Waiting on Wednesday ~ Beta

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine which spotlight eagerly anticipated upcoming releases. I've recently stared this series and like the look of the most recent release.

Title: Beta
Author: Rachel Cohn
Series: Annex #1
Publication date: 16 October 2012

Elysia is created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen-year-old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to exist.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island's workers--soulless clones like Elysia--are immune to. 

At first, Elysia's life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island's flawless exterior, there is an under-current of discontent among Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care--so why are overpowering sensations cloud-ing Elysia's mind? 

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happi-ness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive. 

The first in a dazzlingly original science fiction series from best-selling author Rachel Cohn, "Beta "is a haunting, unforgettable story of courage and love in a cor-rupted world.

Teaser Tuesday ~ Blue Diablo

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like 

"Church said, "I'll tell you straight. The only players in this area who could afford a sending like that are the naecotraficantes. Could be two or three cartels, though."  My expression must have reflected disbelief, because he added, "What, you think the cartel's don't pay for hexes? It's not like Hollywood, prima, all automatic weapons and shady dudes with oily moustaches  You live in Mexico; why do you not know this?"

p.73 Blue Diablo (Corine Solomon #1) by Ann Aguire

Stacking the Shelves (12) & Showcase Sunday (11)

Stacking The Shelves is a brand new meme for us all to showcase our book haul for the week. The lovely Tynga at Tyngas Reviews.

Showcase Sunday is another fantastic new meme where we can showcase our books, this is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits & Tea

I can't choose which of these memes to participate in so I'm going to take part in both!!

I've been getting a few free books from Amazon this week (they were both free on Amazon UK on 11th November 2012)

Only in her Dreams (The Oneirol #1) by Christina McKnight

The Rockstar Nextdoor (A Modern Fairytale) by Lily Silver

Witch Avenue Book Blitz

Covers by PhatPuppy Art 

Today I am pleased to be one of the hosts for the Book Blitz for the Witches Avenue series by Karice Bolton, which has been organised by the lovely Ashley at Bookish Brunette Books Tours!  I'm sharing the covers and a bit about the first two books, links to find out more about the author & buy the book and finally a link to a great giveaway!

About Altered Souls (Witch Avenue #2)

The realm of Altered Souls brings nothing but unrest, deceit, and pain forcing Triss to come face to face with heartbreak from her past. 

Facing a betrayal like never before, Triss questions everything she thought she knew about her family, coven, and abilities. 

With the help of Logan, she embarks on a journey enabling her to confront the dark side of magic and the person who controls it. Realizing Triss’s ancestors have been seduced for centuries by the dark side, Triss and Logan must ensure no more in their world fall victim to the realm of Altered Souls, even if that means ending the ones they love.

Find it on Goodreads

Buy on Amazon

About Lonely Souls (Witch Avenue #1)

It’s two weeks before Triss turns 18, and her world is about to change into the most magical one imaginable as she readies herself to enter The Witch Avenue Order... that is until her mother’s disappearance. Instead of celebrating her transformation, she finds herself spreading rose petals into her mother’s empty grave.

When Logan, her best friend from junior high, moves back to town for college, he vows to help her find the answers she so desperately seeks surrounding her mother’s disappearance. As they begin uncovering clues, it becomes apparent that the life of white magic they both grew up loving is not what the majority practices, and their lives are in danger.

With a haunting feeling that her mother may still be alive, she begins to hear a call to the wilderness. Triss realizes that in order to find the answers she needs, she must learn the ways of her ancestors and become the hunter, not the hunted before it’s too late, and she becomes part of the lonely souls.

Find it on Goodreads

Buy on Amazon

About the author

Karice Bolton is a paranormal romance/urban fantasy author living in the Pacific Northwest. All three books in The Watchers Trilogy are available now, Awakening, Legions, and Cataclysm. Lonely Souls, which is the first book in her new series Witch Avenue, was released in June 2012! 

Karice married the love of her life who she met in high school, and she still can't get over how cute and funny he is. They have two English Bulldogs that are the cutest bullies in the world, and they use their cuteness to get what they want. Karice loves the snow and gravitates towards the stuff as often as possible! She enjoys skiing and tries really hard to snowboard, but often makes a nice little area to sit while everyone zips by on their board. She enjoys writing, and she also loves to read just about anything with print.
Find out more about Karice: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway:

SUPER huge giveaway with Kindles, gift cards, and swag packs! The more you share it, the more you can be entered to win. Karice is hosting on her blog - go enter now!!!!! 

Feature & Follow Friday (20)

What is Feature & follow?

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

This weeks blogs are Paranormal Romance
and Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

This weeks question

Q: Do you mind books with similar ideas to other books? Similar concepts, backgrounds, retellings or pulled-to-publish fanfic?

A: Okay I'm in two minds about this question. On the one hand it's been said that there are only truly about 6 (or is it 8??) plots in the world, so we are bound to see things coming up again! Therefore in it inevitable that the same stuff will come around.

On the other hand I don't like it when a novel is a clear copy of another! There is a big difference between this and generalised. There is no reason for anyone to outright copy another book. It's coming up with the original take on something that makes the difference!

What do you think?

Teaser Tuesday ~ Visions of Heat

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like 

"Like? Psy don't feel like or dislike." She shook her head. "But perhaps that's because I've never been given food of such different flavors that I have a basis for comparison. I .... prefer the coffee with the sugar but not the milk."

Visions of Heat (Psy-Changeling #2) by Nalini Singh

Take a look at the UK cover! Do you like it????

Feature & Follow Friday (19)

What is Feature & follow?

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

This weeks blogs are Fiction Predictions
and Love, Literature, Art and Reason

This weeks question

Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can't deal with bad editing?

A: The deal breaker for me is when a book tries to stuff too much into the storyline just for the sake of being there! Don't get me wring I love complex fully featured stories with multiple plot lines and a multitude of characters. What I dislike is when a secondary plot has been added but seems pointless, or an extra supernatural creature added because it's really popular right now! 

If it fits with the story and it's well written have more than one plot, have all the character types you like - but please make it read well!!

Eternally Books Update

This is where I was going to tell you all about the fantastic stuff i'm launching here next week, unfortunately real life got in the way and I've been ill, so carry on watching this space!!!!!!!!

If you want to be first to now about the seriously good stuff (you'll want to know I promise!) then make sure you follow the blog, subscribe or  follow me on Twitter and Facebook :-)