[Blog Tour] Vigilante Nights by Erin Richards: Excerpt + Giveaway

Hey Everyone!!! I am pleased to be hosting today's stop for Vigilante Nights by Erin Richards. Look on to learn more!

Vigilante Nights by Erin Richards
Release Date: July 18th, 2013
Publisher: Merit Press
Pages: 303
Source: IFB Blog Tours for touring purposes
Amazon/ Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

 A "good boy" will do anything for vengeance when a gang rite kills his twin sister. Will Lucas win, or follow his sister Silver into the darkness?

After a hideous car wreck, Lucas wakes from a coma to find that his world is gutted. Not only is his beloved twin sister, Silver, gone forever, but Lucas is broken in body and spirit. He will never be a college athlete, and is robbed of what he now realizes was the most important bond of his life. Although they weren't identical twins, Lucas and Silver shared a bond so fierce it defied reason, and was nearly supernatural.

After her death, that bond seems to endure when Lucas sees Silver everywhere he turns. Either he's crazy, or Silver is trying to tell him something about the California gang initiation they stumbled into that cost Silver her life. Lucas is bent on revenge, turning on Raymond, Silver's former boyfriend; the one Lucas never wanted her to date. He forms a posse of vigilantes to take out the gangsters responsible for Silver's death, but he risks not only his own life, but the love of the new girl on his block, who knows more about Lucas and Silver than can be accounted for by mere chance.

Excerpt:

I leaped at him, my fist hitting his face full force. I felt his nose fracture against my knuckles and the scathing chaser up my hand. He roared and shot an arm toward my gut. Lashing gusts forced us backward, and we rolled down the side of the cliff onto a narrow stony landing. The last firm footing before we tumbled into hell. That’s when I noticed the ripping burn in my middle. Stunned, I felt the warmth of blood mushroom across my stomach beneath my cold, clammy shirt. He’d stuck me with the knife, buried so deep it appeared his fingers were digging inside my gut. My hands circled his neck. As I began to squeeze, a mountainous wave blasted the rocks and slammed us flat. Water sloshed over the ledge, dragging at us like an undertow.

He lost his hold on the knife. Pulling on my arms, he tried to loosen my grip on his neck. I dug for his jugular. Blinded by blood lust, I lost notice of everything except the sneering face pissing on my car, the lustful eyes staring at Silver, the gaping mouths when the two hot rods approached the intersection.

Another wave smashed into us, knocking us apart. He toppled backward, tumbled into the receding water. I fell forward on my hands and knees, gripping a sharp edge of rock.

“I’m gonna kill you.” Pisser sprang up bowed over, prepping to gore me again.

I rolled out of the way, tripping him. He fell onto another flat boulder. I managed to push to my feet, the dark, tempestuous sea behind me an ominous threat. Pisser lunged for me, barreling us both onto the jagged rocks along the edge. He thudded on top. I rolled, flipped him on his side, my hand fisted on his jacket sleeve. His body thumped on another ledge of rocks.

Another wave towered up. Too late. It crashed down, a bludgeoning, suffocating weight pinning me to the boulders. Hanging on for what sketchy life remained, I waited for the wave to recede. It didn’t. Another followed and a third. A triple threat.

I heard screaming. Tara or Alyssa? Strange thoughts of death flashed through my mind. A white beam lit the rocks lending their dark death a momentary glimpse of rebirth. If I died, am I supposed to limp into the light or some stupid thing? Did Silver ever go into the light? Where’d she go? She seemed to disappear when I didn’t think of her. My mind rambled.

A hoarse, terrified voice spiraled above the storm. “Help me, man. You want another death on your hands?”

Water flowed, ebbed, and I lay half over the cliff, my right leg stuck between two rocks. Frozen fingers slid over my hand. I tightened my tenuous hold, reaching forward to grab Pisser’s arm with my other hand. He dangled from the cliff, dead weight in my faltering grip. Without my help, he’d bite it hard. In one split second, I contemplated letting go, prying his fingers off the rock one by one, hearing his body plop to its death on the boulders below.

Author Bio: 



Erin Richards writes SF&F romance and young adult fiction. Her YA debut novel, VIGILANTE NIGHTS, releases from Merit Press (F+W Media) on July 18, 2013. Erin has also published two adult romance novels: CHASING SHADOWS, a romantic suspense (EPPIE award finalist), now available in print for the first time (July 2012); and WICKED PARADISE, a fantasy romance, was released by Crimson Romance (F+W Media) in August 2012, available in eBook and print format. 
 Erin Richards lives in Northern California. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, photography, and American muscle cars.

www.erinrichards.com | twitter.com/ErinRichards

  

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[Blog Tour] Shudder by Samantha Durante: Review + Excerpt + Giveaway

To check out the rest of the tour stops visit HERE

Shudder (Stitch #2) by Samantha Durante

Release Date: June 15th, 2013

Publisher: Self-Published

Format: Paperback

Pages: 348

Source: Author, in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon/ B&N/ Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

-- Book 2 in the Stitch Trilogy --

It's only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa's life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she'd counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she'd thought she'd tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she's discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering "stitch" unlocked something in Alessa's mind, and now she can't shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers - and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world's sorry history - will soon leave Alessa reeling...

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante's shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

 

Review:

The Story

I liked this story a lot. In a way much more than the other one because we are able to get a little more dystopian goodness this time around. But I will say that missed the crazy twist ending from that last end. Really through me off!

The Writing

The writing is great as always! And now that its in a different setting (than a college) it makes  more sense and fits more.

The Characters

I really like that we get to know the characters better this time around. Which really helps with the alternative POV's.

I like to know my heroines and I really got to know Alessa better this time around. Which was great because one negative factor for me from  Stitch was that I really had was indifferent towards the characters.

The Good

List 'em:

1. The writing
2. Improvement on the characters
3. More adventure and dystopianess? (I know, that's not a word)

4. Creative
The Bad

List 'em:

1. Slow sometimes
2. Like to get into characters more

My Final Thoughts

Good Book! I do recommend. Though it was better than the first although if you don't read the first book you be very much behind :)

Excerpt:

 

The crunch of broken glass outside the dumpster broke Isaac’s train of thought. Alessa looked up at him with alarm and he just held her tighter in his arms, his ears straining to track the movement of the sound.

The noise moved back and forth, back and forth, as if someone were pacing only steps away from the dumpster. Isaac held his breath, his pulse pounding in his ears, his skin crawling with every snap reverberating through the empty dumpster.

And then suddenly the noise came faster, like more sets of feet tramping across the pavement in a violent rush. His ears pricked at the intrusion of their snarls and growls, eerily raspy and shrill at the same time. He couldn’t place the sound at all – it was unlike anything he’d ever heard.

Squinting in the darkness, he tipped his head back and strained the muscles in his neck, hoping for a glimpse through the crack in the lid of the predators beyond.

There was a quick flash as a hulking mass darted past the front of dumpster; Isaac jumped, quelling the gasp at his lips. Alessa convulsed under his arms, her face still buried in the front of his coat.

For a moment everything grew quiet. Isaac fought the tingling in his limbs and willed himself a statue, not daring to move or breathe, his senses prickling at the slightest hint. Had the hunters left?

BOOM, BOOM.

The force of whatever had just landed on the lid thundered through the dumpster, the walls and floor ringing with an earthshaking rattle. Isaac and Alessa flinched as one, him bearing down instinctively over her curled, trembling body as the center of the ceiling crumpled inwards under the weight of their attackers.

From above their heads, a magnificent piercing howl penetrated their hiding place, resonating off the walls of the hollow enclosure and chilling Isaac to his core. Any sense of security that Isaac had felt was shattered with that nightmarish wail; whatever it was that wanted them was directly above their heads.

BOOM.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

A series of crashes shook the dumpster from the sides, Isaac and Alessa lurching away from one thunderous bang only to be bombarded from the other side with the next.

BOOM.

Another jolt from above and a savage grating snarl sent Isaac jerking to the floor, his eyes wide with terror as he gaped at the buckling ceiling. This was no wolf, and no cougar – this was something far more dangerous.

He seized Alessa in his arms and said a silent prayer for mercy. The only thing they could do now was wait to live or die.

Giveaway:

Enter the Giveaway HERE!!!

Author Bio:

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her

cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com



Haven’t read the first book in the series? Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads. Just $0.99!

[Blog Tour] Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton: Review + Giveaway

      

Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton
Release Date: May 1st, 2013
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Format: ebook
Source: Good Choice Reads book tours, in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shape-shifting brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn's golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino's world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won't fail again.

Review:

The Story

In this historical romance/ adventure, a brother and his friend tries to save his kidnapped sister. The story is pretty good. I don't read a lot of historcal fiction the the concept was pretty new to me.

I was a little slower  in some moments that I would have liked to to be. But lots of action to make up for it . And you know I love soem good action.

The Writing

The was also pretty good not great but good. I only say that because it was a little hard for me to undertsand at some parts. For me, at least. 

The Characters

The characters were not the hightlight of the book for me. The story itself was much better. I found Avikar to be annoying, he made a lot of dumb decisions and was really selfish. He seemed to want to save his sister, not because he was worried about her but becausehe did not want to feel responsible for another siblings death.

All the other characters were otherwise boring and Jeslyn was you typical damsel in distress. The only character I really liked was Raven. A total oppisite of Jeslyn. 

The Good

Was the action. I love abook with action and this one had lots of it.

I liked Raven. She was the only character that didn't make me cringe whenever they talked. And the writing was nice.

The Bad

The rest of the charcters. The just annoyed the heck out of of me.

The slow parts in the story were also a negative for me.

My Final Thoughts

I liked the book but for me it ws missing a few things. Hence, the 3 star review. But I would recommed it to people who like historical fiction.

About the Author:

Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s

not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.

 

Giveaway:



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon Day #6: "Hound Dogs"

  Hey Guys! Chloe here and it is the sixth dat of Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon. You can learn more about it HERE   Participation Post     This participation post is when we list our favorite bad boy or show a picture or do a bio OR where we would go on a date.       Gosh this was such a hard one because there ar SOOOO many choices. But ultimately I would have to go with the first bad boy that stole my heart and that would be Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments series     And because I am not happy with who they casted to play Jace this is how he looks in my head... Thats better.   He's just so toutured and swoonworthy and just ahhhh...     Challenge Post   This challenge post is about which fictional character would you would want to have summer fling with and my pick is....

Adrain Ivashkov from Vampire Academy and Bloodlines!!

HOT!

So, these are my picks, whats yours? Leave a comment!!

Feature and Follow Friday # 10

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme that allows bloggers to gain new followers and get to know each other. The meme is hosted by Parajunkee at Parajunkee's View and Alison at Alison Can Read.

If you'd like to follow me you may do it via GFC (I'm a little scared about this one since hearing the rumors...), Linky, Bloglovin or subscribe by email (you can do more than one if you want!), all are located on the right. Say "hi!" in the comments, and let me know your a new follower, leave a link to your blog and I'll be sure to follow back!

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

• (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}

• (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

• Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.

• Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.

• If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed.

• Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”

• If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers.

• If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q: Its US Independence Day!!! Share your favorite book with war in it, or overthrow of the goverment.

A: Hmmm.... Does Hunger Games Count. I mean they did kin of overthrow their goverment. Sorry thats the best I got...

Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon Day #5: "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On"

  Hey Guys! Chloe here and its day 5 of the Summer Lovin' Readathon Hosted by Reviewing Wonderland. Learn more about it HERE.   Participation Post   Ya!!! Congrats you guys for making through 5 days of the readathon. I hope you got to complete ALL your bookish goals :) I wanted to read al least three books this week but I think its only going to be two.    

  I'm about 65% into Unraveling so I hope to have it finished by the end of the day so that I can finish Perfect Scoundrels by the end of Sunday     Challenge Post   The cover title scrmble is when we take 5 cover tittles from each monh and unscramcle them! Let give this a try....     May   1) hte   h5t   vewa = The 5th Wave2) eht   scetrsahnen
3) ginwre = Winger4) sujt   neo   skis = Just One Kiss
5) yan   shduesc  lwil   od
6) ti   dha   ot   eb    ]uyo
7) tols  dan   dfnuo = Lost and Found8) het   yelbon  gnki = The Boylen King9) neoc  noup   a   niprec   June  

1) het   nomo   dan  remo = The Moon and More

2) ormts  dna  egies

3) rtas    dsceur = Star Cursed 

4) teswe  lsat   ira  

5) het   crenwmeo 
6) veorfre   oto   rfa
7) het  miatng   fo  deyrr  uanacvhga 

8) wot  fo  a  dnki = Two of a Kind

9)  neo   etswe  deri = One Sweet Ride
10) hwta  hte   kedu   sesdeir

11) kifagn   ti = Faking It

  July   1) fi   het  ohes   tisf = If the Shoe Fits  
2) eth   eegd   fo  vnere = The Edge of Never
3) rfits  gisht   a   veonl  
4) utre   lvoe = True Love 
5) ehtre   tletil   rdswo = Three Little Words  
6) eht   gniht  si  velia = The Night is Alive
7) feprcte  gifln  
8) scoseh  hte   gronw   ugy   veag   imh  het  gwonr  gefrni       
9) meoh  ot   kewihsy   kecre

August  

1) lafl   fo   veif = Fall of Five

2) wrnco    fo    gdminhit = The Crown of Midnight

3) hte   desah  fo  het   onom =  The Shade of the Moon

4) sero  bahrro   ni  mlobo
5) eht   rohe = The Hero
6) gib   ysk diwengd  

7) yatacasw  veoc  a  ltehrse  yab   venlo 

8)  siht   rilg   a   veonl  

9) mtetapinto = Temptation

 

Gezzz! That was Hard!

 

Tell me how you guys are doing and leave a comment!!

Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon Day #3: "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee"

  Hey Guys! Chloe here, joining the Summer Lovin Read-a-thon a bit late I know. Since this is day 3 and MY first day. But no worries, I'll make up for it. Learn more about the Read-a-thon HERE     Participation Post:  

So, for today's post we participants our favorite fictional female character !!!! So MY awesome heroine pick is....

Claire of the Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine

*Note - I've never actually thought of a specific actress that would play her when I read the books, but in my mind she would look something like this...

Bio:

Name: Claire Danvers

Physical Features:

- Dark brown, shoulder length hair

- Dark brown eyes

- Fair skin

- 5' feet

- 110 pounds

About Claire: Don't let her small stature fool you, this is one tough chick! Originally very timid when she first came to the vampire run Morganville, Texas. Constantly fighting for her life has defiantly toughened her up. Shes smart (genius really!), resourceful and will do anything thing to protect herself and the people she loves. And gets herself in and out of plenty of crazy situations. Like the ones having to do with her crazy but AWESOME vampire boss Myrnin. 

Challenge Post:

For this challenge post we must pick a book we have not yet read, read its 99th page, give a summary of it and then decide if we still want to read it :)

Goodreads Synopsis: When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

Page 99 Summary:  So on this page the character named Mateo seemed to see something magical or not of the norm in the MC Nadia's attic. And Nadia is debating if she should tell him that she is a witch or not.

Will I read it ?: Definitely! I loved Claudia Gray's Evernight series and love books about witches so I am sure I will love this. Also the page totally drew me in!

Tell me what you guys think! Leave a comment!

Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon

The Summer Lovin’ Readathon is a week-long readathon event hosted by seven independent bloggers! (Oh, Chrys!, Tumbling Books, Effortlessly Reading, Love Life Read, Shelf Addiction, Read Sleep Repeat, and Reviewing Wonderland)

Spend the week reading at your own pace, when and how you want too. There will be daily challenges for awesome prizes and opportunities to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

As if that weren’t enough – the week will end with a 24-hr marathon readathon! Twitter parties, mini-challenges, games, prizes given EVERY HOUR, and more chances to get points toward the Grand Prize Packs.

Sign-ups will be open through July 6th. I’m in, are you?!

Feature and Follow #9

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme that allows bloggers to gain new followers and get to know each other. The meme is hosted by Parajunkee at Parajunkee's View and Alison at Alison Can Read.

If you'd like to follow me you may do it via GFC (I'm a little scared about this one since hearing the rumors...), Linky, Bloglovin or subscribe by email (you can do more than one if you want!), all are located on the right. Say "hi!" in the comments, and let me know your a new follower, leave a link to your blog and I'll be sure to follow back!

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

• (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}

• (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

• Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.

• Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.

• If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed.

• Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”

• If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers.

• If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q: What's your preferred reading format? Hardcover, Paperback, ebooks, etc.?

A: Definitely Hardcover or Paperback! I love my kindle but having a physical copy of a book will never go out of style in my opinion :)

Top Ten Tuesday #9: Books I've Read So Far in 2013

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme, this weeks Top Ten Tuesday is books I've read so far in 2013 .

(All titles link to Goodreads!)

 

1. Envy (Empty Coffin #1) by Gregg Olsen - SO suspenseful also the author lives in the same state as me. So cool!

 

2. Stitch (Stitch Trilogy #1) by Samantha Durante - Interesting dystopian :) (My Review Here)

 

3. Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - AH!! I love this series. Such a good book. (My Review Here)

 

4. Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Ahhhhh! Loved this one too.

 

5. Bitter Blood (The Morganville Vampires #13) by Rachel Caine - Rachel Caine really can do no wrong in my eyes.

 

6. The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1) by Aimee Carter - Not a horrible book by I wish it was a little better. (My Review Here)

 

7. Hidden (Hidden Series #1) by M. Lathan - I was a tour stop for this book and I am so glad because it was amazing. (My Review Here)

 

8. Poison (Legacy #2) by Molly Cochran - I love any book about witches so of course I loved this one. But the first was still better :)

 

9. Die for Me (Revenants #1) by Amy Plum - One of my biggest disappointments of the year so far.... (My Review Here)

 

10. Identity Theft by Anna Davies - In interesting thriller :) (My Review Here)

 

Hey Guys! Some quick and exciting news. I am now a co-blogger at [B.O.O.K.L.I.F.E]. I am so happy to get to be working with Neysa. Of course I am still going stay on this blog but since its summer I thought I might try something different!

 

What's Your Top Ten this week? :) 

[Book Blitz] Ruby's Fire by Cathrine Stine: Excerpt + Giveaway

Book Blitz Time Ya'll!!!!!!!

Ruby's Fire by Cathrine Stine
Series: Fireseed #2 (however, can also be read as a stand alone)Publication Date: June 26th, 2013
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Amazon/ Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

If everything about you changes, what remains?

Seventeen year-old Ruby, long-pledged to the much older Stiles from the Fireseed desert cult, escapes with only a change of clothes, a pouch of Oblivion Powder and her mute little brother, Thorn. Arriving at The Greening, a boarding school for orphaned teens, she can finally stop running. Or can she? The Greening is not what it seems. Students are rampaging out of control and as she cares for the secret Fireseed crop, she experiences frightening physical changes. She’s ashamed of her attraction to burly, hard-talking Blane, the resident bodyguard, and wonders why she can’t be happy with the gentler Armonk. She’s long considered her great beauty a liability, a thing she’s misused in order to survive. And how is she to stop her dependence on Oblivion to find a real beauty within, using her talent as a maker of salves, when she has nightmares of Stiles without it?

When George Axiom, wealthy mogul of Vegas-by-the-Sea offers a huge cash prize for the winner of a student contest, Ruby is hopeful she might collect the prize to rescue her family and friends from what she now knows is a dangerous cult. But when Stiles comes to reclaim her, and Thorn sickens after creating the most astonishing contest project of all, the world Ruby knows is changed forever. This romantic fantasy set in 2099 on earth has a crafty heroine in Ruby, and a swoonworthy cast, which will surely appeal to the YA and new adult audience. (Add on Goodreads)

Excerpt

This excerpt comes shortly after Ruby escapes a dangerous desert cult armed only with a pouch of her handmade elixir, Oblivion, and her little brother Thorn. They land in a boarding school for nomadic teens, where she’s ensconced in classmate, Bea’s room.

I crawl into bed exhausted in a good way. I’ve eaten, I’ve gotten exercise, and I’ve managed to fend off Blane. I’ve checked on Thorn and Radius seems to be leaving him alone. Bea hasn’t said anything truly nasty to me today, though she’s rolled toward the wall again without a word. Now she’s breathing steadily with a soft snore.

Progress, I may not even need Oblivion tonight.

But as I lay there, staring out at the orange-streaked sky and the distant, blinking stars, my mind sinks to a dreadful reverie. I’m standing in front of the garden shelf where the red leaves are trapped under those wide stones. The Fireseed seems to be emitting a high-pitched wail. Blane is there too and he’s pressing his face into mine, his lips biting at my own lips. His meaty arms trap me. He shoves me down on top of Fireseed stalks that crack and split, sending out more high-pitched whees. As Blane’s weight pushes hard against my chest, his face becomes Stiles’—the flared nostrils, bloodshot eyes and accusing stare. “You are mine,” Stiles says. “How dare you…”

I bolt upright, sending such a flurry of fearful energy into the air that Bea chokes in her sleep. Coughing, she turns my way and returns to her steady breathing.

Her eyes could snap open at any second. She could steal my bag of Oblivion or knock it from my hands, scattering the powder over the floor. It would be lost forever. I hold my breath as I pad across the room, reach for the velvety sack in my cloak and feel the reassuring give of the powder. It’s diminishing with every dose, and I won’t be able to make more here. I need to ration it carefully. My heart hammering, I flutter into the bathroom, inch open the drawstring and shake a line onto my wrist. I inhale greedily, desperately.

Stumbling back to bed, there’s only enough time to thrust the precious bag inside my pillowcase before sweat erupts on my upper lip and my eyes roll up.

Then I bump off swollen ridges of pain as I fall deeply into never.

About the Author:

Catherine Stine writes YA, New Adult and middle grade fiction. Her YA futuristic

thriller, Fireseed One, illustrated by the author won finalist spots in both YA and Science Fiction in the 2013 USA Book News International Book Awards. It was also granted a 2013 Bronze Wishing Shelf Book Award and a 2013 Indie Reader Approved notable stamp. Her YA Refugees, earned a New York Public Library Best Book. Middle grade novels include A Girl’s Best Friend.

Fireseed One sequel, Ruby’s Fire is earning advance praise from reviewers and authors:
“Ruby's Fire, returns to the sun-scorched earth of Fireseed One. In this long-awaited sequel, Stine delivers a thrilling adventure led by a new and exciting cast of characters. Ruby, Armonk, Thorn and Blane are memorable, and the romance is really well handled. Favorite quote: " It feels wrong to lean on Armonk right now with Blane staring at me, a hungry, lonely look in his eye. It’s as if he’s never been hugged, never been fed, never been loved..." ”  -YAs the Word

More and more, Catherine enjoys writing speculative tales where her imagination has wild and free reign. She has taught creative writing workshops at the Philadelphia Writing Conference, Missouri University Summer Abroad, The New School and in her own ongoing NYC writing workshop. She loves her readers, and enjoys blogging.

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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