Monday, June 23, 2014

Blog Tour: Breaking Fences by Juliana Haygert

I'm stoked to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour for Breaking Fences by Juliana Haygert hosted by YA Bound. 
---------------------------------
Review

Juliana Haygert is an auto-read author for me: if she writes it, I'm going to read it. And so far she hasn't failed to make me fall in love with her characters and pull me into their world. I loved Bia as a secondary character in Breaking the Reins, so I knew going in this would be good. But even Bia surprised me with her vulerability. And I don't know where Juliana pulls her heroes from, but they're always fantastic and this one was particularly lovable. The horses, too, make this series special, as they really do act as characters that play an important role in the story.

I knew I'd love Bia and I was eager for her story, but like I said, she still surprised me. She's such a firecracker, but circumstances mellow her. I really like the internal struggle she has between keeping her head down and letting her spirit get the best of her. Although her circumstances are bullies that seem rather out of place in a college setting - I'll admit it kept me on my toes. What I kind of love, though, is that Bia seems to have the personality of a horse. She's high-spirited, loveable to some and will get agitated around others, and she spooks easily.

So then there's Garrett, who's just completely wonderful. He has this complex family story that shapes who he is. I was completely intrigued by him and his history. Garrett is so wonderfully layered that I couldn't help but savor it as Bia managed to pull away his layers. And then there's this one scene - that just goes to show that Juliana writes kissing better than anyone - and I dare you not to completely fall for him.

Then there's Midnight and Tom. One a horse, the other the stable hand, that are some of the best secondary characters. These two, and Garrett and Bia of course, make me want to start hanging around horse stables. They make it seem like the best thing in life is caring for horses and hanging out with one another.

Juliana manages to stay true to the new adult genre while bringing something different to the table. Breaking Fences is an awesome follow up to Breaking the Reins - which, by the way, if you haven't read yet, you need to - and I'm really hoping we'll get more from this Breaking world. 
---------------------------------
About the Book


All Beatriz “Bia” Fernandes wants is to prove herself—to her family and friends—though it’s hard to prove anything with an overbearing father and three famous polo-playing older brothers. After her acceptance into college results in a heated family argument, the Brazilian girl leaves everything behind to find her own American dream.

College life away from home is perfect until the people she believes to be her friends turn on her. With lies and rumors threatening to suffocate her, Bia turns to her only freedom. Riding.

But one thing gets in the way of her escape. Garrett Blackwell and his bad cowboy attitude. Working at the ranch is his obligation, bugging Bia is his newfound hobby. His thick skin and easy grin don’t hide what Bia already knows—this misunderstood and lonely cowboy fights his own demons. Brushing horses’ coats and mucking out stalls shouldn’t be this sexy, and it isn’t long before he becomes a part of her distraction.


However, escaping won’t solve her problems, and it’s up to Bia to break down the fences around her and prove her strength—not to her family and friends, but to herself … and for Garrett. Because standing on her own doesn’t have to mean standing alone.

** Companion novel of Breaking the Reins. Can be read out of order **

Book Links: Amazon :: B&N :: Kobo :: iBooks :: Goodreads :: Book 1 Goodreads

---------------------------------
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.

Find Juliana Online: Website :: Goodreads :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest
---------------------------------
Giveaway
---------------------------------

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Find You in the Dark Paperback Release


----------------------------------
I'm so thrilled to help celebrate the paperback release of Find You in the Dark! A. Meredith Walters is absolutely one of my favorite New Adult authors and I've been following her career very closely. I read Find You in the Dark way back when NA was just emerging and I fell in love immediately. Maggie and Clayton are characters that will always have a place in my heart. I hope you'll all go out and get your copy today, whether you've read her or not! I can't recommend this amazing author enough and it's fantastic to see her flourishing. 
----------------------------------
About the Book

Maggie Young had the market on normal. Normal friends, normal parents, normal grades.. normal life. Until him. 

Clayton Reed was running from his past and an army of personal demons that threatened to take him down. He never thought he had a chance at happiness. Until her.

Maggie thought their love could overcome anything. Clay thought she was all he needed to fix his messy life. That together, they could face the world. But the darkness is always waiting.

Sometimes the greatest obstacle to true love is within yourself.


----------------------------------
----------------------------------
About the Author

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.


----------------------------------

Monday, June 16, 2014

Blog Tour: I Become Shadow by Joe Shine


Hi all! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for I Become Shadow by Joe Shine, out from Soho Teen! 

-------------------------
Review
I love the concept for this novel. I wouldn't necessarily call it new adult, it's rather on the YA side, but it's still cool to see college-aged characters branching beyond the contemporary genre. Even better, Ren is the kind of heroine you can really get behind and root for. This book is doing something a little different and that's really all I needed to hear to jump on board. 

One of my favorite things about this book is the way the love interest is handled. I feel a little like this bypasses a lot of other great things about this book, but I just have to say that I love that it's not a focus and it's still unexpected. There is the hint of a triangle happening, but it's different than any triangle I've read before. I'm at a bit of a loss how to explain this without spoiling, but there's the guy you swoon over and then the one who is endearing and it seems to me that Ren doesn't make the obvious choice, ever, and I enjoyed being kept on my toes. 

I had a little bit of an issue with the structure. I'm not entirely sure a linear narrative best served the story, but it did create an opportunity to get Ren's voice out there. She's snarky and tough in the best way possible and it's great the way that personality shines through in her narration. 

This is a great thriller that brings out a new voice and a different twist on your typical YA elements. The pages kept turning in anticipation of what Ren would do next. There's a lot of fun and adventure in this book.  
-------------------------
About the Book

This debut thriller combines a pulse-pounding thriller (like False Memory or Starters) with a new adult coming-of-age story set at Texas A&M University.

When Ren Sharpe was fourteen, she was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called FATE and trained to be a human weapon.

Now, four years later, she receives her assignment: protect Gareth Young at all costs. Currently a student at Texas A&M, Gareth will someday change the world. FATE calls people like Gareth FIPs -future important people - and they're everywhere, each with a FATE-trained shadow.

But when disaster strikes, Ren will have to turn on her maker. Together with Junie, a fellow abductee and the one person she trusts, Ren takes Gareth on the run.

Because whatever else happens, failure is not an option. 


Book Links: IndieBound :: B&N :: Amazon :: Goodreads
-------------------------
About the Author
Joe Shine grew up in Austin, TX (the greatest city ever), and is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He has an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California, and after brief stints in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, Joe returned home to Austin (repeat: the greatest city ever). Joe has a normal human job like most everyone else but hopes to become a full-time writer one day, and this is where you, the reader, must do him a really big solid and love I Become Shadow, his first novel. 

Find Joe Online: Goodreads :: Twitter

Monday, June 23, 2014

Blog Tour: Breaking Fences by Juliana Haygert

I'm stoked to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour for Breaking Fences by Juliana Haygert hosted by YA Bound. 
---------------------------------
Review

Juliana Haygert is an auto-read author for me: if she writes it, I'm going to read it. And so far she hasn't failed to make me fall in love with her characters and pull me into their world. I loved Bia as a secondary character in Breaking the Reins, so I knew going in this would be good. But even Bia surprised me with her vulerability. And I don't know where Juliana pulls her heroes from, but they're always fantastic and this one was particularly lovable. The horses, too, make this series special, as they really do act as characters that play an important role in the story.

I knew I'd love Bia and I was eager for her story, but like I said, she still surprised me. She's such a firecracker, but circumstances mellow her. I really like the internal struggle she has between keeping her head down and letting her spirit get the best of her. Although her circumstances are bullies that seem rather out of place in a college setting - I'll admit it kept me on my toes. What I kind of love, though, is that Bia seems to have the personality of a horse. She's high-spirited, loveable to some and will get agitated around others, and she spooks easily.

So then there's Garrett, who's just completely wonderful. He has this complex family story that shapes who he is. I was completely intrigued by him and his history. Garrett is so wonderfully layered that I couldn't help but savor it as Bia managed to pull away his layers. And then there's this one scene - that just goes to show that Juliana writes kissing better than anyone - and I dare you not to completely fall for him.

Then there's Midnight and Tom. One a horse, the other the stable hand, that are some of the best secondary characters. These two, and Garrett and Bia of course, make me want to start hanging around horse stables. They make it seem like the best thing in life is caring for horses and hanging out with one another.

Juliana manages to stay true to the new adult genre while bringing something different to the table. Breaking Fences is an awesome follow up to Breaking the Reins - which, by the way, if you haven't read yet, you need to - and I'm really hoping we'll get more from this Breaking world. 
---------------------------------
About the Book


All Beatriz “Bia” Fernandes wants is to prove herself—to her family and friends—though it’s hard to prove anything with an overbearing father and three famous polo-playing older brothers. After her acceptance into college results in a heated family argument, the Brazilian girl leaves everything behind to find her own American dream.

College life away from home is perfect until the people she believes to be her friends turn on her. With lies and rumors threatening to suffocate her, Bia turns to her only freedom. Riding.

But one thing gets in the way of her escape. Garrett Blackwell and his bad cowboy attitude. Working at the ranch is his obligation, bugging Bia is his newfound hobby. His thick skin and easy grin don’t hide what Bia already knows—this misunderstood and lonely cowboy fights his own demons. Brushing horses’ coats and mucking out stalls shouldn’t be this sexy, and it isn’t long before he becomes a part of her distraction.


However, escaping won’t solve her problems, and it’s up to Bia to break down the fences around her and prove her strength—not to her family and friends, but to herself … and for Garrett. Because standing on her own doesn’t have to mean standing alone.

** Companion novel of Breaking the Reins. Can be read out of order **

Book Links: Amazon :: B&N :: Kobo :: iBooks :: Goodreads :: Book 1 Goodreads

---------------------------------
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.

Find Juliana Online: Website :: Goodreads :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest
---------------------------------
Giveaway
---------------------------------

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Find You in the Dark Paperback Release


----------------------------------
I'm so thrilled to help celebrate the paperback release of Find You in the Dark! A. Meredith Walters is absolutely one of my favorite New Adult authors and I've been following her career very closely. I read Find You in the Dark way back when NA was just emerging and I fell in love immediately. Maggie and Clayton are characters that will always have a place in my heart. I hope you'll all go out and get your copy today, whether you've read her or not! I can't recommend this amazing author enough and it's fantastic to see her flourishing. 
----------------------------------
About the Book

Maggie Young had the market on normal. Normal friends, normal parents, normal grades.. normal life. Until him. 

Clayton Reed was running from his past and an army of personal demons that threatened to take him down. He never thought he had a chance at happiness. Until her.

Maggie thought their love could overcome anything. Clay thought she was all he needed to fix his messy life. That together, they could face the world. But the darkness is always waiting.

Sometimes the greatest obstacle to true love is within yourself.


----------------------------------
----------------------------------
About the Author

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.


----------------------------------

Monday, June 16, 2014

Blog Tour: I Become Shadow by Joe Shine


Hi all! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for I Become Shadow by Joe Shine, out from Soho Teen! 

-------------------------
Review
I love the concept for this novel. I wouldn't necessarily call it new adult, it's rather on the YA side, but it's still cool to see college-aged characters branching beyond the contemporary genre. Even better, Ren is the kind of heroine you can really get behind and root for. This book is doing something a little different and that's really all I needed to hear to jump on board. 

One of my favorite things about this book is the way the love interest is handled. I feel a little like this bypasses a lot of other great things about this book, but I just have to say that I love that it's not a focus and it's still unexpected. There is the hint of a triangle happening, but it's different than any triangle I've read before. I'm at a bit of a loss how to explain this without spoiling, but there's the guy you swoon over and then the one who is endearing and it seems to me that Ren doesn't make the obvious choice, ever, and I enjoyed being kept on my toes. 

I had a little bit of an issue with the structure. I'm not entirely sure a linear narrative best served the story, but it did create an opportunity to get Ren's voice out there. She's snarky and tough in the best way possible and it's great the way that personality shines through in her narration. 

This is a great thriller that brings out a new voice and a different twist on your typical YA elements. The pages kept turning in anticipation of what Ren would do next. There's a lot of fun and adventure in this book.  
-------------------------
About the Book

This debut thriller combines a pulse-pounding thriller (like False Memory or Starters) with a new adult coming-of-age story set at Texas A&M University.

When Ren Sharpe was fourteen, she was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called FATE and trained to be a human weapon.

Now, four years later, she receives her assignment: protect Gareth Young at all costs. Currently a student at Texas A&M, Gareth will someday change the world. FATE calls people like Gareth FIPs -future important people - and they're everywhere, each with a FATE-trained shadow.

But when disaster strikes, Ren will have to turn on her maker. Together with Junie, a fellow abductee and the one person she trusts, Ren takes Gareth on the run.

Because whatever else happens, failure is not an option. 


Book Links: IndieBound :: B&N :: Amazon :: Goodreads
-------------------------
About the Author
Joe Shine grew up in Austin, TX (the greatest city ever), and is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He has an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California, and after brief stints in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, Joe returned home to Austin (repeat: the greatest city ever). Joe has a normal human job like most everyone else but hopes to become a full-time writer one day, and this is where you, the reader, must do him a really big solid and love I Become Shadow, his first novel. 

Find Joe Online: Goodreads :: Twitter