~Book Blitz & Giveaway~ PODs by Michelle Pickett

My one Girlfriend LOVED this book and so when I saw the email for this Blitz I eagerly

signed up!!!  There is an amazing giveaway at the end of the post & I wish you all luck!!

PODs by Michelle K. Pickett 

Release Date: 06/24/13
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Format: Paperback/ebook 312 pages

Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it's in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it's a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That's the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

Excerpt

He flinched at the sound of my voice, snapping his laptop shut. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled. “You look beautiful in the morning, Eva. Your blonde hair messy and falling around your face, your eyes— not quite blue, but not quite green— sparkling in the morning sun… or the simulation of the sun,” he said with a crooked grin. 

“Stop joking around. What were you just looking at?” I’d seen the picture on his laptop before he’d shut it. People running around their POD, a look of terror in their eyes. I reached out and opened the lid of his computer. My arm brushed against his, sending goosebumps racing across my skin. I had to concentrate to remember what I was asking about. The screen was nothing but static. “They cut off another one? Who?” I let go of his computer and started to pull my hand away. He grabbed it, folding it into his own, threading our fingers together. He grazed his lips over my knuckles. 

Oh. Wow. Do that again. 

My insides swirled out of place and did things I’d only read about in my mother’s racy romance novels. 

“Yes. Someone I know from class. You don’t know him. And who says I’m joking?” 

“What?” He was difficult to understand on a good day, but that early in the morning, seeing him in nothing more than blue pajama bottoms, his lips moving against my fingers as he talked, it was nearly impossible. 

“You told me to stop joking around. I wasn’t joking.” 

My heart was beating so hard and fast in my chest, I was sure he could hear it. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers. My fingernails bit into my flesh.

Say something, Eva! Do Something— anything. Just… something. “So…” I started, only to be interrupted by my yawn. Except yawn, idiot! Kiss him… wait… what? 

“What’s your theory on the PODs being cut off? Do you think there’s that many people testing positive for the—” 

He stood, turned toward me, cupped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled my lips to his. That shut me up. Shock slammed into me, quickly giving way to pleasure, and pleasure to urgency.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his silky hair. David’s hand moved from the back of my neck to cup my cheek, his thumb caressing my skin. The other one moved to the small of my back, pulling me tighter against him. He kissed me long, deep. It was sinfully erotic feeling his bare skin under my fingers. 

When he tore his lips away, he looked in my eyes. My first instinct was to turn away, but both his hands cupped my cheeks. He bent his head and grazed his lips over mine before looking at me again. 

“I’ve wanted to do that since the first day I saw you. And each day I’ve known you it’s been harder and harder not to.” 

“Well, what took you so long?”

Praise for the Amazon Bestselling PODs:

"5 Stars! I loved this book. I have been kind of bogged down with dystopias lately, but this was amazing. It was so cool to see life before the 'event', to see Eva wrestle with her choices and then, to watch her change as she lived inside the PODs...Yes, there are zombies. Yes, there's a little romance. But I think, at its heart, PODs is a coming of age story about Eva and how she grows from a girl into a strong, decisive woman during this period of absolute destruction. And Pickett writes it beautifully."
 ~ Sherry Ficklin, author of "Extracted"

"I was blown away by this debut novel from Michelle Pickett! Rather than feeling like I was reading a book, I actually sometimes felt like I was actually watching the characters' lives progress; it was kind of weird! The emotions that Eva felt were so raw and real, and I think Michelle really captured the emotions that one would be feeling in a post-apocalyptic world...PODs may very well be one of the next big things in YA, so I am very happy to have been one of the ones that was part of the beginning of it all! Congrats Michelle on your YA debut and I am looking forward to more by you!  I gave PODs a well-deserved 5/5 stars!  "
~Phil book reviewer at Stack of Hardbacks

“5 glowing, sparkling stars for this one!...I absolutely adored every character Michelle introduces us to. This book isn't just about a romance, or two people fighting some battle. This book allows us to get to know several, amazing, diverse characters who all grab your heart (even a few who have attitude issues). They all held such an important place in the story… Now for the plot. Holy crap!... Michelle did a flippin' fantastic job giving us each piece of this puzzle… I won't go into details about what happens after they are removed from the POD but O-M-G! The action never stops…This book seriously needs to be a movie. I could picture every detail and already see it playing out on screen. PLEASE SOMEONE MAKE THIS HAPPEN!”  ~Jessica of Total Bookaholic

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About the Author

I'm a wife, mother, author, reader, although not always in that order.  I write young adult urban fantasies, science/fiction and paranormal romances and have recently started dabbling in young adult contemporary romance. Reading was one of my earliest passions, writing soon followed. I began writing seriously during college where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting. Why I chose a career that frowns on creativity remains a mystery.

I’m addicted to Reese’s peanut butter cups and eat way too many while I write, have an abnormal obsession with hoodies and can’t write without one, and I hate to cook, but love to watch cooking shows on television. An unabashed romantic, I love a swoon-worthy ending that will give me butterflies for days.

I wrote my debut young adult novel, PODs, in 2011. PODs, a science/fiction, post-apocalyptic romance, will be released June 4, 2013 through the amazing Spencer Hill Press.  My second young adult title, Milayna, a paranormal romance, will release through Spencer Hill Press beginning in March 2014. Milayna is a standalone, with series potential. It’s meant to be a trilogy. The Infected, a PODs novel, will release November 2014. It is the second, and last, book in the PODs series.

I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan.  I now reside in a small community outside Houston, Texas with my incredibly supportive, not to mention gorgeous, husband, three amazing school-aged children, a 125-pound lap dog, and a snooty cat.

Keep up-to-date with my current, future projects, appearances, and fun giveaways at www.michelle-pickett.com.

I always love to hear from readers, bloggers and other authors!

Find me here:

Website│Email│Blog│Facebook│Twitter│Goodreads

Giveaway

First place: Signed copy of PODs, tote bag, and swag (US only see note for international)

Second place: Signed copy of PODs and swag (US only see note for international)

*International winners will receive a print copy of PODs only if www.Bookdepository.com delivers to their country. Otherwise they will receive an e-book. Swag will not be included.

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~Book Blast~ In Shadows of Magic by Alison F. Prince

Welcome to the In Shadows of Magic by Alison F. Prince!!  

I am SERIOUSLY IN LOVE with this cover!!!!

  Mandy McKinney lives the charmed life. She is beautiful, athletic, popular, dating the hottest jock in school, and certainly doesn't have any time for her loser twin sister. But Mandy also has a secret. When the truth is unveiled, her world is twisted upside down, and her very life is at stake.

  Mandy's twin sister, Brianna, has never had any success in the dating department. When Brianna finally meets the guy of her dreams, it turns out that he has secrets of his own. Dangerous secrets. Just her luck.

  The twins are about to be swept away into a world of beauty and power beyond their wildest imaginations where nothing is what is seems, danger is lurking in the shadows, and their only chance of survival is finding themselves, and each other, once again.

Buy It Here:

Amazon~Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Alison F. Prince is a school psychologist in northern New Jersey. In Shadows of Magic is her debut release.

Find Her:

Twitter~Tumblr~Goodreads

In Shadows of Magic on Facebook~Website

Must be 13+ & is Open Internationally!

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*Review* From Gods by Mary Ting

Release Date:  October 6, 2013
Length:  305 pages
Review Copy:  Mobi., Provided by Author for honest review

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Amazon~B&N

  Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day? It’s not from Mother Nature. It is most likely from Mason Grand, swoon-worthy demigod, one of Zeus’s descendants. 

  Skylar Rome is supposed to be having the best summer ever before she heads off to college. Little did she know, her whole life was about to change while visiting her cousin. Nearly drowning at the beach due to unknown forces, one of the Grand brothers she’d just met, Mason, saves her life. Cool, collected, mysterious, and dangerously good-looking, Skylar is drawn to him from the start. Though she knows he is the type of guy good girls stayed away from, it seems he is always saving her life, and the attraction was inevitable. 

  Upon meeting the brothers, strange things begin to happen. When she accidentally kills one of the brothers, it throws her life into turmoil, as they search to find the answers. Implausibly, she gets caught up in a world of the decedents of ancient gods, all who have super powers. Not only is her discovery difficult to accept, evil beings are after her. Running out of time and running for her life, she must unravel a mystery. What do they want from her? Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will she find the answers, or will she die trying?

  This is my first Mary Ting book, as the other one I read was under her M. Clarke name.  I know technically it is her but it's a different name... Do you see where I am going with this.  Regardless this book made it clear that I was missing out on some seriously great reading by not having picked up her books sooner!  Ting's writing is amazing and there is wonderful character development that surprised me because this is the first in a series.  Everything was probably helped along by the fact that when it comes to mythology, I am a sucker.

  The funny thing about the story is that the prologue gives you a glimpse of something but you have to wait to see exactly what it means to the book.  From there there is a bit of a foundation made for Skylar and the family she stays with, as well as a bit here and there on her mother.  Though this may sound like it would be slow, I never felt like the book was dragging, only that everything was leading to a greater reasoning.  Basically this tells me as I reflect that Mary Ting did a wonderful job with the pacing and dealing with the distribution of information.  There was no a single information dump that I can recall.  Even how Skylar discovers what and who the people her cousin and her have been hanging around are builds up.  Some things take a bit of reading to find the explanation but there was always one somewhere and the ride to get there was seriously wonderful.

  To be honest with you all I wasn't sure if I was going to like Skylar at first.  Shocking right?  However, my mind quickly changed after I got to know her a little better.  She seemed overly optimistic to start and I find that they make for irritating characters but Skylar was more than that.  This girl was optimistic but she was also smart enough to know when to be cautious and not rush into something.  It's not like she predicted danger but she did know when a situation was too much for her.  However she was also willing to stand up and hold her ground if need be.  When it comes down to it she was a strong female lead that could be kick ass but it's not like she was all I can do anything without anyone's help all the time. Skylar ended up being a breath of fresh air in the current market of strong females.  I am not saying that I don't like kick ass chicks but every now and again it's nice to have a girl that can stand her ground but also knows her limits.

  Romance was definitely present in this read but it did not dominate the bigger story.  He was not ruled completely by emotions but at times he did let his heart and thoughts rule.  Without this little quirk Skylar would have been screwed because lets face it, even if the girl didn't know it she is dangerous.  Mason and Sklar make a cute couple and I was happy that he was sweet enough to stand up for her, and her good heart because it seems most people were more willing to jump into the fact that she could be the end to them all and end her.  I would like to see how they work out because of some of the possible arising problems and I would like to see them able to really cause some chemistry to talk about.

  From Gods fed the mythology lover in me and the reader in me devoured the story.  Mary Ting has masterfully crafted a take on the Demi Gods that will have everyone begging for more.  I honestly need the next book because there is a lot of things that I would like figured out and things that I want to see go forward.  This is for sure not to be missed if you are a mythology lover like myself and if you have ever read anything by Mary Ting you know that you are in for a treat!

It wasn't like she was interested in hanging out with Mason anyway, and it didn't matter what she thought about Remus or what Remus thought about her.  But she didn't like the way he continued to glare at her, as if he was expecting her to do something horrible or magically turn into an alien or something.  She couldn't begin to guess what his problem was.

  Why was this situation so complicated?  Meet a cute guy.  He likes you and you like him back.  Fall in love and go on dates.  Why?  Why couldn't that happen, instead of meet a cute guy and monsters chase after you.  And you have no idea why all the craziness is happening, making you feel like you're insane.

Anger was boiling to the surface, but Skylar kept it at bay.  After all, he was right.  Her human speed and strength were not comparable to theirs.  But his hot and cold attitude made her feel infuriated.  

Being told she was evil tore at her heart, and her chest tightened, feeling like air was being sucked out of her.  Turning pale, she fought for breath frantically.

Dauntless Author Giveaway!

Join The Dauntless Authors for a giveaway for 2 $25 Amazon Giftcards during the week of January 13. Throughout the week they'll also be giving away TONS of ebooks at their Facebook Party!

Team Dauntless:

Kate Avery Ellison 

Nancy S Thompson

Wendy Knight

Amber Argyle

RaShelle Workman

Elle Strauss

Megg Jensen

Angela Corbett

Cindy Hogan

Christy Dorrity

Rachel Morgan

Shantal Hiatt

**Giveaway is provided by Authors**

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**Review** Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

Release Date:  June 11, 2013
Published by:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Length:  384 pages
Review Copy:  Hardcover, provided by Random House                    Canada for honest review.

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It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm.

Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings....

Young adult veteran Tom McNeal (one half of the writing duo known as Laura & Tom McNeal) has crafted a novel at once warmhearted, compulsively listenable, and altogether thrilling - and McNeal fans of their tautly told stories will not be disappointed.

-From Goodreads

  McNeal's Far Far Away is brilliant and stunning.  I was absolutely awestruck with this one and it's story.  There was no fairytale retelling but a new one built into this work of art.  Going into this I thought that it would be told from Jeremy's POV but it wasn't.  It is instead told by Jacob, who is one of the Brothers Grimm.  This made the narration interesting and was something that you wanted to hear and learn from because of how unique it was.

  The plot did have its ups and downs but regardless of the pace I consistently found myself completely focused on what was going on.  With Jacob as one of the main characters and the title I figured that this would be a twisted retelling but I was proved wrong.  The story turned out to be its own tale and it was almost as deliciously  twisted as a Grimm tale would be.  The thing is though that Jacob is not there to write it, he believes he is there to help the young Jeremy.  Jacob is the ghost of the tale and is stuck wondering the earth for a reason unknown but he believes if he helps Jeremy and protects him that he will be able to move on and find his brother.  What he doesn't know is that they are about to become one of the tales that him and his brother twisted so long ago and that nobody will know it is coming.  

  Though Jacob was an unexpected narrator of this tale, I love what McNeal did with him.  To be honest beyond some of the tales from the Grimm brothers, I do not know much of their lives.  For this I choose to love the background that was set up for him and the reason for his wondering.  His past was also tragic and kind of wonderful at the same time, something that you would expect.  As a main character he was refreshing and interesting to learn from.  He pushed Jacob to be great but there was also a measure of affection, like Jeremy was more than his pass into the next step.  There was also some unique rules and theories on him being a ghost but when it came down to everything in the end, it became clear as to why he was where he was.

  My heart went out to Jeremy right from the start.  He is kind hearted and sweet natured but his and his families outsider nature puts him at a great disadvantage.  He is a teen and what teen wants to be on the outside of everything?  From the moment Ginger walks into his life, there is a series of unfortunate events and I couldn't help but wonder if the girl actually liked him or was just simply using him for her own amusement.  There were many times that I wished the guy would just walk away but I understood why he couldn't, Ginger was like a magnet and interesting, something that he would not have expected to happen to him ever.  I guess you could say that most of this made Jeremy a realistic character despite his unique ability to hear Jacob.

  The journey that Far Far Away took me on was one in a million.  It was a new tale that could go in the books and be twisted and retold if people looked into it.  There is something fantastic about the way McNeal writes and the life that the characters take on.  Reading this book was like enjoying a classic for me and though this is my first book written by McNeal but it will not be my last.  This is a book that I highly recommend to those that have a love of fairy tales but enjoy one that dark in its own rights, with characters that you can actually feel for.  

In the old tales, kindness is the purest form of heroism.  Find the character who meets the world with a big heart and an open hand and you have found your hero or heroine.  Jeremy was like this   whatever was his was yours.

  He was quiet for a few seconds.  Then he said, "I don't know.  It's just that after my mother left and then after my grandfather died, it was pretty bad.  But you came, and I got used to just doing my studies and my odd jobs and taking care of my father and having you nearby and everybody else just leaving me be.  It wasn't great, but it was okay.  Now all of a sudden, it's like I'm under everybody's microscope."

  Yes, I said.  I understand.  But we must work together, I am here to help you   

**Note: Normally I do more quotes than this but I really didn't know what to quote from this one!  You have to read it to really experience     it... Sorry guys.

~Book Blitz & Giveaway~ Wasteland by Lindsay Legget

Wasteland by Lindsay Leggett
(Flight #2)
Published December 7th 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

  Wasteland, the next book in the FLIGHT trilogy, takes place a few months after the ending of book one.

  Trapped in a cell and experimented on, Piper Madden’s only hope is remembering Asher. Then, Elder Corp President Rupert Elder gives her new orders: to be a leader in a war against the Harpies. Without a choice, Piper must obey Rupert’s commands or suffer from paralyzing and painful Nanomachines. But the war is just beginning, and Asher has gone missing. The resistance is slowly building, and the upcoming war will be larger and bloodier than anything seen since the Devastation that ruined the earth. Throughout all of this, Piper remembers the time before she ran to Ichton, when David was alive and her hope in Elder Corp was still strong.

Buy It:

Amazon~B&N

AUTHOR BIO:

Nearly every writer struggles to put together information about themselves, perhaps because we’re so used to detailing the lives and ways of others. For the most part I am a writer, editor, photographer, and all-around artist living in the wilds north of Toronto, Ontario. I thrive on the juxtaposition of beauty and grit, enjoy urban crawls, indie everything, and time well-spent in the woods.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

(1) ebook copy of either Flight (Book 1) OR 

Wasteland (Book 2). Open internationally. 

****

Just Leave a comment on this post!  Extra entries for Tweeting and sharing

(please leave link in comments as well).  I will pick a winner in one week <3

GOOD LUCK!!!!

~Cover Reveal~ Burning by Rachel Firasek

Burning by Rachel Firasek
(Tears of Sin #2)
Publication date: March 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

“Never say never.”

Gabe James never thought he’d suffer from a broken heart. He never thought he’d have to work for a living. And he sure as hell never thought he’d fall for a woman that carries a torch for the man that is trying to ruin his life.

Jade McKenzie has danced with demons most of her life, and just when she feels like the dark clouds have lifted, a pointless fight with an ex-boyfriend leaves her with a scarred face and ends her ballet career. Now she dances on a stage where the sway of her hips trumps the pirouettes of her past, a mask concealing her marred beauty. But nothing will stop the pain of shattered dreams.

Except love.

With Gabe’s career on the line and the threat of financial ruin blazing on the horizon, he’s guarded against a woman threatening to distract him even further when he needs his focus most. Jade can’t escape the memories of her past or Gabe’s heated glances—even if he swears that it’s her enthralling him. The two together are like kerosene and matches waiting for a spark. For a woman with no future and a man on the verge of losing hope, the only things left to cling to are their determined wills and the promise of a burning love.

***Burning is a New Adult Contemporary Romance recommended for Adult readers due to some violence, language, and sexual content.***

About the Author

Rachel Firasek spends her days daydreaming of stories and her nights putting the ideas to ink. She has spent a dull life following the rules, meeting deadlines, and toeing the line, but in her made up worlds, she can let the wild side loose. Her wonderful husband and three children support her love of the written word and only ask for the occasional American Idol or Swamp People quality hour.

She has a philosophy about love. It must devastate or it isn’t truly worth loving. She hopes that you all find your devastating love and cling to it with all your heart!

Find Her:

Website~Facebook~Twitter~Goodreads

Thanks to Rachel there is a $25 Amazon GC up for grabs to celebrate the
reveal!! Good Luck everyone!!!

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