Train Thursday ~ Fifty Ways to Say Goodbye

Hello and happy Thursday.  It's almost the weekend, so that right there is a reason to celebrate.  Another reason is that I have another Train song to deconstruct for you. Up this week is "50 Ways to Say Goodbye."

There's a soundbite on Sirius/XM with good ol' Pat saying the song was originally named "50 Ways to Kill Your Lover," but then they decided it might be played on the radio and they didn't want moms to have to tell their kids that their favorite song is called "50 Ways to KILL Your Lover."  I shudder to think that anyone would say this was their favorite song, regardless of the title.  :)

Again, I am NOT knocking the music itself.  I think Train's music is catchy and upbeat and I doubt most people even listen to the lyrics over the Mariachi beat.  At least I hope not.  But some of the lyrics drive me nuts.

In this little ditty, we get to hear Pat Monahan explain that when he gets dumped, rather than admit it to his friends, he will just tell everyone that the girl died.  I suppose it seems like a *far* more logical explanation than the truth and will earn some much-needed sympathy points for his bruised ego.  So here goes: here are the 50 ways one's girlfriend might suddenly pass on into the great beyond:

My heart is paralyzed

My head was oversized

I'll take the high road like I should

You said it's meant to be

That it's not you, it's me

You're leaving now for my own good

(Up to this point, I have no beef with the lyrics.  See?  I can be nice.)

That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say (um... what happened to taking the high road?)

She went down in an airplane (legit)

Fried getting suntanned (not sure you could actually DIE from a sun burn, but maybe)

Fell in a cement mixer full of quicksand (it could happen...and it rhymes!)

Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!

She met a shark under water

Fell and no one caught her (hey, it's hard to find something that rhymes with water - props here)

I returned everything I ever bought her (WAIT! did this kill her? is she an oniomanic and the return of purchased items sent her into cardiac arrest?)

Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies

And ways to say you died

My pride still feels the sting

You were my everything

Some day I'll find a love like yours (a love like yours)

She'll think I'm Superman

Not super minivan (STOP! what the frick does this even mean? this is the #1 lyric that drives me up the wall in this song)

How could you leave on Yom Kippur?

That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say

She was caught in a mudslide

Eaten by a lion

Got run over by a crappy purple Scion (this one actually makes me laugh in a good way)

Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!

She dried up in the desert

Drowned in a hot tub

Danced to death at an east side night club (and... we're stretching for a rhyme again)

Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies

And ways to say you died

I wanna live a thousand lives with you

I wanna be the one you're dying to love...

But you don't want to

And then we get a recap of all the same reasons previously listed.  If you were counting (and I was), we have a total of 12 ways to die (that's assuming you count death-by-return-of-purchased-items).  Even doubled (for the repeat of the lyrics), we're only at 24.  So how exactly did Train come up with any title involving 50 anything?

To steal a line from Tootsie Pops: the world may never know.

Do you have any particular Train songs you're hoping I examine?  Please let me know!

PICTURE PERFECT ~ Blog Tour, Giveaway & Review

Good morning.  Today I am taking part in the PICTURE PERFECT Blog Tour.  This novel is New Adult and it's graphic, so if you're looking for a YA review, read no further.  But if you don't mind a heaping dose of steamy with your "issue" novels, then this may be the book for you.

Fashion design major Cat Mitchell has a closet full of gorgeous clothes - and not a single thing fits. After two years of runway modeling for easy cash, an accident shattered her lower leg bone and her self-esteem in just one swift fall. Ten months of no exercise, prescription steroids, comfort eating and yoga pants meant returning to campus as a size twelve instead of her former size two. When her gorgeous long-time friend with benefits sees her for the first time after her accident and snubs her in front of all her friends, Cat’s self-image hits rock bottom. Her sorority sisters all insist that she looks gorgeous, but all Cat sees is the roll of her stomach when she sits down, or the dimpling at the back of her thighs that wasn't there last year. Cat’s therapist prescribes something radical to stop the downward spiral - nude modeling for a nearby college's human form drawing classes. When Cat faces her fears and bares it all for the class, she realizes that she's posing naked in front the most gorgeous, buffest guy she's ever seen in her life. He asks her out after the class, and after one steamy night together, Cat's absolutely smitten.

Nate’s pretty close to perfect – he takes Cat rock climbing when he discovers that it makes her feel strong and becomes a great chef after he learns that the perfect pesto sauce makes her swoon. Cat starts to feel like her old self again - confident and beautiful - as long as Nate's around. Even when he discourages her from entering the Real Woman Project, a design competition for plus-sized apparel, she reasons that he's just trying to prevent old body image wounds from splitting wide open again. But when Cat goes home with Nate for Thanksgiving, she discovers something shocking from his recent past that proves that he hasn’t always been so encouraging of women of all shapes and sizes. Cat has no idea what to think, but she does know one thing - this might destroy their relationship before it's even had a chance to get off the ground.

Before Cat can figure out whether the real Nate is the sensitive, adoring guy she fell in love with, or an undercover asshole, she'll have to finally feel comfortable in her own skin - even if it means leaving him forever.

My Review:

It's hard for me to articulate how I feel about this book. It's an interesting blend of being a really important "issue" book about body image and new adult, full with graphic descriptions of sex. I must say that I've never read a contemporary "issue" book like this one and the message is SO important. As someone who hasn't (and sometimes still isn't) comfortable in her own skin, this book was very real, and often painful to read because I knew all too well what Cat was feeling and how self-conscious you can be even when others don't see you that way. 

For any woman who's ever needed reassurance that she's beautiful no matter how her body looks, this is a great book. The problem, of course, is that the younger audience (teens) will miss this message because the book simply is not appropriate for them. The characters are college juniors, doing things college kids do - like sleeping together on the first date. There is also profanity sprinkled throughout.

My only other criticism is that I would have liked to see Cat's metamorphosis unfold a little more at the end of the book. I don't feel like you can decide to love your body purely out of spite for someone else. That may be the catalyst, but the full level of insecurity wouldn't disappear that quickly IMO.

Otherwise, I really did enjoy reading the novel and it reminded me of the beauty in all women regardless of body shape. Plus, the steamy scenes were smoking hot. :)  This book is appropriate for 17+ woman who enjoy romance novels, but also want some depth to their plots.

Author Bio:

Alessandra Thomas is a New Adult writer who swears she was in her twenties yesterday. Since she's not, she spends her time looking back on her college years fondly, and writing sexy stories about guys and
girls falling in love and really living life for the first time. When she's not writing, you can find her with a spoonful of ice cream in one hand and the newest New Adult release in the other.

Links:

Goodreads  |  Twitter  |  Facebook

And now for the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Debut YA Birthday Celebrations ~ Spring Break Edition

Hello everyone and happy Spring!  Here in Florida, our January was warmer than the week of Spring Break, so it's a bit disappointing.  This weekend has been nothing but rain to the point that I had waves on my back porch.  Sigh.  If it were just me, I'd take advantage of the rain with lots of reading time, but my hubby and kids go stir crazy, so that's not good.

How's your spring break looking?  Anyone have big fun plans?  Before you answer that in the comments (and I hope you do!), check out these two new debut YA authors whose books are taking the stage this week.

DEAR LIFE, YOU SUCK by Scott Blagden

“The shrinkadinks think I have a screw loose. Ain’t playing with a full deck. Whacked-out wiring. Missing marbles.” 

Irreverent, foulmouthed seventeen-year-old Cricket is the oldest ward in a Catholic boys’ home in Maine—and his life sucks. With prospects for the future that range from professional fighter to professional drug dealer, he seems doomed to a life of “criminal rapscallinity.” In fact, things look so bleak that Cricket can’t help but wonder if his best option is one final cliff dive into the great unknown. But then Wynona Bidaban steps into his world, and Cricket slowly realizes that maybe, just maybe, life doesn’t totally suck.

IF YOU FIND ME by Emily Murdich

There are some things you can’t leave behind…

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

Cover Reveal ~ NO ATTACHMENTS by Tiffany King

Tiffany is just the sweetest author.  I was lucky to meet her in Decatur last fall and was thrilled to learn that Florida gets to take credit for housing this talented author.  Today, I'm excited to show you the cover for Tiffany's new NA novel, NO ATTACHMENTS, coming April 30th.  Ready?

Ashton Garrison walked away from a privileged life in order to hide from the one thing she's not willing to face. She knows she left behind a trail of pain, but in the long run, her betrayal will hurt less than the truth. She now has one goal: Live life to the fullest with no regrets and no attachments. She has high hopes that a move to new surroundings will provide the escape she desires, but what Ashton doesn't count on is how fate always seems to find a way to screw up any good plan. Sometimes, when love comes knocking, the pull is too strong not to answer. Suddenly, what she thought she wanted to escape from is what Ashton now wants more than anything.

Nathan Lockton has one mission: find his target and complete the task he was hired to do—no attachments and no emotion necessary. He's done it over and over again. What he thought was a typical lost-and-found job has turned into a life examining moment as Nathan is forced to deal with something he has always ignored--his feelings. Now faced with a decision, Nathan must choose to either follow his heart or complete the job.

Love can come when you least expect it. The question is: If the odds are stacked against you, how far are you willing to go for the one you love?

The lovely cover was done by Sarah Hansen from Okay Creations.  Do you like it?

ABOUT TIFFANY KING:

Tiffany King is the author of The Saving Angels Series, Wishing for Someday Soon, Forever Changed, Unlikely Allies, Miss Me Not and Jordyn: A Daemon Hunter Novel book one. Writer by day and book fanatic the rest of the time, she is now pursuing her life-long dream of weaving tales for others to enjoy.

She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iphone and ipad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.

LINKS:

Twitter- @AuthorTiffany

Facebook- Tiffany King

Pintrest- Tiffany King

Blog- authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com

Goodreads- Tiffany King

Train Thursdays - Mermaid

This is a weekly post I have been wanting to write for a LONG time.  It's not talking about trains as in locomotives.  It's talking about the band Train.

And no, I'm not that fan girl.

This is a post really examining the lyrics of Train songs.  Why?  Because they are bad.  Just downright ... bad.  The music is catchy and I'm still always hoping for a stroke of genius like they had when they launched with "Drops of Jupiter."  The lyrics there were weird, but that seemed to be the point.  It worked.

But as I've been listening recent lyrics, it makes me think about how, as writers, we have to be so careful not to just string words together that sound "pretty," but that also have some meaning beneath their surface.  So, I'm going to be examining Train songs, one by one, for fun!! and maybe even to help my own craft as a writer.  (Nah - this is really more about having fun.)

So, in the spirit of Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs (one of the funniest books EVER!!), I present the first edition of Jessie Harrell's Blog of Bad Train Songs.

Can’t swim so I took a boat

To an island so remote

Only Johnny Depp has ever been to it before.

(Pause: While I do like the Pirates of Caribbean pop culture reference here, wouldn't you have to take a boat to an island that remote anyway, whether or not you could swim?)

Stayed there 'til the air was clear.

(Clear of what? You're in the middle of nowhere.)

I was bored and out of tears,

Then I saw you washed up on the shore.

(So now the mermaid can't swim too?)

I offered you my coat,

Thank goddess (really?) love can float

(good to know - apparently unconscious mermaids remain buoyant. At least, I presume she was unconscious in order to "wash up on the shore")

Crazy how that shipwreck meant my ship was comin’ in.

We talked 'til the sun went down.

Love on the Puget Sound.

(Okay -let's stop right there. Puget Sound is in Washington, near Vancover - nowhere near the Caribbean for those of you keeping track. It has been inhabited since 1833, meaning it is not "remote" - or even an island, actually, but an estuary.)

My treasure map was on your skin.

CHORUS

Beauty in the water,

Angel on the beach.

Ocean’s daughter.

I thought love was out of reach

'Til I got her.

Had I known it could come true

I would have wished in ’92

(At first I thought this was a totally clever reference to the movie Splash. Until I realized that the movie came out in '84.  Disney's The Little Mermaid was out in '89.  Some research reveals that Golden Films did release a direct to DVD animated version of The Little Mermaid in '92.  Unless this is what they're referring to, it appears that the only significance '92 has is that it rhymes with "true" and "you")

For a mermaid just like you, whoa,

Just like you, whoa.

Sharks green with envy, they wonder what you see in me

(Maybe we have entered an animated film, seeing as how fish now have feelings.)

Funny but sometimes can’t help but wonder that as well

(Based on the quality of your lyrics, we're all wondering at this point.)

Now life is a holiday, making up for the years I paid

The way to this heavenly bay it went through hell

Rescued you by the banyan tree,

All the girlfish in the sea

(STOP! Girlfish? Is Pat Monahan letting his 10 year old nephew write the lyrics now?)

Couldn't hold a candle to you,

They don’t have a handle on you,

They don’t have a scandal on you

I love Ecco Sandals on you

(Dude. This is truly LOL stupid. How does a mermaid - get that: mermaid, as in tail but no feet - get sandals on a remote island no one has ever been to?)

Saving me was B-I-G,

(I thought you saved her by the banyan tree?)

All the boyfish in the sea

(Seriously, girlfish wasn't enough?)

They all wish that they could be me

(I know I sure do.  If I could make millions for writing this inane crap, I'd be a jazillionaire by now.)

Here's my takeaway from the song.  It's about an animated children's movie in which a lost Caribbean treasure hunter finds himself stranded 1/2 way around the world in the Puget Sound with a mermaid who is swimming-challenged and likes to try on sandals despite her lack of feet.  All the other mermaids are gossipy bitches or jealous jerks (as are the sharks).  The hero and heroine fall in love on the first day they meet.  Sound about right?

And there you have it, my first running commentary to Train lyrics.  I hope you enjoyed this (and are not offended!) and will come back and join me next Thursday, as we deconstruct more god-awful Train lyrics.

Debut YA Book Birthdays

On deck for birthday celebrations this week are ...

The Art of Wishing by Lindsey Ribar

He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life.

Margo McKenna has a plan of attack for everything, from landing the lead in her high school musical to dealing with her increasingly absent parents. But when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the opportunity to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Especially since Oliver--not blue-skinned, not bottle-dwelling, but a genie nonetheless--can see more than what she's willing to show him. With one peek into her mind, he can see the wishes that even Margo herself doesn't know she wants.

But Oliver comes with more than just mind-reading abilities, a flair for magic, and the prettiest eyes Margo's ever seen. Someone from his past is hunting him--someone bent on killing him, along with all the other genies in the world, for the sake of honor. And as Margo soon discovers, it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more. 

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley
This isn't "technically" Liz's YA debut, since she has another Indie novel out there.  But it appears to be largely un-read (at least based on Amazon reviews), so for all intents and purposes, Pretty Girl-13 will be Liz's introduction on the YA stage.

Pretty girl
13 when she
went missing

lost
to her family
to her friends
to the world

found
but still missing
her self

In Liz Coley's alarming and fascinating psychological mystery, sixteen-year-old Angie Chapman must piece together the story of her kidnapping and abuse. Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing—and ultimately empowering—page-turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage, hope, and love.

OCD, the Dude and Me by Lauren Roedy Vaughn
With frizzy orange hair, a plus-sized body, sarcastic demeanor, and "unique learning profile," Danielle Levine doesn't fit in even at her alternative high school. While navigating her doomed social life, she writes scathing, self-aware, and sometimes downright raunchy essays for English class. As a result of her unfiltered writing style, she is forced to see the school psychologist and enroll in a "social skills" class. But when she meets Daniel, another social misfit who is obsessed with the cult classic film The Big Lebowski, Danielle's resolve to keep everyone at arm's length starts to crumble. 




Also, this released last week and I missed it.  So in case you did too... here's
Brianna on the Brink by Nicole McInnes

Popularity didn't come easily for sixteen-year-old Brianna Taylor. She didn't wear the right clothes or come from the right family. In fact, she didn't come from any family at all, unless you counted Jolene, who just wasn't that much into being a mom. So when Brianna joins the cheerleading squad, she finds herself suddenly popular. But then a one-night stand has life altering consequences, and Brianna must accept help from the one person closest to her mistake.

No longer in control, Brianna must reevaluate all that she thought was important and learn the true meaning of family.

Do any of these sound interesting to you?  The genie book sounds right up my alley!!

REVIEW: Lovely, Dark and Deep

LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP by Amy McNamara

This is not the type of book I would normally pick up, but Simon & Schuster sent me a copy in hardback (probably because I was on the list to get a copy of Touching the Surface) and so I decided I'd give it a try. For what it is - a very dark, but ultimately hopeful story of a girl working her way through tragedy - it was flawless.

Mamie/Wren (she has sort of a dual identity) is holed up in her artist-father's house in Maine, basically trying to disappear after a horrific car crash. I won't give you the details because finding that out is part of the story.

Her parents want her to return to normal, but Wren feels like life is pointless. She makes no effort at the expense of those around her. Her only solace is running through the winter woods, and eventually she comes to enjoy her quiet job at the library. Being quiet is how Wren maintains her grip on sanity. When she finally starts to emerge from her funk, Wren realizes how terrible she's been to everyone around her, and feels worse again.

In the midst of it all is Cal. He's a few years older and is sitting out a semester of college because he has MS - the same disease that killed his mom. Despite Wren's terrible attitude, Cal is drawn to her because he understands her pain and her mix of feelings. We don't see romance here in the sense of stolen kisses or unbridled lust. What we do see is 2 broken people who want to be together but don't really know how.

The ending is wonderful in a not-perfect way. I cried many times reading this book. Not hard, just a tear here and there, but it was that powerful.

McNamara has an MFA in poetry, and so this story reads lyrically, almost like an unrhymed poem in paragraph form. Which for me was perfect, because I'm not a huge fan of poetry, but this was amazing. Here's an idea of the writing from a part in the book where Wren's mom has come into town and they're out to dinner.

"I look around the dining room. People seem to be ignoring us. Of course, she had to take me out. Said it that way. Had to.

I can't say anything she'll want to hear. I used to be good at it. Toed the line. But I can't pull it off anymore. There's no good answer. Nothing that will make her stop worrying. I've been living. That's the best I've got. Feels like a lot."

Check it out on Amazon or Goodreads.  Or find Amy McNamara on her website.

Happy Debut YA Book Birthdays!

This week we have some interest debut YA novels coming out ~ there are a couple I'd really like to read!  How about you?


STRANDS OF BRONZE AND GOLD by Jane Nickerson

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

Mila was living with her mother in a small Minnesota town when she discovered she was also living a lie. 

She was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was never supposed to remember the past.

Now she has no choice but to run--from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much, and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. 

Evading her enemies won't help Mila escape the cruel reality of what she is and cope with everything she has had to leave behind. However, what she's becoming is beyond anyone's imagination, including her own, and that just might save her life. 

A compulsively readable sci-fi thriller, Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza's bold debut and the first book in an action-filled, Bourne Identity-style trilogy.

BEAUTIFUL DECAY by Sylvia Lewis

Ellie Miller has always needed her space. Literally. With a touch that rots whatever she encounters, Ellie must keep people at a distance for their own good. Not that her classmates are itching to be best friends with the "freak" of the high school.

So when newcomer Nate MacPherson makes it his mission to get close to her, Ellie has her suspicions. But when he identifies her as a viviomancer who can work the forces of life and reveals himself to be a necromancer who can manipulate death, Ellie finds herself trusting Nate and the romance that is blossoming between them. Unfortunately for the two, family secrets can kill, and they will need more than their abilities to keep a zombie mom and a conglomerate of evil-doing supernaturals under control.

After spending her life pushing everyone away, Ellie's realization of the full extent of her power and willingness to let people get close to her may be the only way to save the ones she loves.

POSION by Bridgett Zinn

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she's the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Cover Reveal ~ The Hazards of Skinning Dipping

Today we get to see the pretty cover for THE HAZARDS OF SKINNING DIPPING by Alyssa Rose Ivy, coming this summer!

This isn't a deep book about first loves or self-discovery. If you want a book like that, I'd be happy to recommend one, but I don't have that kind of story to tell. Instead my story is about rash decisions and finding out that your dream guy is bad in bed. It's the story of when I finally went skinny dipping, and how my life was never the same again. Oh, and it's also the story of my freshman year of college and realizing Mr. Right might have been there all along.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlyssaRoseIvy

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5047249.Alyssa_Rose_Ivyhttps://www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/alyssaroseivy/

Website: http://www.alyssaroseivy.com/

I don't know about you, but I'm interested.  That cover really catches my eye!

Happy Debut YA Book Birthdays!

This week, we have a host of debut YA novels hitting the shelves throughout the week.  Sounds like there's something for everyone!

THE MURMURINGS by Carly Ann West

A teen girl starts hearing the same voices that drove her sister to commit suicide in this creepy, suspenseful novel.

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….

LEGACY OF THE CLOCKWORK KEY by Kristin Bailey

A teen girl unravels the mysteries of a secret society and their most dangerous invention in this adventure-swept romance set in Victorian London.

When a fire consumes Meg’s home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key—a key that only Meg can use—that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg is compelled to follow.

Meg has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect—and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny in this captivating start to a trilogy.

THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR by Mindee Arnett

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli's dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

THE CULLING by Steven dos Santos

Recruitment Day is here...if you fail, a loved one will die

For Lucian “Lucky” Spark, Recruitment Day means the Establishment, a totalitarian government, will force him to become one of five Recruits competing to join the ruthless Imposer task force. Each Recruit participates in increasingly difficult and violent military training for a chance to advance to the next level. Those who fail must choose an “Incentive”—a family member—to be brutally killed. If Lucky fails, he’ll have to choose death for his only living relative: Cole, his four-year-old brother.

Lucky will do everything he can to keep his brother alive, even if it means sacrificing the lives of other Recruits’ loved ones. What Lucky isn’t prepared for is his undeniable attraction to the handsome, rebellious Digory Tycho. While Lucky and Digory train together, their relationship grows. But daring to care for another Recruit in a world where love is used as the ultimate weapon is extremely dangerous. As Lucky soon learns, the consequences can be deadly...

So, which of these are going on your TBR list?

Cover Reveal for DESCENDANT by Nichole Giles

You ready for a lovely cover reveal??  May I present to you... DESCENDANT by Nichole Giles.

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.

Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.

Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.

Nichole Giles had early career plans of becoming an actress or a rock star, but she decided instead to have a family and then become a writer. Writing is her passion, but she also loves to spend time with her husband and children, travel to tropical and exotic destinations, drive in the rain with the convertible top down, and play music at full volume so she can sing along.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.nicholegiles.blogspot.ca/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3384651-nichole-giles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/128455014233

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicholegiles

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