Wednesday

Kiss Me by Jillian Dodd - Cover Reveal!





Title: Kiss me (Keatyn Chronicles, #2)
Genre and Age Group: Mature YA romance
Author: Jillian Dodd
Expected release date: December 14, 2012
Cover Designer and website: Okay Creations  Okay Creations

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

goodreadsjillian

Summary

I’ve always written scripts for my perfect life. 
But no way could I have ever scripted this.
My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny.
All because of a stalker.
I’m at a boarding school where I have to lie about who I am.
I can’t see my family.
I’m tutoring a hottie god that tortures me with his smile.
The most popular girl already hates me.
But there’s this boy.
This hot, sweet, sexy boy.
So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it.
Because who knows how long I have left.

Jillian Dodd grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She has drank from a keg in a cornfield, attended the University of Nebraska, got to pass her candle, and did have a boy ask her to marry him in a bar. She met her own prince in college, and they have two amazing children, a Maltese named Sugar Bear, and two Labrador puppies named Camber Lacy and Cali Lucy.
She is the author of the That Boy Trilogy and The Keatyn Chronicles Series.

Thursday

YA Mythology Hop Giveaway!


Welcome to this stop on the YA Mythology Giveaway Hop, I'm delighted to have you! 
As you may know this is a Hop in support of YA Mythology and I can honestly say I LOVE Mythology books. So onto the goodies (yay!)


Winners will be selected sometime on November 5th! Two winners will be selected to win an eBook copy of Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole OR Gravity by Michelle Leighton! I'm pretty excited to giveaway these two amazing books, so be sure to enter!


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Tuesday

Spooktacular Blog Hop and Giveaway!


Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Diary of A Bookworm! 

Consider this your Christmas-come-early gift or just a wonderful trick or treat!

Here at Book Crook Reviews I'm offering two GREAT ebooks for giveaway (YAY!)
I LOVE reading and considering it's close to Halloween and I LOVE all sorts of spooky stuff (hehe) I'm going to be giving away an ebook copy of Caterpillar (Nine Lives #1) By the lovely and amazing Michelle Leighton and of course, Existence (Existence #1) By the talented Abbi Glines! (-que clapping-) There will be TWO winners selected. Winners will be given the choice to select either Caterpillar or Existence to be gifted to them.

Happy Halloween Readers!




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Saturday

Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four Cover Reveal





Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four by Nya Jade
Expected Pub: Nov 2012
 
The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .

Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.

As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself–and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive. 



Author Links:

Giveaway:
Singer-songwriter Nya Jade is celebrating the upcoming release of her debut YA novel, Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four, with a Tiffany & Co. gift card giveaway!! 
  • (2) $100 Gift Cards. 
  • US only
Tiffany & Co. gift cards are redeemable at all Tiffany & Co. locations, as well as at tiffany.com.



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Wednesday

EPHEMERAL by Addison Moore


TITLE: Ephemeral
AUTHOR: Addison Moore
RATING: 5 Stars
PAGES: ebook
PUBLISHER: Self-published by Author
SERIES: The Countenance
SOURCE: Recieved from Author



Summary:
The last thing Laken Stewart remembers is the oncoming car, then bursting through the windshield. 

Two months dissolve without her knowledge and she finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings with strangers who not only profess to know her but insist she’s someone else entirely. 

Laken discovers her long dead boyfriend, Wesley, has been thrown into this alternate world as well. He is quick to inform her she suffered a horrible fall and that her memory hasn’t fully returned. According to Wesley the other life she had—her name, her family, they were simply a side effect of her brain trauma. 

In her quest for answers she meets Cooper Flanders, the son of her psychiatrist who readily believes every word she says. 

Laken Stewart knows she died on that hot July afternoon, but now she’s alive—or is she?

(synopsis taken from Goodreads)


First I'd like to start off by saying this is the first book of Addison Moore's I've ever read, and I was amazed and impressed! The book has all the elements that makes it not only memorable, but breath-taking as well: mystery, yummy boys, a girl named Laken (hehe) and the ability to make a reader pause, and really try to grasp what's occurring. 

Within the first four pages Ephemeral had me making a confused face and saying "huh?" I re-read the beginning few pages just to make sure I hadn't missed something .And that is certainly a first for me (in a good way)! I felt just as confused as Laken. I mean you come to running through a forest when you're positive you died? Whhaaaat? But it grabbed my attention. Addison Moore really, in an amazing, detailed, and believable way makes you feel the emotions Laken does. I felt extremely connected to the character of Laken Stewart because from the very beginning you are able to go "wait a minute.." with her! 

I think another favorite portion of this book for me is the yummy guys. I mean, who doesn't love tall dark and handsome and supposedly dead boyfriends? I don't really see Wes, Laken's "dead" (who's not really dead?) boyfriend as a 'bad' character. In fact, I believe he's really rather innocent. But he's, in my opinion, no competition for Cooper, who will make many female readers and fall in love with the boy who saves Laken, understands her, and supports her. Plus the fact that he's tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious. I was curious about Cooper from the beginning, he snagged my attention, and I love how Addison presented him to us so quickly instead of making us read chapters before allowing him to appear. I'm all for spurr of the moment/intense moments for characters to meet so, way to go Addison Moore!

It does have the typical bad or 'evil' characters - blonde cheerleaders out to wreak doom. But considering the setting is at a boarding type school, I can see why cheerleaders are the bad guys in this situation. I also can't help but feel slightly annoyed by the character of Jen, an older sibling to Laken. I will also honestly say that I'm am not a fan of love triangles, and it's easy to see there is a sorta kinda one in the book. But, I think our girl Laken will come around, plus it's not a lot of back and forth that really irritates those of us who despise triangles and the drama they ensue.

Overall I would recommend Ephemeral to anyone looking for an interesting read that is in a league of it's own. Addison Moore created a work that's certainly not like most Young/Mature Adult novels that you can find today. And it's got plenty of yummy boys in it to keep you entertained! Until the second book in the series makes it's appearance, check out Ephemeral and other Addison Moore titles! She's sure to stun.

~Book Crook Reviews

Tuesday

Of Blood and Bone Promo w/ Guest Post from Author Courtney Cole


Title:   Of Blood and Bone
Genre and Age Group: (Ex. Fantasy/YA):  Women’s Contemporary/Dark Romance
Author: Courtney Cole
Release date: September 16
Links:


Summary:
Love is dangerous…

“I’m a monster, Eva. There is no saving a monster. But I love that you want to try.”
My heart constricts at the expression on his face. He has no hope for himself, so I have to hope for him.
“You’re not a monster,” I argue softly. “You’re a man, Luca. A man like any other, you’re made of blood and bone.”

As a little boy, Luca Minaldi was told he was a monster.
As an adult, he knows it is true.

He lives in Malta, a fairytale-like place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best kept of them all.

Eva Talbot is spending the summer in Malta to finish up her doctoral dissertation. When she meets Luca, 
 a mysterious and handsome shipping tycoon, there is an instant attraction, a disturbing and beautiful energy that she has never felt before. But she senses the darkness that lives within him. 

Eva is hired to care for his mother, who suffers from dementia, but it is Luca who Eva will eventually risk everything to save. Her life becomes a swirling chaos of darkness and romance, of secrets and mystery. And the question that emerges will become the most important answer of all.

Can she save Luca from the darkness that plagues him without losing herself?

The answer is a matter of life or death.



Guest Blog Post for Courtney Cole
 * * *
Courtney Cole as You’ve Never Seen Her

So, you may know that my Twitter handle is @CourtwritesYA.  The YA, of course, stands for Young Adult.  I’ve written ten books and all of them are YA and NA.  EXCEPT for my newest release, Of Blood and Bone.

What the heck?  Courtney Cole wrote adult fiction??  This seems to be a common question that I’m hearing this past week or two.   And the answer is…. Heck yeah, I did.   Of Blood and Bone contains a LOT of adult content…racy sex, seduction, violence.  There’s even some blood.   You know, the good stuff.  And it is not PG-13 in any way, shape or form. 

Why did I do this?   Well.  Simply put… I wanted to. 

One day, a couple of years ago, I was watching Dexter (the Showtime series about a serial killer) and for some reason, a storyline popped into my head about a woman who fell in love with a serial killer.  The more I thought about it, the more I tweaked it.  It would be a dark romance, not a thriller.  The MC wouldn’t be a serial killer, but he would be someone with dark issues.  He would be good on the inside, but he would be ‘damaged’ and he would hate himself because of this ’affliction.’ I eventually decided that he would have some sort of a Dr.Jekyll/Mr.Hyde complex.  The story kept evolving. 

And eventually Of Blood and Bone was born.  But I didn’t write it right away.  I put it off because it is so not something a YA writer should write. To do it up the right way, it should contain everything that YA shouldn’t.

But with the release of so much darker stuff this year, I decided that now was the time.  And so I wrote it.  And I love it.  In my opinion, it’s the best thing I’ve done so far.  The two things that I hear the most about it are:  “Wow!  I’ve never seen Courtney Cole like that!”  and “It was amazing-- I thought about that book for days after I read it.”  Both things make me smile…because you truly haven’t seen Courtney Cole quite like this.

Here’s the blurb:

Love is dangerous…

“I’m a monster, Eva. There is no saving a monster. But I love that you want to try.”
My heart constricts at the expression on his face. He has no hope for himself, so I have to hope for him.
“You’re not a monster,” I argue softly. “You’re a man, Luca. A man like any other, you’re made of blood and bone.”

As a little boy, Luca Minaldi was told he was a monster.
As an adult, he knows it is true.

He lives in Malta, a fairytale-like place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets. And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best kept of them all.

Eva Talbot is spending the summer in Malta to finish up her doctoral dissertation. When she meets Luca, a mysterious and handsome shipping tycoon, there is an instant attraction, a disturbing and beautiful energy that she has never felt before. But she senses the darkness that lives within him.

Eva is hired to care for his mother, who suffers from dementia, but it is Luca who Eva will eventually risk everything to save. Her life becomes a swirling chaos of darkness and romance, of secrets and mystery. And the question that emerges will become the most important answer of all.

Can she save Luca from the darkness that plagues him without losing herself?

The answer is a matter of life or death.

And a short excerpt (from Eva’s point of view):
“Evangeline,” he says softly, his dark eyes glued to mine. “I’m so sorry about the other night.  I wish I could remember.  I wish I could take it back.”
“I don’t,” I tell him honestly.  “I really don’t.”
He gazes out the window for a scant moment more, seemingly deep in thought, before he crosses the room to me.  He kneels in front of me and looks into my eyes.  In this moment, he is as vulnerable as I’ve ever seen him, as I’ve ever seen anyone. He’s completely open to me, hiding nothing.
I want so desperately to kiss him.
“I can’t,” I tell his dark eyes, praying that I don’t fall into them.  “I want to kiss you right now.  But I can’t. You’re my patient.  There are ethics…”
Luca shakes his head, his hands on my knees and his gaze upon mine.  “You aren’t my doctor, Evangeline.  You’re my friend.  I’m simply talking to a friend who wants to help me tonight.  You’re not licensed to practice medicine in Malta, remember?  So where does that leave your ethics?”
He smiles wolfishly and waits without moving.  He’s offering himself to me.  I know that.  And it is against his better judgment. He has told me that, as well.  Yet here he is, on his knees in front of me.
I suck in a breath and inhale the air that is so charged with everything that Luca is.
Whatever that is.
It is dangerous on many levels.  I know that.
I reach out unsure fingers and trace the top of his shoulders, moving over the contours.  They are so broad, yet so slender at once.  He’s perfectly built.  Strong, lithe and powerful.  I drop my head.  I know that I don’t want to resist him anymore.  For the first time in my life, I’m going to do something that my heart wants to do, not what my head tells me to do.
I grip him tighter with my fingers and pull him to me.  He folds in between my knees, pressing me to his chest.  I can hear his heart thumping rhythmically against mine as my fingers linger on his warm back.
He dips his head and presses his forehead to mine, staring into my eyes.  His are a smoldering and stormy black.
“I’m afraid to get close to you,” he tells me.  “I’m afraid for you.”
“I’m not,” I whisper.  “I’m not afraid of you.  Kiss me, Luca.”
Even I can hear the thick desire in my voice and Luca hears it too.
He groans and covers my mouth with his own, muffling the sound with my lips.  He is pressed so close that he seems to absorb me.  Every plane of his body is against every plane of mine.  I don’t know where he stops and where I start, but it doesn’t matter.  All that matters is him and me and this.
* * *

That scene continues on to become quite steamy.  Seriously, I had a fan on my desk for writing moments like those.  Haha.  I’m just kidding.  Or am I? 

Of Blood and Bone is the first book in new trilogy, The Minaldi Legacy.  It is available here  on Amazon and here  on Barnes and Noble.com

Check it out and see why people are saying, “Holy moly!  I’ve never seen Courtney Cole like that!!” 

I really hope that when you do, you’ll like what you see.  J  



Giveaway!
Swag Packs that includes a $10 Amazon gift card, a t-shirt, as well as misc. Courtney Cole swag. Open to US/Canada. Giveaway ends 10/6/2012.







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