The Big Love Letter Event: Melissa Landers

Welcome to week four of The Big Love Letter Event! For those of you who missed the introductory post several weeks ago, this event will run every Friday through March 13th and will consist of love letters written by some truly amazing authors. Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and I will each be hosting different letters every week (hop over there today for a little something special from Paula Stokes!), so be sure and check out both blogs for a bigger and better celebration of all things swoon-worthy. We'll also be hosting a fantastic giveaway, so don't forget to check the bottom of the post for all the details, as well as links to all the previous love letters in case you didn't get to them!

Today I'm thrilled to welcome Melissa Landers back to the blog to share with us a letter from Aelyx (he's a love letter first-timer!) to Cara, the–quite literally–starcrossed couple from her Alienated series. I have a bit of an Ohio theme going on with the event this year, with Kristen, Mindee, Melissa, Emery, and Sara all either currently living in or from Ohio, so I've been lucky enough to fangirl at all of them in person. Melissa was forced to endure my gushing during an interview last year, and thankfully I didn't scare her enough to make her want to run and hide when I approached her about participating. *pats self on back* If you haven't had the chance to read Alienated or Invaded yet, I hope you add them to your lists after reading Aelyx's letter!

Dearest Elire,

You might not believe this—or maybe you will—but I’ve never written a love letter before. Until now, there was no reason to. My heart has only ever belonged to you, and we both know that a pen and paper can’t compete with Silent Speech. But as much as I’d like to look into your eyes and show you how I feel, I can’t do that with multiple galaxies stretched between us. So for now, I suppose a note will have to do.

Gods alive, Cara, I miss you.

I miss the freckles on your cheeks, and the ones sprinkled across the bridge of your nose. I miss the way your eyes crinkle at the edges when you smile at me. I miss the scent of citrus in your hair and the sound of my name on your lips. I swear your presence is like a second sun, and without you, the air actually feels colder. (And trust me—winter in Manhattan is already miserable.) So wherever you are on L’eihr, please know that you are cherished.

I promise to mend this alliance as quickly as I can, and soon we’ll stand together on the shores of our colony and watch the stars, just like we did on board the transport. Our time apart is only a hiccup—you told me that once. I hope you still feel that way, and that you think of me every time you gaze at the night sky. You can’t see me, but I’m here. And I’m yours.

Much love,
Aelyx

These letters are brutal! *pounces on Aelyx and gives him a hug* Hopefully he and Cara find their way back to one another soon before I develop an ulcer from the stress of their separation ;-)

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ALIENATED
Alienated #1

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Amazon • Goodreads • B&N

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

INVADED
Alienated #2

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

Amazon • Goodreads • B&N

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MELISSA LANDERS

Susan A. Abt Photography

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives just outside Cincinnati and writes adult contemporary romance as Macy Beckett.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Danny and I have (what we think) is a pretty fabulous giveaway that will run for the entirety of this event with 5 winners in total when all is said and done:

• Winners 1-4: Each will get a book of your choice from one of the participating authors. (Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you! )
• Winner 5  : Hardcover copy of LAILAH by Nikki Kelley plus some awesomely cute swag (international ). Prize is provided by author - thank you so much!
  

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Don't forget to check back both here and at Bewitched Bookworms every Friday in February for more letters and a whole lot more love from these fantastic authors:

• Kristen Simmons (The Glass Arrow)
• Mindee Arnett (Polaris, The Nightmare Dilemma)
• Melissa Landers (Invaded)
• Sara Raasch (Snow Like Ashes)
• Emery Lord (The Start of Me and You)
• Liza Palmer (Girl Before a Mirror)
• Anna Banks (Joyride)
• Heather Demetrios (I'll Meet You There)
• Nikki Kelly (The Styclar Saga)
• Paula Stokes (Liars, Inc.)
• & More!

Review: Salt & Stone

SALT & STONE
Fire & Flood #2
Victoria Scott
Young Adult/Sci-Fi/Adventure
320 pages
Scholastic
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
What would you do to save someone you love?

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

MY THOUGHTS
Salt & Stone is an action-packed follow up to last year's Fire & Flood, reintroducing us to the world and characters as they take a breather before beginning the third leg of the Brimstone Bleed, and then plunging us into the most perilous survival situations the contenders have faced yet. Ms. Scott does a fantastic job of seamlessly threading reminders as to the events of Fire & Flood–particularly the all-important “why” of the Brimstone Bleed itself–through this second installment, ensuring we’re up to speed without slowing things down with a full recap.

While the focus remains predominantly on the physical and mental challenges of the Bleed on the contenders, Salt & Stone also sees a significant shift in the relationship between Tella and Guy. For much of the first half the two are at odds, an offhand comment made by Guy causing Tella to question the way she’s run her race thus far and her ability to see it all the way through. The hot and cold nature of their interactions is frustrating at times, but just as we reach the point where one more change in mood from either of them is going to tip us over the edge, Tella decides to finally step up and use her words, cluing Guy in as to why things between them have changed. While Tella’s honesty doesn’t mend all their fences, it certainly removes a weight from our shoulders, freeing us from the tension of words unspoken.

The concluding chapters of Salt & Stone are one punch to the gut after another, and any animal lovers like myself should be aware that a number of scenes are brutal to witness, ratcheting up our hatred of those running the Brimstone Bleed to an entirely new level. We’re left on the final page as emotionally beaten and bruised as the contenders are, but Ms. Scott is considerate enough to leave us with a quiet moment that makes a smile break out even as we blink away tears.

Rating: 4/5

Find Victoria:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

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.

Rebound Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

REBOUND
Boomerang #2
Noelle August
Contemporary New Adult
288 pages
William Morrow
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY
At Boomerang, one night can change everything…

Noelle August has taken the New Adult genre by storm, and readers can’t wait to see what chaos, confusion, and connections arise at the Boomerang offices next.

Adam Blackwood has it all. At twenty-three, he’s fabulously wealthy, Ryan Gosling-hot and at the top of his game in the business world. His life is perfect, until a scandal from his past resurfaces and threatens to knock the tech wunderkind down and throw his company, Boomerang, a hook-up site for millennials, into chaos.

Alison Quick, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a business tycoon—and the very ex-girlfriend of Boomerang’s former intern, Ethan—has a problem of her own. After nearly flunking out in her senior year of college, she has one chance to redeem herself to her father by proving that she deserves a place in his corporate empire. That means spearheading her father’s plan to sink big money into Adam’s company and launch it into the stratosphere—provided Adam has no skeletons in his closet.

When the two meet, their sizzling chemistry makes it tough to keep things strictly professional. But when Alison discovers Adam’s secret, she knows she should bring it right to her father, who’ll leverage it for his own gain and use it to ruin Adam. The only problem: she’s falling for Adam—hard.

Will earning her father’s approval come at the price of losing her first real love? Or can Adam and Alison leave behind past mistakes and conquer the world—together?

MY THOUGHTS
Rebound takes everything that was successful about its predecessor and improves upon it, keeping the levity but deepening the emotional element as Ali and Adam struggle to get out from underneath the guilt of past actions. While there are plenty of light moments, thanks mostly to a team of standout secondary characters and an absolutely hilarious team building instructor, there's an extra layer of tension to this tale that wasn't present in Boomerang. It's easy to tell early on how things are going to go bad for our lead couple, the business partnership Adam is trying to form with Alison's father causing red flag after red flag to wave madly in our peripheral vision as we prepare to steel ourselves for the inevitable fallout. Luckily for us however, the team of Noelle August never allows their stories to be weighed down too heavily with drama and angst, freeing us from unnecessary entanglements and allowing all that's good about Adam and Ali to shine through.

Ali has some difficult hurdles to overcome in terms of earning reader affection given that cheating for many like myself is a nearly unforgivable offense, but Ali quickly proves she is so much more than a single mistake and it's impossible not to love her after just a few chapters. She never makes excuses for her past actions with Ethan, owning them completely and showing a great deal of remorse, but she also focuses on moving forward and making sure history never repeats itself. Adam is every bit as enjoyable as Ali, largely free of the ego that would typically accompany someone who's experienced the kind of success he has at so young an age, and though it takes him longer to cut free the ties keeping him tethered to his past, by the end he's embraced the totality of his life and is only looking to the future. The two of them together are sweet, vulnerable and oh-so sexy, ensuring they easily find their way onto our shelf of favorites.

In addition to an outstanding lead pair, Noelle August also gives us a cast of secondary characters who beautifully challenge the protagonists for their share of our love, nearly coming out on top a number of times. So many of them, Grey and Cookie in particular, clearly have stories to tell, and here's hoping this series sees them all have their moment in the limelight.

Rating: 4/5

Want a little more Adam and Ali? Then you're in luck because I have a short except to share:

Ali laughs. Her gaze feels like sunshine on my back, but I don’t turn around. I pull my wetsuit up to my waist, adjusting myself so I’m comfortable. The cool Neoprene layer feels familiar and my body responds, my heart thumping hard, anticipation rushing through my veins. The prospect of the ocean always does this to me. This has nothing to do with the girl behind me.

“Adam?”

Ali’s voice is close. Turning, I almost bump into her.

Her wetsuit is all the way on, which is good. And terrible.

“What’s up?” I ask.

She smells like suntan oil and peaches. This close, I see that her cheeks are turning slightly pink from the sun. With her hair pulled back, no makeup, and the wetsuit covering her completely, she looks better than she has all week at the office. Better than she did in the Catwoman costume. There’s something powerful about her now. The way her slender legs are planted firmly on the swaying boat, like she’s not trying at all. She’s at home on the water. This from an admitted equestrian. I can only imagine what she’s like with her horses.

“Sorry, but . . .” She smiles and points at her back. “My zipper’s jammed.” She turns around and pulls her ponytail up. “Can you help me out?”

“Sure. You want this on, right? Just want to be sure.”

I can’t see her face, but I know she’s smiling. “Yes. On please.”

I allow myself a moment to enjoy the way she looks right in front of me. Then I take the zipper leash, letting my knuckles drift over her back, just above the knot of her bikini.

If I weren’t completely focused on her, I’d have missed the way she curls slightly toward me.

Focus, Blackwood. Zip the wetsuit up.

Amazon • B&N • IndieBound

And get ready to Bounce in August of 2015 when the third book in Boomerang series releases!

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Question: What do you get when friends pen a story with heart, plenty of laughs, and toe-curling kissing scenes? Answer: Noelle August, the pseudonym for renowned editor and award-winning writer Lorin Oberweger and New York Times bestselling YA author Veronica Rossi, the masterminds behind the Boomerang series.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

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The Sin Eater's Daughter: Guest Post + Giveaway

I'm crazy excited to be a part of the promotional tour for The Sin Eater's Daughter, releasing today from Scholastic. I think you guys are all well aware now that YA fantasy jumped to the top of my preferred genre list last year, and as soon as I saw the stunning cover for this one (and of course later read the synopsis, but really, that cover!) I knew it needed to find its way into my grabby little hands.

For the tour, I had the pleasure of asking author Melinda Salisbury what 3 supernatural gifts protagonist Twylla would gladly take in place of her fatal touch (definitely NOT a "gift" I would want), so I hope you enjoy reading her picks as much as I did. Be sure and check out the bottom of the post for all the details on a fantastic giveaway as well as the full list of participating blogs. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Melinda!

TOP 3 SUPERNATURAL GIFTS TWYLLA WOULD GLADLY SUBSTITUTE FOR HER FATAL TOUCH

Flying:
I think this one is obvious, given Twylla’s absolute longing for freedom! She’s spent her entire life under the curse of one destiny or another - none of them very pleasant - and she craves escape from the life she leads. Of course, The Sin Eater’s Daughter is set in a kind of AU, pseudo-European medieval era, and - as with medieval life across Europe at that time - girls had little choice about most things in their lives, instead guided, instructed and sometimes even bartered by their parents and guardians.  

So Twylla is dutiful and obedient outwardly, as she has been raised and conditioned to be. But inside we know that she despises her life, and those who keep her in it and she’s longing for freedom, which is why when Lief strolls into her life, unburdened by Lormerian politics and unafraid of the queen, she’s easily transfixed. The two of them actually have a conversation at one point, where Lief likens freedom to flying:

I tell him I don’t know what people do when they’re free. 

“What do you mean by free?” he asks. 

“Like you. You can go where you please and do as you wish. I don’t know what that’s like.” 

“I’m not free, my lady,” he says slowly. “I can no more wander off and do as I will than you can. You think of having choices like people think of flying. They see a hawk soaring and hovering and they tell themselves how nice it would be to fly. But pigeons can fly, and sparrows too. No one imagines being a sparrow though. No one wants that.”

I think despite Lief’s words, Twylla would absolutely choose flying. She’d relish the idea of soaring away from Lormere, and the castle, and her duties. I think she would rather be a sparrow than what she is. And that’s something Lief will find very difficult to understand.

Healing:
I think she’d choose to heal, rather than kill, if she could. She’s not the feisty warrior type, whilst I think powers like pyromancy or a Medusa glare would be verrrrrrrry tempting for her at times, she’s not especially aggressive or vindictive, and I think she’d end up feeling horribly guilty if she ever did use them. I think healing is a good fit for her, to counteract all the death she’s seen in her life. And to undermine her mother’s attitude to it. I think she’d get quite the kick out of going around, healing the very sick and watching her mother puzzle out why the Goddess had saved them.

Pyromancy:
I’ve changed my mind, I think she would want pyromancy. Though it’s unlikely she’d use it aggressively, I think she’d certainly feel a lot more confident knowing that she could defend herself in that way if she needed to – more importantly if she chose to. Her poisonous ability isn’t something she can control, she just is poisonous, all the time. So I think having a power that could be used to defend herself, but that she could ultimately chose whether to use or not, would make a big difference to her life. I think she’d be able to draw strength and confidence from it, and I also think she’d wield it well, because she has such a sense of duty, she wouldn’t become like the queen and be mad with power. I think she’d mostly use it to light candles, except for the times when she’d go outside and shoot fire into the sky to let off steam.

And who wouldn’t want to do that?

Thanks so much for stopping by Melinda!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

THE SIN EATER'S DAUGHTER

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

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MELINDA SALISBURY

Melinda Salisbury lives by the sea, somewhere in the south of England. As a child she genuinely thought Roald Dahl’s Matilda was her biography, in part helped by her grandfather often mistakenly calling her Matilda, and the local library having a pretty cavalier attitude to the books she borrowed. Sadly she never manifested telekinetic powers. She likes to travel, and have adventures. She also likes medieval castles, non-medieval aquariums, Richard III, and all things Scandinavian. The Sin Eater’s Daughter is her first novel, and will be published by Scholastic in 2015. She is represented by the amazing Claire Wilson at Rogers, Coleridge and White.

She tweets. A lot.

Website • Twitter • Goodreads • Tumblr • Instagram • Pinterest

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GIVEAWAY

Five lucky winners will each receive a copy of The Sin Eater's Daughter! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.


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WEEK ONE
2/16/2015- Fiktshun- Interview  
2/17/2015- Katie's Book Blog- Review  
2/18/2015- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Guest Post  
2/19/2015- Beauty and the Bookshelf- Review  
2/20/2015- Novel Novice- Interview     

WEEK TWO
2/23/2015- Fiction Fare- Review

2/24/2015- Supernatural Snark- Guest Post

2/25/201- YA Bibliophile- Review

2/26/2015- Dark Faerie Tales- Interview

2/27/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

Count Spatula's Guide to Baking: Blog Tour + Recipe

Today I have something hugely fun and different to share with all of you for my stop on the Count Spatula's Guide to Baking tour. Having participated in a wide variety of blog tours over the years, it's always exciting for me when an author or publisher comes up something completely unique, so I hope you guys enjoy the below as much as I did!

For those of you who don't know, Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula is a graphic novel by Andi Watson that releases tomorrow from First Second Books. For the tour, Count Spatula himself (who just happens to be a vampire and a chef) is hopping from blog to blog sharing kitchen tips and tricks, recipes and all sorts of other delightful things you don't want to miss. I have the pleasure of sharing a very special recipe with you, one I'm greatly looking forward to trying as anything sugar-related is an automatic win for me!

Without further ado:

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PRINCESS DECOMPOSIA AND COUNT SPATULA

Princess Decomposia is overworked and underappreciated.

This princess of the underworld has plenty of her own work to do but always seems to find herself doing her layabout father's job, as well. The king doesn't feel quite well, you see. Ever. So the princess is left scurrying through the halls, dodging her mummy, werewolf, and ghost subjects, always running behind and always buried under a ton of paperwork. Oh, and her father just fired the chef, so now she has to hire a new cook as well.

Luckily for Princess Decomposia, she makes a good hire in Count Spatula, the vampire chef with a sweet tooth. He's a charming go-getter of a blood-sucker, and pretty soon the two young ghouls become friends. And then...more than friends? Maybe eventually, but first Princess Decomposia has to sort out her life. And with Count Spatula at her side, you can be sure she'll succeed.

Andi Watson (Glister, Gum Girl) brings his signature gothy-cute sensibility to this very sweet and mildly spooky tale of friendship, family, and management training for the undead.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

• • • • • • • • • • • •

ANDI WATSON

Andi Watson was born and raised in the north of England where he loved to draw and read books. It rained a lot. Upon graduating college he realised this was the perfect background for a cartoonist. He has created comics for grown ups and children and those somewhere in between. Occasionally he's been nominated for awards (three Eisners, a Harvey, and a British Comics Awards). He works from home where he should buy fewer books or more bookshelves. He lives in Worcester with his wife and daughter.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

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BLOG TOUR

Be sure and check out all the stops on the tour for more guest posts, recipes and magical kitchen fun!

Monday, February 16 - Stacked
Tuesday, February 17 - Bumbles & Fairy Tales
Wednesday, February 18 - Love is Not a Triangle
Thursday, February 19 - Alice Marvels
Friday, February 20 - Haunted Orchid

Monday, February 23 - Supernatural Snark
Tuesday, February 24 - Cuddlebuggery
Wednesday, February 25 - The Book Rat
Thursday, February 26 - The Midnight Garden
Friday, February 27 - The Book Smugglers

The Big Love Letter Event: Mindee Arnett

Welcome to week three of The Big Love Letter Event! For those of you who missed the introductory post several weeks ago, this event will run every Friday through March 13th and will consist of love letters written by some truly amazing authors. Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and I will each be hosting different letters every week (hop over there today for a little something special from Anna Banks!), so be sure and check out both blogs for a bigger and better celebration of all things swoon-worthy. We'll also be hosting a fantastic giveaway, so don't forget to check the bottom of the post for all the details, as well as links to all the previous love letters in case you didn't get to them!

I have the great pleasure today to welcome young adult author Mindee Arnett back to the blog to share a letter from Eli to his love interest Dusty, two characters from her hugely entertaining Arkwell Academy series. Book one, The Nightmare Affair, is where I first discovered–and fell madly in love with–Mindee, her sense of humor shining through Dusty and endearing her to me forever. People who love to laugh are my kind of people, and, I say this in the least stalkerish way possible, Mindee is someone I consider my people. If you haven't tried the Arkwell books or her amazing Avalon series, then get on it because Mindee's books are the kind it would be a travesty to miss!

Dear Dusty,

Summers shouldn’t be like this. So long, so slow. Before I met you my summer breaks flew by fast as anything, the days blurring into one another. Then again, this one would be flying by too, if you were here. But you’re not. You’re touring Europe with your mother, although we both know the trip is just an excuse to keep us apart. Your mother believes the dream seer curse is true. But we don’t. We know better.

I think. I hope.

I wish you were here. But I’ve been doing my best to stay busy. Some days are better than others. But the nights are the hardest. You’re in my dreams every night. That sounds incredibly sappy, but we both know that our dreams are different, special. Or at least they were when you were here. But all summer my dreams have been my own. Lonely. Empty. The dream you my self-conscious keeps supplying isn’t good enough. She’s not the real thing, but a shadow. Sometimes when I first arrive in my dream and spot her, I think she’s really you, that you’re really here, and for a few minutes everything is right. Then I realize the truth and it’s worse than ever.

Not only that but my dreams lack the substance of the ones we share together. Is it weird that I miss that, too? I know I shouldn’t. Dreams that aren’t fraught with danger and symbols of impending doom should be welcome, but I’d rather face the danger—with you. And there is still danger out there. We need to be together to fight. Apart we’re blind and vulnerable. Why can’t the Magi Senate see it? Why doesn’t your mother understand? I wish we could make them all see the truth. Then again, it’s just a few weeks, right? In reality it’s no time at all, no matter that it feels like eternity.

Honestly, I’m not sure why I’m even writing this letter. It’s not like I can mail it to you. Where would I send it? I don’t even know where you are exactly. And emailing is out of the question since you’re mom confiscated your phone. I know the coverage rates are crazy expensive over there, but it seems a ready-made excuse to keep us apart. I hate it. I guess this means that you probably won’t ever see this letter. But I’m writing it anyway. What does that mean?

I guess it means that…that…I love you. Wow, writing it feels strange like gravity has suddenly become less somehow, like if I jump in the air I might lose my hold on the earth. I’ve never said it before, never admitted it, not even to myself. But it’s true. I love you. Maybe someday, when you’re back, I’ll finally get to tell you.

Love,
Eli

Dammit Eli! Way to make a girl cry ugly tears. *wanders off to call the husband and berate him for not writing me heartfelt and gloriously sappy love letters*

*Book 3, The Nightmare Charade, releases in August from Tor Teen.

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THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR
Arkwell Academy #1

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

Literally.

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

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

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

Amazon • Goodreads • B&N

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THE NIGHTMARE DILEMMA
Arkwell Academy #2

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

Literally.

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

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

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

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MINDEE ARNETT

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares. 

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GIVEAWAY

Danny and I have (what we think) is a pretty fabulous giveaway that will run for the entirety of this event with 5 winners in total when all is said and done:

• Winners 1-4: Each will get a book of your choice from one of the participating authors. (Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you! )
• Winner 5  : Hardcover copy of LAILAH by Nikki Kelley plus some awesomely cute swag (international ). Prize is provided by author - thank you so much!
  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check back both here and at Bewitched Bookworms every Friday in February for more letters and a whole lot more love from these fantastic authors:

• Kristen Simmons (The Glass Arrow)
• Mindee Arnett (Polaris, The Nightmare Dilemma)
• Melissa Landers (Invaded)
• Sara Raasch (Snow Like Ashes)
• Emery Lord (The Start of Me and You)
• Liza Palmer (Girl Before a Mirror)
• Anna Banks (Joyride)
• Heather Demetrios (I'll Meet You There)
• Nikki Kelly (The Styclar Saga)
• Paula Stokes (Liars, Inc.)
• & More!

Review: I'll Meet You There

I'LL MEET YOU THERE
Heather Demetrios
Contemporary Young Adult
400 pages
Henry Holt BFYR
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

MY THOUGHTS
I'll Meet You There, based on the premise and synopsis, seems at first glance as though it will be one of those reads that weighs heavily on us, the struggles of the characters seeping down into our bones so that we carry their burdens as if they're our own. While both Sky and Josh are certainly dealing with issues that could easily swallow them whole and send them spiraling downward, their story is one laced with a sense of hope, the strength of the two of them individually as well as together inspiring nothing but confidence that they'll find their way through the darkness and come out in tact on the other side.

Skylar is a young woman forced to grow up far too soon, having to be the adult from age twelve after her mother falls apart in the wake of her father's death. She's inordinately strong and patient, tending to her mother with kid gloves and giving her every opportunity to pull herself together when she falls off the wagon. Her capacity forgiveness is impressive with both her mother and Josh, but she could never be described as a pushover, acquiescing when she should otherwise stand her ground. Instead, she lets the two of them know when she's been hurt and gets angry when it's rightfully deserved, but she doesn't hold a grudge, allowing herself to move forward rather than get stuck in the quicksand that Creek View can sometimes be.

Josh is someone we get to know through very short one or two-page stream of consciousness chapters wherein he speaks to one of his deceased military brothers about his return to civilian life after the loss of his leg. In these chapters we can feel the depth of his survivor's guilt as well as the stress, confusion, and anger he feels now that his days are no longer strictly regimented. His relationship with Sky is beautifully painful and painfully beautiful, and while she eventually helps him feel more settled in his forever-altered skin, what's perhaps most striking about the two of them is the truth of their romance. She is not a singular cure for all that ails him, and while she brings him a certain amount of peace, it's clear by the end that he still has a long way to go and they both have a lot of work ahead of them to keep their relationship happy and healthy.

Overall, I'll Meet You There is a journey marked by steps forward as well as enormous steps backward when both Sky and Josh falter at times, but in the end they prove that family and circumstance will no longer take their choices from them, instead the ownership of their lives will belong to them and them alone.

Rating: 4/5

Find Heather:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

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.

Waiting on Wednesday: Beckon Me

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

BECKON ME

Cindy Thomas

Paranormal New Adult

Releases April 13th

The story:

Everything nineteen-year-old Karina Mitchell knows about death changes the instant that she and her best friend, Rainey, are shot. For one, souls don’t die. They cross over. Only, Rainey’s soul hasn’t, and her ghost is hell bent on haunting Karina.

When Karina begins her sophomore year of college and moves into the apartment that she was supposed to share with Rainey, she learns a few shocking truths from her mysterious and gorgeous blue-eyed neighbor, Eli.

One: Karina has been chosen to become a Beckoner—an immortal conduit of the dead who helps safely guide souls to the other side.

Two: She’s the reason that Rainey’s soul can’t cross over—Rainey followed her back from death and missed her window to be at peace.

Three: Eli is hot. As in swoon-worthy, to-die-for, will-make-you-forget-yourself hot. And it turns out, Eli is a Beckoner, too.

Despite her attraction to Eli, the decision to become a Beckoner isn’t an easy one—it would mean giving up her own mortality … her own soul. But if she doesn’t, her best friend will be left to suffer an eternity at the hands of the evil Ceptors, dark creatures that feed on the souls left behind. After all, it’s her fault Rainey is haunting her.

Time is running out, and Karina needs to decide: Are love and loyalty worth sacrificing her soul?

Paranormal New Adult? I have to admit I'm pretty excited about this book for the genre alone. I've only up until now read Contemporary New Adult which has been largely hit or miss for me depending on the level of drama. Beckon Me sounds plenty dramatic but in an entirely different way–a paranormal life, death and afterlife kind of way–and that has me eagerly counting down the days until April 13th. Plus you guys all know I'm a sucker for a super hot, swoon-worthy boy. Hello there, Eli. *winks sexily (or creepily, knowing me)*

Find Cindy:

Website • Newsletter • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

Review: Seeker

SEEKER
Seeker #1
Arwen Elys Dayton
Young Adult/Fantasy
448 Pages
Delacorte BFYR
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Amazon)
The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor.
 
As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world.
 
And she'll be with the boy she loves--who's also her best friend.
 
But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes.

Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought.
 
And now it's too late to walk away.

MY THOUGHTS
Seeker is one of those unusual books where we reach the final page and find ourselves unable to explain to a friend what actually happened over the course of the story. Events clearly take place and characters' lives are forever altered, but the way in which they're altered loses some of its emotional impact in the haze of confusion surrounding this world, the existence of its magic and the characters' role in wielding it. What starts out as pure fantasy set in Scotland on a medieval estate turns strangely contemporary and then futuristic as we bounce to Hong Kong and London, leaving us a bit adrift in time and place with no real connection to the story itself to help anchor us.

Perhaps the hardest aspect to come to terms with is the lack of information surrounding the Seekers themselves.The synopsis and tagline prepare us for the reveal of an enormous betrayal as to their true purpose, but in the very moment where that truth is to be illuminated in all its startling glory we fade to black and return to Quin and Shinobu only in the aftermath. We can guess as to what happened off page, but with so many other questions regarding the magic and history of the Seekers, being denied a front row seat to a pivotal emotional moment for our protagonists leaves us feeling distinctly detached from the story.

In additional to lack of explanation for a number of Seeker-related things, we also split our attention between four different characters and jump back and forth in time, further disorienting us in a world we're already struggling to make sense of. A romance is also hinted at in the synopsis, but it's so minor an element as to be largely inconsequential, the feelings between Quin and John already established when we meet them and they remain on the surface throughout even as the various relationships between all four narrators begin to shift and change. 

Overall, Seeker leaves us with far more questions than answers, something not entirely uncommon with a first installment, but the questions we're left with are not of the maddeningly brilliant variety that keep us on edge until the next book is in our hands. Instead, they're they kind that leave us on the outside looking in, waiting to be a part of something that has the potential to be spectacular.

Rating: 2.5/5

Find Arwen:

 Website • Twitter • Facebook • Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

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.