Trailer/Cover Reveal: The Lebrus Stone (+ giveaway)

Welcome to the Miriam Khan cover and trailer reveal for her YA Paranormal Romance The Lebrus Stone. The event is hosted by Itching for Books. Check out the awesome cover below and enter the giveaway:

The Lebrus Stone by Miriam Khan

Release date: November 2014
Genre: Paranormal, YA, romance

When Eighteen-year-old orphan, Crystal Valdez, accepts an invitation to the small town of Blacksville, West Virginia, she hopes to have a summer to remember and a chance to learn more about her parents, to also get to know the family she never knew existed.
But the Lockes begin to act strange and erratic; eerie movements in the night fuel her vivid and gruesome nightmares. To complicate her summer further, she becomes attracted to the menacing yet handsome Cray Locke: her none blood related cousin who seems determined to keep his distance. The only bonus seems to be the Housekeeper and Gardener.
And when a local informs Crystal of the secrets buried at Thorncrest Manor, the kind consisting of a forbidden relationship and a war between hidden worlds, and witchcraft, she must decide whom to trust. Even if it means leaving behind those she has come to love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Miriam is from Cheshire, England and a family of six siblings. Her love for creativity led to acting at her local theatre before being a lead vocalist in rock bands. During those years, she often found solace penning her thoughts and feelings through lyrics or poetry. She chose not to continue singing in 2006, and two years later she woke up with the idea for The Lebrus Stone and began typing, revising and editing it for the next six years. She is now eager to see what readers will think.

miriamkhannovels.blogspot.com

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Reread!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.

This week's top ten list is 10 books I'd like to reread. I also wrote some mini (kind of) reviews!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This book was such a cutesy read with a bit of teenage angst thrown in. Throw in a British boy from America in Paris and you've got the perfect guy, right? Right.

Reading this story also heightened my want to go to Paris and, as I type this, I am waiting for my passport to arrive so I can be on my merry way to au pair for a year or so in FRANCE. Dream come true? Maybe. YES.

So this book is one of my all-time favourites. I'm currently reading Isla and the Happily Ever After  and I'm sad that the series is coming to an end but I'm excited to see how this all rounds off.

Compulsion by Martina Boone

This is a new found favourite of mine having finished barely two days ago. I still have the warm and fuzzies over this one and I cannot recommend it enough. I'm sure all of my Twitter followers are sick to death of me fangirling on and on about Compulsion.  Sorry guys.

Eight and Barrie have a lovely romance going and it just gets sweeter the further you get to the end. He's pretty much perfect. Good looking, intelligent, knows what people want and incredibly kind. That just does not  happen in the real world. You don't get all of those things in one guy unfortunately. That's why I think I'll stick to fictional guys.

Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is a spin-off novel from JLA's Lux series. It's meant for a more mature audience where the Lux books are fairly mild in terms of violence and sexual situations.

I really enjoyed this one though. I was entirely intrigued by the Arum and seeing things from their point of view was eye opening! There was one or two crossover scenes between Obsession  and Origin  which was awesome and very well done.

P.S. It can't only be me who thinks the male model looks a helluva lot like Scott from Teen Wolf... Right? 

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Ah this book! This was the one that started my JLA obsession and now I pretty much consume anything that she writes. This will always be my favourite book of hers though.

Daemon is utterly infuriating and oh-my-goodness hot. LOOK AT HIM. (The cover model is Pepe Toth in case you were wondering). The banter between him and Katy is hilarious. I am pretty much Katy. Everything that she says is what I would say if I were put in a similar situation. We'd be great friends, I'm sure of it.

I know some people are put off this book because it's about aliens but please give it a try! I was the same and ended up truly loving this series. The characters (even the creepy ones *you Lux fans know who I'm talking about*) make the story that much more wonderful!

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

"Oh god, it's about mermaids."
This was my first thought when reading the synopsis. I originally bought this book because of the pretty cover. I have no shame. It is no secret now that I love love love  underwater covers. I'm pretty sure I mention this in every post. Yeah so I bought it for it's cover but I stayed for the content and the characters.

The female protagonist is strong willed and does not want to let boys do all of the ass kicking. I think everyone should aspire to be a little more like Emma.

It's been a while since I read this book and I am in dire need of a reread so I can buy the next books. Great first book if I remember correctly!

Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch

This is another new found favourite of mine. I recently read this one and am dying to get my hands on the sequel. It's not out yet unfortunately and I'm not sure it even has a set release date. *Boooooo*

Anyways, this is a brilliant novel about some pretty weird stuff. It's about a world where keeping humans as pets is okay. Like it's natural for wealthy families to get 'pets'. Creepy, I know, but give it a chance! It's a very well written book with characters that leap off the page and into your heart with the things they do for other each other. Ella and Penn especially.

Oh and isn't the cover lovely? It's elegant whilst still holding some sort of underlying meaning with the cage surrounding such a pretty object.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I don't think I'm over this book yet and it's been a while. I am still trying to get my grabby little hands on Unravel Me and Ignite Me - I really want to see why everyone is suddenly Team Warner. He seemed a little unstable in Shatter Me... I did feel sorry for him though.

This book is really well written. I remember thinking 'what took me so long?!' when I read the first few chapters. The writing is so beautiful and it's kind of hard to describe. The author explains everything that's happening but we also get an insight into the deepest parts of Juliette's mind. It's written sort of like a journal I guess, with all of the crossing outs and repeated words.

PLUS THIS SERIES HAS THE PRETTIEST COVERS EVER.

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Yet another  new found favourite. I read this one maybe two weeks ago and the story really is beautiful and tragic. Tragically beautiful is the perfect term. Wherever there's darkness in the lives of Will and Lake there's also light weaving it's way through in the form of each other's growing affection.

I hope book 2 is just as good - this first book will stick with me I'm sure of it. It also gave me something new to love; slam poetry! I youtubed it whilst halfway through this book and ended up sitting in the same spot for maybe 2 hours just clicking on people reciting poetry that was so gripping and emotionally charged that I just could not look away, could not listen. So thank you Colleen for helping me find this and for writing such lovely books!

So Much To Learn by Jessie L. Star

I read this one a while back and I would love to reread it. I don't remember too  much but what I do remember was the romance aspect of this book.

It's about a girl who asks her brother's best friend (?) to help her with guys and how to be with them as she has little to no experience but would like to gain some with someone she is comfortable with. From this blooms a wonderful romance that captivated me from Lesson 1.

Highly recommend! Actually... If anyone would like to buddy read this with me I'd be down for that! :)

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

A long-time favourite of mine! This was the first NA book I ever read and I adored it. I'd love to reread this when I finally get a physical copy.

Some say that Travis's behavior is abusive and this bothers me a little. Whilst he does have violent tendencies he never hurts Abby.  The only way he 'hurts' her is when he does something stupid and backtracks his progress to being a better person. He WANTS to be better for her and he does try and in the end it really shows and makes the whole story that much sweeter. I'm not saying it's a fairytale romance because it's not at all but overall it's a very well written one. There's also enough drama to keep you going for a couple of months ;)

Travis is a fighter to pay for his house that he rents (owns?) with his best friend (Abby's best friend's boyfriend). He does do some absolutely idiotic things in the book but the amount of character development he goes through just to be better for Abby is incredible! The supporting characters are great too.

Highly recommend this one if you're looking to read more NA :)

So... What book would you reread if you could?

Happy Release Day: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Publication Date: 4th November 2014 (Today, yay!)

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

I am really looking forward to this one. I am going to the BD to order this one as soon as I write this post! In the mean time I'll give you guys some links you can use to buy this super pretty book:

Amazon

iBooks

Book Depository

Barnes and Noble

Have any of you read this one yet? :)

Morganville: The TV Series Trailer

I can't wait to see how they've adapted the books in this web series. The trailer looks pretty good - the only thing that I'm not sure about is the majority of the castings.

I'm only 4 books in, currently reading the fourth actually, but I'm getting through them fast! By now I have an image in my head of how the characters look and the only one who fits the image in my head is Shane. He's perfect for the role! Claire and Eve are pretty good too. Micheal is okay, I mean that's not how I pictured him exactly but he's still a good match. However, Oliver, Myrnin, Amelie and especially Monica aren't doing it for me. Oliver is said to have a kind sort of face (that's why he's so deceiving) and I didn't get that. Amelie isn't as... I don't know. I pictured her to be more regal and pale and, you know, vampiresque. She's a kickass character in the books but meh. Myrnin... He may be older than I have pictured him in my head. Claire constantly says he looks like a 'young man'. I don't know. And finally... Monica. I swear Monica was all blonde, Barbie-doll-pristine. The girl they've picked is definitely not who I pictured but I do like her attitude. She pulls off the whole queen-bitch thing, huh?

That all being said; I am looking forward to seeing if I'm proven wrong and these castings are good! Rachel Caine and her team have worked really hard on this and I'd hate to see all of that money go to waste especially when so many people pitched in. By the way I still think that's amazing. How so many people can band together to help an entire tv series to be made! YEAH FANDOM POWER.

What do you guys think of the castings? Did you enjoy the books and will you be watching the tv series?

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Publication Date: 28th September 2011
Genres: YA, romance, realistic fiction

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket—a gifted inventor—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

This is the sequel to Anna and the French Kiss  and, in no way, did it let the first book down! I loved the new characters and the fact that Anna and Etienne were prominent characters throughout.

Firstly; the characters. Cricket was adorable in every way. The perfect amount of shy and confident when he needs to be. He was almost old-timey chivalrous towards Lola and I think he fit perfectly within the story. Lola was certainly a lot more extroverted and dramatic than Cricket but I really liked how she was the complete opposite to Anna. I was worried that the author would stick with what she knew worked but she didn't. Lola was a wonderful, enthusiastic person although her outfits sometimes made me want to cringe. I'm all for everyone being who they want to be and whatever but hell, this girl wore a new costume every day. That being said... I really did like the fact that she doesn't have one signature style yet she's still ALL Lola.

The things Cricket did for Lola were small but meant a lot as in they were very personal. It wasn't like he bought her flowers and chocolates and confessed his love. He gave her a rubber band to wear on her wrist (which seems a helluva lot sweeter if you've actually read the book haha), he seemed to know exactly when she needed comfort and what to say, albeit a little awkwardly, but it was cute nonetheless. He also gave her the moon to hold in her hand so that she'd never be lonely and she'd always know he was with her, even when he was away. Again, these acts are a lot more meaningful if you know the reasons behind them!

When I went into this book the one thing that a lot of reviewers had said was that Lola annoyed them with the decisions she made. Having read the book I totally disagree. Lola definitely made some bad decisions but don't all teenagers? From personal experience and a lot of silly falling outs I can tell you that it's perfectly normal for people to make mistakes. My worst mistake was only a couple of years ago when I was 16, a teenager, and I regret it but I sorted everything out. That's exactly what Lola did. She made everything right in the end and that's what matters. She was also the bigger person when it came to the whole Max situation towards the end. She held her head high even when he tried to knock her back down. You have to remember that that was actually a pretty realistic example of everyday choices and what they bring. Just because they're fictional characters does not mean they should be perfect. The character development when it came to Lola was immense - better than in AATFK by a mile. Maybe that was because there was a lot more for Lola to work through as I think she was a more developed character. Anna did have some great development by the end but nothing compared to Lola's.

The ending was perfect. I'm not going to explain why or what it was because reading it without knowing anything was amazing. It was so perfect for her story and such a wonderful way to end the book. I kind of just sat there with the book to my chest as I ran the ending through my head again and again. It was so satisfying AND CRICKET YOU SWEET BOY, YOU.


Okay... Now for the one thing I didn't like; Sometimes the drama got a little out of hand. I rationalised this by saying it was just Lola's character and maybe it was but sometimes, even with Lola being the one to bring the drama, it felt overworked and fake. That was the only thing that got me... I had a longer list of things I didn't like by the time I'd finished the book but when I read over them they didn't seem so bad and they made more sense after completing her story. (I make notes throughout reading so this happens a lot, whoops)

Do I recommend this book? YES! Did I prefer this story to Anna's? No because Anna's story was the one that made me fall in love with Stephanie Perkins's writing and will therefore forever be my favourite book of hers. Should you add this book to your TBR? ABSOLUTELY!!!

What did you guys think of Lola and the Boy Next Door?  Was it your favourite in the series? Isla and the Happily Ever After - here I come!

Release Day Launch: Rowdy by Jay Crownover

 

Amazon US ** iBooks ** Barnes and Noble ** Kobo ** IndieBound

EXCERPT

When I put the key he had given me in the door to his apartment it felt like the end of a long journey. Really it was only a little over twelve hours and I had stopped to nap once along the way, but it still felt like too long since I had seen his face or been able to touch all that toned and tattooed skin. Jimbo greeted me at the door when I pushed it open. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he jumped up and put his paws on my legs. He was going to be huge when he finally grew into his fuzzy body and I was overwhelmed at how happy I was to see him. I dropped to my knees and rubbed my face in his neck as he licked me all over my face. I was obviously missed and I had to say it was just one more reason I knew I was finally where I was supposed to be.

It was late, so the apartment was dark. I checked the dog’s food and water, trying to be quiet in case Rowdy was already asleep. I was winding my way toward his bedroom when a haphazardly discarded sketch pad lying on the couch caught my eye in the dim light. I paused for a minute to pick it up and felt my heart stop and then start to race as I flipped through the first few pages. There were a couple of drawings that were obviously for clients, tattoos that hadn’t made it from paper to skin yet, but most of the pristine white pages were covered with images wearing my face. There was mermaid me, and naughty- sailor- girl me. There was sassy Indian girl me with long Pocahontas braids and there was sexy devil me standing next to angelic me. There were dozens of them all in different shapes and sizes, but every single image was undoubtedly modeled after my distinct look. I wasn’t sure if he had drawn them all over this last week while I had been gone or over the months we had been chasing each other in circles. Either way it made my heart swell and the full certainty that I was it for him settle deep inside my bones.

I set the pad down and tiptoed through the hall. Jimbo took one look at where I was going and huffed out a disgusted- sounding snort. The poor guy had learned early on that he wanted no part of what happened between his humans when they were together in the bedroom. The light was off and Rowdy was sprawled on his stomach across the covers. His blond hair was sticking up every where and he had one arm bent up under his head. The only thing that could have made the sight better would have been if he hadn’t bothered with the black boxers before crashing out. Even with them obscuring the view, I couldn’t complain. I let out a breathless sigh and crept closer so that I could lean over and touch my lips to that anchor on the side of his neck. I felt his pulse leap and tasted the salt on his skin as he murmured sleepily and rolled over onto his back. Those infinitely blue eyes glowed at me in the dark as a grin pulled up the corner of his mouth. “Hey.”

      

  About  Rowdy

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling Marked Men series continues with this sizzling, sexy story of love, heartbreak, fate, and second chances. After the only girl he ever loved told him that he would never be enough, Rowdy St. James knocked the Texas dust off his boots and set out to live up to his nickname. A good ol’ boy looking for good times and good friends, Rowdy refuses to take anything too seriously, especially when it comes to the opposite sex. Burned by love once, he isn’t going to let himself trust a woman again. But that’s before his new co-worker arrives, a ghost from the past who’s suddenly making him question every lesson he ever learned. Salem Cruz grew up in house with too many rules and too little fun—a world of unhappiness she couldn’t wait to forget. But one nice thing from childhood has stayed with her; the memory of the sweet, blue-eyed boy next door who’d been head over heels in love with her little sister. Now, fate and an old friend have brought her and Rowdy together, and Salem is determined to show him that once upon a time he picked the wrong sister. A mission that is working perfectly—until the one person that ties them together appears, threatening to tear them apart for good.    

 

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point in a new series this last summer starting with BETTER WHEN HE'S BAD. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.      

Website ** Blog ** Facebook ** Twitter

ROWDY Goodreads ** Jay Crownover Goodreads

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Happy Release Day! Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Princess Snow is missing.
Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.
Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.
When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

Buy Stitching Snow

Amazon

Book Depository

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

About The Author

R.C. Lewis teaches math to teenagers—sometimes in sign language, sometimes not—so whether she’s a science geek or a bookworm depends on when you look. That may explain why her characters don’t like to be pigeonholed. Coincidentally, R.C. enjoys reading about quantum physics and the identity issues of photons.

Happy Release Day: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1) by Sara Raasch

Publication Date: October 14th 2014

Genres: Fantasy, romance

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.
So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

Buy Snow Like Ashes :

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Book Depository

About The Author

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then -- her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, is coming out Fall 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures. She is represented by Charlotte Sheedy Literary.

#ThisBookshop

So Bookbridgr, this amazing website that offers review copies to book bloggers in the UK, are putting bookshops in the spotlight. I think this is wonderful idea - where would we be without all of the lovely bookshops whether they be on the streets or online? I mean I know money can't buy happiness but money can buy books and... isn't that the same thing?

There aren't many independent bookshops in the town where I live but we do have one, it's called Bookaholics  and it carries a whole load of used books. It's a lovely place and the owner is very kind! Unfortunately, considering I live in a very small town in the East Midlands in the UK there is no photo online of this little bookshop. I'll definitely tweet a photo of it when I get the chance to take one because, like I said, it's a very nice place. I wish it and the owner all the best - keep physical books alive!

We do have a WHSmith here too and a couple of Waterstones's around the area. Waterstones is my absolute favourite store! I can literally spend hours in there just looking at all the books, just released, popular or something totally new. I find myself huddling against the Teen Fiction/Young Adult bookcase and picking up book after book to read the synopsis. It may look a little strange but I don't care; there is nothing better than being surrounded by something you love. For me, that is books. ROWS AND ROWS AND ROWS OF BOOKS!

What's your favourite bookshop to visit? Are there any cutesy independent book stores near you? Leave a comment or tweet me @CosyUpWithBooks using the hashtag #ThisBookshop :)