ARC Giveaway: Horde by Ann Aguirre

So, somehow I ended up with two ARCs of Horde and decided to give the second one away. Here is the summary:
The epic conclusion to the USA Today bestselling trilogy.
The horde is coming.
Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.
Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.
This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.
Just fill out the form below if interested. US Only end on the 4th of August at midnight PST.

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Contest: The Elite by Kiera Cass

I enjoyed The Selection and I know that a lot of people are also dying to read The Elite.
So I am doing a giveaway of an arc.
Anyways, Here is the summary: 
In America Singer’s world, a bride is chosen for the prince through an elaborate televised competition. In the second book of the Selection series, America is one of only six girls left in the running. But is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—she wants? Or is it Aspen, her first love?
Just fill out the form below and good luck!

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Giveaway: Notes from Ghost Town and The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

Hey! I have two books to giveaway. Notes from Ghost Town is about:  
From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death. 
There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?
With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.
And this is what The Butterfly Clues is about: 
Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.
But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.
As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.
I think that both books sound awesome. Enter in the form below. Best of luck to you all.
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Giveaway: Nobody and Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

So I have two books for giveaway. 
Nobody is about: 
There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. 
That’s why they make the perfect assassins.
The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.
Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.
and Every Other Day is about: 
Every other day, Kali D’Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She’s human.
And then every day in between . . . she’s something else entirely.
Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.
When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her, and unfortunately she’ll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive . . . and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.
I am really excited for both of these books. Just fill out the form below to enter. Best of luck!

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Contemporary Books Giveaway

Hey everyone!
I have come in possession of two extra ARCs. One is a signed copy of Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook. The other book is Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan.
Here is what Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook is about:
Bonnie and Clyde meets IF I STAY in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.
They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.
Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....
When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.
Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating” by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr.
I have actually already read this and it is amazing. A full review will come closer to the release date. 

And this is the description for Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan:
Michael Hassan’s shattering debut is a tale of first love and first hate, the story of two high school seniors and the morning that changed their lives forever. It’s a portrait of the modern American teenage male, in all his brash, disillusioned, oversexed, schizophrenic, drunk, nihilistic, hopeful, ADD-diagnosed glory.
And it’s a powerful mediation on how normal it is to be screwed up, and how screwed up it is to be normal.
I am really excited to read this book soon. 
Anyways, to enter, just fill out the form below. US Addresses only. Ends on December 10th.

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Fierce Reads Contest: Six Signed books (3 winners)

I went to the Fierce Reads event in Seattle on the 9th. It was really fun and a great event. It has taken ten days to post this contest, because I have moved out of my dorm, unpacked everything, and my brother left for Indonesia yesterday. So my time has been very busy. Anyways, I have six books to giveaway. Here is what the books are:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.
Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.  
With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?


Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.
Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.
Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything.

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves  that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk.
Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 
In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Stone and Blood by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.

To enter, comment with what you think makes a book a Fierce Read and include which books that you would like to win from the contest.
For extra entries (1 each) like Fierce Reads on Facebook, Follow @MacKidsBooks on twitter, or tweet about the giveaway (Please include @sarahbear9789 in the tweet) and make sure to include it in a comment. 
This contest is international and there will be three winners. It ends on July 1st.  I hope that you are all having a great week.

Guest Post with Mary E. Pearson

Today I have a guest post with Mary E. Pearson.

“Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other . . . "

It seemed appropriate to me to wrap up the blog tour for The Fox Inheritance with a post about friendship. Friendship is at the heart of the story and I would like to share a couple of brief passages that speak to this:
“It was always Kara, Jenna, and me. Or at least it seemed that way. We were friends for only a year and a half before the accident, but for me it was a lifetime. We were instantly bonded. Maybe it was because it came at a turning point in our lives–just the right window where our worlds were all aligned, all needing something, maybe the same thing, maybe one other. We lifted one another up. Strengthened one another. We held hands. We crossed a line. We made one another braver.”
I think the friends who walk into adulthood with us have some of the most far-reaching effects on who we will become. Maybe that’s why high school reunions are so popular. These are the friends who made decisions with us that helped shape the course of our lives, the friends who were there with us when we suffered the consequences of some of our decisions, the friends who often went their separate ways, but still left a mark on us nonetheless.
In The Fox Inheritance, which takes place 260 years after the first book, Jenna has now gone on and made many new friends over the years, decades, and centuries, but reflects back on her friendship with Kara and Locke when she was just a teen:
“There are all kinds of friends you make in life . . . But there’s something different about someone who spreads their wings with you. That’s what we did, didn’t we?”
Yes, there is something different about these friends, no matter how brief a time we had with them. They were there at a pivotal time in our life and in their own lives, a time when all of our world views were separating from that of our parents. We laid the foundations of our adulthood together.
Some of my friends from my teen years I have stayed in contact with, even if only occasionally. Facebook helps a lot with that. But other friends I have lost track of. We went our separate ways, moved, lost contact, but I still think of them often. These friends helped me adjust to “womanhood,” read my bad poetry, made great life plans with me that never happened but still warm me with the memory (like planning to go to Cape St. Francis to surf the perfect wave.) These friends commiserated with me over parental injustices, filled in my “educational” gaps (things you would never ask your parents), cried with me over heartbreaks, and laughed hysterically with me over close calls of one kind or another. These friends left their mark. They changed me as I was stepping into adulthood. Mostly for the better.
“We lifted one another up. Strengthened one another. We held hands. We crossed a line. We made one another braver.”
Yes. All those things. These might be Locke’s words, but their mine too.
That’s why I dedicated The Fox Inheritance to them, and to the many, many friends who have come into my life since then and changed me in small and large ways. To all of you, I say thank you.

I hope that you enjoyed this post as much as I did. Have any of your friends ever helped you out? Tell me about it in the comments for a chance to win a a personalized copy of The Fox Inheritance.

Contest for Love Story by Jennifer Echols.

I have two copies of Love Story to giveaway. Here is what the story is about:

She’s writing about him. He’s writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

The contest ends on August 5th and US only. Fill out the form below to enter.

Blog Tour: Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Today, I have Nova Ren Suma here, with a secret about Imaginary Girls.
I’m here spilling secrets about my book Imaginary Girls. As the cover says, “Secrets never stay below the surface.” I guess not, because here’s another one bubbling up now…
Secret #6: It wasn’t Ruby who lost the ring a boy gave her in the reservoir. It was me.
There are these lines in the opening chapter of Imaginary Girls, and I don’t think I’m giving anything away if I share them here:

“Ruby once lost a ring a boy gave her, a ring handcrafted by his father, given as a promise she never meant to keep. So for Ruby the reservoir took what she wanted, almost as if they shared an understanding. Everyone else had to be

more careful.”

I wrote in that detail about the ring because I thought it said something about Ruby, about how little she cared about most anyone who cared about her. But if I’m being honest with these secrets, losing the boy’s ring in the reservoir is not a random detail I stumbled on out of nowhere. It’s something that actually happened—to me.

When I was seventeen or so, a boy who liked me gave me a ring his father had made. It was silver, and something he said meant a lot to him. It was also a little too big for my finger. One day I was with my friends and we took a swim in the reservoir and I remember thinking that maybe I should take off the ring before I went in. But I forgot, and pretty soon there was the moment after I’d dunked my head in when I came up and realized my hand felt light. The ring was gone. I felt around for it in the water, on the rocks at my feet… but it was too late. I couldn’t find it and I had to tell the boy that I’d lost it, and I guess he had to tell his dad.
In Imaginary Girls, it’s Ruby who lost the ring to the reservoir, as if she let it slip off her finger on purpose. I’ll admit that I didn’t really want that boy’s ring on my finger, but that’s the difference between Ruby and me. I still feel terrible for losing it.

Nova answered a question that I had too:
Your first book, Dani Noir, was Middle Grade and Imaginary Girls is Young Adult Fiction. How did you switch the voice to a different audience? What was the most difficult part of writing Imaginary Girls?
Sometimes I’m asked about why I switched from middle-grade to YA, since my first published book was the middle-grade novel Dani Noir, and I see why people would think I started in middle-grade and branched off to YA later. The thing is, though Dani Noir was published first and it’s the first image readers may have of me, in fact I started writing Imaginary Girls before it. When I got the opportunity to write Dani Noir, the editor I was working with was at a middle-grade/tween imprint, so I had to keep Dani Noir in that age range. I actually put an old version of the Imaginary Girls manuscript aside to write Dani Noir, and then as soon as I could I picked up Imaginary Girls again.
I admit I was worried that I wouldn’t have the chance to publish YA, that I wouldn’t be allowed to write both, but I’m thrilled to see how things turned out. Switching voices between the audiences is really only a matter of finding the voice of my character and staying true to her. Dani in Dani Noir is a snarky thirteen-year-old with a wild imagination. And Chloe in Imaginary Girls is an imaginative sixteen-year-old with a blind devotion to her older sister. I guess what they both share is the vivid imagination, even though they focus on different things.
I’d say the most difficult part of writing Imaginary Girls was getting it right. A lot of revision went into this manuscript—a lot of retooling and reimagining and a great many pages were thrown out to find the story that needed to be told. At the time I didn’t know if I could do it—I really honestly didn’t—but I look back on all the months of work from where I sit now and am so grateful I put my all into this. It was the hardest I’ve ever worked on anything, and I love what it became.

If you want to learn more about Imaginary Girls, visit Nova on twitter or on her website, you can also read a sample here. Penguin was nice enough to offer a signed hardcover to one winner in the US. If you want to enter, just fill out the form below. Contest ends July 1st.

Forgotten by Cat Patrick Giveway

About the book:

What if every day when you woke up, you had no recollection of the days before?

Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, but try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting – before it destroys her future.

For more information on the book, visit here. If you want to see London's video diaries, visit her here.

Giveaway rules:

-US Addresses only.

-One entry per person

-Open till Midnight on June 13th.

-Fill out the form below, if you would like to enter to win one of two copies of Forgotten.

The A Circuit by Catherine Hapka and Georgina Bloomberg

Source: Publisher
The A Circuit is the top of the top when it comes to horse shows. It's a world with its own rules and superprivileged lifestyles. Teens travel the circuit all year, showing horses that cost as much as some homes.
Tommi, Kate, and Zara are all elite competitors on the circuit, but they come from totally different backgrounds. Tommi is a billionaire heiress trying to prove she has real talent (not just deep bank accounts). Kate puts the working in working student—every win has been paid for with hours of cleaning stalls. She's used to the grueling schedule, but Fitz, the barn's resident hot guy, is about to become a major distraction. And then there's Zara. She's the wild child of a famous rockstar, but she's ready to take riding seriously. Can a party girl really change her ways?
Readers who enjoy peeking into the elite world of Gossip Girl or The A-List will feel right at home in this new series with its friendships, drama, and privilege set against the backdrop of competitive horseback riding.
The characters were all very different. Some were well developed and others seemed to stop halfway through the book. I really liked Kate, because she worked hard for what she wanted and didn't seem spoiled at all. Zara annoyed me till the end, because she didn't really think about anyone and was so selfish. She also didn't have any self discipline. Tommi, while being spoiled, at least wanted to make a plan for her future and wanted it to be in horses. The plot was interesting, even though I have never rode horses. I do know that the training and horse facts was accurate, because one of my friends showed them growing up. This is a fun series that I enjoyed and think that it will be prefect for teen fans of horses.

Yay! This is my 1,000th Post...

I have been posting on Sarah's Random Musing for almost three years and I am excited to post my 1000th post. I started this blog when I was really sick and now I am going to college at Seattle University in September. I have changed so much in this time and made some of best friends because of this blog, which is well awesome. I also want to thank my followers, so I am having a contest for all of my awesome followers.

Anyways, I am going to have a giveaway from now to May 31st. The winner will get a finish copy of Rosebush by Michele Jaffe, a signed copy of Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger, and a mystery ARC that I have read and I promise that it is amazing. Just fill out the form below to enter.

Giveaway of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I was asked by Penguin, if I would giveaway a copy of A Discovery of Witches. It is an adult novel, but a lot of the reviews said that it had crossover to the Young Adult fiction. Here is the summary:

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworl

d stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew

Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

The contest will run until Sunday at midnight. Just leave comment, if you want a chance to win the book and pins.

Contest!

So, it is Christmas Eve tomorrow and I decided to giveaway two books that I loved. A finished copy of Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers is up for grabs and so is a finished copy of When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrar.

Here is what Fall for Anything is about:
From the author of Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are comes a gripping story about one girl’s search for clues into the mysterious death of her father.
When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Cullen seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?
And here is what When the Stars Go Blue is about:

A dancer driven to succeed.
A musical prodigy attempting to escape his past.
The summer they share.
And the moment it all goes wrong.
Dance is Soledad Reyes’s life. About to graduate from Miami’s Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before.
But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad's affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer.

Just fill out the form below, if you want to enter.

Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Rating:
Characters: 18/20
Plot: 19/20
Originality: 18/20
Writing: 18/20
Recommendation: 18/20
Overall: 91/100 or A
Source: Publisher
Hunter Wild is the youngest in a long line of elite vampire hunters, a legacy that is both a blessing and a curse at the secret Helios-Ra Academy, where she excels at just about everything. Thanks to her friendship with Kieran Black, Hunter receives a special invitation to attend the coronation of Helena Drake, and for the first time, she sees the difference between vampires that must be hunted and vampires that can become friends—or even more. When students at the academy fall victim to a mysterious illness, Hunter suspects they are under attack from within. She will need someone she can trust to help her save the future of Helios-Ra . . . help that shockingly comes in the form of Quinn Drake, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Who said senior year would be easy?

Hunter gives us another glimpse into Harvey's stunning world of vampires. The Helios-Ra is an intensely interesting organization with both it's good and bad qualities that keep you immersed in every detail of the book. The glance into what is happening in the Drake Family was also engaging. I really enjoyed seeing character from the past books in the series and seeing how they were. Hunter was such a kick ass character, but she also had a heart and honestly cared for people. Quinn made me laugh so much and I seriously loved every moment that he was in the story. The plot was really exciting and I adored every moment of this book. The plot is fast, fun, and fierce. Harvey's world building is so epically original and reflect some of the realities in the real world of politics. Harvey is a fantastic writer, creates such a stunning story that is full of lovable characters. Seriously, read this series!

Here is Alyxandra Harvey's Facebook fan page. There are a lot of amazing things happening there. Click here to have a sneak peak of her upcoming book, Haunting Violet. I also have a copy of Out for Blood for giveaway, just fill out the form below.

Interview with Deliliah Hannaford from Fixing Deliliah and A Contest

I have the amazing Deliliah from Fixing Deliliah. Her story was very captivating, and I hope that you enjoy this tiny glimspe into her. world.
1. There are only three Hannafords left. what legacy would you like your family to leave?
That's a loaded question for sure! ;-) When I first arrived in Vermont with Mom and Rachel this summer, I was so bent on figuring out the past. I felt like I couldn't think about where I was going until I understood where I came from. There were so many fights, so many tears, so much pain... and now I realize that thinking about a legacy is kind of like trying to predict the future. Part of my problem was that I was so tied up with the past and the future -- the "what happeneds" and the "what ifs" -- that I was totally missing the moment, the right now, the important things that make life worth living. I'm still figuring that part of it out, but I'm getting better. :-) That said, whatever happens with my family, I hope that we've all learned to appreciate one another as family, and that we all have our secrets and imperfections, but above all, we love each other. I don't know if that's a legacy, but I hope we carry it with us for a long time.
2. What are the parts of Red Falls that you think that you will never forget?
If coming back here after eight years taught me anything, it's that I'll never truly forget Red Falls. Even though a lot of it was hazy on arrival, it was all still inside me, all the memories, good and bad. It was such a part of my life for so long -- so many memories of my family are tied to this place. So much of my family's history is wrapped up in this town, in this house, on the lake. After this summer, those memories are even stronger, even more cemented. I'm not going to forget any of it.
3. Patrick and you were friends growing up and now you realize that there is something more. How hard was it to act on your feelings without the fear of losing friendship?
Everything with Patrick happened so fast! Because I hadn't seen him since we were really young, I don't think I was worried as much about our friendship as I was about falling hard for him and then having to leave at the end of the summer, losing him all over again. I was also trying to deal with some trouble I'd gotten into back home, including a bit of a scandal with my non-boyfriend Finn, and I didn't want Patrick to simply be my distraction from that. The timing for us was actually really bad, but like Aunt Rachel says, when the universe is trying to hit you over the head with something, you might want to pay attention. :-) From the first moment I saw him under the bleachers that day, I knew I was falling for him, bad timing or not, lost friendship or not. Sometimes you just have to take that risk!
4. After going back to your grandma's, you gained a new appreciation for family and your past. What do you love most about your mom and Aunt Rachel?
If you asked me this when we first arrived in Red Falls, I don't think I would've been able to answer. But now I realize that even though their relationship still needs a lot of work, they really do love each other. I'm so grateful for that, because if my mom and Rachel can find a way to reconnect -- even if things are still super rocky -- it gives me hope for me and Mom, too. I'm also grateful that even when I was at my worst, they didn't walk out on me or give up. I love them for that.
5. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I just want to say thank you for letting me share my story, and for being patient. I know I can be... difficult... sometimes. I had a lot of stuff to sort out this summer, and it wasn't always easy, but it helps to have a few good friends. True friends, like Patrick says, the best kind.
(But you know, good friends or not, I'm not sharing him. Sorry! :-) )
I hope that you enjoyed the interview as much as I did. I also have a signed copy of Fixing Deliliah or Twenty Boy Summer for giveaway. Just fill out the form below by December 9th and US only.

Contest!

I have a copy of Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick for giveaway.
Here is the summary:
First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.
Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred—and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred—and something about Adina—that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world…no matter the consequences.

Interview with Emma from The Replacements and giveaway.

Today, I have an interview with Mackie's sister Emma from The Replacements. I hope you enjoy learning about her.

1. You took care of Mackie with all of your heart and such immense devotion. What inspired to you to take care of your brother? And what has helped maintain such a supportive relationship?
Maybe you'd have to meet him to really understand, but Mackie has always been so hard for me not to like. I mean, I guess there were times when I resented him—when we were younger—but he's always tried so hard not to be any trouble. He's a really good brother, and whatever he needs, whatever he is, it's not his fault.
2. You have an extreme interest in Botany. What would you like to accomplish with that in the future?
You know, I first got interested in botany because I thought there might be a way to help Mackie deal with all the iron in the human world, but the more I studied, the more I got to love it. It's really interesting, and Mackie certainly isn't the only person I could help with it. After grad school, I'd love to go into medical research.
3. What is your favorite things about college?
It's probably cliche, but I have to say, my favorite thing about college is getting to meet new people. You have no idea how hard it is to make new friends in Gentry, and being on campus, especially in the labs, means getting to know people who actually have common interests.
4. What do you like most about Gentry? And what do you hate?
Gentry is kind of hard to talk about. I don't know that I really like anything about it, but I don't hate it as much as I did when I was younger. Now, I mostly feel sorry for the people who don't see that anything's wrong. It's like they can't help it. They just go along without questioning anything because it's what's easiest, and I don't admire or respect that, but I kind of understand it.
5. Is there anything that you would like to add?
Just that these were great questions and it's really nice to meet you! Thanks for having me, Sarah!

I also have a charm bracelet for giveaway. To enter, tell me what is your lucky number(s). Canada or United States addresses only and also enter by November 24th. Enjoy!

Contest for Selling Hope

Here is what Selling Hope by Kristin O' Donnell Tubb is about:

It’s May 1910, and Halley’s Comet is due to pass thru the Earth’s atmosphere. And thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniels and her father are due to pass through their hometown of Chicago with their ragtag vaudeville troupe. Hope wants out of vaudeville, and longs for a "normal” life—or as normal as life can be without her mother, who died five years before. Hope sees an opportunity: She invents "anti-comet” pills to sell to the working-class customers desperate for protection. Soon, she’s joined by a fellow troupe member, young Buster Keaton, and the two of them start to make good money. And just when Hope thinks she has all the answers, she has to decide: What is family? Where is home?

Just fill out the form below.

Interviewing Survivors

Today, I have a guest post from Swati Avasthi, the author of Split. She talks about her work with domestic victims.
When I coordinated a domestic violence legal clinic, I heard so many
stories, thousands of stories, of abuse. As many as 26 people came to the clinic in the two and half hours we had our doors open for new clients seeking emergency orders of protection. My staff of volunteer interns and I went to work - leading our clients into private room and listening to what had happened to them. For these interviews, I remember closing the heavy metal door, and making sure tissues were available, I recorded their stories. Some clients wanted me to share their fear, sadness, panic or anger. Others wanted to hear it wasn't their fault. And still others were defensive, afraid of judgement. But what every person really wanted was to feel safe again, to make the violence stop.
In the first few weeks or maybe months I wanted to be able to ease their pain. Over time I settled for the handshake or the look of relief on their faces after they left our office, with their orders of protection in hand. I developed the professional distance required to go in day after day without falling apart or burning out. I focused only on the courage of the people in front of me and let that inspire me. Leaving someone is always hard, but considerably harder when you believe that you are worth little and you know that you don't have that much control over your life, whether financial, emotional or practical. And so it was easy to see the strength when they were in the office.
And though they left reassured, for me that was when the worrying began. I was acutely aware that a piece of a paper was not a shield and I was skeptical that this thin, carbon copied order could offer the protection it claimed. I clearly remember hearing a news story about a domestic violence victim who was killed by her abuser when I was working there and listening for her name. Was she one of our clients? I dreaded the day when we would hear that story or have our documents subpoenaed. It never came.
About a year into my tenure I finally asked my boss: why do these thin pieces of paper work? Clearly these are men who don't care about the law. But I found that they did. That abuses have a bully mentality and that if they are told my someone who has power over them to leave their victim alone they do, for the most part.
Which gave me comfort. And hope which I could then give to our clients.
It was only after I left the clinic that the impact of the stories, the horrific aspects that I had kept at bay, with professional distance and faith in a piece of paper, began to strike me. I remember with extreme clarity, the man who a man who lifted his shirt and showed me the stitches that arched from the notch in his collar bone to his navel; a woman whose abuser was being released after seven years in prison and who was threatening her; an aspiring model who was so terrified that she brought a friend and sat shaking as she talked. I can't say that I was noble enough to write Split to honor them. Instead, I wrote it to try to make sense of something that seemed senseless and to try to put on the page what clattered around in my head. I couldn't erase from my mind their stories, anymore than I could erase their pain. Writing Split was like therapy for me. I no longer need to erase the stories. Instead, I have come full circle, finding hope again in the courage the survivors who came in had. Hope that if they could find a way to end their abuse, we can find a way help prevent it.
Thank you, Swati Avasthi for that amazing story. As a family member of people that have been domestically abused, I found Split to be a stunning story. Swati is also having several auctions that were donated by authors, agents, and editors that will benefit Family Violence Prevention Fund. You can find the auctions here. I have a copy for giveaway, just fill out the form below.