Toxic Review,Interview + GIVEAWAY!

Review and Interview with a GIVEAWAY!

Toxic (Denazen #2)

by Jus Accardo

 BLURB:

When a Six saved Kale's life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she'd lose the one thing she'd give anything to keep... And as if it's not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez's problems.

After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the situation, he poisons Dez and offers her a choice--surrender to Denazen for the cure...or die. Determined to find a solution that doesn't involve being bagged and tagged--or losing someone she loves--Dez keeps the poison a secret. But when a rash of Denazen attacks hit a little too close to home, Dez is convinced there's a traitor among them. Jade.

Sacrifices, broken promises, and secrets. Dez will have to lay it all on the line if there's any hope of proving Jade's guilt before they all end up Residents of Denazen. Or worse, dead...

Source: Publisher for an honest review

Note: Younger Readers cautioned

My Thoughts:

I loved Touch.It was a great novel and I couldn't wait to get my hands on Toxic.I screamed in delight when I received Toxic for review.

I was disappointed with this novel.One thing I want to make very clear is the fact that I don't like reading books that are sad and depressing. This book was sad.I understand why the author wrote this novel and I realize that this book really helped in the development of  the characters and gave the characters a lot of depth but I didn't enjoy this novel as much as Touch.

Dez  frustrated me in this novel.I wanted to hit her but I could understand and  relate to her insecurities.

Kale was as awesome as ever but I felt that Kale wasn't there in a lot of crucial moments and really missed him in this novel.Throughout the novel I wanted more Kale.There was one scene in which I was very irritated with him and couldn't understand why he did what he did (SPOILER: His rationale behind kissing Jade was weird! )

Jade is a new character and I disliked her but I don't hate her.

I felt that the characters really grew up in this novel.The depth of Kale and Dez's relationship was always a huge question mark in my mind but in this novel I understood and could appreciate it's depth. 

In Touch I always thought that it was possible that Kale's feelings towards Dez are superficial .Are they? Well you'll just have to read this book to find out.

Tensions are high in this novel and a lot of lives are at stake which is what kept me hooked throughout.

Overall, This book is more serious than the first but it answered a lot of questions that I had about Kale and Dez. This book was an emotional roller-coaster. The only major problem I had with this book is the fact that it ends with a cliffhanger. Cannot wait for book #3!

My Rating:

3.5 /5

Interview with Author

Songs you're listening to

I’ve been listening to the Tremble playlist a lot lately. Some of my faves from it are:

Puscifer – Undertaker “Renholder Mix”

Adele – Someone like you

Powerman 5000 - Bombshell

TV show you're obsessed with

I’m kind of loving Arrow…although I’ve had to watch it online because our evil TV peeps dropped the channel!

What after Toxic?

I’m working on new books for the Denazen series, as well as a new YA series.

How many books in the Denazen series?

The world of the Sixes is huge with quite a few stories to tell. I don’t have an exact number at the moment, but there will be more!

Should we keep our hopes up for a happy ending to the story of Kale and Dez?

They deserve one, don’t they? I’d say yes. Keep hope alive! The road won’t be easy, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel ;) I promise.

Where did you come up with the name of Dez? 

It was totally random. I do gravitate toward names starting with D, K, and S, though…

BIO

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. Her first book, Touch was released in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is currently working on the next book in the Denazen series.

Give Jus a yell on Twitter, or visit her on Facebook, and her website.

GIVEAWAY

Entangled Teen is giving away an awesome swag pack at my blog!

US/CANADA ONLY.

This pack consists of:

Touch post card signed
Toxic postcard signed
Touch magnet
Untouched magnet
Toxic magnet
Toxic bookmark
signed bookplate
Team Kale sticker

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1000 followers GIVEAWAY!

OMG I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAVE A 1000 FOLLOWERS!!!

1000 PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT MY BLOG *IN TEARS*

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

YOU KNOW what this means??

DEAR FOLLOWERS

TIME FOR A 

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can win ANY one book from Book Depository!

SOME CHOICES

                                                         

                                                                           THIS IS AN ADULT NOVEL.

*ADULT NOVEL*

*ADULT NOVEL*

I will be adding to this list.

APART FROM THE CHOICES  LISTED ABOVE

• If the book is part of the same series and the price on BD is less or equal to the price of choice listed above.You can choose the other book in the same series. Eg. Opal is the 3rd book in the Lux series if you want Obsidian(Book #1) and the cost of Obsidian is less or equal to the cost of Opal on BD then you can choose Obsidian instead of Opal.
• You can choose ANY book worth $10 (10 US dollars)  from the Book Depository

GIVEAWAY BUTTON

<div align="center"> <a href="http://youngreadersathome.blogspot.com/2012/10/1000-followers-giveaway.html" title="Young Readers"><img src="http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb470/Krazzyme1/1000.jpg" alt="Young Readers" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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Please keep in mind that a lot of books mentioned above have not been released yet.So I will pre-order the book for you.

Novels ADDED on popular demand

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Alice in Zombieland

The Elite 

The Archived

Book Blast : The Emerald Talisman! [$100 GC GIVEAWAY!]

The Emerald Talisman Audio Book by Brenda Pandos  
Read by Mary Morgan

You can run from your destiny, but you can't hide.

If for no other reason than to help endure the hormonal rush of high school, sixteen-year-old Julia Parker would trade her ability to feel her fellow students' emotions in a heartbeat, especially half the boys in class.

When the beguiling Nicholas uses his superhuman strength to rescue Julia from the edge of a cliff before she's devoured by a bloodthirsty stalker, Julia is suddenly thrust into an underground world where people and animals are often one and the same. Fellow high school students disappear and only Julia and Nicholas know the truth. While Nicholas, a vampire hunter, is out stopping the ever-growing coven, an old friend entices Julia to join him on the dark side and a psychic tells Julia she alone is the key to stopping the madness, problem is it'll require Nicholas' life. 

Amazon * Audible * Goodreads * Sample

Author Brenda Pandos:  

Brenda Pandos lives in California with her husband and two boys. She attempts to balance her busy life filled with writing, being a mother and wife, and spending time with friends and family. Working formerly as an I.T. Administrator, she never believed her imagination would be put to good use. After her son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder her life completely changed. Writing paranormal romance became something she could do at home while tending to the new needs of her family, household, and herself.

Three years later, Brenda now has five books published, The Talisman Trilogy: The Emerald Talisman, The Sapphire Talisman, and The Onyx Talisman, and Mer Tales: Everblue and Evergreen. She is currently working on the third book of Mer Tales, Everlost, coming February 2013.

LINKS:

Website * Blog * Goodreads * Twitter * Facebook 


Audio Book Tour 

Readers are invited to participate in The Emerald Talisman blog tour from 10/26-11/23 hosted by Confessions of a Bookaholic. There will be giveaways, interviews and a scavenger hunt! 

Book Blast Giveaway Details:

$100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 PayPal Cash from Author Brenda Pandos

Ends 10/30/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry.  Simply enter it when you follow Brenda and leave the others blank.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

The Reluctant Bachelorette : Excerpt + GIVEAWAY! (Not YA!)

THIS BOOK IS FOR ADULTS.

HEY GUYS! Today as part of this blog tour I'm going to be sharing an excerpt from this book !

Please keep in mind that this book is for adults and is not YA.

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson


Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?

EXCERPT

Taycee pushed one last sunflower into the green foam and stepped back to study the arrangement. Perfect.

“It’s gorgeous. Who’s it for?” Jessa asked.

“Mr. Benion.”

“Our old biology teacher?”

“One and the same.”

“Why?” Jessa’s perfectly tweezed arched eyebrows drew together. “Unless . . . wait. Don’t tell me he’s actually dating someone.”        

A laugh escaped Taycee’s mouth. Jessa sounded so shocked, as if no one in their right mind would ever go out with poor Mr. Benion. “You didn’t hear it from me, but when he ordered the arrangement, he asked if I knew what Maris’s favorite flowers are.”

Jessa’s jaw dropped, as well as her voice. “Shut up. Are you serious? Mr. Benion and Maris?”

Taycee shrugged. “Who knows? I just do as my customers ask.”

“You never do as I ask.”

“I meant my paying customers.”

Jessa let out an exaggerated sigh. “And you call yourself a friend.”

“Your best friend, and don’t you forget it,” Taycee said as she pushed in the plastic card holder and slid the white envelope into place.

“Um, yeah . . .” Jessa hedged. “Funny you should mention that.”

“Why?” Taycee said, wary. It had been awhile since Jessa had played the “best friend” card, and it wasn’t a good thing when she did. Her favors were never small.

“I’m actually here to call in a little favor.” Jessa bit down on her lower lip, moving it back and forth between her teeth.

“What’s up?”

Jessa hopped down from the counter and focused her light brown eyes on Taycee. “Remember in high school when you snuck out past curfew to meet David at the movies?”

“Uh . . . yeah.” Oh no, not this. Not the favor of all favors. Taycee had secretly hoped it had joined the archives of forgotten memories. If only she could be that lucky.

Jessa stepped closer. “And remember how your parents called my house, and I lied for you and told them you were studying with me?”

“Maybe.”

“And remember how you promised me you’d do anything to pay me back?”

“That part’s a little hazy.” Why oh why had she ever made such a promise? Especially knowing full well Jessa would never forget and it would come back to haunt her one day. Today, as it turned out.

Jessa picked up a discarded sunflower and plucked the petals one by one. “Hazy or not, I’m calling in that promise, best friend of mine.”

Taycee grabbed the sunflower from Jessa, saving the remaining petals. “Sorry, but I think there’s a clause somewhere that states all promises are null and void after seven years.”

“Not a chance.” Jessa smirked. “Those kinds of promises never expire. Besides, it’s too late anyway.”

Oh no. What did Jessa do now? “Too late for what?”

“To say no.” Jessa shrugged as if it were no big deal. “You’re already committed.”

“Committed to what? Jessa! You can’t commit me to anything without asking first. Even you should know that.” Not that it really came as a shock. Jessa always did whatever she wanted, because if Jessa thought something was a good idea, then of course it was.          

With a sweep of her hand, Jessa brushed her layered bangs to the side. “So how did your date go with Pat last night?”

“Not so fast. I want to know what this favor is first.”

“And I want to know about your date with Pat.”

About the Author:
Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.





Links:

FB fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Anderson/174521852685105
Website:
http://rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/rachaelreneeand
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3229576.Rachael_Renee_Anderson
Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Renee-Anderson/e/B003357K70/


Tour Giveaway - October 1st to 31st:

Grand Prize
    Print copy of The Reluctant Bachelorette (Ebook for International winner)
    $15 Amazon Gift Card
    Copy of the DVD Sneakers (US only)

Print copy of The Reluctant Bachelorette

3 Kindle Ebook Copy of The Reluctant Bachelorette


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  If the grand prize winner is not in the US they will receive only the  Amazon Gift card & a Kindle copy of The Reluctant Bachelorette.  The Sneakers DVD would then be awarded to the winner of the print copy  who must live in the US.

Review: Forgiven by Jana Oliver

Forgiven (The Demon Trappers #3)

by Jana Oliver

 DO NOT READ BLURB IF You haven't read the previous books.
Riley Blackthorne. Kicking hell’s ass one demon at a time...

Riley has made a bargain with Heaven, and now they've come to collect.

Lucifer's finest are ruling the streets and it seems that Armageddon might be even closer than Riley imagined. But with her soul and her heart in play it's all she can do to keep herself alive, let alone save the world. Riley's not afraid of kicking some major demon butt, but when it comes to a battle between Heaven and Hell, she might need a little help...

US cover:

Source: Bought

My Thoughts:

This book was a little disappointing. Soul Thief (a.k.a Forbidden) was amazing and it would have been very hard to top that book and unfortunately this book doesn't live upto the mark that was established in Book #2.

This book has a great start and I loved the demon hunters and the tension that comes up due to the appearance of The Vatican.Tensions are high between Beck and Riley too.This book had a great start but I think where this book fell short was the end and basically how the fight (trying to avoid spoilers here!) was resolved.Basically I was disappointed with the ending and the "apocalypse" .There was a lot of buildup for the fight and at the end it felt a little flat.

I think the author could have easily ended this series with this book .I'm pretty sure she was planning to end the series with this book that is why the  conflict between Riley and Beck seems to be more of an afterthought. Beck's past has never been an issue before.If it was such a huge deal I think it should have been mentioned before.Anyways,I want to know what happens next so I'll definitely be buying the next book (Note: Already finished the last book Foretold, and it was GREAT!)

Apart from what I mentioned above I had no problems with this book.Riley is as awesome as ever! I really like Riley now.She's a strong female who makes mistakes and faces the consequences of her mistakes head on. I can really connect to her as she's a normal girl who has to face supernatural elements that she has no control over. 

I like Beck a lot too! He's such an awesome character.The characters in this series are very interesting.I love the character development in this series.I'm in love with this series because of the characters and even though the story might not be very different from other paranormal novels already out in the wild,this series is worth a read because of the characters.

Overall, even though I was disappointed with this book ,it's still a great book and I'll definitely be continuing this series.

My Rating:

3.5/5

Cover Love and Cover Alert!

The Cover of Apollyon is OUT!!

Apollyon (Covenant #4)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Expected publication: April 9th 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

ADD TO GOODREADS

Another cover that I love that was released recently is of Tidal.

I wasn't a huge fan of the first novel (Wake) of the series but I am definitely considering buying this novel JUST FOR THE COVER!

Tidal (Watersong #3)

by Amanda Hocking 

 Expected publication: April 16th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

ADD TO GOODREADS

HOW PRETTY!! 

*STARES*

Another really pretty cover...

The Elite (The Selection #2)

by Kiera Cass

Expected publication: April 23rd 2013 by HarperTeen

ADD TO GOODREADS

I like this cover much more than the cover of The Selection. IT'S SO much prettier than the first book's cover!!I WANT THAT DRESS!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Any other covers caught your eye this week?

Guest Post: The Serpent's Ring + GIVEAWAY

As part of The Serpent's Ring blog tour I'm posting an excerpt and a guest post!

Excerpt from The Serpent’s Ring

Claire squint her eyes and pursed her lips. After a minute, her face turned red, a rush of air released from her mouth, and she collapsed against the seat.

Evan laughed. “Seriously, you are as loony as the imp.”

“At least, I’m trying to do something here! What about you? Aren’t you going to try?” Claire bellowed.

“No,” said Evan flatly.

“Evan, an enormous flyingfish swooped down and stole the Serpent’s Ring from your arm. We are in a Model T with an imp, and the sky is tangerine with rainbow-colored clouds. Humor me, and try to move this blasted car with your mind!” said Claire, grabbing Evan’s shirt collar. “If you don’t, I will make your life miserable. Got it?”

Evan looked at Dunkle, then back at his sister before saying, “Fine, I’ll do it. But just for the record, this is bizarre.”

Dunkle gave him a little smile, and Evan brought in a breath of air. He imagined the tires turning, but nothing happened.

“See, I told you. This is ridiculous,” he sighed.

“No, try again,” encouraged Dunkle.

Evan rolled his eyes and then stared at the steering wheel. He concentrated and concentrated. Suddenly, the Model T swayed and lavender mist billowed from underneath the car.

“Whoa, what happened?” asked Evan, his eyes wide.

“You, my boy, are telekinetic,” said Dunkle with obvious delight.

“Come on, Evan, try it again,” Claire encouraged.

“You can do this. Just imagine the wheels turning,” instructed Dunkle.

Evan looked back and forth between Claire and Dunkle. After careful deliberation, he closed his eyes and imagined he was pushing the tires around and around. Suddenly, he felt the car rock and heard his sister gasp. He opened his eyes. Not only did the tires roll, the entire flippin’ car was floating!

“Argh!” Evan shouted, and with that, the car fell, producing a startling jolt.

“Ouch!” Claire yelped and swatted her brother. “Why did you drop us?”

“Am I the only one here who finds it the tiniest bit odd that we were flying in a Model T?” shouted Evan.

Claire placed her hand on his shoulder. “Evan, yes, it is strange. But if we don’t get over it, then according to Dunkle, everything we care about will soon be covered in water. I’m not any happier than you are, but I’m trying to deal with it and so should you.”

Evan took another second to collect himself before sitting upright and taking hold of the front seat. “I think this will work better if I’m behind the wheel,” he said, jumping over. He looked at Dunkle, who nodded.

“Ready?” Dunkle asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” said Evan, his bare white knuckles clutching the wheel.

Again, he filled his lungs with air and concentrated. To his surprise, the car lifted and hovered in place.

“Now, forward,” instructed Dunkle.

“Wicked,” said Evan, as air blew through his hair and whispered into his ears.

“Be very careful; you must continue to concentrate and don’t look down,” said Dunkle.

Evan hadn’t considered looking down. But now that Dunkle mentioned it, he just couldn’t resist. Evan peeked over the car door, and the Model T fell.

“Concentrate! Don’t lose your focus!” shouted Claire.

The car froze in place, and from that moment on, Evan resisted peeking over the side.

Guest Post

            Superheroes — who doesn’t love them? Not only does each one have a unique power, their costumes are pretty awesome as well. Most of them are strong, kind and always eager to help. Common folks look up to them and strive to reach a higher level of perfection. But what would happen if an average kid was given a superpower? How would he match up to the superheroes everyone adores and respects? What if he was flawed, just like the rest of mankind? What if he didn’t wear a cape or flashy clothes? And what if he was just asked to save the world?

           

Evan Jones and his sister, Claire, started their morning as normal teens, but that changed as soon as they found the Serpent’s Ring. Not only was it stolen from them, it altered their DNA. Evan soon learned, through the help of a bossy little imp named Dunkle, that he was telekinetic. Meaning, he was able to move objects with his mind. His first attempt at using his newfound power was when he was given orders, by Dunkle, to fly an old Model T.

           

Soon after landing the antique car near Lake Huron, Claire was instructed to use her new power of transfiguration. Dunkle explained how she could transform the shape of an object and change it into anything she wanted. Her first task was to melt sand and form it into a glass Viking ship. After all, how else would they sail to Asgard?

            

The Serpent’s Ring is the first in a series, Relics of Mysticus. Each book will bring Evan and Claire into a different realm of mythology, where they must search for and keep all of the relics safe. Each relic is powerful in its own right, and each relic can offer a new power when the siblings come in contact with it. What new powers will Evan and Claire gain on their magical adventures? 

             

If you could have one superpower, which would it be? What would your costume look like?

Photo Credits

Avengers

photo credit: JDHancock viaphotopin

cc

The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus, #1)

by H.B. Bolton 

BLURB:

Evan and Claire Jones are typical teenagers, forced to go with their parents to yet another boring museum ... that is, until something extraordinary happens to make their day a little more than interesting. After following a strange little creature into a closed exhibit, Evan and his older sister, Claire, discover the Serpent’s Ring, one of the magical relics formed from the shattered Mysticus Orb. Purely by accident, they have awakened its powers and opened a portal to Sagaas, land of ancient gods. 

Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous bird and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely heroes, must retrieve the Serpent’s Ring before Aegir uses its immense powers to flood all the lands on Earth.

ADD TO GOODREADS

GIVEAWAY!

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

paperback copy of The Serpent's Ring, a Rune Treasure box and a signed bookmark.

a Rafflecopter giveaway