Books: The Cheapest Vacation You Can Buy











I have yet another ARC giveaway up for grabs thanks to Chronicle Books, who gave this to me at NCTE in November!  Going Over by Beth Kephart releases April 1, 2014, and the winner needs to be someone who promises to review the ARC within the next few weeks! If that’s you, then I highly recommend you enter to win!  Check out the synopsis below:

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Going Over

Synopsis:

In the early 1980s Ada and Stefan are young, would-be lovers living on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall–Ada lives with her mother and grandmother and paints graffiti on the Wall, and Stefan lives with his grandmother in the East and dreams of escaping to the West.

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To enter this giveaway, you must:

-Be 13 years or older (or have parent/guardian permission)

-Fill in the mandatory question on rafflecopter (extra entries optional)

Click this Rafflecopter Link to Enter!

This giveaway is open to USA and Canadian entrants only and will end at 12:01am EST on March 3rd. Please don’t cheat. The winner will be announced later on March 3rd, and will receive email notification! Please read my giveaway policy and leave me a comment!

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And, check out the other giveaways running on the blog:

Win a Signed Paperback of Secret by Brigid Kemmerer–Ends February 23

Win Your Choice of Recently Released–ENDS March 1

RRGG Feb

Win an Paperback of Easy by Tammara Webber–ENDS March 5, 2014

Easy 2



Mary PoppinsFrom Goodreads: From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world’s most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages.

It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!

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This is going to sound bad, but I really prefer the 1964 movie to the book on this one.  I think that had I read this novel as a child, it would have impressed me very much, but as an adult with a small imagination, I didn’t feel much love for this title. I originally decided to read it after watching Saving Mr. Banks—a phenomenal movie—and while I liked the book, Mary Poppins,  well enough, I’m sorry to say it didn’t impress me all that much.

Mary Poppins is not a nice person.  She’s vain, extremely vain, and very matter of fact.  While a little of this comes out in the 1964 movie, I never felt like it was a big deal.  The book, however, constantly brings the text back to Mary Poppins looking in the mirror, admiring herself, and ignoring the children.  While her intentions are good, I just didn’t find her likable in the least.

Since I hadn’t seen the movie in decades, I went ahead and rented it right after reading the book. It was interesting to see what scenes they cut from the book, and I was actually thankful they cut them because I, personally found them to be a little bit boring.  For instance, in the book, there’s a scene where the babies talk to one another and discuss how vapid their family is because they don’t hear the animals and the wind speak.  It plays on an interesting concept—that we lose our ability to hear the truths of the world as we get older, but the twins were just extremely obnoxious in this scene, as was Mary Poppins.  I think, in all honesty, that I lack imagination in the fanciful way that this book requires. Two stars.

2 stars

I was given this book as a gift.

Amazon–Book

Amazon–Movie

Amazon–Saving Mr. Banks (highly recommend)



5 full-length novels from 5 of the hottest authors in New Adult Paranormal Romance!

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Escape reality and immerse yourself in these steamy paranormal romances. With everything from tattooed bad boys and sexy demons to hot, otherworldly bodyguards, you’re going to fall in love. Beware: you’ll be up reading well past your bedtime!

ONLY AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Retail value = $14.95

Limited time release = $.99

Recommended for readers 16+

Approximately 1,200 pages

Get your copy now at:

Amazon

Amazon UK

Kobo

IBooks

Check out the links in this post to join us in the release day fun! We have lots of prizes up for grabs, including a Kindle Paperwhite!!

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THE SPACE BETWEEN by Kristie Cook: Self-contained dancer Leni Drago and inked-and-pierced playboy Jeric Winters must discover the truth behind their connection as well as their ties to a journal from 1989 – and they must do it fast, before all evidence that they ever existed disappears. Two love stories, one mystery and a paranormal twist that readers call “mind blowing.”

About Kristie Cook

Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, a New Adult paranormal romance/ contemporary fantasy, with the first five of seven books, Promise, Purpose, Devotion, Power, and Wrath currently available. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella, currently available. Over 300,000 Soul Savers books have been sold, with Promise peaking at #54 on the Amazon Top 100 Paid list and at #1 in the Amazon Fantasy category.

The Space Between kicks off her second New Adult paranormal series, The Book of Phoenix, with part two, The Space Beyond, releasing in 2014.

Besides writing, Kristie enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three sons, a beagle and a puggle.

Connect With Kristie Cook Online

I love to hear from and connect with readers. Please don’t be shy.

Email: kristie@kristiecook.com
Author’s Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com
UK Fan Site: http://www.kristiecookfansite.co.uk
Soul Saver Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com
Facebook: AuthorKristieCook
Twitter: KristieCookAuth

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FROSTBITE by Lynn Rush: Love is warm and fuzzy for most people, and it would be for eighteen-year-old Amanda Smith, too, if her kisses didn’t cause frostbite.

About Lynn Rush

Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes, watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake.

Connect With Lynn Rush Online

Lynn loves to hear from readers!

Catch the Rush™

Email: lynn@lynnrush.com
Author’s Website & Blog: http://www.LynnRush.com
Facebook: LynnRushWrites
Twitter: LynnRush

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CURSED by R.K. Ryals: Sometimes being bad is better… A vintage-loving witch. A cocky demon. An old grimoire. An ancient curse. A family secret that changes everything.

About the Author

R.K. Ryals is the author of emotional and gripping young adult and new adult paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and fantasy. With a strong passion for charity and literacy, she works as a full time writer encouraging people to “share the love of reading one book at a time.” An avid animal lover and self-proclaimed coffee-holic, R.K. Ryals was born in Jackson, Mississippi and makes her home in the Southern U.S. with her husband, her three daughters, a rescue dog named Oscar the Grouch, A Shitzsu named Tinkerbell, an OCD cat, and a coffee pot she honestly couldn’t live without. Should she ever become the owner of a fire-breathing dragon (tame of course), her life would be complete.

Connect With R.K. Ryals Online

I love to hear from readers. Please visit me online!

Email: requests4rkryals@gmail.com
Author’s Website: http://rkryals.com/
Facebook: RKRyals
Twitter: RKRyals

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RETURN OF THE ASCENDANT by Raine Thomas: Party plans derail for college student Kyra Vaughn when she’s nearly killed…twice. She’ll have to rely on a sexy stranger with unusual abilities to keep her alive and help her discover who she’s destined to be.

About the Author

Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of bestselling Young Adult and New Adult fiction. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine recently signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen. She’s a proud indie author who is living the dream.

Raine is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning…two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and young adults with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create protagonists who overcome their own conflicts. When she isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Connect With Raine Thomas Online

I love to hear from readers. Please visit me online!

Email: Raine@RaineThomas.com
Author’s Website: http://www.rainethomas.com
Facebook: RaineThomas
Twitter: Raine_Thomas
Pinterest: Raine_Thomas

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REPOSSESSION by Rachael Wade: The Invaders have come for Earth, and Skylla Warden’s in the very center of the upheaval. On a mission to take back what is rightfully theirs, Earth’s population is determined to make sure this isn’t the end. But some endings were never theirs to begin with.

About the Author

Rachael Wade is the Amazon bestselling author of THE PRESERVATION SERIES, LOVE AND RELATIVITY, and the upcoming New Adult sci-fi series, THE KEEPERS TRILOGY. When she’s not writing, she’s busy going to concerts, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. She’s an avid Brandi Carlile fan and loves all things Tim Burton.

Connect With Rachael Wade Online

I love to hear from readers. Please visit me online!

Email: AuthorRachaelWade@Gmail.com
Author’s Website: http://www.RachaelWade.com
LightsOn Website: http://www.lightsonlove.com/
Facebook: AuthorRachaelWade
Twitter: RachaelWade

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We are celebrating this release with lots of fun, games and prizes. We would love for you to join us!!


Souls of Indie FaceBook Group

Curses, Fates & Soul Mates Release Day Party on FaceBook

Curses, Fates & Soul Mates Release Day Twitter Party

Rafflecopter Giveaway



DevDeviationiation (The Clone Chronicles #2)

Author: Heather Hidenbrand

Release Date: March 12, 2014

Protect. Obey. Sacrifice.

These words are the mantra of my existence. I’m not sure if it’s Titus Rogen inspiring my desire to go against what I am or my own DNA deviating. All I can think is how Titus will look when he meets his end. It trumps even my wish for freedom. In this moment, I want nothing more than to watch the life bleed from Titus’s body. And I want it at my own hands.

Titus. The Creator.

I stare at my palms. Strength aside, I wonder if I’m capable of taking a life. A human life; one with a soul. And I wonder if that isn’t easier than taking the life of an Imitation. At least humans have souls that live on. What do I have after this? Where will I go? Back into a syringe? Will Titus recycle me? Or will I be lost forever down a lab drain?

We don’t deserve that.

We don’t deserve him.

Deserving and receiving are so very different here. And I am beginning to understand, to beat someone in this world, I‘ll have to play in it.

Check out my review of Imitation (The Clone Chronicles #1)

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble

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Special Announcement!

The Girl Who Wasn'tFor all you NA lovers out there, Heather Hildenbrand is releasing a New Adult version of her YA novel, Imitation (The Clone Chronicles #1), and it’s FREE for a limited time!

The Girl Who Wasn’t, An Imitation New Adult novel

Everyone is exactly like me.

There is no one like me.

The rough fabric of my cotton nightgown chafes so I lie very still. They say my discomfort comes from being built like one accustomed to niceties. How is that fair when I myself have never experienced anything but copies of the real thing?

My entire life is an imitation.

I am an Imitation.

I’ve been here five years. Training. Preparing. Waiting.

And now I have a letter.

My assignment has begun.

I am a prisoner.

I am not Raven Rogen.

I am here to die.

**Adult content. Not suitable for young readers**

FREE ON SMASHWORDS

where you can download it to any ereader you want

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Heather HildenbrandAbout Heather Hildenbrand:

Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she’s not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she’s lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays. Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she’d grab is her DVR player.

Heather has recently launched her company, Pheonix, which was designed for guiding and mentoring authors through writing, self-publishing, and the business that follows. She offers coaching, mentoring, accountability, strategic planning, step-by-step instructions, checklists, and content editing for authors at all stages of their publishing career.  Visit http://www.phoenixauthorink.com for more information.

Heather is also a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter | Phoenix



The Impossible Knife of MemoryFrom Goodreads: For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

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This is a very well written novel by the ever talented Laurie Halse-Anderson. Based on experiences from her own life, Halse-Anderson once again pens a poignant coming of age story ripe with love, loss, and self-exploration.

Finally stationary long enough to attend a real high school, Hayley Kincaid hardly has time to focus on the trivial subjects set before her knowing her life at home could disintegrate at any time. Andy, her father, suffers immensely from PTSD brought on by his time in the War–having both good days and bad–causing Hayley to mold her life around his. It is a heartbreaking tale of triumph and misery, one that is beautifully told.

Although I tad bit lengthy, this is an amazing look into the life of PTSD. It shows the difficulties that many suffer from once home from war, and it shows the havoc these difficulties can have on families, especially children. Hayley is an exceptionally strong female lead, held up by those who love her and her belief that her father may get better–though in her heart she knows that a good day is becoming more rare with each day that passes.

Caught between shielding her father and taking care of herself, Hayley struggles, taking on burdens no child should have to deal with. Closed off and afraid to open up, she slowly begins to trust others, seeking the help needed in order to provide healing. It’s a touching story that all should read. Four stars.

4 stars

I had the opportunity to hear Laurie Halse-Anderson speak at NCTE 2013 in November and was given an ARC of this amazing novel by the publisher, which Halse-Anderson signed for me.

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble



Every Saturday I run a feature for the 99 Cent Club, and below are the ebook picks for this week that caught my eye and are currently ONLY 99 Cents on Amazon, with a few on Barnes and Noble. I don’t know if these are permanent prices, so please don’t shoot the messenger, and double check pricing before pressing the buy button. Enjoy! (If you could help give these authors some love by spreading the word, that would be epic.)

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ghost holdGhost Hold (PSS Chronicles #2) by Ripley Patton

Olivia Black is back.

Only this time she’s not the one in need of rescue.

Samantha James, rich, popular, and an award-winning composer at age seventeen, is the next target on the CAMFers’ list. In order to convince Samantha to come with them, Olivia and Passion must pose as cousins, blend into the most affluent high school in Indianapolis, and infiltrate a mysterious cult known as The Hold.

Olivia doesn’t expect it to be easy, even with the PSS guys backing them up. But what she discovers over the course of the mission will call into question everything she ever believed about herself, her family, and especially about Marcus, the guy she is undoubtedly falling in love with.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Book 1, Ghost Hand, is currently FREE on Amazon and 99 cents on Barnes and Noble.

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Tree of the deadVeiled Shadows (The Age of Alandria: Book Two) by Morgan Wylie

Shadows linger where light is obstructed, and truth is veiled.

Evil is an untreated disease in the once beautiful realm of Alandria.

Kaeleigh is faced with a revelation that she must reconcile. She will decide if discovering the truth is worth the unknown consequences to both herself and her friends.

Daegan, the Ferrishyn warrior, is conflicted by more than his loyalties, and is confronted with emotions he doesn’t know how to deal with. A choice must be made. A choice… that may cost him more than he ever wanted to give.

The Droch-Shúil—enforcers and servants of the ancient darkness—continue to cast their shadow over Alandria seeking those who can be turned to their side.

The magic of The Orchids is growing, but not everyone will survive what is to come.

Veiled Shadows is the second installment in The Age of Alandria series: the story of the Sol-lumieth’s quest for freedom of self and the power to battle the evil of the Droch-Shúil.

Find it on Amazon.

Book 1, Silent Orchids, is currently FREE on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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twleve to murderTwelve to Murder to Lauren Carr

Two people are brutally murdered in their summer place on Deep Creek Lake. Suspected of the murders, former child star and one-time teenybopper idol Lenny Frost takes innocent bystanders hostage in a local pub and demands that Mac Faraday find the killer. Can Mac save the hostages and himself from the wrath of the enraged has-been by piecing together the clues in less than twelve hours, or will it be a fatal last call at the stroke of midnight?

Find it on Amazon.

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cold bloodCold Blood (Dirty Blood #2) by Heather Hildenbrand

Wood Point Academy is not at all what I expected. For one thing, it looks like a cross between military school and Buckingham Palace. Everyone stares, the floors shine so bright you can see your reflection in them from a mile away, and no one smiles. Unless they’re kicking your butt in the process.

At least I’ve got plenty to take my mind off the fact that my psycho cousin, Miles De’Luca, keeps calling and declaring his love and promising to come for me just as soon as he’s destroyed anyone standing in our way. Wes isn’t going to like that idea. So between Miles, Wood Point’s evil welcoming committee, and the drill sergeant hottie trainer from hell, I just keep asking myself, how did I end up here?

Cold Blood is Book 2 in the Dirty Blood series. To read more about the Dirty Blood series visit www.accendopress.com

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Book 1, Dirty Blood, is currently FREE on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Curses Fates and Soul MatesCurses, Fates, and Soul Mates by Kristie Cook, Lynn Rush, R.K. Ryals, Raine Thomas, and Rachael Wade

5 full-length novels from 5 of the hottest authors in New Adult Paranormal Romance!

Escape reality and immerse yourself in these steamy paranormal romances. With everything from tattooed bad boys and sexy demons to hot, otherworldly bodyguards, you’re going to fall in love. Beware: you’ll be up reading well past your bedtime!

ONLY AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME!
Retail value = $14.95

Recommended for readers 16+
Approximately 1,200 pages

THE SPACE BETWEEN by Kristie Cook: Self-contained dancer Leni Drago and inked-and-pierced playboy Jeric Winters must discover the truth behind their connection as well as their ties to a journal from 1989 – and they must do it fast, before all evidence that they ever existed disappears. Two love stories, one mystery, and a paranormal twist that readers call “mind blowing.”

FROSTBITE by Lynn Rush: Love is warm and fuzzy for most people, and it would be for eighteen-year-old Amanda Smith, too, if her kisses didn’t cause frostbite.

CURSED by R.K. Ryals: Sometimes being bad is better… A vintage-loving witch. A cocky demon. An old grimoire. An ancient curse. A family secret that changes everything.

RETURN OF THE ASCENDANT by Raine Thomas: Party plans derail for college student Kyra Vaughn when she’s nearly killed…twice. She’ll have to rely on a sexy stranger with unusual abilities to keep her alive and help her discover who she’s destined to be.

REPOSSESSION by Rachael Wade: The Invaders have come for Earth, and Skylla Warden’s in the very center of the upheaval. On a mission to take back what is rightfully theirs, Earth’s population is determined to make sure this isn’t the end. But some endings were never theirs to begin with.

Find it on Amazon.

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american girl on saturnAmerican Girl in Saturn by Nikki Godwin

The summer after graduation is supposed to be that first real taste of freedom – but not for eighteen-year-old Chloe Branson. Just as that breeze of freedom is making its way into her galaxy, her secret-service-agent dad drops a meteor-sized bomb of bad news on her and her sisters. An attempt has been made on the lives of Canadian boyband, Spaceships Around Saturn, during their USA tour, and the guys have to go into hiding ASAP. The only problem? In the midst of the crisis and media frenzy, their dad volunteered to hide the guys…in their house.

Six-year-old Emery is as ecstatic as any self-proclaimed Saturnite would be, but Chloe and her seventeen-year-old sister Aralie watch their summer plans crash and burn like a falling star. The SAS guys aren’t happy with the situation, either. Bad boy Jules picks fights with Aralie about everything from his Twitter followers to his laundry, and heart-throb Benji can’t escape Emery’s fangirlisms for more than three minutes.

But after the super-cute Milo kisses Chloe during a game of hide-and-seek, she finally understands what Emery means when she talks about SAS being “out of this world.” If this is what Saturn feels like, Chloe doesn’t want to come back to Earth.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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hereditaryHereditary by Jane Washington

Beatrice Harrow has the blood of a tainted creature running through her veins. It makes her more powerful, more beautiful and more despised than any other being in the human kingdom. So she is naturally suspicious when the ever-smiling Cale and his comparatively tacit counterpart, Prince Hazen, befriend her.

Armed with an ability that is becoming more threatening to her own health by the day and a repertoire of surprising friends that may or may not have her best interests at heart, she quickly finds herself struggling against forces much bigger than any of them. How long until her tenuous connection to each kingdom is severed, and she is forced to chose between humanity and the tainted creatures?

Find it on Amazon.

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runesRunes by Ednah Walters

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

Find it on Amazon.

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The Twelfth KeeperThe Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory

When sixteen-year-old Kennedy Mitchell is proclaimed the world’s last keeper, she thinks it’s a cruel joke. Come on- her? Impossible. She’s no warrior. She isn’t wise beyond her years, or more importantly, capable of keeping Earth safe.

Except…no one will listen. And since all evidence says otherwise, the job is hers whether she likes it or not.

During the highly demanding training regime that follows, Kennedy struggles to fit in with Earth’s renowned protectors. Especially Phoenix Jorgensen, who openly despises her. Problem is, he may be the only one she can trust. The keepers have big secrets surrounding them. Secrets Kennedy isn’t comfortable knowing, much less being apart of. With Phoenix’s help, she’ll have to find a way out.

Either that, or die trying.

Find it on Amazon.

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the archivedThe Archived by Victoria Schwab

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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If you could help give these authors some love by spreading the word, that would be epic.

For more information about books on sale throughout the week, as well as giveaway updates, be sure to like A Book Vacation’s Facebook Page.

99 cent  84



The Darkest JoyFrom Goodreads: A sexy and poignant new adult novel from New York Times bestseller Marata Eros, about two lost souls who find each other in the wake of tragedy, only to learn that love may not be enough to heal the wounds of a dark and tortured past…

Twenty year-old Brooke Starr has escaped the aftermath of a brutal tragedy by abandoning her music studies and moving north to take a summer position as a part-time deck hand on a deep-sea fishing boat. When her survivor’s guilt becomes unbearable, Brooke realizes there’s only one thing she can do to finally erase the pain.

Deep sea fisherman, Chance Taylor, has just wrapped his guitar set at the local saloon when he sees the silhouette of a young woman in repose, the full moon highlighting her shadow as she plummets from a pier too high for diving… into water too cold to survive. Without thinking, he plunges in after her, saving Brooke from drowning.

As Chance works to save her from her own emotional fragility, Brooke finally begins to learn how to save herself. But when their chemistry begins to consume them, Brooke withdraws. She’s determined to be the master of her own destiny… until the past catches up with her in a cataclysmic plan so dark, so final… it threatens their love and their very lives.

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This is another spectacular novel by the ever talented Marata Eros (aka. Tamara Rose Blodgett), and a must read for fans of the NA genre. Complete with a budding romance, murder, mystery, and mayhem, this novel will glue readers to the page from the very beginning, enticing them onward as the plot unfolds, secrets are divulged, and healing begins, only to be met with the sinister actions of an obsessive and erratic murderer…

I am in awe of the talent Eros possesses. Her previous novels, A Terrible Love and A Brutal Tenderness are already a testament to her amazing skill as an author, but The Darkest Joy may be perhaps my favorite of her novels to date. The perfect love story, surrounded by believable characters, freighting possibilities, and steamy romance, it’s a superb read.

Eros paints a vivid picture of life in Alaska as her story unfolds, setting her characters against a beautiful backdrop, one readers so rarely hear about. It presents a wonderful change, setting itself in the wild, and though not interested in fishing myself, I absolutely adored learning about Chance’s business and watching Brooke and Chance interact, both on and off the ship.

Of course, Eros utilizes my favorite point of view–first person–allowing me to connect with the characters on a deeper level than that of third person, and I love the alternating points of view offset by chapter headings. Many authors use this style, giving readers inside glimpses into their main characters, and when done correctly, as Eros does, it speaks volumes.

Intertwining a talented musician with tragedy and escape was also a beautiful touch, and I loved how music was presented as a healing entity on top of that of love–the age old remedy in helping one heal. It’s a beautiful story, one you must read; you just must. Five stars.

5 stars

I received an ARC of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.  This novel releases on February 18, 2014.

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble



Today was a beautiful snow-day, and I spent it reading some awesome books and perusing Amazon for deals… and I came across a BUNDLE of them!  These are all bargain books and quantities are limited... so act fast!!! According to Amazon, bargain books are new but could include a small mark from the publisher and/or an Amazon.com price sticker identifying them as such.  Enjoy, and do let me know what you pick up (in the comments section)–I’m curious! Also, please note that these are on sale as of the time of this post… double check pricing before selecting buy–if the price is different, then all the copies at bargain price are gone.

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sparkSpark by Brigid Kemmerer

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it. And no one seems to believe him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Because Layne has a few secrets of her own…

$3.98 on Amazon 

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Daimon by Jennifer daimonArmentrout
“Love in my world usually ended up with someone hearing ‘I smite thee!’ as she was cursed to be some lame flower for the rest of her life.”For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals–pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she’d been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she’s pretty much accepted that she’s a freak by mortal standards… and that she’ll never be prepared for that duty.According to her mother, that’s a good thing.But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return-the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she’s being hunted by the very creatures she’d once trained to kill.The daimons have found her.

$3.59 on Amazon

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elixirElixir by Jennifer Armentrout

Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex.
Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for.
Even if it means making war against the gods.

$3.59 on Amazon

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Gone by Micgonehael Grant

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what’s happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents-unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers-that grow stronger by the day.

It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else…

$3.56 on Amazon

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liesLies by Michael Grant

It’s been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness-or so they thought.

As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

$3.56 on Amazon

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Plague by Michael plagueGrant

It’s been eight months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.

They’ve survived hunger. They’ve survived lies. But the stakes keep rising, and the dystopian horror keeps building. Yet despite the simmering unrest left behind by so many battles, power struggles, and angry divides, there is a momentary calm in Perdido Beach.

But enemies in the FAYZ don’t just fade away, and in the quiet, deadly things are stirring, mutating, and finding their way free. The Darkness has found its way into the mind of its Nemesis at last and is controlling it through a haze of delirium and confusion. A highly contagious, fatal illness spreads at an alarming rate. Sinister, predatory insects terrorize Perdido Beach. And Sam, Astrid, Diana, and Caine are plagued by a growing doubt that they’ll escape – or even survive – life in the FAYZ. With so much turmoil surrounding them, what desperate choices will they make when it comes to saving themselves and those they love?

Plague, Michael Grant’s fourth book in the bestselling Gone series, will satisfy dystopian fans of all ages.

$4.52 on Amazon

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fearFear by Michael Grant

It’s been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they’ve built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost.

Fear, Michael Grant’s fifth book in the bestselling dystopian Gone series, will thrill readers . . . even as it terrifies them.

$4.80 on Amazon

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Touch of Frost bytouch of frost Jennifer Estep

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy; a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody’s head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I’m determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why; especially since I should have been the one who died…

$3.98 on Amazon

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dark frostDark Frost by Jennifer Estep

I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me–again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects–and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me? It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can’t use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me–and I’m in for the fight of my life.

$3.98 on Amazon

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Fallen by Lauren fallenKate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret…even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, FALLEN is a page-turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

$3.95 on Amazon

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the betrayal of nhBetrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake

Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party – when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.

Cruel Intentions meets Macbeth in this seductive, riveting tale of conscience and consequence.

$4.00 on Amazon

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 Vanish by Sophievanish Jordan
An impossible romance.
Bitter rivalries.
Deadly choices.
To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

$4.00 on Amazon

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the huntThe Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

$4.00 on Amazon

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Desires of the Ddesires of the deadead by Kimberly Derting

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally, she’d turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

$3.60 on Amazon

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saving zoeSaving Zoe by Alyson Noel

It’s been one year since the brutal murder of her older sister, Zoë, and fifteen-year-old Echo is still reeling from the aftermath. Her parents are numb, her friends are moving on, and the awkward start to her freshman year proves she’ll never live up to her sister’s memory. Until Zoë’s former boyfriend Marc shows up with Zoë’s diary.

At first Echo’s not interested, doubting there’s anything in there she doesn’t already know. But when curiosity prevails, she starts reading, becoming so immersed in her sister’s secret world, their lives begin to blur, forcing Echo to uncover the truth behind Zoë’s life so that she can start to rebuild her own.

Prepare to laugh your heart out and cry your eyes out in this highly addictive tale as Alyson Noël tackles the complicated relationship between two sisters and shows how the bond can endure long after one of them is gone.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Shadow Land: The Immortals bshadow landy Alyson Noel

Experience the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestselling series that has taken the world by storm.  Enter the realm of The Immortals…

Ever and Damen have gone through countless lives and fought off the world’s darkest enemies so they could be together.  But just when an everlasting future is finally within their reach, Damen is struck down by a curse—a dark spell separating him and Ever for eternity.  Now sharing so much as a single touch could bring about Damen’s death…and send him plummeting into the Shadowland, an eternal abyss for lost souls.   Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses her herself in magick.  And in her quest, she gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar.  Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past.  She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true.  But as Damen pulls away to save them from the darkness inhabiting his soul, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…

$4.00 on Amazon

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ghost townGhost Town by Rachel Caine

Get ready for “non-stop vampire action” (Darque Reviews) in the latest Morganville Vampire novel from New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine.

While developing a new system to maintain Morganville’s defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she’s able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders.

But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town’s little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville…

$4.00 on Amazon

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Forget You by Jeforget younnifer Echols

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . .  AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.  But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all–the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug–of all people– suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life–a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

$4.40 on Amazon

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blue bloodsBlue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires.The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society.

The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner…and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead… drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn’t know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?

$3.60 on Amazon

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Awaken by Katie Kacvawakeninsky

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

$3.60 on Amazon

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fins are foreverFins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

$3.60 on Amazon

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Born at Midnight by C.C. Hborn at midnightunter
One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

$4.00 on Amazon

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hereafterHereafter by Tara Hudson

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead. With no recollection of her past life or her actual death she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won’t want to miss.

$3.60 on Amazon

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the chosen oneThe Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

$4.00 on Amazon

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a beautiful darkA Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites like fire and ice. Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move – only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

A Beautiful Dark is the first book in a captivating trilogy by debut author Jocelyn Davies.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Steel by Carrie Vaugsteelhn

It was a slender length of rusted steel, tapered to a point at one end and jagged at the other, as if it had broken. A thousand people would step over it and think it trash, but not her.

This was the tip of a rapier.

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate’s life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn.

$3.60 on Amazon

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the espressologistThe Espressologist by Kristina Springer

What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

With overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

$3.60 on Amazon

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The Secret of Peaches bthe secret of peachesy Jodi Lynn Anderson

A delicious sequel to the national bestseller Peaches

After a magical summer living on a peach orchard, Murphy, Leeda, and Birdie confront a series of breakups, make-ups, and take-offs. They may have to leave one another, along with the orchard that brought them together. But despite their heartbreak, this year’s bitter endings could lead to the sweetest of new beginnings.

$3.60 on Amazon

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impossibleImpossible by Nancy Werlin

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this age-old evil?

A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin.Inspired by the classic folk ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this is a wonderfully riveting and haunting novel of suspense, romance, and fantasy.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Guitar Girl by Sarra Manguitar girlning

Seventeen-year-old Molly Montgomery never planned on becoming famous. Molly’s band, The Hormones, was just supposed to be about mucking around with her best mates, Jane and Tara, and having fun. But when the deliciously dangerous Dean and his friend T join the band, things start happening fast. Soon The Hormones are front-page news, and their debut album is rocketing up the charts. Molly is the force behind the band, but the hazards of fame, first love, screaming fans, and sleazy managers are forcing the newly crowned teen queen of girl angst close to the edge. Fame never comes for free, and Molly’s about to find out what it costs.

$2.80 on Amazon

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by these ten bonesBy These Ten Bones by Clare B. Dunkle

There’s hidden places all over this land-old, old places. Places with a chain for them to chain up the wolf when it’s time.

A mysterious young man has come to a small Highland town. His talent for wood carving soon wins the admiration of the weaver’s daughter, Maddie. Fascinated by the silent carver, she sets out to gain his trust, only to find herself drawn into a terrifying secret that threatens everything she loves.

There is an evil presence in the carver’s life that cannot be controlled, and Maddie watches her town fall under a shadow. One by one, people begin to die. Caught in the middle, Maddie must decide what matters most to her-and what price she is willing to pay to keep it.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Madapple by Christina Mmadappleeldrum
THE SECRETS OF the past meet the shocks of the present.
Aslaug is an unusual young woman. Her mother has brought her up in near isolation, teaching her about plants and nature and language—but not about life. Especially not how she came to have her own life, and who her father might be.When Aslaug’s mother dies unexpectedly, everything changes. For Aslaug is a suspect in her mother’s death. And the more her story unravels, the more questions unfold. About the nature of Aslaug’s birth. About what she should do next. About whether divine miracles have truly happened. And whether, when all other explanations are impossible, they might still happen this very day.Addictive, thought-provoking, and shocking, Madapple is a page-turning exploration of human nature and divine intervention—and of the darkest corners of the human soul.

$4.00 on Amazon

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payback timePayback Time by Carl Deuker

A mystery-thriller set against the backdrop of high school football and the criminal underworld. A reporter’s job is to find the missing pieces, and the high school journalist Mitch True is on the verge of uncovering those pieces and nailing his first real story. If only he can get the cornerback Angel Marichal to talk. Or Coach McNulty to explain why he never allows Angel’s obvious talent—his speed and strength—to shine on the field. What is Angel’s secret? And who profits from keeping the truth hidden? In a thriller both thought-provoking and suspenseful, the award-winning author Carl Deuker shows how investigating someone else’s life can lead to very unexpected discoveries.

$3.20 on Amazon

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Flirting With Boys bflirting with boysy Hailey Abbott

How to Run a Resort:
Make sure employees arrive on time with a positive attitude. (check)
Remember that the customer is always right. (check)
Keep your boyfriend and your most valuable guest from trying to kill each other. (oops)

Celeste Tippen can’t imagine a more perfect summer. Her boyfriend, Travis, has a job at her family’s resort, which means lots of quality couple time. Unfortunately, she forgot about Nick Saunders, the hot son of the resort’s wealthiest customers. Every year, Nick flirts with Celeste, and apparently this year is no different, despite the boyfriend who’s watching their every move. She assures Travis that hanging out with the resident bad boy is the last thing she wants to do. If only she believed that herself…

$3.60 on Amazon

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empress of the worldEmpress of the World by Sara Ryan

Nicola Lancaster is spending her summer at the Siegel Institute, a hothouse of smart, intense teenagers. She soon falls in with Katrina (Manic Computer Chick), Isaac (Nice-Guy-Despite-Himself), Kevin (Inarticulate Composer) . . . and Battle, a beautiful blond dancer. The two become friends–and then, startlingly, more than friends. What do you do when you think you’re attracted to guys, and then you meet a girl who steals your heart? A trailblazing debut, reissued with an introduction by acclaimed author David Levithan, and copious back matter, including three graphic novel stories by Sara Ryan (and artists Steve Leiber, Dylan Meconis, and Natalie Nourigat) about the characters.

$3.60 on Amazon

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Pretty Amy by Lisa BursPretty Amytein

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands–earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx–Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating”rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing–like she is nothing.
 
Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

$4.00 on Amazon

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opheliaOphelia by Lisa M. Klein

He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again.

In this reimagining of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen’s most trusted lady-in-waiting.  Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia’s happiness is shattered. Ultimately, she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret.

Lisa Klein’s Ophelia tells the story of a young woman falling in love, searching for her place in the world, and finding the strength to survive.  Sharp and literary, dark and romantic, this dramatic story holds readers in its grip until the final, heartrending scene.

$3.60 on Amazon

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Hancock Park by Ihancock parksabel Kaplan

Becky Miller lives in the best neighborhood, goes to school with the children of movie stars, and has her psychiatrist on speed dial. She may live in the City of Angels, but this sixteen-year-old’s life is far from perfect.

By day, Becky navigates the halls of one of L.A.’s most elite schools, where the mean girls are a special breed of mean, and at night, she deals with sparring parents, a grandmother who is man-crazy, and a younger brother, Jack, who answers only to J-zizzy. As Becky’s life comes crashing down around her, she struggles to put it back together and learn to grow up while trying to stay sane.

Isabel Kaplan dishes the dirt on the children of Hollywood’s elite–from Spago delivered to campus at lunch and shrinks who dole out psychotropic drugs as though they’re candy to parent-free parties at the Four Seasons–the lives of Becky and her creator, Isabel Kaplan, are like no other, and yet strangely, just like everyone’s.

$3.60 on Amazon

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inbetweenInbetween by Tara A Fuller

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky — and unending — lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Cold Kiss by Acold kissmy Garvey

It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.

Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants–what she must do–is to bring Danny back.

But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.

Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her–and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought–even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

$3.60 on Amazon

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confessions of a not it girlConfessions of a Not It Girl by Melissa Kantor

Jan Miller is a senior in high school who’s convinced she is destined to lead the world’s least fabulous life. Her college application deadlines are looming and her French homework is taunting her. And she never seems to say the right thing around guys, unlike her best It Girl friend who knows the moves and lines to catch an older, adorable, sophisticated boyfriend. But Jan’s about to learn that in life and romance, being a Not It Girl has some major rewards.

$3.60 on Amazon

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Infinite Days by Rebinfinite daysecca Maizel
“Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you… no one.”Those were some of Rhode’s last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust. I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn’t Rhode.But Justin was… daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.I never expected to be sixteen again… then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me…

$4.00 on Amazon

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tempest crossTempest by Julie Cross

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Ascendant by Diana Peteascendantrfreund

Astrid Llewelyn is now a fully trained unicorn hunter, but she can’t solve all her problems with just a bow and arrow. Her boyfriend, Giovanni, has decided to leave Rome, the Cloisters is in dire financial straits, her best friend’s powers seem to be mysteriously disintegrating, and Astrid can’t help but feel that school, home, and her hopes of becoming a scientist are nothing but impossible dreams.

So when she’s given the opportunity to leave the Cloisters and put her skills to use as part of a scientific quest to discover the Remedy, Astrid leaps at the chance. Finally, she can have exactly what she want–or can she? At Gordian headquarters, deep in the French countryside, Astrid begins to question everything she thought she believed: her love for Giovanni, her loyalty to the Cloisters, and most of all her duty as a hunter. Should Astrid be saving the world from killer unicorns, or saving the unicorns from the world?

$3.60 on Amazon

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gamer girlGamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

After Maddy’s parents divorce, she’s stuck starting over at a new high school. Friendless and nicknamed Freak Girl, Manga-loving artist Maddy finds refuge in the interactive online game Fields of Fantasy. In that virtual world, she reinvents herself as Allora, a gorgeous elfin alter ego, and meets a true friend in Sir Leo. Maddy can’t hide behind Allora forever, especially as a real-life crush begins edging in on her budding virtual romance. But would anyone pick the real Maddy, gamer girl and Manga freak, over the fantasy? This fresh, geeky/cool novel includes online chats and exciting gaming, and features Maddy’s Mangastyle artwork.

$3.20 on Amazon

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Dead Connection by Cdead connectionharlie Price

Murray, a loner who communes with the dead in the town cemetery, hears the voice of a murdered cheerleader and tries to convince the adults that he knows what happened to her. But who beleives him? He’s a loser. Can he even beleive in himself? Also comes Pearl, the daughter of the cemetery caretaker, who befriends Murray and tries to enter his world. Together they may prove the astonishing possibility that Nikki is closer than anyone thinks.

$3.20 on Amazon

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FatefulFateful by Claudia Gray

A tragic tale about falling in love on the world’s most infamous ill-fated sea voyage as heroine, Tess, discovers darker secrets that lie beneath the doomed crossing… and a hidden brotherhood that threaten to tear her lover from her forever.

The RMS Titanic is the most luxurious ship ever built, but for eighteen-year-old Tess Davies it’s a prison. Travelling as a maid for the family she has served for years, Tess is trapped in their employ amid painful memories and family secrets.

When she meets Alec, a handsome upper class passenger, Tess falls helplessly in love. But Alec has secrets of his own… and soon Tess is entangled in a dangerous game. A sinister brotherhood that will do anything to induct Alec into their mystical order has followed him onboard. And Tess is now their most powerful pawn.

Tess and Alec fight the dark forces threatening to tear them apart, never realising that they will have to face an even greater peril before the journey is over…

$4.00 on Amazon

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Cloakcloakeded by Alex Flinn

I’m not your average hero. I actually wasn’t your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.

It all started with the curse. And the frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

There wasn’t a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I’ve ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Keys.

Don’t believe me? I didn’t believe it either. But you’ll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got CLOAKED.

$4.00 on Amazon

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glitchGlitch by Heather Anastasiu

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Violet on the Ruviolet on the runwaynway by Melissa Walker

A wallflower in the spotlight can do one of two things: wilt, or blossom…

Violet Greenfield’s life changes forever when a lady in giant Chanel shades tells her she could be IT, the next Kate Moss-but taller, and without the PR problems. That’s how Violet winds up with a business card in the front pocket of her jeans on her first day as a senior in high school. Angela Blythe from Tryst Models in New York City wants to put Violet on a plane and whisk her into the world of high-heeled boots and oversized sunglasses. Tall, skinny Violet, who’s been P-L-A-I-N practically forever.

And guess what? She’s going.

$4.00 on Amazon

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endgameEndgame by Nancy Garden

New town, new school, new start. That’s what fourteen-year-old Gray Wilton believes. But it doesn’t take long for him to realize that there are bullies in every school, and he’s always their punching bag. Their abuses escalate until Gray feels trapped and alone. He has no power at all until he enters the halls of Greenford High School with his father’s semiautomatic in hand. Nancy Garden deftly explores the cruelty of bullying and its devastating effects. In this brutal, heartbreaking story, a school shooting shatters lives on both sides of the gun.

$2.80 on Amazon

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Bumped by Meganbumped McCafferty

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

$3.60 on Amazon

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exposedExposed by Susan Vaught

Chan Shealy’s got most things going right in her life—straight A’s, a shot at the regional majorette championships in baton twirling, and the best best friend a girl could wish for. But after the football quarterback spreads a vicious lie about her, and the whole school decides she’s too trashy for words, Chan begins to wonder if the only place she’ll find love is online.

She’s careful. She follows all her parents’ rules, mostly anyway. A girl’s got to trust herself at a certain point, right? But what if your gut is telling you something that you’re just not hearing… until it’s too late?  

From the moment Chan logs on and meets Paul, until the truth begins to show through, Susan Vaught sends readers on a fast-paced and gripping ride. Even when you know something bad will happen, you still might not see it coming…

$3.60 on Amazon

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Another Faust by Dananother faustiel Nayeri

One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish – only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and
elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary “gifts.”

But as the students claw their way up – reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty – the side-effects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most
unforgivable sins.

At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

$3.60 on Amazon

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lockdownLockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

$4.00 on Amazon

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Angels in Pink: Rainangels in Pinka’s Story by Lurlene McDaniel

Raina is happy and relieved that her friends Kathleen and Holly found volunteering at the hospital rewarding. They loved their summers at the hospital so much they will be working for credit during their junior year.

Raina is also looking forward to spending as much time as possible with Hunter during their last year of high school together. Kathleen is still dating Carson, but they are at different schools and she’s worried it won’t last. And poor Holly’s still waiting for her parents to let up on their rules so she can actually go out on a date.

Everything is going well until Raina’s old boyfriend Tony shows up and threatens to ruin the thing that matters to Raina the most—her relationship with Hunter. But she isn’t the only one with a secret. When Raina’s mother reveals her family secret, Raina feels betrayed. Luckily she has Holly and Kathleen to lean on.

$4.38 on Amazon

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miles from ordinaryMiles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother’s ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control…

Now this award-winning YA author brings us an equally gripping story of a girl who loves her mother, but must face the truth of what life with that mother means for both of them.

$4.00 on Amazon

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prophecy of the sistersProphecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters–one good, one evil.

Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents’ deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

$3.60 on Amazon

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red riding hoodRed Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

The body of a young girl is discovered in a field of wheat. Her flesh mutilated by telltale claw marks. The Wolf has broken the peace.

When Valerie learns that her sister has been killed by the legendary creature, she finds herself at the center of a dark mystery, one that has plagued her village for generations. It is revealed that the werewolf lives among them, and everyone in the village immediately becomes a suspect. Could her secret love Peter be behind the attacks on her town? Is it her betrothed, Henry? Or someone even closer to her?

As the men in the village hunt for the beast, Valerie turns to her grandmother for help. She gives Valerie a handmade red riding cloak, and guides her through the web of lies and deception that has held her town together for so long. Will Valerie discover the werewolf’s identity before the town is ripped apart?

This is a dangerous new vision of a classic fairy tale, the happy ending could be hard to find.

$4.00 on Amazon

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11030066The Fame Game by Lauren Conrad

In Hollywood, fame can be found on every corner and behind any door. You just have to know where to look for it. Nineteen-year-old Madison Parker made a name for herself as best frenemy of nice-girl-next-door Jane Roberts on the hot reality show L.A. Candy. Now Madison’s ready for her turn in the spotlight and she’ll stop at nothing to get it. Sure, she’s the star of a new show, but with backstabbing friends and suspicious family members trying to bring her down, Madison has her work cut out for her. Plus, there’s a new nice girl in “reality” town—aspiring actress Carmen Price, the daughter of Hollywood royalty—and she’s a lot more experienced at playing the fame game… When the camera’s start rolling, whose star will shine brighter?

Filled with characters both familiar and new, Lauren Conrad’s series about the highs and lows of being famous delivers Hollywood gossip and drama at every turn.

$4.40  on Amazon

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Paperback Sale

If you could help give these authors some love by spreading the word, that would be epic.

For more information about books on sale throughout the week, as well as giveaway updates, be sure to like A Book Vacation’s Facebook Page.



Ten Things We DidOne of my favorite novels, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski, is on SALE–paperback sale–for just $3.60 from Amazon!

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From Goodreads: 2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn’t have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn’t jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe “opportunity” isn’t the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: “Lied to Our Parents”). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up “Skipping School” (#3), “Throwing a Crazy Party” (#8), “Buying a Hot Tub” (#4), and, um, “Harboring a Fugitive” (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn’t-have-done at a time.

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To see my 5 Star Review of this awesome novel, click HERE!

Hurry and scoop up your paperback NOW before Amazon runs out!!!

AMAZON



My Name is JoeFrom Goodreads: When Joe’s doctor advises him to get his affairs in order, he faces two choices: leave this world full of regrets, or seek forgiveness for a life unlived.

An unexpected thing happens on Joe’s path to redemption. He meets Rebecca, a young, single mother struggling with guilt over the death of her own mother. They soon come to realize that the other may hold the key to forgiveness and salvation — if they can muster the courage to trust one another.

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This relatively short read takes an in-depth look at one man’s life once an end date is unceremoniously stamped upon it.  Like Queen Latifah in Last Holiday, Joe has just learned that he is going to die.  But unlike the comedic movie, Joe does not have a happy ending—there is no mistake made here.  Suffering from pancreatic cancer, he is instructed to get his affairs in order, sending him on a spiraling journey that surveys his contributions to the world, or lack thereof.  Compelled to reminisce about his past as he looks bleakly at his short future, Joe begins to assess his life and make amends, learning to finally live in a world he has for so long allowed to pass him by.

While this is a somewhat depressing look at the end of one man’s life, it is also an inspirational one—powerful in that it lays his soul bare and allows him to finally experience all that he never knew he missed.  With the help of a good-hearted, young, single mother, Joe learns what truly matters in life and no longer has to face death alone.  And while readers already know what the end of this tale will hold, it’s a touching look at the human spirit that, though tears are shed, will leave readers feeling triumphant.  Four stars.

4 stars

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble



Cold MourningFrom Goodreads: It’s a week before Christmas when wealthy businessman Tom Underwood disappears into thin air — with more than enough people wanting him dead.

New police recruit Kala Stonechild, who has left her northern Ontario detachment to join a specialized Ottawa crime unit, is tasked with returning Underwood home in time for the holidays. Stonechild, who is from a First Nations reserve, is a lone wolf who is used to surviving on her wits. Her new boss, Detective Jacques Rouleau, has his hands full controlling her, his team, and an investigation that keeps threatening to go off track.

Old betrayals and complicated family relationships brutally collide when love turns to hate and murder stalks a family.

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I was immediately pulled into this story by the prologue as it focuses on two young girls as they battle a man who lured them into his van–it piqued my interest and pulled me right into the story. Then the novel jumps ahead a decade or so, and we meet new characters. Although it is obvious that Kala Stonechild is one of the little girls from the prologue, using a different name, the text doesn’t come out and say it, and so it keeps readers guessing. In fact, the novel actually keeps readers guessing throughout much of it, especially with the revelations that keep popping up in regards to Tom’s Underwood’s murder, the main focus of the novel.

Kala Stonechild is a hard character to get to know. She keeps herself closed off from everyone, including the reader, but she’s a hard worker, quick on her feet, and she’s admirable. I really enjoyed her aloofness, even though that meant I didn’t really connect with her on the deeper level. Usually that is bothersome to me in a novel, but in this case, it worked perfectly because I don’t think readers were really supposed to bond with her, but rather watch her unfold and slowly solve a murder mystery.

A mystery that kept me guessing. I didn’t know who the murdered was until Stonechild figured it out. I had my guesses, but since the novel was pointing in those directions, I was sure I was wrong (and I was). The actual killer never crossed my mind as a suspect, and that’s what made it really intriguing, because once it came out, everything fit–I just didn’t see it in the beginning.

If you enjoy murder mysteries and piecing together the puzzle alongside characters in your novel, then this is definitely a novel for you.  Four stars.

4 stars

Dundurn has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this full novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on February 17, 2014, in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble



Today is the OFFICIAL RELEASE of the first ever UtopYA anthology, complete with NEW, original short stories from these authors: Tiffany King, Heather Hildenbrand, Amanda Havard, Amy Bartol, Sarah M. Ross, Tammy Blackwell, Raine Thomas, and C.A. Kunz!

Take Me To Your ReaderAll proceeds go directly to UtopYA Con to help with future endeavors, and I can’t wait to read my copy, especially at such a low price of $2.99!

Buy on Amazon

Hurry and scoop up your copy today (and come to UtopYA 2014 in Nashville June 20-22–it’s the best book conference out there!!!

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And join the Facebook Party going on now through February 20, 2014.

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Dark MetropolisThe giveaway for an ARC of Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dolamore has just concluded, and I’m excited to say that the winner has been chosen via Rafflecopter!

And the winner is…

Jamie

A tweet has already gone out to the winner, and an email will go out later this evening! If I don’t hear from the winner within 48 hours, I will select a new winner using Rafflecopter.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winner… but don’t despair if you didn’t win this round!

Enter to win my other great giveaways:

Win a Signed Paperback of Secret by Brigid Kemmerer–Ends February 23

Win an ARC of Far From You by Tess Sharpe –ENDS February 26, 2014

Far From You

Win Your Choice of Recently Released–ENDS March 1

RRGG Feb

Win an Paperback of Easy by Tammara Webber–ENDS March 5, 2014

Easy 2



19183736From Goodreads: Comedy superstar Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder), who directs and stars in the movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, here narrates the classic James Thurber short story on which his film adaptation is based.

The mild-mannered Mitty escapes his extremely humdrum and ineffectual existence by leaping into a myriad of fantasies – imaginative daydreams that range from piloting a Navy plane to performing as a brilliant surgeon to coolly leaning against the wall of a firing squad, all while escorting his wife on their regular shopping trip to Danbury, Connecticut.

This well-known and beloved tale has launched its famous protagonist into the cultural lexicon, warranting his inclusion in English-language dictionaries and countless anthologies. Stiller’s imaginative performance as Mitty is the perfect re-introduction to the classic character and is a great preface to the upcoming film, for old fans and new listeners alike.

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The audible version of this 30 page short story was a free download, so I picked it up and listened to Ben Stiller read it.  Stiller actually has the perfect voice for this story, and I loved hearing him change his voice as he read, giving readers queues that sometimes don’t transcend in the plain written word.  The story follows Walter Mitty as his wife constantly nags him about errands he needs to run while she gets her hair done.  As a reader, I wanted to strangle her because she came across as an extremely annoying character, but in her defense, her husband, Walter, is always daydreaming, and it becomes obvious that he has a tendency to get so wrapped up in his own world that he disregards, forgets, or otherwise doesn’t hear those around him.  It’s kind of a sad story—Walter’s only means of escape from his mundane world is through the thoughts in his head, where he becomes the hero of every story and does something noteworthy with his life.

While I think this is a very well done audible, and I liked Ben Stiller’s voice, the story didn’t leave me with much in terms of thought.  I neither liked it nor disliked it; it just was.  That being said, I have no desire to actually see the movie, and I’m not really interested in reading any of Thurber’s other works.  Two stars.

2 stars



Remember WhenFrom Goodreads: Years before Trip Wiley could be seen on movie screens all over the world, he could be seen sitting in the desk behind me in my high school English class.

This was back in 1990, and I cite the year only to avoid dumbfounding you when references to big hair or stretch pants are mentioned. Although, come to think of it, I am from New Jersey, which may serve as explanation enough. We were teenagers then, way back in a time before anyone could even dream he’d turn into the Hollywood commodity that he is today.

In case you live under a rock and don’t know who Trip Wiley is, just know that these days, he’s the actor found at the top of every casting director’s wish list. He’s incredibly talented and insanely gorgeous, the combination of which has made him very rich, very famous and very desirable.

And not just to casting directors, either.

I can’t confirm any of the gossip from his early years out in Tinseltown, but based on what I knew of his life before he was famous, I can tell you that the idea of Girls-Throwing-Themselves-At-Trip is not a new concept.

I should know. I was one of them.

And my life hasn’t been the same since.

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This was very well done. I thought it would be similar to Tammara Webber’s Between the Lines series, but it’s not, really–Trip isn’t famous in this novel yet, and it’s really the back-story before he gets famous (but if you’re a fan of Webber’s BtL series, then definitely pick this one up, anyway!). In fact, the only time they talk about his fame is in the very beginning, when Layla is reminiscing. Book two, I think, is where the fame piece will come up–and I can’t wait to read it, especially with a heartbreaking ending like the one Torrest left us with in the first novel.

I loved Layla’s voice in this novel. She’s full of spunk and she regales us with her memories of her senior year, making us a part of the story and she relives it–the good and the bad–and it was fun to read. Trip is a swoon-worthy character, and Layla is extremely sweet, though I think she allowed her best friend to control her a bit much. Things could have been so different if Layla has just followed her own heart and not taken her best friend’s advice to just let it go. Best friend or not, sometimes their advice shouldn’t be heeded.

I was happy that things sort of worked out in the end for Trip and Layla in the end, and that they at least got to spend some time happy together prior to leaving for college, but I really, really wanted things to end differently. But hey, at least the second and third books are already out, so I can start reading them now and find out what happens next for this fun couple. Four stars.

4 stars

I purchased this novel from Amazon.

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SacrificeSacrifice: Book 5 in the Elemental Series

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Releases: September 2014

One misstep and they lose it all. For the last time.

Michael Merrick is used to pressure.

He’s the only parent his three brothers have had for years. His power to control Earth could kill someone if he miscalculates. Now an Elemental Guide has it out for his family, and he’s all that stands in the way.

His girlfriend, Hannah, gets that. She’s got a kid of her own, and a job as a firefighter that could end her life without a moment’s notice.

But there are people who have had enough of Michael’s defiance, his family’s “bad luck.” Before he knows it, Michael’s enemies have turned into the Merricks’ enemies, and they’re armed for war.

They’re not interested in surrender. But Michael isn’t the white flag type anyway. There will be blood on the ground tonight…

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Brigid Kemmerer HeadshotBrigid Kemmerer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. Brigid started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though sometimes that just makes her sound nuts.)

Brigid writes anywhere she can find a place to sit down (and she’s embarrassed to say a great many pages of The Elemental Series were written while sitting on the floor in the basement of a hotel while she was attending a writers’ conference). Most writers enjoy peace and quiet while writing, but Brigid prefers pandemonium. A good thing, considering she has three boys in the house, ranging in age from an toddler to a teenager. You can learn more about Brigid and the Elemental boys at www.brigidkemmerer.com.

Follow Brigid:

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Elemental Kindle | Nook
Storm Kindle | Paperback | Nook
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Breathless Kindle | Nook
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Secret Kindle | Paperback | Nook

Sacrifice Kindle | Paperback

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If you’ve always wanted to read Richelle Mead’s ‪Vampire Academy‬ series, but just haven’t gotten around to it, today’s your lucky day!!  You can purchase each of the Vampire Academy novels for your Kindle for just $2.99, TODAY ONLY!  Read the first book, then go see the movie, but remember, don’t judge the book by its movie.

Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy (#1)

Frostbite (#2)

Shadow Kiss (#3)

Blood Promise (#4)

Spirit Bound (#5)

Last Sacrifice (#6)



The Tyrant's DaughterFrom Amazon: THERE: In an unnamed Middle Eastern country, fifteen-year-old Laila has always lived like royalty. Her father is a dictator of sorts, though she knows him as King—just as his father was, and just as her little brother Bastien will be one day. Then everything changes: Laila’s father is killed in a coup.

HERE: As war surges, Laila flees to a life of exile in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Overnight she becomes a nobody. Even as she adjusts to a new school and new friends, she is haunted by the past. Was her father really a dictator like the American newspapers say? What was the cost of her family’s privilege?

Far from feeling guilty, her mother is determined to regain their position of power. So she’s engineering a power play—conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to gain a foothold to the throne. Laila can’t bear to stand still as yet another international crisis takes shape around her. But how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations?

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Throughout history, there have been many dictators and tyrants leading their countries into war, be it with other countries, or within the boundaries of their own. Civil wars and bloodshed have been on the rise throughout the world, especially within recent years, and J.C. Carleson’s novel, The Tyrant’s Daughter comes at such a time when the world’s eyes are glued to the events currently unfolding in Syria, while also reminding us of the civil unrest that is still occurring in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the list goes on.

While I have read many novels about genocides, civil war, and the memoirs of those affected by civil unrest, Carelson’s novel is the first I’ve come across focusing on the life of a dictator’s wife and children.  And though fictional, Carleson gives readers a glimpse into the family life that we rarely hear about, but have always questioned.  I remember a few years back, I was flipping through the TV Guide channel and saw that a station, perhaps the history channel, was going to run a special about Hitler’s children, a “where are they now” kind of documentary, but didn’t watch it because it was scheduled to run in the dead of night.  I’d forgotten about it until now.  I wish I had watched it.

The Tyrant’s Daughter focuses on the life of Laila as she acclimates to her new life in the U.S.  A place of immense freedom, where she doesn’t have to cover herself and she can interact with the opposite sex without being shunned or beaten.  It’s a brand new world for her, and as she soon finds out, a safe-haven from the worn-torn country she left when her father, a tyrant by every definition, was murdered. Having been subjected to limited access to the internet within her country, Laila now sees the truths about her father and her family as the news reports flood in concerning the uprisings, death toll, and the new tyrant (her uncle) running her country.

Carelson’s novel is extremely powerful and I was glued to the pages as I read.  Laila’s story is poignant and believable, and as she attempts to understand the new knowledge she gains about her father’s actions, everything in her life is upended.  Believed by some to have inner knowledge of her father’s actions, she is shunned by refugees from her country, while her mother refuses to back down from her queen status and moves invisible pawns in order to grant her 7 year old son, Bastien, Laila’s brother, the right be rule his country.  It’s an intense read, and really made me stop and think; just how much do the children of dictators know?  And while society has a tendency to lump a family in with the sins of the father, wondering how they couldn’t know the reality, is there more truth in the fact that children, and sometimes even wives, have limited or no knowledge of the extent of the atrocities their fathers/husbands/parents commit?

This is a fictional tale, as I’ve said, but derives itself from the many true events that surround dictators, both past and present, and it’s a must read.  Although slated as a YA book, this novel is riveting and one I highly recommend for adults as well.  Five stars.

5 stars

Random House Children’s and Alfred A. Knopf BFYR have been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on February 11, 2014, in exchange for an honest review.

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Pre-order your copy today!



Every Saturday I run a feature for the 99 Cent Club, and below are the eBook picks for this week that caught my eye and are currently ONLY 99 Cents on Amazon, with a few on Barnes and Noble as well. I don’t know if these are permanent prices, so please don’t shoot the messenger, and double check pricing before pressing the buy button. Enjoy! (If you could help give these authors some love by spreading the word, that would be epic.)

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18817750Draw Me In by Megan O’Connell Squires

He’s a young, up and coming businessman with the keys to his family’s Italian wine enterprise.

I’m a fine arts student, navigating life in the Big Apple, my pencil and sketchpad in hand.

We meet. We fall in love.

But it’s not that story.

Sometimes, by a rare gift of fate, two lives cross paths. And hey, if that happens to occur when staring at Michelangelo’s naked masterpiece, even better. We can tell our future children how a seventeen-foot tall marble guy named David brought us together.

But there’s always more to a relationship than its beginning and ever after. In life, there’s a whole lot of backstory. There are ex-fiancés and hot roommates and family members whose advice continues, even beyond the grave.

When you say you love someone, it’s never just that one person you’re saying it to. And it’s never just that one moment that sets everything in motion.

There is always more that draws you in.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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18365066Twisted by N.L. Greene

Growing up isn’t always easy. But for most teenage girls, they can rely on their best friend to help them get through the process. A BFF is something that is truly treasured and completely irreplaceable. You share all of your secrets, and are loyal and honest with each other, even when you’re acting just a little bit crazy. You have each other’s backs no matter what and you form a bond that is virtually unbreakable.

At least that’s what normal teenage girls experience.

Nat and Mel have been bestie’s since childhood and Nat has followed her blindly ever since. But as Nat’s friendship with Mel begins to lead her down the wrong path, she starts to question the sincerity of their relationship. Nat starts to see Mel’s manipulative, deceitful ways become more focused on her. Will Natalie hold on tight to the friendship she’s had her entire life, no matter what it cost her? Or will she let her heart lead her to a relationship that’s not so twisted.

***Attention*** This book is recommended for mature readers. It contains underage drinking, drug use, and sexual content.

Find it on Amazon.

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18241961Patriotic Duty by C.J. Pinard

Newly divorced party girl Cara Reid just wants to have fun. Much too young to even be a divorcee, she and her bestie, Miranda, set off to have fun and maybe a few casual hookups and live life. One night at a military bar, Cara meets Riley Forrester, a hot Army soldier who makes her melt with one look of his deep ocean blue eyes. But Riley is only staying the summer in California and then has to go back to Colorado when it’s over. Cara tells herself he’s just a summer fling and is determined to enjoy herself and let him go once the summer is over. But when Riley receives orders he wasn’t expecting, she’s forced to make a decision on whether she’s going to be there for him when he gets back, or move on with her life. What she wasn’t expecting was to fall so hard for the beautiful soldier boy, and now she’s faced with accepting her feelings or letting him go.For readers 18+. Contains adult content.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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20747080Witch Hunt: An Urban Fantasy Mystery by SM Reine

A brutal murder.
There are scratches on Cèsar Hawke’s arms, a discharged Glock on his coffee table, and a dead woman in his bathtub. Yeah, maybe he brought the waitress home for some fun — he was too drunk to remember it — but he knows for a fact that he didn’t kill her. He’s an agent with the Office of Preternatural Affairs. He doesn’t hurt people. He saves them.

The cops disagree. Now Cèsar is running.The search for a shaman.
Isobel Stonecrow speaks with the dead…for the right price. She brings closure to the bereaved and heals broken hearts. But when she resurrects someone for the wrong client, she ends up on the OPA’s most wanted list.One risky solution.
Tracking down Isobel is the last case assigned to Cèsar before he bolts. If he finds her, he can prove that he didn’t kill that waitress. He can clear his name, get his job back, and bring justice to the victim.She’s just one witch. Cèsar has bagged a dozen witches before.

How hard can one more be?

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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17257484Trouble by Samantha Towle

Mia Monroe is running. Running from a person she doesn’t ever want to find her. Running from a past she doesn’t ever want anyone to know. Desperate to find a future, that yesterday, she could only dream of having. Jordan Matthews likes easy. Easy women. Easy life. Then he meets Mia. She’s damaged, troubled and has more baggage than any person can carry. But the more Jordan gets to know Mia-for the first time in his life-he finds himself wanting to try hard for something … for someone … for her.And then life isn’t so easy anymore.

Jordan is everything Mia shouldn’t want. A whole bunch of dirty hotness, tattooed, cocky bad boy, who made his money at poker tables and picked his women up in bars. Yet, Mia finds herself falling for him. Then the past Mia was running from, quickly starts to catch up with her. Because that’s the problem with running … you have to stop sometime.

And when you stop, you get caught.

Full length New Adult Contemporary Romance.
Recommended Reading Age 18+

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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12595669Ascent by Amy Kinzer

For three teens going back to the past is the only way to save the future.

After years of recession a new political party is ascending to power. To control the United States they must offer leaders people will vote for. The Party has chosen a select group of teens to attend the Institute for Youth Development (IYD) for training to become the nation’s next leaders. But no one has a perfect past and in a world where every moment is captured on film it has become increasingly difficult to find future politicians. Everyone has something from their past they wish they could change.

Matt wants to go back and change the night he drove drunk and ended the life of his girlfriend and best friend; Farrah-Kate, the daughter of America’s most tragic actress, wants to save her movie star mother; and Rick is ordered to go back and change the night he hacked the governments computers.

Marvin Winn, a casino billionaire and Party founder has funded a device that will take the chosen back in time to alter their past. But not everyone is attending the Institute because they want to join The Party. And while everyone returns to their past, one person will choose not to come back, putting everything The Party seeks to achieve at risk.

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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16078992Miss Me Not by Tiffany King

Miss Me Not is a beautiful story of self-discovery, forgiveness, caring, and love.

Madison Hanson’s past demons have given her a shadow of an existence with little hope. With the sudden tragic death of a fellow student, Madison questions her own life choices, and is now forced to evaluate everything she thought she believed in. When fate intervenes and partners her with Dean Jackson, a popular “all around good guy” from school, Madison gets a glimpse of a life that is filled with sunshine that has the power to break through the darkness she has cloaked herself in.
With Dean’s help, Madison discovers a desire to finally step out of the shadows, and embrace life and all its gifts.

Find it on Amazon.

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18215147A Tragic Wreck by T.K. Leigh

How can you continue living when you’re living a lie? How can you convince your body to stop feeling, your soul to stop caring, and your heart to stop beating?

Haunted by her past, Olivia Adler flees Boston for a beach in Florida, leaving everyone behind, trying to shut the world out. Remaining a relative recluse in her self-imposed prison, she tries to turn everything off, wanting to feel nothing. But a new acquaintance won’t let that happen. After being away from Alexander for a month, his voice constantly ringing in her head, reminding her that her inability to confront her demons will not only destroy her, but also him, can she really be expected to want to feel again when it brings nothing but pain?

Back in Boston, everywhere he turns, Alexander Burnham is reminded of Olivia… His Olivia… He tries to dull the ache left in his heart the only way he knows how… in the bed of a beautiful woman. But Alexander isn’t about to lose his Olivia. After a clue comes to light regarding Olivia’s whereabouts, can he convince her to return to Boston with him? When a force that has laid dormant for months resurfaces, can Alexander still protect her from the unknown danger? And when Alexander comes face to face with a shadow of both his and Olivia’s past, will he be able to tell her the secret that is threatening to tear them apart?

Recommended for ages 18 and up.

Sequel to T.K. Leigh’s “A Beautiful Mess.”

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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17882853A First Time for Everything by Kristina Ludwig

Fourteen year-old Olivia has always been a play-it-safe kind of girl, enjoying a relatively simple life in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But her comfortable world is turned upside down when her dad marries mean, bossy Essie…who just happens to live in San Diego. Suddenly, Olivia, who has never moved before, is forced to leave her home and friends, and move two thousand miles away.

Olivia hates everything about California – until she meets Justin, the adventurous and athletic neighborhood hottie. With Justin at her side, will Olivia be able to brave the SoCal social scene and all the intimidating firsts that go along with it? Or will pressures from her new environment knock her down harder than the turbulent waves of the Pacific Ocean?

Find it on Amazon.

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18819554Citizen by Natasha House

Cold. Fear. Unfeeling eyes stare at Lend as he’s forced up against a metal contraption. A smile curls on the face of the blue-skinned, bat-winged creature that towers above him. Blue electricity is pressed crudely to his face, and a voice slithers from the throat of the other worldly being. “There’s nowhere to run, human.” Human Warehouse Lend, wrenched away from his home in the wild, loses everything in one eternal moment. Not only have these creatures, whom call themselves Citizens, stolen his world, but now his freedom as well. When he is forced into the back of a speedcar, he is taken to a warehouse, where ill fed and terrified humans huddle in the darkness waiting, to be purchased by a Citizen. Having been stripped of all identity except the name human Lend must fight to regain the freedom he and his race have lost. Purchased by the daughter of the most powerful Citizen on the planet Lend finds his world churning. The female Citizen shows him a new side of the alien race whom he believed incapable of love or trust. Jealousy rages in her relationship with her future mate and Lend runs from the killer inamorato. With the threat of being burned alive, Lend collides straight into a force beyond his control. Does he have what it takes to become a savior? Or will he be enslaved at the hands of the powerful beings who corrupted his world.

Find it on Amazon.

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If you could help give these authors some love by spreading the word, that would be epic.

For more information about books on sale throughout the week, as well as giveaway updates, be sure to like A Book Vacation’s Facebook Page.

99 Cent Club 81



White SpaceFrom Goodreads: In the tradition of Memento and Inception comes a thrilling and scary young adult novel about blurred reality where characters in a story find that a deadly and horrifying world exists in the space between the written lines.

Seventeen-year-old Emma Lindsay has problems: a head full of metal, no parents, a crazy artist for a guardian whom a stroke has turned into a vegetable, and all those times when she blinks away, dropping into other lives so ghostly and surreal it’s as if the story of her life bleeds into theirs. But one thing Emma has never doubted is that she’s real.

Then she writes “White Space,” a story about these kids stranded in a spooky house during a blizzard.

Unfortunately, “White Space” turns out to be a dead ringer for part of an unfinished novel by a long-dead writer. The manuscript, which she’s never seen, is a loopy Matrix meets Inkheart story in which characters fall out of different books and jump off the page. Thing is, when Emma blinks, she might be doing the same and, before long, she’s dropped into the very story she thought she’d written. Trapped in a weird, snow-choked valley, Emma meets other kids with dark secrets and strange abilities: Eric, Casey, Bode, Rima, and a very special little girl, Lizzie. What they discover is that they–and Emma–may be nothing more than characters written into being from an alternative universe for a very specific purpose.

Now what they must uncover is why they’ve been brought to this place–a world between the lines where parallel realities are created and destroyed and nightmares are written–before someone pens their end.

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I absolutely adore most of Ilsa J. Bick’s novels, but this one was just so hard to read. It begins with Lizzie’s story and, truth be told, it doesn’t make much sense. Readers get the feeling that Lizzie lives in an alternate world, especially with all the made up words and strange references, but then Lizzie references London, and you have to wonder if she’s living in our world, or an alternate one, because her story with the white space and her father bringing characters to life just seems so surreal. It isn’t until Emma’s story begins that some semblance of a story begins to protrude, and it was here that I had my first “aha” moment! Emma lives in what I consider the here and now–a University student, I could easily connect with her and she made sense to me, unlike Lizzie and her family. As we learn about her and her odd life, we realize that she is connected to Lizzie in a way, but readers really have to read slowly because the connections are minute to begin with, and truth be told, you have to think a whole lot while reading this book. If you’re just looking for a fun story that you can sit down and read, well, this isn’t it. As the story progresses, and more and more characters are added to the mix, the reader knows they’re all connected, but may struggle a bit to follow everything because the points of view jump from one to another often–leaving many “stories” with cliffhangers until the next time. While I love this style of narration, and Bick is a master at it, employing it in all her novels, this time I had to work extremely hard to keep the stories straight, and though I loved the twist and putting everything together, and my mind was racing with possibilities connecting Lizzie and her family to everyone else, this was more like homework than a pleasurable evening read. If you miss any of the finite details that produce a connection, then… you’re lost for quite some time. And so, reading this extremely long work of fiction became more of a chore than a leisurely activity.

I was really into the story until about 30%, when Emma enters the house. From here, I either missed something extremely crucial, or it just became too weird, but I stopped really enjoying the book at that point. Nothing made sense any more, and while I think that the point is to keep readers guessing, at nearly 600 pages, it’s just too much for too long–without making sense. Around 60%, Bick drops a bombshell that I wasn’t expecting–in fact, I thought just the opposite the entire time I was reading, but even so, it wasn’t enough to bring me back into the novel full circle. I think this is a great idea–I LOVE Matrix and the idea of Inkheart is extremely interesting, but this was just too long and drawn out. I know Bick’s novels are generally long, but this one could have definitely dropped about 300 pages, in my opinion.

Note: This is a horror story with some exceptionally horrific tales and twists, so readers should beware. While it doesn’t start out all that horrific, Bick definitely takes readers there with her descriptions of blood and gore as the novel proceed.  I actually liked that part, but the rest was just too dense.  Two and a half stars.

2.5 stars

Egmont USA has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read and ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on February 11, 2014.

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et cetera