Under My Skin by Laura Diamond book blitz with giveaway
Under My Skin
Laura Diamond
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 12th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Bookish Brit Adam Gibson is one wonky heartbeat away from a fatal arrhythmia. But staying alive requires Adam to become keenly focused on both his pulse and the many different daily medications he must take in exactly the right dosages. Adam’s torn between wanting to live and knowing that someone else must die in order for him to do so. He needs a new heart.
The pressure is getting to him. Adam stops talking to his friends back home, refuses to meet kids at his new school, and shuts his parents out entirely. His days are spent wondering if can cope with having a dead man’s heart beating inside his chest, or if he should surrender to the thoughts of suicide swirling around in his head.
And then a donor is found…
Outspoken artist Darby Fox rarely lets anything stand in her way of achieving her goals . Whether it’s painting, ignoring her homework (dyslexia makes a mess out of words anyway), kissing a hot boy she doesn’t even know, or taking the head cheerleader down a peg , no one has ever accused Darby of being a shy. She also happens to be the twin sister to a perfect brother with good looks, good grades, manners, and the approval of their parents – something Darby has never had.
Darby’s always had bad timing . She picks the worst time to argue with her brother Daniel. In a car with bald tires, on an icy road in the freezing cold, the unthinkable happens. In a split-second, everything changes forever.
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EXCERPT:
ADAM:
Best to get it over with now. I type: I had the thought today.
I click send.
For a few seconds, I watch the screen, waiting for her to reply. I can’t expect Dr. Shaw to be right there to answer me. She’s probably in session with someone.
A group of students pass by, chattering and laughing, light at bubbles. They halt at the curb to wait for the light to change. They’re all wearing NYU sweatshirts and carrying messenger bags or laptops with silkscreen logos about “being green” and “tolerant of diversity.” Adventurers embarking on the quest known as Life. What it must be like to have a whole lifetime to look forward to, no dead end staring back at you.
My mobile buzzes.
It’s Dr. Shaw. Tell me the exact thought and context.
I had a flutter. After, I saw Mum and Dad. Their backs were turned to me and I thought: They’d be happier without me. They’ll be fine after I’m dead. I click send and try to ignore the gnawing pit in my stomach. My message seems dramatic now that I’ve sent it off for her to scrutinize. It was better left unsaid.
A bubble with three dots surfaces at the bottom of my screen. She’s typing right now. I suck in a dry, exhaust laden breath.
She replies: What evidence do you have that they’ll be happy?
That was simple. They were laughing.
Your death will be devastating to them.
My heart twinges a bit. Will be? Does she somehow know I won’t make it until I find a donor? Maybe the surgeon told her I’m not a candidate. I blink and re-read her statement. No, I’m over-reacting. She’s just countering my argument with logic. It’s her style to challenge me with the opposite idea so I’ll find the reality somewhere between. Still, I’m not ready to admit she’s right. Mum and Dad don’t need me dragging them down. I text, Yes, but they’ll be alright.
Of course they will. Life goes on.
Dr. Shaw is unrelenting in her approach. So different from Mum who tries to comfort me with delusional happy thoughts.
Right. And I’m such a burden on them now.
Whatever you think they’re sacrificing is nothing compared to how much you mean to them.
I’m tired of waiting for my heart to stop.
Do you want it to stop? You won’t suffer anymore.
Author Bio:
Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found
sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.
GIVEAWAY!
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Cover Reveal: Spindle by Shonna Slayton presented by Entangled Teen with Giveaway
YA Historical Fantasy? Retelling of Sleeping Beauty?
OMG, YES PLEASE!
Welcome to the Cover Reveal for the
Spindle by Shonna Slayton
presented by Entanged Teen!
Fans of fairy-tale retellings, this one’s for you!
From the author of Cinderella’s Dress, a brand-new standalone novel that retells the story of Sleeping Beauty, this time set during the Industrial Revolution.
Sleeping Beauty’s happily ever after isn’t the end of the story…
The evil fairy’s magic is still trapped in her unfulfilled curse, and the only way to release it is to see a girl to the death. But the spindle has been hidden away for centuries, until a peddler offers it to an unsuspecting mill girl during the Industrial Revolution.
Briar Jenny had planned to escape her life of poverty and hardship with Wheeler, an ambitious young man who plans to leave the valley and start his own business. Trouble is, he no longer cares for her, fancying the new girl who just moved into town to work at the cotton mill. When Briar tries to use the spindle to win back Wheeler’s heart and secure her future, she has no idea the power she has unleashed.
After pricking her finger on the magic spindle, she falls under a sleeping sickness that slowly claims her body bit by bit. It will take all her strength, to not only survive, but also break the curse and defeat the evil fairy for good.
Book Title: Spindle
Author: Shonna Slayton
Release Date: Oct. 4, 2016
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Available for Pre-Order:
Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca
SHONNA SLAYTON writes historical fairy tales for Entangled TEEN. Cinderella’s Dress and Cinderella’s Shoes, set in the 1940s are out now. Spindle, a Sleeping Beauty inspired tale set in the late 1800s, will be out October 2016.
She finds inspiration in reading vintage diaries written by teens, who despite using different slang, sound a lot like teenagers today. When not writing, Shonna enjoys amaretto lattes and spending time with her husband and children in Arizona.
The best way to keep in touch is by signing up for her monthly newsletter. She sends out behind-the-scenes info you can’t read anywhere else. Sign up is on the sidebar of her website Shonna Slayton.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads | Newsletter
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Didn’t I Warn You by Amber Bardan Blog Tour with review and giveaway
Enter to Win a $25.00 Amazon eGift Card, or
a Print Copy of DIDN’T I WARN YOU
DIDN’T I WARN YOU
Bad for You #1
Amber Bardan
Releasing
April 18th, 2016 (Digital), May 24th (Print)
Carina Press
April 18th, 2016 (Digital), May 1st 2016 (Print)
Harlequin Australia
Not everything dangerous is bad.
From the moment Angelina laid eyes on him, she fell into a fantasy. Mysterious, foreign, gorgeous, Haithem offered her what she needed most—a chance to feel again.
But Haithem is much more than he appears to be. He lives in a world of danger where everything comes at a price.
For Angelina, that price is her future.
He’s made sure the life she’s left behind is in tatters. Made her family believe she’s dead. Still, he talks about protecting her, about keeping her safe, but she can’t distinguish his truth from his lies. She can’t separate her pleasure from his betrayal.
Haithem warned her. He told her he’d make her heart race, her body come alive and her most primal needs rush to the surface. His for the taking.
He didn’t say she’d come to love the devil who’s destroying her, even as he keeps her prisoner.
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Angelina is young and innocent living vicariously through her friends encounters with men so when she sees a talk, dark, handsome and mysterious foreigner in the local coffee shop she’s immediately intrigued with him. The two are from completely different worlds where Angelina is still the good girl living at home with her parents and Haithem leads a life of danger always looking over his shoulder.
Haithem is used to buying whatever he wants in life so when Angelina agrees to meet him on his yacht he offers to pay Angelina to stay with him for the next two weeks. Angelina is of course offended by the offer and tries to leave but has an accident leaving her stranded on the yacht when it sails. Finding herself trapped with Haithem, Angelina decides to live out her fantasies and finds herself falling for him but will his secrets be too much to handle?
Didn’t I Warn You? is one of those reads that almost surprised me at really how much I ended up enjoying it. At close to 400 pages and with a setting where the majority of the book is the two main characters interacting on a yacht with only each other it was truly shocking at how hooked I got on what would happen and how much it really was suspenseful waiting to find out what would happen.
The one reason I didn’t give this read five stars was due to Angelina being a bit too naive and immature in the beginning of the story that it took me a while to warm up to her as a character. Once I learned her backstory though she made complete sense to me and the story really began to flow wonderfully.
Haithem on the other hand was just mysterious enough that I was dying to know more about him and liked him the entire time. Very sexy character that reminds me a bit of Christian Grey without the bondage fetish and with a definite softer side which in my mind made him a lot more likable. But he’s the sexy millionaire with secrets with his somewhat awkward love interest so there is a bit of a similarity between the two.
Overall, a great dark somewhat erotic suspense that I absolutely flew through reading in a few hours just not wanting to put this one down. Would definitely recommend checking this one out. Will be looking forward to the next in this series to see where the adventure heads next.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My rating 4/5 stars
PROLOGUE
Long fingers close around my throat. Not squeezing, not hurting, but commanding. I look at him. This man I love. This devil I adore. He’s gorgeous—dark hair, darker eyes, olive skin, body and features all chiseled hardness. But that’s not what makes my veins jump under his hand. That’s not what makes my skin slick with sweat.
There’s more to this man than meets the eye.
His thumb strokes my pulse, gleaning secrets right out of my blood. His mouth curls to the side, forming a smile that reveals he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“Didn’t I warn you, Angel,” he says, and his thumb moves up to my chin, “that it’s not a good idea to love me?”
My pulse leaps from erratic to chaotic. I can’t answer, only listen in horrified fascination to what I know will come next.
He traces the groove below my bottom lip. “Didn’t I warn you my love would be bad?”
Shivers run hot then cold over my skin.
“Didn’t I tell you, you’d pay for my heart?” He touches my mouth, dragging my bottom lip down.
My body sings, my blood hums right down to my womb. I can’t resist him. He did warn me. He truly did. But I was greedy. I wanted him anyway.
I didn’t understand how bad he could be.
He’s the devil. Tempting me with what I desire most. Luring me to an irresistible destruction. A destruction I’m so close to I can smell it—taste it—touch it. Pain grips me, my insides bruise with it. My family believes I’m dead. The life I’ve left behind lies in tatters because of him. Because he keeps me.
He won’t let me go.
He tilts my face, brushing his cheek against my ear. “I promise it will be worth it.” His stubble chafes my earlobe, stinging and electrifying. I’ve felt those bristles scrape against my neck, my breasts, my thighs. There’s not an inch of me that hasn’t felt the sweet torture of their abrasion. “Can’t you see it?” he asks. “The future where you’re mine?”
My eyelids drift shut. I know it’s only the hand cradling my face that’s holding me up. I can see that future. I see it with fluorescent intensity. Life with the lights turned on. Life where living means more than existing. For everything he’s taken from me, he’s given me back more. He breathed a soul back into me. Without it, without him, I’d be a walking corpse.
I see our future. I ache for it, yearn for it, despise myself for it.
“Say it, Angel. Say, Haithem, I’m yours.”
For all intents and purposes, I’m a prisoner—captive—perhaps even a slave. Because I have no choices but the ones he gives me. Yet, he gives me this choice—or at least the illusion of a choice—to choose him.
To love him.
As if making a choice had ever been an option. The moment I met him, I may as well have been branded.
After spending years imagining fictional adventures, Amber Bardan finally found a way to turn daydreaming into a productive habit. She now spends her time in a coffee-fueled adrenaline haze, writing romance with a thriller edge.
She lives with her husband and children in semi-rural Australia, where if she peers outside at the right moment she might just see a kangaroo bounce by.
Amber is an award winning writer, Amazon Bestselling Author, and member of Romance Writers of Australia, Melbourne Romance Writers Guild, and Writers Victoria.
Can’t Wait for Book Two…Pre-Order Now
DIDN’T YOU PROMISE
Cover Reveal: Uncovering Officer Smith by Sheena Hutchinson
Uncovering Officer Smith
Sheena Hutchinson
Publication date: May 1st 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance
John Smith has been hurt before by a mysterious blonde that tumbles out of his cop car. Since she stomped on his heart, he’s made sure he’ll never feel that way again. He has developed two rules: Never more than one night and never a blonde.
The nerdy and conservative Becca Swanson has a plan for her life: college, law school, and rule the world. Nothing and no one will get in her way. That is, until she wakes up in a stranger’s bedroom with no recollection of the night before.
This one tumultuous night caused these two to cross paths. Becca is everything John told himself he didn’t need. Smart, sexy, and — blonde. When she becomes the victim of one of his cases he finally can’t deny the connection anymore. Worst of all, he’s beginning to fall harder than ever before.
It throws his rules and her plans out the window. Could it have been fate? Or will it become the biggest mistake either of them has ever made?
Author Bio:
Sheena is a born and raised New Yorker, even her writing can’t seem to hide her hard sarcasm. She claims destiny has lead her back to her true passion for writing.
She constantly strives to be a positive role model and writes stories that empower and inspire. Sheena always roots for the underdog, believes in love at first sight, and that everyone should have their happily ever after.
While God is currently still writing her love story, she continues to put all her effort into her writing as she is constantly getting new inspiration.
For more info, updates, and fun facts visit her website at http://www.SheenaHutchinson.com
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Black Waters (Tainted Water, #2) by India R. Adams
Black Waters by India R. Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Black Waters is the second novella in the Tainted Waters series. The first book in the series, Blue Waters, is told from Whitney’s point of view introducing us to the story of Whitney meeting a guy named Crash who happened to be the son of the drug dealer that was responsible for Whitney’s brother’s murder. Whitney’s best friend Link tried to break up the relationship when he’d found out but it was a little too late as Whitney already had feelings for Crash. My review can be found HERE.
In Black Waters we are given a completely different look at the events in Blue Waters as this novella is told from Link’s point of view. The details that were missing in the first are answered in Black Waters. Link finds out all the details involved and does his best to protect his best friend and the girl he’d secretly had feelings for his whole life, Whitney.
I’m sure the first thing people are going to think is why do I need to read the story over again? I even kind of had that thought myself but I loved the writing and story so much in Blue Waters that I couldn’t resist reading Black Waters for myself to see what this one would be like and wow, it’s almost like reading a whole new story.
Everything in Black Waters is connected and along the same time line of Blue Waters but looking at it again from a different character there was so much going on we didn’t see in the first book. I already thought the first had such amazing writing and so much packed into a novella that I was highly impressed with it but Black Waters just had to outdo the first giving so much more life to the story.
I’ve become a fan of India R. Adams after these novellas. Her writing is really wonderful and what impressed me this time was with switching characters the book even seemed to switch the overall feel, it was like Whitney had written and told the first and this one was all Link from start to finish. Such a great job with the writing to give that vibe between the two.
Overall, a great little series and an upcoming author to look out for in India R. Adams. Definitely recommend checking out this series!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. A huge thank you to India R. Adams for allowing me to review Black Waters!
Details on how to receive a free copy of Blue Waters
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