Showing posts with label Broken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broken. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Review: Broken

BROKEN
LOST #1
Cynthia Eden
Romantic Suspense
384 pages
Avon
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Ex-SEAL and LOST founder Gabe Spencer is accustomed to the unusual in his job. But when knockout Eve Gray steps into his office, he's rattled. For the mysterious woman is a dead ringer for the heiress thought to be the latest prey of the serial killer who goes by the name Lady Killer.

When Eve awoke in an Atlanta hospital, her past was a blank slate. Then she recognized her own face in the newspaper and vowed to learn the truth. Determined to confront the nightmares hidden in her mind, she never expects to find a partner in Gabe.

As Gabe and Eve work together, their explosive attraction becomes irresistible. Gabe knows that his desire for Eve is growing too strong, bordering on a dangerous obsession, but nothing pulls him away from her. And when another Eve lookalike disappears, Gabe vows to protect Eve at all costs. While Eve may have forgotten the killer in her past, it's clear he hasn't forgotten her.


MY THOUGHTS
Broken reaches out and grabs hold from the very first page, ensuring we stumble into work the next morning bleary-eyed and mildly incoherent from lack of sleep. We can’t help but be as curious about Eve’s past as she is, a chilling prologue giving us just the barest hint of what happened to her before we meet her as a blank slate with nothing but a newspaper article to tell her who she is. Thanks to a few chapters that have us breaking away from Eve, her faulty memory, and her romance with Gabe to follow the killer as he begins his hunt once again, we find ourselves not wanting to look outside our darkened windows for fear that a face might be staring back at us.

While the relationship between Eve and Gabe develops quickly, it’s easy to grant her a bit of a pass on the intensity of her feelings given Gabe is the one person that’s made her feel safe since she got out of the hospital months ago, and a declaration of love is slow in coming (page-wise, not necessarily actual time-wise). The two of them together are all kinds of sexy, and as their relationship progresses and her case unfolds we’re also introduced to the other members of Gabe’s team, a group of men and women we can’t wait to learn more about in future books.

The mystery and horror of Eve’s past is incredibly well done, the killer’s identity easily narrowed down to a handful of people, but Ms. Eden makes it very difficult to guess who the culprit is from within that group. We point an accusing finger at one person after another before disregarding our guesses when new information (or suspicious behavior) comes to light. All in all, Broken is a heart-pounding read from beginning to end, the romance and suspense perfectly balanced so that one doesn’t outshine the other, and we reach the last page eager to find out who on Gabe’s team will be the next to be put through the emotional and physical wringer.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Cynthia:



This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Things of Awesome: August Edition

Hey Everyone!

It's been a while since I've done a Things of Awesome post because I pretty much fail at being consistent when it comes to my own features on this blog. A feature or meme someone else has created? I'm on top of it almost every week, but apparently that same determination to stick with something cannot be applied to my own monthly feature. *sigh* Oh well. I do have some really fun things to share with you for this month though, so I hope you enjoy!

SCORCHED PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN


This book was one of the ones I was most excited to grab at BEA this year because DRAGONS. Yes. I haven't read very many books that feature dragons, so I was pumped to get my hands on this and promptly devoured it as soon as I got home. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will post my review when it gets a little closer to release day on September 3rd!

The team at Sourcebooks has put together a fun pre-order campaign for this book, so I'll let them explain how it's all going to work:

It’s Game of Thrones meets The Terminator in award-winning author Mari Mancusi’s newest, powerful new series, Scorched which will be in stores on September 3rd!

A Gift for You, for Pre-Ordering SCORCHED by Mari Mancusi


We have a special offer for U.S. and Canada YA fans for the release of Scorched by Mari Mancusi in stores in a little over three weeks! If you pre-order the book, we will send you an exclusive dragon charm—perfect to wear as jewelry or to decorate as an accessory. You have until September 2 or until quantities run out.

Here’s how to get your charm:

1. Pre-order the book (print or eBook) through any retailer (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, your local independent bookseller/Indiebound, Books-A-Million, Hastings, etc.)

2. Email your proof of purchase (receipt or picture of the receipt) to teenfire@sourcebooks.com. Put “Scorched Pre-Order” in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your home address (US & Canada only please) so we can send you the dragon charm! If you’ve already pre-ordered this book—not a problem! Send us your receipt!

3. You will get an email back confirming when the items have been sent out.

4. Enjoy
Scorched when it comes out in September!

Optional: take a pic of you and your dragon charm and share it with Mari Mancusi or Sourcebooks Fire on Twitter! You can find Mari @marimancusi and Sourcebooks Fire @sourcebooksfire.


COVER REVEAL: BROKEN


In addition to launching the pre-order campaign for Scorched, Sourcebooks has also recently revealed the cover for Broken, a new young adult novel from CJ Lyons releasing November 5th. Isn't it gorgeous?

Fifteen-year-old Scarlet Killian has one chance for a normal life. Only problem? It just might kill her. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, Scarlet has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. Scarlet has come to terms with the fact that despite the best efforts of her doctors and parents, she's going to die. Literally of a broken heart.  So when her parents offer her a week to prove she can survive high school, Scarlet knows her time is now... or never.

Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with every slammed locker and every sideways glance in the hallway. But for the first time in her life she makes real friends. She also makes new discoveries about the truth behind her illness... a truth that might just kill her before her heart does.

• • • Find CJ online • • •

CRAVE

Releasing this week is Crave by Monica Murphy, a new adult contemporary romance from Avon Books, and they have decided to tease readers into a frenzied state of anticipation by releasing the first three chapters in advance. Woot! Should you find yourself dying to read the rest of the book, be sure and pre-order now as Crave is currently available at a special price of $1.99, but only until Tuesday (August 6th) when the book releases. Find out more about Crave and check out the link to the first three chapters below!


Billionaire Archer Bancroft always gets what he wants—and he’s wanted Ivy Emerson, his best friend’s sister, for far too long. Being forbidden and untouchable only makes her more tempting. When a million-dollar bet with his friends throws down a challenge-last bachelor standing takes it all-Archer knows he can win. That is, until one enchanted evening with Ivy takes his heart for a ride.

Ivy knows Archer is nothing but bad news: Infuriating, arrogant…and completely intoxicating. But despite her best efforts, she can’t seem to keep away. When a stolen kiss leads to a night of heated passion, Ivy realizes she’s in trouble and in head over heels.

But in the light of day, everything seems clearer and Archer’s not so sure a one-night stand is all he wants. Concocting a plan to keep Ivy by his side, Archer might just be willing to lose this bet…and win the jackpot instead.


• • • Read Chapters 1-3 • • •

ARE YOU ALLEGIANT?


Who's excited for the release of Veronica Roth's Allegiant in October? *raises hand* I still haven't read Insurgent yet, I decided to wait until Allegiant came out so I could read them at the same time, that way I wouldn't have to play catch up and try and remember everything that happened. *pats self on back for thinking ahead*

HarperTeen is of course going to be launching an outstanding campaign full of juicy tidbits, prize packs, exclusive sneak peeks, and more, and they've asked me to help in that endeavor, so stay tuned for much Allegiant epicness to come!

As for now, they've released the first set of online assets, complete with headers, backgrounds, buttons and badges should you be interested in decorating your blog, website, or desktop and letting your Allegiant fangirl colors fly. You can find all the graphics HERE. Enjoy!

My favorite background:


THE VAMPIRE'S HOURGLASS: COVER REVEAL + GIVEAWAY

Lastly, I'm excited today to reveal the cover of the newest book in the Of Light and Darkness series by bestselling author Shayne Leighton. The Vampire's Hourglass (New Adult Paranormal Romance) is scheduled to be published by Decadent publishing the end of this year or beginning of next. Be sure and check out the bottom of the post for a fabulous giveaway!


After narrowly surviving a near-death experience in an effort to save Valek from yet another showdown with Aiden, Charlotte awakens inside the forsaken, crumbling walls of the Regime Palace. Though she finds herself surrounded by her closest friends, she is conflicted over her feelings of the sudden absence of her Vampire guardian from her life.
 
With Nikolai there to console her, Charlotte cannot shake the undeniable chemistry she feels for this familiar stranger. But they are running out of time. Charlotte’s peculiar ailment will return and Sarah, the witch, will sacrifice her youth and beauty in order to save her best friend, unless they find the secret, Dark City.
 
Charlotte, Nikolai, Sarah, and several other favored characters travel down to the underbellies of Prague to find Valek. But what they end up discovering are the dark and nasty secrets the elder Vampires have been hiding for centuries. Charlotte must overcome her mortal limitations to win back the heart of the one she truly loves and escape the gates of Abelim with her throat intact in this enthralling, highly-anticipated third installment of the Of Light and Darkness Series.

 Exclusive Excerpt:

           “Does it hurt? You know...when I’m around?”

            He was talking about the scar that still thrived at the side of her throat. The one that appeared there after Valek left his first, initial bite months ago in Francis’ home. The one that had ailed her since and nearly killed her until she unwittingly saved herself by stabbing a hole in her own chest. Not her empty, openly bleeding heart and her feeling of abandonment and being alone, but a literal hole that she created herself some snowy weeks ago when she attempted to end it all to prove herself as something more than just an expendable mortal in this game of light and darkness. She wanted to finally be recognized as a hero, nearly having killed herself for the sake of saving her friends from Aiden. Knowing the tainted taste of the blood from her ruptured heart would drive him away.

            But what did she have to prove for it now? Another giant scar. And more than that, her nightmare came true. Valek was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard she looked. After everything he did, and everything that had happened because of his carelessness, she wasn’t sure how badly she wanted to find him. That thought made her heart constrict. But then again, Aiden had disappeared as well. At least there was that.

       “Not really. Not as much as the emotional pain underneath it,” she finally answered Nikolai’s question honestly. “The heartbreak hurts worse than the scar ever could.”

GIVEAWAY

Signed copies of The Vampire's Daughter and The Vampire's Reflection by Shayne Leighton! This giveaway is open worldwide and ends on August 8th, 2013. Must be 13 or older to enter (with parental permission).

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