Dare You To by Katie McGarry: Review

Dare You To (Pushing The Limits #2)
Katie McGarry
Published May 28th 2013 by Harliquin Teen
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:
Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."
"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....
"I dare you..."
 
If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
 
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
 
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Darkfallen's thoughts:

 

 

This book is just...WOW!

Beth Risk has a less than stellar home life. Her mother is an alcoholic and a drug user and her moms boyfriend has sworn to kill Beth if he ever sees her again. So to protect her mom at all costs she hides her home life. She knows her mom with get arrested if anyone finds out. After one particularly rough night Beth takes the fall for her mom and ends up in jail. That's the night that everything changed. After moving in with her uncle she meets Ryan at her new school.

Ryan was dared to get her phone number one night at a Taco Bell. Boy was he surprised when she turned up to be the new girl at his school. And since her never got her number he is determined to complete the dare and get it. Only thing is now his friends have upped the bet. Her has to get her to go out on a date with him. Little do both of them know is that the more they resist each other the closer they get. So close that they can't turn away from each other.

So I have to say that while I enjoyed Dare You To I loved Pushing the Limits more. Beth is rough around the edges and trusts no one. While Ryan is the n ice popular jock with a less than stellar home life and a secret. But to Beth he just looks like the jock that has everything so she gives him a hard time. The first half of this book was a little flat for me. It just didn't have the passion that Noah and Echo had in Pushing The Limits. Still it was a great fast read and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I especially loved the ending...but of course my lips are sealed. lol

Overall this was another stellar book by Katie McGarry and I look forward to what else she has coming for me.

 

 

Lymi...

 

 



Any Other Night by Anne Pfeffer: Review/Giveaway

Any Other Night
By Anne Pfeffer
Published May 19th by Bold Print Press
Pick up your copy at Amazon today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

Any other night, Ryan Mills would have driven his best friend, Michael, to Emily's sweet sixteen party at the Breakers Club. Instead, determined to win over the birthday girl, he goes to the party early and alone, setting off a chain of events that ends with a car accident in which Michael dies.

Ryan blames himself for what happened to Michael. As far as he's concerned, he doesn't deserve to have love or ever be happy again. Then he learns Michael left a secret behind. Ryan feels compelled to take on his friend's unfinished business, and in the process, changes his life forever and becomes a man.

This book was published in October 2011 under the title Loving Emily. In May 2012, it was reissued with its content unchanged as Any Other Night. Many older ratings and reviews remain under the old title. Please put newer ratings and reviews here. A NOTE ABOUT CONTENT: in this book, some characters use profanity, engage in nonexplicit sexual activity, or take illegal drugs.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

 

This is a story that will keep you on an emotional roller coaster the entire time. It's about love and loss, heart break and happiness, grief and angst, but most importantly about growth.

We meet Ryan the night of Emily's party, the girl that he has been crushing on. He decides tonight is the night to tel her how he feels so he doesn't drive his friend Micheal so he can get there early. Unfortunately fate has it's own agenda that night. And that agenda includes taking Micheal from this world. Any other night Micheal never would have driven himself to a party. Ryan always drove. So it comes as no surprise that Ryan blames himself for his best friend dying in a car crash that night.

I don't want to give to much a way so I'll leave it at that. This whole story is so complex and is weaves itself around you like a second skin, digging deeper and deeper until the very end. One thing that really stands out about this book is that it's told from a boys POV and it actually reads like it. Most books told from a boys POV the boy just comes off sounding like a girl. Not here folks. Ryan's voice is exactly what your would expect from a sixteen year old boy, and I love Anne Pfeffer for being able to pull that off. Not only that but I LOVED his voice in general. It's real, and raw, and it has the power to rip your heart open one minute and make you smile the next.

Simply put, I loved this book and I didn't ever want it to end!

And because the author is made of awesome one lucky winner will get a $10 Amazon gift card! All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below!!

 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saving You, Saving Me: Promo

Saving You, Saving Me
By Kalin Gow
Published April 16th 2012 by The Edge Books Pick up your copy at Amazon today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

18 year old high school senior and aspiring psychologist Samantha Sullivan (Sam) never thought she would fall for the one mysterious guy she has been speaking to over the phone for months, the boy the counselors called Daggers. She wasn't supposed to talk to him outside of their sessions. But as she began to peel the layers of Daggers and learn who he is, the one boy she is supposed to be saving, might just be the one who is saving her.

Saving You Saving Me inspired the Saving You Saving Me Project found at: http://www.SavingYouSavingMe.com

Loving Summer (Loving Summer #1) by Kalin Gow: Review

Loving Summer (Loving Summer #1)
By Kalin Gow
Published May 28th 2012 by The Edge Books Pick up your own copy at Amazon today! Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:
Summer has always looked forward to spending her summers at her Aunt's beach house with the Donovans. To her, summers at Aunt Sookie's beach house was magical, especially getting to spend time with the Donovans - her best friend Rachel and Rachel's brothers Nathaniel, and Drew. Here at Aunt Sookie's beach house, they can be anyone and anything they dreamed. For Summer, she had always wished to become as pretty as Rachel and for her brothers to think of her as more than Rachel's friend. For Nat and Drew, summers at Aunt Sookie's beach house meant fun and escape, a place where they go to with their mom and sister for the summer, away from city life. They never thought this summer would be different. They never thought things would change as much as they did...and it all began with them falling for and loving Summer.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

 

This is one of those reads that you just don't want to end...

Every summer, Summer and her four friends have met at her aunts Malibu beach house ever since she can remember. But it's been three years since they've been and she is excited to see them again. Summer isn't the only one that has changed during those three short years, but as soon as they are back together old memories and friendships come flooding back. And so does an old crush on her bf's older brother Nat. Problem?....she's dating someone else, AND Nat's younger brother, Drew, is also interested in her. Will she chose the right guy? And when other problems arise who will stand up to be there for her?

This is without a doubt a great summer beach read. It's just one of those books that sucks you in and that you don't want to put it down. I absolutely loved Drew! So it goes without saying that I am Team Drew on this one. Yes this is one of those books where you are left to pick a team to root for. I must admit that I was a little disappointed to find out that this isn't a stand alone book, and therefore I didn't get to find out who Summer picks in the end. While I am excited to read the sequel, I just feel this would have been better as a stand alone.

As far as characters goes all of them are well rounded and fleshed out. I NEED to know more about them. Especially about Nat. He just seems so mysterious and I think there is so much more going on with him than meets the eye. So even though I'm team Drew, I still have a place in my heart for Nat and Astor. I hope that they both find someone in further books...just not Summer. Lol

Overall this is a great read with the potential to have an epic love story. GO TEAM DREW!!

Lymi...





Surviving High School by M. Doty: Review

Surviving High School
By M. Doty
Published September 4th 2012 by Poppy
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

What's the secret to surviving your freshman year of high school?

Emily Kessler thinks she has it all figured out. She eats, sleeps and trains for competitive swimming. All she has to do is keep her grades high and swim times short -- short enough to live up to her sister Sara's. But walking the crowded maze of unfamiliar high school hallways is like diving headfirst into shark-infested waters. Shark #1: Dominique, her biggest competition on the swim team and all-around mean girl. Shark #2: The adorable and popular Ben Kale... Emily can't resist his smile no matter how hard she tries. When the pressure builds to the point where Emily isn't sure she can stay afloat, she begins to question the strict path her life has always followed.
Maybe there is more to life than studying and swimming. Maybe the secret to surviving high school is just to have a little fun.

The hit mobile game Surviving High School comes to life in an original novel about perfection, failure, and following your dreams.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

 

This book was soooooo cute!

We meet Emily and it's her freshman year of high school. She's just trying to survive it. It's not easy keeping up your perfect grades, training to be an Olympic swimmer under her dads watchful eye, and having an actually life to to that off; but still she has to try. Worse yet she is constantly living in her sisters perfect shadow ever since she died in a tragic car accident. Just when Emily thinks she has it all figured out her lack of sleep catches up to her and everything falls apart. When secrets surface about her sister it's just the push Emily needs to make the decision to be happy, and maybe let swimming go.

Like I said before this book was just so darn cute! Once I started I couldn't put it down, and I wish it never ended. Emily was just so sweet and innocent, and the pressure her father put on her was crazy, but still Emily handled it. And of course there was the ever swoon worthy boy, Ben. My heart brook for both of them several different times during this book and I am sooooooo glad they got their HAE!

Overall this is a well written book about the stresses of the life of a high school athlete that will grip you from the beginning and never let you go. It's sweet, it's fun, it's a perfect fall read!

 

 

Lymi...

 



Burn For Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian: Review

Burn For Burn

By Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Published September 18th 2012 by Simon & Schuster
Pick up your own copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

 

Burn For Burn will take you back to the days of high school and revenge in a heart beat!

We have the popular Lillia, the outcast Kat, and the new girl Mary. While these three seem to have nothing in common they come together to get revenge on three of their fellow classmates. But not everything turns out like they thought it would and things take a turn for the worse...

This is one of those books that just sucks you in. No matter how hard you try you just can't put it down. Told from alternating perspectives of all three girls you really come to understand and know each one, and even though they are all being kind of bitchy I couldn't help but like them all. Still I think bad ass Kat was by far my favorite.

Now when I first started this book I didn't realize that it was going to be a series. So the ending was a big fat WTH?! But now that I know there is a sequel coming I am dying to get my hands on it. The cliffhanger at the end of this book is enough to drive you crazy. I NEED NEED to know what happens next. I'm also excited to learn more about our quiet Mary. There is something almost paranormal going on with her and I can't wait to find out what it is.

Overall this is a great summer read that will demand your attention until the last page, and leave you gasping at the end.

 

Lymi...





Teaser Tuesday: Burn For Burn

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday!

This meme is sponsored by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

(wanna learn more about how you too can join in and play along? click here)


This weeks teaser is from....

 

"He's not my type. Not even close. That's why it's so crazy. Because as soon as I turn my head, we're kissing. And I suddenly feel like I've been waiting the whole summer for it to happen. " page 22

 

And to show the other side of this book...

 

"She give me a weird look before walking out. I guess she was expecting another fight? One of my bitchy comebacks, perhaps? Don't worry, Rennie. It's coming. The bitch slap to end all bitch slaps." page 326

 

This book is such a great beach read! I couldn't put it down!!!

 



 

Now c'mon...Tease me!!

Over You by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Over You
By Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Published August 21st 2012 by HarperTeen
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

After the grand explosion of her relationship, seventeen-year-old Max Scott developed what every girl in the history of the world has been waiting for: a way to get over being dumped. Now Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when her ex unexpectedly shows up in her neighborhood, Max’s carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients’ hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over him once and for all.

Brilliant at bringing humor to the trials and tribulations of the lovestruck, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have crafted a tale that will resonate with any girl who has ever been in love or had her heart broken. It brims with smart observations, features a pitch-perfect teen voice, and will attract fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Barnholdt. Readers are sure to fall head-over-heels for this sharp spin on breaking up, making up, and getting even.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

Over You isn't exactly what I thought it was going to be. Still is was a cute, light read.

We meet Max, a girl that has had her heart broken. Like most teenagers she didn't handle it so well. In fact you might say that she went a little crazy. That's when it hits her...there has to be a way to deal with a break up to make the guy realize his mistake, right? One thing leads to another and Ex. Inc. is born. Now with Max on a mission to make all guys swallow their own foot and every broken hearted girl over it she thinks she has it all figured out. That is until it's her foot that she is left choking on.

This reads like Gossip Girl is narrating it. This is the part that surprised me. The way it's written, in third person narrative, leaves it a little jumbled and hard to read at times. The flow is just off in places. This just made it not as enjoyable for me. Still I was stuck needing to know how it was going to end which pushed me to keep reading. This story just has a way of sucking you in. And I'm pretty sure that reason is a boy named Ben. I loved him and couldn't get enough of him. He was just so sweet and funny, with his heart on his sleeve. I also loved the comedy in this book. It had me laughing out loud over and over again.

Overall I think this could have been written in a way that was easier to read but still it's a cute, quick, sweet, beach read that I would recommend to anyone whose a fan of contemporary ya.

Lymi...





Two Or Three Things I Forgot To Tell You by Joyce Carol Oates

Two Or Three Things I Forgot To Tell You
Joyce Carol Oates
Published August 21st 2012 by Harper Collins
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

Joyce Carol Oates masterfully captures the unique experience of being a teenage girl in this provocative and poignant new novel in the vein of Wintergirls and Thirteen Reasons Why.

It wasn't like she had not warned us.

It wasn't like she had not prepared us.

We'd known that something was wrong those last several months.

But then, Tink hasn't actually vanished. Tink is gone, and yet—she is here somewhere, even if we can't see her.

Tink? Are you—here?

Darkfallen's thoughts:

Okay so I am really disappointed. Maybe it's because I was so SUPER excited to read this, that the let down is hitting even harder, but whatever it is I'm so upset to say that I couldn't finish this book.

There is a number of things wrong with this. First of all the writing it, for the most part, a jumbled mess. It's a series of run on sentences separated by even longer parenthesis. I mean by the time you get to the end of the sentence you've already forgot where you were when it started. All the sentences being broken up by dashes and parenthesis just makes the flow off and you almost stumble over reading it.

Then there is the everything that is going on in here. You are constantly jumping from one thing, to another, to the next, and OMG What Is Going On?!?!? You have Merissa and her friends are all in high school. Dealing with all the pressures that go along with that, and the fact that their friend, Tink, killed herself. Merissa is under even more pressure because she is known as The Perfect One and therefore she has no room for failure. And while I should feel sorry for her, or just feel for her period, I can't. Mostly because of the heartless way she talks about her friends, and the way she handles her life. For instance she refers to her friend, Nadia, as being soft, flabby, and fat throughout the book, and then you find out that poor Nadia only weighs a measly 119 pounds. Then Merissa starts cutting on herself because it's more thrilling than having an eating disorder? REALLY?!

Overall I am just flabbergasted at how this book turned out. I really thought this was going to be one of those reads that changed your life and broke your heart, but I was terribly mistaken. Sadly this only gets 1 star from me:-(

Lymi...





Univited (Southhills Sidekicks #1) by Leah Spiegel & Meg Summers

Uninvited (South Hills Sidekicks #1)
By Leah Spiegal & Meg Summers
Published Feb 11th 2012
Pick up your copy at Amazon today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

When Alley started her senior year at Upper East High in the South Hills area, it was supposed to be the usual drag of hanging out with people who spent more on one outfit than Alley did on her entire wardrobe. That was until Kirsten, a girl in their clique, suddenly goes missing and the only people who seem to care are her friends. All evidence leads to the new comer Shane, a cocky and self-pretentious person in Alley’s opinion, but the police seem uninterested so she and the rest of the girls start a little investigation of their own. But they are nowhere closer to finding Kirsten than when they started and now they had the police’s attention; just not in the way they expected. The girls have to start over and discover that maybe it wasn’t an outsider who took Kirsten, but someone within their own clique who has something to hide; a secret that just might have gotten Kirsten killed.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

While I don't really dig the cover of this book, I enjoyed the pages!

Alley is starting her senior year of high school at Upper East High, and it's just as it sounds...a school for the wealthy and privileged. Although Alley isn't at all either of those two things. Luckily for her, her best friend Val is one of the popular and therefore she is by default. Expecting a normal year of school until everything changes when Kirsten, head cheerleader, goes missing. Then things go from bad to worse when Val decides that she can do a better job than the cops and takes on investigating Kirsten's disappearance. Can Alley keep her bff from dragging them into this mess before they become the target?

So I want to start by saying that I'm just not a fan of this cover. I don't know why, but it makes me not really want to read the book and after reading it, I can say that I still don't like it all that much. Even still the story is good. It's not exactly what I was expecting, but it was a fun fast read none the less. I was thinking there was going to be a little more romance woven in here than there was. I would lable this as a suspense/crime mystery red more than a romance for those of you that are wondering. Don't get me wrong there is some romance in here, just not very much.

The only real problem I had with this book was all the name dropping/label naming that went on. I know that these girls are rich and come from money, but I don't need you to tell me what kind of car Kayla drives over and over again. Or what brand of shoes Val is wearing. There was just a lot of repeating going on in here. When it wasn't about the brands and labels it was about how clumsy Val was. As a reader I understood she was clumsy when you told me the first time, I don't need it blatantly stated over and over again every time she falls throughout the book.

Still this was a good book, just not exactly what I expected and not really my kind of read. But it kept me entertained until the last page.

Lymi...

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry: Review

Pushing The Limits
By Katie McGarry
Published July 24th 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

"An edgy romance that pulls you in and never lets go. I was hooked!"-Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author of the Intertwined series

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

This was a phenominal debut novel by Katie McGarry. She really couldn't of had a better book to introduce her to the world with!

Echo and Noah have a lot more in common than they think. While Noak thinks Echo is the popular spoiled brat girl, Echo thinks Noah is just another stoner/one night stand champ. What neither of them realize is that they both have scars that they are hiding behind. And the two of them can heal each other if they would just drop the labels and see the real person that is hiding underneath.

So when I first dived into this book, it was good, but it didn't instantly WOW me. Then I don't know what happened...it snuck up on me. Pulling me in so deep that when I wasn't reading, I was anxiously waiting to open the book again. I never wanted to put it down. Even after it was over I still wanted more. I was completely immersed in the raw beauty behind the story that I couldn't look away. This story is truly beautiful and heartbreaking and just simply perfect.

I loved Echo and her determination to find out what happened that night that changed her life. She never gave up even when the memories started to take their toll on her. And they way she felt about her mother was just...*sighs* That's all I can really say about that. And don't even get me started on Noah and the length he is willing to go through to get his family back together. I cried for him more than once. He simply broke my heart to pieces. And the way him and Echo love each other is breathtaking. It's messing, and complicated, and at times a jumbled mess, but it's real. You feel it in your toes.

Overall this is a great read that will pull at your heart strings and make you long for the next book. I can't wait to read more books by Katie McGarry!!

Lymi...



Everything Left Unsaid by Jessica Davidson: Review

Everything Left Unsaid
By Jessica Davidson
Published August 1st by Pan Macmillan Australia
Pick up your copy at Pan Macmillan or Fishpond today! (This book is published in Australia and can be purchased at Fishpond with free international shipping.)
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

"I wait for him, the cold seeping through my clothes, until it finally dawns on me that he's not coming back. And I wonder why he chose her instead of me? Why he went looking for her when I was right there."

Tai and Juliet have been best friends forever – since they met at kindy and decided to get married in first grade.
They understand each other in the way that only best friends can.

They love music, beach walks, energy drinks and, they are slowly discovering, each other.

As they dream of adventures beyond the HSC – a future free of homework, curfews and parents, a life together – their plans are suddenly and dramatically derailed.

For Tai is sick.

And not everything you wish for can come true.

A poignant story of first love, hope, grief, family, and the twistedness of life.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

This book is nothing short of amazing. It truly deserves way more than 5 stars. In fact I just might venture to say that it's the best book I've read...ever.

Juliet and Tai have been best friends since they met in kindergarten. They even jumped off the roof with umbrellas together trying to fly like Mary Poppins. (of course that didn't end well for either of them.) But now they are both getting ready to graduate from high school and they realize that they want more from each other. Unfortunately as their relationship grows and they plan for their future in college together fate steps in and has a mind of it's own. The reality is you can't always get what you want, and life is beyond cruel...

Yes this book is sad and tragic in the worst of ways. But you know by the title and the synopsis that you aren't going to get a Happily Ever After. Then again I think that is some of the beauty in this book. It's real life on paper. There are no white horse knights to save the day or music in the backround every time they kiss. There's pain, and love, and the reality that you don't always get what you deserve. That life can be cruel for no reason at all.

Put it to you this way...I was sucked into the story from the first page. I fell in love with both of the main characters, Juliet & Tai, from the beginning. And I loved, LOVED that this is told from both of their POV's. It made it so much easier to feel everything that was going on. So much so that I was crying my eyes out in the first 60 pages, and the tears just kept on coming. I cried so hard, on more than one occasion, I had to put the book down and catch my breath. A steady stream of tears rolled down my face and dripped from my chin until the last page. And even though it hurt, even though something inside me started to unravel and eventually broke, I couldn't put this book down. I couldn't look away. I needed every word like I need air to breathe. And now that it's over I still want more. I want to know what happens now, and when I close my eyes to sleep at night this story haunts my dreams. I simply can't get it out of my head.

Overall I know that I could never find the words to do this book justice so you just need to pick it up for yourself. It's a tragic story of love, loss, and a grief so deep you'll feel your inside rip apart as you turn the pages.

Buy it, borrow it, rent it, steal it if you have to, but you simply have got to READ this book!

Lymi...

Tyler Falls Blog Tour: Excerpt/Giveaway!

Welcome to the first stop on the Tyler Falls blog tour!!

Today, not only will you get to know a little bit more about this awesome book, and the wonderful lady behind the writing, you will get a sneak peak at the words inside, AND a chance to win a copy of the book!!!

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the lady behind the writing...

Author Bio

1. I’m an only child.
2. I love dogs!
3. I was born in Iowa City, Iowa and lived in Iowa my whole life until January 2007, when I moved to the STL area.
4. I worked as a professional psychic reader for 2 years.
5. I’m a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising.
6. I’ve written 3 books and am in the process of writing my 4th.
7. I don’t look or act my age!
8. I’ve been married twice and divorced twice.
                                                      9. I love 80′s hair band music.
                                                      10. I’m a claims payment analyst for Fortune 500 Magazine’s #16 “Top 100 places in America to work.”

You can catch up with Lori on her blog, website,  or hit her up on Twitter @clarklori !

And now to meet her book....



Tyler Falls
By Lori L. Clark
Published May 26th 2012
Pick up your copy today at Amazon!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

By the time seventeen-year-old Tyler Falls meets Emma, his "Thirty-Days-Left-to-Live" plan is already in place -- and falling in love isn't part of that plan.

Tyler has suffered from manic depression for as long as he can remember. Through medication and therapy, he manages to keep his life together. But when his parents are murdered, he decides he's had enough of living as a broken person with a broken life. So, in thirty days, he plans to stick the barrel of his Ruger SP101 into his mouth and pull the trigger.

Emma Perez's brother, Ethan Giovanni, sits in a mental institution for the murder of Dr. and Mrs. Falls. Deemed mentally incompetent and unfit to stand trial, Ethan has one weekly visitor -- Emma. She doesn't deny his guilt, he's her brother and she loves him spite of the fact he's paranoid schizophrenic.

They say when you cross paths with someone more than once, it's fate -- you're destined to meet. Tyler doesn't know Emma is Ethan's sister, and Emma doesn't know Tyler's story either. When Tyler learns who Emma's brother is, the world he's rebuilt around her begins to crumble all over again and it leaves both of them wondering why fate has such a cruel sense of humor.

And now for the excerpt...

Chapter 1

Tyler

My name is Tyler Jacob Falls and I have exactly thirty days to live.

The special school I attend -- not short bus special -- and my shrink Dr. Dynerbaugh think talking about my problems will be great therapy, part of my healing process. She wants me to open up and share my thoughts and feelings more. Dr. Dynerbaugh even gave me a journal to write in, but I don't plan on using it. I've got news for her; there are more pages in that empty journal than I have days left.

I'm seventeen and live with my aunt and uncle on Loon Island. I've lived here since April last year. No, my parents didn't get a divorce or kick me out. Dealing with that would be a piece of cake compared to what really happened.    

My parents were murdered -- on Valentine's Day.

That night, when I pulled into the drive after dropping Livi off, (Livi is Olivia Barnett -- only the hottest chick at Fort Jupiter High School. Yeah, I didn't always have the big "L" on my forehead like I do now), the front door to our house stood wide open. It being February in Fort Jupiter with a foot of fresh snow covering the front lawn, I knew there was no way in hell the front door should be open like that. We had a running joke in our family about my mom being like the Energy Nazi and she would flip out about someone's lack of procedure.

My gut told me something was bad wrong so I pulled out my cell phone, just as a precaution, and inched closer to the front door. When I walked in, that bastard Ethan Giovanni was wiping the blood from the knife he'd just slit my parent's throats with. He wore a sick, twisted grin on his face. I had about two seconds to dial 911 before he spotted me.

For someone who just offed two people in cold blood on their living room floor; he showed no more emotion than if he'd just squashed a freaking cockroach.

He had pure evil in his eyes. It's those eyes that will haunt my dreams every night for the rest of my remaining life -- when I actually sleep. Giovanni tried to make me victim number three, and the last thing I remember about that night was the distant echo of sirens.

He tried to run, but they caught up with him about three blocks from our house. But before running like the pussy he is, he stabbed me four times. I spent the next six weeks breathing through the pain of a punctured lung and took my meals through a tube attached to needle in my arm.

My mom and dad were buried while I lay in a semi-comatose state due to all the drugs they kept pumped into my body in the ICU at Fort Jupiter Memorial Hospital. When they said I had healed enough to leave the hospital, I went to live with my aunt and uncle -- Nicole and Kyle Falls -- on Loon Island.   

There are Three-hundred-forty-two residents on Loon Island -- forty two normal people and three hundred crazy people.

Those numbers are subject to change, depending on what kind of day I'm having, to forty-one Normals and three-hundred-one Crazies.

My Aunt Nicole gets on my case for calling the residents of the nuthouse Crazies. I should probably clarify something. Loon Island was named for the bird and not because of the lunatics who live here. Oh and the Loon Island Psychiatric Hospital is not the loony bin or even the insane asylum. I wouldn't want to offend one of the nutcases or their families by being politically incorrect. (Sarcasm.)

Ethan Giovanni. His face and name are two things that will go out with me when I pull the trigger. There wasn't a trial because they said he's not competent enough. He's insane. Gee, ya think?!

How ironic is it that we both live here on Loon Island? He's one of the Crazies I told you about. He's in the maximum security part of the nuthouse -- supposedly on suicide watch twenty-four/seven. If you ask me, they should give him a rope and save the tax payer's money. Some people can't be rehabilitated. I mean what's he going to do? Find God? Give me a friggin' break. Scum like Ethan Giovanni don't deserve to live.

We're supposed to take the ferry to the mainland today. It's Monday, May 25. Memorial Day. Aunt Nicole wants to take me to the cemetery where my mom and dad are buried. It will be a day of firsts for me. The first day I've been off the island in over a year and the first time I've been to the grave site. Ever. I wonder if they'll bury me next to them.

Aunt Nicole knocks on my locked door and I tell her I'm coming. Since she knows I keep the door locked she doesn't bother trying to open it.

It's not that I don't trust my aunt. On second thought... it kind of is. I don't trust anybody. She works for the hospital sometimes. Her and my uncle both work there. Most of the Normals on the Island either work at the hospital or live with someone who does. She's a Criminologist who studies the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in people and in society. I've seen the way she watches me like I'm one of her patients and I know she's just waiting for me to snap.

My Uncle Kyle's a warden at the big house. Kyle's badass -- for an old man. He's not old like ancient or anything, just older than me. He works out every day and I know he could kick some serious ass without blinking an eye. I know he'd kick mine in a heartbeat if I were to cross the line. Oh and just for the record... I'm no scrawny assed wimp.

I've heard people say never trust anyone over thirty. I have a different set of rules about trust. Don't trust anyone old enough to focus on you with their eyes or manipulate you with a smile. So, except for newborn babies and really old people, there aren't too many people able to earn my trust.

I work out in Uncle Kyle's basement gym late at night when no one's around to spy on me. Now, it's a matter of survival -- in case they lock me up in the nuthouse again and not because I'm trying to turn some hot chick's head. Dr. Dynerbaugh -- Dr. Dinnerbell as I like to think of her -- says it's good to exercise at least thirty minutes each day. It's supposed to help with my depression. She should practice what she preaches. She's not depressed, she's just fat.

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Tyler Falls by Lori L. Clark: Review

Tyler Falls
By Lori L. Clark
Published May 26th 2012
Pick up your copy today at Amazon!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

By the time seventeen-year-old Tyler Falls meets Emma, his "Thirty-Days-Left-to-Live" plan is already in place -- and falling in love isn't part of that plan.

Tyler has suffered from manic depression for as long as he can remember. Through medication and therapy, he manages to keep his life together. But when his parents are murdered, he decides he's had enough of living as a broken person with a broken life. So, in thirty days, he plans to stick the barrel of his Ruger SP101 into his mouth and pull the trigger.

Emma Perez's brother, Ethan Giovanni, sits in a mental institution for the murder of Dr. and Mrs. Falls. Deemed mentally incompetent and unfit to stand trial, Ethan has one weekly visitor -- Emma. She doesn't deny his guilt, he's her brother and she loves him spite of the fact he's paranoid schizophrenic.

They say when you cross paths with someone more than once, it's fate -- you're destined to meet. Tyler doesn't know Emma is Ethan's sister, and Emma doesn't know Tyler's story either. When Tyler learns who Emma's brother is, the world he's rebuilt around her begins to crumble all over again and it leaves both of them wondering why fate has such a cruel sense of humor.

Darkfallen's thoughts:

When I got the chance to review this book I jumped at it. I don't know, maybe I just like books that will torment me, and make me cry. Does that make me a masochist? Ummmmm....I think it might.

Overall I really did enjoy this book. The writing is clean and crisp, and easy to follow, making this a very fast read. I couldn't help but feel for both Tyler and Emma. Going through what Tyler did when he lost his parents, and then the cross Emma has to wear in the aftermath is just heartbreaking. I think it's even more heartbreaking because we all know that's how it would really happen in real life. That sometimes the crosses we have to bare aren't a result of our own actions but none the less ours. It really sucks to suffer the consequences for something you didn't do. Still Emma handles it all in stride and doesn't take crap from no one. I think that's what makes her so great.

This story is told from alternating POV's and while I usually love that this one had a tendency to re-hash scenes from both persons POV. At times I found this to make the story drag, or lag rather, causing me to skim read a lot of it. That's my only complaint with the writing. I just didn't really feel it was necessary to read, and then re-read the same stuff over and over again from a different POV. I was ready to move forward.

Overall this was a great story that tugged at the heart strings and I would definitely read more from this author.

Lymi...



Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Smart Girls Get What They Want
By Sarah Strohmeyer
Published June 26th by Balzer + Bray
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren’t the most popular girls in school, they aren’t too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents)! But when an unexpected event shows them they’re missing out on the full high school experience, it’s time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge—and they will totally rock it.

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she’ll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but always stayed behind the scenes—until now.

These friends are determined to show that smart girls get what they want—but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for....

Darkfallen's thoughts:

Everyone knows this isn't usually the type of book I read but OMG am I so glad that I did! This was a great break from the paranormal and an introduction into the contemporary ya scene.

Gigi and her two friends are super smart girls. You know the type...they take all honors classes in high school. They don't eat lunch in the lunch room, but more like the library, or in Gigi's case, the honors lounge. For the most part part they tend to be kind of invisible to the general population, and while they will probably be your valedictorian you may not know their name. They are definitely NOT the type to join the cheer leading squad, or try out for the school play, but all that is about to change...

After discovering one of their older sisters year books after she graduated and went off to an Ivy League school the three girls realize that their idol was keeping a dark secret. Sure she was smart and achieved all her goals by getting into Ivy League, but no one in high school barely knew who she was. So, deciding that they were not going to succumb to the same fate, they made a pack to go for not only the grades, but to make themselves know as well.

This book was too cute. I loved Gigi and her friends. Gigi was a lot more funny than I expected her to be, and while she was mega book smart, she was seriously stupid when it came to guys. It was a nice balance that evened it all out. And not only were the three girls perfect, but the guys and the side characters in this book were well fleshed out and played a prominent roll without weighing the story down. And don't even get me started on the resident jock, Mike. I LOVED him! He spends so much time being underrated by Gigi and the gang yet he hangs in there.

This is definitely one of those reads that sucks you in from the beginning with the right amount of drama, and humor to lighten it up, and then it keeps you turning the pages with the hint of romance until the ending that will leave you swooning long after you read the last page!

Lymi...