Book Blog Tour: Wake by Amanda Hocking | ARC Review + Excerpt + GIVEAWAY!

Hello my fabulous readers! 
I am so super excited because I am a part of the WAKE by Amanda Hocking book tour. I have had the pleasure to read a ARC of Wake and loved it. So today I am here to share my review on the book, as well as a special excerpt AND a GIVEAWAY of Wake! How cool is that? On Lucky winner will win a finished copy of Wake shipped right from Amanda Hocking herself. Enjoy the post and have a outstanding day!

Wake (Watersong #1)

by Amanda Hocking
Expected Pub: Aug 7, 2012 by St. Martin’s Press

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.
Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

BUY WAKE: @ Amazon | B&N | Apple iTunes | Macmillan

Listen to a clip of Wake via audiobook format (BUY HERE)

----> LISTEN HERE <----

Lullaby (Watersong #2) 

by Amanda Hocking 

Expected Pub: November 2012 by St. Martin’s Press

Sequel to WAKE, the first book in the phenomenal new series by bestselling author Amanda Hocking.

“Not to mention you wouldn’t get to see me,” Daniel said.

“I wasn’t…” She trailed off, since she was obviously waiting for him today. “That isn’t why. I

do bring his food out to save him money. Okay, so today, this one time, I was hoping to run into you, but is that so terrible?”

“No. That’s not terrible at all.” He stood up straighter and gestured to his boat. “Do you want to come up and talk then?”

“On your boat?” Harper asked.

“Yes. On my boat. It seems much more civil than talking down to you, doesn’t it?”

Harper glanced towards the other end of the dock, where her father worked. She had probably ruined his lunch anyway, and Brian could easily grab a hot dog. But she still wasn’t that sure wanted to hang out on Daniel’s boat with him.

Yes, she wanted to see him, but going up on his boat, it felt like admitting something that she didn’t want to admit.

“Oh come on.” Daniel leaned over the rail and extended his arm to her.

“Don’t you have like a landing plank or anything?” Harper asked, just staring at his hand.

“Yes, but this is quicker.” He waved his hand at her. “Take my hand and come on.”

Sighing, Harper took his hand. It was strong and rough, the hand of a guy who’d spent his whole life working. He pulled her up easily, as if she weighed nothing. To get her up over the rail, he had to pull her into his arms, and he held her there for a second longer than he needed to.

“Don’t you own a shirt?” Harper asked when she pushed herself back from his bare chest.

He wore only a pair of shorts and flip flips, and Harper purposely wouldn’t look at him once she stepped away from him. She could still feel his skin on hers, warm from the sun beating down on them.

 My Rating: ★★★★

Wake happens to be my first Amanda Hocking novel read. Yeah, I know... what hole have I been living in?! I am not quite sure why I never read any of her books before but after reading Wake I now know I will be reading them all. This book was such a pure delight to read and about one of my favorite fantasy creatures, Mermaids or in this case Sirens. 

The story begins with a girl named Gemma. She is a great swimmer with a passion for water. Swimming is her release, her enjoyment and friend. So living in a town near the sea, a large tourist attraction, is perfect haven for her. Gemma is a outgoing girl, with a nerdy sister and a geeky, yet hot boy next door. Everything is seemingly perfect. Until one day a set of three young, and beautiful girls; Penn, Thea, and Lex come to town. No one really knows who they are or where they come from. So one night when Gemma decides to go for a swim in her favorite spot she hears a beautiful song; one that seems to be calling to her. But deciding to follow the call turns out to be the worst thing she could do. Penn, Thea, and Lex are not of this world but are evil and selfish creatures of the sea. Now Gemma is forced to become one and join them or die. She now has to make a life altering decision that may end up costing her her life....leave town with the girls or stay and die. To find out what happens, what choice she made and who is affected by these events you will have to read the book.

Amanda Hocking is a born story-teller. She knows just how to make the reader feel fascinated and immersed in the world she created. The story was rich in details which has a vast effect on the book. I feel in love with all of the characters and by what defines them; makes them special. I could sense Gemma's desperation and feelings of confusion. Wake has such raw emotions and the story itself hold it own with a such a engaging aquatic tale. Amanda version of these mythological creatures; Sirens is perfect and leaves the readers captivated by them. I must say that even having read numerous books about similar subjects, WAKE pull right into the lead. I surely dislaike that I have to wait to read Lullaby which in the next book to continue the story but I am sure without a doubt it will be worth the wait. The only thing that made my decision to give the book 4 stars not a solid 5 was the pacing as well as the slight lack of character development in Penn, Thea and Lex. I wanted to know more about them and their lives as Sirens. 

Wake is a fun, and great summer read. I hope everyone will buy the book and enjoy it as much as I did. 

Find Amanda @ Website | Twitter | Facebook

I live in Minnesota with my dog, two cats, two fish, and my roommate/assistant/platonic lifemate, Eric. I actually live in Austin, a.k.a. SPAMTown, USA. They invented SPAM here, and the town is quite proud of it. (Here’s a vlog with a fun tour of the SPAM museum: here.)
I do many things, most of them lame and boring, but the thing I getpaid to do is write young adult books. All three books in my Trylle Trilogy - Switched,Torn, and Ascend -were originally self-published, but were re-released with St. Martin’s and Pan Macmillan internationally with new bonus content in early 2012. The trilogy has also made the USA Today the USA Today Bestseller list, the New York Times Bestseller list, and was recently optioned for a film by Media Rights Capital with District 9 screenwriter Terri Tatchell adapting the books for screen. St. Martin’s and Pan Macmillan recently acquired my new young adult four-book series Watersong, with the first book Wake coming out in August 2012. My zombie series, The Hollows, is being adapted into a graphic novel by Dynamite. I also enjoy Red Bull, Jim Henson, Batman, Jane Austen, Star Wars legos, and I absolutely hate long walks on the beach out of my intense fear/hatred of wet sand..

Thank you Amanda for being here today. You ROCK! ^__^

Time for a awesome giveaway! Are you excited? I know I am because ONE of my readers will win a finished hardcopy of WAKE! Amanda will be shipping the book personally to the winner. 

Thank you to Amanda and BBtours.

Now for the details: 

OPEN to only US residents. (Sorry international readers) 

Open from today August 15th until the 23rd.

Giveaway is only open for my readers. (each spot will be giving away a copy)

Use the rafflecopter form below to enter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Reading and thank you for stopping by!