Pawn by Aimee Carter (ARC)

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1)
Aimee Carter
Pub.: November 26, 2013

You can be a VII. If you give up everything.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand. 

In this dystopian novel, Kitty is one of many Does in society, a child born after the first whose parents couldn't afford the fine to keep her. If being taken away from her family and orphaned wasn't enough, everyone is forced to take the same test to determine their place in society - I through VI, with VII being reserved for the family who leads their people. Unfortunately, Kitty bombs her test. Her new number: III, a level that will afford her enough to survive, but she'll have to move to Chicago for her assigned job in the lovely sewage industry. Not wanting to leave her boyfriend before he takes his test in one month's time, she sucks it up and decides to work at one of the many girlie clubs until then.

 

As luck would have it, Kitty gets more than she expects with her first client. Offered the chance to become a VII, she accepts without considering the consequences, and finds herself a different person upon waking. But not just any person. Lila Hart of the ruling family. Unfortunately, taking on her new identity is way more trouble than it's worth, especially once Kitty discovers Lila was the one secretly leading the rebellion against her family's rule.
 

Heads will roll...

I read the first two Goddess novels by Miss Carter and they really weren't my cup of tea, but I was pleasantly surprised by Pawn. It kept me intrigued and flipping pages well into the night. And I can honestly say that for a clean YA novel, it kept me glued to the kindle - something that usually only happens with those new adult novels I love so much. :)

ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for honest review.

Christmas Caption Contest!!! (INT)

I thought I'd do something different and fun for the holidays, so I've decided to run a caption contest. This is a pic of my little guy a few years ago. Back then he was all smiles, so to get a pic of Mr. Grumpy Face here was quite a rarity. Come up with what I deem the best caption for this picture and you'll win a $25 gift card to either Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ETSY, or the Book Depository.

 

Original Caption:

"I'm now accepting applications for my new mommy," griped Riley.

 

RULES

1. Be kind and respectful.
2. Only the captions on the AUTHOR facebook post will count (post is pinned to the top of my page). Please do not leave your caption on my blog, goodreads page or my personal facebook page.
3. Winning caption will be chosen by me (and possibly the hubby). Hint: We're partial to humor and sarcasm.
4. Contest will end on my birthday, Monday December 16th.
5. Contest is international. Winner can choose a gift card for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ETSY; or I can order the winner their choosing through the Book Depository (please make sure they deliver to your country).
6. If more than one person uses a caption and it becomes the winning caption, the first to use it wins.
7. BONUS: In addition to your comment, if you share the facebook post and you win, I'll add an additional $10 to your gift card. (Sharing will in no way effect who wins this contest).

Note: I'm shutting off comments for this post so you won't be tempted to leave it here.

GOOD LUCK!

Cover Reveal: VIP by M. Robinson

VIP

M. Robinson

Erotica

Exp. Pub.: December 4, 2013

Add it to GoodReads

Check out the VIP (Trailer 1)

The beginning- A point in time or space where something starts.

32 year old Sebastian Vanwell, was a very successful yacht broker, who always loved the design and architecture of a luxurious yacht. His only addiction was being on the water. He loved it, he thrived on it, and he needed it in his life. After a very stable, loving child hood with a few bumps, Sebastian married the love of his life. The one person that he knew would always be there. Julia was his rock, and he loved her more than life itself. Sebastian kept his addiction to the water under control, wanting to keep his time with his wife and son his number one obsession, that was until he saw her. This new addiction haunted him, the one compulsion that he couldn’t control no matter how hard he tried.

Ysabelle Telle hit him hard, knocking the wind from his lungs. Coming from worlds apart, beautiful, dark complexion Ysabelle Telle didn’t have the rich, protected background that Sebastian Vanwell had. Ysabelle lived a life of hell, in poverty, growing up with a drug addict mother that never cared, and horrific living conditions. Ysabelle lived for one person and one person only; herself. She was pure perfection, her beauty along with a flawless body had men lined up, driveling over her insuring her success as a VIP.

There are too many words that describe the effects when two diverse worlds like theirs collide. They both have too much to lose to get caught in the forceful pull, which could destroy them both.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and drug use. Intended for mature audiences. 

 

 

 

Cover Reveal Sign-Ups

 

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Iron Traitor (Call of the Forgotten #2)
Julie Kagawa
Pub Date: October 29, 2013

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for - his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all. 

Ethan Chase can't seem to keep his feet in the real world. He just got back from the Nevernever and already his conscious to help a family member is guilting him back in. Anwyl, Keiran's summer fey girlfriend is on the verge of fading into nonexistence, which happens to all fey since the mortal realm has become a world of nonbelievers. Anwyl has accepted her fate, but Keiran refuses to lie down, determined to find a cure for her and all the other Forgotten trying to hold on. Unfortunately, he's willing to risk not only his life to save her, but as the journey takes it's toll and his soul begins to corrupt, he's willing to risk a hell of a lot more.

 

Keiran was a bit frustrating for me in The Iron Traitor. And with a title like that and knowing the prophecy regarding both Ethan and Keiran, you know what's coming, and you're forced to just sit there and watch a guy deteriorate in a way that will cause him to turn his back on his own family, consequences be damned. Sad thing is, Ash even told him there were other ways to go about it, but he still continues on doing his own thing, making more questionable moral risks with each fiasco. But still, his desperation makes you kind of hurt for the guy too.

 

I can honestly say I enjoyed this installment of the Iron Fey better than the first. The story was more captivating, I actually cared about what happened to the characters, and for once, I didn't want to use Kenzie's face as a punching bag. I won't lie - Megan, Ash and Puck are such compelling characters that they will forever steal the spotlight, but Ethan, Kenzie and Keiran are becoming respectable runner-ups.

ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for an honest review.