Cover Reveal AND Excerpt: Smash Into You by Shelly Crane

AHH! Finally! I've been waiting for this cover for a while, and I am so excited to read this book. Shelly Crane is one of my favorite authors. I absolutely adore her books, all of them!

There is no concrete release date for this yet, but it will release sometime in the Summer, 2013. 

Are you ready for this? Here's the blurb:

Jude has spent the whole twenty one years of his life running. From what, he wasn't quite sure. His mother tried to keep him safe; a low profile, a constant move on the horizon, a week's pay always stashed away. She tried to instill in him that he was special somehow, though would never elaborate. He never felt different. He was so completely normal and vanilla that he wondered if it had all been in her head. But then she was murdered and all he saw was a running silhouette of a man as his mother said three final words to him. Three words that changed his whole being.

Never stop running…

Now he's semi-settled into a big town. The college is huge and easy to blend into. It's been three months since he had to move because 'Biloxi', as he calls the man who killed his mother, found him once more.

Then Marley, an eighteen year old girl who is as infuriating as she is blissfully ignorant of her gorgeousness, smashes into his car with hers. Then smashes into his life as he realizes that whatever it is he has that Biloxi wants, she has it, too. And now, they're after them both.

AND HERE'S THE COVER!!!

EXCERPT:

       And now, as I stared out into the dark rain to see a POS car sideways in the road, I knew the world hated me, had to, because someone had just smashed her car into my truck.

         I got out and braced myself. It wasn't easy to pay cash for new cars every time I needed to skip town. It was hard living when you couldn't be who you really were. Finding people to pay you under the table was almost impossible these days.

         I groaned and glared at the beauty standing at the end of my truck. "Look at that!"

         "I'm so sorry," she began. I could tell she really was, but I was beyond pissed. "I'll call my insurance company right now."

         That stopped me. "No!" I shouted and she jolted at the verbal assault. "No insurance."

         "Well," she pondered, "what do you mean? I have good insurance."

         "But I don't."

         She turned her head a bit in thought and then her mouth fell open as she realized what I was saying. "You don’t have any insurance, do you?"

         "No," I answered. "Look. Whatever, we'll just call this even-steven, because you did hit me."

         "Even-steven my butt!" she yelled and scurried to jump in front of me, blocking my way.

         "And what a cute butt it is."

         Even through the noise of water hitting metal, I heard her intake of breath. The rain pelted us in the dark. I hoped no one came around the corner. It would be hard for them to see us here in the middle of the road. She might get hurt. Then I wondered why I cared.

         "Look, buddy," she replied and crossed her arms. It drew my eyes to her shirt. My eyes bulged 'cause that shirt…well, it was see-through now. She caught on and jerked her crossed arms higher. "How dare you! You're on a roll in the jerkface department, you know that!"

         "My specialty," I said and saluted as I climbed in my truck. "Get your pretty butt in your car and let's pretend this never happened, shall we?"

         Because if cops and insurance were brought into this, I'd be on the run sooner than I thought.

         She huffed. "Excuse me-"

         "Darling. Car. Now." She glared. "Like right now."

         She threw her hands up in the air and yelled, "I knew chivalry was dead!" before climbing in her car and driving away. She didn't know it, but I was being as chivalrous as they come. I made sure she got out of the rain and back into her car, even though she didn't like the way I did it, and I got her as far away from me as I could.

         In my book, I deserved a freaking medal for being so chivalrous. Because people that stuck with me didn't live long.

         Just ask my mom.

         Oh, wait, you can't. She died long, long years ago saving my life. I refused to bring anyone onto this sinking ship with me. If it finally did go down, I was going down alone.

If you liked that, mark it as a to-read! And if you don't think it's your kind of book, maybe check out her other books. They're all great!

You can check out her books, and contact her here:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shellycranefanpage

Twitter https://twitter.com/AuthShellyCrane

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4951964.Shelly_Crane

Stacking the Shelves [24]

Go over to Tynga's Reviews and join in on the fun!

Ah! I haven't posted a StS for a while now! But, I'm back, and with a lot of books! 

From the Library:

• The Host by Stephenie Meyers
• Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
• Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

In the Mail!

• The Elite by Kiera Cass

E-books:

• Catalyst by Marc Johnson
• Jumper by Jeff LaFerney

YAY! I'm so excited to read all of these. I've just started City of Bones and I have no idea why I didn't read this sooner. 

Comment your link below, and I'll go check out your Stacking the Shelves!

Destiny's Flower by Linda Harley

Destiny's Flower by Linda Harley

Synopsis:
Doctor Lynn Davis is kidnapped by handsome Lord Kyle von Talion and taken to a far off planet, Saldiora. As she finds herself in this unfamiliar culture, she must learn to fight with a sword, ride a talking horse, and endure the politics of a royal court if she is to survive. Kyle has his hands full keeping Lynn from making cultural blunders and ensuring her safety. The Juntu's are plotting to take over Saldiora and consider Lynn to be a threat to their success. Will Lynn live long enough to fulfill her destiny and save the kingdom of Saldiora?

My Review: 

♫♫♫-Andante
I enjoyed this book, it was good!

There were many great things about this book, but also some things I wished to see more of. But, I'll start with the good stuff first.

I loved the world that was created with this story. It had talking animals, and interesting customs. This book showed the importance of staying true to yourself and not letting yourself forget who you are and where you came from. The idea that this book was based on is really interesting. It's a competition of 10 girls, who are competing for the title of Queen of Saldiora.

I also really liked the characters that were created by this story. Kyle von Talion was very likable  always protecting Lynn as his duty. He may, or may not be the love interest, but I'm not too sure because this first book didn't really have much romance.

The main evil character/villain of the story, Brigieta, was great. It doesn't seem like she or her family will be able to redeem themselves in later books, but I do have the smallest sliver of hope that she'll come around.

On to a couple of things I didn't like about the book. In general, there wasn't a lot of character development. I don't really know what the characters look like physically. I also don't know much about the character's personality. I felt like the only character I could actually connect with was Lynn, while I didn't know much about the others. For example, when a character died during the book, I didn't feel many emotions because I didn't know the character's background or personality. Although, even though I could connect with Lynn, I sometimes wondered why she did what she did. Like, Lynn started crying at one point, and I didn't understand why she was crying. Also, the book had a few grammar and spelling errors, but that didn't distract much from the book, making it still have and easy flow when reading.

I'm really excited to read the next book when it comes out. I need some answers! There were so many things left unanswered, so many questions I have. In later books, I'd really like to see more character development, along with development of Saldiora and what it looks like. With the character development in the next book, I hope to see more of the romance aspect of the storing come into play. The story ended on a small cliff hanger, making a lot of room for incoming plot twists and turns in the next book. I also feel like there may be a love triangle coming on...considering what was said in the last chapter.

Overall, Destiny's Flower was a light, easy read and I enjoyed many parts of it. Although, I did wish to see more development with characters and the world, but hopefully that will happen later in the series!

Endure by M.R. Merrick Cover Reveal!!!

Available June 5th 

Endure (The Protector, #4) by M.R. Merrick
Cover by Parajunkee Design

YA Urban Fantasy
Final book in The Protector Series

Wrapped in darkness and woven with defeat, every action Chase has taken since being exiled from the Circle has been met with a devastating response. Now he’s been burdened with a quest that seems impossible, and he needs to evolve into something more—something greater than he ever thought he could be.

Armed with magic, friendship, and an unbreakable will, Chase must build an army and find a weapon capable of defeating the ultimate evil. But he knows that nothing great comes without sacrifice. Blessed by the very gods who have abandoned him and carrying the fate of all the worlds on his shoulders, Chase Williams is about find out just how much one man can endure.

 Book 1 - Exiled is FREE!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

About the author:

M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer, and author of Exiled, the first installment in The Protector Series. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer, between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.

M.R. Merrick | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Stacking The Shelves [23]

Go over to Tynga's Reviews and join in on the fun!

Hey everyone! It's been super slow these past couple of weeks, as you can see from my posts. I haven't exactly posted anything in a week or two, and it's actually kind of sad. I know I said previously that I'd try really hard to blog more, but I just can't find the time or any books that I REALLY want to blog about. The books I've been reading are just...eh. Nothing special, and nothing that makes me go, "OH MY GOD! I need to get my thoughts out NOW!" 

I know this isn't an excuse to not blog, but that's the honest truth. It was a new years resolution mine to blog as much as possible, but it seems like that hasn't been happening. Although, this time when I say I'm going to make a huge effort to blog, I WILL DO IT. This time, I'm not letting myself neglect my blog, I'm moving forward with what I love, and I'm not letting it go!

So with that out, let me show you what I got this week. It's not much really, but they're books I've had my eye on.

From the Library:

• Hooked by Liz Fichera—Being a golfer, this piqued my interest. I saw it's about a girl getting onto an all boys golf team, and it seemed really interesting. It definitely wouldn't be easy doing that. Plus, it seemed there was some romance mixed in with that, and I enjoy books that have some kind of romance tied in with the story. So, of course, I had to pick up this book. 

E-books:

• Existence by Abbi Glines—This book is actually FREE in iBooks. So anyone that has the iBooks app on any of their Apple products, act fast because I think this is only free for a day or two more. It was listed as "book of the week." This book was actually on my To-Read list for so long, but I never got a chance to buy it or check it out because of all the new books rapidly releasing. As I was browsing the iBooks store, I saw this was free, and jumped on the offer as quick as I could. I finally get my chance to read this book. And with all the praise Abbi Glines gets, I'm sure it'll be amazing! Plus, Pepe Toth (from the Lux series covers) is on the cover of this book!

Thanks for visiting! Put a link to your StS below in the comments and show some comment love! I'll go check out your blog. BYE!

Frigid by Jennifer L. Armentrout Cover Reveal!!!

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Frigid will be available in digital formats on July 30th 2013

Print release of Frigid will be November 5th 2012

Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16122034-frigid?ac=1

J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is a # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. She lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Twitter https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout

Website http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/

Waiting on Wednesday [10]

This is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine! It features a upcoming releases

This book that I'm waiting on is the 4th book in the series by an author I love! I think I've said this at least 3 times already on my blog, but Jennifer Armentrout is one of my favorite authors, and this book written by her is one that I needed to get my hands on the moment book #3 ended. 

Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer Armentrout
Release Date: April 9th, 2013
Summary from Goodreads:

Fate isn't something to mess with...and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods–and Alex herself–to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex's power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex's connection to Seth isn't the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole "an Apollyon can't be killed" theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer...or she might become the God Killer herself.

When I finished Deity, book 3 in the series, I was thinking about it for days. I also read over the last paragraph a couple times to make sure I was reading it correctly. As soon as this book comes out, I will be getting it! I can't wait to find out what happens next.