Saturday, February 7, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Wild Hearts (If Only . . . #4) by Jessica Burkhart



About The Book:

Brie Carter’s father’s land development business has taken her family all over the world, 

but as soon as they arrive at their new home in Lost Spring, Wyoming, the town turns out to protest. They don’t want a new hotel if the resident mustang population will be displaced or hurt as part of the deal. Then Brie meets Logan, a gorgeous local who has a special connection to the mustangs, and she is immediately drawn to him . . . and the horses. However, with Logan’s father leading the protests and Brie’s father refusing to budge, it’s clear that their parents are heading towards an all-out war. Can Brie and Logan find a way to save the mustangs and be together? Or is their love doomed from the start?

This new title in the If Only line is the perfect summer read and proves that love flourishes in the wildest places!

Goodreads:


My Review:


Wild Hearts is a good book to read in front of the fire place on a cold snowy day. That is exactly what I did and I really enjoyed this book. I did not read the first three but they can be read as stand alone reads.

We have Brie Carter who moves around a lot because of her father's business. She doesn't make friends and she does not form attachments because she knows she is going to be leaving soon. So when her father comes home and says they are moving to Lost Spring, Wyoming she is not surprised.

Only when they get to Lost Springs, Wyoming it is nothing like what she thought it would be. First off the towns people are very hostile because they do not want a hotel in their town because they are afraid it is going to hurt the Mustangs. In the towns eyes the Mustangs come first and nothing else. So when they have to make a decision they chose what is right for the town.

Among all this fighting Brie meets Logan. She is smitten with Logan but soon finds out that Logan's father is the one protesting against the hotel. Now she is wondering if Logan and her can stop this feud and be together. Will they end the feud in time? Or will the Carter's be packing and moving on? 


About The Author:
About Jessica Burkhart (Jess Ashley)

Jessica Burkhart (a pseudonym for Jess Ashley) was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1987. Jess attended traditional schools until the age of thirteen, when she decided to homeschool. She started writing for publication at fourteen and had her first essay published in Teen Ink. At sixteen in 2005, Jess enrolled at Lake City Community College (Lake City, Florida) and started taking college courses full time via dual enrollment. She took weekend, night, mini-mester, summer and online classes and managed to graduate with an Associate’s Degree at the age of eighteen. While in school, Jess actively pursued freelancing and soon racked up dozens of credits in several magazines. In spring 2006, Jessica transferred to Florida State University. She studied English and humanities. During the fall of her senior year (2006), Jessica heard about National Novel Writing Month—the contest that challenged writers to compose a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Jessica signed up and a month later, she had a rough draft of Take the Reins. In April 2007, Jessica graduated magna cum laude from FSU with a BA in English and a humanities minor. 

That May, her agent sold her first novel as part of a four-book series to Simon & Schuster’s Aladdin MIX. Jessica decided to become a full-time freelancer and author.7/12 Jessica Burkhart (Jess Ashley) 44 Now, Jess has over 100 articles published in magazines such as Girls’ Life, Guideposts Sweet 16 and The Writer. The Canterwood Crest series has been extended to 20-books and has over half a million copies in print.

When she’s not writing, Jess loves watching TV (current faves include Pretty Little Liars, The Lying Game and any Real Housewives), hanging with her bestie/editor, Kate Angelella, and volunteering with Shriners Hospital for Children. Jess serves as president and founder of “Str8 Spines for Shriners,” a support group for children and teens facing spinal surgery. In 2000 at Shriners in St. Louis, Jess had a spinal fusion to correct severe scoliosis. Jess also supports The Humane Society of the United States and The American Humane Association.

She’s a cat freak and can’t leave the house without a few cat hairs on her clothes. She blogs almost daily on everything from writing to celebrity gossip. (She has a not-so-secret obsession with Robert Pattinson…shh!) Vlogging (video blogging) is another way Jess communications with her fans aka “Team Canterwood.” Currently, her YouTube channel has over 500,000 views. Jess also designs and runs the Official Canterwood Crest Academy store via District Lines. Hoodies, tees and posters are available for purchase and feature Canterwood-related phrases and a mix of colors. Jess’s first young adult publication will release in fall 2012 as part of an anthology. (Dear Teen Me, October 2012).

When not writing contracted books, Jess works to build her own company, coowned with Kate Angelella. In January 2011, Jess and Kate started Violet & Ruby Productions which began as a blog that delivered fashion news, celeb gossip, and friendship advice to tweens and teens. The response was overwhelming and readers begged for books written by Kate and Jess. Now, the company has shifted to become an e-book packager. The first novella, dominate, as part of the Wellington Prep series, will release soon.

Jess lives in Brooklyn and is fighting the battle not to be distracted by pink and sparkly items. She’s currently booking various speaking engagements, school visits (both in person and via Skype) and has previously spoken at the Missouri Writers Guild, the Tallahassee Book Festival, Book Expo America and the Decatur Book Festival’s Target Children’s Stage.7/12 Jessica Burkhart (Jess Ashley) 45

Contacts:

Websites: http://www.jessicaburkhart.com 

http://www.canterwoodcrest.com

http://www.jessashley.com

Publicist:

Nicole Russo Simon & Schuster 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 

nicole.russo [at] simonandschuster [dot] com 

Simon & Schuster author portal: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Jessica-Burkhart/46002145

Blog: http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com 

http://authorjessburkhart.blogspot.com 

http://laurentowers.blogspot.com (Canterwood character blog)

Email: Jess _Burkhart [at] hotmail [dot] com 

Miscellaneous: YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/jessicaburkhart87 

Official Canterwood Crest Store: www.districtlines.com/XXX 

Violet & Ruby Productions: www.violetandrubyproductions.com

Around The World ARC Tours Presents The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord



About The Book:

Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & second chances.

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

Goodreads:


My Review:


The Start of Me and You is one of those stories that grabs you in by the first page and keeps you reading until you are on the last page screaming no way I need more I want more. I could picture Paige in my head the entire time I was reading thinking to myself she is one strong girl to finally decide that after two years she is ready to go back to school and start over again.

See Paige's first boyfriend died in a horrible accident two years ago. It sent Paige into a black spiral and she shut everyone out and just lived day by day. All she can think about day and night is her true love and wanting him to come back to her. But after two years of grieving she is finally ready to go back to school. She even has a plan for going back to school that will help her transition easily.

Her plan you want to know is:
1. Get her old crush Ryan Chase to date her so she won't be such a social outcast because she has been away from school for so long.

2. Join a club any club to keep her busy.

Sounds simple right? Well things don't turn out like she thought. For one Ryan's cousin moves to town and catches Paige's eye. The real kicker is when Max recruits Paige for the quiz bowl team. At first Paige is like WTH is going on with me but she goes with the flow and finds out that change is good for you and learning to open up and trust others is the best way to heal.


About The Author:

Emery Lord is a 20-something Midwestern girl who writes stories about high school and best friends and weird families and the crushes that make you feel combustibly alive and also more awkward than you thought was possible. If you're not sure how to pronounce Emery, try slurring the name "Emily," and that will get you really close. 

She lives in Cincinnati in a 100 year-old pink row house with her BFF/husband, a closet full of dresses, and lots of books. If karaoke-ing in grocery store aisles or guzzling coffee while impulse shopping were illegal, Emery would be writing her overemotional YA books from jail. Also, she makes up words sometimes. Like combustibly.

OPEN ROAD SUMMER, her first YA novel, is out now with Bloomsbury. Her second, The Start of Me & You, will be released March 31, 2015. 

contact 

email: emerylord[at]gmail[dot]com 

twitter: @emerylord

FAQ 

What font is your header?

Bombshell Pro

Where did you find that typewriter illustration?

I commissioned it from my lovely and talented friend BreeAnn Veenstra oflullafly illustration.

What did you major in?/What should people who want to be writers major in?

I majored in communications/PR. But I also finished an English Literature major, after taking so many lit classes as electives. As for the second question, I'm not sure! I can tell you that, at least for me, an English Lit major was enjoyable, and I got a lot out of it. I spent class after class doing a couple of things: consistently reading outside of my comfort zone, being forced to examine many aspects of different texts, hearing my classmates' thoughts/questions, and using self-discipline and critical thinking to make cohesive arguments about books--some I felt strongly about and some I didn't. All those things have been worth their weight in book pages as I consider my own work.

Have you always written?

I've always enjoyed writing, but it wasn't until right after college that I started trying to write fiction. I have, however, always read widely and passionately and critically. So, if you're a reader who thinks you might like to be a writer, you're already on the right track! 

How did you get published?

I wrote a draft of a book -> revised it (with a critique partner who is insanely talented) -> queried a few agents -> was offered representation -> went on submission with my manuscript -> received offers! (Every arrow also represents angst and self-doubt.) 

Who is your agent? 

Taylor Martindale of Full Circle Literary

How did you get your agent?

The old-fashioned way: slush-pile, baby. 

When will your first book be out? 

It's out! 

What's it about? 

Friendship, traveling across America, summertime and music. Trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be. Sometimes hanging on, sometimes moving on. Coming to terms with your past. Peeking over your walls long enough to meet someone who might be worth tearing them down. Fireworks-the 4th of July kind and the other kind. And more.

Is the second book going to be a sequel? 

Nope, OPEN ROAD SUMMER is what's called a "standalone." That means that, by the end of the book, I left the characters where I think they belong. 

Friday, February 6, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand



About The Book:

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

Goodreads:


Review:


Okay I am going to say this first...... Lord you need a box of tissues because you are going to cry and cry and cry some more. This book deals with suicide and the after math of the suicide. This is such a serious issue that is in the news right now that I just want everyone to know that life is worth living and no matter what the problem is it is not worth taking your own life. Reach out to someone anyone and talk out your problems. 

Lexie's life is turned upside down when her brother Tyler commits suicide. Lex goes through an array of emotions and blocks everyone out of her life so she can grieve. She keeps going back to see if she could have stopped him or if she could have helped him out. But all she keeps coming up with is nothing. As she isolates herself from her friends, family and boyfriend she finds help and comfort in the least likely person.

Ty was a popular Junior in high school. He loved sports and had friends and a girlfriend but that was not enough for him to live. He decided to take his life and when he did not only did he take his life but everyone around him that loved him. As Lex grieves and tries to move on she keeps coming up with the questions Could she have helped him? Could she have saved him?

This quote in the synopsis says it all for me.

There’s death all around us.

We just don’t pay attention.

Until we do.

This is a must read book about grief and overcoming a sudden death.


About The Author:

Official BioCynthia Hand is the New York Times bestselling author of the Unearthly trilogy. A native of southeast Idaho, she has graduate degrees in creative writing from Boise State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For the past seven years she has taught writing at Pepperdine University in Southern California. She and her family have recently moved back to Idaho where they are enjoying the fresh air.

Childhood


I grew up in southeast Idaho, just outside the town of Idaho Falls. From as far back as I can remember, I loved books and reading, and wrote my first short story (about a fairy being born in a tulip) when I was around six years old—pretty much as soon as I could write. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Widdison, told me that I'd be an author some day, and I believed her. I kept writing stories all through grade school, most of them wildly fantastical musings on supernatural beings or creatures, none of which ever won the annual short story competition where the writer got to meet Kenneth Thomasma, the author of one of my very favorite books, Naya Nuki. I learned early on that if you wanted to win the writing contest, you should write stories about that time your parents got their car stuck in the snow on the side of a mountain just before dark. You should not write about a group of unicorns fighting to take over an island from an alien invasion. I kept writing about unicorns anyway.

SchoolingIn middle school and high school, my friends and I formed a writing group that wrote fan fiction about our favorite novels and movies. Each person in the group invented a new character in the decided-upon world (we wrote about Elfquest, Vampire Hunter D, X-Men, Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, Anne McCafferty's Pern series, Star Wars, and SeaQuest—anyone remember SeaQuest?) and wrote exclusively from that character's point of view, sharing our writing as we went, collectively shaping what happened to these characters. Early on I was appointed the "editor" of our work, meaning that I collected it all, typed it, and edited it. I loved and possibly abused my power with the red pen. 


In middle school and high school I also, on top of all the fan-fic writing, took piano lessons, danced tap and ballet, raced on the Kelly Canyon ski team, acted or teched in every school play and several plays for the community theater, sang in the school choir, took AP classes, and somehow managed to find time to eat and sleep enough to stay alive. There was a period during my junior year when I arrived at school at 5:30 a.m. and didn't get home until around 10 p.m., five days a week. I took the words insanely busy to a whole new level. 

College SchoolingI went to college at the College of Idaho, where I majored in English (because I still loved to read, dangit) with a pre-law emphasis. I kept writing, as a hobby, I told everybody (especially my dad, who wanted me to have a solid, well-paying job) but focused on classes in constitutional law and international politics. I kept this up until the beginning of my senior year, when one day, neck deep in the law section of the library, I had this thought: I don't want to be a lawyer. I want to be a writer. So I broke the news to my parents and my advisers, who were all dismayed but tried to be understanding (especially my dad), and started to work on applying to M.F.A. programs in creative writing. I was lucky enough to get into Boise State University.

Even more schooling:


At Boise State, I was determined to become a "serious writer," to the point where I cut out pictures of my favorite literary authors (Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Alice Walker, Jane Smiley, Harper Lee, Tobias Wolff, Andre Dubus, Rick Bass, Joyce Carol Oates and many others) and taped them to the edges of my computer screen, so that I'd be reminded of greatness every time I sat down to write. No pressure or anything. It was in Boise that I fell head over heels in love with literary fiction, which I wrote exclusively for the next nine years, and where I became crazy about teaching. Just when I thought I was finally figuring out how to be a writer, I got kicked out (okay, not kicked out, I graduated with an M.F.A. in fiction writing). I wanted to keep studying, so I applied for Ph.D.s around the country, settling eventually on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In Nebraska, three hugely important things happened: I met my future husband, the writer and poet John Struloeff, I published my first short story, which I submitted to try to impress John Struloeff, and I connected with my agent, the lovely Katherine Fausset (for more on how that came about, click here).

Real lifeFast forward five years. John and I have married, graduated with our Ph.D.s, and had a son named Will. John landed a fantastic job as the director of the Creative Writing department at Pepperdine University, where I have the pleasure of teaching one or two classes a semester. I'd settled into "real life," but something is missing: writing. I was just not feeling it. This went on for a couple years until one fateful night, which I write about in my blog here, the night that Unearthly first started stirring in my mind. 

It's been a wild ride since then.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes



About The Book:

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

Goodreads:


Review:


This book is FREAKING INCREDIBLE! I mean who knew a lie could end up with a death and a suspect that has no idea what has happened.

Lordy Lordy Lordy Max Cantrell is in his senior year of high school and he is bored to death and ready to get out of high school. One day he and his friends Preston and Parvati come up with a great idea and create Liars, Inc. Who knew selling lies could make money but these guys come up with lies for their peers parents and teachers and earn a good lot of money.The more lies they sell the more money they make. Max is having a good time until he creates a lie for Preston.

Preston has met a girl online and he is ready to meet her and get to know her better but he is nervous. So he asks Max to come up with a lie and he does. But what happens after that is the heart of the story and had me on the edge of my seat. I mean Preston ends up dead and Max is blamed. As the story unfolds there are clues and hints as to what really happened to Preston. As the clues are gathered and the truth starts to unfold you will never believe the TRUTH!

This is such a haunting story. It had me right from page one and I could not figure who killed Preston. Every time I thought I had the person I was so wrong! I loved this book and I need to buy it when it comes out to add to my special books book case.


About The Author:

Hey, I'm Paula. I write stories about flawed characters with good hearts who sometimes make bad decisions. I believe in second chances and happy endings, both in life and in books. 

I got my start writing historical novels for a book development company. Then I wrote a fluffy YA romantic comedy called THE ART OF LAINEY. After that, I wrote a dark and twisty mystery called LIARS, INC. Those two books sold to the good people atHarperTeen, and since then I've finished another totally different story called VICARIOUS, which sold as a duology to Tor Teen. Mixing it up keeps things interesting for me. I've got four books out and another six on the way. My writing has been translated into nine different languages, which is just about the coolest thing ever. 


In addition to being a writer, I'm also an RN, online instructor, and freelance manuscript consultant. Last year I worked with over 30 clients at Manuscript Critique Services and I'm hoping to work with even more this year.

When I'm not working (rare), I'm kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. I've petted tigers, snuggled snakes, snorkeled with stingrays, and once enjoyed the suction-cuppy feel of a baby elephant's trunk as it ate peanuts from my palm. My future goals include diving with great white sharks, learning Krav Maga, and writing a whole slew of novels, not necessarily in that order.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents A Wicked Thing (A Wicked Thing #1) by Rhiannon Thomas



About The Book:

Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining ofSleeping Beauty and what happens after happily ever after.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept. 

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.

Goodreads:


Review:


Rhi has written an incredible continuation of Sleeping Beauty. Not only has she weaved a great story but she has created a world where the fairy tale comes to life.

Princess Aurora has been asleep for 100 years and life has gone on without her. The king and Queen are ruling the land and doing things their way. Then one day Princess Aurora gets a kiss by a handsome Prince and awakens to a world and people she does not know.She has no idea what is going on in the kingdom but she is about to find out that everything is not what it seems and people she thought she could trust she can't.

Her family is dead and her Prince is a complete stranger to her. What can she do? What should she do? She knows one thing that her life has been planned out for her from before her birth. She will have to learn the kingdom and all the people in the village. When things start to come out she will have to decide what she is going to do.

Will she run? Will she stay? Who will she trust? What truths will she learn about her King and Queen? This is a must read for all lovers of fairy tales!


About The Author:

The Short Bio

Rhiannon Thomas is an English Lit grad from Princeton University. She currently lives in York, England, in the shadow of a 13th century Gothic cathedral. When she isn’t lost in YA fantasy, she writes about feminism and the media on her blog, Feminist Fiction.

The Bigger Picture

1. I grew up in England, but I moved to the US in 2007 to go to university. I moved back when I realized that Americans don’t have jaffa cakes.

2. I have both a British accent and an American accent. When I’m in the US, talking to someone American or feeling nervous, I switch to the accent I picked up when I lived in the US, which is apparently so convincing that some people knew me for years before they realized I wasn’t American.

3. My debut novel is about Sleeping Beauty, but my favorite fairy tale is The Little Mermaid.

4. My first fandom was Harry Potter, followed swiftly by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, LOST, Doctor Who, and many, many, many others. I’m currently most likely to get overly geeky about A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones.

5. I made it through 22 years of my life without getting stung by a bee or a wasp. Then I sat on a wasp nest.

6. The area where I live is famous for ghosts. The city ghost walks go down my street every night, and one house I considered renting is known as “the Plague House,” because it’s famous for the ghost of a girl who died during the plague. I decided to live elsewhere.

7. My favorite YA authors include Leigh Bardugo, Libba Bray, Marissa Meyer, Rainbow Rowell and Courtney Summers. My favorite non-YA authors include Jane Austen, George Eliot, Scott Lynch and George RR Martin.

8. I’ve been to every Disneyland except the one in Hong Kong and (sadly) the one in Florida. One day I hope to complete the set.

9. I’m 100% non-sporty, but I love the Tour de France.

10. And my most embarrassing fact… I play Dungeons and Dragons every Tuesday evening with some of my closest friends. I play an awkward elf wizard called Ara. Cos I’m cool like that.