Book Blitz: Elemental Secrets

Elemental Secrets
Elle Middaugh
(The Essential Elements, #1)
Publication date: February 27th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Valerie Moore was a beautiful, headstrong girl with below-average social skills and above-average anxiety (including a flair for over-analyzing).
With her mother long deceased, and her father recently deployed, she ends up being sent to live with her eccentric aunt in a tiny town nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania. But, being a Navy brat had made her into a bit of a loner, and making friends certainly wasn’t her strongest suit. As if the life of a typical teen wasn’t hard enough.
But Valerie soon discovers she’s not a typical teenager. Not by a long shot.
SECRETS are revealed…
…About her family, about her newfound friends and relationships, and about her whole world… Things that have been kept from her for her entire life…
But the biggest secret of all is revealed when Valerie discovers that she has Elemental powers, and a chain of inexplicable and irrevocable events unleashes throughout the little town…

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Cade leaned against the wall just inside the doorway, eyeing us silently and intently. The warring emotions that blurred in his eyes were like the chaotic flashing of lights. I tried to pin down a few of them, but I wasn’t sure if I actually succeeded.
Curiosity. Suspicion. Disdain. Jealousy?

“What’s up, Cade,” Holden said, tossing out a calloused greeting.
He shook his dirty blond head. “Just waiting for my lab table to open up.”
His emerald eyes locked onto mine, slowing me, maybe slowing time itself, until I was barely creeping on my way to the door. I so desperately craved for him to talk to me, and jaw taut, lips pursed, he looked like he was fighting the urge to do just that.
But he didn’t. He just watched with a frustrated expression as I tiptoed out of the room.
My lime green sandals had barely touched the old checkered tiles of the hallway when I felt it. The whole school began to shake. It sent palpable vibrations up my legs and dust falling from the ceiling like mini waterfalls. Balance and gravity completely eluded me and I dropped to the floor like a dizzy drunk. A siren screamed at the top of its lungs as the already dim lights flickered off and on under the strain of the trembling.
“This is not a drill!” Principal Bauer bellowed quickly over the intercom. “Use earthquake protocol; drop and take cover immediately! I repeat, this is not a drill! Drop and take cover immediately!”
All fifty states were at some risk for earthquakes, I knew, but Pennsylvania virtually never had them. It was completely uncharacteristic and absolutely terrifying.
The lights took their last breath then, plummeting the school into a thicket of shadows.
I crawled haphazardly on the tiled floor, the ground rumbling violently beneath me, until I reached the classroom across the hall. Most of the desks were unoccupied, so I slid under one in the front and waited. The quaking was subsiding, but the hammering in my chest was as jarring as ever. Each rapid breath I took only prolonged the anxiety as I waited for the aftershock.
Other students crouched under desks, too, silent with fear, eyes wide and disoriented. Dust hovered like a chalky fog and had a number of kids sneezing, coughing, and gagging. I coughed, then glanced at my hands. My palms were scuffed and stinging, but luckily that was all.
Lightning flashed blindingly through the windows and across our faces as a violent downpour suddenly unleashed from the sky.
And holy shit, global warming might have been happening after all. I wasn’t sure how else to describe the phenomena erupting all around me, but pinning a name to the destruction was the least of my worries right then; I just wanted to get the hell out of there in one piece.

Author Bio:
Elle Middaugh is a newly published author, born in the sticks outside of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. After moving around the east coast a number of times, she now lives in her hometown with her husband and three children.
Reading has been a favorite past time since Elementary School and choose-your-own-adventure books. Writing has been her dream since Middle School when she first began penning her own material. Being published is the most awesome achievement in her writing career so far, but she hopes for more exciting landmarks and stepping stones in the future!
She’s a proud Navy wife; a frazzle-brained mother; a homebody who dislikes cleaning; a fan of tennis, and fitness in general; a lover of hot tea, mountain dew, and all things fiction; and she’s a bigger My Little Pony fan than her children.

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WOW: 5/4/16

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine! It showcases books that we can't wait on to come out!

The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game #1)

By: Evelyn Skye

Released: May 17, 2016

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love... or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear... the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

The synopsis sounds soooo good! I cannot wait to get my hands on this book! :)

Book Blitz: Scandalous Billionaires Boxed Set

Scandalous Billionaires
Eve Gaddy, Katherine Garbera, Kathleen O’Brien, Mimi Wells, Nancy Robards Thompson
Publication date: May 3rd 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Escape to Italy’s fabled Amalfi Coast with five USA Today Bestselling and award-winning authors for a limited time at a special price – only $0.99!
The exclusive Isola del Sole is a billionaires’ playground. Intrigue, adrenaline, and deception rule the day for the wealthy De Luca brothers and their closest friends—but only the right women can ignite their passions during the hot Amalfi nights…
The Billionaire’s Temptation
Rocco De Luca lives and loves in the fast lane. Filling in for his older brother for a few weeks sounds… well, boring. Until he meets Steffi Harlan, who’s in charge of keeping the playboy out of trouble. Except Steffi isn’t immune to Rocco’s charms.
They burn up the nights they spend together… But can they both survive love in the fast lane?
The Billionaire’s Deception
Shel Myerson, wildly successful TV mogul, has no privacy thanks to a recent and ugly public breakup. What he doesn’t expect is to be mistaken as an employee by Janine Pike, the one person in Europe who also doesn’t have any idea who he is.
Shel and Janine discover their chemistry is combustible–but will their budding relationship survive the heat once the press catches on?
The Billionaire’s Betrayal
Matteo De Luca’s single focus is rebuilding his hotel empire, and he’s close to achieving his goal, but there’s a sexy distraction standing in his way. Helena Von Lienz knows it’s finally time to let go. But what she finds are some unexpected truths about her late hubby, and a strong sensual shared desire with Matteo.
Will mixing business with pleasure be the end, or just the beginning, for Matteo and Helena?
The Billionaire’s Secret
When Sophie Smith’s dearest friend asks her to be her stand in at an Amalfi resort, Sophie won’t let her down. Turns out, she get used to this life, especially handsome gardener Declan Muldoon who’s more thrilling than any of the billionaires around.
But Sophie’s not the only one pretending. Declan is actually the black sheep of a very wealthy family, a man in need of an heiress. An heiress exactly like who Sophie is pretending to be…
The Billionaire’s Charade
Summer St. Croix hates weddings. But when she meets hot-as-sin Luke Vanetti, he promises to give her a reason to like them. It’s all sexy fun and games until Summer realizes that Luke is none other than her new boss. And her first assignment is posing as his fiance.
Playing the happy couple is hard enough during the day, but the nights might turn the charade into more than just a job for both of them.

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Grab your copy for only 99 cents!

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Teaser Tuesday: 5/3/16

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.

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 your teasers!

My Teaser:

"When he looked in the mirror, he no longer saw a stranger. And he no longer saw the ever-present strained expression or hooded gaze that his sister had pointed out to him last month."

-Saving Maverick, Debra Elise, Page 141

Review: Never Let You Go

 

Title: Never Let You Go (Never Tear Us Apart #2)
Author: Monica Murphy
Published: May 3, 2016

Synopsis:

Darkly sexy, emotional and forbidden, a woman unwittingly falls in love with the son of her abductor. The conclusion of a two-book contemporary romance series by New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy.
Lies hurt. Lies destroy. I tried my best to understand why Ethan kept his secrets but it was so hard. Until I realized that I couldn't deny myself any longer -- I needed to be with him. We needed each other. Despite my family's wariness, the media's fascination with us, the fact that his father still has a stranglehold on our lives, we belong together. No matter what. I will never let Ethan go. But sometimes love destroys us too, and we're too weak to banish the demons. Especially when our demons are determined to ruin us... 

My Review:
I don’t know where to start with Never Let You Go. It was a hard story to read, but it was easier than the first one. I feel that this book was meant to give the reader the hope that humans have the capability to move on after a tragedy. That we are capable to grow stronger and find it within ourselves to carry on even during our darkest days. That’s what these books represented to me and I hope that you can find something within them to make you feel something.

I usually don’t read dark stories. Never Let You Go is the story of a women who has survived being kidnapped and raped as a pre-teen. There were definitely some hard themes within these two books and they should not be read if you have a difficulty with these subjects. But, Monica Murphy handled them really well. She built her story with an undertone of hope. Hope that one can move on and past these horrible events and become stronger. The writing really was excellent. I thought the story was handled well and now the book was about moving past terrible events and growing stronger.

Katie or Katherine, she is referred to as both, has had a difficult life. Nothing has been easy for her since she was 12 and things still are not easy for her. But, she is willing to move on and past the events that hurt her as a child. During this book, I truly watched Katie grow and become more of the person she was meant to be instead of the meek character that she has been for the past eight years. It was inspiring to see her struggle but still be able to try and live life differently than she has been. She was tired of being scared and not doing anything with her life. Instead, she was strong enough to take it into her own hands and make a change. Katie’s character was really well written. I do not know any rape survivor’s, but from what I understand, it is not easy to continue on with life like normal. Murphy wrote Katie trying to get her life back really well. She also didn’t let her character hide from the hard things in life. She made Katie work towards her troubles and it was beautiful to watch the story progress.

Ethan or Will, whatever you want to call him, kind of annoyed me. I don’t do well with over-protective characters well. They bother me. I wouldn’t want anyone hovering over me constantly and that is the kind of person Ethan is. For Katie, that personality worked. I don’t know how she put up with him though. The constant worry that Ethan’s character portrayed in the book was annoying enough, I would hate to see it in real life. Ethan also had this hot and cold thing going on. That was just plain annoying. If you can’t tell, I did not like Ethan’s character that much. Though one thing I will commend him on, he was always respectful of Katie. He was slow and careful with her, respecting her past, and making sure that she was okay with everything going on between. Sure, he’s a guy and sometimes does stupid things, but for the most part he was really good about being respectful.

We also got to see inside Aaron’s head this time around. If you have not read the first book, I would recommend stopping here. Aaron is one sick bastard. That is the only way to describe him. Reading his thoughts and seeing his actions actually disgusted me. Though, it did give some insight into a rapists head and what their motivations are. Reading how he thought about his victims and how he twisted everything was slightly frightening. I know why he was locked up in jail and I wish his death row would have come a little faster. I know that that sounds terrible, but this man is horrible and you will understand once you read this book.

All in all, the book was really well written and it handled delicate subject matter really well. The underlying tone of hope throughout the whole book really helped the story with what it was trying to accomplish. That tone kept things from being too dark and terrible so that it was still an enjoyable story to read. Don’t get me wrong, the story had its sad, depressing moments where I understood what Katie was really going through, but it also had happy moments where Katie prevailed and helped herself. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly, just be careful of the subject matter. It deals with the subject well, but it could cause some bad feelings if you are uncomfortable with this type of subject matter.