Shut Up & Read

Sweet Blood of Mine by John Corwin My rating: 5 of 5 stars I just added a new name to my list of favorite authors and series! John Corwin has made it with this one! He takes us on a funny and emotional adventure into the perils of high school life. He created a cast of characters that were not only relatable but multidimensional. Cast in point, the jock who bullied the nerds was also insecure around girls. Who knew? Justin Case was your normal nerd. He was chubby, wore glasses and loved to play Kings and Castles. After rescuing Katie, the girl he has a crush on, things are looking up for him. This doesn't last long though. He goes from nerd to popular to social pariah. Now even his nerd friends won't associate with him. He is then accepted in the Goth group where he learns what true friendship is all about. Elyssa is part of this group. She uses the makeup, body piercings and weird clothes as a shield to protect herself. They are attracted to each other, but can they make it...

About the Author: On Aug. 28, 2005, Suzanne Johnson loaded two dogs, a cat, a friend, and her mom into a car and fled New Orleans in the hours before Hurricane Katrina made landfall.  Four years later, she began weaving her experiences and love for her city into the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, beginning with Royal Street (2012), continuing with River Road (2012), and now with Elysian Fields (August 2013). She grew up in rural Alabama, halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis’ birthplace, and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years—which means she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and fried gator on a stick.   She can be found online at her website or her daily blog, Preternatura . As Susannah Sandlin , she writes the best-selling Penton Vampire Legacy paranormal romance series and the recent standalone, Storm Force.   Website          Blog  ...

Stage Fright by Michelle Scott My rating: 5 of 5 stars After a nightmare of an audition that chases her off the stage, Cassie is back in the theater working behind the scenes. But plagued by nightmares and unexplainable crippling fear, Cassie is determined to find out just what happened to her the last time she was on stage. Enter dark and mysterious Isaiah, and Cassie's life may never be the same. Being a fan of Michelle Scott's previous work, I was excited to see the release of her newest novel, Stage Fright. I always say the characters make a story, and in this case they did not disappoint. I positively love Cassie. She is smart, tough, and passionate, but she is very human, which is her best quality. She is not perfect – but she realizes this and doesn't try to be something she's not. The story is written from Cassie's point of view, and her head was a fun place to be. What then can I say about Andrew? Every girl needs a friend like him. He is a...

Hello, Sheri and all you fabulous people! Amos Cassidy here. Crimson Darkness (Book 2 in the Crimson Series) is on its way – coming August 30th 2013. To celebrate, we’ve come over to visit Sheri today on her wonderful blog and show you the hot cover and an excerpt from the book. Also, there is a Rafflecopter giveaway to win a £10 Amazon Voucher so make sure to get those entries in! Get yourselves comfy, pop the kettle on and take a look into the Crimson World… About the Authors: Amos Cassidy - a team of two. Amos is a 29 year old Diva and Cassidy a 36 year old mum of three. Aside from a passion for writing and a love of reading they also share an addiction to coffee, love anything Joss Whedon and are constantly playing tug of war over Jensen Ackles. They have been writing together for four years and are currently working on the third book in their Crimson Series. Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amos-Cassidy-World/172592816124684 Twitter:  https://...

About the Author: I am a middle school teacher and advocate for foster children and at-risk teens. My debut novel, “One Prince; Two Kingdoms,” came about as a result of disturbing nightmares my two foster children at the time were experiencing. After several nights of being awakened by their screams and running to comfort them, I had an idea – write a story and let their imaginations defeat their fears. The children were excited to hear stories of magical worlds and powerful celestials sent to guard them. Each night before bed, I would add new scenes and more adventures. After a few weeks, the nightmares were replaced with excitement to hear the next chapter read. The children are now living with their grandparents, but their pictures remain on my walls. “One Prince; Two Kingdoms” is dedicated to them and all the foster children who have been in my care, as well as my past and present students; my family, my two amazing teens, Kaylee and Cody, and my husband and best friend, Roy. I ...

Darkness of Light by Stacey Marie Brown My rating: 5 of 5 stars Ember has always been an outcast due to her two-toned hair color, her unique two different colored eyes, and the accidents that occur around her. She has been kicked out of multiple schools because of this. Ember is in a new city and a new school, hoping things will be different. With the principal and the local sheriff gunning for her, Ember doesn't have a chance. She is sent to an alternative school where she meets Eli. Eli is the hot, bad boy that your mom would tell you to avoid and your dad would shoot on site, but he is too hot to resist. Eli is hiding secrets that will completely change Ember life. What will happen when those secrets are revealed? Darkness of Light grabbed my attention from the beginning with its mystery, intrigue and action. Both the characters and plot were well developed. Ember is the kind of character I root for. She has been bullied and ostracized but refuses to let those things control...

Pieces of Me by Ann Garner My rating: 5 of 5 stars Pieces of Me is about learning to love, and learning to trust – others as well as yourself. It is about picking up the broken pieces and trying to make them fit together to create a whole again. And you carefully gather the pieces of yourself. You collect them together in your mind. The old pieces, the new pieces, the ones that are too shattered for you to tell what they are. You collect them and hold them close. You will need these pieces one day. Delaney is a fabulous but heartbreaking character. She moved across the country to go to college in an attempt to get away from her past, but because the past was in her head she never really truly could put it behind her. We watch her through the story as she tries to make herself over into a new person so she can attempt to be a "normal" teenage girl again, but the memories of her past continually get in her way. Grace is the kind of friend every girl needs...

Switch by Janelle Stalder My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow! There are so many things I loved about Switch, I don't even know where to start. I finished reading it last night and sat staring at my Kindle wanting more – I guess I thought maybe if I stared long enough more will show up? It didn't work, so don't waste your time trying. That ending though…Oh. My. God. I have no idea how I am supposed to wait patiently for the next book to come out. So, let's start with the characters…Charlotte/Dinah is pretty awesome. She was totally badass, but at the same time she was completely vulnerable. Confused? Me too. She was stuck in the world alone, betrayed by her family, and pissed off at everyone and everything. She was scared and in a helpless situation, but she made it all awesome by being a brassy bitch to everyone. She might not have control over her situation, but she was not going to take it lying down. She did what she had to in order to survive. She was dr...

Radiant by Belinda Williams My rating: 4 of 5 stars Lily is a 20-something emergency room nurse who had lived a pretty normal life until the day she was involved in a hit and run and ended up as a patient in her own ED. Though she recovered quickly, strange occurrences make her question her sanity and eventually everything she had ever believed. And then there is Leo, the only witness to the hit and run, who keeps popping up in Lily's life when she least expects him, and they forge a comfortable relationship, though Leo keeps Lily at a distance despite his obvious feelings for her. The characters in this story were great. Lily was pretty level headed and – what's a good word for her? – safe perhaps. She lived a quiet life and stayed out of trouble. Her best friend, Kristi, lived a little more loudly and tried to bring Lily out of her shell. The two friends were a good combination, and Kristi brought a lot of fun to the story. The author did a great job creating h...

Sapphire by Jeffe Kennedy My rating: 4 of 5 stars Taylor is a career woman. She is motivated, knows what she wants, and has a plan to get it. After a one-time fling with sexy, devilish Adam, Taylor tells herself it is over, but apparently no one gave Adam the memo. Confident and cocky, Adam has his sights set on Taylor and he is used to getting what he wants. Adam is definitely not your average sweet and sexy. He has a domineering side, and he is not afraid to use it. Adam and Taylor have an incredible amount of passion and chemistry between them, and the interaction between then throughout the story is incredibly erotic. Taylor thinks she knows what she wants, but she is secretly fascinated by Adam's control over her – enough so that she decides to go with it and see where it leads. I think my favorite aspect of the novella is watching Taylor's change throughout the story, from cool and collected to sexual and sensual. Just a note, I have read all three books ...

Platinum by Jeffe Kennedy My rating: 3 of 5 stars Althea owns and operates an art gallery that is in a financial bind. After an offer from Steel, a sculpter, to rent a space in the gallery to work, Althea thinks things might be turning around for the better…until he makes her another offer she cannot refuse. Of the three Facets of Passions books this was my least favorite. That's not to say I did not enjoy it, but I felt it lacked something that both of the other books had. For one, I felt the characters a bit lacking. They were hard to connect to, and I found myself just feeling lukewarm about them. Second, the sex scenes, while incredibly hot, did not really seem to fit well into the story. Again, not bad, but not as good as the other two books in the series. That being said, there were definitely things I liked about this story. Althea's character underwent some major changes in the short time span the story covered, and it was interesting to watch her go thr...

Life of the Party by Christine Anderson My rating: 5 of 5 stars WOW! JUST WOW!!! This book was not an easy read. It gives you an in-depth look into the life of an addict. How that life can quickly and painfully spiral out of control. Even though this story is heartbreaking, it is also inspirational. There is always hope if we are willing to acknowledge we need help and willing to receive it. God is always there even in our darkest moments. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with addiction in their own life or have family members that are. View all my reviews

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received a ARC copy from NetGalley. The S-Word is one of those books that will stay with you even after you finish reading it. It deals with many touchy subjects that not only affect teens but society in general. Bullying is one of the main topics focused on in this story. Words have power to inspire, uplift, encourage or to tear down, destroy. Our actions toward others have the same consequences or outcomes. This is what I take from this book. Even though this is a fictional story with fictional characters, the subject matter addressed happens at schools all around the world today. I would definitely recommend this book. View all my reviews

Empath by Becca J. Campbell My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was given the privilege by the author to review the ARC version of Empath . Empath is an interesting story told from two points of view, Jade and Ethan. I will admit that at times this was confusing, but the author did a good job bringing it together in the end. Jade has lived a sheltered life because of her special ability. She is an Empath who is continently barraged by others' emotions. This makes it difficult when Jade starts classes at college. Will Jade be able to cope? Ethan has his own handicap/ability. He can't see well during the day but has perfect night vision. Ethan uses this to his advantage for his twisted interests. Jade catches Ethan's attention. Will she fall prey to his sinister plans? This story was not what I expected. I enjoyed it but at times I felt like I was reading two different stories. It did become clear and I was happy how the author pieced it together. The characters were well developed...

  About the Author:   Belinda Williams is an author based in Sydney, Australia. When she’s not reading romantic suspense or chick-lit, she’s writing it (or else can be found wasting time on social media). Belinda is also a marketing communications specialist and copywriter who, after spending more than a decade writing about exciting subjects like financial services, IT and hospitality, allowed an addiction to romantic suspense and chick-lit to get the better of her. Radiant came to life when Belinda decided it was time Sydney featured in some fast-paced, heart-stopping romantic suspense, with a dark twist. Radiant is her novel début and earned a finalist placing in The Romance Writers of Australia Emerald award 2013. Belinda is a music lover and her eclectic taste forms the foundation for many of her writing ideas. She also has a healthy appreciation for fast cars and would not so secretly love a Lamborghini. For now she’ll have to settle with her son’s supercar Hot...