Waiting on Wednesday #40: The Harder You Fall by Gena Showalter + Book Promo!

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WOW post will be done a lot differently as I am working with Inkslinger PR and HarlequinHQN to help promote one of my very favorite authors new book, The Harder You Fall by Gena Showalter. It will still be a waiting on Wednesday post but also a book promotion celebrating Gena’s upcoming release!

Gena Showalter’s THE HARDER YOU FALL is coming! Being released on November 24th, this fantastic contemporary romance in the Original Heartbreakers series is a scorching tale featuring an aloof bad boy and the rowdy Southern belle who rocks his world, published by HarlequinHQN! Pre-order THE HARDER YOU FALL from the links below for a sneak peek opportunity!

Pre-order THE HARDER YOU FALL here!

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook | Book Depository | Powells | iBooks | BAM | Kobo | IndieBound

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes another scorching Original Heartbreakers tale featuring an aloof bad boy and the rowdy Southern belle who rocks his world… 

Millionaire video-game creator Lincoln West has a dark and tragic past. The sought-after bachelor lives by a rigid schedule and a single rule—one relationship per year, lasting no more than two months. No exceptions. When he gave up the big city for a small town, he hoped to escape the worst of his memories—until a brash beauty dredges up long-buried emotions. 

A reformed party girl, Jessie Kay Dillon is determined to walk the straight and narrow. But her love-hate sizzle with West is just too irresistible. They can't be near each other without tearing off their clothes, but the last thing she needs is to be his next two-month dump. Will she become the one exception? Because as any former girl-gone-wild knows: rules are made to be broken. 

"Emotional, heart-tugging, kept me turning the pages!" —Carly Phillips, New York TimesBestselling Author

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

Pre-Order THE HARDER YOU FALL, Register your Pre-Order and be one of the first to have a sneak peek at the  newest book in the Lords of the Underworld series!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she's appeared onNightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black--if you ask her about it, she'll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages.

She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfan

What books are YOU waiting on this week?! Let me know by leaving a comment below. :)

Have you all or are you planning to pre-ordered Gena's new book? What are you thoughts on it?

Release Day Book Blast: Until Beth by Lisa Amowitz + Giveaway!

Happy Book Birthday UNTIL BETH! We're so excited to be sharing this fantastic Young Adult novel by Lisa Amowitz with you today! Be sure to stop in at the bottom, and enter the giveaway for books, swag and a guitar pick necklace! The giveaway is open internationally!

UNTIL BETH
Author: Lisa Amowitz

Release Date: September 29^th, 2015 

Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press  

ISBN-13: 978-1633920330
Add on Goodreads

She doesn’t just play, she kills it.

Talented rock guitarist Beth Collins has been barely holding herself together for months, ever since her boyfriend and bandmate became the latest victim in a string of suspicious disappearances. When her brother is injured an accident and she sees something dark billowing around him as he hovers close to death, she’s convinced her sanity is collapsing for good.

Then she's accepted by a boarding school for the musically gifted. All of her new friends are bursting with talent, but they're also keeping secrets. Can she trust Vincent, who's so sweet that his very touch makes her fears melt away? Or Xavier, who's trying to tell her something but is hiding even more?

And will anyone be safe when her true Talent comes out?

Purchase at Amazon | B&N 

Praise For Until Beth

"I  wish I could have read about a protagonist like Beth when I was growing up--a girl who doesn't fit into her society and must learn to use her abilities for good instead of evil. Her struggles will resonate with teen readers, and the hidden agendas of the school and its students will keep readers guessing up to the final page." - Lyn Miller-Lachmann, author of Rogue

"This unique and compelling novel grabbed me on the first page and wouldn't let go. With unforgettable characters and a story that is by turns heartbreaking, thrilling and uplifting, UNTIL BETH is a must-read.” - Christine Johnson, author of The Gathering Dark

BLOG | WEBSITE | GOODREADS

Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot. She is a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly twenty years. She started writing eleven years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children. Lisa is represented by Shannon Hassan of Marsal-Lyon Literary Agency. shannon@marsallyonliteraryagency.com

BREAKING GLASS, released in July, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series was released September, 2014. FRACTURED, a novella combining the worlds of BREAKING GLASS and VISION releases as an ebook only, June 7, 2015. UNTIL BETH, the first in the Life and Beth trilogy will be released September 2015.

Lisa Amowitz is available for guest appearances, Skype visits, school visits, libraries & interviews. Please contact her for scheduling.

Grand prize US:$25 gift certificate to Amazon, Powell's or B&N (Winners Choice)
Ebooks of Breaking Glass, Vision & Fractured also by Lisa Amowitz
Swag AND a hand made (by the author!!) guitar pick necklace.
(International will only be ebooks and gift certificate)

Second prize:Ebooks of Breaking Glass, Vision & Fractured also by Lisa Amowitz
(International: ebooks only)

Must be 13+ To Enter | Open Internationally with restrictions
Please see Terms and Conditions for full contest rules.
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Book Blast: The Earthbound Series by Aprilynne Pike + Giveaway!

In 2013 the Earthbound Series kicked off, introducing Tavia and her amazing abilities to the world. Now that the last book in the series is here, it's a great time to start if you haven't already – and with the release of EARTHRISE we bring you the chance to WIN the whole set!  

Nothing is better than no wait time in between books! The super charged, heart-pounding Young Adult Fantasy series will have you on the edge of your seat!

EARTHRISE by Aprilynne Pike
Series: Earthbound #3
Release Date: September 1st 2015

Genre: YA - Fanasty
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Even with the power to create and destroy at will, Tavia Michaels couldn't save her parents. She couldn't save the boy she's loved for countless lifetimes. She barely managed to save herself from the treachery of supposed friends. So how can she save the world from a deadly plague--and the immortals spreading it? As the events of EARTHBOUND and EARTHQUAKE reach their thrilling conclusion, no one is safe--Tavia least of all!

Purchase at 

Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Kobo

READ THE FIRST 8 CHAPTERS OF EARTHRISE NOW! 

(link to: https://www.wattpad.com/story/48209986-earthrise-chapter-previews/parts)

EARTHBOUND

Earthbound #1

Release Date July 30th 2013

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told.

Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents' death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them - and that she may have been the true intended victim - she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.

Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.

Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn't know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson's love. And that's the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she'd never do.

EARTHQUAKE

Earthbound #2

Released: July 8th 2014

Nothing is better than no wait time in between books! The super charged, heart-pounding Young Adult Fantasy series will have you on the edge of your seat!

Tavia Michaels has discovered that she’s an Earthbound—a fallen goddess with the power to remake the Earth—and that a rival faction of Earthbounds, the Reduciata, has created a virus that is literally wiping swaths of the planet out of existence.

Tavia is captured and imprisoned before she can act on this information, along with her eternal lover, Logan. Huddled in a claustrophobic cell, they lose track of the days, their attempts to escape proving as ephemeral as Tavia’s newly gestating powers. But then Tavia and Logan are mysteriously rescued. . . .

They’re brought to the underground headquarters of the Curatoria, another group of Earthbounds that Tavia doesn’t fully trust. There, she’s told that she can save the Earth before it disappears. She agrees.

Tavia quickly realizes that she isn’t like other Earthbound, and as her abilities continue to awaken, they begin to threaten her centuries-long relationship with Logan. When Benson—Tavia’s former best friend and romantic interest—appears at Curatoria headquarters, Tavia will again have to make a choice about who to be with even as she tries to stop the virus that is destroying the world and uncover the truth about the two Earthbound organizations that have her tangled up in their webs.

Critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times best-selling author Aprilynne Pike has been spinning tales since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found out running; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne lives in Arizona with her husband and four kids; she is enjoying the sunshine.

- One winner will get a full set of signed books in the EARTHBOUND series from Aprilynne Pike. (Books are a combo of HC and PB due to how they were released)
- Four winners will each get a signed paperback of  EARTHBOUND

Must be 13+ To Enter | Open internationally

Please see terms and conditions for full contest rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday: My Fall TBR #23 + Teaser Tuesday #57: ONYX by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists! 

This week's Top Ten is: 

Top Ten Books My Fall TBR

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Most of the books I chose are in the mystery or horror genre because those are my favorite to read all year round. So since fall and Holloween and around the corner I can read more of them. :)

---

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

The Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) or so “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 Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser comes from the book:

ONYX by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

I lowered my lashes before he could see that rush of fresh tears that burned my eyes. Great. I was the biggest asshat alive. This whole time I'd kept throwing the alien connection in Daemons face and it hadn't been what propelling him. 

So that's all folks. Leave a comment if you'd like about my Top Ten or teaser. I love reading them all and of course if you blog leave me a link to YOUR post. I will be sure to stop by and visit you back. Pinky promise. ;)

I'm back from vacation!

Hello, my awesome blog readers! 
I'm back from the Bahamas'. I don't think I even make a post telling you all I was leaving. I was so busy the week before I left it totally slipped my mind. I went on a 7 day cruise to the Bahamas'. OMG, I had an epic time!!! The boat was huge! 

There was so much to do from swimming in pools, hot tubs, waterslides, shows, stand-up comedy, tons of food 24/7, outside swim-in movie theater and so much more! I did everything I could aboard. 

I went on a couple shore excursions. In Nassau, Bahamas' I went shopping and bought some nice goodies then went down to the beach. The beach was beautiful; blue water so clear and waves you could surf on. I went swimming in the beach which was wonderful, but it was a little chopping from the waves. I kept falling over when I tried to get out. hehe ;)

In Freeport, Bahamas I was able to do a once in a lifetime thing, something I have had on my bucket list since I was 6 years old. I got to SWIM WITH DOLPHINS!!! Oh my God, I was in 7th heaven! I was able to pet Goombay (that is what the dolphin's name was), feed him fish, play with him and he even kissed me on the check before I left. 

Isn't he cute? (I got some bad sunburn. lol)

Here's a few thing I bought while on vacation. :)

This vacation was the best time I have ever had in my life. I had so much fun and I really needed this break. If you ever have a chance to take a cruise, do it! It's the worth the price!

I will definitely taking another one within the next few years. I have like a ton of other pictures on facebook and will be adding more so if you want to see them just add me as a friend. ;) While I'm still unpacking at home here I am also starting to get back into blogging again. I missed it and I missed reading too. I have a lot of emails to go through and blog posts to do. I want to thank my wonderful co-blogger Kim for all your help while I was gone and my awesome reviewers Zeee and Carole for reviewing some books while I was gone. You all rock and of course, my lovely blog readers rock as well for continuing to stop by while I was gone. :)

Thanks for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed hearing about my adventure! :)

Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Title: Made You Up

Author: Francesca Zappia

Hardcover, 428 pages

Published: May 19th, 2015

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Genre: YA - Contemporary - Mental Illness

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Purchase at: Amazon | B&N | TBD | Kobo 

Did I Make You Up?

This book left me speechless. Made You Up is an amazing portrait of schizophrenia, a haunting novel that leaves you with a question: how would you live if you couldn't tell apart between reality and hallucination? This book is so wonderfully written that you can't help but putting yourself in Alex's shoes, while you try to understand with her what's real and what's not. 

I particularly enjoy books told by unreliable narrators, and this one is no exception: you, the reader, think you can distinguish between reality and hallucination (snipers on the roof of the school are OBVIOUSLY not real!), yet you're fooled by Alex's voice into believing that some hallucinations are real! Alex felt authentic, and it seems to me that the author did her research, although I don't know much more than the basics about schizophrenia. I like that Alex refuses to be defined by her illness, she wants a shot at a normal life, she wants to go to college and in order to achieve her goals, she tries to act as normal as possible. She ignores the hallucinations, she keeps shooting photos of her surroundings, trusting that, in time, they will only show what's real when she looks at them.

I also must praise this book for the lack of the love-triumphs-over-illness trope. Every time a book features a character who suffers from mental illness who's miraculously cured by a love story, I start to cringe! The romance between Miles and Alex is slow burn, and it takes some time for Alex to feel safe enough when Miles is with her to not do her perimeter checks for possible threats. At the beginning Miles is a little bit unlikeable, but then it grows on you and you start hoping the ending won't crush your dreams (and Alex and Miles' dreams!).

I have a few criticisms, though, and this is what made me give this book 4 stars instead of 5. Sometimes I felt like there was no actual plot and no climax. I enjoyed living in Alex's shoes, but I felt too detached from the whole Celia plot (I'm being deliberately vague because I don't want to spoil anything!) and I didn't understand the reasons behind Miles' decisions towards the end. Moreover, I found the ending a little bit rushed and it left some loose ends.

Overall, Made You Up is a very compelling book that you don't want to miss, especially if you love YA contemporary or are interested in mental illness. I also enjoyed Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman, which also deals with schizophrenia, although it's a little bit more confusing that Made You Up!

Totally awesome! I loved it, would read again.