Blog Tour: Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed + Giveaway!

Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed

Publisher: Month 9 Books

Release Date: November 10th 2013

Blurb:

In Life, A.D. you have two choices: join the program or face the consequences.

Seventeen-year-old Dez Donnelly crashes headlong into fate on the side of a rural highway, her life ending in a violent collision of steel and screaming brakes. The train that delivers her newly departed soul to the crossroads of the afterlife won’t be carrying her to the sweet hereafter until she accepts her abrupt end and learns to let go of the life she’ll never finish.

Her new reality is conduct manuals, propaganda, and unrelenting staff, all part of a system to ease her transition from life to death, while helping her earn her way out of limbo. Atman City, beautiful and enticing, is an ever-present temptation that is strictly off limits to underage souls. The promise of adventure proves too strong, and beneath the city’s sheen of ethereal majesty, Dez discovers a world teeming with danger.

Welcome to Life, A.D. where being dead doesn’t mean you’re safe, and the only thing harder than getting out of limbo is getting through it

You can purchase Life, A.D. at the following Retailers:

 

KOBO|INDIEBOUND

  

Author Bio

Michelle E. Reed was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully.

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Blog Tour: My Name Is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton + Giveaway!

Teaser

   Just go, Henry. Save yourself. I tried to shout, but my mouth wouldn't give way to sound. I was paralyzed. Was it with fear, or something else? The cackling witch at the tree line convinced me it was her doing.

I heard Henry continue to shout for me to flee, but I didn't respond. I didn't move. I didn't run. I was frozen like a lifeless statue in a cold museum. With only the movement of my eyes, I pleaded with him to help me. A tear escaped one of my eyes then rolled down my cheek. That single tear managed to do what my heart and body could not. Escape.

Fear, like unseen hands, gripped my lungs and tried to crush them slowly. My stomach churned and threatened to empty. Would we die here?

The gentle chill of night had turned into a mid-winter's frost. Tiny bumps rose on my arms and the small hairs prickled to attention. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words remained trapped in my throat.

My Name is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton

Paperback: 302 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: November 22nd 2013

Blurb:

My tale has been told again and again, and I’ve heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children…but the children wouldn’t have laughed if they’d known the real story. It wasn't their fault. They didn't know the truth. Nobody did.

My name is Rapunzel. I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.

YA - Fantasy - Folklore & Mythology - Fairy Tale Retelling
LCCN: 2013919148

You can purchase My Name Is Rapunzel at the following Retailers:

 

KOBO

  

Author Bio

Born and raised in Aurora, Illinois I spent my childhood climbing trees and playing street games with the neighborhood kids. I was a proud tomboy, until the day I didn’t want to hike the land to an old graveyard. From that point forward I was considered a “girl”.

At the age of seventeen I moved to Kentucky and eventually began to raise a family of my own. Having worn several “hats” my life has been an adventure all on its own. Still, to this day, I yearns to be a mechanic and own a pink toolbox with pink tools.

I can usually be found updating my website, reading great books, watching awesome movies or creating videos for my YouTube channel. Most days I craves Diet Coke, pizza and chocolate, in no particular order.

I don’t read scary books or watch horror movies… I’m way too scared! Lol.

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Blog Tour: Review of Finding Home by Lauren McKellar

Finding Home by Lauren McKellar

Release Date(Paperback): October 1st 2013

Publisher: Escape Publishing

Blurb:

*Moody, atmospheric, and just a little bit punk, Finding Home takes contemporary YA to a new level of grit...*

When Amy’s mum dies, the last thing she expects is to be kicked off her dad’s music tour all the way to her Aunt Lou in a depressing hole of a seaside town. But it’s okay — Amy learned how to cope with the best, and
soon finds a hard-drinking, party-loving crowd to help ease the pain.

The only solace is her music class, but even there she can’t seem to keep it together, sabotaging her grade and her one chance at a meaningful relationship. It takes a hard truth from her only friend before Amy
realizes that she has to come to terms with her past, before she destroys her future.

Where to purchase Second Kiss

  

Finding Home is an easy and light read book. If you want to take a break from all the NA romance reads that has been invading the book world then this book is definitely right for you. Though with the drinking subject in Finding Home may have been considered as a NA, I felt that the book was all YA as I get. 

Amy a 17 yr old HS student, has been moved to her Aunt by her Father because of her drinking habit. With the death of her Mom and with an almost absent Dad she find her self living with parties and booze with her new found friends. But a wake up call from her friend was all it needed for her to end all her acts. I liked how the story went from Amy being a lost girl and finding herself at the end. It was all realistic in a clear and to-the-point way. The romance between Amy and Nick was built perfectly and not an insta one. I would also want to know more about some characters example Paula, Coral and Lily & Kyle's story, they really brought spice to the whole story that I find myself liking them.

It was a book that will hooked you until the end. To sum it up Finding Home was a "I do not love it BUT I do not hate it way" kind of story for me. A mediocre one but still a very good and interesting book. 

 Author Bio

Lauren McKellar is a writer and editor of fact and fiction. She has worked

in publishing for more than eight years, editing a national magazine named PETS, which is cute, fluffy and fun, as well as editing manuscripts that range from sweet romance to raunchy thrillers.

 Lauren loves to write for the Young and New Adult markets, and her debut novel, Finding Home, is a YA Contemporary. She is a member of the YA Rebels (vlog) and the Aussie Owned and Read blogging team. In her free time, Lauren enjoys long walks on the beach with her two super-cute dogs and her partner-in-crime/fiancé.

http://laurenkmckellar.com/

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Review: The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

Release Date: May 4th 2013

Publisher: BlueFields

ebook: 278 pages

Blurb:

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically. 

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

Another exceptional witty contemporary romance by Kelly Oram has been one of my top reads, the Avery Shaw Experiment!

In this review I would like to point out three(3) things. 

FIRST:The concept. The prose of the story was easy to grasp. To proved that,I finished reading this book in just 3hrs! The premise of the book was for Avery to experience and record the 7 stages of Breakup which she had to present in their science fair. Once I started reading The Avery Shaw Experiment I couldn't put it down. The words just flew through me while I'm reading it and I feel every part of it as real as a highschool student life like with Avery. I liked how Kelly work on both main characters' POV. Readers get a glimpse of Avery and Grayson thoughts throughout the story which added as an added point for it to be more appealing and for the readers to understand each characters' actions. 

SECOND: The character's. I saw that everyone of them was believable and three-dimensional. Avery was the shy, pretty-nerdy type of girl. You see she's been "in love" for Aiden, her almost twin--but they're really just friends--since she thought she was. While Aiden was as nerdy as Avery, he's been oblivous to Avery's feelings not until Avery revealed it which unfortunately--but not for me--didn't go well. And here my fellow readers is where we will meet Grayson *sigh* . Grayson was the total opposite of Avery and his brother Aiden, he's what we could call "The King" in their school. He's with the popular kids, has a reputation with girls--I know that's inevitable with those gorgeousness in  place *another sigh*. But other than those physical qualities, Grayson was also a nice and funny guy,he doesn't put up with jerks or mean girls so his "popular" friends are all nice. He's also the partner of Avery throughout this experiment and who helped her to cope with the 7 stages. His sincere feelings for Avery made him a worthy book boyfriend. Of course there are the secondary characters whom I LOVED. Libby I cannot tell you how much I liked her to be my friend, she's Avery's friend in the story. A very straightforward person that made me laugh and had my eyes huge everytime she opens her mouth. There's also the Geek friends and the Popular ones, all of them are engaging that added spice to the story.

THIRD: I ❤ Kelly Oram. She does have the power to pull in the readers into her stories.She brought a funny tale to love, heartache and friendship.  It does not only tackles all about boyfriend-girlfriend relationship but also how a different sides of group of friends could make a perfect relationship without the  labels. I assure you that from the start until you finish the book that there's no dull moment in this story. If you are looking for a light, funny, short yet very tasteful read then I recommend this book for you. So READ IT ;)

.5

 Author Bio

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

http://www.kellyoram.com/

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Thou Shalt Not by J.J. Rossum Release Day Launch + Giveaway!

J.J. Rossum's debut novel, Thou Shalt Not, is out today and I'm very excited to be participating in the release day launch for it. To celebrate, I have a great giveaway and excerpt for you guys, as well as a good news for our fellow fans of Love Me With Lies series by Tarryn Fisher! 

Title: Thou Shalt Not
Author: J.J. Rossum
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Blurb: Luke Harper was finally starting to settle into his life - a life that had previously been full of more heartbreak and pain than most people ever experienced. He had a job he loved, and was blissfully content in his on-again, off-again relationship with the striking, and highly sexual, Holly. But, life throws Luke another curveball with the arrival of the alluring April, a woman stuck in a tumultuous, violent marriage to a famous athlete. Luke soon finds himself torn between what is safe, familiar, and right, and what is dangerous, unknown, and forbidden.

You can purchase Thou Shalt Not at the following Retailers:

 

SMASHWORDS

Excerpt

She was looking down into the water.

"You know, if I knew you better I would probably push you in," she said very nonchalantly, as if letting me know the water temperature.

"If I knew you better, I would probably beat you to it," I replied.

She turned to me, her eyes full of mischievous energy.

"Oh really?"

Her hands quickly went up and grabbed my shoulders, and mine instinctively grabbed her waist. I could feel her grip tighten when I touched her, and her eyes widened.

"If I go in, you are going in with me," I said, shuffling my feet closer to the edge.

Her hands moved along my shoulders and her feet edged closer to mine.

"I'm a grown woman," she said. "Threats involving water don't scare me."

Her bottom lip curled up under her teeth as she smiled, repeating what I had said earlier. Or mocking me, perhaps.

I tightened my grip on her hips and flinched, pretending I was about to throw her in. She gasped slightly, hands grabbing my shoulders tightly again. Her hips arched forward and she leaned up on her toes as if in reflex.

"I thought you weren't scared," I said, pulling her closer to me. "People usually don't gasp when they are ready for what's about to happen."

She was less than a foot from me, her face getting much closer to mine.

"It depends on what's happening," she said, looking up into my eyes.

I wasn't thinking about throwing her into the water anymore. Everything within me wanted to pull her tightly in and kiss her right there, in front of the pool in the house her husband bought with all the millions of dollars he had made throughout his career. Kiss her on the spot where he probably threw numerous parties. Kiss her on the lips I wished were mine, and not his.

The look in her eyes told me she wanted the same. At least I thought they did. I hadn't been in a position where I felt like this for someone in a long time. Thankfully, my hands were around her waist or I surely would have been able to feel them get clammy, nervous, like a high school kid on his first date with the prom queen he never thought he could get.

She is calculating, remember? I thought to myself. If she hadn't wanted it to get to this point she never would have asked you over to her house. She wants this as much as you do.

I wasn't sure which shoulder angel was feeding me that line but whoever it was, I knew they were right.

My hands pulled her closer until her feet were between mine; our legs and waists touching.

"You have really strong shoulders," she said. Her voice was soft and she tilted her head up toward mine when she spoke.

Do it, I told myself. Kiss her.

My heart was racing, and I could hear the beating in my ears. My hands moved up her body and found her neck. My fingers laced in her hair behind her head and I pulled her up.

Praise from Tarryn Fisher, author of Love Me With Lies series

Salty. This book is salty. There is no sweet. You'll be hard pressed to find a unicorn. It is sexy and frustrating. I grow so tired of "perfect" steamy hero's. I don't like perfect. I like my men a little nerdy and aggressive. Luke is way nerdy. We have a lot of male perspective books coming out, but most are written by women. I'm really wondering at this point if we are getting it right. As for the actual storyline...I was riveted. Hero is playing with married woman fire. He has a hot, little blonde on the back burner. I didn't know who to root for. The author's writing style is what I'll praise most. It's so different. Polished. And I love being in a man's head. They're simple, but damn are they dirty. I.LOVE.THIS.BOOK.

Bonus Chapter at the end of Thou Shalt Not 

After you finish Thou Shalt Not, you will be able to briefly reunite with Caleb and Olivia from Tarryn Fisher’s Love Me With Lies series as she gives us one last glimpse into their life. *squeeeee

 

Author Bio

JJ Rossum traveled the world as a child, and called many places “home”. Currently, home is Portland, Oregon, where he is at work on other novels that were hatched while people watching during many airport layovers.

Follow her on these sites: Facebook || Goodreads

Giveaway
10 e-copies of Thou Shalt Not
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ANGEL FEVER Blog Tour: This and That with L.A. Weatherly + Giveaway!

Coffee. No question

Movies, though I really love watching a good series, too – we’re currently ensconced in Game of Thrones.

Fall (my birthday is in the fall!)

The Hunger Games.

Print, but I often buy the e-book too, for travelling

Fantasy

Chocolate. In fact, I might have some right now.

 M&Ms (how is this even a question?)

Backstreet Boys (though neither is a favorite, if I’m honest!)

Hmm, let me see, now... (wakes up from very pleasant musing.) Let’s go with chest. BUT ABS ARE GOOD TOO.

 Mac

Kisses

Sunset – I’m not a morning person!

Truth (I’m a wuss!)

Classic

Thank you so much for visiting Teen Readers' Diary L.A.! We definitely have the same picks, except I am an 'N Sync gal since I grew up with 'N Sync fangirls :D

Angel Fever (Angel #3) by L.A. Weatherly

Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Candlewick

Release Date: November 26th 2013

Blurb:

As half-angel Willow strives to save the world from her parasitic otherworldly kin, romance and tension heat up to a climactic finale.

In the devastated remains of the world, millions of people live in "refugee" camps provided by the angels who have all but enslaved humanity. As this angelic stranglehold tightens, Willow and Alex are recruiting and training new Angel Killers while struggling to hold ground on the celestial battlefield. But Willow continues to have feelings for Seb, and her love and resolve are tested as a shattering revelation sends Alex on a separate journey. Now that the final battle versus the angels is about to begin-and the fate of the world hangs in the balance-each of them must face the consequences of their own choices. Will love endure? Will the human race survive?

You can purchase Angel Fever at the following Retailers:

  

Author Bio

L. A. Weatherly is the author of the bestselling Angel series, as well as almost 50 other books for children and teenagers. She’s originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and lives in Hampshire, England with her husband. Her books have been translated into over 10 different languages.

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3 Winners will receive a Copy of Angel Fever by L.A. Weatherly

5 Winners will receive a Surprise ART Bookmark by James Vallesteros.

3 Winners will receive a Willow Fields and Alex Kyler ART Bookmark by James Vallesteros

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