Posts By: Giselle

Monday, February 11, 2013

Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four Tour Kick-off + Giveaway

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Today I’m kicking off the Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four blog tour that will run from Feb 11th to Feb 23rd! Let me introduce the book, show you a sneak peek, and you can enter the fabulous tour grand prize!

Phoebe Pope 
and the Year of Four
Nya Jade
Series: A Shapers Novel #1
Publication date: October 30th 2012
by Dreamwell Publishing

The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .

Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.

As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself—and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive.

Sneak Peek



One

Phoebe was too far away to sense whether the boy had one heart or two. Through the maze of trees with clattering leaves, she could see him moving with purposeful speed. He was headed toward her destination—a brownstone chapel perched at the top of a small hill. Not knowing the boy’s nature made Phoebe hesitate. Then came the sound of tower bells. Eight o’clock. There was no time to think of an alternate route. She was officially late for the Conversion.

A loud, echoing crack quickened Phoebe’s pace as lightning slashed the indigo sky above her. She had barely reached the base of the hill when rain began pounding down. Clutching the camera that hung from the strap around her neck, she sprinted the final stretch, arriving breathless.

Phoebe wiped the rain from her face, and then entered the chapel. Inside, light from moon-facing windows cast a misty glow across the sanctuary, the air redolent with the smoke of a blazing fireplace. She glanced around the heart of the nondenominational Green Lane Academy. It seemed so ordinary, so quiet, even peaceful. Rows of pews with velvet cushions ran the width of the room. She moved between them, taking care to remain in the shadows. An irregular shape in a dark corner caught her eye and Phoebe could just barely make out the outline of the boy. He knelt with his head between his hands, his body huddled against a pew. Praying.

Phoebe paused several feet away and waited. After a moment she felt energy seeping from the boy’s skin, raising the hairs on hers. Cold and electric, it meant one thing: the boy had only one heart. She couldn’t risk him seeing what she had come there to do. That meant waiting. Just then, something stirred behind her.

About the Author


Nya Jade is a singer-songwriter and author based in San Francisco. Her music videos have aired on the VH1, BET, and MTV networks. USA Today hailed Nya as a “young female troubadour worth keeping your eyes and ears on,” in an entertainment feature on up-and-coming singer-songwriters. “Her cool singing voice recalls Sade,” said the LA Times.

Between writing and performing new music, Nya took a musical sabbatical to focus on writing a novel—an endeavor she found quite daunting, until she began looking at each chapter as a verse in a very long song. Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four is her first novel.

In her free time, Nya enjoys hanging out with family and friends, searching for amazing gluten-free desserts, and bargain hunting for her next pair of funky shoes.

Nya holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Sociology, both from Stanford University.

Click on the banner for the full tour schedule!

Giveaway
Nya Jade has generously offered up one iPad Mini to one very lucky grand prize winner.
Open internationally
Giveaway ends March 6th, 2013
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (42)

Posted by on 02/10/2013 • 60 Comments

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week. This week at Xpresso Reads

Howdy! So we just got one heck of a major snowstorm! I survived!! Though I’m pretty much trapped in my house! O.O Yep, fun times. Ok so–are you from or close enough to get to Boston? Because if so, mark your calendars for August 17th! Me and Amy of Book Loving Mom are planning a book blogger meet-up dinner and bookswap. If you’re interested, join the event’s Facebook Group! Lastly, don’t miss the latest giveaway on the blog to win a copy of Quantum Drop!

New at Xpresso Book Tours

— Book Blitz Sign Up:…

Fresh Batch (February 10th – 16th)

Posted by on 02/09/2013 • 11 Comments

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

Flavor of the week:

Pivot Point Kasie West Series: Pivot Point #1Publication date: February 12th 2013by HarperTeen

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known….

Book Girls Don’t Cry: Book Hype!

Posted by on 02/08/2013 • 67 Comments

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don’t Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don’t miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:  

Book Hype: A pro or a con?

We were all, at one time or other, taken over by book hype. A book that is raved about, that has so many fantastic reviews, that you dive into it with such high expectations. And then the crash is hard and fast! I’m sure most of you have a book in mind already, eh?

When book hype is a bad thing:

 –The coulda shoulda woulda

Did I enjoy this book? Barf! No. I was left incredibly let down when, after all the brouhaha, it ended  up being NOT epic. NOT better…

Booking up Boston Blogger Meet Up – August, 2013

Posted by on 02/08/2013 • 24 Comments

Get ready, lovelies! Book Bloggers will be booking it up in Boston in August, 2013! 

Amy (Book Loving Mom) and myself are organizing a book blogger meetup in Boston, MA on August 17th, 2013. It’s going to be a dinner and book swap (optional), where you can meet some fellow bloggers and maybe pick up some new books and ARCs! We are super excited to be doing this and we hope there’s a great turnout. You do not need to be from Boston–heck I’m Canadian and all 😉 –Anyone who’s able to drive, bike, or take a plane ride, we want you there!

Not all the details have been decided yet–exact location and exact time etc,–but if you’re interested, even if you’re not 100% sure you can come, join…

Quantum Drop Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

Posted by on 02/07/2013 • 9 Comments

Dropping by Xpresso Reads today is the Quantum Drop blog tour hosted by Hachette Children’s UK. I have Saci Lloyd over for an interview and you can win this pretty! Not heard of Quantum Drop

Quantum Drop Saci Lloyd Genre: YA Science FictionPublication date: February 7th 2013by Hodder Children’s Books

Anthony Griffin is an ordinary kid caught up in a dangerous world. The boundaries between real and virtual are more and more blurred, and when Anthony’s girlfriend is taken out in a gang hit, he has to venture into the underground world of the Drop to flush out her killer and bring him to justice.

This is the story of a boy whose girl is worth more than money.

Interview with Saci Lloyd

Q. What can you…

Cover Reveal: Shooting Scars by Karina Halle

Posted by on 02/07/2013 • 14 Comments

Shooting Scars Karina Halle Series: The Artists Trilogy, #2 Publication date: May 2013 by Metal Blonde Books A second chance at first love.

There are a few things worth risking everything for – even your life. For Camden McQueen, this is one of them.

Shooting Scars is the second book in The Artists Trilogy and is told from the dual POV of Camden and Ellie.

The Artists Trilogy:

I don’t know if you knew but Sins and Needles literally rocked my world! I loved it and I’m so excited for this cover reveal I think it’s full of awesome and epic hotness. Plus, the quote on it, totally the best part don’t you think? *whistles innocently*

What do you think, lovelies?

Waiting on Wednesday (72)

Posted by on 02/06/2013 • 50 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:

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown Holly Black Genre: YA Paranormal Release date: September 17th 2013by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

COLDTOWN WAS DANGEROUS, TANA KNEW. A GLAMOROUS CAGE, A PRISON FOR THE DAMNED AND ANYONE WHO WANTED TO PARTY WITH THEM?

Tana lived in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this…