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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke



Release Date: Aug. 15, 2013
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Duration: 8 hours and 41 minutes
Buy: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Audible
Description:
 Goodreads
You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. 

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back. 

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

I have such a love-hate relationship with this book! Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a wildly disturbing ride that will keep your heart racing until the intense conclusion. We're talking the kind of unnerving madness that will have you in a desperate rush to the finish while fighting the urge to stop mid-story for fear you can't take what happens next.

The tag line initially hooked me. "You stop fearing the devil when you're holding his hand." How can that not evoke chills in you?

From there it was like quicksand. The description intrigued me, the exquisite writing drew me in further, and the subtle build and anticipation of what was to come drove me through to the end. An ending full of major players missing in action that left me wondering what book 2 (because of course there is one) could possibly bring. The good news? My understanding is it's only a duology, so resolution will come next summer in Between the Spark and the Burn.

Echo is usually a quiet town full of familiar characters, until River West shows up. Violet, living adult-free in her huge family estate on the ocean, is hard up for money, so she rents out the guest house in a bid for some quick cash. River's her newest tenant.

He's handsome, well-spoken and conveniently vague when it comes to questions about his life. Despite his somewhat evasive behavior, Violet quickly develops a case of the warm-fuzzies, cozying up to the evasive outsider. But what beautiful boy doesn't come with baggage? And River's is stranger than most.

Shortly after his arrival, things start to go sideways. Out of the ordinary doesn't begin to describe the things people in Echo are seeing and doing. Some of it's even making headlines, drawing attention to the quiet northeastern town. Violet suspects River may have something to do with it. Learning he has a gift -- a manipulative and menacing one -- doesn't help matters.

Caught between romance and reservations, Violet isn't sure whether to believe her gut or River's sweet reassurances. She uncovers secrets that connect her family to River's and to an unexpected townie. She also discovers some secrets are generational. The situation only becomes more complicated when River's family shows up.

Echo is in upheaval, people have been seriously hurt and the damage is extensive. Tucholke gives readers just the right balance of chaos and curiosity. Hints give you the pieces, but putting them together to figure out this tangled tale will come together is the challenge.

Narrator Jorjeana Marie does an incredible job of flipping between a group of distinct characters, giving them all unique voices and speech patterns. She narrates Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea solo yet rivals some of the best multi-narrator audios I've ever heard.

It's not often that a book gets me on the edge of my seat with full on nail-biting anticipation, but at times, this one gave me serious agita. I wanted to stop listening numerous times because things got so intense but couldn't pull myself away, hence the love-hate relationship with this novel. Every agonizing moment and the bouts emotional whiplash they caused turned out to be worth it. Now, I'm chomping at the bit to know what happens in Between the Spark and the Burn. August has never seemed so far away.


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (55)


Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

Release Date: Jan. 7, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte
Author Website: http://laurenmorrill.com/
Pre-order: Amazon / IndieBound / Barnes & Noble

Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.

Why can't I wait? 
This is being touted as The Cutting Edge meets The Parent Trap.  Between that and my love of Lauren's last cuteness overload Meant To Be, this is high on my Gimme List.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Needing Her Prank-Tastic Blog Tour ft. Molly McAdams (maybe)



Who is the real Molly McAdams?
Molly McAdams is pulling a prank on the internet to celebrate the release of her prank-tastic novella, Needing Her, on 12/23! For eight days until Needing Her goes on-sale, the internet will be brimming with New Adult celebs like J. Lynn, Jay Crownover, Sophie Jordan, and more—all pretending to be the REAL Molly McAdams. All have filled out the same Q&A, so it’s up to the fans to guess which one is the real Molly! Each day, a new Q&A will go live on a variety of blogs, and if you guess who’s answering the questions in the comments, you could win a fabulous gift basket, including books from all the participating authors, as well as a prank “starter-kit,” for your own practical jokes. 

Here are the participants:
Blogger Yara Santos of Once Upon A Twilight

So see if you can guess who’s who by commenting, and you’ll be entered to win a lavish prize basket. And check all the other participating blogs until 12/23 to see if you can pick out the REAL Molly McAdams. Identities will be revealed, and the winner will be announced on 12/24, on these blogs as well as on the Between the Covers FB page.

And without further ado, welcome Molly McAdams pretender #3...

Favorite food?
POTATOES!

Favorite color?
Green - no, pink! No, purple! … Maybe green.

Favorite band and / or favorite song?
Band? Coheed & Cambria *drools over Claudio Sanchez's hair* My favorite song changes based on what book I'm writing, soooo good question?

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (54)


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine 
that highlights eagerly anticipated books.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Release Date: Feb. 11, 2014
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pre-order: Amazon / IndieBound / Barnes & Noble

Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the storyof how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin's hormones are totally oblivious; they don't care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He's stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it's up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.
Why can't I wait?
This book sounds positively wacky, and I mean that in the best way possible. I'm interested to see how it all comes together. 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Excerpt from Rome by Jay Crownover


Rome is coming! In just a few short weeks on January 7, Jay Crownover's latest Marked Men novel will hit the shelves. By now you're probably familiar with the stories of Rule and Jet who headline the first two books in the series.
Well, get ready for Rule's older brother, Rome. 


Rome 
by Jay Crownover 

Release Date: January 7, 2014 
Publisher: William Morrow
Pre-order: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Indie Bound

Cora Lewis is a whole lot of fun, and she knows how to keep her tattooed bad boy friends in line. But all that flash and sass hide the fact that she’s never gotten over the way her first love broke her heart. Now she has a plan to make sure that never happens again: She’s only going to fall in love with someone perfect. 

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn and rigid, he’s bossy and has come back from his final tour of duty fundamentally broken. Rome’s used to filling a role: big brother, doting son, super soldier; and now none of these fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes the only color on his bleak horizon. 

Perfect isn’t in the cards for these two, but imperfect might just last forever . . .



About the Author
I'm supposed to share interesting details about myself so that my readers get to know me so here we go in no particular order: I'm an natural redhead even though I haven't seen my real hair color in years, I'm a big fan of tattoos and have a half sleeve on either arm and various other pieces all over the place, I've been in the bar industry since I was in college and it has always offered interesting insight into how men and women interact with each other, I have 3 dogs that are all crazy, I live in Colorado and love the snow, I love music and in all reality wish I could be a rock star not a writer or a bartender but I have zero talent so there is that. I love to write, love to read and all I'm interested in is a good story with interesting characters that make the reader feel something.

Find her online...

Be sure to join us on January 6 for our stop on the Jay Crownover’s Rome Blog Tour, which runs January 2-10.