Blog Tour: Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins (Review + Giveaway)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am a former journalist who worked for the Los Angeles Daily Newsand other newspapers in the greater Los Angeles area. Prior to this I worked in advertising, writing ad copy for corporate travel accounts and major motion pictures. My first job out of college was as an administrative assistant to an executive chef and a food & beverage director at a Four Seasons hotel. I also spent some time working as a prep cook for Spago in Beverly Hills.

I received my Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California. While in graduate school, I had the privilege of studying fiction writing under renowned author Hubert Selby, Jr., and comedy writing under famed comedian Shelley Berman. I am a past participant of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Summer Writing Workshop.

Raised in the woods of Vermont, I now live in the greater Los Angeles area with my husband and three children. STIR ME UP is my first novel.

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REVIEW

Title: Stir Me Up

Author: Sabrina Elkins
Publisher: HarlequinTEEN
Released: October 1st 2013
Pages: 268 (eBook)
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Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated…

I know what you're thinking - Nina, if you know you don't get on with the New Adult genre, then why on earth do you keep signing up for NA blog tours? Well, I guess the answer is that I hope to find out what the masses seem to love with this kind of book, since despite the fact I'm almost at the age NA books are targeted at, I just don't seem to get it. However, Stir Me Up has changed my opinion of this genre - yes, we still see typical NA features throughout the novel, but for once it held the depth I have come to look for in good reads.

Bitter Like Orange Peel by Jessica Bell

Title: Bitter Like Orange Peel
Author: Jessica Bell
Publisher: Vine Leaves Press
Released: November 1st 2013
Pages: 179 (eBook)
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Six women. One man. Seven secrets. One could ruin them all.

Kit is a twenty-five-year-old archaeology undergrad, who doesn’t like to get her hands dirty. Life seems purposeless. But if she could track down her father, Roger, maybe her perspective would change.

The only problem—Roger is as rotten as the decomposing oranges in her back yard according to the women in her life: Ailish, her mother—an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and clichés, and who still hasn’t learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister—a depressed archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy’s mother—a pediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and named her daughter after "Intravenous."

Against all three women’s wishes, Kit decides to find Roger.
Enter a sister Kit never knew about.
But everyone else did.

What a bloody awful book. I'm sorry, but it has to be said. I've read some bad books in my time, but this is most definitely in the top five. The synopsis held the promise of a novel that wasn't delivered.

The basic premise is a group of six women who all have ties to this one man - to some of them he was a lover, a husband, and to others he was a father - or an absentee one at that. Kit, one of the daughters, is desperate to find out about this man who she has never met, so sets out on a journey to meet him. However, in doing so she unveils a whole load of buried family secrets.

Blog Tour: Intermix Nation by M. P. Attardo (Review + Giveaway)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.P. Attardo is a twenty-something, part-time writer, full-time daydreamer. She has a college degree … is still trying to figure out what ever to do with it. She loves amateur baseball commentating, heckling, and overindulging. And putting her bizarre, gritty thoughts into words for all to read.
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REVIEW
Title: Intermix Nation
Author: M. P. Attardo
Publisher: Self
Released: March 5th 2013
Pages: 331 (Kindle)
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Intermix: to mix together, blend

North America, paragon of diversity, is gone. From its ashes, a new nation has arisen – Renatus – where the government segregates the surviving population into races, forbidding interracial marriage, mating, and love.

Eighteen-year-old Nazirah Nation is a pariah, an intermix, born of people from different races. When her parents are murdered in the name of justice, Nazirah grudgingly joins the growing rebellion fighting against the despotic government.

Overwhelmed with grief, consumed by guilt, Nazirah craves vengeance as a substitute for absolution. But on her journey to find the girl she once was, Nazirah must learn the hard way that nothing … no one … is purely black or white. Like her, every human is intermix, shades and hues of complex emotions. And those who can take everything away are also the ones who can give everything back.

Well, I really wasn't prepared for that emotional rollercoaster! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew Intermix Nation was a book I had to read. As someone who is mixed heritage, I know what it's like to be of two different ethnicities but feel that, at times, I belong to neither. In Attardo's debut, North America has been divided into a land known as Renatus. The divides have been put in place to separate races, forbidding them from mixing – but love can conquer boundaries, and the children of two races are born. They are known as intermix, and are cast out by everyone but their own. Nazirah is an intermix, but not just anyone – she is the face of the rebellion, a beacon of hope for the citizens of Renatus. But Irri has her own past, and if she’s going to win over the nation, she’s going to have to face her biggest enemy yet: Adamek Morgen, murderer of her parents.

I can't believe how well-written this was, especially for a debut novel. I'm not suggesting that debut authors are bad, but usually since it's their first book, they're still trying to find their own individual style. Attardo has her style set. Admittedly I at first found it strange to read in the person she used, but as I became more engrossed in the story, I grew used to it. Aside from that, the language, the plot, the build up...it was the perfect concoction for a story.

Nazirah Nation has to be one of my favourite protagonists of all time. I know I can go on a bit about how I love my brave heroines, but I think she's one of the strongest I've ever come across. Nazirah is put through a lot of trials, yet she is as hard as nails the entire time. She is a true face of a rebellion, and because of that she made the diegesis, the plot, the idea believable. 

Adamek Morgen is my latest addiction. When we were first introduced to him, I just thought he'd be the counterpart to Nazirah, an enemy to reinforce the idea that she is the good guy. However, halfway through and I realised she created him to be so much more than that. Although the book centers around the issue of racism, it also talks about forgiveness. How can you forgive someone who has wronged you so terribly? He is a counterpart, that's for sure, but he's not necessarily just the enemy. Although we don't find as much out about his past as I would have liked, his character holds a depth so vast that you can't help but feel that he's real. 

This may seem strange, but one thing I really loved about Intermix Nation was how Attardo managed to get this entire story into just one book. A lot of dystopians nowadays are split into a trilogy, a lot of which tend to fall short towards the end. Although I do like it when books are a series, I was glad she just got to the point with the story and didn't unnecessarily drag it out, making it intense, dynamic and dramatic.

I must admit, I really am impressed with Attardo. Debut novels rarely come as good as this, especially New Adult books. This genre has me skeptical, but this book just had the right amount of snarky language, witty characters and smoky sex scenes to be perfect. I recommend this book 100%, it's one of the best indies I've read yet.
Rating: 5/5

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Blog Tour: Panic by J. A. Huss (Review + Playlist)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

REVIEW
Title: Panic
Author: J. A. Huss
Publisher: Science Future Press
Released: October 15th 2013
Pages: 232 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / B&N / Kobo
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Rook is chasing her dream—film school and a chance at a life beyond the one she left behind six months ago. But before she can become the girl she wants to be, she must deal with the girl she left behind.

Ronin is also chasing his dream—a family of his own and a life away from erotic modeling. And he too, has a past he’s trying to forget. A past that makes Rook question everything about their life together.

Lies, secrets, and shocking truths will rock the foundation Rook and Ronin have built. Can they put the past behind them and move forward together? Or is this just another too good to be true relationship that will crash and burn in the end?

Since I've followed this trilogy from the beginning, how could I not take part in the final blog tour? The Rook and Ronin series are some of the best indie books I have ever read. Full of suspense, drama, and scenes hot enough to make you sweat, it is definitely something you don't want to miss.

Blog Tour: Gargoyle Addiction by Livia Olteano (Review)

About The Author
Livia lives in Europe where she listens to obscene amounts of music and devours every reading material in sight. When she’s not doing either of the two, she fiddles with anything remotely customizable within reach.

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Review

Title: Gargoyle Addiction
Author: Livia Olteano
Publisher: Self
Pages: 240 (Kindle)
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Summonari don’t trust. Under their command, they summon any number of creatures from the Otherwolds—but never trust them outside of the summoning.

Gargoyles don’t love. Fierce descendants of dragons, they function on power and fear—never love.
Karla isn’t the happily-ever-after type of girl. No territory-hungry guy is going to stick flags all over her unclaimed grounds.

Kann’s world is death and betrayal. As Dar Primus of Haus Varis, he’s expected to follow tradition but he’s not your regular gargoyle. In fact, he’s anything but. 

One fateful Friday night, Otherworlds collide. Stuck together in one world or another, Karla and Kann face everything from Awakenings and turbulent love to Festnavals and bloodthirsty scorned suitors.

If there’s one thing they can’t escape, it’s the addiction to each other. And they’ve got it bad.

I only had to see the word 'gargoyle' to know that I wanted to read this book. I love the paranormal genre as a rule, and I read a lot of it. However, I had never come across gargoyles before - well, not outside of the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame - so naturally I was intrigued. For my first book on gargoyles, Gargoyle Addiction was amazing, and I can tell you that I am now in love with this sub-genre!

Blog Tour: Addicted to You by Colina Brennan (Review + Giveaway)

About The Author

I’m a new adult author with a love for the fantastical and the romantic. My new adult contemporary novel ADDICTED TO YOU will be available June 25.

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Review
Title: Addicted to You
Author: Colina Brennan
Publisher: Self
Released: June 22nd 2013
Pages: 183 (eBook)
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When twenty-one-year-old Leah Carter's latest one night stand burglarizes her apartment, her roommate forces her to attend therapy for sex addicts. Leah insists she isn't a sex addict; she just doesn't do relationships. After all, sooner or later, everyone lets you down.

At first, the group sessions are little more than an education on how to be promiscuous. Until she meets the newest addict—blue eyes, killer body, and a smile that tempts relapse.

Psychology student Will McLean is posing as a fellow addict while researching a case study on unusual addictions. But the more he learns about Leah, the more certain he is that his desire to break through her walls and unearth her secrets has nothing to do with his assignment.

As the uncertainties spike alongside the sexual tension, the only thing Leah knows for sure is that falling in love would be disastrous. Too bad love might be one addiction she can't kick.

Okay, so my track record with New Adult books isn't that great. However, Addicted to You caught my eye. The idea of sex addiction was intriguing - I mean, where is the line drawn between enjoying sex and being addicted to it? I couldn't wait to start reading it.

Touching Melody by RaShelle Workman

Title: Touching Melody
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publisher: All Night Reads
Released: May 14th 2013
Pages: 286 (eBook)
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Sometimes life isn't pretty, but you have to close your eyes and let go...

Maddie Martin's first weekend at college is nothing like she's used to. It's wild, like the wilderness on which the University of Bellam Springs sits. Roped into going to a fraternity party, she literally runs into Kyle Hadley. The boy she's loved since she was nine. The boy she promised all of her firsts to. But that was before his father killed her parents. 

Determined to stay away from him, she throws herself into her music. Practicing piano eases her heavy heart, calms the sadness, and pushes away images of Kyle's face. 

Until it doesn't. 

Her music professor asks her to play a duet for their annual Winter Gala. Doing so means she'll be assured another full ride scholarship. It's an opportunity she can't pass up. 

But Kyle is the other half of the duet. And that means hours and hours of practicing. 

Weeks of seclusion - just the two of them. And it's more than just music. It's passion like Maddie never believed was possible. 

The inevitable happens. She falls in love with him all over again. 

But, will loving him be enough to erase all the hate in her heart for his father? Can she look at him, and not see the evil in his family tree?

And maybe it's all a set up. Maybe Kyle is only pretending to care so he can finish what his father started, and kill her too.

To write this review, I wrote a list of things I liked and things I disliked. Let me tell you that there is absolutely nothing on the like list. I tried to find something, I did, but I couldn't. In the least horrible way possible, I think this is the worst New Adult novel I have ever read - and I finished The Edge of Never the other week, so that is certainly saying something.

The Road to Her by K. E. Payne

Title: The Road to Her
Author: K. E. Payne
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Released: July 16th 2013
Pages: 247 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Sparks fly when twenty-year-old Holly Croft, star of the UK soap Portobello Road, meets Elise Manford, the actress who’s going to play her on-screen love interest in the soap’s first ever lesbian storyline.

Enigmatic Elise’s super-confident attitude and unwelcome advice drives Holly to distraction at first, but as fans go wild over the storyline, and the pair start to spend more and more time together, Holly begins to see another side to her costar. Liking what she sees, Holly slowly finds herself falling in love, but can she ignore her growing attraction to Elise when the lines between fact and fiction begin to blur?

I've seen a few other novels by Payne about, but I've always been hesitant to pick them up. Why? Not because of the genre, that's for sure - I love books that tackle difficult and quite controversial topics, which all of hers do do. However, the reviews I have skimmed over have never been too good. Despite this, The Road to Her caught my eye, and I couldn't help but try it. It actually left me pleasantly surprised.

The Edge of Never by J. A. Redmerski

Title: The Edge of Never
Author: J. A. Redmerski
Publisher: Harper
Released: November 13th 2012
Pages: 480 (eBook)
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Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish.

Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together-or destroy them forever?

NOTE: This review does contain a few swear words, all words directly used from the novel.

I first attempted The Edge of Never about a month ago, and eight percent in, I knew I had to DNF it. However, after reading raving review after raving review, I put my instant dislike down to my current reading mood. So I decided to pick it up again and, ugh, why did I bother?!

A Taylor-Made Life by Kary Rader

Title: A Taylor-Made Life
Author: Kary Rader
Publisher: Self
Released: July 8th 2013
Pages: 216 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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They lived the life they were given; they loved the life they made.

Cheerleader Taylor Smith doesn’t want to die a virgin. Unfortunately, if the terminally-ill leukemia patient doesn't find a lover or a stem-cell match within months, her fear will become reality. When her cancer mentor is revealed to be a hottie entrepreneur from California, it seems fate might finally be on her side.

Tech-geek Gavin Taylor has everything he ever wanted, except someone to grieve for him when he's gone. With his melanoma cancer beyond the help of his riches, he agrees to participate in a cancer patient mentoring program where he's matched with a dying teen from Texas. Despite his immediate attraction, the Silicon Valley whiz intends only to provide friendship and happy memories to the beautiful, young woman who is determined to win his love.

When it's discovered that his frozen sperm and her harvested eggs could lead to a cure, Taylor's mother offers to be a surrogate. And Gavin must decide if he can risk the heart he has never given and a child he'll never know to a girl he just met.

How would I describe this book in three words? Cheesy, unrealistic, and adorable - not necessarily in that order. At first, I was expecting A Taylor-Made Life to be like My Sister's Keeper or The Fault in Our Stars - that it would look at the cold, hard facts of cancer and would tell a story about finding love at the end of your world. And it did, most definitely. However, the book was laced to the very brim with cheese...in the best way possible.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Manic by J. A. Huss

About The Author
J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Review
Title: Manic
Author: J. A. Huss
Publisher: Science Future Press
Released: August 1st 2013
Pages: 218 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Kobo / B&N
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TRAGIC is over and Rook is ready for the future—Spencer Shrike and the STURGIS contract! 

It’s three months of body art modeling! That means three months of Spencer Shrike’s paintbrush all over her body, three months in front of Antoine’s camera, and three months of twenty-four hour filming for Spencer’s Biker Channel reality show.

Wait a minute…what reality show? Maybe she should’ve read that STURGIS contract a little closer? ;)

Sure, Rook’s bank account is almost overflowing, but Ronin is angry, Clare is trying to escape rehab, Antoine is a worried mess, and Elise is just trying to hold everyone together. Her new family is about to fall apart before she even gets the chance to enjoy them.

Add in a mysterious man from her past, a road trip to the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and a final show in front of the entire world where all her good are on display, and you've got Manic—a new adult contemporary romance that will definitely make your summer sizzle!

I adored Tragic, the first instalment in the Rook and Ronin trilogy, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on Manic. What can I say? I have a crazy soft-spot for modelling stories, and Huss's writing really just hits the spot. Diving head-first into Manic, I was instantly impressed as I was swept up into Rook and Ronin's world once again - this is a series that just keeps getting better and better.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Tragic by J. A. Huss

About The Author
J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Review

Title: Tragic
Author: J. A. Huss
Publisher: Science Future Press
Released: May 15th 2013
Pages: 282 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Rook Walsh is TRAGIC

Because life so far – just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky… Rook got a second chance. And she took it. Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run.

Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract. Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy! He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s camera. Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modelling world. It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead Until Dark

Author: Charlaine Harris

Publisher: Gollancz

Released: January 1st 2001

Pages: 326 (Paperback)

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

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Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the kind of guy she's been waiting for all her life.

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire. Worse than that, hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind.

And when one of Sookie's colleagues is killed, she begins to fear she'll be next...

Although I adore books, watching television is a guilty pleasure of mine. After I finished watching Supernatural (please don't get me started on how much I adore this show) I was looking for new programmes to watch, and several of my friends suggested I watch True Blood. I liked it - not as much as Supernatural, but it was good. I then found out it originally stemmed from the Sookie Stackhouse series, so I decided to rent the first book out from the library. What a mistake.

Wait for You by J. Lynn

Title: Wait for You
Author: J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Released: February 25th 2013
Pages: 332 (eBook)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US
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Some things are worth waiting for…

Travelling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Blog Tour: Persistence of Vision by Liesel Hill

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to be in the tour. What, with a dystopian genre and sci-fi elements like time travel...well, how could the geek in me resist?

Review

Title: Persistence of Vision
Author: Liesel Hill
Publisher:  Tate Publishing
Released: January 29th 2012
Pages: 386 (Kindle)
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US


In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...


Five percent into this book, and I wanted to cry. What was I supposed to do? I was part of a blog tour of a book I wasn't even sure that I wanted to finish! I was confused, frustrated, disappointed...and then I hit 10% of my way through, and suddenly it became one of the best books I've read in a long time.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Title: The Bell Jar
Author: Sylvia Plath
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Released: 1963
Pages: 234 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon

Esther Greenwood is at college and is fighting two battles, one against her own desire for perfection in all things - grades, boyfriend, looks, career - and the other against remorseless mental illness. As her depression deepens she finds herself encased in it, bell-jarred away from the rest of the world. This is the story of her journey back into reality. 

About this time last year, I read Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen, possibly one of my all-time favourite books. After I'd finished, a lot of people recommended that I read The Bell Jar, saying that if I loved Girl Interrupted, The Bell Jar would blow my socks off. And blow them off it did, indeed.

I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

Title: I Am The Messenger
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Knopf Books
Released: May 9th 2006
Pages: 357 (Paperback)
Buy: Amazon

Meet Ed Kennedy—underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That’s when the first Ace arrives. That’s when Ed becomes the messenger...

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary), until only one question remains: Who’s behind Ed’s mission?