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Destiny Gift release week - Excerpt

4 Apr 2013
This week has been incredible for New Adult book releases and i have one more i want to share with you all - Destiny Gift by Julianna Haygert. I have been very excited about this book since first hearing about it last year. I was part of the cover reveal and i have been excitedly awaiting this book being available. It is a slightly futuristic NA paranormal novel and i am desperate to read it. Here is the synopsis and an excerpt, it is now available to buy if like me you think it sounds amazing.

Destiny Gift by Juliana Haygert



Destiny Gift


Synopsis - from goodreads

Thirty years in the future, a sinister New York City exists in permanent darkness.

A student at the secured NYU, nineteen-year-old Nadine has visions of Victor Gianni, an imaginary guy she has real feelings for. Afraid of being truly insane, she explains the visions away as simple daydreams, but she can no longer deny them when she bumps into Victor in real life. But this Victor doesn’t know her, and turns her away. After the encounter, Nadine’s visions change to those of eerie fates, gods she’s never heard of, demons with sharp claws they are not too timid to use … and instructions.

To discover if she’s losing her mind, Nadine follows the vague directions—with the real, rude and reluctant Victor—leading to a man who knows it all: Nadine can restore an ancient creed by unveiling the clues on her visions, and bring sunlight and peace to the world again. But that’s only if the demons and the other evil forces behind the darkness don’t stop her first.




Excerpt


I heard a heavy sigh and turned toward it. It was Victor. He was leaving the elevator down the hall and coming toward his grandma’s room. He had seen me and didn’t seem happy about it.

He wore faded jeans, a T-shirt, and a thin jacket. Too casual. I shook my head. The fact that my dream Victor and this real Victor were exactly the same physically, while their clothing styles and posture were the opposite of each other still boggled my mind.

He came to a stop before me. “You again.” There was disdain in his tone. I cringed.

“How are you?” I managed to ask and immediately felt silly. I had planted myself here in this hallway for over an hour waiting for him, and when he finally arrived, I didn’t know what to say. Though I really did want to know how he was. The last time I had seen him in the flesh, he’d been jerking on the floor of the hospital’s garage, in pain. “What was that … ah … before …?”” I trailed off, hoping he would understand what I was referring to.

He shrugged, his sea-green eyes still staring at me with suspicion. “I don’t know. By the way, how do you know my name?”

I twirled a lock of my hair around my index finger as I considered my answer. I wanted to answer him. I wanted to be honest, but he would never believe me.

As if my answer would pop out of the walls, I scanned the hallway.

At the end of the corridor, a nurse left a room and entered another.

“The nurse,” I almost shouted, hoping he wouldn’t notice my sudden lie. I avoided his inquisitive eyes. “I heard a nurse calling you earlier that day.”

His deadpan expression hid his thoughts and didn’t let me know if he was buying it or not.

“What did you do to me last night?” he asked, crossing his arms. God, I hated how his voice and his posture were so guarded and mistrustful. I wasn’t used to it.

“What do you mean?”

“When you touched me, the shock and the pain went away. How did you do that?”

“I don’t know.” This time I wasn’t lying. I really didn’t know. He frowned, clearly still suspicious. “Seriously, I have no idea.”

His shoulders stiffened. “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

My eyes widened as I retreated a few steps, trying to avoid his toxic tone.

Yes, he looked like my Victor—the same voice, the same hair, the same face, the same mouth that had offered me smiles that had rendered me breathless many, many times. I wanted to touch him, to embrace him, to tell him everything was going to be okay. Maybe if I touched him, he would remember me and he would want to touch me too.

I came closer to him, looking deeply into those wary green eyes, my fingers itching to stroke his skin, to feel it smoldering under my caress. But I didn’t. He was like my Victor, but he wasn’t my Victor. The Victor from my visions would never speak to me like this. He would never snap at me. No, no. My Victor loved my company, loved to hear me sing, loved to embrace me and inhale my scent.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice croaking under the heavy pressure inside my chest.

Then, I walked away.

About The Author



While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Author Links

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | NA Alley

There is a blog tour running for this book at the end of the month which you can check out here, apparently there will be an awesome giveaway included :)  http://www.xpressobooktours.com/2013/02/tour-sign-up-destiny-gift-by-juliana.html

A Different Blue release week - Guest post by Amy Harmon

A Different Blue by Amy Harmon



A Different Blue


Synopsis

Blue Echohawk doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn't attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on with life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard and overtly sexy, she is the complete opposite of the young British teacher who decides he is up for the challenge, and takes the troublemaker under his wing.

This is the story of a nobody who becomes somebody. It is the story of an unlikely friendship, where hope fosters healing and redemption becomes love. But falling in love can be hard when you don't know who you are. Falling in love with someone who knows exactly who they are and exactly why they can't love you back might be impossible.


Life isn't Romantic

 
Life isn't romantic.  It's hard and ugly, and people have bad breath and big bellies and thinning hair.  Couples age together, see each other at their worst, annoy each other, hurt each other, and even hate each other sometimes.  That's why we women love romance with mythical creatures that sparkle, never age, don't get bad breath or work as mail men, school teachers or plumbers.  We need that escape, that fantasy, because life is so....unfantastic sometimes.  And that mythical creature can make us swoon, giggle, and pant and never expects us to make dinner, lose a little weight, or wear something besides sweatpants.  (I love mythical men!!) 

            The first time I saw a porno – yep, I've seen one or two – I made the mistake of thinking I was going to get romance.  I didn't.  And I was not impressed.  Nor was I moved, touched, soothed, or inspired.  That's when it occurred to me that romance isn't necessarily about sex.  And I want to be a romance writer.  I want to write the kind of romance where sex is not the climax.  No pun intended.  To do that, and make it realistic, I decided I would have to create scenarios and plot lines where the two main characters can't have sex because of age or distance or propriety or, in the case of Slow Dance in Purgatory, because one of them is a ghost.  You get the idea.  In my book Running Barefoot, my characters start out at thirteen and eighteen, and sex is not even part of the equation (ew!).  This allows both the reader and the characters to get to know one another without expecting that at any moment there should be sex. 

            In my latest novel, A Different Blue, I have made the main character a senior in high school.  And, in order to allow my characters to build a relationship that is NOT based purely on physical attraction, I made the leading man, Wilson, be her young teacher.  I didn't do it to be controversial or provocative. I did it because I didn't want sex to be part of their relationship, not in the beginning.  Instead, these two characters learn from each other, inspire each other, become friends, and eventually (spoiler alert!) fall in love.  In my books, love always comes first, and sex, well...I'll let you find out for yourselves.  I'm taking a risk with my fellow romance fans who love a real steamer, but I think you'll find that a good romance should be emotionally erotic and not just physically erotic.  And lets face it, sexual tension is absolutely delicious, and it all but disappears in a novel as soon as the deed is done. 

            So even though life isn't romantic, love is.  And in spite of the bedhead and the stretch marks, love exists in everyday life, everywhere I look.  I want the characters I create to be REAL, just like you and me – or you and George – and yet come to love each other anyway.  No immortality, sparkles, or granite abs allowed.  And that, my friends, is why I write romance.

About The Author



Amy Harmon knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Amy Harmon has been a motivational speaker, a grade school teacher, a junior high teacher, a home school mom, and a member of the Grammy Award winning Saints Unified Voices Choir, directed by Gladys Knight. She released a Christian Blues CD in 2007 called "What I Know" - also available on Amazon and wherever digital music is sold. She has written four novels, Running Barefoot, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, and A DIFFERENT BLUE.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Rithmatist

3 Apr 2013
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it allows readers to share the books that they are most looking forwards to reading.

This week the book i have chosen to feature is The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson.

The Rithmatist



Title: The Rithmatist

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Series: The first in a new series

Expected Publication: May 14th (US), May 16th (UK)

Publisher: Orion Childrens books (UK), Tor Teen (US)

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK





Synopsis

Someone is killing the powerful Rithmatist magicians and Joel may be the only one who can stop the killer...
Joel is fascinated by the magical art of Rithmatics, but unfortunately only a chosen few have the necessary gift and Joel is not one of them. Undaunted, Joel persuades Professor Fitch to teach him Rithmatic theory - and soon finds that his knowledge is put to the test when someone starts murdering the top Rithmatic students at his school.

But can Joel work out the identity of the killer and stop them before they realize just what a threat Joel actually is?

My Thoughts

Brandon Sanderson is an incredible fantasy author. He creates worlds that are so unique you could never possibly imagine them yourself and his storytelling is so woven and detailed that every page is a joy to read. This will be the first book i read of his that is aimed at a yound adult audience. Here's hoping this book is as amazing as all his others.

What books are you looking forwards to this week? Feel free to link to your own WoW posts in the comments :)

Unexpected release day - Excerpt and giveaway

2 Apr 2013

Unexpected by Faith Sullivan



Title: Unexpected

Author: Faith Sullivan

Expected release date: April 2, 2013 TODAY!

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Category: New Adult

Ebook | Paperback | UK ebook | UK paperback (suprisingly cheap!)





Synopsis

September 11, 2001.

A day that forever changes the destiny of college overachiever, Michelle Rhodes.

Shattered, confused and alone, no one understands the trauma consuming her until she meets Connor Donnelly.

A native New Yorker, he believes he can aid in getting her life back on track. But what if he's even more broken inside?

Offering her a chance at a fresh start, Connor convinces Michelle to move in with him. Hiring her to waitress at his bar, their mutual attraction only complicates matters.

As more details surrounding Connor's past emerge, Michelle uncovers the full magnitude of the loss he's trying to hide. Refusing to let her feelings for him hinder his recovery, she makes a decision that winds up hurting them both.

By sacrificing her heart, Michelle thinks she is helping Connor come to terms with his grief. Little does she know, Connor is gambling everything for the sake of having a future with her.

What happens is truly unexpected.

Excerpt


Chapter Six

“W...what?” I stutter despite myself.

He gives me a crooked grin. “All night, I’ve been freezing my ass off out here waiting for you. I didn’t think you were gonna show.”

If his first remark didn’t floor me, the second leaves me utterly confused. “Whoa, slow down, buddy. How do you even know my name?”

Again, he laughs. “Does it really matter? I’m here to talk some sense into you.”

The dimples in his cheeks distract me. He has such a cute smile. But I’m not letting him off that easily. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m done with New York.”

“Really? You could’ve fooled me.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because you should never run from something that scares you.” His hazel eyes catch the moonlight as they bore into mine. “And this time, you won’t be alone. I’ll be with you.”

This whole conversation is getting way too intense. Standing up, I wrap my arms around myself. I have to get out of here. This guy is crazy.

I jump as the front door opens and my ex-boyfriend Tony emerges, giving me a hopeful look. We broke up after our senior year. He understood I wasn’t planning on sticking around, so I set him free. He met someone else over the summer, and I only talked to him once on the phone when I got back. But with the way he’s looking at me now, I can tell he feels sorry for me, and that’s something I won’t tolerate.

Inching closer to the steps, I attempt to play it cool. “Oh hi, Tony. It’s good seeing you. I wish I could stay and chat, but I was just leaving.”

“I don’t think so.”

I whirl around. That’s it. Who does this guy think he is? “Listen, you little...” I begin, but Tony interrupts by grabbing my arm.

“Michelle, calm down. There’s no need to freak out,” Tony says, slowly releasing his grip on me. “Do you remember me telling you about Sal, my roommate at school, the one from New York?” I nod, but I can care less at this moment. “Well, this is his older brother, Connor. I kind of told him all about you, and I thought it’d be a good idea if you two met.”

I shake my head and sigh. “So you made him wait out here alone in the cold?”

I can tell Tony’s nervous. He’s running his fingers through his hair. “I thought you’d bolt otherwise.”

“She nearly did,” Connor chimes in.

Frustrated, I slam my fist on the porch railing. “The both of you just stop it, right now! I knew it was a bad idea to come here. I don’t need some random guy from New York giving me advice on how to live my life.”

Pushing off the swing, Connor gets to his feet. “Well, what are you doing with your life then? What’s plan B?”

I advance toward him. “I don’t have a plan B, asshole. I don’t have all the answers, but apparently you do.”

Connor closes the gap between us. “I wish I did, but I think you can figure it out. You were brave enough to take on the big, bad city once. Why not try it again under different circumstances?”

Tony clears his throat, and for a moment, I forgot he was there. “Michelle, Connor owns a bar downtown. He thought you could go back and work for him. Give it another go.”

“I’m no bartender,” I retort.

“You sure aren’t,” Connor fires back.

Tony holds up his hands in an attempt to keep the peace. “Just hear him out, Michelle.”

“Fine,” I say glaring up at him.

“Go on, Connor. Tell her about it,” Tony urges, knowing I may flee at any moment.

Connor’s eyes find mine again, but I look away as he starts speaking. “My family’s owned a pub on Beekman Street for years. Not too long ago, my dad had a heart attack, so I took over. I can offer you a waitressing job plus room and board above the bar for as long as you want it.”

For a minute, I stop and consider the possibility. It actually doesn’t sound that bad, and it’d be a welcome change from my original intention of becoming the next film school prodigy. It would be fresh start, and I wouldn’t be alone. But can I really go back there?

Sensing my trepidation, Connor pats me on the shoulder. “Listen, I know it’s not what you imagined. Tony told me how smart you are and how you were hoping to make it big at NYU. I can understand how working in a bar sounds like a letdown after that. But honestly, I think it’d be good for you.”

“And why do you care about what happens to me?” I ask, raising my eyes to his.

“Because I was there that day, and so were you."

About the Author


Faith Sullivan's bio

I really hate talking about myself. My goal is to have the shortest author bio imaginable. I would much rather have a conversation with my readers.

Are you able to escape within my pages?
Does my writing make you feel something?
Are there characters that you can't get out of your head?

Let me know!

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

This giveaway is for one $25 amazon giftcard. You could use it to buy Unexpected and any books that you like! Good luck.


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Cover reveal - Cautious

1 Apr 2013
Today i have the cover reveal for Cautious by E.L. Montes. Cautious is the sequel to the New Adult contemporary novel Disasterous. Interestingly rather than just posting the cover the author has had a video made that reveals the cover at the end. I like the cover and i love this video even more.

I will admit that i have not yet read Disasterous. When i signed up to reveal the cover i thought i would have read it by now. I have however heard great things and it sounds incredible. After seeing this video i am even more determined to read the first book as soon as possible.



Synopsis


Marcus and Mia share a LOVE stronger than others, but their relationship was built on LIES and deceit. Cautiously they continue to struggle for what they desire more than anything, each other.
Though, that comes with a price … one that involves more HEARTBREAK and deception.
Can they survive another disastrous path? Is their love strong enough to defeat all the obstacles, all of the BETRAYAL? Not all broken relationships are repairable, but Marcus and Mia try their hardest to fight for themselves and for each other.


About the Author


E.L. Montes lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their English bulldog. She has a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and works full-time as a paralegal. She always loved writing and finally placed time aside to debut her first novel, Disastrous, in the fall of 2012.

 

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook
 


 

Giveaway


This amazing giveaway is for a $50 gift certificate to either Amazon or B&N. Good luck. I am not in charge of distributing the prize for this giveaway. It is not obligatory to follow my blog in any way to enter the giveaway but if you like the look of my blog and want to see more of my future posts then the ways to follow me are at the top of the right hand sidebar.

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