Excerpt from The Liberator (Dante Walker #2) by Victoria Scott

Yo, Dante Walker fans, you wanna peek at what our favorite bad boy turned good is up to?

You know you do... 

(If you don't, then no Dante (aka Twix) cupcakes for you!)

Expected Publication: August 27, 2013

By: Entangled Teen

Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

Have more questions about the romance in THE LIBERATOR? Read a note from the author about Aspen's involvement in the story: http://tinyurl.com/asl8qyy

EXCERPT:

When I open my eyes, the sun is trying to murder me. It’s shining on my face and making my head pound. Or maybe it’s my hangover that’s giving me the headache, but nonetheless—me and the sun?—we’re not on friendly terms.

Charlie murmurs beside me. My arms are still wrapped around her waist, and I suddenly
realize I must have crashed out in her bed last night. If Grams wakes up and finds me here, she’ll run me a bath…and toss in the toaster.

“Morning, babe,” I whisper.

“Morning, hot stuff,” a distinctly male voice responds.

I whip around, my heart racing, and find Max sitting in a chair across the room.  “You look so hot when you first wake up,” he says. He raises a hand to his hair. “Got that whole sexy bed head thing going on.”

Charlie doesn’t even move from her place, but I feel her laughing against me. “Your friend is kind of creepy, Dante,” she manages. 

“Max, what the hell are you doing in here?” I ask, pulling the covers farther up even though

I’m (regretfully) fully-clothed.

“Real question is, why did I wait so long to join you guys?” Max stands from his chair and cocks his head. A mischievous smile crawls across his face.

“No,” I say, trying to appear serious. “Don’t even think about it, dude.”

Max starts running in place, his smile widening farther until he looks deranged. “Ready or not!” Before I can stop him, Max races toward the bed and dives on top of us. “Oh! Oh it feels even better than I imagined.” He rolls back and forth across our bodies as Charlie laughs and I wonder why I’m friends with such a raging idiot.

With all my strength, I grab Max’s shirt and rotate him toward the edge. He falls off the side, his arms pin-wheeling. There’s a loud thud, and then nothing.

I wait for several seconds before leaning over to search for him. Max is lying face down on the floor, his arms and legs curled like a dead spider. “You’re not really hurt,” I say.

“I think you gave me spinal bifida. You need to call someone.”

“That’s a genetic disorder,” I respond with a sigh, collapsing back onto my pillow. A second later, he raises his head very, very slowly up from the side of the bed. It’s one of the more unsettling things he’s ever done.  “Max, is there a purpose to this visit?” I ask. I want so badly to act like he’s annoying me. But he knows, and I know, that we both love this game: the one where I pretend he’s a pain in my ass, and he acts like a damn circus clown.

He stands up, crosses the room, and plops back down in the chair. “Valery sent me.”

I throw an arm across my eyes. “Of course she did.” Beside me, Charlie moves to get up and I immediately reach for her. She squeals and wiggles out of my grasp.

I watch as she walks around the bed and ruffles Max’s hair. The twenty-eight year old pants like a dog. It’s a bit disturbing considering Charlie’s seventeen. She eyes me with a grin. “I’ll make waffles.”

My face lights up.

“Yes,” she continues. “And bacon.”

I glance at Max and nod toward Charlie. “That’s my girl.”

“Damn straight,” he says.

“I’m still making breakfast for your birthday,” I call after Charlie. Then, looking at Max,

I add, “My girl’s going to be legal soon.”

Max says, “Boom.”

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All I Need by Susane Colisanti

Author: Susane Colisanti
Publication: May 21, 2013
By: Viking


The last night of summer is only the beginning.

Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?

Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever.



Thank you Netgalley and Viking for this eARC.

Sand, surf, boys, roller skating and all the 80's music I can handle?  Yes please. (I have not heard Scritti Politti's, "Perfect Way" mentioned in years! I was beginning to think I had imagined the 80's awesome that was that song!)

This is told from alternating POV's and while I enjoyed that aspect, I also found it difficult to decipher between Skye and Seth's voices at times. Skye is young and completely focused on love. (A little too much in my opinion.) She meets Seth and even though they don't see each other much in the beginning, she's convinced he is her soul-mate which felt an awful lot like insta-love.  Skye also becomes the one who sacrifices time with family, friends and school to be with Seth but when her parents point out how unhealthy that is, she chalks it up to being in love. Skye even goes as far as choosing a college based on how close she'll be to Seth. 

It isn't until three quarter's of the way through the book that these two are forced to deal with the realities of a relationship and even then they don't handle it in the most mature way - not that I expected them too, but still.

Seth is a hard working nice guy with good intentions who loves his family and Skye. He's had a rough go at love in the past but thinks Skye could be the one to change that.

This is heavy on the happily-ever-after and light on the reality of love.

Review is also posted at YABC.

BOOK PROMO: I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler is the iBookstore Book of the Week and is available for free beginning today!  

 Click here to get it.

 “For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…”

Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?

10 Fun Facts About I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler

1. In a hospital scene in I’m Not Her one of the nurses is named Tracey and she takes Kristina’s flowers home to her daughter, Carly.  Tracey is the name of my sister, Carly is her daughter in real life.

2. Every single one of my books has a character named Carly in it. This is a tribute to my niece, Carly. The characters are not based on her per se, but there has to be a Carly in my books. Like a superstition or good luck charm or something.

3. This book is dedicated to my sister Tracey.  I was able to keep it a secret until Final Page Proofs came in.

4. My niece Ciara plays volleyball and her nickname is CEE. She got recruited by a university in the States and is playing there. None of the volleyball players in the book were based on her though. She is a cool like a rock star.

5. I thought Clark Trent was a funny name because of Superman’s secret identity. The  Superman cape Clark wears in a scene cracked me up.

6. I named a couple of the teachers in I’m Not Her after dogs I’ve had.  Peppsy (Mr. Pepson) and Meeko (Mr. Meekers)

7. In a scene Tess listens to Hedly on her iPod. I LOVE Jacob, the lead singer for the band.
He was on the only season of Canadian Idol I watched.

8. I named the golf course that Nick works at and Tess’s Dad plays at after my husband.
Largurt (Larry Gurtler)

9. I’m Not Her was originally called The Weight of Bones, but when I first started writing it I titled it Dance Big Sister.

10. Tess’s love of the Discovery Channel and Myth Busters were inspired by my son.

The Truth About You & Me by Amanda Grace

Author: Amanda Grace
Publication: September 8, 2013
By: Flux
4 Stars


Smart girls aren't supposed to do stupid things.
Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she's so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennet. He's cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she's endured - and missed out on - in order to excel academically and please her parents. Now, for the first time in her life, she's falling in love.
There's only one problem. Bennet is Madelyn's college professor, and he thinks she's eighteen - because she hasn't told him the truth.
The story of their forbidden romance is told in letters that Madelyn writes to Bennet - both a heart-searing ode to their ill-fated love and an apology.

 

Thank you Netgalley and Flux for this eARC. 

I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish this book and then spent the next three hours staring at my ceiling while I tried to work out my feelings because this left me heartbroken, conflicted and frustrated.

What I liked: The cover, the unique letter-style writing and the complex relationship that unfolded. My first thought was, this is a Dateline Special waiting to happen. After awhile though, I found myself almost wanting to root for Maddie and Bennet's HEA - almost.  

Maddie is a smart girl but she's young.  Always pushing a child to be "more" has a way of aging a kid and it can be very easy to forget that they are still in fact, a kid.  When she meets Bennet it's almost love at first sight for her and she proceeds to swoon and fantasize a relationship with him all the while knowing it's not possible. She has several opportunities to tell the truth but she never does, choosing instead to pursue Bennet.

Society, as well as Dateline producers and the police, would be quick to place 100% of the blame on Bennet because he is the adult after all. Yes, he should've pushed for more specific information from Maddie and yes, he could've checked with the school to be sure of her age and yes, he could've distanced himself on the sole principle that he was breaking the rules by fraternizing with a student. In his defense though, he was teaching a college class which is usually made up of college age aka adult students - usually. 

I think the biggest difference between Maddie and Bennet wasn't their age, but the worlds they were living in. Where Maddie was living in a fantasy made up of love, romance and happily-ever-afters, Bennet was living in the real world where he was very familiar with the highs and lows of adult relationships. (This doesn't mean that my heart didn't break for these characters, or that I didn't wish circumstances couldn't somehow change in their favor, i.e., Maddie's age progression.)
 
One of the BEST things about this book is that Grace shows the serious and very real consequences for the choices Maddie and Bennet make. 

What left me wanting: This is one of those books where you know going in that it can only end badly but you can't seem to put it down.

Final verdict: Complex, gritty and heartbreaking.

Review also posted at YABC.
 

Welcome to Jenuine Cupcakes!

Here, have a cupcake...

How to do the Frederick Book Festival:

 

* Wake up and discover that both your husband and your 8YO are sick with the 24hr stomach bug of DOOOOOM!  Decide to go anyway because you know, you have six dozen cupcakes to take and you're cruel like that. (I'm kidding! Not about the six dozen cupcakes though.) Actually, your husband tells you to go, have fun and don't worry about them because the 13YO is fully capable of playing nursemaid. (You've taught him how to dial 911.)

* Double check the weather which can play out like a Katy Perry song here in MD. For instance, you dress in a light sweater, flip flops and pack an umbrella because the weather predicted warm temperatures (high 70's) with a slight chance of rain.

* Ride with a fellow blogger, Hannah from The Irish Banana Review, and chit chat the whole way about books, books and more books.  Also, hanging out with fellow book peeps is way more fun than being alone AND you and your GPS are not friends so a navigator is helpful.

* When you find your exit, make sure you pull off the highway and STOP in the middle of the road until you decide for sure which way to go, because that's exactly what you learned in Driver's Ed and it's not dangerous at all. (Don't worry, you totally redeem yourself later in the day with your mad parallel parking skillz.)

* Meet up with another lovely blogger, Liza from Reading with ABC .

 

Liza, Hannah & me

*Find Valerie Cole and Jodi Meadows at the YA signing table,

Valerie Cole, me (holding knitted Ana & Sam) and Jodi Meadows

Give them cupcakes and play with dolls.

<-- Knitted Ana & Sam from Incarnate/Asunder/IN3. (I picked up Sam and his pants fell down. Jodi assured me that happens all the time. O.O)

 Sam and Ana kissing amidst a dragon attack. It's all about priorities. ;) --->

You will also be lucky enough to see the super seekrit cover and title for IN3 which is...

GORGEOUS!

Hannah, Liza & Me. There was literal *gasping* over the cover for IN3!

* Next up is the YA panel featuring, Jodi Meadows, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Amanda Brice, Miranda Kenneally and Diana Peterfreund where they will discuss trends in YA & NA and you curse the weatherman as you shiver and watch your toes turn blue. 

(You will also field texts from the 13YO regarding the health of the 8YO and your husband which are...not as entertaining as the panel.)

* Then it's time for some pictures, book signings and handing off of more cupcakes. 

<-- Miranda Kenneally & I.

"Racing Savannah" inspired horse fondant cupcake toppers. -->

* Lunch is at McDonald's - you will drive Jodi, Valerie, Liza and Hannah in your car and secretly pray no one dies, because that would be bad. While waiting for your food, you'll wonder if maybe you had the definition of "fast" wrong all these years but the company and lively conversation about mythical creatures is all worth it.

* The afternoon YA panel involves playing a bookish version of The Dating Game. 

Hannah in the hot seat.

* Then it's round one of hang time where you will unknowingly join the secret society of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Tablecloths and wonder where Diana disappeared too?

Get a picture with Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn

Jennifer L. Armentrount/J. Lynn and me all matchy matchy.

 And watch as she has fun with a tablecloth and Amanda Brice's son. ;)

 

* When you've had all the cold you can take, or your toes freeze and snap off (which ever comes first), you'll head to a coffee shop just down the street* for round two of hang out time.  Diana magically reappears - yay! but almost gives up when she can't find the rest of you, boo!  

Btw, "just down the street" is code for, "drive all over the town of Frederick looking for a parking space and said coffee shop."

It takes you three tries, but still.

* You parallel park like a boss  --->


  
 

and try not to break your neck on the horribly paved sidewalks. ;)

* After fancy coffee, great conversation and new insights, you say goodbye to the super awesome Diana, Jodi and Valerie and head home making sure you stop at Wawa for Gatorade because you know, there are sick people at your house. 

Thank you Jodi, Valerie, Amanda, Jennifer, Diana, Miranda, Liza and Hannah - it was a privilege to meet and hang out with yesterday and I can't wait to do it again! :D

 

September Girls by Bennett Madison

Author: Bennett Madison
Publication: May 21, 2013
By: Harper Teen


When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn to him.

Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here









This was my initial thought regarding this book...The best thing about this book is the cover. 

While my overall feelings about SEPTEMBER GIRLS have not necessarily changed, they have been altered a bit and here's why...

I had a fantastic conversation about this book today with the equally fantastic Diana Peterfreund (FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS) who shed some new light on this for me.

What originally attracted me to this book was a combination of hype, synopsis and serious cover love. I was expecting a romantic summer read about mermaids but that is not what I got.  I'll be honest, the characters came across as sarcastic and cynical to the point of offense to me (I can only speak for myself) and much of the content turned me off. I struggled to even finish it because I was not enjoying it at all.

HOWEVER, after having chatted with Diana, I have come to the conclusion that this book was wrongly covered - it doesn't accurately depict the story inside. It's still not a story for me per say, but there is a definite audience for it. (Fans of Chris Cutcher would most likely enjoy this.)  Regardless of my feels, it's a well written story and one that should be given a chance, in my humble reader opinion.  

If you decide it's not for you, great.  

If you read it and love it, awesome.

But at least you'll know going into it (assuming you bother to give this blog post a glance) what it is not. (The flowery summer romance mentioned above.)
 
I think Bennett Madison is a talented young writer whose book is being judged (unfairly) by it's cover. 

I also think it's author is being judged unfairly as well, but that's just me. *shrugs* :)







 

Big Sky Summer (Swoon-Worthy Cowboys #4) by Linda Lael Miller

Author: Linda Lael Miller
Publication: May 28, 2013
By: Harlequin
3.5 Stars

The "First Lady of the West," #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller, welcomes you home to Parable, Montana-where love awaits. With his father's rodeo legacy to continue and a prosperous spread to run, Walker Parrish has no time to dwell on wrecked relationships. But country-western sweetheart Casey Elder is out of the spotlight and back in Parable, Montana. And Walker can't ignore that his "act now, think later" passion for Casey has had consequences. Two teenage consequences!

Keeping her children's paternity under wraps has always been part of Casey's plan to give them normal, uncomplicated lives. Now the best way to hold her family together seems to be to let Walker be a part of it-as her husband of convenience. Or will some secrets-like Casey's desire to be the rancher's wife in every way-unravel, with unforeseen results.

Thank you Linda Lael Miller and Harlequin for this ARC. 

What I liked: This was my first Linda Lael Miller book and I enjoyed it. She paints a vivid picture of cowboys and ranch life with characters who are both engaging and entertaining. Casey and Walker (who is quite swoon-worthy) are down to earth and their relationship is complicated at best. It's obvious that these two care for one another a great deal but they aren't the only ones to consider in the grand scheme of things.

I didn't realize until part way through that this was part of a series but it didn't matter. There was enough background to catch the reader up while creating interest in the supporting cast. (Hutch Carmody intrigued me enough that I may just pick up his book next.)

What left me wanting: Miller's prose is a little flowery at times but fits with the "wild west" theme. I also wanted to know if "the third time" really was a charm but I'm guessing there's a good chance I'll find out in the next book. :)

Final verdict: Fans of Miller's other books, cowboys and wild west romances will thoroughly enjoy this!



About the Author
As the daughter of a town marshal, Linda has come home to the western lifestyle that gave birth to one of today’s most successful authors. She left Washington years ago and pursued her wanderlust, living in Arizona and London and traveling the world. Now the author of more than 100 novels, the “First Lady of the West” is glad to be back home, writing contemporary and historical stories that have earned her awards and placements on all the national bestsellers lists.
 
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold FLETCHER’S WOMAN in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Linda’s current contemporary Big Sky series—Big Sky Country, Big Sky Mountain and Big Sky River—have all hit the New York Times bestsellers lists. Linda continues to follow the lives of the Parable, Montana, residents in Big Sky Summer and Big Sky Wedding in 2013.

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