New Year's Challenge Day 14

 The Book Blogger New Year's Challenge hosted by Parajunkee.

Day 14 (Blogger Wish List of 2014):

This is the final day of the book blogger New Year's Challenge.

I don't really have that many things on my wish list.

On my wish list for 2014 I want to: 

Reach 400 likes on my Facebook page
Reach 500 followers on Twitter
Get more comments on my posts
Blog more than I did in 2013
Provide better content
Have fun with blogging 

 What's on your wish list?

This is the end of the challenge but here were the subjects of each day:

Blog Tour: Revival

Title: Revival

Author: Jena Leigh

Series: The Variant Series #1

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal

Publish Date: Nov. 24. 2012

Tour Organizer: TeamNerd Reviews

Length: 282 pages

Format: paperback, ebook

Goodreads: here

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Description: Possessing the uncanny ability to fry a television set from twenty paces can really wreck a girl’s social life.

If you’re looking for proof, just ask sixteen-year-old Alexandra Parker. After catching her boyfriend in the arms of the prettiest girl in school, she made the journey from social elite to social pariah in a haze of electricity and exploding electronics. But finding herself at the bottom of Bay View High’s social hierarchy was nothing compared to the shock of discovering who—and what—she really is.

After being zapped out of a burning bookstore by the mysterious Declan—a hero nearly as handsome as he is infuriating—Alex finds herself under the protection of the powerful Grayson family. It’s through them that she learns the truth: that the world she’s always known is nothing like it appears to be... and that she has far more in common with them than she might want to believe.

Now, on the run from a fire-wielding hit man and a secretive government organization, Alex must navigate a strange and treacherous new world filled with superhuman mutants known as Variants. As she begins to unravel the many secrets of her family’s past, she uncovers the real reason for her parents’ death twelve years earlier—and finds out that the threat to her family, and to everyone she cares about, is still dangerously real.

My Review: Revival was a lot better than I expected it to be. I wasn't quite sure how I would feel about this novel as I have read many books about teenagers gaining supernatural powers and I was a bit curious about how this would be different. I think this was a great novel.

Alex is just a normal girl dealing with a break up from a cheating ex boyfriend when she discovers that she is not so normal after all. She meets Declan who just so happens to be able to teleport, Kenzie-telepathic, Nathaniel-telekinetic, and Brian who can see glimpses of the future. Each of these characters are important and fascinating in their own way. They operate as a family and joke and bicker with each other like one. I was happy to see the characters interact with each other in a way that made it clear that, despite not being blood related, they cared for one another.

The training that Alex goes through to control her abilities with her new family is fun and exciting to read. Although she learns quickly, it is amusing to see her mistakes. In my opinion, it is what makes Alex seems more realistic and sincere. All of the characters are well developed as their emotions are well defined and no one seems to be a background character. Brian is, perhaps, my favorite character because he seems far wiser than his years of 10 or 11 because of his visions, yet he does not let it stop him from having fun. Even the girl who Alex's boyfriend cheated with was fleshed out so that she did not merely fill up space on a page. 

I found the dynamic between Declan, Alex, and Nathaniel to be very interesting as I sense a maybe love triangle/unrequited love/I don't know what it is. The two boys both act interested in Alex and share strange looks and comments when one of them goes off with her alone. I am very interested in how this will play out and am happy that there will be more to this series.

Finally, the action is great. It feels movie-like in that there are car chases, fights, guns shooting, power hungry psychopaths, and strange, corrupt government agencies. There is suspense and surprise as nothing is what you expect it to be. I was very pleased with this novel and cannot wait until Resistance.

Quick Opinion: I was pleased with Revival overall. I think the concept of teenagers with supernatural powers, while not a new one, is well executed in this novel. I was captivated with the action in this novel and genuinely interested in what came next and how the characters ended up. I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the Variant series when it is released. I give Revival 4.5 stakes and I cannot wait to find out more about the characters that I have grown to care about.

Get to Know the Author: Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Jena Leigh spent ten years in the mountains of North Carolina before returning home to the lightning capital of North America. A shameless geek, she loves bad sci-fi movies, Skittles, writing cracktastic e-mails to friends and taking shenanigan-filled road trips to faraway concerts. She has a degree in English from Appalachian State University. Revival is her first novel.

Author Links: 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Where to Get Your Copy: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Giveaway: 

**MUST be 13 or older to enter**

**Winners have 48 hours to respond before new winners are chosen**

*ONE winner will receive a SIGNED hardcopy of REVIVAL and RESISTANCE (Be aware you will have to wait for the second book until it is published in FEB)**

**FIVE winners will be chosen to win e-copies of REVIVAL and RESISTANCE (Be aware you will have to wait for the second book until it is published in FEB)**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you read Revival? What did you think? What do you think about a supernatural bunch of teenagers?

Musing Mondays #13

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week...

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you choose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you're reading right now – what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren't) enjoying.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books – let's hear it, then!

A book that I really want to read is Michelle A. Valentine's Phenomenal X. 

Good Girl. Notorious Bad-Boy. One Phenomenal Love.

From the mean streets of Detroit rises the newest superstar of professional wrestling, Xavier Cold, better known as Phenomenal X. His muscular physique makes men cower before him and woman lose their minds with desire.

Anna Cortez is fresh out of college and naive to the harsh realities of the real world. Tired of living under the thumb of her conservative family, she defies them when she accepts a job as the assistant to wrestling’s most notorious bad-boy. Phenomenal X has an animalistic nature that even good girl Anna finds hard to resist.

One night forced to share a bed in a sold-out hotel, lines blur between them and they quickly learn that one lustful night changes everything and neither one of them will ever be the same.

I have loved every book by this author and I am dying to read this one. 

And...this question was posted: 

Question: Are “best” and “favorite” the same thing? If someone asked you “What’s the best book you ever read?” would the answer be the same as for “What’s your favorite?”

I don't think best and favorite have to be the same thing because something that is the "best"  like a sports team may not be your favorite sports team. Or a book that pretty much everyone has read and liked may be considered one of the "best" but your favorite book is something different. I think "best" can be considered something that is superior to another while "favorite" is something that you have a personal preference for.

Please leave a comment and share your Musing Mondays.

Happy Monday.

New Year's Challenge Day 13

 The Book Blogger New Year's Challenge hosted by Parajunkee.

Day 13 (Share a Blogger Horror Story):

I have had a few minor heart attack moments while blogging but none that were exactly horror story. In the middle of writing a post I have had my computer shut down, blogger stop working, my internet freeze, and a saving or posting error. I have been fortunate enough not to have any major problems but I am looking for a way to archive my posts, not just one blogger, but so I don't lose them if anything happens. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it.

What is your blogger horror story?

If you want to follow along here are the topics for each day:

Scorpions MC Prequel: Ryder Cover Reveal

Here is Jani Kay's Ryder...

Title: Scorpions MC Prequel: RYDER

Author: Jani Kay

Release Date:  January 28, 2014

All Jade ever wants is an intelligent, well-mannered, and highly educated man like her daddy. One who has stellar career prospects as he climbs the corporate ladder to success. A good provider who will give her a stable life and a gorgeous house in the right neighborhood. A charmed life. Everything orderly and well balanced. Her perfect match. Isn't that what every woman wants? What she doesn’t want is a smartass, cocky, rough-around-the-edges biker. One who has tattoos and piercings, and looks like a sex god. One who is demanding and controlling. The ultimate alpha male who storms into her life and shakes her to the core. Jade never saw it coming. Ryder is the one man she can’t resist. He shows her what she really needs. Him.

All Ryder wants is inner peace. Freedom from the hatred churning in his gut. Since his mother deserted him, his life has turned to sh*t. He’s killed a man, lost his brother and fought for his survival. All before turning twelve. Saved by Razor and Cobra, sons of the Scorpions, he owes his life and allegiance to them. The Scorpion MC is his only family. One he will serve and protect till his dying breath. What he doesn’t need in his life is a smart mouthed woman who thinks she’s better than him. One who pushes every one of his buttons. One who challenges him to want to be more than a drifter. One who makes him question everything he’s ever known. Ryder never saw it coming. He can’t get Jade out of his head. She shows him what he really wants. Her. 

ADD TO GOODREADS

Jani has been married for a long time to a special man, and her two children and their partners are the sunshine in her life. She is a voracious reader and would spend her last dollar on a book - always fascinated that for the mere price of a book, she can escape her world for a while and see through someone else's eyes.

Besides reading, her favorite 'thing' is traveling - she has traveled the world, learning about the ways people live and has come to the realization that no matter where we live, we all ultimately want the same things. Her hobby - Scrapbooking - keeps her up till way after midnight and her usual subjects are her family and her travels.

Ever since she can remember, Jani wanted to write stories about people, about their lives and loves. Relationships and Happiness - arguably the most difficult things to master in life and yet exactly what everyone ultimately desires (in her humble opinion).

 

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

GOODREADS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let me know what you think of this cover. I have read books about motorcycle clubs before and I am interested in the Scorpions.

New Year's Challenge Day 12

 The Book Blogger New Year's Challenge hosted by Parajunkee.

Day 12 (How Do You Plan On Getting More Followers This Year):

This is something that I have actually been thinking about. I think that I want to comment more on other people's blogs and just connect with more people. I think I want to stop being so obsessive over watching how many followers I have and just work on getting more comments. I really like seeing comments and knowing that someone is actually reading what I am writing. I also want to work on my content. I think that if there is better content people will come.

 What are you thinking about doing this year?

If you want to follow along here are the topics for each day:

Cover Reveal: Twisted Ties

Introducing K.A. Robinson's Twisted Ties...

Description:

Two years ago, Emma Preston walked away from Jesse Daniels. It is a decision she has regretted ever since. Plagued with the knowledge that Ally’s lies tore them apart, Emma enlists Jesse’s former best friend, Andy, to help her search for him.

When he left California, Jesse was determined to start over in West Virginia with his mother. Now, the past is determined to catch up with him—first, with the appearance of Ally, and when Emma and Andy come back into his life.

Just when Emma thinks she’s found Jesse, a dark secret and misunderstandings force them apart before they can even reconnect. Jesse is torn between his love for Emma and protecting his childhood friend, Ally. Ally has an agenda of her own, and she’s not about to let Emma get in her way—even if that means getting rid of her… permanently.

Can Emma and Jesse’s relationship survive all of their twisted ties?

 Book 2 of 2.

 Goodreads

Author Bio:

K.A. Robinson is the New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author of The Torn Series and Shattered Ties. She lives in West Virginia with her husband and toddler son. When she isn't writing, she loves to read dystopian, zombie, and New Adult books. She has an addiction to Caribou and Starbucks coffee.

Author Links: Facebook | Blog | Novelisting | Mailing List | Book 1 Shattered Ties

 Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of the Twisted Ties Cover.