Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher

I am so excited that LESSONS IN FALLING by Diana Gallagher is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Diana Gallagher, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway but there are rules you have to share a “LESSONS LEARNED” post of your own to enter. So if you’d like a chance to win, create your post and enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

From the author:

"Want to share your own Lessons Learned?? It's easy! Tell us about a time in your life when you persevered, despite a bad situation, and what lessons you learned from that situation. Share it however you like - on your blog, your social media, wherever! Submit your link to the Rafflecopter during the blitz and share the giveaway with your friends to win an annotated ARC!"

LESSONS IN FALLING

Author: Diana Gallagher

Release Date: February 7, 2017

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Pages: 250

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Goodreads

Description:

When Savannah Gregory blows out her knee - and her shot at a gymnastics scholarship - she decides she's done with the sport forever. Without gymnastics, she has more time for her best friend, Cassie. She's content to let her fun, impulsive best friend plan a memorable senior year. 

That is, until Cassie tries to kill herself.

Savannah wants to understand what happened, but Cassie refuses to talk about it and for the first time, Savannah has to find her own way. The only person she can turn to is Marcos, the boy who saved Cassie's life. Being with him makes her see who she could be and what she really wants: gymnastics. 

But Cassie doesn't approve of Marcos or of Savannah going back to gymnastics, and the tighter she tries to hold on to Savannah, the farther it pulls them apart. Without Cassie to call the shots, Savannah discovers how capable she is on her own - and that maybe her best friend's been holding her back all along.

Though Diana Gallagher be but little, she is fierce. She’s also a gymnastics coach and judge, former collegiate gymnast, and writing professor. Her work has appeared in The Southampton Review, International Gymnast, The Couch Gymnast, and on a candy cigarette box for SmokeLong Quarterly. She holds an MFA from Stony Brook University and is represented by Tina Wexler of ICM Partners. Her contemporary YA novel, Lessons in Falling, lands on 2/7/2017.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

(1) Winner will receive an annotated copy of Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher (US only)

Follow these rules to enter!

"Want to share your own Lessons Learned?? It's easy! Tell us about a time in your life when you persevered, despite a bad situation, and what lessons you learned from that situation. Share it however you like - on your blog, your social media, wherever! Submit your link to the Rafflecopter and share the giveaway with your friends to win an annotated ARC!"

Ends on February 28th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Magnetic Shift Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for MAGNETIC SHIFT! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, check out the schedule at the end of the post.

Magnetic Shift

Author: Lucy D. Briand

Genre: YA Suspense

Release Date: April 12, 2016

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Format: Paperback; eBook

Find It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Description:

The ability to magnetize and manipulate metal with the flick of her wrist makes seventeen-year-old Lexi Adams a crack mechanic, but it’s a disaster in the making when her stepdad trades her skills to NASCAR team owner Dean Grant for an entire season’s worth of sponsorship ads.

Now Lexi has no other choice but to suck it up and hope she can keep her magnetic impulses under control—that is, until she runs into NASCAR’s hot new rookie, Colton Tayler.

When Carl Stacy, the ruthless team owner of the defending Cup Champion, discovers Lexi’s secret and plots to use it to ruin Dean’s race team for good, Lexi must either expose her ability to save Colton, risking Dean’s career and her own freedom in the process, or watch the only guy she’s ever fallen for race to his death. 

Magnetic Shift is an original blend of science fiction, romance, and suspense that breathes some fresh air into the young adult genre. The story follows our main character - Lexi - as she lives her one year working for NASCAR team owner Dean Grant. Her stepdad was nice enough to basically sell her and her mechanical skills in exchange for a season's worth of advertising. Things wouldn't be so bad, except Lexi has a secret - she can manipulate metal with just a thought or a movement of her hand. She's spent her life trying to keep her abilities a secret - but working at the track is quickly unraveling her defenses. Enter rookie driver and extreme hottie Colton Taylor - and Lexi is all but doomed. With her attraction to Colton growing by the day, Lexi's life starts to spiral out of control. When her abilities are discovered by a rival team owner who plans on using them to destroy her current boss' career and to end Colton's career, and maybe his life, Lexi has to decide which is more important - keeping her abilities a secret or revealing them to Colton and saving him from the most dangerous race in his life.
 
The overall premise of this novel is interesting and definitely something new compared to the rest of YA fiction out right now. I'm not a big fan of NASCAR and know basically nothing about it, but that didn't factor into my reading experience at all. Everything that the reader needs to know is explained in an easy to understand way. I was a bit nervous that the whole NASCAR aspect of the book was going to confuse me and/or turn me off to the novel completely. However, the author did a great job infusing just the right amount of racing terms and action to balance out the other parts of the novel - mainly Lexi's abilities and her romance with Colton. I thought that Lexi's character was decently developed, but could have been more rounded. Come to think of it, all of the characters in the story were at least a little flat, with some of them being not much more than stereotypes. I enjoyed watching Lexi's relationship with Colton blossom - it was a bit more believable than some other novels, which I liked. The overall plot wasn't completely original - it's your typical blackmail situation basically - but the addition of Lexi's abilities gave it a new twist and kept things interesting. 

I'm not a huge fan of YA contemporary fiction, so I don't read much of it. In all honesty, this book would have lost my interest early on - but it's saving grace was the author's writing style. I'm a huge advocate for first person point of view - if you've read my reviews before, you know all of my reasons for loving it. The author used the first person POV for the story - it's told from Lexi's perspective - and that's what saved it for me. The reader's able to connect so much deeper to the narrator and can really immerse themselves inside the world the author has created. In my opinion, it's one of the best writing styles an author can use - and in this occasion, it was a great fit and saved me from giving up on it. Please note that these are my personal opinions - I know that others readers will have a completely different experience than I did. There's nothing wrong or bad about the book at all (except for the bit I mentioned above). It's well written, has a great pace - not too fast or too slow - an original twist on a much used plot, and the romance is sweet. I definitely recommend that fans of the genre give this one a try! Chances are you'll have a completely different opinion and end up loving it!

Lucy D. Briand lives in Ottawa, Canada with her comic book fanatic husband and her nonchalant Siamese cat.

By day she works full time as a public servant for the Government of Canada, but by night her creative mind takes over and conjures up young adult gear-head romance stories with supernatural twists.

When not working, reading, writing, or watching way too much TV, Lucy likes to cosplay, attend ComicCons, go on road trips to Walt Disney World, and play ridiculous amounts of board games. She’s a geek to the core but is also a huge NASCAR Cup fan.

Lucy is represented by Brittany Booker Carter of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Giveaway Details:
(1) Winner will receive a finished copy of MAGNETIC SHIFT - US Only!
(1) Winner will receive a swag prize pack and $25 Amazon Gift Card - Open International! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule: 

Week One: 

4/4/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book- Interview 

4/5/2016- Take Me Away To A Great Read- Review 

4/6/2016- Moonlight Gleam Reviews- Guest Post 

4/7/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Review 

4/8/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview 

Week Two: 

4/11/2016- Eli to the nth- Review 

4/12/2016- Lost in Ever After- Guest Post 

4/13/2016- A Backwards Story- Review 

4/14/2016- The Cover Contessa- Interview 

4/15/2016- With Love for Books - Review 

 

Pull Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the PULL blog tour! I'll be sharing my review of the book today - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

Pull

Author: Anne Riley

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Time Travel

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Description:

Rosie Clayton witnesses a mugging on her first night in London—and then the scene rewinds itself.

She finds herself standing in the same place again, with the mugging happening just like before, except this time a stranger steps in and stops it. There's no way the same incident can have two outcomes. Rosie thinks she’s losing her mind, until just a few days later, the stranger saves her.

The stranger, Albert, and his band of misfit crime-fighters, have the special ability to Pull, which allows them to rewind just enough time to undo a recent event. Someone is hunting Albert and his crew– and now that Rosie’s been seen with them, she’s a target too. Rosie is left with no choice but to trust Albert to keep her safe.

As Rosie learns more about this unbelievable ability and the people – if you can call them that – who want them dead, she discovers that the group’s desire for her blood might be more than mere coincidence. Each step into this magical side of London introduces Rosie to a family history that she never knew existed, and dangerous forces that could unravel her world in an instant.

Her family may be the reason they’re all being hunted—and she may be the only one who can figure out how to save them. Sure, between the lot of them, they have a few shots to get it right. The thing about Pulling, though, is you have to be alive to do it. 

 

Pull is a thrilling young adult science fiction novel that will have readers devouring its pages and then leave them wanting more. The story follows Rosie - our main character - as she goes to London with her family. Her grandfather is dying and they've come to spend as much time with him as possible. Things take a tragic turn and Rosie's papa ends up dying moments after they first arrive. With her family already tearing itself apart, her grandfather's death might end up being their destruction. Needing some fresh air, Rosie takes a walk in the heath nearby - and witnesses a brutal mugging. When she tries to get help, a heavy pressure and strange sensations cause her to curl up on the ground - and when she opens her eyes - she's reliving the moments before the mugging. Only this time the ending is different and the girl is saved by a stranger who comes out of the shadows. Rosie's pretty sure she's lost her mind and starts trying to figure out exactly what happened that night. She uncovers a huge family secret that leads her to the stranger once again - only now they realize they have certain abilities in common - and there are very dangerous people coming after them. Rosie has a sneaking suspicion that her family is the reason this battle is being waged on Albert and his friends - and that the person these people want to get their hands on is most likely Rosie herself.

There's so much going on in this novel that I'm having a hard time trying to piece together a review that will make sense. The concept of "pulling" was absolutely fascinating and I loved learning as much as I could about it, along with the other information Rosie discovers along the way. The book mixes together so many different genres that you really can't just label it as science fiction - it's so much more than that. It weaves together a contemporary fiction story of Rosie's life with a huge fantasy/science fiction twist, and then proceeds to add in lots of action, suspense, adventure, mystery, and even a bit of romance. You would think that a novel containing all of these various genre aspects would be confusing or hard to read, but the complete opposite is true in this case. The entire writing style used - from the point of view to the world-building and even down to the small details included in the book - was nothing short of amazing. There's something about the author's writing - I can't quite describe it - but it draws you in almost immediately after beginning the book. The flow is so smooth and natural - even when there's chaos happening in the story. Another aspect of the writing that stood out to me was the use of the first person point of view - from Rosie's perspective. We get to know her on a very deep and personal level throughout the book - and you usually only get that level of connection with the first person POV. While you're reading the story, it feels like Rosie's right there telling you the story herself - or even like you're inside her world alongside her while it's all happening. It's really hard for me to find an author whose writing can have this type of effect on me - and when I do find one, I know that I've come across incredibly storytelling skills and massive talent.

The plot was fantastic in just about every way possible. Once I started the book, I was pulled inside Rosie's world - so the entire story felt like I was right there beside her, learning and experiencing it all. There have been lots of books about time travel, so it's hard to find something that sets itself apart from the rest. This novel has that "something." Like I said, I can't quite figure out how to describe it. It's just a mixture of so many components of the story and it's basically impossible to choose just a couple to focus on. I would love to get all of my thoughts about this book out during this review - but I haven't even broken the surface, and I've taken up a huge amount of space. For me, it's one of those special books that you rarely come upon - the ones that leave your mind spinning and your mouth hanging open for days after finishing it - and when you try to explain why it left such an impact on you, there just aren't words to describe it. It's bittersweet - an amazing experience but being unable to pinpoint exactly what made it so meaningful. I'll just try to summarize it all with a couple of sentences and hope that my extreme rambling will have you at least intrigued enough to pick it up. There's really nothing about this book I didn't like - which is incredibly rare for me anymore. The characters are well rounded, the world-building and setting were vivid and realistic, the plot was an amazing blend of several different genres, and the writing style was nothing short of mesmerizing. I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough! Do yourself a favor and read this book. NOW. I promise you won't be left disappointed.

 

 

Anne Riley is an author of young adult fiction cleverly disguised as a high school Spanish teacher. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family.

Anne began writing at the ripe old age of nine, when she penned a literary classic about… well, she doesn’t really remember what it was about, but she’s pretty sure the main characters were ferrets.

These days, she writes stories about teenagers instead of ferrets. 

GOODREADS | TWITTER | WEBSITE

BOOK LINKS:  Amazon | Barnes and Noble

(3) Winners will each receive an ARC of PULL by Anne Riley

Must be 13+ To Enter | Ships in US only | See Terms and Conditions for full contest rules and exclusions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Castle of Sighs Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Castle of Sighs! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

Castle of Sighs (Forest of Whispers #2)

Author: Jennifer Murgia

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: September 15, 2015

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Description:

In this sequel to FOREST OF WHISPERS, Some secrets cannot be kept—in life or in death. Months have passed since Rune has heard a single whisper from her long-dead mother, the great witch of Bavaria. But the absence of one evil has only made room for another. After rightfully inheriting her ancestral home, Pyrmont Castle, Rune settles into a quiet life taking care of two orphans left in the wake of the terrible witch hunt that claimed dozens of lives in the nearby village. As the days grow colder, the castle’s secrets beckon and Rune finds herself roaming where no one has set foot in a long time. In the bowels of the fortress is a locked room full of memories that hang like cobwebs—shelves stacked with jars, strange specimens, putrid liquids, and scrolls of spells. Rune is undeniably drawn to what she finds there, and she begins to dabble in the possibilities of magic, hoping to find a cure for the strangeness overwhelming the castle. As secrets unspool, the delicate thread of Rune’s world is threatened when she realizes the key may lie in the dark forest she once called home and the boy she thought she knew.

Praise for Forest of Whispers:

"Murgia’s dual narration makes this historical fantasy a compelling read. The plot-driven text quickly moves the story forward, and the vivid descriptions of 17th-century southwestern Germany pull readers in . . . the pacing and narrative are absorbing. A solid novel for fans of historical fantasy that are looking for a fast-paced, action-filled tale." ~ SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL 

"A story of magick and discovery." -- Readers' Favorite: Five-Star review for FOREST OF WHISPERS

"FOREST OF WHISPERS drew me in from the very first page! Rune is a capable and empathetic heroine who had me rooting for her from the start. Fans of witch and rune-lore will enjoy this darkly woven tale." ~Amalie Howard, author of critically acclaimed Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kids' INDIE NEXT title.

"NOT your average teenage witch! Jennifer Murgia's FOREST OF WHISPERS is a dark, brooding mystery/thriller that captures the paranoid, plague-driven frenzy of 17th Century Europe with the speed and power of a galloping stallion. Rune, a 16-year old with formidable abilities that she herself can barely understand, must fight her own inner demons as well as what seems to be a whole world gone awry with bloodlust for her kind. This is a thrilling read." ~ Molly Cochran, author of LEGACY & POISON 

Castle of Sighs is the second novel in a young adult paranormal/fantasy series that picks up where the first book left off - with our main character, Rune, trying to adjust to her new life in a castle she has inherited from her family. Rune still feels the deep pull of the Black Forest - the place she has called home for the majority of her life - and also can't help but sense a strange darkness in the castle. Rune settles into her new role of caring for two orphan children at the castle and is determined to rid herself of any magic that might still cling to her. Before long, she hears whispers in the dark and a strong pull that leads her to a locked room deep with the castle - one that is full of spells, disgusting liquids and other odd items that all seem to revolve around magic. Rune is drawn to the magic the room offers her and is determined to find a way to rid the castle of any negative energy. The more she learns, however, the amount of secrets begins to grow and unravel around her - and she learns that the key to banishing the darkness from the castle might be found in her beloved Black Forest as well as in a boy she thought she knew.

This was a enchanting second novel in what's proving to be a magnificent YA paranormal series. There are times when a series starts off strong only to hugely disappoint in the followup. Happily, this is certainly not the case here. This installment was just as well written and compelling as the first. Rune continues to be a great female lead. She's smart, strong, determined, down to earth, but willingly acknowledges her flaws and weaknesses. We saw Rune's character grow a lot in the first book, and it continued to do so in this story. She's maturing in both mind and emotion, which can easily be seen when she interacts with the two kids she cares for along with several other parts of the novel. I enjoyed watching Rune grow in all these different ways and I was definitely rooting for her the entire time. There's also growth in the relationship between Rune and Laurentz, and I loved watching it change and grow throughout the story too. 

The plot continues to be amazing and very well written. I love that the series is based on actual history that happened in real places - it's almost historical fiction based on facts, except for the paranormal aspects thrown in. It's this historical accuracy that makes the rest of the plot believable - since it has all happened, it's not a far stretch to imagine that there actually were witches and magic present as well. The way the book blends the historical aspects with the magical makes it unique. Another aspect that I loved about the novel is the varying narration between Rune and Matilde. Both characters have their own sections throughout the book, and I loved reading from both of their viewpoints. Even though the book is told from two different characters, both characters tell their part in the first person point of view. I'm a firm believer that POV makes a huge difference when it comes to a book, and I almost always think that first person POV is the best choice. The same applies here, and - luckily for us - we get to experience both Rune's and Matilde's stories from their perspective, which allows us to know them on a very personal level along with getting to see what happened through their perspective. I loved reading both of their stories and how they connected with one another. The rest of the writing was incredibly well done, with the use of vivid imagery and detailed descriptions that brings Rune's world to life in front of our eyes, and makes it easy to slide into that world until the end of the book. 

I honestly loved this book just as much as the first one, which doesn't happen often in series. I very highly recommend this book (and series) to fans of historical fiction and paranormal fiction - as well as those who enjoy fantasy, magic, action, mysteries, and adventure. I'm now eagerly awaiting the next book in the series to release - which isn't for quite some time, unfortunately. I can't wait to see what's going to happen next and what direction the book is going to take. 

Jennifer Murgia writes moody fiction for teens—from paranormal fantasy (Angel Star, Lemniscate, The Bliss), to contemporary gut-punchers (Between These Lines). Her latest, Forest of Whispers, a 17th century historical mystery (about witches!) was a School Library Journal Fall 2014 HOT TITLE, and a 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Literature Award Winner. Look for the sequel, Castle of Sighs, to hit shelves 9.15.15 from Spencer Hill Press. In 2012, Jennifer Co-Founded YA FEST with YA author/friend, Cyn Balog. She coordinates this unique annual festival, bringing teens and fellow Young Adult authors together at her hometown library in Easton, PA. 

WEBSITE | EMAIL | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST 

Publicity inquiries: brooke@spencerhillpress.com

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

(1) Winner will get a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card + Kep Necklace 

Must be 13+ To Enter | Open Internationally 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal: Lead Me Back Home by Brandi Lynch

Lead Me Back Home

Author: Brandi Lynch

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Description:

High school junior Trisha Myles thought her sister loved her, but her sister's suicide note revealed that she'd wished Trisha had never existed. In the aftermath, Trisha abandons her old life to become a social ghost. Not existing is sort of peaceful... until a vicious bully targets her.


She’s saved by Jesse Reagan--the one guy in Hoghfield, Alabama who outranks her as an outcast. Trisha’s desire to live blossoms, but spending time with Jesse is more than she bargained for. After she freaks over the slashes on his arms, he explains he’s cursed--a curse that can only be controlled by blood magic. Trisha thinks he’s insane--especially when he tells her someone has cursed her, too. But when freak accidents almost crush Jesse with a truck and destroy her attempts to reclaim her old life, Trisha knows it’s not just a delusion.


A ritual can free them from their curses, but only if they can shed their guilt and anger. However, if Trisha and Jesse can’t let go, the curse will bleed Jesse dry, and Trisha will lose the person who brought her back to life.

Brandi Lynch lives in rural Arkansas with her fiancé. When she’s not reading or conjuring stories of her own, she enjoys delving into the rich world of an RPG or chatting on Twitter. Oh, and there’s work in between. 

Author Links:

Website: www.branwrites.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/branwrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandimlynchwrites 

What do you think of the cover? Leave a comment!

 

 

 

Cover Reveal: Seek Me in Shadows by Danielle Ellison

Seek Me in Shadows (Boundless Trilogy #2)

Author: Danielle Ellison

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopia

Expected Release Date: October 2015

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Description:

Seek Me in Shadows is by Danielle Ellison.  It's the sequel to Follow Me Through Darkness and will be released in October of this year.

Jacket Copy:

"Neely Ambrose thought she was done with secrets. When she escaped the Compound, she also believed she’d escaped a future built on lies and deceit. She was wrong; the world outside isn’t much better. In fact, it may be worse.

All Neely wants is to safely deliver the people of the Compound into Remnant camps so she can go start a life of her own with Thorne. But that’s before the Remnants start dying around her, before camps are destroyed just after she's left them, before she notices a strange bird carving at the site of each attack, and before Thorne is taken.

The Mavericks believe Thorne is dead, taken by the Elders who will stop at nothing to find Neely, but she’s determined to prove them wrong.

But the only clue she has to find him is a bird carved into the last place where anyone saw Thorne. As she starts a journey to find him, she learns the birds are a symbol for a secret group that’s made a home in the shadows. A group that even Xenith doesn’t know about, that the Remnants won’t talk about, and that Neely feels may have a plan of their own — and that plan may involve her." 

Links:

Add it on Goodreads

Danielle Ellison's website: http://www.danielleellison.com/

Danielle's Twitter: https://twitter.com/danielleewrites

Sign up for Danielle's newsletter

What do you think of the cover? Leave a comment!