Book Review: Taking Chances by Molly McAdams.

Product details:
Publisher: Self-Published
 eBook, 331 pages.
Release date: September 1st 2012
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 17+ || New Adult
Source: Purchased.

Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.

She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled...they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.

Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.

An addictive read that will touch you to the core, Taking Chances by Molly McAdams is an impossible-to-put-down tale of special friendships, first-time love and life-changing choices.

Eighteen year old Harper has never had a boyfriend.  She’s never dated. Heck, she’s never been kissed.  That’s because Harper has lived a life of constant rules and regulations under the watchful eye of her father, a Marine, who never showed her any love at all. But now, with college on the horizon Harper is finally moving on from her old life.  In Harper’s world college equates freedom and she’s determined to live her new life to the full.  She wants more than anything to experience all that she missed out on growing up. Finally it’s time to have some fun.

 Thankfully, Harper’s college experience gets off to a great start when she meets Bree, roommate extraordinaire and the best friend a girl could hope for. Bree takes Harper under her wing and into her world.  And what a world it is.  Bree’s world is a whirlwind of hot guys and parties, and, more importantly for Harper, Bree’s world also contains one very tattooed, very hot older brother, in the form of Chase.  Chase is the kind of guy Harper’s dad would hate her to ever hook up with, and while Harper knows Chase is trouble, and hell knows the guy can be an ass, there’s just something about him.  He drives Harper crazy with his behavior and yet she finds him hard to resist. But resist she must, because while Harper hasn’t had much, well, any, experience with guys, she knows trouble when she sees it, and she knows that this guy is no good for her.

But Brandon, Chase’s roommate just might be.  Also tattooed, also with a body to die for, Brandon is sweet on Harper from the get go.  He has none of Chase’s bad attitude or his snarky retorts.  Brandon is dreamy and Harper falls fast.  These two quickly become a couple and they are so happy and so in love, that it’s impossible to think that anything or anyone might come between them. But right there in the background is Chase, the guy Harper can’t get out of her head. As she gets to know Chase, Harper soon finds out there is so much more to him than just his bad boy attitude. And when Chase makes it clear he’s into her too, she’s totally torn.  What’s a girl to do?

Right about now you might have started thinking that Taking Chancesis just a typical love-triangle with a predicable outcome. It’s not, and I can guarantee that Taking Chances will shock and surprise as it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster of a ride with some major twists to boot. That’s all I’m going to say about that, but safe to say this book will suck you right in, and I, for one, could not put it down until I was done.  The best thing about Taking Chances is that it has stayed with me. I lived and breathed these characters and I’m still thinking about them now a whole two weeks on from reading the book.

 Taking Chances is a book that covers a whole spectrum of emotions and the highs and lows of life. This book will warm your heart, make you laugh and leave you in tears. Molly McAdams is a great storyteller with an engaging style, and even better, she writes the hottest guys and the steamiest make-out scenes!  If you’re looking for a great book to add to your ‘New Adult’ shelf, then make it this. Recommended. 

If you'd like to find out more about Molly McAdams and Taking Chances, read my interview: HERE. 

Self-Pubbed Hub #2 - James Lyon & Kiss of the Butterfly!

Today on Self-Pubbed Hub James Lyon is stopping by to talk about his novel Kiss of the Butterfly.  Kirkus Reviews had a lot of good things to say about this vampire which is set against the backdrop of a crumbling Yugoslavia, describing it as  'skillful'....'vivid'...and highly promising.

Big thanks to James for taking part in Self-Pubbed Hub!

Kiss of the Butterfly by James Lyon || Published: July 2012 ||

"The smell of blood is in the air, I sense it even now. People thirst for it; the entire country is mad with desire for it. And now we are going to war with our brothers because they look like us, and because we can smell our blood coursing through their veins..." A mysterious letter starts a university student on a journey into the war-torn lands of rapidly disintegrating Yugoslavia. Naively trusting his enigmatic professor, the student unwittingly descends into a dystopian crucible of decay, destruction, passion, death, romance, lust, immorality, genocide, and forbidden knowledge promising immortality. As the journey grows ever more perilous, he realizes he must confront an ancient evil that has been once again loosed upon the earth: from medieval Bosnia to enlightenment-era Vienna, from the bright beaches of modern-day Southern California to the exotically dark cityscapes of Budapest and Belgrade, and horrors of Bosnia.

Vampires have formed an integral part of Balkan folklore for over a thousand years. "Kiss" represents a radical departure from popular vampire legend, based as it is on genuine Balkan folklore from as far back as the 14th century, not on pop culture or fantasy. "Kiss of the Butterfly" offers up the real, horrible creatures that existed long before Dracula and places them within a modern spectrum.

Meticulously researched, “Kiss of the Butterfly” weaves together intricate threads from the 15th, 18th and 20th centuries to create a rich phantasmagorical tapestry of allegory and reality. It is about divided loyalties, friendship and betrayal, virtue and innocence lost, obsession and devotion, desire and denial, the thirst for life and hunger for death, rebirth and salvation. “Kiss” blends history and the terrors of the Balkans as it explores dark corners of the soul.

An Interview with Kiss of the Butterfly author James Lyon: 

Describe Kiss of the Butterflyin a tweet (140 characters or less):

Two possibilities:

1) @LindseyLohan flashed me but still no 4 film @KissoftheButter: @RyanGosling as Slatina if doesn’t do Christian Grey @E_L_James

2) Mash-up of @UmbertoEco/@DanBrown/@BramStoker/@IndianaJones. @RyanGosling as Slatina for film @KissoftheButter

Can you tell me five things that inspired the characters, storylines and settings of Kiss of the Butterfly?

They always say you should write what you know, and that’s what I did with Kiss. The first inspiration came many years ago in graduate school when I stumbled across a reference in an old book on medieval Balkan mining law about a military campaign and massacre carried out by Vlad Dracula in Bosnia in 1476. The second inspiration came from working closely with the former Yugoslavia and watching it torn apart in blood and flames. This tragic collapse carried with it a tremendous cost in destroyed human lives and families, heart-wrenching stories of loss, and blood-curdling true accounts of human bestiality far worse than anything you could imagine. Working with refugees, survivors of massacres, genocide and rape camps, and visiting mass gravesites, gave me ample material to ponder. It also gave me a desire to write about these events in a manner that would do justice to the people who suffered through it. I realized after a while that I could do this better via fiction than through political analysis or history. The third inspiration for the novel was a professor who I respect deeply, who I used as a model for Marko Slatina. This professor is a gentleman and a scholar in the truest sense of the word as used in pre-World War II Central Europe. The backgrounds and settings were inspired by places I’d visited and frequented – Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Srebrenica, Hvar, Bosnia, etc. Although they may come across as Dystopian in Kiss, that is due to the fact that during the early 1990s – with communism and society collapsing – they truly were. The inspiration for the main storyline came in 1995 when a Bosnian Serb warlord committed a massacre of 8,000 men and boys in Srebrenica, where Vlad Dracula had committed a massacre in 1476. I began to look for a metaphysical connection, and that is what Kiss is about. Even though Kiss has vampires in it, it is not a vampire book per se.

Self-publishing is becoming increasingly popular and there are some great success stories out there.  What made you decide to self-publish?

I wrote all 111,000 words of Kiss over a period of four months in early 2005 while living in Belgrade, Serbia. Shortly thereafter Elizabeth Kosotova’s The Historian came out, which kind of took the wind out of my sails. Then in mid-2008 I found an agent who really loved the book. He began shopping it around to publishers in late August/early September of 2008. Within 10 days we were getting calls from prominent editors at major publishing houses, all expressing interest in Kiss. One of them even went so far as to put together a team to review and do a preliminary edit of the book. Then the stock market crashed on 15 September and the publishing industry went into spasms of downsizing, closing imprints and book divisions, layoffs, etc. By mid-October they all began to pass on the book, claiming that they couldn’t risk a new, unknown fiction author in the harsh economic climate. I sat on the book until July 2012, when some friends persuaded me on the spur of the moment to put it up on Amazon.

What has been your best self-publishing experience so far?

One of the reasons I hadn’t self-published earlier was that I was aware of the huge challenge promotion poses. Trying to make a book a success is like trying to get someone to notice your needle in the huge Amazon haystack. I had almost self-published back in 2010 and had begun to make preliminary lists of book bloggers I would approach to review the book. The immensity of this task caused me to wait. Right now I am working between 6-8 hours a day promoting the book via the blogosphere. It’s hard work and I get lots of rejections, but that’s part of the game and I’m in it for the long run. But along the way I’ve been able to meet some really wonderful people in the blogosphere. Their encouragement and kindness helps keep me going.

What advice would you give to any aspiring authors out there? Do you have any top tips to share?

Revise, edit, revise, edit, revise, and edit. Writing can be hard work, and revising is probably the hardest part of it. I revised Kisscountless times, then had several experienced editors go through it, which caused me to make more revisions and edits.

Name three other books that you think readers of your book would also enjoy:

1)      Puck of Pook’s Hill by Rudyard Kipling.

2)      Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

3)      The Historian, by Elizabeth Kosotova

Finally, what are you working on next?

I’ve already written the first chapter for the follow-up to Kiss and outlined the entire book. I’ve now got to find the time to write it, not to mention to do the additional research necessary to flesh out the details. I’ve also written half of a projected 120,000 word espionage/thriller that is set against the backdrop of international finance.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kiss-of-the-Butterfly/203838056294407

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15776662-kiss-of-the-butterfly
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008O7AAJM
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008O7AAJM

If you are a self-published author and would like to take part in Self-Pubbed Hub send an email to daisychainbookreviews@gmail.com and I will get back to you if your book is a good fit! Please include book cover and synopsis in your email.

 

Book Review: Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris.

Product details:
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
 Paperback, 445 pages.
Release date: June 7th 2012
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Ages: 13+
 Source: Received from publisher for review.

STOP THE COUNTDOWN. SAVE THE WORLD…

Leaving the beach, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit head on by a pickup truck.

And killed.

Then Ben Michaels, resident stoner, is leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, she knows Ben somehow brought her back to life…

Meanwhile, Janelle’s father, a special agent for the FBI, starts working on a case that seems strangely connected to Ben. Digging in his files, Janelle finds a mysterious device – one that seems to be counting down to something that will happen in 23 days and 10 hours time.

That something? It might just be the end of the world. And if Janelle wants to stop it, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets – and keep from falling in love with him in the process…

Billed as ‘The X-Files’ meets ‘24’ with a tagline: ‘Stop the Countdown: Save the World’ that will be familiar to any fans of ‘Heroes’ out there, Unravellingby Elizabeth Norris, is a book I had heard a whole lot of good things about since its release a couple months back.  Considering that I’m a huge fan of ‘24’ and I also loved ‘The X-Files’ back in the day, I was sure that I’d love this book.    I guess I went into this one with pretty high expectations, and while Unravellingcontains a lot of positive elements – it is well-written, action packed and fast-paced – overall it just didn’t’ work out for me.

Unravelling begins with a bang when seventeen year old Janelle Turner is hit by a pick up truck.  Janelle dies; at least she is pretty sure that’s what happened. But the next thing she knows she’s in hospital, brought back to life by mysterious stoner kid Ben Michaels.  So far, so good. I loved how this book started, and I was immediately drawn into the mystery.  Why was Janelle saved? What did Ben do to save her at the crash scene? And who was the guy driving the car? The mysterious John Doe, that nobody, not even Janelle’s FBI agent father can seem to identify.  Oh yeah, and it seems that the John Doe is connected to some kind of countdown, the kind of countdown that is causing people to die from icky radiation poisoning and will lead to the end of the world in twenty-three days. Unless the FBI or Janelle can stop it, that is. Got all that? It’s pretty riveting, intense stuff.

So, why has Janelle been chosen?  Why was she saved? Well, Janelle would like you to think she has a special place in this world because she is ‘not like most girls.’ Janelle takes herself very seriously, and she would like you to take her seriously too. In fact, she wants everyone to know that she’s different. That she is not like most girls. That snarky FBI agent? Janelle knows how to handle him because she is ‘not like most girls.’ He won’t make her giggle. No.  Nick, the cute guy she is seeing at the beginning of the book – he has a smile that could melt the heart of ‘most girls’ but not Janelle, because she is not…you get the picture.  I had a problem with Janelle, in that, unlike most girls I read about, I thought she was a pain in the ass.

There are a lot of TV show references in this book.  Janelle’s dad – a total Fox Mulder wannabee – raised his kids on X-Files marathons and it’s his job to save the cheerleader stop the countdown and save the world. At first it looks as though the storyline is headed in a genetically engineered virus direction – how very ‘24’ of it – but then with the involvement and Ben Michaels and his crazy healing powers – the plot takes off in a different, more Sci-Fi direction.   Maybe this one was a little too Sci-Fi for me. I don’t really watch Sci-Fi and I never read it.  If you’re into Sci-Fi though, then you’ll probably love this book. I totally want to reference another TV show here, because I know if you liked that show, you will love this book. But then I’d just be giving the game away. You’ll just have to read the book and figure out what show I’m talking about.

There is friendship in this book and there is romance too.  Ben and Janelle’s budding romance is actively encouraged by a teacher who wants more than anything for them to flirt in class. I didn’t have any teachers like that, and I’m not even sure they exist, but, whatever works.  The romance between Janelle and Ben didn’t really work for me, though. It went from zero to scorching hot way to fast for my slow-burn romance loving self.  When faced with the prospect of a hot guy who’s into her, Janelle just caved and behaved like ‘most girls’ would in her situation.

I rarely mention the use of bad language in YA, mostly because I think most YA could do with a bit more of it.  I find that a lot of YA authors, or more likely, their editors are cautious to the point where the kids in their books speak like they walked right out of the Nineteenth Century.  Here, though, F-bombs are dropped left, right and center.   At times, the use of curse words in this book is excessive to the point of being unrealistic, especially for kids who are at pains to point out that they are bookish and intelligent.  There was one kid I wanted so shake because I don’t think he uttered one full sentence throughout the book without using an expletive.  [Disclaimer: I read a proof copy of Unravelling, so this point may not apply to finished copies].

Unravelling was a book I thought I would enjoy and that I wanted to love, but it just didn’t work out for me.  Because it was engagingly written, and because it started off so well, I wanted to rate it higher, and at times it did deserve a higher rating. Overall though, I have to stick with a three out of five, because Unravelling was just an okay read for me, and I won’t be continuing with the series.

UK Cover Alerts: If I Should Die by Amy Plum, Hysteria by Megan Miranda, Undone by Cat Clarke & A Witch Alone by Ruth Warburton!

Guys -- this is my first time using New Blogger and I am so confused! Who knows if this post will even go live, but if it does, hi and welcome to another UK Cover Alerts post!

The ending of Until I Die by Amy Plum completely killed me and I totally can't wait to find out how the story ends in If I Should Die released in May 2013. Oh, such a long wait! Also included in this post are the lovely new UK covers for Hysteria by Megan Miranda, Undone by Cat Clarke and A Witch Alone by Ruth Warburton all of which are on my wish list! :)

Let me know what you think of these covers in comments!

Series Side by Side:

Megan Miranda's Hysteria has been given a UK cover makeover. Which cover look is your fave?

 Hysteria by Megan Miranda
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release date: February 2013
Ages: 14+

Mallory's life is falling apart. Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can't remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear ...When Mallory's parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There's the hand that touches her shoulder when she's drifting off to sleep. A voice whispering her name. And everyone knows what happened. So when a pupil is found dead, Mallory's name is on their lips. Her past can be forgotten but it's never gone. Can Mallory live with that?

 US Cover Art:

Finally, here's the cover for Cat Clarke's third novel Undone. Confession: I have yet to read Entangled or Torn even though I have copies just sitting here waiting for me. I really need to get to them soon.  I love the sound of Undone. Can't wait to read it!

 Undone by Cat Clarke
Publisher: Quercus
Release date: January 2013
Ages: 14+

A video appears online. And a boy jumps off a bridge.

Jem is determined to avenge the death of Kai - her beloved best friend who was driven to desperation after being 'outed' by the popular crew at school. Transforming herself from introverted emo to in-crowd acceptable, Jem becomes part of the clique. She's going to take down those responsible, one by one.

But what if Kai was keeping secrets from Jem? Could her quest for revenge be directed at the wrong people? And can Jem find out what really happened before someone else gets hurt? 

I'm playing catch-up with Ruth Warburton's Winter series. I still need to read the second book but I'll get to it soon. I'm saving it for a stormy winters night! In the meantime, here's the cover for the third and final book in the trilogy, A Witch Alone, releasing in February 2013.

Series Side by Side:

* Please note: These covers may not be final and may be subject to change. Images sourced from publishers websites, Goodreads & Amazon.  

 

Competition Winners: Dreamless// Broken// Pushing the Limits // Angel Dust // On the Island // Summer Spotlight // Darkness Falls!

Here are the latest competition winners on the blog! 

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini: 

Lettie

Serena

Broken by A.E. Rought:

Lisa

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry:

Bonnie Y.

Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi:

April H.

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves: 

Nina H. 

Summer Spotlight Mega Giveaway:

Claire T. 

Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan:

Miss L. 

Samantha R.

Laura F.

Hope you enjoy your books!

Please allow up to 28 days for delivery of prizes!

 

 

 If you haven't received your book within 28 days of receiving my email, please let me know. Thanks! :)

Neptune's Tears Blog Tour: Interview with author Susan Waggoner.

Thanks to Susan Waggoner for stopping by the blog today as part of the blog tour for her new book Neptune's Tears.

Neptune's Tears by Susan Waggoner

Publisher: Piccadilly Press

Release date: September 2012

It is love against the odds. There is his word, and there is hers. How can they feel so connected?

It is 2218 and Zee McAdams is in her second year as a healing empath at a busy London hospital. When a mysterious young man arrives for treatment, Zee's hard won calm is pierced. She will need all her courage if she's to follow her heart.

Especially when David reveals a devastating secret.

Author Interview: Susan Waggoner. 

 Describe Neptune’s Tears in five words or less.

A futuristic star-crossed romance.

 Neptune’s Tears is set in a future society and contains themes of both dystopian and science fiction, but at it’s heart is Zee and David’s love story? Where did you get the inspiration to write Neptune’s Tears? 

I’ve always been interested in mental phenomenon and it seems logical, to me, that in the future we will make use of the mind’s untapped powers. I remember watching an episode of the original Star Trek TV series that was about an ‘empath’. This concept of a person who is able to use their mental powers to absorb the pain of others and heal them always fascinated me so that’s where that aspect of Neptune’s Tears came from.

Then, a few years ago, when dystopian books became popular, I began to wonder if it was possible to write an exciting love story in a futuristic setting but in a world that was more like to our own. That’s when Zee arrived.  I knew right away that she was an empath, and created a plotline around her.  But guess what?  Zee had other ideas.  She turned out to be much bolder than I’d imagined, and because of that, the book is not at all like my original outline!

 I always think that setting a book in a future society must be a lot of fun. You can make it whatever you want it to be. For Neptune’s Tears what kind of research did you do in terms of world-building? What did you want to add to Zee’s world? What did you want to take away?

The future is impossible predict. You never know what humans will invent or what opportunities they’ll miss. I think a mistake science fiction often makes is to see the world as all one way or the other.  They assume every country will advance at the same pace or that new inventions will solve all our problems, but in reality, when in human history has this ever happened? So I tried to create a world that had experienced some scientific progress but still had the same problems that have always plagued human society, such as war.

If I could add one thing to Zee’s world or even our own, it would be the ability to “shop from the past.”  We are always giving up old things to make way for newer versions, but we lose a lot of great objects from each era.  I wish we had a way of recreating it on demand.

What would I take away from Zee’s world?  That’s a dangerous question!  I’d be tempted to say the anarchists, which seems like a no-brainer, but messing with a world, even for good reasons, can have unintended consequences. If I took away the anarchists, would Zee and David have bonded as they did? 

 What song would you choose as a theme tune for NT?

I’m a big fan of movie soundtracks, so I’d choose the gorgeous music that lit up the screen for Nathan and Cora in The Last of the Mohicans, starring a young and gorgeous Daniel Day-Lewis.  Has there ever been a better on-screen kiss? 

 Can you name three other books that readers of NT might also enjoy? 

These three books may be old but they remain unforgettable classics:

• Portrait of Jennie by Robert Nathan: A struggling young artist falls in love with a haunting young woman.  Is Jennie real, a wandering spirit, or just a figment of his imagination?
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: If you’ve ever wondered what life would be like in a falling down castle with a very eccentric, this book has the answers.
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith: Growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900s can be a rich experience, even if your family is always scrambling to make ends meet.

 What book are you currently reading? 

 I’m working hard on the sequel to Neptune’s Tears right now, so I’m treating myself to fun, cosy reads.  I’m halfway through Country Passions by Rebecca Shaw, the fourth book in the Barleybridge series. The series is centred around a village veterinary practice and escaping to the idyllic English countryside is just the break I need at the end of my work day. 

 What was you last ‘five-star-couldn’t-put-it-down’ read?

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.  The first part of the book offers a tantalizing portrait of glamorous and wealthy Shanghai in the 1930s, when it was known as the Paris of Asia. When the scene shifts to Los Angeles, I was equally fascinated to learn what Chinese immigrants went through to become Americans whilst still preserving their own culture and traditions.

The Neptune's Tears Blog Tour continues tomorrow at Strictly Writing!

***

And that's not all! Take a look at the cover for Starlight's Edge, the second book in Susan Waggoner's Timedance series, releasing in 2013 from Piccadilly Press.

Book Review: Neptune's Tears by Susan Waggoner.

Product details:
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Paperback, 224 pages.
Release date: September 1st 2012
Rating: 2½ out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

It is love against the odds. There is his word, and there is hers. How can they feel so connected?

It is 2218 and Zee McAdams is in her second year as a healing empath at a busy London hospital. When a mysterious young man arrives for treatment, Zee's hard won calm is pierced. She will need all her courage if she's to follow her heart.

Especially when David reveals a devastating secret.

 Set in a futuristic London, Neptune’s Tears, the first in Susan Waggoner’s Timedance series introduces us to seventeen year old Zee McAdams who works as an Empath helping to ease the suffering of others.  Zee’s job requires total focus and dedication. She can’t have any distractions in life.  It would probably be for the best if she never fell in love, but Zee has never even come close to anything like that, so it doesn’t look as though falling in love is going to be something she has to worry about any time soon.

Then David walks into her life, and guess what? Zee falls head over heels in love with him. But there’s a problem. It turns out David is no ordinary guy. He’s an alien, and so the love between David and Zee is dangerous and forbidden. It must be hidden.  In Zee’s society aliens are eyed with suspicion.  A lot of people are convinced that these aliens who live amongst them are up to no good, that they are keeping secrets. And from the shady way that David acts whenever he’s around Zee, it looks as though they might be right.

The premise of Neptune’s Tears is an interesting one, but unfortunately everything that piqued my interest in the book, and all the elements I initially enjoyed in my reading of it – the futuristic society where people live their lives in the constant threat of terrorism and the part Zee might play in fighting that threat - were overshadowed by the all-consuming romance that dominates this book. It’s not that I’m not a fan of romance; I am, just not of the Insta-Love kind that’s portrayed here.  Zee and David’s was a relationship that didn’t really ring true for me and I found that it detracted from the plot which suffered from a lack of description and of world-building as a result.

UK Book News: Hot Key signs US Self-Publishing Sensation Abbi Glines & The Vincent Boys!

 The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Release date: January 2013

Being the good girl isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ashton Gray has grown weary of playing the part to please her parents, and to be worthy of the town’s prince charming, Sawyer Vincent. Maybe That’s why she’s found herself spending time with Sawyer’s cousin, Beau, while he’s away for the summer camping with his family. Beau is nothing like her perfect boyfriend. He’s the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, dangerous in ways she’s only day dreamed about, and the one guy she should stay away from. 

Beau never envied Sawyer his loving parents, his big nice home, or his position as quarterback. He loves him like a brother. Which is why he's tried everything in his power to keep his distance from Sawyer’s girlfriend. Even if he has loved her since the age of five, Ashton is Sawyer’s girl, so therefore she’s off limits. But when Sawyer leaves for the summer, Ashton, the one girl Beau would move Heaven and Earth for, decides she wants to get into trouble. Stabbing the one person who’s always accepted him and stood by him in the back, is the cost of finally holding Ashton Gray in his arms. Is she worth losing his cousin over?.... Hell Yeah.

In exciting news Hot Key Books have acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Abbi Glines' previously self-published books The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers.  I've been reading some great reviews of these books recently and I can't wait to check them out when they publish over here. In addition to some hot new cover art, the traditionally published editions of the books will have an additional 10,000 words of racy content!

First published as ebooks, The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers have already caused a storm in the States, with over 100,000 copies sold since publication in October 2011. The books have also attracted plenty of praise from readers with over 5,000 5* ratings and 1,300 written reviews (average 4.2 stars) on Good Reads and over 500 Amazon.com reviews (average 4.7 stars). 

Praise for The Vincent Boys: 

'We are absolutely thrilled to be publishing Abbi's novels. This riveting raunchy romance gives E L James a serious run for her money!' - Emily Thomas, Hot Key Books. 

'I couldn't put Beau down until I got to the very last page. An addicting read!' Colleen Hoover, NYT bestselling author of Slammed and Point of Retreat

'I devoured every last word of The Vincent Brothers. Abbi Glines knows how to write her leading men.' Tammara Webber NYT bestselling author of Easy

Abbi Glines:-  'I've always written stories that I want to read. I didn't expect to share them with others. The day I realized that The Vincent Boys had sold over 20,000 copies in only three months on Amazon alone, I realized that maybe this was what I was supposed to do - write edgy young adult romances that appeal to more than just the teen reader. I'm very excited about this opportunity to work with Hot Key and the chance to bring my books to readers in the UK.'

Hot Key Books will publish THE VINCENT BOYS first in Australia in November 2012 and in the UK in January 2013. THE VINCENT BROTHERS will publish in Australia in January 2013 and in the UK in March 2013. Simon & Schuster is publishing both books in the States in autumn 2012.

You can see the new US cover art: HERE.

Additional Info & Quotes: Press Release.

Self-Pubbed Hub #1 - Molly McAdams & Taking Chances!

Molly McAdams is well on her way to being the next name to watch out for in the self-publishing superstar stakes! At the time of writing her debut novel Taking Chances was storming up the Amazon self-published charts and sitting pretty at #1 on the Barnes & Noble Self-Published eBook Bestsellers chart.*

Molly is such a delight and I loved reading her answers to my questions. I hope you do too!

 I read Taking Chances last weekend and I couldn't put it down. In a word, this book is addictive!

Taking Chances by Molly McAdam || Published: September 2012 ||

Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.

She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled...they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.

Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.

Due to sexual situations and language, this is Mature YA/New Adult. Recommended for ages 17+

Interview with Taking Chances author Molly McAdams:

Describe Taking Chances in a tweet (140 characters or less): A love triangle full of drama, angst and heart wrenching emotions all wrapped up in a pretty package of muscles and tattoos ;) 

Can you tell me five things that inspired the characters, storylines and settings of Taking Chances? The beach, UFC fighters, tattoos, my own dreams, and what every girl should have in a best friend.

Self-publishing is becoming increasingly popular and there are some great success stories out there.  What made you decide to self-publish? I was writing just for fun, and wasn’t sure if anyone would even buy or like my book. Because of that I didn’t seek out publishing houses and figured since I could, I would do it myself! Honestly, I’m SO glad I did. I love how it’s been for me so far, and wouldn’t trade how this has all started for anything.

What has been your best self-publishing experience so far? Honestly, everything! I love it, I love the freedom with it, I love how easy it is to actually publish your work, and I’ve loved meeting new people from it. This whole experience has been crazy and such a rush, but like I said, I’ve loved every minute of it!

What advice would you give to any aspiring authors out there? Do you have any top tips to share? Don’t give up! Publishing your work is terrifying, but I'm so glad I decided to do it! Always write for yourself, and believe in what you write in. I made a lot of people mad with what’s being referred to as "The Scene We Don’t Speak Of" and I knew it was risky to write, but I love my story and I wouldn't change it for the world, and by being so invested in my story and character's lives, I was able to make it real for my readers (or...at least I hope I was!) And just have fun with it, don't let writing become a job - because you start writing for the love of it and your imagination...and you want to keep it that way.

Name three other books that you think readers of your book would also enjoy:

Thoughtless – S.C. Stephens

Beautiful Disaster – Jamie McGuire

Seducing Cinderella – Gina L. Maxwell

Finally, what are you working on next?

Well I'm editing From Ashes, and long story short it's about Cassidy and Gage, they're both in love with each other but Tyler (her best friend and his cousin) is doing everything in his power to keep them apart so neither knows it. From Ashes is their journey of coming together and obstacles they have to face to get there and after they finally are there. I love From Ashes, it was my favorite book to write and I can't wait to get it out to y'all! I've just started on Chase's POV (from Taking Chances) and that should be released March 1st. After that I have 3 completely different stories that I've already started working on and are in different stages of completion. 

http://www.facebook.com/Author.Molly.McAdams

http://www.facebook.com/MollyMcAdams

http://mollymcadams.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/MollySMcAdams

http://www.goodreads.com/Molly_McAdams

Buy Taking Chances Quick Links:  Amazon || Barnes & Noble

If you are a self-published author and would like to take part in Self-Pubbed Hub send an email to daisychainbookreviews@gmail.com and I will get back to you if your book is a good fit! Please include book cover and synopsis in your email.


*Stats courtesy of GalleyCat

Self-Pubbed Hub - A New Feature on the Blog & Guest Reviewer Slot available!

Image via We Heart It

Self-Published Authors - this one is for you!

I've always felt kind of bad about not accepting self-published titles for review--I just don't have the time to include all the things on this blog!  There are some real self-published gems out there though, and this is becoming more and more apparent as time goes on.  For example, in the past couple months alone I've read and enjoyed Easy by Tammara Webber and On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves, both of which were originally self-published. Incidentally, both books have now gone on to find homes at large publishing houses.  Tracey Garvis-Graves wrote a great guest post for this blog that really got me thinking.  She turned to self-publishing because she couldn't get agent representation, and guys, it would have been a real shame if On the Island had never seen the light of day, so yay! for self-publishing!

Since reading Tracey's post, I've been wondering if there was any little thing I could do to help self-published authors get their voices out there, and then I thought of this feature. The simple fact of the matter is that there's just not enough time to review every title, but there is always  time to highlight book covers and synopsis and send out Q&A's. That I can do!

So, if you are a self-published author and you'd like to get involved in this, send me an email at daisychainbookreviews@gmail.com with 'Self-Pubbed Hub' in the title.


In your email you should include:

Your Book Title, Synopsis and Cover Art.
Links to/PDF's of any free chapters or You can include an extract of the book in a word document
Links to any social networking sites: Twitter//Facebook/Blog//Dedicated website for your book.
If you have competition copies available - let me know!

If your book is selected to be featured:

I will respond to your email and attach five questions for you to answer in a Q&A.
I will ask if review copies are available if I have a reviewer available to review your title (or if I can fit it in!) Reviews are not guaranteed, but I will try to work something out!


I will then include all of your information in a blog post to be featured on the blog and also posted to my associated Facebook and Twitter accounts.

This feature is all about getting your voice heard and getting your book out there!



Please Note: That only select titles will be chosen -- so please read my review policy and preferred genres before applying. I will only feature books that pique my interest and that I think readers of this blog will enjoy!


Self-Pubbed Hub will be kicking off tomorrow with Molly McAdams and her book Taking Chances!

New Guest Reviewer Slot Available!

I am looking for a new guest reviewer on the blog! Jen and Liz will still be writing reviews, but now, with this new feature, I have room for one more! I currently have a paranormal romance book and an upcoming YA dystopian here that are just itching to be reviewed!

If you'd like to be the guest reviewer then send an email to daisychainbookreviews@gmail.com with Guest Reviewer in the title.

Please include two samples of your review style in the email. Direct Links to Goodreads reviews are fine.

Please list your preferred genres and also list any genres you don't want to review!

Also, let me know if you have an e-reader.
 

This is open to all readers worldwide. Send me an email if you're interested.  :)


P.S: Anyone who applied for the guest reviewer slot last time I was looking is welcome to apply this time too!

Read All About It: News, Deals and Cover Reveals from Bryony Pearce, Gretchen McNeil, Jessi Kirby & Lenore Appelhans!

So, I kind of abandoned my Read All About It feature. I didn't mean to -- it just kind of happened and so I've been posting book announcements and cover reveals here, there and everywhere all over the blog. Which is fine, but from now on I'm going to try and save all the news for a weekly or fortnightly (or whenever I get to it!) round-up.  Might not happen though if I get an email swinging my way that's just too awesome to save for another day!

So, in this weeks Read All About It.... Strange Chemistry sign Bryony Pearce --read all about her new book below -- Gretchen McNeil has a two book announces two new books that I couldn't be more excited for -- Revenge meets The Breakfast Club - actual OMFG! And Jessi Kirby unveils the very pretty cover for her next book Golden. Enjoy!

Bryony Pearce & The Weight Of Souls:

ABOUT BRYONY PEARCE

Bryony Pearce completed an English Literature degree at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1998 and afterwards worked in the research industry.  After a while she moved to a village at the edge of the Peak District and went freelance so she could devote more time to writing.  Her first book, the award winning Angel's Fury, was published by Egmont in 2011.  She is now a full time mother to two children, writes as much as possible and enjoys doing school visits and events when she can fit them in.  Her agent is Juliet Mushens at PFD.  For more information on Bryony, please visit her website www.bryonypearce.co.uk

 ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF SOULS

16 year old Taylor Oh is cursed: if she is touched by the ghost of a murder victim then they pass a mark beneath her skin. She has three weeks to find their murderer and pass the mark to them - letting justice take place and sending them into the Darkness. And if she doesn't make it in time? The Darkness will come for her... She spends her life trying to avoid ghosts, make it through school where she's bullied by popular Justin and his cronies, keep her one remaining friend, and persuade her father that this is real and that she's not going crazy.

And then Justin is murdered and everything gets a whole lot worse. Justin doesn't know who killed him, so there's no obvious person for Taylor to go after. The clues she has lead her to the V Club, a vicious secret society at her school where no one is allowed to leave... And where Justin was dared to do the stunt which led to his death. Can she find out who was responsible for his murder before the Darkness comes for her? Can she put aside her hatred for her former bully to truly help him? And what happens if she starts to fall for him?

The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce releases from Strange Chemistry in Autumn 2013. 

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Gretchen McNeil Announces New Two-Book Deal:

Author of POSSESS, TEN and the upcoming 3:59, Gretchen McNeil's new Don't Get Mad series, GET EVEN and GET DIRTY, pitched as Revenge meets The Breakfast Club, about four girls who form a secret revenge society for bullied classmates which goes well until one of their targets turns up dead, in a two book deal, in a very nice deal, to Kristen Rens at Balzer + Bray, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown (NA).

(Revenge meets The Breakfast Club -- I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!!)

Here's a synopsis as posted on Gretchen's Blog and Goodreads:

GET EVEN and GET DIRTY (still tentative titles) are books 1 and 2 in the "Don't Get Mad" series, which follows the secretive exploits of four high school juniors - Kitty, Olivia, Margot and Bree - at an exclusive Catholic prep school.

To all outward appearances, the girls barely know each other. At best, they don't move in the same social circles; at worst, they're overtly hostile.

Margot Mejia – academically ranked number two in her class, Margot is a focused overachiever bound for the Ivy League.

Kitty Li – captain of the California state and national champion varsity girls' volleyball team, she's been recruited by a dozen colleges and has dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal.

Olivia Hayes – popular star of the drama program, she's been voted "most eligible bachelorette" two years running in the high school yearbook and has an almost lethal combination of beauty and charm.

Bree Deringer – outcast, misfit and the kind of girl you don't want to meet in a dark alley, the stop sign red-haired punk is a constant thorn in the side of teachers and school administrators alike.

Different goals, different friends, different lives, but the girls share a secret no one would ever guess. They are members of Don't Get Mad, a society specializing in seeking revenge for fellow students who have been silently victimized by their peers. Each girl has her own reason for joining the group, her own set of demons to assuage by evening the score for someone else. And though school administration is desperate to find out who is behind the DGM "events", the girls have managed to keep their secret well hidden.

That is until one of their targets – a douchebag senior who took advantage of a drunk underclassman during a house party, videotaped it on his phone, and posted it on YouTube – turns up dead, and DGM is implicated in the murder.

Now the girls don't know who to trust, and as their tenuous alliance begins to crumble, the secrets they've hidden for so long might be their ultimate undoing.

Get Even and Get Dirty release from Balzer and Bray in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

****************

Jessi Kirby Reveals Golden:

Seventeen -year-old Parker Frost may be a distant relative of Robert Frost, but she has never taken the road less traveled.  Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she's about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules.  So when fate drops a mystery in her lap--one that might be the key to uncovering the truth behind a town tragedy, she decides to take a chance.

Golden releases from Simon and Schuster in May 2013.

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Extra! Extra! You can now read the first four chapters of  Level Two the highly anticipated debut novel from Lenore Appelhans on Facebook. Check it out here: The Memory Chronicles Facebook Page

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Read the first chapter of Breathe by Sarah Crossan!

Here's one for all you dystopia addicts to add to your readings lists.  Breathe, the first in a new series from Sarah Crossan releases in October.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing you can read the first chapter early! Enjoy!

Breathe by Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release date: October 11th 2012
Ages: 14+

When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides which lucky few will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate. Years after the Switch, life inside the Pod has moved on. A poor Auxiliary class cannot afford the oxygen tax which supplies extra air for running, dancing and sports. The rich Premiums, by contrast, are healthy and strong. Anyone who opposes the regime is labelled a terrorist and ejected from the Pod to die. Sixteen-year-old Alina is part of the secret resistance, but when a mission goes wrong she is forced to escape from the Pod. With only two days of oxygen in her tank, she too faces the terrifying prospect of death by suffocation. Her only hope is to find the mythical Grove, a small enclave of trees protected by a hardcore band of rebels. Does it even exist, and if so, what or who are they protecting the trees from? A dystopian thriller about courage and freedom, with a love story at its heart.

Breathe by Sarah Crossan



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