Review: Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

Just Remember to Breathe
by Charles Sheehan-Miles
Published: November 12, 2012
Publisher: Cincinnatus Press
Genre: New Adult
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:
Alex Thompson’s life is following the script. A pre-law student at Columbia University, she’s focused on her grades, her life and her future. The last thing she needs is to reconnect with the boy who broke her heart.

Dylan Paris comes home from Afghanistan severely injured and knows that the one thing he cannot do is drag Alex into the mess he’s made of his life.

When Dylan and Alex are assigned to the same work study program and are forced to work side by side, they have to make new ground rules to keep from killing each other.

Only problem is, they keep breaking the rules.

The first rule is to never, ever talk about how they fell in love.

Review:
Just Remember to Breathe is the perfect example of what I believe the New Adult genre should be. Not only does Sheehan-Miles present an original story line, with great characters, he keeps in mind that his audience are new adults (late teens to early twenties).

I absolutely loved that way this story plays out. Alex is believable in her role as a college student experiencing college life while healing from the heart break of Dylan breaking up with her. There are moments, choices that she makes, that made me angry with her, but they fit with her age and her emotional state. Dylan was really the character that I loved the best. He was damaged, physically and emotionally, and he knew he was. But he was also a good guy. He fought for his country, he wanted to protect Alex, and he believes that she deserves better. Most of all he tries. He tries to be what he thinks Alex wants, he tries to keep himself together, and he tries to get the help he needs.

PTSD in a scary reality for so many soldiers and getting the help they need can be just as scary. Sheehan-Miles doesn't sugar coat what is going on with Dylan and for me this is where I fell in love with the story. It would have been easy to just say Dylan had it and let him get help, instead he shows how it can change everything in a person's life and the lives of those around them.

Obviously this is intended for older teens and while it is fairly clean, there is sex involved and some very intense scenes involving Dylan's PTSD. Sheehan-Miles is definitely an author I will be reading again.

Cover Reveal: Forty Nights by Stephanie Parent

Forty Nights (Neima's Ark #2)

by Stephanie Parent

Release Date: September 2013
Cover Designed by: Najla Qamber Designs

Summary from Goodreads:

Neima, her family, and her grandfather Noah have found themselves trapped aboard an ark as a great flood destroys all life in the world. As their time aboard the ark lengthens, food begins to run out, wild animals grow restless, and family tensions become as much of a threat as the flood outside. In the second and final installment of Neima’s Ark, the stakes are higher, the conflicts are greater, and Neima finds herself facing a choice as impossible as the destruction all around her.

Forty Nights is a continuation of the story begun in Forty Days, and it’s recommended that you read Forty Days first for the best experience. Forty Nights does, however, contain a character guide to refresh readers’ memories. The Neima’s Ark series is a historical, feminist reimagining of the story of Noah’s Ark rather than a religiously oriented one, and the novels are best suited for readers who are comfortable with new interpretations of biblical stories.

Book One:

(Linked to Goodreads)

Forty Days is currently FREE!  Get your copy!

  

About the Author

Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.

***Author Links***

  

Cover Reveal: The Promise by Apryl Baker

The Promise (Coven, #1)

by Apryl Baker

Synopsis:

Armed with kick-ass shoes, can CJ stop a maniacal coven leader, save the town, and still get Mr. Melt In Your Mouth Gorgeous while surviving the darkness coming for her?

The smoke from the fire burned her eyes, its heat caressed her skin and the taste of fear choked her. She was going to burn just as her ancestor did all those centuries ago in New Salem Village. How could she have been so wrong about everything?

Cassie Jayne Bishop grew up the only non-believer in town of Coven. When a stranger comes to the sleepy town of New Salem, everything she thought was true unraveled around her. Ethan made her question everything, even her sister’s death. Clues start to pile up and Cassie is determined to find out if the Coven was the real reason her sister died.

What she uncovers terrifies her to the very depths of her soul...

Other books by Apryl Baker

About the Author: 
So who am I? Well, I'm the crazy girl with an imagination that never shuts up. I LOVE scary movies. My friend Chazz laughs at me when I scare myself watching them and tells me to stop watching them, but who doesn't love to get scared? I grew up in a small town nestled in the southern mountains of West Virginia where I spent days roaming around in the woods, climbing trees, and causing general mayhem. Nights I would stay up reading Nancy Drew by flashlight under the covers until my parents yelled at me to go to sleep.

Growing up in a small town, I learned a lot of values and morals, I also learned parents have spies everywhere and there's always someone to tell your mama on you. So when you get grounded, what is there left to do? Read! My Aunt Jo gave me my first real romance novel. It was a romance titled "Lord Margrave's Deception." I remember it fondly. But I also learned I had a deep and abiding love of mysteries and anything paranormal. As I grew up, I started to write just that and would entertain my friends with stories featuring them as main characters.

Now, I live Huntersville, NC where I entertain my family and watch the cats get teased by the birds and laugh myself silly when they swoop down and then dive back up just out of reach. The cats start yelling something fierce...lol.

I love books, I love writing books, and I love entertaining people with my silly stories.

You can reach me at any of these places:

Apryl’s Blog

Twitter

Wattpad

Goodreads

Facebook

PS: DO NOT GET IN MY WAY IF THERE IS A SALE ON AT TARGET - my home away from home!

Blog Tour: Dark Halo by Shannon Dittemore *Guest Post

Why I Write for Young Adults

By Shannon Dittemore

So, why do you write for young adults?
I get this question a lot. You’d think I’d have developed some sort of stock answer by now, but I struggle with it every time. I could say I chose teens because I like to read young adult literature—and there’s definitely truth to that statement—but I read more than the average person and not all of it’s geared for young people.

So, why then?
I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m one of those eternally sensitive souls who can still identify with the ever-emoting fifteen year old girl. Or maybe it’s because the books I read when I was that age are the ones that have stayed with me the longest.

It could also be that when I drafted Angel Eyes, I was surrounded by teens who reminded me very much of Brielle, my main character. Young women with potential and talent. Young men who were stronger than they knew. Young adults who had been through the waters of misery and still marched on. I wanted to examine the how and why. I wanted to tell their stories.

Maybe I’ll never know precisely why I chose to write for this audience. What I do know is that the heart of a teenager is a precious thing. It can be both fragile and resilient all in one tenuous beat. If my stories can speak to young hearts, strengthen them, remind them that there are more fighting for them than fighting against, I will be the happiest of souls.

Oh, look at that. Maybe that’s why I write for teens.

Dark Halo (Angela Eyes Trilogy, #3)
by Shannon Dittemore
Published: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Synopsis:
One halo brought sight to Brielle. Another offers sweet relief from what she sees.

Brielle can’t help but see the Celestial realm. Even without the halo, it’s everywhere she looks. And with the heavens above Stratus ravaged by war, Brielle wishes for another gift, any gift. Because Jake is gone. The only boy she’s ever loved has been taken by the demon, Damien—and she knows if she ever wants to see him again, she must fight.
But fighting is so hard when everything you see makes you afraid.

When she receives instructions from the Throne Room leading her to Jake, she unknowingly walks into a diabolical and heartbreaking trap. Then the Prince of Darkness himself offers Brielle a halo of his own making. With the dark halo, she won’t have to see the fear and brokenness that surround her. She’ll be free of that unbearable burden. And it comes with a promise: the guarantee of a life with Jake.
 

When confusing details about Jake’s past emerge, and the battle above reaches a fever pitch, Brielle is forced to make a choice. Will she choose the dark halo and the ignorance that comes with it, or will she choose to live with her eyes wide open and trust the Creator’s design—even if it means a future without Jake?

Available from:

   

Other books in the Angel Eyes Trilogy:

About the Author

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes Trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California.

ANGEL EYES was Shannon’s debut novel and the launch of a young adult supernatural trilogy. It was published in the summer of 2012 by Thomas Nelson. The sequel BROKEN WINGS hit shelves in February, 2013 and the final novel in the trilogy, DARK HALO, will be available August 20, 2013.

Shannon Dittemore is having a Live Twitter Chat August 27th at 6pm (Pacific) where she will be giving away a Kindle Fire HD and other prizes! Enter here:
http://shannondittemore.com/win-a-kindle-fire/

Author Links:

    

***GIVEAWAY***
5-sets of the Angel Eyes Trilogy including Angel Eyes, Broken Wings and Dark Halo. US only.

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Blog Tour Sign up: The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker

Sign up for The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker Blog Tour has opened! Just click on the tour banner to be taken to the sign up form!

The Ghost Files

by Apryl Baker

Published: August 13, 2013

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Genre: YA Paranormal

Cherry blossom lipstick: check
Smokey eyes: check
Skinny jeans: check
Dead kid in the mirror: check

For sixteen year old Mattie Hathaway, this is her normal everyday routine. She’s been able to see ghosts since her mother tried to murder her when she was five years old. No way does she want anyone to know she can talk to spooks. Being a foster kid is hard enough without being labeled a freak too.

Normally, she just ignores the ghosts and they go away. That is until she see’s the ghost of her foster sister… Sally.

Everyone thinks Sally’s just another runaway, but Mattie knows the truth—she’s dead. Murdered. Mattie feels like she has to help Sally, but she can’t do it alone. Against her better judgment, she teams up with a young policeman, Officer Dan, and together they set out to discover the real truth behind Sally’s disappearance.

Only to find out she’s dealing with a much bigger problem, a serial killer, and she may be the next victim… 

Review: Flutter by Gina Linko

Flutter
by Gina Linko
Published: October 23, 2012
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:
All Emery Land wants is to be like any other 17-year-old—to go to school, hang out with her friends, and just be normal. But for as long as she can remember, she’s suffered from seizures. And in recent years they’ve consumed her life. To Emery they’re much more than seizures, she calls them loops—moments when she travels through wormholes back and forth in time and to a mysterious town. The loops are taking their toll on her physically. So she practically lives in the hospital where her scientist father and an ever-growing team of doctors monitor her every move. They’re extremely interested in the data they collect when Emery seizes. It appears that she’s tapping into parts of the brain typically left untouched by normal human beings.

Escaping from the hospital, Emery travels to Esperanza, the town from her loops on the upper peninsula of Michigan, where she meets Asher Clarke. Ash’s life is governed by his single-minded pursuit of performing good Samaritan acts to atone for the death of a loved one. His journey is very much entwined with Emery’s loops.

Drawn together they must unravel their complicated connection before it’s too late.

Review:
This is a very hard review to form. There was so much about Flutter that I loved, yet all of it is dashed by the ending. I promise no spoilers, no matter how hard they are to avoid!

Linko has a beautiful writing style. The story had at times an almost otherworldly tone to it that I felt really built up the looping and the daze that Emery's life has become. The concept was awesome. That Emery is looping to another place or time was such an interesting idea. I loved that this wasn't an easy ability. By that I mean it wasn't something she just did with no consequences or notice. Her looping caused extended seizures which were causing her organs to shut down. She was dying and people around her were attempting to place a scientific explanation on it.

The main characters are very well developed. Emery and Asher are complex people and each have their own secrets. While Emery struggles to trust Asher, he is driven by guilt to protect her and everyone else. Their romance builds slowly and it progressed naturally. That said I felt that the 'villians' in the story felt one dimensional. Oh, there were hints that maybe there was something more about them, but in the end they are simply bad guys doing bad things.

So with an amazing concept, beautiful writing, and great characters, why didn't I love it? Two words. The ending.

I stayed up until one in the morning reading Flutter, anxious to find out what happens and when I got to the last few pages I just felt let down. I wanted an explanation. I wanted a real conclusion to the story lines and closure to relationships. I got none of that.

I've been going back and forth on my rating. I rated it a 3 at first, but I'm leaning more to a 4. The longer I think about it the more I realize that if I hadn't truly enjoyed the writing and story, I wouldn't have felt so let down by the ending.

Cover Reveal Sign Up: The Promise by Apryl Baker

The Promise by Apryl Baker is getting a brand new cover! This cover reveal is scheduled for August 26th. The new cover and all other details will be sent out 1-2 days before the reveal. Included in the email will be the cover, blurb, author picture, bio, and links. Also included will be an html version of the post that you can use and personalize for your blog.

The Promise
by Apryl Baker

Cassie Jayne Bishop grew up in the sleepy town of New Salem, NC, the only non-believer in the tradition and power of the town Coven. When a stranger comes to New Salem, everything she thought was normal about her life unravels around her. Ethan makes her question everything, even her sister's death in a car crash years ago. As Cassie discovers the full truth about her heritage, and the clues start to pile up, she becomes determined to find out if the Coven was actually involved in her sister's death. What she uncovers terrifies her.

Her fate lies at the very heart of the secret the Coven protects. It's the reason she was born. Now, betrayed on every side, can she find a way to survive or will she be the catalyst that triggers a centuries old act of vengeance.

Blog Tour: Wicked Hunger by DelSheree Gladden *Author's Impact

Book Title:  Wicked Hunger

Series:  SomeOne Wicked This Way Comes

Author:  DelSheree Gladden

Release Date:  July 9th

Genre:  YA Urban Fantasy

Length: 95,000 words/240 pages

Publisher:  GMTA Publishing LLC

Presented by:  As You Wish Tours

Tour Schedule

The Author’s Impact

I have always been a voracious reader. It amazes me how words can so deeply affect a person. As a young reader, I spent a lot of time at the library and even more time curled up with my books. I think I read just about every book in the Juvenile Fiction section. I can even tell you how many Saddle Club books I read, or how disappointed I was when I ran out of The Gymnasts series books to read.

But one of the first series that I really loved and treasured was Patricia C. Wrede’s The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Princess Cimorene was such a fabulous heroine. She was confident, spunky, and determined. I was nothing like her as a child, so of course I adored her! I still have all four books in the series now as a twenty-nine-year-old, and I now read them to my kids. I loved Wrede’s ability to normalize everything about the outlandish Enchanted Forest. Giant blue rabbits, soapy water with lemon that melted wizards, and faulty flying carpets seemed perfectly average in her world. She had a talent for creating worlds that drew readers in and kept them.

Another writer I not only enjoy reading for the storylines he creates, but for his outstanding creativity is Jim Butcher. Author of The Dresden Files and The Aleran Codex, Butcher is an amazing writer. The creativity he employs in his writing never fails to astound me. Both of his series delve into the worlds of magic and power, but rarely will it be exactly what you expect. Butcher puts his own twist on every “stock” fantasy character and makes them his own. His writing really pushed me toward urban fantasy, and I am so thankful it did!

The last writer I’ll mention who has influenced my writing greatly is Brandon Sanderson. I had been reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (the first one co-authored by Brian Sanderson) and was anxiously awaiting the release of his next book when my husband not only got me the new book for Christmas, but also Sanderson’s Mistborn Series. I was simply blown away when I reached the end of the Mistborn books. I had never read such a complex storyline that so utterly captured me and surprised me. I have to say it was practically flawless in its inception. I am always on the lookout for plot holes, and I found none at all. Not only was it well conceived and carried out, it was an amazing story that is one of my absolute favorites. When I write, I strive—though I’m sure I often fall short—of creating a story that not only has depth and meaning, but one that doesn’t leave the readers saying, “But what about …”

I am sure I will never meet any of these writers I admire so much, but I do offer my thanks for their inspiration. It’s amazing how much a book can influence a person.

SYNOPSIS

Vanessa and Zander Roth are good at lying. They have to be when they are hiding a deadly secret. Day after day, they struggle to rein in their uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering in order to live normal lives. Things only get worse when Ivy Guerra appears with her pink-striped hair and secrets. The vicious hunger Ivy inspires is frightening, not to mention suspicious.

Vanessa’s instincts are rarely wrong, so when they tell her that Ivy’s appearance is a sign of bad things to come, she listens.  She becomes determined to expose Ivy’s secrets. Vanessa tries to warn her brother, but Zander is too enamored with Ivy to pay attention to her conspiracy theories.

One of them is right about Ivy … but if they lose control of their hunger, it won’t matter who is right and who is wrong. One little slip, and they’ll all be dead.

AUTHOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Delsheree Gladden's first book in her new YA series SomeOne Wicked This Way Comes is a riveting story of uncontrollable bloodlust that turns dealing with family, friendships, trust, devotion and love into a WICKED HUNGER~~~Susan Stec, author of Dead Girls Never Shut Up and The Grateful Undead Series.

AUTHOR BIO

DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually teaching yoga, coaching gymnastics, reading, painting, sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include Escaping Fate, Twin Souls Saga, and The Destroyer Trilogy. DelSheree's newest series, The SomeOne Wicked This Way Come series, follows Vanessa and Zander Roth, siblings with an uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering that will either gain them limitless power or lead them to their deaths.

AUTHOR LINKS

DelSheree’s Blog

DelSheree’s Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Wattpad

Amazon

BOOK LINKS

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Paperback US

Amazon Kindle UK

Amazon Paperback UK

B&N

Kobo

Goodreads

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Book Blitz: Dawn of Apocalypse by E.S.P.

Dawn of the Apocalypse

by E.S.P. 

Release Date: 08/09/13

Synopsis:

January 1, 2000.

May 21, 2011.

December 21, 2012

These are just a few of the days humans prophesied as bringing catastrophic events that would end the world. We predicted nuclear warfare. Drastic climate change. A call from God.

We were wrong.

Cue the gargoyle invasion—laboratory bred mutants designed to slaughter humans. When the government goes AWOL and gargoyles are swarming by the hundreds, it's up to the citizens of the United States to regroup and save themselves.

Meet Cliff Matthews, a teenage boy separated from his entire family with the exception of his younger sister, whom he is desperate to keep alive. Along the quest to save their lives, he encounters people who aren't all that they seem. Everyday's a battle, but if he can't trust his own species, where does that leave his family?

And we can't forget the man who may be willing to sacrifice Cliff's life, if it means world domination.

In terms of doomsday, no one could've seen this coming. The dawn of the
apocalypse…

Excerpt:

It was barely a second after she locked the door before it pounded on it. And then the screams began.

The scream was so high pitched and devilish that it turned her insides out. She dropped to her knees, sobbing in agony. The screams ripped through eardrums and strummed against her soul. Warm tears flooded through her eyes like rivers.

Angel screamed, flailing around in Hunter's arms. It took all her strength to restrain her. As she bit her lip, she tasted blood.

Now she knew why the gargoyle screamed like that. It made a person willing to kill themselves. It made her willing to sacrifice her life, if only the torture would discontinue.

She choked as something gushed down her face. She put her hand under her nose. When she brought her fingers from her face, they were covered in blood.

If she stayed here any longer, she would die. And so would Angel.

A force heavier than gravity was pulsing through the air, pushing Hunter towards the ground while she tried to get up. It was bone crushing. She felt her insides melting.

The tears continued to slide down her cheeks, though her screams had stopped. She was hollow.

She picked herself up, pushing through the weight of the air. The room was small, she could tell. There had to be some type of exit...some way to get out. She blindly felt the walls with one hand. 

There needed to be an exit door or an escape hatch or maybe just a window. There had to be.

About the Author

Being the daughter of an accomplished author, E.S.P. grew up listening to stories and telling her own to classmates. After writing for several years and even publishing some short works, she finally decided to take the plunge to write (plus finish!)a full length novel. Thus, Dawn of the Apocalypse was born. When she's not writing, she's either reading books, blogging at whoistheserialreader.blogspot.com, or watching eighties movies.

   

***GIVEAWAY***

E-book copy of
Dawn of the Apocalypse and $10 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

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