turns away from the mirror. “I need a shower.”
I smile, Echo blushes, then I laugh. Damn me for inviting Isaiah and Beth to share our room.
“Anyhow.” An excited glint strikes Echo’s eyes. “Are you ready? I hope you like it. It’s sort of…for you. But it’s not done, okay? I mean, something like this would actually take a while to perfect, so I guess I’m saying—”

“Echo.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s all good.”

“Okay.” Her fingers drum nervously over the top of the canvas before she repeats, “Okay.”

“I’m assuming that’s not the constellation Aires?”

“No. I’ll have to start on that tomorrow.” With a deep inhale, Echo pulls out a chair from the table and rests the painting on the arms and leans it against the back so it will stay upright.
Air rushes out of my body, and I sink onto our bed. It’s the same damned shock as when she drew my parents this past spring. There’s awe and joy and this ache that hits deep in my gut. I bend forward and rest my joint hands on my knees and stare at the sight in front of me.
Fuck me, my eyes burn. I shut them, attempting to get my shit together. It’s a painting. Only a painting. I reopen them, and it’s the same disorientation as a right hook to the head. It’s more than a painting, and that’s the reason my throat swells.
Last night meant as much to me as it did to her and she painted it, capturing it in a way unique to Echo. She’s right, it’s not done. It’s a skeleton compared to her other work, but I see enough to know what she desires, what she plans to design. Up close all those colors would look like chaos, but when viewed as a whole it creates this beautiful picture. In the end, that’s the best way to describe me and Echo, our relationship. Our love.
The bed dips as Echo eases onto it, settles behind me and props her chin on my shoulder. Her signature scent that reminds me of walking into a bakery becomes an invisible blanket surrounding me. “What do you think?”
“It’s us,” I whisper, and knots form in my stomach. Echo always finds a way to blow my mind. She tenses behind me and I continue, “It’s where we spent last night.”
“It is.” Echo relaxes, and her fingers curl around my biceps. “Do you like it?”
Struggling for composure, I place my hand over hers and pause. “It’s…” I’m not Echo. I don’t have words for what happens inside me. If I did, I’d fail at describing this. I shift to rest my forehead against hers. “I don’t deserve you.”
“That’s my statement,” she says so only I can hear. “I wish we were alone again.”
I press my lips to hers, slide my hand through her hair and watch as the curls bounce back into place. “Me, too.”

About Katie McGarry:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT.
Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Website | Twitter @KatieMcGarry | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram

 

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Book Blitz: Compulsion by Martina Boone

Compulsion (The Heirs of Watson Island #1)

by Martina Boone 

Release Date: 10/28/14

ISBN: 1481411225

Simon Pulse, Simon Teen

448 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.

All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead--a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family's twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Buy Links:
   

Compulsion is available anywhere books are sold. Signed copies are available from One More Page Books. You can also order with the special “I have a Compulsion for reading” bookplate from Eight Cousins.

Belle: Special thanks to the author Martina Boone for generously providing her dream cast....because I am super curious about this!!

The COMPULSION Dream Cast

Before I get to the human characters, I have to say that setting is very definitely a character in the HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND trilogy. Watson Island is loosely based on Edisto Island, and I borrowed from actual Charleston area plantation history to create the three plantations that shaped who the three families became. There was tons of material to work with-I mean, pirate treasure, ancient spirit witches, blood feuds, lonely, demented characters, curses, forbidden romance . . . How could I resist?

My dream cast of plantations would include Boone Hall Plantation, with bits of Magnolia Plantation and Drayton Hall thrown in. For the ruins of Colesworth Place, I’d love to use part of the columns that are all that’s left of the Windsor Plantation in Port Gibson, Mississippi. There is a Windsor Plantation on Edisto Island, too, but it doesn’t have the same level of drama and echoing sadness.
Okay, and now on to the fun part. Human characters.

Barrie.

Barrie first. I’d love to Jennifer Lawrence play Barrie, of course, but basically, I’d like Jennifer Lawrence to play the main character in every movie, so that may not tell you much. I might go with Nicola Peltz.

Eight (Charles Robert Beaufort, VIII)

Liam Hemsworth, I think, although Alex Pettyfer is probably the default here for most readers, and of course I wouldn’t turn him down.

Barrie’s cousin Cassie.

Rooney Mara. This one’s a no-brainer for me. She could do Scarlett/Vivien Leigh, and I think she’d pull off the various sides of Cassie with the complexity that Cassie needs.

Barrie’s godfather Mark.

Idris Elba. I can picture him ROCKING a pink Chanel suit and heels and shaking his booty and singing along with Whoopie Goldberg in Sister Act doing “Hail Holy Queen.” I wonder if he’d be willing to shave?

Barrie’s Aunt Pru.

Hard to believe that Reese Witherspoon is about the right age, but she is. And she would do a fabulous job.

Eight’s father Seven (Charles Robert Beaufort, VII).
If they cast Patrick Dempsey as Seven, then McDreamy might finally get the girl he missed in Sweet Home Alabama. Maybe. Eventually. By the end of the series—if I decide that Seven is truly good enough for Pru.

Belle: And here's a teaser 'cause I love you guys :P

Eight spun her toward him and kissed her, a long, deep kiss, until she thought she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen to the brain. “Now I’m better. You?”

“Yeah. Fan-freaking-tastic.”

“Good, because we’re going to get out of this. Look at me.” He ducked his head so he was eye level with her, and laced the fingers of both hands through hers. He spoke so intently, it was hard not to believe him. Not to believe in him. “We will get out.”

Maybe the human brain was hardwired to require faith. Some people believed in God. Others believed in sports teams. Some believed blindly in their own talent or intelligence, regardless of evidence to the contrary, and then there were those who believed in family no matter how often it betrayed them. The people who mattered were the people you chose instead of the people who were yours only by an accident of birth. Real family was heart as much as, if not more than, blood.

About the Author:

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She fell in love with words and never stopped delighting in them.

She’s the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site devoted to encouraging literacy and all this YA Series.

From her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, children, and Auggie the wonder dog, she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she’d love to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Author Links:

Website | Blog | Tumblr | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

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Who loves debuts? We do!

(I seriously need to get a white post background *winces*)

Amber at Books of Amber is hosting her second Debutathon!

The Debutathon is a readathon where you only read debuts, and it sounds like a great push for me to get through some of those 2014 debuts that have been lounging around in my iBooks so I decided I better participate! The Debutathon runs from December 8th at 12AM to December 14th at 11.59PM.

THE RULES

• The debuts have to be released in 2014

• The debuts can be Middle Grade, Young Adult, or Adult

• You may read an author's debut in one of those categories, even if they've published other books in other categories before.

I've picked the following books as propective reads (plus two of them are review ecopies from Netgalley) during the Debutathon. Of course, I won't be able to read all of them because I wouldn't be able to read 6 books on a regular week (I used to be a fast reader I promise, but I lost the skill *sobs*), and this week will not be normal by any standards! I'll be having my first dance concert since the old tap days, so it's a very exciting time! Plus I'll also be off to Cairns almost straight after, so things are getting quite busy in my household. I still plan to read as many debuts as humanly possible tho. No concert or interstate trip is gonna stop me *maniacal laugh*

Click here to join the Debutathon 2014!

—MissBloodsucker™ All Sucked Out!

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