Friday, January 31, 2014

Blog Tour: Spotlight and Excerpt



Tour hosted by Dark world ToursTour Schedule



The Wind WhispererTitle: The Wind Whisperer
Author: Krista Holle
Publisher: Sweet River Romance
Publishing Date: November 11th 2013

Pages: 309
Genre: YA Fantasy 

Series:Stand Alone
    


At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe—and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.

As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.

Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.

While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.








I looked around cautiously before freezing at the sketchy outline of a muscular man partially hidden in the grass.  A man!  He was sprawled on his back and golden pink from too many hours in the sun.  My heart pounded to see the unfamiliar pattern of a deer on his breechcloth.  I had marched myself directly into the reach of a Zennite warrior! 
I gingerly took a step backwards, but to my horror, the man’s black eyes fluttered open.  I turned and hurled myself back across the meadow, just as the man shot up and flew after me like a predatory bird.  My muscles burned and strained to lengthen the space between us, but getting away was hopeless.  I was not a challenge to even the young boys in the foot races.
After a few powerful strides, the warrior tackled me to the ground, painfully grazing the skin on my cheek.  I wheezed a few times before my lungs filled with air. 
“A Chippoke?” he asked between breaths. 
I feverishly punched and kicked to free myself.  “Get—off—me!”
“Stop! I’m not going to hurt you,” the warrior chuckled as he struggled to pin my arms and legs.  His voice was calm and pleasant, but lying was no different than breathing to a Zennite.
“I cannot promise the same,” I wheezed as I fought. 
“You’re a bobcat,” he said with a laugh.  “A bobcat with no teeth or claws.”
“Let me go!”
“I will when you’re calm.”
Strong hands held my wrists while his full weight pinned my torso against the earth.  Fighting him was as useless as running.  “You are not a boy,” I spat angrily, fully taking in my attacker.  It was little comfort that he didn’t look like a bloodthirsty killer.  He was admittedly handsome with an angular face and sleek black hair that hung well past his shoulders.  He was not as tall as Elan, but his muscles were narrow and built for speed.  There was something different about his eyes too.  They were as black as soot—very unlike the brown woodsy colors from our tribe.
The warrior smirked down at me.  “My mother will be very surprised to hear that.  All this time she’s assumed…”
My face heated, but I fiercely met his gaze.  The Zenni were like wild dogs and pumas—they could smell emotions. “What I meant was, you are a man, not a boy.”
“Oh, I see, but you must understand, I’m not a man yet.” 
“You must understand I’m a squirrel!  Get off!  You’re hurting me!” I ordered with a useless heave. 
“No,” he said with a smirk.
It was then I realized I might die—right after I was lulled into a false sense of security.  My chest pounded as I searched for the killer’s weapon.  “Are you going to kill me?”    
“I do not feel like killing you just yet,” he said as his long hair swirled in my face.  Were we to play a game before he killed me? 
“I am glad the mood doesn’t strike you,” I snarled.  The warrior studied me with a drawn brow.  Was he guessing that I was the forest witch?  I didn’t think I looked like a witch, but I wasn’t certain what one should look like—evil at least.
“I don’t understand something,” the warrior said.  “Your eyes are blue—the blue of an angry sky.  Are you the daughter of a god?”

“Yes,” I said, heaving against his weight again.  “Now get off me, or my father Achak will strike you dead with lightening.” 




Krista Holle


Krista Holle is an award 
winningauthor who stepped up her writing after reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. It occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love—not just vampires. When Krista is not writing, she loves to collect seashells, watch movies, and eat obscene amounts of pizza. Krista currently resides in Montpelier, Virginia with her husband, four daughters and an eccentric cat with a weird attachment to the family’s socks.


Displaying Giveaway Prizes.jpg


















a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature and Follow Friday #93



Feature Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read!



Featured Blog:

Bookcomet Blog Button

and

Angelic Book Reviews

Featured Question:

Question of the Week: Book Spine Time. Gonna use ones I have before. I didn't have time do a new one, but I have quite a few on file. 







Thursday, January 30, 2014

Delightful Discoveries #51




Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered recently... old, new, just released... from blogs, Goodreads, libraries, friends, or bookstores. 

So this week I found these goodies...
Death Spiral: A Faith Flores Science MysteryDeath Spiral by Janie Chodosh

  

        

Life is tough when you have a junkie for a mom. But when sixteen-year-old Faith Flores—scientist wannabe, loner, new girl in town—finds her mom dead on the bathroom floor, she refuses to believe her mom really OD'd. But the cops have closed the case and her Aunt T, with whom she now lives in the Philly ‘burbs, wants Faith to let go and move on.

But a note from Melinda, her mom's junkie friend, leads Faith to a seedy downtown methadone clinic. Were her mom and Melinda trying to get clean?

When Melinda dies of an overdose, Faith tracks down the scientists behind the trial running at the methadone clinic. Soon she's cutting school and lying to everyone—her aunt, her best friend, even the cops. Everyone, that is, except the strangely alluring Jesse, who believes the “real” education's on the street and whose in-your-face honesty threatens to invade Faith's self-imposed “no-dating” rule. A drug-dealer named Rat-Catcher warns Faith to back off, but it doesn't stop Faith from confronting a genetics professor with a guilty conscience. When the medical examiner's body winds up in the Schuylkill River, Faith realizes if she doesn't act fast, she may be the next body in the morgue. Can Faith stop this deal gone bad from taking a sharp turn for the worse?

Death Spiral is a smart, surprising novel featuring an in-your-face heroine sure to appeal to teens and adults alike.




Breathe, Annie, BreatheBreathe Annie Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

  

        

Eighteen-year-old Annie Winters can barely run a mile without wheezing. Still, she’s training to run the Music City Marathon in seven short months. Running is so not her thing, but she has to finish what her boyfriend started… before he died.

Annie feels guilt that she’s still alive and blames herself for his death. Plus, training gives her something to do, it’s a distraction. So is Jeremiah Brown.

He’s an adrenaline junkie who runs marathons backwards. He flirts with Annie on the trails and it makes her feel alive and happy and guilty all at the same time. She wants to both race into his arms and sprint in the opposite direction – because loving is a risk she’s not sure she’s ready to take again…







The Star Thief (Star Thief Chronicles, #1)



The Star Thief by Jamie Grey


        

She might only be twenty-three, but Renna Carrizal is the most notorious thief in the galaxy. There’s just one problem – all she wants is to get the frak out of the business.

But when Renna rescues an injured boy from the warehouse she’s casing, she finds herself on the run from the mob instead of enjoying retirement on a garden world. Turns out, the kid was a plant to lead her to MYTH, a top-secret galactic protection agency.

MYTH needs Renna’s special skills, and they make her an offer she can’t refuse – unless she'd like to spend the rest of her life on a prison ship. To make sure she does her job they shackle her with a MYTH watchdog, the handsome but arrogant Captain Finn.

A former mercenary-turned-galactic-hero, Finn happens to have his own dirty secrets. Secrets that Renna wouldn’t mind uncovering for herself. Together, they discover an experiment to develop illegal cybernetics that will create an unstoppable army. The intended target? The human star fleet.

Now Renna must use her skills as the Star Thief to pull off the biggest job of her career – saving the galaxy. And herself.




Dark Days
Dark Days by Kate Ormand

  
        

The future world has been divided into sectors--each the same as the other. Surrounded by thick steel fences, there is no way in and no way out. Yet a cyborg army penetrates each sector, picking off its citizens one by one, until no one is left. Behind the sectors' thick walls, the citizens wait to die. Few will be chosen to survive what's coming; the rest will be left behind to suffer. A new world has been created, and its rulers are incredibly selective on who will become a citizen. They want only those with important roles in society to help create a more perfect future.

Sixteen-year-old Sia lives in one of the sectors as part of a family that is far too ordinary to be picked to live. According to the digital clock that towers high above her sector, she has only fifteen days to live. Sia has seen the reports and knows a horrific death is in store for her, but she is determined to make the most of her final days. Sia refuses to mourn her short life, instead promising herself that she'll stay strong, despite being suffocated by her depressed mother and her frightened best friend. Just when Sia feels more alone than ever, she meets Mace, a mysterious boy. There is something that draws Sia to him, despite his dangerousness, and together, they join a group of rebels and embark on an epic journey to destroy the new world and its machines, and to put an end to the slaughter of innocent people.






Solving for Ex
 Solving for Ex by Leigh Ann Kopans

  

        

1 crush on your best friend +
1 gorgeous, scheming new girl +
1 Mathletics competition =
1 big mess

SIMPLIFY.

Ashley Price doesn’t have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy.

But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn’t count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent.

Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the
battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on.

She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)Title: These Broken Stars
Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Publisher:  Disney Hyperion
Publishing Date: December 10th 2014
Pages: 374
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi- Space Opera/Adventure
Series: Starbound #1
Source: Audio

  


It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.







This was a pretty awesome book. The cover alone drew me in. I think that this was one of my favorite covers last year. I think it’s just gorgeous. I love sci fi and its good to get some more sci- fi in the mix of YA books that isn’t dystopian. Good old science fiction with lots of drama, adventure, and romance. Yup it was good stuff. This book stood out for the genre for me. I know there isn’t much out there along these lines in YA, but there are a few and this one was one of the best for me. I liked the characters, OK I LOVED the characters. A couple of long lasting favorites for me. The story was quite unique too. I didn’t really know where it was headed, but it once it got there, it was the right direction. A Very Awesome Read.




Lilac is the daughter of a very rich man, a very overprotective man. Tarver is a military hero, but he is from a family of no money. Lilac and Tarver are on a ship together. He starts to break down, Tarver and Lilac escape pod and crash into a new planet. A planet that looks terraformed by the government but has no life living among the planet.  Together Tarver and Lilac trek across the planet to get to the crash site of the main ship and try to survive on the way. Strange things start to happen to Lilac, hearing things, seeing things, knowing things she shouldn’t. Soon it becomes clear that there is no other survivors and they must find a way to call for help. The only problem is something or someone is standing in their way.




I really really enjoyed this book. I absolutely adored the main characters. More than most books. I didn’t just connect to them, they became part of my family. Tarver is a real hottie, heroic, brave, manly, stubborn, caring, smart, a real survivor, oh and hot. Yes that deserves to be in there twice. He is a dreamboat and I fell for him. Doesn’t happen often for me but it did for Tarver. I would follow him anywhere I believe. Lilac was a spitfire for sure. She was independent, bossy, snarky, and just all together trouble but she was funny, determined, caring in her own way. She grew too, a lot from beginning to end. I liked her from the start and loved her in the end. The two were perfect together too.

The love story was a slow one but not really. It was slowly built but it was fast for the amount of time they spent together. Of course I believe that if I am stuck surviving a horrific traumatic accident with only one person and that person works hard to ensure my survival, I am going to fall pretty darn quick. So even though it was quick it didn’t seem quick because they were alone together for days on end. They started off flirtatious on the ship, then their feelings went from flirtatious to angry with each other before the crash, hatred of each other after the crash, tolerable of each other, caring for the other, liking another, then finally love. Their relationship had the full on emotional roller coaster ride. It was great to watch it change and grow into what it became in the end. It was clear where their relationship was headed but it was nice to see it develop instead of wham there it is.

The story was definitely a unique and intriguing. From the very start I didn’t know where the story was leading. I thought it was a story of love and survival but it was so much deeper than that. There was a mystery of the strange happenings throughout the entire book and wasn’t cleared up until the very end. I had no clue what was going on. I was anxious to know but because of the love story I was happy to get there slowly.

The pacing was excellent in this book. I am not one who usually enjoys a book with only two people throughout the entire book. I need more character interaction. I usually get bored with only one or two characters, especially with a story of survival. This story did not bore me. Even though it only had two characters. I was never left wanting for more, except when Tarver and Lilac were separated. Then I wanted more of them together again. I was thoroughly entertained by the characters and their interactions and fully enjoyed their adventure, survival tactics, and the mystery of the planet. 

The ending was just perfect. Even though this is a series, the story of Tarver and Lilac was completely resolved at the end and I was completely overjoyed with the ending.







More than expected kind of read. Can’t wait to read more.







Waiting on Wednesday #96




Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



We Were LiarsWe Were Liars by E. Lockhart

May 13th 2014

  

        

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Teaser Tuesday #92 and Top Ten Tuesday #82



Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Bloggers choose two
sentences out of our current read to peak others' curiosity.


Inhuman (Fetch, #1)Teaser: 

"Because he'll mutate... but how?" The screech from across the river trailed off. 

Inhuman by Kat Falls 

  
  
        


In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.

America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.

Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught.

Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.







Top Ten is an original feature/weekly meme created here at
The Broke and the Bookish that features a great bookish top ten every week.




My Top Ten Characters I would Not want to trade places with....

1. Katniss from Hunger Games
2. Kitty Doe from Pawn
3. West from Dualed
4. Kira from Countdown
5. Bea from Breathe
6. Tana From The Coldest Girl in Cold Town
7. Alex from Ashes
8. Wren from Reboot
9. Juliet from The Madman's Daughter
10. Rhine from Wither

 
Imagination Designs