**REVIEW** Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Release Date:  February 5th 2013

Published By:  Feiwel and Friends

Review Copy: ARC, 
(ARC received from publisher) 

Review

  Have you read Cinder?  If not what the heck are you waiting for because you are going to need to pick this one up as soon as you can.  I was hesitant to start Cinder myself but it seriously wow'd me.  Now Scarlet was something that I was genuinely excited for and it still had me hooked.  With it's new characters and all of the action it was hard to put this one down! 

    This book was so different from the first one.  I know it's not the same book but normally they carry a lot of similarities.  Though it still has Meyer's clear and expressive writing it also has many different POV's.  Have I mentioned that I love books that are written from the views of different characters?!  Well I do.  You get to hear it from Scarlet, Cinder and Prince Kai. Though Prince Kai is the one you read from the least I still love it.  Rather than that you still get the same awesome world (well future world) and riveting writing.

  Scarlet is the furthest thing from a push over.  This girl is all action and after reading the book I'm not sure she really understands the meaning of no.  When the police close her Grandmothers case she is determined to prove them wrong.  I loved that she was willing to do whatever it took to find out the truth.  This meant if she had to go into places that she would have never even considered before than heck ya she was on it.  This Red Riding Hood is not the sweet and innocent girl that you would expect.  I mean ya red hoodie but the girl packs some heat.  I mean a gun in her belt HECK YA!  

  The way in which Cinder was tied into this rocked as well.  I'm not really sure if it was Cinder tied into this but more Scarlet tied into Cinder.  She also got a little help from the wonderfully entertaining Carswell Thorne.  He kind of comes with the escape from jail deal but it works out for the better.  With him Cinder gets a cocky and self loving companion.  The chapters that these two are featured in have some serious laughs packed in, as well as action because hey, they are both fugitives and are kind of stuck together.  I did enjoy the growth and realizations that Cinder had throughout this novel.  She is finally starting to see and embrace what she really is and could really become.

  Everything about this one was wonderful and Meyer made it so easy to just fall back into the world she created and fall in love with the characters that are both new and old.  Just like how she tied in Cinderella, Red Riding Hood was tied in with her red hoody and a type of big bad wolf.  May I just add that the way the wolf was tied in to the entire story was BRILLIANT!  I was upset that Kai kind of gave in when he should have remained strong but the truth is I still love him and will forgive the transgression but only just this once.  

  I was so excited to get this book and get it started that I didn't even factor in my early review copy just made me have to wait longer for the next book!!  I'm not even sure how I am going to deal with the wait.  Meyer has done some seriously amazing work and done something I never though possible.  She made a story with cyborgs and much more that I am completely and utterly in love with!  I would recommend this series to everyone but also tell them to prepare to die waiting for each new installment.

Quotes

The detective said that's what people did when they ran away and didn't want to be found-they cut out their ID chips.  He'd said it like he'd just solved the mystery, but Scarlet figured most kidnappers probably knew that trick too.

From the start of Book Two:

Little Red was a tender morsel,and the wolf knew she would  be eventastier than the old woman.

Cinder had to be found, Levana had to be appeased, Kai had to stop acting cheated and indignant and start acting like an emperor.Whatever he'd once felt for Cinder-or thought he'd felt for her-was over.

"I know lunars are supposed to have a few screws loose-no offence- but those men are psychotic.  He practically gnawed off my arm!  And this is my favorite jacket!"

"I know, I know.  She seems a little"-crossing his eyes, he swirled both fingers around his ears-"but it's really part of her charm, once you get to know her."

^Spotlight^ Altered by Aubrey Coletti

Welcome to my Spotlight post for the Altered by Aubrey Coletti 

Tour hosted by AToMR!

When Toni, Joseph and Charlie arrive at their new boarding school, they are glad to leave their families — and respective problems — behind. Isolated as boarders, they meet a handsome senior with a personality like iced snake’s blood, teachers with a penchant for physical punishment, and four other outcasts who reveal that their being brought to the Academy wasn’t random at all. When the arrivals discover that their new school is engaged in “behavior modification” through electric shocks, isolation, restraints, and an ever-evolving set of methods to “fix” them, they declare war on their Academy. During their campaign of sabotage, they fight, hate, scorn, love, and begin to uncover the reasons why they were brought to the school. But as their war against the school escalates beyond their control, will they become the very things the Academy believes they are: dangerous, delinquent — and mad?

Release Date: June 6, 2012

Published By:  Escape Artist Press

Paperback & E-copy 

About the Author

I am a twenty year old singer, songwriter, choreographer, and author of the novel "Altered", book one in The Academy series. I value my fans above all else.

Find Her:

Goodreads|Twitter|Website

Waiting on Wednesday: The Beautiful and the Cursed

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at 

Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're 

eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting on this beauty!!

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson has gone missing.
No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

Expected Release: May 14, 2013

Published by:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages 

Why I am Waiting

1. Dark secrets...  Need I say more? DARK!
2. The cover is beautiful and kind of dramatic.  I really like the colours used and the way it is presented.
3. Okay tell me you aren't curious about Luc!
4. Have to know what otherworldly truths are used in this one!  

What are you waiting on this week?!

LINK ME UP!!!

**REVIEW** The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in. 
And then you're dead.
When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.
Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.
Because how will she go on if there isn't?
Poignant and dizzying, The Way We Fall is the heart-wrenching story of one girl's bravery and unbeatable spirit as she challenges not just her fears, but her sense of what makes life worth living.

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Published By:  Disney-Hyperion

Review Copy: Hardcover, 309 pages

*purchased 

Trailer

Review

  I was under this odd impression that this book was some form of dystopian or post apocalyptic novel.  I have no idea why really rather than the mention of the super virus that seems to kill everyone there is not a single thing that would suggest that.  Also lets face it we prefer to think that things like that wont happen now but many years from now.  The fact is though that virus mutate and become stronger all of the time.  This book hit me with a creepy reality that I have not often felt with books.  There are a few other out there that have this type of representation but fact of the matter is it's harder to digest when it is possible.

 The story itself was presented quite uniquely.  It's presented through a series of journal entries to a boy that the MC used to be best friends with.  Before everything started she was trying to fin the courage to actually speak to him and make some changes in her own life.  The only flaw I found in this was that there were times that the journal entry seemingly ended and you were reading what was unfolding with no indication that she had stopped writing.  Truth be told it really isn't that big of a deal but I found myself noticing it nd figured I would put it out there.  The other thing is it may just be me.  Rather than that I found that the story was captivating and moved at a good pace.

Kaelyn was an interesting main character.  Like many out there now she wasn't the centre of attention and only really had a few actual friends.  Her moving away from the Island then back seemed to have changed her and the way people looked at her.  For the most part she was a likeable character and really easy to read.  There were times that I honestly thought she was a bit whiny but then she would do something to rectify those thoughts.  She really showed her true colours when it came down to having to care for her cousin and she really shined just over half way through the book.  Kae grew as a character and really came to realize that maybe some of the things she thought she knew and had assumed were wrong.

  The secondary charaters in this novel were okay and for the most part felt a little one dimensional.  This is probably due to it being written from Kaelyn's perspective and in a journalistic way.  They do however have some life to them.  Basically I would like to have gotten to know the love interest a little better.  Gav comes in a bit further into the story and though you do get some information on him and a glimpse into who he really is, there is a lot left to be desired.  The relationship that develops between him and Kae though quick is believable.  Given the situation I understood how they could develope the feeling that they did and I appreciated that there was no instant I love you and I can't live with out you.

  The Lives We Lost is currently sitting on my shelf begging to be read.  Ther are certain hopes I have for it now that I get what the books are.  I want to know about the virus and if it made it to the main land.  Also what happened to Drew and what about all of the orphaned children?   There was actually a lot left unsaid and untied, so I find myself looking forward to the next installment and am kind of glad I procasinated with this one.  Not sure I would feel the same if I didn't know the next book was within reach.

  

Quotes

Everyone still seems standoffish, like they suspect the me they knew five years ago might have gotten replaced by a pod person while I was in Toronto.  I haven't managed anything other than "Hi" so far.  But hey, it's a start.

I wish people were as easy to understand as animals.  You give a dog a treat, it's happy.  You yank its tail, it's angry.  Obvious cause and effect.

And all of a sudden I was furious.  At the government for imposing the quarantine.  At Dad for not having found a cure in time.  At Mom for making us move back here.  At everyone.

I touched my mother for the first time in a week, and it made me absolutely petrified.  That's how warped my life is now.

"You're always threatening me with violence," he said, his breath warm against my ear.  "What's that all about?""You're the one teaching me  how to hit people," I pointed out."You're saying I'm a bad influence, then?" he asked.  I could feel his grin."Oh, definitely," I said.   

Teaser Tuesday 29.1.2013

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lista if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from p. 20 of Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman:

"When I came home from school there were police outside the flats. There were two police cars and hell of cops all looking in the bushes and bins like they lost something special."

I'm reading Pigeon English for my English Reading Circle's February meeting and the book is completely different from what I thought it would be like! It will be interesting to see what the members of the reading circle will say about it.

What are you reading today?

It's HERE!! Hidden Gates by D.T. Dyllin {Character Bio & Top 5}

I have mad love for this author and novel.  It was one of the first N/A novels I read and I was instantly hooked.  Dara is talented and created a seriously addictive story.  While laying in wait for book#2 Dara got picked up by a publisher delaying the release of book #2 but creating some more serious awesome along the way!  Dara's original Enemy at the Gates has been revamped and redone and is now the wonderful Hidden Gates!!  This is a series that you need to invest in.  I wish I could tell you why but I don't want to ruin the surprise when you read it!!!  So here is the book and P.J!  You can pick up your kindle copy NOW but don't forget to Pre-Order you physical copy for its release on February 28!!!!!

For P.J. Stone, being a “Seer” who has never seen anything is less than fun. And P.J. isn’t known for her patience.
To make matters worse, she must choose a suitable mate to continue the Seer bloodline. Duty always comes before her heart…at least that’s what her parents taught her. When she finds herself wanting someone who is considered off-limits, P.J. is forced to question everything she believes.
As if navigating her love life isn’t complicated enough, P.J. finally receives a vision—of a threat to her world that only she can perceive. But no one will believe a fledgling Seer’s warnings. With nowhere else to turn, she may decide to trust a stranger with her life, her world, and maybe even her heart.

Kindle e-books Release

Release Date: January 24, 2013

 Published By: Dragonfairy Press

BUY IT:
Amazon|B&N

So the physical copies wont be released until February 28, 2013 but trust me you don't 

want to wait!

So today for you I have P.J. the awesome main character of the Hidden Gates Trilogy!   Well her and the Top 5 songs you would find on her IPod!!  I love P.J.  she is a strong and determined character.  It's hard to make this girl change her mind once she has decided what she wants!

P.J. Stone

Name: P.J. Stone
Description: 5’9”, long red hair, green eyes.
Job: High School Senior/ Seer in training
Age: 18
Birthday: September 23rd
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Best friend: Bryn O’Bannon
Favorite movie: The Last Unicorn
Favorite place to hang: Anywhere Bryn is.
Favorite type of food: Italian
Quote: “I wanna be with you, Bryn. I don’t wanna be with anyone else. Ever.” 

Top 5 Songs You Would Find on Her IPod

1) The End is Where We Begin by Our Lady Peace
2) Fake It by Seether
3) Chalk Outline by Three Days Grace
4) Until the Day I Die by Story of the Year
5) No Matter What by Papa Roach

Dara is also holding an giveaway over on Facebook!! It is for a Kindle Fire and 3 e-copies of her book! Only 3 days left so go and enter HERE

Weekly Report: Waves, Danger and Paradise

Weekly Report is my way of showing you from week to week (most of the time) what new books I received and what has gone on in the past week.  

So basically it's a report for all the awesome that I got and shared!

(Originally I posted IMM by Story Siren this is just my version)

*note * all book names lead to GR page.

For Review

Heart Waves by Danielle Sibarium

Breaking Waves by Danielle Sibarium

Thank you to Danielle Sibarium for sending these to me for the Breaking Waves Tour organized by the wonderful Jessirae over on Words, Pages and Books.  Click on the link to see where the tour stops!! My stop is February 15 and I am super excited about it!! I have read Heart Waves already and LOVED it!!

Bought

Dangerous Boy by Mandy Hubbard

Splintered by A.G. Howard

 Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

From Chapters.ca because I still have GC from Christmas.

Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods Graphic Novel by Melissa de la Cruz, Robert Venditti, Alina Urusov (Illustrator)

From Chapters in store for the Melissa de la Cruz signing that I posted bout at the start of the week!!

Won

Anew by Chelsea Fine

And all the wonderful swag!  This was from the Halloween extravaganza that was held at the end of October.  They had about a million things to mail out and a bunch of giveaways and was super excited to see this in the mail! 

THANK YOU Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic! 

Gifted/Received

Mindee Arnett was WONDERFUL and sent me this swag!!! I can't even tell you how excited I am to get my hands on the Nightmare Affair and getting this made me happy dance! THANK YOU!!!

What Went On!

So I'm not going to lie to you guys, if you haven't noticed this post is late...  So this week I am only going to link up my current Giveaways.  

Tour Wide Giveaways:

Interred by Marilyn Almodovar 
Provex City by Micheal Pierce 
Double Cover Reveal & Double Giveaway

Personal Giveaways

Blue Bloods PB Book of Choice
$20 to the BD to Celebrate Spare Time Book Blogs Birthday! 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to link me up to your post
sharing what goodies you got!! 

Library Loot 26.1.2013

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

 

I was not going to write a Library Loot post this week, as I tried really hard not to borrow anything, or almost anything, from the library. I already have more than enough library books at the moment and am afraid I will not have the time to read them all. Well, my plan not to borrow anything worked pretty well until Friday afternoon.:) On Friday at work I spent some time moving books from the so called circulating collection to our collection and there happened to be a number of English language travel books there that made great additions to our travel book section. Only they seemed so interesting that I could not help myself and borrowed a few. :) So, here I am writing about my library loot after all.

Books I got from the library this week:

Ash, Niema: Touching Tibet. A Journey into This Forbidden Kingdom
Ash was one of the first to enter Tibet when its borders were opened to Westeners in 1986. In this personal account she tells about her travels and the people, culture and traditions of Tibet. The foreword is by The Dalai Lama.

Bennett, Joe: A Land of Two Halves. An Accidental Tour of New Zealand
Joe Bennett went to New Zealand to work there for a year and ended up staying. After 15 years he decided to find out what it was about New Zealand that made him stay and embarks on a roundtrip of his adopted country. I would love to visit New Zealand (and Australia) some day and this book promises to be a funny, witty and cool account of that country quite in the opposite side of the world from mine.

Cooper, Candie: Necklaceology. How to Make Chokers, Lariats, Ropes & More
Lovely book wíth detailed instructions I'm sure even the not so experienced jewellery makers are able to follow. The book includes 40 necklace projects made from very varied materials: beads, stones, felt, ribbons etc.

Duffy, Carol Ann: The Bees
A wonderful book of poetry by the British Poet Laureate. I already read this and now have one new poem to add to my all time favorites: Bees, the very first poem in this collection!

Mole, John: It's All Greek to Me!
This is the story of one Englishman's love affair with Greece and how the Mole family's dream to live in a Greek village made them purchase "a tumbledown ruin on a hillside with no water, no electricity, no roof, no floor, no doors, no windows and twenty years of goat dung".

Shipman, Pat: To the Heart of the Nile
This is the extraordinary story of Florence Baker née Szász, who was born in 1845 in Hungary, ended up on a refugee camp in the Ottoman Empire after the Hungarian revolution, was sold to be raised in a harem, escaped, married Samuel Baker, an eminent English adventurer, and travelled to Egypt and Uganda with her husband.

Free e-books I  downloaded this week:

Gillgannon, Mary: Lady of the Moon
This is the first part of a fantasy trilogy set in the time of Boudica's revolt in Celtic Britain.

Rose, Willow: Beyond
Megan dies at 16 and wakes up on a flying steamship that takes her to a school run by angels. Later she ends up back on Earth and has to decide between her two worlds. I have read hardly any paranormal romances and thought I might try this one.

Rose, Willow: Serenity
Megan's story continues in this second part of the Afterlife series.

Saboe, Jon: The Days of Peleg
"Scifi plot set in Ancient Mesopotamia." How could I resist that!

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll curl up with Virginia and let myself be caressed with the beauty of her words. ;) (I'm rereading Mrs. Dalloway.)

{Tour Stop} **REVIEW & GIVEAWAY** Interred by Marilyn Almodovar

Welcome to my stop on the Interred Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound! Click HERE to check out the rest of the tour schedule!  Don't forget to enter 

the giveaway at the bottom of the page!!

Time has never been an issue for Baxter Jacobs, but then she never knew she had the ability to Bend it.
As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Baxter inherits a pendant that will change her life. Connected to the pendant is a dark and mysterious young man named Declan Ashdown. Trapped in a Time loop for the past 122 years, Declan needs Baxter’s help to escape. The only problem is, she has no idea how to do it.
To acquire the power she needs to free him, she’ll become one of the Interred, those whose Magical abilities emerge as they come of age. When she does, she’ll discover that Declan isn’t the only one interested in the fact that she’s a Time Bender.
As the Interment arrives, Baxter knows this will be no Sweet Sixteen. A vengeful relative and ruthless Council are determined to control her. Declan’s powerful and charming descendant, Jack Ashdown, claims he can save her. She’ll soon have to decide who she can trust, and how to master her new abilities before Time runs out.

Release Date: January 22, 2013

Published By:  Iambe Books

Review Copy: Mobi. 
**review copy provided for tour

Buy it:

Amazon|B&N

Review

Two things that I am enjoying reading more and more are: Visions and Time Travel.  The problem with time travel is not everyone can pull it off.  You have to get the facts right and know about the time in which people travel to and do it well.  Interred was a great read when it came to the time travel.  Exciting and fresh enough to enjoy, the places mentioned were easy enough to picture and become a part of.   The author was able to weave mystery, adventure, romance and many different magics into one with creating a jumbled up mess.

  The story itself based around Baxter and a life that she didn't know existed was wonderful.  I mean not for her but the way it was presented and the reasoning behind it made sense.  The deal is that upon their sixteenth birthday they gain magical abilities specific to them.  They are Interred, cut off from everything/everyone they know and tested to see just what they are capable of.  I was slightly confused with the series of events after this started and a few moments after that but I did enjoy the action and non stop fight that Baxter put up. Truth be told I found myself slightly confused a couple of times throughout the story including once near the end.  This however did not take away from the story but had me pushing forward to figure it all out.

  Baxter was so fun to read.  She has personality and frequently I smiled at her inner commentary and sarcasm!  To top it off she was smart and didn't back down.  Which isn't exactly the easiest task when you loose everything you know and love to everything new and unfamiliar!  Especially when it is a world so filled to the brim with betrayl and  deception that you don't know who to trust.  There was so much going on that I expected her several time to be rash and jump into something but mostly she kept herself collected and managed the situation well.  As a main character Baxter did her job and did it well.  She will keep you engaged in the story with her voice and her attitude and way of interacting made he relatable.

  Now I know some of you will exhale loudly when I mention this but there are two guys to this story.  Jack and Declan.  Problem here was Baxter didn't know who she could trust.  Truth be told,  didn't know who to trust out of h two of them for th most part.  Declan is kin of the forbidden fruit, you know the guy that it will just never really be possible to be with.  His strong negative attitude and bossy demeanour was most of who he is but the rest of  him seemingly cared for Baxter, though I couldn't shake the feeling of something being hidden.  With Jack I was instantly hooked but I think that Baxter didn't feel what I did and for good reasons.  Jack is supposed to be her Healer but his loyalties seemed questionable at best to start.  Basically she debated between two guy that had basically all the same downfalls.  Well seemed that way to me.

  I really did enjoy this read.  Though I didn't find it non-put downable to start by about 40-50% of the way through.  Then I found that the pages turned faster and my curiosity was piqued.  I look forward to reading more on Baxter and her time bending!  Also I kind of want to know what happened to Declan and how everything will proceed from here.

Quotes

Because I want to know what's going on, I opt to stand beside my mother... but I can't help but wonder if I'm insane for placing myself next to a woman who looks like a ticking time bomb.

"I'm so happy you're here.  Jess and I were going to call on you later." Ava says, clearly excited.  I hope to heaven she's not incontinent.  If she was a pup, she would have wet the whole floor already.

Our motto, Fide et marte, seems appropriate.  By faith and by war.  Most of the  time I think I believe in it.  I have faith in my mother, and I'm getting ready for war to show off whatever talents I have.

"We should go back to the office space and sleep."  My skin heats up like a street in the summertime.  It's then that I wonder how the hell I'm going to sleep when he kissed me the way he did... and when he keeps touching me,  Hormones.  Stupid hormones.

Author Bio

Marilyn Almodóvar is the author of a series of YA paranormal novels. Born in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, Lyn is a lover of words whose reading tastes range from Victorian novels to the books of Stephen King. Her favorite past-times have always been reading and writing, two activities that let her escape to other worlds.
It was this love that propelled her to choose Theater and French as majors in University, with a minor in English Victorian Literature. Lyn lived for almost a decade in England followed by three years in France before returning home to the States. A self-confessed citizen of the world, she is fluent in English, French and Spanish, with basic knowledge of the Italian language.Lyn could happily exist breathing the clean air of Narnia, trapped in a cupboard under the stairs with Harry, fighting alongside Captain Jack Sparrow, doing an internship in Torchwood, or traveling around time and space with the Doctor…as long as she can have Mr. Spock, Captain Kirk and Captain Mal as companions.
Lyn currently lives in Central Florida with her French husband, English-born eldest son, and French-born youngest son. Her debut YA Novel, Interred, will be published by Iambe books on 01/22/2013.

Find Her:
Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook

Giveaway

So as an awesome tour wide giveaway some great prizes are being 

offered up!!!  Here's what you can win:

- One signed paperback of Interred
- One autographed Interred tote bag
- One onyx pendant inspired by the book
- One angel pin inspired by the book
- Misc. book swag (magnet, wristband, postcard, phone skin)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**REVIEW & GIVEAWAY** Everblue by Brenda Pandos

She wanted her life to change... he wanted his to stay the same.
Best friends share everything with each other. Or do they? Seventeen-year-old Ashlyn Frances Lanski is tired of her boring, single life. Spending time with her best friend Tatiana, dreaming about kissing Tatiana's twin brother Fin, and swimming competitively are her   sanctuary. The girls plan to leave their drab lakeside town far behind for college. But when Tatchi fails to return home after a family emergency, and no one knows where the family has gone, Ash chooses to do something drastic to find them. 
Ashlyn is about to discover what she'd thought to be true her whole life, wasn't, and the truth, too fantastical to imagine. Secrets lurk beneath the deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe, secrets that will change Ashlyn's life forever.

Release Date: July 30, 2011

Published By:  Obsidian Mountain Publishing 

Review Copy: Paperback, 304 pages

*provided by author in turn for honest review 

Review

  It is far from a secret that I am a huge fan of Mermaids.  Have been ever since  I first watched The Little Mermaid.  Though this is no Little Mermaid tale, it was something new and different that I easily found myself lost in and had no problem reading it from start to finish.  When I say start I mean I had to take a few moment to appreciate the beautiful cover.  Seriously how could you look at this one and not pick it up for the cover alone?!  What is between the pages speaks volumes but the cover will draw your attention to start!!

  The story is extremely well written.  Everblue takes place at Lake Tahoe and despite the fact that I have never been there or really even seen picture of it, it was amazing easy to picture the town, lake and people within it.  Then you get to the underwater world: Natatoria.  This world was truly breathtaking and I loved the way the community was done with such detail.  I had to agree with Fin and Tatiana when it came down to how it was run though and was happy that their parents allowed them for the most part to be different.  Another thing that was really enjoyable about the writing was that it was done from both Ash and Fin's point of view and I love me some multiple point of views when reading! 

  Ashlyn is such an interesting character and I loved her from the get go.  She isn't hung up with the every day happenings and gossip.  Though she did keep tabs on it for the sake of her best friend.  Her best friend that is "home schooled" and plans on leaving with her to go to college as soon as they graduate.  When Tatiana just up and leaves Ash wont let it go and is determined to find out what really happened to her best friend and her brother.  The brother that she just happens to have a crush on!  Ash is really the kind of friend that you want to have, loyal and determined.  Throughout the book she was easy to relate to and fun to read!

  The other end of the writing is done from one of the hottest Mermen out there: Fin.  I don't even know where to start with him!!  First impression said *swoon* and then I was all over it.  His stubborn obsession with remaining loyal to a world that was dictated by old rules and needed change picked at me a little bit.  He did learn while he was there and made some of his own choices that kind of redeemed him in the end for me.  Not that I didn't ever love him but I had a hard time waiting for him to open his eyes to see what was really going on around him.

  Though Ash and Fin are the two main characters and were well done, the secondary characters were not completely flat.  I loved that everyone got some dimension to them.  The role that they played kind of determined how detailed they were.  Basically everything in this novel was well written and easy to picture as stated above.  I was a little pulled back with the ending but that is mostly because I don't have the next book in my possession and trust me once you start this series there will be no going back!!  Without question this is one of my favorite Mer books!!! 

Quotes

"Son, ya need to keep focused."  He grabbed my hand and yanked me off the seabed.  "Get your head out of yer arse and hold your fin up like this."

A pang of dread hit my stomach.  His family still hadn't returned-each day making me crazy with worry.  What could have possibly happened that they'd abandon their business?

I leaned onto the couch cushion and sobbed.  A piece of my soul felt like it was dying and I didn't know how to fix it.  The only time I'd felt whole since the accident was when Fin took my arm in the middle of living room.

Her eyes sparkled. "I've always known you were special.""Or genetically mutated.""In the most adorable way." She mussed up my hair and planted a kiss on my nose. 

Giveaway

So Brenda was super nice and sent along some extra swag for me to give away!!  So in celebration of this review 4 people will get a Everblue swag pack!!!

So 4 people will get:

1 Evergreen Bookmark

1 Everblue Bookmark

&

1 Postcard

Everything is signed!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway