Friday, November 30, 2012

Cover Reveal: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Hello hello everyone! Today I'm delighted to share with you the cover of Leah Rae Miller's upcoming book: The Summer I Became a Nerd! (And let me just mention how much I LOVE that title!)

Do you want to see it? I BET YOU DO!

Okay, okay, I'll stop stalling. Here it is:


Isn't it lovely? I totally love it.

And, of course, the blurb:

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way. 
Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.
I don't know about you, but this sounds like my kind of book! THERE IS A CUTE NERD BOY. WHAT MORE CAN I EVEN SAY?

The Summer I Became a Nerd comes out May 7th, and I, for one, am counting down already! Don't forget to keep an eye on Leah's blog, because there will be a chance to win a copy!!


Born and raised in northern Louisiana, Leah Rae Miller still lives there on a windy hill with her husband and kids. She loves comic books, lava lamps, fuzzy socks, and Cherry Coke. She spends most of her days reading things she likes and writing things she hopes other people will like.

Find Leah Online!

Buy The Summer I Became a Nerd!

(:D)
~Mag

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Morrigan: Bookmark Blitz Tour


Hey everybody! Today I'm very excited to be participating in the Bookmark Blitz Tour for Morrigan by Laura DeLuca!


Blurb: 
Shuffled from place to place in the foster system, Morrigan doesn't know the meaning of home. Plus, she is different. She has power over fire, the ability to move objects with her mind, and glimpse into the future. Just when she believes her life can’t get any stranger, she discovers her true identity. 
Filtiarn, a knight with a dark past and a surprising secret, has been tasked with guiding the heir of Tír Na NÓg through countless perils to be returned to her family. Once Morrigan has been reunited with her mother and grandmother, their triad can save the forgotten land of magic from being devoured by an ancient evil.
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Doesn't that sound awesome? Plus, I ADORE that cover!

And now, an excerpt from Morrigan!



“Guardians!” A low snarl emanated from the back of his throat. “What are you doing with Guardians?”

“Stop it! Sit down!” Morrigan wasn’t sure who she was addressing, the man or the animals. Luckily, they both obeyed her command. She stepped in between them to avoid any further confrontations.

The cats took a seat on either side her legs, but their posture hardly relaxed. They still glared warily at the newcomer, even though their hisses died down to an occasional soft growl.

“Dirty, filthy beasts!” Tiarn snarled as he climbed to his feet. “I hate Guardians.”

“They’re just little cats,” Morrigan told him. “What’s the big deal?”

“Just cats! Hah!” He was standing at a careful distance, even though they had started licking their paws nonchalantly. “They are much more than simple cats! Though even those I find distasteful.”

Morrigan narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind. It does not matter.” Tiarn dismissed her question with a wave of his hand. “They are not coming with us."

“They most certainly are coming!”

Tiarn growled again. “I beg to differ with you, Your Highness. They would only get in the way. Possibly even get killed.”

Danu raised her head from her grooming to hiss at him again, as though she had taken that last statement as a personal threat. The strange reaction of her faithful sidekicks made Morrigan wonder again just how much Tiarn could be trusted. She also wondered why, when she wasn’t sure she could trust him, she still felt the undeniable urge to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. “If they stay here alone, they’ll definitely get killed or at least sent to the pound,” Morrigan told him. “I can’t let that happen. So, they’re coming. End of story.”

Tiarn’s eyes flashed dangerously, and he looked like he wanted to argue, but thought better of it. “Very well, Princess. Bring your mongrel felines. Just keep in mind that Guardians and lycans do not mix well.”

“Lycans?” Morrigan repeated. A sick feeling started to settle in her stomach, as the truth of his words sunk in. It all started to make sense—his hairy arms and chest, his reaction to the cats, even his earlier comment about smelling her out. Her dark knight had a much darker side than she had ever seen in her dreams.

“Why yes, Your Majesty. Did you not realize? You are a witch and a sorceress. And I, your faithful traveling companion, am a lycan—a werewolf.”




Isn't that so cool??? I cannot WAIT to read it :)

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. She is the author of four young adult novels including: Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, and Morrigan and has many other works in progress.
Find Laura Online!
Website


Buy Morrigan!

(:D)
~Mag

Monday, November 5, 2012

Cover Reveal: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris

It's no secret that I absolutely adored Unraveling, Elizabeth Norris's debut novel. (I'm lucky enough to have a signed copy, and it's one of my absolute favorite books I own!) Ever since I finished it--like, literally THE MOMENT I finished it--I've been dying to read Unbreakable. 

And now, the cover and description have been revealed!

(Warning: description is kinda spoilery if you haven't read Unraveling--and if you haven't, you should. Now.)

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days. 
And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?
Isn't it gorgeous?? And that description...well, I'm now even more desperate to get my hands on this book!

Unraveling is available now, and Unbreakable releases April 23, 2013. Check out Elizabeth Norris's post about it HERE and the official cover reveal for Unbreakable, plus a mention of its potential to become a TV show is HERE.

(:D)
~Mag

Friday, November 2, 2012

Review: Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle


When I heard about Kissing Shakespeare, I thought it sounded great—a modern day actress who loves Shakespeare going back in time to save his life…by getting him to fall for her.

Well, I’m pleased to say, once I got past the abrupt and slightly confusing start, I loved it as much as I hoped!!

(Please note that while this book is released, my review is of an uncorrected advanced copy :D)

Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle
Released August 14, 2012
Source of my copy: NetGalley
A romantic time travel story that's ideal for fans of novels by Meg Cabot and Donna Jo Napoli--and, of course, Shakespeare. 
Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school's staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide. 
Fellow cast member Stephen Langford has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she'd like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he's a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen's really from. He wants Miranda to use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright.

Miranda isn't convinced she's the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it's her only chance of getting back to the present and her "real" life. What Miranda doesn't bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

------

The curtain opens on Miranda, a teenage girl who’s just played Katherine in the Taming of the Shrew. She’s obviously distraught and bitter over her performance, knocking over props and throwing things around. She’s angry at herself, angry at everyone expecting her to be her mother, who is a famous actress herself.

Enter another actor, Miranda’s classmate, Stephen Langford.  He’s dressed up in what looks like a Shakespearean reenacter’s outfit, spewing crazy talk and dragging her up to the roof. Finally, he does the unthinkable, the unimaginable: He takes her back in time.

Once they arrive in 1581, Stephen explains to Miranda that young William Shakespeare is in grave danger—and she needs to help save him, by seducing him. Yeah.

Though reluctant and disbelieving at first, Miranda eventually agrees to help. After all, what could be cooler than kissing Shakespeare, her idol? But danger threatens more than just Will. Getting involved with Shakespeare and the possibility of his death could get Miranda herself hurt—or worse. And the mystery, the plot, and those involved are more complicated than Miranda or Stephen saw coming.

The characters were fantastic—Miranda was realistically freaked out and angry without being annoying, and she was brave and smart without being unrealistic. Stephen, though unbelievably infuriating a lot of the time, grew on me easily. He was smart and brave and, in his best moments, wonderfully sweet. The others, like Stephen’s aunt and uncle, Jennet, Thomas, and yes, Will, were all interesting, real, and enjoyable to read about.

As far as the romance goes…it was certainly romantic! If you know me, you know that I adore a good love story—not to mention a good kissing scene ;) And the flirting, kissing, and romantic tension were excellently put together. But even though the novel is entitled “Kissing Shakespeare” and its incarnation of Will Shakespeare was certainly kiss-worthy, I personally was more inclined to want to kiss Stephen…and I may not be the only one.

Kissing Shakespeare receives <*><*><*><*><*>

(:D)
~Mag