8th September 2014 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Rachel Caine
The Cold Girl (short story originally published in the Carniepunk anthology)
Simon & Schuster Pocket Star (US, UK, CA & AU: 8th September 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Vampires aren’t child’s play, as a naïve teen discovers when her heart leads her far, far astray.

Amanda Grace
No One Needs to Know
Llewellyn Flux (US: 8th September 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Olivia Reynolds and her twin brother Liam have been best friends their whole lives. But ever since he started dating, Liam has barely had time for Olivia, making her feel powerless and alone. Blaming his string of girlfriends, Olivia does whatever she can to drive them away. Until she meets Zoey, Liam’s latest fling. A call-it-like-she-sees-it kind of girl, Zoey sees right through Olivia’s tricks. What starts as verbal sparring turns into surprising intimacy, and then something different builds between them. Something that feels a lot like love. But when Liam confesses that he’s falling for Zoey, that she’s more than just a fling, Olivia has to decide who deserves happiness more: her brother or herself.

Mark Henry
The Sweeter the Juice (short story originally published in the Carniepunk anthology)
Simon & Schuster Pocket Star (US, UK, CA & AU: 8th September 2014)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)

September 2014 Releases

Done with August 2014 Releases? Here are September 2014 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

[REVIEW] In Too Deep – Amanda Grace

Amanda Grace
In Too Deep
Llewellyn Flux (US: 8th February 2012)
Buy (US Kindle Edition) Buy (US Paperback) Buy (UK Kindle Edition) Buy (UK Paperback) Buy (CA Kindle Edition) Buy (CA Paperback) Buy (AU) Buy (Worldwide)

We may not like the characters we relate to, and we may not relate to the characters we like. In Too Deep is the former, with a narrator whose first mistake starts a snowball effect. The big issue is that she could publicly correct misconceptions any time, but doesn’t until the very end. Yes, she confesses when all is said and done, but for the most part Samantha Marshall is unlikable, even though teens may relate to her reluctance to clear the air.

It’s on the back cover, so I don’t count it as a spoiler: Carter Wellesley doesn’t rape Sam, but she lets everyone believe he did. Her defence is, “I didn’t SAY he raped me,” but the fact is she doesn’t immediately speak the truth when she realises a rumour is spreading.

Sam reasons that Carter is mean, so he deserves a bit of payback. But that’s a slap in the face to every victim of rape who is too scared to report the crime, or who reports it but isn’t believed. Except for the few who key a derogatory term into the side of her car, Sam is mostly believed and supported. This should give readers hope, but that it’s all a fabrication leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

And to think all this horribleness would’ve been avoided by Sam actually admitting to her best friend that she’s in love with him. But then this novel wouldn’t exist, because there’d be no story.

4 New Covers (Grace, Hoover, Verday)

Now Available for US Pre-Order

Jenna Black: REVOLUTION: 11th November 2014: Buy (US)
Amanda Grace: NO ONE NEEDS TO KNOW: 8th September 2014: Buy (US)
Erica Hayes: HUNTER’S HEART: 12th February 2014: Buy (US)
Mary Miller: THE LAST DAYS OF CALIFORNIA (paperback): 2nd September 2014: Buy (US)
Diana Peterfreund: ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA (paperback): 14th October 2014: Buy (US)
Tiffany Reisz: MISBEHAVING: 11th February 2014: Buy (US)
M. J. Scott: THE WOLF WITHIN: Buy (US)
Melanie Scott: THE DEVIL IN DENIM: 26th August 2014: Buy (US)
Gena Showalter: THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS: 30th September 2014: Buy (US)
Jessica Verday: FLESH WHICH IS NOT FLESH: 5th March 2014: Buy (US)
Rachel Vincent: MENAGERIE: 30th September 2014: Buy (US)
Melissa West: SURGE: 2nd September 2014: Buy (US)

8th September 2013 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

Amanda Grace
The Truth About You & Me
Llewellyn Flux (US: 8th September 2013)
Review
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
On her first day at Green River Community College, Madelyn Hawkins meets Bennett Cartwright, her biology professor. He’s funny. He’s interested. And he has no idea that Madelyn is only sixteen. When they’re together, Madelyn feels more alive than she’s ever felt before. And she knows Bennett feels the same way. She also knows that if she tells him her real age, their relationship will be over. So Madelyn makes a simple decision. She won’t tell him.

September 2013 Releases

Done with August 2013 Releases? Here are September 2013 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

[REVIEW] The Truth About You & Me – Amanda Grace

Amanda Grace
The Truth About You & Me
Llewellyn Flux (US: 8th September 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

What you do doesn’t just affect you – it affects others, too. Madelyn Hawkins learns this the hard way when she lets her crush believe she’s eighteen. But she’s actually sixteen…and Bennett’s her biology lecturer. It’s legally shady if they hook up, and they plan to when the term ends. But by the time Bennett learns the truth, the damage has already begun.

Amanda Grace specialises in teen characters that make mistakes, but she doesn’t shy away from showing the consequences. Often it’s the other party who suffers the most. The Truth About You & Me has drawn comparisons with Ilsa J. Bick’s Drowning Instinct, and unfortunately Amanda Grace’s book doesn’t hit as hard. It’s a good read, a great read, but I expected a much more explosive ending. It has more potential than it delivers, but it’s a solid four-star novel.

Now Available for US Pre-Order

Lenore Appelhans: LEVEL 2 paperback (27th August 2013): Buy (US)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes: THE NATURALS (5th November 2013): Buy (US)
Andrea Cremer: SNAKEROOT (10th December 2013): Buy (US)
Amanda Grace: THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU & ME (8th September 2013): Buy (US)
Jeff Hirsch: THE DARKEST PATH (1st October 2013): Buy (US)
Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: THESE BROKEN STARS (10th December 2013): Buy (US)
Scott Tracey: PHANTOM EYES (8th October 2013): Buy (US)

6 New Covers (Barnes, Grace, Jones, Mahoney, Peacock, Rowland)