11th YAppiest Giveaway! “Pivot Point” by Kasie West

15 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Paranormal, Romance, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

Tags

Elizabeth Fais, Kasie West, Paranormal, Pivot Point, Romance, Split Second, suspense, swoony, YA, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 11th YAppiest Giveaway! for Pivot Point, by Kasie West. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

Knowing the future doesn’t always make a choice easier

Addison Coleman is gifted, like everyone else in the paranormal compound that’s been her home since forever. But her gift is unique—she’s a Searcher. Someone who can look into the future and see the outcome of a choice that she’s faced with. A clairvoyant automatically knows when something is going to happen, which is so not Addie. Otherwise, she would have known about her parents’ divorce before being blindsided with the news.

Addison thought her gift was the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. That is, until she’s forced to pick which parent she wants to live with. That’s when she discovers that knowing what will happen sometimes makes her choice harder.

Addie doesn’t want her life to change, so her decision should easy. Should. One Search, six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

Her father is leaving their paranormal compound to live among the “Norms.” In that potential future, Addie is the new girl in a Norm high school outside the Compound. She meets Trevor, a cute guy with loads of artistic talent who totally understands her. She falls for him. Hard.

Her mother is staying in the compound, amid the life Addie has always known. In that potential future, Addie is pursued by the hottest guy in school. And even though she never wanted to have a quarterback for a boyfriend, for some reason she loses all sensibility whenever she’s with Duke.

Trouble comes with a murder in the Compound that threads through both of Addie’s potential paths. Her father—who’s gift is lie detecting—is called in to consult on the investigation, without knowing Addie and her best friend are in danger of becoming the next victims.

No matter what path Addie chooses, there’s loss…

It all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through … who she can’t live without.

Smart, Swoony, & Suspenseful

In alternating chapters we follow Addie along the two paths of her search. One living with her father, going to a normal high school outside the Compound. The other living with her mother, staying at the same high school with her paranoramlly gifted friends. Both paths end with severe consequences.

What I liked most about his book is the seamless finesse with which we become part of Addie’s world. We experience Addie’s choices as they unfold, the suspense of the mystery quietly building. The power of the mystery and the choice Addie finally makes is in the relationships that are affected by it, the people Addie cares about. The characters are authentic in a way that put me in their shoes each step along the path.

Addie is forced make a hard choice, and accept the immediate consequences. But we’re left with the hope that Addie’s best friend, Lailia, may be able to wipe away the resulting damage by extending the power of her paranormal gift. If she can learn how to master that power. The sequel, Split Second, will be available February 2014, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, September 22nd (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Tuesday, September 24th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for more YAppiests Giveaways!

10th YAppiest Giveaway WINNER! “Out of Reach” by Carrie Arcos

09 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Giveaway, Winner!, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ Leave a comment

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brothers and sisters, Carrie Arcos, contemporary, drug abuse, Elizabeth Fais, lies, methamphetamine, Out of Reach, runaways, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

The 10th YAppiest Giveaway! is for Out of Reach, by Carrie Arcos. This book blew me away, and I know it will do the same to you.

And the Lucky Winner Is…

… Drum roll …

~oOo~

bn100

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

*** Tosses buckets of confetti! ***

~oOo~

I’ll contact you via email for your address.

Coming Up Next!

The 11th YAppiest Giveaway! for Pivot Point, by Kasie West is just around the corner, so…

Stay Tuned!

For a complete list of YAppiest Giveaways, go here.

9th YAppiest Giveaway! TWO “Necromancer” Books by Lish McBride

16 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Supernatural, Thriller, YAppiest, Young Adult, Zombies

≈ 10 Comments

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Bigfoot, Elizabeth Fais, Garden Gnomes, Hold Me Closer, Lish McBride, Magic, National Book Award Winner, Necromancer, Necromancing the Stone, Seattle, Sherman Alexie, Snarky Horror, Washington, Were-Bear, Werewolves, Witches, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Zombies

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 9th YAppiest Giveaway! For a chance to win a FREE copy of these books, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

Lish Dishes Snarky Horror at its BEST!

I was only going to feature Necromancing the Stone, the second Necromancer book by Lish McBride, in this giveaway. Then, I read the jacket flap for the first Necromancer book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, and had to read it first. Am I glad I did! The two Necromancer books compliment each other perfectly. For optimum satisfaction, you should read them both.

To paraphrase (and only slightly change) a quote for the first Necromancer book made by Sherman Alexie, National Book Award Winner:

This is a funny scary book [series] OR a scary funny book [series]. In either case, it’s a GREAT book [series]. I LOVE it.

The [series] additions are mine. But trust me. This quote sums up both books, and that’s why I’m giving them away as a set to one lucky winner.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Book 1)

Sam hates his underwhelming life—a college drop-out facing a life sentence as a sometimes-fry-cook and most-of-the-time-counter-jock at Plumpy’s burgers.
But that changes when a bad shot in rogue game of parking-lot-potato-hockey damages the wrong car, introducing Sam to the one man who can, and will, make his life hell.

Sam knows Douglas Montgomery is dangerous the moment he sees him. Expensive suit aside, Douglas is a psychopathic killer and necromancer who raises the dead for cash. Not the kind of guy you want to piss off. Something Sam accomplishes by just being who he is: bad at hockey and a necromancer Douglas sees as a threat. The thing is, Sam didn’t know about his necromancing heritage, leaving him at an extreme disadvantage. Thanks, mom.

Douglas kidnaps Sam to eliminate his competition, and perform a few torturous experiments. The upside to being trapped in a magical cage in a scary basement is Brid, the amazing female werewolf he’s forced to share his cage with. The only chance Sam and Brid have at surviving, is for Sam to defeat Douglas by embracing his necromancer powers. Yeah? That’s a long shot. The good news is, they’re in in Seattle where there as many paranormal types as coffee houses. Plus Sam’s good heart is a wildcard that stacks the deadly deck in their favor.

What I loved most about this book:

I didn’t know what a necromancer was before I read this book. Even so, McBride’s seamless world building, realistic characters, and witty banter created a charmed suspension of disbelief from the first page to the last. I loved the snarky humor and the quirky cast of characters. The tight pacing kept me on the edge of my seat, and that fact that this story never took itself too seriously had me laughing while I kept turning the pages.

Necromancing the Stone (Book 2)

Sam is shocked that he defeated Douglas, inherited his seat on the paranormal council, as well as his house (more like mansion) and material wealth—including a shape-shifting servant. Then there’s Sam’s werewolf girlfriend Brid, who’s next in line to lead her pack. He never thought he’d score a girl as amazing as that.

From fry cook to financially independent. Sam LaCroix is having to get used to his new life. But things were looking up, right?

Um . . . not so much.

His girlfriend’s pack insists on training Sam so he can protect himself, and he’s tired of getting beat up by everyone, even the garden gnomes. Douglas’ house is downright creepy, his best friend is a were-bear (because of him), and someone is threatening his sister. Sam knows he’s got powers, but doesn’t know how to use them. An epic fail waiting to happen.

When Brid’s father and leader of their pack is murdered, all signs point to Sam. When everything else starts falling apart, Sam is forced to step up and take control and only finds more questions. Like, is Douglas really dead?

What I loved most about this book:

The cast of characters gets quirkier and their antics laugh-out-loud funnier, especially the garden gnomes. The snark keeps rolling too, keeping a refreshing balances with the intensity Sam is forced to face. While the first book focuses on Sam coming to terms with his necromancing heritage, the second book focuses more on Sam’s relationships, how his choices affect those relationships, and how he grows from them.

I’m risking a spoiler alert here, but this book also reveals Douglas’ story, weaving in flashbacks of Douglas’ early life; snapshots of events that ultimately turned him into the villain we met in book 1. McBride succeeds in making us feel empathy for the Douglas Montgomery. No small task. So much so, that I actually cried when he met his final demise. [end spoiler alert]

While slightly slower paced than the first book in this series, this book is ultimately more powerful. It offers a satisfying culmination, while leaving openings for future stories to grow.

Here’s how to win BOTH of these awesome books:

NOTE: This FREE giveaway is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read these books— by midnight, August 23rd (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Sunday August 25th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for more YAppiests Giveaways!

8th YAppiest Giveaway! “The Lost Code” by Kevin Emerson

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Adventure, Atlantis, Book Reviews, YAppiest, Young Adult

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Adventure, Atlantis, BioDome, Book One of the Atlanteans, Dystopian, Ecology, Global Warming, Kevin Emerson, The Lost Code, YAppiest Day on Earth, YAppiest Giveaway, Young Adult

17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 8th YAppiest Giveaway! For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. The rules have changed slightly, so read them carefully. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

“The Lost Code” Book One of the Atlanteans

It’s 2086, after the Great Rise, when the oceans rose, the ozone layer disintegrated, the sun turned deadly, and civilization unraveled into a harsh fight for survival.

15 year-old Owen Parker is familiar with hardship. He and his father have subsisted in an underground community called The Hub—beneath the sun-baked wasteland, once part of the United States—for as long as he can remember.

Owen’s never been lucky, that is until he wins the coveted Camp Eden summer camp lottery. Out of the thousands of entrants, Owen gets the opportunity to spend an idyllic summer in a world “like it was” before the Great Rise.

Camp Eden is located inside the EdenWest BioDome, an oasis of pine trees, cool water, that’s complete with 1950’s rustic summer camp charm. Only the wealthy can afford to live in biodomes, the only habitable environments safe from the sun’s deadly rays. Camp Eden is exclusive, even for those who can afford the price.

But Camp Eden isn’t as perfect as it seems.

Owen discovers this the hard way. An unfortunate drowning incident in Lake Eden results in weird wounds that appear on his neck. At least Owen thinks their wounds until Lilly, the gorgeous lifeguard, warns him to keep them secret. Owen soon learns that the “wounds” are a biological evolution, and they are the catalyst for his uncovering the secret buried deep beneath the lake. A secret from the distant past that is powerful enough to save the ailing planet.

The camp’s location is no coincidence, and sinister happening behind the summer camp facade are proof that the people running Camp Eden have ulterior motives. Owen won his camp scholarship based on his potential for unlocking the mysteries of the ancient civilization. And there are those who will do anything to posses that power. Owen soon realizes that the only way he can save the world is to escape from Camp Eden alive.

Edge-of-Your-Seat Adventure That’ll Rock Your World

What if Atlantis was real, and it’s lost technology could save the human race from imminent extinction? This is the fascinating, and shockingly plausible premise of “The Lost Code” Book One of the Atlanteans.

An advanced civilization fell thousands of years ago because of their misuse of power. To prevent the same thing from happening again, they sequestered their knowledge. Knowledge that Owen thinks can save their dying planet. But even if he can unlock the lost code to the secret knowledge of Atlantis, what is the price for exposing that power to the world?

Before the beginning, there was the end.
Three chosen to die.
And should the time come again when masters seek to bend the terra to their will, then the three shall awaken and save us all.

What I love about this book, besides the quirky characters, spot on summer camp scenes, steamy romance, and edge-of-your-seat suspense … is the way Kevin Emerson weaves scientific truths through the story to ground it in reality. The result is a bulletproof suspension of disbelief.

I’m super excited that “The Dark Shore” Book Two of the Atlanteans is already available. I’ve ordered my copy and can’t wait to find out what’s in store for Owen and Lilly!