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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Bookworm: Book Blast & Giveaway - Tied by Laney McMann

Tied coverTied by Laney McMann

Normal people don't believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either. Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares. Or is that all in her head? Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken. No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible? The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first. In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction. Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves? The answer may never be far enough ... away.  



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Excerpt:

My window opened easily. The same way it had so many times before. Climbing out on the ledge, I found the ground empty and dropped from the second floor—a jump I'd made a hundred times. In another life. My feet sunk into the sand, and I followed the well-worn pathway through the dunes. Even the strong evening winds hadn’t misshaped the deep gully. The ocean's breeze lashed at my hair as the moonlight glinted off the water’s surface. Seagulls flew up from their nesting grounds. They should have recognized me, since I’d been wandering at night for so long. Wrapping my arms around my knees to block the slight chill, I settled in the sand, and the birds quieted in a tight huddle, the wind blowing their feathers in awkward angles. My gaze fell on a figure standing beyond the dunes edge, a shadow hidden within the darkness. My pulse quickened, but I didn't move. Another trick—an illusion. Weary of the games my mind continued to play, I bit back tears and the catch in my throat. I should have been immune to them—the hallucinations—the way they haunted me and followed me, but I wasn’t. Forcing myself to blink, I turned my head away. The visions had grown worse as I’d become older. I’d tried to convince myself they were nightmares—or weird dreams. Hoped for years they were, but only people who sleep dream. Unable, or unwilling to stop myself, I glanced back over my shoulder, thoughts flooding my brain. Memories I knew couldn’t be memories but I cherished all the same. For years I’d tried to shake them away. To make myself forget. I couldn’t.#**#**# A stone raps against my bedroom window. I creep over and peer through the blinds. "You’re late." I lean out over the sill, grinning at the boy staring up at me. "Come on, let’s go before she comes," he says. I climb onto the window ledge. "Be nice. She’s my friend." "Okay. Jump." He waves at me to go faster. "Move, and I will." He takes one casual step to the side.The jump isn’t too high; I make it all the time. He grabs my hand when I land beside him in the soft sand. "Ready?" I nod. "One, two …" "I’m going to tell!" Benny runs across my yard toward me, her blonde pigtails flapping in the wind. "You’re not allowed to talk to that boy, Layla! Your mom said!" Max tightens his grip on my hand. "Shut up, Benny! I'm old enough." "You’re only nine. Don't go! " "Three!" Max and I leave the ground. “You're going to get in so much trouble.” Benny’s yell rings in the distance. Our feet touch down in the wet grass of the Otherworld, icy sea air whipping at my face. "Hopefully, she won’t follow us again." Max lets go of my hand. "She won’t. I told her not to." I lead the way down the cliff face to the ocean. "She never listens to you."    


Book Trailer
 
      


Praise for Tied:

“The author has taken a unique concept and created a brilliantly written story. One of my new favorite fantasy books.” — The Reading Diaries

“I was so engrossed in this story that real life went on without me being aware of it.” — Crazy Four Books

“In the midst of games between parallel worlds, past and present, interrupted by visions and ancient prophecies, you are caught up in the story’s threads.” — Mythical Books

“There's so much amazing creativity that has gone into the Fire Born world; McMann combines and twist legends and the paranormal to come up with the perfect urban fantasy setting. ” — Known to Read
   




Laney McMannAuthor Laney McMann

With a passion for the supernatural and all things magical, Laney developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. A vivid imagination helped set the stage for creating her own worlds and placed her onto the writing path. By the time she reached her teens, she'd accumulated notebooks full of poems, which led to short stories and finally novels. Young adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology are among her favorite genres. A former classical dancer and chef, she grew up in sultry Florida where she still resides with her family.  



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BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 11/24/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish to highlight a top ten list related to book blogging, and all things cool.


Oh dear. Sequels...this is hard! There are soooo many great ones coming out soon, and next year! Okay, I cheated by adding a few that have been out for awhile but I have yet to read so, yeah.


The One by Kiera Cass (The Selection Series #3)  - this is one of the books I CAN'T WAIT for! I just have one word for you: MAXON! I mean, you had me at the cover*! But the series is just amazing as well. I NEED this book!

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (Iron Fey #4) - oh just kill me now! This book has been out for TWO YEARS but I have yet to read it as I have been devouring the rest of the series! ASH!! I NEED YOU SO BADLY! Absolutely DYING for this book right now, it's taking all my willpower not to go to the bookstore right this moment.


Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins (Sweet Evil #3) - I already have the first two books so most definitely going to need this one! And isn't that cover just lovely, I'm digging that pink dress*!

12th of Never by James Patterson (Women's Murder Club #12) - A really long-ish series I can't get enough of. And hoping for more even before reading this latest one. If you haven't read this series, you should! 

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #2) - this book has been on my wishlist since even before it came out. I really want this to continue to the series!

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss series #3) - I absolutely loved Anna and the French Kiss and really took a liking to Isla and her boy (who I will not mention here in case of spoilers) so I am really looking forward to this pairing!

Sever by Lauren DeStefano (Chemical Garden Trilogy #3) - I know this has been out since February but I don't have it yet, even though I have read the first two books. So, as always, one needs to know how the story ends! I really don't know what to expect from this one so we'll see! I'm excited to read it.

Thankless In Death by J. D. Robb (In Death #37) - Does a series with 37 books count as a sequel? LOL. I can't help myself, I love this series too much not to mention it. Although I must say I think Roarke should have his own series. Just saying.

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (Across the Never Sky #3) - Okay, I have yet to read book two, as I just bought it. But I know I'll love it so I'm putting book three on this list! It's only coming out in GAH February so I have a couple of months to read book two! But I love this series and the pairings in it so I am expecting good things!


Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Petefreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2) - Simply loved book one and looking forward to reading this one! It just came out too so it's now sitting pretty in my ever-growing wishlist! I've never read the book this one was based on/influenced by, so it should be interesting!



* As you can see, I haven't added pictures of the book covers on this post. I really wanted to but Blogger is being a b**** and messing with my picture-adding-abilities for some reason. This is not the first time. I'll do better next time, I promise. 



I'm sure you have sequels you're looking forward to. Any recommendations for me? Quite a few of the series mentioned above are ending (GRR....) so I'll need new ones to keep me company! Thanks for dropping by!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Face It: Clinelle Purifying Cleanser

purifying





I was sent this Clinelle Purifying Cleanser by HiShop to test out sometime back. At first I was quite skeptical of it as it is stated that it is suitable for people with oily and blemish-prone skin. Now, I have an oily T-zone and very dry cheeks so I wasn't sure how this product would fare against said cheeks.

According to the website, this product is:

A purifying cleanser to thoroughly remove blemish-causing bacteria and soothe inflammation. It contains active compounds to help reduce blemishes, prevent future breakouts and reduce skin inflammation. Skin is left clean, clear and shine-free. Formulated and manufactured in Korea.

A purifying cleanser to thoroughly remove blemish-causing bacteria and soothe inflammation. It contains active compounds to help reduce blemishes, prevent future breakouts and reduce skin inflammation. Skin is left clean, clear and shine-free. Formulated and manufactured in Korea. - See more at: http://www.hishop.my/clinelle-purifying-cleanser-80ml#sthash.9bJrI4Ev.dpuf


A purifying cleanser to thoroughly remove blemish-causing bacteria and soothe inflammation. It contains active compounds to help reduce blemishes, prevent future breakouts and reduce skin inflammation. Skin is left clean, clear and shine-free. Formulated and manufactured in Korea. - See more at: http://www.hishop.my/clinelle-purifying-cleanser-80ml#sthash.9bJrI4Ev.dpuf


I've been using this for a few weeks now and I must say, it hasn't done too badly. I'm actually pretty impressed by it to say the least. No problems with the oily T-zone and very-minimal-to-no-tugging on my cheeks. I thought it would be too drying for my cheek area but had nothing to worry about. I can't vouch for the "reduction of blemishes and prevention of future breakouts" as I do get the occasional hormonal zit but overall, better than expected. I'm keeping this baby on my To Repurchase list!


The Clinelle Purifying Cleanser is priced at RM33.90 for 80ml.

purifying
Clinelle Purifying Cleanser
Clinelle Purifying Cleanser
Clinelle Purifying Cleanser


Disclosure: I was given the product above as part of the Beauty Ambassador Programme but was not compensated financially. Everything mentioned are my own thoughts based on my experience.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The Bookworm: Book Blast & Giveaway - arbitrate by Megan Thomason

arbitratearbitrate:

It’s one year later. And everything has changed.
Remember The Second Chance Institute (SCI). Earth’s benevolent non-profit by day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. They’ve stepped up their game on Earth and on Thera—infiltrating political parties, preying on the downtrodden, and planning offensive maneuvers. The SCI’s abuse of their charter leads to Arbiter oversight and bitter consequences.
Remember Kira Donovan. Broken, burdened, and evading those who wish her harm, Kira enlists the Arbiters’ help when forced to return to the clutches of the SCI and her angry, estranged love.
Remember Blake Sundry. Exiled, determined, and packing an agenda, Blake seeks assistance on Earth and Thera to use his newfound knowledge to bring down the SCI.
Remember Ethan Darcton. Overworked, emotional, and holding a grudge, Ethan hunts down his stolen property, but finds himself in awkward territory, stuck between the Arbiters and the SCI.
Full of action, competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns, arbitrate is Megan Thomason’s third installment in the award-winning daynight series after daynight and clean slate complex (a daynight story).

 


Praise for arbitrate:

“There are a lot of books I finish and feel happy, this one I finished and my head is swirling, in a totally awesome way! Not only does it have a great story with characters that you like (and some you just hate as they are the enemy) but the book also gets you thinking, thinking about the implication of effects of different actions and courses in life. This story has action, fighting, plots and plans, romance, love triangles, family, betrayal – has it all.” –Emily Barton, Emmy Mom One Day at a Time blog, 5 stars

“You have hit this one out of the park.” –ARC Reviewer

“For the record, I LOVED Kira’s choice!! And the whole thing just blew me away! Very, very well done!! Now when can I get my hands on generate?! Can’t wait ” –ARC Reviewer

“Read my ARC of Arbitrate and consider my mind blown! I started it the minute it was sent and couldn’t put it down.” –ARC Reviewer



daynight new daynight

Meet The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Earth's benevolent non-profit by day, Thera's totalitarian regime by night. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Life(TM). Reality: the SCI subjects Second Chancers to strict controls and politically motivated science experiments like Cleaving--forced lifetime union between two people who have sex. Punishment for disobeying SCI edicts? Immediate Exile or death.  

Meet Kira Donovan. Fiercely loyal, overly optimistic, and ensnared by the promise of a full-ride college scholarship, Kira signs the SCI Recruit contract to escape memories of a tragedy that left her boyfriend and friends dead.  

Meet Blake Sundry. Bitter about being raised in Exile and his mother's death, Blake's been trained to infiltrate and destroy the SCI. Current barrier to success? His Recruit partner--Miss Goody Two Shoes Kira Donovan.  

Meet Ethan Darcton. Born with a defective heart and resulting inferiority complex, Ethan's forced to do his SCI elite family's bidding. Cleave-worthy Kira Donovan catches his eye, but the presiding powers give defect-free Blake Sundry first dibs.  

Full of competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns, daynight is an award-winning, bestselling novel and first in the daynight series.


arbitrate freebie
Download a FREE copy of daynight


October 29th, 30th & 31st

Praise for daynight: 2012 Book of the Year Award Finalist-Young Adult Fiction, ForeWord Reviews "Sure to win over YA readers looking for a dangerous, dystopian adventure story" —Kirkus Reviews "Gripping young adult dystopian novel; compelling conflicts; high stakes; powerful narrative; surprises keep coming; strong writing; page-turner; engaging characters; Readers will be hungry for the sequels.”—BlueInk Review (starred review) "Thomason's description of Thera's totalitarianism will make fans of Brave New World shiver... SCI, her fantasy corporation, has disturbing parallels to actual companies and regimes that claim to do good while harming people... The author deftly appeals to both romance-loving teens as well as those intrigued by young adults fighting the establishment.”—ForeWord Clarion Review, 4 stars      


arbitrate 

Excerpt: “I’m angry at all of them. Every SCI leader. In fact Joshua gave me a list of those who are Earth-side. It makes for a great to-do list.” They all deserve to pay. I’m done talking. It’s time for some action. One thousand one. One thousand two. One thousand three. That’s all it takes to even out my breathing and steady my hand. I shift the crosshairs on my target ever so slightly—from his heart to his hand—and pull the trigger. My father would be proud that all his training paid off. Oh, who am I kidding? He’d find something to criticize about my work here. Sad that even though he’s gone I can hear him saying, “If you’d hit a little to the left you’d have taken out a higher concentration of nerves.”

arbitrate tour


meganAuthor Megan Thomason

Bestselling, award-winning author Megan Thomason lives in paradise aka San Diego, CA with her husband and five children. A former software manager, Megan vastly prefers writing twisted tales to business, product, and marketing plans. When she isn't typing away on her laptop, she's reading books on her phone--over 600 in the last year--or attending to the needs of her family. Megan's fluent in sarcasm, could potentially benefit from a 12-step program for road rage, struggles with a Hot Tamales addiction, loves world travel & fast cars and hates paperwork & being an insomniac.








   

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 11/18/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Monday, October 7, 2013

The Bookworm: Book Blast & Giveaway - Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires by Jeff Gunhus

Lord tour 

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000031_00007]
Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires

Jack is back. After his adventures at the Monster Hunter Academy (which included fighting a goblin army, befriending an ancient werewolf, and battling two fire breathing dragons), Jack Templar was hoping for a rest. No such luck. In Book #3 of the Jack Templar Monster Hunter series, Jack embarks on a quest to track down and acquire the first of the five mythical Jerusalem Stones, an ancient power found by his ancestors the Templar Knights. Only the reunited Stones can stop Ren Lucre, the Dark Lord who holds Jack’s father hostage and prepares for an all-out war against an unsuspecting human world. But each Stone is held by a different Creach Lord and recovering them will not be easy. Jack and his friends begin their quest by seeking out one of the most powerful and dangerous keepers of the Stones, the Lord of the Vampires. The fate of the world rests on Jack’s shoulders and he will be tested like never before. But true monster hunters always do their duty…come what may. Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires.



Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy (Book 2)

After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.








Jack Templar: Monster Hunter (Book 1)

Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him. As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.


Jack Templar Monster Hunter was chosen as a Book of the Year Finalist by Foreword Reviews.



Author Jeff Gunhus

Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.

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BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/31/13  


Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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