Waiting On Wednesday (21) Willowgrove

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

Willowgrove

Kathleen Peacock

Expected publication: January 6th 2015 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

I loved Hemlock and Thornhill and I can't wait to see how the story ends!

Ever since Mac's best friend, Amy, was murdered, Hemlock has been a dangerous place. But now that Mac, her boyfriend, Kyle, and Amy's ex, Jason, have investigated a mass breakout from Thornhill, a werewolf "rehabilitation" camp, the danger has only grown. Fear of the infection spreading is now at an all-time high, and anyone with a scar is suspected of being a wolf.

What makes Mac even more afraid, though, are the dark experiments that the warden of Thornhill was performing on wolves in a secret asylum called Willowgrove. Uncovering the truth about what happened may be the only way for Mac to save everyone she loves and end her nightmares for good.

August Wrap Up

August Wrap Up:

 

Currently Reading:

 

Favorite Books Read this Month:

My WOW this month was Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas.....Which is also what I am currently reading.

I reviewed "My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

I wrote up a post about my ONE  YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!

I interviewed Pauline C Harris....Here

I interviewed Heather Beck........ This post also includes a giveaway!

I talked about why I (almost) never give 5-star reviews.

I interviewed Romily Bernard (again!!!) Including some questions about what we can expect with "Remember Me"...Here

I posted a review for "Rites of Passage" a new contemporary book.

I talked about Immature Characters in YA....Here

 I wrapped up my "Real Book Challenge"....Here.

I posted an interview with Danielle Sibarium along with a giveaway for THREE copies of her book "For Always"......Here

Blogoversary Author Interview + GIVEAWAY: Danielle Sibarium - Day 6

Blogoversary Author Interview: Danielle Sibarium

Author Biography:

 

Danielle Sibarium grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.

 
Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well. And so she wrote. She wrote and wrote and wrote.
 
Sadly the first piece she ever sent out for publication of any sort was a letter to the editor of The Home News Tribune. It was a piece thanking the first responders for their bravery and selflessness on Sept 11th. It was chosen as letter of the week.
 
In 2007 Danielle collaborated with Charlotte Doreen Small to write songs for her CD More. Danielle wrote the lyrics for Take My Hand, and Goodbye, while Charlotte contributed the melody.
 In October 2011 Danielle’s debut novel For Always was released. She Has since released Heart Waves and the second book in the Heart Waves series, Breaking Waves. 
Danielle graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University with honors, and currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.

 

 

 

Interview:

 

What are the main genres that you write in?

The two genres that I write in are YA and NA contemporary romance.

 

Would you ever write in another genre?

I have ideas for a dystopian book. I’m just not sure if when I’ll start it and if it will be a stand alone or a series. 

 

What is your all time favorite book (or books)?

I have a few, Dracula and Les Miserables definitely top the list.

 

Are you working on anything in particular right now? Or do you have anything releasing pretty soon that you can tell us about?

Right now I am working on And Forever, a sequel to my first book For Always. It should be releasing in December 2014.  

 

Do you have a favorite of the books you have written?

I think they are all my favorite when I finish them. And it usually takes me a while to move on from one book to the next. It also depends on the mood I’m in, whether I want to have my heart ripped out or not. lol.

 

 

Danielle is the author of many books, which you can check out here. Below I have featured For Always a Young Adult romance. 

 

 

You never really get over your first love. Such is the case for fourteen-year-old Stephanie Barrano, self-proclaimed misfit and death magnet. A freshman in high school, Stephanie is befriended by Jordan Brewer, a hot, in-demand senior, who pulls her from the outer circle of obscurity into the realm of acceptance. Jordan quickly works his way into Stephanie’s heart. He’s her everything. And the only person she trusts with the truth about her father’s death. But he won’t act on the strong feelings he has for her. Stephanie vows to wait for him, knowing in time she’ll win his heart.

Two months before her eighteenth birthday, Jordan serves as an impromptu prom date. After sharing a magical evening, Jordan leaves Stephanie with the promise of a future together. Then tragedy strikes. Jordan not only shuts Stephanie out, he also blames her for what happened. Feeling broken and beaten, will she try one last time to get through to Jordan or will she lose him forever

Follow by e-mail or bloglovin and comment on this post to win an e-copy of For Always! The first three commenters win. E-mail your e-mail address to yalvrofjaneausten (at) gmail (dot) com

 

Real Book Challenge Wrap Up August

Sign Up Post

And I am going for the 50+ - Real Book Queen/King 

 

Books read in August:

 

Blogoversary Post: When There Are Immature Characters In YA Books - Day 5

When There Are Immature Characters In YA Books

 

Ugh. This is one of my biggest bookish pet peeves.....Immature characters in Young Adult books. It doesn't bug me as much if it is a secondary character, but when it is the main character? No. Just NO!

Recently I came across a YA book (and it is not the first time that I have had this problem) which featured a main character that was supposed to be 16-17.....And she acted like she was a middle-grade character that was at least 11-12. Every single choice, every single word out of her mouth, every single action was immature. I could not stand it! If this character had grown up in a sheltered home and was maybe 14 it would not have bothered me so much. But she (apparently) had had a tough life! Yet she still acted like a little kid. To me, this is a completely unrealistic portrait of a teen character.

Lets just say I didn't finish this one. 

 

Rites Of Passage (Book Review)

Rites Of Passage
Joy N. Hensley
Expected publication: September 9th 2014 by Harper Teen

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him.

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.

Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences

Review:

When I first heard of Rites of Passage I was intrigued. Mostly because the synopsis was like nothing I have ever read before. A female at a military school previously for boys? YES Please! A secret society? YES Please! A forbidden romance? This is sounding better and better!

Pretty much, Sam never declines a dare. And definitely not a dare that happened right before her brother died. The dare? To go to a military school.
After she gets to military school, she finds out that things are going to be VERY tough for her.

The Characters:
Sam was pretty much the ultimate main character. Tough, loyal, sympathetic, and hard working. There were some points where I was a bit disappointed with the choices her character made, but overall she was a great main character.
There were a lot of secondary characters in this one. All of which were very complex and diverse. I loved reading about the secondary characters just as much as reading about Sam.

The Plot:
The plot went by a little slow at times. And then too fast at other times. Be prepared for this book to have just a little romance, and a lot of military school and secret society stuff. The secret society stuff was also confusing. I found myself wondering what was going on quite  bit during the length of this book, and I felt like some things were way too convenient. The romance part was (as I said above) a very small part of this book. So if you are looking for a book with just a little romance, then this will be most likely for you.

And THAT ENDING! I really, really, really hope that there is a sequel to this book. I need a sequel. This book needs a sequel. Plus, I wouldn't mind some more page-time for the couple in this book. As a matter of fact, I would love it!
If this book sounds interesting to you. I suggest you read it! I really enjoyed it and I think that this is one of the more unique books I have read this year.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated and this did not effect my review in any way.***

Blogoversary Author Interview: Romily Bernard - Day 4

 

One Year Blogoversary Author Interview: Romily Bernard

Author Biography:
I graduated from Georgia State University with a Literature degree. Since then, I’ve worked as a riding instructor, cell phone salesgirl, personal assistant, groom, exercise rider, accounting assistant, and, during a very dark time, customer service rep.
So don’t let anyone tell you a BA degree will keep you unemployed.








Interview:

What are some of the struggles that come up writing a sequel versus writing the first book?

Oh gosh, Second Book-itis is always scary. I'd never written a sequel before so I spent a lot of time freaking out during REMEMBER ME. You have to look really hard at your characters and how their lives would've changed since the first book and build from there. Lots of plotting before writing really, which is pretty hard for me.

 

Were you always planning on turning Find Me into a series? Or was it first planned as a standalone? It was actually planned as a standalone. I was working on Lauren's story when Harper asked for more Wick.

 

Would you ever consider writing in another genre?

Definitely. I have five projects I'm current working on and none of them resemble the FIND ME series. It's scary and exhilarating to branch out.

 

Did you change any of your characters names after you started writing Find Me and Remember Me? Hahaha!! ALL THE TIME!!

 

Did you have any say in the covers for Find Me and Remember Me? (personally I love them)

I love them too. I didn't have any say so, but that's probably a good thing because I have zero artistic talent.

 

Was there any specific book or movie (or place) that provided inspiration for your books?

I'm a huge fan of almost any kind of forensic file or cold case file television show. I'm sure some of those bled through.

 

Can you tell us a little about Find Me and what we can expect from Remember Me?

FIND ME's about a teenage hacker trying to get out of the game who gets blackmailed into finding a classmate's rapist. REMEMBER ME picks up a couple months after FIND ME and deals with the fall out. There's more Griff, more Lily, more Bren, and the introduction of a whole new player, Milo Gray, who may be the best or worst thing that's ever happened to Wick.

 

Find Me has been out for a while now, since September of last year.....But Lie For Me (Griff's Story) comes out September 2nd and Remember Me (Find Me #2) comes out September 23rd.

 

(Click on the book covers to check out the different books Goodreads page's)