Sentinel Blog Tour: Elixir Quotes and Giveaway

Hey,

Welcome to the Elixir stop on the Sentinel Tour! We all know what series these books are from, right? The Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, of course! Elixir is a novella told from Aiden's POV, that fits between Deity (#3) and Apollyon (#4).

For the tour, I've chosen some awesome quotes from Elixir that gave me lots of feels.

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"Love is such a wild and reckless creature. It cannot be planned or threaded. It cannot be controlled. Love can coexist with Fate, or it can undo it. Love is the only thing more powerful than Fate.” 

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“Did you know me then?” she asked sleepily.

“No.” I held her closer, as if I could somehow pull her inside me and keep her safe. “But I knew, in that moment, you were amazing.” 

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“Need is not love.” 

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*Sigh* I just adore Aiden and having the book told from his POV...

Was absolutely perfect!! You can read my review of Elixir HERE! You can get Elixir at: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

As part of the tour, I'll be giving away one copy of Elixir to one winner! All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below. This giveaway is international as long as The Book Depository ships to you.

**Giveaway Closed**
Winner: Georgina 
Reply to my email ASAP! :)
Thank you to everyone who entered.
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ANNNDDDD, SpencerHill Press if giving away a $200 gift card to Barnes & Noble, Amazon or The Book Depository. Simply fill out the Rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Make sure you add all of Jennifer's books to your TBR lists because they are ALL must reads. And I promise you won't ever regret it.

You can also check out the rest of the stops on this tour over on Valerie's blog: Stuck in Books.

Much love,
Sam :)

About Jennifer L. Armentrout:
# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. 

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. 

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen. 


Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday (75)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Toxic Heart (Mystic City #2) by Theo Lawrence

Release Date: April 8, 2014

A city in flames. A trust betrayed. A perfect love destroyed.

Has Aria lost Hunter, her one true love?

Ever since rebellion broke out in Mystic City, pitting the ruling elite against the magic-wielding mystics, Aria has barely seen her boyfriend. Not surprising, since Hunter is the leader of the mystic uprising, and he'll do whatever it takes to win freedom for his people—even if that means using Aria.

But Aria is no one's pawn. She believes she can bring the two warring sides together, save the city, and win back the Hunter she fell in love with.

Before she can play peacemaker, though, Aria will need to find the missing heart of a dead mystic. The heart gives untold powers to whoever possesses it, but finding it means seeking out a fierce enemy whose deepest desire is for Aria to be gone—forever.

I really enjoyed the mystery and romance that Mystic City had, and also the ending was annoying. So.... I need this. Preferably now! And that cover is absolutely gorgeous. 

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

My review of Crash Into You

Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon | The Book Depository

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 


But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Crash Into You is the third daring and heart-stopping installment in the Pushing the Limits series. If you have not read these books, I can't stress enough how amazing and utterly brilliant they are! Not to mention the swoon-worthy boys and romance...

We've had the gorgeous and irresistible Noah, dangerous and dark-haired beauty Beth, now... it is Isaiah. Yes, the boy covered in tattoos and may come across as a punk, but inside he's just a broken boy who's just trying to fight his way through life's obstacles and do the best he can with what he's been given. 

Then we meet Rachel who is going through her own troubles trying to hide her panic attacks from her family and trying to maintain the image of the perfect daughter for her mother. When Isaiah and Rachel meet on a dark night at a street race, their problems are thrown together and they have to work with each other to dig themselves out of the hole that they have created... while possible falling slowly in love.

Guys. Guys. Guys. This is about DRAG RACING. What YA book do you know that really experiments with this subject? .... Exactly. McGarry always knows how to make a story unique and stand out. Knowing that this is the third book some may think, "Urrhhh, it's going to be the same as all the rest! A good girl falling for a bad boy while coping with difficult life issues." I've got to admit that that is the main storyline, but it's built up from so much more! The story is complexly woven with twists and turns and gasp moments and swoon-worthy moments. You'll finish the story feeling completely satisfied!

I loved getting to know Isaiah and the lovely guy underneath the hard exterior and I loved following his and Rachel's relationship as they work through their problems and fall, quite dramatically, in love.

Not only did I love the main characters, I adored Rachel's older brothers: Ethan and West. Their protectiveness of their younger sister is both entertaining and admirable. I liked the bond that Rachel shared with Ethan, and I also enjoyed West's more feisty personality. I'm over the moon that the next book in the Pushing the Limits series will be told from his POV! It's called "Take Me On" and will be out next year... I CAN'T CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT.

Apart from those characters, we get to see our previous loves! Noah, Echo, Beth, Ryan and Logan! It was nice to have some familiar faces, but they also added another layer of interest and intrigue to the story!

Crash Into You definitely felt dangerous. The plot keeps you on edge but this is also heightened by the elements of illegal driving and dodgy characters that appear throughout the book! But apart from the danger, this book also radiates romance. The type that makes you go "AWWWWR, WHY NOT ME?"

Pushing the Limits still remains my favourite out of the three books so far. However that does not mean that Dare You To and Crash Into You should be forgotten about because they are definitely note-worthy! 

For all of you contemporary junkies out there, Katie McGarry is a must. You must check out her books. You must read. And you must cherish them! Because they are definitely unique and very special. And I'm definitely going to be sulking until the release of Take Me On!

Rating

A review copy was provided by Harlequin Teen UK/Mira Ink

Book Haul (#64)

Hey,

It's been an interesting week at school of just drifting along and wanting to sleep. Thank god it's now half-term! One week off to relax, eat, sleep, and all-in-all do nothing in general.

I have finished the Percy Jackson series! I ADORED THE ENDING SO MUCH!! I cannot wait to see all the movies in the future, they are going to be epic.

Also, I've heard some speculation around the ending to Allegiant. What's been said hasn't been good, and I'm more eager than ever to get my hands on a copy before I come across any spoilers. I'm really worried, I loved the start of the series and I don't want the ending to be a disappointment... 

Anyhow, this week I've received:

Dead Silence (The Body Finder #4) by Kimberly Derting - Received -
Thank you, Kimberly! I won a signed ARC of this book from her YA Scavenger Hunt along with some pretty signed book marks! I cannot wait to start this series. It sounds fantastic.

Leave a link to you Book Haul/Stacking the Shelves/Letterbox Love/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday in the comments so I can check it out!

Enjoy all your books,
Sam :D

Previous Posts:
Review - Mystic City by Theo James
Review - Lullaby by Amanda Hocking
Waiting on Wednesday - Alienated 
Cover Reveal - Crash into You by Katie McGarry
Teaser Tuesday - Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Waiting on Wednesday (74)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Alienated (Alienated #1) by Melissa Landers

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

I... I don't know how to feeeel. February is too far to wait! I have been waiting for this one for... WAY TOO LONG! It sounds and looks absolutely out-of-this world and... PLEASE I JUST WANT IT IN MY HANDS NOW. Please, I beg you. :(

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D

Teaser Tuesday (8)

Hey,

This is a weekly bookish meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.
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To participate you:
* 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 your teasers!

---------------------------------------------
This week, I've chosen a few short snippets from an ARC of Crash into You by Katie McGarry, don't worry, there are no spoilers!

"Rachel smiles. It's a beautiful smile. One that brightens the rat-infested attic room. No one has ever smiled like that at me. No one. Everything inside me twists with the need to keep her close."

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"I don't give a **** who you are," says Isaiah in a low tone that indicates that the threat is very real. "No one touches her."

Make sure you add Crash into You to your TBR lists on Goodreads HERE! And check back next Monday for my review. ^-^

(And add Pushing the Limits and Dare You To because they are seriously good books.)

Love you all,
Sam :)

My review of Mystic City

Mystic City (Mystic City #1) by Theo Lawrence
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon | The Book Depository

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

Mystic City is an absorbing and wondrous YA book about magic and all the damage it can cause. It's gripping and it's exciting, no way will you be able to put this book down.

Mystic City is about Aria Rose, the daughter of one of the most powerful and important families in Mystic City. She wakes up and finds herself engaged to the son of her families enemies, Thomas. Their marriage is meant to solve the generations of hate between the families. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas, despite all her parents say about their relationship before her accident. Then she meets Hunter and there is something about him that is familiar, but what she doesn't know is that he holds the key to unlocking her forgotten memories. 

I really enjoyed Mystic City! I was worried about starting it at first because of all the mixed reviews, but when I got into it, I found myself enjoying it and unable to rest without finishing it. I had to find out what was going on with Aria and all the secrets the people around her were hiding. But also because I was madly attached to the character of Hunter; a boy we meet a few chapters into the book with a killer smile and good looks. Yeah, I loved him.

I also loved the Romeo and Juliet connection. The whole, "getting married to unite two families" thing was good. And the forbidden romance between two people also made the book absolutely irresistible for me. Hunter and Aria's relationship started off with him rescuing her repeatedly due to her daring habits, but eventually that grew into something more and... Ahh, I couldn't stop swooning.

There are many other elements of the book that I enjoyed. For instance, the action was well written and fast paced, the mystery part of the book made it that much harder to pull away from, and the characters. There were so many to meet and get to know! I loved it.

Mystic City is an interesting and well-written book about magic that will interest fans of books like Matched by Ally Condie and Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz.

Rating

Cover Reveal: Crash Into You (UK)

Hey,

I thought I'd come along today and show you the UK cover of Crash into You by Katie McGarry... you know, just in case you're interested.

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry
Release Date: November 26, 2013

The girl with straight A's, designer clothes, and the perfect life - that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. 

One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker - a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks - no matter how angelic she might look. But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

I like it, and I like the colour of the text, but I'm just surprised that Mira Ink/Harlequin Teen UK decided to use such a popular stock image rather than having their own models that looked more like the actual characters.

Let's have a look at the US cover of Crash into You:

See? THAT'S Isaiah! Isaiah has tattoos and he has a shaved head and he has piercings... that that model doesn't have, but he looks more like Isaiah than Pepe Toth, who is the cover model on the UK cover. I adore Pepe cause he and his girlfriend Sztella have been on the covers of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series and certainly very well known as Daemon Black.

I'm just disappointed that they didn't use the US cover, or at least found some more fitting cover models. Not that I don't love it, it's still nice. But, I do prefer the US covers.

UK covers:

US covers:

My review of Crash into You will be up next Monday and a small teaser will be up on Tuesday so don't forget to check back and add these books to your TBR list on Goodreads HERE!

Have a great weekend,
Sam :D

Book Haul (#63)

Hey,

First off, I'd just like to say I use Grammarly's grammar check because it can save the lives of those that you love by correcting, not only grammar, but punctuation as well. Swapping to "Let's eat, Grandma!" from "Let's eat Grandma!"

Grammarly is also perfect for authors who want their first draft looked through and for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors to be pointed out.

Anyway, I hope you are all happy and well and enjoying life. 

Last weekend I went to see the new adaptation Romeo and Juliet starring Douglas Booth and Hailee Stainfeld. And can I just say... it was amazing! The cast were fantastic which meant that the acting was top quality. Guys, you've just got to see it! I smiled and laughed and cried a lot! I might get a post together about it.

This week I received:

Uprising (The Forsaken #2) by Lisa M. Stasse - Received -
Thank you, Hachette Children's Books! I really liked The Forsaken despite its many similarities with The Hunger Games. I can't wait to find out what happens next it sounds kickass.
Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton - Received -
Thank you, Hachette Children's Books! I enjoyed Warburton's Winter trilogy about witches, and from the blurb this book sounds AMAZING! A boy who falls in love with the witch he's meant to hunt and kill, yes please?

Leave a link to your Book Haul/Stacking the Shelves/Letterbox Love/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday in the comments so I can check it out!

Enjoy all your books,
Sam :)

Previous Posts:
Review - Lullaby by Amanda Hocking
Review - Resist by Sarah Crossan
Review - Undone by Cat Clarke
Blog Tour Stop: In Harmony Giveaway
Waiting on Wednesday - Evertrue by Brodi Ashton
Cover Reveal - The One by Kiera Cass

Waiting on Wednesday (73)

Hey,

This week I'm waiting for...

Evertrue (Everneath #3) by Brodi Ashton

Release Date: January 21, 2014

Now that Nikki has rescued Jack, all she wants is to be with him and graduate high school. But Cole tricked Nikki into feeding off him, and she’s begun the process of turning into an Everliving herself... which means she must feed on a Forfeit soon — or die.

Terrified for her survival, Nikki and Jack begin a desperate attempt to reverse the process using any means possible. Even Cole, who they expected to fight them at every turn, has become an unlikely ally — but how long can it last? Nikki needs to feed on Cole to survive, Cole needs Nikki to gain the throne in the Everneath, Jack needs Nikki because she is everything to him — and together, they must travel back to the Underworld to undo Nikki’s fate and make her mortal once more. But Cole isn’t the only one with plans for Nikki: the Queen has not forgotten Nikki’s treachery, and she wants her destroyed for good. Will Nikki be forced to spend eternity in the Underworld, or does she have what it takes to bring down the Everneath once and for all?

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Cannot wait to see how Ashton concludes the trilogy because... It's just awesome and I crave a good ending. And I want me some more Jack. The blurb makes their quest sound terrifying.................. I can't wait!

Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments below so I can check it out!

Have a good week,
Sam :D