#ReadOn #SPECIAL Aug. 13 4pm EST. #Interview @erin_bowman @SkylarDorset #Giveaway #Special via @CrossroadReview https://plus.google.com/events/ccrq03bmfvv91e5ok2bd6p5q97g

#ReadOn #SPECIAL Aug. 13 4pm EST. #Interview @erin_bowman @SkylarDorset #Giveaway #Special via @CrossroadReview  RSVP: https://plus.google.com/events/ccrq03bmfvv91e5ok2bd6p5q97g

#ReadOn #SPECIAL Aug. 13 4pm EST. #Interview @erin_bowman @SkylarDorset #Giveaway #Special via @CrossroadReview https://plus.google.com/events/ccrq03bmfvv91e5ok2bd6p5q97g

#ReadOn #SPECIAL Aug. 13 4pm EST. #Interview @erin_bowman @SkylarDorset #Giveaway #Special via @CrossroadReview  RSVP: https://plus.google.com/events/ccrq03bmfvv91e5ok2bd6p5q97g

#Review of Always, Abigail by @NancyJCavanaugh with #Giveaway

Discover Abigail's triumphant story of friendship told through heart-touching letters and lists
Abigail and her two best friends are poised for a life of pom-poms and popularity. But not only does Abigail end up in a different homeroom, she doesn't make the squad. Then everyone's least favorite teacher pairs Abigail up with the school's biggest outcast, Gabby Marco, for a year-long "Friendly Letter Assignment." Abigail can hardly believe her bad luck. As her so-called best friends and entire future of popularity seems to be slipping away, Abigail has to choose between the little bit of fame she has left or letting it go to be a true friend.

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARC

#ReadOn #SPECIAL Aug. 13 4pm EST. #Interview @erin_bowman @SkylarDorset #Giveaway #Special via @CrossroadReview https://plus.google.com/events/ccrq03bmfvv91e5ok2bd6p5q97g

#ReadOn #SPECIAL Aug. 13 4pm EST. #Interview @erin_bowman @SkylarDorset #Giveaway #Special via @CrossroadReview  RSVP: https://plus.google.com/events/ccrq03bmfvv91e5ok2bd6p5q97g

Join #ReadOn Q & A #Authors @dljensen_ & @lbcrompton @daniellempaige April 19 4pm EST. #Enter to #Win #Books RSVP: http://www.spreecast.com/events/q-a-danielle-jensen-laurie-crompton

This week we have a surprise for all of you!  We got Danielle Paige on the show! She is a drop in author of Dorothy Must Die that just released April 1.   We also have Laurie Boyle Crompton author of Blaze as well as her new book The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High!   As well as Danielle L. Jensen author of Stolen Songbird!  Click the above button to be taken to the show!  Make sure you RSVP NOW!  There will be another post on Saturday with the Giveaway!  Enter this Giveaway to win an Ecopy of one of these great books! All you have to do is RSVP! 

{Review} Rose by #HollyWebb with {Giveaway} @Sourcebooks

Rose isn't like the other orphans at St Bridget's Home for Abandoned Girls. Instead of dreaming of getting adopted by loving, wealthy parents, Rose wants to get a job and be independent. She doesn't need anyone but herself. She finds her escape working as a maid for Mr. Fountain, an alchemist. Unable to ignore the magic that flows throughout the grand residence, Rose realizes that just maybe; she might have a little bit of magic in her too. This new series featuring magicians, witches, talking cats, mist-monsters, and friendships will have young readers in a trance!

Website | Goodreads
Holly Webb is the author of Dog Magic, Cat Magic, and Lost in the Snow. She has always loved animals and owns two very spoiled cats. They haven't said a word to her yet, but she's always listening, just in case! She lives in England.

5 STARS
This was an adorable little book in this beginning series called Rose.  Poor rose is an orphan who gets the chance of a lifetime working as a maid in the house of non other than wealthy Mr. Fountain whom is an Alchemist.  This book takes you on Rose's journey while she finds herself and her way.

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} {Excerpt} Racing Savannah

They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…

5 STARS

This is a quick, romantic read stocked with a lot of fun equestrian details. The book is at its best when dishing on jockey secrets, and touring fancy barns larger than your average big box store. 

Thanks to the publisher for sending this copy!

Chapter 1 Roots and Beginnings Welcome to Hell would be a more appropriate sign, considering Dad just uprooted me from West Virginia and hauled me to Tennessee right before senior year.Welcome to Cedar Hill Farms of Franklin, Tennessee. Est. 1854. John C. Goodwin III, Owner Dad impressed Mr. Goodwin at a race earlier this year, so he got hired on as head groom. That’s why we moved here two days ago—Dad couldn’t give up this opportunity to work at a fancy farm that trains horses for the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup, and I didn’t want to be the evil daughter who stamped her foot and refused to come. It doesn’t totally matter, because home is where my dad is. But it still sucks that I had to leave my part-time job exercising horses.  It would’ve become a full-time position when I graduated from high school, and now I have to start all over again. I punch the code into the alarm box, the heavenly white gates swing open, and I steel myself for the half-mile trek to Hillcrest, the staff quarters. My claustrophobic new home. Hillcrest is attached to the gargantuan white manor house, where a smattering of comfy rocking chairs dot the wraparound porch, waiting for someone to sit down. Back in West Virginia, it was just me and Dad and She Who Must Not Be Named living in our trailer. Now we’re sharing quarters with six other staff members and their kids. To escape I took a walk to downtown Franklin this morning, but I’m cash poor at the moment so there wasn’t much to do besides loiter, and the last thing I need before school starts is to gain a reputation as that weird girl who loiters. So here I am, back in hell, gathering my courage to go talk to the lead trainer about getting some work as an exercise rider, so I can cease being cash poor. I used to exercise racehorses at the track and casino in Charles Town. But that was at a totally different level—the horses I rode there were like driving a Ford and here they are like Ferraris. Hell, the Queen of England houses her horses thirty minutes away. What if the trainer thinks I’m unqualified? Or a hack? I’ve been riding since I was four, but still. Just go talk to him, Savannah! The worst he can say is no… and then I can go back to loitering. I inhale, then let out the deep breath I’ve been holding and take in the scent of cornbread, fresh laundry, dirt, cedar trees, and of course, horseshit. I can do this. I charge down the driveway and suddenly a wailing, high-pitched alarm goes off. My first thought is: Tornado! But the skies are as blue as a robin’s egg. Seconds later I see a brown and white blur streaking across the grass. A racer. Two guys on ponies are chasing it. He must have escaped! I sprint toward the horse as he zigzags my way. The horse seems curious. But not curious enough to slow down. He zips past me as I yell, “Stop!” and take off after him. The horse circles back around. I hold a hand up. “Whoa, there.” The horse slows to a jog, studying me, his expression both wary and nosy. Then he charges me. I reach out and snatch his bridle. With a firm grip I thrust him away from me, showing him who’s boss. That’s when I discover he’s wearing a saddle. “Did you throw your rider?” Suddenly he rears up and kicks his feet. When he returns to all fours, I get up in his face again. “Whoa!” He cowers, bowing his head. One time a horseman told me I have a way with horses. Dad told me not to listen when men say things like that, because they’re just trying to get into my pants. But I do have a way with horses. Dad, however, does not have a way with words. I confirm the horse is a boy, then gently slap his neck, checking the engraving on his bridle. His name is Tennessee Star. “You sure are fast,” I tell the young horse, petting his nose. He’s beautiful—a light brown chestnut with white markings. A Ferrari. I never rode such a well-made colt in Charles Town. Then, from the fields beyond the manor house, a guy comes riding up on a horse. I don’t take my eyes off that rider, even when Tennessee Star tries to yank away. I haven’t met the owner’s son yet, but I’ve seen him riding around like he’s king of the place. Which is technically his title, I guess. When we arrived two days ago, Mr. Goodwin’s chief of staff told me the Goodwin family is fiercely private, and that non-housekeeping staff aren’t allowed inside the manor. We were instructed to keep our distance from the Goodwins. Since I don’t want Dad to get fired on Day 3, I haven’t spoken to the boy. Still, he’s beautiful: I should start a magazine called GQ Cowboy, and he could be the cover model every month. Wavy hair the color of straw is just long enough to show out from under the brim of his cowboy hat. His snowy white button-down shirt is spotless and pressed, tucked into his jeans, the arms rolled up to his elbows. The three coonhounds that always seem to follow him around bound up and sniff my jeans. Last night a giggling maid told me his name: Jack Goodwin, and he’s 17, like me. He attends Hundred Oaks High, the school I’m starting on Monday. “Star!” Jack says, dismounting fluidly. “You’re too smart, you know that?” he scolds the horse, then grabs the bridle as I let go. Two farmhands jog up on ponies and Jack wordlessly hands Star off to one of them, slapping the horse’s flank before they lead him away. “If I didn’t love that horse so much I’d send him to drag a tourist carriage in New York City,” Jack says in a deep Tennessee drawl. “That’d teach him not to buck his rider and run off.” Once he confirms he has a good grasp on his stallion’s reins, Jack turns to me. His blue eyes widen and a bright smile spreads across his face. “Thanks for catching Star. That was insane how you cornered him with no corner. I’ve never seen anything like it.” “No problem.” “So what can I do you for?” He tips his cowboy hat in an exaggerated manner, and smiles again, revealing perfectly straight white teeth. Behind closed lips I run my tongue over my slightly crooked front ones. “You’re a bit late for the tour. They’re at 8:00 and it’s nearly noon now.” He thinks I’m here for the tour? “No, no,” I say, starting to explain, but then he unleashes his megawatt smile. It makes my throat close up and my heart pounds even harder. This guy is hot, but I don’t like boys who get whatever they want without trying. I worked damned hard to get my part-time exercise rider job back in Charles Town. Just like I’ll work damned hard to get a position here. “Soo…” Jack says, stroking the bay stallion’s mane. “Do you want a private tour? You know, to say thanks for catching my horse?” A private tour? Like, me and Jack alone? Dad would kill me for breaking the Goodwins’ privacy rules. Not to mention hanging around people like Jack is against everything I believe in. “I’m not here for a tour. I—” “I didn’t know Mom was hosting guests this weekend,” Jack says. “I hope she’s not having another fashion show for charity, because I barely survived the last one.” “We haven’t met.” He thrusts a hand out, grinning. “I know. I’d have remembered you. I’m Jack Goodwin.” To be continued….

{Review} Endless @JessShirvington

LOVE WILL KILL US ALL
Violet Eden thought she was getting things under control. Then all hell breaks loose-literally. In the war between angels and exiles, she's about to face the biggest baddie of all time. Except she's not nearly ready. 
The dark exile Phoenix is still messing with her head-not to mention her heart. And her undeniable attraction to Lincoln has gotten downright dangerous. When Hell unleashes its worst, Violet must embrace every facet of her angel self to save the people she cares about and the world as she knows it. But death is not the worst thing she will face...

Jessica Shirvington is the author of THE VIOLET EDEN CHAPTERS also known as THE EMBRACE SERIES, and stand alone novel, BETWEEN THE LIVES. An entrepreneur, author, and mother living in Sydney, Australia, Jessica is also a 2011 finalist for Cosmopolitan’s annual Fun, Fearless Female Award. She’s also one of the lucky few who met the love of her life at age seventeen: Matt Shirvington, a former Olympian and current sports broadcaster for FOXTEL and Sky News. Married for twleve years with two beautiful daughters, Sienna and Winter, Jessica knows her early age romance and its longevity has definitely contributed to how she tackles relationships in her YA novels. 

I have gotten the first three books in print arc and this one I got a little late.  But OMG this has been yet the best book in this series! And I so cant wait for the next one!  If you love angels and kick butt girls then this book is so for you!
"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

{Review} Truly, Madly, Deadly @hannah_jayne1

They Said It Was An Accident...

Sawyer Dodd is a star athlete, a straight-A student, and the envy of every other girl who wants to date Kevin Anderson. When Kevin dies in a tragic car crash, Sawyer is stunned. Then she opens her locker to find a note:

You're welcome.

Someone saw what he did to her. Someone knows that Sawyer and Kevin weren't the perfect couple they seemed to be. And that someone—a killer—is now shadowing Sawyer's every move...

› Visit Amazon's Hannah Jayne Page

Biography

Hannah Jayne lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the author of The Underworld Detection Agency Chronicles (Kensington Books), the teen thrillers Truly, Madly, Deadly and See Jane Run (Sourcebooks), and the chicklit romance Rebound Guy.

When she's not battling the demons of the Underworld, Jayne shares a house with two neurotic, feet-attacking cats and, like her character Sophie Lawson, has a Kryptonite-like weakness for donuts.

You can find her at www.hannah-jayne.com or @hannah_jayne1. Visit the Hannah Jayne Author page on Facebook for more details!

Well this book will keep you guessing until the very end!  When Sawyer abusive boyfriend dies she thinks she can get her life back on track.  But, when a mysterious note shows up in her locker with the words. "Your Welcome" she finds that her troubles might just be starting.  With a stalker on the loose and time running out will Sawyer live to see her graduation? This book is filled with OMG, WTF, and again OMG!  Its a deff read for anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller!

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

{Review} My Sort Of Fairy Tale Ending @annastanisz

Happily ever after? Yeah, right.

Jenny's search for her parents leads her to Fairyland, a rundown amusement park filled with creepily happy fairies and disgruntled leprechauns. Despite the fairies' kindness, she knows they are keeping her parents from her. If only they would stop being so happy all the time-it's starting to weird her out! With the help of a fairy-boy and some rebellious leprechauns, Jenny finds a way to rescue her parents, but at the expense of putting all magical worlds in danger. Now Jenny must decide how far she is willing to go to put her family back together.

› Visit Amazon's Anna Staniszewski Page

Biography

Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was named the 2006-2007 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the 2009 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. Currently, Anna lives outside of Boston, Mass. with her husband and their adopted black Labrador, Emma. When she's not writing, Anna spends her time teaching, reading, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. You can visit her at www.annastan.com.

I have loved this series since the first book!  Thank you Sourcebooks for sending me these wonderful titles!  These books are just beyond cute and cuddly! And I LOVE hearing about Jenny's adventures.  In this and final book from this series Jenny goes off to Fairy Land to find her parents.  But, she gets more than she bargained for.  Will she find her parents?  Will she even make it home alive?  Will Anthony the Gnome get married off?  Well all these questions and more are answered in this wonderful conclusion!

I will say one thing if the author and publisher want to come back to this world and write more I would deff. read them.  Also I would love a set for the boys out there.  Maybe from Anthony the Gnome's view?

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

{Review} Scorched @marimancusi @SourcebooksFire

Sixteen-year-old Trinity Foxx is used to her grandfather's crazy stories, so she never believed the latest treasure he brought home was a real dragon's egg. Not until their home is invaded by soldiers trying to steal it and a strange boy who tells her the world as she knows it will be wiped out in a fiery dragon war--unless they work together to stop it. Meantime, there's a different voice whispering to Trinity, calling to her, telling her what to do...the dragon inside her egg is not ready to give up without a fight.                    Trinity
Don’t leave me here... It starts with a whisper. At first Trinity thinks she’s going crazy. It wouldn’t be a big surprise—her grandpa firmly believes there’s a genuine dragon egg in their dusty little West Texas town. But this voice is real, and it’s begging for her protection. Even if no one else can hear it...

Connor
He’s come from a future scorched by dragonfire. His mission: Find the girl. Destroy the egg. Save the world.

Caleb
He’s everything his twin brother Connor hates: cocky, undisciplined, and obsessed with saving dragons. 

Trinity has no idea which brother to believe. All she has to go by is the voice in her head—a dragon that won’t be tamed.

Read the first FOUR chapters here.

Read the story behind the cover.  

Add to GoodReads. 

› Visit Amazon's Mari Mancusi Page

Biography

Mari Mancusi always wanted a dragon as a pet. Unfortunately the fire insurance premiums proved a bit too large and her house a bit too small--so she chose to write about them instead. Today she works as an award-winning young adult author and freelance television producer, for which she has won two Emmys. When not writing about fanciful creatures of myth and legend, Mari enjoys goth clubbing, cosplay, watching cheesy (and scary) horror movies, and her favorite guilty pleasure--playing videogames. A graduate of Boston University, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon, and their dog Mesquite.

This one was pretty good.  I dont see it as a book that I want everyone to read.  But, all in all it was enjoyable.  This book is a blend of Terminator, Reign of Fire, and, Eragon. Set in our time where the last dragon egg has been found.  People from 200 years into the future come back to both protect and destroy the egg.  And its up to Trinity to figure out which way to go.  I did love the book It was a great blend of fantasy etc.  It just felt a little slow and a little jumbled.  (PS. This was an ARC)  So as soon as I snag a finished copy Ill update this review.

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

SCREECH!

Connor's eyes flew open. Blinding white lights barreled toward him at breakneck speed. No time to think, he hurled himself to the side, adrenaline igniting the reflexes he'd honed in boot camp. A bright blue metal monstrosity shot past him, wailing an angry protest in its wake.

That was close. Too close. Sucking in a breath, he crawled up onto a nearby platform, trying to gain his bearings. Shiny hunks of metal machinery-like the one that had nearly crushed him-lined the road, dark and silent, while others cruised by, determined white lights chasing brilliant red tails. They reminded him of something he'd once seen on the Surface Lands. Cars, his father had called them. Of course they looked a lot different when living, breathing, and not caked with rust.

But that meant...A smile crept to his lips.

It had worked. It had actually worked.

"Well, what do you know," he murmured, drawing in a lungful of the freshest air he'd ever breathed in all his seventeen years, with zero smoky aftertaste. It was crisp. Colder than they'd predicted for August in Texas. So cold, in fact, he could see his breath reflected in puffy clouds as he exhaled. Shivering a little-his travel jumper was definitely not made for this kind of weather-he found himself gazing up into an open sky littered with stars and anchored by a bright, full moon. The vastness of the universe unabashedly spread out before him made him a little dizzy.

Maybe I should make a wish, he considered, remembering the old rhyme his mother used to sing. Star light, star bright...

Wish my supplies would arrive all right, the soldier in him finished, reminding him he wasn't on some pleasant stargazing holiday. His eyes reluctantly left the sky, scanning the ground below, searching for his canister. One couldn't travel with one's belongings, they'd told him in the debriefing, except for specially designed clothing. Something about splitting up different types of molecules. The essential items they'd sent to aid his mission would be arriving separately. In a titanium pod. Right about-

A large metal cylinder shot through the sky, almost knocking him out before bouncing harmlessly to the ground.

-now.

"What in God's good name was that?"

Connor whirled around to find the largest woman he'd ever seen exiting one of the nearby apartment buildings. He tried not to gape at her immense frame, wrapped securely in a black, puffy coat. What rations must these people be allotted in order to gain such girth? As three equally well-fed and well-dressed young boys filed out behind her, his mind flashed to the orphans of Strata-D. Their rail-thin frames, their hollow, hungry eyes...

He set his jaw. Just another reminder of how important this mission truly was.

As he watched, the three boys scrambled past their mother, eagerly circling the titanium capsule, eyes shining with interest. One reached down, daring to touch it...

Connor swept in, neatly scooping up his belongings. As the children squawked in protest, he held up his free hand. "It's okay," he tried to assure them. "It's just my-"

"Get away from my kids, you freak!" Mom was now on the scene, waving one hand threateningly at Connor, the other fumbling at her coat pocket. For a split second, he feared she was reaching for a weapon. Instead, she pulled out a small, black plastic device. Some kind of primitive transcriber?

"See something, say something," she muttered to her children, waving them behind her, as she frantically started pressing at the screen. "That's what they say to do. Can't let the terrorists win."

"Please," Connor pleaded, taking a few steps backward, his mind desperately searching for a rational explanation for the canister falling from the sky. Preferably one that didn't require prior knowledge of quantum physics. He was supposed to be blending in, not making a scene. He wasn't exactly off to an auspicious start.

His eyes lit upon an open window, two stories up, red-checkered curtains fluttering in the night sky. "My...girlfriend," he stammered, his mind reaching for the proper terminology as he waved his arm in the direction of the window. "She tossed me out." He gave the woman his best sheepish smile, then held up the canister. "Told me to take my gear and never come back." The woman narrowed her eyes, staring at him for a moment, then up at the open window. Connor realized belatedly that she could very well know the girl who lived in the apartment above or know that there was no girl to begin with. This wasn't like back home; people here knew their neighbors, shared cups of sugar-that sort of thing. Had he just made a huge mistake?

Believe me, he pushed, in a feeble attempt to try to bend her will. Believe me and walk away.

But it was no use. The trip had left him completely depleted. And he had no idea how long it would take to regenerate his spark. He'd be forced to do things the old-fashioned way-at least for the foreseeable future.

"What's her name?"

Connor startled. "What?"

"Her name," the woman repeated. "Your girlfriend who threw you out. Does she have a name?" She gave him a pointed stare, as if daring him to answer, her fingers still hovering dangerously close to her transcriber.

"Oh right. Her name is..."

His mind went blank. Completely blank. Come on, Connor. A name! Any name! He could feel her eyes upon him, sharp, assessing, as they took in his strange clothes with growing suspicion. He had to do something-say something-and fast. Before it was too late. "Her name is..."

With one fluid movement, he ripped open the capsule, his fingers diving for his gun. Before the woman could even grasp his intentions, he had the weapon trained on her face. "Her name is get the hell back!" he growled. "And I suggest you do as she says."

The woman's eyes bulged and a small squeak escaped her lips. Staggering back, she held up her hands in surrender, her transcriber falling from her meaty grasp and clattering to the pavement below. Her children screamed, latching on to their mother, their innocent little faces mirroring her terror as Connor narrowed his eyes, doing his best to look desperate and dangerous. As if he were the type of guy who shot down mothers and children in cold blood every day before breakfast.

"Please, mister," the woman begged, fat tears streaming down her cheeks. "You can have everything. Just let us go." She shrugged her bag off her shoulder, allowing it to fall to the ground. "There's plenty of cash in there. Take it all. Just don't hurt my kids."

Connor sighed, lowering his gun. And...so much for blending in.

"It's okay," he tried to assure her, guilt gnawing at his insides. He'd meant to stop her from making her call, not scare her and her family half to death. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

I'm the good guy, he wanted to add. The one they sent to save your world.

But of course he couldn't tell her that. It would just bring up too many unanswerable questions. And he had to get a move on anyway-catalog his gear, get changed, locate the museum. Do a little preliminary scouting before introducing himself to the girl. He had a lot to accomplish in the next four months-before the Reckoning day-and, as his father would say, there was no time like the present.

Or the past, in this particular case.

He gestured to the woman's bag with an apologetic look. "Take your stuff. Just walk away and pretend you never saw me, okay?"

Yeah, like that was going to happen. He could tell from the look in her eyes she'd remember this incident till her dying day. Her children too. But it couldn't be helped, he reminded himself. And they would thank him if they knew the truth. They would get down on their very knees.

The woman's face crumpled in relief. "Thank you, sir!" she babbled. "Thank you, thank you so much." She scurried to grab her bag, then collected her cracked transcriber. "Merry Christmas," she babbled as she gathered up her children and turned to leave. "Merry Christmas to you and yours."

Connor had started to walk away. But the woman's words made him pause. "Wait, what? What did you just say?" He turned back to her questioningly.

The woman whimpered, holding her hands in front of her face, as if she was afraid he was going to hit her. "Um, I just said merry Christmas," she stammered. "Or, you know, whatever holiday you celebrate-Happy Hanukkah? Kwanza?"

"But..." Connor protested, his mind racing with sudden confusion. "It's August."

The woman stared at him, as if he'd lost his mind.

"It has to be August," he repeated, panic welling up inside of him. "They told me it would be August. Four months before the Reckoning."

"Um, I don't know what that is," the woman sputtered. "But it is Christmas. I promise you, it's Christmas Eve. In fact, I was just about to take the boys over to see the tree. They've never seen it lit up and-"

She kept babbling, but Connor was no longer listening. He dug into the capsule again, heart pounding wildly in his chest as he searched for his transcriber. There had to be some mistake. The woman had to be lying. Because there was no way...

His hands closed around the device and he pulled it from the pod with shaking fingers. He flicked it on, waiting anxiously for the screen to illuminate, scarcely able to breathe.

December 24th, the device read. 7 p.m.

"No," he whispered in horror. "That can't be right."

But it was, he realized. The signs had been there from the start. August in Texas-it should have been a hundred degrees out-not cold enough to snow.

Something must have gone wrong back at the base. Someone must have pressed the wrong button, turned the wrong dial.

"I was supposed to have four months!" he cried, looking up at the woman with wild eyes. She gave him a helpless shrug, then turned and fled down the street as fast as her thick legs could carry her, her kids scrambling to catch up. Connor watched them go, suddenly feeling as fr...

{Preorder} Scorched @marimancusi @Sourcebooksfire

PreOrder Scorched and You Could Get A Dragon Charm!

Trinity
Don’t leave me here… It starts with a whisper. At first Trinity thinks she’s going crazy. It wouldn’t be a big surprise–her grandpa firmly believes there’s a genuine dragon egg in their dusty little West Texas town. But this voice is real, and it’s begging for her protection. Even if no one else can hear it…
Connor
He’s come from a future scorched by dragonfire. His mission: Find the girl. Destroy the egg. Save the world.
Caleb
He’s everything his twin brother Connor hates: cocky, undisciplined, and obsessed with saving dragons.
Trinity has no idea which brother to believe. All she has to go by is the voice in her head–a dragon that won’t be tamed.

The lovely folks at Sourcebooks have put together a fun campaign to thank readers for pre-ordering. If you send them your proof of pre-order and they’ll send you this fabulous dragon charm!

A Gift for You, for Pre-Ordering SCORCHED by Mari Mancusi

We have a special offer for U.S. and Canada YA fans for the release of SCORCHED by Mari Mancusi in stores in a little over three weeks! If you pre-order the book, we will send you an exclusive dragon charm—perfect to wear as jewelry or to decorate an accessory. You have until September 2 or until quantities run out.

Here’s how to get your charm :
1. Pre-order the book (print or eBook) through any retailer (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, your local independent bookseller/Indiebound, Books-A-Million, Hastings, etc.)

2. Email your proof of purchase (receipt or picture of the receipt) to teenfire@sourcebooks.com. Put “Scorched Pre-Order” in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your home address (US & Canada only please) so the lovely folks at Sourcebooks can send you the dragon charm! If you’ve already pre-ordered this book—not a problem! Send them your receipt!

3. You will get an email back confirming when the items have been sent out.

4. Enjoy Scorched when it comes out in September!

Optional: take a pic of you and your dragon charm and share it with Mari Mancusi or Sourcebooks Fire on Twitter! You can find Mari @marimancusi and Sourcebooks Fire @sourcebooksfire.

{Review} LuLu in La La Land #ElisabethWolf

Lights! Camera! ACTION! Lulu, a soon-to-be 11-year-old living in Los Angeles, prefers gardening to primping and homemade guacamole to five-star restaurants. You'd never know that Lulu is the daughter of Hollywood's A-List power couple. This year Lulu is determined to throw the kind of birthday party her glamorous parents might actually attend (which means Watson the pug is not invited). But it's so not Lulu. Should she morph into the Tween Queen of Tinseltown or stay true to her book-loving, mis-matched socks self? Fall in love with Lulu as she tells her story in an innovative script-novel hybrid. After all, everyone is LA is writing a screenplay!

Elisabeth Wolf is a bit Lulu. She lives in Los Angeles where she grows fruits, vegetables, and native flowers. Before that she worked in public policy and media both in California and Washington, D.C. She has two children, Philip (15) and Emmeline (13). Her inspiration for writing Lulu was based on their growing up in Los Angeles and seeing how fast childhood can zoom by. She bakes her children's birthday cakes and eats spicy Mexican food. Each year for her birthday she asks her children to give her the same present. "Turn off the lights to help save the earth." But make NO mistake: she loves a good shopping trip and pedicure. Lulu in La La Land is her first book. The second book in the series, Lulu in Honolulu will come out in Spring 2014

Well this one I couldnt read!  With it being in a screen play it made it hard to follow the story.  I ended up asking my mom a lot of questions and just couldnt stick with it.  She told me that it sent a lot of mixed messages as well.  So this I wouldnt waste your time with as it is a very hard to read.  I did love the cover though.

"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own." Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.