Monthly Archives:: January 2013

Saturday, January 05, 2013

Fresh Batch (January 6th – 12th)

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Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:
Shadowlands
Kate Brian
Publication date: January 8th 2013
by Hyperion

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

Kate Brian is the prolific author of many books for teens including the Private series, the new Privilege series, and Sweet 16. She lives with her husband in New Jersey. She writes under the pseudonym Kate Brian, instead of using her real name: Kieran Scott.

 Other releases this week (Click on title links for Goodreads):
*In no particular order*  *Purchase links are for The Book Depository*

– The 13th Sign by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb [Purchase]
 

– The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arntson [Purchase]

What are you excited for this week?

You can support my blog by using this link (also found on sidebar) to shop at TBD

Review: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Posted by on 01/04/2013 • 44 Comments

Paper Valentine Brenna Yovanoff Publication date: January 8th 2013 by Razorbill

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about…

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Review: The Dead And Buried by Kim Harrington

Posted by on 01/03/2013 • 30 Comments

The Dead And Buried Kim Harrington Publication date: January 1st 2013 by Scholastic Point

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she’s just moved into with her family. She doesn’t even mind being the new girl at the high school: It’s a fresh start, and there’s that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade’s little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade’s jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn’t.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted…

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Waiting on Wednesday (67)

Posted by on 01/02/2013 • 36 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine  and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  My pick this week:

Velvet Em Garner Release date: July 23rd 2013by EgmontUSA

After the Contamination—an epidemic caused by the super-trendy diet drink SlimPro that turned ordinary citizens into violent, uncontrollable creatures—the government rounded up the “Connies” to protect the remaining population. Now, two years later, the rehabilitated are being allowed home, complete with shock collars that will either control, or kill, them.

Velvet Ellis has struggled to care for her ten-year-old sister since her parents were taken in the round up. When she finds her mother in one of the “Kennels,” Velvet resolves to do whatever it takes to put her family back together. But…

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Review: Empty by K.M. Walton

Posted by on 01/01/2013 • 22 Comments

Empty K.M. Walton Series: Repossession #1 Publication date: January 1st 2013by Simon Pulse

Dell is used to disappointment. Ever since her dad left, it’s been one let down after another. But no one—not even her best friend—gets all the pain she’s going through. So Dell hides behind self-deprecating jokes and forced smiles.

Then the one person she trusts betrays her. Dell is beyond devastated. Without anyone to turn to for comfort, her depression and self-loathing spin out of control. But just how far will she go to make all of the heartbreak and name-calling stop?

*A copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review purposes* A very shocking novel, this one. Yet, as the author pointed out in the end notes, she didn’t write a book to shock,…

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