fiktshun

Author M.R. Merrick is having an awesome month-long GIVEAWAY for signed copies of the first two books in his The Protector series. One signed set is up for grabs on Goodreads and another signed set is up for grabs on his website, but you can also enter via the Rafflecopter form, below.

PLUS, the blog giveaway winner will also get signed 12″ x 18″ posters of both book covers. And that artwork is absolutely ahhh-mazing!

The giveaways both run from May 15th through June 16th and you can enter both giveaways for two chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OR to enter directly from the author’s website, CLICK HERE.

For those of you who haven’t met the author or had a chance to check out his awesome books on Goodreads, here’s just a little info. And, the book covers link to Goodreads so you can add them to your TBR.

About the Author

About Exiled

About Shift

Well it’s the final month of the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge! I can’t believe it’s almost over. Although, the fact that it will be over is a good thing. Because it means that in less than two weeks after the challenge ends, Before I Wake will be available – a book I’ve been waiting a long time for.

And I’m hoping the If I Die spoiler chat will help bridge that gap. Especially since I won’t be able to wait until closer to month’s end to re-read If I Die. Not after the tormenting, twisty heartbreak that was My Soul to Steal.

Another reason I can’t wait for the challenge to end is that the amazing author, Rachel Vincent, mentioned having a BIW chat at some point after its release. I’m hoping that will be on June 27th, but I don’t think it will be quite that soon. Anyway….

Even if you just found out about the challenge now, you can still join in. Yep, the only time it will be too late is at midnight on June 15th.

All you have to do to be considered a participant in this challenge is sign up in the SIGN UP post and read and review or share your thoughts on any one of the full-length books in this series. If you’re just signing up now, thoughts or reviews must be dated during this month’s challenge dates of May 15th through June 14th.

If you want to announce your participation by creating a post, you can add your link HERE for a chance to win a giftcard at the end of the challenge.

But if you’ve already signed up, then you’re all set to START OR CONTINUE READING… or RE-READING! But whatever you do, don’t forget to stop back and leave your link. Because this month’s prizes are awesome!

And, for each book you read and post you create, you’ll get at least one entry into the end of challenge giveaway for the pre-order copies of Before I Wake.

If you’ve missed the chance to include your reviews for any of the previous books in the series - My Soul to Take, My Soul to Save, My Soul to Keep or My Soul to Steal - in the Month One, Month Two, Month Three or Month Four linky lists, not to worry. You can enter them this month.

But it will be the last chance to post those thoughts and reviews. Because once this month’s linky list closes, the challenge will officially be over. As long as your reviews are posted from January 15 through June 14, 2012 you can link them up in this last month’s linky.

Unclaimed Prizes

There are still a few unclaimed prizes for the Month One through Month Three giveaways. But since I’d posted the winners on the SSRC blog versus here, I thought I would give one final chance to those winners by announcing them in this post.

If all prizes from the first three months of the giveaway are NOT claimed by June 1st, they will be added to this month’s giveaway. Month Four prize winners will have until June 15th to claim their prizes or new winners will be chosen.

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Month Five

May 15 – June 14, 2012

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The goal for this fifth month of the challenge will be to read If I Die.

If you missed last month’s deadline, don’t give up! Whether this is a first read or a re-read, If I Die is the pivotal book in the series and one you may just not want to miss. Especially since the action hits you right from the start. A shocking blow will leave you reeling very shortly thereafter. That roller coaster that author Rachel Vincent likes to put you on is the longest, craziest ride ever. The ups. The downs. The loop-de-loops. Insane. Absolutely insane.

But that’s just my opinion.

Oh, and it won’t let you loose until that last page. So, be prepared.

***

Whether this is your first month participating, you’ve been here from the start or you joined somewhere along the way, as long as you sign up and post at least one review or thoughts post you’ll be eligible for the end-of-challenge giveaway for a pre-order for Before I Wake.

As promised there will be at least ten pre-order copies up for grabs. The actual number will be determined after the challenge ends and depends solely on just how many people who signed up have posted at least one review for one of the five full-length books in the series.

There will be a separate wrap-up post after the challenge, in which the winners for the pre-order copies of Before I Wake will be announced.

And just a reminder: If you are a winner who is located internationally and Before I Wake or any of the other “book of your choice” books are not available to ship from The Book Depository to your country, I will send the book by postal mail.

What do you need to do this month?

1. Start reading or keep reading!

If you already started the challenge, then all you need to do is keep reading. If you just joined in, or you are behind, not to worry. You can read and post your reviews for My Soul to Take, My Soul to Save, My Soul to Keep and/or My Soul to Steal this month.

And you have all month to read and review this fifth book in the series to get that extra entry into the end-of-challenge giveaway.

2. Post your review or thoughts!

Whether you’ve decided to post a review, or just create a post with your thoughts about the book, you have until June 14th to do so to be entered into this month’s giveaways and to earn an entry into the end-of-challenge Before I Wake giveaway.

But note, for the four special giveaway prizes, you will have had to post at least TWO reviews of the full-length books during the challenge to be eligible. And yes, those two reviews can be posted this month!

3. Leave your link!

Be sure to come back here and leave a link to your post – wherever that may be – Blog, Facebook, Goodreads, Tumblr, etc. If you don’t leave the link, you won’t be entered into the giveaway. LINK MUST BE LEFT IN THE LINKY LIST NOT THE COMMENTS.

If you don’t have anywhere to post your thoughts or review, please leave a comment with a way to get in touch and if your review (or thoughts) are positive, I’ll post them as a guest post on my blog, Soul Screamers Reading Challenge.

Reviews or thoughts posts must be from January 15 through June 14, 2012 ONLY.

What are this month’s incentives?

***

In case you wanted to know….

Extra Credit Reads

You can still post your reviews for any of the extra credit reads this month. Each extra credit read will give you an additional entry into the Before I Wake giveaway at the end of the challenge AND will give you an extra entry into this month’s giveaway.

What if I don’t finish the book this month?

That’s okay. The challenge will be over, but If I Die is awesome. So no matter when you finish reading it, it will be a WIN.

What if I’ve signed up, but never read any books during the months of this challenge?

That’s OKAY. We all have things in life that sometimes take priority. You won’t be eligible for any of the giveaways without at least one review or thoughts post, but no one will judge you for signing up and not doing anything beyond that!

The fact that you want to read the author’s amazing books is awesome! And whether you read them now, or in the future, you’ll be discovering a series that I think it is pretty amazing.

What if I’ve already reviewed the book?

If this is a re-read for you, you can simply create a post about this book talking about what you found different the second (or third, or fourth or…) time around. If you are a blogger, you can always link to your original review in that discussion post so that people can check out what you thought on first read.

BUT, you cannot simply repost your original review to be eligible for the giveaway. AND you cannot leave a link to an old post. All posts must be created during the challenge.

The first book I plan on reading for the challenge isn’t If I Die, is that okay?

Absolutely! If you are starting this month’s challenge by reading any book other than If I Die, you can still post your reviews for that book – or any of the other Soul Screamers books – during this month’s challenge. It will give you an entry – or more depending upon how many reviews you post – into this month’s giveaway and will count as an entry toward the end-of-challenge Before I Wake pre-order giveaway.

But, you only get an extra entry for posting your review for If I Die during this month of the challenge.

How are this month’s giveaway prizes going to be decided?

The giveaway winners’ names will be drawn on June 17th. The end-of-challenge Before I Wake giveaway winners will be announced in a separate post on June 19th.

For this month’s ALL PARTICIPANTS giveaway prizes, Random will be drawing numbers based on the linky number associated with your post.

For this month’s SPECIALTY giveaway prizes, participants names will be drawn using Random’s list generator by name.

Each giveaway will be drawn separately.

If you’ve won and you do not wish to receive that prize, the next number on the list that Random drew will be the winner.

And guess what….

So….

Leave your links below for posts created from May 15 through June 14, 2012. This month the linky list will close ON June 14th to avoid confusion. So be sure to get your posts in on time to count for this final month’s giveaway and for those extra entries.

***

Let’s see those posts!

Kindle Fire May Giveaway

Win a Kindle Fire and a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card!

25 Book Blogs, One Awesome Giveaway! 

The Kindle Fire Giveaway last month was awesome. But there could only be one winner. So, Kathy of I Am A Reader, Not A Writer decided to host another giveaway, with the help of twenty-four other awesome blogs. And I decided to participate again.

And just like last month, the winner will receive not only a Kindle Fire, but a $50 Amazon.com gift card to buy a few books for their new eReader.

The giveaway is open from May 15th to May 30th! And there will be one winner. See the rules below for more details.

The giveaway is brought to you by these awesome blogs….

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Read for Your Future
Sweeping Me
Making the Grade
Bookittyblog
The Romanceaholic
Good Choice Reading
Helen Smith
A Book and a Latte
Froggarita’s Bookcase
Fiktshun
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Uniquely Moi Books
eReading on the Cheap
Lori the Author
There’s a Book
Books a True Story
Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf
Brinda Berry
JJ iReads
Colorimetry
Lisa’s Loves (Books of Course)
The Book Faery
SpadesHighReads
A Book Obsession

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4)g

Author: Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Pages: 352

Release date: December 21, 2010

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

My thoughts on My Soul to Steal are based on a re-read of this fourth full-length book in the series. I had a chance to read MStSteal the first time in November 2010, thanks to an early galley I received courtesy of NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN. My re-read is based on the finished eBook I purchased and I re-read it having read the five full-length books and three novellas in this series currently available.

As I’d already reviewed this book for the blog, Goodreads and Amazon, I’ve chosen to post my thoughts on the re-read instead of re-reviewing it. But if I were to re-rate it, I would give My Soul to Steal five stars, as I did when I first read it.

Re-reading My Soul to Steal was even more nerve-wracking than the first time. I knew what was coming, which made things so much more torturous. The knots that I had when I read it the first time were nothing like the ones that I had on this second read.

I agonized over every anguish-filled moment that Kaylee had when Sabine entered the picture. And my heart ached for her with the knowledge of everything that was to happen. But having read If I Die, there was also a certain sadness that blanketed the events in My Soul to Steal. A sadness that wasn’t as deep on first read.

It wasn’t until this book in the series where my hope for Kaylee and Nash’s relationship took a nosedive. On first read I blamed it all on Nash. Even though his addiction fueled his decisions, they were still ultimately his to make. He made bad choices and hurt Kaylee worse than anyone should be hurt. And while with both reads I never felt Kaylee should completely forgive him, I did feel, on second read, that he deserved to be with someone who could.

When I first read MStSteal, I was so caught up in Kaylee’s pain that I thought that Tod and Emma weren’t being good friends. I thought they were traitorous to her for even thinking that Nash should be with Sabine. But on second read, I thought the opposite. Even Sabine’s words – the ones that weren’t just meant to get to Kaylee – made so much sense. As much as Nash messed up, he deserved a chance at happiness. And he deserved the chance to be able to forgive himself.

Until this book, I’d always felt Kaylee was incredibly strong. In this installment, I felt that she was at her weakest. Because of what happened with Nash in My Soul to Keep and also because of the mara’s presence and influence in this book, her insecurities and fears were at an all-time high. Which made her the most sympathetic she’s been in this series so far in a book that is the most heartbreaking so far.

For the re-read I attempted to take the time to keep track of all those details I was sure I missed on first read because I was rushing through it, riding that wave of tortured, anxiety-filled emotion that takes hold with each and every book that Rachel Vincent writes.

And while I noticed a few things that I missed on that first read, I was caught up in the emotional roller coaster. Again. So, I may have missed a few, though I tried so hard not to.

What I did notice is that there is definitely some foreshadowing about Tod’s feelings toward Kaylee. What those are exactly is still to be determined. But on more than one occasion he was fighting hard to hide some emotion in those swirly eyes of his.

I was also able to look past some of Sabine’s behavior. What I hadn’t realized on first read was that some of that meanness may have been a direct result of the hellion’s influence. Just as some of Kaylee’s insecurities were. Sabine’s need to be forgiven by Emma and the fact that she did apologize to Kaylee were really what drove this home.

While she may have been just as relentless in her pursuit of Nash, she may not have been as cruel as she had been when doing so. At least I hope not. Because, while on first read I didn’t have a single ounce of sympathy toward her, I did sympathize with her quite a bit this second time around.

I was just as caught up in the mystery, chaos and utter mayhem when re-reading My Soul to Steal as I was when first discovering the story. I did re-read it in one sitting and was even more invested in the story’s outcome – as if it may have somehow changed from what I’d remembered – than I was the first time.

And the re-read has made me even more desperate to get started on the next book in the series. While on first read I was utterly heartbroken, I still had a thread of hope, albeit a fragile one, for Kaylee and Nash. And I definitely needed some time to recover from My Soul to Steal.

But now, although I’m still heartbroken for the pair, I don’t need any time to recover. And knowing what’s ahead in the next book, makes me that much more anxious to get started.

***

As much of my connection with Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series is an emotional one, I thought I’d compare the range of emotions the author put me through between the first read and the second.

Emotions on first read: Shock. Anger. Angst. Heartache. Anger. Rage. Anger. Betrayal. Fear. Hopelessness. Nervousness. Some more anger. Anxiety. A little more rage. Hopefulness. Disgust. A lot more angst. Relief. A little more hope.

Emotions on second read: Heartache. Sadness. A little despair. Anger. Disgust. Angst. Heartbreak. Sympathy. Understanding. Some more sadness. A touch more anger. A lot more angst. Just a little bit more anger. HOPE.

***

And since I didn’t list a favorite passage in my review, I thought I’d share two of them here.

“I don’t think there are words for what we are, Nash.” Yet I could think of at least one: broken.

Nash and I were like the wreckage of two cars that had hit head-on. We were tangled up in each other so thoroughly that I could no longer tell which parts of us were him and which were me. We could probably never be truly untangled – not after what we’d been through together – but I had serious doubts we could ever really recapture what we’d had.

“…It kills me to sit here knowing I no longer have the right to lean over this table and kiss you. I want to be the first person you call the next time something goes wrong. I want to know that you’re eventually going to be able to forgive me. And I’m not gonna do anything to jeopardize that possibility.” He took a deep breath and held my gaze. “But Sabine needs me…”

Below are the YA books coming out this week that I am spotlighting for my “Book Watch: Releasing This Week” post.

These are books for the week of May 15th-May 21st that I have pre-ordered.

***

As Dead as it Gets by Katie Alender will be released in the U.S. on May 15, 2012 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available online to pre-order in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Hyperion Books for Children, the print edition is 448 pages.

As Dead as it Gets is the third book in author Katie Alender’s Bad Girls Don’t Die series.

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I can’t wait to get my copy of As Dead as it Gets on Tuesday. I loved the first book in the series and read half of book two, but haven’t had a chance to finish it. Not because I wasn’t loving it – it was awesome, – but because I had a few required reads demanding my time.

But I think I will be re-starting it this month once I have As Dead as it Gets safely downloaded to my Kindle so that I can read both back-to-back. I’m dying to find out how From Bad to Cursed ends and to find out just what’s going to happen in this third book.

I haven’t taken a peek at the description for fear of spoilers, but the book cover links to Goodreads. I’m hoping that things end well for Alexis at the Sunshine Club and that As Dead as it Gets is her story. I’d be devastated if she didn’t make it.

The title sounds just as dark and ominous as its predecessors and I can’t wait to read it to find out who the story is about and just how dead things really do get.

Immortal Hearts by Ellen Schreiber will be released in the U.S. on May 15, 2012 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, the print edition is 272 pages.

Immortal Hearts is the ninth and final book in the Vampire Kisses series by author Ellen Schreiber

***

I had no idea Immortal Hearts was the final book in the series. I’ve had this on my list of pre-orders forever and I had no clue. I’m crushed. And now I’m more determined than ever to catch up on this series just so I can see how things end.

I love Raven and Alexander and I thought this series was absolutely adorable. I’ve read the first seven books in the series so I only have to catch up on Cryptic Cravings to find out whether Raven’s dream of becoming a vampire finally comes true.

I don’t know whether the author will end the series with a happily ever after or whether she’ll simply just hint at some of the possibilities for the characters’ futures. But I hope this series will get wrapped up in a nice bow.

I did take a peek at the description and I’m excited that Alexander’s sister Stormy will be coming to town. I am super curious just how she and Raven will get along.

And I am definitely anxious about what the author has planned for this final book. Especially as the description says that it will keep “hearts racing.” And as it is releasing this week I won’t have too long to wait. I just hope I can get to both books in this series next month.

For those who are already caught up on the series, the first chapter of Immortal Hearts is available to read on the author’s website. CLICK HERE.

Gilt by Katherine Longshore will be released in the U.S. on May 15, 2012 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Viking Juvenile, the print edition is 416 pages.

Gilt is the first book in author Katherine Longshore’s The Royal Circle series.

***

I can’t believe release date is almost here for Gilt. I got a surprise ARC in the mail a few weeks ago, but I decided to pre-order the finished copy for my Kindle because the description made this book sound just too tempting not to have it as part of my permanent collection.

And while I haven’t had the chance to read it early, I plan on adding Gilt to my reading pile in the next few weeks because it sounds awesome.

I won’t go on and on too much as I already spotlighted it for my Book Watch post. But the Tudor setting, the intrigue of being at court and the “secrets, lies, and sordid affairs” were more than enough reasons to make this a book I’m dying to read.

I can’t wait to meet Kitty and Catherine and find out more about the love triangle and Cat’s “rise and fall as queen.” And I’m super excited to discover just what price they’ll have to pay for love.

Gilt sounds absolutely fascinating. I know that I’m totally intrigued. And I can’t wait to read this first book in the author’s new series.

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

Pub. Date: May 15, 2012

Published by: HarperTeen

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

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I can’t believe how forgetful I was when creating last week’s post. Which makes me very nervous about this week’s post. I managed to add an update shortly after that post was published with the release information for Last Rite by Lisa Desrochers, which I forgot to include.

And I’ve since learned that I also forgot to mention In Honor by Jessi Kirby, which was another book I had pre-ordered.

If I’m not missing any major new releases, then it is a quiet release week. I only have three books pre-ordered, but all three of them are books I can’t wait to read. Although the first two do require reading the previous book in the series…. So, I’m thinking that maybe Gilt will be the first to make it to the top of the pile.

I’m really glad it’s a bit of a slower release week this week. While there aren’t too many books releasing next week, there are a few that I’m absolutely dying to read, so having a bit of a slower week will keep me from falling too far behind.

And while I only have three new books for the TBR pile this week, I am thinking of adding a new nook to the family. I’m just afraid to head to Barnes & Noble because I may end up finding a few… or more… books to add to my collection. So, we’ll see….

Anyway, happy book buying!

***

As always, I would love to hear what you’re hoping to add to your collection this week!

And if you have any great suggestions of “must read” books to buy that are releasing this week, please let me know!

Aside from the signed copies of City of Lost Souls that I purchased, this week was pretty quiet as far as the mailbox is concerned. I actually wasn’t expecting anything, but one book did show up.

I received a copy of Betrayed by Ednah Walters for review from the awesome folks at Spencer Hill Press.

I am really excited to check this book out. I’d heard of the author and her series when it was self-published and I actually have one of the books in that series on my Kindle. But I’m super glad I hadn’t yet read it so that I can read this book without comparisons or influence from the earlier version.

Betrayed is due out in early June and I definitely plan on reading this prior to release. But for now….

Here are the books I have in my reading pile this week.

(May 13 – May 19, 2012)

***

First up on the pile is Starling by Lesley Livingston. I received an ARC through a trade and after Jaime of Two Chicks On Books sent me a photo of a certain passage involving the Fennrys Wolf, I knew I had to move this book right to the top of the pile.

I loved the author’s Wondrous Strange series, fell in love with Kelley, Sonny and Fenn and was just so sad to see the series end. But when I heard that Starling continued Fenn’s story, I was ecstatic.

And Starling sounds seriously awesome. I love the fact that this story also takes place in New York City. And I love the fact that Mason Starling’s family has some kind of connection with the Norse gods. But most of all I love, love, love that Fenn appears to have amnesia.

Starling sounds like it will be an action-packed adventure, with a mystery I know I’ll love unraveling with the characters. And I am dying to see what the author does with the Norse mythology in this story. And that first line of the description has me absolutely intrigued - ”Love is just the beginning… of the end.”

Yes, there was no way I’d be able to wait until closer to release date to put this book on top of the pile.

Next up on the pile is Bloodlines by Richelle Mead. I have the eBook and a print copy, but as the print copy is signed I will be reading the eBook version. Which I’ve owned since release date. Which has been begging to be read ever since. And yet which has never made it onto the pile… until now.

At first it was because I was hesitant to pick up this new story in a world I loved with other characters than my very favorite ones. I was worried I’d spend the entire read missing them and not be able to get into this book. But then I heard that the story included Adrian, which the description didn’t even hint at.

But by that time I was just too bogged down with reads that I couldn’t get it to the top of the pile. Well, after much pressure and getting a chance to borrow the sequel, I just couldn’t hold out any longer.

I’ve always thought Sydney was awesome and I am excited about heading to Palm Springs where the characters won’t just be moroi and dhampirs.

Richelle Mead is an awesome writer. I still haven’t quite recovered from the mid-series heartbreak in the Vampire Academy series. Though I have to say I loved how the next book played out because of it. But I’m super excited to see what happens with Adrian as he’s one of those characters that I want to have a happily ever after.

Wishful Thinking reads:

If I Die by Rachel Vincent is my only wishful thinking read this week. I know I’ll have an entire month to re-read this book for the challenge, but after finishing My Soul to Steal I really need IID to make me smile.

I’ve read If I Die a few times, but I hadn’t read it just after reading MStSteal so I’m curious to see if it changes anything.

Those left behind:

I sort of went a bit off pile last week and didn’t read either book I had planned on reading. Not because I couldn’t get into them or because the books aren’t amazing. But I’ve been in a bit of a funk and I didn’t want that to affect my reading enjoyment of two books I know I’ll love.

So, I decided to do a bit of re-reading instead for two books I already adore - My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent for the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge and The Long Walk by Stephen King because that is one book that will always be out of this world amazing.

I will be reading both books from last week before I start this week’s reads because I think I’m starting to come out of my mood… well, I hope I am. But I’ll also be reading a purely for me book that I won’t be reviewing on any blog. And no, it’s not that book that everyone’s talking/ranting about.

NetGalley Pile Adds:

I’ve stayed away from NetGalley this week. I’m really trying to squeeze in the books I’ve already agreed to review through NetGalley before requesting any new ones. And I’m eternally hopeful that I’ll get a few read over the summer.

But that remains to be determined.

***

I’ve been in such a snark the past few weeks that it’s made it tough to read. I’m a mood reader and when I’m in a snarky mood, it’s tough to get lost in a book. I become overly critical and that’s just not how I like to read. And with a few less than stellar reads for me lately, which ended with a hugely disappointing non-YA read, I’ve been wary of picking up any of my “dying for” reads.

But going off pile for an old favorite I believe has helped. Although I’m still in full-on snark mode, I found that I was able to get lost in a book without nit-picking. So, instead of feeling anxious I’m feeling hopeful.

So, anyway, I have some pretty amazing reads ahead of me that I just know I’ll love – yes, I do go into reads with that much faith in them and the author. But I’d love to hear what you’ve got planned for the week ahead.

Happy reading!

***

Do you create a reading pile?

If so, what’s in your pile this week?

I thought that the cover for City of Lost Souls looked amazing online, but the online picture did not do justice to it. It’s absolutely gorgeous IRL. The best cover yet.

And while this year Barnes & Noble didn’t seem to have the exclusive edition available to order signed, the author was signing a few copies at Books of Wonder in New York. So I just had to order a couple from them.

They also tossed in this swag pack – though only just the one – which may be pictures or postcards of the Shadow Hunters Family Rings. As I haven’t opened the sealed package, I can’t tell if they are postcards or just pictures. But instead of keeping them for myself, I’m giving them away along with the copy of this book shown above.

So anyway, onto the giveaway….

There is no requirement to like or follow. But if you’d like to spread the word that would be awesome!

If you are viewing this post via email you will have to click the link to enter the giveaway on the blog as Rafflectoper forms do not work through email.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Arise by Tara Hudson will be released in the U.S. on June 5, 2012 in hardcover and eBook formats.

It is currently available to pre-order online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in both formats.

Published by HarperTeen, the print edition is 416 pages.

Arise is the sequel to author Tara Hudson’s Hereafter.

***

There was no question that I’d be choosing Arise by Tara Hudson as the book to watch for the week of June 5th. I thought Hereafter was a beautifully written and incredibly sweet and charming love story that had a timeless feel to it.

I am curious to find out what’s been happening with Amelia and Joshua. Their love story has the potential to become a tragic one. With Amelia not quite living and with the pull of the netherworld, a happily ever after seems nearly impossible. But I am still rooting for them.

The description for Arise hints that things haven’t improved for them since we last saw them and that they must “fight for every moment.” And in this sequel they head to New Orleans to find answers only to end up with even more questions. But a new character gives them hope with the ability to lead a “half-life.” An existence, according to the description, Amelia is willing to pay any price to have.

With a new setting, new characters and new hope for Amelia and Joshua’s love story, Arise sounds like it will be another enchanting installment in this series about a more-than-star-crossed love story with virtually insurmountable odds. And with yet another gorgeous cover, this is a book that I’m super excited to spotlight this week.

If you want to get an early peek inside, there’s a nice long excerpt of Arise on Goodreads. Just CLICK HERE.

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Places to Watch

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About the Book

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Other Amazing Books to Watch

There are two other awesome books releasing on June 5th:

Surrender (Possession #2) by Elana Johnson

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie