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Sunday 30 September 2012

Showcase Sunday (15)

 
 Hosted by the lovely Books, Biscuits and Tea, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto e-readers each week. 
 
 
Bought:
Down to You

~ Down to You by M. Leighton
(already read and devoured this! Read my review here! SO HOT!!! - adult)

I actually put myself on a Book Buying Ban so only one or two books a week now. And I'm going to try to go to the local library more. Yay!! :)


For Review:

Stealing ParkerWho I KissedVenom (Secrets of the Eternal Rose, #1)The Gathering DarknessTorched
~ Stealing Parker by Miranda Keneally 
(thank you Sourcebooks Fire for the review copy! Guys, I've already read this and it's EVEN better than Catching Jordan! Look out for blog tour guest post and review Tuesday!! I love you, Corndog!!) 
~ Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler 
(thanks again to Sourcebooks Fire! Can't wait to read this soon!) 
~ Venom by Fiona Paul
(About Reinessance Venice, masquerades, swoony artists and more. Basically, my dream book!! Currently reading this and so freaking good! Thank you Paper Lantern Lit)

~ The Gathering Darkness by Lisa Colicutt
(Love the cover! Haven't really heard anything about this so!) 

~ Torched by Andrea Lynn Colt
(Love this cover! And thank you to author Andrea Lynn Colt for asking me to review! :) )


So, what did YOU guys get this week? Let me know what you think of my weekly haul and leave your links down below, I'll go and check them out! :)



Weekly Roundup!
~Monday
Review of Down To You by M. Leighton (link)
~ Tuesday
Review of Toxic by Jus Accardo (link)
~ Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday: The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar (link)
~ Thursday
Blog tour for Toxic by Jus Accardo - interview and giveaway (link)

Thursday 27 September 2012

Blog Tour: Toxic by Jus Accardo (Interview and Giveaway)



About the author!

Jus Accardo
JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. Her first book, Touch was released in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is currently working on the next book in the Denazen series.


Give Jus a yell on Twitter, or visit her on Facebook, and her website.


DENAZEN series - Untouched, TOUCH, TOXIC, TREMBLE

Untouched (Denazen, #1.5)Touch (Denazen, #1)Toxic (Denazen, #2)

 
AUTHOR INTERVIEW with JUS ACCARDO!


1. Do you have an author/authors that you look up to or are inspired or amazed by?

I’m honestly inspired by anyone brave enough to write a book. It’s a sometimes heart wrenching, world consuming, and emotional task to pour your soul into something and then release it to the world. I think it takes a specific type of person to do it—and stick with it. All authors are my heroes :D

2. How was it different writing Toxic to Touch?

I think book 2 was a little harder. In the first book of a series, there are no rules to follow. You’re making it up as you go along. If something doesn’t work, you can change it. In the second book, you have guidelines and rules in place. Personalities are set. You have to follow the path.

3. Do you plan the ending of the series from the very beginning? Or do you figure it out as you write?

I go as I write. I’m not a planner at all. The ending of TREMBLE took me totally by surprise.

4. Are you working on stuff not related to the Denazen series? Are you allowed to share anything with us? :)

I have several things I’m working on at the moment, most notably another YA paranormal series. I should be able to share details very soon!

5. Now, let's be honest. Everyone who has read Toxic hates Jade. What was the inspiration for her character?

Jade was totally false. That’s my story and I’m stickin to it! ;P

6.What is a fun, random fact about yourself that most people don't know?

I’m a sucker for boots. Short boots, tall boots—lace up boots. It’s an obsession.

7. As a reader, what is the most important to you, the characters or the plot? As a writer, is it different?

As a reader, if I love a plot but hate the characters, it kills the story for me. Same thing in reverse. If the characters kick ass, but the plot is flat and pointless, I can’t stay hooked. As a writer, I feel exactly the same. I want readers to love the whole package and not just smaller parts.

8. Did you had to do a lot of research for this series?

There was some, but not a ton.

9. When you are getting ready to start a new book, what’s the first thing you do?

Aside from making sure I’m stocked up on coffee, I make my playlists. I add to them as the story and characters progress, but I always have a general idea when I start out.

10. What is one YA novel you wish you had written?

Any one of the original four Vampire Diaries books. That was the series that truly got me hooked into the paranormal!




Toxic (Denazen, #2)Toxic (Denazen #2) - OUT OCTOBER 2RD
When a Six saved Kale’s life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she’d lose the one thing she’d give anything to keep… And as if it’s not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez’s problems.

After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the situation, he poisons Dez and offers her a choice—surrender to Denazen for the cure…or die. Determined to find a solution that doesn’t involve being bagged and tagged—or losing someone she loves—Dez keeps the poison a secret.  But when a rash of Denazen attacks hit a little too close to home, Dez is convinced there’s a traitor among them. Jade.

Sacrifices, broken promises, and secrets. Dez will have to lay it all on the line if there’s any hope of proving Jade’s guilt before they all end up Residents of Denazen. Or worse, dead… 

Add Toxic to your TBR pile on Goodreads
For a TOUCH/TOXIC swag pack. US/Canada only!
Please leave your email address/twitter username in the comments below so I can pass along your info to the Publisher who will then be in charge of sending it out.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Waiting On Wednesday (28)

The Art of Wishing
by Lindsay Ribar

The Art of Wishing
March 21st 2013
~ Dial Books ~

He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life.

Margo McKenna has a plan of attack for everything, from landing the lead in her high school musical to dealing with her increasingly absent parents. But when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the opportunity to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Especially since Oliver--not blue-skinned, not bottle-dwelling, but a genie nonetheless--can see more than what she's willing to show him. With one peek into her mind, he can see the wishes that even Margo herself doesn't know she wants.

But Oliver comes with more than just mind-reading abilities, a flair for magic, and the prettiest eyes Margo's ever seen. Someone from his past is hunting him--someone bent on killing him, along with all the other genies in the world, for the sake of honor. And as Margo soon discovers, it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more.

Add to Goodreads


One word - GENIES. OMG guys I'm hoping this will be one of YA's new trends. I love genies and there's so much you can do with the whole thing. I'm SO so excited for this and adore the title - THE ART OF WISHING. Sounds perfect and sweet! :)

Cover Thoughts: 
Gotta admit I wasn't a fan of this cover before but it's growing on me. I love the font style and everything, but it just screams CONTEMPORARY at me. Which I don't really like since you have genies here. :/ Overall, I love the colour scheme but I wish they had chosen a more magical cover. 

So what are YOU waiting for this week? I can tell you - OPAL. To be honest I was going to do a WOW on Opal but I think EVERYONE is waiting on that one so I decided to pick one that won't come out til next year :P

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Review: Toxic - Jus Accardo

Author: Jus Accardo
Release Date:November 6th 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 400
Source: For review (thanks Entangled Teen!)

When a Six saved Kale's life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she'd lose the one thing she'd give anything to keep... And as if it's not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez's problems.

After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the situation, he poisons Dez and offers her a choice--surrender to Denazen for the cure...or die. Determined to find a solution that doesn't involve being bagged and tagged--or losing someone she loves--Dez keeps the poison a secret. But when a rash of Denazen attacks hit a little too close to home, Dez is convinced there's a traitor among them. Jade.

Sacrifices, broken promises, and secrets. Dez will have to lay it all on the line if there's any hope of proving Jade's guilt before they all end up Residents of Denazen. Or worse, dead...

When I read TOUCH (the first book in the Denazen series), I fell completely in love with it. Everything that I wanted in a book was in TOUCH. Whether that's the hot chemistry between two MCs, the action-packed storyline and the YA paranormal that I love, I knew nothing can top TOUCH. Not even its sequel. How right I am. :( 

I'm sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first. Before you all scream at me and throw mash potatoes, hear me out.  (Though I do love mashed potatoes so that might be an exception).

Dez is one strong female character. She's feisty and cool and everything but there's just some part of her that I don't really like. I love my heroines strong and kickass (like Alex from Covenant, Rose from VA, Tris from Divergent etc.) but Dez just comes across as a little different. And not really in a good way.

Kale was a bit meh for me. I adored him in TOUCH. He was adorable and sweet and deadly and sexy. In TOXIC, I didn't really get that vibe from him anymore. And the bit near the end? TORE ME TO PIECES. (Those who've read this already will know what I'm talking about *hintjadehint*) Yeah, I get why he did it, but I still would have liked to punch him.
 
What I loved about the two main characters Dez and Kale kinda disappeared in this sequel. There were a LOT of times where I found myself wanting to kick them both in their heads, but there were times when I was still very much rooting for them. The romance that I really appreciated in Touch and found unique, is unfortunately now gone and I found their love lacking something. :( 

Let's move on to Jade. EVERYONE HATES JADE. She's such a bitch! I don't think I've ever hated a character girl more than her. I am absolutely fuming. Someone needs to teach her a lesson. I wanted to bitch slap her in more than one occasion. THIS GIRL MAKES ME WANT TO KILL MYSELF.

I really don't get why suddenly everyone's like 'OMG I love Alex!'. Please. That guy is an asshole. Now and then. I really don't like him. And to be honest, I don't think he's needed. In my opinion.

On the other hand, Jus' writing is just fab. Her descriptions are perfect, and the pacing of TOXIC was one that was done very well. I think Jus' writing got even better in this. :) And no matter what I think of this sequel, I would still read anything of her's. So awesome!

The story itself was very good, and even though I had trouble with a few of the characters, I still found myself reading. There's just something about this series that sucks me right in and doesn't let go until the very last page.  

Oh, there was this plot twist/secret that I totally knew. Right from the very beginning. Don't you just hate that? When you guess things correctly before the main character does? And I kinda get why Dez never got it but still. I TOTALLY KNEW THAT CHARACTER WAS BAD.

All in all, I have very mixed feelings about this sequel, and honestly: I think TOUCH was million times better. Don't kill me.


Come back here for an author interview with JUS ACCARDO on Thursday! :)

Monday 24 September 2012

Review: Down To You - M. Leighton

Down To YouTitle: Down To You
Author: M. Leighton
Release Date: September 23th 2012
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Pages: unkown
Source: Bought

Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white.

But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins.
Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her.

Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together.

Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love. With both of them.

Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire.

She wants them both.

And they want her.

How will she ever choose between them?
 
After devouring Michelle's previous contemporary books THE WILD ONES and FRAGILE, I vowed to read everything else she has written. So when I heard of this book, I was like I WANT THIS BOOK NOW. GIMME THIS BOOK NOW. OR I'LL KILL YOU. Anywayyy, let's just say I had some pretty big expectations for this. And you know what? It surpassed it and more.

I want to hug and kiss this book. Seriously. I love this adult book so much. I can't even pick between this or THE WILD ONES as my favourite EVER. They're just both so awesome! DOWN TO YOU has everything I need and love in a book - smoking hot boys, vivid characters, and an unputdownable ( I know this isn't a word but still) plot and so much more!  

I adored Olivia. And I love how she couldn't choose between the two guys. Well, who could? But anyway, Olivia is the type of MC that I like reading about. She's smart, brave and selfless. Loved this girl. 

Now. About Cash. *fans self* He's just your typical bad boy, but he is SO much more than that. I won't go into details otherwise I'd be here forever, but I want to have his babies, please. This guy is just sex on legs. He's SO hot. And funny and cocky and charming and WHOA. *takes a cold shower*

His twin Nash is like perfect. He's very successful, rich and have everything going for him. Basically the opposite of his twin Cash. Cash and Nash. I like Cash better. Just saying. :) 

Can I just say how much I hated Olivia's cousin? I want to bitch slap her!

The love scenes were smoking hot!! Like, I had to actually calm down before I continue reading. Without a doubt one of the best adult romance books I've ever read. It made me blush, giggle and do all sorts of things you wouldn't want to know. Just kidding. ;)

And the twist near the end. I was like WTF THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN. OR THIS IS NOT TRUE. But OMG guys it was great and now if I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. *smacks forehead for not figuring it out sooner* I really don't want to spoil anyone, but I have to say M. Leighton is a freaking genius. 

Before I go on and on (seriously I won't stop!) about how much I adored this book, I really want to tell YOU to go buy this book. Like, now! Trust me, you'll fall in love with Cash (or Nash if you lurve good guys) and you won't regret it one bit!! 


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