Saturday, July 5, 2014

Upcoming YA Releases - July 6th-19th




Keeping track of weekly book releases in YA lit? Well, TRD is here to help you out! It's been a year since I did this feature and I think it's time to bring it back :) Without further ado, here are some of the  most anticipated titles coming out for the 2nd and 3rd week of July.

Click on the title link to be redirected to the book's Goodreads page.
Idols (Icons, #2)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
The Icons came from the sky. They belong to an inhuman enemy. They ended our civilization, and they can kill us.

Most of us. 

Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas are the four Icon Children, the only humans immune to the Icon's power to stop a human heart. Now that Los Angeles has been saved, things are more complicated - and not just because Dol has to choose between Lucas and Ro, the two great loves of her life. As she flees to a resistance outpost hidden beneath a mountain, Dol makes contact with a fifth Icon Child, if only through her visions. When Dol and the others escape to Southeast Asia in search of this missing child, Dol's dreams, feelings and fears collide in an epic showdown that will change more than just four lives -- and stop one heart forever.

In this riveting sequel to Icons, filled with nonstop action and compelling romance, bestselling author Margaret Stohl explores what it means to be human and how our greatest weakness can be humanity's strongest chance at survival.

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

Zom-B Clans (Zom-B, #8)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
B's first mission with the Angels --sentient, do-gooder zombies-- went horribly wrong when vicious members of the Ku Klux Klan attacked New Kirkham, a stronghold of precious human survivors. B is not about to let the racist thugs persecute innocent people, but while saving the town, one of B's oldest friends is kidnapped by the Klan.

The Angels are prepared to do what it takes to save him, but B will have to make some very hard decisions about loyalties--to old friends, to the Angels, and to new families and old.

Through to You
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Opposites attract—and then complicate—in this romantic, relatable novel from the author of Two-way Street and Sometimes It Happens.

It starts with a scribbled note in class: I like your sparkle. Harper had casually threaded a piece of blue and silver tinsel through her ponytail in honor of school spirit day. And that carefree, corny gesture is what grabs Penn Mattingly’s eye. Penn—resident heartbreaker of the senior class. Reliably unreliable. Trouble with a capital “T.” And okay, smolderingly sexy.

Harper’s surprised by Penn’s attention—and so is Penn. The last thing he needs is a girlfriend. Or even a friend-with-benefits. The note is not supposed to lead to anything.

Oh, but it does. They hang out. They have fun. They talk. They make out. And after a while, it seems like they just click. But Penn and Harper have very different ideas about what relationships look like, in no small part because of their very different family backgrounds. Of course they could talk about these differences—if Penn knew how to talk about feelings.

Harper and Penn understand their attraction is illogical, yet something keeps pulling them together. It’s like a crazy roller coaster—exhilarating, terrifying, and amazing all at once. And neither knows how to stop the ride…

In Deep
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Ultracompetitive Brynn from The Summer of Firsts and Lasts craves swimming victory—and gets in over her head—in this irresistible novel from Terra Elan McVoy.

Swim.

Push.

Breathe.

Swim.

Nothing else matters to Brynn as she trains her body and mind to win. Not her mediocre grades and lack of real friends at school. Not the gnawing grief over her fallen hero father. Not the strained relationship with her absent mother and clueless stepdad. In the turquoise water, swimming is an escape and her ticket to somewhere—anywhere—else. And nothing will get in her way of claiming victory.

But when the competitive streak follows Brynn out of the pool in a wickedly seductive cat-and-mouse game between herself, her wild best friend, and a hot new college swimmer, Brynn’s single-mindedness gets her in over her head, with much more than a trophy to lose.

The Defiant (The Forsaken #3)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
In this gripping conclusion to The Forsaken Trilogy, Alenna’s loyalties are put the ultimate test—and it’s one of life and death.
Alenna Shawcross and the others who escaped the wheel are working toward an all-out assault on the United Northern Alliance. The plan is to dismantle it from the inside—and Alenna is one of the few people who can access the organization’s inner sanctum. But when she returns to the home she has nearly forgotten, she encounters old friends and is swept into a secret plan that puts everything she loves in danger.

Knowing what is at stake for her and her friends, Alenna ventures into the heart of the treacherous UNA. She’s determined to bring them down, because freedom is the only choice. Or is it?

Unravel (Linked, #2)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Untold dangers await telepathic twins in this sequel to the futuristic, romantic thriller called classic sci-fi, space-travel adventure at its best. After Elissa and Lin exposed the government's secret experiments inLinked, which Booklistcalled a roller-coaster ride into space that just about everyone should enjoy, their home planet Sekoia is thrown into chaos. Determined to do their part to help the planet they've hurt, they return to Sekoia only to discover that things are far worse that they imagined. Resources are suddenly scarce, people are scared, and there's a rising current of anger against the Spares. When Lissa and Lin find themselves among another group of Spares and twins, they feel like they've found their kindred spirits at last. But a threat none of them could have expected is lying in wait for Sekoia's Spares.

Wild
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
The forest is full of secrets, and no one understands that better than Cade. Foraging, hunting, surviving— that’s all he knows. Alone for years, Cade believes he’s the sole survivor. At least, until he catches a glimpse of a beautiful stranger…

Dara expected to find natural wonders when she set off for a spring break camping trip. Instead, she discovers a primitive boy— he’s stealthy and handsome and he might be following her. Intrigued, Dara seeks him out and sets a catastrophe in motion.

Thrust back into society, Cade struggles with the realization that the life he knew was a lie. But he’s not the only one. Trying to explain life in a normal town leaves Dara questioning it.

As the media swarm and the police close in, Dara and Cade risk everything to get closer. But will the truth about Cade’s past tear them apart?

A YA Tarzan retelling.

Demon Derby
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Random House
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
She survived cancer, but can she fight demon derby girls? Set in the world of roller derby, the new novel from Carrie Harris, author of Bad Taste in Boys and Bad Hair Day, is perfect for Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans and for anyone facing their own demons, inside or out.

"A resolutely tough cancer survivor winds up battling more than just the opposing team when she goes out for roller derby and comes face to face with supernatural enemies in this fast-paced, often funny offering about demon hunters . . . a paranormal adventure with both style and heart (on wheels)."--Kirkus Reviews

Casey kicked cancer’s ass. Now a demon wants to kick hers. . . .

Casey hates being known as the girl who survived cancer. She wants people to treat her like her old self, fearless and strong. And after a creepy encounter with a crazy guy in an alley, Casey is all about reclaiming her power.

So when she has a chance to try out for the Apocalypsies roller derby team, she jumps on it. Being a derby girl would prove that she doesn’t need anybody’s pity. It doesn’t hurt that Michael, the team manager, is almost unnaturally hot. Which makes sense when Casey finds out that he’s not human.

Michael’s got a secret: he trains demon hunters. That crazy guy in the alley? Demon. And the fact that Casey went head to head with evil and lived makes her a threat to demonkind. Casey thought she’d already fought and won the battle of her lifetime. But it’s only beginning. . . .

Where Silence Gathers (Some Quiet Place, #2)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Flux
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
In this companion novel to the critically acclaimed Some Quiet Place, Alex must choose between Revenge and Forgiveness.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandra Tate sits outside Nate Foster's house, clutching a gun. After serving ten years for the drunk driving accident that killed Alex's family, Nate has been released from prison. Every night, Alex waits out of sight, building up the courage to exact her own justice. There's just one problem: Forgiveness. 

Alex has been able to see personified Emotions for as long as she can remember, and Revenge is her best friend. But when Forgiveness suddenly appears, he offers Alex a choice—getting even or moving on. It's impossible to decide when Revenge whispers in one ear . . . and Forgiveness whispers in the other.

Thirty Sunsets
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Flux
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
To Forrest Shephard, getting away to the family's beach house with her parents and her brother, Brian, is the best part of every summer. Until this year, when her mother invites Brian's obnoxious girlfriend, Olivia, to join them. Suddenly, Forrest's relaxing vacation becomes a mission to verify the reality of Olivia's rumored eating disorder. But the truth behind Olivia's finicky eating isn't at all what Forrest expected. And over the next thirty days, Forrest's world is turned upside down as her family's darkest secrets begin to come to light.

Earthquake (Earthbound, #2)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Razorbill
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Tavia Michaels has discovered that she’s an Earthbound—a fallen goddess with the power to remake the Earth—and that a rival faction of Earthbounds, the Reduciata, has created a virus that is literally wiping swaths of the planet out of existence. 

Tavia is captured and imprisoned before she can act on this information, along with her eternal lover, Logan. Huddled in a claustrophobic cell, they lose track of the days, their attempts to escape proving as ephemeral as Tavia’s newly gestating powers. But then Tavia and Logan are mysteriously rescued. . . .

They’re brought to the underground headquarters of the Curatoria, another group of Earthbounds that Tavia doesn’t fully trust. There, she’s told that she can save the Earth before it disappears. She agrees.

Tavia quickly realizes that she isn’t like other Earthbound, and as her abilities continue to awaken, they begin to threaten her centuries-long relationship with Logan. When Benson—Tavia’s former best friend and romantic interest—appears at Curatoria headquarters, Tavia will again have to make a choice about who to be with even as she tries to stop the virus that is destroying the world and uncover the truth about the two Earthbound organizations that have her tangled up in their webs.

Embers & Ash (Cold Fury, #3)
Release date: July 10th, 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Sara Jane Rispoli is on the wrong side of the Russian mob, but closer to finding her family than ever. And she's willing to do whatever it takes to finally end this terrible journey even if the price is her own life.

The very cold fury that has seen her through the worst of her troubles is now killing her; she knows the cure, but she can't sacrifice the deadly electricity until she's rescued her family. But when she finally does rescue them, it's not the happy reunion she pictured. And the torment doesn't stop there, not even when she finally discovers Ultimate Power. Only destroying the Outfit completely can end this terrible nightmare.

Old enemies return to seek vengeance, double-crosses abound, and even more mysteries are uncovered as we rocket toward an end no one saw coming.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe
Release date: July 15th, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.


But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.




Dirty Wings
Release date: July 15th, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
A gorgeous retelling of the Persephone myth, Sarah McCarry brings us the story of Cass and Maia--the mothers from All Our Pretty Songs--and how their fates became intertwined.


Maia is a teenage piano prodigy and dutiful daughter, imprisoned in the oppressive silence of her adoptive parents' house like a princess in an ivory tower. Cass is a street rat, witch, and runaway, scraping by with her wits and her knack for a five-fingered discount. When a chance encounter brings the two girls together, an unlikely friendship blossoms that will soon change the course of both their lives. Cass springs Maia from the jail of the only world she's ever known, and Maia's only too happy to make a break for it. But Cass didn't reckon on Jason, the hypnotic blue-eyed rocker who'd capture Maia's heart as soon as Cass set her free--and Cass isn't the only one who's noticed Maia's extraordinary gifts. Is Cass strong enough to battle the ancient evil she's unwittingly awakened--or has she walked into a trap that will destroy everything she cares about? In this time, like in any time, love is a dangerous game.



Starbreak (Starglass, #2)
Release date: July 15th, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
The Asherah has finally reached Zehava, the long-promised planet. There, Terra finds harsh conditions and a familiar foe—Aleksandra Wolff, leader of her ship’s rebel forces. Terra and Aleksandra first lock horns with each other . . . but soon realize they face a much more dangerous enemy in violent alien beasts—and alien hunters.


Then Terra finally discovers Vadix. The boy who has haunted her dreams may be their key to survival—but his own dark past has yet to be revealed. And when Aleksandra gets humanity expelled from the planet, it’s up to Terra, with Vadix by her side, to unite her people—and to forge an alliance with the alien hosts, who want nothing more than to see humanity gone forever.




Keep your eyes peeled for our feature spotlighting some of the YA debut authors for the month of July! Here are the debut releases for the next two weeks:

The Half Life of Molly Pierce
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now—now I am remembering. 


For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves.

Midnight Thief (Midnight Thief, #1)
Release date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

Illusive
Release date: July 15th, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
The X-Men meets Ocean's Eleven in this edge-of-your-seat sci-fi adventure about a band of "super" criminals.

When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She's what's known as an illusionist...She's also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn't?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against the government that could cost them their lives.



Which of these new releases are you most excited to read? Feel free to share them in the comments! And while you're here, check out our 3rd Blogversary giveaway!



Saturday, June 28, 2014

Jenny Han Book Signing Event #JennyHaninPH



Last Saturday, June 21st, we were lucky enough to have met the lovely NYT best-selling author Jenny Han in her PH book signing tour that kicked off in Manila. We here at Teen Readers’ Diary have been certified Hanny Badgers since The Summer trilogy came out a few years ago, so you can bet we’ve been counting down the days towards this event!



Mary Ann and I (Dea) arrived at the venue for a Q&A session with Jenny with 30 minutes to spare. What better way to wait for it to start than to catch up with some wonderful PH book bloggers?  

At 10 am, Jenny Han arrived and we were ready to know more about her and her books. We got to ask her one question each and she graciously answered all of them. We learned a lot of cool things about Jenny that ranged from her writing process to love letters and celebrity crushes! 



Read on for the summary of the Q&A.
Dea: If you would be asked to write yourself into any one of your books, which book would you choose and what role would you play?

Jenny said that she would be in The Summer I Turned Pretty because of the beach house. She'd be playing the role of a nanny and will just hang out with the moms while Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly do their thing.

Mary Ann: If you were Lara Jean, who would be your top five celebrity crush that you would write a letter to and who would be Peter Kavinsky for you? 

Jenny answered that one would be Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood, Daryl in The Walking Dead (in a dirty way. LOL) Joel Kinnaman from The Killing, Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, Jo In Sung, and Seo In Guk. For Peter Kavinsky - the young James Marsden

Other things we learned about Jenny Han:


  • Jenny and Siobhan Vivian have been friends since they met in graduate school in David Levithan’s class in New York. They became best friends and then lived in the same neighborhood. When asked of the difference between writing her own novels and collaborating with Siobhan, Jenny said they helped one another by trading pages of each other's work and giving feedback. She shared that they have different strengths;  Siobhan is good at storytelling because of her screenwriting background and she went to film school, while Jenny’s strong suits are more in character and dialogue. The big difference when they are writing books together – they are equally a thousand percent in it because they both had ownership over the story and thus they can both "discipline" it. 
  • Siobhan and Jenny did it differently than most collaborations by planning the whole book out. They have a 20-page outline of the story and they divvied it up according to what they’re excited to write about. The three main characters show up in each other's scenes so much that they had to know each character equally well.
  • In the first book, they both wrote the characters equally. For Fire with Fire, however, Jenny did most of the Lilia's, Siobhan did most of the Mary's, and they split up Kat in the middle.


  • When she was asked if The Summer Trilogy was based on her first love, Jenny said there are pieces that are there. She said that as a writer, it’s one of the best things when she has personally experienced some things. She use those emotions to fuel the story and hopefully make it feel real. 
  • She gets asked a lot if she ever considered writing a spin-off for Jeremiah. The answer is no. Jenny said Jeremiah got left in a good place as well. He’s an upbeat guy and he bounces back. One of the key differences between Conrad and Jeremiah is that Conrad is more sensitive and kept it all in him, while Jeremiah is a lot more emotive with his feelings. She doesn't worry about Jeremiah and she’d be more worried about Conrad if things hadn't gone the way things went. She adds that he’d be in a dark place for a while if that happened.

  • Jenny also used to write letters to the boys she loved when she’s ready to get over them, but these letters were for her eyes only. For Jenny, writing a love letter is more of a personal experience of you exploring your own emotions and she would have been mortified if any one of the letters she wrote get sent out. Just like in Lara Jean’s case, they were not meant for other people to see. She still has the letters. 
  • Jenny has a little sister whom she get closer to as they get older. She’s inspired by her sister as she’s making her stories, and Kitty is most like her.






  • In her experience, it’s harder to write stories for young kids. It’s akin to painting on a smaller canvas since you have to be careful having such a small space to express yourself. Writing Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream was the biggest challenge for Jenny and it took her longer to revise and polish it up. 
  • Jenny’s usual day involves: waking up mid-morning but staying up late writing. She checks emails and social media, converses with her editor and publicist and then writes for a few hours in the afternoon. If she’s having a minor writer’s block she checks in on Twitter.
ShugTo All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)
  •  Her American and Korean heritage inspire her writing very much. As an example, she related the limitations of the MC’s high-functioning alcoholic mother in her first book, Shug, and the limitations of her parents because of the language and cultural barriers. She used a lot of her personal experiences in that story even though it doesn't appear that way on the page. In TATBILB, she’s inspired by the dynamic of big sister and little sister in Korean culture [little sisters always listen to the unnies (big sisters)]
  • When she was asked if she meant to have similar plots in Shug and TATBILB, Jenny said that thematically there are certain things that she just really want to write about and there’s always going to be sisters. Almost all of her books have some sort of sister relationship because it is an important piece of her life, and so she will always write about that and first love. 
  • Jenny has a nail blog to keep track of what she’s done. You can check it out and follow it here: Just Another Mani Monday
  • When asked if she ever felt like running out of story ideas, Jenny said no. She has three other books in the back of her head that she wants to write and have been thinking about over the ten years. She shared that it really is a matter of having all the time to do all the stories she wants to tell so not yet, and hopefully never. 
  • Jenny was asked: what makes contemporary novels stand out for you and have you ever thought of branching out to New Adult? Jenny answered that personally, she loves to read Fantasy as well and would love to do one if she has a great idea. For Jenny, the big difference between Fantasy and Contemporary is the world building. She tends to write smaller stories and said it takes a different kind of gift to be able to write those big, world building kind of books. She would love to do it if she got something amazing, and adds that perhaps smaller is more intimate. Emotions and experiences are pretty universal whether you are in contemporary or fantasy. As far as NA goes, she hasn't read a ton of it. She doesn't think she would be branching out to NA anytime soon because her stories tend to be warmhearted and a little innocent. She doesn't know if she’d ever do NA since YA can also be sexy. She also said she doesn't think there need to be a delineation between the two things because a lot of adults read YA, teens read adult, and they all crosses over. 
  • Her first book, Shug, is always gonna be special to her as well as the newest book. The middle ones are also special but usually it’s the first and the last.

After the Q&A, Jenny obliged us by giving a message to all her Filipino fans! 

*sorry for the shaky cam! :)


She also signed our books along with the ARC of Ashes to Ashes that Jenny surprised us with (!!!), and posed for pictures with us.





Jenny with her fans over at @jennyhan_ph



Me (left) and Mary Ann (right) with Jenny



PH YA book bloggers with Jenny Han



Selfies!


We then went to National Book Store Glorietta 1, where fans gathered for the public signing at 2 pm. We weren't surprised at all by the big turnout, but hearing that some fans lined up at 11 pm the night before totally did!





Crowd of Hanny Badgers waiting for Jenny Han and the event to start


At 2:30 pm, Jenny was warmly welcomed by hundreds of fans. Check out this very brief video of her entering the venue.




Signed books!

HUGE thanks to National Book Store and Jenny Han for an amazing and fun event! For other recaps, check out these posts from our fellow PH YA bloggers




Friday, June 27, 2014

Blog Tour: Ex-Factor by Elisa Dane (Excerpt + Giveaway)




“Ahh... Mr. Scott!” My gaze automatically swept to the front of the classroom, Keltar’s loud, obnoxious voice almost impossible to ignore. “So good of you to grace us with your presence today. I trust you’ve learned something during your time away from school? Violence is never the answer, young man.” Frowning, the surly Santa wannabe begrudgingly swept a pink slip of paper from a tall, muscular boy dressed in dark clothing.

My heart jumped a little in my chest as I surveyed the colossal mass of male student at the front of the class. What the hell were the people of Indigo Falls feeding their sons? Some type of über growth hormone? Over half the guys in the school looked as though they belonged on the cover of a weightlifting magazine—chiseled, as if cut from granite. And what was that about violence, and time away from school? Had he gotten into a fight? From his size, he looked like someone who could deliver massive amounts of pain with ease.

The new guy stood in complete silence as Keltar continued on, delivering the same tired speech he’d given me upon entering the room. The same nervous feeling that had plagued me when I entered the school just a short time ago returned with a vengeance, and I caught myself struggling to breathe. What the hell? The new guy, whoever he was, had a bizarre effect on me, and to be honest, it was freaking me out a little. I mean, hell... I hadn’t even seen his face and I had butterflies whirling in my stomach. How was that possible? What kind of person had that type of effect on people?

He turned around then, and the answers to my unspoken questions all but slapped me upside the face.

Holy Mary, Mother of Pearl...

If boys were classified into two shades: light and dark, my Paper Thief, Eli would hover somewhere in the realm of ivory or beige. But this new guy was dark. We’re talking black down to the very pit of his soul type dark.

Ebony eyes void of emotion swept over the room before finally settling on his seat: the empty chair next to Erin. Short, dark hair hugged his skull, bringing attention to the chiseled line of his jaw. His features were strong, hard, and entirely masculine—beautiful. No joke, he looked like an avenging angel hell bent on mayhem and destruction. Bad. The boy was bad to the bone.

Heat scorched my neck and cheeks and my pulse ratcheted up another notch.

Electricity arced through the air as he neared the table, and the oxygen in the room seemed to thin even more. Incapable of speech or movement, I sat open-mouthed, gaping at him like an imbecilic fool. The black T-shirt he wore stretched across his broad chest like a second skin, and revealed a set of arms, one of which sported a wicked tribal tattoo. His gait was confident, yet lazy, and clearly shouted “I don’t give a fuck. I’m only here because I have to be, so stay the hell out of my way.”

Erin cleared her throat and cast me a knowing “Well, well, well. Look who thinks the bad boy is hot” smirk.

The boy’s most stand out feature was a jagged scar which ran from the center of his skull, down along the top of his left ear. It ended just below the left half of his jaw. The skin was thick, raised and silvery pink making it obvious that whatever trauma had placed it there hadn’t happened that long ago.


Heat scored the base of my skull, and I reached, as if on autopilot, for the fat, rigid bump that crawled across my hairline. How had he gotten his scar? A hundred different scenarios played out in my head, none of which included the circumstance that had earned me mine.

_________________________________________________________________



Ex Factor (Diamond Girls, #1)
Ex-Factor by Elisa Dane
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Release Date: April 14th 2014
Blurb:
Nevaeh Evan’s life is uprooted after her father’s death, when she moves in with her aunt and cousin, Livvie. Her plan to lay low at her new high school isn’t working. Her friend’s jerky boyfriend keeps asking her out, the guy she likes treats her like garbage, and the thought of tumbling again makes her want to hurl. 

So when her aunt pushes her into joining the elite X-FACTOR cheer leading squad, Navaeh goes along with it. 

But Nev feels she doesn’t deserve to be happy. Not after what happened the night her father died. 

Bodie Scott knows about grief all too well. Critically injured in an alcohol related accident the year before, Bodie struggles with the fact that he’ll never play football again, and he’s so far behind in credits he can’t see straight. That is, until he meets Nev. Haunted by their bloody pasts and wary of a shared future, Nev and Bodie turn to one another for comfort and support, and realize they’re not so alone after all. And when the party scene at school threatens the life of a loved one, the two stop at nothing to keep the past from repeating itself.


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Author Bio

I'm a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot! I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know, and it's my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you'll find a new respect and interest in the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.
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 2 winners - e-copies of Ex-Factor and Unbreakable 

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