Aberrant: Excerpt and Giveaway

Aberrant  by Ruth Silver

by Ruth Silver

Release Date: 04/17/13

Genre: Young Adult Dystopia

 In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system. 

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive

Available From: Barnes & Noble, Amazon

----------The Excerpt---------

We rounded the corner and my eyes caught sight of a line of young men stretching around council hall, extending for blocks. "What's going on over there?" I asked. 

Landon's face perked up, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, "they're here for you, Olivia." 

"Me?" I felt nervous and swallowed the bile rising in my throat. 

Landon patted my back, as if he had the ability to reassure me. His touch was repulsive. I pulled away slightly from his grasp, my gaze still attached to the hundreds of young men lining up along the edge of the building and pushed back down into the street. "They're submitting their applications to date you."

"You're joking?" My eyes wide and mouth agape, I couldn't believe this was happening. "This is because of Joshua yesterday, isn't it?" It had to be the reason they found it necessary to punish me. 

Landon sighed. He seemed agitated with me, short-tempered. "We've told you, Olivia, you can't be with Joshua." 

I rolled my eyes, "yes and you've also told me I have three years to decide. What's all this!" I gestured towards the young men as I pushed them aside to walk through the main entrance, they were in my way. 

"Hey! No cutting in line," one of the young men yelled before his voice faltered off realizing I wasn't there to apply. "Are you Olivia?" His voice echoed against the building as he took another step, further inching towards the foyer. 

"It's none of your damned business!" I shouted back, my eyes glaring as I knocked Landon hard with my elbow. I knew it wouldn't win me any brownie points but I didn't care. I was beyond pissed. My feet clanked over the marble flooring. In the center of the room a table had been set up where the young men were fast approaching, one after another. "You're wasting your time," I called back to the woman hosting the event as she recorded their information in an oversized book. 

"This way," Landon escorted me away from the line of bachelors towards the open door. 

"Please, come in," the older wiry-haired woman gestured us inside and shut the door promptly behind us. All the noise and commotion from the main foyer disappeared inside the room.

About the Author

Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.


She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, "Deuces are Wild", which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.

Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling.

Her favorite YA genre is a mix of Dystopian & Fantasy which is evident in the upcoming release of her latest book, Aberrant. Slated for release April 2013 by Lazy Day Publishing, it is the first in a trilogy.

   

----------Giveaway--------

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz
Organized by:

Top Ten Tuesday #19

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

Topic: Favorite Secondary Characters




Harry Potter: Dobby, Luna, and Fred & George
J.K Rowling's secondary characters are amazing! They have backstory, and memorable personalities!  I am so convinced the characters are out there, real and living and breathing. Basically, add all the characters. Just all of them!

Shatter Me: Kenji, James
Okay, who could not love Kenji and James? I mean, seriously. They are both funny and caring. Plus, Kenji gives Juliet the tough love she needs. In my opinion, Kenji is a better man than Adam and Warner combined. And James is just... so darn cute!

The False Prince: Mott, Imogen
Mott grew on me, big time. He developed into a character that began to care for Sage. And Imogen was awesome! She is brave, smart, and admirable. I loved watching these two character interact with Sage. Also, I loved the dry humor.

The Hunger Games: Rue, Finnick
Spoilers: I think I am going to cry. Why? Why did they have to die? Rue was so sweet and brave and I hate, just hate the person who thought it would be fun to put a 12 year old in an arena to fight to the death. And, Finnick! Why?

Vampire Academy: Christian and Mia
Christian is a great character. He is loyal, and can sometimes get a smile out of me with his ongoing commentary. Mia, while she seems like a total mean girl in the beginning, grew on me. She is sweet inside.

Hex Hall: Elodie
Elodie intrigues me for many reasons. Although we all hate her in the beginning, we start feeling sympathetic in the end. She will leave an impact as you witness her change, even after death. As a forewarning, she still can be a little mean.

City of Bones: Isabel, Magnus (and... Jace?)
Okay, there is no debate here. Isabel is awesome. Also, how can anybody not love Magnus? By the way, the movie ruined him. And, okay, Jace is not a secondary character but  I have to mention him. I love Jace!

Of Poseidon: Rachel, Toraf, Rayna
The three characters I just listed always make me laugh. Ex-mafia Rachel is so sweet. Toraf will make you smile, guaranteed. And Rayna is endearing in her own bossy, wild spirited way.

Who are your beloved secondary characters?

-Emily

I forgot Adrian! How... What...

So, anyway, I am adding him in now. 

I hope it is not too late! Forgive me? Thank to Christy's blog, Christy's Book Addiction for reminding me!

Cover Reveal: The Picture of Dulce Garcia

The Picture of Dulce Garcia (The Coven #1)

by Alana Albertson

Release Date: Fall 2013

Genre: Young Adult

Dulce Garcia, star of The Coven, would rather spend her days sketching dresses. Instead, she works to support her family and dreams of one day becoming a fashion designer. After Teen Vogue declares Dulce, “The Hottest Teen in America,” she is stunned by how amazing she looks in their photo.

At sixteen, Dulce feels the pressure to stay youthful in Hollywood. When Dulce’s prop Book of Shadows gets destroyed, she substitutes her favorite Victorian Anthology, opened to Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and says her spell during the shoot over the anthology. Afterwards, in her trailer, she discovers that she has transformed into her Teen Vogue picture, and her real body is completely airbrushed. Can she break the curse or will she remain locked forever in a picture?

Finalist—Young Adult Category of the 2011 RWA Stiletto Contest!

Finalist—Young Adult Category of the 2011 RWA Launching A Star Contest!

Finalist—Young Adult Category of the 2011 RWA Heart of the Rockies Contest!

About the Author
------------------------

Alana Albertson is the former President of both Romance Writers of Americas’s Young Adult and Chick Lit chapters and the founder of Academe Advantage, a college admissions & test preparation company. Alana Albertson holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, Alana currently writes contemporary romance and young adult fiction. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and four dogs. When she’s not spending her time needlepointing, dancing, or saving dogs from high kill shelters through Pugs N Roses, the rescue she founded, she can be found watching episodes of House Hunters, Homeland, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.

    
What do you think of the cover? Thanks for reading!

Life, Love, and Lemons: Excerpt + Giveaway

Life, Love, & Lemons by Maggie Vernon

Publication Date: August 20th, 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary
Purchase: Amazon

It’s so SQUEEEE-DORABLE – Ashleyn Poston, author of Radio Hearts

When life hands you lemons, sometimes you have to say screw the lemons and bail.

Seventeen-year-old Bentley Evans had it all. Then her Dad got laid off. 

Now she has to move across town to a small apartment and leave her life of luxury for public school and a job at the local burger place. Just when her world seems like it's crumbling she finds solace in the unlikely punk boy next door, Kai Stone. But as their relationship blossoms, a jealous ex-girlfriend and a secret to tell that threatens to bring disaster back into Bentley’s life.

And now, I will share an awesome excerpt!

-----------------The Excerpt---------------

“Are you okay?”

I sat on the cold tile floor of the break room with my head between my grease stained knees. The last person I expected to come back and check on me was Kai.

In my frenzied cry I somehow managed to blurt out that I female problems and that got Jason to find someone else to do the sweeping. No guy ever wants to fight that one and Jason’s face turned red when I mentioned it.

“I’m fine." I sniffled, hoping that Kai would just go away. I wanted to be alone. How could my friends have done this to me? It was bad enough that I already lost my house, my school, and now some of my best friends since grade school. To top it all off I had some kid with hot pink shoes acting like I was the one with issues.

“Well obviously you’re not." He reached his hand out toward me.

I crossed my arms firmly over my chest. “I don’t need your help." It came out whinier than I intended.

Instead of walking away, he just plopped down beside me and spread his long legs out next to mine.

“You can only try and make lemons into lemonade for so long before you just have to say, screw the lemons, and bail." He stretched his arms out over his head.

I couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t think anyone but me actually used that expression.”

“Well looks like you were wrong." He slowly stood up and turned to face me. “Now c’mon and let me show you what else you’re wrong about.”

As I looked at him, I didn’t know what came over me. Maybe it was just my girl emotions working overtime or maybe it was his pleading puppy dog eyes, but for some reason I took his hand and followed him out the back door.

“So where are we going?" I questioned, letting go of his hand as soon as we got outside. I was really glad we exited out the back so no one saw us. I really didn’t want people getting the wrong idea. Kai was a nice guy and everything, but I knew the other co-workers would have a field day if they saw us together. Luckily it was just my little red mini and a giant orange car in the parking lot.

“Just get in and you’ll find out," He said conspiratorially and opened the passenger door of the giant orange thing.

“What is that?" I pointed at the car, tilting my head.

“This would be my car, a Ford Falcon." He motioned again for me to get into the car.

Slowly I approached the car and got in as he slid over the hood of the car to the driver’s side.

“Isn’t that like something out of Star Wars?" I asked as he got in and started the car.

“No, that would be the Millennium Falcon, and that would be Star Trek." He smiled and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Sorry, I’m not up on my geekery." I laughed and I held out my palms toward him.

“It’s okay I didn’t really expect you to be." He slid his long fingers over toward me. I thought he was going to reach for my hand but instead he turned on the stereo, letting a loud screaming guy’s voice blast over the speakers.

“Ugh!" I put my hands over my ears and screeched, “What is that?”

Kai sighed and turned down the music. “It’s the Circle Jerks, you know Punk Rock.”

I shook my head. “Never heard of them, maybe you have something else that I might like." I reached up into the CD visor and browsed through his CD’s. Bad Religion, The Misfits, Dead Kennedys —All these bands I had never heard of and sounded really depressing.

“How about we just turn on the radio?”

“You’re kind of demanding you know that?" Kai looked at me out of the corner of his eye and leaned back in his seat.

“Gee, you’re such a charmer," I mocked. “But seriously, where are we going anyway?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said mischievously, smiling as he turned down State Street.

“Okay," I said and pulled my uniform top over my head.

“JESUS, what are you doing?" Kai swerved the car and almost hit the curb in the process, causing me to almost bounce my head off the dashboard.

“Ugh!" I folded the shirt in my lap and then ran my fingers across the straps of my white tank top that I had on underneath. “I just didn’t want to show up to wherever we were going in my uniform; what did you think I was doing? Trying to strip down in the Star Trek car?”

“I don’t know." He shrugged. “I thought the Falcon had some magical powers or something.”

AUTHOR BIO

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

------------Giveaway!------------

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt.

Do you like Lemons?

My fonts are getting smaller, and smaller

and SMALLER!

Thanks for Reading!

-Emily

Alert: Beautiful Covers

They are anticipated titles...

with the most gorgeous covers...

Ever Seen

World After/ The Winner's Curse/ Ignite Me/ Lady Thief

Did you like that dramatic intro? It was too tempting.

Anyway, which cover is your favorite? What title are you most excited to read?

Review: Ignited

Ignited by Desni Dantone

Publication Date: May 27th, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal/Adventure
Series: Ignited #1
Source: Received in exchange for an honest review
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

Seventeen year old Kris Young is on the run from a throng of superhuman golden-eyed freaks hell-bent on seeing her dead, and she doesn't know why. Good thing she has her guardian angel to protect her...sort of.

Kris is aided by Nathan, the mysterious man that ends up being anything but angelic when he rescues her for the fourth time in fourteen years. Even if the handsome hero illusion is shattered by his harsh treatment of her, he knows how to fight this strange enemy and is determined to keep her safe at all costs. 

As the body count rises in their wake, Nathan introduces Kris to a world in which not everyone is human and the battle lines between good and evil are clearly drawn. Kris's piece in the puzzle is something neither is aware of and, as they uncover the truth, neither is prepared for what they find. Overcoming twists and revelations that shatter both of their lives, they discover that nothing is as it seems and nothing, least of all their hearts, are safe. 

From debut author, Desni Dantone, Ignited is the first novel in a tale of first love, mystery and adventure that will introduce you to an exciting new world as Kris discovers how she fits in it.

I really enjoyed Ignited. As soon as I picked the book (e-reader, technically) up, I was sucked into Kris's adventure. I absolutely refused to stop reading. The next book in the series cannot come soon enough!

Kris is a great main character. She is relatable, snarky, and realistic enough that I started seeing her as a real person. Also, she has character growth. By the end, I could see how she was stronger! And I felt her connection with her grandma. Another favorite character, for me at least, is Nathan. At first, I was not a fan of him. At all. Actually, I kind of wanted to punch him when he wasn't giving us information. In the first bit of the book, he is pretty darn silent when it comes to what is happening to Kris. By the end, however, it was a very different story. I now think of him as sweet and protective instead of a jerk.

I really liked the adventure aspect of the book! While the two characters, Kris and Nathan, are traveling I loved how all the action played out. Also, the book never lagged. There was always something happening that kept my interest, whether it was a fighting scene or something fishily magical. However, the book wasn't overly fast paced with no time for development.  Also, the plot was perfect. It was creative, with twists, and not to predictable.

The well developed (I'm all about story development today I guess. Sorry!) romance was another favorite part in my opionion. It starts out as witty banter and a bit if tension between the two characters. There is no insta-love or insta-kissing. I am breathing out in palpable relief as I type that sentence, which no one can blame me for, right? Also, the banter and tension was fabulous, if I do say so.

The editing in this book was so amazing! I don't think there was a single mistake which always points to the fact that the author and team worked super hard to make this the best book possible!

 Overall, this book was a quality read that I hope many people will experience! I laughed, felt my heart beat out of my chest, smiled, and gasped while reading Ignited. Who doesn't love a good book that creates such wonderful emotions? I cannot wait to continue the series!

4/5 Stars

Stacking the Shelves #21

This is going to be a rather large haul, as I have neglected to post an STS the last two weeks. 

Here we go: (Hosted by the fantastic Tynga's Reviews)

Bought/Gifted

For Review

So, how was your week in books? 

Right now I am reading Earthbound and The Promise of Amazing. 

What are you guys currently reading? 

Bout of Books: Days 4 and 5

Updates! (I am loving this Read-a-thon!)

Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I have read 2 books over the last few days, finished 100 pages of one (Atone), and am like 12 pages into another two. They have all been pretty awesome reads, I shot through Six Months Later. And I am dying for Ignite Me. Atone was such an awesome kind-of fairytale retelling with great characters. It is highly recommended!

Page Count

Six Months Later: 325

Atone: 100ish (already started)

Unravel Me: 461 

Total:  886

BOOKS FINISHED:

CURRENTLY READING:

I basically read the whole day... However I did have a friend come over tonight! She's awesome because she's okay with me blogging while she reads! (Right now it is 52 Reasons to Hate My Father) Also, I'm stuck in a toss-up for which book I should FULLY read next. I've started both the Promise of Amazing and EarthBound. 

Are you participating in Bout of Books? How are you liking it?