Coming Soon - Time of Our Lives

Time of Our Lives

by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegmund-Broka

What they say: A boy desperate to hold on, a girl ready to let go.

Fitz Holton waits in fear for the day his single mother's early-onset Alzheimer's starts stealing her memory. He's vowed to stay close to home to care for her in the years to come--never mind the ridiculous college tour she's forcing him on to visit schools where he knows he'll never go. Juniper Ramirez is counting down the days until she can leave home, a home crowded with five younger siblings and zero privacy. Against the wishes of her tight-knit family, Juniper plans her own college tour of the East Coast with one goal: get out.

When Fitz and Juniper cross paths on their first college tour in Boston, they're at odds from the moment they meet-- while Juniper's dying to start a new life apart for her family, Fitz faces the sacrifices he must make for his. Their relationship sparks a deep connection--in each other's eyes, they glimpse alternate possibilities regarding the first big decision of their adult lives. 

Time of Our Lives is a story of home and away, of the wonder and weight of memory, of outgrowing fears and growing into the future.

More info

Due for US release 21st April 2020 from Penguin Books

When Publishers Get it Right - Penguin Pride Book Club Read-a-long

We're quick to contemn big companies when they do something wrong, but often don't praise them when they get something right! 

I've taken part in many read-a-longs over the years, with all kinds of themes including one with hot men on the cover (don't judge), but I've never taken part in a LGBTQ read-a-long. With LGBTQ being such a growing market in YA fiction, Penguin Platform could be accused of jumping on the bandwagon to increase sales, but after looking into all of the chosen books, I really don't think they are. 

I'm proudly displaying my pride flag and am hoping to read some wonderful YA stories about inclusion and positive representation. 

Penguin Platform, I salute you!

Check out the Pride Book Club page here!

First up is The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth 

When Cameron Post's parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they'll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief doesn't last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to "fix" her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self-even if she's not quite sure who that is.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

Book one - 4th - 17th June

#PrideBookClub

Gimme Gimme Gimme - The Smoke Thieves

The Smoke Thieves

by Sally Green

What they say: A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict. 

In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell.

As alliances shift and shatter, and old certainties are overturned, our four heroes find their past lives transformed and their futures inextricably linked by the unpredictable tides of magic and war. Who will rise and who will fall? And who will claim the ultimate prize? 

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Releases 3rd May - Penguin 

Pre-order here 

One Of Us Is Lying - Review

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

What they say: One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them. 

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Buy:

US * UK

I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: Mix Prep School Confidential with The Liar Society and throw in a dash of Dangerous Girls and you're still not even close to the plot of One of Us in Lying but you're in the right ballpark in terms of a YA murder mystery.

One of Us in Lying is the ultimate high school whodunit. When a teen dies during detention the remaining four students find themselves under scrutiny and at the centre of a murder mystery.

All the students have secrets, which victim Simon seemed ready and willing to exploit. So it's not difficult to imagine any of them murdering him as they all had motives.

The story is told from multiple POVs which means the reader gets to experience the mystery unfold right along with Addy, Bronwyn, Cooper and Nate. 

The book is full of secrets and lies. Like literally all the secrets! No not really but you get the point. I had my suspicions about the culprit/culprits from the start, then promptly changed my mind and ended up being right on the money (don't worry no spoilers here). 

As much as the story is about finding Simon's killer, it's also about the pressure and stress placed on teenagers today. We uncover a lot about Addy, Bronwyn, Cooper and Nate throughout the book. We see them as they face their guilt, loss, anger and tackle their own more personal issues.

One of Us is Lying is an intriguing and dramatic coming of age story with a harsh lesson and good mystery.

4 Stars in my Sky!

Review - Street Soldier

Street Soldier by Andy McNab

What they say: Sean Harker is good at two things: stealing cars and fighting. One earns him money, the other earns him respect from the gang that he calls family.

A police chase through the city streets is just another rite of passage for Sean . . . as is getting nicked. But a brutal event behind bars convinces him to take charge, and turn his life around.

Now he must put his street skills to the ultimate test: as a soldier in the British Army. And the battlefield is London, where innocent people are being targeted by a new and terrifying enemy.

Undercover, under threat – only Sean Harker can save the streets from all-out war.

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Buy links:

US * UK

I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: *Full disclosure - I wrote this review a while ago and forgot to post it*

Due to the more adult themes and language used I'm going to label Street Soldier as mature YA.

Teenage gangs are a big problem in England. London definitely has a lot of gang related crime, so it wasn't difficult to imagine the scenarios Sean ends up in happening outside of the book. The story is about Sean's crimes and the long lasting consequences. 

We see his life in the gang, in a young offenders institution and as a solider in the army. London is the war zone he always knew but that we may not have expected.

I loved the raw honesty and heartbreaking authenticity Andy McNab works into Sean's story but it was his daily struggle to turn his life around, to right his wrongs, to be a better version of himself which really won me over. He charmed me.

The concept is clever and terrifying in parts, yet hopeful and inspirational in others. The plot is engaging and original. The pace is dramatic and action filled.

4 Stars in my Sky!

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New Release - The Glittering Court

Get ready to fangirl! THE GLITTERING COURT by Richelle Mead releases today with a special giveaway!

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed copy of the book and a $25 Sephora Gift
Card courtesy of Richelle, Penguin Teen, and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d
like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Title: THE GLITTERING COURT

Author: Richelle Mead

Pub. Date: April 5, 2016

Publisher: Razorbill

Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook

Find it:
Amazon * Amazon UK * Barnes & Noble * iBooks * Goodreads

The Selection meets Reign in this dazzling trilogy of interwoven novels about three girls on a quest for freedom and true love from #1 internationally bestselling author Richelle Mead.

"Brilliant and original, Mead’s new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." —School Library Journal

For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life
they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born
Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the
Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own
destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea.

After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a
servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into
proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price:
she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and
fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself—even
though she’s falling in love with him. 

Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she
catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She
didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone
else's property. But nothing is as daunting—or as wonderful—as the potent,
forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted
on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and
possibly lead them to their deaths.

Exclusive Excerpt:

Author Spotlight:

Richelle Mead has
written over twenty-five novels for teens and adults. She is the author of the
international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series and its spinoff series,
Bloodlines. Her recent standalone novel, Soundless, draws upon Chinese
mythology and history, and her forthcoming series, The Glittering Court,
follows the adventures of girls destined for arranged marriages in a fantasy
world inspired by colonial America. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had
a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually
tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad
reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses
to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas,
and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan,
Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is hard at work on her
next novel.

Website| Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a hardcover of THE GLITTERING COURT & a $25 Sephora Gift Card.
(US Only).

Ends on April 15th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review - Vicious Cycle

Vicious Cycle - A Vicious Cycle Novel #1

by Katie Ashley

Released June 2nd 2015

Publisher: Penguin Signet

ISBN: 0451474910/B00OQS4DMI

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Buy Links:  

Amazon * Amazon UK * Barnes and Noble * iTunes * Google Play

New York Times bestselling author Katie Ashley revs up the danger and sexual tension in her brand-new Vicious Cycle romance series.

Deacon Malloy’s life is dedicated to the Hells Raiders motorcycle club. Tough, hard, and fast with his fists, he serves the group as sergeant at arms. But his devil-may-care approach to life is thrown for a loop when the five-year-old daughter he never knew existed lands on the club steps.

Alexandra Evans is devoted to all her students—but there’s always been something about Willow Malloy that tugs at her heart. There’s an aura of sadness about her, a girl in need of all the love Alexandra can give. When Willow stops coming to school, Alexandra’s search leads to a clubhouse full of bikers…and a father hell-bent on keeping his daughter always within sight.

The moment Deacon sees Alexandra, he has to have her in his bed—and he’s never met a woman yet who couldn’t be persuaded. No matter how attracted she is to Deacon, Alexandra refuses to be just another conquest. But it’s Deacon himself who could be seduced—into a brighter future for himself, his daughter, and the woman he’s falling for against all odds.

I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: I often find with Motorcycle Clubs books that they are either really good (like Joanna Wylde's Reaper's series) or really bad (no naming and shaming here). With Katie Ashley's Vicious Cycle I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect or where it would fall - But I liked Alex's and Deacon's story and found myself drawn in their complicated world. 

For David 'Deacon' Malloy life is about the Hells Raiders MC, his brothers, women and survival. This all changes when he unexpectedly finds himself responsible for Willow, the traumatised younger daughter he didn't know he had. It's the introduction of Willow's bossy, challenging and extremely attractive teacher Alexandra Evans aka Miss Alex/Alex/Lex which really alters things. 

Alex throws Deacon through a loop and he doesn't know what to make of her. Add in a vengeful enemy, along with club politics, and Deacon has quite a battle to protect his girls. I wasn't always convinced by some of Deacon's actions. I felt his reaction to having a daughter, and then to how he treats Alex were pretty shady (at times). But once I accepted his shock at the situation and factored in how unusual it must be for a woman to stand up to him (like Alex does) I softened towards him and his behaviour.

One of my favourite elements of the story was the relationship between Alex and Willow - I loved how she was prepared to take on all those big scary bikers to protect her student.  Alex's attraction to Deacon was hilarious and I liked how she couldn't decide whether she loved or hated him. I did want to shout at her for being so judgemental at the beginning (although she was justified a lot of the time) and I appreciated how accepting came to be of the MC members.

The secondary characters were an interest mix. Mama Beth, Rev and Bishop were my favourites and I have to say I was on team Rev for a while. For the most part I liked the plot although there were some parts of the story where it lost it a little bit for me because events happened really quickly and I wasn't entirely sure about certain character's actions and motivations. Deacon also changes a lot throughout the course of the series which I both appreciated and found infuriating. The naughty scenes were intense and I liked the good girl and bad boy element.

I can't go into the plot too much without giving anything away, so be prepared for a few shocks and unexpected events. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next with Rev and where Katie Ashley will take her bikers.

3.5 - 4 Stars in my Sky!

Author Spotlight:

Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition Series, Runaway Train Series, as well as several New Adult and Young Adult titles. Her latest series, Vicious Cycle, has been picked up for publication by Penguin Books. 

She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy, Downton Abbey, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo. 

With a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in English Education, she spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012.


She is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management. 

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Cover Reveal: DARE TO RUN

DARE TO RUN is a gritty, super sexy, adult title coming out on February 2nd 2016 from Jen McLaughlin and published by Penguin (NAL Signet). 

To celebrate, Inkslinger & Jen are having a scavenger hunt! There are 8 clues scattered around groups of bloggers hosting this feature. All you have to do is find all 8 clues and figure out the scrambled word.

To make it easy for you, we will tell you where you can find Clue #1.

Just go to this article on DARE TO RUN, found at USA Today HEA!

In order to find the groups of bloggers posting, go to Jen McLaughlin's blog and she will have the lists so you can check out each group and find the remaining 7 clues.

For this site, the clue is listed below, along with the rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DARE TO RUN Summary:

The New York times bestselling author of the Out of Line Novels takes readers to Boston where one gang of criminals knows how being bad can be so good…

She knows what he’s like on Boston’s mean streets. Now she’s going to find out if he’s got some heart.

Lucas Donahue is not ashamed of his criminal past, but after a brief stint in prison, he’s ready to go legit and live a normal life. The problem is, no one leaves the gang without permission—even if he is one of the boss’s top men. Plus someone’s placed a hit on him. And then there’s that feisty little bartender who’s going to cause him even more trouble.

Heidi Greene knows to keep her distance from a ladies’ man like Lucas—even if she can’t keep her eyes off him. When he rescues her from an attack in the alley outside her bar, she’s forced to stay by his side for safety. But the longer she spends time with him, the greater her chances are for getting hurt in more ways than one.

ADD THE BOOK TO GOODREADS

PRE-ORDER THE BOOK NOW

AMAZON * THE BOOK DEPOSITORY * KOBO

Author Spotlight:

Jen McLaughlin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy New Adult books. Under her pen name Diane Alberts, she is a multi-published, bestselling author of Contemporary Romance with Entangled Publishing. Her first release as Jen McLaughlin, Out of Line, released September 6 2013, and hit the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal lists. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

WEBSITE * TWITTER * FACEBOOK * GOODREADS